Blunt Brother, Blunt Reunion, Blunt Discovery

Alex was on good terms with her brother and always had been. With a seven-year age difference, the two never had the chance to be in school together, but Alex had enough to hear from older teachers to get a solid idea of what kind of trouble he caused. They would sigh and rub their foreheads as they thanked whatever they believed in that his younger sibling was so well behaved. Funny enough, since his full name was Broderick, Alex could call him Bro unironically, but otherwise everyone called him Rick.

Her brother had earned a number of titles from 'bully slayer' to 'bee summoner' to 'toilet flooder' to 'Rick the dick'. To this day, you can still see faint, red stains in the cafeteria from the infamous noodle incident. Siblings of other students would hear about Alex's brother and his fiendish tales of trickery and triumph, preventing Alex from being a target of bullying in fear of incurring his wraith. It only took one wedgie up a flagpole after someone called Alex the F-word in the second grade to seal the deal. He cared about Alex underneath all the fake wrestling, armpit smelling, and hair ruffling, and Alex appreciated that.

So really it was no surprise that Rick wanted to visit Alex in the city and see how she was doing, and obviously Alex wanted him to come. When it came to her life decisions, he and his wife were Alex's number one supporters. In fact, his wife was the one who introduced Alex to the idea of transitioning in the first place. Dora the Pandora (her nickname in high school) had a keen eye that rivaled even Nami. She never kept a secret and instead guessed them with shocking accuracy, often resulting in couples breaking up, students getting expelled, or one teacher getting arrested. She sat alone at the lunch table for most of her entire school life because of that, but Rick thought the disasters from her blunt attitude were hilarious. He approached her, they fell in love, and now they've been married for almost a decade. No kids yet, much to the dismay of their parents.

When it came to figuring out Alex, Dora had noticed all the times Alex would peek at her closet, on top of the magazines she had stolen from her mom after she was done with them, and one day she decided to confront Alex about it directly. One long, awkward conversation later and Alex was off to the internet to do her research. If she hadn't pushed Alex in the right direction, she might have never become the happy-go-lucky person that she is today, so she was grateful to Dora as well. On the other hand, Alex was never going to introduce her to someone that was a landmine of drama.

That was the plan at least, but then Rick just had to insist that they both meet Alex's new boyfriend. They were going through the trouble of driving down for the weekend, so they felt obligated to see him once while they were there. Knowing them, Alex knew she couldn't say no. She had to warn Edmund instead of the danger that was to come.

"So don't get offended by anything they say," Alex concluded after explaining the situation to him. "They really mean well. If they mess up, I'll be the first to scold them on it."

Seated on his couch, Edmund briefly lowered the papers he was looking at, adjusted his glasses, then said plainly, "That's fine. I've been wanting to meet your family for some time. Your brother seems like the appropriate person to meet first."

"Appropriate is..." Alex averted her gaze. "...one way of putting it."

With Edmund's approval, she went ahead and made the arrangements, coming up with a brilliant plan to get the most out of the experience. First, they would come to Alex's apartment and meet Val, who should have recovered enough from her recent drama not to get hit by anything Dora throws at her. Then Alex would give them a proper tour of the city, avoiding the places she knew were scams. Finally, they would go to Edmund's apartment for a couples' dinner together, allowing them to get to know him better as well as enjoy his cooking. Since Oliver was visiting family, he wouldn't be there this weekend, so this was the best time. Alex was quite proud of herself for coming up with all of this.

On the fated day, the guests arrived perfectly late in that they knocked on the door an hour later than they said they would. Alex knew that was going to happen and was already prepared accordingly. She opened the door to greet the smiling couple holding hands like they were still newlyweds, completely oblivious to their wrongdoing. They were just a happy pair of brunettes, with her pale brother having a redder tint in his short, choppy hair while his wife's long, flowing hair was a dark chestnut that complimented her tan skin.

"Ew, gross. What are you doing here?" Alex asked with a fake sneer.

Rick pretended to sneer back at her. "You invited us. What are YOU doing here?"

"I live here, dumbass."

"Bitch."

"Dick."

After a moment of intense staring, the two broke out in laughter, then proceeded to go in for a hug. Rick's scruffy beard scratched against her as it always did, yet Alex would never want it any other way.

"So good to see you, Alex," Rick said.

"Same to you, Bro," Alex said.

Alex then quickly showed them the apartment, which wasn't much considering its size. Val gave them a lazy wave from the couch, and Rick followed that by going over to offer her a fist bump. Val smirked and bumped their fists together with zero hesitation. Meanwhile, Dora was quiet, simply observing as she stayed by her husband's side, which was a good thing. Quiet meant she had nothing to say. To avoid there being anything to say, Alex kept the encounter short and had them out the door after the tour was over. Call her paranoid, but she did not want to take any chances.

