Seth

[nola_havok]

Sneaking Seth into the house after Scottie was asleep was not an ideal solution, but it was the best choice he had right now. Once he had another babysitter, he could schedule more nights away from home. Once Scottie knew about Seth and had been introduced to him, Caleb wouldn't have to hide him from her. Until then, this was really the only way to go--because of course just not seeing Seth wasn't an option.

Having successfully done it once already, letting Seth into the house and getting him quietly to the bedroom was, thankfully, far less nerve-wracking. Caleb was still over-cautious when closing the bedroom door, doing it far more quietly than he probably would any other time he was closing it after Scottie's bedtime, something he realized amusedly as he locked it behind them. (Scottie was pretty good about knocking rather barging through closed doors, but it wasn't a risk he was going to take when the fix was so easy.)

"Falling for me, huh?"

Seth

[nola_kon_el]

The spa was an oasis in the middle of a city known for its raucousness. Minutes away from tourists laughing drunkenly and roaming brass bands playing jazz along Bourbon Street, there was a quiet, softly lit room that only had room for two people. There was a sideboard of light snacks (fresh fruit, artisan cheese, and gluten-free crackers), flutes of sparkling wine set beside comfortable reclining chairs, and gentle nature sounds pouring out through the audio system.

It was utterly peaceful. Serene.

Almost.

"Seth, get me some cheese," Beau demanded from his chair. He had cucumber slices over his eyes and did not plan on eating them.

Sam

[nola_havok]

To say Caleb was nervous about letting Sam meet Scottie was an understatement. She was pretty chill about the whole thing; Caleb had told her a friend of his was coming over for dinner and she'd just shrugged and made an off-hand comment about him suddenly having a bunch of new friends that made him laugh (entirely at himself) at how on-point she was. Not quite eight and still way too observant for Caleb's comfort. Still, he made sure to remind her that she could tell him if she was uncomfortable or if she wanted Sam to leave, and if she got bored she could go play and ignore the grown-ups, as long as she was polite about it.

Honestly, he was far more worried about his own ability to remain polite if things went badly than about Scottie's.

He cleaned the grill before Sam was due to arrive while Scottie kicked her soccer ball around their little backyard. Caleb figured that a little sunshine and fresh air would be good for all of them, and if being outside instead of inside made everything feel more casual and everyone feel less trapped, that could only help the chances of things going smoothly.

Alistair

[nola_namor]

Alistair was something special, Eric thought, but particularly postcoital. That was when all the sharp edges seemed to melt into something vulnerable and Eric could hold him without needing to be concerned about the prickles.

He enjoyed Alistair's acid tongue and simmering irritation with the world at large—that was just passion in another form—but an Alistair at peace was rarer and therefore more precious.

Eric turned on his side in bed to trace a finger down the length of Alistair's spine. "Are you awake?"

Beau

[nola_tim]

He sent just a quick text as warning: Sorry for the short notice, but I'm swinging by for a minute. Then he started walking. Their places weren't all that close, but the night air was cool and he felt lighter with every step. More pieced together, more whole than he had in decades. The crowds that usually had him tensing up didn't seem as bad now, though he had no way of knowing whether that had anything to do with his decision or whether it was just Tim taking further hold.

Funny to think of it as a separate consciousness. Tim Drake. Robin.

He'd read his way through a chunk of the back issues already. With the private eyes he'd hired to chase after his parents' mess doing their thing, his days had been filled with re-learning himself and planning for the center. Meeting new people. In fucking comic book shops, of all places, which sometimes made him grin and shake his head at himself, feeling better than he had in ages. He'd never figured it'd be his thing, but there was something about those back rooms filled with tables and poly-sided dice and creativity that made his guard relax just as much as the open wilderness once had.

Found family had always been the key. But there was one more stop along that way, and he rapped his knuckles against Beau's door in their old rhythm, tucking the envelope of papers under one arm.