Chapter Text
Footsteps clopped up the steps, the whispers and mutterings of annoyances followed by stifled laughter had appeared by the door.
One of Thomas’ eyes popped open at the noise that he was hearing. He lifted up his phone and checked the time. 9 am? What was happening at 9 am on a Sunday morning during summer break?
He didn’t have to wait for the answer for long as the door busted open, “Happy Fathers day!”
Hollis stepped in first, carrying a taken apart cardboard box that he made into a tray to hold the two plates of food. While the teen tried to make it like he was all happy, happy, joy, joy, the bags under his deep blue eyes and the fact that his blonde hair was still in an incredibly unkempt state, showed that he was in fact, not. He wanted to be back in bed.
Isaac behind him, holding two mugs. His pumpkin (Yes. It’s obnoxious) colored hair was put up into a half up down thing? Thomas couldn’t figure it out, but it seemed to be one of the newest styles. His eyes matched his brothers, which matched Thomas’. Isaac practically matched Thomas in general. A bit rounder, sturdier, he was taller than his brother, taller than Milo at this point, though not quite at Thomas’ height just yet.
Hollis was about five inches shorter than him, and more slender, but still pretty well built even if not as intimidating. “We made you food. I made you food.”
“I made coffee.” Isaac held up one of the mugs, though his eyes went wide as the coffee inside sloshed a bit too much, topping over the lip of the cup and dripping down the side. “Most of it is still in here. All good. We’ll give that one to dad.” He nodded his head to the still asleep Milo.
Thomas shook Milo, chuckling “Oh, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. Half spilled coffee and food that might kill us.”
Milo groaned, still as much of a pain to wake up as he’d always been. Thomas shook him more. After a minute Milo’s hands appeared from under the sheets, followed by just the top part of his head, eyes squinted at his partner. ‘What?’
Thomas only pointed to the boys at the side of the bed. ‘They’ve planned a coup.’
Milo looked dazed between the boys, and then smiled a bit, still tired. ‘Oh?’
‘Happy Fathers day!’
‘We made breakfast!’
Milo looked at Thomas and then sat himself up. ‘A coup by food? Poison?’
‘Busted!’
Fatherhood wasn’t something they had on their agenda. Not for these gays. From the beginning they were anti kid. They were happy being the guncles and the best babysitters ever.
Yet their friends kept having babies, and their siblings had more babies. Thomas had always been on the fence, but wasn’t upset by Milo not wanting them. He had been straightforward that he doesn’t like most kids. His family is fine and that’s it.
So when Milo handed him a glass of wine at dinner one night with a nervous grin on his face and Thomas asked what was going on-
Imagine his surprise when he heard the words “I want to have kids.”
They were quickly approaching their mid-thirties and at some point something flicked in Milo’s head that made him second guess everything. He had apparently had been thinking for a while too because he had list after list after list for Thomas to look over.
So they started their journey to parenthood. They told their friends and their families and whoever they could.
Then Anne approached them about being a surrogate for them.
After getting Thomas’ sperm and finding an egg donor and going through the process of implanting two of the viable eggs, they found out that both had stuck and a little less than eight months later Hollis John and Isaac Preston were born.
Now the twins were 15 and Dad and Pops were celebrating another Father’s Day.
Hollis was their stubborn, strong willed, conniving, strategic child. He was one who debated and negotiated everything he could before pushing his fathers over the edge. He was a dancer, starting when he was young as a parent and toddler class over summer one year. Hollis loved it and Isaac wanted nothing to do with it. When not competing with dance, he was doing speech and debate. He was competitive and could hold a grudge for forever if given the chance. Yet he was also a leader and a mediator. Teachers would often say how he’d go sit on the school’s “buddy bench” or help a new kid out or help friends who were fighting.
Isaac was essentially Thomas, with flaming orange hair. He was the loud one. The one who had boundless energy then would crash so hard. He loved to test limits, seeing how far he could go before he’d either get injured, in trouble, or both. Isaac played football and was the trope of getting into theater as well, during the off season doing the school musical. He was way more emotional than his brother, but also had a tendency to not think before he spoke. He would get angry and say something hurtful just to be hurtful and then end up feeling guilty. Teachers would describe him as kind hearted and enthusiastic. He wanted to be involved in everything. He wanted to make everybody happy.
