twenty six
It doesn't take long for more pack members to fill the space, taking their seats around the tables and chatting away. A few cast a glance towards the three sitting on the bench; a smile or short nod passed in greeting.
It's a good thing Al decided to sit between the two, both wolf and human inching closer and closer to the large man as the space becomes louder and more crowded.
"You're both fine." Al murmurs, pressing a kiss to Cal's cheek and one to Milton's head.
A few kids climb down the stairs, heavy steps as they run into the room, laughing loudly as the friendly game of chase comes to an end, a tall girl in a purple top and braided hair winning the race as she slides onto the bench seat on the other side of Milton.
The two boys with her complain loudly but are quickly hushed by a woman passing them with a plate of sandwiches to place on the table.
Milton shrinks a little more in his seat.
The girl notices, turning her attention to the small boy with a bright smile on her face. She looks his age, maybe a little older.
"Hi, I'm Anne."
Milton hesitates, looking up at Al before lifting a hand and waving at her shyly. Anne scoots along the bench so she's more directly in front of him, elbows on the table as she leans in, eyes glancing to the boys she was playing with before as they growl over something or another.
"Don't mind them, my brothers get a little excited at lunch."
Milton nods, chin close to his chest as he watches her watch him, cheeks tinting pink. His first ever interaction with someone his age... and he can't even look her in the eyes.
"This is Milton." Aldric introduces for him, chest rumbling with the words. "He hasn't quite got his voice back, but I'm sure he appreciates the company, right Milly?"
Milton flushes, nodding shyly and digging his fingers into his sweater's hem.
Anne only grins, slapping her hands on the table lightly. "Well, lucky for you I have plenty to say. Enough for the both of us really. Do you like roast lamb?"
Milton lifts a shoulder, not sure if he's ever had lamb before.
"It's delicious. Martha, head chef around here, knows how to roast a mean leg of lamb. Stuffs it with herbs and salt. Even gives me the bone sometimes – once she's taken most of the meat off, of course."
Milton can't help but wonder why she'd want the bone in the first place.
"Would you like to try some?" Al asks the boy, arm around his shoulder as he gives him a bit of a squeeze.
Milton nods, raising his hand to his chin to sign 'thank you', Anne keenly observing the action. She doesn't say anything, only watches and lifts her nose to sniff at the air, taking in the mix of scents wafting from the small boy.
She catches Cal's eye as she does so, and the man very softly shakes his head.
They're all interrupted as more wolves bring out food. Big pots of soup and plates of sandwiches, roast meats and platters of veggies fill the table. Jude comes over to the three with a bowl of warmed chicken in soup in one hand and a stack of plates and cutlery in the other.
Like a professional, he leans and places everything in front of them in one swoop, winking at Milton as he places a spoon beside the steaming bowl of wonderful smelling soup.
"Thanks Jude, you didn't have to serve us too." Al smiles.
"Nah, I wanted to! It's nice to have you three down here, for once."
Callum's heart pangs at the sentiment, guilt eating at the man's stomach. His mate quickly notices, a hand resting on his love's knee in reassurance as Jude salutes the three and leaves to fetch himself some lunch.
All around them, people begin passing out plates and serving food, conversation flowing between pack members as they talk about their day and their plans for the rest of the afternoon.
Cal takes a calming breath as he takes a sandwich from an offered plate, staring at the fresh bread cut neatly into two even triangles now on his own plate, stomach still twisting.
Anne helps her brothers with their plates, distracted enough to let Milton feel confident to try and feed himself.
He picks the cold spoon up with shaky hands, jerkily trying to get it into the soup without dropping it. Aldric watches carefully, a low hum in his throat as he rubs Milton's back soothingly, other hand still on Cal's knee.
Both are balls of tightly wound nerves, their scents turning a little spicy and tickling his nose. If they were seated together, the two would no doubt be feeding off of each other's anxiety until someone exploded.
Milton manages to get a measly spoonful of soup into his mouth, the warm and salty broth making him yum in delight as it slides down his throat and warms his belly.
"Good?" Al asks with a smile.
The boy nods, dipping his spoon once again into the bowl, attempting to fish out a piece of soft chicken.
Cal watches with worry, hands itching to reach out and help, but his husband's firm squeeze on his knee stops him. Leaning close, he growls softly in his ear. "Eat, my love."
Huffing, Cal does as he's told and reaches for a triangle, bringing it to his mouth with a slight grimace. It smells good, oh, it smells heavenly, but the knot in his stomach makes it hard to take a bite, the man chewing ever so slowly until his husband growls softly again. Cal swallows.
All three are soon eating in relative silence, Aldric guiding any conversations that get directed towards them with smooth confidence. He laughs at his fellow packmate's jokes, and deflects any pointed questions, making sure the wolves around him know not to poke the bear.
He's careful to keep an eye on both his boys, hands reaching out to touch them reassuringly every now and then or subtly wipe Milton's face when no one's paying much attention.
Milton appreciates it, his ears remaining a bright pink as he focuses on sipping as much soup as he can. Anne is busy keeping her brothers from starting a food fight, only occasionally turning to Milton to tell him something about herself of someone at the table.
She's quick to notice his hesitance to eat in front of her, so she does her best to keep her attention elsewhere. Pretending not to see his clumsy attempt at feeding himself as the spoon hits his chin and drips chicken soup down his face which is quickly wiped away.
"Here." She stabs a piece of lamb with her fork and leans practically across the entire table to hand it to Milton.
Milton blinks, reaching out to take the fork, bringing the meat close to his nose to give it a sniff.
The girl smiles at this, eyes twinkling as she watches the wonder cross Milton's face as he opens his mouth.
"You'll never taste a better bit of lamb, I'm telling ya."
Carefully, Milton places the fork in his mouth and pulls the meat off. He holds it back out in front of him, not sure if he's meant to keep the utensil or not, but when Anne simply leans back over and takes it in one swift motion, he supposes he did the right thing.
Al snorts at the interaction, keeping his thoughts to himself as he watches his boy chew on the small piece of meat. Eyes lighting up as the taste explodes in his mouth, meat melting as he chews softly.
"Told you!" Anne grins, going back to her own food.
She seems to eat a lot, her plate seemingly never empties as more food is passed around the table, each wolf taking helpings of seconds and thirds.
Milton struggles to get through his one bowl of soup, wondering if these people have a second stomach or something with the amount of food they seem to put away.
He only manages to eat about a third before he slows down, sinking back into Al's arm that's snuck back around him to hold him securely to the man's side.
His body begins to tire, muscles burning a little at having to hold himself up the whole time, fingers shaking.
Callum notices, nudging Al in the ribs. His mate nods with a smile, reaching to pick Milton up and excuse them from the table.
Some wolves wave a hand as the three prepare to leave, Anne waving happily as Milton is picked up and taken from the room. He waves back, face partially hidden in Al's shoulder as embarrassment sets his face on fire once again.
"No one's judging you, love." Al rumbles as they take the stairs back up to their apartment.
Milton nods, resting his cheek against the large man's shirt.
Callum trails behind, smiling at Milton as they climb the stairs. "You did really well."
Aldric smiles. "You both did really well."