"My God, Vant, you haven't aged a day," Lyanna marvelled, also staring at Vant, but likely for different reasons than Alwynn.
"Neither have you, Lyanna, you still look as beautiful as you did fifteen years ago," Vant kissed the back of Alwynn's mother's hand, that ravishing smile never leaving his lips.
"Watch it, Vant, that's my wife you're talking to," Alwynn's father said with mock severity.
"Don't you worry, Clark, as gorgeous as Lyanna is, she isn't my type," Vant stepped to the side, "please, come in," Alwynn stayed close behind his father, hoping to conceal the growing erection that was pressing painfully against his jeans.
"I don't know if you remember, but this is our son, Alwynn," grimacing, Alwynn returned his gaze to the man's rich eyes, forcing his expression to dissipate, "Alwynn, say hello to Vant," his mother whispered in Alwynn's ear, or more hissed, if he was to be honest.
"It's nice to meet you, sir," Alwynn uttered through gritted teeth, hoping not to sound too impolite.
"What a sweet boy," Vant stepped closer, towering over Alwynn, his musky cologne only sending more blood rushing to the boy's cock, "you can call me, Vant, there's no need for sir's," Vant extended his hand, but Alwynn didn't dare shake it for fear that the touch could only worsen the reaction the man had already caused.
"May I use your bathroom please?" Alwynn blurted out, feeling his cheeks heat as Vant dropped his hand back to his side, although that smile didn't ever slip.
"Up the stairs, second door on the right," Alwynn took the steps two at a time, thankful there was no one in the bathroom as he dashed in, locking the door behind him and leaning against it. Tugging his phone from his pocket, Alwynn dialled Wisteria's number, hoping to calm his breathlessness before she picked up.
"Hello?" strange, Wisteria sounded just as out of breath as Alwynn, instantly setting a suspicious frown on the boy's face.
"Are you screwing Jeth right now?" he asked, his focus shifting away from Vant for a few blissful seconds.
"I might be, so you best be quick, you've not bailed on that friend of your parents, have you?" Alwynn scoffed bitterly, running his fingers through his hair, pushing it back out of his face.
"Wist, he is probably the hottest man I have ever laid eyes on," Alwynn whispered, unable to suppress the faint smile tugged on his lips.
"What?" Wisteria gasped, "send me a picture."
"Wist, I'm hiding the bathroom, how the fuck am I gonna get you a picture? Why do you even want a picture?"
"Because I want to see how hot this guy is," Wisteria whined, her voice suddenly getting distant yet louder, "I'll be back in a minute, babe, Alwynn is telling me about the guy he's in love with!"
"Wist!" Alwynn hissed under his breath, "can you not shout that down the fucking phone? I don't really want my parents knowing," Wisteria's nervous giggle crackled down the line.
"Shit, sorry, Al."
"I'm not in love with him," Alwynn mumbled, rising to his feet, thankful his arousal was no longer so visible. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
"Yet," Wisteria teased, the smirk clear in her voice.
"Wist, first, he's way older than me. And, second, he probably has a wife or something. There's no chance I could ever-"
"Alwynn? Are you OK in there?" Alwynn had to cover his mouth to stop from shrieking at Vant's voice outside the door. God, what if he had heard part of his conversation with Wisteria?
"Y-Yeah, just a minute," Alwynn hung up on Wisteria, hoping she would understand, and ran the tap for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, finding Vant with a concerned frown furrowing his brow.
"I got distracted on my way up, you have a beautiful home," Alwynn forced a smile, dampening it a bit when he realised it was far too over enthusiastic.
"Thank you, maybe I can show you around a bit later," that smile returned, and Alwynn felt like some horny fourteen-year-old again, God, he really had to get ahold of himself, "come on, let me get you a drink," Alwynn followed Vant downstairs and to the kitchen, his gaze drifting every so often to the man's gorgeous ass. Christ, he was going to pop a blood vessel if he couldn't calm himself down.
"Red or white?" Vant asked, holding up two bottles of wine. He was letting Alwynn drink? That man certainly was a keeper.
"Red, please," Alwynn took a tentative step closer, standing at the opposite end of the marble-topped island, resting his hands on the sleek counter.
"It's a nineteen fifty-three Chateau Musar Magnum," Alwynn merely stared at Vant as he was passed the glass, having no idea what he was talking about, "expensive and French," Vant reiterated with a chuckle, observing whilst Alwynn took a sip.
"It's really good, thanks, although I've not really got anything to compare it to, the stuff I've had is pretty cheap," Alwynn's eyes widened for a second, "please don't tell my parents that I drink," Vant chuckled once again, picking up his own glass and taping it against Alwynn's lightly.
