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schizoauthoressTitle: Observation
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: PG
Warnings: talking around adult matters, fluff, Tim is a walking lesson in the dangers of using a stove
Word Count: 860
Summary: Richie draws his own conclusions, and shares them.
Word of the Day: catechize, verb:
1. To question closely.
2. To instruct orally by means of questions and answers, especially in Christian doctrine.
3. To question with reference to belief.
Notes: written as a side-fic for "You, Me, and Baby -- And Butler Makes Four", Neme's
babyfic!AU. Happy birthday, Neme!
Observation
Two seven-year-olds sat at a slightly battered-looking kitchen table, each building with Lego bricks, sifting through the large pile between them and sometimes trading parts when one found what the other was looking for. Every so often, a harried-looking Tim Drake would move past the kitchen table as he got items from the pantry or freezer and took them to the stove. Neither of the boys -- one fair-haired with brown eyes and freckles, and the other with brown hair and blue eyes -- reacted to him at all.
"It's not fair," the little blond boy was saying, to his darker-haired friend, barely audible over the sound of Tim struggling with the ins and outs of making lunch. "Joe was at breakfast this morning. He came to visit last night and Mommy didn't wake me up! What if he doesn't like me anymore?"
"When your mommy's boyfriend visits at bedtime, or after?" Richie, the dark-haired boy, said sagely, "That's a 'mommy visit'. If he visits earlier, during the day or at dinner? That's a 'both of you' visit. Last night was a mommy visit, and that's why they let you sleep."
"Yeah?"
Both boys looked over when Tim yelped. There was the sound of running water, and Tim could be heard muttering, "Stupid hot milk. Stupid Kraft macaroni..." Charlie looked a little worried, but Richie just rolled his eyes when he realized that Tim wasn't badly hurt.
"Yeah, my Uncle Kon does 'daddy visits' sometimes. It doesn't mean he doesn't like me, and I bet Joe still likes you, Charlie."
Charlie wrinkled his nose, looking confused. "...don't you mean 'auntie'?"
"Nah," Richie answered, unconcerned, "Uncle Kon is my daddy's boyfriend. I could have an auntie, if Daddy wanted a girlfriend, but he likes Uncle Kon best."
"Oh."
The two boys continued to build with Legos, in silence for a while. Then Charlie looked up from his half-completed airplane,
"Hey, Richie? What do they do on mommy visits and daddy visits?"
"I dunno." Richie thought it over, then shrugged. "I guess grown up stuff."
"What kind of 'grown up stuff', though?" Charlie wondered.
"Uncle Tim says...." Richie caught Charlie's confused look again, and diverted to explain. "I gots lots of uncles, but most of them are the for-real kind, because they're my daddy's brothers. Only Uncle Kon is like my daddy's boyfriend. Anyway, I think grown up stuff is whatever they do when they're in the bedroom, you know, when they try to be real quiet?"
"Oh, yeah!"
"My Uncle Tim says grown up stuff isn't for kids, so always knock on bedroom doors when they're closed. He says he'll explain more when I get older, if Daddy doesn't beat him to it."
****
Jason paused the security tape there, and turned around in his swivel chair to look at the rest of the little audience. Alfred sat calmly, serene expression unreadable. Dick and Kon were both stifling giggles. "Uncle Tim" was fidgeting nervously in his chair, face bright red. Jason opened his mouth to speak, but Tim cut him off immediately, bursting out with,
"We really need to talk about you recording everybody!"
Kon made a choked little sound, and let loose with a short laugh he couldn't suppress. If possible, Tim went even redder when Kon muttered, "This, from you?"
"I do it to keep Richie safe," Jason said, not acknowledging Kon's reaction to Tim's words.
"Oh, like a six-year-old is that dangerous!"
"You say that," Jason paused to lift his eyebrow, "and yet you've met Damian."
The concession to drama had the perfect effect. Tim shut his mouth and scowled at being 'caught' in a lapse of preparedness.
Kon pointed out, with a little frown, "Charlie is seven, just like Richie..." He went quiet when Tim's scowl deepened even more.
Dick reached over and patted Tim's leg comfortingly. He considered it a good sign of Damian's own progress toward overcoming his unusual and violent childhood, that Tim himself had momentarily forgotten it.
"Not that this isn't entertaining," Dick said, with a little smile, "but is there a reason we're watching your security tapes?"
Jason shrugged. "You know how Richie is. He learns something new, and he has to teach everybody he knows about it."
"I imagine," Alfred commented dryly, "that you want us to be prepared should his elementary school object to Richie's lessons about 'mommy and daddy visits', Master Jason?"
Jason laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Exactly, Alfie. All of you watch him during the day sometimes, and the school usually calls during then. And they might call you into the office or something when you go to pick him up from school sometime...."
"I understand, Master Jason." A sly little smile twitched into being on Alfred's face. "If I must, I will assure Richie's teachers that his knowledge is age appropriate."
The others all chimed in with assurances that they would do the same. Jason smiled softly, genuinely, as he often did when things concerned his son. He reached out and touched the display screen, tracing Richie's bright, smiling face.
"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."
