Growing Down - Chapter Thirteen
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Chapter 13
The next day was a blur of Joe reading through files, trying to figure out why Rudy Stamos had been such an asshole about he and Nick when Rudy and his brother had had an affair of their own when they were younger. It turned out the Stamos boys had been more than brotherly close since before the drug overdose that killed their single mother and placed them both into foster care. At first, social services kept them together, but when the foster-mom Rebecca Owens found them in bed together (and not just sleeping), social services had moved both boys to new, separate homes. Marion Owens had only ever adopted one child that had come into her care, and his name was Matthew. Matthew, who had already been living in Marion’s care for over a year before the Stamos boys moved in, and had bonded with both boys instantaneously.
Matt Owens and the Stamos brothers were connected, and apparently all three of them worked at the White House presently. Something about this entire scenario just didn’t feel right, and the next file he asked for was Gregorio’s, but it would have to wait until he and Nick got back from dinner Thursday night. And dinner in Wyckoff, New Jersey, was going to be interesting to say the least.
Neither of them had been home since last Christmas which had been the last time Nick had seen them, and Joe hadn’t seen their family since the funeral, so when they returned to the small, Jersey house it wasn’t necessarily with ease. Secret Service was with them, of course, surrounding the house with black SUV’s and men dressed to match and the two walked up with an escort of two agents each, and only after the others had secured the perimeter. Joe was about to knock when the door opened on its own and a small, dark-haired girl threw her arms around his legs. “Uncle Joey!” she called excitedly and he reached down to pick her up although his back complained silently at the effort exerted.
“Breezy,” he called, smile lighting his features as he picked up the eight year-old and she wrapped her legs around his waist, arms encircling his neck so she wouldn’t fall, not that he would have let that happen but it was human nature. “How’s my Bree?” he asked a bit quieter and she just hugged him tighter. “Oh,” he looked back in Nick’s direction and said, “Forgot to mention that Rose was born a few months ago,” and he smiled at the look on his brother’s face.
“I should have realized, she was almost due when I left, God, Joe, we’re old” he muttered and pushed past him and into the house. “Hey, Tony,” Joe heard the caution in Nick’s voice and wished it weren’t necessary, but with recent events he supposed it was. But when he made his way inside and he saw Nick kneeling, the small two-year old wrapped in a tight hug he knew everything was okay in that regard, anyway. Anthony was Kevin’s oldest grandchild and Bree was Frankie’s youngest child.
He chuckled and ruffled Nick’s curls as he passed the two then moved his hand to play with Anthony’s golden locks. “And I thought I was the only one who could get the President on his knees,” he joked and Nick laughed before standing, the small boy still in his arms. He shot Joe an amused smirk and they walked into the living room like that, each with a child in their arms and stupid, goofy, happy grins on their faces. There was just something about little kids that lightened every situation.
The family had gotten rather large, and they were lucky they were all still able to celebrate the Holidays together. This was probably the last year they would all be together, though, because Kevin Jonas Sr. had been in the hospital a lot lately to treat his cancer (brain tumor) but the chemotherapy just wasn’t taking anymore. They didn’t expect him to last more than a few months without the medication which, since he knew wasn’t going to cure him, the ex-minister but still religious man was going without. Both their parents were in their eighties and they were just thankful to have had them around for as long as they did.
The scene in front of them was typical except for the tension in the air. Danielle and Madison were sitting with Denise who was holding a small, 2 month old baby and the other ladies were crowded around as well. This would be Danielle and Kevin’s daughters Lynne and Rebecca, and the latter was pregnant with her first child even as Nick held Lynne’s oldest, Anthony, and Denise held the recently born family member, Rose. Lynne’s twin brother, Thomas, was openly gay and at twenty-eight was still lacking in a long-term significant other, he was hanging out with Rebecca’s live-in sweetie, Frederick, Lynne’s husband Geoffrey, and Papa Jonas. Fred was a cool guy but would probably ignore you if you ever called him that. He and Becky were perfect for each other, but neither believed in marriage so they just lived together and were having a kid together. It had taken some a bit longer than others to be accepting of this situation, but it was really up to Becky and Fred, in the end, and they’d been together for four years so everyone was pretty much forced to be okay with it. Rebecca was twenty-five and Kevin’s youngest, Adam, was only eighteen. He was sitting with Frankie and Madison’s older children, Dana (who had just turned sixteen over the summer) and Franklin Jr. (who was fourteen) while Bree was their youngest. She poked Joe on the shoulder and he put her down so she could run over and join her siblings.
Instead of doing that, she rolled her eyes at him and tugged on his hand, “Uncle Jooooe” she whined, tugging again and he gripped both her hands in his, lifting her up quickly so she was airborne a moment and he caught her at the waist, spinning around in a circle and watching her long hair stream out as she squealed in delight. This seemed to break the tension more than anything and suddenly everyone was crowding around the two latecomers, especially around Nick, giving the two of them hugs and making them feel bad for not coming around more often. They were just really, really busy, too busy to be a bigger part of the family, but that would change when Nick retired.
