Ashes to Asher

 

When Danny and Emil got back to their hotel suite, the boy was going to rush and change into his new swim trunks. He started stripping as soon as the door closed to the public hallway, in fact. Emil quickly grabbed his own swimwear from the store bag, and ducked into the bathroom, as it was the only door he could reach without getting far too close to the little stripper. "Is it safe to come out now?" he later asked through the closed door.

"I already know you like Grandpa," Danny answered with a childlike giggle. "That means I know you're gay, so you don't have to come out."

"I meant are all your private parts private again, and you knew that," Emil sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, get out of the toilet already. I want to pee before we hit the pool," Danny called out. The man and child exchanged places, and Emil looked around the room in shock.

"Did you take your clothes off, or did you just explode out of them?" he teased as he picked a sock off the table by the television. The boy's shirt was hanging on the curtains, the jeans were decorating the little coffee table, and the underpants were dangling off the lamp. "I'm having flashbacks to the dorm in college, Danny."

"Wow, are you sure you aren't related to Mom?" Danny yelled as the toilet flushed. "She's not here to make me behave or use me as a maid," he shrugged as he walked out of the bathroom.

"No, but I am," Emil announced with his hands on his hips. "I refuse to return you to her with less than she entrusted you to me with in regards to your clothing. I also do not want to time warp back to college. If I wanted to sit and stare at underwear where it should not be, it wouldn't be your little tighty whiteys I want to see. Now pick up this mess, including the missing sock wherever it is, and then march your little butt back into that bathroom. I heard a flush but I did not hear a sink."

"OMG, you really are related to Mom," the boy whined as he gathered his clothing articles from around the room. He stuffed the dirty items into the bag that his swimwear had been in, and then turned to face Emil. "Happy now? And seriously, did you just tell me you want to look at Grandpa's ugly old undies?" Danny questioned as he made gagging noises. "Grownups are so cringe sometimes."

"Careful, this cringe grown up can decide not to go to the pool," Emil warned with a finger pointed at the boy and gesturing back to the bathroom door.

"I love you, Auntie Em," Danny called out in his cutest little kid voice as he dutifully went back to wash his hands.

"Yeah, right. Let's go now," Emil grumbled, rolling his eyes.

After much longer pool time than Emil had planned for, or was physically fit for, he realized, Danny finally agreed to return to the suite in exchange for a pizza delivery. The night clerk at the front desk had recommended a pizzaria that was locally owned and operated rather than a national chain franchise. Danny and Emil agreed to try the place before going back up to their rooms.

"You have just enough time to wash the chlorine off before the food gets here," Emil told the boy. "If you hurry, I'll be able to get a quick shower, too. Be thorough, but fast. You don't want to itch all night." Danny came back out a few minutes later holding a towel wrapped around his waist. "Okay, just in case the food gets here before I get out, there is cash for a tip here in front of the tv," Emil said as he took his pajamas and robe into the room Danny had just vacated.

The boy had just picked up the remote for the tv when there was a knock at the door. Clearly forgetting his current state of dress, Danny opened the door and took the pizza boxes in his hands. He told the driver to wait for a moment while he got the man's tip. He put the boxes on the short little coffee table so he could grab the cash to give the driver who was still standing in the doorway, but just as he bent forward, the towel, no longer being held by a hand, hit the floor. Danny's bare butt was aimed right at the driver.

"Don't worry about the cash, kiddo," the driver laughed. "Not the first time someone's tried this prank on me. Tell the hidden camera crew nice try." He shut the door as he turned to leave, muttering about crazy kids and too much screentime.

A very embarrassed Danny scrambled for his pajamas from his suitcase. When Emil came out of the steaming bathroom, the boy didn't tell the man what had happened, but he did say that the delivery guy refused the cash tip. That seemed strange to Emil, so he made an excuse about needing something from his suitcase, and went into the other room of the suite shutting the door. He called the pizza place and just happened to get the driver on the phone. The driver immediately got defensive and said that he never entered the suite, nor had he touched the 'bait boy' at all. When the situation was finally explained and settled, Emil thanked Ryan the driver and insisted that a $50 tip be added to the pizza bill as an apology and thanks. He walked back into the sitting room and looked at the still very red-faced boy sitting on the sofa.