Author: D.L.SchizoAuthoress
Rating: PG
Warnings: talking around adult matters, fluff, Tim is a walking lesson in the dangers of using a stove
Word Count: 860
Summary: Richie draws his own conclusions, and shares them.
Word of the Day: catechize, verb:
1. To question closely.
2. To instruct orally by means of questions and answers, especially in Christian doctrine.
3. To question with reference to belief.
Notes: written as a side-fic for "You, Me, and Baby -- And Butler Makes Four", Neme's
babyfic!AU. Happy birthday, Neme!
Observation
Two seven-year-olds sat at a slightly battered-looking kitchen table, each building with Lego bricks, sifting through the large pile between them and sometimes trading parts when one found what the other was looking for. Every so often, a harried-looking Tim Drake would move past the kitchen table as he got items from the pantry or freezer and took them to the stove. Neither of the boys -- one fair-haired with brown eyes and freckles, and the other with brown hair and blue eyes -- reacted to him at all.
"It's not fair," the little blond boy was saying, to his darker-haired friend, barely audible over the sound of Tim struggling with the ins and outs of making lunch. "Joe was at breakfast this morning. He came to visit last night and Mommy didn't wake me up! What if he doesn't like me anymore?"
"When your mommy's boyfriend visits at bedtime, or after?" Richie, the dark-haired boy, said sagely, "That's a 'mommy visit'. If he visits earlier, during the day or at dinner? That's a 'both of you' visit. Last night was a mommy visit, and that's why they let you sleep."
"Yeah?"
Both boys looked over when Tim yelped. There was the sound of running water, and Tim could be heard muttering, "Stupid hot milk. Stupid Kraft macaroni..." Charlie looked a little worried, but Richie just rolled his eyes when he realized that Tim wasn't badly hurt.
"Yeah, my Uncle Kon does 'daddy visits' sometimes. It doesn't mean he doesn't like me, and I bet Joe still likes you, Charlie."
Charlie wrinkled his nose, looking confused. "...don't you mean 'auntie'?"
"Nah," Richie answered, unconcerned, "Uncle Kon is my daddy's boyfriend. I could have an auntie, if Daddy wanted a girlfriend, but he likes Uncle Kon best."
"Oh."
The two boys continued to build with Legos, in silence for a while. Then Charlie looked up from his half-completed airplane,
"Hey, Richie? What do they do on mommy visits and daddy visits?"
"I dunno." Richie thought it over, then shrugged. "I guess grown up stuff."
"What kind of 'grown up stuff', though?" Charlie wondered.
"Uncle Tim says...." Richie caught Charlie's confused look again, and diverted to explain. "I gots lots of uncles, but most of them are the for-real kind, because they're my daddy's brothers. Only Uncle Kon is like my daddy's boyfriend. Anyway, I think grown up stuff is whatever they do when they're in the bedroom, you know, when they try to be real quiet?"
"Oh, yeah!"
"My Uncle Tim says grown up stuff isn't for kids, so always knock on bedroom doors when they're closed. He says he'll explain more when I get older, if Daddy doesn't beat him to it."
****
Jason paused the security tape there, and turned around in his swivel chair to look at the rest of the little audience. Alfred sat calmly, serene expression unreadable. Dick and Kon were both stifling giggles. "Uncle Tim" was fidgeting nervously in his chair, face bright red. Jason opened his mouth to speak, but Tim cut him off immediately, bursting out with,
"We really need to talk about you recording everybody!"
Kon made a choked little sound, and let loose with a short laugh he couldn't suppress. If possible, Tim went even redder when Kon muttered, "This, from you?"
"I do it to keep Richie safe," Jason said, not acknowledging Kon's reaction to Tim's words.
"Oh, like a six-year-old is that dangerous!"
"You say that," Jason paused to lift his eyebrow, "and yet you've met Damian."
The concession to drama had the perfect effect. Tim shut his mouth and scowled at being 'caught' in a lapse of preparedness.
Kon pointed out, with a little frown, "Charlie is seven, just like Richie..." He went quiet when Tim's scowl deepened even more.
Dick reached over and patted Tim's leg comfortingly. He considered it a good sign of Damian's own progress toward overcoming his unusual and violent childhood, that Tim himself had momentarily forgotten it.
"Not that this isn't entertaining," Dick said, with a little smile, "but is there a reason we're watching your security tapes?"
Jason shrugged. "You know how Richie is. He learns something new, and he has to teach everybody he knows about it."
"I imagine," Alfred commented dryly, "that you want us to be prepared should his elementary school object to Richie's lessons about 'mommy and daddy visits', Master Jason?"
Jason laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Exactly, Alfie. All of you watch him during the day sometimes, and the school usually calls during then. And they might call you into the office or something when you go to pick him up from school sometime...."
"I understand, Master Jason." A sly little smile twitched into being on Alfred's face. "If I must, I will assure Richie's teachers that his knowledge is age appropriate."
The others all chimed in with assurances that they would do the same. Jason smiled softly, genuinely, as he often did when things concerned his son. He reached out and touched the display screen, tracing Richie's bright, smiling face.
"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."