Home for the Holidays

[Clopin]

"I understand y'all. Come on then, hop on up. There won't be any time for my saddle and reins, Clopin." Bob warned. His ears were pricked up, as he listened to the noise going on downstairs.
"I think y'all's father is comin' up." Bob whispered.
"I think so too. Come on Puck!" Clopin said, as he turned to Coyote and Raven. "I bid thee a good farewell. It was a pleasure meeting you two for the time being."

[Puck]

Coyote and Raven could only nod as the sound of Oberon's footsteps grew closer. Hoping onto Bob's back, Puck cast a weak smile down at his brothers before positioning himself correctly onto Bob's back.
"Alright, let's go."

[Clopin]

Bob nodded, and with one look behind him, leapt out of the window, Clopin and Puck in tow. When they had made it outside, the unicorn slowed himself to a trot.
"Now Puck, where is y'all's friend's house? I need to know so we can head in the right direction." Bob said.

[Puck]

"Just past those trees," Puck said, pointing over a large wood that ran behind his home. "They live in the tallest building there."
Puck bit his lip, hoping that the Xanatos' wouldn't object to their staying. It would be terrible to be kicked out of his own home, only to be kicked out of another.

[Clopin]

"Got it, y'all." Bob said, making his way towards the trees. Clopin sighed, half out of relief, and the other half out of stress. But, he was able to relax a bit, feeling Puck wrap his arms familiarly around his torso.
"Puck, in the worst case scenario, where would we go?" Clopin asked.

[Puck]

Puck frowned uneasily. Leaning his forehead against Clopin shoulder from behind, he said, "I...I don't know. I suppose that we'd have to go back to the school. But these people...they're different. Their much more accepting than him," Puck muttered, scowling at the thought of his father.
It was true. The Xanatos' were very accepting, seeing as how they'd taken in a family of deformed thieves. Puck was sure that they might be accepting...they had to be.
Letting out a small groan, he wrapped his arms tighter around the other, squeezing his eyes shut in a silent prayer.

[Clopin]

Clopin nodded, and set his hands on top of Puck's. "Don't worry, mon amour. I'm almost positive we'll be okay." he said reassuringly. Bob snorted in agreement, as they neared the Xanatos' house. He settled for a soft landing, as his hooves touched the ground. He waited until Clopin and Puck got off before turning to leave.
"Is that it, y'all?" Bob asked.
"Yes, mon ami. Merci beaucoup." Clopin said, with a small smile.
"Uhm..okay then y'all. Best of luck." Bob said.

[Puck]

Puck nodded to Bob. "Thank you, Bob. Well, let's go," Puck said nervously. He hoped that he wouldn't get a reaction like the one he had gotten at home.
He stared up at the familiar house, and took Clopin's hand in his own. Better for them to be turned away at the door than to get settled inside. Ringing the doorbell, he stared up towards the roof anxiously as he waited. The fourth floor of the Xanatos' home resembled the towers of a castle, and he knew that the family that lived with them could very well be up there at this very minute.
At last, the door was opened to reveal a very properly dressed teenager, who's eyes widened at the sight of the other boys.
"Puck?" he asked, his voice a low monotone. He glanced at their entwined hands, raising an eyebrow. Sighing, he continued. "Well, I had been wondering when you would finally bring one home. You'd better come in," the boy said, stepping aside to allow them in.
"Owen," Puck said, surprised at the boy's sudden reaction. "BUt, i'm-this-I mean..." With a sigh, he shook his head. "Okay, fine. Where are the Xanatos'?"
"Just get inside. I'll summon them to the den. And please, wipe your feet." With that the other boy left.
Puck blinked, mouth hanging open for a second. Turning to Clopin he shrugged. "Er, I have no idea what just happened, but that was my cousin. I suppose that we should go inside?"

[Clopin]

Clopin was hoping the same thing as well. Even though he didn't know the Xanatos family at all, he had a feeling that they would be accepted more here than at Puck's own home. However, when Puck's cousin opened the door, his heart sank at the sight of Owen.
"We might as well go inside. Better now than never." Clopin said. Again, Clopin was a bit shocked by the splendour of the house. But what did Owen mean by "bringing one home"? The gypsy shrugged. He was just too caught up in the whirlwind of whatever had happened to pay attention to such remedial things.

