Our Nanny is a Boy || bxb

54. Claim him

The days flew by while they were at the ranch. It was Thursday already. The past few days they had worked hard everyday, John and Peter had talked a lot and Robin had finished three paintings. When John's mom saw his first painting, she had gasped. 'Did you make all that?'

When Robin had shyly replied that he did, she insisted on buying it as she needed some more decoration in the living room, and it was perfect. 'How much do you want for it?'

Robin, as the kind soul he was, if course offered it to her for free, but she kept declining and gave him a whopping hundred bucks for it. And asked if he could make three more. 'North, east, south and west,' she said. 'Paint one for every direction, since our land stretches that far.' So that was what Robin did in his free time now, when he wasn't spending it with David and Felicia, putting up with Peter's shameless flirting and hanging out with the ranchboy.

Larry. Peter was trying not to be jealous. After all, he was Robin's peer. Robin already had so little friends, he deserved to have fun with people his age. Peter couldn't expect him to be satisfied with just him, a 26-year-old, mentally unstable father of two kids.

But still, he didn't like how much that guy claimed Robin. He was all like "oh Robin let's go get the cows" and they'd hold onto each other like their life depended on it and "Robin, let's go horseback riding together" and he would straight up squeeze himself inbetween Peter and Robin during dinner and Peter had to literally fight him to get some time with Robin. Like, he was the one who asked Robin to join in the first pace. If it weren't for Peter, Robin wouldn't even be here. So why exactly did he think he had the right to take the younger away from him?

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In the afternoon, John's mom took Felicia with her to the market. Robin went outside to paint and Larry was doing some chores around the ranch, Rex following him. David was taking a nap, so Peter stayed inside, staring outside the window, watching Robin set up his stuff.

'Still as whipped,' John commented as he came in and took a seat across of him. 'So, when are you going to make a move?'

'Never,' Peter sulked. 'I'm pretty sure he doesn't even like me.'

'Why?'

'Ever since we arrived here, he barely spent any time with me. He only cares about the kids and Larry.'

'Ahh...' John's lopsided grin appeared. 'You're jelly.'

'Of course I am jealous!' Peter exclaimed. 'That ranchboy of yours has completely claimed him.'

'You're right, y'know?' John said. 'Larry claimed HIM, not the other way 'round.'

'So? Does it make a difference?'

'It does, mate! Robin is a good lad. He doesn't wanna insult Larry, so he can't say no even if it ain't what he wants. You don't claim him, so you give him no choice.'

'Dang, for real?'

'Fair dinkum.'

Peter put his elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles. 'So what do you think? Did you observe him around me this week? Do you think he has feelings for me?'

'You want an honest answer?'

'Yes.' If Robin didn't like him, he would be sad, but it would make it a lot easier to move on. If he did, well, it would surely complicate stuff, but maybe, just maybe, they would be able to find a way to make it work.

'I've looked at him real well, that boy, and the answer is chrystal clear. He does.'

'What?!' Peter exclaimed in disbelief. 'How- why-' he proceeded to stammer.

'I saw it this Sundat, when y'all were flirting. I heard. He turned all red, he was defo thinking about it. Remember, what'd he say?'

Peter tried hard to remember, but he couldn't. All he saw now was Robin's adorable, flushed face.

'"You're messing around", that's what he said. He was telling himself that, not you, because he was thinking of it and needed to remind himself.'

'You really think so?' Peter asked, not totally convinced.

'Yeah mate. Even if I saw that wrong, there's more. Stuff you don't see. He is looking at you all the time. You don't see it, 'cause you're dense. At dinner, he glances at you so much I lose count. When you're gone, he asks about you right away. When he comes back from somewhere, you're the first one he looks for. And he laughs at your terrible pick-up lines.'

'Hey, they're not terrible!' Peter said, feeling offended. Then, he frowned. 'He really does all that?'

'Yeah. He has his eyes on you all the time, even when he's with others. And when y'all are together, that's when people get jelly. I feel like an outsider sometimes, it's almost gross, like a real couple. Clingy, giggly, disgustingly sweet. With the kids, all of us just stand there, not disturbing that little fam, and the kids, they admire him, he's way more than just a nanny to them and he knows it. Y'all are a family, so I'd say: claim his hand, put a ring on it and make it official.'

Peter was a blushing mess right now, processing these words. Robin... liked him? Robin looked at him more than at others? Robin... as his kids' second father?

'I-I don't think it will go well if I move too fast though,' he finally stammered. 'Even if he likes me, I don't think he's fully aware.'

'Then you better make him aware soon, 'cause you're not the only one who has his heart set on him.' John nodded out of the window and Peter followed his gaze. Robin wasn't alone anymore. Larry was sitting on a stool next to the canvas, modelling for Robin. They were laughing, Peter could faintly hear it. Larry had one hand on Robin's shoulder as well, leaning towards him.

'D*mmit,' he mumbled.

John got up, walked around the table and put his hand on Peter's shoulder. 'No worries, mate. I got your back.'

'Thanks,' Peter said, patting it. At that moment, Robin looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with Peter, smiling at him. Peter felt the butterflies in his stomach act up again right away.

'See,' John said. 'He is just as whipped as you are.'

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We stan John. Anyway, I'm very excited for the next chapter. I'll try to update ASAP.

This is an old gem. Fun fact: it's the first pop song I ever liked. I was very anti-pop because of my church, but I could simply not resist this song.