I'm the king of the castle
Dec. 13th, 2009 03:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impersonaOkay so I absolutely broke the 250 word rule on this one. I couldn't help it :< Hopefully I go back to being good later (and I totally want to edit this one at the end of the month too).
Series: Kingdom (set in the BABY!HERD AU of ten years in the future. Appropriately, in it everyone has lots of babies. With one exception.)
Characters: Val, Loni, BABY!HERD
The ones who remembered him had already made their excited hellos, tittering on about all of their friends at preschool and their games and what they wanted for Christmas (such a complete list, in June?). The ones who did not remember, or might not have met him at all, kept a wary eye on him, this oddly-dressed stranger intruding on their summer games. But one invited him with an impatient wave of her hand, over to the patch of clovers where she had built a giant square out of Lincoln logs.
"That's a wonderful castle," he said, crouching down to look over it. Val didn't seem too worried about having his fine Italian suit in such close proximity to Spaghetti-Os and finger paints, or to the children who ran around with globs of either thick on their hands. He smiled at the girl. "Or is it a very big cabin?"
"Castle. With a princess. But it's on fire," the kid casually announced. Despite her claim, the log fortress seemed pretty stable, so the she kicked at the base of it with her foot. "See? It's going to fall down."
"That's terrible," he said, and rested his chin in a hand. "And you put so much work into building it. What can you do to save it?"
"Oh." She kicked the corner of the building again, and not even one of the logs fell off. So the girl picked up a plastic shovel in her chubby fist, apparently her back-up plan. "Nothing can stop it. It's super fire."
"Really? Nothing at all?" Val shifted his hands then, moving the jacket forward. "Because I know something with a firehose for a nose..."
The kid looked at him carefully, even suspiciously, until from under the jacket folded over his arm, Val produced an elephant toy. Not a mass-produced figurine, but a plush made of rough silk patchwork. It smelled heavily of spice and tea, as it had the day he bought it at the Calcutta market.
The elephant didn't stay in his hand for long. The girl snatched the shiny toy instantly, yet still, it was mere seconds before more of the kids leapt forward, fighting each other for a moment with the gift. The Lincoln log castle didn't survive this attack, and scattered under the rump of an off-balance toddler. By then, Val chuckled to himself, then backed away from the fray, confident that he'd already been forgotten.
Loni looked to the children through patio's open door, her assessment of the children's play only seemingly casual, then set back to her work at the kitchen's island. She glanced up at Val when he stepped through the open doors and set his jacket down at the table.
"Before you think they'll riot, I do have more toys in the car," he said, pulling out a chair for himself. He looked vaguely puzzled at the gaggle of children, tumbling over each other until he couldn't see the foreign toy amid them anymore. "Though now I don't think I bought enough."
"Oh, not all of them are mine," she said, nearly sing-song, humming as she turned a freshly-made cake over onto a serving plate. "Not nearly! Clover had to go out for the weekend so there's hers, and let's see, Alex's boys wanted to play with Kai, then there's Silvia bossing around the youngest ones, and the twins are causing trouble somewhere in there..."
Val squinted at the playgroup, but even with this new information, he couldn't even start guessing at who belonged to who. All of the kids had a sun-kissed, wild-haired, explosive exubrance to them, the way children raised on sunshine and beaches should. It made him think that he'd been in New York for too long. "Well, that's good. I know I've been gone for a while, but I didn't think I fell behind on your kids."
Loni smiled at that, then continued to hum and fuss at the kitchen island, slicing pineapple cake, fixing the fruit platter, refilling her tea and pouring a cup for him as well. She moved with a proud swagger to her figure that she hadn't had at age 18, even though she called that time her prime. He didn't believe it, not for a second. Nothing seemed to define a 'prime' more than this wonderful, cozy rancher home, a husband she still gushed over like a teenager, children who loved toys but loved each other and their parents just as fiercely. He leaned back, hooked his elbow over the back of his chair, and watched the children play.
"You haven't said a word about Johanna," Loni said, some minutes later. She brought her swagger over to the kitchen table, setting down the cake and teas and fruit platter. He didn't have the heart to meet the soft, considerate expression he knew she would have, even as she keenly studied his face.
So he smiled for her, laughed gently. "Well. There's not much to say anymore." He didn't mean to, because he knew how the weak the small gesture looked, but his fingers rubbed over the place where the band had been. They rubbed, but never managed to soothe. "Except that I'm going to stay Uncle Val for a while."
He was surprised by a bark of a laugh. "Now that wasn't up for debate. Of course you will!" Loni hit him on the shoulder with the flat end of the silver serving knife for that. "Things like that never change. You'll always be Uncle Val."
Val stared up at her, shocked, but when that passed he dropped his chin again. "I know," he said, and he sighed, forcing his hands apart. "I'm sorry." She shoved a piece of the glazed cake at him, and he picked up the plate and ate. Together, he and Loni watched the play outside. The children organized some sort of game now, it seemed, where the slightly-smushed elephant seemed to lead a conga line.
"Don't worry, darling," Loni said, rubbing his shoulder where she had thwapped it. "I'll do what I should have properly done years ago. I'll set you up with someone who can actually appreciate a good man." She laughed again, then slapped his back heartily. "In return, I get to play Aunt Loni in time for next summer."
He nearly choked on his piece of cake, fumbling to stop the crumbs before they hit his lap. "Hold on. I'm not moving that fast."
"You have to! Because your kids have to run with the pack, before it gets too old for them." She pushed at his shoulder. "Come on, Val. For the tots, it'd be like having lots and lots of cousins to grow up with. It's paradise."
