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Jude stood in front of the full length mirror in the hall between the front door and the living room and buttoned up his shirt’s collar with his mouth pulled into a tight line. He could tell looking in the mirror just how tense his entire body was, his back straight and his shoulders slightly pulled up. He tried letting go of his tension with a sigh, but it didn’t help. He closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for what was to come when he heard soft humming, light footsteps and the quiet rustling of feathers approach him. He kept his eyes closed, but he felt some of the tension leave his body when a shorter body was pressed against his back and arms wrapped around his shoulders
“I’m going to get stressed just looking at you. Calm down, it’ll be fine”
Xelqua cooed behind Jude, who let out another sigh. He could already feel a headache forming from the stress he was feeling. He was already looking forward to coming back home, for this whole thing to be behind them and maybe a long warm shower to relax his muscles. That sounded nice in his head and he tried to grab onto that mental picture, giving himself something to get through this easier
Xelqua pressed a kiss to Jude’s shoulder before he let go and walked over to his closet of shoes to pick out a fitting one for his outfit. Jude asked him to tone his usual style down a bit, to put on something more casual rather than something revealing and overly flashy. Xelsie wasn’t the type to let anyone tell him how to dress on any given day, but he was officially meeting Jude’s parents and sister for the first time and he wanted to make a good impression. He knew how they felt about him, Jude warned him about their dislike of him, especially his sister’s, so he didn’t want to add to the fire by wearing something provocative. So he settled on a silk long sleeved shirt that was held together with little bows instead of buttons and a more formal pair of pants
Charlie and Eloise, Jude’s parents had been nagging their son to visit them for months now. They knew he was busy doing important work and never had a day off, but they still missed him. He tried to talk with them for a few minutes at least once a week, but that didn’t always work out. Jude talked even less with Daisy, his sister as they weren’t nearly as close anymore and they had lived completely separate lives from each other. He remembered when she was a toddler and a small child, how much she loved him and wanted to do everything with him and how as a teenager he didn’t appreciate it nearly enough as he now wished he had. He privately mourned the close sibling relationship they could have had, but he didn’t know how to start bonding and he knew he couldn’t force it either. He was never the best at close personal relationships, he didn’t spend his life developing the skills for them. He knew she was currently going through the usual angsty rebellious teenage phase as a 16 year old and she was part of the reason he was going to visit them today, his parents hoping the two reuniting would give her some emotional relief
Jude was well aware of Xelqua’s reputation in the clan, how most of the members saw him as a spoiled brat, as someone easy and completely irresponsible. He was also aware how his parents and sister shared these beliefs of him and how much his line of work added to their dislike towards Xelqua. He didn’t like talking about his work or personal life really, so he didn’t blame his family for coming to their own conclusions regarding how he was treated and what his relationship with Xelqua was like. They didn’t even know that they had gotten eloped
Bodyguards weren’t usually treated the best and they were seen as some of the most expendable and replaceable members of the clan. People didn’t get attached to someone they knew could die or get injured in a blink of an eye, so they kept their distance and just ignored or ordered their bodyguards around for the most part. Jude had heard of other bodyguards getting threatened, blackmailed and belittled by the one they were protecting. It was a thankless job and others often took advantage of their low ranking status, but it was part of his life and he had long stopped caring about the emotional toll of it all
Xelqua, the heir of the Watcher clan, a notoriously ungrateful and self centered brat, was a surprising expectation to that rule. He was incredibly attached to Jude and treated him far better than Jude would have imagined any of his bosses to treat him. While yes, Xelqua was spoiled and difficult to deal with, he never used his status against Jude and made him feel like they were equals. Jude didn’t blame his parents for not knowing the private details of his relationship and for thinking the general rule applied to the pair, especially with Xel’s reputation
Jude was nervous about going home for multiple reasons. For one, he didn’t know how he could break the news of his elopement with Xelsie to his family. Honestly he didn’t want to do it, but he felt like Xelqua was going to unintentionally do something that would give away that they were romantically involved at least. And the wedding bands on their respective left ring ring fingers were also blatant giveaways. For another reason, he knew the planned lunch would be awkward and filled with tension and he wasn’t looking forward to that. And lastly, he knew his family and Xelqua lived in vastly different realities and he was worried about Xelsie being unintentionally offensive or disrespectful because he didn’t know better. Xelqua lived in his own little ignorant bubble of wealth and privilege, he was always handed everything and never struggled with anything real in his life. He couldn’t fathom what it was like to have sleep for dinner or having to wear a winter coat inside because the heating got turned off. And while Jude didn’t blame him nor wish it on him, his general ignorance annoyed him at times and amused him at others
The car ride to Jude’s family house in the outskirts of the big city they lived in was uneventful. Xelqua played around with the radio until he found a station he was satisfied with and could sing along to, and when a song he wasn’t the most familiar with or an ad break played he plagued Jude with questions about his family. Jude was rather closed off even with Xelsie, so he took the opportunity to get to know as much about his family as he could in that short amount of time. All the while Jude felt more and more tense. Some relief came from how open Xel was to meeting his family, even promising to be on his best behavior, but he still felt like this would end badly or at least very awkwardly
