Oh Captain

Homecomings and birthdays also have the big family dinners in common. Everyone makes different plates which are widely varied from stuffing to tacos all at the same table and bring them to Sebastian’s grandparent’s house, where they’re warmed. Most of the events are held there in homage to the fact that the band was started in the garage. And by family, he means, not only his blood relatives, but the other member’s families, too.

His grandparents bought a bigger table when these celebrations started happening years ago so all of them wouldn’t have to scoot in around a four-person round table, but this one’s circular as well; she said it made them seem closer. The plates are on the very edge of the table as for all of the dishes to be randomly scattered in the middle. The random-ass dish this year is the sushi made by Zabra’s (or Skylar’s) mother, Tiffany, next to the bacon-wrapped-scallops made by Aunt Tessa next to the small honey baked ham bought by Jack’s parents. The cake’s not on the table yet but Sebastian knows it’s there.

Really the only difference between the celebrations is the birthday cake.

It all looks really good, honestly, but he can’t truly focus on eating. It’s easy for this not to be noticed to the chaos that is family dinners but it’s difficult to seem normal under the focus that he shares with the band, as it is his birthday.

Stories exchange and laughs pass for hours as he crosses and uncrosses and re-crosses his legs under the table, his knuckles white as he grips the edge. He manages a plate or two, still. It’s not really late when the grandparents start muttering about getting home and that’s when the cake is brought out.

If anything, the sight of the fire only makes it worse and Sebastian has to catch his bottom lip between his teeth and try to smile at the same time. It’s a version of happy birthday that requires acoustic guitars and one-man –Captain- high notes and that forces a barking laugh from Sebastian despite his discomfort.

The candles are blown out and he’s congratulated on being sixteen.

Half the house is gone before sundown, thankfully. The more explicit stories are told excluding the eldest and youngest ears. Captain keeps sneaking half-smiling glances at his son; Sebastian turns away at half of them, still tapping without rhythm. They’ve migrated to the living room, sprawled on couches and cushions and cousins on the floor.

Captain’s voice bellows and he lifts a glass in the air from the big recliner with a guitar still on his lap as he starts some kind of speech that Sebastian drowns out from his chair because he can’t follow Captain’s words while fidgeting this much and focusing on just holding it in. He can hear some of his father’s words though, something about hot lights…and warm embraces…and explosive laughter…

Sure, he starts to notice a pattern. But the suggestions can’t loosen Sebastian’s will to hold his tongue though, as the overwhelming sound in his ears is ringing.

Captain lets out a loud huff, most likely upon realizing that Sebastian wasn’t even listening and his playful tone drops as he cuts to the chase, “Tonight is night of firsts. This dinner, the first in a long time, the tour- first one no one’s broken anything and almost the first this year, and Sebastian’s STD, that’s a first. Well, I hope, right, Seb?”

It cuts through the ringing and Sebastian’s neck whips to the right, where his father smugly sits- staring back at him. He can’t focus on the embarrassment that was meant to be had due to the shocked silence that has fallen upon the rowdy family room because for that second that his face had time to heat, he didn’t focus on holding his bladder and in effect, knocks down a chair running to the bathroom, a roar of laughter following after.

Of course he fucking knew it.

Captain’s overwhelming laugh stays outside the wooden door as I wince while relieving myself. “C’mon, bud, we gotta take a field trip,” he says to the door. Sebastian opens the door, blushing and embarrassed yet grateful after washing his hands. He looks at his father with a pang of guilt, a sudden wave of disappointment in himself that causes him to flush even more than the embarrassment, but Captain only replies with a look of true sympathy and claps him on the back.

“To the clinic!” he exclaims with a smirk as he throws an arm around him. “A family trip.”

Sebastian’s eyes widen but he can’t even get out the firm ‘no’ he wants to scream as he’s being shuffled forward, family member after family member already making their way through the door with amused hysteria. Sebastian just lets himself be pushed as he watches his and his father’s feet step in sync, beat up converse beside multi-chained platinum leather boots with a slight heel that nearly clacked and shimmied with every step on the hard wood. He avoids gazes as he hears the house being locked up and just complies.

They pile into the fowl smelling van, only the adults get true seats, but room is made for a very red Sebastian, in the center. Jack starts up the van and it’s only silent until the end of the street, and then Captain turns in the front row and smiles at his burning son. “So,” he says to start.

Sebastian sinks into his seat, trying to keep mostly still though he can’t and keeps his interlocked hands between his thumping knees.

Peter swings an arm around him shakes at his shoulder, “Who the hell was it, Seb?”

Sebastian almost gasps, dropping his head and biting at his lip. “Um.”

“More importantly, why the fuck didn’t you use-“

“Please! This is hilarious and all, but my ears!” Tyler cuts off Jack.

Robert pinches at her side and she yelps. “Was it Cody?” he asks sitting on the floor with his back against the driver’s seat. Sebastian doesn’t have time to react before Robert’s eyes are lighting up and his smirk gets devilish, “Or was it that guy?

“What guy?” Sebastian looks up and is met with my father’s truly confused face as Captain leans over the front row of seats. Sebastian thinks that he can’t just be imagining the edge to his tone. There’s churn of guilt in his stomach that can’t be replaced with embarrassment from his cousin’s loud cackles under his gaze.

“Oh my god, say it isn’t so!” Robert says between gasping laughs and dramatizes with fluttering eyelashes and clasped hands at his cheek with his knees pulled up to his chest in the tight space.

“Cody! Girl Cody,” Sebastian says quickly, just to get it over with while shaking his head at Robert.

“Woah, Seb! Hey, it was a blowjob, wasn’t it?” Skylar nudges him with his elbow from next to him and waggles his eyebrows. Tyler covers her ears and shuts her eyes with a toothy grin on the floor in front of him. Robert pushes at her with a laugh.

“First one’s always from oral,” Peter nods, decidedly.

Sebastian throws his hands over his face, with his elbows on his knees, “Guys!”

“Oh. My oh my, my boy’s becoming a man so soon.” Captain reaches out to pinch at Sebastian’s face though even with his avoiding eyes, is swatted away.

“Our boy, little Sebastian. I remember when you were still playing with dolls, kid,” Uncle Will says.

Captain looks away with a shake of his head and just a slight roll of his eyes with the curling of his lips, maybe a sign of amusement as he turns in his seat. Sebastian tries not to feel too bad, because he can tell they don’t want him to. Their methods of punishment weren’t conventional but just as effective.