The Good Son (BxB)

Chapter One: New Addition

"So Daniel, you like to paint, right?" Arty asked, turning in the passanger's seat to look back at the teen, the boy's dark eyes looking out of the car window. They flickered to Arty when the man spoke, and the teen smiled lightly.

"I do."

Arty gave a big smile and reached out to pat Jack's shoulder, his older husband looking out at the icy road while he drove. It had been a five hour drive to and from the orphanage, where Daniel was driven from his foster family's home to wait for his new adoptive parents. There, it was chilly with frost on the grass. Once they reached the tall mountains of Colorado, the snow had taken over everything, and the roads held a layer of ice that made the road a little risky. "I knew he was going to be a painter," Arty said like it was a bet. Jack rolled his eyes and glanced at Daniel through the rear view mirror.

"Arty likes to think he can see a painter by their face," he said. Arty snorted and sat back in his seat.

"I've never been wrong, sweet husband. Speaking o-f," Arty turned in his seat to look at Daniel again, the teen noticing and perking up, looking at the brunette when he sensed his eyes. "Jack used to be a painter, so I think you'll love the art room. We have more supplies than you'll probably even use," the man said and smiled meekly. Daniel crossed a foot over his thigh and glanced back out of the window.

"These plains look very good for painting," he said, and looked back at Arty to smile. "It must be very lovely here."

Arty nodded and turned back to look at some paperwork that he hadn't really been reading yet. "It really is; I grew up down in the north, though, so I didn't see much snow. This all is really Jack's forte."

"Speaking of forte, we're almost there," Jack spoke up, where the city life started to become visible. From the city, it was a forty minute drive to the house, which lay in the snowy countryside, away from all of the meddling and stress that overcrowded towns held.

At a time that couldn't come sooner, the house came into view to relieve them of their long driving. Daniel had to take a plane ride from his first home, on top of the drive with Arty and Jack.

Jack turned into the driveway that was close to needing another shoveling and parked the car. Arty was the first to get out, stretching his body and letting the biting cold assault his warmed skin from the car's heater. Daniel followed pursuit, but he was very reserved and stifled a yawn, taking up his back pack that he had sat with and flinging it onto his shoulder. Arty glanced and him and laughed.

"You can loosen up- get a good stretch in there, you must be dying."

Daniel's cheeks warmed, but he just shook his head, smiling meekly. "It's okay."

Jack got out of the car and went to the back, where he popped the truck to get Daniel's belongings; two suitcases of clothes and some cardboard boxes of presumably, his art and supplies. "You guys can go on in, I'll get these," he called. Daniel looked at Arty, who didn't waste any time. The man waved for Daniel to follow and left to the front door.

When Daniel caught up to him, Arty whispered playfully, "If he offers, take it and run." Daniel chuckled lightly before asking, "You have a son, what was his name again?"

"Geil, he's six. He's inside waiting to meet you," Arty replied. He then started stomping his shoes on the porch to get the snow off. In his peripheral, he could see Daniel watching him before doing the same. He chuckled. "Jack's brother is a carpenter, and I don't want him to come all the way down just to do the floor again," Arty added. Daniel nodded. The teen then furrowed his eyebrows, his dark bangs covering them, which meant he was due for a haircut.