Chapter Text
“Come on, Dad, let’s go!”
Eddie fought back a groan as he followed his son through the zoo. He thought back uselessly to when he’d joked with Buck that Chris wasn’t that fast; so much good that did him.
Chris, upon learning that Eddie and Buck both had Saturday off, both finally single with no plans to change that, woke Eddie up at 7 o’clock sharp with a detailed schedule for their day. It was meticulously planned, marked down to the half-hour. It looked as though this was a final draft, no mistakes or changed plans. It was color-coded. He must have gotten that from Buck.
Eddie had looked over the schedule before deciding to follow his son’s plans. After all, Chris wanted to spend the day nearly exclusively with Eddie, just meeting at Buck’s for dinner. He wasn’t sure how much longer Christopher would want to spend a day with his old dad, and he figured he should embrace it while he still could.
Chris, though, was on a mission. Eddie knew that, while Buck had the place memorized, Chris also seemed to have a map in his head of not only the animals and where their enclosures were, but also the best routes to get there. Eddie kept his eyes on his son as the boy weaved nearly effortlessly through the Saturday crowds.
Finally, Chris slowed down in front of a watery enclosure, and Eddie caught up to the boy not far from the fence separating the people from the animals. He observed for a moment, confused at the emptiness of the enclosure. And then, a black head popped up from under the water before diving back down with a slight splash. Christopher giggled, delighted, and stepped closer to the enclosure. Eddie dodged out of the way of a few families close by, offering nods of apology on behalf of his overexcited son.
“Look, Dad!” Chris shouted, pointed to a corner of the enclosure. “They’re the family! That tall one is Charlie. He’s a king penguin. Buck said they live in more temperate zones and it’s one of the largest penguin species out there. The largest one is the emperor penguin. The zoologists found Charlie with an injured left foot and they rescued him, but he got so attached to Frank and Hector that they couldn’t release him back into the wild since Hector was born into captivity and Frank wasn’t able to be released again.
“The shorter adult is Frank. He was found when he was a baby. He’s a Galápagos penguin, so he lived near the equator. He didn’t have parents, so the zoo took him and gave him a home.”
Eddie noticed, now, the nearby families were all listening into what Christopher was saying, charmed by the little boy with all the information. Eddie couldn’t help his pride in his son, beaming at the families listening to the lesson on penguins given by a nine-year-old. He went on, oblivious to his growing audience.
“Hector is Frank’s son. His mother’s name was Leila, but she died not long after he hatched. Dad penguins take care of the eggs anyway. They tuck the eggs between their legs and waddle with them to keep them warm while the mom gets food. But Leila got really sick when Hector was just a baby, and she died before they could really be a family.
“But then, the zoo found Charlie. And Charlie fell in love with Frank and Hector. And he’s like a dad to Hector, and he and Frank are mates. Penguins fall in love, too, Buck told me.” He glanced at Eddie, as if gauging his response, before continuing to speak.
“Buck said that they’re homosexuals. When two men love each other, that means they’re homosexuals, just like when two women love each other. He said it’s just as natural as when men love women and women love men. He said that as long as someone is happy with their mate, that’s all that matters. I asked, and he said homosexuals are natural in humans, too. He said every species in the animal kingdom displays homosexual tendencies and that it’s not something to be upset or angry about. I didn’t really get what he meant by that part, but it seemed important.”
Eddie clenched his jaw, tampering down the swell of anxiety in his chest. He tried his best not to glare at the penguins, but something about this felt a little too rehearsed. “Why are you telling me this, Chris?”
The boy paused. He reached out and carefully touched the back of Eddie’s limp hand. Eddie could feel his gaze turn to look at Eddie’s face, but he’d always been a coward. He couldn’t meet his son’s eyes.
“I know you’re like the penguins, Daddy.”
Eddie couldn’t help the wayward tear slipping down his cheek at his son’s simple admission, like that didn’t change his whole damn life. Like it wasn’t something he’d stamped down for thirty years, only to fall in love with his best friend and ruin Shannon’s life and, fuck, why did he have to be gay?
