"Okay, so.... Got an eight?" He asked, tucking a loose curl behind his ear. Alex quickly looked over his cards before shaking his head. John picked another card from the small stack. "It's your turn."
"Any tens?" John reluctantly handed Alex his card. "Wow, I'm great at this game."
"Oh, shut it." He laughed, scooting closer to Alex on the couch. "Angel came by today." Alex hummed in a reply. "She gave us a 'save the date' thing for her and Church's wedding."
"It's almost ridiculous." Alex remarked, putting down his cards on the coffee table and began paying attention to the TV show they were watching. He leaned closer to John, wrapping his arms around John's stomach. "All of our friends are getting married or having kids. But here we are watching Criminal Minds."
"Hey, how many people can say they lived out a Criminal Minds episode?" Alex narrowed his eyes and gave John a glare. "Sorry babe, but it's true. It's a good thing we can joke about it right?"
"That's what out therapists tells us." Alex mumbled, feeling John's hand running through his hair. "Sweetheart, do you think Thomas can still find us?"
"He's in prison." John reminded him. "And we moved to a whole other country."
"No, I know." Alex hugged him tighter. "We wouldn't know, if he got out I mean, because he stalked me for years and I never knew until he practically had me in the palm of his hand."
"Baby, calm down." John soothed, kissing his forehead. "He'll never touch you again, I promise. Alex, I truly love you. Not that evil demented shit Thomas filled your head with- real love. I'm not letting anyone hurt you anymore, Alex."
"Sap." Alex sniffled with a small chuckle. "Okay, but how can you call someone 'pretty boy' without being helplessly in love with them?"
"How can you be called 'pretty boy' and not fall in love with the loser calling you 'pretty boy'?" John added on, looking down at Alex with a adoring smile. "Pretty boy, let's get some Chinese for dinner tonight, okay?"
"¡Yo también te amo (I love you, too)!" Alex called to him as he left the room.
"¡Pensé que sabías que te odiaba (I thought you knew I hated you)!"
🌻
"Philip, deja de correr por la cocina con tu hermana. Vas a hacerle daño (Philip, stop running around the kitchen with your sister. You're going to hurt her)." Alex told his son, the one who was recklessly carrying his barely one year old sister.
"Frances está bien. A ella le gusta cuando la llevo (Frances if fine. She likes it when I carry her)." Philip insisted as he held up his baby sister to Alex.
"Is that my baby girl?" John gasped with a wide smile as he walked in, taking Frances from Philip to hold her in his arms. Her curls bounced around her face as she babbled. "She's so eloquently spoken."
"Hey." Alex greeted simply, kissing John's cheek with a smile. "Got the take-out?"
"I ordered ten fortune cookies like you asked." John replied, holding a brown paper bag to Philip who grabbed it with chubby six year old hands.
"I'm going to be queen of the fortunes!" Philip exclaimed before rushing to the kitchen table.
"Our kids are going places in life."
"Babe," Alex chuckled lightly. "Frances is teething on your hair."
