The Funeral [Open]

Nick took the toy and sat down, moving its arms a little and shaking his head. "We seriously need to get you some better toys. Hey, Joe, do you want to look through my old box of toys? There might be some things in there you'd like," he suggested, placing the blue transformer very carefully on the table, so that it stood up by itself. He went into the bedroom and opened his wardrobe, then began to search for the big box right at the back, behind all the things from his torture times. He frowned; he'd have to hide those better, or he'd have some seriously awkward explaining to do. Which reminded him. "You've still got to talk to him," he whispered to Alex as he came back in the room, carrying a huge cardboard box full to the brim with his old toys.

Joe stopped playing with his toy and immediately ran over to where Nick had put his own toys. "I know...but when? I can't exactly blurt it out now," he mumbled, as Joe got out all the toys and began to happily create his own world ignoring the other boys from then on. Alex sat down on the couch and leant back, running a hand though his hair. He would have to tell the boy some time...would Joe accept it? Would he still want to live with them?

"He won't know any different," Nick whispered, knowing exactly what Alex was thinking. Joe had found Nick's old robots that he used to love so much - made of metal and a few were even clockwork. He crouched down and showed Joe how to turn the keys to make them walk; they delighted the little boy with their whirring noise and silly, stiff limbs. In the box were also a few Barbies to match with an Action Man or two.
"You played with dolls?" Joe said with a high-pitched squeal of delight. "Dolls are for gi-irls!"
"No, they're not," Nick corrected. "I used to cut their hair and ruin their dresses. I did have a lot more but I dropped them out of windows. Used to do that with Furbies too," he added, for Alex's amusement. Joe wouldn't even know what Furbies were.

"Fucking Furbies," Alex mumbled under his breath so only Nick could hear. "Joe," Alex began slowly, "There's something's we need to tell you."
Joe looked up from his toys slightly puzzled, then he stood and went to sit next to his big brother as if willing him to go on, "Well, see, first of all, there's some rules. No going in our room -"
"You share a room?" Joe asked frowning, "Isn't there enough room for you to have two rooms?"
"Well...yes...but-"
"Then why don't you?"
"Well because-"
"Boys should sleep with girls."
Alex sighed and stood, defeated, walking over to the toys he began to put the ones' Joe wasn't playing with away, slowly he picked up a mattered barbie doll and shot a sad look at Nick before he put it in the box.

"Look, Joe," Nick began, trying a new tack. "That's not really true, is it? I share a room with your brother so that you get the spare room to yourself. But if you want to come in, you have to knock, just like you'd want us to knock if we wanted to come into your room, okay?"
Joe nodded. "Okay," he agreed, then went back to the robots.
"But because we've got to look after you properly... I'll pretend to be daddy and Alex can be your mummy, alright? It'll be a game, yeah?"
Joe nodded again, but Nick had the feeling that the robots were far more interesting than their domestic arrangements.
"Just knock, okay?" he said, defeated.

Alex smiled at Nick's attempts, which failed just like his own, "I'll tell him another time," he mumbled before beckoning the other boy over to sit next to him. Joe was still intently playing with the toy and not paying them any attention. Alex bit his lip and just watched his little brother, had the orphanage made his so closed minded already? Or would he be able to accept his brother preferred other boys. "Why was I mummy?" Alex complained under his breath to Nick, a smile still playing oh his lips.

"Because you cook the best pancakes," he explained quietly, lying down on the sofa next to Alex with his head in his lap, closing his eyes and listening to the familiar sounds of his childhood. Robotic clockwork, whirring toys, bleeping gadgets; the tackiest things he could have had. He could have had anything he wanted, what with his father's wealth, but to a child, money is nothing. All he'd wanted were robots and a good teddy bear to cuddle at night. He was spoilt with antique rocking horses and high-tech games, but he'd never really wanted them. He'd had his real horse for years, and that was fine. A horse, some robots and a teddy bear. Nothing more was necessary. Oh, and the kitten, of course.

