Lucien had been quite happy with the way taking in Aurel had turned out. There was a sense of pride in the Frenchman in seeing how far the boy had come when they had found him. He was certainly more confident than he was before, and his eagerness to learn almost reminded him of himself when he was younger, yet there were things that he and Faolan could do quite happily together, which was nice to see. Their bond over hunting and fishing had helped them grow closer. He was glad at least someone shared Faolan's enjoyment for hunting, as the Frenchman had never.. really had a knack for it.

Explaining Faolan's situation vaguely to Aurel had not been as difficult as he had thought. He had been accepting of what Lucien had told him, though he could see the worry reflected in the child's eyes upon the mention of danger, but the promise of telling him when he was older had seemed to be enough to keep him from asking more questions.

The job they had now thankfully allowed him to bring Aurel with him, though he had taken note that he was a little more reserved and quiet around the boy he was tutoring. He had explained to the couple that Aurel was a bit.. sensitive about his appearance, because of a condition he had contracted as a child. They hadn't been too hard to convince, so thankfully it had prompted them to not ask too many questions in regards to it. He had made sure to tell Aurel to call him 'Uncle' in front of these people, as he had decided to go with the story that his sister had sent over her son to him in fear of him getting caught up in the war. He had never been too fond of lies, but he told them this would be necessary to keep him safe, and the boy had agreed, understanding that this was important.

Aurel was the happiest out of all of them. The boy had lacked many good experiences in his life.. and he could say that in these five weeks they had all spent together.. that it was the happiest he had been in a long time. He was so proud of the fact that he could run around like he used to.. though he occasionally get looks from Faolan when he didn't want to eat his vegetables or he didn't eat as much as the Irishman wanted. He couldn't help it.. he just sometimes couldn't bring himself to eat as much. Lucien was always at least a bit understanding, though he did side with him on eating more vegetables. He was willing to try to best to do so but.. it just wasn't as good. Throughout the time that had passed, some of the snakes had decided to leave. They had lingered for a while because they had wanted to make sure he was well taken care of, and now only four remained, along with his the brown striped snake that was always at his side.

The boy had also used up quite a bit of pages in the sketchbook Lucien had given him. After seeing some of the sketches Lucien had done, he sought to improve his skill, hoping to maybe someday reach his level, but obviously he was nowhere near it, but at least his scribbles had become easier to discern. Trees now looked like trees, and he was still working on trying to draw people properly. That was what the boy was currently doing, sitting on his cot and doing his best to draw Lucien and Faolan. He had been drawing the two side by side, but had paused before going any further, glancing up at his two guardians. Watching the two men, Aurel had thought on more than one occasion that the two were really close, but it hadn't been until one of the snakes had made a comment about them that he had began considering other possibilities. This was what prompted him to speak up.

"Are you two.. der freunds..?" Aurel asked.

Lucien had not been expecting the question, and it had caused him to fumble a little with the book he was holding, but he had managed to keep himself from dropping it.

"W-What?" He asked, clearly having been caught completely by surprise.

Faolan's concentration was not broken so much by Aurel's question, as he had only heard half of it and didn't understand the German bit anyway, but by Lucien's reaction to it. It was not like the Frenchman to stumble, fumble, or otherwise be discombobulated. Faolan glanced over at him, adjusting the new glasses he had been given by Lucien and Aurel for his birthday. It hadn't been anything he'd asked for exactly, but after wearing them for reading, driving, and working, he admitted that they were a big help and had drastically reduced the strain on his vision that he used to experience daily. The birthday itself had been quite enjoyable, especially for Aurel, who had loved Lucien's beignets almost more than Faolan. Finally, he saw that the boy could actually eat.

He raised his eyebrow at the Nephilim, who was clearly put off by the child's question. Faolan knew that "fruend" in German simply meant friend, but he had to have missed something for Lucien to be acting this way...

Aurel turned the sketchbook around to show Lucien and Faolan what he was drawing.

"You know.. der freunds.. I don't know how to say it in English.. Um.. I was trying to draw the two of you, but I wasn't sure if I should draw you holding hands or not." He said, pointing to his drawing. The brown striped snake around his shoulder slithered a little downward, as if trying to see the picture, and had looked upon the two men with what could almost be identified as an amused look, if one paid enough attention.

