[Ficlet] Always and Forever
Carter has been busy drawing in his room ever since he got back from school. Mom had got him some new crayons with weird names, and they've been learning about the solar system in class, so he'd decided to draw some planets and things. It had been a bit disappointing to learn that there weren't any big alien spaceships to draw - just some satellites and a tiny space station - but at least the planets themselves are pretty colorful.
He's just finishing Jupiter's rings when Dad knocks on the door. He's still got a bandage around his head from taking down that bad guy, which makes his hair stick up at lots of weird angles. Carter is doing is best not to laugh.
"Hi buddy. Mind if I come in?"
From what the other kids at school say, most parents don't do things like knock. They just come in and start messing up your stuff, calling it "cleaning". But Dad's good like that.
Carter smiles. "Yeah… Dad, do you know anything about planets?"
Dad sits down on the bed next to him. "Well, that depends what you want to know. I know a little, but not nearly as much as astronomers."
"Oh. Well, Ms. Grey at school said that Pluto's not a planet anymore. How come?"
"Really it's more like Pluto was never a planet. We just thought it was."
Carter frowns. "How can you be wrong about a planet?"
Dad passes him another crayon. "Well, it's very far away. And sometimes you have to re-think what you know about someone. You know, Helen used to have a hamster when she was little. She named it Peter… until we found out it was really a Petra. And remember when you were learning all about trees last summer? Before, you probably just thought all trees were pretty much the same, but now you know about oak and elm and…"
"Oh." Carter draws a circle for Pluto anyway. He doesn't want it to feel left out. "But what about things I'm really, really sure about?"
"Then you have to look at all the facts, and decide what makes the most sense. But, personally, there's a thing called going with your gut too."
Carter grins. "Does that mean choosing the one with the most cake?"
"Not for you, you little scamp," Dad says, mussing Carter's hair. "Even Jean-Paul barely got a slice the way you were eating it."
"But it was gooood!"
"Of course it was good. Your Mom made it."
Carter nods, thinking it was probably good too because Mom and Dad were safe, and Mom had asked Dad to marry her, and everything was going to be okay. Better than okay.
"Actually, Carter, I wanted to ask you something too. You know that your Mom and I are going to get married sometime soon? Well I'd like you to be my Best Man at the wedding."
"Okay!" Carter says, and then thinks about it a bit. "Um. What's a Best Man?"
"Well, you get to make sure I get to the wedding on time, and look after the rings. And make me feel better if I get scared."
"Why would you get scared?"
"Your Mom just knocked someone out with a bedpan. She's a very scary lady."
Carter can see the laughter in his eyes. "Hee. Okay, Dad. I'll do it."
"And there's another thing… It's quite serious, and I want you to know you can say no if you're not sure."
Carter puts down his crayon. "Okay."
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like me to adopt you officially, so that I can legally be your Dad."
"But you are my Dad."
"I know, buddy. But grownups like to have everything on official bits of paper. It wouldn't change anything between us, but it would mean that if anything happened to your Mom, I'd be able to look after you."
Carter bites his lip. "But nothing's going to happen to Mom."
"No, but… Grownups like to plan for the worst, too."
"Being a grownup must really suck," Carter says, finally.
Dad grins. "It really does."
"Um. Would it help for you not to be scared? Cause that's my job now, right?"
"It would. But it's your decision, Carter. And it's for life, so you can take some time to think about it if you-"
"You're my Dad," Carter says, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing. "Always. An' I'll do the paper thing too so everyone else knows. Okay?"
He can't see Dad's face, but he can feel him smiling. "Okay," Dad says, kissing the top of his head. "Love you, son."
"Love you too, Dad."
And then Dad picks up a crayon and starts telling him all about asteroid belts and comets, and Carter knows that always and forever is going to be all right.
He's just finishing Jupiter's rings when Dad knocks on the door. He's still got a bandage around his head from taking down that bad guy, which makes his hair stick up at lots of weird angles. Carter is doing is best not to laugh.
"Hi buddy. Mind if I come in?"
From what the other kids at school say, most parents don't do things like knock. They just come in and start messing up your stuff, calling it "cleaning". But Dad's good like that.
Carter smiles. "Yeah… Dad, do you know anything about planets?"
Dad sits down on the bed next to him. "Well, that depends what you want to know. I know a little, but not nearly as much as astronomers."
"Oh. Well, Ms. Grey at school said that Pluto's not a planet anymore. How come?"
"Really it's more like Pluto was never a planet. We just thought it was."
Carter frowns. "How can you be wrong about a planet?"
Dad passes him another crayon. "Well, it's very far away. And sometimes you have to re-think what you know about someone. You know, Helen used to have a hamster when she was little. She named it Peter… until we found out it was really a Petra. And remember when you were learning all about trees last summer? Before, you probably just thought all trees were pretty much the same, but now you know about oak and elm and…"
"Oh." Carter draws a circle for Pluto anyway. He doesn't want it to feel left out. "But what about things I'm really, really sure about?"
"Then you have to look at all the facts, and decide what makes the most sense. But, personally, there's a thing called going with your gut too."
Carter grins. "Does that mean choosing the one with the most cake?"
"Not for you, you little scamp," Dad says, mussing Carter's hair. "Even Jean-Paul barely got a slice the way you were eating it."
"But it was gooood!"
"Of course it was good. Your Mom made it."
Carter nods, thinking it was probably good too because Mom and Dad were safe, and Mom had asked Dad to marry her, and everything was going to be okay. Better than okay.
"Actually, Carter, I wanted to ask you something too. You know that your Mom and I are going to get married sometime soon? Well I'd like you to be my Best Man at the wedding."
"Okay!" Carter says, and then thinks about it a bit. "Um. What's a Best Man?"
"Well, you get to make sure I get to the wedding on time, and look after the rings. And make me feel better if I get scared."
"Why would you get scared?"
"Your Mom just knocked someone out with a bedpan. She's a very scary lady."
Carter can see the laughter in his eyes. "Hee. Okay, Dad. I'll do it."
"And there's another thing… It's quite serious, and I want you to know you can say no if you're not sure."
Carter puts down his crayon. "Okay."
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like me to adopt you officially, so that I can legally be your Dad."
"But you are my Dad."
"I know, buddy. But grownups like to have everything on official bits of paper. It wouldn't change anything between us, but it would mean that if anything happened to your Mom, I'd be able to look after you."
Carter bites his lip. "But nothing's going to happen to Mom."
"No, but… Grownups like to plan for the worst, too."
"Being a grownup must really suck," Carter says, finally.
Dad grins. "It really does."
"Um. Would it help for you not to be scared? Cause that's my job now, right?"
"It would. But it's your decision, Carter. And it's for life, so you can take some time to think about it if you-"
"You're my Dad," Carter says, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing. "Always. An' I'll do the paper thing too so everyone else knows. Okay?"
He can't see Dad's face, but he can feel him smiling. "Okay," Dad says, kissing the top of his head. "Love you, son."
"Love you too, Dad."
And then Dad picks up a crayon and starts telling him all about asteroid belts and comets, and Carter knows that always and forever is going to be all right.