Chapter Text
”Third date, huh? You going to tell him?”
Auguste glanced at Laurent through the mirror. “You know I will,” he replied and wiped the last of the shaving cream off his face.
“And if he’s not okay with it?”
“Then that’s it.”
“That’s it?”
“Laurent.”
“Just making sure.”
Auguste sighed. “If he’s not okay with it then there’s no point, is there?”
“But you like him.”
“I do. Which is why I really hope he’s okay with it.”
Laurent hummed. “Just a t-shirt?” he asked when Auguste picked out a black one.
“Yeah, we’re just going out for coffee.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“He’s seen the house, right?”
“He has.”
“So, he knows you could take him to all the Michelin places in the city without making a dent to your bank account?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. Well. He just scored a point,” Laurent said, following Auguste out of the room.
“You’re keeping score?”
“Of course.”
“How many points does he have?”
“2.”
“What’s the other point for?”
Laurent smiled. “You like him.”
–
“I, uh… I have to tell you something.”
They had been sitting the in the corner of the café for about an hour when Auguste finally decided to drop the bomb. It was a shame, really, he had enjoyed this date so far, just as much as the first two. Not only was Nikandros easy on the eyes, but he was also easy to have a conversation with.
Auguste really, really hoped that he’d be okay with it.
“You’re married.”
Auguste chuckled. “No.”
“Okay, good. You just sounded so serious. The last two times I was told ‘I have to tell you something’ like that were when Damen first told me he was going to propose to his girlfriend and then called to tell me she fucked his brother and he was going to move in with me.”
“Uh…”
“Right, yeah. Sorry.” Nikandros cleared his throat. “You just really did sound serious. I have a habit of… I don’t know… rambling?”
“It’s okay. So, Damen lives with you?”
“Oh, no, not anymore, all that was about a year ago. His new place is right above mine, though… Might as well have stayed with me, I guess, but it does make dating easier not to have someone much better-looking hanging around your corners.”
“He’s not”
“What?”
“Better looking than you.”
Nikandros huffed. “You’ve met Damen.”
“Yes, I see him almost daily. And I think you underestimate yourself.”
“Are you trying to make me blush? I’m a grown man, I don’t blush.”
“Of course not.”
“Didn’t you have something to tell me?”
For almost 30 seconds, Auguste had forgotten that the fast beating of his heart didn’t have much to do with their playful bantering. He took a deep breath, squeezing his empty coffee cup. “Well. I don’t live alone.”
“The house is huge.”
“Yeah…”
“And?”
“…I share it with my son. And my brother.”
Nikandros blinked. “You have a kid.”
“Yeah. He’s 11.”
“You had a kid when you were 20.” Auguste nodded. “Are you divorced? Not that that matters, I’m just… curious.”
“No, it’s uh… It’s a bit of a story, actually,” Auguste admitted.
“I have time,” Nikandros shrugged. “Unless, of course, you don’t want to tell me which is fine, too.”
“It’s not a secret. His mother really wanted a baby. We were good friends and we were young and I… offered my services,” Auguste explained. “I figured I’d be the cool dad, you know? The kind that doesn’t have many responsibilities but has him every other weekend and takes him to Disneyworld and buys him whatever he wants. I practically raised Laurent – my brother,” he clarified when Nikandros looked confused. “– so being the fun parent was going to be easy.”
“But he lives with you now?”
“He does. His mother died in childbirth.”
“Oh… fuck. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. My plans changed a bit after that.”
Nikandros nodded slowly. He didn’t say anything for a while and Auguste didn’t try to interrupt his train of thought. He knew that once Nikandros had processed everything, he’d then decide whether to stay or leave, and Auguste took the quiet moment as an opportunity to get ready for both scenarios.
“Can I just ask you something? Sort of personal?” Nikandros asked, his voice breaking the silence.
“Sure.”
“You are from Vere, right?”
“True.”
“And you have a bas… uh… a - a child out of wedlock?”
“Well… It’s not like we’re royalty,” Auguste joked. “But in all seriousness, yeah, it’s still not… preferred, though the people are not as backward about it as they used to be. But we moved to the States when Laurent was still a kid and even my parents were too thrilled to have a grandchild to care that I didn’t marry his mother.”
“That’s good.”
“It is. And listen, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I know I should’ve made it obvious from the get-go that I’m a package deal and…”
Nikandros silenced him by putting his hand on top of Auguste’s, catching him off-guard. “Don’t think you have to explain to me why you didn’t tell me about your child. I’m sure you had your reasons and I’m sure they’re perfectly reasonable.”