[Puck]

Stepping inside, Puck glanced around, hoping that one of the members of the house might be there in the front room. Sighing when he saw none, he took the other's hand in his own as they headed into the den. Owen had apparently gone off to tell the family that Puck was there...with a friend.
"I'm pretty sure that Owen knows exactly what's going on," Puck sighed. "He's always seemed to know just what was going on inside my head. But I think that everything will be okay now."
As Puck finished talking, he noticed something had arrived at the door of the large room. A little red-headed toddler, who only came up to about Puck's thigh, was waiting there, and smiled brightly when Puck caught sight of him.
"Unca Puck!" He giggled, running over to hug the boy's legs. Puck grinned, bending down to the toddler's level.
"Alex! It's good to see ya, buddy," Puck laughed, giving the other a hug. Picking him upp, Puck turned to Clopin. "I'm guessing that his parents have been having some trouble keeping an eye on him. The little tike must have sneaked away. Clopin, this is Alexander, the Xanatos' son."

[Clopin]

Clopin smiled at the small child. "He's cute." Clopin said with a laugh, as the toddler attempted to grab the gypsy's overly large nose.
"Hey, my nose isn't something you can play with, kid!" Clopin said, laughing even harder as he covered his nose. However, the gypsy stopped abruptly, as Fox and David Xanatos walked in, seeing Clopin and Puck. Clopin took a deep breath, ready for rejection.

[Puck]

Puck turned sharply at the Xanatos' entrance, suddenly afraid again. Putting Alexander down, he cleared his throat, preparing to speak.
Holding up a hand, David stopped him. "There's no need, Puck. Owen here has explained things quite clearly," he shook his head. "Apparently, this was something that he had been expecting."
Puck blinked, clearly surprised at Xanatos' words. "Wait...so, you're not kicking us out?"
Fox shook her head. "Of course not, Puck. Why would we do that? You're practically family."
Puck bit his lip. "Well, my actual family just kicked us out, so..."
Both of the Xanatos' eyes widened. Glancing at each other for a moment, Xanatos spoke again. "Oh. I see."

[Clopin]

"Yeah...and Oberon nearly murdered us." Clopin said quietly, as he looked up to the Xanatos'. With a sigh, he introduced himself.
"My name is Clopin Trouillefou, and I'm a classmate of Puck's...and his...boyfriend." Clopin said, expecting to be kicked out at that instant. "I have no home to go to, and Puck decided he'd bring me home, to spend the holidays with him and his family. It didn't work out too well, as you can see." the gypsy said, gesturing towards his and Puck's luggage.
"But if you wish, I can leave."

[Puck]

Xanatos nodded again. "Seems that you were right in your assumption, Owen." The blond nodded to his employer, turning to face Puck.
"I knew that you would try something like this," Owen said in his dry tone. "So this came as no surprise to me. However, I wasn't sure about the Xanatos', so I briefly explained the situation to them shortly after you two arrived."
Puck raised an eyebrow. Owen had known? That he...?
"Please, there' no need for either of you to leave," Fox spoke, interrupting Puck's thoughts. "Look, Puck, we keep an entire family shunned by the public in this house. I think that we can handle the fact that you have...a boyfriend." She smiled motherly towards the boy.
Puck smiled slowly back, grateful that they had been so accepting. That lifted possible the largest weight in existence from his chest, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, if you don't mind, then I'm perfectly fine with staying, unless..." Puck turned to Clopin. "You want to leave?"

[Clopin]

"Puck, I wouldn't even think of leaving without you. And if I were to leave, I'd stay close." Clopin said with a smile. He then turned to Fox and Xanatos.
"As for you two, merci beaucoup. You have no idea how much of a weight has been lifted from my own chest." the gypsy said, bowing to the two of them. He was sincerely thankful that they hadn't decided to kick him and Puck out. And in all honesty, little Alexander had proved to be an amusing toddler.