"Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions. Oh, let's go back to the start."

[pullmysteth]

Who: Riley Bryant and Grayson Quinn
What: Rethinking the equation
Where: Riley's apartment
When: Late Friday morning

Riley inadvertently followed Darcy's advice without even needing to think on it. By the time he got home after his tough shift the evening before, he was dead on his feet. He had smoked nearly a half a pack of cigarettes on the walk home too, just because his thoughts had distracted him so much. Grayson had been lying in bed channel surfing the TV when Riley had gotten home. He knew he should have stuck up the necessary conversation at that point, but after taking his pile of pills in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, peeling off his clothing down to his boxers and climbing into bed with Grayson, he had crashed out as soon as his head hit the pillow. God only knew what Grayson thought of that, and for all Riley knew, he probably snored with how tired he was.

And he slept until nearly 11am that morning too. It would have been longer if Gray hadn't woken him up and told him that Lachlan's mum was there with RJ. She and her husband were spending time at the hospital with their son so he wasn't there alone, which is why RJ was being babysat by Riley. The good thing was, Riley now had a few days off, so Grayson had let him sleep right up until the wee one was delivered, much to Riley's horror. He was usually so organised and had panicked a bit once he woke up and realised how late he had slept. That was when they realised they didn't actually have any appropriate food in the house for the child to eat, and considering he was diabetic, they couldn't just make-do. Riley grabbed his keys to hit the grocery store a few blocks away when Grayson insisted he could watch RJ for the short while.

When Riley arrived home with the bags of groceries, he was met with the scene of Grayson sitting on the sofa with the wee boy in cuddled in his arms. RJ had an arm looped around Grayson's neck and his head on Grayson's shoulder. Grayson also had a couple of towels strategically covering the sofa cushions around him and Riley blinked in surprise. Grayson looked at ease, like he actually belonged nursing a child and it was a sobering moment for Riley. "Hey," he greeted them both quietly. "Everything okay?"

Comments

[fiftyshadesofgrayson]

Kids were kind of a new thing for Gray. He'd never really been around kids a lot, even when he was one. Julian had been his only real friend as a child, as most of the other kids either hated him for being so fucking rich, or felt that being friends with him meant that they should somehow have a claim on his money in some way, shape, or form. It wasn't a fun way to grow up, always watching your back for someone trying to take what you had out from under you -- especially for a kid. But there had never been that fear with Julian, if only because they'd grown up much the same way. And more than that, they knew what it was to really need a friend who got you when no one else did. And they always had. Their lives had been largely simple up until Julian's attack, though. And maybe that was what had shaken everything up in their heads.

Still, RJ wasn't just any kid. He was the namesake of the guy that Gray had fallen so fucking hard for. And he was seriously one of the coolest little people that Gray had ever met. So when Riley had needed to run to the grocery store to pick up a few thing for them to eat, Gray had insisted he was fine looking after RJ. And he was, until the little guy came to him saying that his tummy hurt and he didn't feel good at all. So maybe he wasn't cleared after surgery to be lifting up a four-year-old, but he'd scooped RJ up into his arms without thinking, using one free hand to get the towels in place before he sat down and cuddled the little guy close. And in attempts to take his mind off his sore tummy, Gray had begun telling him a story... making it up as he went along, of course... about a horse and a pig who were best friends. If asked to recall said story later, Gray probably wouldn't have remembered a word, but RJ had kept asking questions, which more than helped him keep it going.

And that was when Riley came home, and Gray looked up, unable to hide the smile that spread over his face. Maybe he'd never been in love before, but Grayson was pretty damn sure this was it. No matter how bad he felt or how rough things were, seeing Riley seemed to just... help, and he didn't ever want to face another day where Riley wasn't part of his life, no matter how much or how little sense that made to anyone else. "RJ here isn't feeling the best, are you, buddy?" Gray asked quietly, gently turning so he could try and get a better look at the boy. "He doesn't feel like he has a fever, but he says his tummy feels yuck."

