Isaac
Our family has had a lot of crazy years. Nothing has really been normal for us since we became famous, but for the most part, it’s all been good. This year, though… this year has been something else entirely.
From the very beginning of the year, we all seemed to be barely hanging onto the jagged edges of our nerves. I chalked that up to having pushed ourselves too hard to promote the last album, but the troubles seemed to run deeper than that between Taylor and Zac. The two of them had always had secrets, and whether those secrets were good or bad, I decided I was better off not knowing.
Those troubles within the band naturally spilled over into our personal lives. I can’t honestly say that everyone in the family was surprised when Kate took the kids and ran home to Georgia. Having dated her myself, I knew her flair for dramatics when she didn’t get her way, and her marriage with Zac had never been the perfect fantasy that she thought being married to Zac Hanson ought to be. I didn’t voice my opinion, but I had always felt it was just a matter of time before the two of them realized they weren’t meant to be together.
But the Hanson family carried on. While Zac and Carrick barricaded themselves–metaphorically and all but literally–inside Zac’s house, the rest of us went on with our normal lives, right down to the weekly Sunday dinners at Mom and Dad’s house. It was at one of those dinners that Taylor and Natalie quietly asked for our attention for an announcement. They were too serene for it to be another baby announcement; instead, they informed us that they had agreed to divorce. It made even less sense than Zac and Kate’s split, but they had obviously made their peace with it, and so the rest of us could do nothing else but accept it.
From there on, things seemed to calm down a little. Although we’d still made precious little progress on our next album, life seemed to be returning to some semblance of normal. It had been a banner year for big announcements, though; Zac and Carrick took the spotlight on my birthday when they walked into the party holding hands and effectively confirming all of our suspicions that they had been dating for quite some time. I had known it, or at least been willing to consider the possibility, for longer than anyone else in the family, I think.
I have to give our parents credit, though. They were shocked, or at least pretended to be; after the way Carrick basically moved here back in the summer while Kate was off doing god knows what, I don’t know how anyone couldn’t have been suspicious of how close he and Zac actually were. I assumed that our religious parents and siblings just didn’t want to accept it, but once the evidence was right there in front of them, they welcomed Carrick into the family almost as readily as they had Kate.
As for me, I was just glad that Zac and Taylor had found some sense of peace, because that meant our crazy year might finally be coming to an end. Before it could end, though, we all had to survive the holidays, beginning with the traditional Hanson family Thanksgiving. With the kids camped out in the pool house for a giant sleepover, my brothers and I… and Carrick… were spending some quality time in the living room.
I seemed to be in charge of handing out drinks. I handed out beers and hard ciders, and after they thanked me, Carrick remarked, “Man, your mom sure knows how to stuff a bird…”
Taylor choked on the beer he’d just taken a sip of, and although Zac tried to fight it, his coughs and sputters quickly turned to laughter. I wasn’t sure why they found that statement so funny; it was crude, sure, but it was our mom they were talking about. My brothers were clearly stranger than I knew.
“She’s uh… she’s a hell of a cook,” I finally agreed.
Zac gave Taylor a nudge. “Must be where he learned it…”
Taylor just blushed and sipped his beer; usually he took a compliment better than that.
“Yeah, you should try his stuffing sometime,” Carrick added.
At that, Taylor shot Carrick what seemed to be a warning look, but his lips weren’t nearly as serious as his eyes, turning up in a smirk as they were. Zac snorted with laughter and gave Carrick a nudge that seemed to be in warning as well. I could only stare at them blankly, almost jealous that now there were three of them sharing the inside jokes and secrets, not just two.
“So, umm…” Taylor said. “Who won the game tonight?”
Carrick raised an eyebrow at him, and Zac asked, most likely testing him, “What sport?”
“Umm… football?”
“Good guess,” Zac replied, and this time Carrick was the one to snort.
“Patriots, I think,” I offered. I was at least slightly more into sports than my brothers–not to imply that they conformed to any particular stereotypes, but none of us had ever been the typical manly men.
“Oh, really?” Zac asked, his tone suggesting that he was humoring me. Taylor just gave me a grateful smile, probably for diverting attention away from him.
