Blake's Saga III Part 1
Warning: This story does not contain any sex. None of the characters are based on real people nor are they meant to resemble any living or dead people.
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Blake's Saga Part III – Me and You
Chapter 1 - Uncle Michael
Trace calls Blake into the dining room. As he enters the room, Blake sees his dads sitting around the table.
`Did I do something wrong?'
When Blake sits down Ian looks over at Trace.
"Blake, Dad and I are taking a mini vacation. We'll be gone for at least two days and one night. Uncle Michael is going to be watching you."
Blake's eyes rolled a bit at the thought of needing a baby sitter. Trace and Ian knew that Blake wouldn't like this arrangement but they wanted to play it safe. Trace isn't happy about Blake's attitude.
"Look, we get it; you're a teenager and you think you don't need an adult here with you, but we are still responsible for you and so you are going to stay with an adult. You can stay with Uncle Michael or we can arrange for you to stay with Aunt Karen. You decide."
Blake didn't need to think twice about this question.
"Uncle Michael is fine."
"Good, I'm glad that we have that settled"
Ian is glad that Blake reached this decision.
"We need to get packed up so we're going upstairs."
Trace and Ian get up from the table and walk up their room.
= = =
They head up to their room. Trace and Ian are busy pulling clothes for their trip.
"I hope Blake doesn't give Michael any headaches."
Ian laughs to himself. He knows that Blake will do the right thing.
"Don't worry about Blake, he'll be fine."
Trace doesn't say a thing. He knows Ian's right. It takes them a couple hours to finish. They were having a rough time packing their clothes, but it's finally finished and Trace is so happy to have it done. Now the grownups can rest a little bit.
= = =
Blake appears at their door, and he doesn't look a bit happy. His face says it all.
"Son, what's wrong?"
Ian is aware of Blake's feelings. He can see the hurt in his son's eyes, and so can Trace.
"I'm okay with Uncle Michael coming to stay with me, but I just realized that I haven't been away from you guys since you adopted me, and I'm just a little nervous."
Trace never even considered that his son might be nervous or afraid of them leaving. Ian motions for Blake to join them on the bed. Blake sits on the bed between Trace and Ian.
"We shouldn't have waited till now to tell you about the trip. We didn't know this would be a problem. We're sorry buddy, so why are you nervous?"
"I... just don't want to be alone."
Trace smiles as he pats Blake's shoulders.
"You aren't going to be alone though, Uncle Michael is going to be here, but I need you to do me a favor and not call us"
Not only is Trace just restating facts that Blake already knows, but he's cutting off contact until his dad's come home . He feels like screaming at Trace. He should know better than to question Blake's fears, and yet he is questioning it or so it seems.
`Why did Trace say that?'
Blake wants to cry. He feels like Trace is angry at him.
"Dad, I'm afraid of being alone. I don't want to be left behind."
Blake's tears start to fall. The tears are troubling for Trace. Finally, his son can't take it anymore.
"You... you don't know what it was like... I don't want to be alone. I don't want you to leave."
"Blake, Dad and I need time together. We need time alone. We are leaving, but we'll be back. In the meantime, Dad and I are going to bed, and you are too."
Trace wants Blake to be okay with them going on this trip, but they are leaving. Blake doesn't know what to think. For the first time, he feels like Trace blew him off. Ian feels bad for their son. Trace on the other hand loves him but doesn't feel bad for him. Blake walks to his room. Unlike his dads though, Blake doesn't sleep at all.
= = =
It's Saturday morning and things are jumping in the house. Ian and Trace are running around grabbing those last minute things they forgot to grab last night. Blake is just staying out of the way. Trace made things clear, that Blake's opinions don't matter. Right now, he can't think about anything but last night. He was about to put his head down and cry, when someone knocks on the door to his room.
"Hey, what's going on man?"
It's not the voice that he was hoping to hear. He needs reassurance from his dads and they are leaving.
"Come on Blake, what's going on?"
"They're leaving me, Uncle Michael, and Trace... doesn't care about... how I feel."
Michael knows better than to believe that Trace doesn't care about his son's feelings. He's never known his brother to turn his back on a person's feelings. As Michael sees his nephew's tears roll down his face, Blake's story burns into his mind for some reason. His mind bounces back to Trace. Trace is the most caring person in the world. Now, he has to convince Blake on this one.
"Blake, deep inside you know that Trace cares about you. He helped get you off the streets. He was there when you were being bullied. So what are these tears about?"
Blake looks into his uncle's eyes. Trace and Ian have given Blake a new life; a second chance. Blake is upset because his dads are leaving, but after everything he has gone through, this trip is scary for him. It shouldn't scare him but it does and Uncle Michael knows it.
"I'm afraid they won't come back, that they'll leave me behind."
