“They won’t, they know me. I’ve always tended to shut people out who I think will only interfere in a crisis.”
“Severo!”
“It’ll be fine!”
Seri groaned and banged the back of his head against Severo’s chest. Wait… “You do want me to meet them, right?”
“Of course, Seri. I want you to meet all my family, eventually. Just, I thought, it was a bit soon parents wise. Though they are coming, and we will need to set something up once they finally get here. Which will probably be in the next week or two. I think now that they know what is going on and are involved, they will likely stop on Mars to see my eldest brother and his group before coming here.”
“A week or two…” He took a deep breath. “Okay, I can handle that.” He froze. “Wait, all of your family… How much family are we talking about?”
The Dweller glanced down, his brows raising in clear concern. Seri tried to blank his face, not even sure what expression Severo had just seen.
“I think based on your expression right now…I'd rather not say.”
“Severo!”
“There is a lot…but they all can wait a long, long time. So breathe, and just put it from your mind.”
“I am breathing!” he gasped, blinking when he realized he hadn’t been. He took a few deep breaths. “Okay, that’s a future problem. Future… WAIT! What if your parents hate me?!”
Severo rolled his eyes. “My parents are not going to hate you!”
“But what if they do?!”
“BAH!” Skya squealed, them talking having woken her up. He glanced down to find her glaring grumpily up at them both. “Abah, ah bah, Da-Da, Oh-Oh!”
Seri just barely managed to keep a smile off his face as she lectured them.
Severo chuckled. “Well, then. So sorry, gummy bear. How rude of us.” Severo tickled her, causing her to squeal and wiggle on his chest. “The most obvious solution is that we throw Skya at them. They will be distracted, and then they won’t be able to do anything else besides love you too, because they get her with you.”
“That sounds like bribery.”
“It’s because it is. All of their grandbabies, great-grandbabies, and more, are grown. You don’t even want to know how much they’ve been bugging everyone for another.”
Seri sighed.
“I’d say we could plan a meal for them here, but there is no room. And as much as there is a media storm when we're going out, the one there would be with all of us together would be an even greater nightmare. So, I feel this is the time for us to take Cyrus up on his offer to use his nice big house for a meal with my parents.”
He blinked. “He offered?”
“Oh, not yet, but he will. Just a little threat here or there, a reminder of what he did, and maybe a quick call to his parents, and voilà…a meeting place. There is still time, plenty of time to get it set up.”
“So, you are up to bribery and threats now.”
“It’s fineee. Skya is too young to imitate, aren’t you, Skya?” The man tickled her again, and she giggled and squirmed.
Seri rolled his eyes.
“Rawr!” Severo roared, stomping forward, giving his best impression of a T-Rex, with his arms tucked tight to his sides, hands crooked into claws.
Skya squealed, toddling away with all her might to get away from him as he ‘chased’ her. Her being dressed in a blue dinosaur onesie just added a special little touch to the scene they were acting out.
They both jumped and froze, turning together at the sound of a door slamming open. Seri walked out looking like death warmed over, glaring. “I suppose this was your idea of a wakeup call?” he hissed.
Skya giggled and took off again. Severo smirked and roared. “RAWRRR.” Taking off after the toddling baby again. Speeding up, he scooped her into his arms on rounding the coffee table, tickling her sides as he did, making her squirm and let out peals of laughter.
Smiling at Seri, the man was still staring and looking not all there. “OH, don’t be so glum. It’s past noon, it’s not like we didn’t wait. But you really should eat at least two meals today, shouldn’t you? There is a steaming cup of sugar and syrup filled coffee on the counter waiting for you.”
