The Male Luna (MxM) (Complete)

Chapter 14

Brayden

"AHHHH!"

"No, don't let him get me!"

"Stop! Stop, I surrender!"

"Hahahaha, Kelsey help us!" Charlotte screams for help, as I lift her high into the air. 

With one quick move, I swiftly pin her against my chest with one arm before using my other hand to tickle her sides. She immediately begins bursting with laughter and high-pitched squeals.   

From across the lawn Kelsey lazily looks up at us before resuming what she was doing, "You're all on your own, I'm on baby duty." 

Suddenly, a weight pummels into my back. The action causes me to slightly lose my balance and I stumble down to my knees. Charlotte takes the opportunity to gasp for air as I try to steady myself.

"I got him Charlotte, run!" Marcus practically yells right into my ear. His hands are trying to push me even closer to the ground. My back strains against the onslaught, but I don't lose my grip quite yet.

From my side, I feel another set of hands pushing along with Marcus. These hands are smaller, but just as earnest in their pursuit of my downfall.

"Yeah, we got him! Run!" Charlie encourages, now shoving his whole shoulder into me.

With Charlie's help, the two younger boys have me successfully distracted and Charlotte uses this time to push against my chest and escape.

The boys yell in victory as she runs away giggling, and I fall into the grass laughing as the two other bodies topple onto me.

It had been a really good evening. Dinner was over and the sun was just beginning to set, giving the outdoors a soft, pink hue. Spotted among the yard, the first of the night's fireflies were making their presence known, and the chirping of crickets could be heard in the background. The warmth from the day was still in the air, while the cool of the evening was just starting to arrive. It was magnificent.

Kelsey was quietly playing with Evie on the ground in front of the door. Slowly helping the youngest Jones chase after some of the wandering fireflies by grabbing the infant's hands and practically lifting her by her arms in order to help her reach them. Sometimes Kelsey was lucky enough to have one land on her hand, which she would then try to gently pass to Evie, only to have her scream when it would touch her hand, and squeal for more after it had flown off.

The twins, Marcus, and I had taken to a game of part tag and part wrestling. We had been chasing each other for what felt like hours. Sometimes running, other times just rolling on the ground. The four of us were covered in dirt, all of our hands and feet dusty with the earth that we had been playing with all evening. Grass stains were visible on all our clothes, and the twins even had smudges of green on their foreheads. Everyone's hair was a dry heap of knots, sticking in all directions with some stray debris entangled here and there. The kids' cheeks were red, as their sweaty smiles gave way to their panting breaths of exertion. 

It was a moment I wish I could have lived in forever. Or even better, carefully packed away so that when the hardships of life were to strike again, I could revisit this moment of peace and familial love. 

"Brayden?!"

Startled, I turned around and saw a large form lumbering towards me at an astonishing speed. It's hard to make out who it is as the sun is setting behind him, but his silhouette seems vaguely familiar. As the man gets closer I'm finally able to see who it is and my eyes widen in shock.

"Uh, good evening Mr. Thompson," I greet back, awkwardly. 

I had only met the man once, but that was fine by me. While he had never been rude to either me or the kids, he was directly affiliated with Mr. Radcliffe, and that was enough of a red flag for me to steer clear of the man.