To Thomas though, the most exciting thing was that they were both willingly in his mixed audition choir. Willingly . He’d tell you all day if he could. Hollis had a slight upper hand in the vocal talent, but both were able to hold their own and do it well. And they were willingly in Thomas’ class. On their own. They chose it.
While wanted, parenthood tested their relationship in ways that neither Thomas or Milo would have expected. Between the many nights of no sleep, the strain of disagreeing on parenting tactics, the crazy schedules that it gave them, and then the lack of time between the two for even cuddling, much less maintaining their dynamic,
‘I have papers to grade!’
‘You teach choir! Why are you grading papers?!’
‘Because of school requirements! You think I don't know that Beethoven went deaf?! You think I want to read about how Haydn might have been a vocalist too?! Do they ever do papers on choral composers? Nope. Fucking Beethoven, Bach, Hadyn.’
Then crying again-
it fell apart within the first year.
They were tearing at the seams by the time the twins were turning five. Divorce had been brought up, tearfully, at this point and they were even starting to figure out how they’d work out making the kids as comfortable as possible.
It happened when they were at the house-warming party for Rachel, Benny, Isa, and Abby’s newly built house. Their polycastle as they labeled it.
The arguing wasn’t large or obnoxious, it was snips back and forth and the annoyance at each move that had been building. The group had been seeing it, but it was Adrian who finally pulled them away and talked to them and how he and Anne had gotten to the same point when Elijah had been sick.
“That’s when I learned about and started doing maintenance with Anne.” Adrian had sat the two down inside while the rest were outside by the pool with the kids. “Both of us weren’t always in the mindset to take care of what needed to be done in the dynamic at the moment it happened. We had a sick kid to worry about. Maintenance gave us one day a week where just for an hour even, we’d talk about the good, bad, ugly. All of it, and then we’d discuss what we wanted for the next few days ahead.”
“Yeah, but we… the boys are…” Milo stammered.
Adrian shook his head “And? We still do it, it’s once a month now but there are things that we don’t think about throughout the days that still get caught up with us. There are times where we just need it.”
Thomas fidgeted with his hands while Adrian continued to talk.
“Anne would get the release of getting a spanking, the cry that she wouldn’t usually let herself have about what was going on. I would be able to support her in a way other than words and hugs. Our sick son had parents who were better to care for him. Maintenance made me have to think about both of us. I couldn’t help her if I wasn’t communicating with her. So it made us talk. I couldn’t be upset while spanking her so I had to talk to her. Tell her the fear, the sadness, the anger. She did the same.” He looked at the two. “Every relationship is different though… but I think it’s worth a shot.”
“Thank you.” Milo told him.
After a while Thomas had found Anne alone in the kitchen, making herself a snack plate. “Anne…”
“What’s up?” She looked over, popping a cherry tomato in her mouth.
“Can we talk?”
Anne frowned but nodded “Sure.”
“Adrian talked to us about… when your son was sick and y’alls did uh…” Thomas was unusually self-conscious about the topic at hand. Maintenance was something he knew about. He studied it. Why was he so scared?
“Maintenance?” Anne set her hand on his. He nodded, flushing a bit. “Yep. We did… still do sometimes.”
And with that Thomas opened completely. He told her about how they’d spoken about divorce. The fact that Milo had started sleeping in the spare bedroom. How the ‘I love you’s felt hollow. While both of their feelings hadn’t waivered, neither of them felt like the other thought the same.
They introduced maintenance into their relationship.
The first four weeks were hard. It was a struggle for Milo to actually enforce it. By the end of the day he was exhausted. So then they switched to mornings after a month. While it took adjusting their schedule a bit, that worked out well for them. Monday mornings before they’d get the boys up for school. They’d wake up an hour (yep. A whole hour) before the rest of their weekday morning call, and they’d talk about the week and what the goals and expectations were for each of them.
They also started couples therapy.
That third month? They laughed together, a real big laugh, for the first time in a bit over a year.
“Tooth Fairy has made her transaction.” Thomas stepped into their bedroom, holding up the bag with the tooth in it. “Isaac is now a whole two dollars richer.” He opened the drawer to hide the baggy until they could get rid of it without the children seeing it. “You really pulled it?”
“I really pulled it.” Milo nodded from the bed. “And Hollis even rubbed my back while I did it.” He started to laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. “But I did it!”
