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Crossroads--Chapter 15--Dinner

Chance straightened his shirt and tucked it into his pants before he made his way towards the door. His father stood there, shaking paws with Mr. Bailey, before shaking Mrs. Bailey's paw. He stepped aside and Chance waved at the family of five as they stepped inside.

"Charlie," Zack greeted happily, moving over to him to pull him into a tight hug. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you too," Chance wheezed, "but I can't breathe."

Zack pulled back, and kissed Chance's cheek. Chance grinned dumbly as he led him and his family into the living room. He glanced over at Seth--who very clearly didn't want to be here--and Tristan--who seemed excited at every little bit of the house.

"Thank you for the invitation," Mr. Bailey was saying to David.

"No problem at all. It was actually my wife's idea," David answered. "She's just putting the finishing touches on dinner. Think she said it was a lasagna and--"

"So," Zack whispered to Chance as the adults chatted, "does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"For now," Chance whispered back. He glanced over at Zack and frowned when he saw that Zack wasn't looking back. Instead, his eyes were focused on the photo his father had been straightening mere moments before. "Oh God, please ignore that."

"Why? It's a nice little picture," Zack said kindly.

"Hey, hey, can I see your room?" Tristan asked, bounding over to Chance excitedly.

Chance, momentarily stunned by the young jackal's excited voice, was silent for a moment. "I suppose," he said, looking over at his father, who shrugged, though David still looked relatively uncomfortable. "This way."

He led Zack and Tristan through the house and to his bedroom, opening it nervously. He had picked up just a bit before they'd arrived, though it was far from tidy. A wave of embarrassment washed over Chance as he opened the door and Tristan stepped inside, admiring the sketches on the wall.

"You did these?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," Chance said, hurrying to pick up dirty clothes to hide in the hamper. "Can't tell you how old these are..."

"Did you do this one?" the little jackal breathed, pointing to a painting.

Chance shook his head, but Zack spoke. "Nope, I did that one," he said proudly. "Thanks for keeping it," he added, kissing Chance's cheek.

"Why wouldn't I?" Chance answered with a blush.

"Ugh," groaned a voice. "Get a room." Seth had joined them, looking around the room with a look of disinterest. He walked over to the bed and hurriedly resumed texting on his phone.

"Seth, could you at least try to be friendly?" Zack snarled. "And put the phone away!"

Seth looked up from his phone and was about to retort but little Tristan spoke first, to neither of his brothers. "So, Charlie, do you have a gym like Zack?"

Chance shook his head, chuckling slightly. "No, I don't."

"Do you do anything but draw?" Seth asked in lackadaisical tone. "Got any games?"

"Like board games?"

Seth paused as if Chance had just said the dumbest thing in the world. "No, video games." Seth looked over Chance curiously.

"Not really, no," Chance admitted sheepishly, rubbing his arm nervously. "I'm not really a gamer."

"So, no video games at all?" Seth scoffed. "That's weird."

"Seth, it's fine. Just play some games on your phone," Zack ordered. "Stop being so unpleasant."

"He's fine," Chance insisted.

"So," Tristan continued, "are these your drawings?"

Chance looked over and he grinned. Tristan had found his sketchbook. "Yeah, those are mine. Did those just recently."

"Oh, I know this guy!" Tristan said happily, showing a drawing of Zack in profile.

Chance was about to hurriedly take the sketchbook, but Zack reached for it first. He looked over the picture and smiled, reading the caption that Chance had written beside it.

"You think I'm 'such a handsome hunk'?" Zack said teasingly. Seth looked over his shoulder to read it and burst out into mirthful laughter.

"I... I wrote it but... I... um... I don't know why I wrote it... and I mean..."

There was a knock on the door and Chance hurried to open it. His father stood on the other side.

"Dinner's ready. Wash your paws and meet us in the kitchen."

---

Michelle had truly outdone herself for dinner. With a lasagna, an Italian salad, and so much more, she clearly had worked extremely hard. Chance felt slightly awkward as they began to eat in relative silence, seated beside Zack who looked just as uncomfortable as Chance felt. The only one who looked to be completely at ease was Seth, though Chance was sure that was only because the young jackal was distracting himself by texting.

"So..." Chance began, drumming nervously on the tabletop. Almost immediately, everyone's eyes shifted to him and he sank lower in his table. "This is really good food," he said hurriedly, shoveling a bite of the lasagna into his mouth.

"It really is, Miss Argent," little Tristan agreed. "It's really yummy!"

