Work Text:
Jes and Noah came home from dinner early, looking tired and annoyed respectively.
Michaelis, who had been out on the porch of the fishing lodge with a book, enjoying the warm summer evening, closed it and sat up warily.
Jes's parents, who he did not know and frankly did not care to know, were not the most pleasant of people. He had them to thank for driving Jes and Noah so far up the wall that they had moved in with a virtual stranger (albeit a former king, who did come with stellar recommendations) rather than keep living in the family home, but that was the best that could be said of them. They didn't seem malevolent; they seemed like unhappy people, but the kind of unhappy people who could only spread that unhappiness around.
The problem was, of course, that they were still family. As Jes had pointed out, part of their reason for moving back to Askazer-Shivadlakia was for Noah to have a relationship with his grandparents. It was a duty as a parent, which Michaelis understood. That said, if he was ever so appalling to his own child that it was a duty rather than a joy to make sure his grandchildren knew him, he wouldn't be able to look his son in the eye for shame.
In any case, duty demanded dinner with the grandparents once every few weeks. A small price to pay, he supposed, to be left alone the rest of the time. Until now, anyway.
"Went that well, did it?" he asked Noah, who scowled.
"I'm not going back ever again," he announced, and walked inside, slamming the door. Jes crossed their arms, leaned on the rail of the porch, and bowed their head.
"At least he's angry with them, not you," Michaelis offered.
"Oh, he's angry with me, too," they replied. Michaelis gestured to the bench next to him, arm open to invite them to sit with him, but they shook their head. A little surprised, he dropped his arm.
"The parents and I had a spat. Noah said all three of us were acting like children, and at least he had an excuse," Jes continued. "Love to be called a child by my teenage son."
"Is that why he's angry with you?" Michaelis asked.
"No, that's why he declared he's never going back. He's mad at me because we had another fight in the car over the whole never going back thing," Jes sighed. "He's going to go call Lachlan and gripe to him about me or something, it'll be fine, it's just upsetting."
"Which I suppose leads to my next question, which you do not have to answer," Michaelis said gently. "What were you fighting with your parents about?"
"I'm not sure I want to talk about it," they said. He studied them, silently. "What?"
"I'd like to be able to offer you something -- support, comfort," he said. "But perhaps there's nothing I can offer. That's fine, Jes, I won't be hurt. But if there is something I can do, I'd hope you'd tell me, even if you don't want to talk about why."
They grasped the back of their head with their left hand, then reached up with their right to pull the topknot of white-blond hair out of its neat little ponytail, shaking it off to one side, ruffling their fingers through it.
"It's not you. The fight was about you," they said finally, rubbing their temples. "So I'm feeling a little touchy about you right now. Sorry."
He blinked. "If your parents disapprove of your involvement with me, that would be...irritating to you, I imagine. Laughable to me, except that it hurts you. Even if one were to look askance at the difference in our ages, it's not as though I'm a corrupting influence on an innocent soul." He sobered. "Unless it's my relationship to Noah they don't care for. Far more worrying, then -- "
"No," Jes said, sighing. "Nothing to do with Noah. Not even to do with disapproving of you. They both voted for you, I think they like you in the abstract."
"Then I'm afraid I'm at sea as to what's upsetting you," he replied.
"They think I'm grifting you," they said, and Michaelis burst into startled laughter.
"Grifting me?" he asked. "If you are, you're setting the bar very low. I've barely bought you nice dinners, let alone a car or a house or whatever it is grifters get out of rich older men these days."
It got a smile out of them, at least. "For the record, I'm not."
"For the record, even if you were, I like you too much to bother caring; why shouldn't I make a fool of myself if I enjoy it?" he said. "But the idea is ludicrous on the face of it. Jes the defiantly independent, a gold-digger? Honestly."
He gestured them over again, a little more pleadingly this time, and they rolled their eyes and came, settling next to him, letting him pull them up against him with an arm around their waist. They leaned their face into his neck, and he rested his chin on the top of their head.
"I've had fortune-hunters and fame-hounds after me before, you know. Even before my wife passed. Certainly after, the ghouls," he said. "I'm capable of telling affection from avarice. If you're concerned I harbor any suspicions, lay your concern to rest, Caez."
