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palace_marton[Featuring/referencing OCs: Sara Carlisle, Linus Eckhert, Adrian Forrester, Charlie Larson, Halloran (Hal) McCarran, Calhoun (Cal) Shorter, Ben Tattersall, Lisa Bianchi]
Dinner had been over for about half an hour and the group had been shooed out of the dining room by Jeannie, so she and Maudie could clear the table and reset for the party. Some of the kids had vanished upstairs -- Adrian was giggling and looking over his shoulder at Johnny as he trotted off -- and Linus and Ben had gone out front to the porch where they were visible from the front parlor through the sheer curtains, curled up together on one of the lounges. (Johnny still couldn't quite wrap his mind around that particular pair-up, but it seemed to be working.) All the adults plus Johnny and Sara had gathered in the parlor, drinking coffee or tea or in Johnny's case chocolate coffee.
Five of the puppies were scattered around the room. Titania, still the biggest pup and a third again Obie's size, was settled on the cool stone in front of the empty hearth, gnawing on a rawhide chewy. Obie and Brand were chasing each other around one of the sofas -- and around and around and around, occasionally changing direction but doing their best to wear out the carpet. Tarma was napping at Sara's feet while Corwin occupied her lap, getting scritches. Vlad and Kethry were off somewhere else, doubtless getting in someone's way. Benedick was gone; Sara had given him to Robert a few weeks earlier.
Maudie finally came in and called them back to the dining room, directing Liam and Johnny to a pair of chairs in the middle of one of the long sides of the table, in front of a huge cake decorated with purple and blue frosting flowers and curls. A twisted-looking line of icing divided the cake in half. On one side it said, "Johnny" and had twenty-six candles. On the other side it said, "Dr. Lee" and had one large candle, with a lot of small print in shining white against the green frosting background.
Johnny plopped down into his chair, drawing Christian down next to him, and craned his neck to read Liam's side of the cake.
Liam read it first and laughed out loud while elbowing Cal, who was sitting next to him. "This was your idea. There's no doubt whatsoever in my mind. Jeannie is far too polite to have even thought of it."
Cal just grinned and winked.
Johnny grinned back at him, then read:
The Fire Marshal has forbidden the use of excessive candles in the name of fire safety. More than one (1) candle per three (3) square centimeters of icing is hereby declared an unacceptably unsafe fire hazard and forbidden per Public Safety Reg. D14-209.5. Therefore, cranky old coots get one (1) candle on their cake. Deal with it and Happy Birthday."
Johnny buried his face in Christian's shoulder and laughed.
Ben was the first one done with his cake and he was bouncing in his seat chanting, "Presents! Presents!"
Marton was the first to answer the directive and step forward, approaching Johnny rather than Liam, to whom he directed a wink instead. Bending forward he handed Johnny a card and a long velvet box. "Happy Birthday." was all he said, standing clear to let Johnny open it.
Johnny grinned at him and said, "Thanks!" then opened the card. It said: "Johnny. Many Happy Returns. The need to get to and from Uni is almost upon you and, for privacy's sake, I figured you'd want a full-face helmet. Then I had to go get something more because we can't have a member of the royal family walking around looking silly. Best wishes and drive safely." Johnny gave a confused frown at the mention of a full-faced helmet, both because the box wasn't nearly large enough for one and also because it was just... weird. Then he got to the part that said, "a member of the royal family" and he felt his heart clench.
He handed the card to Liam to read and pass around, then stood and hugged Marton tight. He whispered, "Thank you so much. I can't... just, thanks," while absolutely refusing to let the threatening tears overflow.
Marton hugged him back, kissed his cheek and then, arm around Johnny's shoulders, walked with him to the window, case in hand, giving him both time to compose himself and a chance to look outside and actually see his present.
Johnny looked out the window and froze. Out on the walkway, just a few meters from the window, sat a shiny black motorcycle. He just stood there for a moment, his mouth half open, then his eyes lit up and he grabbed Marton for another hug. "That is so cool! Thank you!" He stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek while everyone else got up and crowded around the window, ooohing and ahhing and chattering.
