It was the first Father's Day since Michael had showed up.
Michael had showed up at Jeremy's and Christine's door six months ago. They weren't exactly happy to see him; it was more relieved anger than anything. Michael had dropped off the face of the earth for a while and nobody knew where he was.
He needed a place to stay, he explained after Jeremy had calmed down. Jeremy's reaction to Michael's sudden reappearance had been more emotional than Christine's; they had, after all, been friends since they were four years old.
Jeremy and Christine had allowed Michael to sleep on their couch while he looked for a job. But some things had to change, they told him. He couldn't smoke weed or curse as freely anymore.
The Canigula-Heere family had a child they had to be good examples for.
Little Zoey was only in kindergarten. She quickly got used to having an extra person in the house. In fact, Michael was her "favorite person". Jeremy teased Michael about this, saying that it wasn't fair to be two people's favorite person. Zoey didn't talk and used sign language to communicate, so Michael willingly learned the language.
About two months after Michael moved in, Jeremy had started to act unusual. Michael was confused, but Christine observed Jeremy's behavior, and looked more closely at Michael's.
Christine waited a month before saying, a little exasperated, "Just tell each other you like each other already!"
They were in the kitchen and Christine was cutting up watermelon, when she noticed the boys' eyes meet and Jeremy quickly look away. That had been the tipping point for her.
Michael and Jeremy both froze and looked up. "You know?" they asked at the same time.
"Well, Jeremy didn't make it hard to miss with how he was acting," Christine said with a shrug, dropping cubes of watermelon into the nearest Tupperware container. "And I started to pay attention to Michael's behavior too."
Jeremy blushed and ducked his head. "You're not mad?" he asked.
"Nope," Christine replied, popping the 'p'. "It was kind of cute, at first."
"I still love you," Jeremy hurried to say, clearly worried about Christine taking Jeremy's crush on Michael as falling out of love with her.
"I know." She put the containers of watermelon in the fridge. "You can love two people. You can be with two people. Others have done it before."
"And you'd be okay with that?"
Christine put the knife and cutting board in the sink and started to wipe up the mess from cutting watermelon. "I'd be happy to have Michael be a part of our little family," she said.
Jeremy looked at Michael, who had been silent and fidgeting, hands playing with the fabric of his worn-out hoodie. "Would you be okay with that?"
Michael nodded.
"It's decided, then," Christine said, moving to sit at the table. "We're both your partners now."
Michael gave a hesitant smile, but soon that was replaced with a happy grin. Jeremy seemed happy about it as well.
Zoey thought nothing of Michael being more affectionate with Jeremy when the three of them picked her up after kindergarten let out for the day. There was no trouble in the following months.
Zoey had brought home a little bag the Friday before Father's Day. She shook her head with vigor when Michael asked about it. He figured it was a Father's Day craft for Jeremy made in class. He didn't quite know why he wasn't allowed to see it, though.
On Sunday, Zoey insisted on helping Christine make Jeremy a breakfast. Well, she wanted to do it herself, but she was only five and a half and that wasn't allowed.
"What's that?" Christine hummed when Zoey tugged on her shirt. She looked over at where the child was pointing, at Michael, who had stayed up a little late and was sleeping on the couch since he didn't want to wake Christine and Jeremy. Christine watched Zoey point at the pancakes and hash browns they were making next. "You want Michael to have a Father's Day breakfast too?"
Zoey nodded. Christine smiled a little and agreed.
Jeremy and Michael woke up a little later. Zoey stopped them in the living room, signing to them to sit on the couch while she went to her room and fetched the bag she had brought home on Friday. She took out something small and wrapped in tissue paper and gave it to Jeremy.
Jeremy smiled and started to open it. Michael watched with a slight smile.
Zoey tugged on Michael's sleeve, to turn his attention back to her. She stuck her hand back into the bag and brought out another tissue paper-wrapped gift, placing it in his hand.
Michael stilled. "For me?" he asked hesitantly. The girl nodded. "But it's Father's Day."
'I know,' Zoey signed, waiting for Michael to open it. Jeremy had opened his gift and now was watching the exchange between his daughter and his boyfriend.
Zoey now frowned, trailing a finger down her cheek like a tear, in question.
"It's happy crying," Michael assured her.
After the gifts, Zoey grabbed both of her fathers' hands and led them to the kitchen, where Christine had finished cooking breakfast. Christine smiled when she saw how happy Michael looked.
Zoey included Michael in every Father's Day after that.