"My lips are sealed," Vant led Alwynn into another room, presumably the living room, where his parents were sat with four more people, two men and two women.
"Alwynn, what are you drinking?" Lyanna hissed, immediately noticing the glass in the boy's hand.
"Cranberry juice," Alwynn muttered sarcastically, leaning against the wall, dropping his gaze to the floor. He hated how embarrassing his parents could be.
"Vant, Alwynn clearly hasn't told you he's underage, he shouldn't be drinking," Clark explained with a strained expression, Alwynn was so going to get grounded. Taking one last sip of the wine, Alwynn held his glass out to Vant, expecting it to be confiscated.
"It's only one glass, what harm can it do?" Alwynn couldn't help gaping at Vant, his parents looking equally as shocked, "I've let my children drink since they were young, it refines the palette, and it's not illegal in a private home," Alwynn smirked triumphantly, tapping his glass against Vant's once again.
"He's my favourite of your friends, mom," he grinned, taking advantage of being able to since he was probably going to be grounded for life when he got home.
"Anyway, Alwynn, these are my children, Eternity," Vant gestured to the blonde girl smiling in the corner, "my twins Nova and Nephi," then the two boys, who looked a tad less welcoming, mischief in their eyes, "and my youngest, Everest. I also have another daughter, Heiress, but she had other commitments tonight. She's not exactly one for any sort of social events anyway."
"Interesting names," Clark murmured, no doubt disapproving as he did with anything exotic or fun.
"I think they're amazing. Unique. I've never met anyone with those names," with a flash of that stern look from his mother, Alwynn's smile faded ever so slightly, clearly, he was being a bit over the top, "sorry," he murmured, averting his gaze to the floor. Thankfully, Vant decided to change the topic, or rather, divert it away from his own family.
"Do you have any other children?" oh great, because that was such a better subject.
"Raul, our eldest son, he's in medical school at the moment, Harvard," Alwynn rolled his eyes at his mother's praise, knowing the mentioning of Harvard was a knock at him. Whatever, he didn't want to be a fucking doctor anyway.
"You must be really proud," Vant's gaze met Alwynn's, "are you in college?"
"No, I have an apprenticeship at a local elementary school. I want to be a teacher someday."
"Alwynn didn't do great in his finals, college wasn't really on the table," his mother's voice was disappointed so much as it was exasperated, grating on Alwynn's nerves. Scowling at his parents, he bit his tongue, simply stalking from the room back into the kitchen, not really wanting to intrude further into the house but unable to stand in the same vicinity as them.
"Education doesn't mean shit, y'know?" the girl with the white hair, Everest, spoke in a thick southern accent, lingering in the doorway, "come on, let's go out in the garden," she clasped Alwynn's hand when she passed, leading him outside into the freezing night, "sorry, you must be cold, put on daddy's jacket, he won't mind," Everest collected a distressed, fur-lined denim jacket, passing it to Alwynn.
"You sure?" he asked cautiously, that wonderful, musky aroma emanating from the material.
"Daddy wouldn't be too happy if you caught a cold because of me," Alwynn shrugged on the jacket, warm enveloping as he was swamped in the oversized fabric. He sat with Everest on a wooden bench on the porch, looking out into the darkened garden.
"I never got an education, daddy says as long as you can read and write, you're pretty sorted for life," Everest smiled, pulling a checkered blanket over her legs, offering some to Alwynn, who happily accepted.
"It's not that I care about flunking my exams, it's that they always have to bring it up. Raul got into medical school, Raul's gonna be a doctor, Raul's our favourite kid. I'm clearly just the fuck up in their eyes," Everest frowned faintly, her greyish eyes glinting in the porch light.
"Well, I know my daddy wouldn't see it that way. An apprenticeship is as good as any college if you're really wanting to go into the profession," Alwynn smiled weakly, Vant's family seemed to be under a hell of a lot less pressure than he was.
"How old are you all?"
"I'm eighteen, Heiress is twenty-one, Nephi and Nova are twenty-three and Eternity is twenty-six. Oh, and daddy is thirty-nine," only twenty-two years older than Alwynn then. Only.
"Vant had his first kid at thirteen?" Everest laughed, pulling her knees up to her chest, ensuring the blanket remained over them so she didn't have to worry if her dress rode up.
"No, silly, we're all adopted. None of us are daddy's blood," Alwynn nodded, that made more sense, since only Nova and Nephi looked remotely similar, and even they weren't near identical, "daddy can't have kids but he always wanted a big family so here we are," Everest beamed, finding it completely normal to confide her father's private information to Alwynn. Close family, he presumed. Alwynn's stomach suddenly interrupted the conversation, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and even then he had only picked at what little he had bought.
