Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys

Chapter Thirty-Four -- What Siblings Are For

Their parents appeared to be just as taken aback as Maddox was by the furious crowd pouring into the kitchen. After a few calls for quiet from their dad, and one, very prompt, hand slap on the counter from their mom, finally, his siblings quieted down some. Not completely, and the first to talk was Alicia. "Mom, dad, can't you see? Maddox's totally crazy about Jonathan!"

"His name is Jonathan?" Sophia asked. "What's his family name?"

"Is that the most important detail here?" Vern intervened. "Maddox, is this your idea of a joke?"

Of course, Vern would side with his parents, given how serious he had grown up to be. Throughout his childhood, Vern had been his idol and hero. Given the fourteen years between them, he couldn't be anything else. He wasn't that right now, though, and Maddox felt a pang in his chest, like he was losing something important all of a sudden. "It is not a joke," he told his oldest brother.

Vern pursed his lips and stared at him with hard eyes. While Sophia was the younger version of their mom, Vern carried the strongest resemblance to their dad.

To his surprise, Vern turned calmly toward their parents. "If Maddox says it's not a joke, then it's not a joke. Because Maddox never lies when it's about important things."

That was his hero, yes, right there. Maddox wanted to hug him and thank him for being on his side.

"But he's an incorrigible womanizer," Sophia protested.

"And I have no idea what to wear to a gay wedding," Emma moaned.

"What gay wedding?" Their mom raised her voice over them as they began to talk all at the same time. "There won't be any gay wedding."

"Really, mom?" Alicia asked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course, there will be a gay wedding."

"I haven't thought about it that far," Maddox considered it a good moment to intervene. "And how come all of you are here? And why?"

Emma considered it proper that she should answer that. "When Al is lurking in corners, something interesting must be going on."

So, from there, it must have spread like wildfire. There was an invisible connection between all the Kingsley siblings that Maddox was very much aware of, as well. When they got together, it was impossible to keep a secret. At least they left spouses and kids out of it, and for that, Maddox was grateful.

"Go back to your rooms," their mom ordered in a loud voice. "This is something we must talk to Maddox about, just your father and I."

"Like hell," Alicia protested. "You'll have to make me. And we're too old for you to send to our rooms like that."

"You're never too old for me to still consider you kids," their mom replied. "Maddox is just, what's that word, dear?" She turned toward their dad.

"Confused?" Their dad replied, but he seemed to be the one confused by the whole thing.

"Yes, that," their mom said. "And we're going to sort him out right now. But without you here."

"I'm not going anywhere," Alicia said. "Vern, she cannot make us go to our rooms, right?"

"We're here for Maddox," Vern confirmed. "And we'd like to hear what he has to say, as well."

"And we want to see Jonathan, too," Emma added eagerly, with stars in her eyes.

Maddox made a move to hand over the phone, but his mom caught his hand. "Don't you dare," she warned him.

That was something he couldn't understand, but allowed his mom to take the phone out of his hand. "Why?" he asked.

"Because he's too handsome, and it's easy to get these airheads," she pointed at his sisters, "thinking that you're about to marry into some royal family."

Emma let out a gasp of surprise. "What are you saying? Al, you weren't just talking shit, were you?"

Alicia stared at Emma triumphantly. "When do I ever talk shit?"

"Stop using the word 'shit' in my kitchen," their mom boomed over the animated conversation that seemed to have been triggered by Alicia's comment.

"Sorry, mom," both Emma and Alicia said in unison.

"Really, is that all you care about?" Sophia gestured wildly. "That this dude looks like a prince? Hello, how about the elephant in the room?"

"Don't be annoying, So-so," Alicia counterattacked, using the most annoying nickname she had ever come up with for her sister. "And dad is not that fat."

That prompted a snicker from Emma, and Maddox could swear even Vern covered half his face for a moment. No, their dad was in good shape for his age, but he might have gained a bit of girth during the past few years since he had started leaving Vern in charge of the construction company. Both his parents deserved more free time, but it looked like their dad was indulging a bit too freely in their mom's awesome cooking lately.

Obviously sensitive to his kids' remarks, their dad sucked in his belly and stared at them, all wide-eyed and ready to bolt.

"This isn't about your dad," their mom stopped them. "This is about Maddox and his sudden decision to shock us. It isn't like you to do such a thing." Apparently, she had already forgotten about how she wanted them out of there, save for Maddox.

