Art looks up at Roman, eyes wide, and thoughts projecting images of question marks and neighborhood watch signs. “Uh... Yeah? Hi? Nice to meet you?” He tilts his head. “It’s meet, right? We haven’t met before?”
“Ah, there you are, Artemis,” Hector says, swooping in behind Art, a hand on either shoulder, to present him to the group like a prizewinning science experiment in a school fair. “Everyone, meet my grandson. Artemis Reiter.”
Art blinks and waves. “Uhhh, hi...?”
Bernie squints. “Helen married Vy’s... brother?”
Vy snorts. “Oh hell no. Helen has taste.”
“Then...” Bernie squints in even further confusion. “What???”
“Oh!” Art chimes, peppy and unaware of the previous tension. “So, legally, I have one dad, who is Uncle Vy’s twin brother. His name is Virgil. Dad lives with four other adults who also helped raise me when Dad adopted me. Dotty, Zack, Shawn, and Helen. Helen and Shawn are married, and Dotty and Zack are married, and Dad is single. They’re not polyamorous or anything, they just live in the same house because it’s cheaper, but they’re all basically my parents and Dad only gets to be my Dad because he found me first so he got dibs.”
Claudia laughs. “How often do you have to explain this, kid?”
“At least five times in the last year.”
“But he’s still Helen’s son,” Hector states. “Ergo, my grandson.”
“Uh-huh,” Claudia grins. “And how often do you experiment on him?”
“Claudia, I am offended,” Hector scoffs. “You think I’d experiment on my own flesh and blood?”
“Every other week,” Art says, no anger or irony in his tone. “Because I’m adopted. And not his flesh and blood.”