"I'm not," they said, relaxing into him a little more. "It isn't that. It's...well, to begin with, what kind of parent holds a low opinion of their child like that? Who looks at their kid and thinks oh, that one, definitely just in it for the money." They sighed. "There's not even anything wrong with being in it for the money, as long as everyone's aware and consenting. But that's not why I'm with you. I can't make them understand that, and the real insult on injury is that they approve. You've caught him, Jes, don't you think it's time to reel him in?"
"Rude," Michaelis pronounced.
"So I started getting annoyed and I know better, but I insisted it wasn't like that, and they kept trying to reassure me that it was and that was okay, and then I was mad they wouldn't believe me. Cue shouting match, cue Noah," they sighed. "He stormed out, I went after, and we had fight number two in the car over whether I have the right to make him have a relationship with them. He does have my temper. Long-simmering, sudden explosion."
"Would you like me to have a word? He might take a calming sentiment better from me right now."
"No, he'll cool off quickly, same as I do."
He hummed thoughtfully. "Are you sure you...want him to have a relationship with them? Granted I've only seen their impact second-hand, but they drove you off the continent when you were Noah's age. If all Noah gets out of dinner with your parents is anger and pain, well. Some family isn't worth keeping around, shame to say."
"They really are good with him, normally. Better than they ever were with me. It's not at that point. Yet. Maybe it won't ever get there, they don't have to raise him. But it's important to me he at least know them. I don't even know why, really, it just is. I want him to feel like he has roots somewhere."
"Well, it's your decision." Michaelis let the silence stretch out for a while, then added, "Come to think of it, it doesn't speak to them holding a very high opinion of my intellect, does it?"
Jes laughed again and sat up, rubbing their face. "No. I suppose it doesn't. But I have to tell you, your ego was not my primary concern."
"You see? Now, if you truly were after my modest fortune and slightly less modest social standing, you'd never tell me my ego wasn't your concern."
Jes was opening their mouth to reply when Noah's voice, still a little sullen, echoed from inside the house. "BOSS! HAVE YOU SEEN MY NINTENDO?"
"NOT SINCE THIS MORNING," Jes called back. "CHECK THE SOFA."
"I DID!"
"Oh, ah," Michaelis said sheepishly. Jes looked at him. "NOAH, TRY THE KITCHEN TABLE."
"GOT IT!"
"Did you steal his Switch?" Jes asked.
"I charged it when I was done. I wanted to play Tetris," he said with exaggerated dignity.
"Of course you did. Puzzle games." Jes shook their head. "You're such a problem solver. Thank you for not offering to solve this one, by the way."
"Pretty sure I did offer at least twice, but I appreciate your understanding of my restraint, because I very much would like to march down to your parents' front door and explain the way the real world works to them," he said.
"Please don't."
"I won't." He brushed some hair back from their face, affectionate. "However, given I can't fix this problem, I would still like to cheer you up if possible. Odds of that happening?"
"Decent, now that I've grumbled about it."
"Hm. Any suggestions?"
They studied him for a while. He let them, gazing back calmly. Jes had a way of going quiet to consider things, of taking deliberate time to decide on a course of action, and often surprising him with a sidelong solution he might not think of himself.
"Just spend the evening with us," they said. "No more talk about my parents. But we didn't get to eat much, so if you want to take us to dinner I wouldn't say no."
"Easily done. Anywhere you like in town, or..." he checked his watch. "Gregory's probably just preparing to eat if you'd like to go up to the palace. Get there before the pasta gets cold."
"Let's do that, Noah loves palace dinner."
"Good, you two can mend fences on the way. NOAH!"
"WHAT?"
"Boss says you haven't had your dinner," Michaelis said, rising and leaning in through the front door. "Get your shoes back on, we'll walk up to the palace."
Noah bounded out the door roughly thirty seconds later, still tying one shoe. Michaelis let Noah and Jes walk a little ahead to speak in private, while he ambled along the lakeside trail, texting Gregory a warning they were coming.
Gregory arrived in the kitchen doorway with phone in hand. "Simon!"
