HAPPY PRIDE MONTH !!
extra long chapter to compensate for the severe lack of updates lately
i have the final two already written :,)
buuuuuut i wanna publish the last one on the 1 year anniversary of this book <3
(june 28th)
Three days was all that was left of June's life as a minor. It was a scary thought, to be 18. Graduation was scary enough, and now he has to be a legal adult? Absolute bullshit, quite honestly.
June anxiously knocked on the door to Malcom's house, Marie letting him in.
"He's upstairs streaming," she informed him.
"Yeah, uh, I actually came over to talk to you.."
Marie lit up, smiling. "About what, sweetie?"
June smiled at the petname, his adoration for her skyrocketing. "Um, lately I've just been so nervous about turning 18, and all the Britain stuff, you know? Especially since I already know how my mom feels about it all. Do you have any advice?"
Marie titled her head. "What in particular are you anxious about?"
June shrugged, despite the prominent thought in his mind. "Moving there, I guess." And the fact that if I ever broke up with Tommy or Malcom while we all live together, it'd be really bad, his brain finished.
"Well, I guess all I can tell you as of now is just to do what you really want to do." Marie ran her fingers through June's hair, smoothing it down in the back where it had been messy. It stuck right back up though, and she gave up. "What you want is to move to Brighton, right? And be close to all your friends?"
June nodded. "Especially Tommy and Tubbo. Wilbur and Artemis being there close is just the cherry on top."
"Mhm." Marie seemed to understand.
June, as someone who wasn't close to his own mother, craved maternal figures. Maybe that's why he was so attatched to Marie, who's easily the second most important person to him in this godforsaken country, only topped by Malcom. Clay and Sapnap fell tied for third.
June stepped forward to hug her, letting himself melt into her embrace fully. She held him close, letting him know through her hug how much she cared for him.
"You've been like a second son to me since I met you," Marie told him. June's eyes started to water. "Although, once you and Malcom started dating, it was more like a son-in-law than an adopted son."
June huffed out a laugh. "I don't know what I would've done if you were more like my own mom."
Marie sighed. "She certainly has.. opinions." She let go of him. "You've both come so far, and I'm so proud of you."
June wiped at his eyes. "Okay, no need to make me cry," he said, chuckling.
Marie ruffled his hair a little, and looked up when her biological son walked in, clearly having been crying.
Malcom wrapped his arms around June from behind. June looked up at him with a soft smile.
Marie smiled at the two of them. "You alright?"
Malcom sniffled. "Yes, sorry, chat and I were playing a sad game."
June laughed quietly. "It's cute how attatched you get to game characters."
"I disagree," Malcom chimed. "I just, do not agree with that. I think it is sad how fast I get attached to fictional people."
Marie chuckled. "I can make some tea for you guys to take upstairs, if you'd like."
"That'd be lovely, thank you," June replied. Malcom kissed the top of his head.
Marie hummed to herself as she prepared the warm drink. In that moment, June could see just how similar Malcom was to her. June wished he had such a relationship with his own mother, but he knew that their conflicting views would always create some distance between them. And soon, it would be physical.
~
Two days left of being 17, and June was looking up things he and Malcom could go do for fun while he was still legally a child and couldn't be put in real jail if they got caught for anything against the law. Basic things, not something that would affect other people. Not arson, as fun as it sounds.
"All of these I've already done, sound boring as shit, or aren't something we can do in two days," June groaned.
"Well, we could go and do that one," Malcom suggested, pointing to the line of text on June's phone screen that read, 'Go to an aquarium high.'
"True. That sounds really fun, actually." June hummed. "We should convince Clay to let us take Patches to that aquarium that allows pets. Maybe not high, but it'd still be fun wih her."
Malcom grinned. "That sounds awesome. Driving or walking?"
"Driving." June followed Malcom out of his house, waving at Marie as they passed. June stole the aux cord, and played the song he'd had stuck in his head all day, Settle Down by Ricky Montgomery, singing along animatedly.