Lucien panicked for a moment, unsure of what to tell the boy, he could see Faolan had mouthed a 'what did you tell him,' to him, but he had no response to that. He knew how concerned Faolan was with Aurel finding out, so he hadn't dropped any hints.. or.. anything.. that could have possibly given the child that idea.. or had he? Aurel was a pretty observant child.. but he hadn't known that it was to this extent. He cleared his throat.

"Erm.. what makes you say that?" He asked him, straightening out a little as he avoided looking in Faolan's direction. He certainly hoped this wasn't his fault.

"Oh well, my snakes said so. Were they wrong? My snake said he saw you kissing." He said, tilting his head a little, the snake mimicking his motion.

Faolan's eyes widened slowly as realization struck him about exactly what Aurel was asking. Normally, his first thought would not be an accusation against Lucien, but in this case it was where his thoughts went immediately. Lucien and the boy had been alone for an entire week while Faolan took care of his errand and the Irishman had no way of knowing what had been discussed. Also, Faolan had asked Lucien to explain his situation, although vaguely, before he left. Lucien had reassured him that he would "explain everything"...now, the Irishman was wondering exactly what the "everything" had included.

However, he knew that Lucien understood why they should keep the secret. There was no telling what Aurel's reaction would be, and what he may let slip in his interactions with strangers.

His next sentence, however, explained everything that Faolan needed to know. He clenched his jaw instinctively as he eyes locked onto the snake at Aurel's side. There was something curious about the way it was looking at them...Faolan had known that they were more intelligent than your average garden snake, but was not sure of the extent of their knowledge or understanding of what went on around them. Now he was sure that they were more than met the eye...he would have to watch them a little more closely from now on.

Unsure of how to proceed, or what to say, the Irishman laid the paper down in his lap and looked at Lucien. He was simply at a loss for words...this kind of thing was certainly not his forte.

Lucien was almost relieved to hear his response, because it meant that he hadn't been the one to slip but at the same time.. he hadn't expected that to be something they had to look out for. They had always been careful about Aurel potentially seeing him, but it had not occurred to him at all that the snakes were also to be a concern. From the way the snake was reacting it seemed like he could understand the extent of their conversation. He had truly underestimated the intelligence of those reptiles. The nephilim tried to focus on the task at hand. He couldn't simply answer Aurel's question without knowing what he meant by those words. It was best to avoid telling him the truth if it was possible.

"Well.. what do you know about kissing.. and the like?" He asked him.

Aurel glanced at his snake as Lucien asked this question. He had the explanation he had given him in the past, when he was growing up, and then.. what he had seen when he had come more into contact with humans.

"Well.. I've seen people do it at the circus.. and sometimes our visitors would do it as well.. it doesn't seem like something you do with just anyone? My snake said the humans who do that make hatchlings together." He said, pausing for a moment.

"Are you two going to make hatchlings together?"

Lucien's face flushed a little at the boy's comment. He.. clearly knew what it meant.. even if he wasn't really going about his explanation in the most normal way. Those snakes.. surely did attempt to explain things to the boy, in their own way. It seemed like he couldn't really avoid answering him. Plus.. if he had figured them out at this point.. it was important that he knew he shouldn't tell anyone about it.

"No.. that's not possible for us. Hatchlings are what you call reptilian newborns, the human term would be babies, or children. I'll explain why when you're a little older but.. yes.. we are.. partners." He explained a little hesitantly.

Aurel nodded at this piece of information. Children.. right.. he had heard that before, hatchlings was just easier for him to recall, because that's what his snakes called it. He was confused with Lucien's reasoning. Honestly having to wait until he was older to have him explain things made him a little impatient. He wished he could grow up faster.

"I see! I'll draw you holding hands then." He said, about to go back to his drawing.

Lucien was surprised by such a.. simple response. There was no negative reaction from him.. no disgust. Had no one.. ever discussed this with Aurel before? He thought it was likely, as it didn't seem like anyone at the circus went out of the way to teach him anything. It was a bit.. relieving to know that this was not something they would have to struggle with, but there were still other things he had to address.