Michael can see that Blake's fears are very real. He hates Blake's birth parents for doing this to him.
"Blake, they'll be back okay. I know that they love you too, so let's go downstairs and say goodbye for now."
He doesn't want to say goodbye, but he listens to his uncle anyway. Together they head downstairs. Ian is walking out the door when Michael and Blake get downstairs.
"Go on out, Blake, and tell your dads goodbye."
He doesn't want to go outside. His dads could have been nicer about the trip. He walks up to his dads as they go about loading up the trunk.
"Please be safe okay?"
Trace and Ian set their stuff down and face Blake. Blake reaches out his hands to his dads for a hug. Instead of separate hugs, they all end up in a group hug.
"Blake, you need to relax. I want you to have some fun while we're gone."
Trace patted his son on his back.
"Do me a favor, no one spends the night, okay? Can you feed and water the animals?"
"Sure Dad!"
Blake felt awesome having Trace back with him. Trace and Ian go back to loading up their friend's car so they can head out to the airport and then to the bed and breakfast. Blake waves to them and then heads back inside the house.
= = =
Blake sighs but then he decides to take Trace's advice. He sits on the couch and turns on the television. It doesn't take long for Michael to join him.
"What do you want to do?"
Blake doesn't want to do much of anything. Michael just wants to take his nephew's mind off of his dads' trip.
"I just want to watch some television."
Michael was hoping that Blake would want to talk. It feels like ages since he'd talked with Blake.
"What's going on with you and Ben?"
Blake wasn't going to do much talking, but he can't resist talking about Ben and their relationship.
"Things are going really great; just seeing his picture makes me smile."
Michael smiles. He knows all too well how love feels.
"When is your birthday?"
He's surprised that Trace hasn't said anything about it. Blake gave his uncle a smile.
"April 5th. I was born at 3 pm."
`It's in just a few days then; that doesn't give me much time to get him a present.'
"Blake, are you happy living here?"
`That is a weird question. I wonder why he asked me that.'
"On most days, I love it here. It's easier living with two gay guys then living with in my birth parents. having don't have to worry about what my birth parents feel about gay people."
"I guess that makes perfect sense."
Michael had other questions, but Blake has taken interest in what's on the television. Michael walks away and grabs a book from his backpack.
= = =
Blake sits there watching television when the phone rings. He looks at the caller id and notices that it's from Rick.
"Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good. Can I come over for a little bit?"
Blake heard him say "good", but something tells him that things aren't quite as good as he says, they are. Blake's worries are mounting. Rick is keeping something back. He's good at lying.
"Hold on, okay?"
"Sure!" Blake sets the phone down long enough to find his uncle. Rick can't be kept waiting.
"Uncle Michael?"
"I'm in the dining room."
Blake picks up the phone.
"I'll be right back."
"Okay Blake, I'll be here."
Blake doesn't know if he should mention his suspicions or not.
"Rick is on the phone. He's a friend from school. Can he come over?"
Michael wasn't told that Blake couldn't have his friends over at the house.
"Yeah, he can come over."
"Cool thanks!"
Blake is glad that Michael said yes. He walks back to the living room and picks up the phone. He's hoping Rick will tell him what's going on that made him sound upset earlier.
"My uncle said that you can come over to the house."
"Are you at your house?"
"Yeah, I am."
Blake wants him to open up a little bit more.
"I'll see you when you get here."
"Okay!" Rick is glad that Blake's uncle said yes. He needs to get out of the house before he goes nuts. Blake already knew that but something must be going on at home. He doesn't know if he should wait for his friend to say something or not. Blake's friends usually don't come over to the house because of Ian. They think it's weird hanging at a teacher's house. The two exceptions are Ben and Rick.
= = =
Blake was about to turn off the television when he heard a car door open and slam shut. It sounded like someone really slammed it. Maybe Rick and whoever drove him were arguing over something on the way over here. A heavy knock came next. Blake looks through the peephole to see who is knocking. It's Rick. He doesn't look happy about something. Does he really want to open the door? This guy does have a history of doing unpleasant things to people. Blake opens the door, trusting that the former bully won't hit him. "Hey, Blake!" Blake ushers him inside.
"Thanks for letting me come over to your house."
"No problem, it's cool."
"Do you want to watch movies or play some video games?"
Rick thinks for a second.
"A movie or two would be nice."
"I'll be right back."
Rick sits and waits for Blake to come back. Blake runs to his room and grabs the Lord of the Rings Tribology and then heads into the dining room to see his uncle. Uncle Michael is sitting in the kitchen working on his laptop.
"Uncle Michael, would you mind popping two bags of popcorn for us?"
"Sure, where's the popcorn and a bowl to stick it into when it's done?"
Blake grabs the popcorn off the refrigerator and then grabs a bowl from the cupboard above the sink.
