Sometimes, when Eden, Linder and Tadashi needed to go somewhere for a while or have a weekend to themselves, Alexander would have the children over to give them time.

         The kids would either spend the day with some of them, or all of them. Alexander would say: 'Come on, puffball!' and put his hand over Lily's shoulder. She would go with him, then knock it off. And then they would start fighting the entire time to his house.

           Today, they planned to spend the day with the children at a picnic. Linder left the coffee shop in Royce's expert hands. He was good at running things, and with Sandy, Blaire and Zel, he had nothing to worry about.

          "You're my everything," said Mikhail.

          "No, you are my everything!" Eden replied as he poked his nose and they giggled.

          They had just finished taking a bath and decided to stall for no apparent reason. "No! you are my everything!" Said Mikhail.

          "We get it," said Lily. "Now don't make us late." She replaced the towels and walked out of the bathroom, leaving the other two to laugh as she left them alone again.

          She found Tadashi in the kitchen, packing up all kinds of sandwiches, foods and drinks. His face lit up when he saw Lily and he pointed to his cheek, where she reached over and pecked. She'd just done the same gesture a few twenty minutes ago, and it seemed to get easier the more she did it.

"Where's Lin?" She asked, failing to meet his eye.

          "He'll be here anytime now," answered Tadashi, hands working meticulously with the food.

          "How'd you get so good at cooking?" Lily asked curiously.

          "I made friends with my mother's cook when I was a child," Tadashi answered. "But that didn't really help all that much, because I wasn't serious about it."

          "So what helped?" She asked.

          "Youtube," he said.

          "No shit?" Lily didn't expect the answer to have been so easy.

          "Language," Tadashi scolded.

          "Sorry," she replied. "But that just seems unbelievable."

          "Yeah. There was a lot of trial and error but I had to learn because I've been alone for most of my life," Tadashi just said it as it was and didn't intend for it to have sounded the way it did.

          "You aren't alone anymore," said Lily. She had a dead serious expression on her face.

          Tadashi's expression of surprise morphed into a soft smile. "I know," he said and patted her head lightly.

          "Maybe you could teach me, and...maybe we could make dinner together sometimes..." she let the suggestion hang in the air so that one didn't have a way of knowing whether she was asking a question or not.

          "That would be nice, I'd love that," said Tadashi.

          Lily contorted her face and looked everywhere else to hide her smile.

           Mikhail then came running into the room and laughing, while completely naked. He climbed Tadashi as the man instinctively supported him.

          "Mikky!" Lily yelled good-naturedly. "You can't be running around with your boy parts out like that!"

          He giggled. "E- Eden!" He said between fits of laughter. Trying to explain his situation, as if that would help.

          Tadashi went stiff when he saw that Eden appeared at the door with nothing but a towel around his waist. "Honey," Tadashi said patiently, trying to look away. "Go wear some clothes."

          "Why?" Eden asked like he was up to no good. "Don't tell me you're distracted," Eden said seductively.

          "Oh God, no," said Lily.

          "Just go," said Tadashi, then he cleared his throat.

          Eden stuck his tongue out before disappearing back to the direction he came from. Tadashi put Mikhail down as Lily went to get the door. It could have been Alexander because they'd been expecting someone to drop the child off.

          "Hey!" Tadashi heard Riley's voice before he saw him. He had a little pink backpack themed with pink ducks, slung over one shoulder while his other arm held Anna up.

          He looked at the food Tadashi was packing. "Ou! Sandwiches," Riley said.

          "No Ry!" Anna stopped him just as his hand was about to grab the sandwich. "Mace says you have to ask first!" She had a serious expression that suggested Riley would be in trouble if he did otherwise.

          "Okay, okay," Riley said in surrender. "May I?" He asked Tadashi, who nodded.

          "Cute kid," Tadashi said as he nodded towards her.

          "I don't think you've met Anna," said Riley as he held the now half sandwich to the girl's mouth and she bit into it. "She's Mason's niece..."

          Mikhail gasped as if he was just seeing her now and covered his private parts with both hands, then he turned around and bolted out of the room, hit butt exposed as he ran out of sight.

          "What?" Eden looked at the boy and asked. "What is it?" He was almost finished dressing up.

          "G-girl!" Mikhail said while pointing to the direction of the door.

          "Oh, Anna's here?" Asked Eden.

          "Yeah..." Mikhail rubbed his hands together. "She's... pretty..."

          "Did you say hi?" Eden asked and he shook his head no. "Okay, let's get you dressed up so that you can go talk to her."