Ben grabbed Johnny around the waist and said, "Hey, can I ride with you?!"
Johnny heard a growl from Linus and was quick to say, "I'm sorry, darlin', but I've never been on a motorcycle, either. I'll have to learn, first. Maybe next time I visit I'll bring it down and you can ride with me then?"
Liam laid a restraining hand on Linus's shoulder and said, "I used to have a bike and I'll give you a lesson or two while you're here. This is a good place to practice, actually, before you get back to Balize and have to deal with the traffic. But for right now let's get back to the table, shall we?"
Marton grinned, pleased that Johnny was so enthused about his gift, and walked back with the others, fading to the back of the group to allow someone else a chance. Christian took the opportunity to quickly dart across and hand Liam a large, soft and squishy package with a quick kiss to the cheek and a murmured, "Happy Birthday."
Liam grinned at him and unwrapped a bundle of fabric. A number of smaller objects fell out of it into his lap, and he fished after them one at a time, laying them out on the table. "Tube of raspberry lube, red elastic cock-ring, tube of cinnamon lube -- mmm, nice! -- blue elastic cock-ring, white leather cock-ring, dildo-shaped keychain in a nice shiny chrome, tube of waterproof lube...." A heavier item fell to the carpet with a muffled thud and Liam reached down for it. "And...." He looked at the object in his hand and raised an eyebrow. "And a silver com case. Thank you -- this is very handsome." Liam leaned across Johnny and gave Christian a kiss on the cheek. He finally shook out the bundle of fabric and discovered a T-shirt. On the front it said, "Shrinks do it on Couches."
Christian grinned and told him, "Johnny helped, of course. So you can blame him for the nice stuff." He watched Liam admiring the shirt and added, "You might want to look at the back of that."
Liam raised an eyebrow and turned the shirt over. On the back it said, in tiny letters, "so get comfortable." He rolled his eyes and said, "Delightful. I'll be sure to wear it to the next academic conference I attend."
Cal laughed and said, "Don't let him fool you -- he'll wear it all right, and every scowl he gets from a stuffed-shirt colleague will gladden his heart."
When the laughter had died down, Hal handed Liam a large, flat box wrapped in shiny foil paper. "This is from all of us," he said, looking around the table to indicate all the kids, including Johnny.
Liam took it and tore the paper off, exposing a picture of some kind in a polished wooden frame. He turned it right-side up, then smiled broadly and just looked at it for a minute before turning it around to show the others. It was a collage of photos, taken over the last five or six months. There was one of Adrian clowning around with Charlie, one of Sara buried in puppies, one of Ben curled up against Hal, one of Johnny standing in front of the Gatehouse with Obie in his arms, even one of Linus with an impish Ben tickling him into a reluctant grin. Adrian, Charlie and Johnny caught in bed, with their eyes wide and startled and their mouths open to yell. A grubby Hal transplanting columbines into the bed below the porch. Sara up on Pixie, hanging on for dear life but with a delighted smile on her face.
"It's perfect," he said. "And I know just where in the study I'm going to hang it." He passed it around so everyone could take a closer look.
Hal nudged Sara and gave her an encouraging smile. She blushed and lowered her eyes to the table, but lifted a wrapped package off her lap and passed it over to Johnny, who smiled at her and tore into it.
A moment later he opened the white cardboard box and pulled out a beautifully knit sweater in a light cotton. It was a mixed heather-grey in a raised checkerboard pattern, with ribbed cuffs and a round neckline. "This is really great! Did you make it?"
Sara blushed harder and nodded, then pointed around to all the other youngsters.
"Sara knitted it," Hal explained. "The rest of us chipped in to buy the yarn."
Johnny couldn't help it -- he glanced down to the end of the table where Linus was slouching next to Ben.
"Yeah, me too," Linus muttered. "Got a problem with that, Depp?"
Johnny shook his head. "No, not at all. Thanks, Linus. This is really great. Thanks to all of you." He looked around, meeting six pairs of eyes, then folded his sweater carefully and stowed it back in its box.