"Here you go Uncle Michael and thanks again."
Blake walks back to the living room.
"Hope you don't mind the Lord Of The Rings."
Rick's face lights up.
"It's cool! I haven't seen any of them."
Blake can't believe that Rick hasn't seen the movie. He needs to get Rick talking. The hard part is going to be getting him to talk. Maybe it's more important for Rick to just have some fun. Blake has seen his dads use distraction on him before and it's always worked on him.
`Rick needs a distraction period; end of story.'
Blake puts the movie into the machine and walks back to the couch.
"We'll have popcorn here in a few minutes."
"Cool!" Rick is starting to relax a little bit. He needed this little escape. Things have improved for him since he stopped bullying and became friends with Juan and Blake, but his home life leaves much to be desired. Blake started the movie and instantly both guys are swept up into the movie. Three minutes later, Michael brings in the popcorn and the boys dig into to it. Blake and Rick are watching the movie when Rick starts to get upset. Rick actually grabs the remote and pauses the movie. He gives Blake a serious look.
"Blake, I need to talk to you."
"Okay, so talk to me."
Blake looks at Rick's face. He sees some wetness around his eyes. He can't imagine his friend crying.
"I had to get out of my house because my parents are fighting. My dad has a tendency to get violent and I can't stand to listen to it."
Blake is glad that Trace and Ian rarely fight and when they have on occasion had a disagreement, it's always been with words. He wonders how bad Rick's dad gets when he gets upset.
"Rick has your dad ever hit you?"
All of sudden Rick went quiet. He looked down at the floor. You could see the tears trying not to come out. Now Blake knew why Rick sounded so different on the phone.
"Why don't we start the movie up?"
Blake feels bad for making Rick cry. His friend feels better knowing that someone else knows about his dad. Blake is unsure of what the next step should be.
= = =
About an hour into the movie, Rick's cell phone rings. He looks at the Caller ID and hangs his head down. Sliding his fingers across the "answer" icon, he accepts the call. "Hello." His face looks sad again.
"Okay, Mom, I'll be looking out for you."
Blake watched as Rick ended the call and moved towards the window. Blake pats his friend on the back.
"Thanks Blake. Hey, do me a favor and don't tell anyone about my dad, okay?"
Blake nodded his head affirmatively. He knows making that promise was a bad idea and yet he did it anyway. As the boys shake hands to seal the favor, Rick sees his mom's car pull up. Blake opens the door for Rick. Rick heads out to go home.
= = =
When the door shuts, Michael comes out of the dining room.
"Did you get things figured out?"
Blake agreed not to say anything to anyone about Rick. Will answering his uncle's questions cause him to break his promise?
"Yeah, his parents were fighting and, he just wanted to get out of the house."
Michael knows something else is going on, but his nephew isn't saying a thing.
"I'm not really sure what's going on with him to be honest."
Another lie... Blake hates telling fibs, even if it protects a friend. Blake's facial expression says way more than his mouth is saying. One thing is for certain, Rick needs help. The question is, how does Blake help him without breaking his agreement? Uncle Michael is sharp enough to figure things out if Blake approaches him about it.
= = =
Michael walks back into the kitchen and pulls the menu for the local pizza establishment off the fridge.
"You hungry Blake?"
"Yes, I'm starving."
Between the two of them, they can eat one pizza each.
"What do we want to order?"
Blake already knows what he wants. Michael is still weighing his options. After a minute or two he puts the menu back on the fridge and grabs the phone. Blake isn't sure if he wants to wait the half hour.
"I want two large pizzas."
"Make mine a pineapple and ham, okay Uncle Michael?"
"The first one is going to be a pineapple and ham, and the second pizza is going to be sausage, extra cheese, onions, and bell pepper. Oh, and I want two orders of breadsticks."
Michael ends the call after confirming the address and getting the price for the two meals. By this time, Blake has moved to the living room to continue watching the Lord of The Rings. A couple minutes later, Michael shows up in the living too with a book in his hands, and he sits next to his nephew. Thirty minutes later, there is a knock on the front door. Michael gets up to answer the door. Blake watches as Michael pays the delivery person.
"Are we eating in here or in the dining room?"
Blake wants to finish the movie, but he knows Ian would die if he found out about them eating in the living room. Still, Ian's not here so he can't very well say anything to them. Blake can't do it; he can't go against his dad's wishes. Trace wouldn't care where they ate as long as they cleaned up after themselves.
"I think we should eat in the dining room."
Michael smiles as he moves into the dining room.
`Blake is just too eager to please his dads'. He needs to let his hair down a little.'
"Dining room, it is then."
Blake smiles. He knows that they made right choice. Michael grabs two plates and two glasses. Blake pulls out the apple juice and sets it on the table. Dinner is unusually quiet for the first fifteen minutes or so.