Clay deadpanned when they asked, taking Patches from June's arms. "She's never been outside past the yard, she would have a heart attack if you brought her somewhere," he exaggerated.
"You're just saying that because you're jealous you didn't think of it first," June accused with a grin, and he way Clay wrinkled his nose told him he was right. "Dude, just come with us if you're so worried."
Clay somewhat hesitantly put a harness and got a leash for Patches, and the four friends - Sapnap had wanted to come as well - got into Clay's car. Patches had very pointedly sat in June's lap, and had meowed until Sapnap had let her.
She was mesmerized by the fish, swatting at the tanks every time on would pass by.
"Don't you think it's a little weird to take a domesticated animal to see other animals swim around in tanks?" Malcom asked, mostly rhetorically.
June tried to think of a reply, but nothing seemed to quite cover it. "I.. have no idea."
~
It was June's final day of minor-hood, which probably isn't a word, and he was spending it with Nedia and their younger siblings. Hazel had wanted to go to a park, so June had invited Nedia and her newly-moved-in sibling.
Patrick had finally gotten legal custody of their younger brother, who was Hazel's age. Nedia introduced him as Troy, and Hazel lit up with recognition.
"What school do you go to?"
June watched with a smile as his younger sister started a conversation with Troy, glad that she was so extroverted.
"I don't know how this would've gone if they didn't like each other," Nedia said, scrunching her nose.
June shrugged. "I'm glad they do, too. Means they'll be more independent from us."
Nedia hummed. Hazel and Troy raced to the swings, wanting to see who could go higher. Troy, being taller, had a bit of an advantage.
"So, what's the plan once you turn 18? We're out of highschool. You can do anything." Nedia examined June's side profile as he watched their siblings, her arms resting on the back of the park bench they were sitting on.
"I... I'm gonna go with Malcom to Brighton."
Nedia chuckled nervously. "There's a lot of Brightons."
June smiled a little sadly. "You know which one I mean."
"You wouldn't ever come back?"
"I mean, obviously I would visit, but I just.. can't see myself having a life here anymore. Not when this huge opportunity is falling right into my hands."
Nedia's lip trembled at the thought of never seeing him again. "You guys are my only real friends, yanno," she said quietly. "Which means I care about what you care about. And I don't want to stop you from chasing your happiness. But please don't forget about me."
June's eyes started watering. "I would never forget you."
Nedia shook her head. "I'm not a very memorable person." She laughed humorlessly. "Not even my mom could remember me. And I'm her daughter!"
"Nedia.." June put his hand on her arm. They'd really only talked about her mom once before.
"No, it's fine, I shouldn't have brought her up. You guys aren't even comparable. She's a horrible person. She should have never had children if she was gonna abuse and abandon them for being themselves."
June grimaced, remembering how Nedia told him about when she and Patrick had come out, and how their parents started to resent them. Nedia and Patrick moving out left Troy as the brunt of their father's anger after their mom passed away, and she hated herself every day for leaving him.
June cleared his throat. "How's that girl you've been talking to? Have you asked her out yet?"
Nedia smiled. "She's a dream. And no, not yet. I will soon though."
June nodded, and asked some more questions about her. The four stayed out together until Sarah texted, wanting June and Hazel back home for dinner. The friends said thair goodbyes, and Troy and Hazel quickly swapped numbers.
"You and Troy friends now?" June asked Hazel, trying to get rid of the silence that filled the space on the walk home.
"Mhm."
"That's great. It's cool seeing you guys get along."
"Yeah, hopefully he doesn't get bored of me.."
June frowned. "What do you mean?"
Hazel shrugged, trying to brush it off. "Nothing, I just meant that I hope he doesn't get bored of me." She half-whispered the next part, "I miss my old friends."
June pulled her into an unexpected hug, but she didn't object. "You know, if you really do need friends, I'm sure Nedia would be more than willing to hang out with you. I know she's gonna be lonely once I move.."
"You're moving?" Hazel asked.