"Ah.. well.. even though we are partners.. there's a lot of people who aren't as.. understanding about how we feel about each other.." He said hesitantly, unsure of how to approach what he wanted to say. Even though he seemed to be perfectly okay with this, he was still a child.. he wasn't sure what he should or shouldn't tell him yet.

Aurel was confused by this response. "Why?" He asked, not quite understanding the reason. Wasn't this normal?

Faolan could feel his entire body tensing up as Lucien and Aurel conversed. It was one thing for someone to know something private about him, it was another thing entirely for him to have to listen to the ensuing conversation. Despite his unease, he trusted Lucien to explain everything in a way that would be easy for the boy to understand. Lucien had a way with all people, and especially with Aurel, and Faolan knew he would pick the right words and the right tone.

He was surprised, however, with how difficult this seemed to be for Lucien. He was clearly struggling a bit with his words, choosing them carefully, but still unsure. Although the Irishman was relieved that the child had not caught them himself doing anything...private, it was still unfortunate that he had to find out this way.

However, the more the boy talked, the more Faolan felt himself relaxing. It was clear by his reaction, his lack of outrage or confusion, that he knew very little about human relationships and so his perceptions of love had not been steered or tainted in any way by popular opinion. This was the best case scenario that any of them could ask for, but Faolan was still not fully convinced. Lucien had chosen the word "partners" correctly, for as long as Aurel said that and not anything else by accident in front of strangers, they may not think twice about it. Disregarding their sexual relationship, the word "partner" described the two men's relationship quite well.

He did feel a little squeeze in his chest when Aurel asked if they could procreate, It was not something he had ever really wanted or thought about...at least, not until they had found Aurel.

Faolan felt a surge of anger when Lucien explained that not everyone was understanding about them. Remembering that boy from town and what had happened to him...and Faolan's own struggles with his feelings as a youth...he knew all too well how cruel others could be when it came to people's private affairs.

Aurel's question was a simple one, but not easily answered. Normally, Faolan would have kept quiet and allowed Lucien to continue his explanation, but he knew that this was not something Lucien had really experienced. The Frenchman had not awakened to his sexuality until he'd discovered his feelings for Faolan, and his secret was more easily kept as an intelligent and well-traveled adult. Faolan had fought with himself for years, trying to hide the truth even from his own heart, until he couldn't take it any more...

"Because they're afraid," he said, noticing Lucien's glance in his direction. His voice was stern but not angry.

Aurel's mouth and eyebrows twisted in confusion at this. "Why would they be afraid?"

Faolan sighed, then leaned forward slightly and removed his glasses before speaking. "Because freedom isn't as easy for some people as it is for others. Some people look at things they don't understand and they hate that thing because it makes them feel weak or stupid...it takes someone special to look at that same thing and see something beautiful," he looked at Lucien as he said this, then reached across the space to grasp the man's hand in his own. "That's why we have to hide," he turned his eyes back to Aurel but did not let go of his lover's hand, "Because our freedom and our beauty scares them, makes them hate us. That's why we have to protect each other, no matter what, because each other is all we have."

Lucien was relieved to hear Faolan speak up. There had been a part of him that had struggled because he was unsure how much Faolan really wanted him to share.. and also this whole situation was just difficult to approach in general for him. They had always understood each other, never would he have thought they would have to explain this to someone else, even less a child. He was quiet as Faolan explained, relaxing as Faolan's hand touched his own, wasting no time in linking his fingers through his. He turned to look at Faolan, the love he felt for the man beside him reflected in his eyes.

Part of Aurel.. could relate what Faolan was talking about. He had suffered at the hands of being different for a lot of his life.. and that had brought him to the Circus.. where he thought being different could keep him safe.. only to end up with him being pointed and laughed at.. He lowered his gaze, sad that Faolan and Lucien felt the need to hide so they could avoid enduring the same suffering... It wasn't something he wished on anyone.

"I think... get it. Other hatch--" He interrupted himself. "Children.. and adults didn't like me very much... because I looked different.. and they were really mean to me because of it.. I thought the circus could change that but.. I was wrong.." He said quietly, before finally lifting his gaze. He could see the way Lucien looked at Faolan.. he could tell they cared about each other. It was a look he had seen before.. but only now did he truly understand what it meant. No one.. had really looked at him in such a way before, not even like a parent looked at a child.. because it wasn't something he had come close to experiencing.. at least until now.