Milo *hated* teeth. He hated losing his own teeth as a kid, he hated seeing others lose their teeth. He hated the dentist, but was really great about going *because* of the fear. When it came to his own children when they started losing theirs? It was up to Thomas to pull if needed or Milo would beg for it to happen at school.
Yet Isaac came home with it hanging on stubbornly and Milo had to intervene. It was that or see it wiggle until Thomas came home later in the evening. So Milo pulled it. “Thomas, they both cheered for me before they cheered for Isaac.” He looked at his husband. “I’m proud of me too, though. Okay?”
And they both laughed so hard. Neither could tell you what set the laugh off, but sharing that laugh together started mending things as well. That night they slept in the same bed again.
“They’re going to be awesome, not tiny humans, one day.” Milo told him, pulling the sheets up over him.
“Of course they will, they got us.” Thomas agreed. “And we’s pretty damn good parents if I’s say so.”
In the fifth month Milo had to go out of town for two weeks for work, a huge research opportunity in India that he was able to be part of. By the time he got back Thomas was practically begging to be put over his knee to get distressed. As soon as they had gotten the boys to sleep Thomas dragged him up to their room, *willingly* grabbed his paddle and held it out to Milo like he had given him the key to the whitehouse.
Milo had gotten Thomas over his lap when he heard Thomas say his name. “Yes?”
“Are we’s gonna be okay?” Thomas’ voice shook. “Or is it us trying this just delaying the inevitable?”
Milo’s heart sank at that. “Thomas…” He quickly pulled him up and into his arms, then cupped his head in his hands. “Thomas, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want us to be okay.” He wiped at a tear that had started to form under Thomas’ eye, and he felt Thomas do the same back to him. “I am so sorry that I have made you doubt that.”
“Milo…”
“No, let me talk please.” Milo shook his head. “I fell off. Once I felt like we weren’t just gasping for air with the boys, I didn’t know how to jump back into us. Into… this.” He looked at the paddle and then at Thomas half naked sitting on his leg. “And I… I knew it was happening but I couldn’t get myself to do it. I knew you were pushing. You were screaming. Then you just stopped one day.”
Thomas watched him closely. He had nailed it, but it still wasn’t just on him. “Yeah, but I also didn’t directly say it. I wanted yous to just do it.” He gave a half hearted chuckle. “And I wanted to make you angry with me. I wanted to push it. Push you. Push us, to see if you’d cave.”
Milo just pulled Thomas into his chest. “Thomas, we are going to work on us. I promise. Me and you.” His eyes were shut tightly. “Milo and Thomas… Papa and Momo… and Pops and Dad.”
He felt Thomas’ chest tighten at that. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed us!” He crumbled. “I’m sorry!”
“Me too, so incredibly sorry. We’re going to get there. We’re doing therapy, we’re doing maintenance. You got WD-40 and duck tape and I got words of encouragement from the sidelines.” Both of them laughed at that. “And we’ll just build a new bridge again, and again, and again. I’ll build as many bridges as I need to just to be with you.”
“That’s sappy as fuck, Milo.”
“And you loved it.”
“Yeah.” Thomas rolled his eyes. “I did.” He met his forehead with Milo’s and gave him a gentle kiss “I love you, papa.”
“I love you too, Momo.”
At month seven they had gotten their flow. Monday morning they’d get up by 4:30 (Yes, they know, disgusting), start their coffee and tea, Milo would take about 10 minutes to himself to not be a grouchy ass, and they’d meet up in the space they had set up in the basement. It wasn’t large, but there was privacy and more sound muffling than their bedroom that sat on the same floor as the boys’ rooms.
Thomas was switching over a load of laundry that had been left from the night before. “They’s six. How do they go through so much clothes?”
“I think it multiplies. Like… you put one shirt in and two more come out.” Milo told him. “Also, we’re going to have to start actually getting them separate clothes. Isaac is getting bigger than Hollis at this point.
“I can take them after school today.” Thomas flipped the drier on. “Didn’t we just go back to school shopping?”
Milo gave an exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, but they were five the first month of kindergarten. Now they’re six and apparently that means they grow another inch every night in their sleep.”
“Ah. That explains it.” Thomas made his way over to Milo, and slid his arms around him. “Good morning, papa.” He gave him a soft kiss.
“Morning, Momo.” Milo smiled and ushered him into the room. He turned on the monitor to the boys’ room, just in case. Even at six being two stories apart gave the dads a bit of anxiety. “Alright, anything you want to talk about?” He took his spot in the chair.
