Our Boys

The Boys

In a true Olatunji-Minter gang fashion, the table was covered with a range of food. The boys were bottomless pits, not that JJ and Simon were any better most of the time. Tonight, however, JJ wasn't eating much. He and Simon kept exchanging glances from opposite ends of the long oak table. Finally, Simon gave a nod, causing JJ to sigh in relief, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Boys?" he tried, but was ignored. "Boys, we've got an announcement." Still nothing.

Simon shook his head in fond exasperation, then spoke. "Quiet." Though he'd not even raised his voice, the boys instantly went silent and gave him their undivided attention.

JJ sighed ruefully, but was just glad to have their sons attention. "Guys, your dad and I have an announcement."

Nine-year-old Harry wrinkled his nose. "An announcement? Like what? Are we going on holiday?" he asked around a mouth full of mashed potatoes while his eyes lit up with excitement. "Are we Papa? Like to Center Parts, or Disney Land?!"

Josh lightly smacked the back of his little brother's head. At twelve, he was too smart to put up with such foolish behavior. "'Course not, stupid. We just spent the last month on holiday." Next to him their other resident twelve year old, Ethan, laughed loudly.

"Don't call your brother stupid," Simon reprimanded gently.

"Sorry Dad," Josh apologized, his head lowered in shame.

"It's not a holiday," JJ confirmed. "You see, Rachel came out to the house today...."

"Rachel was here?" Harry questioned excitedly.

"Did she bring Joe?" Tobi asked. Though fourteen, he too enjoyed spending time with the younger boy, in limited amounts at least.

"Would you kids be quiet and let your Papa talk?" Simon growled, frustrated with how long the announcement was taking.

"Sorry," the boys chorused.

"It's ok. Thing is, Rachel's got a new boy on her caseload, and she's asked your dad and me to take him in."

Cutlery clattered to plates, and eyes flicked back and forth between their two fathers.

"A new kid? You serious?" Josh demanded.

Simon inwardly winced. The boys had also been hurt when they'd finally had to send Alfie away. Josh in particular had been affected. He'd withdrawn into himself for months before they got their son back. He really hoped they were doing the right thing for all of them.

"Completely," Simon confirmed. "But he's not like you guys were before you came here. For one thing, he's only three, or four. They're not quite sure. And he was hurt bad by the people he was staying with. They were killed, but he made it by hiding in the family's tree house."

The boys jaws dropped.

"Rachel says he ain't talking, at all. Not a single word," JJ continued. "And his foot is broken, so he's gonna need your Dad and me to carry him around for a while, 'cause he can't put any weight on it."

"Wow, that sound's really serious," Tobi commented.

"Yep. Rachel said he's really scared too, and that she thought we would be the perfect family to take care of him, at least until they can find out if he still has some parents out there somewhere."

"We could do that..." Josh said slowly, not sure if he liked the idea that the boy might have family of his own out there. He didn't know if he wanted to open himself to a new little 'brother' only to have him taken away as soon as his family was found.

"That's what we thought," Simon agreed. "There is one major issue though...they can't figure out what his name is. He's not talking, and there isn't anything in his old home to identify him."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "He doesn't have a name?"

"Nope. Not one he's telling at least. But Rachel will be bringing him, and his puppy, to the farmhouse tomorrow 'round one."

"Puppy?!" younger boys asked at once, looking back and forth with large, eager eyes.

"Yes, puppy." JJ raised both hands to stop the dozens of questions he knew the boys wanted to ask about the dog. "Rachel says he hasn't let the dog out of his sight since they found him. But, it's his puppy, boys. Besides, don't you three have enough critters running round this place? If I remember right, we got about five cats..."

"Eight," Simon corrected.

JJ's lips quirked in a smile, "Eight cats, two dogs, Harry's got an iguana in his room, there's a family of owls up in the hayloft, and each one of you has your own horse."

The boys blushed. When he put it that way....

Simon smiled over the small heads towards his lover. JJ always had a unique way of making the boys realize when their heads were getting a bit too big. It had been a trait JJ had himself when he was younger, having found fame so young, and it had taken him many years to control.

"So you four will be need to be on your best behaviour tomorrow. He's gonna be very shy and skittish. We don't want to scare him any more than he already is, you hear me?" Simon warned.

"Yeah," Josh and Ethan replied at the same time.

"Got it," Tobi affirmed.

"We won't," Harry promised.

Simon nodded his head. "Good."

"Oh, one more thing," JJ remembered. "Tobi, you're the only one with extra room. Do you mind if we put him there? Josh and Ethan's room is the smallest, and as everybody knows, Harry talks in his sleep. Do you mind him sleeping in the bottom bunk in you room?"

Tobi shook his head. "No, 'course not."

"Thanks. If he's going to be sharing your room, we'll also have to rely on you to help keep an eye on him. He's gonna need help getting to the bathroom and doing pretty much everything else. Rachel said his pain pills will be knocking him out most of the time, and since he's not talking, we're gonna know when he needs help. In fact, we need all of you to help us keep an eye on him," Simon instructed, looking at each son individually.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, thrilled to be included. "I can do that! I can play with him, too."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Tobi admitted. "He won't be moving around too much."

"Don't mind keeping him company," Josh said seriously. "Doesn't seem like he'll be very noisy at least," Ethan added with a smirk.

Simon rolled his eyes, while the two twelve year old's snickered. JJ just grinned at his life-mate, shaking his head. Those were his boys!