Porcupines - 31. Chapter 31 - Mixed Doubles

Chapter 31 - Mixed Doubles

‘Dylan is gonna kill me,’ Chuck thought as he hit the end button on his phone. Why had he agreed to this? Friday night was going to be a date night for them, just the two of them. It would probably be their last Friday night off together for a long time. When Chuck started working at Sweet Nora’s, he wouldn’t ever get a Friday night off. They’d decided this would be a good chance for dinner and a movie and then playtime. But, he couldn’t say no. He hadn’t said no.

And now, Dylan was gonna kill him.

*****************************

“Hey Dylan.”

“Kel. What’s up?”

“Not much. Heard you’re having one of the parental units over for dinner next week.”

“Yeah. Somebody I’m biologically related to has a really big mouth and told him about my new boyfriend,” Dylan tried to sound stern but it came out as funny.

“I didn’t mean to but that dinner was so good I couldn’t stop raving about it,” Kelly said. “Are you really pissed?”

“No. I just wanted to tell him myself. This way he’ll get to meet him sooner rather than later. I don’t mind actually but whatever you do, don’t tell Abby.”

Kelly sighed. He knew why Dylan was so reluctant to tell their mother about his new beau. Abby McMahon wasn’t a pleasant woman most of the time but even worse when it came to her boys’ romantic interests. She was possessive of her guys and could get a little overbearing.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell Mom a thing.”

“Good. Dad’s alright but Mom…” Dylan said. “So, how did Susie’s play date go with Brandon?”

“It was so much fun. The kids were a little shy at first but soon Susie was ordering Brandon around like she always does. He didn’t seem to mind. He told her he had a new “unk” named Dillwin. Susie corrected him by pointing out you’re her uncle so he better watch it. It didn’t take long and Brandon was following her around and pushing her on the swings. It was so cute.”

“Did you and Kelli get a chance to visit?” Dylan asked slyly.

“Yeah. Really nice girl and super smart. She’s literally a brain expert. We had fun watching the kids play together.”

“That’s cool,” Dylan said abstractly.

“Say, what are you doing on Friday night?”

“Chuck and I are having date night.”

“So nothing? Good. I’ve got a date and I can’t find a babysitter for Susie. Could you guys take her for the evening? This chick is so hot,” Kelly talked right over Dylan.

“No. I told Chuck we’d go out just the two of us,” Dylan barked.

“Jeez, you sure? Isabella is this beautiful woman I met at the gym. I’ve been asking her out for a while and she finally said yes. Are you sure you couldn’t watch her for a couple of hours?”

“Kelly. You’re impossible. I’ll talk to Chuck and maybe…”

“That would be great. If you watch Susie for a couple of hours, the two of you could go to a late dinner and movie. I promise. I’d be back by nine, nine thirty at the latest. She’s so hot Dylan,” Kelly begged. Dylan loved spending time with Susie and it would be okay to go out later. He hoped Chuck wouldn’t be mad but then Chuck was so easy going he wouldn’t care either way.

“Okay, I’ll watch Susie for a couple of hours, tops.”

“Owe you one bro,” Kelly said. “I’ll talk to you later in the week.”

“Later,” Dylan said and hit end. How did he get into these things?

***************************

“Hi honey, I’m in your home,” Chuck called out as he let himself into Dylan’s apartment. He nervously looked around and saw Thor and Odin, their two cats sleeping together on the couch. They woke up when he walked past and Thor reached out a furry orange paw. Chuck petted them both and walked into the kitchen. No Dylan.

He walked back to the bedroom. Dylan had ear buds on and was watching some YouTube video on his IPad. Chuck came up behind him and kissed his ear.

“Oh, hi!” Dylan said taking out the buds and putting the IPad aside. “Just get here?”

“Yeah. I wanted to give my beautiful, wonderful, understanding, and forgiving boyfriend a kiss,” Chuck said.

“Oh no. What’s going on?” Dylan asked. He crossed his arms. What hijinks did Chuck get them into now?

“I know you wanted Friday night to be just us, but, well, my sister has a date and she asked if I could watch Brandon.”

Dylan tried to keep a straight face. He was relieved because he didn’t want to ruin their night. As it turns out, Chuck did the same thing.

