A/N: I just wanted to say, before the chapter, thank you all for reading my story and, if you reviewed, for also reviewing it. It means a lot to me guys and I appreciate it greatly. So, here's the new chapter. R&R. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

In Which Aster Meets North (Or the Awkward Dinner)

It had been a week since Aster's fight with Pitch. Jack served his after school detention, managing to get all of his homework done as well as starting the last volume of the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan (he had already read them all, but he hadn't been able to get anything new that piqued his interest). Aster got through his two in-service days and managed not to miss too much stuff in class. Pitch got five days out of school suspension, or, at least, that was the rumor that was going around; Jack wasn't too sure and there was no way in hell he was going to ask Principal Manny about that ( like he needed more detention)

His dad wasn't' exactly a happy camper when Aster dropped Jack off at his house after his detention. However, North had been more concerned about him than angry and that made his hovering and questioning bearable. After Jack had finished telling his dad a brief summary of what happened (because what kid doesn't want to admit to their parent or parents that two guys were fighting over him in, of all places, a boys' bathroom?) he had to physically stop his dad from charging out of the door with his two very mighty, very pointy Russian swords in his hands. Forcing himself to stand between the front door and his dad, who was a very angry Russian with swords, almost made him pee himself.

Luckily, Jack had more self control than that.

After he had somehow managed to calm his dad down enough that he stopped swearing in Russian and put his swords away, Jack explained everything again. He explained how Pitch had dragged him into the bathroom and kissed him (which made Dad's eye twitch dangerously), how Aster came in and beat the shit out of Pitch (which wasn't exactly true and he said 'crap' instead of 'shit' because his dad didn't like it when he swore), and ended with how Jack got after school detention and Aster two days in-school suspension. There was a long, silent pause after he finished and Jack wasn't sure if his dad was going to try another attempt at his murderous rampage or not. What he did do was totally and completely unexpected and Jack's jaw literally dropped open unattractively.

"So….this Aster…he is your boyfriend, no?" his dad had asked him.

"U-uh… Yeah…Yeah he is. Officially now," Jack had told, his cheeks tinted a soft pink and a small, happy smile on his face. North studied him for a moment before he nodded to himself.

"Den it is settled. Invite him over for dinner. I want to meet dis Aster and see him for myself," he had said before he stood up and made his way into the kitchen.

And now, it was the night of the dinner and Jack was both excited and nervous. He was excited because he'd be with Aster. Aside from class and two days of after school art tutoring (Jack could now draw a stick figure), he hadn't seen the taller teen much. The Art Club was getting ready for Winter Fest, which was apparently like May Day only during the fall semester, and Aster had a lot of projects that were in the show. So did Jamie and Sandy and all of them were staying after school to finish putting the working touches on their pieces. But he was also nervous because he wasn't sure how his dad and Aster would take to each other.

Okay, yes, his dad knew all about Jack being gay, but he had never had an actual boyfriend to bring home. Heck, he hadn't ever brought any friends home! And while North was totally cool with him being gay, he was also the typical overprotective parent. When Tommy Ranger had tried to get in his pants and had humiliated him at school, his dad wanted blood. Had Jack not insisted that they move, he would have gotten it too. But, as he had told his dad, he'd rather not be parentless again. That was the only reason his dad let Tommy Ranger live and moved them out of the state.

So, it made perfect sense that his dad would want to meet Aster and determine if he was good enough for Jack (aka size him up and/or threaten him). That being said, it was hella awkward and that was even before Aster showed up.

When Jack invited him over to dinner, Aster had been surprised, but pleased. After all, he was not only Jack's first official boyfriend but he was the first guy to come over to his house and meet his dad. The worried and concerned look appeared after Jack told him that his dad had swords and that he knew how to use them so he really shouldn't be worried if he saw them in the living room when he arrived. He also told Aster that his dad was going to see what he was worth and that all the grey-blue haired teen had to do was be himself. Aster merely laughed nervously before he gulped. Jack felt bad for him and bumped shoulders with him, all the while saying that his dad was just overprotective because of a lot of things. Thankfully, Aster didn't ask him to elaborate; he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell Aster about Tommy or any of his past dates so soon, especially after what happened with Pitch.