"Right, because if it's not aligned with your picture perfect idea of a family, then it doesn't exist," Alicia protested in his stead. "Maybe Maddox could get his beautiful boyfriend pregnant, and then you'll finally be happy."

"Alicia Boadicea Carolina Kingsley!" They all shut up at the same time and stared at their dad. Alicia tried to play brave, but anyone could see she was wavering already. "Go to your room. Now," he added.

Alicia turned on her heel.

"And think about how you're going to apologize to your mother," he called after her.

Not even Alicia dared to slam the door after her. Long moments after she was out of the room, they remained silent, just stealing glances at one another. Vern patted Emma and Sophia on their shoulders. "Let's go. Maddox needs to talk this through with mom and dad."

Maddox stared after his siblings and felt a new kind of weight crushing his chest. He appreciated Alicia being on his side, but her volcanic temperament was getting her in trouble more often than not. And now, their dad was really pissed at her, and that said a lot.

"You, too, Maddox. Go to sleep," his dad said.

"But--"

"No 'buts'. We'll talk tomorrow some more. But before that, we'll have a family Thanksgiving dinner. Your mom didn't work this hard for any of you to make a mess out of it. Good night."

Maddox knew better than to antagonize his dad when he got like that. He knew that their dad loved all of them, but he also cared about their mom, and he could tell that Alicia's words had been too harsh, as much as they must have been meant as some sort of joke. He retrieved his phone, wished them good night in a subdued voice, and headed out of the kitchen.

***

"Aren't you too hot?" Jonathan looked at Rusty, who still wore the sweater he had given him earlier.

"Do you want it back?" Rusty asked while he felt the fabric by rubbing his hands over his belly.

"No, it's not about that. I was just wondering if you're not hot with the sweater still on."

"I'm hot either in or out of sweaters," Rusty said promptly.

Jonathan chuckled and shook his head in mirth. "I don't doubt that."

"I've never had anything as nice as this," Rusty commented as he continued to examine the cable knit pattern like he could read some ancient spell in it. "It's cashmere or something, right?"

"Yes." Jonathan didn't want to comment on how having nice things didn't mean anything if you didn't have the rest, like a supportive family. It would have been an unkind thing to say, seeing how Rusty had had such a hard time growing up with his parents splitting up and him left to wonder whether it had been his fault or not. Actually, he wasn't even wondering, most probably. At least he, Jonathan, had nice sweaters. "Feel free to keep it if you like."

"For real?" Rusty's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He could be such a kid sometime. It made Jonathan want to spoil him a little, even though they weren't friends.

"It looks great on you." The hunter green really brought out Rusty's eyes.

"I'll give it back," Rusty promised. "Only not right now. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving in it. And I'll wash it and stuff."

"Better not," Jonathan said brightly. Something told him Rusty was as adept at washing sweaters as he was around the kitchen. And it wasn't about ruining a sweater he didn't give a damn about. He just didn't want Rusty to panic over something like that when it happened. "I mean, it's fine. And my offer still stands. If you like it just as much after Thanksgiving, please keep it."

"It's a bit tight across the chest," Rusty argued, but by the way he was smiling, Jonathan could tell he liked the idea.

"Yes, you have a more muscular build compared to me," Jonathan said courteously.

Rusty was about to say something, when Jonathan's phone started ringing.

"It's Maddox," Jonathan said, and his lips quirked into a fond smile.

Rusty jumped theatrically over the sofa and hid behind it. "I'm not here!" he announced.

Jonathan still held the phone without answering. "All right, but why are you--"

Rusty's head appeared over the sofa for a moment. "In case you want to go all smoochy-smoochy over a video call," he explained and ducked behind the furniture again.

Jonathan pursed his lips, but he couldn't argue with Rusty. He would insist that he at least confide in Maddox, who was his closest friend. But for now, he had a more pressing matter than that. "Hi," he said and walked out of the living room.

"Hi," Maddox's voice came through.

Jonathan immediately sensed a certain tension in his boyfriend's voice. "Maddox," he said gently, "what's the matter?" He dropped his voice to a whisper.

"You can tell, right? You can tell that something's the matter."

"Yes, but--"

"I screwed it up somehow. I mean, I didn't, but somehow I did."

"What are you talking about?"