"Is that.. why you two are so nice to me? Because you know how it feels to be.. special?" He asked.

Lucien turned back to Aurel as he spoke, his expression softening at his words. It seemed that.. there was some sort of past about Aurel that they weren't aware of. He spoke of his experience with other children as a separate entity from the circus.. but he didn't feel like it was the right time to ask him about it. Instead, he gave the boy a warm smile.

"We knew from the moment we saw you that you were special.. but that's not the only reason we treat you this way. Every child deserves a chance to be happy and grow up with the freedom to make his own choices. You deserved that chance just as much as anyone. We wanted to give that to you, Aurel." Lucien explained.

Aurel smiled back at Lucien's words, but it faded slightly at his next thoughts. It was.. sad that Lucien and Faolan had to hide.. He wanted them to have freedom and be happy too.. was that not possible?

"Is there any way that I can protect you too? You both have done lots for me.." He asked. Lucien and Faolan seemed really strong.. he didn't know if there was anything he could actually do for them, but if there was, he wanted to try. The two of them.. and his snakes.. they were really all he had. He wanted to do his part too.

Faolan heart beat a little faster as he felt Lucien return his grip. Even after all these years, the Frenchman knew exactly how to make his heart race and his skin flush. He watched Lucien as he spoke, his eyes roving over the man's face, his eyes his lips, his nose, his hair, the pulse of blood in his neck...he loved every bit of him, and he doubted that even death could stop this feeling.

Hearing what Aurel had been through, while not exactly surprising, did explain a bit to Faolan. He had seemed reserved around other children, which the Irishman had originally attributed to his time in the circus. Now he knew that he had experienced human interaction before that and it seemed that it had never been positive. Though Faolan had seen a lot of hardship and tragedy in his life, he had seen many good things as well, and experienced happiness that was far greater than any sadness he had ever felt. He hoped that now he was in a position to offer that to another person, Aurel, with Lucien's help of course. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it alone.

He nodded after Lucien had completed his explanation and Aurel asked his question, then spoke up, "The best way to protect us is by keeping our secret. I would never ask anyone to lie about something unless it was very important and this," he squeezed Lucien's hand as he uttered the last word, "Is very, very important to me." Her paused for a beat, meeting Aurel's gaze, and added, "And Lucien is right. Life in a cage...that's no life at all. We only want you to be happy, so if there is anything we can do to make that happen, you just ask us, okay?"

Aurel did not hesitate to nod at Faolan's request.

"I won't tell anyone!" He exclaimed. The boy owed Lucien and Faolan a lot.. if that was the best thing he could do for them, then he would do his very best to keep their secret. He wanted them to be able to be just as happy as they were trying to make him. Honestly it was a little sad, to have to hide in this way. This whole time, were they having to hide because he was around? He felt.. a little bad for having imposed on their space.. and yet they hadn't ever made him feel like a bother or asked him to leave...

"This is important to me too! I want you two to be happy." He told them, meaning every word.

The hesitation Lucien had felt before had almost disappeared completely upon hearing Aurel's response. His grip on Faolan' tightened in return. He was.. happy, that he would not have to hide his relationship with Faolan from Aurel anymore. It would give them more freedom to be with each other again, to an extent. While he had missed the physical relationship they had.. being able to do simple things like holding hands or leaning against him were things Lucien had thoroughly enjoyed. This.. was just as important to him as it was to Faolan.

"Thank you, Aurel.. for being so understanding. Please, if there really is anything that you want, don't be scared to ask us, no matter how minor you think it might be." He told him. Both Faolan and he had experienced lives in a cage.. but in different ways. It was one of the reasons why saving Aurel had been so important to him. He had wanted to give this child his best chance, and this was a choice he would never regret making. Lucien wanted to make sure that Aurel didn't feel like he had to hesitate before asking them for things. He knew that he typically did not ask for much, but he was unsure if that was because he didn't want to bother them, or if he really didn't want anything from them.

Aurel retained his smile as Lucien responded to him, but then became thoughtful. He honestly didn't have anything that he wanted.. he was very content with everything he had.. but then he thought of Lucien and Faolan. He figured that they would never tell him that he was being a bother to them, his snakes had never overheard them complaining about it either.