= = =
Long after dinner, Blake and his uncle are watching `I Love Lucy' reruns when Blake asks a question.
"Did Trace always want to be a cop?"
Michael chuckles.
"Yeah, he used to love it when our Uncle Matt would visit in his uniform. He thought it was the coolest thing."
Michael wonders if the shooting is still bothering Blake. It would be so simple to ask him, but maybe he shouldn't.
"Do you think Trace is different since the shooting?" Blake asks.
Michael doesn't want to go where Blake wants him to go, but he does want to address the question.
"What he went through would have to change a person."
Blake silently agrees. He sees hints of this change showing through in his dad. He wonders how these changes in Trace will manifest themselves. He hopes that whatever does change doesn't impact Trace's and Ian's relationship. It could mean bad news for Blake. Uncle Michael would not keep anything from me would he? He knows that his uncle wouldn't do it on purpose. He blows it off and decides to call it a night.
"Night, Uncle Michael!" He stands up and stretches.
"Okay, Blake, see you in the morning."
Blake walks up to his room.
= = =
Blake turns on the light in his room and walks to his bed. In a heartbeat, Blake gets out of his clothes and into what he's wearing for the night; usually a t-shirt and a pair of underwear. He reaches over and grabs his journal and a pen. He quickly turns to the page that he started on yesterday. Yesterday's entry was short so, he plans on starting this post on the same page.
`Dear Journal,
This morning at 5:30 am, my dads left to go on a trip. It bugs me, but I guess they deserve time away from me. Uncle Michael is staying with me. I really need to watch Trace's actions, his words, and his behavior over the next few weeks. I love my dads and I know they love me, but I still worry about Trace. Good night!'
Blake wonders what tomorrow will bring.
= = =
With the rising of the sun, Michael wakes ready for the day. Every morning, he runs a mile, showers, and then eats breakfast. This morning, he plans on inviting Blake. As he comes out of the bathroom, he nearly runs into his nephew. Blake isn't totally awake yet. He almost tells Trace to watch where he is going, and then he remembers that Trace is gone, and that Michael is the one who needs to watch where he's going. He doesn't want to get tangled up with Michael. Michael decides to wait before asking Blake if he wants to run. He parks himself in Blake's room and takes in the drawings all around the room.
"Hello?"
Blake's been caught off guard by Michael being in his room.
"Sorry for bugging you, but I was hoping you might want to go with me on my morning run."
Blake thinks about it and decides to go for it. He'll skip his usual shower and just get dressed.
"Yeah sure, I'll go with you."
"Get yourself dressed and we'll head out."
Michael left the room to allow Blake a chance to get dressed. It doesn't take very long before Blake appears downstairs, dressed, and ready to run.
"Let's do this!" Michael opens the door and walks to the mailbox. The guys take off down the sidewalk. Michael is surprised at how well his nephew is going.
"If you keep this pace up, you'll have no problems keeping up with me."
"I can do this with no problems."
"Okay!" Now Michael has his doubts about Blake's endurance on this run, but he wants Blake to do awesome on this run..
Half way through their run, Blake gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He begins to worry about Trace and Ian.
Suddenly, he doubts that Uncle Michael will let him call them. He'll just have to worry, but he'll ask any way.
"Uncle Michael, I just got the weirdest feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something is wrong with Trace and Ian. Can you call them?"
Michael was told not to disturb the guys at all unless it's a matter of a life or death.
"Sorry man, I can't call. I have strict orders not to call them unless you're dying or the house is burning down around us."
Feeling a bit defeated, Blake sucked it up and went on with the run.
= = =
With their run finished, Blake and Michael walk into the house and all the teen wants to do is vent. He goes up to his room and sits on the floor. He relaxes for a few minutes before grabbing his phone. With his phone, he calls Ben. "Hey, Sweetie!" Ben says with a smile on his face.
"Ben, I went for a run this morning with Uncle Michael, and halfway through the run, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach."
"Any idea, what's going on?"
Ben knows to trust those pit-of-the-stomach feelings.
"No, the only thing that I can think of is my dad."
Blake wants to think that it's nothing, that his dads are fine, but there is also a ton of doubt in his head. Apparently, he forgot about Rick stopping by to leave his house, while his parents were fighting.
"Blake, do you want me to come over?"
He wants to see Blake, but he also wants to see his boyfriend's uncle.
"Sure!"
Blake can't wait to see his guy. They have a video game rematch to take care of today.
= = =
About 15 minutes later, there is a knock on the door. Blake takes off running for the door. He peeks through the eyehole to check to make sure it's Ben before opening the door. Once, he confirmed the identity of the knocker, Blake opens the door.
"Ben, get in here."
