"Shame. I'm real good at playing Barbies." Edward impulsively picked Axel up and carried him into the caravan, because if Jon felt he could snap his fingers at him, Edward was going to intrude on his personal space. Seemed fair to him. "I didn't have any Barbies when I was your age, but I made some clothes for my friend's Barbies. She loved them."
Holden looked at the man who definitely seemed like a stranger. He seemed strange, if nothing else. Not like anyone Jon had ever done business with before. "Axel, don't bother the man."
"He ain't no bother," Ed assured the worried looking bore that had to be Holden. He set Axel down and ruffled his hair. "He plays the fiddle beautifully, your Jonny."
Axel was having a good time. He was playing with someone new, he got lifted up and now he got to show off his Barbies. Could the day be better?
Jon, on the other hand, not so thrilled. It was his fault, he invited chaos into his life and here it was. Chaos incarnate. Jonathan huffed and came back into the caravan. If he was sticking around, he may as well get a new packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "I played fiddle with him earlier, he's a good musician. He's above board." Jon turned to Holden and frowned. "Alfie about?" He hoped not, he'd freak.
And then there was Axel, who was hands down the least bothered. He was opening a cupboard and getting his dolls, rushing over to show Edward. "My dad didn't let me either but Jonny allows it. He said it doesn't make you queer." Axel assured the man as he held up summer fun Barbie. "This one was for my birthday this year."
"Nah, Alfie's training. Though I think he's not training, he's just with some girl." That was Holden's assessment of that, but either way, it meant Alfie wasn't there to see Axel proudly show off his Barbies. Probably for the best.
"She's beautiful, ain't she?" Edward did good on admiring the Barbie, inspecting her dress. "She's all dressed for summer. Doubt she'll see it here, but we can pretend, eh?" Seemed like it was never going to stop being damp and just a bit miserable in Manchester. Whatever, he was ready to make the most of it, just like summer fun Barbie. "I'll teach you how you can make Barbie clothes some time, if I ever come visit again."
He reckoned chances were slim, the way Jon was eyeing him.
"Really? Woah! If you do, I can show you how to do the splits. I learned last week." Axel explained and Jonathan snorted in amusement. Yeah, he'd fucking pay to see that one. He pocketed his cigarettes and came over to Edward, raising his eyebrows.
"Come on, enough Barbie summer fun time. We should get going."
Axel whined and pouted as he looked up at Edward. He was the first guy that didn't sneer at his dolls or call him queer or sissy. He wanted to learn more about the dresses. "Can you come back tomorrow? I can make us spaghetti hoops!"
"What a dinner date." Jon mocked as he shoved Axel slightly with his foot. "Stop being a pest and shift it."
"We will see, yea?" Ed pulled Axel back a little just to keep him from being shoved by Jonathan again, realising suddenly how much that idea bothered him. He didn't really think that Jon hit those kids, not with how they reacted to him, but even just the thought was threatening his good mood. He pushed back on those dark memories and smiled. "I'll see you again some time. Those spaghetti hoops sound brilliant."
"They're kinda naff," Holden muttered, moving over to coax Axel to stick by him. He knew when Jon got annoyed.
Ed looked at Jonathan, smiling as if he hadn't just befriended his baby brother. "Are we ready to head off?"
In the time they had talked, Jon had lit himself a cigarette and he was getting a little less pissy over all of this. It was just not at all what he had expected. "Yeah, let's go." He shoved the bottle of whiskey at Edward and hopped out of the caravan, stopping to peer back in at Holden and Axel. "I'll be back later. Be good."
He noticed Axel was pouting deeply at being called a pest and having his friend removed. Baby. "And don't pout, you silly sod. You can't be mad at me. If you're mad at me, I'll have to go away and you'll be raised by Alfie. You'll have to eat beans all day and punch things. You'll be such a smelly boy, eh? You want me gone?"
"No. I guess not." Axel smiled despite himself and Jon waited for that smile before he turned away, shaking his head.
Ed held on to the bottle, waving to both of the boys and watching as Holden picked up the Barbie, clearly ready to engage with it all a little to cheer his brother up. Sweet kids, really. He smiled, waving once more and then turning away, so he could focus on following Jonathan with his unreasonably long legs.
He looked at him as they walked, assuming that he'd pissed him off with that. Whatever, he didn't like having fingers snapped at him either and the kids were cute. He felt it was all fair. "Thank you."
He assumed Jonathan wouldn't know why he was thanking him, but that was good. Confusion might distract him from getting any angrier. Still, he finally clarified. "Thanks for not hitting those kids."
