The first thing Hunter saw after he got to his office was a text. He was already having a good morning. He didn’t wake up at the buttcrack of dawn, saw other people in the building when he arrived, and even shared a few words with Josh to start the day. But this text from River was too good to be true.
Riverâ¤ï¸
I’m sorry
Followed by a gif of a panda with shiny, anime eyes holding up a banner with the same words. Hunter was smiling so hard. He hid his mouth behind a large palm but the truth didn’t change. River was already forgiven. Hunter couldn’t hold malice for the man as he poured his heart out last night. That was all he needed to see.
But River apologized anyway and now Hunter was grinning like a fool.
A fool in love.
The words had crystallized in his mind last night. When he’d kissed River over and over, he realized that he wasn’t just trying to comfort him. He was trying to tell him he loved him without saying the words.
Hunter was in a strange relationship which made it strange to be in love. He didn’t know where to go from here. Although he rarely admitted it, Hunter wanted everything with River. He wanted commitment. He wanted marriage. He wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to River in his arms. He wanted to live with River and raise Melodie together.
But he also wanted River to be happy. And he still wasn’t sure if that happiness was with or without him.
The little dancing panda lost some of its appeal. The sincerity Hunter assumed to be behind it probably wasn’t there. And the issue was, Hunter didn’t care. Because he would always forgive him.
Because Hunter loved River.
—————
The snow was newly melted and while the grass was dry enough to run on, the air was still frigid. Icy air pelted Hunter’s face as he ran, but he wouldn’t let it stop him. TJ was right up ahead. All Hunter had to do was reach out and grab his flag-
“Hunter! Look what I found!”
Hunter’s focus shifted, looking for Melodie. She was jumping in front of the bench, holding a four-leaf clover. Hunter slowed to a stop and smiled with huffed breaths. TJ was still sprinting toward the end zone but there was no chance Hunter would catch him now. Besides, it was a very cool leaf.
“Wow, let me see it!”
Melodie handed Hunter the leaf with a spring in her step. She knew he would like it. River got off of the bleacher with a sigh and crouched down to his daughter’s level.
“Try not to bother Hunter when he’s playing, kiddo,” he whispered.
“It’s fine~” Hunter said, pocketing the clover with a wink. “We were just about to switch out, anyway.”
Now that football was starting up again, Hunter went out on a limb and invited River. To which he replied, “can’t, I have Melodie.”
To which Hunter also replied “great, you can bring her.”
Not even Cindy would allow a six year old to play with the adults, so the solution was playing in turns. Whoever wasn’t on the field watched Melodie. River gave Melodie a gentle nudge on the shoulder–he’d explained that her curls couldn’t take a noogie–and jogged onto the field. As the players welcomed him back into the fray, Hunter took Melodie’s hand and walked her back to the bleachers.
“Did you find anything else cool?”
Melodie did in fact have a collection of found items laid out beside where she sat. Plants and rocks and other suspicious items of every size were strewn together. Like show and tell, she explained what each was and how she’d found them.
As Hunter “oo’ed “and “awed” at each new reveal, Sean watched with a curious expression.
“Melodie’s really comfortable with Hunter,” he commented, getting River’s attention. Play was all happening on the other end of the field and with such a casual game, neither wanted to cover that distance to join in. River looked to his daughter and his- his guy.
“She is. She sees him more than some of her teachers,” River joked with a smile. Sean looked over at the pair again, his expression clearing.
“Maybe that says something.”
“What does that mean?” River asked, instinctively crossing his arms over his chest. But Sean was smiling now, not a speck of hostility in his body.
“It means that Hunter hadn’t set aside more than one day of the week for us in 2 years. But he made the time for you and her.”
They both looked at the pair on the bleachers, watching Hunter pull Melodie’s hat over her ears. She said something to him which made him get up, unzip his jacket, and place it over her spot on the bleacher.
River’s heart swelled.
“It’s something to consider,” Sean smirked. River waited for him to say more but the man was turning around, sprinting after a young man running rapidly for the endzone.
“For God’s sake, TJ!”
Unfortunately, Hunter’s yell of frustration couldn’t stop the twenty-something year old from scoring. A few seconds later, 2 boo’s, one low- and one high-pitched, rang across the field. Hunter was taking his role model duty very seriously.
—————
Hunter had spent days telling Melodie about all the Chang kids. He described it like having a slumber party 24/7 with the sweetest, nicest kids she’d ever meet. She was understandably vibrating in excitement by the time they got to the front door.
Luke answered the door, his youngest draped against his back. Luke’s eyes flitted over Hunter before landing on River, his smile widening.
“You must be River,” he balanced Romeo onto one shoulder, using the opposite arm to shake River’s hand. “It’s great to meet you.”
Romeo’s eyes peaked over his dad’s shoulder, making contact with Melodie from the front porch. Melodie’s buzzing stopped, a wide-eyed stare taking its place. Hunter watched the exchange, utterly confused. Where had all of her excitement gone?
“The adults are in the kitchen. You guys can join us once you get your shoes off.”
Luke left the room with a grin and, using the second alone, River whispered into Hunter’s ear,
“She’s always shy at first.”
He nodded to Melodie’s subdued form, shoulders drawn as tightly into her body as she could manage. He looked back at Hunter with a shrug.
“I’ll just need to be with her for the first few minutes. You can go ahead.”
Hunter remembered how it was when he’d first met Melodie. She was a guarded child that just needed a little–more like a big–push to open up. How hard could it be to get her to do the same with awesome kids her own age?
But here River was, prepared to sit with a bunch of kids for who knows how long just to make sure his daughter felt comfortable. River reached for Melodie’s hand but Hunter surged forward, halting the man’s advance.