"Can.. I have my own room..? er.. space?" He asked, unsure of how to really go about asking that. Maybe if he could get it, they'd be able to spend more time together?

Aurel really was such a sweet and innocent boy...Faolan found himself touched by his honesty and his compassion. He had been born with this heart, and even the things that he had been through had not been enough to stamp it out of him. For this, Faolan admired the child, and hoped that he could help to preserve that goodness into his adulthood.

"Thank you, Aurel," was all Faolan needed to say after Lucien had finished speaking. The Irishman had been forced to hide himself for so long that it had once been difficult for him to remember what it was like to be free. He felt a little more of that freedom now that he would be able to express his feelings for Lucien, to an extent, without having to worry about Aurel's reaction. Though Faolan had quite a sexual appetite, what he had missed most was the ability to touch Lucien when he wanted, whether it be hold hands or a kiss on his forehead. Small ways to remind the Frenchman how much he cared for him...it was this that he had been longing for since they had rescued Aurel from his tormentors.

He raised his eyebrows upon hearing Aurel's request in genuine surprise. He had not been expecting the boy to ask for this...though, come to think of it, Faolan had wanted the same at his age. Living in a one-room house with his parents and sister had been hard on him, and them as well...he supposed he could see where the boy was coming from.

He looked over at Lucien and shrugged slightly, "If that's what you want..." he looked back at the boy, "I'm sure we can make it happen." For the time being, the three of them had been living in the trailer together. Sometimes they would camp outside, but to keep all three of them close it was best to keep the proximity for now. Maybe there was a way they could get an attachment for their trailer...something small that could give Aurel a separate space. The wheels began to turn in Faolan's head as he thought out the possibilities and logistics of this request.

Lucien raised his eyebrows at Aurel's request, mimicking Faolan's reaction to his question. He hadn't really seen Aurel show any interest in this before.. part of him was curious if he was doing this for them but.. maybe he really did just want space to call his own.

"It's possible we could get a smaller trailer attachment.. but do you really not mind being by yourself?" He asked, making sure that this was what the child wanted. Granted he was happy about the possibilities their returned privacy would give them but, he wanted to make sure Aurel was completely okay with this before proceeding.

Aurel wasn't sure how they would have gone about giving him what he asked, but a separate trailer sounded like just what he wanted. He gave Lucien a small smile at his question.

"I'm used to it, but at the same time, I'm never alone, cause I have the snakes!" He said. "It gives them more room too, so they don't get in your way." He added, wanting to reassure Lucien that he was content with this. After the orphanage had abandoned him.. he had never been truly alone, since he had found friends in his snakes.

Lucien was relieved to hear that. "Then, we shall look into it." He said with a smile. The nephilim didn't really think this would be too much of a problem. They had money saved for this kind of situation, so all they really had to do was find an appropriately sized trailer for him.

"Shall I go look in town tomorrow? Or would you like to?" He asked Faolan, seeing that he was thinking deeply about this. It was cute when he was deeply into thought like this.

Faolan had found himself completely absorbed in the project that Aurel had laid on him and Lucien. How would they make this work...a separate trailer for the young lad, big enough to accommodate him but light enough that they could pull it along with their own horsepower. He could certainly look into it, make some modifications to something that already existed, perhaps...

Lucien's voice snapped him out of his thoughts for a moment. "Hm?" he hummed, glancing up at the Nephilim. "Oh, ehm...I can go. You're needed here, I think, and I can go early and work through the afternoon if need be." The town was small, so he doubted that they would have anything here, but it was possible there had been something he'd overlooked on his initial sweep.

Lucien smiled a little amusingly, clearly having pulled Faolan away from his train of thought.

"Alright then. I'll leave you to it, but don't think about this so hard it keeps you from sleep, alright?" He teased a little, lightly running his thumb over Faolan's hand. Even small things like this.. he was glad to be able to do them again without having to hide.

"I think I'm going to sleep just fine." He had responded.

Aurel retained his smile as he went back down to drawing his picture, linking Lucien and Faolan's hands with his crayon before he moved on to the scenery around them. It looked just right.

