first_in_time | The Half Happy Family [For iselldrugstothecommunity]

A seven year old John Chesterton shared the task of setting the table with his father. Unfortunately, a child with a love of games should probably not be given any kind of responsibility which involved sharp objects. And neither should their father.

"Avarst! Ye matey!" Ian Chesterton cried at his son, brandishing a butter knife like a sword.

"Arrrr!!" John replied with one eye closed as though he were wearing an eye patch.

"Submit to me, matey, or I'll gut yer through!"

"NEVAAR!!"

The butter knives clinked once before Barbara managed to catch them at it; "boys!" she called from the doorway into the dining room. "That's quite enough. One of you will literally skin the other and I am not in the mood to drive over to the emergency ward."

Unfortunately, neither boy was paying much attention. To begin with they looked suitably shamed, but all it took was a quick exchange of looks and they lunged at Barbara, who screamed. And then giggled as the tickling fingers of John and Ian found her most ticklish spots. She managed to wriggle away, and ran for the kitchen, the hall and finally the lounge where they tackled her onto the sofa and tickled her until she managed to cry for mercy between fits of laughter.

Now breathing heavy, all three Chestertons sat on the sofa a moment, contemplating who to tickle next when the doorbell rung.

"I'll get it," Barbara said and pushed herself up to walk to the front door. Her hand reflexively went to her hair, double checking that everything was still in place. When she opened the door, flushed in the face from the giggling, hair didn't matter. Even dinner didn't matter. Nor sword fighting, or anything else.

"...Howard," she gasped.

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"Surprise," Howard says, waving one hand a little. He also has a single suitcase and one small carry cage with two cats, Sushi and Jim Meowrrison. He looks as if he's been sleeping in his clothing for a few days now. "Sorry I didn't call."

He hears a giggle from inside the living room and winces. "Do you, uh, do you have extra dinner?"

From:

first_in_time

Her eyes wandered over Howard, in his disheveled clothing, unshaved face, and mewling cats. It took everything within her not to throw her arms around him and hug him until he had returned to his old self. Her hands raised to do just that, but she caught herself in time and returned them to her sides.

In truth, there probably wouldn't be enough left over for an entire meal, but it was hardly going to take much work to have enough. She could quickly boil some more vegetables, or make a little extra mash potato.

"We always do for you," Barbara told him and stepped aside. Her arm reached out for him. He could hug her if he liked, or he could shy away and should wouldn't touch him. Or he could act indifferent and she'd touch him anyway. For a person where touch was so important in expressing herself, it very nearly killed her to be so restrictive.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

For a moment he does shy away, then he reaches out and gives her a quick hug, seemingly more to try and keep her from worrying than because he's looking for contact. Touch is still, no pun intended, a touchy issue with him, but he tries to put it aside for Barbara because he knows it also means something to her.

"I can, you know. I can make do for myself if you don't." He's outgrown eating straight sticks of butter and blocks of cheese, but he still isn't picky about food. He'd be fine eating a box of crackers while they had dinner. "Um..."

He glances down at his bag and cats. "You don't happen to be using the couch lately, do you?"

From:

first_in_time

"Don't be silly," she smiled at him as he walked past. "We've got plenty." Barbara ushered him down the hall and into their dining room. It would be easier to slowly accommodate Howard back into their home that way.

"Our couch isn't being slept on, no. It's all yours," she said kindly, warmly. "Ian? Can I talk to you for a moment, please."

Barbara stood at the doorway, ready to usher Johnny out, should he follow his father. They'd meet in due time but not just yet. Thankfully something appeared to have occupied his attention, for only Ian came when called. It was clear from his dress that he'd been promoted to a higher position within the technical college, but his hair was a little untidy from playing with John.

"...Howard!" Ian gasped just as Barbara did, and went over to shake his hand but stopped himself in the last moment. Like Barbara, Ian was over the moon with Howard's return. His eyes were lit that bit brighter, and his grin was wide and welcoming.

To stop himself from looking too awkward, Ian put an arm around Barbara's shoulders. "What brought you here this evening?" he asked, ignoring the mewling cats.

From:

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Howard tilts his whole body to the side, trying to see past Ian and see if there's a kid behind him. He met John briefly on the playground that one day he was feeling brave - today it's not bravery but defeat that brings him to Barbara and Ian's door again.

Maybe it shouldn't, but he does feel genuine surprise, and gratitude, that both of them look so happy to see him. And he feels a bit guilty, too, since he's spent so long hiding from them or keeping contact slim since John's birth.