Thomas stood against the door, foot propped up against it and arms crossed. Clearly he did.
“What’s going on in that brain of yours?”
“Iwanttostartdisciplineagain.” Thomas spat out as soon as Milo finished the question.
Milo stared at him “What?”
“You heard me.” Thomas muttered, turning red.
“Nope. I did not. You spoke fast and mumbled.” Milo shook his head. “Speak up and speak clear, confident. I’m not going to judge.”
Thomas’ arms flopped beside him but his fist were clenched. He took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before repeating himself. “I want to start discipline again.”
“Oh.” Milo sat back. “Okay…”
“You don’t wanna.”
“I didn’t say that, Momo.” Milo patted his lap “Come on, let’s talk this out.” He took Thomas over his knee. He didn’t say anything, he just started spanking. His hand delivered some sharp smacks, but nothing as hard or as fast as Thomas knew he could. Maintenance was meant to get them talking as well as getting nerves for this week out. It still usually ended with a sting that would sit with Thomas all day, as well as tears, but it was so much more intimate.
“Alright, so let’s go. Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Milo asked, rubbing circles on his bottom.
Thomas nodded. “Yes sir. And I think you can do it too. We’ll have to plan out times for punishment but yeah.”
Milo bent himself down and kissed the top of Thomas’ head. “Well then I want you to have a list of rules that you’ve been thinking about by tonight. We’ll go over it, establish how to manage it, and go from there. Okay?”
“Yes sir.” Thomas seemed to release whatever he had been holding when he originally got over his lap.
“Anything else?” Milo asked.
“Grades due Wednesday, parent teacher conferences Thursday and Friday. Just obnoxious. Nothing wild.”
“Oh fun.” Milo started back up again. He kept watch on Thomas. He was making sure that he was getting the release he needed. There was always a tell. He went limp by the end like always, but this was a different limp. His shoulders were somehow higher, he had more confidence. He would seemingly curl himself like a comfortable house cat.
The spark was coming back. The love had never left, that wasn’t the issue, but the stress had become more. Slowly but surely they were getting where they wanted to be.
It took almost another full year from that point to get back into sync together, but the steps there weren’t met with as much hesitance and denial as they had been before.
The other thing though? They were open with the boys about their lifestyle, partly because of being accidentally discovered (more than once), partly because of their Alma Mater. Was it weird at times? Yes, but unlike how Milo had been raised the two dads had made sure that they didn’t do anything in front of the kids or demean the other in front of them either. They were on a level playing field as parents, not that they agreed all the time, but they worked together as much as they could.
---------------------------------------------
“The boys are in bed.” Milo stepped into the kitchen “Once dishes are done I want you downstairs. Corner.” They were now nine and while they might be in bed, they were most likely not yet asleep. Finishing up the dishes gave them the chance to fall asleep first.
They had recently separated the two into their own separate rooms due to the chaos that the two would create to fight their bedtime. One time they made signs, marched themselves to the living room and protested in front of the TV as Milo and Thomas were trying to watch their show.
Thomas groaned, his head flopping down to his chest. “Milo…”
“Thomas, this isn’t an argument.” With that Milo had left the kitchen.
Thomas didn’t know how long he had stood in the corner for, his hands on his head, his bottom bared while he waited for Milo.
When he finally arrived Milo held up the bag. “Sorry, forgot we had to Tooth Fairy.”
“Oh shit, did you have cash?” Thomas didn’t move, but he knew he hadn’t had any in his wallet.
Hollis had lost the tooth the day before, and while the dads knew that the boys knew the truth, they were letting the two enjoy it as much as they could before their childhood faded away. The thing was, the Tooth Fairy had forgotten to visit last night… Thankfully there had been a large storm that night so they blamed that. It was met with suspicious eye rolls and “Oh yeahs!” From the two.
“I had quarters.” Milo chuckled. “I busted into the change jar.”
“Oh, you went old school I see. Quarters. He can go to the gumball machine… does that mean we’s getting old?”
Milo grunted at that. “Probably, unfortunately.”
The thing about this is that Thomas wasn’t putting off punishment like it would have been in college. It was genuine parenting banter.
Milo sat himself down and mentioned Thomas over, putting him over his lap quickly. “Alright Thomas. Let’s get this taken care of. Why are you over my knee?”
