NERIS (BoyxBoy)

Take A Chance - Part 1

^ Quincy above.

Stryker had made his presence known to our family for the past three months.

I guess he somehow has a feeling we must have damaged or not accepted his gifts because he started coming in person about a week after we (Quinn) burned the gifts.

Thinking about Quinn burning the gifts, left me in a fit of laughter.

I remember him throwing them in a large bonfire in the backyard . At first when he was throwing them in he was muttering curses at Stryker. Then the next second he's laughing like a maniac, throwing them in faster.

I remember just watching him from a distance, scared to approach him like that. Although the whole situation was quite funny.

Speaking of Quinn, his personality made a complete turn since high school. Well...turn is an understatement...it was more like he crashed and rolled down the mountain of shyness and landed in a lake of, what we call his, lovable crazyness.

"Mama, that man is here again."

I looked back at Lennox.

"Your father?"

"Hmm...mhm." He slowly nodded.

I nodded.

"Hey beautiful. "

I internally rolled my eyes. "Hello Stryker." I said giving a small fake smile.

"Aww, still no kiss?" He smirked.

I ignored him and looked back at a nervous Lennox.

I gave him a heartfelt smile and beckoned him closer. I pulled him up into my lap, running my fingers through his soft black hair. "You can go with him if you want, bud."

He looked up at me as he twirled his fingers. "But, will Mama still love me if I go and spend my birthday with someone Mama hates?"

I sighed and ruffled his hair. He would always ask a question along the lines of that one. He thought I would hate him, if he hung out with Stryker. Since Stryker and I didn't exactly get along.

"I know it's your birthday. In the past we've always spent it with Quinn but you can go with Stryker and we'll celebrate later ok?"

I gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Ok." He said, kissing my cheek and hoping down from my lap.

Stryker stretched his hand to Lennox. Len walked past him with his arms crossed. "Let's go, Stryker."

Stryker faked a look of hurt before walking behind Lennox and out of the living room.

Len didn't really seem to like Stryker and it wasn't because I influenced him to do so.

When I introduced Stryker to him as his father, he didn't react like other kids who finally met their father after not being with him for years. He just kinda stood there and stared at Stryker with a glare.

I had asked him what was wrong, he said 'That man seems like a bad person. I don't like him too much.'

I asked him why he said that and he didn't say anything except he just knows when someone is evil.

And I know some people are gonna think I force him to spend time with Stryker. I don't, he goes willingly after he's reassured I won't hate him.

One day at breakfast Quinn asked him why he spent time with Stryker if he didn't like him.

Len stopped eating from his stack of waffles and glanced up with an evil look. "I go with him so I can get to know everything about him and know his weakness so if he ever makes Mama cry, I'll hit him where it hurts.' He spat stabbing the stack with his butter knife and cracking the plate underneath.

All of us were taken aback, that was the first time we'd seen him do or say something like that.

After his statement he gave a real big smile. "I'll go get ready for school."

I glanced over at Quinn. 'You are too much of an influence on him.'

Zen agreed nodding his head only to get smacked from Quincy.

.....

"Hey, Cal!" A shout next to my ear had me cringing.

I turned covering my ear to see Quinn. He crossed his arms and was smiling at me.

"You lost in the depths of your mind again? You've been staring at that wall for almost an hour. I passed by here three times and you're in the same position."

"What do you want?" I asked, as Quinn's phone buzzed. He quickly glanced down at it and was silent for a while. Clearing his throat and looking back up at me, he whispered.  "It's time for breakfast."

I jumped up, forgetting my aching ear. "Yeah, food!"

I ran towards the kitchen and sat at the table with Zen, and Quinn soon joined us after words. Quinn sat at the head on the table quietly picking at his breakfast crepe. He left it alone and wrapping his hands around his mug of coffee. 

"You ok, Bud?" I asked. "You're kinda of quiet."

"Oh...I umm." He cleared his throat. "I went to the doctor last week because I was feeling kind of sick and he just got back to me with the results." 

I dropped my fork, looking towards Quincy with teary eyes. After what happened to my Father, whenever someone said they were sick we all assumed the worse. 

"Is it cancer?" Zen asked. 

Quinn slowly shook his head and tears fell down his face. "I'm pregnant."

Soon we all teared up. 

"You're joking!" Zen asked. 

Quinn smiled as he wiped his tears. "No, I'm serious. There's a baby in here." 

Zen got up from the table picking Quinn up for a hug in the process. 

"Oh, yes! " He yelled, rocking Quinn from side to side. "My boys can swim!"

I laughed at Zen but in all seriousness this was a really happy moment. 

They had been trying for three years to have a baby and now they would finally have one. 

"Stop, Stop." Quinn giggled. "You'll hurt the baby."

"Oh, yeah." Zen said putting Quinn down, and rubbing his belly. 

"Congratulations guys, how far along are you?" I said, drinking some of my orange juice. 

"Two months today." Quinn beamed. 

"I still can't believe it but now Len will have a little play mate." I laughed.

"Yeah...not for a while. The baby will be so small I'm afraid Lennox would break her." Quinn laughed, rubbing his belly.

"Her? What makes you so sure it's a girl?" Zen asked.

"I don't know. A mother's intuition?"  Quinn chuckled. 

"Well it came from my ball sack and I say it's a boy."

I laughed extremely loudly, putting  my hand over my mouth as I laughed. Both men turned to look at me. "Say something like that again and  Quinn will forsake you from the child's birth certificate."

"He wouldn't do that." Zen said. 

I raised my eyebrow at Zen and sipped my Earl Grey Tea. "You clearly don't know him then." 

This lead to a funny, playful argument between Zen and Quinn as I laughed at them. 

Afterwards they both sat down as we discussed gender, names and baby showers over breakfast.