"Have you had dinner?" Everest inquired, abruptly rising to her feet.
"It's fine, honestly-"
"No, it's not, daddy would not be proud of me at all if I didn't fix you something to eat. I can't cook but I'm sure we can find something, can't have you going hungry, now, can we?" Alwynn was dragged inside and into the kitchen, where Vant was refilling some wine glasses. Upon seeing Alwynn, he tilted his head to the side, frowning gently. Alwynn followed his gaze, instantly remembering the jacket he adorned.
"Sorry, Everest said you wouldn't mind," Alwynn muttered bashfully, beginning to shrug off the jacket, stopping when Vant shook his head with a subtle smile.
"Keep it on if you're cold, it looks good on you," Alwynn's blush returned and he bit down on his bottom lip to keep from saying anything stupid, "what are you doing, Ev?" he asked, watching his daughter open and close cupboards.
"I was gonna make Alwynn something to eat," Everest replied innocently, pouting when Vant began to chuckle.
"Take these drinks into Lyanna and Clark, you are not cooking anything. Last time you almost burnt the house down, I'm not having a repeat of that, especially since we have guests," Everest stuck her tongue out, lifting the glasses and leaving the room.
"Honestly, it's fine, I can get something when I get home," Alwynn didn't want to be a burden to Vant, even though he was starving.
"Tell you what, you eat something and I'll give you another glass of wine. Can't drink on an empty stomach," a smile broke out across Alwynn's face and he caved, letting Vant make him a sandwich, "I was just going out to tend to the horses-"
"You have horses?" Alwynn almost choked on his food, his eyes widening.
"Yes, would you like to come see them?" Alwynn nodded vehemently, leaving the plate with half the sandwich and following Vant out the back door.
"I always wanted to go horse riding but my parents didn't want to waste the money on it," Alwynn waited a moment whilst Vant opened a small electricals cabinet, flicking some switches and illuminating the path up through the garden.
"Maybe you can persuade them to let you come on a ride with me sometime," Alwynn almost squealed at the prospect.
"Really?"
"Of course, why pay for lessons when I can teach you for free?" Vant extended his hand for Alwynn, "the path can be a bit slippery, I wouldn't want you to fall," biting his lip, Alwynn slid his hand into Vant's walking up said path. In the end, it had been a good idea to take his hand, since he had almost fallen on his ass... twice.
"I promise I'm not always so clumsy," Alwynn assured Vant when he stumbled for the third time. Finally, the two made it to the stables, and Vant allowed Alwynn to enter first. Immediately he was greeted by two chestnut horses sharing a cubicle, stood close to one another.
"That's Pharaoh, Nova's horse, and Emperor, Nephi's," Vant explained, setting about collecting the hose to refill the water troughs, "both males, oddly won't be separated," giving each a quick stroke, Alwynn moved to the next, a beautiful Palamino coloured animal. Running his fingers through her mane, Alwynn read the little sign on her door.
"Freedom?"
"Eternity's," Vant called from inside Emperor and Pharaoh's cubicle.
"Wisdom?" Alwynn asked, moving to the next beast, that adorned a bewitching blue roan coat.
"Heiress'," Alwynn glanced momentarily toward Vant, seeing him giving Emperor a quick pat on the nose before feeding him an apple.
"So Truth is Everest's?" Alwynn assumed, passing by the dapple grey animal, immediately taken by the sleek black creature in the final stall.
"Careful," Vant warned when Alwynn lifted his hand to stroke the horse's head, "Prosper can be a bit unpredictable around-" Vant trailed off when the horse, Prosper, nudged against Alwynn's outstretched hand, urging the boy to give him more attention. With a small smile, Alwynn scratched behind Prosper's ear, still a little wary from what Vant had begun saying.
"He usually doesn't take well to strangers," Vant strolled over, feeding Prosper an apple, a bemused smile on his lips, "he must really like you."
"He's yours then?"
"I'm the only one he ever let ride him, at least I thought I was, at this rate, he might let you," Alwynn shared in Vant's smile, already formulating a way to persuade his parents into letting him go riding with the man. At least then he could get to know him a bit more, even if what he craved wasn't really probable.
"Come on, we should get back, I don't want your parents worrying, not too much anyway," Alwynn shrieked when Vant scooped him up into his arms easily, staring wide-eyed at the smirking man.
"What are you doing?" he exclaimed, clutching onto Vant's shirt for fear he may be dropped.
"Like I said," Vant strode out of the stable and into the darkness, "the path can be slippery."