"Sire," Simon said, looking up from where he was taking a saucepan off the heat. "Dinner is nearly ready -- "
"I know, can you keep it warm for like -- ten minutes?" Gregory pleaded. "Dad just texted, he and Jes and Noah are on their way, I'd like to wait to eat until they get here. Sounds like a rough day."
"You should know this is no problem," Simon said, smiling. "Easy to keep the food warm, and plenty of food to eat. I will set out some treats for Noah, perhaps."
"If you have any," Gregory said. "That'd be great. Thank you, I really appreciate it. Eddie around?"
"In the dining room with Alanna," Simon told him.
"Then off I go too," Gregory said. He stopped in his office to pick up a book he'd been meaning to loan to his father, and reached the dining room just as the delegation from the fishing lodge arrived.
"I had Simon hold dinner," he said, handing Michaelis the book, throwing an arm around Noah's shoulders carelessly, dragging him towards the table. "He's got some kind of special dessert for you. Think he likes you best," he told the boy. His father's expression said it was exactly the right move; Gregory gave him a little nod, and let Noah go so they could be seated.
Eddie and Alanna were there, in conversation over something or other, Eddie at the little bar preparing drinks. Jes took a large enough glass of wine that Gregory raised his eyebrows at Michaelis, but he didn't seem worried, so Gregory let it pass.
"No Jerry tonight?" Jes asked, settling in next to Alanna.
"He has some polo friends in town, they're up at the estate talking sport," she said. "He said to say you're welcome for not forcing them on you," she added to Gregory and Eddie.
"You didn't want to have dinner with him?" Noah asked, from his seat between her and Eddie's empty chair.
"Not when I would have to listen to ten million stories about school polo. I had to listen to those when we were at school, and I wasn't interested then, either," Alanna replied.
"But he's your boyfriend."
"For my sins," she agreed, grinning at him. "That doesn't mean we have to be joined at the hip. A little space sometimes is good."
Noah seemed to be digesting this; Michaelis looked pleased by the exchange. Gregory began to wonder just what was up.
"Everything all right?" he asked his father quietly, as Eddie sat down and distracted Jes and Noah with some anecdote about his day.
"A minor domestic with the parents Deimos," Michaelis replied. "Noah's having a moment, and I'm trying -- apparently quite successfully -- to help."
"Jes okay?"
"They will be. This," Michaelis gestured subtly, "is just what was needed."
"Well, always happy to be useful. Ah, and here's dinner," he added, as Simon brought in the food.
There were a few chaotic moments as dishes were unloaded, passed around, shared and nearly-spilled, the usual noisy business of a family at the table. As it settled down, Noah turned to Gregory and said, "Hey -- before Eddie, did anyone ever try to scam you? Like in a relationship way."
"Noah," Jes said warningly, but Gregory waved their concern away.
"It's all right, it's one of those things royals have to deal with -- politicians too," he said easily. "Yes, once or twice."
"You never told me that," his father said, looking perplexed.
"I didn't need to. It's something you learn to spot," Gregory said, turning back to Noah. "Well, I learned to spot it, anyway. You know. Kids at school who want to be friends because you're a prince. I wasn't out at school, and sometimes there were girls who were more interested than dating a prince than a person. Jerry was very good at catching people with bad intent. He always looked out for me."
"Jerry had his share too," Alanna said. "I don't think he always behaved very properly with people who wanted him for his title."
"Well, he had a good time with them and then left them the second they showed their hand," Gregory said. "Not the best behavior but I can't blame him too much. He taught a lot of his dates the meaning of play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
"What on earth were you three up to while I was running the country?" Michaelis asked.
"All sorts of mischief. In any case, it still happened after I was out and started dating in earnest, but..." Gregory shrugged. "I didn't take it personally."
"What kinds of people were they?" Noah asked. Gregory considered this.
"I think, mainly, they were people who weren't very good at knowing their own worth," he said finally. "People who didn't think they were worth real love and affection, so they had to fool me into liking them. I always felt a little sorry for them."
"Plenty of people think I'm in it for the crown," Eddie said. "Joke's on them."
"How's that?" Jes asked.