After everyone had gotten over crying and other reactions to having Nick back, they sat down to dinner, Nick and Joe next to each other as always and the only ones who weren’t able to be open about the fact that they were there as a couple. They were there as brothers, sure, but even among family they had to be careful about not letting their relationship slip. Joe had always suspected some of them knew, Thomas especially seemed to notice the glances they exchanged or how their fingers lingered just a tad longer than necessary when they did have to touch. But that didn’t mean they could start a war by coming out.
“I was thinking of early retirement when you’re done being the President,” Joe said casually, voice kept low so the conversation would stay as much just between them as possible. Nick’s eyebrows rose as he chewed thoughtfully on the bite of sugar-free pie he’d just taken. “Yeah, maybe, I mean, I was thinking of maybe adopting a kid or something.” Nick coughed and swallowed roughly, eyes watering in surprise and Joe blushed, “I guess I’d be too old, but I don’t mean a baby, maybe a kid that’s already a bit older they need a home more…maybe Bree's age?” he trailed off and looked down at his plate.
He felt Nick’s hand come up to cover his on the table and looked over to see his brother smiling in an amused way. “Joe, that sounds real good, maybe I’ll move in to help take care of the kid,” the smile grew, “Doubt you could handle it alone, anyway.” The way they spoke, their choice of words, they were speaking in code in case someone did happen to overhear. Of course, if Nick had said it was a bad idea, it meant that he didn’t want to raise a kid, and Joe wasn’t about to do something like that without Nick. They always erred on the side of caution, dancing precariously on that line between socially acceptable and just this side of ‘wrong.’
Nick left his hand there a few moments more before picking his fork up again and eating some more pie, leaving Joe to think about it. “Of course, I’d need a place to live first,” he acknowledged with a smirk, taking a bite of his own, very sugary pie. Nick leaned against him, shoulder knocking into his own briefly before he shifted back more steadily into his own seat and he froze when he heard their father clear his throat. This, this was why they never went home. Of course, he might have something to say that wouldn’t be dangerous, controversial or spark a fight, but Joe seriously doubted it. Nick, too, had gone still.
“It would have been nice to live to see the day all four of my sons were married with families of their own,” Papa J. said softly. His voice may have been soft, but it carried weight and managed to quiet every conversation at the table. All eyes were on the patriarch of the family, including those of his wife whose expression was akin to someone who knew that a train wreck was about to happen.
There were a few moments of awkward silence, and then Thomas snorted, “Hear that, Uncle Joe, Uncle Nick? You two gotta get hitched,” he added with a laugh, eyes sparkling with mirth most either wouldn’t catch or understand. “Before the old man croaks so no pressure, right?” A few others laughed awkwardly, apparently this was working to diffuse the rather potentially explosive situation after all, “Oh, and don’t forget you gotta make babies, too, all in that short amount of time!”
A few of the younger kids actually laughed at that and Danielle, although smiling, said, “Thomas, show some respect!” But the mood was considerably lighter and Joe mouthed ‘thank you,’ and got a knowing nod in response.
Suddenly Bree said, “Uncle Joe, Uncle Nicky, if you guys get married can I be the flower girl?” Silence took over again, more tense from before, because Bree really didn’t know any better. Was she asking if they were going to marry each other? Other people?
“No one is getting married!” Denise said firmly, hands curled into fists on the table. “Bree, sweetie, if Joe or Nick ever get married I’m sure they and whatever lucky lady they propose to would love to have you in their wedding as the flower girl.”
“Oh,” Bree said, nose scrunched up in confusion. “What if they marry each other?”
“They won’t, they can’t, and they wouldn’t want to,” Denise responded, but she didn’t look so sure. “They’re brothers and that’s just not the kind of relationship they have.”
“Excuse me,” Joe said and pushed away from the table, head spinning slightly and heart pounding much too fast as he made quick progress through the kitchen, out the door and into the fresh air the backyard promised. He took a few deep breaths of the cold air, his head clearing slowly as he forced his frazzled nerves to calm down. This was the closest their secret had come to being said aloud because it was sort of one of those things some of them were in denial about, others were skeptical and some thought they knew was true, but nobody talked about it.
“Hey,” he heard a moment before familiar arms slipped around his waist from behind and he leaned into the embrace. He let himself relax in Nick’s arms for a few moments, the sound of crickets a soft background noise. He knew that they were being watched by both family members and Secret Service. At least they couldn’t be heard, especially if they made a point to be quiet. When Nick said, “I’m sorry about what happened inside,” he pulled away and turned around to face his brother.
“They’re your family, too, Nick. You know them as well as I do, I mean, I wasn’t expecting that but I had been expecting something, which just shows you maybe we shouldn’t come around here anymore.” Nick reached up, fingers lining Joe’s jaw line, thumb stroking along his cheekbone a mere ghost of a caress, but it nonetheless had an earthshaking effect on him. “God, still, after all these years, Nicky. Still I get butterflies and you still make me blush.”
