Our Nanny is a Boy || bxb

81. Two men holding hands

Robin's excitement was visible when Peter picked him up to visit the art gallery on Saturday. 'Have you ever been to one?' Peter asked.

'Long ago,' Robin said. 'We used to visit art galleries and museums, my mom and I, back when my father still had his job. He went with us once, but said it was not his thing. My mom and I really enjoyed it though. My mom had this lifelong dream to be an artist, but she never got the chance to pursue it, because she got pregnant at such a young age and didn't have the money for art school. She really wanted me to go to art school, she even started saving for it, but when dad left us, she had no choice but to use the money she had saved. She didn't want to, but I found out she was starving herself for me, so I used the money myself to get her food. And eventually I dropped out of high school, so even if I wanted to, it's going to be very complicated to get in.'

'If you had the resources, though,' Peter wondered, 'would you still like to pursue art?'

'Oh well...' Robin stared out of the window. 'I'm content with my life as it is, actually. I love being a nanny.'

'Well, you can be both,' Peter said. 'One day a week. Mrs Wilson probably won't mind babysitting the kids for a longer while. Or you can wait until Davey goes to kindergarten. Nowadays, almost nobody is a full-time stay-at-home parent anyway. When the kids grow up, you're going to need something to fill your days with.'

'Right,' Robin said. 'But then there's still the high-school dropout part.'

'Did you forget I'm a high school teacher?'

'Yeah, for just one subject. I'm going to need more than that.'

'I can pull some strings and provide you with the right materials you need to pass your SATs. And if you have any questions, if I don't know the answers, I can pass them on to my colleagues.'

'You would do that?' Robin asked.

'Of course. I'll do anything if it makes you happy.'

Robin was quiet for a second. When Peter glanced to his side, he saw that Robin had slightly flushed cheeks while staring out of the window furiously. He could tease the younger about it, but he decided not to do that today.

'Would you like that?' he asked.

'What?' Robin looked startled.

'Well, my help to prepare you for your SATs of course. Or did you want anything else?'

'N-No. Well, I'm just not sure. Art school seems like a pretty big decision and though I've thought about it a few times in the past years, I've never actually expected to get the opportunity. I mean, I have a full-time job that I don't want to abandon.'

'Well, if you're going to marry me, you're going to be jobless,' Peter said. 'Have you thought about that?'

'W-What?' Robin looked up at Peter with a laugh full of disbelief. 'Marry you? Don't you think you're going a bit too fast?'

'Well, I was just stating facts. I wasn't planning on waiting for five years or something. Just imagine, you'll have custody over Felicia and David.'

It only seemed to dawn on Robin at that moment. He was in shock for a solid few seconds.

'Anyway,' Peter quickly said, 'take your time. You're only twenty, there's time aplenty.'

Robin chuckled at that. 'I guess you're right. For now, just let me focus on my mental health, getting out of my art block and this gallery we're currently heading towards.'

'You have an art block?' Peter asked.

'Yup,' Robin sighed. 'It's a nightmare. I think I had to throw about eight perfectly fine canvases away in the past week because I could not figure out what I wanted to do with them exactly and screwed them over.'

'Well, maybe you just need some inspiration,' Peter said. They had already arrived, he pulled up in the parking lot. 'So let's go get some.'

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'I love it,' Robin said, the moment they walked in. The gallery was filled with vibrant colours making up mostly portraits, but also animals, flowers, and really anything. 'It's so vibrant, it instantly lifts your mood, doesn't it?'

'It really does,' Peter said, though he was not sure whether Robin's smile impacted his ability to properly reflect on it himself.

They walked past every painting, Robin pointing out the details in all of them and admiring the unique and skilled ways in which each painter expressed themselves. 'I think it's absolutely fascinating,' he commented. 'None of them is exactly the same. Though their style looks similar and this gallery is really cohesive, I can probably still pick out which artist created which without seeing the signature.' He tried to explain the differences to Peter, but some of them were simply invisible to his eyes. He did nod along enthusiastically though, in order to not disrupt Robin's flow. It was heartwarming to see Robin so passionate about something, the sparkle in his eyes, the smile on his face, the tone of his voice.

'I really love this art style,' Robin concluded. 'I'm gonna try as soon as I get home.'

'Can I watch you paint?' Peter said.

Robin stopped for a second to think, then shrugged. 'Sure, why not?' Then, he got distracted by another painting. 'Oh, what do you think about this one?'

Peter instantly felt a smile grow on his face. 'It reminds me of Felicia.' There was a figure of a girl chasing a butterfly, in bright pink, yellow and blue colours.

'Me too,' Robin said. They stood there and looked at it for a while, side by side. Their hands touched and they looked at each other. Peter took Robin's hand in his, but the latter quickly retracted it. 'People will see,' he whispered.

'Oh my god, two men holding hands in an art gallery,' Peter whispered back. 'Shocker.'

Robin hit his back and giggled. 'Shut up.'

They continued looking around and a few minutes later, Peter went for his second attempt. This time, Robin only sighed, and didn't try to free his hand anymore. Peter couldn't hide a triumphant smile, feeling like a kid who just got his favourite candy. Saturday dates, he thought to himself. Peter, you are a genius.

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"You're only twenty, there's time aplenty," is gonna be my life quote this year hihi

This. Pure TALENT!