Normally Jude wouldn’t have brought Xelqua along, but he didn’t have much of a choice with his job being constant surveillance. Even when Xelqua was with members of the clan, so trusted people, he was supposed to be there just in case. He probably could have gotten away with just leaving him home alone for a few hours or maybe asking Xisuma to go over to keep him entertained and under good care, but he knew he would have been way too anxious about the possibility of Xelqua getting hurt or abducted or killed while he couldn’t help. He knew this wasn’t just because he was so conscientious and committed to his work or because he was too afraid of the consequences that would follow Xelqua getting hurt or worse, but because he genuinely loved and cared about Xelsie. He already dealt with horrible nightmares of not being able to protect the avian, he knew the guilt wouldn’t let him go on if that became a reality, especially over his own decision of visiting his family without the other
Jude couldn’t help, but feel somewhat ashamed of his family home. It was a small two story house with a tiny front porch with minimal decorations and plain walls. It was rather plain looking and blended in with the rest of the houses on their street. He personally didn’t have any issues with it, he grew up there, but he knew this wasn’t what Xelqua was used to in the slightest. Xelsie’s life was flashy and he grew up in luxury, all the houses and apartments he frequented reflected that. In a way Jude was afraid Xelqua would judge him and his family or be disappointed, but to his relief Xelsie didn’t make a face or a comment at the house. He just looked curious before he turned over to Jude with a grin
“Showtime, big boy”
He winked for additional affect and left the car without any hesitation, like he was completely sure of himself and how this afternoon would go. If Jude hadn’t spent so much time with him, he’d think he was completely calm and bursting with confidence. But he knew better by now and he could read the other pretty well, the facade didn’t fool him, as meticulously put together as it was. He could see Xelqua’s feathers slightly puff up and he noticed how much he was fidgeting with his necklace and nails in the car. Jude bit his lip and nodded to himself before he exited the car as well
The tension was palpable as soon as they went in through the front door. Jude’s parents’ body language was stiff and he could tell they were putting on smiles instead of it being sincere. He knew they didn’t want to do anything with Xelqua, much less host him in their home, but he told them he wouldn’t be able to visit without the avian. They bowed in front of Xelqua to greet him, who just dismissively flicked his wrist out of habit and immediately started looking around, his curiosity overtaking his manners. The living room was small, but it was decorated to be as cosy as the circumstances would allow. The couch had some old faded stains that just wouldn’t come out and some stitches where the covers were torn. The same pillows littered the couch that Jude grew up with. The same tv sat on a small coffee table that Jude watched cartoons on. Honestly not much had changed since Jude was a child, only the wall of pictures of the family grew
Jude noticed Daisy basically hiding in the kitchen’s doorframe, her ears pinned back and her face pulled into a tight frown. She didn’t even try to hide how unhappy she was with the situation. Jude was vaguely aware of what her current mindset regarding her situation in the world was from their parents. She hated the world with the people in it and especially the clan, she wanted to make a difference and break free, her sense of justice was at its most heightened and she thought she knew everything better than everyone else. So the usual for her age group, the same Jude also went through. Jude sighed and walked over to her, whispering to her before he made his way into the kitchen to help bring out the dishes. He didn’t plan on staying for long, so he figured he’d help
“Please behave, he really isn’t as bad as you think”
Jude sighed again when his sister whispered back, intentionally loudly enough so Xelqua could hear it. It only took Jude a glance to see Xelsie’s head wings slightly flap to know that he indeed heard it, but his expression showed nothing. Jude had to give credit to Xelqua for having an amazing poker face and being able to not show what was truly going on, perfectly selling the image he wanted to show to those who weren’t hyper aware of his little tells
“Why did you have to bring him here? I don’t want him here”
Majority of the meal was spent quietly with some occasional surface level small talk. Jude was asked how he was feeling and how work was treating him and Xelsie was asked about his studies. Jude mentally kicked himself when Xelqua got all confused at the beginning of the meal, asking what the other food options would be, where the other types of cutlery were and then sheepishly nodding when he was told that was all they could offer. Not that it wasn’t enough for him, he was just used to a different style of hosting. Daisy glared at him harder at that like he insulted her personally, but Jude wasn’t sure if Xelqua even noticed or if he just pretended like he didn’t
Tension grew until it reached its breaking point. Jude was anticipating something happening especially with how almost everyone was looking more tense and uncomfortable the longer lunch went on and how Daisy’s growls got more audible. Xelqua seemed to be the only one unaffected, enjoying the simple meal that was put in front of him, but Jude could tell by his puffed up feathers he wasn’t feeling as confident anymore either. Jude knew Xelsie came across as very unaware and dumb, which didn’t help the tension nor his reputation of being seen as incompetent and dumb, but he also knew it was intentional with Xel hoping it’d make him appear less intimidating and not add onto the conflict
Everyone slightly jumped when hands were slammed on the table, making the plates, cutlery and glass cups quietly rattle and the sharp edge of a knife was stabbed into the old wooden table. The room froze and everyone stared at the source of the commotion, Daisy, who had risen from her chair and was now leaning over the table with her hand gripping the knife’s handle while giving Xelqua a death glare
“I’m not afraid of you! I don’t care who you are, you aren’t welcomed here!”