          "I'm scared," Mikhail said he'd nodded.

          "It'll be okay," said Eden. The boy nodded again.

          When Mikhail finally got the courage to, he approached Anna who was explaining to Lily why short hair was classy.

          "H-hi," the little boy said, so nervously that he didn't realize he'd interrupted them. "I'm Mikhail," he told her.

          "I'm... Anna," she said looking surprisingly shy at first. She then spoke quickly like she was nervous. "Do you like ducks?"

          Mikhail took a while before he turned to Tadashi. When he got a small nod, he turned back to Anna. "I think they are alright," he replied.

          They kept talking after that, as the rest watched them with adoration. And in no time, it was almost safe to assume that they were going to be inseparable.

          The picnic turned out to be lovely, the food was delicious and the children seemed extremely happy. Which in turn, made the adults happy. Everyone was in a good mood.

          Anna strung Mikky along everywhere as they talked non-stop about anything and everything. Lily sat next to Tadashi, Linder and Eden as she watched the other two children playing together.

           Eden had let them get back to playing together after he'd gotten everyone together for a picture, that turned out to be several pictures and laughs and a few videos.

          The three men then left the kids to do as they pleased, they sat back and watched while speaking softly to each other.

"Yeah I think it's time I found some friends my age, because this," Lily pointed to herself and then to the three men. "This isn't working out."

Linder laughed out loud. "Lily, my–"

"Nope," she stopped him. "I'm going to take a walk around and come back."

"Don't get lost," said Eden.

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I won't," she smiled and walked off.

"Look at our girl go," said Eden.

"She's so perfect," said Tadashi.

"It means the most to me that you both genuinely love them," Linder referred to his siblings.

"It's impossible to not love them," answered Eden. "Honestly."

Linder agreed one hundred percent that it was impossible not to love his siblings, he still couldn't believe his parents managed quite so easily.

"Impossible not to love you, either," Tadashi said and kissed a part of his lower neck that had him shrinking back and turning to Eden.

"Make him stop," Linder asked Eden with pleading eyes. He was confused when Eden smirked and did just the same as Tadashi had just a moment ago.

Linder gave up and lay on his back, looking up at the sky. The words felt heavy on his tongue as he tried to find the courage to say them. The two men on either side of him, meant so much to him that he wouldn't know what to do without them.

Every day was worth looking forward to, because of them. He'd never smiled so much every single day because of them. What if felt like to him, was like there was a part of him that had been taken away from him, and now it was there, making him complete. Linder was more in love than he ever thought he'd be.

He took both their hands and held them close to his lips before dropping a kiss to each one. "I love you, and I love you," he said. "I love you both... it feels so good to say it. I love you."

"I love you too," said Eden, kissing him back.

"I'll never stop loving you," Tadashi replied to Linder. The look Linder tried to hide from him was one that didn't think he'd say that.

"Are you surprised?" Tadashi asked. "A man in love—"

"Honey, I will actually wring your neck, if you finish that sentence," Eden warned.

          "What?" Tadashi asked honestly. "I'm just expressing the love I feel for you both."

          "I know you're like really hot and stuff," said Eden. "But I'd be surprised if you could pick someone up with those corny lines."

          "I'm wounded," Tadashi pretended to squeeze his chest. "Maybe I should go pick someone–"

          "Do you want to die?" Linder asked him. "Because it seems that way. You are ours or no one else's."

          "Yes sir," replied Tadashi, not expecting to see such a possessive side of Linder. He didn't even think he was capable of it.

          Linder lay his head on Eden's lap. "I'm so happy," he said, his face already having a pleasant expression. "I love you."

          Eden tried to hold it together. Every time Linder said the words, he practically melted inside. "I love you," he replied.

          "Hey, and where's mine?" Tadashi complained.

          Linder cupped his cheek. "I guess I love you too," he said and Tadashi's jaw dropped.

          "Guess?!" Both Tadashi and Eden exclaimed.

          "Relax," Linder chuckled. "Of course I love you."

          "I know," Tadashi smirked. "I just wanted you to say it."

         Anna and Mikhail then ran and played around them while Lily made her way back, claiming that kids her age were stupid and she'd much prefer the company of three adults who couldn't get over each other for even five minutes.

           She couldn't hide her smile when they pulled in their midst to also gaze up at the sky. Mikhail hadn't stopped smiling the entire time he was with Anna, like he'd forgotten about everyone else.

          They were just a small family, trying to put behind a horrible past, and still partially recovering from it.

          But in their own way they were perfect. And none of them would change it for the world.