When the sweater was safely out of the way of the cake and coffee, Johnny picked up an envelope he'd had stashed in his shirt. It was a bit battered, but he held it out toward Liam with a shyly proud smile. "It's not much. And it's not even yours. I mean, it is, it really is, if it weren't for you it wouldn't exist, but...." He trailed off and shrugged, suddenly wondering whether this was at all appropriate, but it was too late now so he handed Liam the envelope.
Liam took it and opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and recognized the seal of the University of Calera. He scanned down through the text. Standard verbage, evaluations, very good... to the end where it declared that John Tomas Depp had completed his first term successfully and with honors. "Johnny! Very good!" He threw an arm around his apprentice and hugged him until he squealed. "I'm proud of you, boy!"
Johnny beamed and hugged him back. "Thank you," he whispered into his ear. "I wouldn't have had a chance to even try if it weren't for you."
"You make your own opportunities," Liam whispered back. "You'd be doing well no matter what you'd turned your hand to. I believe that absolutely." He gave Johnny a last hug and a kiss on the temple, then sat back into his chair with a fond smile.
With everyone else done, Christian strolled over and crouched down next to Johnny's chair, pushing aside the pile of wrapping paper. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box with a grin. "Don't panic," he said in answer to Johnny's obvious surprise. Then he sobered and his smile became tender. "It's an ancient tradition," he told him, popping open the box and removing the contents. "Unfortunately, it's called the Concubine's Signet but we can ignore that bit, yeah." He slid the ring onto the index finger of Johnny's right hand and kissed his lips gently. "We can call it the Lover's Ring, right? I do love you," he added in a whisper meant for only one set of ears.
Johnny stared at the ring on his finger, feeling its weight. It was a solid link to Christian, a smaller duplicate of the Crown Prince's ring his lover wore, silver with the wolf-and-tree crest of the Csokas family. "I... I don't know what...." He looked up at Christian's gently smiling face and whispered, "I love you too," then kissed him, a gentle communing of lips that was less about sex than about love and connection. Everyone else in the room faded away and there were only the two of them, loving each other.
Dinner had been over for about half an hour and the group had been shooed out of the dining room by Jeannie, so she and Maudie could clear the table and reset for the party. Some of the kids had vanished upstairs -- Adrian was giggling and looking over his shoulder at Johnny as he trotted off -- and Linus and Ben had gone out front to the porch where they were visible from the front parlor through the sheer curtains, curled up together on one of the lounges. (Johnny still couldn't quite wrap his mind around that particular pair-up, but it seemed to be working.) All the adults plus Johnny and Sara had gathered in the parlor, drinking coffee or tea or in Johnny's case chocolate coffee.
Five of the puppies were scattered around the room. Titania, still the biggest pup and a third again Obie's size, was settled on the cool stone in front of the empty hearth, gnawing on a rawhide chewy. Obie and Brand were chasing each other around one of the sofas -- and around and around and around, occasionally changing direction but doing their best to wear out the carpet. Tarma was napping at Sara's feet while Corwin occupied her lap, getting scritches. Vlad and Kethry were off somewhere else, doubtless getting in someone's way. Benedick was gone; Sara had given him to Robert a few weeks earlier.
Maudie finally came in and called them back to the dining room, directing Liam and Johnny to a pair of chairs in the middle of one of the long sides of the table, in front of a huge cake decorated with purple and blue frosting flowers and curls. A twisted-looking line of icing divided the cake in half. On one side it said, "Johnny" and had twenty-six candles. On the other side it said, "Dr. Lee" and had one large candle, with a lot of small print in shining white against the green frosting background.
Johnny plopped down into his chair, drawing Christian down next to him, and craned his neck to read Liam's side of the cake.
Liam read it first and laughed out loud while elbowing Cal, who was sitting next to him. "This was your idea. There's no doubt whatsoever in my mind. Jeannie is far too polite to have even thought of it."
Cal just grinned and winked.
