Family Matters

A nervous Lake was something to be feared.

Such a thing rarely ever happened to the boisterous and energetic male who was more often than not caught doing something on he and his equally crazy friend Zak could comprehend.  He didn't go charging about everywhere, but he had a natural 'get-up-and-go' aura about him.  For him to be nervous was rare.  He could be unsure - he'd been unsure an awful lot when he'd first met Dimitri.  Unsure what the older male's intentions were, unsure where things would lead and unsure how the world would handle him being with another man.  There had been nerves involved, but nothing compared to this.

It did, however, include Dimitri.

It was spring break, and instead of remaining at the school, Lake was going back with his parents.  He didn't see the place they'd moved to in New York as 'home'.  Home for Lake would always be their little house by the beach with a sun that shone almost all year round.  Home was where Tiffany lived.  On the other hand 'home' was also his dorm room at Constance.  That school had become his second home.  The little family house in New York was just 'the place he lived now'. 

All attempts to explain his mega-theory to anyone (bar Zak, who understood him absolutely, whether or not he actually understood what Lake was talking about) had failed.  Dimitri had tried, but he just didn't understand the inner workings of Lake's mind.  Lake didn't mind though, it was more the fact he listened and accepted him for who he was than actually following the concept of Lake's home.

He did have enough insight to ask Lake just why he was explaining it to him randomly on the Friday before break. 

"I want you to go there," he'd said.  "To that place I live when I'm not at school."

Which essentially meant: 'Come and meet my family.  As your boyfriend, you get to meet them.'

And that was why Lake was nervous.

There was something to be said about a family with three sons named 'River', 'Lake' and 'Rain'.  From the start they were initally an 'interesting and quirky' family to anyone on the outside.  Lake worried that they wouldn't like Dimitri - he also worried Dimitri wouldn't like them.

Lake was sat in the main hall on the floor with his legs crossed, knees poking through the rips in his faded grey jeans.  Elbows on his knees, chin on the back of his hands, teeth chewing on the zipper of the black armwarmer.  He'd recently bought a pair of the large HESH Skullcandy headphones in white and pink and they were on his head (crushing his expertly styled hair) blasting out music and drowning out the sounds of his house.  He'd been told that he wouldn't know if someone was at the door wearing them, but he had the best spot in the house to see when someone stood at the door by the way a shadow would form behind the frosted glass of the front door.

He'd given Dimitri his address, and reminded him just where to go and what to look for on the phone the previous night.  Dimitri would do his best to arrive around noon, depending on the traffic.

There was a tap on his head and Lake tilted his head back to look up at the form of his mother standing over him.  Lake had always thought his mother was a pretty woman, and Lake had always thought she looked a lot like Cate Blanchett.  He grinned up at her and pulled his headphones down to rest on his shoulders.  "Yessum?"

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable sitting in the lounge, Lake?" she asked him.

"Uhm...No?"

She rolled her eyes and turned to return to the kitchen.  "Can't say I didn't ask..." she sighed as she walked away.

He was about to pull his headphones back over his ears when he heard the distinctive roar of a motorcycle engine.  His heart instantly leapt into his throat and began beating at a thousand times a minute.  He scrambled up off the floor and charged for the door before that familiar silhoutte came into view.  Pulling the door open, he hung from the door handle and did nothing to hide the delight and nerves on his face.  "Dimmy!"

The older male was pulling his helmet off and walking towards the door.  The moment he saw Lake swinging on the door he couldn't help but smile.  "Excited to see me?"

"Trying to overpower nerves with excitement," he replied.

From somewhere in the house came a female voice, shouting "Lake, you better not be hanging off the door again!"

Dimitri's eyes wandered over Lake, noting how he was doing just that.  "You answer the door like that a lot?"

Lake let go of the handle and stumbled back against the frame, expertly managing to stay upright.  "Only when its people I'm happy to see."  He heard noises from the inside of the house and turned to see his mother standing in the hallway.