"I kept telling you my parents would be totally fine... and well, they're not fine. I mean, they're fine in the sense that they're healthy and everything. They're just not fine with me being with you."

Jonathan let his shoulders drop. He wasn't particularly surprised. He didn't know Maddox's parents, and the chances were that they would remain strangers for a long time, but to hear something like that out of the blue couldn't have sat well with them. "Take it easy," he said the first thing that came to mind. "Give them some time."

Maddox scoffed at the other end. "I thought they were the coolest parents in the universe." That was how children who had never been betrayed in their beliefs about their parents talked at the first sign that the adults in their life were actually different from what they thought. Jonathan had been there. He had trusted his folks with all his heart.

"They are still that," he offered as consolation. "But seeing how you've never before even liked a boy that way--"

"They should have been cool with it," Maddox said obstinately. "But it doesn't mean a thing. I mean, for us. When the time comes, maybe we just elope or something."

The word 'elope' sounded not quite at home in Maddox's mouth, yet Jonathan felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his chest. They were both getting a bit too romantic for their own good, right? That little voice inside his head called his feelings to order right away.

"Whatever, I'm not going to change, no matter what they say," Maddox added. "How about you? Can you talk? How are your parents?"

"They must be well, I mean, they were when I talked to my dad on the phone earlier." Jonathan took a deep breath. "I didn't go, after all. I just felt it was too soon."

"Then where are you now?"

"I'm at the campus."

"All alone?"

Jonathan hesitated for a moment. Would it be that much of a betrayal to tell Maddox about Rusty? It surely felt that way.

The decision was taken from his hands when Maddox continued to talk. "I should come back, too, and spend Thanksgiving with you."

"Maddox, no. Your parents love you very much. You wouldn't have grown up into the awesome guy you are today without them. Spend the holidays with them, and show them that you love them, too." He surely was big on giving advice. A sudden pang of loneliness gripped his chest. As out of place as displays of affections were considered in his family, he wanted nothing more right now than to hug his dad. Or maybe just share a handshake, regardless of how things stood between them.

"You're too nice for this century," Maddox said and laughed softly. "You know what? I'm going to wear them down. Yeah, I'm going to convince them. And then, they'll be happy to have you as their son-in-law."

"Son-in-law?" Jonathan asked, rightly nonplussed.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that my sisters put strange ideas in my head. Forget what I said," Maddox said quickly.

"You told your sisters?"

"I only told Al, but well, it's not like I could keep the rest of them in the dark. The good news is even Vern is convinced I tell the truth about us being boyfriends and serious, too. Only Sophia is a pain in the butt, but that's because she didn't see you."

"The rest saw me?" Jonathan asked, experiencing a tickling sensation at the back of his neck. He couldn't imagine the kind of house Maddox had grown up in, so different from his own.

"Only Al. And of course, I showed that pic of us to mom and dad. Now, everyone is convinced you're some kind of prince in hiding."

"Oh, yes, surely, that's me," Jonathan commented dryly.

Maddox snickered like a naughty kid. "You could be that, for all I know."

Jonathan sighed. There were still things between them, things they had to talk about. But they had time, so there was no reason to hurry. Of course, none of them was that he was a prince. "I can tell you, without the shadow of a doubt, that I'm of no royal blood."

"As good as. I bet your folks have a huge mansion and stuff. And horses."

"A few, yes," Jonathan confirmed.

"No way, Jose," Maddox said excitedly. "For real?"

"Yes. I'll take you there some day," Jonathan promised. It wasn't only up to Maddox to wear down his family; that was a good task for him, as well. And if they claimed to be all right with him being gay, they would have to accept Maddox as his boyfriend.

"Awesome. So, can you ride?"

"Yes."

"Cool. I have such a cool bf," Maddox said and laughed some more.

There was already an important difference from the way he had sounded at the beginning of the call. Jonathan felt better, too. Maddox was all sunshine, and he should stay that way.

"Someone's about to pester me," Maddox added, "by threatening to take down the door. Talk to you soon."

"Sure." Jonathan stopped himself before adding words that almost rolled naturally from his tongue. "Goodbye," he added, a bit too rigidly.

"Bye, babe," Maddox drawled in the most sexy voice he had, making Jonathan feel uncontrollable giddiness taking over.

***

"Come in already," Maddox called out, a bit annoyed that he had to cut short his conversation with Jonathan. If it were Alicia, he would make sure she'd get an earful about being so annoying.