Johnny grinned back at him, then read:
The Fire Marshal has forbidden the use of excessive candles in the name of fire safety. More than one (1) candle per three (3) square centimeters of icing is hereby declared an unacceptably unsafe fire hazard and forbidden per Public Safety Reg. D14-209.5. Therefore, cranky old coots get one (1) candle on their cake. Deal with it and Happy Birthday."
Johnny buried his face in Christian's shoulder and laughed.
Ben was the first one done with his cake and he was bouncing in his seat chanting, "Presents! Presents!"
Marton was the first to answer the directive and step forward, approaching Johnny rather than Liam, to whom he directed a wink instead. Bending forward he handed Johnny a card and a long velvet box. "Happy Birthday." was all he said, standing clear to let Johnny open it.
Johnny grinned at him and said, "Thanks!" then opened the card. It said: "Johnny. Many Happy Returns. The need to get to and from Uni is almost upon you and, for privacy's sake, I figured you'd want a full-face helmet. Then I had to go get something more because we can't have a member of the royal family walking around looking silly. Best wishes and drive safely." Johnny gave a confused frown at the mention of a full-faced helmet, both because the box wasn't nearly large enough for one and also because it was just... weird. Then he got to the part that said, "a member of the royal family" and he felt his heart clench.
He handed the card to Liam to read and pass around, then stood and hugged Marton tight. He whispered, "Thank you so much. I can't... just, thanks," while absolutely refusing to let the threatening tears overflow.
Marton hugged him back, kissed his cheek and then, arm around Johnny's shoulders, walked with him to the window, case in hand, giving him both time to compose himself and a chance to look outside and actually see his present.
Johnny looked out the window and froze. Out on the walkway, just a few meters from the window, sat a shiny black motorcycle. He just stood there for a moment, his mouth half open, then his eyes lit up and he grabbed Marton for another hug. "That is so cool! Thank you!" He stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek while everyone else got up and crowded around the window, ooohing and ahhing and chattering.
Ben grabbed Johnny around the waist and said, "Hey, can I ride with you?!"
Johnny heard a growl from Linus and was quick to say, "I'm sorry, darlin', but I've never been on a motorcycle, either. I'll have to learn, first. Maybe next time I visit I'll bring it down and you can ride with me then?"
Liam laid a restraining hand on Linus's shoulder and said, "I used to have a bike and I'll give you a lesson or two while you're here. This is a good place to practice, actually, before you get back to Balize and have to deal with the traffic. But for right now let's get back to the table, shall we?"
Marton grinned, pleased that Johnny was so enthused about his gift, and walked back with the others, fading to the back of the group to allow someone else a chance. Christian took the opportunity to quickly dart across and hand Liam a large, soft and squishy package with a quick kiss to the cheek and a murmured, "Happy Birthday."
Liam grinned at him and unwrapped a bundle of fabric. A number of smaller objects fell out of it into his lap, and he fished after them one at a time, laying them out on the table. "Tube of raspberry lube, red elastic cock-ring, tube of cinnamon lube -- mmm, nice! -- blue elastic cock-ring, white leather cock-ring, dildo-shaped keychain in a nice shiny chrome, tube of waterproof lube...." A heavier item fell to the carpet with a muffled thud and Liam reached down for it. "And...." He looked at the object in his hand and raised an eyebrow. "And a silver com case. Thank you -- this is very handsome." Liam leaned across Johnny and gave Christian a kiss on the cheek. He finally shook out the bundle of fabric and discovered a T-shirt. On the front it said, "Shrinks do it on Couches."
Christian grinned and told him, "Johnny helped, of course. So you can blame him for the nice stuff." He watched Liam admiring the shirt and added, "You might want to look at the back of that."
Liam raised an eyebrow and turned the shirt over. On the back it said, in tiny letters, "so get comfortable." He rolled his eyes and said, "Delightful. I'll be sure to wear it to the next academic conference I attend."
Cal laughed and said, "Don't let him fool you -- he'll wear it all right, and every scowl he gets from a stuffed-shirt colleague will gladden his heart."
