In which the monkey problem is solved!
[Co-written with emerald_ollie ♥]
When she was practicing, Cissie was focused in a way that she otherwise wasn't normally. She could ignore everything around her and everything bothering her, like the fact that thanks to Kon and Wanda and Bart, there was a monkey in their apartment. She aimed and let another arrow go, heaving a sigh when the arrow landed slightly off center. Maybe she wasn't quite as focused as she usually was.
Ollie was hanging around New York after the engagement party. Mostly because Carol wanted to stay on the east coast for a bit, and Ollie felt like humoring her. And spending time with her, which he wouldn't say. So during the day, between meetings and press conferences and whatever else his secretaries had scheduled for him, he found the range Cissie trained at and went to go watch her for a bit. When she missed the bull’s-eye, he stepped closer. "Something on your mind?"
Cissie almost jumped in surprise, but caught herself and instead just blinked at him. "Ollie! Hi. How long have you been here? I didn't see you."
"Few minutes." Ollie shrugged. Of course she didn't see him. He hadn't wanted to be seen. "Strange to see you missing your target."
She wrinkled her nose and shot a brief glare back at the target. "I'm usually better. It's been a long day. I guess I'm not as focused as I should be."
"Uh huh." Ollie took her bow from her hand. It was smaller than his bow, of course, and he pulled he stole an arrow from her quiver, knocked it, and drew back to his cheek in one quick motion. He let loose and hit the bullseye, then handed her back the bow with a smirk. "Long days happen."
Cissie rolled her eyes, taking the bow back and resisting the urge to shoot an arrow of her own in response. She wasn't twelve and this wasn't her mother trying to prove a point. ...Even if it was Ollie trying to prove one. She was irritable. "Yes. They do." Several dozen excuses for being off ran through her mind, and she might have used one of them, if it wasn't Ollie, and she wasn't thinking of what her mother would say to them. "I'm... in a bad mood."
He laughed. "No kidding?" Ollie smiled down at her. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
Cissie blinked, a little surprised. Anyone else she had said that to would have asked her why, or... something. She wasn't sure if there was anyone else who would have offered to buy her a drink. She smiled and nodded, surprising herself a little. "Okay. Thanks."
It wasn't that Ollie didn't care why. It was that he knew better than to ask an angry woman why she was angry. She'd either tell him or yell at him, but she'd definitely yell if he asked. "There's a bar down the street. Try to act suave when they all assume you're my latest girlfriend. Grab your gear and change, I'll wait out front."
Cissie made a face, but did start collecting her things. "I'm not sure I've ever been suave, but I'll do my best," she told him, before going to change. She met him out front after she finished in the locker rooms. "I didn't know you were still in New York."
Ollie stood from the bench he'd been waiting on and shrugged. "Carol wanted to stay awhile." Private time, private names. "I had nothing else on my plate." He nodded down the street. "It's down a block."
Cissie nodded and fell into step beside him. They walked for a while without talking, because Cissie really didn't know what to say. She still had a hard time reading Ollie, and she wasn't sure if this visit was entirely coincidental or not.
"What?" Ollie shot her a glance over his shoulder. "Do I have food in my beard?"
She laughed and shook her head. "No. Your beard is fine. I'm just... not great company today, sorry."
"It's fine. I'm not good company most days." The made it to the bar and he held the door open for her. "That's what the alcohol's for."
Cissie went in, smirking a little. "Ah. I see. That's your secret weapon?"
"Nope, but my secret weapon isn't appropriate for my daughter, so let's stick with this one." He found them a booth in the back, ordered a pitcher of beer from tap, and slid into the seat. "If you don't like beer, get whatever you want."
She laughed and wrinkled her nose. "Deal. And beer's fine." She didn't normally care for it very much, but today felt like a beer kind of day. She sat down opposite him and leaned back in her seat. "What do you think of monkeys?"
Ollie's glass was halfway to his mouth when she asked, which he was grateful for. Any closer and he'd probably have snorted into his beer or choked on it. "Have you been talking to Carol?" Of course she had, that was a stupid question. He'd seen them talking. "About monkeys?"
Cissie blinked at him, surprised. "No. Why, does she talk about monkeys a lot?"
"No..." He gave her a look. "It's come up once or twice. She told me she wanted a monkey."
Cissie scowled and slumped in her seat a little. "Does everyone like monkeys?"
"I'm indifferent." He leaned across the table. "Why are you asking me about monkeys?"
She waved a hand, making a face. "We have one. At the apartment. I hate monkeys, they creep me out."
"Why do you have one, then?" Ollie frowned. "I thought Burp is your soul mate? Shouldn't he know better?"
"He does. But..." She sighed and took a long drink of her beer. "So, we have a friend who works at the bakery with us--she was at the party too--and she's kind of magic. She thought Kon wanted a monkey, so she... made him a monkey. But Kon can't take care of a monkey. So Wanda took it back, and brought it to work because it's a baby monkey and she didn't want to leave it alone. And we couldn't have a monkey in the bakery. So Bart took it home. And now he's named it."
