Chapter Text
Lee sighed dramatically, flopping down on his bed. He didn´t want to go there. Not again. So what if he behaved like as if he wasn´t a day older than twelve. Twelve was the age he still saw fun in doing something with his parents and his big sister Sally, but now he was in collage and didn´t see the sense in it. His mother had given him a long suffering look and sweetly explained to him that as long as she did his laundry and he wasn´t able to pay for the back pack trip around the world he yearned for, he had two choices. Either he would come with them , or stay at home and spend his time moping.
So, here he was, sitting in the backseat of the car and muttering under his breath that nothing would ever change anyways and why they had to go there every single year.
“Son, we go there because those people are friendly, know us and don´t bother me to much, You know how much stress I usually have, so do me the favor and stop looking as if somebody is about to shoot you.”
At that Lee beamed.
“Will somebody do that? Ow! Sally, stop that.”
His sister just chuckled and tried to look innocent while Lee rubbed the back of his head, giving her a scowl. He didn´t want to point out that his father did go there for numerous reasons, besides having saved Orlandos father from a heart attack and thus prolonging his life. By god he loved his father, but sometimes he wanted to be looked at as more than the youngest son of a famous heart surgeon and the baby brother to a equally famous lawyer. He sighed again, eyeballing his father from the backseat.
“Son. What is on your mind.”
Oh that was an endless question but the answers he wanted to give were not the ones his father wanted to hear, he just knew it.
“Oh nothing really.”
His father good naturally laughed, one eye on the road, the other in rear view mirror fixed on Lee. The grin the older man wore was kind of calculating and Lee just knew what would follow next.
“Orlando will be there too.”
One thing his father wasn`t ? Subtle.
“Good for him.”
Lee muttered, eyes challenging. He didn´t have anything against Orlando as a person, god no. The other boy and him practically grew up together since the Pace Family spent all of their summer holidays at “Blooms.” That wasn´t what bugged him. Two years ago, his father and the rest of the family had found out that he didn´t really fancy woman. The circumstances had been a tad awkward, to say the least, because his father had come home early from the hospital during the holidays and had heard something. That something had been Lee and the lovely, lovely delivery boy who had been flirting with him everytime he came by the house to drop something off. Well, deliver he did, Lee thought a chuckle.
“You know what I mean Lee.”
He did but he wanted his father to work for it.
“He is a nice young man.”
Lee rolled his eyes inwardly. Orlando was nice enough. Just not his kind of nice but there was no way his father would accept that. Or listen to him. He remembered the conversation rather vividly.
I don´t understand why you can´t be more interested. The boy really laid on the charm thick enough to make everyone see that he fancies you his father had said in the middle of their living room, looking at him as if he would be dumb. His reply had been short but precise This is not a business deal, dad He had hoped that it would have been enough to end it like that. Apparently it hadn´t.
“Oh, stop it, both of you! We want to have fun and we are nearly there, so please don´t wreck the car before we have reached our destination, hon.”
That was why loved his mother, she always had the right words when they were needed. Sure enough soon they drove to the Gates of “Blooms” Resort and Spa The place for the whole family as was proudly proclaimed in the brochure his father had shoved at him, like every year.
“They got a new dance instructor this year.”
His sister helpfully supplies with a grin and Lee wants to stab her on sight but remains calm as Mr.Bloom and Orlando come up to their car.
“My! We thought you lost the way, come on , come on – where is that boy of yours!”
Lee groaned inwardly. His sister only smirked. He was too old for that. Or felt like it anyways. Next to Orlando, Viggo appeared, silent as always while unloading their luggage and smiled wearily at Lee.
“Still hating it, huh?”
Lee blushed and clambered out the car, taking his suitcase for himself. He didn´t need to be pampered, god damn it, he could carry his own luggage! Unfortunately he choose that moment to demonstrate why he always got chosen last when it came to sport. Any sport at all. He managed to trip over his own shoes because his laces had come undone and he spun around, losing the grip on the handle of his suitcase. His suitcase, he hadn´t bothered to lock properly. It wouldn´t have been half as bad but the sudden, unexpected motion made all the contents fly out, making everybody turn. While his sister laughed , his parents just blinked oddly but said nothing. Viggo cleared his throat and Orlando tried not to look a little mortified. With a certain horror Lee realized that his boxer shorts had flown past Orlando and Viggo, hitting someone smack in the face.
That someone gingerly moved his hand towards his face, grimacing only slightly. Why on earth had he packed Superman shorts? It all unfurled in brightly lit slow motion. The guy, nearly as tall as Lee all but sauntered over to where Lee was still holding to the handle of his suitcase before he tried to speak. There were a lot of words that wanted to come out of his mouth but none of them seemed fitting. His cheeks felt hot, his ears buzzed and there was the mortifying moment he considered starting to cry. He did nothing of it all, he just stood and stared.
“These are yours, love?”
The wolfish smile that was thrown his way made Lee blush even harder and he snatched the shorts away from the other mans fingers hastily, stuffing them back into his suitcase.
“You can speak, can you?”
Lee whimpered a bit and Orlando, bless him came to his rescue.
“Let him be Richard.”
Richard just chuckled and to Lees anger had the nerve to ruffle his hair before he vanished into the other direction.
“Who the hell was that?”
His sister said, very eagerly and Lee shook his head. Still, there was the nagging feeling he would see this guy again. What was his name again? Ah, yeah, Richard. Best to remember that. After he had downed something alcoholic to make him forget what else happened.