When the laughter had died down, Hal handed Liam a large, flat box wrapped in shiny foil paper. "This is from all of us," he said, looking around the table to indicate all the kids, including Johnny.
Liam took it and tore the paper off, exposing a picture of some kind in a polished wooden frame. He turned it right-side up, then smiled broadly and just looked at it for a minute before turning it around to show the others. It was a collage of photos, taken over the last five or six months. There was one of Adrian clowning around with Charlie, one of Sara buried in puppies, one of Ben curled up against Hal, one of Johnny standing in front of the Gatehouse with Obie in his arms, even one of Linus with an impish Ben tickling him into a reluctant grin. Adrian, Charlie and Johnny caught in bed, with their eyes wide and startled and their mouths open to yell. A grubby Hal transplanting columbines into the bed below the porch. Sara up on Pixie, hanging on for dear life but with a delighted smile on her face.
"It's perfect," he said. "And I know just where in the study I'm going to hang it." He passed it around so everyone could take a closer look.
Hal nudged Sara and gave her an encouraging smile. She blushed and lowered her eyes to the table, but lifted a wrapped package off her lap and passed it over to Johnny, who smiled at her and tore into it.
A moment later he opened the white cardboard box and pulled out a beautifully knit sweater in a light cotton. It was a mixed heather-grey in a raised checkerboard pattern, with ribbed cuffs and a round neckline. "This is really great! Did you make it?"
Sara blushed harder and nodded, then pointed around to all the other youngsters.
"Sara knitted it," Hal explained. "The rest of us chipped in to buy the yarn."
Johnny couldn't help it -- he glanced down to the end of the table where Linus was slouching next to Ben.
"Yeah, me too," Linus muttered. "Got a problem with that, Depp?"
Johnny shook his head. "No, not at all. Thanks, Linus. This is really great. Thanks to all of you." He looked around, meeting six pairs of eyes, then folded his sweater carefully and stowed it back in its box.
When the sweater was safely out of the way of the cake and coffee, Johnny picked up an envelope he'd had stashed in his shirt. It was a bit battered, but he held it out toward Liam with a shyly proud smile. "It's not much. And it's not even yours. I mean, it is, it really is, if it weren't for you it wouldn't exist, but...." He trailed off and shrugged, suddenly wondering whether this was at all appropriate, but it was too late now so he handed Liam the envelope.
Liam took it and opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and recognized the seal of the University of Calera. He scanned down through the text. Standard verbage, evaluations, very good... to the end where it declared that John Tomas Depp had completed his first term successfully and with honors. "Johnny! Very good!" He threw an arm around his apprentice and hugged him until he squealed. "I'm proud of you, boy!"
Johnny beamed and hugged him back. "Thank you," he whispered into his ear. "I wouldn't have had a chance to even try if it weren't for you."
"You make your own opportunities," Liam whispered back. "You'd be doing well no matter what you'd turned your hand to. I believe that absolutely." He gave Johnny a last hug and a kiss on the temple, then sat back into his chair with a fond smile.
With everyone else done, Christian strolled over and crouched down next to Johnny's chair, pushing aside the pile of wrapping paper. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box with a grin. "Don't panic," he said in answer to Johnny's obvious surprise. Then he sobered and his smile became tender. "It's an ancient tradition," he told him, popping open the box and removing the contents. "Unfortunately, it's called the Concubine's Signet but we can ignore that bit, yeah." He slid the ring onto the index finger of Johnny's right hand and kissed his lips gently. "We can call it the Lover's Ring, right? I do love you," he added in a whisper meant for only one set of ears.
Johnny stared at the ring on his finger, feeling its weight. It was a solid link to Christian, a smaller duplicate of the Crown Prince's ring his lover wore, silver with the wolf-and-tree crest of the Csokas family. "I... I don't know what...." He looked up at Christian's gently smiling face and whispered, "I love you too," then kissed him, a gentle communing of lips that was less about sex than about love and connection. Everyone else in the room faded away and there were only the two of them, loving each other.