"Magic women are never good." Of course Zatanna was probably hexing him as he spoke. "Ever. Especially if she's your friend. I'll take the monkey."
Cissie blinked at him. "Huh?"
"I'll take the monkey. Give it to Carol. Everyone's happy." Ollie nudged Cissie's glass towards her. "Drink up."
She continued to look at him for a moment, then picked up her glass and downed almost half. "You want the monkey? Really?"
"Thought I'd get your hopes up. Don't really want it." Ollie refilled her glass. "Of course. I wouldn't say I wanted it if I didn't. You're welcome."
Cissie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ha ha." She sipped at her drink again. "Thank you. I... didn't actually expect it to be at all easy to find the monkey a home. It's a monkey."
"You say that like your fiancé doesn't resemble a lightning bolt from time to time, or like your best friend isn't related to a Greek god." He grinned. "It's a monkey."
"...You have a point." She smiled and shook her head. "Monkeys. They are creepy. Am I the only person who thinks this? Hasn't anyone else ever seen Jumanji?"
"Ju-what? No. Saw Outbreak, though." Ollie smiled at her. She seemed in a better mood already. "Carol wants a monkey, I'll get her a monkey."
Cissie shuddered. "Ugh, and the monkeys are the reason I didn't see that one. Jumanji is a children's book they made into a movie. It terrified me--actually, the book did too, but the monkeys were even scarier in the movie." She shrugged. "But I think this one is harmless. Aside from being a monkey, anyway." She eyed Ollie curiously over her beer. "Does she really want a monkey or does she just say she wants one, like a joke? Because that's kind of how this monkey came into existence in the first place."
"She wants a kid. That's how it came up. Something about Nicole Kidman in that movie with the monkey. Anyway, she'll like the monkey. Her cat is a demon, it'll be a nice change." He finished off his first glass and poured himself another. "Don't worry about it. The monkey will be taken care of."
Nicole Kidman and a monkey. "The Golden Compass. Ahh." If Carol wants a kid and she's dating Ollie, and she and Ollie have a baby, it would be Cissie's brother or sister. Cissie took another drink--that line of thinking required more beer. "I'm not worried. I believe you. And like I said--I like Carol. Hopefully the monkey and the cat will get along, though."
Ollie laughed. "No problem. I'm looking for an excuse to smack the cat around a little, even the playing field." He had a feeling he knew what she was thinking, but no need to harp on it. "So, I just fix all your problems?"
"The fixable ones, yes," she said, smiling and relaxing against the booth. "Thank you."
[End part 1, anyway!]
When she was practicing, Cissie was focused in a way that she otherwise wasn't normally. She could ignore everything around her and everything bothering her, like the fact that thanks to Kon and Wanda and Bart, there was a monkey in their apartment. She aimed and let another arrow go, heaving a sigh when the arrow landed slightly off center. Maybe she wasn't quite as focused as she usually was.
Ollie was hanging around New York after the engagement party. Mostly because Carol wanted to stay on the east coast for a bit, and Ollie felt like humoring her. And spending time with her, which he wouldn't say. So during the day, between meetings and press conferences and whatever else his secretaries had scheduled for him, he found the range Cissie trained at and went to go watch her for a bit. When she missed the bull’s-eye, he stepped closer. "Something on your mind?"
Cissie almost jumped in surprise, but caught herself and instead just blinked at him. "Ollie! Hi. How long have you been here? I didn't see you."
"Few minutes." Ollie shrugged. Of course she didn't see him. He hadn't wanted to be seen. "Strange to see you missing your target."
She wrinkled her nose and shot a brief glare back at the target. "I'm usually better. It's been a long day. I guess I'm not as focused as I should be."
"Uh huh." Ollie took her bow from her hand. It was smaller than his bow, of course, and he pulled he stole an arrow from her quiver, knocked it, and drew back to his cheek in one quick motion. He let loose and hit the bullseye, then handed her back the bow with a smirk. "Long days happen."
Cissie rolled her eyes, taking the bow back and resisting the urge to shoot an arrow of her own in response. She wasn't twelve and this wasn't her mother trying to prove a point. ...Even if it was Ollie trying to prove one. She was irritable. "Yes. They do." Several dozen excuses for being off ran through her mind, and she might have used one of them, if it wasn't Ollie, and she wasn't thinking of what her mother would say to them. "I'm... in a bad mood."
He laughed. "No kidding?" Ollie smiled down at her. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
Cissie blinked, a little surprised. Anyone else she had said that to would have asked her why, or... something. She wasn't sure if there was anyone else who would have offered to buy her a drink. She smiled and nodded, surprising herself a little. "Okay. Thanks."
It wasn't that Ollie didn't care why. It was that he knew better than to ask an angry woman why she was angry. She'd either tell him or yell at him, but she'd definitely yell if he asked. "There's a bar down the street. Try to act suave when they all assume you're my latest girlfriend. Grab your gear and change, I'll wait out front."