A warm wash of relief went through Auguste and it came out as a smile. Nikandros smiled, too, and it certainly didn’t look like he was going to bolt out of his chair and run. “Thank you.”
“No need. So, what’s his name?”
–
When Laurent opened the door, he most certainly was not expecting a man the size of a fridge to stand behind it. With a blink, he acknowledged he was an insanely good-looking man the size of a fridge.
“Uh… Am I at the right house?” the man asked, looking from his phone to Laurent.
“That depends,” Laurent said. “Are you delivering Chinese?”
“No?”
“Then I think you might have the wrong house.”
“Huh… Right. I’m looking for Nikandros?”
Laurent’s eyebrows shot up. “Nik’s real name is Nikandros?”
“Oh, this is the right house!”
“Is Nikandros out on a date with Auguste?”
“He is, yes. I have his car, so he asked me to pick him up. I’m a bit early, though. I just wanted to make sure I had the right house because… well, wow! I thought my parents’ house was big, but this is more like a mansion. Anyways, now that I know I’m in the right place, I can go wait in the car. Sorry to have bothered you.”
Laurent let the guy take a few steps before making a split-second decision and calling out: “Wait!” The guy turned around. He was smiling. He had a dimple.
Fuck.
“Auguste texted a while ago that he’s going to be late. He told us to order food. We tend to order way too much so… you’re welcome to share. You’re probably going to have to wait a while.”
The guy frowned and took his phone out of his pocket. “That’s weird, Nik didn’t… Oh. He did. Damn.”
Laurent shrugged. “My offer stands.”
“You’re absolutely sure I wouldn’t be a bother? I can just come back later.”
“It’s fine, come on. The food will be here soon.” He stepped aside to let the guy in. “I’m Laurent.”
“Damen,” the guy said. “Damn, this place is even more impressive on the inside,” he continued. “You live here, too?”
“Yes.”
“Cool. Veretian?” Damen asked, nodding at some of the decorations as he followed Laurent to the kitchen.
Damen recognizing Veretian style did not make him any less attractive and Laurent had to bite his cheek not to show how impressed he was. “Originally, yeah. We moved here when I was four, though. Hey! Nicaise, dinner will be here soon!”
Nicaise was sitting on the kitchen isle, feet hanging in the air and eating chocolate sauce straight out of the bottle. “I’m having dessert first,” he said with a shrug.
“And I’m sure you’ll want dessert after, too.”
“I’m a growing boy. Who’s the brute?”
“He’s a friend of Nik’s. I invited him to share our dinner since your dad’s going to be late. Oh, and hey, you’ll never guess what Nik’s real name is.”
“Nikoangelo.”
“Better. Nikandros.”
“Nikandros?” Nicaise huffed. “Is he Greek?”
“Close,” Damen said. “Akileon. We both are.”
Nicaise frowned. “Aren’t we supposed to hate them?”
“That’s ancient history and you, smart-ass, don’t even have Veretian passport,” Laurent said. “This is Nicaise, by the way. Auguste’s son.”
“I gathered,” Damen said. “I didn’t know Auguste had a son. Nik didn’t say anything, either.”
“He didn’t know, either. He does now, though, and since they’ll be back late, I guess he didn’t run for the hills. That’s another point for him,” Laurent said, the last part directed at Nicaise.
“He’s got 4 now, then.”
“3.”
“No, Dad says he likes dogs. That’s a point.”
“He likes kids, too,” Damen said. Laurent felt a little stab in his gut but masked it with a curious ‘oh?’ “Yeah, I mean. When he talks about future goals, he wants a family. One of our friends has a little daughter and Nik just turns into pudding when she’s around. So… yeah. Auguste having a kid wouldn’t scare him away.”
Laurent felt the corner of his lip pulling upwards. “Well,” he said. “He hasn’t met him yet.”
“Hey. I am perfectly lovable.”
“Mmhm.”
“You love me.”
“I’m obligated.”
“Fuck you. I’ll get it!” Because at that moment, the doorbell rang. “Where’s your wallet?”
“The desk.”
“He uh… He’s a handful, I’m guessing?” Damen said carefully when Nicaise rushed out of the kitchen.
“He’s better when his dad is home. I’m the cool uncle, I can let a few things slide. Beer?”
“I’m driving.”