"He's only with me for my fried fish," Eddie said. "Soon as I let that recipe go he's going to drop me like a hot potato."
"I've literally watched you make fried fish. In theory our first date was me watching you make fried fish," Gregory said.
"Should have paid more attention, then, too late now," Eddie said.
"Really, people say that?" Noah asked doggedly.
"Price of celebrity. I don't mind," Eddie said. "Nice to be the Jezebel for once; used to be anyone I dated, the press said they were only in it for the fame, like I was too appalling for anyone to genuinely like me. Oh, how the turntables." He grinned at Gregory.
"Wouldn't be surprised if someone comes after you, Noah, sooner or later," Gregory added. "You really ought to let us vet your dates, whoever they may be."
"Lord, it'd be like a court hearing," Jes muttered.
"Or you could always pull a Jerry and just have some fun," Eddie said. "You're young! Entertain yourself. Don't give away any bank account numbers or email passwords, don't send any nudes you wouldn't be proud to see on the internet, and you should be fine."
"You're not dating until you're thirty anyway," Jes said to Noah.
"I might be already, you know," Noah shot back. Then, at Jes's look, "I'm not, fine. But I could be."
"Well, if you think someone's trying to put one over on you, whenever you do start dating, call one of us, I guess," Eddie said, and then very deftly changed the subject, which looked like it was welcome by both Jes and Michaelis.
Lying in bed that night -- Jes asleep next to him, the faint noise of Noah playing a video game echoing down the hall -- Michaelis scrolled through his phone thoughtfully. Emails from the palace, nothing urgent; social media was quiet, and so was the news. He considered his text messages and then tapped out one to Gregory:
Thank you for dinner tonight. Jes had a fight with their parents about their relationship with me, and then with Noah about whether he had to stay civil with the grandparents.
Gregory's reply was relatively quick. Why do they even have input on you two dating? Are Parents Deimos that bad at letting go or is this just something that happens all one's life?
Probably both, Michaelis said. They think Jes is taking advantage of me. Jes is mad because they approve of it.
That's a lot to unpack, Gregory said.
Fortunately not my baggage, Michaelis answered. It's why Noah was asking pointed questions at dinner. He considered, and then added, I didn't know you'd had people trying to scam you. You could have come to me.
Honestly, I didn't need to, Gregory said. You taught me how to spot liars, and they were never complicated or deep. Jerry helped. And if someone had really broken my heart, you'd have heard me wailing long and loud.
Michaelis grinned in the darkness. You are the dramatic one.
I'm not the one who threatened to throw a royal gala to find me a husband. Would be incredibly funny if you threw one for Noah.
When you have children of your own, you'll understand, and I will laugh, Michaelis said.
Goodnight, father.
The dismissal was amused rather than pointed, he knew. Michaelis, still smiling, set the phone aside; after another few moments he got out of bed and went down the hallway to Noah's room, knocking on the half-open door. Noah was seated at the foot of his bed, playing a video game on the television screen that sat on the dresser nearby. He looked up and paused it when Michaelis knocked.
"Thought you and Boss went to bed," he said.
"We did. I wasn't tired. Coming up on time for you to turn off the screen for the night," Michaelis added gently.
"Yeah, I know."
"Still a little iffy about this evening?"
Noah shrugged.
"Me too," Michaelis admitted.
"Why would you be unhappy? You weren't even there."
"No, but I don't like seeing people I care for hurt. I don't have to have been there to know how upset it made you, or to be upset on your behalf."
Noah hunched in on himself a little. "Sometimes there's just a lot of feelings and I don't know where to put them all."
"Not unusual, especially when you're young. You don't have a lot of experience in telling what's important from what's..." Michaelis gestured. "Nonsense. Although you're probably better at it than many your age."
"They were really mean to Boss. They weren't very nice about you, either."
"Fortunately, they're not relevant to either of us. Or to you, technically."
"How do you mean?" Noah asked, turning more fully to face him.