"Are you going to let him in, or is he spending his visit on the front porch?"

"It'd be safer."

She frowned, arms folding at her chest.  "Let him in, Lake, I'd like to meet this boy that you're hooked on."

Sliding his foot away from where it was propping the door half closed and hiding his home (and mother) from Dimitri, Lake allowed it to swing open to reveal his mother to his boyfriend - and his boyfriend to his mother.

"Dimmy, this is my mom.  Mom, this is Dimitri."

Her eyes fell to the helmet and leathers.  "You came here on a motorcycle?"

"I haven't ridden on it, Mom," Lake added before Dimitri could respond, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.  He was still slumped in the doorway.  "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried.  I trust you boys to make good judgements on your own," she said, nodding her approval of Dimitri.  "Its a pleasure to meet you, Dimitri."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Mrs Dale."

"Oh please, you can call me Annie."  She smiled - a smile that was warm and bright and motherly.  Somewhere in it though, there was a hint of the smile that she had passed down to her son.  "Dinner is far from ready yet, so you boys can go and hang out."  She looked at Lake.  "Your father's in the den, go introduce Dimitri to him before you run off upstairs," she told him before returning once more to the kitchen.

"Your mom seems nice," Dimitri said, entering the hall once Lake finally moved.  The younger male took his helmet and jacket and placed them in the closet under the stairs.  "Thanks for inviting me."

"You'd have met them all eventually, better to get it over and done with before they hunt you down," Lake replied, leading Dimitri through his house.  They entered the lounge first before heading to the den.  It was a homely little room, with pictures on the mantlepiece and a large family portrait hanging above the fireplace.  There was a large television with comfy sofas around it.  It was a cozy room, but it looked like it was actually rarely used.

The den, however, was obviously a family room.  The huge windows took up the far wall, with archways leading from the lounge on the opposite wall, and one leading to the kitchen on the left.  There was a smaller T.V. and various game console.  His father was sat on the couch, leaning over a laptop.  Sandy blond hair and clean shaven, with brown eyes and a strong jawline.  He glanced up from the screen when Lake entered, and brown eyes instantly fell onto Dimitri when he moved to stand in the room beside Lake.

"You're him then?"

"Dimitri Utkin, sir."

"Hmn."  He turned his focus onto his son.  "I don't understand it, but if he's what you like I suppose I can't say anything."

"Be supportive, dear!" called Annie from the kitchen.

He stood up, brushing the creases and invisible dirt from his black slacks.  He turned to look into the kitchen.  "I am supportive, I just don't get why he has to date men."

Beside Dimitri, Lake attempted to curl in on himself.  "This is why I didn't want you to meet them..." he mumbled to himself.

Dimitri smiled down at him and placed his hand on Lake's shoulder.  "He doesn't seem angry."

"I'd have preferred it if he was angry, instead of this..." Lake muttered in reply, curling both his arms around Dimitri's strong arm.  He glanced to his father who was walking into the kitchen, still in a conversation with his hidden mother.  "Come on, before she tries to get him to say 'understanding things' to us."

Lake linked his fingers with Dimitri's and went to pull him out of the room when his father's voice halted him.  "And just where do you think you're going?"

Lake froze, chewing nervously on his bottom lip.  "My room?" he all but squeaked out.

His father strode up to them both, still looking Dimitri up and down, taking note of Lake holding onto him.  Silently, he held out his hand towards Dimitri.  "Nicholas Dale," he said, shaking Dimitri's hand once the young man accepted it.  "None of this 'sir' business."  He gave a small smile once he released Dimitri hand.  "Am I supposed to threaten you with a shotgun or is that only used for girls?"

"Only girls I think," Dimitri replied.  "And I think it only applies during prom."

Nicholas 'hmm'ed his response, nodded his approval and returned to his seat.  "I'll keep that in mind," he said before returning to whatever it was he was doing on the laptop.