"Can we not talk about it?"

"Not a word, to anyone ever," Emil vowed. "Not even to you, unless you bring it up."

"Which will never happen," Danny mumbled. "I just want to forget about it, crawl under something and just die."

"Accidents happen, and you will probably never see that man again, so just put it out of your mind the best you can," Emil told him. "Let's eat and find something to watch." After dinner and a movie of Emil's choice, because it was a sacrilege that Danny had never seen The Goonies, Emil told Danny to stand up. Danny whined that he was already on the sleepy sofa, so he would be fine. "Okay, you clearly do not understand about how this works," Emil sighed. "Stand up, please, and let me show you your bed."

Danny got up and stepped out of the way as Emil moved the little coffee table. He gasped rather sadly as the cushions were removed from the sofa and placed on the floor, clearly thinking that he would be sleeping on the floor. He then squeaked in surprise as Emil grabbed a handle he had not noticed before and lifted and pulled a whole bed out of the frame of the sofa, complete with sheets and a fuzzy comfy bed spread. He walked over and rubbed the arm of the sofa as if it were a pet, and said, "I'm sorry for disrespecting you. You are a real bed no matter what anyone says." Louder, he added, "Trans power."

"Go to bed," Emil choked out, trying not to laugh aloud at the adorably serious boy. He yelped as said boy suddenly rushed past him into the bed chamber and stole two pillows. "You're just one kid; what do you need two pillows for?"

"You're just one man; what do you need four pillows for?" came the response.

"Fair point, I guess," Emil shrugged as he got into his own bed and fell asleep.

After a very peaceful and comfortable night's sleep, Danny and Emil dressed and went to the breakfast offered by the hotel. "It's not nearly as good as Grandpa's, but it's a lot better than what Miss Moony does for her guests."

"Well, Miss Moony told me my first morning there that she only provides the bare minimum to give people enough energy to get to Ash's diner to have a real breakfast. She says the businesses in town have to stick together and support one another."

"Yeah, well, Grandpa says her coffee is colored water no matter when she makes it, so he has to make his stronger to make up for it," Danny said with a snort. "Speaking of coffee, the only flavors they got here are French vanilla and hazelnut. Will you be all right today without your caramel kamikaze coma in a cup? "

"You listen to Ash too much sometimes," Emil frowned at the boy. "I can live with the French vanilla, but thank you for your concern," he added as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Don't mess up the hair," Danny whined and ducked away.

"You mean it's supposed to look like that?" Emil questioned. He then smiled as the older lady at the next table dropped her spoon as she giggled. She quickly stood up and went over to the coffee makers for another cup.

"Grownups are rude," Danny pouted as he viciously bit into a sausage.

"And here I was about to offer to bring you back to the pool for the three hours we have until time to head to the picnic," Emil said dryly.

"I love you," Danny gushed as he leaned over to hug Emil's arm tightly. At this point the older lady was returning to her table and just sitting down. When she heard and saw Danny's little melodrama she spilled the cup of coffee on her table. Danny jumped up and started helping her clean it up.

"You are a remarkable boy, thank you," she said once he had thrown away all the soggy napkins and returned to the table. "I owe you an apology, because I think you must have believed I was laughing at you, and I truly wasn't. I was laughing at how much the two of you remind me of my son and grandson. They were always sniping at one another, just the way you two are. It's been a year and a half since they were taken from me by a drunk driver, and this is the first time I've been able to remember them with a laugh instead of a cry."

"May I hug you, ma'am?" Danny asked politely. When she nodded, he leaned and not only embraced her, but he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I bet your grandson was very happy to have you as a grandma. The closest thing I've got is him, and he's not officially Grandpa's boyfriend yet, so he doesn't really count."

"Danny!" Emil gasped. The old woman just burst into giggles again, though.