"Thank you," Michelle said pleasantly. "It's an old recipe my mother taught me." She looked over at Zack. "So, Zack, you're a painter, right?"

Zack swallowed the food in his mouth. "Yes, ma'am."

"Do you have any hobbies outside of arts? You were training Chance, right? Are you an athlete?"

Zack chuckled slightly. "Only in PE. I'm not really into sports much. Actually, I'm more into my art classes than PE, to be honest."

"Charlie, are you in any art classes?" Geoff questioned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chance could see David's eyes narrow when Geoff called him 'Charlie', but he answered quickly, fixing his gaze on his plate. "Not this semester. I'll be taking 3D art next semester."

"But you're in the art club, right? Are you going to be in the art show?" Karen inquired excitedly. "Zack's actually started working on a painting for the show."

"Yeah, me too," Chance said happily, smiling joyfully. "Actually, I have a few ideas for it. They're in my sketchbook; I'd be happy to show you!" He started to rise from his chair.

"Later, Charles," David interrupted. "Sit down, please."

Chance sat back down. Zack smiled at him, resting his paw on Chance's thigh. Chance grinned back, his face slightly pinkish.

"You know," Karen said, leaning over to speak more to Michelle, "the two of them really do look like a nice couple, don't they?"

"They're adorable," Michelle agreed.

Chance looked downward, burning with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. He quickly took a drink of his juice and Zack had occupied himself with his food. But they both gasped in surprise when they heard Geoff's next statement.

"It was a big surprise when we found out Zack was dating another guy," Geoff noted, "but we're happy he's found somebody like Charlie."

Chance coughed and splashed juice over himself and Zack hurriedly patted his back. Seth burst out into amused laughter, but Geoff quickly silenced him with a severe look.

"Charles, control yourself!" David snapped.

"Sorry," Chance said hurriedly, still coughing. "It was an accident. I'll go change."

"Make it quick," David ordered.

Chance stood and moved away from the table. Chance took a small glance back at the table before returning to his room; he could still hear his father speaking lowly in the kitchen from his room. He hurriedly shirked off the messy shirt, his mind racing and buzzing with concern.

"Wonder what they're talking about," he murmured to himself, nervously. He glanced at the shirt he had taken off with a small frown--he liked this shirt.

But the evening seemed to be going... okay, he supposed. While dinner was, admittedly, tense and awkward, at least his father was talking respectfully. He hadn't heard his father say anything or do anything that was off-putting. And Zack's parents seemed to be cordial with David and Michelle.

Even still, leaving Zack alone with his father was making Chance nervous. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Chance was sure David would say something that would ruin the evening. He hurriedly picked out a shirt and pulled it over his head. He paused briefly to ensure he looked presentable (at least enough to avoid anything his father might say) and hurried back into the kitchen. He could hear his father speaking, questioning Zack calmly.

"Which college?" David was saying, clearly deeply intrigued.

"I'm not sure yet," Zack replied, sounding quite nervous and shy. Chance stepped back into the room and Zack glanced back at him. Chance quickly rejoined the table and he could feel Zack's paw on his own within seconds of sitting back down. "I think I might do two years at the community college first. Might give me an idea of what I want to get my degree in."

"Very sensible," David noted. He took a drink and waited a moment before speaking once again. "Charles, I think you could learn something from Zackery. He has a plan for after high school."

"I kind of do," Chance murmured shyly. "And you don't have to call him 'Zackery'. Just Zack."

David shrugged.

"So, Charlie, is Zack your first boyfriend?" Karen asked curiously. The entire table seemed to perk up at the question. Even Seth, who had seemed disinterested and detached, seemed to lean in closer to hear.

"He is," Chance admitted nervously. He reached for Zack's paw, placing his over his boyfriend's. Zack smiled at him with clear pride. "Actually, our date was my first real date... Never really found anyone I clicked with before him."

"Well, Zack, is Charles your first boyfriend?" David asked.

At once, the tension in the room increased and the air felt slightly heavier. Chance sucked in a breath involuntarily as he watched his boyfriend who looked petrified. Zack exchanged quick looks with his parents (who looked visibly unnerved) before speaking.

"Well, no," Zack began, very noticeably choosing his words carefully. "My last boyfriend and I kind of had a falling out, but that's okay. I'm not bothered by it. Charlie's a better boyfriend than Alex anyway."

Chance could practically see the gears turning in his father's head and spoke quickly to cut off the next question that was on the tip of his father's tongue. "So, Dad, how's work going? Did you get that contract?"