Alex smiled and ran his fingers through Nick's hair, "I love you," he said quietly. Joe shifted slightly as though he had heard, but Alex doubted it. He was still making loud beeping noises as though he too was a robot here to take over the world. Alex had been surprised at the amount of toys Joe had had to begin with. As a child Alex was restricted to one teddy bear and a board game which was made for four players. Many nights Alex would sit alone and just study the board because he had no one else to play with. Leaning back Alex just watched Joe play as his fingers still ran through Nick's soft hair. It was a very comforting scene.

Nick replied by turning and kissing Alex's stomach through his shirt while Joe was distracted. It was funny, how much everything had changed. One minute he hadn't even wanted to give Alex a devoted second of his time, the next he had agreed to and organised his little brother coming to live with them. They say 'love changes everything' - well, Nick could say for certain that this was true. "Joe, could you go down to the lobby and check my post box for me?" Nick asked. "I'll time you. It's the one labelled 'Foxx'. If there's anything there, ask the man on reception to open it for you and bring me the letters." Joe jumped to his feet and ran out to the elevator excitedly, pleased to have a task to complete. As soon as he left the room Nick sat up and pressed his lips against Alex's, forcefully and desperately. "I'm so happy to have both of you here," he whispered against Alex's mouth, then continued to kiss him hard, making the most of the precious moments alone they had.

Alex moaned into the kiss, "Don't," he said finally as he pushed Nick away gently, "Don't tease. You know how you make me react," he looked down euphemistically, "He'll be back soon, I don't want to be caught on my knees just yet," he smiled before kissing Nick tenderly on the lips. "Trust me, we're both very very happy to be here," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around Nick's neck.

"Well, you'll have to get used to hiding it, then," he murmured, teasing, as he brushed his lips along Alex's neck before biting and sucking his skin more ferociously. His hand was on Alex's thigh without either of them realising. Suddenly, just as he was about to loosen Alex's tie, he heard the lift come to a stop and leapt away, returning to his previous position - head on Alex's lap - as the door opened and Joe rushed in with a couple of letters in his hands.
"Here they are," he said, giving them to Nick without even looking, then going straight back to the toys. Nick sat up and opened them. One was his notification of his allowance from his father, and the other was a cheque from yet another modelling shoot he'd done. Soon, he would be worth more. They'd discussed making him the main face of the brand at the last meeting - very soon he'd be on billboards all over the country.

Alex looked at the cheque, impressed. When joe had entered he was surprised the boy hadn't noticed his flushed cheeks. But maybe he was more intent on getting back to his toys. "Hey, you don't think I could come along to your next shoot?" He asked Nick, vaguely recalling that Nick had offered last time they had discussed it. Alex began to run his fingers lightly trough Nick's hair again just like before, the other boy's head very well placed. He grinned down at his boyfriend as Joe began to beep again. In a while Alex knew he should get up and make dinner for them all.

"Yeah, if you like," Nick said, shrugging. He really didn't know why Alex had turned down the offer before - he'd be a natural at it. "I'll have to warn them you're coming, though."
"Shoot, what shoot?" asked Joe. "And how much money is that?"
"That is a very big amount of money," Nick answered. "And the shoot is where people take pictures of me wearing designer clothes, and I get paid for it when the pictures get printed."
"How come you get paid to have your picture taken?"
"Because I'm beautiful, and they want their clothes to be worn by beautiful people, so that other beautiful people will go out and buy them." He winked at Alex during this explanation.
"You're not beautiful," Joe mumbled.
"No?"
"Girls are beautiful. Boys are handsome."
"Am I handsome, then, Joe?"
"No."

Alex laughed out loud as the little boy put Nick back in his place, "Joe, don't be rude," he said after he'd calmed down a little.
"Why?"
"Because girls don't like rude little boys."
"Do to!"
"Oh yeah, give me one example."
"That woman from the xfactor who's married to ozzy osbourne."
Alex blinked, well that showed him. Sitting in silence he then turned back to Nick, "Oh it wasn't to have my photo taken, just to come see what you do," he said finally leaning forward and placing a kiss on Nick's forehead when he knew Joe wasn't looking.