“I got a ticket for running a red light.” Thomas sighed. He hadn’t meant to, and the kids weren’t in the car. The stupid red light cam had gotten him though doing it anyway. He didn’t know until it showed up and Milo had gotten to it first.
Milo nodded “Exactly. What would have happened had the boys been in the car? What if there was a car that had hit you?”
Thomas frowned. “We could have been hurt. Bad.”
“Yep. Because you weren’t paying attention, or were you trying to beat the yellow light?”
“A little bit of both, sir.” Thomas admitted, hanging his head down. “I was worried I might have been rear ended if I had stopped.”
“Which is why you need to pay attention while you drive, Thomas.”
Milo had started with his hand, he had found his rhythm quickly, making sure Thomas was squirming just after a minute. It was about another two minutes when the door flung open and the two were met with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.
Thomas scrambled up as quickly as he could, reaching for a blanket they had on the ground for days where extra cuddles were needed, and wrapping it around himself.
“Hollis!” Both men stared, their faces matching their son’s.
Thomas spoke first “What are you doing out of bed?”
Milo had just been in there only 15 minutes before. The kid was asleep. He could have sworn.
“Uhhh, Pops. Why is Dad spanking you?” Hollis retorted, crossing his arms. Why had it not been Isaac? He would have probably just zoomed right back to his bedroom, at least giving the two a few minutes to process and discuss how to go forward.
Hollis looked at Milo next. The look of a child who had figured out something they probably shouldn’t have was terrifying. “Is Pops in trouble?!”
While the dad’s used it more as a last resort, the twins had gotten their fair share of spankings at this point. They couldn’t sit and deny it, it clearly was the case. Thomas over Milo’s knee, legs kicking, and whining like a baby? Milo’s hand hitting his bottom? Yep.
MIlo sighed and looked to Thomas then back to Hollis. “Go back upstairs, you can sit on the couch. Give us a few minutes.”
Hollis looked between the two once more. “What did you do?”
“Upstairs Hollis!” The two spoke in unison.
Hollis rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue this time.
Thomas shut the door quickly behind him and looked at Milo “Fuck. I thought you said he was asleep.”
“I could have sworn he was!” Milo stood, running his hands through his hair. “I literally just put quarters under his pillow! I was quiet!”
“Milo, yain’t ever quiet!” Thomas couldn’t help but smile at the thought “You can’t hear youself!”
Milo pressed his lips together. He wasn’t wrong. He thought he was quiet though…
Thomas slid on his shorts and sat down on the ground. “Okay… so what do we say? I mean, you knew about your parents…”
“Yeah, but I knew since I was born. And my father wasn’t exactly… kind to my mother about it.”
Thomas pressed his lips and thought for a moment. “I mean, we could be honest? He’s nine. He’s nosey. If he wants to know he’s gonna figure it out. We come up with answers with questions he asks.”
“And we’ll tell Isaac at some point, just got to make sure Hollis doesn’t tell him first.”
“Yes. Dear God.” Thomas’ eyes went wide again at the thought. “He’s such a little shit.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “You see his smile? He knew he got us off guard.”
Milo rolled his eyes “Isaac might have your wildness but Hollis for sure has your conniving brain.”
The two sat there for a bit longer.
“We got two pretty awesome kids.” Thomas looked at Milo, who nodded. “Even if they’re little shits.”
“It’s wild how they’ve just… become real people. Like… they’re kind and sweet. They’re loving.” The two meant it too.
They finally made their way upstairs to the living room where Hollis was bundled up under a blanket, sitting on his tablet.
Milo cleared his throat. “You’re not invincible just because you saw things, it’s still waaay past tablet time. Go put it up.”
“I was bored to death!” Hollis groaned, flopping himself down. “You took foreeeeever”
“Oh noooooo.” Thomas shook his hands. “Poor Hollis, who was supposed to be in beeeeeeed.” He snapped his finger “Go put it up. We’re not telling you again.”
Hollis looked between them skeptically. He was debating what to say next. Then Milo took a step forward and he quickly changed his mind, pushing the blanket away and practically running to the cabinet where it was supposed to be.
Thomas sat down first in “his” spot on the couch, the corner that was pressed on the wall. “Come here, little dude. We’s gotta talk.”
Hollis looked to his feet then to them both “Am I in trouble?”
