Chapter 5
(Zachy)
“There he is,” Zachy declared when he spotted Song strolling down the block towards the diner.
Bells jangled, and Zachy bounced and waved Song over the table.
“Hey,” Song said as he slid onto the bench seat beside Zachy. “Thanks for the invite. I’ve been going stir crazy all afternoon, waiting for tonight’s auditions.”
“How’s the hunt going?” Daddy asked from the bench across the table.
When it was just them, Daddy sat beside him during their lunch break, but Daddy knew how worried Zachy had been about Song after Daddy had come home from the bar and shared what had happened with Song’s band.
“Ech, ask me again after we hear them sing,” Song said, his voice lacking all the joy and laughter that had been in it when Zachy had said goodbye to him after their playdate.
“Fair enough,” Daddy said.
“That looks ouchy,” Zachy declared once he’d gotten an up-close and personal look at the swollen corner of Song’s eye and the puffy bruise on his cheek.
“Feels as bad as it looks, too.”
“I’m sorry,” Zachy said.
“You and me both,” Song admitted. “And my sister was pissed, to put it mildly. My brother hasn’t seen it yet, and I’m trying to keep it that way because I don’t want him mad at the wrong person.
It was my fault for thinking I could pull Decon off Carson when he was that pissed.
I just didn’t want him to hurt Carson too bad and wind up with assault charges. ”
“At least you don’t have to put up with his bullshit any longer,” Daddy said, cutting Zachy a look that said swears were fine since they were on big time and not at home.
Zachy knew that only meant they were fine for Daddy to use, as neither Cooper nor Gage liked to hear curse words coming out of Zachy’s mouth.
Sweet boys shouldn’t swear, and Zachy was their sweet boy, even when he was being grumbly and pouting about something.
“So how many do you have confirmed to audition tonight?” Daddy asked.
“Six. We were hoping for a few more, but with such short notice, I guess we should consider ourselves lucky we got that many.”
“I know someone who might be interested,” Zachy blurted. “Ajay doesn’t just play guitar; he sings too, and he’s super good. He plays at the dungeon restaurant three nights a week, and he’s been on the radio. I can text him to see if he’s interested.”
“Seriously?” Song said. “Please.”
“Of course.”
Zachy fished his phone out of his backpack and quickly sent Ajay a text as the waitress took their orders.
Daddy knew what his favorites were and never failed to pick out a combination Zachy would love without it making him feel too full when it was time to get back into costume.
His phone pinged moments after he sent the text, Ajay’s response being a short and sweet when and where.
“He wants to know what time you’re holding auditions and where he should show up,” Zachy said as he passed his phone to Song.
“Whoa, Zachy, dude, thank you,” Song said as he quickly typed in the information and sent the message before returning Zachy’s phone.
“I’m glad I could help a little.”
“You may have helped a lot if he’s as good as you say he is,” Song explained. “After talking to…ummm….”
Song’s smile had dulled a little, the corners of his lips turning down as a frown threatened to darken his features again. Before Zachy could ask what was wrong, Song glanced between Daddy and Zachy, licked his lips, and leaned forward, keeping his voice low when he spoke.
“I just realized that I don’t know how to address you when I’m not little,” Song whispered.
Daddy smiled at that and inclined his head.
“You can call me Mr. Gage, and you can do the same for Cooper and Hank and the other Daddies and Mommies you met if you run into one of us on the street. Most times it’s Mr., even when you’re little, since I’m not your Daddy, but neither Cooper nor I mind you calling us Daddy and Papa, so please don’t feel like you need to change it.
I’m pleased that you asked the question and didn’t just sit there squirming in your seat, working yourself into a fit of nerves.
It takes time to navigate the lifestyle and all the subtleties. ”
And just like that, Song’s smile was back.
“I call him Mr. Gage when we’re at anything work-related, but as soon as we get in the car, he’s Daddy again,” Zachy explained. “I like that much better.”
“It must be hard to switch between the two,” Song said.
“Oh yeah, at first, it was really hard, especially if I was upset about something,” Zachy explained. “There were times when I wanted to run to him and cry in his arms, only I knew I had to wait until we were alone.”
“Are you not allowed to date since you work together?” Song asked.
