Family Barbecue Pt. 1

Just sitting there with both hands tightly gripped on the stirring wheel, Jinn let out a sigh. They had arrived at his parent's house for a family barbeque weekend stay and Jinn couldn't help, but to feel anxious as the last time they were here, Kai had, had a meltdown and decided to end things.

Jinn had expressed to Kai that he really didn't want them to go, and his Father would understand if they didn't show, but Kai insisted. "Why is he always so damn stubborn?" Jinn thought before letting out another sigh.

Scrolling on his phone, Kai leaned against the outside of Jinn's car, waiting for his boyfriend to pull himself together. Although Jinn hadn't said it out loud, Kai knew that Jinn was simply worried that something bad would happen again and although neither one of them wanted to go through that, Kai had done his part to get Jinn there this weekend. Jinn's Mother had some how gotten Kai's number, told him to save her number and to please make sure that they were both present for the family barbeque this weekend.

After what Jinn said about his Mother doing dirty things in the background, Kai was still on edge as well, but he couldn't imagine a person would lie about having cancer, not to mention the fact that they were dying as well.

Letting out a sigh, Kai turned around, bending down a bit to see that Jinn was still sitting there. Opening the car door, Kai sat back down in the seat, "I'm sorry if you feel like I forced you to be here, I just…", Kai began to say, but Jinn cut him off.

"I just don't understand why I am more nervous to be here than you are.", he said with a cocked brow, finally removing his hands from the stirring wheel.

"Jinn, it's not that I'm…."

"Do you remember what happened last time we were here? Because I most certainly have not!", Jinn said firmly.

"Of course, I haven't forgotten Jinn, but as I told you before, I do not wish to be the wedge in between you and your Mother."

"You are not a damn wedg..!", Jinn raised his voice, but Kai cut him off.

"If you won't go visit your Mother because she does not approve of me, then that makes me a wedge!", Kai raised his voice back. Letting out a sigh, and calming himself, Kai lowered his head. "Jinn, if you don't want to stay, then we can go, but since we're here, please go in and visit your Mother!", Kai pleaded.

Raising his hand to cover his face for a moment, Jinn let out a sigh, "Kai, I need you to understand why I am so protective over you. You have no idea how it felt to not be able to do anything, but let you go and that is something I don't ever want to have to do again.", Jinn said in a softer tone.

"Jinn I was dealing with so much more back then, your Mother wasn't what made me run away from you.", said Kai grabbing Jinn's hand and squeezing it tight.

"But she was a factor. If she hadn't…", Jinn began to say, but his hand that was being held was suddenly roughly pulled, forcing him to fall over into Kai's arms.

"Kai…", Jinn spoke, his voice cracking from the surprise.

"Jinn, I'm a better man than I was a year ago, you're not going to lose me.", Kai whispered in Jinn's ear.

Letting out a sigh, Jinn wrapped his arms around Kai, squeezing him tight. "If there's any trouble we…"

"Yes, I know, we leave, we'll leave!", Kai interrupted his boyfriend once more, but this time he had a smirk no his face.

Letting Kai go, Jinn finally got out of the car with Kai following to grab their bags from the trunk. "Ready?", Kai asked with that same pretty eye squinting smile on his face and Jinn couldn't help, but to smile as he closed the trunk of his car.

"Ready.", he responded, as he and Kai made their way toward the large house.

Exhaling heavily, Jinn knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it, but it was not his Mother as he expected, it was Jenna.

"Oh my God, Kai!", Jenna yelled as she brushed past her brother to hug Kai.

"Hello Jenna!", Kai said awkwardly as Jenna was squeezing the life out of his small, framed body.

"Jesus Jenna, let him go, I think you've hugged him enough.", said Jinn, rolling his eyes as he walked into the house.

"Jealous much?", Jenna chuckled as she let Kai go, "my God you look so good with your hair cut!", said Jenna with a smile similar to her brothers.

"Aww, thanks!", Kai responded, before he backed up to take a better look at Jenna and his eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my God, your stomach…you…you're…", Kai stuttered.

"Yes, I'm expecting!", said Jenna and Kai squealed.

"Oh, can I?", Kai asked, pure excitement on his face and Jenna nodded. Placing his hand on Jenna's belly, Kai's pretty brown eyes sparkled as he smiled.

Although Jinn had left them on the porch, he had not gone far as he stood in the doorway, watching Kai closely and his heart fluttered, perhaps kids would be apart of their future after all.

