Taming Each Other

10

Cash's POV

"Cash! It's nearly time to go! Your Aunt, Uncle, and cousins are already on their way! Go get Royal!" My mom was always over dramatic about this stuff.

"I can just text him to meet us there!"

"Don't you dare young man! He is not driving 3 hours on his own! Drag him here if you have to!"

With that I walked to the next door and banged on the door until someone answered.

"What, what, what!" Royal flung the door open and stared at me, "what?"

"It's time to go and my mom told me to come get you."

"You could've texted me the address."

"That's what I said. Now grab a shirt and a bag with swim trunks and a towel and come on."

In a couple of minutes I was actually dragging Royal along with me as to not give him enough time to worry about his hair or makeup. In my experience with this particular Hawkson child is that he is extremely insecure when he isn't up to perfection. Probably from being in the spotlight since birth. If you give him enough time he will look like a completely different person. And I don't know why, but I found him attractive... both ways....

"I dragged him for you Ma!" I said walking over to the car where everyone was already loaded.

"Good, now get in."

With that I got in and pulled Royal behind me not letting him back out last minute. This was going to be a long ride.

At the park

During the drive Royal had successfully made himself as small as possible gaining little attention from the rest of the occupants of the car. Of course me and Royal were on our phones 99% of the time. Samuel and Fern were arguing the entire time about who got what and where and whatever else. Mom and dad were either dealing with the bickering or talking so no one really got a good look at anyone or the situation until everyone was piling out.

Aunt Irene and Uncle Luke, along with their five munchkins, had gotten here about 5 minutes before us and had set up the things they brought. So they were really just waiting for us to arrive and the look on their face when Royal got out was something else.

Sure he wasn't wearing makeup this time around, not that they'd be able to tell from that distance, but he was wearing shorts and a tank top exposing more tattoos than before along with still having all his piercings in and this time around his hair just fell around his face. Now that I think of it maybe I should've let him change and do his hair. Luckily Irene and Luke just shrugged it off and walked away. Dad was holding in his displeasure as to not have a repeat of yesterday, as mom dragged him to the picnic table. And the younger kids ran to either play at the park or walked to the park and pretended to be too old for it.

"Wow, umm... hi, I'm Jo. Just in case my pronouns are They/Them," yes, my baby cousin flirting with any hot person they see.

"Royal... he/him," he was most likely oblivious to those eyes that just screamed 'Marry Me'.

"That's a cool name and I bet it would sound even prettier if it were screamed."

"Thanks... I think?"

"Ok, then hotshot," I pulled Jo away from Royal, "calm your rockers. That's a Hawkson."

"As in the Hawkson family."

"Yep."

"Then why is he here?"

"Cause dad was an asshole yesterday, mom forced me to invite him, and I forced him to come."