"Yes," David said, surprised by the sudden question. "I think we've got it all set."

"Contract?" Geoff inquired, intrigued. "Do you mind if I ask what you do?"

"Not at all," David answered.

"Hey," Chance whispered to Zack as David spoke to Geoff, "I'm sorry about my dad. He's been really eager to give you the third degree."

"I noticed," Zack said, looking uncomfortable, yet relieved that the conversation had drifted away from them. "He's kind of intimidating."

"That means a lot coming from the big dog on campus," Chance said almost teasingly, sharing a chortle with Zack.

---

They had adjourned to the living room while Michelle prepared dessert. Karen had joined her to assist with Tristan nearby, eager to help. Chance watched the two fathers speaking amicably and waited patiently for Zack to return from the bathroom. Soon enough, he was nearing, pushing a very annoyed Seth forward.

"Apologize," Zack ordered when Seth was close.

"Get off," Seth hissed, pulling away.

"What's going on?" Chance wondered, unnerved. "What does he need to apologize for?"

"For what he said in the car," Zack said. "Remember?"

For a moment, Chance was lost, but recollection quickly dawned. "Oh, that! It's not a big deal, Zack. He doesn't have to--"

"Yes, he does," Zack insisted, jabbing Seth roughly. "Apologize."

"Fine! I'm sorry," Seth said, voice dripping with irritation and sarcasm.

"Seth--"

"It's fine, Zack!" Chance insisted. "I accept your apology."

Seth rolled his eyes and walked off to sit in the kitchen, playing a game on his cell phone. Zack was clearly unsatisfied, but exhaled heavily to relax himself.

"Whatever," Zack grumbled. "Sorry about him. He's just being petty because he can't give up one afternoon." He shook his head. "Anyway, how do you think it's going?" He pointed to their fathers. "Think they'll be friends and all? I mean, your dad's kind of... intense."

"I know, but I think it's going okay."

"Just okay? Is that good?"

"Well, Dad's still a bit... difficult, but I think it'll be okay," Chance said, taking Zack's paw. "We'll be okay."

Zack leaned downward to kiss Chance but as they pulled away, David approached, clearing his throat. They looked at him in fear as he neared Zack, steering him towards the back door.

"Mind if I have a quick word with you in private?" David said. "Just a small chat."

"Oh... okay," Zack murmured, scared.

Chance watched them step through the back door and onto the porch, closing the door behind them. Geoff walked over to Chance, smiling happily as he patted the small wolf on the back.

"Hi, Mr. Bailey," Chance remarked.

"It's been really nice, getting to know your folks, Charlie," Geoff said kindly, leading Chance toward the sofa. "You know, your parents are nice people."

"Thanks," Chance said nicely.

"Although, mind if I say something?"

"Okay..."

"You need to calm down, son," Geoff remarked. "You're so high strung and nervous. Just relax. It's okay."

"Alright. I was just nervous about how my dad would be. He's not always been so... open," Chance confessed.

"He's a bit serious, but it's okay," Geoff assured him. "He just wants to get to know his son's boyfriend's family. Can't say I blame him. Kind of why we're all here."

Geoff cleared his throat noisily before saying, "Listen, I don't know if Zack told you about what happened between him and his last boyfriend--"

"I know what happened," Chance interrupted, looking away. "But that was in the past. I don't think Zack would do that to me. Or anyone else."

"Well, if you're certain," Geoff said, though he sounded uncertain himself. "Just... If anything happens, don't hesitate to let me or my wife know. I'm not saying it will, but I know Zack has some... anger problems."

"I know," Chance sighed. "But it'll be okay. I trust him."

"Alrighty." He exhaled nervously. "Sorry if I've made things awkward."

"It's okay... I--Hey, Zack."

Zack and David had returned. Chance frowned when he noticed the slightly fearful look on Zack's face.

"What'd you guys talk about?" Chance asked fretfully.

"Nothing really," Zack said nonchalantly. "Hey, I was thinking that maybe you and I could do a collaboration for the art show."

"A collaboration? Like what?"

Zack was going to answer but Michelle's voice cut through the conversation. "Dessert's ready!"

---

"So," Chance began, standing with Zack by the front door, "think tonight went well?" He glanced back; the Baileys were saying goodnight and thank you to David and Michelle.

"As well as could be expected," Zack mused. "I think my parents like your parents. We might be doing this again really soon."

