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Cecil's terror quickly melted into a relieved sigh. Gym. That's right, Parker was just talking about Leon's muscles. Of course. There was no way he would expose anything else to a child. Silly Cecil, thinking of the worst.
"Yeah, he's pretty strong," he agreed. "But he's also got a lot of years ahead of you. I bet you'll be just as strong when you're his age."

As Leon talked, Nikolai patiently wrapped the apron around him, tying it up and leading him to the grill, putting the spatula in his hand. "Yes, yes, dearie. You can tell me all about how wonderful I am once you're done cooking, hmm?"

A vein pulsed at the side of Cecil's head. Smiling, he pat Parker's head a few times, the last time ending with a vice grip. "Think of it this way," he said in a gentle tone that could only convey restrained anger. "You're already stronger than me, so you'll be much stronger when you're my age."

There was movement around Sawyer. It started with a twig breaking, then the crackling sound of feet against leaves, then shadows from a distance. They got closer, darting back to the safety behind trees and bushes. Then, so very slowly, the figure popped out.
It was Aysun. His gaze was mostly downward, though they glanced up every other second. He was holding a pile of twigs and a rock in his tiny hands as he walked over towards the man. Sometimes he stopped, looking over his shoulder to see if he could retreat to a tree and hide for another day, but then he'd look back at the lawyer and, with built courage, march towards him once again.
"Umm..." he mumbled when he finally got there. He stared down at the ground as he held his arms out to present Sawyer with the sticks. "I made you a burger. I was gonna give it to Uncle Leon but I'm mad at him," he said.

"Don't lie to an officer," Cecil hissed while squeezing Parker's cheeks. After a minute or two of stretching them out for pure torment, he released the kid. "Seriously, though, you'll be fine. You're strong already. You'll be strong just like your dad in no time."

Aysun paused then smiled brightly at Sawyer's enthusiasm for his cooking. It went away, however, at the mention of his uncle, making him turn his head with angrily puffed cheeks. "Me and Parker got in trouble 'cause we were doing what Uncle Leon told us to do!" he grumbled then looked over at Sawyer again. "Mr. Loupohl, why do adults have different screams than kids?" he asked innocently.

Cecil looked over at Sawyer. Yeah, he could definitely see it. Those proud eyes, that golden mane, the raw strength. Before the officer could swoon, he forced himself to focus back on Parker.
"I'm sure he wasn't always like that," he said with a small shrug. "I bet he was scrawny when he was your age. You could have probably beaten him in a fight. Besides, even if you don't get to be as strong as him, you'll always be stronger than Mr. Court over there." He grinned and pointed to Nikolai, sitting at the picnic table. He was holding a can of soda that used to be cold, and it looked as though he meant to drink it, but by the look of his head against the table it seemed that he fell asleep in the middle of it.

"Nuh-uh!" Aysun rejected with balled up fists and a determined expression. "Adults play on the playground, too! Uncle Nikki always says he loves to play on Uncle Leon's seesaw all the time!"

Just as Sawyer was struggling to talk to Aysun, Cecil was having his own troubles with Parker. He thought back to the times he talked to his nephew, but that kid never had any self-esteem problems, at least none that were obvious.
"Umm... Well why don't you start exercising then?" he suggested while rubbing the back of his head. "You could start helping you father out at the farm?"

Aysun's expression scrunched into confusion. "What does blush mean?" he asked.

"I'll talk to him tonight," Cecil nodded reassuringly. "And if he still refuses then I'll train you just like they do in police academy! You'll be as big and strong as Detective Waltz!" he cheered, remembering the kid's appreciation for Fredrich's stature.

Aysun paused when Sawyer talked him through what a blush was. He looked down at the ground and fidgeted with his fingers, mumbling something incoherent. He did that when he was with Parker. Did that mean...?
"What do people do when they like each other?" he asked while still looking at the ground.

Aysun grimaced at Sawyer. That all sounded gross! He didn't want to do that with Parker! "Is that a grown-up thing?" he asked. "'Cause I blush around Parker but I don't wanna do any of that icky stuff." He stuck his tongue out to emphasize his disdain.

~~~

After a dinner and plenty of conversations between Leon and Sawyer and awkward expressions exchanged by Nikolai and Cecil, the sun went down and the distant pops of fireworks began to fill the air.
"Mmm, I suppose it's time for us to start popping fireworks as well, hmm?" Nikolai mused while gazing up at the sky, spotting some colorful lights amongst the purple clouds. Part of his mind, ravaged by the bloody war, sent him on edge with the idea that it was gunfire he was hearing. It didn't bother him as much as it used to, and wasn't as bad as the snow was for him, but he still stayed close to Leon just in case.
Aysun, however, didn't seem too enthusiastic about the fireworks. He gazed at the table he sat at, only looking up to give everyone a nervous and suspicious look.