--

The next day, Faolan had gone off to town to look into the trailers as he had said he would, while Lucien went about his usual tutoring duties. Aurel always listened in during these lessons, wanting to learn too as Lucien taught the other boy, but never actually spoke up to ask questions, not wanting to catch the other boy's attention too much, otherwise he usually kept his distance.

It was after they were done for the day and they had gone back to the trailer that Lucien decided to bring up a question.

"Aurel.. do you never feel like playing with the other boy?" He asked. Considering he probably hadn't really gotten the chance to play with other kids.. at least.. that's what he had thought at first. He remembered Aurel saying that children and adults didn't like him.. before the Circus, and he had wanted to indirectly inquire more about that.

Aurel looked up at Lucien at his question, and shifted his gaze back to the drawing he had started to work on. "No.. not really.." He muttered. "He would probably think I'm weird.. they always do.."

Lucien took a seat next to Aurel on the cot as he said that. He truly seemed to believe what he was saying. "What makes you say that? He's asked me about you before, I think he might want to try playing with you." He asked.

The boy averted his gaze, halting his movement and setting his crayon down. "I.. used to be in a place with a lot of kids.. none of them really liked me.. they would always tell me I looked weird.. the adults weren't any nicer... I was probably a bother to them.. that's why they left me.." His voice quieted as he spoke, causing Lucien to furrow his brow.

He told himself maybe he shouldn't ask, but he found himself questioning the boy's words.

"Left you..?" He hesitantly asked, before Aurel finally raised his head to look at him.

"In the forest." He responded. "But.. it's okay, cause that's where I met him." He said, raising his hand as the brown striped snake slithered down his arm. His time alone had been scary but.. he had enjoyed a different freedom when he had met the snake and his other friends. "Snakes have always been nicer to me than people.." He said.

"Not you and Faolan though.." He clarified, wanting him to know that they weren't included in this.

Faolan had spent the morning and part of the afternoon in town, searching for a solution to Aurel's request. Though the Irishman would admit he was "handy", he did also enjoy larger projects like this as they helped to keep his hands and his mind sharp. He doubted he would find exactly what he was hoping for here, that was like locating a needle in a haystack, but he may at least acquire the materials needed to start the project, or source some ideas at the very least.

He searched hardware shops, repair sheds, junk dumps, and some stores more geared towards motorized travel and handicrafts. While he did not find exactly what he was looking for, after several hours of searching he was pointed in the right direction by a good Samaritan in town. Satisfied that he'd found all that town had to offer, he made a stop at the grocer and picked up some ingredients for supper and things the trio needed in general, then headed back to their shared home.

Once there, he got to work immediately, hoping to finish by dinner and catch up on the work he had missed during the day. The family had been more than happy to let him have the morning off, he was a hard worker and had gotten finished with a lot of things they asked for ahead of schedule. His current project was repairing some structural damage to the house itself, in particular the pantry.

Once he had done a good amount of work for the day, he hurried back to the trailer to see Lucien and Aurel. He could hear them talking inside, even from far off, but made it a point not to listen to the actual words. He had never been a fan of eavesdropping, even if it was by accident. He had caught sight of them in the house, but stayed away so as not to disrupt their lessons. He was glad to see Lucien, as he always was, and felt as though a weight was lifted from him as he laid eyes on his beloved's face. The smile that almost appeared fell immediately when he noticed that the expression on Lucien's face was tense and unhappy. The Irishman glanced at Aurel, who did not appear upset, but who was also not smiling.

Faolan closed the door quietly as he entered, unsure of what to say or how to approach this situation.

It was clear that Aurel did not really understand the gravity of what he was telling him. From his words Lucien had been able to discern that he had been in some sort of orphanage.. that made sense.. considering how civilized the boy had appeared to be despite the upbringing he had appeared to have. The adults in charge.. they.. had really abandoned him? The thought of that appalled the Frenchman completely. If it had been a normal human child, there was no way they would have survived out there in the forest by themselves.

It infuriated him, to know that they had abandoned him without knowing if he'd even be able to make it on his own. He was trying so hard to hide his anger when he heard the door open, and his expression managed to soften, but only ever so slightly. He knew that Faolan would be able to tell, so he tried his best to calm himself.

"Welcome back." He said to him. "How did it go?" He asked, deciding to change the subject completely.

Aurel brightened up at Faolan's return. "Welcome back!" He said.

