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Ana could do with some strong alcohol right about now.
“Invite the parents to Sports Day.” the Principal said, “It’ll be fun!” she said.
Yeah…Ana thinks bitterly as she watches Buck and Eddie join the many other parents gathering on the field, both of them dressed in skinny jeans and unnecessarily tight henley shirts rolled up to their elbows. Fun.
Whatever. As long as it doesn’t get too hot out here she should be able to survive the rest of this afternoon. It’s just a few hours, of her two biggest crushes being absolutely adorable fathers and husbands. She can get through this.
Turning her attention back to the kids, Ana chuckles when she notices a small crowd of her students swarming around Christopher.
“The Queen of England owns all the swans there.” the young boy tells everyone. A few of the kids gasp in wonder but one of the boys shakes his head.
“That’s not true.”
Ana isn’t even sure if it’s true either but Christopher scowls at the boy and nods furiously. “Yes, it is. My dad told me. He’s been to England.”
Maisie, to Christopher’s left, jumps up in excitement. “Wow, really?”
Christopher smiles, standing taller, and announcing proudly to his classmates, “Yeah, he’s a Navy SEAL so he’s been all over the world!”
“Woah…”
“That’s so cool.”
A chorus of impressed whispers erupts from the kids and Ana smiles fondly. Maybe she should ask the class if they’d like to do a subject on England, they all seem pretty interested by the country. Or maybe it’s just the idea of actually going there that has their attention.
“Where is your dad?” one of the kids asks, causing them all to perk up and look across the field towards where the parents were standing. Christopher scans the field too and suddenly points in the direction of Buck and Eddie. Ana turns her gaze that way along with the rest of the children, not entirely surprised to find the two men waiting by the start line of the parents’ three-legged race.
The school likes to hold little competitions for the parents as well as the children; it keeps them involved and gives the kids an opportunity to tease the adults.
What is surprising, however, is the fact that Buck and Eddie appear to be arguing. Well, maybe arguing isn’t the right word for it – more like bickering. Like an old married couple, Ana realises with a smile.
The kids inch closer to the edge of the track – just cones lining a part of the field – a few of them calling out to their own parents, as they all wait for the race to start.
Ana watches in amusement as Eddie slaps at Buck’s hand when he goes to move the rope tied around their ankles for what must not be the first time, muttering something to his husband that has Buck grinning widely. As he straightens again, Buck leans close, whispering something into Eddie’s ear with a smirk, looking entirely too pleased with himself for someone that presumably just got told off by his partner. Eddie turns a light pink.
Before Ana can think too hard over what might’ve caused Eddie’s odd reaction, the race starts and the group of parents all take off in a mad rush. Ana watches as the two men start running, managing well at first and gaining an impressive lead – they move fluently together, step after step. It seems almost rehearsed, natural even. She wonders whether they go running together.
Things take a drastic turn when Eddie suddenly leans in and finally says something back to his husband, which causes Buck to splutter and turn to Eddie with wide eyes. It all happens in a split second.
Buck loses his footing. He stumbles. Eddie reaches out to steady him.
And then they’re both tumbling down to the grass.
Ana gasps and is about to rush over and check if they’re both alright – she definitely only wants to go over to offer first aid services, not any other selfish reasons – but there’s a loud laugh and suddenly Buck is tackling Eddie. The two of them start rolling around in the dirt, the other parents in the race carefully running past them with curious glances and chuckles. Eddie gets his arm wrapped around Buck’s head, dragging him into his chest and holding him still. They’d both smiling wide, hair mused, looking not that unlike the kids in Ana’s class when they decide wrestling is a fun way to spend recess.
Speaking of kids in her class, Ana glances up from the men in time to see Christopher hobbling over to join his dads. He doesn’t look impressed, fixing them both with stern looks.
He pokes at his dads’ sides with the end of one of his crutches, raising a brow at them when they stop and twist to look up at him. It’s as though the roles have shifted and Christopher is the parental figure scolding his two children. It makes Ana laugh and, not for the first time, she wonders what their home life must be like for them to have such a fluid dynamic.
There’s a moment of almost tense silence where it looks like Christopher is going to actually reprimand the two men for possibly embarrassing him. It’s shattered the moment that Buck reaches out and grabs at Christopher’s hip, pulling him down into the tangled mess of limbs below with a victorious whoop that echoes around the field. Christopher squeals, to no avail as Eddie starts on tickling him whilst Buck pins him down – careful enough not to hurt him yet surprisingly still rough in a way Ana wouldn’t dare be with the boy. She supposes they’re his parents though, so they must know his limitations a lot better than she does.
With a light chuckle, heart growing warm in her chest, Ana forces herself to look away from the adorable family display in order to catch the end of the race, laughter from the trio still ringing loud in the open air.