"Relax," she told Emil when she settled down once more. "Your little one here clearly must have seen the proud mother badge I have on my purse. I'm an ally. I had two children, one boy and one girl, and I've got two daughters-in-law, and between them all, I still have four other grandchildren, at least until September, when number five will be born. Well, I should let you go change for the pool instead of talking your ears off. You have a wonderful day."

As Robert had been somewhat active in the gay community, if only financially, meaning he frequently made substantial contributions to the expenses of various events, and Emil being his caregiver companion in his last years, it was not all that surprising that a few of the people at the picnic recognized Emil. It didn't take Emil long to remember why he was leaving this area now that Robert was gone. In his mind, the people fawning over him at the party weren't recognizing him, they were recognizing Robert's money. Several of the snobs were shocked and disappointed that he spent most of his time with Jase, Dantae, and their family.

Danny surprised Emil by spending almost the entire time at the picnic playing with, and watching over, the young children that were there as well. To be fair, there was only one other youngster about the same age as Danny in attendance, and it was fairly clear that Danny had almost no interest in her, or she in him for that matter. They did get along in playing with the little ones, however. There was a moment, though, that Emil overheard them in conversation and was a bit concerned.

"That was so not cool, fairy boy," the girl hissed angrily.

"Rude. Do you talk to your dads like that?" Danny returned. "Also, tell me…. Was that dumb jockhead threatening the kids? Yeah, he was. Did he threaten me, too, when I confronted him about it? Yeah, he did. Did he back off and leave when I told him you were my bull dyke bodyguard, and trained in martial arts by your moms the CIA assassins? Again, yeah, he did. So, your problem is…?"

"I'm not gay just because my two dads are," she growled. "And I don't have two moms."

"Of course not, but he didn't have to know that," Danny shrugged.

"You know what? You're not so bad for a gay boy," the girl laughed after a moment of thought.

When the picnic ended, the girl and Danny exchanged something they called 'deets', which Emil didn't understand until it was explained to him by one of her dads. Danny also got handed some cash by Dantae's sister, as thanks for watching over her babies, as said five-year-old twins vehemently denounced that reference, of course. That exchange shamed a few of the other parents into chipping in as well. On the way back to the hotel, Danny asked what he should do with the money.

"I didn't hang out with the little sweetuns to get paid. I just kinda always wanted a little brother or sister and this picnic let me pretend for a bit that I had some," he said quietly. "I feel kind of guilty taking money for that."

"Sweetuns?" Emil questioned.

"Grandpa used to call me Sweet One when I was really little, and somewhere sometime it got sort of shortened to Sweetun," Danny blushed profusely. "He stopped about a year ago, and told me he didn't want to embarrass me by calling me a babyish name anymore."

Emil smiled and changed the subject. "Now, about that money. I understand very well how you feel," he started to explain. "When I first started taking care of people, I felt very guilty for taking money as well. I mean, I would gladly have done it for free, if I had been able to. I mean helping them made me feel so good about myself that I couldn't see it as work. One day I realized that I wasn't just doing something for me, though. I was giving up my time and using my skills and talents the same way I would if it was a job that I hated. Liking your job doesn't mean that it's not a job, it just makes you happy with your job. It also helped that I could see that the things I did for them made them feel better about themselves and what they were going through. If you help someone bathe and clean them up after they toilet, it's a job, but if you do it without making them feel embarrassed, or sad that they needed the help, then you both wind up feeling better about it."

"I'm glad I didn't have to do that with any of those kids," Danny said, scrunching his nose in distaste.

"If you hadn't watched those children, you could have done anything else you wanted," Emil smiled. "You didn't, though. Not only that, but you protected them from a bully, so you deserve that money."

"I didn't think any of the grownups knew about that," Danny said, ducking his head a bit.

"And that's another reason I think you deserve the money," Emil told him. "You didn't leave the kids to the bully, but you also didn't tell the parents about it, which probably would have ruined their time at the park, and definitely would have ruined the kids' time, because their parents would have corralled them all at the pavilion where we were, which would have made the other adults unhappy as well having to listen to whining little kids."