“No, you’re not in trouble. Though, why were you up?” Milo asked.
Hollis’ face flushed, rocking on his heels, hands behind his back.
At that point Milo noticed the change of clothes. “Ah… you were bringing down your sheets?”
Hollis nodded. While developmentally on target in most aspects, the kid still wet the bed pretty much every night. It didn’t phase them, but it did phase him, understandably so. He struggled with sleep and self confidence because of it.
“Did the alarm wake you up?” Milo leaned against the couch, waiting to see where Hollis to sit to determine where he’d go.
Hollis nodded again. “But it was kinda late…”
“Alright, so we’ll try it a few more nights and go from there. It’s no biggy. Sheets are sheets, we can wash them and go on.” Milo held his arms out wide. “Come here.”
Hollis shuffled over and fell into Milo’s arms with a defeated sigh. “I’m trying hard, dad.”
“I know you are. It’ll happen in time, Hollis.” Milo rubbed his back and looked at Thomas. “Alright Hol, do you want to talk now, or we can talk tomorrow at some point?” He looked down at Hollis who’s big blue eyes stared right back with the hope of staying up just a bit longer without talking.
Yet the biy shrugged then looked at Thomas who was just sitting with a smile. “I guess now…” He made his way over and hopped on the back of the couch, rolling over onto Thomas with a giggle. “Pops is a pillow!”
Thomas’ figure had gone from large and well rounded to more of a soft beer belly dad bod in his late forties. One that Milo never complained about, but also gave him the advantage when it came to cuddling and he knew that and took advantage of it too.
As long as the boys were still wanting the love and affection both would be willing to give it.
“Move your feet.” Milo scootched at their feet so he could sit. Thomas moved them back as Milo plopped down.
“Ah, a footrest.” Thomas then put his feet on Milo’s lap as he sat and looked at Hollis who giggled a bit and copied Thomas. Age nine was so far their favorite. They were becoming way more independent and self-sufficient, but they were clinging to that last bit of “being a kid” that they could before 10 came.
Milo looked at them with small annoyance and shook his head “I’m going to smell like nasty toe cheese now.” he threw a blanket on the pair and smirked.
“Dad smells like toe cheese!” Hollis giggled.
None of the three knew how to start it. How would they get to the conversation that needed to be had? Do you just start with “Oh hey, yeah. By the way I was in fact spanking your Pops because he was being a dummy. Haha! Now go back to bed!”
It was Hollis who started it though. He leaned up and cupped his hand around Thomas’ ear, whispering something Milo couldn’t make out.
Thomas pouted a bit at Milo but quickly fixed his face and pulled Hollis back. “No, never. Never ever ever ever.” He pulled him into a hug. “I appreciate you being concerned though, and you know if you ever see that happening to anybody you tell an adult. You can tell me, or Dad, or Abby, Isa, Benny, Rachel, Adrian or Anne. Dalton and Michelle.” He listed all of the adults he thought of off the top of his head.
Milo had figured at this point that Hollis had asked if Milo had done other things besides spanking Thomas before, hurting him in more ‘abusive’ manners. When the kids walk in on you watching crime dramas, they ask questions. When they ask questions you have to have conversations about things and Thomas and Milo both tried to be as open as possible in the most age appropriate way possible.
Yet kids also will speculate that since dad spanked dad that he might also do all those other things too.
“You remember how when we went to Grandma’s retirement party and then the homecoming game at Pops’ and my college in October?” Milo asked. Hollis nodded, turning himself back to leaning on Thomas. “And we saw the guy spanking the girl outside on the bench?” He nodded again “Do you remember how we told you that some adults have relationships like that? And at the school there were people who were given a job to do that?”
Hollis nodded a bit. “Yeah, you said that you and Pops didn’t though.”
Crickets.
“Well… it’s not…” Thomas started, trying to figure out how the hell to word whatever he needed.
“You lied.” Hollis pointed out. “You said it’s not okay to lie.”
Fucking kids being right. Listening to their parents. Why do kids do that shit when it’s least convenient for their parents?
“Because that’s…” Milo sighed “Hollis-”
“You’s a kid, my dude.” Thomas cut in. “And you don’t need to be knowing everything about what me and Dad are doing.”
“You think I’m dumb?”
“Did I say that?” Thomas asked him, not amused by the boy’s trying to push it back. Hollis crossed his arms and shook his head with a quiet no. “Exactly. So no putting words in my mouth, Hollis Herbert.”