He really hasn't been in contact with Barbara and Ian for almost two months now, although he's still left cards on holidays to let them know he's alive.

Got fired, got evicted. But Howard doesn't say that out loud. Not yet. Like all things, he'll tell them when he's good and ready. "I don't need reasons to come visit, right?"

From:

first_in_time

"No."

"Of course not."

Barbara and Ian were just happy to finally see Howard. It had been far too long, but he hadn't left their thoughts. Some evenings they found themselves talking of old times where they adventured with Howard, or they thought on what he could be up to without them.

"Right, time to finish dinner, I think," Barbara smiled. She kissed Ian's cheek and left for the next room.

"Can I take your bag and get you a drink?" Ian asked, gesturing at the table. "And...did you want to let the cats out? They can't be comfortable."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

Howard nods and lets Ian have the suitcase. "Yeah, I'll let them out. John can play with them, or with Sushi, at least. Jimmy doesn't really like people besides me."

Besides, it'll hopefully distract John from Howard. Howard's all tense, steeling himself for the moment that little head pops around the doorway. He unlatches the cage door and the two cats sniff and slink out, Sushi a little more confident as he recalls his old home. The aging tom rubs up against Ian's ankles.

"I can eat away from the table, if there aren't placesettings or anything."

From:

first_in_time

He reached down to scratch Sushi behind the ears, and the cat purred in response. "We've managed to squeeze eight people around this table before, there's more than enough room for four of us," Ian told him as he left to take Howard's suitcase out into the lounge.

Howard was left alone in the dining room. There were things he could listen to - Barbara working in the kitchen, John playing somewhere nearby. Sushi must have followed Ian, for a short moment later John fell silent.

"Daddy, why is there a cat inside the house?" John asked in a boyish voice.

"This is Sushi. He belongs to Howard."

Another long silence followed, and was stopped with a strained sounding meow.

"Careful Johnny. Just pat gently, like Carol's puppy."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

Sushi appreciates the attention, and within a few minutes the sound of purring can be heard even out by the doorway.

Howard watches as Jim Meowrrison scampers underneath a couch. "Good thinking," he whispers to the cat. He somewhat wishes he could do the same, or just tell Barbara he's had a long few days and wants to sleep, but while he wouldn't have felt shame for doing that back in his teen years, he's well into adulthood now and realizes how rude that would be.

So instead of being a coward, he walks into the kitchen, hands in his pocket to hide that they're clenched, chewing a little on his tongue. Pre-occupied as he is with the cat, John, takes a solid twenty seconds to look up and see the near-stranger at the entrance to the kitchen.

From:

first_in_time

Barbara was trying to quickly boil some more vegetables on the stove to bulk up their meal when she saw Howard. She smiled at him.

"So, what have you been up to?" she asked pleasantly. "Fixed any cars? --have you met anyone? Is that why you're visiting, to pluck up the courage to bring a girl around?" probably not, but sometimes it was better to make light of the conversation.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Oh, um. No, not really. Just been working on my manuscripts and filling out applications for a new job. It wasn't really working anymore at the shop."

Code: he got fired for getting into a screaming match with a customer.

"Uncle Howard?" Johnny gets up and rushes over to greet Howard. The last time he met Howard, a while ago, it was on the playground after he'd scraped his knee, and Howard was warm and encouraging and had medicine. Howard now seems different, cold and awkward.

From:

first_in_time

The light of dawning realisation sparked in Barbara's eyes, but she remained silent since John was now in the room.

"Johnny, could you set another place for Uncle Howard? He's going to be eating dinner with us this evening." From the cutlery drawer, Barbara carefully gave John the right utensils to set a place for Howard.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

John looks relieved to have something to do, and he gets the utensils, making a little 'L' with one hand to remind himself which side is the right and the left and where each piece of cutlery goes.

Sushi bays a little bit at being ignored, then wraps around Barbara's ankles.

John's getting big, Howard thinks. A good-looking kid. He has his dad's features.

"How, um. How's school, John?" Howard's going to try his best to be as reasonable as he can be. And friendly.

Maybe he should shower before dinner's set, but he doesn't know how long that will take.

From:

first_in_time

"It's okay. Mrs. Mathews is old and annoying-"

"John," Barbara warned.

The child lowered his voice to a whisper; "she's a friend of Daddy's, so I can't say bad things that are actually the truth."