I shrugged. “I didn’t see the whole game; just caught the score.”
“Well, the score’s what’s important, isn’t it?” Carrick asked.
Taylor rolled his eyes, and Zac gave Carrick another warning nudge. At least that comment was less obtuse and more obviously perverted. Those sort of comments, I was learning, were Carrick’s favorite to make. Taylor heaved a long-suffering sigh and pasted on a smile that I was sure was entirely for my benefit.
Attempting to return his smile, I asked, “So uh… Carrick, have a nice time? Your first Hanson family Thanksgiving and all…”
“Oh, yeah,” he replied, putting a long arm around Zac. “Everyone’s made me feel right at home.”
“That’s great,” I replied, and although it was strange to see my brother being affectionate with another man, I meant what I said.
Taylor snorted, then mumbled, “You make yourself feel at home anywhere you go.”
“He sure does…” Zac agreed, giggling.
Carrick’s other hand, the one that wasn’t squeezing Zac’s shoulder, reached toward Taylor and flicked his ear.
“Zac…” Taylor said.
“What?” Zac asked, looking almost as innocent as he had when Wicket had turned up the exact shade of Cherry Kool-Aid.
“Reign him in? Please?”
Carrick snickered, and Zac replied, “Like I can?”
When Taylor sighed again, I could see that it had fallen to me to keep this conversation going. Ignoring the way Carrick rubbed Zac’s shoulders a little too intimately, I struggled for a topic and stuttered out a few meaningless words. This time, Taylor rescued me.
“So, how’s Everett liking school so far?”
“Oh, he’s liking it,” I replied, taking a slow sip of my whiskey. “First grade is a lot different from kindergarten, apparently. But it’s all good.”
Taylor nodded understandingly. Carrick’s other hand fell onto Taylor’s shoulder, and had that not been so strange, I would have laughed at how he looked sandwiched between my two brothers. I blinked at them as I watched Taylor trying to shrug Carrick’s hand off. Definitely strange.
“Umm… and Monroe? How’s he doing?” Taylor asked.
“He’s good,” I replied, watching Carrick’s hand landed squarely on Taylor’s shoulder again. “Hates that he still can’t go to school, too… maybe we should have put him in preschool…”
Taylor nodded as though what I was talking about was the most interesting thing he’d ever heard. He scooted forward on the couch, his elbows on his knees the way he sat when he was trying to convince an interviewer that they had his rapt attention. I knew better; he was just trying to escape Carrick’s strange… I’d call it flirtation if Carrick wasn’t Zac’s boyfriend.
“So, umm…” I began as Taylor picked his beer up out of the floor and took a big gulp. “How are your kids?”
“Good, good,” Taylor replied, his eyes lighting up genuinely. “Penny got third place in her class science fair.”
I watched Carrick’s arm fall off Zac’s shoulder and down his back; as it vanished out of sight and Zac yelped into his cider, I stopped watching and turned my eyes back to Taylor. His smile was real this time, and I knew it was because I’d asked about his kids. His split from Natalie really had been amicable, and the two of them still shared parenting duties almost equally. At times, I thought Taylor seemed a happier and better father than he had been while they were still married, and I supposed that itself was proof that the divorce had been a good idea.
“That’s great,” I replied. “Never figured we’d have a scientist in the family.”
Taylor grinned proudly. “Yeah, I know. She worked really hard on it; it was all about how the temperature of the water affects how long cut flowers will last.”
Carrick rolled his eyes at Taylor, then turned back to Zac and shared a secret look with him. The hand he’d rested on Taylor’s shoulder was just out of my sight then, and again, I figured I was better off not knowing. That feeling was confirmed when Taylor ever so slightly jumped off the couch; he lifted barely an inch, but it was obvious enough in spite of his attempts to play it cool.
Carrick snickered at Taylor’s reaction, and Zac just sipped his cider serenely.
“So, umm… Zac? The kids?” I asked, knowing that his marriage hadn’t ended so amicably, and for a time, none of had been sure if Kate would even allow him to see the kids again without legal intervention.
