Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 30: Pretty Cool Hair

A/N: As I mentioned in a comment on a recent chapter, this fic is in an AU where 2020 is not quite so... 2020. However, there are some vague allusions to the Australian fires of last summer, so that happened. Keeping it vague, though.

Enjoy some family fluff!

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Courtney takes Shayne's hand, gripping it tightly when they separate from the rest of the group backstage, bidding everyone goodbye, not likely to see them again until they all fully return to LA in a couple of weeks. She feels him start rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb in calming circles as they walk around the venue to where they'd agreed to meet Shayne's parents, Chris, and his family – Brian was flying in two days later after his company closed for Christmas break.

"You'll be fine, I'll be with you the whole time," he whispers, and she nods, taking a deep breath to try and clear the wash of anxiety settling in her chest. It helps, feeling him beside her, and it helps even more when they turn the corner and Nathan immediately starts running for them.

"Uncle Shayne!" he calls, loudly, and Shayne lets go of Courtney's hand to lean down and pick him up before he crashes into his legs.

"Hey, buddy!" he replies, just as enthusiastically, as Dianne pulls Courtney into a hug the moment they reach the rest of the group. Thankfully, the crowd from their show seems to have cleared, because otherwise Nathan's cheer might have caused some trouble.

"So nice to see you, Courtney!" Dianne greets her enthusiastically, as she pulls back, turning to watch Nathan babbling away to Shayne, not letting him speak to anyone else. Courtney sees Shayne quickly glance over at her, apologising for breaking his promise of less than a minute earlier, but she smiles reassuringly and turns to greet his Dad and Chris, too.

"Hey, it's good to see you again Courtney, this is my wife Julie," Chris introduces the woman standing beside him, holding a rather timid-looking four-year-old, "and Rosie, of course."

"Hi, Julie, it's nice to finally meet you – and you too, Rosie," she smiles at both of them before shifting slightly to the side, Julie also twisting her body so Rosie is facing Courtney.

"She was excited to meet you until we had to pull her away from an episode of Bluey," Julie explains, "I don't know how she even found it, it's some Australian kids show but she loves it."

"It's gotta be something," Courtney laughs, giving up on getting the young girl's attention for the meantime as she curls grumpily against her mother.

"Hey, Nathan, how about you say hi to Aunty Courtney too?" she hears Shayne say, and she shifts slightly to see a much more exuberant young boy staring up at her from in front of Shayne.

"Hi," he says, bluntly, "your hair looks cool."

"Oh, thank you Nathan, you've got pretty cool hair too," she replies, the others laughing. She had dip-dyed the ends of her hair pink for the tour, and it wasn't a professional job so it was close to almost fully faded out, but she figures pink hair is notable in any regard if you haven't seen it before.

"Mum let me get mine cut however I wanted last week so I told them to make me look cool," he answers, matter-of-factly, grinning at her compliment.

"Hey, guys, we've got a restaurant booking to make – let's go get some food, hey?" Rob interrupts the couple of separate conversations going on a minute later, and Nathan lets out a decided cheer.

"Dad, can I walk with Uncle Shayne and Aunty Courtney instead?" he requests, when his Dad reaches out to take his hand.

"Sure, but you gotta ask them first," he glances up at them with an almost apologetic smile.