She barked at him, but despite her words her entire body was trembling. Jude could see the blood drain from his parents’ faces and his mother’s mouth slightly opening and closing, which he knew meant she was praying. It was a terrifying sight to them, their daughter basically threatening the heir to the throne of the clan they belonged to, which would only lead to trouble. Daisy could get punished for threatening and disrespecting Xelqua. Jude could get punished as there wouldn’t be any repercussions for that, they didn’t even dare to think what an angry Xelqua would do to their son once they were alone again. And while they didn’t care that much, they themselves could get punished as well for their daughter’s actions
Before Jude had the opportunity to step in to intervene, Xelsie was faster. He couldn’t help, but sigh when the avian also got up from his chair and slammed his own knife into the table with a manic grin, mirroring her pose. He felt his head throb
“Good, neither am I of you. Jude and I are a package deal, so you have to tolerate me if you want him here”
The atmosphere of the room shifted at that. The previous absolute terror from the parents got overshadowed by shock. Daisy also stopped in her tracks and blinked at Xel, the confusion overtaking her fear. While she thought she was risking her and her family’s safety by standing up to him and how this was all a grand act of disrespect and standing up for what was important to her, her preplanned monologue of cussing him out for how she thought he was treating her brother died in her throat. Xelqua wasn’t offended in the slightest and his responding action wasn’t one of intimidation or threat, it seemed like he was challenging her to go further, to see what she’d do, daring her to continue. He looked amused and entertained, like he wasn’t taking this entire thing seriously at all and that made Daisy and the family stop. This wasn’t how she imagined this to go down, this wasn’t what she imagined the heir to act like
“Qua, behave! We talked about this for fuck’s sake!”
Jude barked at Xelqua, not being able to take the tension anymore and wanting to diffuse the situation before it got completely out of hand. They made eye contact and after a warning growl, Xelsie rolled his eyes, let go of the knife and slumped back in his chair. He reminded Jude of a fussy toddler with his pout and folded arms. The previous violent tension and terrified looks were replaced with even more confusion. After a minute Xelqua was the first to make a move, he leaned closer to the table again and put a hand on Jude’s shoulder, who was rubbing his temples. Xelqua’s expression and voice softened, now looking and sounding sincere and apologetic, a look the family couldn’t even hope for in their wildest imagination Xel could be capable of giving their Joel
“I’m sorry. You know I wouldn’t have actually done anything, I was just playing along”
Jude sighed, but he visibly relaxed a bit when Xelqua started rubbing his shoulder and he lightly leaned into the touch. He didn’t dare to look at his family’s expressions and just tried to focus on the sensation of the touch to ground himself instead. He didn't know what was going on in his family’s head, but he was sure they were severely confused. Xelqua wasn’t following their prewritten script, he wasn’t playing the character they imagined him to be. Not only did he not get bothered by a threat and insult, he also actively listened to Jude and apologized to him. This was the complete opposite of what the family imagined their dynamic to be like, Jude wasn’t being oppressed and Xelqua seemed to actually respect him
Jude slowly opened his eyes and he was pleasantly surprised how relieved his family looked. His father still had a worried frown, but the wrinkles on his forehead had let up a bit and his shoulders weren’t so tense and pulled up anymore. The color was slowly returning to his mother’s face, she no longer looked like she was about to faint from the stress of the situation. Her eyebrows were still slightly pulled together, but Jude could see a small, genuine smile forming at the corners of her lips. He shot a glance at his sister, who also stopped shaking and went back to stabbing her food with her fork with a pout, but she looked less stressed as well. He could feel the tension both in the room and his body slowly dissipating. He held out a hand for Xelqua, who immediately took the hint and put his left hand in his with a wider smile. Jude was grateful he wasn’t taking any of this personally as he pulled the hand closer and placed a small kiss on his wedding band, getting a giggle out of the avian
Maybe bringing Xel over wasn’t as awful of an idea, his family and husband deserved to meet each other and have a fresher start, seeing each other in person rather than just knowing about each others’ existence through the words of others. He even played with the idea that with time Xelqua and Daisy could get along