“Oh?” Zac said, slowly glancing away from the smirks and glares his boyfriend and Taylor were exchanging. “Umm, yeah. They’re good. They spent last weekend with us.”
“Quite the little rascals,” Carrick added. “Shep’s tried to paint the walls with everything but paint at this point.”
“Like father; like son,” Zac said, giggling. “What was it this time? Chocolate sauce?”
Taylor laughed softly. “Caramel.”
“Oh, right,” Zac replied, smiling strangely. Carrick snorted, and Taylor just shook his head.
“It’s probably a good thing Zac has some uh… help… there,” I said, although I wasn’t entirely sure that Taylor and Carrick really qualified as help.
Considering the way Taylor snorted, he seemed to agree. “Yeah, well, at least he’s good for something.”
“Like teaching Junia Lady Gaga songs?” Zac shot back, shaking his head.
Taylor laughed loudly. I didn’t even dare ask which Lady Gaga song.
“Hey, that was not my fault,” Carrick replied.
“Well, it definitely wasn’t mine,” Zac said.
“Don’t look at me,” Taylor said, but even I didn’t buy his attempt at an innocent look.
Zac stared him down. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, it was totally him,” Carrick said.
Taylor glared and stuck his tongue out at Carrick, but seconds later he was smirking, seemingly having forgiven Zac’s boyfriend for tattling on him. It was a strangely domestic little scene between the three of them; I had wondered how the three of them living together would work out, and seeing them arguing like that–however playfully–I still wasn’t so sure about it.
“On second thought,” I said, shaking my head. “Are you sure the kids are safe with them?”
Taylor gave me a sheepish smile and Carrick laughed, then agreed, “Probably not.”
“You know, we always said Tay was the bad uncle… the bad influence…” I continued, causing Taylor to pout.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Carrick said, shooting Taylor a smirk. “He can be pretty well behaved when he wants to be.”
Taylor rolled his eyes and sighed; I had a feeling he was the target of Carrick and Zac’s teasing quite often. You’d think he would be used to it, but he was nothing if not sensitive.
Zac reached across Carrick to pat Taylor’s back reassuringly, which looked awkward for multiple reasons, not the least of which because Zac wasn’t quite tall enough to stretch that far comfortably. “Ike isn’t exactly wrong, though…”
Taylor just pouted at him.
“Are you denying your plans to teach my children how to drink before they’re eighteen?” Zac asked, laughing. I remembered that interview and I knew that Taylor had said exactly that, although I had hoped he was kidding.
“Hey, they gotta learn sometime…” Taylor replied.
As he spoke, he leaned into Zac’s touch, squeezing Carrick in between the two of them. Carrick didn’t really seem to mind, but I was becoming a little uncomfortable. I wasn’t homophobic; at least, I didn’t think I was. We met so many different people in our business that I didn’t really bat an eye at anything outside the ordinary. To see Zac with Carrick, though, was still strange. Adding in the fact that Taylor seemed to be such a presence in their relationship just made it that much stranger.
“Speaking of alcohol…” I said, glancing down at the whiskey glass I had apparently emptied during this conversation. “I’ll uh… be right back.”
Before things could get any stranger, I decided that I was going to need another drink. Or five.
Carrick
Oh, this was just too much fun. Ike was a cool guy, but pretty straight-laced, so it was way too easy to make him squirm. Just acting cute with Zac was enough, but when I got the idea to flirt with Tay, too… well, that was just pure genius. Apparently Tay didn’t agree, glaring at me as soon as his older brother was out of sight.
“Yes?” I asked with a saccharine tone. “Can I help you?” He just sighed; he’d been smirking right along with me, so I knew it couldn’t bother him that much.
“Boys,” Zac warned, trying to sound stern, but his giggles kinda ruined the effect.
“And you’re no help,” Tay grumbled, looking at his brother. I chuckled, watching him try to be intimidating; it was adorable, really.
“Oh I can be plenty of help…”
“You’d better be,” Tay fired back, biting his lip and blushing. He wasn’t the type to make innuendos and comments very often; that was totally my department. But he was getting better at it.