To his surprise, Vern was the one to come through the door. But, of course, with Alicia in tow. Maddox rolled his eyes, but gestured for them to come in. Alicia plopped herself down on his bed and bounced a few times. "You always had the best bed," she said with a crooked smile.

"What are you guys doing here? If mom knew you were here--"

"That's why I dragged him out of bed," Alicia pointed at their brother.

Vern grabbed a chair and sat down, then leaned forward, steepling his fingers and watching Maddox intently. "How's it going, Bug?" That nickname had stuck with Maddox since before he could remember. Apparently, he had liked bugging his oldest brother the most, and Vern had been at the receiving end of all the 'whys' and 'why-nots' for the longest time.

"Well, you know," Maddox said and hunched his shoulders.

Vern reached for him and squeezed his left arm in sympathy. "They'll come around."

"Will they?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've known them longer than all of you," Vern said and smiled. "Now that they're not here, how about you tell us more about Jonathan?"

"Yes, yes, tell us more about Jonathan," Alicia insisted as if he hadn't agreed.

Maddox rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "He transferred to Sunny Hill at the beginning of this year. He's a junior, too. And I got into a bit of conflict with him on the first day."

"Enemies to lovers," Alicia declared and made a gesture with her hands as if to frame a title.

"We weren't enemies," Maddox protested. "Thing is, I just couldn't stop thinking about him. So, I arranged to work on the statistics project with him."

"Don't tell me," Alicia grabbed his arm hard, "that he's just a pretty face. Ha, that must be how you managed to fool him. But, I suppose that a poor grade is still worth it."

"Jeez, Al, you really like jumping to conclusions. No, he's actually very smart. Perfect GPA level of smart."

"That's very good," Vern said. "You should lead with that the next time you attempt to talk to mom and dad about him."

"Apparently, they only care if he's a girl, and he's definitely not that. By the way, Al, so not cool what you said."

"Hey, bozo, I'm on your side. And it's not like you cannot have kids if you want," his sister pointed out. "They're just, ugh, so narrow-minded."

"You will still apologize, Alicia," Vern said sternly.

Alicia squirmed a little under Vern's pointed gaze. "All right, I will," she said with a heartfelt sigh. "I just wanted to point out the obvious."

"No, you were just trying to rile them up because that's what you do," Vern said in his parent voice. Maddox didn't mind that since Vern was much older than they were.

However, Alicia didn't seem to like that much because she stuck out her tongue at him.

"I rest my case," Vern said with a grunt and a shake of the head.

"I didn't mean to upset them," Maddox said. "I really thought they would be fine with it."

"They should have been," Alicia interjected. "Sorry, I'll shut up," she added when Vern stared her down again. "But, V, you should totally see this dude. He's like a fairytale prince."

"Really?" Vern said dryly just to annoy Alicia. "Does he ride a white horse?"

"He rides horses," Maddox said and puffed out his chest. "I have no idea if they're white or something else, though."

"He does?" Alicia's voice rose so much that she slapped a hand over her mouth herself.

"Yeah," Maddox replied with self-importance. He took out his phone. He wanted to show off his boyfriend to the entire world if possible.

Vern took the phone and looked at the pic for what seemed like a long time. "He is very handsome. You two look good together."

"Right?" Alicia asked excitedly and bounced on the bed again. "But look at the other pic." She leaned forward and dragged her finger quickly over the screen before Maddox could stop her. "See, V, see? Jonathan is totally head over heels with this bozo."

"Why is he at Sunny Hill?" Vern asked probably the first pertinent question. "He looks like he would be attending one of the most important and expensive colleges in the country."

Maddox felt his grin fading. "He had some trouble at the school he attended before."

"What kind of trouble?"

It was Maddox's turn to squirm under his brother's intense stare. "This guy he was with, he got caught with something. And then he blamed it all on Jonathan."

"Caught with something," Vern said slowly. "We're talking drugs."

"Yes, but Jonathan doesn't do stuff like that," Maddox said defensively.

Alicia grabbed the phone from Vern's hand and stared at the pic closely. "He looks too healthy to do that shit," she concluded.

"Only that guy was doing it," Maddox continued, more and more alarmed that it might be possible for the rest of the world to see the incident with different eyes. "Jonathan just happened to be with him."