He sat on the couch and waited for Aster to arrive. Dinner was at six and Dad had been in the kitchen since he got home. Jack had peeked into the kitchen when his dad wasn't looking and saw that he was making shashlyk and had all of the ingredients out to make pumpkin oladi. Seeing and smelling the shish kebobs and knowing that his dad planned on making those delicious Russian pancakes made Jack's mouth water. Aster was totally in for a treat tonight, if he managed to get through the awkward staring contest that was bound to ensue.

A few minutes before six, someone knocked on the front door. Jack all but shot straight up off the couch and made his way over to the door. Opening it, he beamed at his boyfriend, who gave him a nervous smile in return. He looked Aster over and his smile widened. The taller teen looked amazing in his Walking Dead t-shirt, the one with Michonne on it, and black jeans that made him look dressed up yet comfortable. With his tan coat on and his Converse, he looked ready to face the world. But he didn't look as though he was ready to face Jack's dad. It was sweet and more than kinda cute and it had Jack grinning like a total moron as he stepped into Aster's arms and hugged him.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine," Jack said.

"Are his swords in the living room or the kitchen?" Aster asked as he hugged Jack as though his life depended on it.

"He has three sets of Russian swords. One is in the living room, the others' in the kitchen, and the third is in his bedroom," he said. That only made Aster hug him tighter.

"He has three?!" Aster asked, his voice cracking in a high pitched manner. Jack nodded.

"Yep. He sure does. But don't worry. If it gets to that point, I know how to use 'em. I'll keep you safe." Jack pulled away and grinned impishly up at his boyfriend.

"Gee, thanks, Frostbite. That makes m' feel so much betta," Aster said, trying to nonchalantly roll his eyes. It didn't work too well since he was nervous and sort of pale, but Jack didn't point that out.

"Come on in. Dinner is almost ready," Jack told him as he ushered Aster inside before closing the door. Delicious smells had drifted from the kitchen and made the house smell super good and amazing.

"Somethin' smells good," Aster said and he seemed to relax a little bit.

"Dad made shashlyk."

"Shashlyk? Wha' the heck is that?" Aster asked him, his countenance full of confusion and uncertainty. Jack smiled up at him and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Lamb shish kebobs that are seasoned with onions, garlic cloves, parsley and a bunch of other stuff. It's really, really good. Trust me," Jack explained to him.

"If ya say so," Aster mumbled softly, still looking unsure.

"I do. And best of all, Dad's gonna make pumpkin oladi afterwards," Jack said, his mouth practically watering.

"What's that exactly?" Aster asked him again.

"Russian pancakes. They are to die for. I fucking love them! Dad makes the best," Jack gushed like a pregnant chick with food cravings.

"I 'appreciate compliment, but no swearing, Jack," came his dad's voice. Jack and Aster both jumped and Jack turned and looked up at his dad.

"Sorry, Dad. I'll try to keep that under control," he said and then beamed up at him. Grabbing hold of Aster's coat sleeve, Jack tugged him to his side.

"Dad, this is Aster. Aster, this is my dad, North," Jack introduced them. He watched, feeling kind of nervous despite himself as his dad and his boyfriend one upped each other. Much to his surprise, and something that would've impressed him if Jack had been in his dad's shoes, Aster made the first move.

"Aster Bunnymund, sir. It's a pleasure t' meet ya," Aster said, offering his hand to shake. His dad's eyes widened slightly and a big grin broke out over his face as he grasped Aster's smaller hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Aster! So, you are the one who helped Jack out," North said. When Aster nodded, he laughed his booming laughter and added, "He talks about you a lot. It's nice to have a face to the name."