Blake wants to get to the business of video game playing. He takes his video games seriously.
"Wow, you sure are excited to see me, huh?"
Ben chuckled a bit.
"No, it's just the faster, you get inside. The faster, we get our video game rematch going on today."
Ben just rolled his eyes. He came inside to see Michael standing up. Michael walks over to greet the visitor. Blake wants to skip the introductions, so Ben and he can get upstairs.
"An introduction would be the polite thing to do."
"Uncle Michael, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Ben. Ben, this is my Uncle Michael; Trace's brother."
Michael and Ben reach out their hands to shake. The guys, minus Michael, head upstairs.
Blake quickly gets the game setup. Most of the chatter between the two of them has to do with his dads. The game continues for over an hour. Blake lost his rematch. Ben leans in and gives him a kiss.
"It's just a game, silly boy."
"Yeah, yeah!" Blake's not angry, but he is a little upset. He figured that he'd win or that Ben would let him win. Blake is finding out that his boyfriend has a competitive side to him. Blake cools down once he sees that Ben is right.
"You're right. It is just a stupid game."
Ben kisses Blake again.
"Are you hungry?"
"You know that I'm hungry."
Ben is right. Blake has learned that his boyfriend is always hungry.
= = =
Blake and Ben end up heading to the kitchen. Blake grabs the pizza from last night.
"Do you want your slices warmed up?"
"Nah, cold pizza is the best."
He's right too. Placing the pizza on the table, Blake turns to get two paper towels. Ben opens the pizza box and sees six slices of the pineapple and ham pizza. "Yes!" Ben digs in, grabbing three slices.
"I knew you were hungry but wow."
"Whatever. I'm grabbing mine before you dig in and start devouring it."
Blake rolled his eyes and then leans in and kisses the most important guy in the world.
"Is your birthday coming up Blake?"
Blake eyes Ben and smiles.
"It's April 5th and what are you getting me?"
"I'm not saying."
Blake feels weird not being home to do his annual movie marathon with his brothers. When Blake and Ben are together, the chatter is usually sickening sweet. Today, the conversation is kind of mellow because of Michael being here. A hour later Ben's mom comes to pick him up.
= = =
Blake is sitting in the living room reading his favorite book by C.B. Abraham when the phone rings.
"Hello, Blake here."
"Blake, it's Ashley. Is Michael around the house?"
"Yeah, let me go grab him."
He runs up to the guest bedroom and knocks on the door.
"Uncle Michael, Aunt Ashley is on the phone."
`I wonder what's going on at the house?'
Michael follows Blake downstairs. He thinks he knows what the phone call is about, but he could be wrong. Michael picks up the phone.
"Ashley, what's up?"
Michael sits on the recliner to talk. He looks at his nephew and then returns his focus to the phone call.
"Yeah, I know that, but I don't know what's going on with them."
Blake is wondering who Michael is talking about because a part of him is beginning to worry. His uncle gives him yet another glance. His looks are making Blake even more nervous.
`Why won't he just tell me what's going on with Aunt Ashley?'
"Trace and Ian are big boys. They don't need our help to fix this problem."
Now Blake has an interest in Michael's conversation. He wants to hear Ashley's side of it, and he could by going into his dad's room and picking up the phone. Problem is, what would Michael do if he caught Blake listening to the phone call? Would Michael tell Trace about it? Blake doesn't need to be punished over a phone call. He doesn't need that kind of a headache. Maybe Blake just needs to remove himself from the room.
= = =
Blake walks into the pet room so he can get his chores done for the day. He takes his snake's bowl out of its tank and cleans it up. He refills the bowl with water. He opens the freezer that's in the room and pulls out a mouse. He then gets out three dubia cockroaches. Blake hates dealing with it, but he knows it's good for the animals to get some variety in their diet. Using a pair of feeding tongs, he drops 1 or 2 roaches in the tarantula tanks. Blake likes to make sure that the tarantulas have freshwater in their peanut butter lids. As the feeding and the watering wrap up, Blake hears Michael talking, but it's not very clear except for "...Ian needs to chill...". Blake knows that at times, Ian is very strong willed. It's one of those traits that pulled Trace in at first. It's led to a few arguments along the way. Now Blake's worried because it sounds like their fighting.
= = =
Blake heads up to his room, but as he is nearing his room his cell rings.
"Hello, didn't I just see you a little bit ago?"
Blake isn't unhappy that his boyfriend called, it's just unexpected. He loves hearing from Ben.
"I didn't want to say this in front of your uncle, but he's really hot."
Ben's right, Michael is hot, but he's not male-model hot. Michael is more like the next door male hot.
"You really think that my uncle is hot?"
"Duh, I said it didn't I."
No argument, Ben did say it.
"You are crazy, you know that, right?"