"Oh, so you're saying that I did something for you, too, so I should get paid for that job, too, right?"

"Nice try, but I'm already paying for your trip," Emil reminded him with a laugh.

"Worth a shot," Danny giggled. "I mean when you first got to town you were paying me to tell you stuff about Grandpa that I would have told you for nothing, but I wasn't going to turn down free stuff."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Emil said, rolling his eyes. "Just think of it this way, if you want. That money you didn't want will mean that when you see a souvenir on the way home, you can buy it yourself instead of having to ask if I, or more importantly, your mother, would approve."

"What's a souvenir?" Danny asked. When he saw Emil's raised eyebrow above a grim expression, he fell over in his seat laughing. "Chill, Dr. Spock, I was just kidding."

"You are an annoying child," Emil said dryly. "And it is Mr. Spock, not Dr. Spock, although I shudder to think how either of them would react to you."

"Wait, there's really two of them?" Danny asked seriously.

"Yes, and no," Emil answered. "Dr. Spock was a real person who wrote a book about how to raise a child, despite having no experience at doing so. Mr. Spock is a fictional character in the greatest science fiction franchise ever created."

"OMG, you're a nerd," Danny blurted with another laugh.

"I have been called that… and worse," Emil admitted quietly, which stopped Danny's laughter instantly. "My appreciation for Star Trek is only one of the things I have been teased about in my life."

"Well, those people were mean bullies," Danny assured him fiercely. "Don't pay any attention to what those kinds of people say. You know when I call you silly names it's because I really like you, right?"

"My family never gave me a nickname, so you calling me Em or Emmy means a lot to me, and I hope you don't ever stop, although I won't complain if you stop with the Auntie prefix."

Danny giggled and leaned over to rest his head against Emil's right arm for a moment before sitting back up. "You got family now that loves you, and you're the same age as my mom, so maybe you'd better get used to it, Auntie Em."

"I like you very much, too, Danny," Emil assured the snickering boy. "If I didn't, I certainly would never have invited you on this road trip. I never realized how much I wanted to be the cool, fun uncle to a great kid until I met you." He heard the gasp from Danny and saw the boy blinking quickly to fight off tears. "Hopefully someday I will meet a great kid and get my chance."

"Hey!" Danny blurted as he now glared at Emil, looking as ferocious as a six-week-old puppy. "I'm awesome. Ask anybody, except Grandpa. He don't count, 'cause he only thinks I'm awesome sometimes and other times he thinks I'm a pain."

"He does count, because he's right on both viewpoints," Emil snorted. "You are a double-edged sword, one side completely adorable, and the other absolutely annoying, and I wouldn't want you to be any other way."

"How adorable do I need to be in order to talk you into going back to the hotel pool when we get back?" Danny asked with his best pleading eyes.

"You can turn those off," Emil snorted as he reached over and ran his right hand over Danny's face, hiding the eyes. "I was going to suggest it anyway, as I am really looking forward to some relaxing hot tub time myself."

The next morning, Danny and Emil got up and dressed, once again having breakfast in the hotel. They had no issues returning the car, and were soon standing in front of the truck rental counter, with Danny proudly handling the luggage and moving blankets on the furniture dolly. The same agent greeted them with a smile. "It is good to see you both again, although I may just have to fight DanDan the hired muscle here," he said indicating Danny. "Did you have fun yesterday mister greatest, bestest, most awesomest big kid in the whole world?"

Danny responded eloquently. "Huh?"

"I'm afraid we're not following you," Emil said in confusion.

The agent laughed nearly to tears before explaining that a particular six-year-old boy from the picnic the day before was his nephew. The first grader had not stopped talking about the older boy he referred to as 'my DanDan', who had babysat him at the park so his dads could relax and enjoy themselves too. Danny blushed profusely as both men chuckled.

"He was a great kid all day," Danny mumbled bashfully. "I had a lot of fun watching him and the other little kids."