Chris turned back to the penguins, nodding at the little family huddled together. Frank was watching as Charlie showed Hector how to dive headfirst into the slide, skating on his belly into the water below with a delightful splash. Chris didn’t laugh this time.
“Daddy, I know you’re like Frank. And I’m like Hector. And Buck is our Charlie.”
Eddie gasped, seeing it so simply in front of him, having it explained in plain terms by his son in front of a bunch of strangers comparing his life to a couple of penguins.
Eddie wiped roughly at his cheeks, biting back a sob at the happy trio of penguins in the enclosure, playing in the water. “Yeah, Chris. I am like the penguins. We are like the penguins.”
Chris nodded, like Eddie was explaining how to do simple addition. “Like Aunt Hen and Aunt Karen. Denny has two moms. Like the lionesses. We can go see those, too, if you want.”
Eddie found himself laughing, but the noise was all wrong, too high-pitched and bordering on manic. “I think I get the penguin analogy just fine.”
Chris nodded again. “Good.” He waited a beat, then, “Do I need to explain that you’re in love with Buck, or do you have that one?”
Eddie laughed again, but this one was more real. “No, I know.” He looked down at his son for the first time since he began explaining the penguins, then sank down to one knee, looking up at a smiling Christopher. “How did you get to be so smart?” He said with reverence.
Christopher was beaming now as he said simply, “My dads.”
More tears slipped down Eddie’s cheeks, and Chris reached out to wipe them away with a gentle pat to his jaw. “It’s okay, Daddy,” he said softly. “You’re gonna be okay, kid.”
Eddie laughed again, though it was more of a sob. “You’re really okay with this?” He asked, studying his son’s face for a hint of discontent. “You’re okay with me being gay? And loving Buck?”
Chris sighed. “Maybe we do need to show you the lionesses.”
That surprised another laugh out of Eddie, who shook his head fondly at the boy. “No, no. I just want to make sure you’re happy, too.”
Chris shrugged. “I’m happy when you’re happy. And I love Buck just as much as I love you. He’s my dad, too. He saved me from the tsunami. I’m really lucky to have two hero dads.”
Eddie grinned even as more tears welled in his eyes. “We’re really lucky to have you as our son.”
“Well, duh,” Chris said with a playful eyeroll.
Eddie laughed again and sniffed, wiping his cheeks again. “Thank you, Chris. I think I needed this.”
“I know, Daddy,” he said softly. “Does this mean you’ll marry Buck?”
Eddie sighed, already exhausted. “If Buck wants me, then maybe.”
“He wants you,” his son said, matter-of-fact.
“One emotionally taxing conversation at a time, Christopher.” Eddie shook his head, though his smile never wavered.
Chris nodded, then turned serious. “It’s time for ice cream. And then we go home and cuddle. And then dinner with Buck.”
Eddie nodded, too, remembering the very serious schedule of the day. He had been wondering why Chris budgeted so little time for the zoo, but now, he supposed it made sense. Chris had one goal today: come out for his dad. God, how did Eddie get so lucky to have this kid?
“Let’s go,” Eddie said. He placed a kiss on Christopher’s hairline and resisted the urge to sweep him into his arms. As much as Eddie wanted to hold his son for a while, Christopher would want to walk. Buck always knew that, too.
As they weaved their way through the crowd, Eddie nodded at those who were closest and most definitely heard that conversation. There was a lesbian couple who were crying as he passed, and they gave him a knowing nod. Eddie returned it, feeling more stable than he’d ever been before.
Together, he and Christopher left the park, ice cream cones in hand. Eddie stopped them, steering them both into a gift shop near the exit once something caught his eye. A rainbow penguin keychain. It was terribly overpriced, but Eddie bought it anyway, along with a stuffed penguin Chris spotted. And together, father and son, Frank and Hector, Eddie and Christopher, they went home.