Faolan could sense Lucien's attempt to hide his less-than-chipper mood behind a half-hearted smile, but he knew that now was not the time to ask after it, when and if The Nephilim was ready, he would speak up.

The Irishman made his way to the counter near where the two of them were sitting and busied himself with gathering the necessary tools for making supper. "Well, I think. They had mutton at the grocers." He said, raising his eyebrows to his two companions.

He could tell that the joke didn't land when neither the boy nor Lucien smiled. He sighed quietly and bobbed his head, "Oh, you mean the hunt for Aurel's "room". Well, I didn't find anything pre-made, but I do have a lead on an automobile factory that might have what we're looking for, or something close." The man who'd helped him had once worked at the factory and now owned his own repair shop in town, and by his estimation, they had many old parts that could be bought on the cheap. He was interested in some upgrades for the engine on their truck as well, so this seemed a good place to kill two birds with one stone.

Aurel tilted his head slightly, not really comprehending what Faolan was trying to tell them.

Lucien had simply raised his eyebrows a little at Faolan's words, knowing very well what he was doing, and simply waited for him to continue with his words.

"Ah, I see. Well, it's progress." He said, looking down at Aurel, who seemed happy with the news. From how quickly the boy's mood had changed, it was clear he didn't feel the same way about his situation, considering how easily he was able to shrug it off. He held back a sigh, and simply decided to try to put the thought aside from now.. but even as he did so it still bothered him... He would never understand how cruel the world could be to children...

The rest of the evening was fairly tame. They had enjoyed supper, with Faolan still having to make Aurel eat his vegetables. Honestly seeing the boy get so sulky was a little amusing at times, as it wasn't really a side of him they saw often. He, like Faolan, really liked his meat, but one was far more willing to have a balanced meal than the other.

When night completely befell them, Aurel had gotten comfortable in his cot and had been quick to trail off to sleep, completely bundled in blankets. It seemed like something he liked doing even when it wasn't extremely cold.

Lucien on the other hand, felt a little restless. Since the night before, they had finally been able to sleep in each other's arms again, something he had missed. Normally it wouldn't take him too long at all to lose himself to sleep but.. not this time, and it seemed Faolan had noticed.

"I'm still awake if you want to talk about it." He had spoken up, causing Lucien to look up at his beloved, and gave him a small smile.

"I can't hide things from you." He lightheartedly joked, not that it was his intention, it was just hard to talk about it with Aurel around. Lucien let out a small sigh before he readjusted himself to face the ceiling, hand moving to seek out Faolan's hand to place it over his.

"Aurel.. he used to be in an orphanage.." He started quietly, briefly glancing toward to the boy to make sure he was asleep. "They.. left him in a forest, Faolan... They abandoned him. He was just a child... This was before the circus, meaning he had to be less than eight years old when that happened... How could they be so cruel?"

Faolan spent the rest of the evening preparing food and conversing with Lucien and Aurel, though that mostly consisted of the Irishman reminding the young man how important his daily vegetables were. Despite the mood he had walked into, the three had quite a pleasurable evening, though Faolan could still sense the weight of what Lucien had discovered in his face, voice, and movements. Something was bothering him, that was clear, but the Irishman would never ask unless he knew it was something that Lucien wanted to talk about.

When they got into bed, he was still a little weary of sleeping with Lucien until Aurel completely ignored any sign of their plans. The boy went to sleep just as he always did, quickly and without fuss.

Faolan was thankful for that, because this was something he had sorely missed in the time that Aurel had been with them. It was strange to think that even though they were both unconscious for most of this activity, being near Lucien in sleep helped his body and mind to find comfort and relaxation. This was some of the best quality time that they could spend with each other, just loosing wrapped in each other's arms.

Faolan rarely fell asleep before Lucien, as he liked to know that the Frenchman felt comfortable and safe. It was at the point where he could tell from his face as he slept. Unfortunately for both of them, Lucien had a hard time falling asleep tonight, which prompted the Irishman's inquiry.

As Lucien explained, Faolan felt his heart rate increase and his muscles tense as a wave of anger passed over him. The more he learned about the boy's past, the more upset he became. It was almost unimaginable to think that it was possible, but things like this did happen in the world. Being reminded of it was not as easy as it should be.