“You know this was our last chance for a long time to go out on a Friday night,” Dylan said trying not to smile.

“I know but Kelli doesn’t get asked out that often and I’ve been such an absentee brother I just didn’t have the heart to say no,” Chuck explained. “I promise. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Does that mean you’ll do the cat box and vacuum every day?” Dylan smiled.

“Sure. I’ll do it if you don’t yell at me,” Chuck said quietly.

“Alright. I won’t get mad. Oh, and by the way, I’m watching Susie Friday night anyway. My brother talked me into babysitting too.”

“You tricked me,” Chuck said laughing. “Forget the deal.”

“I know. I was just kidding. Say, you should bring Brandon over here and we’ll watch them together. Kelly said the two of them got along like gangbusters at their play date!”

“That sounds like fun. We should take them to Peetie’s Pizza and play games,” Chuck said excitedly. “That would make it a night out for all four of us.”

The two men agreed to work as a team babysitting. Dylan called and told Kelly the situation and not to rush his date. The two guys furiously made all kinds of plans for their night with the kids. Chuck was probably more excited than any of them.

*********************

“Dillwin, Uzie told me I couldn’t play on the cars with her,” Brandon pouted. He had tears running down his face.

“Maybe you could play this skeeball game with me instead,” Dylan said to the upset little guy. He took a napkin, wiped the tears and runny nose gently. “We’ll just play without her.”

Brandon looked pleased with that idea. Soon the two of them were rolling balls up the little miniature hill to get them in the holes. It had been such a fun night. They played a couple of board games at Dylan’s apartment after Dylan had picked up Susie and Chuck came over with Brandon. Then, they came to Peetie’s and had pizza. Susie and Brandon were little angels as they ate but then they wanted to play games. That’s when the issues began.

Brandon wanted to play whatever game Susie was playing. It was clear the little guy really liked her so much. Susie had been good at first but then one game was for a single player and Susie didn’t want to give him a turn. After a little spat, Brandon had run crying to Dylan.

Susie, becoming bored with driving the car, saw Brandon and her uncle happily playing skeeball. She climbed off the car and marched over to Brandon poking his arm. “That’s my uncle,” she announced to Brandon. “Stop playing with my uncle.”

“Susie,” Dylan warned. “You didn’t want to take turns on the car so Brandon and I are playing this game.”

“But you’re MY uncle not his,” and Susie was now the one crying, tears streaming down her soft pink cheeks. Brandon looked over at her and started whimpering.

“You can play with us too,” he said putting an arm around her. Susie looked up and sniffled. “Can I play too?”

“Of course you can sweetie,” Dylan said. “Here, let me get you started.”

Soon Brandon and Susie were so enthralled with the skeeball game, Dylan took a break and Chuck joined him. Chuck leaned over to his boyfriend. “A second ago, it was tears and frustration and look at them now. It’s like they were never upset at all.”’

“I know. Susie is a bit overbearing but Brandon doesn’t even seem to notice it,” Dylan said. “He’s like his uncle, so patient and sweet.”

“I don’t know about that, but he is the sweetest kid. If I’m feeling down, he brings me up,” Chuck said.

Dylan thought about that remark but didn’t say anything. They just watched as the two kids squealed and rolled the balls. Every few minutes, Dylan would put more money in the machine and it seemed they’d never tire of that game.

About an hour later, Brandon was rubbing his eyes and Susie walked over and crawled into Dylan’s lap. They were getting tired. It wasn’t even nine yet, but they had managed to wear out the kids. Chuck called Brandon over and the little boy crawled onto his uncle’s lap.

“We should head home, right Brandon,” Chuck said quietly.

“No. I don’t want Brandon to go,” Susie said quite loudly.

“I don’t wanna go home,” Brandon whined to Chuck and looked at him with big, sad eyes.

“Maybe we could have a slumber party,” Dylan said.

“What’s that?” Susie asked scrunching up her nose.

“It’s when people sleepover at somebody’s house on the floor,” Chuck explained.

“Can we have a lumber pardy?” Brandon asked Chuck.

Both guys looked at each other and shrugged. Why not? Both Kellies would be late so the kids could sleep on the floor at Dylan’s. “We’ll just stop by Brandon’s house to get a few things. I think we have two sleeping bags.”