The walk through the city was more fun than Alex would have expected. There were plenty of stores around that suited their interests, so it was easy to bounce around from one to another. Alex got to giggle with her brother at the inappropriate merchandise at the dicey stores, and squeal with Dora at how cute the clothes were at the brand stores. All three of them got into a long, deep conversation about anime as they checked out t-shirts and figurines, and they tried each other's boba tea from the nearby stand. By the end of it, the couple had a bag in each hand to take back to their hotel room. Their jobs were more than enough to cover a nice hotel with a pool and gym, so it's not like they had nothing to do when they weren't with Alex. Even knowing this, part of Alex didn't want them going away any time soon.

Eventually, the time to head to Edmund's place came so soon that Alex couldn't believe it. The happiness from earlier converted to nervousness, hoping this dinner would go smoothly. It started off fine. Edmund answered the door and greeted the couple, making sure to formally shake their hands.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Edmund said. "Alex told me a lot about you."

"Same, same," Rick cheerfully replied.

Edmund then gestured them all towards the neatly organized dining table. "Please, seat down and make yourselves comfortable. Dinner will be ready soon."

"I hope so," Rick said as they entered. "I'm starving! I could eat at least two horses. Maybe three."

"I hope steak will be equally as satisfying for you."

Rick bellowed a laugh and patted Edmund hard on the back, catching the latter off-guard. "Absolutely! Bet Alex told you that was my favorite."

"That... she did," Edmund said as he tried to regain his composure.

"Ohhh, I get it now." Rick grinned mischievously as he moved in closer. "Buttering up the brother so he'll hand over his little sister. Sneaky, sneaky~"

Alex rolled her eyes, knowing he was teasing. His brashness seemed to be causing Edmund trouble though since he was clearly blushing from being flustered.

"N-No, it's not that," Edmund said. "I merely wished to be on good terms with you."

"Good terms, he says! What kind of business deal is this? Our dad won't deal with anything involving his daughter, so I have to be the one to approve the marriage instead. And what do we get out of it? I'd say she's worth minimum three goats and a barn. Actually, add a lake to that too."

"I... um..."

Alex shot a warning glare at Rick, signaling him to stop. He gave her a cocky wink in response, and Alex's cheeks puffed up at how annoying her brother could be. Dora stood there with a deceptively ignorant smile, acting as if she knew nothing of what was going on.

Freeing Edmund from his torture, Rick pulled back and said, "I'm joking, man! I know you guys haven't been dating long. Come on. Tell me more about how you've been doing."

"R-Right..." Edmund cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Our relationship has been faring quite well. She knows about my family's circumstances and has been very understanding throughout. While I cannot consider marriage anywhere in the near future, especially since rushing is what ruined my previous marriage, it's not that I'm entirely against it."

Alex's growing blush matched Edmund's, and Rick gave a pleased nod after hearing what Edmund had to say.

"I respect that," Rick said. "But I think I can pass better judgment after I've tested your culinary skills."

Edmund took that as a sign to finish up cooking, and everyone was seated and chatting by the time he presented everyone with a plate full of food. The group's mouths were salivating from looking at the delicious display of meat and fresh vegetables, and they instantly dug at it like ravenous wolves. Not a single crumb was left by the end of their feast.

"That was wonderful, Edmund," Dora said after wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Thank you," Edmund said.

"Alex had mentioned you were a single father. Do you see your son often?"

"I do. Almost every weekend. Otherwise, my wife has custody of him."

Dora's face was so calm and sincere, making it all the easier for everyone to let down their guard. "I'm glad. Not everyone gets to see their children after a divorce, especially if they have a medical condition."

Alex raised a worrying eyebrow at that. However, Edmund missed the possible implications and continued.

"My previous wife was always helpful and patient with me. It was my fault for taking advantage of it. I've learned my lessons and hope to do better in the future."

"That's so noble of you!" Dora said. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Edmund paused for a moment to mull over the question. "Being more... observant, I suppose. Alex has been providing me with feedback on my behavior and I've adjusted accordingly."

"He's right," Alex quipped, hoping she could help him out. "He used to walk into meetings with a script and everything! He'd read it off, listen to a couple of people, then leave. It was really weird! But now he doesn't do that anymore. I mean... he might have a script once in a while, but it's smaller and he spends more time talking with each person to get their thoughts. People at work are much happier with the change."

Dora curiously tilted her head as she placed her elbows on the table and folded her hands together. "Scripts?"

Alex shrunk back a bit, realizing she might have said too much.

Fortunately, Edmund calmly explained, "It's something my previous wife taught me. Since I had issues knowing what to say in certain situations, she would write a script and practice it with me. While it was useful at the time, I became too dependent on it, so I'm trying to improve on improvising and using my memory more."

"Wow, that's very impressive," Dora said. "How did your previous wife know how to write scripts?"

"Her mother works in special education."

Dora happily hummed in response. "I see... that makes sense. Tell me. Do you happen to have any sort of... habits? Like something really repetitive or restrictive?"

Oh no. Dora was getting weird with the questions.

"I don't know what you mean," Edmund said.

"H-Hey, Ed!" Alex butted in. "Isn't it time for dessert? I bet you got something special for the occasion."

Taking the bait, Edmund turned his attention to Alex and nodded. "That I did. I picked up a lovely tuxedo cake from the bakery down the street."

"Wow, that sounds great! Let's get to that right now."

