Page 123 of Inhuman Nature

DJ struggled not to laugh at Rake’s emphatic response. “Of course you do. Don’t be silly, sweetheart.”

They situated themselves in the large living room, the three of them taking one of the sofas, DJ in the middle. Bernie curled up at his feet, and so he reached a hand down to give him a well-deserved pat. His mum asked who wanted a cuppa and some biscuits. When she got a chorus of no-thank-you’s from them, she looked taken aback, but settled herself in her favourite armchair even as DJ’s dad said hewouldlikea cup of tea.

“Tell me how you all met,” his mum said.

They’d practised for this. They were going to stick to the facts as much as possible. “We met on a night out,” DJ said.

“Just like me and your dad!” his mum exclaimed, looking at his dad with such warmth it made DJ’s chest ache. He was going to break their hearts.

“So how does this all work, then?” his dad asked.

DJ cocked his head. “What.” Was his dad asking about the mechanics of their relationship?

“I just mean, you two have been together for years. Are you both with Shaun now? Or is it more you date Rake, who dates Shaun, who also dates you?”

DJ looked blankly at his dad. Whowasthis man?

“We’re all together equally,” Rake said, cutting in.

“So you’d consider yourselves polyamorous?” DJ’s dad asked.

“Dad, how have you even heard of that?”

“You do remember I spent a lot of my childhood and teen years in Brighton, right? Punks and hippy central. Pretty sure a few of my schoolmates ended up joining a polycule by accident,” his dad said matter-of-factly.

“How is this the first time I’ve heard about this?”

“You want me to regale you with tales of my misspent youth?”

DJ covered his ears with his hands and started singing. It didn’t block out his mum’s laughter. She addressed Shaun, asking him about his background and what he did for a living. Shaun blanched, but bullshitted enough that it satisfied his mum.

His dad jerked his chin towards the kitchen. “Help me grab a cuppa, kiddo.”

The second they got into the kitchen, his dad elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Check you—twomen! I remember teenage you being too nervous to ask whatshisname to the cinema.” ‘Whatshisname’ was Darren Hayes, the first boy DJ had ever had a crush on. Darren was straight, but had still agreed to go to the cinema with DJ because DJ offered to pay for the popcorn.

“Dad, stop.”

The corners of his dad’s eyes crinkled with fondness. “Okay, I will.” His face grew more serious. “So what’s Shaun’s story?”

“What do you mean?” DJ asked, careful to keep his voice neutral.

“He comes across as a bit… fragile. You and Rake being good to him?”

“We are. But he’s not breakable, if that’s what you’re saying.”

“Not at all. Just seems like the kind of guy who needs a little bit of extra care.”

DJ didn’t disagree. “We’d do anything for him.”

His dad beamed. “Course you would.”

“Right, this is a far too emotional conversation.” DJ puffed up his chest. “Did you watch the game the other day?”

His dad clapped him on the shoulder. “Yep. And I would rather not talk about it, which is howIknow you don’t even know the score.”

“Dammit.”

“I joke, but I’m glad you’re happy, kiddo. That’s all that matters to me.”