Ben laughed. Ben's not crazy and Ben is right.
"Okay, so he's hot."
"Who is hot?"
Ben overhears the question.
"Is that your uncle?"
"It's a new kid at school."
Blake doesn't want Uncle Michael to know that his boyfriend thinks he's hot.
"Ben was just telling me that the guy; the new kid at school, is hot."
Michael rolls his eyes and walks out.
"I love you, Blake."
"I love you too, Ben."
Blake wishes that he could kiss Ben.
"I need to run Blake."
"Okay, Babe!" They hate saying goodbye to each other. Blake ends the call and sets his phone down.
= = =
With nothing to do Blake's thoughts return to his dads.
`I don't get why Uncle Michael would say "Ian needs to chill.".'
In his mind, he visualizes Trace and Ian arguing. Trace has been a bit cranky lately, so maybe Ian put him in his place. One thing is for certain, Michael is not saying anything to his nephew. He doesn't need him asking a ton of questions. Besides, he's not even sure that Trace wants Blake to know. Blake is a smart kid, and he'll figure things out once his dads come home. Until they do, Blake will just have to worry away.
= = =
Blake walks by the guest bedroom and hears his uncle talking, so he keeps walking. Walking into the kitchen, he grabs one of the pre-made hamburger patties and fries it up. Grabbing a bun, he makes himself a sandwich. Sitting at the table, Blake starts to eat. Michael walks in and sees Blake eating.
"Do you want me to make some French fries?"
Michael thinks they would be perfect with hamburgers.
"Nah, I don't want any."
"Okay, suit yourself."
Blake just wants to eat and then go up to his room.
"Uncle Michael, if you want, I'll fry you up a hamburger while you're French fries are cooking."
"Thanks, Blake!" Blake gets another patty out of the fridge and starts defrosting it. Once done, he puts the patty into the frying pan, and turns on the heat. It takes him a little bit longer to get to bed, but it helps his uncle out.
"Thanks, Blake, the burger looks really good."
"You're welcome."
Blake walks out of the kitchen and heads for the stairs. Reaching his room, Blake walks to his bed and collapses.
= = =
In the morning, Blake wakes and heads downstairs. He walks into the kitchen and decides on scrambled eggs for breakfast. He grabs two eggs, a bowl, a pan, and a spatula. He cracks the eggs one at a time and puts them into the bowl. He adds some water and then beats them. Blake greases the pan and turns on the heat. In no time, the eggs are cooked. Michael comes downstairs with his phone in hand. Blake hears the ring tone for Michael's phone go off. Curious about the phone call, Blake sits and eats. Blake hopes his uncle will ignore the fact that his nephew is eating in the next room.
"You know every time you call, a certain someone gets really upset."
The someone he mentioned is really upset. Not knowing what's going on is driving Blake crazy, Michael is beginning to see it in his nephew's eyes.
"No, he has no clue what's going on, and I'm not going to say a thing. Trace needs to figure this out and once he does you can get back to me."
`Who is he talking too?'
Blake needs to know who he's talking too, but Uncle Michael just said that his brother needs to figure something out, so it's not him. The kitchen might not be the best place to be. His dads are keeping something from him. Right now, he's mad at them for it, but at the same time, his Uncle Michael is at also at fault. If there is something going on, Blake should know about it. Blake runs past his uncle so he doesn't have to hear anything else.
"He's upset and it's your fault. Get your act together!"
Blake didn't want to hear that and now he's certain that it's Ian on the phone. He runs to his room and slams the door.
= = =
Between Blake and Michael, there is enough worry in the house to fill a room. Blake is worrying about his dads. Michael is worrying that Blake is beginning to hate him. It would be easier to simply voice their worries to each other, but that isn't happening, at least now. The younger guy needs a chance to calm down before any talking takes place. Michael doesn't want to push any buttons, so he's waiting for his nephew to come to him. With luck, he'll come down to talk before they have to leave. Michael knows it's not a good idea to leave worry or anger bottled up inside. For now, Blake has his eyes focused on the ceiling in his room.
= = =
While Blake is up in his room, Michael receives a call from Trace saying that they're at the airport.
"Blake, we need to leave so we can pick up your dads."
Blake thinks that things might get a little bit crazy when his dads get home. Blake comes downstairs with his phone and his e-reader. He's hoping to be able to occupy his mind and in doing so, block out his uncle.
"Are you ready for your dads to come home?"
Blake answers by simply nodding his head.
"Okay, well, we had better get moving then."
They head out to the car. Blake wants to sit in the back of the car, away from his uncle, but he figures that Trace and Ian might want to sit next to each other. Michael unlocks the car and opens his door, and then Blake gets in to the car. Michael looks over at his nephew to check to see if his seatbelt is in place. Shrugging it off, Michael takes off to the airport.
