#parker x malachi.oo1

[ofwishfulthinking]

Malachi wished that he'd been surprised by the revelation. He wished that it had been different for Parker, that this kid had had a happy childhood with both parents present. Mal would've been jealous but it was infinitely better than being left behind by a parent. "Guess we've got that in common," he commented. There was no bitterness in his tone. Malachi had had years to get used to the idea of being unwanted by his father; it just sucked that it had happened years later to someone else. "Yeah, that's something. Though I can't really say I know how to be a big brother. Never really needed to do it before," he added with a shrug and half smile.

"Me either." Parker admits, though now that they've both said it, they guessed it wasn't such a distant possibility. "Yeah, definitely a surprise. My dad...our dad, he left when I was a few months old. I don't really remember him." And with their mama ill, Parker didn't want to ask about him now. Not that there was much to know about him, it seemed. "It's really cool though. I mean, I have a big brother now."

[ofwishfulthinking]

"Same," Malachi agreed as he removed his hand from the handshake, He felt like a parrot. An awkward parrot who'd greeted a half sibling like one would greet a business acquaintance. He was the worst at introductions or social interactions, in general. "I never really considered having siblings," he confessed as he sat down. "Actually, I've never really thought about my father at all. So, this is all a surprise to me."

A handshake. Right. Parker wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but a handshake seemed like the least awkward option, taking Mal's hand for a moment before sitting down again. "Yeah, you too. It's, uh, good to finally meet up." Chatting online had been fine to get the initial questions out of the way, but Parker was definitely glad to be able to sit down with Malachi too. Hopefully their meeting went well. "Crazy that we're both from around here and never crossed paths before. Though I guess we wouldn't have known then either." It really was a small world, they thought.

[ofwishfulthinking]

Never in a million years had Malachi expected that anything would come of the DNA swab he’d taken weeks prior. At forty-three, he’d given up on the idea of a loving family. He’d had his mother. For him, a father was nothing more than a word in his lexicon. So, when the result had shown the potential for a half-sibling, Malachi had felt nothing more than an overwhelming sense of indecision. He could leave it be, never reach out, never disrupt the life of someone who’d gone their entire life not knowing he existed. Things didn’t have to change, but Malachi couldn't deny his curiosity. "Yeah, same," he replied, extending a hand. "Glad you could hang out today."

closed starter for @ofwishfulthinking (mal)

Finding out that they had an older sibling had been a bit of a surprise for Parker, but also not. They didn't know much about their father, so hearing that Malachi was their half-sibling made them both excited and nervous. The two had talked a bit before agreeing to meet in person, and when the day finally came Parker had gotten to the café a bit early, fingers tapping nervously against the paper cup containing their drink. Spotting Mal when they enter, Parker waves them over once he gets his own drink, offering him a smile. "Hi. It's, uh, good to finally meet you."