“No, you go ahead,” he said. “I’m sure I can manage.”
Hunter dragged Melodie over to the Chang kids, giving River a wink before he went.
A group of about nine kids filled the living room, all Wasian with light brown or black hair and scarily close in age. They got up, ready to cover Hunter in limbs but he stopped them. He directed their attention to the little mixed girl by his side. Seeing that things weren’t going terribly, River discretely sucked in a breath and entered the kitchen.
Hunter loved to compliment him on his poise and calm head. What River never told him was how long he spent perfecting it, a shiver of nerves always hit him first. River pushed that feeling back to the dark crevice the rest of his fears sat and entered the fray.
Instead of being in front of the stove and fridge, the adults were gathered around the dining table which, because of their open floor pan, sat in the same room. He knew some of them already since Sean, Audrey, and Kian joined flag football. So it helped when they introduced their partners. Sean’s fiance Layla had apparently known Hunter for as long as the rest of them. Audrey’s girlfriend Cam was attached to her side, her long black hair billowing with every movement. It was a bit mesmerizing to watch.
Kian was loud and proud during his introduction, making his black girlfriend hide her face behind gorgeously manicured hands. Long lashes appeared every time she peaked through her fingers to see if Kian was finished but he took forever to stop. River rapidly became aware of her thriving business and extensive contributions to poorer Torontonians and trans youth.
Kian was very proud.
And then, he properly introduced himself to Luke and Connor, the hosts. River had questions on the tip of his tongue about their kids. Why did they look so much like the both of them? How had they adopted so many who looked so similar? But their warm demeanors prevented the words from going any further.
“Hunter said you own a bar?” Connor asked.
“I do. I also bartend once a week to stay fresh.”
River’s ensuing grin was a signature and as expected, a few of them laughed.
“Then you can help me with these drinks,” Connor announced, stepping onto the tiled kitchen floor. “I’m trying to figure out how much wine is needed for a slightly tipsy poker game.”
“You can’t make our guest serve drinks,” Luke hissed, the whisper as loud as his regular speech.
“It’s fine,” River insisted. “I’d love to see your wine collection.”
With that smoothed over, River followed Connor into the kitchen. The wine collection was barely large enough to be called that. He and Connor worked to get the bottles uncorked and River noticed that they were now in perfect sight of the living room. Hunter sat at Melodie’s side, a comforting hand on her back as she pushed cars around with a girl her age.
She was smiling now, giggles leaving her every now and again when the cars crashed because Hunter would make a “boom” sound effect to go with it. A few more of the kids jogged over, trying to join in. Melodie looked over to Hunter for some reassurance and with his nod, started playing with them too. Then–like he already knew–Hunter turned around and caught River’s eye. The smile he sent River’s way almost made his knees buckle.
Why was Hunter caring for his child so attractive?
Connor cleared his throat. The sharp sound cut through the haze and River flushed when he found all the glasses ready. River hadn’t poured a single one.
“Can you help me carry these out?”
Melodie was laughing and screaming with all nine of the Chang kids in no time. Hunter wouldn’t have minded staying to watch the end of their battle mania but he thought River might be outnumbered. He couldn’t leave him alone with all of his friends now could he?
An intense game of poker was already underway. Utensils were being bet instead of chips but Hunter could tell River was taking risks. And he wouldn’t try to blame it on River’s nearly finished wine glass, the man’s tolerance was steller.
“I guess it’s too late to join?” Hunter chuckled after Cam screamed in frustration. Their hosts started looking around, searching for a chair they could drag to the table but they’d exhausted the supply.
“Maybe there’s a chair in the living room-“
“Daddy, can we show Melodie the game room?”
The question came from Kendra, the oldest of the kids at 8 years old. At such a young age, she was already a spokesperson for the children’s cause. 9 little bodies, including Melodie’s, stood behind her, drawing from her strength. Luke took in their fearful determination with a laugh.
“It’s not up to me. It’s up to Melodie’s dad.”
20 desperate eyes shot to River and he blanched from the attention. 10 kids could be a force.
“Sure, have fun.”
Loud scampering carried them out of the dining room, storming their way towards the garage.
“Call me if you need me, Melodie!” River cried. He hoped his habit of saying that anytime she left his sight stuck because she definitely didn’t hear it.
“Since the kids left, we can use the living room!” Kian cheered. It was announced as if he was a child himself. Still, the suggestion worked. They transferred their wine and “chips” to the coffee table in front of the couch and organized themselves around it. As a new guest, River got a main spot in the center of the couch. Hunter plopped down beside him, reclining into his seat.
Then, he swung one arm behind River’s head and placed it on the back of the couch. The move was casual. It was also easily interpreted as platonic per Hunter’s design. It could easily mean nothing. But Hunter liked how anyone could see that, in some way, River was his and he was River’s.
His bicep brushed the back of River’s neck, but the older man didn’t shift away. He leaned back too, now comfortably nestled into Hunter’s body.
Audrey’s eyes popped open. She exchanged a look with Layla. They didn’t say anything.
The game resumed, Cam cursing again with every new development. Which also made Audrey drop a kiss on her forehead with every new development. A nice reward if you asked Hunter. A few rounds went by. Then, River’s hand slid onto Hunter’s thigh. He cupped the fabric protecting the inner skin possessively and his thumb stroked.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
Aaliyah shook Kian’s arm and after raising a confused brow, he noticed it. He covered his gasp with a yawn. Sean and Connor shared a look. Audrey held back a chuckle. No one said a word.
———————————
See if I was one of Hunter’s friends, I wouldn’t be able to keep my mouth shut!
They’re better than me for real.
Anywhore (oop-),
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