Zane tapped his fingers on his thigh before finally leaning back and relaxing into his seat. There was soft rock playing in the car as they drove through the city, the sun just beginning to set, the sky getting ready to darken.
Cole's voice came through the gentle atmosphere that had been built. "Ah, looks like she's out already."
The blonde looked over his shoulder, peering into the backseat. And sure enough their now sleeping six-year old was leaning to one side in her booster seat, eyes closed. The glittery flower and vine "tattoo" shining around the side of her left eye.
They were just coming home from the school's spring pageant, that had admittedly ran a little long. But it was all worth it to have those memories of their daughter in a pretty lavender dress singing 'Everything Grows'.
After all, those were moments that could never be replaced.
Smiling, he turned around, facing forward again. "It's going to be quite the challenge cleaning all the glitter off of her face," he said, chuckling.
Cole gave a fake heavy sigh, taking a peek at her in the rearview mirror. "You're telling me!" He lifted a hand off the steering wheel, running it through his hair. "I thought it would have been harder just to make it stay on - it was coming off everywhere in the beginning. So, uh, don't mind the mess in the bathroom."
Zane hummed, closing his eyes. "You're still cleaning it up."
His husband scoffed. "Of course, punish the artist. It took real work making it look so pretty!"
"I know. It looks great." he said, turning and giving Cole a smile.
The silence returned again, and Zane watched as the buildings disappeared, and the houses began to appear outside the passenger window.
He felt a hand wrap around his hand resting on his thigh. Zane gave a squeeze back before looking up at Cole again. He watched as Cole kept his eyes forward on the road, opening his mouth as to say something, before closing it again.
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking...maybe we should adopt again?"
"Hm? What brought this up?"
"I just think it'd be good for her, you know? I didn't get to grow up with siblings and I wish sometimes that I did...besides, she's getting older," Cole suddenly jerked their clasped hands closer to his chest, startling Zane before continuing, "and I don't think my heart will be able to handle her going into first grade next year!"
Zane pulled his hand back gently, Cole replacing his hand on the wheel as they rolled into their driveway. "Maybe," the blonde said, a smile appearing on his lips.
Cole turned off the car, and Zane got off, opening the rear car door.
He gently unbuckled his daughter, careful not to wake her, before lifting her into his arms, her head on his shoulder.
Zane walked around the back of the car, about to make his way to the front door. "I just remembered that Kai, Nya, and Jay surely must have fulfilled the roles of sib- what's wrong?"
Cole held his arm out in front of him, keeping him from walking any further. "Wait."
Instinctively, he slightly tightened the hold on his child. But, Zane couldn't see anything, or hear anything suspicious. The silence enveloped them for a few seconds, the blonde growing anxious as to why they were not moving - why they weren't going inside the house.
Cole spoke very carefully, his words coming out in an urgent whisper.
"There's someone, right there, on the porch."
"Where?" he asked, trying to scan through the darkness.
"They're lying there, on the ground. Trying to hide." Cole's tone strengthened at the end, before he started to move towards the door.
"Cole! Come back!"
But Zane's frantic whispers were ignored, as Cole marched over to the porch, all tense, his fists clenched at the sides.
Zane held his breath as Cole stepped slowly onto the porch. Making careful movements, he peered down at the floor, almost crouching before turning back to face him.
"It's a kid...and they're... asleep? I think?" He said, calling out into the darkness.
Zane felt his heart restart, beating to ward off the cold feeling that had started to settle in his chest. He moved closer to the porch, keeping the hold on his daughter. He stood closer to Cole, finally catching a glimpse.
Sprawled out on the porch, using a backpack as a makeshift pillow, was this teenaged boy clothed in ripped jeans, a sweatshirt that appeared a size too big, and some worn converse high tops with brightly colored shoelaces. With one arm over his stomach, the other arm over his eyes, coupled with the sight of his calm expression - would have given anyone the impression that this boy was back at home, sleeping in his own bed.
"What do we do?" the blonde whispered in the dark.
Cole thought a moment before answering back. "I don't know..he doesn't seem to be danger-"
They were both surprised by the kid's sudden jerk on the ground.
The noirette pushed Zane back behind him as the kid sat up, rubbing his eyes. He blinked a couple times before looking around, before his eyes traveled back up to Zane and Cole standing above him.
Nobody spoke.
"Um...excuse me, are you alright?" Cole asked, still wary of the stranger.
The teen's voice broke through the silence, slightly higher than Zane expected, and much more embarrassed. "Oh...Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep here." He placed an arm on the floor of the porch, trying to heave himself up onto his feet before Cole offered him a hand.
Now that he was standing Zane realized he was much taller than how he looked on the ground. About as tall as him, almost as tall as Cole. His shy brown eyes looked down for a moment before turning back up.
"Do you need help?" Cole asked.
"Yes! Actually I came because-" the teen rummaged through his pants pocket for a second before pulling out a folded square of paper. He opened it before speaking again. "They gave me this address for someone I was looking for?..." he said, his voice trailing off.
Zane, who had remained almost completely quiet during this whole...encounter...decided to speak up.
"I'm afraid you might have the wrong address, I've lived here all my life." He readjusted his grip on his daughter, trying not to jostle her too much.
"Oh..." The teen glanced at the number plate by the front door, "Isn't this 4612 South Birchwood?"
"...Yes." The blonde replied warily.
The stranger across from him piped up excitedly. "Maybe you can help me then!" Catching himself in his burst of energy, he paused a second before toning himself down a notch. "I'm actually looking for -" he glanced back at the paper again, "Charles Julien."
"Actually-"
Zane was about to tell him, that, unfortunately, his father had passed away. But the next words were lost as soon as the teen spoke once again.
"I'm looking for him...because...well...
I'm his son."
The cold slowly seeping back into his chest, Zane felt as if time had frozen - leaving him at a standstill.