Though Faolan was just as enraged by this injustice as his partner, he forced himself to relax, to be the protector that he knew that Lucien needed. "Devils sometimes wear the skin of men, Lucien...you know that," he said softly, running a hand through his beloved's hair and placing a kiss on his forehead. He glanced over at Aurel as he slept then, and let the silence hand for a moment before adding, "It's our turn to do right by him, to show him that Angels can walk on Earth with men too." He took Lucien's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, reminding him that nothing would ever harm him or the boy as long as Faolan was here to protect them.

Lucien felt Faolan tense... which he had expected. Gently he rubbed his thumb over his hand in an attempt to help him calm, but it was hard to not be angry after hearing something like this. He closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing in Faolan's arms as he felt him run a hand through his hair.

"Yeah.. I know.." He responded quietly.

Faolan's response made Lucien smile a little, and look up at his beloved once more as he turned toward him.

"You're right... We will do right by him. He deserves at least that much, and more." He said, his determination returning to his voice and he squeezed Faolan's hand. He would make sure Aurel got to experience all of the things he had missed out on as a child. He wanted to do his best to make that child happy.

After all the time that had passed with the boy, Lucien could not imagine them going separate ways, even though that was something Faolan had originally mentioned when they saved him. It was natural to have him around now.. and Lucien had began to see it like.. they had their own little family. The thought of that brought a smile to his face.

"Thank you." He said, leaning up and placing a light kiss on his lover's lips. His words had brought him further reassurance, as they always did.

"Any time," Faolan answered after their kiss, smiling down at Lucien. Looking at him now, it was as if the world had melted away around them. All he wanted was for the two of them to spend the night in each other's arms, for Lucien to forget his worries and for Aurel to sleep soundly until the morning, all three of them without a care in the world.

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Faolan got his wish, it turned out. Over the next weeks, the trio completed their work on the homestead and took their leave. Before they moved on, the Irishman even managed to procure a small rinky-dink trailer for Aurel, which they attached to the back of their own travelling home. This worked for a while, but it turned out that the engine in the trailer was not as strong as they had all hoped, and gave out over the next year of driving it.

After this, Faolan searched for and eventually found a suitable replacement in an old stripped-out bus. The trio had to camp in one spot for several months, the longest they had stayed put anywhere, before the bus was workable as a home. Faolan used every trick he knew, every mechanical feat he could muster, to build his own small living space inside of the vehicle. When he was done, it drove well and was more than comfortable for himself and Lucien. Aurel remained with them during this time as well and shared no wish of leaving or making his own way. He seemed perfectly content in the company of the two men, and they were happy with his as well. They kept his small trailer, for he did not require that much space either, despite the fact that he had attracted the friendship of a new, much larger serpent during their stay.

Once their living accommodations were up-to-snuff, they hit the road again. Lucien had made some friends and contacts in town and was a little sad to say goodbye, but Faolan was anxious to get back to their old safer way of life. While the addition of Aurel had at first given the Irishman pause when it came to the growth of his and Lucien's relationship, it had done nothing but blossom since he joined. Having someone around to care for, to watch out for and teach had caused the two to grow closer than ever before, and Faolan could say he had never been happier. Even though he was plagued by monthly errands which sometimes left him too weak to even stand up then following morning, he did his best to return to Lucien and Aurel as soon as he could, and often found a warm bed, plate of supper, and sweet desserts awaiting him upon his return.

Over the next four years, Lucien had managed his dream of seeing all of the United States. After this, the trio took to a more sporadic approach. Sometimes they spent a little longer on the road and less time near town, and sometimes vice versa. They didn't really have a plan, which was how the three of them liked it, and this worked very well for a long time.

One afternoon in late spring, they were driving along a winding road on the East Cost, somewhere south of New York. Faolan was behind the wheel, as usual, and Aurel was in the passenger seat drawing the landscape. The bus was loud and jerky and a little on the slower side, but the engine was strong and true, especially after Faolan had made some modifications to it. As they approached a crossroads ahead, Faolan slowly came to a stop and glanced over at the boy next to him. "So...which way?" he asked, half-smiling. This was a game that the two had devised after Lucien had traveled the country, and Faolan enjoyed including Aurel in whatever small decisions he could.