"Obviously they're family, and even if they aren't the nicest people in the world, there is a bond there. Love, duty," Michaelis said. "But materially speaking -- I don't need their permission to be with Jes, whether or not they think I'm being fooled. Jes doesn't need them -- not their money or their help in any other way. Neither do you; Jes is the one who provides for you, not them. Even when you both were living there, it wasn't because you had to or go homeless. It was simply convenient and inexpensive. Regardless of their behavior, you have a safe place to live, food to eat, people who love you. You can afford to refuse to see them, and perhaps you ought, if they're hurting you; only you know those boundaries. But you can also afford to be kind to them, if you like. You have all the power."
"Huh. Is that Politician Michaelis talking?" Noah asked, grinning.
"To an extent. But every family has its complexities, and mine is no exception. We all have relatives we'd rather not encounter at times."
Noah reached out to flick the video game off. "What would you do?"
"About the fight?"
"Yeah. You're not going to tell me I have to decide for myself, are you?"
"It's like people have never met me, the way they think I won't boss them around," Michaelis said. "I won't dictate your behavior for you. But if it were me, I would go to dinner with your grandparents but not expect too much from them. I would be civil when I could. If they go after Jes again, or say something else appalling, I'd inform them it's none of their business, well before the shouting started."
"What good would it do, though?"
"Well, speaking as a parent," Michaelis said slowly, "the threat of losing a child, or a grandchild -- the threat of them removing themselves permanently -- that's immensely terrifying. If Gregory refused to see me, and I knew my behavior was the cause, I'd be miserable. And perhaps I would engage in some self-reflection."
"Huh." Noah considered it. "They didn't do much reflecting when Jes ran away."
"Did they not?" Michaelis asked. Noah blinked at him. "Perhaps they regretted their behavior a great deal, but by then the deed was done -- Jes was in another country, and had a life of their own. Perhaps they missed your parent very much. And certainly they love you, that's easy enough to tell. Perhaps you both can learn from the...finality of what Jes did."
"You think I should try and make up with them?" Noah asked.
"I'd wait until morning. They might apologize first."
"I'm not apologizing."
Michaelis rolled his eyes a little, and Noah huffed.
"Here is a lesson from the politician, yes," Michaelis said. "The trick is not to apologize for being angry at them for behaving poorly, or for standing up for Jes. You clearly don't regret that and I don't see why you should. What you apologize for," he added, seeing Noah's growing defiant expression, "Is how you behaved. You're sorry you yelled; you feel very strongly about what they said, and you know you should have exercised more self control in how you protested. Then they understand that while you want to mend fences, you aren't going to do it by letting them have everything they want."
Noah considered him. "Gregory told me the reason your family keeps getting kings elected is there's some stuff you can't get a degree in. He said you learned stuff from your dad and taught it to Gregory. This is one of those things, isn't it?"
"Family secret. Don't tell strangers," Michaelis said.
"Maybe I'll be vizier to whoever's next as king," Noah said, climbing off the foot of his bed. "Okay, I'm going to sleep."
"Glad to hear it. Have a lie-in tomorrow if you like, then we'll go down to the beach. We can have a nice lunch and enjoy the weather, and put this all out of our minds for good."
"Sounds good. Night, Michaelis."
"Goodnight, Tavat," Michaelis said, and pulled the door shut quietly. Back in Jes's bedroom, he slipped into bed. Jes stirred sleepily.
"Midnight walk?" they mumbled.
"Making sure Noah was fine."
"Teaching him your evil ways, no doubt," Jes said, scooting closer. He took the hint and rolled, resting his head against their shoulder, arm across their chest. They tucked their fingers into his hair. "Thanks."
"Pleasure to do it," he said. "I appreciate that you don't mind my helping Noah when I can."
They sighed -- mostly sleepy, he decided, rather than frustrated or sad.
"Does it get easier when they get older?" they asked.
"Jury's still out. Gregory was never particularly difficult. Noah isn't either, to be honest. He has a good head on his shoulders, he'll be fine."
He thought they'd fallen back asleep, until they laughed softly. "Definitely pulling a fast one on you. Ruthlessly using you for your parenting skills."
"Here I thought it was for my body."
"Fringe benefit at best." Jes ruffled his hair. He breathed deep and closed his eyes, and fell asleep with them still rubbing small circles in his scalp.