The IV League [EDITING]

Chapter 22

"I. Fucking. Hate. Kids."

Kennedy gave Joey the 'I-told-you-so' look as he removed play-doh from his hair.

"It's been an entire week since I started working at the play pen and let me tell you, it is not fun!" He slammed his fists on the marble vanity of the men's room.

"Hey, I warned you," said Kennedy.

"Warnings don't help! I took on this job because I wanted to touch people's lives. So far, only one girl managed to believe me, and the next day she puked on my face. I think I'm doing a great job!"

Kennedy cupped his face. "Sweetie, you are doing a great job. Things like these take time. Months, even years. You have to be patient. Besides, they're kids. They don't really remember much of anything you tell them. And that's okay."

Joey sighed. "Is it though? I mean, they're the ones whose personalities can be moulded. They can learn how not to be bigoted assholes. And I can be a part of that. I want to be a part of that."

"I understand that. But you can't go wave a pride flag in their face and then expect them to understand. To them it's just another rainbow. They'll understand it's significance once they're older. Right now, all you can do is be the cool babysitter."

Joey scoffed. "They'll terrorize every kind of babysitter there is. Being 'cool' won't stop them."

Kennedy sighed. "Do you want to quit? Because you can, if you want."

Joey shook his head. "I'll give it another shot. One more week and then we'll see."

Kennedy leaned forward and kissed him. "I'm proud of you, you know that?"

Joey blushed. "I know. You're the best boyfriend ever, you know that?"

"I think Ryan Reynolds is better, but oh well."

Joey laughed. "You can be my Ryan Reynolds. Mainly because I want to be Blake Lively."

"That would make us the power couple of Riverview."

"We already are the power couple of Riverview, hun."

Kennedy grinned. "You're right, we are."

He carried bridal style out of the washroom, earning them judgemental looks from all the suburban white people in the hospital. They couldn't care though. They were happy, and that's all that mattered.

***

Joey's second week was a lot better than the first. For starters, nobody puked on him, though one kid did poop his pants and he had to clean it up. Plus a little boy told him he was his superhero. So that was a win.

"How are the kids, Jo?"

Joey rolled his eyes. "Carter, you make it sound like they're my kids."

"Well, you do treat them like they're your kids."

"That's cause I'm the Dad friend."

"Dad, or Daddy?" smirked Carter.

"I'll be your daddy," said Joey, wriggling his eyebrows.

Carter gagged. "No thanks. Kennedy will kill me."

"That's probably true. Besides, you're too straight for me."

Carter dramatically put his hand on his chest. "I am offended. Nobody is too straight for Joseph Summers."

"Except you."

"Rude."

"Hey, when a fuckboy doesn't wanna bang you, you know you've got it bad."

Carter laughed. "What, is it 'Roast Carter' day or something?"