Chapter 42: Adoption
It didn't sit well with Erin, that he got to have parents, while Lysander did not. Yet, he really wanted parents. He knew, that if he asked the nymph and the wizard, then they would surely say they would like him as a son. They loved him, and they loved Lysander. That much, Erin was sure of.
So, that night, when they went back in Tine's dimensional pocket, Erin was ready to make his case. His eyes were puffy, but he was in clean clothes, and he smelled of mint. Lysander was holding his hand, as they crossed the portal. The wanderer tried to let go, but Erin didn't let him.
If they were not to be brothers, then they would be something more. And, Erin's real parents had loved to hold hands. It was a couple thing, not just a sibling thing. So, Erin didn't let go of Lysander.
Tine and Belle were already talking, sitting on a picnic blanket, with food spread on it. Erin really wanted to know, how Tine made food appear out of the thin air. For, Erin wanted to do the same. When the two adults saw them, they smiled, and halted in their conversation.
"Belle, Tine," Erin said, giving each one a bow. "Can you be my mama and papa?"
The two shared a look, and then looked at Lysander.
"And what of Ly, Rin?" Belle asked. "Doesn't he want a mama and a papa too?"
"I just want Erin to not be my brother, so I can marry him," Lysander said. Belle gave out a couple of chuckles.
"Oh, dear," Tine said, with a heavy sigh. "Babies, playing at being married."
"I will be good," Erin said, as he made a couple of steps, tugging Lysander along. "Brush my teeth, make my own clothes. I just want to have someone who'd tell me stories, and tuck me into bed at night."
"And who has been doing that, so far?" Belle asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Ly," Erin said, without giving it much thought.
"And who has been healing your cuts and scratches? Who has been putting food on the table, so you won't go hungry?" Tine asked. Once again, Erin didn't give it much thought.
"Ly," he said, and then blinked. "Oh."
"You see it now, don't you, Rin? You want parents, but Lysander has already filled that role. We could be your friendly auntie and uncle. How about that?" Belle asked, her eyes twinkling.
"But, parents can't marry their children," Lysander said, mortified that what he wanted was unreachable.
"And who said you have to adopt Rin? Raise him well, and," Tine began, but then stopped, when he saw that Lysander was bowing low to him.
"Please, adopt Rin. Help me raise him. I don't want to be his papa. I want to marry him, when we grow up," Lysander said, with a sincere tone.
"Oh, dear. Ly, one of us is dead, and the other sleeps during the winter. You will still have to do most of Erin's upbringing," Belle said. Tine got a sad expression on his face, but didn't comment.
"Yes, but if he has parents, then he will never call me papa," Lysander protested. He could do without parents. It was Rin, who needed adults in his life.
"And what will change, if Erin suddenly gets adopted?" Tine asked. "Do you think we will suddenly change, to coddle him?"
"I think you will love him more," Lysander answered to the best of his abilities. "Rin deserves parents!"
"And why is that?" Belle asked. Erin's eyes were watering, when he saw that the two adults didn't want him. He used his free hand, to wipe at his eyes. He felt like a silly baby.
Not everyone wanted children. Belle and Tine weren't even together, for, they weren't married. His mother had always said that one must first marry, to begin living with someone else.
"Rin, don't cry," Lysander said, as he hugged the blonde. "It is ok. We can still visit Belle and Tine, even if they are not your parents. We can, right?"
Lysander turned his head towards the two adults when he asked that question.
"Erin, isn't Lysander enough?" Tine asked in a soft tone. He knew the boys were close. He also knew that Lysander already acted like a grown-up, out of necessity. If there were adults in their life, then the raven-haired wanderer might begin to act his age.
That was not to imply that Tine liked this game, which Belle started. He knew for a fact that she couldn't adopt. Nymphs didn't have blood, and for a blood adoption, one needed blood.
"Ly is the best," Erin said, between sobs. "But I want a mama to sing me to sleep, and a papa to teach me things."
"Oh, dear," Belle said, as she stood. She took the boys in her arms, and scooped them up. Erin immediately snuggled up to her. "Look, Rin. It is not as if I don't want to adopt you, but I have sap instead of blood..."
"I don't need a magical binding adoption," Erin said, now with snout running down his nose. "I just want a mama and a papa."
Belle sighed, and hugged the two boys close.
"Then, it won't be official. You may call me your mama if you'd like. But you won't get any of my magic. Tine, are you on board with this?" Belle turned towards the wizard, who had a soft smile on his lips.
"I never thought I'd have children, seeing as Belle couldn't get pregnant. But now," he chuckled, and went to the hug pile. "A dragon shifter for a son. Who would want anything more?"
Lysander shifted in Belle's grasp. He had said that he didn't need parents, so he could marry Erin, but that didn't do anything about the lump in his throat.
"But I think I have something that is more of a fair solution to this problem," Tine said, as he eased Lysander out of the hug pile. "Belle can adopt the dragon, and I can adopt the wanderer. Then, you won't really be brothers, seeing as Belle and I can't marry."
Lysander looked up at Tine's smiling face, and bit his bottom lip.
"But Rin needs a papa," Lysander protested.
"You do too, junior. Now, be happy, son," these words were like a balm for Lysander. Not even Anna had called him son. He hugged Tine like a drowning man, and began to sob in his nape. All the while, the wizard patted him on the back.