[pullmysteth]

RJ wasn't a whiny kid at all. The only time he was truly clingy was when he wasn't feeling well. Sure, he loved cuddles and he could sit with someone for hours on the sofa watching movies with them, but this was a sure sign something was off. There was a chance he was maybe thinking he felt bad because of how much his life had been shaken up without his mummy around and spending time at the hospital, but this wasn't just an attention-seeking manoeuvre. He wasn't that sort of kid at all. Riley sat down beside them on the sofa and softly rubbed RJ's back. "You not feeling well, buddy?" RJ shook his head and looked at Riley with those big blue eyes that didn't have the usual light in them. His head stayed on Gray's shoulder too, and you could see he was off-colour. "We just might check your blood sugar, okay?" Just to be on the safe side. It was the first port of call to rule out. The boy probably just had an upset stomach, as kids did, but this child had to have that extra care for his wellbeing.

He collected RJ's insulin kit from his Finding Nemo backpack and the little boy obediently held out his finger without argument. This was the part Lachlan always said he couldn't get used to. He had been doing this since RJ was a baby (even if then, he was pricking his heel, as you did with babies) but it was still hard. Plus, it stung. RJ was a little trooper, and this showed how much. Riley pricked his little finger and when he got a couple of tears in response, he knew RJ was really off here. But his sugar levels were okay, thank god. "Do you want to have a lie down, buddy? You can lie right here on the sofa with your blanket, and Uncle Riley and Gray will be right here with you." There was a meek nod and it was only a short while later RJ was lying on the sofa beside Grayson, wrapped up in his tartan blanket, thumb in his mouth, hugging his teddy... and out like a light. "Kids aren't as tough as us grown ups with stress. But even then, some of the toughest grown ups can get upset stomachs when things feel bad..." He moved and sat down on the armchair near the end of the sofa Grayson was occupying, wondering if this was a good time to bring everything up. If it wasn't, maybe it never would be. "We've got some things we need to talk about. And I don't really mean your ninja knack for dealing with kids."

[fiftyshadesofgrayson]

Gray actually cringed just a little when Riley checked RJ's blood sugar. Not because needles made him squeamish, because at this point if they did that, he'd have been a mess when he was in the hospital. It was more in sympathy for the poor little guy having to get needles all the time, even at such a young age. And when RJ's blue eyes filled with tears, Grayson actually felt a little sick himself, but only because he felt so bad for the little guy. He could tell Riley was worried, too, and actually literally gave a small sigh of relief when RJ's blood sugar was good. Grayson wasn't used to being someone kids levitated toward, but he had to smile when the little boy decided to rest next to him on the couch. As the little guy slept next to him, Gray found himself brushing his fingers lightly through the blonde hair on the boy's head without even thinking about it. He couldn't even begin to explain the feelings he was having right now, but they were there just the same.

"Yeah?" he asked softly, his eyes moving to the elder Riley only after they'd made sure that the younger one was sleeping peacefully and wasn't going to be awakened by their conversation. "What's up? To be totally honest, by the way, I had no idea that I had ninja kid skills, either. RJ just wasn't feeling well, so I took care of him. He needed to be cuddled, so I could handle that. Believe it or not, I'm a pretty epic cuddler when I get the chance. But... Sorry. You said you didn't mean my ninja kid skills, so... What's up, babe? What do you need to talk about?"

[pullmysteth]

"You might not be so enthusiastic if he throws up all over you. You haven't lived until a kid projectile vomits across a room in front of you," Riley joked, giving Grayson one of his trademark smirks. He kept his voice quiet, because RJ could sometimes be a light sleeper. He was an intuitive kid and worried when people he loved were sick or hurt. He had been out of sorts ever since Tara ended up in hospital, and had been getting into bed with Lachlan a lot during the nights. At least, until Lachlan stopped going home so he could be there when Tara woke. He couldn't use this as further ways to procrastinate, though. It was best at a time like this to keep things as out in the open as they could be. Riley preferred to operate like that anyway, because he was always carrying the burden of his condition. It was a lot of putting feelers out as to whether he wanted to disclose it or not. He wasn't legally obliged to disclose it at work either. He was obliged to wear the Medic Alert, however, in case he did bleed at work. So far, it hadn't happened.

"There's not really an easy or subtle way to put this out there, so I'll just get to the point. Your friend, Darcy? I had a pretty intent chat with her last night at the hospital," he began and realised he was still trying to beat around the bush here. He actually wanted to facepalm at himself for being this annoying. It was bad when you actually managed to annoy yourself. "The reason she was there was, well, the fact she's dating Harley's cousin who happens to be a nurse on my unit for one, but... also the fact that she's my ex girlfriend. She was the first person I dated following my diagnosis."