"Yeah.. I'm going with Malcom to Britain." June took a deep breath. "I'm so scared, honestly. I've never liked big changes. This is gonna be a huge one."
Hazel was quiet for a minute. "I think.. I think it's really cool to be able to love someone enough that you'd move to an entire different continent just to be with them. I kind of wish I had someone like that."
June smiled to himself. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty special.." He ruffled Hazel's hair. "I bet that someday you'll find someone who's perfect for you. Or multiple someones."
Hazel smiled. "I'm gonna miss you, you know."
June snorted. "You better. I am the light of your life," he joked.
~
June slowly opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. Physically, he felt the same. But mentally, he knew shit was about to go down. Whether it be good or bad shit, he didn't know.
Malcom pressed a kiss to the side of June's neck, where his head was resting. "Good morning," Malcom greeted, his voice deeper than normal from sleeping. "Happy birthday."
June couldn't help but smile, blushing a little. He stumbled over his words for a second as his freshly awoken brain caught up to what he was trying to say. "I almost said 'you too.' I meant to say, thanks."
Malcom chuckled. "You're adorable."
"I- I am not adorable. I am a big man now." June played with Malcom's hair.
Malcom hummed, smiling. "Are you gonna call Tommy now, or later?"
"In a few minutes," June replied. "I don't him to wait too long, but also I'm worried he's gonna be very loud this early."
Malcom hummed. "On a scale of one to ten, how ready do you think you are to get out of this town?"
June scoffed "9." He reevaluated it. "Wait, it's actually more of a 7. I want to leave, and start my own life with you and Tommy and our friends, but I have so many people I'm gonna miss."
Malcom's arm that was resting limply across June's waist started drawing little patterns on June's side. Suddenly, he was glad he wasn't ticklish. "I get what you mean. I'm gonna miss a lot of things about Florida, but moving to Brighton might be the best decision we ever make."
June couldn't bring himself to voice his worries. Malcom was so excited, and he didn't want to ruin it for him. Obviously, June was excited as well, but whenever he thought about it, the anxious thoughts would settle deep in his chest.
It was only then that June noticed the way Malcom's neck was at a bit of an odd angle, making June purse his lips for a moment. "There is no way your neck isn't hurting right now."
Malcom shrugged as best as he could with the way they were laying. "'S not that bad."
"Here," June muttered, rolling onto his back. Malcom laid his head on June's shoulder, feeling awkward for a moment before getting comfortable. June ran his fingers up and down Malcom's arm, only stopping when Malcom laced their fingers together.
"I think your phone is vibrating," Malcom whispered.
June reached over, pulling his phone from the charger, picking up Tommy's video call on Discord.
June's screen filled with a split between his own face and Tommy's, a huge grin on the Brit's face.
"Happy birthday!" He half-shouted.
June smiled, huffing out a laugh, "Thanks."
"How's it feel to be a big man like the rest of us?" Tommy asked, flexing his arms.
June held back a laugh, "I don't feel any different, really." He looked away the screen, trying to keep himself from looking at himself for too long. "How was your morning?"
Tommy shrugged. "Same old, same old. How long ago did you wake up? I didn't wake you up with my call, did I?"
"No, no, you're fine," June assured him.
"Good, good." Tommy lit up, remembering something. "I shipped your gift like, last week, so it should get there soon!"
June rose a brow. "I told you not to get me anything."
Tommy grinned. "I didn't listen."
Malcom fell asleep again not too long after that, and June stayed on call with Tommy for a little while longer, til motherinnit called for him.
Subway Surfers and Conan Gray on shuffle could only keep June entertained for so long, so he gently poked Malcom awake.
"Wakey, wakey," June mumbled. Malcom groaned quietly, sitting up. "Do you wanna see if we can pick up Quinn to hang out?"
"Sure," Malcom mumbled, and June sat beside him. "Text Beth.."
June closed Subway Surfers, finding Beth near the top of his recent texts. He waited for a reply, pumping his fist when he got the affirmative.
"She said yes!"
