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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.
"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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Date: 2013-06-19 04:40 am (UTC)"Barbara and I would love some. She should be down before it's ready," replied Ian as he eyed Howard's shirt. He was almost certain that Howard had owned that shirt since Stacey, and it looked that way, too. Not that Ian was going to say anything about it.
"Are you working today?" Ian continued and sat next to John at the kitchen counter.
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Date: 2013-06-19 05:05 am (UTC)"No. I, um. I have the day off." He starts getting coffee grounds together too. "Whole week off, actually, so you don't really have to ask. I needed personal time."
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Date: 2013-06-21 10:26 am (UTC)"But everything's alright, isn't it?" he gently asked, as though he were testing waters.
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Date: 2013-06-21 05:40 pm (UTC)He takes a breath. "Did, uh. Did Barbara tell you I'm staying for a while?"
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:20 am (UTC)Before Ian could get out much more, Barbara entered the kitchen. She rubbed an eye and kissed her family good morning. As she went to check on the kettle, Barbara brushed Howard's arm. It was her own good morning kiss without the unwanted closeness.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked their guest.
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:28 am (UTC)"Same as usual. Could've slept worse." He's sure she knows what he means - he's not about to say the night was good when he woke up panicky, but that seems to be becoming the norm lately. He always seems to just unwind towards the end of the year, as if his meticulous spiderweb is being plucked apart strand by strand. "I got a lot of writing done, at least."
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:51 am (UTC)At that point, John realised that the attention was no longer on him. He had to rectify that immediately.
"Mummy, Mummy, I have weetbix for breakfast and I made it!"
"Did you really?"
"I don't think you did, Johnny," Ian told him with a raised eyebrow.
Barbara chuckled and turned back to Howard. "What did you write about?"
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:55 am (UTC)But the damage is already done; John's looking at him with an expression between fascination and horror.
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:59 am (UTC)"...Mummy, does Uncle Howard cup people up?"
"Of course not, Johnny. Don't be silly."
"But he said-"
"It was a story. Now eat your breakfast up or Daddy might take it from you."
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Date: 2013-06-22 03:12 am (UTC)It's clear he's trying to overcompensate for misstepping.
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Date: 2013-06-22 04:17 am (UTC)"But why would someone chop someone up? Wouldn't it hurt? Why would they do that?" John was thinking far too hard about the concept. Ian put an arm around him and gently hugged John. "Daddy, I don't want to hop you up. Do you want to chop me up?"
"Only if you don't clean up your toys."
"Daddy!"
"Ian."
At least Ian looked a little bashful at encouraging John's daytime nightmare. He sighed and picked up the child with one arm, and his breakfast with the other. "Come on. Let's go and eat in the lounge. We can watch television."
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Date: 2013-06-22 04:46 am (UTC)He cringes a bit at the joke - he finds it okay when he makes awful comments, but coming from an adult figure makes him queasy. Always has since getting here. He once spent a trip out to the pier with Barbara and Ian vomiting in a bathroom stall after the couple standing near them had joked about eating up their infant's teeny little toes up (he told Ian and Barbara he'd probably eaten something bad).
"It was for organ donation..." he says weakly, not sure if he should follow Ian and John. He looks to Barbara to see if she's going. Maybe he can volunteer to go feed the cats instead.
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Date: 2013-06-23 04:26 am (UTC)Arms folded, Barbara leaned against the counter. "Was this dream based on another nightmare?"
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Date: 2013-06-23 04:30 am (UTC)He would offer to let her see it, but he's seen the results of writing late at night. Good ideas, terrible execution.
"They're getting more frequent again. The nightmares. It's almost every night now."
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Date: 2013-06-24 10:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-24 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-25 06:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-25 06:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-26 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-26 04:42 am (UTC)"That's not what my boss said."
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Date: 2013-06-28 04:29 am (UTC)new layout? it's pretty!
Date: 2013-06-28 04:40 am (UTC)He knows it's not Barbara's fault at all, and that he's angry at a lot of things and taking it out on her just for mentioning the idea of seeing a professional for the umpteenth time. He's sure in a few minutes, he'll care.
Spent forever finding one I liked -_-
Date: 2013-06-28 05:26 am (UTC)ex-boss?!
Barbara very nearly followed Howard outside and demanded a few more answers but that never worked. He only ever replied to frustration with more anger, more walls. More insults.
She sucked a deep breath in with her nose as she watched him light a cigarette and as she let the breath out, Barbara pushed it all from her mind. She put on a more calm demeanor and took her's and Ian's breakfasts into the lounge to eat with the rest of her family.
i like it very much XD
Date: 2013-06-28 05:57 am (UTC)He wonders if he could walk away and just keep walking. Maybe he could walk out of this body, out of this life that seems boobytrapped with things that hurt and irritate and panic. Out of drowning and out of dragging people with him like a human whirlpool.
But he can't do that, so instead he goes back inside and sits down in the lounge with them without an explanation or a forthcoming apology.
<3
Date: 2013-06-28 10:04 am (UTC)"Uncle Howard! Play with me! Play with me!"
Barbara grabbed hold of John and tickled him. "Play with me instead!"
Re: <3
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From:timeskip to that evening for john's nightmare?
From:Yesssssssssssss!
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