“Hm. Well, that’s a point to you,” Laurent said. “Water, coke, root beer?”
“Water’s fine. And why would I need points?”
“You never know.”
“Then I’d like to mention that I absolutely love dogs.”
Laurent’s heart made a delighted little jump. It surprised him enough that he was sure his cheeks flushed red and he turned to the fridge to take out two water bottles and a cola for Nicaise. “So…” he said when he turned back to face Damen. “What do you do? For a living?”
“I’m an architect. I work with Auguste, actually. Or, for him,” Damen replied. “That’s how they met. Nik and Auguste.”
“Ah. You’re Damianos.”
“Well, that sounds even sillier than Nikandros,” Nicaise declared before Laurent could explain how he knew Damen’s real name.
“That’s rude,” Laurent chastised. “Was it the cute one?”
“Yup.”
“How much did you tip him?”
“You’ll sleep better if you don’t know.”
“Nicaise…”
“What? He’s a student with a student loan! I did a good deed! When I die, I’ll come back as a noble steed for my good karma!”
Damen laughed out loud at that, causing both Laurent and Nicaise to turn to him. “You can’t argue with that logic.”
Nicaise grinned. “See? Even the brute agrees. Can I eat in the living room?”
“Go ahead.”
Nicaise loaded his plate with a lot more food than he would probably eat and normally Laurent would have told him to leave half of it, and come back if he was still hungry after eating the first half. Now, however, he was strangely glad that Nicaise would most likely stay out of the kitchen for at least half an hour.
”You know about me?” Damen asked when Nicaise was out of sight.
“Auguste has mentioned you, yes.”
“Oh, God. He’s complained about me, hasn’t he?”
“As a matter of fact, I think he’s rather impressed with you.”
Damen whooped. Laurent found it quite adorable and for that, he internally shook his head at himself.
“That’s a relief. I thought him not telling me that he has a son was an indication that I was on some sort of a blacklist,” Damen said.
“That’s not it, trust me. He’s just insanely protective of Nicaise. We both are,” Laurent explained.
“But you invited me in,” Damen pointed out.
“You’re friends with Nik and he’s a good guy so… Yeah, I invited you in.” Not to mention I want to stroke your hair and put my finger in your dimple. Laurent cleared his throat. “Take whatever you want. I like everything.”
Laurent was sure a guy of Damen’s size could eat a whole lot more than what he put on his plate, but he didn’t want to stomp on his subtle way of being polite. They made small talk of Laurent’s history studies and why he hadn’t taken the family route to be an architect. They touched the subject of Damen’s brother taking over their family’s company but Laurent didn’t probe when Damen changed the topic quite quickly. Nicaise appeared at some point to declare he wanted ice cream but was quickly off again with his full bowl to watch what Laurent was quite was not an appropriate movie for a boy for his age.
“I get why you’re fond of him,” Damen said.
“Other than the fact that he’s my nephew?”
“Well, yeah. I know lots of people who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about their nephews.”
“Hm. Me, too.”
“So I think it’s cool, you know. This little family unit that you have going on. You’ve clearly made it work,” Damen said, smiling.
“We have. Which is why we’re very careful about who we let in it,” Laurent said.
“Nik’s a good guy, I swear.”
“I believe you. Are you?”
Damen’s expression changed. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you already scored a point since you absolutely adore dogs,” Laurent said, quoting Damen from earlier. “And you’ve managed to score a few more in a very short amount of time if you’d be interested in… taking advantage of that.”
“You’re the younger brother of my boss,” Damen said. “We really should just stay friends.”
“Friends. Is that what you want?”
“I work for your brother, Laurent.”
“He won’t mind. If you really are a decent person, he’ll probably encourage it,” Laurent said. “Just tell me, if Auguste wasn’t your boss, would you hesitate?”
Damen shook his head, no. “I’d have already asked you out.”
“Then ask me out.”
Damen took the tiniest step forward. Laurent’s felt a thrill go through him, and that was a new, exciting feeling that he really wanted to explore.
“Will you go out with me?”
“Yes,” Laurent replied right away. “I just – I don’t have the option to hide my family from you anymore, so to speak. So before a… date? turns into anything more, I have to make absolutely sure that you are in fact a good guy. You’ll have to patient with me. I’m telling this to you now because we’ve known each other for 20 minutes and it’ll be less awkward for you to just decline and walk away. I won’t be easy. In any aspect of dating. Even this – what we’re doing now - is actually foreign ground for me.”
