The Surprise

Liam stepped out onto the front entrance of the mansion, blinking in the bright noon sunlight. His mother had told him, specifically him, that someone was coming by to her and to go make sure they found their way in alright. He supposed that made sense. She didn’t want their mystery guest to be intimidated by anyone else and out of him and his twin, he looked the most, er, normal. Not to mention the threat of them coming across anyone else. But who could it be? 

“Ah, if it isn’t little Liam!”

As he was swept up in a bear hug, Liam grinned, “Uncle Martin!”

He paused, “But I’m 23.”

His uncle gave him a lopsided grin, “I saw you last at graduation. 18, were you? You still look just as young!”

Liam pouted. Martin let him down, clapping him on the shoulder, “Hey! At least, you’ll always look young!”

“Young enough to be confused as my boyfriend’s son…”

Martin ruffled his nephew’s hair, making it look even more messy than it usually did, “Oh, well, little Liam isn’t so little if he’s found himself a lover! Glad to hear it, boy!”

Liam blushed then moved the conversation in a different direction, “So how’d you get here?”

“Well, my boy,” Martin adjusted his hat, adopting a serious expression, “Quite the trek, if I do say so myself! Such a trek I’m grateful I left River and your cousins back home! Luckily, your mother was able to give me a direct address!”

The mansion had a direct address? Liam was sure his mother had to ask for it but that was beyond the point. He didn’t even know where his uncle was living now; he owned so many places that he tended to ping pong between them. He didn’t even want to ask what ‘quite a trek’ entailed.

“Who do you live with anyway? I admit, I’m jealous of their place, whoever they are...ah, excuse my ramblings. I suppose you wanna know why I’m here, yes?”

Liam nodded. His uncle wrapped one arm around him, looking to each side dramatically. Then he whispered conspiratorially, “Your mother said she had something quite amazing to show me but! It had to be kept a secret. So how about you do your Uncle Martin a solid and give him a clue? I’ve come so woefully unprepared!”

Liam furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what it was. Then it hit him. LP! 

“I don’t know if you’d believe me...it sounds ah…” he paused, searching for a word, “Delusional?”

Martin huffed, “My boy, I told you I’d believe anything you told me, no matter how outlandish it was, years ago!”

Liam shook his head, “You really don’t understand, you need to see it to believe it,”

Martin let him go with a laugh, “Well, if you don’t want to tell me, you could say so Liam!”

Liam sighed. He really didn’t understand. Granted, his uncle was a little...dense? Ditzy? Just plain stubborn? “Mom said to bring you in to one of the lounges. She got it all set up for you, I think, so you don’t have to worry a bit.”

As Martin followed him in, he whistled, “Fancy! So how did you end up here?”

“Well, a, ah, friend of the family spent some time here so we got invited,” Liam toed the reality than this friend was none other than his twin. But he figured his mother wanted to keep that the surprise.

“Well, I’m happy with my place but I will not mind visiting, especially since my favorite nephew is here!”

Liam laughed softly, “Well, I am your only one,” he lied easily.

Completely unaware of this, Martin smiled at him as they went on their way. What was left of Liam’s luck must have been all used up for making sure the stairs were clear on their way up. They stepped into the lounge to find his parents along with a small layout of snacks. Seeing her brother, Konnie rose out of her chair and crossed the space between them, hugging him tightly, “Martin! I missed you!”

“Konnie! I missed you too!” he let go, kissing her on her cheeks as he did. 

He walked past her and took Daisy’s hand, “And the ever illustrious Daisy, as beautiful as the day of your wedding!”

Daisy giggled, “You’re too kind!”

He turned to Konnie, “So what surprise is it you and Liam are keeping so close to yourselves?”

Konnie shot Liam a smile and a thumbs up, having already figured out he’d figured out what the secret was. Liam returned the thumbs up before sitting beside his momma and grabbing a handful of apple slices off the table. Konnie smiled at her brother, “Let me just go fetch it!” before disappearing from the room.

“Ah, so much mystery,” Martin shook his head.

“It’s worth it!” Daisy chirped.

“I don’t suppose you’d tell me?”

“Nope!”

Martin sighed, “I tried. So Liam, do I get to meet your boyfriend too?”

Liam looked up at him, finishing his apple slice. Last he saw him, Sketches was letting Techni run wild around the yard, luckily not around the front yard. He could go fetch him, he was sure if he asked, Sketches would come. But that required explaining...Sketches. Maybe it was best to keep it to one life-shattering revelation as a time. “Maybe later. He’s letting the dog out.”

“You have a dog?! What kind?”

“...good question.”

Martin chuckled good-naturedly. They didn’t have to sit long before Konnie returned, a wild smile on her face, with a blindfolded LP in tow. “I just don’t know why you have to be so weird about this, mom!” he complained.

She tore it off in a flourish. LP, seeing his uncle, froze like a deer in the headlights. Martin similarly stared back but recovered quickly, walking over to him. He grabbed his face and inspected it. He glanced back at Liam. He grinned looking back at LP, “Why, as I live and breath...or as you live and breath! It’s little Luigi!” he hugged him tight.

“Surprise…” LP squeaked, more than caught off guard.

Martin let him go, “How? I mean, I don’t care! But I can’t help but wonder?”

LP scratched the back of his head, “It’s a whole thing. I’ll tell you someday?”

“Right! It doesn’t matter anyway! It’s a miracle, I say!” Martin declared, his grin not even having left his face.

He took LP’s shoulder, taking him over to sit by him. Looking somewhat flustered, LP obeyed, curling his tail over his legs as he sat. He was only sitting for a moment before Martin gasped, “Oh no!”

“Oh no?” Konnie echoed, somewhat concerned.

“Do you know how many birthday gifts, Christmas gifts and just because gifts I’ve missed! We need to rectify this!”

LP simply sighed as his uncle began to needle everyone over sending him a list of everything he liked. There was no talking him out of it. He could only imagine what it was going to be like seeing his other uncle and his cousins.