Cissie made a face, but did start collecting her things. "I'm not sure I've ever been suave, but I'll do my best," she told him, before going to change. She met him out front after she finished in the locker rooms. "I didn't know you were still in New York."
Ollie stood from the bench he'd been waiting on and shrugged. "Carol wanted to stay awhile." Private time, private names. "I had nothing else on my plate." He nodded down the street. "It's down a block."
Cissie nodded and fell into step beside him. They walked for a while without talking, because Cissie really didn't know what to say. She still had a hard time reading Ollie, and she wasn't sure if this visit was entirely coincidental or not.
"What?" Ollie shot her a glance over his shoulder. "Do I have food in my beard?"
She laughed and shook her head. "No. Your beard is fine. I'm just... not great company today, sorry."
"It's fine. I'm not good company most days." The made it to the bar and he held the door open for her. "That's what the alcohol's for."
Cissie went in, smirking a little. "Ah. I see. That's your secret weapon?"
"Nope, but my secret weapon isn't appropriate for my daughter, so let's stick with this one." He found them a booth in the back, ordered a pitcher of beer from tap, and slid into the seat. "If you don't like beer, get whatever you want."
She laughed and wrinkled her nose. "Deal. And beer's fine." She didn't normally care for it very much, but today felt like a beer kind of day. She sat down opposite him and leaned back in her seat. "What do you think of monkeys?"
Ollie's glass was halfway to his mouth when she asked, which he was grateful for. Any closer and he'd probably have snorted into his beer or choked on it. "Have you been talking to Carol?" Of course she had, that was a stupid question. He'd seen them talking. "About monkeys?"
Cissie blinked at him, surprised. "No. Why, does she talk about monkeys a lot?"
"No..." He gave her a look. "It's come up once or twice. She told me she wanted a monkey."
Cissie scowled and slumped in her seat a little. "Does everyone like monkeys?"
"I'm indifferent." He leaned across the table. "Why are you asking me about monkeys?"
She waved a hand, making a face. "We have one. At the apartment. I hate monkeys, they creep me out."
"Why do you have one, then?" Ollie frowned. "I thought Burp is your soul mate? Shouldn't he know better?"
"He does. But..." She sighed and took a long drink of her beer. "So, we have a friend who works at the bakery with us--she was at the party too--and she's kind of magic. She thought Kon wanted a monkey, so she... made him a monkey. But Kon can't take care of a monkey. So Wanda took it back, and brought it to work because it's a baby monkey and she didn't want to leave it alone. And we couldn't have a monkey in the bakery. So Bart took it home. And now he's named it."
"Magic women are never good." Of course Zatanna was probably hexing him as he spoke. "Ever. Especially if she's your friend. I'll take the monkey."
Cissie blinked at him. "Huh?"
"I'll take the monkey. Give it to Carol. Everyone's happy." Ollie nudged Cissie's glass towards her. "Drink up."
She continued to look at him for a moment, then picked up her glass and downed almost half. "You want the monkey? Really?"
"Thought I'd get your hopes up. Don't really want it." Ollie refilled her glass. "Of course. I wouldn't say I wanted it if I didn't. You're welcome."
Cissie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ha ha." She sipped at her drink again. "Thank you. I... didn't actually expect it to be at all easy to find the monkey a home. It's a monkey."
"You say that like your fiancé doesn't resemble a lightning bolt from time to time, or like your best friend isn't related to a Greek god." He grinned. "It's a monkey."
"...You have a point." She smiled and shook her head. "Monkeys. They are creepy. Am I the only person who thinks this? Hasn't anyone else ever seen Jumanji?"
"Ju-what? No. Saw Outbreak, though." Ollie smiled at her. She seemed in a better mood already. "Carol wants a monkey, I'll get her a monkey."
Cissie shuddered. "Ugh, and the monkeys are the reason I didn't see that one. Jumanji is a children's book they made into a movie. It terrified me--actually, the book did too, but the monkeys were even scarier in the movie." She shrugged. "But I think this one is harmless. Aside from being a monkey, anyway." She eyed Ollie curiously over her beer. "Does she really want a monkey or does she just say she wants one, like a joke? Because that's kind of how this monkey came into existence in the first place."
"She wants a kid. That's how it came up. Something about Nicole Kidman in that movie with the monkey. Anyway, she'll like the monkey. Her cat is a demon, it'll be a nice change." He finished off his first glass and poured himself another. "Don't worry about it. The monkey will be taken care of."
Nicole Kidman and a monkey. "The Golden Compass. Ahh." If Carol wants a kid and she's dating Ollie, and she and Ollie have a baby, it would be Cissie's brother or sister. Cissie took another drink--that line of thinking required more beer. "I'm not worried. I believe you. And like I said--I like Carol. Hopefully the monkey and the cat will get along, though."
Ollie laughed. "No problem. I'm looking for an excuse to smack the cat around a little, even the playing field." He had a feeling he knew what she was thinking, but no need to harp on it. "So, I just fix all your problems?"
"The fixable ones, yes," she said, smiling and relaxing against the booth. "Thank you."
[End part 1, anyway!]