“What?” Zac giggled. “Didn’t get enough stuffing at dinner?”
“Oh, I did,” he said, looking at me. That reminded me of something we’d talked about a couple of times, and I wondered if Tay was gonna have the balls to suggest it. “But I’m thinking of you,” he finished, looking at Zac again. Zac shivered, and I couldn’t help snickering.
“Is that a promise?”
I leaned down to whisper in Zac’s ear, but kept my eyes on Tay. “Wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without extra stuffing.”
The thought of Tay and me double-teaming Zac had me going already. A small, tiny, miniscule part of me might have thought about how I was sharing Zac yet again, but I ignored it; the scene was too hot to resist, and I couldn’t wait to see the look on Zac’s face.
Tay gave both of us a lusty smirk, not noticing that Ike was heading back into the room. The oldest Hanson cleared his throat, and Tay sat back quickly, trying to look like he hadn’t just been giving me and Zac come-fuck-me eyes. I gave Zac a kiss on the cheek, smiling innocently at Ike’s shocked expression. Honestly, he was better off getting used to it. I heard Tay choke back a laugh as Ike downed half his drink in one gulp.
“So, um…” Tay started, sighing a bit. “The kids talking about Christmas yet?”
“Um… yeah, they’ve already started making their lists and everything,” Ike tried to keep his tone neutral, but his body language told a whole other story. I wondered how far I could push things before I got yelled at. I still had an arm behind Tay, so I started rubbing his lower back. He always loved that at home; it was one of the fastest ways to get him vocal.
“That’s cool.” Tay was trying hard not to move; I could tell it wasn’t easy. “We told them the place would be decorated the next time they came over.”
“And who has to do all the heavy lifting to get the decorations up?” Zac groaned. “Me.”
“I told you I’d help,” Tay spoke up, rolling his eyes. I rubbed a bit harder and he bit his lip, turning to smile innocently at Ike. The older brother smiled nervously and took another swig of whiskey; he knew something was up, but no clue what it was. “We, um… We’re probably going to go tree shopping next weekend. Right Zac?” He turned to look at his brother, but shot me a glance. I smirked; I wasn’t sure who I was having more fun teasing, Ike or him.
“Yeah, I think so. I brought home a box of decorations from the office, too. So we’ll have plenty of… balls.”
I snorted at Zac’s cheesy joke, but Tay swallowed hard.
“No blue ones, though,” I mumbled, and this time Zac chuckled, and even Tay had to try not to react.
“I thought you wanted a lot of balls, Tay?” Zac smiled sweetly at his brother, who was turning a festive shade of red.
“Carrick,” Ike said, taking another sip from his glass. “We probably forgot to warn you. Zac is creepy at Christmas.”
I nodded, meanwhile snaking my fingers under the hem of Tay’s shirt and watching him grip his beer bottle tighter. Zac glanced over, giggling.
“If you can’t be creepy at Christmas, when can you?”
“Trust me,” I spoke up, grinning. “I’m sure I’ve heard worse from him.”
“I guess… uh… I guess you probably have.” Ike gave an uneasy laugh, going a bit pale.
I grinned, rubbing Tay’s back more, nudging his shirt up a tiny bit. He squirmed, looking like he didn’t know which way to move to fix the situation, and I had to keep from laughing. I glanced over at Zac as he crossed his legs; apparently he was having just as much fun watching this as I was doing it. Poor Ike just sat there draining his glass; I almost felt bad for the guy. Not enough to stop, of course.
“So…” Tay started; I dug my nails into his skin, and he almost whimpered, clearing his throat to hide it. “Any idea what you want this year?”
“Oh, I’ve got a few guitars picked out,” Ike said, smiling and gesturing a little loosely with his drink.
“I know what I want,” I whispered in Zac’s ear, making him shiver; I earned a pretty hard nudge for that one.
“That’s pretty predictable though so… I don’t know,” Ike went on. “I’ll have to give it some more thought.” He glanced away, and Tay took the moment to lean back; he thought he was being cute, trying to squish my hand between his back and the couch. But when I moved my hand down to squeeze his ass, he almost choked on his beer. Zac giggled into his drink, downing the rest of it; he didn’t drink often, but it was nice to see him loosen up now and then.