Susie had some clothes with her so Chuck and Dylan called their siblings to tell them about their plan. Neither of the Kellies minded so a slumber party it was.

******************************

Chuck and Dylan sat together on the couch. Susie and Brandon had fallen asleep together on the same sleeping bag. He was cuddled up close to her and she had a hand on Brandon’s shoulder. After Peetie’s, they stopped at Kelli and Chuck’s apartment, got a few things, and came back to the apartment. They made popcorn and watched “The Little Mermaid.” After half the movie, both kids had dropped off to sleep.

“Do you want kids?” Dylan said to Chuck.

“Oh yeah,” Chuck said. “I’d love to have kids. Just seeing these two makes me feel all warm and happy inside.”

“Me too,” Dylan said. “I wanna be a parent.”

“Well,” Chuck said grinning. “I better see if I can get you knocked up.”

“You’re so sick,” Dylan said but gave Chuck a deep kiss. “We can’t. Not with them sleeping in here.”

“I know. You get me so excited I can’t contain myself.”

“You do get a little loud,” Dylan bopped his boyfriend’s nose.

“I know. You get me all worked up.”

“I’ve been known to scream on occasion,” Dylan conceded.

“Like last night you mean,” Chuck nuzzled him. They fell asleep on the couch a couple of hours later with the television still on.

*****************************

“I don’t see mommy’s car,” Brandon pointed out as they drove into the apartment complex parking lot.

“That’s odd,” Chuck said. “Maybe she had to park in the lot next door.”

“Maybe mommy went to the grocery store,” Brandon said looking at his uncle.

“Could be,” Chuck said but that would be so unlike her. It was nine o’clock in the morning on a Saturday. She’d had a date last night and wouldn’t be up early shopping.

Chuck got Brandon out of his car seat and grabbed the seat and the bag. They went up and got into the apartment.

“Sis, you there?” Chuck called out.

“I don’t think mommy’s here,” Brandon said running for the kitchen. Susie and Brandon had Dylan and Chuck up early this morning. They’d all slept in the living room and for a short time Chuck heard the two kids playing with the kittens but the kittens got tired of the attention and ran under the bed. That meant Susie and Brandon didn’t have anything to play with and Chuck and Dylan’s stomachs were too tempting. The two four year olds jumped on their respective uncle’s stomachs and giggled uncontrollably. Chuck went and made them pancakes and sausage while Dylan got them cleaned up and teeth brushed. After breakfast Dylan took Susie back to her dad’s and now Chuck came home with Brandon.

“Someone’s at the door,” Brandon squeaked and turned and ran into the living room. “Mommy’s home. Mommy’s home!” he yelled. Chuck came around the corner and saw Kelli was wearing the same clothes she’d left in the night before, albeit very wrinkled this morning. Her hair was a bit disheveled and she looked tired.

“Good morning sis,” Chuck said with raised eyebrows. “Rough night.”

“Ha, ha,” Kelli fake laughed. She picked up Brandon who was talking a mile a minute.

“We had a lumber pardy with Dillwill and Uzie last night. We went to the place with games and had pizza. I got to play ball with Dillwill and ride on the horsies with Unk. Uzie and I were very good and didn’t stay up late or nothing.” The little boy was so excited.

“So you were good for Dylan and Chuck,” she said hugging him closely.

“I was very good wasn’t I Unk,” Brandon nodded at Chuck.

“They were both very good kids. So, date went well last night huh?” Chuck grinned mischievously at his sister.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said giving Chuck a dirty look.

“Did you go to a lumber pardy too mommy?” Brandon asked.

“I think she did Brandon. I think she did go to a “lumber party.”

“Chuck,” Kelli said in a warning tone. “Stop it.”

“What about The Vow?” he teased her.

“I didn’t break The Vow,” she said thoughtfully.

Chuck paused, thought and shook his head. “Just because I met your doctor friend when he picked you up doesn’t mean you didn’t break it.”

“Chuck, I didn’t break it. That is the truth,” Kelli said and headed to her bedroom. Chuck just laughed at her and Brandon climbed down from his mom’s arms. “Wanna play a game Unk?”

“Sure thing bud,” and they pulled out Chutes and Ladders.