"Not too soon, hopefully," Chance chuckled. "I almost had a heart attack tonight. I was so nervous and then Dad started interrogating you and then he took you out onto the porch and--"

"You're rambling," Zack said, leaning in closer. Chance could feel Zack's warm breath on his muzzle and fell silent as the tall jackal leaned in for a kiss. Chance moved in closer, mentally rejoicing at the feeling of Zack's arms around him. When they pulled apart, Chance was smiling wide.

"Excuse me, are we interrupting?"

They looked over; all eyes were on them. It had been David who'd spoken, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Chance pulled away, looking shy, but Zack put his arm around him and spoke in a calm, yet dark tone. "Just saying goodnight."

"Well, let's get going, Zack," Geoff said hurriedly. Perhaps he'd noticed the tone in Zack's voice and started to walk forward. He opened the door and ushered Zack outside. "Thanks again, David, Michelle. Dinner was fantastic. It was nice getting to know you."

"Yes, it was," Michelle said. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

Karen shook David's paw and gave Michelle a kind hug before leading her cubs outside. Tristan stopped briefly just to say another goodbye to Chance, promising to hang out again soon, and the five Baileys walked out. Chance stood on the porch, waving, until they turned a corner and disappeared out of sight. Chance turned and stepped back inside, exhaling in relief.

"Well, that went well," Michelle noted pleasantly. "I like Zack's family. They're nice people."

"Yes, they are," David agreed, somewhat begrudgingly. "We'll clean up, Michelle. You go relax."

"You sure? I don't mind."

"Yes, I'm sure, dear," David stated.

"Okay. I'll be in the living room."

David led Chance into the kitchen where the used dishes had been piled up in the sink. David rolled up his sleeves and turned on the faucet, filling up the sink to wash the dishes.

"So, Charles, are you going to tell me what happened between Zack and his last boyfriend?"

"They broke up," Chance said simply. "It happens."

"Do you know why they broke up?" David inquired as he began to clean the dishes. "Did something happen?"

"Not that I know of," Chance lied, looking away. "So, how do you think--?"

"Don't change the subject, Charles. What happened between Zack and his ex-boyfriend?" David insisted. "Do you even know?"

"Dad, why does it matter?"

"Because I want to know that he'll be a good boyfriend for you," David remarked. "I'm willing to tolerate this... relationship but that means you have to be open and honest with me. Charles, this is a simple question. Why did Zack break up with his ex-boyfriend?"

"I don't know!" Chance lied in a whiny tone. "Why are you pushing this so hard? I thought tonight was supposed to make you feel better about me dating him, not worse!" Then, with just as much fervor, "Why'd you take him onto the porch? What'd you say to him that you didn't want me to hear?"

"Charles--" David began, dishes clinking in the sink.

"Are you still upset with him for dating me?"

"I'd watch your mouth," David warned. "I might've given my permission for you to date him, but that doesn't mean I can't take that back!"

Chance sniffled and shook his head. "I don't get it, Dad. What do I have to do so that you'll let me be happy? Why are you making this so difficult?"

"Stop whining," David ordered calmly. He returned his attention to the dishes. "Firstly, I have every right to be suspicious and protective of you. You're my only son and I want to make sure whatever happens is what's best for you. Secondly, I noticed how you and he dodged my question. It's a simple question to answer. What happened between Zack and his ex-boyfriend?"

"I don't know," Chance huffed angrily.

"I know you're lying to me," David remarked. "I know all of your tells."

Chance's paws clenched into tight fists in his effort to restrain his irritation that was threatening to overtake him. In his mind, he thought of Zack, of when they'd argued and the jackal had retreated to the bathroom. He remembered hearing the jackal counting by twos to himself in the mirror. Two, four, six, eight...

"Dad, I trust Zack," Chance said simply. "I was hoping you trusted me."

"What does that mean?" David asked defensively.

Chance sniffled. Twelve, fourteen, sixteen... "You sound like you don't trust my judgment. Dad, I trust Zack. I like Zack. Why can't you just be happy for me?"

David had no immediate answer. "I'll do the dishes. You go relax."

"Dad--"

"Go."

Chance sighed and turned away. He made his way to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. His eyes surveyed the walls and came to rest on the Hawaiian themed painting Zack had done. He smiled weakly at it and sat down on his bed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to send on final text for the night.

Goodnight Zack. Sleep well.

It was only a minute later when Zack's reply came.

Good night, my Charlie.

Chance's heart warmed and he reclined, clutching the phone to his chest and staring at the ceiling. He remembered exactly what he'd said to Zack: We'll be okay.

"I know we will," he said to himself. "I know we'll be okay."