Chapter 42: Adoption
It didn't sit well with Erin, that he got to have parents, while Lysander did not. Yet, he really wanted parents. He knew, that if he asked the nymph and the wizard, then they would surely say they would like him as a son. They loved him, and they loved Lysander. That much, Erin was sure of.
So, that night, when they went back in Tine's dimensional pocket, Erin was ready to make his case. His eyes were puffy, but he was in clean clothes, and he smelled of mint. Lysander was holding his hand, as they crossed the portal. The wanderer tried to let go, but Erin didn't let him.
If they were not to be brothers, then they would be something more. And, Erin's real parents had loved to hold hands. It was a couple thing, not just a sibling thing. So, Erin didn't let go of Lysander.
Tine and Belle were already talking, sitting on a picnic blanket, with food spread on it. Erin really wanted to know, how Tine made food appear out of the thin air. For, Erin wanted to do the same. When the two adults saw them, they smiled, and halted in their conversation.
"Belle, Tine," Erin said, giving each one a bow. "Can you be my mama and papa?"
The two shared a look, and then looked at Lysander.
"And what of Ly, Rin?" Belle asked. "Doesn't he want a mama and a papa too?"
"I just want Erin to not be my brother, so I can marry him," Lysander said. Belle gave out a couple of chuckles.
"Oh, dear," Tine said, with a heavy sigh. "Babies, playing at being married."
"I will be good," Erin said, as he made a couple of steps, tugging Lysander along. "Brush my teeth, make my own clothes. I just want to have someone who'd tell me stories, and tuck me into bed at night."
"And who has been doing that, so far?" Belle asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Ly," Erin said, without giving it much thought.
"And who has been healing your cuts and scratches? Who has been putting food on the table, so you won't go hungry?" Tine asked. Once again, Erin didn't give it much thought.
"Ly," he said, and then blinked. "Oh."
"You see it now, don't you, Rin? You want parents, but Lysander has already filled that role. We could be your friendly auntie and uncle. How about that?" Belle asked, her eyes twinkling.
"But, parents can't marry their children," Lysander said, mortified that what he wanted was unreachable.
"And who said you have to adopt Rin? Raise him well, and," Tine began, but then stopped, when he saw that Lysander was bowing low to him.
"Please, adopt Rin. Help me raise him. I don't want to be his papa. I want to marry him, when we grow up," Lysander said, with a sincere tone.
"Oh, dear. Ly, one of us is dead, and the other sleeps during the winter. You will still have to do most of Erin's upbringing," Belle said. Tine got a sad expression on his face, but didn't comment.
"Yes, but if he has parents, then he will never call me papa," Lysander protested. He could do without parents. It was Rin, who needed adults in his life.
"And what will change, if Erin suddenly gets adopted?" Tine asked. "Do you think we will suddenly change, to coddle him?"
"I think you will love him more," Lysander answered to the best of his abilities. "Rin deserves parents!"
"And why is that?" Belle asked. Erin's eyes were watering, when he saw that the two adults didn't want him. He used his free hand, to wipe at his eyes. He felt like a silly baby.
Not everyone wanted children. Belle and Tine weren't even together, for, they weren't married. His mother had always said that one must first marry, to begin living with someone else.
"Rin, don't cry," Lysander said, as he hugged the blonde. "It is ok. We can still visit Belle and Tine, even if they are not your parents. We can, right?"
Lysander turned his head towards the two adults when he asked that question.
"Erin, isn't Lysander enough?" Tine asked in a soft tone. He knew the boys were close. He also knew that Lysander already acted like a grown-up, out of necessity. If there were adults in their life, then the raven-haired wanderer might begin to act his age.
That was not to imply that Tine liked this game, which Belle started. He knew for a fact that she couldn't adopt. Nymphs didn't have blood, and for a blood adoption, one needed blood.
"Ly is the best," Erin said, between sobs. "But I want a mama to sing me to sleep, and a papa to teach me things."
"Oh, dear," Belle said, as she stood. She took the boys in her arms, and scooped them up. Erin immediately snuggled up to her. "Look, Rin. It is not as if I don't want to adopt you, but I have sap instead of blood..."
"I don't need a magical binding adoption," Erin said, now with snout running down his nose. "I just want a mama and a papa."
Belle sighed, and hugged the two boys close.
"Then, it won't be official. You may call me your mama if you'd like. But you won't get any of my magic. Tine, are you on board with this?" Belle turned towards the wizard, who had a soft smile on his lips.
"I never thought I'd have children, seeing as Belle couldn't get pregnant. But now," he chuckled, and went to the hug pile. "A dragon shifter for a son. Who would want anything more?"
Lysander shifted in Belle's grasp. He had said that he didn't need parents, so he could marry Erin, but that didn't do anything about the lump in his throat.
"But I think I have something that is more of a fair solution to this problem," Tine said, as he eased Lysander out of the hug pile. "Belle can adopt the dragon, and I can adopt the wanderer. Then, you won't really be brothers, seeing as Belle and I can't marry."
Lysander looked up at Tine's smiling face, and bit his bottom lip.
"But Rin needs a papa," Lysander protested.
"You do too, junior. Now, be happy, son," these words were like a balm for Lysander. Not even Anna had called him son. He hugged Tine like a drowning man, and began to sob in his nape. All the while, the wizard patted him on the back.