"Maybe. When the time is right," he said, amicably. But oh, in the face of so many smiles and laughs, he found her point impossible to argue.
Series: Kingdom (set in the BABY!HERD AU of ten years in the future. Appropriately, in it everyone has lots of babies. With one exception.)
Characters: Val, Loni, BABY!HERD
The ones who remembered him had already made their excited hellos, tittering on about all of their friends at preschool and their games and what they wanted for Christmas (such a complete list, in June?). The ones who did not remember, or might not have met him at all, kept a wary eye on him, this oddly-dressed stranger intruding on their summer games. But one invited him with an impatient wave of her hand, over to the patch of clovers where she had built a giant square out of Lincoln logs.
"That's a wonderful castle," he said, crouching down to look over it. Val didn't seem too worried about having his fine Italian suit in such close proximity to Spaghetti-Os and finger paints, or to the children who ran around with globs of either thick on their hands. He smiled at the girl. "Or is it a very big cabin?"
"Castle. With a princess. But it's on fire," the kid casually announced. Despite her claim, the log fortress seemed pretty stable, so the she kicked at the base of it with her foot. "See? It's going to fall down."
"That's terrible," he said, and rested his chin in a hand. "And you put so much work into building it. What can you do to save it?"
"Oh." She kicked the corner of the building again, and not even one of the logs fell off. So the girl picked up a plastic shovel in her chubby fist, apparently her back-up plan. "Nothing can stop it. It's super fire."
"Really? Nothing at all?" Val shifted his hands then, moving the jacket forward. "Because I know something with a firehose for a nose..."
The kid looked at him carefully, even suspiciously, until from under the jacket folded over his arm, Val produced an elephant toy. Not a mass-produced figurine, but a plush made of rough silk patchwork. It smelled heavily of spice and tea, as it had the day he bought it at the Calcutta market.
The elephant didn't stay in his hand for long. The girl snatched the shiny toy instantly, yet still, it was mere seconds before more of the kids leapt forward, fighting each other for a moment with the gift. The Lincoln log castle didn't survive this attack, and scattered under the rump of an off-balance toddler. By then, Val chuckled to himself, then backed away from the fray, confident that he'd already been forgotten.
Loni looked to the children through patio's open door, her assessment of the children's play only seemingly casual, then set back to her work at the kitchen's island. She glanced up at Val when he stepped through the open doors and set his jacket down at the table.
"Before you think they'll riot, I do have more toys in the car," he said, pulling out a chair for himself. He looked vaguely puzzled at the gaggle of children, tumbling over each other until he couldn't see the foreign toy amid them anymore. "Though now I don't think I bought enough."
"Oh, not all of them are mine," she said, nearly sing-song, humming as she turned a freshly-made cake over onto a serving plate. "Not nearly! Clover had to go out for the weekend so there's hers, and let's see, Alex's boys wanted to play with Kai, then there's Silvia bossing around the youngest ones, and the twins are causing trouble somewhere in there..."
Val squinted at the playgroup, but even with this new information, he couldn't even start guessing at who belonged to who. All of the kids had a sun-kissed, wild-haired, explosive exubrance to them, the way children raised on sunshine and beaches should. It made him think that he'd been in New York for too long. "Well, that's good. I know I've been gone for a while, but I didn't think I fell behind on your kids."
Loni smiled at that, then continued to hum and fuss at the kitchen island, slicing pineapple cake, fixing the fruit platter, refilling her tea and pouring a cup for him as well. She moved with a proud swagger to her figure that she hadn't had at age 18, even though she called that time her prime. He didn't believe it, not for a second. Nothing seemed to define a 'prime' more than this wonderful, cozy rancher home, a husband she still gushed over like a teenager, children who loved toys but loved each other and their parents just as fiercely. He leaned back, hooked his elbow over the back of his chair, and watched the children play.
"You haven't said a word about Johanna," Loni said, some minutes later. She brought her swagger over to the kitchen table, setting down the cake and teas and fruit platter. He didn't have the heart to meet the soft, considerate expression he knew she would have, even as she keenly studied his face.
So he smiled for her, laughed gently. "Well. There's not much to say anymore." He didn't mean to, because he knew how the weak the small gesture looked, but his fingers rubbed over the place where the band had been. They rubbed, but never managed to soothe. "Except that I'm going to stay Uncle Val for a while."
He was surprised by a bark of a laugh. "Now that wasn't up for debate. Of course you will!" Loni hit him on the shoulder with the flat end of the silver serving knife for that. "Things like that never change. You'll always be Uncle Val."
Val stared up at her, shocked, but when that passed he dropped his chin again. "I know," he said, and he sighed, forcing his hands apart. "I'm sorry." She shoved a piece of the glazed cake at him, and he picked up the plate and ate. Together, he and Loni watched the play outside. The children organized some sort of game now, it seemed, where the slightly-smushed elephant seemed to lead a conga line.
"Don't worry, darling," Loni said, rubbing his shoulder where she had thwapped it. "I'll do what I should have properly done years ago. I'll set you up with someone who can actually appreciate a good man." She laughed again, then slapped his back heartily. "In return, I get to play Aunt Loni in time for next summer."
He nearly choked on his piece of cake, fumbling to stop the crumbs before they hit his lap. "Hold on. I'm not moving that fast."
"You have to! Because your kids have to run with the pack, before it gets too old for them." She pushed at his shoulder. "Come on, Val. For the tots, it'd be like having lots and lots of cousins to grow up with. It's paradise."
"Maybe. When the time is right," he said, amicably. But oh, in the face of so many smiles and laughs, he found her point impossible to argue.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-15 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-15 07:09 pm (UTC)