“Any ideas for the in-laws?” I asked. “Wanna make a good impression, ya know.”
“Um… well they both love to read, so…” Ike took another slow sip, thinking. “Although you’ll be lucky if you can find a book they don’t already have. That’s… nice, though.”
“Yeah,” Tay agreed, giving me a sincere and kinda surprised smile. “That is nice.” Zac didn’t say anything, but gave me a loving gaze that softened my permanent smirk.
All joking aside, I really did want to be a part of the family. It was fun to tease Tay, and sure we had a little something of our own; but I was here for Zac. I wanted to give him everything he wanted; someone he could show off to the family, someone he could really be with all the time, not just behind closed doors. I knew he loved Tay more… but sad as it was, there were just some things he couldn’t offer. I was just glad Zac was letting me fill in the blanks.
Tay cleared his throat; I glanced up and saw Ike staring at us, looking more than a little uncomfortable.
“Sore throat, man?” I grinned at Tay, who just rolled his eyes.
“Probably from overuse,” Zac whispered, giggling. I laughed hard, getting a look from Ike; Tay closed his eyes and killed his beer.
“That uh…” Ike cleared his throat again; I guessed it was a thing in this family. Uncomfortable and-slash-or embarrassing situation? Ahem, ahem… “That really is nice, though. I know things have been… weird, since you’ve been around.”
I snorted; that was the understatement of the decade, at least.
“You could say that,” Tay said with a smirk, making Ike raise a curious eyebrow.
“Well it’s been a weird year, hasn’t it? All these… changes.”
I snorted again, this time getting Ike’s attention.
“Yeah, it’s been kinda crazy. But good crazy. Right babe?” I smiled at Zac; that was probably the best way to describe him just as much as the situation. my favorite kind of crazy.
“Yeah,” he said, blushing a little. “Definitely good crazy.”
Ike coughed, downing the rest of his drink; Tay was looking out the window, but I could see the smile tugging at his lips.
“I mean, it’s definitely not exactly a normal situation,” I went on. Tay snorted, but tried to hide it with another cough.
“Um, I suppose not,” Ike said slowly. Zac gave me a nudge, but I was on a roll.
“But everyone’s really happy with the arrangement.”
“Um…” Ike tilted his head, trying so hard to understand the hints I was casually tossing out. Tay stared down at his empty beer bottle, probably wishing he could hide in there. Ike kept staring at us, until probably deciding he didn’t want to know. He looked down at his empty glass. “Oh, look at that. Ran out again.”
“I mean, is it weird living with both of these guys? I guess… but we make it work.” I really didn’t have an off switch, for my dick or my mouth apparently. But I didn’t expect my words to make Tay practically snarl. Guess I found his limit.
“I, uh… should probably… I’ve gotta drive home, so…” Ike scooted toward the edge of his seat, and I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing. Zac’s nails in my leg helped, though.
“I swear to god I’m gonna kill him,” Tay muttered.
“If he keeps this up, I’ll help,” Zac whispered back. Ike stood up, glancing around, and I figured one more teeny, tiny push couldn’t hurt. I gave Tay’s ass a good, hard squeeze, and he shot to his feet.
“Yeah, so we should probably… you know… hit the road and all,” he sputtered, his eyes wide and his cheeks red.
“Yeah… probably a good idea,” Ike agreed before scurrying out of the room, shaking his head. As soon as he was gone, Tay spun around, glaring daggers at me. That was what I wanted to see; god, he was sexy as fuck when he was pissed off.
“Boys, boys,” Zac said again, grinning at both of us. Tay sighed heavily, like the weight of the world rested on him, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Let’s just get the hell out of here before Ike starts asking questions…”
“Aw,” I pouted. “But I was having fun!”
“Can you try to control him please?” Tay pleaded.
“I can try,” Zac shrugged, getting up; but his grin said he probably wouldn’t. I laughed hard, standing and throwing an arm around each of them as we headed out. Teasing was only half the fun… the best part was the payback. And I had a feeling I’d earned plenty.