= = =
As they drive, Blake's attitude doesn't change. Usually, Blake will talk it out with either Ian or Trace but he's going to talk with Michael, but not right now. Michael hardly knows him. It's just not happening.
`He's just going to have to deal with my attitude.'
Blake isn't going to back down and his uncle is not happy. Michael is honestly hurt by his nephew's attitude. He needs to get Blake to tell him what's got him so upset.
"Blake, what's going on dude?"
Blake just glared at his uncle. He's not going to say a thing.
"Okay, so don't say anything, but don't blame me for your attitude."
Blake blames Michael for keeping stuff from him. He also blames his dads. Michael just wants to put an end to the tude.
= = =
Michael decides to simply deal with it. He pulls the car over to the curb.
"Look Blake, I know you're pissed about something, so what's going on, why are you so ticked off?"
At first, Blake just stared at his uncle. A minute goes by and he still isn't talking. Michael wants to get things out in the open. In getting out into the open, Michael will have to spill the beans on what Trace and Ian have been up too.
"I'm angry because you're keeping something from me that has to do with my dads. If they're in trouble, you have to tell me."
He's wrong though, Michael doesn't have to tell him. He has orders from his brother not to say anything. Maybe, he doesn't need to mention it.
"Blake, I can't honestly say what's going on, but I can tell you that your dads aren't in any trouble."
Blake looks confused.
`Uncle Michael knew that my dads were okay, and he never said a word.'
"Why didn't you tell me that to begin with instead of hiding it from me?"
"Blake, we need to get back on the road, so we can get to the airport."
Blake can't wait to see them even if he is just a little nervous about whatever is going on between them. All he wants is peace and answers. Michael gets the car back on the road and starts down the road. Still unsure about his uncle's honesty, Blake remains quiet for the rest of the trip.
= = =
Blake looks at his Uncle Michael in awe. He realizes that his behavior has been nothing but rude.
"Uncle Michael, I'm sorry for the way that I've acting."
His uncle just smiles. Blake loves his family. There are very few secrets, and he likes that more and more. Even better, they smile for the simplest things as well as for the big, grand things. Blake will always be grateful for Trace and Ian and their families. Suddenly, his mind is on his brothers. Nothing would make him happier than to hear from them on his birthday, but he doesn't see that happening, so instead, he would like Trace and Ian back where they belong; in love.
= = =
As they enter the parking lot for the airport, Michael pulls into a spot and grabs his phone. He's calling Trace.
"Hey, I'm here and I'll be up front in a minute or two so be looking for me."
A slight pause in the call gives Blake a chance to relax and breathe. "See you soon!" Michael smiles knowing that he can quit keeping secrets. The car pulls up and Blake becomes happy, but he is also concerned. He can see his dads step up to the car. Trace doesn't look happy and Ian looks worried. None of this helps, Blake is back to worrying.
`Why don't they look happy?'
"Hey, Son, how are you?"
Weird, Trace seems happy. So maybe he's just unhappy about something from inside the airport.
"I'm doing okay."
Ian gave Blake a weird look.
"Is everything okay?"
Blake isn't sure he wants to answer, but he knows Ian will dig until he spills whatever is bugging his son.
"Nothing major, really."
"Okay!" Blake's answer didn't convince Ian with his answer. Ian gives Trace a glance. Ian decides not to dig right now. He knows Blake will talk when he is ready.
There is an air of bubbliness and secrecy to Trace and Ian, and it's confusing their son. He expected them to be tired, but they aren't. Both Trace and Ian seem to be wired. They haven't been like this in a long time. Maybe, just maybe, everything is alright.
"So Blake, who was over while we were gone?"
Trace and Ian never told him that he couldn't have friends over, so Blake didn't break any rules, but the question made him wonder why Trace was asking. Trace just wanted to talk to his son.
"Ummm... Rick came over one day and Ben came over the next day."
"Cool!" Trace and Ian both spoke at the same time, which made Blake giggle.
"I take it there were no fires or life and death emergencies."
"No, we were good."
Ian and Trace secretly smile, knowing that Blake was champing at the bit for them to come home.
"Everything was good on your trip?"
Blake wanted to hear it from them if there were any problems. Trace smiles at Ian who glances at Blake before speaking.
"We left our room to eat and that was it."
Blake doesn't get how you can go on vacation but not leave the room except to eat. He is having a rough time wrapping his mind around Ian's answer. When Blake finally grasped what Ian said, he gave both of his dads a weird look.
"Dad, you're sick. You've damaged my sensitive little ears."
Trace smirked, and leaned over to Ian, and softly spoke into Ian's ear.
"It's about time he got it."
Ian just laughs.
"Blake, trust me, some day you'll understand what your dads are saying."