"Yayy," Malcom replied. "Can we swing by my house really quick? I left my phone there on accident last night."
"Sure," June replied. They went downstairs to pull their shoes on before they raced to Malcom's house. Malcom won, but June was only a half-step behind him.
June sat at the bottom of the stairs as Malcom ran up to grab his phone, then they got in the car to drive over to Beth and Elliot's. June had only recently learned Elliot's name, and he had only seen him in person once, when he went over to babysit Quinn.
Beth greeted them at the door with a beight smile. "Hey guys!" She pulled them into a hug one at a time. "Congrats on being graduated! And happy birthday, June."
June smiled. "Thanks." He glanced around. "Are Quinn and Elliot home?"
"They're playing in Quinn's room. You can go join them, I'm making mac and cheese for lunch, if you'd like some."
June grinned. "Sounds great!"
Malcom swung their hands between them as they walked down the hall, knocking lightly on Quinn's door before they were welcomed in with leg hugs from their favorite toddler.
Elliot watched from where he sat on the floor with a proud smile, both from seeing his daughter be so excited to see her friends, and because he knew of June's transgenderness, and the struggles that came along with it. He was proud that June had found himself the right people to surround himself with at such a young age - something Elliot hadn't had the luxury of until he was in his mid-twenties at least, probably later. He was proud to be one of June's people, as well, even if they'd only met not too long ago.
June greeted him with a smile, and Elliot simply waved back.
Malcom lifted Quinn from the ground, resting her on his hip and lining her eyesight with June's. June barely went up to only Malcom's shoulder, and Quinn giggled every time she was held high enough to be even that tall.
Elliot was glad he was able to witness such a precious moment, even if ones they'd had in the past were nearly identical. He knew the memory would be regarded with a special fondness.
~
June knew his mom wanted the whole family for dinner - meaning no Malcom, no Sapnap, and yes Clay - but he didn't expect that she'd be able to convince his dad to join them. He hardly did anymore. Or.. maybe that was June, actually. He spent most of the day out of the house, including during dinner time, so he wasn't really home too often anymore.
June felt out of place sitting with all of them together, and Sarah kept giving him looks that very clearly meant, be on your best behavior. He had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes at the notion, amd tried to exclude himself from the conversations around him. None of them held really any interest, until, of course, his dad had to speak up.
"So, sweetie," Mark started, looking very pointedly at June. "Now that you're eighteen, have you been thinking about your future much?"
June pursed his lips, hoping this topic wouldn't get brought up. Of course it was something he really needed to talk to them about, but he, Malcom, Tommy, Tubbo, and Marie had planned pretty much everything bey themselves. No Green family involvement, aside from Clay and Hazel being told.
"Well.. Malcom and I want to go back to England for a little while.." He held up a finger to stop their protests. "We've been planning this since we got home from England last time. And we're both legal adults. And the visa and all of the important documents and stuff have been approved."
Clay lit up. "You didn't tell us they got approved!"
June smiled a little.
"And you didn't tell us you even applied," Sarah remarked. "How could you not include us in this huge decision?"
"Because I knew you'd never let me."
Sarah looked at June in disbelief. "Wha- I wou-" she stuttered through quite a few sentences. "Honey, I just know that England isn't the best move! What if something goes wrong with those three boys you're always talking about?"
Juen sighed. "Mom, I promise you, I've already got everything figured out. It's not like I'll only have those three there." He looked to Clay for some backup.
"Yeah," Clay chimed. "Wilbur lives in Brighton, as well as their friend Artemis, and Phil lives only a few hours away.. I was gonna add George to the list, but actually, he's moving in with Sap and I soon as well."
June grinned, and so did Hazel, the two younger siblings knowing how much the three of them had been wanting to have a Dream Team house together.
Sarah tried to make another arguement, but June refuted politely, and with his siblings to back him up, she really had no case. She dropped it eventually, which everyone was glad for.
The rest of the evening went well. Aside from the small debate over dinner, June's 18th birthday was quite a success. At least, from June's point of view.