Jack groaned inwardly and felt his face flush. Great… Just what he needed. It seemed that not only was his dad typically overprotective, but he also lived to embarrass his kid. Typical. But Aster merely shot Jack a smile and winked at him, which North caught. Was it just Jack or did his dad squeeze Aster's hand too tightly? The taller teen winced, but he just laughed it off, sounding slightly nervous before they released each other's hands.

"T-thanks, I think," Aster replied.

"Now that you are here, let's eat! Shashlyk is good, but not so much when cold. Come! Into the kitchen, both of you," North said as he made shooing motions to the two teens. They entered the kitchen and sat down at the table, Aster sitting across from Jack, leaving North his chair at the head of the table.

"I hope you enjoy, Aster. Tis very good," North said before they began to eat.

And they did eat. In complete silence. In complete, awkward as all hell, silence. Jack kept looking from his dad to Aster to his plate and then back up again. Aster mostly kept his gaze to his plate, but he would look up and meet Jack's blue eyes every so often. North kept his eyes on Aster the entire time, even as he ate, and eventually, Aster's gaze connected with his. And thus the staring match begun. A minute passed. Then two. And then five. All the while, Jack ate his shashlyk and sipped at his glass of water. No one said anything for what felt like forever.

Oh yeah; it was definitely awkward.

"How old are you, Aster?" North suddenly asked.

"Seventeen, soon to be eighteen," Aster answered. The sounds of chewing and the ticking of the kitchen clock were the only noises in the room as they talked.

"Do you play any sports?"

"I used to play soccer, but I stopped."

"Were you any good?" Jack's dad asked, a black eye brow arching as if daring Aster to be sarcastic or snarky.

"Th' best," Aster answered simply.

"Are you a virgin?"

"Okay, this is awkward," Jack said, interrupting their game of questions before it got any worse, and by worse he meant more awkward and embarrassing.

"Yes, I am," his boyfriend responded, a hint of defiance in his voice.

"How many people have you dated?" North asked.

"Two; Amy Turner in third grade and Kosmotis Pitchiner about a year or so back. Not that the last one really counts or anythin'," Aster said, his green eyes narrowing slightly. That only caused Jack's dad's eyes to narrow.

"The boy you beat up?" he asked.

"He was a friend and I didn't want t' hurt his feelings, okay?" Aster almost growled.

"Is fine. Just curious," Jack's dad said, never taking his eyes off Aster. "Jack tells me you are in Art Club."

"Yeah, I am, and I'm th' best artist in the school," Aster retorted. At that point, they were both neglecting their shashlyk and Jack was sliding down in his chair, hoping and praying that he would just disappear.

"Do you watch Glee?" Jack sunk even lower. Why, oh why, did his dad decide to pull out his bag-of-random-questions trick?

"Wha?" Aster asked, unsure of how to respond and a little bit defensive.

"The Golden Girls? Buffy de Vampire Slayer? Supernatural?" North asked, standing up. Aster stood up too and looked half scared and half determined.

"Buffy not so much, but The Golden Girls and Supernatural are good shows. I also like Game of Thrones, playing Clue and Pokemon on my DS, and coffee. Anythin' else ya wanna know, mate?" Aster asked. Putting his knuckles on the table, North stared long and hard into Aster's face. Jack just sat there in total shock, not knowing if he should say anything or what to say even if he did.

"Just one."

"An' what's that?" Aster asked.

"Would you beat dis Pitch up again if he touched my son?" North asked. Jack was taken aback by the question. It was more than kind of random and he honestly didn't know where his dad was going with all of the questions.

"Yes, I would, even if it got me expelled," Aster replied automatically. Jack's dad stared at his boyfriend for a few seconds longer before he nodded and smirked slightly.

"Good. Finish your shashlyk. I have oladi to make," and with that, his dad sat down and started eating again as if asking random questions was normal.

Jack sat there with his mouth hanging open unattractively like a fish and not knowing what the hell just happened.

A/N: I have little to no knowledge of Russian culture or food other than what I've Googled, which has so far only been food. I don't mean to offend anyone or anything. I just wanted to make that clear.