Barbara turned from the stove to give John one of her infamous Looks. The boy grinned as he ducked behind Howard a little.

"John, please finish setting the table."

"I have!"

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

Howard actually laughs, although it's a strangely dry, guttural sound, like he hasn't been doing a lot of that lately.

"Are you doing good in her class anyway?" Howard heads over to the table and looks at the utensils. He mostly eats with his hands in his apartment, takeout food or stuff scavenged from dumpsters or non-perishable cans.

From:

first_in_time

John spied Sushi leaving the kitchen for the dining table and went over to pick him up while he chatted. "We do boring things, but I get ticks and sometimes I get stickers. Mrs. Mathews only gives out stickers if you do your best work."

He sat at the table with a cat that appeared confused but content to just roll with whatever was happening.

"Not at the table, Johnny," said Ian from the doorway, now that he'd finished putting things together for Howard's bed. "We don't want car fur in our food."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"That's good. You know what you want to do when you grow up, yet?" Howard still wanted to be an astronaut when he was seven.

Sushi, of course, uses that moment to try and leap from John's arms onto the table and investigate the buttery mashed potatoes. They smell delectable to his feline nose.

"I, uh." Howard grabs Sushi off the table and dumps him unceremoniously on the floor. "I didn't bring any food for them. Or a catbox."

From:

first_in_time

"I want to be an adventurer!" John said as he went to grab the cat again. "I want to explore the universe just like Mummy and Daddy, and see aliens and ships and see all of the stars..." the child went on and on. Ian merely spoke over him.

"I'm certain we can find something for them. We've got enough food, I suppose. It's the litter that's going to be difficult. Until someone can get to the supermarket tomorrow, of course."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

Well, so much for Howard and John being alike. Or maybe wanting to see the stars is just a thing kids do. He doesn't know.

"I can snag some sawdust from the neighbors." He shrugs. "I'll ask first, I don't mean I'll just take it. That'll do for a while."

Of course, he has no intention of actually asking for it. Theft is easier than showing up all haphazard in front of neighbors who never liked you to start with.

From:

first_in_time

"No, no. It's fine. We can get something made for cats to...litter." He smiled and left for the bar, cat following him. "Wine, Howard?" Ian asked over his shoulder.

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"Cats? There's more than one?" John looks around the room, excited at the idea of another cute animal wandering around. "May I be excused?"

He clearly wants to go find Jim Meowrrison.

Howard nods at Ian. "Yes, please. Not much." Ever since his disastrous experience with alcohol on his trip to America with Barbara - and because Orc's spectre still hangs over him - he hasn't been drinking much, but with Ian and Barbara around he'll occasional have a single glass. "I'll be right back."

And he disappears to the bathroom, returning looking a little bit freshened up, with some of the dirt of the day washed off his face and hands.

From:

first_in_time

"John, we're about to eat dinner, so you can sit." Ian poured Howard a glance and set it down at his place at the table. When Howard returned, Barbara was just putting down the last plate and John was eying the room for the elusive second cat.

"Just in time," Barbara smiled, removing her apron and hanging it on a hook just inside the kitchen door. "I hope that you're hungry."

Howard's plate was piled with a little of everything, and then a little more so that he had a collection of steamed vegetables, some of which the others weren't having, and meats (plural because there wasn't quite enough for everyone to have a decent share, so she cooked a little bacon to go on Howard's plate).

"Mummy, I want bacon!" John said upon seeing Howard's plate.

"You had bacon for breakfast, Johnny, don't be so greedy."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"I'm always hungry," Howard says, forcing a bit of a smile. He takes a seat, wondering how polite at the dinner table he has to be around John. He wonders how much Ian and Barbara have forgotten about how he eats and takes bacon by hand.

"But you made bacon especially for Howard," John continues to protest.

Howard puts the piece of bacon back down, thinking a better person would just relinquish the food, thinking he's not that person. He takes a sip of wine instead.

From:

first_in_time

"Eat what you've got or go to bed hungry," Ian warned John, who frowned but did as he was told. Slowly.

"Eat up, Howard," Barbara encouraged with a smile, "just ignore my rude son."

From:

iselldrugstothecommunity

"I'd have asked the same question in his place," Howard says, taking another sip of wine and having his piece of bacon. Then he makes a point to move on to the vegetables before anything else.

"You know, John, vegetables are really good for you. When I was a kid I would have killed someone for some good veggies like this." Possibly literally, but he's not about to say that at the table.