"That does sound good actually," Rick added. Whether he was on Alex's side or simply wanted cake was uncertain, but it was enough to get Edmund to stand up and go get it.

While the cake was amazing, it only delayed the inevitable. Alex had hoped Dora would forget about the whole thing after being distracted by sweets, but not this time. There was a tiny glint in her chocolatey eyes that suggested she wasn't done yet.

"This is so good, I would love to eat more," Dora said. "But I wouldn't want your son to be left out. I think he'd like a slice too."

Edmund smiled a little at that, unaware of the trap laid out for him. "I appreciate the thought, but he's with family this weekend, so it would go to waste if you didn't finish it."

Dora shoveled more cake on her plate without another word, and Alex was jealous she could get away with eating that much. "If you insist. How is your relationship with your son by the way?"

"It's good. Again, Alex has helped me greatly. I have difficulty understanding him sometimes, so having her around has bridged the gap between us."

"Oh? And what about him is so difficult to understand?"

"How he's feeling, mostly. For example, he might say he's alright about something, yet it could be the opposite."

"Ah, yes. Kids can be a handful. That's why we haven't bothered yet." Dora went silent and resumed eating her cake after that, much to Alex's relief.

After some more time idly chatting, it was time to leave. It really seemed like this would end uneventfully. Maybe the two had really matured after all. Edmund walked them all to the door, and the couple shook hands with him one last time. However, when it was Rick's turn to shake Edmund's hand, a loud buzzing noise could be heard from the exchange, and Edmund immediately jumped back in shock. Rick was cackling hysterically as Alex angrily beat him over the head with her purse for being so rude.

"Sorry, sorry! Couldn't help it!" Rick said as he revealed the joke toy in his hand, having slipped it through his sleeve when he had the chance. "Now you're officially part of the gang. Everyone gets it at least once."

"I'm... glad I could be a part of it then," Edmund lied as he rubbed his hand, still trying his hardest to be polite.

Dora giggled at her husband's antics, then said in a seemingly innocent tone, "That's why you need to look people in the eye, Edmund. You haven't done it once since we got here, and if you had you might've noticed he was up to something."

That caused Edmund to turn his head further away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I think it's good how self-aware you are. A lot of people with communication disorders never even find out."

The box had opened.

Everyone was left stunned by what she had said, especially Alex. Dora scanned over the group with a confused face.

"Oh? You didn't know?" Dora asked. "With everything you said, it sounded like you knew."

To Alex's surprise, Edmund seemed to have calmed down, taking a deep breath before he replied, "I've... never been diagnosed."

Dora's eyes widened as she hovered a hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear! I would have thought your parents would have tested you. You have all of the signs."

"Dora," Alex firmly stated, finally putting her foot down. "Enough."

Dora shifted her gaze to Alex with a concerned frown. "I'm sorry, but I thought you knew too. I mean you did take a class and all. It's kind of important, you know?"

"Dora, stop."

"But-"

"I said stop."

Dora lowered her hand and did as she was told, the guilt beginning to set in as she shrunk into herself. Seeing his wife's distress, Rick put a comforting arm around her and held her close.

"I see we overstayed our welcome," Rick said casually, trying to play it off. "Thanks again for the meal. We'll be heading back to our hotel, Alex. You can spend as much time as you want with your boyfriend."

"Don't tell me what to do," Alex replied with a huff, then switched back to a smile. "It was fun. I'll see you guys later."

"'Course you will. Can't disowned me just yet."

"God, I wish. Love you."

"Love you too."

Ending it on a playful note, the couple then departed to return to their hotel, leaving Alex and Edmund behind. Alex couldn't get a read on Edmund's emotions underneath his stoic expression, but she wanted to comfort him as well.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked as she approached him, taking his hands into hers. "I'm sorry if she offended you. I mean... I did warn you, but I didn't think she'd drop something like that. Honestly, I was hoping she'd reveal some dark secret about your ex."

After a long, agonizing silence, Edmund replied, "She may have been right. I've had my suspicions as far as middle school, yet my parents never tested me because they claimed I was 'too smart' and 'too well behaved' to have any kind of disorder."

"Well that's dumb. Everyone's got problems. Some more than others, but that's all the more reason why we need to know so we can help each other."

Edmund stared down at Alex's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Yes... that's certainly true."

"Hey, Ed. You're an adult, right? You can do what you want to handle your problems. Don't feel pressured because of what other people say. Just know what I'm here for you."

"I know."

"Good. Now can I hug you?"

"You may."

Alex then pulled Edmund into a hug, and he wasted no time returning the favor. She loved how big and firm his body was since it meant more mass for her to nuzzle into. Edmund had told her once that he liked how soft her body was, so she figured being like a sweet stuffed animal to hug during hard times would be comforting. It seemed to work successfully, as his mood was greatly improved afterward. They spent the remainder of their time letting the television play as they enjoyed each other's presence.

Alex received a formal apology from Dora the next day via text, and she accepted it with no further issues. She also made sure to mention that Edmund would love to have them over any time, but without the diagnosing, please. Dora agreed to the terms, and all was good again.