“No, it’s nothing like that. He isn’t a member of the cast, so we’re allowed to date one another, and our bosses know that we’re together. It’s just the Daddy part I had to be careful not to blurt out, since not everyone is nice or understanding of our lifestyle.”
Song sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
He’d worn it loose today, and all those deep brown strands shimmered where the sun hit it.
He’d let me braid it for him before we’d made our pizzas, so it wouldn’t get in his eyes when we were rolling out the dough.
It was so super soft that I longed to touch it again, but that wouldn’t have been polite to do in public.
“Here you go,” our waitress, Beth, said when she returned with chocolate milk for me and Song and a root beer for Daddy, who loved pop but was trying to cut down on his caffeine intake. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your food.”
“Thank you!” Zachy said, with Song chiming in right beside him.
“Thanks, Beth,” Daddy said. “How’s the stray settling in?”
“He’s a darling little brat,” she replied.
“Wakes me up with doggy kisses every morning, then happily takes me on a walk. Loves to have his belly rubbed while we’re watching movies and is super protective, let me tell you.
He is not a fan of people who walk up and try to pet him.
He gets right between me and them, narrows his eyes, and sits glaring at them.
Doesn’t try to snap, though. He just stands there reminding them of their manners until they give up and walk away.
I wound up naming him King Rex, but most days I just call him Rexy or T-Rex when he’s running through the house knocking things over with that ginormous tail of his. ”
“Hits like a wrecking ball, doesn’t it?” Daddy said.
“Every single time,” Beth replied, giggling as she headed to her next table.
“What kind of dog does she have?” Song asked.
“Near as we could tell when she shared pictures, he’s part Great Pyrenees and part Saint Bernard.”
“Holy crap, those are big dogs.”
“Yup.”
“I can see why his tail is like a wrecking ball.”
“Right,” Zachy added, his tummy rumbling the moment he caught a whiff of his chicken strips nearing the table.
Song had gotten them too, and onion rings, while Daddy had ordered Zachy fried pickles and a fruit salad to go with his, which meant he got two dipping sauces. Ranch for his pickles and honey mustard for his chicken strips, though he always dunked them in both.
“You guys must come here often,” Song said, words disintegrating into a moan as he took his first bite. “Ohh my god, hot, hot, hot!”
His cheeks heated up some as he chewed and swallowed his first bite quickly and immediately reached for his glass.
“I do that all the time,” Zachy said in between carefully blowing on a chicken finger that was already making his fingers feel hot. “But that first bite is so good, isn’t it?”
“Super good, wow, these are seasoned,” Song said after a few gulps of milk.
“Yup.”
“We come here every Wednesday,” Daddy said. “It’s the longest day of our workweek, so we spoil ourselves to make up for it[TM1].”
“I used to work at the record store in my neighborhood,” Song explained, “but it closed a few years ago, so I’ve been focusing on writing more songs for the band and creating digital art pieces that I sell through my website.
A few have even been turned into covers for other bands, which has been an awesome way of getting the word out about the website and the type of art I do. ”
“Do you have any on your phone?” Zachy asked.
“Oh yeah. Do you wanna see?”
“Please,” Zachy said, finishing his first chicken strip and wiping his fingers before accepting the phone Song handed him. “Whoa, that’s low-key terrifying!”
“What is?” Daddy asked, so Zachy turned the phone so he could see the weary, skeletal guitarist, stringy hair hanging in lank strips from his scarred skull as he sat on a throne that was shaped like a giant, leering bat, its eyes glowing as it peered over the guitarist’s head.
“Holy shit,” Daddy exclaimed loud enough that the folks at the other table glanced over at them before turning their attention back to their food.
He just shrugged and took a bite out of his burger while Zachy swiped through several images, all dark, creepy, and utterly stunning.
“These are awesome,” Zachy said as he turned the phone around again. “Check out the bone bike.”
“I love drawing skulls and bones,” Song admitted. “Human ones, animal ones, but the best part is getting to put them together to create creatures that don’t even exist outside of my mind.”
“I can see why bands have been snapping them up,” Daddy said.
“You really like them?”
“I do,” Daddy said. “You have a fine eye for details. It’s easy to appreciate the skill that goes into crafting each creature, so it looks physically possible while keeping to the dark fantasy vibe you’ve got going on.”