Given the 'all clear' from his father, Lake pulled on Dimitri's hand, tugging him back through the lounge and towards the stairs.  Releasing his hand to climb the stairs, Lake paused on the landing and turned around to face his boyfriend.  "Sorry about my Dad."

"Does he not approve of you being gay?"

Lake nibbled on his bottom lip nervously.  "Not 'disapprove' as such.  More 'doesn't really get it'," he replied.  "He's not homophobic, he just doesn't really understand how I can like guys - but then again he doesn't really understand Rain's love of creepy crawlies."

"Rain is your..."

"Younger brother," Lake replied to Dimitri's question, moving to lean against the opposite wall to the top of the stairs.  "His room is the one at the end of the hall."  He lifted his arm and pointed towards the door at the far end of the hallway with various posters on the door - complete with "KEEP OUT" sign.

"And which room is yours?"

At that, Lake grinned and pushed away, once more grabbing Dimitri's hand.  The door directly to the left of the stairs had a single door poster on it of "Do you like Mudkips?" and a giant Mudkip.  Lake chuckled nervously at the sight of his door and pushed it open, revealing to Dimitri the world he'd been unable to take with him to his dorm room at Constance.

It was tidy - a lot tidier than his dorm.  The bed was made, with blue blankets covered with stars and moons.  A single faded white and scruffy teddy bear sat on the pillow, a brand new blue ribbon around it's neck, tied neatly into a bow.  It looked like there had been an attempt to clear away the clutter on his desk, but the amount of pens stuffed into pots, various anime figures and other things had made the task difficult.  He had a big bay window, with a few more stuffed animals sitting neatly at one end and pillows propped up at the other.  Two of the walls were white, and the other a soft pale blue.  The whole room was blue and white, and felt large and airy and relaxing.  There was a ceiling high bookcase filled with manga, CDs, videos and DVDs.  Anime, video game and other posters were pinned neatly on the walls.  Lake's Organization XIII coat hung from a hanger on the back of his bedroom door.

Once inside and the door shut behind Dimitri, Lake plopped himself down on his bed, crossed his legs and pulled the white bear to his chest.  "What do you think?"

"It's nice," Dimitri replied, looking around the room.  He smiled and sat down beside Lake, looking to the stuffed animal he was clutching.  "What's it's name?"

"Bear."

Dimitri chuckled, shaking his head.  "That's not what I'd expect from you."

Lake held the bear out in front of him and scrutinized it, his brown eyes looking into the little black beads.  "I never gave him a name, really.  I always just called it 'bear' growing up, and I don't think he should be called anything but Bear now.  My Dad bought him for me - because I was the baby they wanted."  He looked up at Dimitri, pulling Bear back to his chest.  "They wanted a girl too, but I guess I like guys like girls do, so I'm kinda halfway there," he said with a grin.  Now that it was just Dimitri and him it meant he could relax a little more.  His family members were still in his house, but while they were in his bedroom they were safe.

At least that was what Lake believed.

Because that's not what he got.

The closed door was thrown open suddenly, causing Lake to jump and fall backwards onto his bed with an "EEP!"  Standing in the doorway was a blond male a few years older than Lake.  He looked over at the fallen form of Lake, and then at Dimitri.  "Oi, Nutmeg, you could have told me you had invited him over."

"I told Mom..." he muttered into the fur of his bear.  "I didn't need to tell you..."

Dimitri looked at whom was obviously Lake's older brother.  Lake had mentioned that when growing up he had idolized his big brother, but River started to act differently towards him when Lake 'came out'.  River also had a problem with one of Lake's closest friends; Raleigh.  "I'm here because Lakeski asked me to come and meet his parents," Dimitri informed the big brother, riding from the bed and standing to his full height.

"Dimmy..." Lake whimpered from the bed, looking from his boyfriend to his brother.  "Don't hurt him..." he told the bear, although Dimitri could probably have heard him.