"Eh?" Jonathan had no idea why he was being thanked but it seemed oddly sincere so he turned to look at him. He raised an eyebrow at the gratitude and then looked back at his caravan. "I ain't never hit my brothers and I never will. I didn't fight my dad from slapping Axel just to do it myself. No one touches Holden or Axel, no one makes them feel bad for who they are."
He was making them outsiders and he knew that. Outsiders with their own people, with society, with the world but they would find their people. They would be educated and ready to escape. Not like Jon.
His brothers had what he didn't have. That was what mattered. "I weren't really pissed with the twerp, you know? Axel is cute. He adores you, apparently."
"That is because I'm adorable," Edward claimed without a hint of irony, simply presenting it as fact. "You'll follow suit yet and adore me as well. It's inevitable. Luckily for you, I think you are precious too."
All right, so maybe there was at least some humour in the mix. Not that he didn't think he was truly adorable. "Axel is a cute kid. Very bright, I can tell." He felt that. "Also, Holden thinks the world of you. That's pretty impressive, inspiring that in someone. You're a great man, Jonny."
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Holden looked at the man who definitely seemed like a stranger. He seemed strange, if nothing else. Not like anyone Jon had ever done business with before. "Axel, don't bother the man."
"He ain't no bother," Ed assured the worried looking bore that had to be Holden. He set Axel down and ruffled his hair. "He plays the fiddle beautifully, your Jonny."
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Jon, on the other hand, not so thrilled. It was his fault, he invited chaos into his life and here it was. Chaos incarnate. Jonathan huffed and came back into the caravan. If he was sticking around, he may as well get a new packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "I played fiddle with him earlier, he's a good musician. He's above board." Jon turned to Holden and frowned. "Alfie about?" He hoped not, he'd freak.
And then there was Axel, who was hands down the least bothered. He was opening a cupboard and getting his dolls, rushing over to show Edward. "My dad didn't let me either but Jonny allows it. He said it doesn't make you queer." Axel assured the man as he held up summer fun Barbie. "This one was for my birthday this year."
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"She's beautiful, ain't she?" Edward did good on admiring the Barbie, inspecting her dress. "She's all dressed for summer. Doubt she'll see it here, but we can pretend, eh?" Seemed like it was never going to stop being damp and just a bit miserable in Manchester. Whatever, he was ready to make the most of it, just like summer fun Barbie. "I'll teach you how you can make Barbie clothes some time, if I ever come visit again."
He reckoned chances were slim, the way Jon was eyeing him.
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"Come on, enough Barbie summer fun time. We should get going."
Axel whined and pouted as he looked up at Edward. He was the first guy that didn't sneer at his dolls or call him queer or sissy. He wanted to learn more about the dresses. "Can you come back tomorrow? I can make us spaghetti hoops!"
"What a dinner date." Jon mocked as he shoved Axel slightly with his foot. "Stop being a pest and shift it."
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"They're kinda naff," Holden muttered, moving over to coax Axel to stick by him. He knew when Jon got annoyed.
Ed looked at Jonathan, smiling as if he hadn't just befriended his baby brother. "Are we ready to head off?"
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He noticed Axel was pouting deeply at being called a pest and having his friend removed. Baby. "And don't pout, you silly sod. You can't be mad at me. If you're mad at me, I'll have to go away and you'll be raised by Alfie. You'll have to eat beans all day and punch things. You'll be such a smelly boy, eh? You want me gone?"
"No. I guess not." Axel smiled despite himself and Jon waited for that smile before he turned away, shaking his head.
"Bloody kids."
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He looked at him as they walked, assuming that he'd pissed him off with that. Whatever, he didn't like having fingers snapped at him either and the kids were cute. He felt it was all fair. "Thank you."
He assumed Jonathan wouldn't know why he was thanking him, but that was good. Confusion might distract him from getting any angrier. Still, he finally clarified. "Thanks for not hitting those kids."
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He was making them outsiders and he knew that. Outsiders with their own people, with society, with the world but they would find their people. They would be educated and ready to escape. Not like Jon.
His brothers had what he didn't have. That was what mattered. "I weren't really pissed with the twerp, you know? Axel is cute. He adores you, apparently."
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All right, so maybe there was at least some humour in the mix. Not that he didn't think he was truly adorable. "Axel is a cute kid. Very bright, I can tell." He felt that. "Also, Holden thinks the world of you. That's pretty impressive, inspiring that in someone. You're a great man, Jonny."