“When I have you alone for a moment, truly alone, I’m going to kiss you.” Joe nodded and Nick grabbed his wrist, turned around and promptly pulled Joe back into the house. Only staggering with the first few steps, Joe followed, obedient and a lot more relaxed just from that promise more than anything else, least of all the fresh air. When they got back to the table everyone was doing their best to act as if nothing had happened, and apparently Bree had been told not to bring it up but she climbed into Joe’s lap, anyway, and showed him a magic trick involving a rolled up napkin, a plastic cup and her ‘mind.’
“Okay!” she said before she began. He’d seen her do this ‘trick’ before but let her do it anyway. “If I do this right, you have to give me a dollar, okay Uncle Joey?” He chuckled and nodded, brushing some hair out of her eyes. “Uncle Nicky isn’t allowed to say anything; I showed him this trick earlier. So,” she rolled up the napkin into a ball and placed it on the table rather theatrically. “See the ball? Okay, good,” she smiled and placed the cup upside down on top of it, hiding the ball from sight.
“Okay, now this trick is that I have to move the ball without physically touching the cup.” She waved her hands over it muttering nonsense ‘magical words’ and when she stopped, she gave him her best ‘humor me’ smile and asked, “Ok, now lift up the cup ok? The ball will be gone!” Knowing what was coming, Joe lifted the cup anyway to see the ball still sitting there. She picked it up and said, “See? I moved it without touching the cup and now it’s gone!” Then, a bit louder, she said, “Uncle Joe owes me a dollar!” She turned back to Joe and added, “You’re not gonna be mean like Daddy and Uncle Nick, right?”
He turned and raised an eyebrow in Nick’s direction and said, “How could you not pay this hard worker, Nicholas?” Nick shook his head and muttered something about cheating but Joe just said, “I can’t do anything about your dad, but I can make sure Nick does the right thing. Nicky,” he said, holding out a hand expectantly. “Give me two dollars.” When Nick just looked at him incredulously he added, “You know, one from you and one from me. She earned a dollar from each of us. You’re the President, you can pay, huh?” he winked and Nick just rolled his eyes and took out the money. “Don’t spend it all in one place, okay?” he said as he took the money from Nick and handed it to Bree.
She giggled and said, “Okay, Uncle Joey,” and clamored off his lap to go show everyone the money she made from her ‘magic trick.’ He heard them telling her she did a good job, what a good business woman she’d make someday, but she just kept telling people she was saving up for more magic tricks - real magic tricks. He turned his chair so he was facing Nick, knees bumping together gently and he was rewarded with a lazy smile.
~*~*~
The trip back to DC was relaxing, and he laid his head against Nick’s shoulder as he nodded off, feeling one of those comforting arms automatically go around his shoulders and the weight of Nick’s head against his. It felt like they arrived back at the White House too soon and he said, “Damn, we need to be up in,” he checked his watch, “Four hours.” He yawned and it felt like his jaw was in danger of relocating itself. It was almost two in the morning and Nick was being reinstated the next day, to say they needed at least a few hours of sleep was an understatement. “Come on,” he said and the walk to their room was made half-asleep. Nick managed to get into proper pajama pants while Joe just stripped to t-shirt and underwear before collapsing onto the bed, not even bothering with the covers. He felt added weight on the bed and set his phone alarm for quarter to five before turning and snuggling with Nick.
“I’m not staying long,” Nick mumbled, but Joe just curled himself around his brother more securely and nuzzled against the same shoulder he’d fallen asleep on earlier. “M’not,” he persisted through an unconvincing yawn and Joe waited until he heard Nick snoring before letting himself fall asleep as well.
He might not have been exactly comfortable when he fell asleep, but when he woke up it was an entirely different story. He was sprawled out half on top of Nick, semi-hard cock pressed into his lover’s hip, one leg tangled between Nick’s and the other bent at the knee out away from his body. His head was resting on his brother’s chest right above where the steady thump-thump of his heart beat and he could feel the dig of Nick’s dick against his stomach. “Mmm g’morning, baaaaby,” he sing-songed sleepily and felt Nick push roughly at his shoulders.
“Getoffme,” he growled, never having been a morning person and Joe obliged, rolling over and grabbing his phone to silence the device beeping incessantly. “We forgot to lock the door when we came in last night,” he added cautiously and Joe groaned audibly.
“Well, we’re fine, no one came in, obviously, so let’s go shower. I’ll even skip my morning run if you’ll let me take care of that morning wood,” he suggested with a smirk and lick of his lips. Nick just snorted and shook his head, coming in for that kiss he owed Joe from the night before. When they finally did leave their rooms, they were pleasantly surprised that the rings they’d ordered from Tiffany’s had come in, the small, blue boxes sitting invitingly in the bin containing their mail.
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