River looked the other male up and down.  Dimitri was younger than him, but bigger built.  "I can't believe my little brother is one of them.  He was always a bit guilable growing up, but I never pegged him for a fag."

Dimitri ground his teeth.  Lake knew he was doing his all not to punch River in the face.  Before violence could ensure, however, Lake had the perfect defence mechanism.

"MOOOOOOM!!  RIVER SAID THE 'F WORD!"

River stared wide eyed at where Lake sat the moment he yelled out.  "You so did not just pull the Mom Card."

Lake grinned up at him, and could already hear the sound of his mother walking up the stairs.  "I so did."

"River!" came Annie's voice from behind the male.  He spun on the spot to face the woman, looking like he'd already been scolded.  "What have I told you about saying things like that?"

"That I should support Lake's life choices and not insult him with derrogatory comments and insults..." he muttered, looking down at his shoes and reciting the words as if they'd been drilled into his head.

She placed her hands on her hips, eyes firm on him.  "Now what do you say?"

"Sorry..."

Annie motioned to her middle son.  "Say it to Lake."

River looked over his shoulder at Lake (who was still clutching Bear).  "Sorry Lake."

"Is okay," and Lake smiled up at him like all was right with the world.

"And I think you should also apologize to Dimitri," Annie added.

His mouth hung open and he stared at her, aghast.  "What for?"

"Because even if you directed it towards Lake, Dimitri could also feel that the comment was unwelcomed - plus, you insulted his boyfriend, and I'm pretty darn sure he'd want an apology no matter what you said."

River turned around to face Dimitri once more, only this time he wasn't threatening - instead he looked honestly apologetic.  "I'm sorry, Dimitri.  What I said was wrong, and I do think you're good for my brother, I'm just worried about him, that's all."

"Good boy," Annie said, patting River on the arm since he stood a head taller than her.  "And don't bother your brother anymore."  Smiling, she turned away and returned to whatever it was she'd been doing before Lake had yelled.

The moment she was out of sight Lake dove off his bed, River launching from his spot by the door to the bed, landing on his stomach, arms reaching out for his brother who gave a yelp.  "I cannot believe you pulled that one," he called out, crawling off the bed and pinning Lake beneath him.

Dimitri stood watching, stunned at the two brothers.  Just as he was about to go and pull River off Lake, the younger Dale gave another yelp and started laughing like mad, wriggling beneath the tickling torture his brother was giving him.

"No...Ha!!! Nononono!!!  Stop, stop!  Rivs!!"

"Did Mom kill him!?" called a different voice from the doorway.

This time it was the youngest Dale.  Spikey blond hair, big eyes and a black rock band t-shirt.  Both hands gripped either side of the doorframe he hung from.  "I heard Lake's disstress call."

"This little thing called Mom on me," River replied, looking over his shoulder at his brother, and grinned when he saw Rain staring with his mouth hanging open at Dimitri.

"Is....Is that..."  Closing his mouth, the thirteen year old swallowed hard.  "You're Lake's boyfriend?"

Dimitri nodded.  "I'm Dimitri."

"Oh shit, you really are Russian too!"

"Rain, don't swear!" called Lake - the voice of reason in the Dale trio.  "If Mom hears you..."

"Mom won't hear me."  He dropped his hands and walked up to Dimitri, tilting his head back to look up at him.  "Wow.  So are you like, Russian Mafia or something?  Could you kill a person with your bare hands?"

"He'd kill you if I asked him to," Lake said with a grin, now free from his brother and back on his bed.  River gave him a few moments reprieve before grabbing him around the neck and giving him a noogie.  "Not the hair, Rivs!"

River laughed as he freed his brother and walked over to his youngest sibling, giving him a playful punch on the way past.  "I don't like it, but I suppose Lake could do worse," he said as he left the room, dragging Rain with him before he could ask Dimitri anymore "Grand Theft Auto" video game related questions.

Combing his hair with his fingers, Lake looked up to Dimitri and gave him a small, sheepish smile.  "And that...Is my family."