"Oh good, the gangs all here! Come in, come in!", said Mr. Wilkins walking into the living room with a smile on his face.

"Good to see you Dad.", said Jinn as his Dad hugged him.

"Good to see you too son, and Kai, so glad you could make it.", he said hugging Kai as well.

"Kai, come with me, I have so much to tell you!", said Jenna linking her arm around Kai's and dragging them to the kitchen.

"Sure, how far along are you?", Kai asked.

"I just hit the five-month mark, I cannot believe my stupid brother didn't tell you about our new baby!", Jenna complained as they got further and further away.

"It's your baby Jenna, not his!", Jinn raised his voice, rolling his eyes at his sister and Mr. Wilkins chuckled. "Hey Dad, where's Mom?", Jinn asked, turning toward his Father.

"Your Mother is resting, let's not bother her right now. Why don't I help you get settled, huh?", said Mr. Wilkin's, patting his son on the back and guiding him toward the steps.

"Oh, okay.", said Jinn, glancing toward the kitchen once before he made his way up the stairs.

***

Downstairs in the kitchen, Jenna and Kai sat eating out of a jar of freshly made cookies. "Ugh, my God Kai, everything just tastes so much better when you're pregnant.", Jenna whined as she chewed, and Kai giggled. "But do tell, how was Japan?"

"It was great honestly.", Kai responded.

"Then why come back?", a familiar voice cut in and Kai looked up to see Art coming into the kitchen.

"Oh, shut up Art, we're glad to have you back, poor Jinn was a completely different person when you were gone.", said Jenna. "Oh crap I gotta pee, baby just sat on my bladder!", said Jenna as she got up and hurried to the downstairs restroom, leaving Kai and Art alone in the kitchen.

With Jenna gone, the kitchen was once again silent and Kai could feel Art's eyes on him, but he did not dare give him any tea for his fever. "My God Kai, are you really going to just ignore me?", Art finally spoke.

"I have nothing to say to you.", Kai responded, standing from his seat, but as he turned around, he was surprised to see that Art had already quickly made his way over.

"Can you blame a man for trying? Honestly, have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?", Art said with a smirk, as he leaned closer and closer causing Kai to flinch, but he was only teasing as he reached behind Kai into the Jar for a cookie.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Art flirtatiously took a bite of the cookie before backing up just in time as Jenna made her way into the kitchen. "Hey Kai, sit, sit! We have a lot to catch up on!", said Jenna with a smile as she sat back down. Glancing at Art who was still watching him, Kai sat back down, reaching into the jar for a cookie.

"Is your Mother out?", Kai asked, taking a bite of his cookie.

"No, she's resting. She's been rather tired lately; she's been keeping herself so busy with the family business before she and my Father finally transfers ownership."

"Transfer ownership?", Kai asked.

"Mn, although Jinn and Art run the business, they are not the owners just yet. Mom and Dad are finally going to retire and allow them to run everything.", Jenna responded.

"I see.", said Kai lowering his head, he knew the reason they were getting things in order.

Still watching Kai from across the kitchen, Art furrowed his brows. It wasn't that he wasn't pleased to see that pretty man once again, but after last time, for the life of him, he could not understand what the hell he was doing here and what was with that sad look just now?

***

Later that evening, the family sat by the pool eating pizza as Mrs. Wilkins was not up to cooking tonight. Quietly, she sat next to her husband eating her pizza, smiling at all of her company as they laughed and talked with each other.

"Martha, do you really want to wait unti…", Mr. Wilkins began to speak, but Mrs. Wilkins interrupted him.

"Don't Thomas, let me enjoy this moment.", said Mrs. Wilkins as her eyes watered although she kept the smile on her face so that she wouldn't draw attention.

"Martha, they will be hurt enough that we have kept this from them.", Mr. Wilkins tried again, but his wife grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight and turned toward her husband.

"Thomas please, let's enjoy tonight and the barbeque tomorrow, I will tell them then.", she smiled as tears streamed down her face.

***

Glancing away from Mrs. Wilkins and her husband on the other end of the pool, Kai let out a sigh, he wondered how long she planned to keep it a secret, because honestly it was just cruel. As Kai leaned over to grab another slice of pizza, he then glanced up to see both Jinn and Art staring at him while Jenna mindlessly rambled on beside him. Each brother stared intensely at Kai, both with that same worried expression on their faces and both of them able to tell that something was bothering Kai, but neither one of them had noticed the other was staring.