EUPHORIA || L. MESSI

Part 13: Discoveries and Acceptance

this chapter is quite short and very messy but i'm slowly getting back into it!

also, shameless self-promotion, but i'm also writing a paulo dybala fanfiction called prodigy that i am very very proud of as i feel it shows my writing style a lot better than this book, so if you want to check that out at all it's on my profile!

don't forget to vote and comment! thank you for your support these past few weeks x

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Leo's family proved to be incredible company, and I found myself laughing until my cheeks hurt once his mother began telling baby stories. He, of course, covered his face with his hands in sheer embarrassment at some of the tales, and I could tell Celia was still mad about eh glass coffee table he was said to have broken when he was six.

She took great delight in telling me about many of Leo's girlfriends when he was in his teens, about how all of them had eventually proved to be silly little crushes her son had had. Obviously a conversation like that had to end somewhere, and it seemed we all knew where it was heading, but no one made a direct effort to stop it; until Celia mentioned it.

"Don't, mum." Rodrigo spoke warily, watching his brother's reaction as Antonella's name was thrown into the mix. But Leo wasn't looking down or anything expected, he was watching me.

I gave him a soft smile in return, for she didn't necessarily bother me - I had no personal reason to have any vendetta against the mother of his kids, but I knew the power she had to upset Leo, and that was what worried me. He didn't seem upset now, though, and my mind drifted back to his admittance that it was her that made him realise he loved me, and my heart fluttered slightly in my chest at the memory.

"It's fine," Leo eventually smiled at his brother, reassured by my own expression "for once I'm actually not dwelling on that memory. I have something much better."

His words only made me fall more in love with him, and as the room stayed silent in approval, I looked at him with a sense of awe. Leo returned my glance and I mouthed an 'I love you'. Grinning widely, he looked back over at his family, only to see them staring at him in surprise.

"Alright, what have you done to him Ava?" Jorge joked, before looking over at the footballer "Who are you and what have you done with my son?"

We all shared a chuckle, but it was cut short by the sound of my phone vibrating on the table. The caller ID flashed up, printing my younger brother's name across my screen, and I looked quickly at Leo who motioned for me to take the call. I did so, quietly answering with a quick 'hello?', but what I was met with caused my heart to shatter almost immediately. Troi didn't answer in words, but instead with a loud sob as he struggled to contain his breathing to a normal rate.

The sound was enough to panic me in itself, but it was paired with a broken cry of "T-They know, Ava.." and I wasted no time in standing and moving to leave the room, only just catching the concerned look my boyfriend gave me.

"What do you mean they know?" I asked quietly as I closed the door to the living space behind me, having a slight idea of what he meant but fearing for the worst.

"They know I'm gay, Ava." He choked out a sob again, and I rested my head against the wall with a sigh "Violet told them!"

My heart dropped. Violet was meant to be Troi's twin, his best friend, and a part of me couldn't truly believe that she would do that. I hated feeling anger towards my family, but it couldn't be helped at that moment.

"Ava they hate me!" Troi cried again, and I could hear the sheer extent of his heartbreak even from a different country. "They won't speak to me, and when they do they're taking every moment to remind me I disappointed them. I did disappoint them! Why do I have to be like this?"

"Troi, baby, this isn't your fault. You should love who you love - this is their ignorance that's the problem." I heard him sniffle, but his sobs were slowly calming, still there but I knew he needed to have just said it to someone "Right now, I bet they're even more upset that they heard it from someone that isn't you. But Violet had absolutely no right to tell them like that."

He went silent for a minute, just sniffling slightly in the background as he began to calm down, the hurt still evident in the sounds that remained. "Can I come and see you?" He asked, and I felt guilty for I truly knew that I shouldn't say yes, but it was evident how much the boy needed to get away until everything calmed down. Sure, it would be more practical for him to stay with Thomas, but Troi had always been close with me, and some space from everything before he started school again might be good.

"I'll speak to Tommy, see if we can figure something out." I answered honestly, for I'm not sure how I felt about a recently turned 15 year old catching a flight by himself "You have to be back in time for school whatever, I'm not having you miss the start to your GCSE year."

"Thank you.." he spoke quietly.

The door to the living room opened, and Leo appeared in the doorway, followed by the small figure of Mateo, the 2 year old hobbling slightly, and the sight reminded me I must buy him a birthday present for his upcoming 3rd birthday. Rodrigo followed behind the two, chatting to his brother, although they both went quiet once seeing me.

"I'll ring you tomorrow after I speak to our brother, T." I spoke calmly, glancing over at my boyfriend and his sibling. "I love you, okay?"

"I love you too."

Hanging the phone up, I had to resist the urge to cry as I put my head in my hands, for knowing my little brother was hurting in a different country to me stung, for all I wanted to do was cuddle him and tell him it would be okay. Troi was too sweet and caring to be succumbed to all the pain, and although I knew my mother and step-father's anger would subside, it wouldn't take away how much they had hurt their youngest son

There was a tugging on the edge of my jeans, and I looked down to see a small Mateo smiling up at me, arms around my lower leg in a tight embrace. I let out a sad chuckle, bending down and picking the boy up. He happily accepted my affection, wrapping his arms around my neck and resting his head against my shoulder so that I could press a kiss to his temple. Mateo in my arms, I looked to where Leo and his brother were stood watching me, giving a soft smile to my boyfriend who, for the second time today, had become concerned - first over Riley and now over whatever it was that seemed to be upsetting me.

"I'm alright." I commented before he got too worried "Troi's just upset, that's all. I think I'm going to get him to come over to see me before he starts up at school again."

Leo nodded a little, grateful at my honesty. I felt guilty, not telling him the full story, but it wasn't my place to tell others about my younger brother's sexuality.

Upon hearing the crack in my voice, Mateo nuzzled his head into my shoulder, holding onto my neck tighter in a show of comfort, and I smiled sadly and relaxed into his touch. He giggled softly, making my smile grow as I was hit with the realisation of how much I loved the little boy.

"Don't be sad, Mama." He spoke, and for a moment, I didn't truly register his words, until they suddenly hit me, and I froze to my spot with only a blank expression and a gaze towards his father and uncle.

Leo's eyes were wide as he stared at his youngest, neither of us quite able to form a response to what had been said. Even Mateo seemed surprised by his own words, dropping his arms from my neck and making a small 'o' shape with his mouth as we all stood in shock.

"Mateo.." I spoke quietly, looking towards the curly haired two year old in my arms

"I'm sorry." He apologised quickly, and I shook my head, suddenly peppering his face with kisses as Leo let out an excited laugh from in front of us.

The young boy looked up at me, shock in his own eyes as I continued to press butterfly kisses all around his cheeks in excitement. In one day I had had my son question me about his biological father, my younger brother breakdown over his sexuality, and now the little boy I had grown to love so deeply over the last six months accept me as a mother figure in his life.

And despite all the drama, I couldn't be happier.