Tobias came cautiously down the stairs. He’s been paralysed a few years back and although the paralysis had been only temporarily sometimes he still had some issues.
He entered into the dining room and was startled when they all jumped up and cried: “Happy Birthday!” Tobias took a moment to recover from his shock and grinned.
“Yay me,” he said.
Babsie gave him a gentle hug.
“So, 18 on the 18th? Not many people can say that.”
Tobias chuckled.
“True, true,” he replied.
“Happy birthday, Tobe,” Isaac smiled. “We saved a seat for you.”
“Why thank you,” Tobias grinned, sitting down at the head of the table.
“Okay, so how does it feel now that you can smoke, vote and grope?” Xavier asked seriously.
“You got that from your Uncle Zac, didn’t you?” Isaac asked Xavier.
“Who else?” Xavier grinned. “Well, Tobe?”
“As I haven’t done any of those things -”
“Yet.”
“How can I know?”
“It’s the knowledge that you can now legally do all those things that’s the important thing,” Xavier nodded.
“Ahh I see.”
“So?”
“I dunno. Good I guess.”
Xavier sighed.
“Y’know, when I was your age I was engaged.”
Isaac frowned.
“Hey, you’re only a few years older Xavier. I thought it was the parent’s job to say stuff like that.”
Xavier grinned.
“I’m a parent now too.”
“Ahh, yes,” Babsie mused. “And they were afraid of us breeding.”
“Xavier’s the reason why they were afraid of us breeding,” Isaac nodded.
“Naturally. And now everyone’s afraid of what my kids are going to turn out like,” Xavier rubbed his hands together gleefully. “And if anything thinks that fatherhood is going to slow me down...”
“Oh hell, what did you do this time?” Tobias asked.
Xavier cackled.
“You don’t want to know,” Esme piped up. “You really don’t want to know.”
“I do!” Babsie disagreed cheerfully.
“You probably encouraged him,” Isaac mused.
“Like Xavier needs any encouragement.”
Xavier chuckled.
“I know,” Carmen said cynically. “Let’s just say it involves leftover fireworks, glad wrap, three buckets of ice cream and a bonfire.”
“And a fire extinguisher,” Xavier added. “Never let it be said I wasn’t prepared in case it went wrong.”
“What on earth could you do with that collection of things?” Tobias asked.
“It cannot be described, it can only be seen,” Cosmo said, grinning. “And trust me, you have to see it.”
“We’ll show you after,” Matt nodded.
“It’s awesome,” Duke grinned.
“I am the master,” Xavier gloated.
“You’re a egocentric bastard, is what you are,” Esme disagreed.
“Ugh, you have no sense of humour, Esme,” Xavier replied with a dramatic, long suffering sigh.
“Please refrain from calling your brother a bastard, Esme,” Babsie admonished. “Your father and I were married before Xavier was even conceived.”
“Just,” Isaac mused. “As I recall we only had a week together after we married before our jobs drew us a part.”
“A week? Cool,” Xavier mused. “We’re so over fertile.”
“You haven’t gotten Electra pregnant again already have you?” Esme asked suspiciously.
“No,” Electra replied, speaking for herself. “You try raising quintuplets and see how soon you decide to conceive again.”
“Who said there had to be a conscious effort to get pregnant again? In this family?”
“Point taken.”