His nephew understands what Ian said already. He's trying to ignore it.
"I think he already understand what Ian was saying."
Trace is right. Even now Blake is trying to erase the image from his mind. "Poor kid!" Ian says as he takes a drink from his water bottle.
"It's okay Blake. We won't talk about it anymore."
Trace has a heart at least. Uncle Michael is still smiling. Blake is happy that they decided to drop the conversation. Ever since he was a baby, car rides have put Blake to sleep... and soon Blake is sleeping.
= = =
Michael wakes Blake up. Ian, Trace, and Blake grab the luggage and head inside the house. Ian and Trace head into the kitchen to talk quietly between themselves. Blake is watching them talk as their eyes glance back and forth from their son to each other. Their son is growing a bit nervous.
`Are they arguing? No, Trace and Ian are smiling, so they can't be fighting.'
Fear is welling up inside of him. In the kitchen there is a talk of a big present for Blake. As Blake watches his dads, Trace gives him a glance that makes him shudder.
= = =
Blake decides he wants to take a nap. He walks into the kitchen to tell his dads something. Trace and Ian immediately stop talking and when he sees their reaction it doesn't raise their son's confidence. Now, Blake is positive that there is something wrong.
`If I ask them what's wrong, will they tell me?'
Ian might tell him, but Trace won't say a thing. His mind is starting to run away with him.
"I'm going to take a nap."
Trace doesn't say or do anything to acknowledge Blake's comment. Ian at least smiles and says something. "Okay." As Blake turns to walk away, Trace snickers a bit. His snickering upsets Blake. Trace's actions since the accident have been a tad over the tap. Something else is bugging Blake, it's their looks and their chatter. It seems as if maybe his dads are not quite as happy as they once were, and it appears that maybe they no longer love him as they once did.
"Blake is going to have a stroke."
Blake hears what Ian said and he takes off for his room. His actions however don't go unnoticed. One of his dads saw him run up the stairs.
= = =
In the safety of his room, Blake pulls his journal from his nightstand. Instead of writing in it, he wants to throw it away. Something in his room catches his eyes. It's a picture taken on the day that Trace and Ian finally adopted him. Blake shudders a bit. Downstairs, his dads are still talking.
"Ian, I think our son is really upset over something."
"Well, what do you think is going on?"
"I'm not quite sure, but he's not been himself since my accident. He's even more quiet since we've come home."
"I hate to say it, but you're right."
Suddenly, Trace's worry for his son kicks in and he becomes a little upset.
"Ian, we need to finish our talk before we head upstairs."
His husband isn't on the same wave length today. It's starting to bug him. It's like Blake's change of personality is affecting Trace. Ian agrees with Trace, but he would rather face Blake first. Their discussion ends with both dads being in complete agreement.
= = =
Blake is up in his room and his tears are leaking into his pillow. He thinks his time with Trace and Ian is an end. Ian is coming up the stairs followed by Trace. After everything that they've done for him, Blake isn't sure what to think. His dads are standing outside the door to his room. The sounds of their son's sobs are echoing through the door. They're getting sad just listening to it. Trace and Ian knock on his door. Blake doesn't want to respond, so Trace runs to the office and grabs the key. When the door is opened, Blake's dads see him curled up on his bed crying. He doesn't remember crying this much at his birthparent's house. Maybe this crying is a good thing. The difference is when he cried at home his mom and dad never came to him, here Ian and Trace have always been right by his side. Each time, they've been able to shake his fears simply by talking and showing their love. Ian climbs on to Blake's bed. Feeling the intrusion, Blake sits up.
"What are... you... doing... in my room?"
Blake can barely get the words out of his mouth.
"We heard you crying."
Their faces express their worry.
"Want to tell us what's wrong?"
Blake stares at them for a bit.
"Are you... two... splitting up?"
Ian's jaw drops to the floor. "No!" Trace can't believe that Blake thinks that they're breaking up.
"Blake, I'm not going to lie. We did have an argument on our trip, but we made up. You have nothing to worry about, son."
For whatever reason, Trace has always seemed to be the one to stop the tears and Ian has the best advice.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes son, we are positive."
Trace and Ian know their son needs some reassurance when he's unhappy. Ian smiles at Blake. Ian looks like he's holding something back. The smile doesn't go unnoticed by Blake. He realizes that Ian is telling him that all is well. The smile on Ian's face doesn't seem to have any effect on Trace.
"You guys know that my birthday is coming up?"
Trace feels his heart warm up as he thinks about the questions.
"Yes, we know it's coming up."
Something deep within Blake still believes that they're holding something back; something big. Trace and Ian both lean in and hug their son. Blake is left a little shocked that his dads are actually acting as if everything is fine. Something just doesn't feel right.
= = =
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