for fatherlesskind

[scales_and_silence]

An Only Moderately Creepy 3-Story Home in Suburban Columbus

How atypical are we talking? Alistair had asked.

"Well," Alex replied. "Let's put it this way. Even my family has a shoot-on-sight order for Cuckoos. And these two have been family members for years, without any large-scale destruction, bankruptcy or anyone killing anyone else. My cousin's even saved lives. And my grandmother makes the best tuna-noodle casserole I've ever had."

He got out of the car to open Alistair's door (yes, he'd engaged the child safety lock) to guide his... guest? Could you call him a guest when he was blindfolded? He really didn't want to think of another sentient being has his prisoner. He'd been in that kind of situation himself a few too many times.

He guided Alistair inside, making sure he didn't trip on any steps or wrinkles in the front-hall rug before calling out "Grandma? Grandpa? Sara? I kinda found... uh. Someone we should probably all talk to."

Comments

well so long as it's only moderately creepy

[fatherlesskind]

OK. That didn't sound so bad. He'd be fine.

Of course, being told that the creatures were actually reasonable couldn't make him forget everything he'd learned about Cuckoos and Alistair was visibly nervous as he was walked inside. He made sure to pay attention to the path Alex led him along just in case - if he wound up making a run for it he'd rather not accidentally run straight into a wall or something if he was still blindfolded.

If he got the chance to make a run for it. Instead of being immediately turned into the next hapless, willing victim of a traitor's strange idea of family. Maybe that was why he'd been kept alive because Alex had an arrangement with the creatures... which didn't make a whole lot of sense. Why would they need a human to help them?

As bizarre as the thought of someone considering something like a Cuckoo a family member of their own free will was, maybe it was true and they were friendly.

The thought did nothing to stop Alistair tensing as Alex called out, bracing himself for whatever happened next.

I liiiiive. So sorry about the pause.

[scales_and_silence]

"Grandma! I met someone in the field today that I think we should talk abou-" Alex stopped. And stared.

Not just Grandma. Grandmas. Sitting at the kitchen table were Angela Baker and Alice Healy-Price. Very tensely, but civilly having tea and cookies.
Sarah was in the living room watching videos of lectures on advanced algebra, and thus, totally engrossed and not really interested in reading Alistair's mind.

"Okay, this just got more complicated." At least the mice weren't anywhere in sight, probably already given Food For Privacy bribes. He hoped.

"Hi, Grandma Angela. Grandma Alice."

no worries! I'm more than happy to wait for a chance at Price family shenanigans

[fatherlesskind]

The abrupt stop mid-way through Alex's announcement had Alistair's heart tripping over itself nervously as he wondered just what had made the other man cut himself off. And when he declared the situation (which was already plenty complicated given Alistair wasn't sure he was going to be walking out of there alive and with his free will intact) to be more complicated it was not reassuring. At all.

His hands twitched up, wanting nothing more than to remove the blindfold so he could see what was going on as he heard his sort-of captor speak to the two women (presumably. Who knew with Alex's strange choices in adopted family members?) in front of them. Forcing them back to his sides he mostly resisted the urge to fidget nervously, just shifting his weight from foot to foot and coughing awkwardly.

"Um. Hi." A quick wave in what he hoped was the right direction and he turned to where Alex's voice had last come from with a pleading look visible even behind the gauze and tape.

*arrives 15 minutes late with Starbucks and an arsenal*

[cake_and_chaos]

Oh. That's adorable.

"Thought you liked girls," says Alice, grinning at her grandson for a moment. She gives him a wink after a moment, and munches on a cookie. "Didn't think I'd have you bringing home a nice Covenant boy too."

Can she resist teasing him? No. Flustering your grandchildren is one of the privileges of having grandchildren in the first place. And maybe it'd keep the new boy from making an unfortunate bolt for the door.

[scales_and_silence]

"Shelby and I are still very much-" Alex started to protest, stammered, stopped. "How do you know he's Covenant? And we're not- I'm not-"

One flustered grandson, two unnaturally young-looking grandmothers to enjoy it.

"Shush, dear," said Grandma Angela. "I can tell this one's Covenant, and it's not like I'm reading any minds. Nice of you to remind everyone not to chew on his head, that was thoughtful." It was that projective-only telepathy that had let Angela Baker avoid the Cuckoo trait of total and utter psychopathy.

Leave it to Sarah, now suddenly in the middle of the kitchen, to make things clear. In her own way.

"His flock sent him far, far away hoping he'd find a bigger birdy that would peck out his eyes, but he found Alex instead. So he's keeping his eyes and might actually use them now that there's no constant caw-caw-cawing at him for hunting and praying. But I don't think he's pair-bonding with Alex. Shelby has as many knives as Verity, and I don't think she wants anyone else in her nest. Can I have that cookie?"

She does, to her credit, wait for Angela to nod before plucking up a snickerdoodle and dripping ketchup on it.

"...Sarah actually kind of covered it there. This is Alistair, probably less suited to the Covenant than even Grandpa Thomas. He was giving Crow ear scritches for the entire ride over. Can we please find something to do for him that isn't killing him and sending his corpse back to England as a warning?"

"Of course, Alex," said Grandma Angela. "You know we'd never pay for the cost of shipping a whole body. Expensive, and leaves far too many chances for trace evidence."

"She's joking," Alex assured, lying through his teeth.

[fatherlesskind]

A choked sound escaped Alistair at the suggestion that Alex had brought him home for the, well, the usual reason as far as the traitors - no, the Healy-Price family, if he wasn't planning on making a run for it he should try to stop thinking of them like that - went. It was gratifying to hear Alex fumbling about in response too, though it did nothing to stop Alistair flushing bright red.

That was taken care of when what he assumed was the second of the identified grandmas spoke. Talk of mind reading was unnerving enough to make embarrassment take a backseat and his nerves weren't helped by a third voice joining the conversation. A third voice that belonged to a mad person. Or some kind of monster he'd never heard of that sounded like a mad person. Not reassuring either way.

And not getting better with talk of killing him, as not-unexpected and definitely not funny as that was.

"Right. Ha."

He could still try running. But that option hadn't gotten any more appealing now that he was distinctly outnumbered, even if he was beginning to wonder if the reason he was still alive was that Alex hadn't wanted the hassle of dragging a corpse home. Maybe one of his other family members was a ghoul and it was easier to get groceries if they carried themselves inside.

No. Thinking like that would get him nowhere. He'd chosen to come when he could have fought back in the marsh. He had to have at least a little hope that he wasn't just being toyed with before they sent him back to the Covenant in pieces.

Drawing himself up straight Alistair squared his shoulders and addressed the approximate space where to two older women were. "I don't want to cause any trouble for either of you or your family. I swear that the Covenant will never hear about any of you from me, no matter what happens." He paused and then, unable to quite help himself, "If I'm still alive tomorrow. Which I'd really like to be."