latino_menace | OOM: Another visit

"I don't even remember."

He leans his head on Ramon's shoulder, with a sigh, resting against him and just relaxing into the comfort of being held.

"When? But... it sounds right. I did think you'd not mind it quite as much as all that. I mean, I know it was hopelessly romantic of me, but I thought we could have a non murderous, non hostile, non miserable sort of family thing going on. Kinda never tried it. Never really wanted to. But it's you and it's him and if it was ever going to happen.

I'm talking too much. I'll regret this in the morning, you know."

It's so nice to have him near again. Ramon can feel himself relaxing, just by having him close.

'It was - not long after you came back with him. It doesn't matter. And I won't be miserable, alright? I haven't seen him much though so I guess it just takes a bit of getting used to. I'll try.'

He doesn't want to try. But he will, for Random. Eighteen years out of five hundred, right? He can deal. He thinks.

"Thanks."

The tone in which it's said makes the word sound more solemn, more meaningful than it has any right to sound.

"Means a lot. I can't really say why, but I seem to be finding my happiness unavoidably attached to your own. What can I say?"

Ramon smiles a little and kisses his head.

'Strange, I seem to be coming down with the same affliction.'

And to show willing, he reaches a hand down to the baby and lets him wrap a hand round his finger. It's not so bad.

'Could be a lot worse. He could be a screamer.'

He isn't a screamer. He is, apparently, a stare-er. Like now.

And now.

And now.

And now.

And now.

Give the baby a break, he's never heard Ramon's accent before.

And now.

And now...

"I think he likes you."

Random can't keep the laugh out of his voice.

"Pretty, pretty little bug. It's eerie, knowing what he's going to look like later."

'Mmmm.'

And Ramon is staring back. It's kind of mesmerizing. Without taking his eyes off the baby, he leans down to Random's ear and whispers,

'Why's he looking at me like that? He looks like he's about to go for the jugular.'

"Ebeh."

Does that count as "going for the jugular"?

"Because he likes you?"

Martin's cheek is traced, with a forefinger.

"You haven't spent much time with him awake. But he watches. Smart little bug."

'True.'

He pulls his eyes away and starts trying to extract his finger.

'Is he going to sleep soon?'

"Probably in an hour or so."

He smiles indulgently at the baby, then over at Ramon.

"We need to remember to keep everything off the floor. He practically inhales things."

Well, that's a frightening thought.

'What do you mean? He eats things on the floor?'

What?

'You're putting him down there to sleep?'

"No, I don't put him on the floor."

He rolls his eyes and offers Martin his finger.

"I mean, I haven't given him a single object that he hasn't tried to chew, and he's already growing, won't be long before he's crawling. And then, we have to keep everything up. I've pretty much child-proofed all of it, though."

'Yeah, I saw. You're being careful with him, it's good.'

He watches them together and it's nice, seeing Random's obvious happiness with his boy. He doesn't know how to respond to it but it's OK, it's theirs and that's no problem.

At least he tries to tell himself he's not jealous. He is, a little. But not tonight because too tired for all that stress, and it's just nice to see him again.

'Well, kids chew things. Wait 'til he's teething - it'll be worse then and he'll cry a hell of a lot more than he does now.'

"Don't want to think about it."

He hides his face in Ramon's shoulder, with a long groan.

"Like, at all. I think the rat's here with the food."

Or so says the polite knocking at the door.

Ramon smirks and runs a hand through his hair. 'It'll be joyous. Joyous. Screaming all night, you wait and see.'

He's not even exaggerating, he thinks.

'K, I'll go. What did you even order?' He gets up and finds a couple of bills to tip the rat with. Not that he knows if they need tipping, but still.

"Souvlaki."

He smiles, stands, and moves to yank the crib (left over from their brief stint with Kelly) out from the closet, settling Martin inside it gently. This is not received with all the grace in the world, but then Random's fishing with a bottle, and returning with it, warming in his hands.

"Here you go, Bug."

Ramon returns with the tray and sets it on the dresser, then goes to lounge on the bed and smoke.

'What have you been up to with Gorlim? Bored yet?'

"He taught me a fair amount of cooking. Helpful. Very helpful."

He nods, picking up the baby, then beginning to offer him his supper before returning for his own.

"Just be a minute."

Martin eats fast. And Random doesn't answer. Lonely isn't the same thing as bored.

Ramon watches for a minute, then sighs and stubs his cigarette out.

'Give him to me, I'll feed him. Eat your dinner before it gets cold.'

Judgement is reserved on Random's new cooking skills. He'll keep an open mind until he's tried it.

The smile Random gives him probably makes it worth it.

As should the faint sound of pleasure in the back of his throat as he starts in on the food, after having handed the baby to Ramon.

Food. Souvlaki. So good.

It does. And he takes the time too, to remind himself that feeding a baby is easy and nothing to panic about and he really is acting stupidly about the child, he thinks. Not about him being here, but about the flinching when being near him. He resolves to get over himself as Martin hoovers down the milk in record time.

Right. He remembers something about winding them after eating. He also remembers the joys of projectile vomit when said activity occurs. There is hesitation - then he just sighs again, holds him to his shoulder and starts rubbing over his back.

'I want you to know Random,' he says in a conversational tone, 'that if he throws up on my only clean T-shirt, I am not going to be impressed.'

So there.

"Mmmm."

Random not-so-surreptitiously finds the camera again. And snap snap snap between bites of food. Too pretty a sight for words.

"It's not been a problem."

Ramon glares at him again but his heart isn't in it.

'Bastard.' Martin is refusing to cooperate, so he keeps going. 'I'll have to take some of the two of you together.'

And Random's dinner is eyed for a moment, then he laughs. 'He obviusly gets his hoovering skills from you. Hungry are you?'

"Starving, and you can, if you like. But you have no idea how perfect you two look, and not a chance I'm letting go of that."

He takes a few more photos before setting the camera down and settling in to use two hands to eat.

"I need to eat more anyways... but he might, mightn't he? We look alike. It's nice."

He values the connection.

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