[Time to give Joe a very inconvenient super-power?]

"Why do you two kiss each other?" Joe asked suddenly, frowning.
Nick glanced nervously at Alex. "How do you know that?"
"I can see it," he said. "And you're thinking about kissing each other now."
"Well, Joe, it's, umm... How do you see it?"
"I can see lots of things. Downstairs the lady is cooking spaghetti, and down below that the man is about to put loud music on." And sure enough, as soon as he'd said it they could hear the dull thud of someone two floors below listening to music with a heavy bassline.
"Alright, what am I thinking now?" Nick tested.
"Candyfloss! I want some!"
"Yeah, alright, third cupboard on the left," he said, and Joe ran off into the kitchen to hunt for the candyfloss. Oh well - it might make him more hyper but at least he'd stopped asking awkward questions. For now, anyway.

[Niiice]

The colour from Alex's face vanished as Joe continued to search for the candyfloss. He looked down at Nick almost terrified. Now they couldn't even think about sex without Joe knowing. He bit his lip and closed hie eyes, taking a deep breath he wanted the ground to swallow him up...
"Why?" Joe asked returning with the candyfloss.
"W-why what?"
"Why do you want the ground to swallow you up?"
Fuck Fuck Fuck
"Melissa said it was naughty to swear," Joe continued picking off a piece of the pink clod and popping it in his mouth hungrily.
Alex didn't know what to say, his mind was blank - thank god. He looked to Nick for help, not knowing what Nick could do.

"Joe, you need to make us a promise. You know we said you have to knock when you want to come into our room? Well, now you have to ask before you read our minds. It isn't fair - you wouldn't like it if we were doing it to you."
"I wouldn't mind," he replied with childish impudence.
"You would." But Nick reached into his head and stole the power all the same. How very useful -telepathy. And it seemed he could see out of the back of his head, and through walls. Oh dear. "You mustn't look through the walls into our room either," he added, finding that he could send thoughts to Alex. This is NOT good.

You're telling me!
"Telling him what?" Joe asked turning to Alex.
"That you're becoming very grown up -" Alex began
"Don't lie," Joe said harshly before returning back to his toys as if nothing had happened.
Alex closed his eyes and tried to clear his head, but it wasn't working. They could both see what he was thinking and it was awful. He didn't like people looking in his head at the best of times.
He bit his lip, unable to say or think anything. Joe gave up with the robots and said he was going into his room to put his clothes away. When he had left the room Alex immediately began to tidy up. It was becoming quite a habit of his. "I'll start dinner," he said weakly.

"Alright," Nick nodded, knowing that Alex found cooking quite therapeutic. Sometimes he felt bad about never doing it himself, but Alex enjoyed it. "I'll go have a word with him." He went to the door of the spare room - Joe's room - and knocked, just like he'd said.
"Go away," Joe mumbled.
"Why?"
"You think bad things about my brother."
"He thinks the same things back," said Nick, without shame. "We love each other very much - there's nothing wrong with kissing when you both feel that way."
"Yes, but..." Joe didn't have a decent argument to retaliate with.
"Alex is cooking now. He's very embarrassed and upset about what you saw, because he didn't think you should have. So will you come and say sorry to him, so he knows that we're all going to live here happily together?"
There was no answer, but the door opened and the tiny figure came out, very red in the face, and waddled over to his brother, hugging his leg and mumbling a quiet apology, just as Nick had asked.

Alex almost dropped the spoon he has holding when Joe came and hugged him. After the apology Alex patted the little boy's head and asked if he wanted to help or go and sort out his things. 'Sort out his things' came top of what Joe wanted to do and he hurried back into his bedroom. "Thank you," Alex said as Nick came back over to the kitchen area. To prove it Alex put the food he was preparing down and kissed Nick tenderly on the lips. "I love you," he smiled before going back to the cooking, "Now are you going to help me or do you have something better to do too?" he joked as he finished cutting up the potatoes. Tonight they would have fish and chips with proper homemade chips.