Laurent took a deep breath after his little speech, sure that his cheeks were flaming. Damen was smiling so that his dimple was very visible, and Laurent swore he could drown in those eyes.
“I’ll do my best to make sure you never have to doubt that I’m a good guy. How’s that sound?” he asked.
“That sounds… great. Great.”
“Good. A date, then? Dinner?”
“Yeah, that…”
“I’m home! Where are you, there’s someone I… Oh. Hi, Damen!”
Auguste came into the kitchen then, with Nikandros behind him. He paused to take in the two plates on the kitchen counter and raised his eyebrows at Laurent in silent question. Laurent shrugged but failed to keep the tiny smile off his face.
“Damen didn’t see Nik’s text until he was already here, so I invited him to share the food,” he said, opting for the truth as an explanation. “Nicaise is watching something R-rated in the living room.”
“I’ll throw you under the bus if his teachers complain about his language again.”
“Of course.”
“Anyways, uh… Laurent. Meet Nik. Officially,” Auguste said, stepping aside a little so that Laurent could shake hands with Nikandros. “Nik, this is Laurent.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nikandros said politely.
“Likewise,” Laurent replied. He did smile, but at the same time he hoped his eyes communicated that even though he was the younger brother, he’d have no problem kicking Nikandros’ ass should the need arise. To his benefit, Nikandros seemed to understand, as he offered a little nod as an assurance.
During their silent exchange, Auguste had brought Nicaise back to the kitchen. The boy was still a little small for his age and looked even smaller next to his dad, who competed with Damen in size. Quite a lot of his confidence had been left on the couch, and he pressed himself close to Auguste as Nikandros offered his hand.
“Nicaise, this is Nik. You’re going to see a lot of him from now on,” Auguste said, putting his hand thought Nicaise’s curls.
Nicaise stayed silent for a moment, eyeing Nikandros suspiciously. When he finally spoke, what he said was: “Damen’s real name is sillier than yours.”
Auguste made a sound to probably scold Nicaise, but it died when Nikandros just burst into laughter, which scored him another point in Laurent’s book.
“It is, isn’t it?” (“Hey!”)
“If you ever move in here, can we get a puppy?”
“We’ll make it our mission to make your Dad agree.”
“Okay. Can I go now?” Nicaise asked Auguste.
“Yeah. But you won’t finish that movie!” Auguste called after him as Nicaise disappeared. “He’ll warm up,” he said to Nikandros.
“That’s better than what I dared to hope. I thought he’d lock himself inside his room,” Laurent said.
“It’s a win, then?” Nikandros asked.
“Definitely,” Auguste confirmed. “Well, I guess we shouldn’t keep Damen waiting any longer.”
“There’s still food,” Laurent hurried to say. “You didn’t have dinner, right? You can finish this and we’ll… we’ll give you a little while longer? To… finish… your date?”
Auguste took the hint before Nikandros, who was frowning now, did. “Are you hungry?” he asked, and Nikandros blinked.
“I could eat.”
“Great! We’ll be…” somewhere you can’t see us “…in the garden.”
Laurent only stopped to turn the TV off (which earned him an “oh, come on!) because Nicaise hadn’t obeyed Auguste and led Damen out to the backyard and to the small, secluded area behind some rose bushes where he liked to read. The bushes were also conveniently tall so that they could not be seen from the first floor of the house.
“Did you turn their first date into our first date?” Damen asked, amused.
“We’ll call this a pre-date?” Laurent offered. He was a little breathless.
“I’ve never had one. What does it entail?”
“I was thinking… if you don’t mind… a kiss? Because I think I might panic and it’s better to get it out of the way now so that it doesn’t ruin our actual…”
“Why would you panic?”
Laurent paused, realizing that little slip was quite a lot more than what he wanted to reveal to someone who was still practically a stranger.
This once, however, he chose not to turn back and retreat.
“Not now,” he said instead of fleeing. “Maybe… one day, okay?”
“Okay.” Damen pushed a strand of Laurent’s hair behind his ear. It was such a gentle touch, unlike what Laurent would expect of someone of Damen’s stature, and that in itself was strangely assuring. “I’ll kiss you now. Just push if you don’t want it.”
He was tall, so tall, but Laurent didn’t feel any fear as he closed the distance between them, slowly, giving Laurent every chance to change his mind.
Laurent didn’t, and Damen’s lips were so soft he almost moaned.
And that’s the beginning of how Nicaise suddenly had basically four dads.