“Does Pops spank you?” Hollis looked at Milo.
“No. He does not.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to.” Thomas spoke up quickly. That was true. They had talked about it before but Thomas didn’t like the idea of that switch, even for play.
Hollis sat up, staring at Thomas, the horror of that written on his face “You want him to spank you!? Why!?”
Thomas had to hold his breath to not laugh at the poor kid's reaction. It was a very understandable reaction, but god damn it was adorable and so innocent. He was finally able to speak up “No. I don’t want him to spank me.”
“But then why!? You’re an adult! Tell him no!”
Thomas questioned that himself as well “You knows how you like getting good grades on your tests but yous hate studying?”
“Yeah…”
“But if you don’t study yous might not get a good grade?”
“Yeah…”
“Kind of like that… I don’t like it, but it helps me.” Thomas tried to make it rational for the boy, hell he tried to make it rational for himself. “It helps me think better.”
Milo might have cried if he had not been terrified of their child’s possible reaction.
“Are y’all gonna get a divorce?” Hollis’ voice dropped to almost a whisper. Milo looked at Thomas, not hearing the question, but Thomas quickly stepped up.
“No, we ain’t getting a divorce.” Thomas shook his head. “Not even close.”
“Oh, yeah, no divorcing here. Just me…” Milo couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Are you mad at Pops?” Hollis asked.
Milo sat forward and put his hands together. “I’m not mad… I’m upset, but not mad. He did something irresponsible and it could have ended up very badly. Thankfully it didn’t, and he’s okay, but that’s what was going on.”
Hollis looked at Thomas then back at Milo. “But I hate it when y’all spank me…”
“Yeah, I don’t love getting spanked either kid.” Thomas pat his back and chuckled. “But has you ever hated me or Dad when we’ve spanked you, even when yous angry after?”
Hollis thought about it for a moment but shook his head. “No.”
“And you remember why you usually has to go sit in your room before we spank you?”
“So y’all can be calm.”
Thomas nodded again. “Exactly, and if he ever tries to spank you when he’s angry, you come tell me. Or the other way around.”
Hollis looked back to Milo then to Thomas, then to Milo again, then back to Thomas. “Okay…”
“And Hollis-” Milo looked at him.
“What?”
“I promise that I love your pops very very much.” Milo put his hand on his calf. “And I know it’s weird, because a lot of people don’t spank their spouse, but I would never ever hurt your father like what you saw on TV that time. Or any other way, besides spanking him every now and then.” It sounded crazy no matter what he said. “The same with you and your brother.”
Hollis was trying to process it but he nodded his head and looked back to Thomas who nodded as well.
“If you think of anything else you can always come and ask us and we’ll find a time to talk about it.” Milo told him then stretched out his arms, exaggerating a yawn and laying himself on top of Hollis and Thomas. “Now I think it’s bedtime for all of us. Right here.”
Hollis started laughing “Dad! You can’t sleep here!”
“Thomas do you hear something?” Milo asked, shutting his eyes. “I keep hearing something squeaking in my ear…”
“Must be your receivers.” Thomas played along. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Hey!” Hollis started laughing harder. “I’m right here!” He started poking at Milo’s sides. “Dad you’re heavy get offfff!” He laughed.
After letting Hollis poke and bother him a bit longer Milo sat up. “Oh! Hollis! Where’d you come from!?”
“You’re not funny, Dad!” Hollis was hiding his smile with his arms.
Milo laughed and pulled him into a hug. “You are just as silly as your Pops, you know that?”
“Yeah. I do!”
Thomas looked at Milo, his face reading ‘Oops.’ but he smiled anyway
“Alright Hollis John, up.” Milo picked the boy up, kissing his forehead. There wouldn’t be much longer that he’d be able to do this without pulling out his back, hell, he almost did now.
The two got him back into bed, with clean sheets, and tucked him tight. “We love you Hollis.”
“I love y’all too!”
Milo looked at Thomas as they shut the door “Y’all.”
“I made my mark as a parent.” Thomas put his hand on his chest, proudly.
----------------------------------
Godspeed [Sweet Dreams] - The Chicks
Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirates sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh, my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed, sweet dreams
The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon will find the mouse
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh, my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed, sweet dreams
God bless mommy and matchbox cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love youon will find the mouse
And I love you