"Well, he had a lot of fun, too," the agent smiled again. "The problem is now I have to step up my game to keep my title as the coolest guy in the world that isn't Daddy or Papa."

"Sorry," Danny apologized, still blushing.

"Nothing you need to apologize for, little man. I'm just teasing you a bit is all," the agent assured him. "I wouldn't have known it was you, if Little Sammy hadn't mentioned you having an Auntie Em that was actually a guy, not a girl. I heard you slip and call your friend here by that name the other day, and it had sort of stuck in my head. Anyway, let's get you guys into that truck you've been so patient to get. I would normally ask if you have help with the heavy lifting, but I know you've got your muscle man here, as well as a couple of guys from the picnic apparently."

"Yes, we got a couple of volunteers that we actually met the night before the picnic at the store where we got the moving supplies I had forgotten to request when I ordered the truck," Emil told him.

"Ah, I hadn't anticipated that you would remember that, so as an extra bonus to make up for the mess we had, I added a furniture dolly to your contract for free, so now you have two of them. You just have to return ours with the truck when you turn it in." He gestured to a door near his counter and added, "Now, let's go outside and inspect the truck together just in case there are any issues that you find with it, I can document that they were pre-existing before you took possession of the truck. Standard procedure."

Once they got out to the truck, the agent showed them how the pull-out ramp worked. They then all three went up the little incline into the storage area of the vehicle. Danny parked their hand truck next to the rental one, noting that it was a different color and also had the ability to convert to a four wheeled cart if needed, which they had done to haul their suitcases and the moving blankets into the building earlier. They finished the inspection of the truck inside and out and then went back to the storage area at the agent's suggestion. He instructed Emil to lay their dolly on its side and then to cushion both hand trucks with the moving blankets so that they wouldn't move around and/or scratch the floor of the vehicle. While Emil followed those instructions, the agent called Danny closer to him.

"My brother felt badly that he didn't have any cash to give you with the other parents yesterday, so I told him I would take care of it for him today." He handed Danny a twenty-dollar bill along with a note that had his brother's and nephew's contact info on it. "I know you have better things to do with your time, but someday, sometime if you could send him just a short note or something, it would really mean a lot to him."

"I promise," Danny vowed seriously.

"One other little thing," the agent whispered. "If my brother should ever ask about this, maybe tell him I gave you thirty instead of twenty. When we were kids, he stole ten bucks from me to go on a date with his boyfriend and he never paid me back."

"Yeah, okay," Danny laughed.

The agent went back inside the building, and Emil closed the back of the truck. He and Danny got into the passenger compartment at the front of the vehicle and buckled their safety belts. As they started leaving the rental lot, Danny said, "You know I was expecting something a lot bigger than this. This isn't any bigger than the van that my school uses for the band equipment when they go to other schools for games and stuff."

"My school had the band use a school bus for that, so the kids had to ride with their instruments," Emil told him. "I agree about the truck, though. I was really nervous about driving this thing, but now that I'm in it, I'm not as scared as I thought I would be."

It only took a few minutes for them to get to the storage facility. Jase and Dantae were pulling up at the same time as well. Soon after, the four of them were hauling clothes and the pieces of office furniture, along with a few other things like framed pictures and such into the truck. It didn't take long for everything to be loaded. They all shared hugs, thanks, and well wishes before splitting up once again. Dantae and Jase headed back home, and Emil and Danny made their way back to the hotel, because Emil had decided he didn't want to start the journey already tired from loading the truck.

They spent the rest of that day in the hotel pool area, only leaving to go to a burger place that was close enough they could walk to it for dinner. They got up the next morning and dressed for breakfast in the hotel their last time. After they finished eating, they returned to the suite and made sure they had everything packed, which of course involved Danny crawling around on the floor to hunt missing articles of clothing. Apparently, it also included the boy dancing around the room, victoriously waving a stray sock and a pair of underpants over his head. His celebration stopped quickly when Emil threatened to take a picture of him to share with Ashley and Asher. Naturally Emil would never have done such a thing, but Danny didn't know that. It only took a little while for them to be on the highway headed for home.