For Lora :)
Paul, Michael, Robbie. Likely has little or no connection to canon ^^ like that's ever stopped me.
Summer afternoon. Robbie had gone straight from "crawl" to "lightspeed", which meant that whichever Daddy had Robbie-duty usually wound up a salty, overheated mess in short order, whilst the baby blithely dashed about poking at things and giggling. Paul, recently relieved of said duty, put on the lightest cotton dress he could find and flipped his hair out of the alligator-clip he'd used to keep it dry when he showered.
Dinner was in the oven; Paul wandered past and poked at it. He hunted in the fridge for something to drink and emerged with a container of cranberry juice with a mere half-inch left in it. After a quick look around to make sure he was unobserved, Paul lifted the container and drank, summer sunshine filtering through the windows and lighting the juice like rubies. No sense dirtying a glass for so little. He tossed the container into the recycling pile.
Every window was open, but the breeze itself was warm, sluggish. Paul wanted to collapse under a tree and doze with his family, but the odds of getting Robbie to hold still were slim. He'd already napped.
After Paul had forbade excessive hose-abuse on the grounds of the water shortage, Michael had sulked for a moment and had then scampered off with a look of high glee. He'd returned a few moments later clad in red and yellow swim trunks and carrying two watering cans. Paul had rolled his eyes and gone to shower. Paul perched on the windowsill now, one leg drawn up and his pale skirt tucked.
Michael had just refilled his watering can and was currently chasing Robbie around, watering him. He and Robbie were both soaked. Michael's pale skin was just pinking up across the shoulders despite the sunscreen Paul had slathered him with. Robbie's nose was white with the stuff, round face stretched in a grin. Paul spent all of 34 seconds pretending he'd go and get a head start on his thesis, and then Robbie spotted him. He couldn't sign without dropping the watering can, but he nevertheless made it clear he wanted Paul to come back out, waving the watering can and running towards the window.
"Hey!" Michael said, following Robbie's motions and then catching sight of Paul. "Great idea!" He set the watering can down and advanced on Paul, bare arms gleaming. The window was nowhere near high enough to offer any protection; Paul could have pulled a strategic retreat, could have claimed homework or housework or anything, really. Grinning, Michael scooped Paul out of the windowseat and crouched so that Robbie could up-end the watering can over his head. He put up just enough of a fight so that later, he'd be allowed to mock-gripe at Michael for getting his dress wet.
"Hey, Paul," Michael said, his chin hooked over Paul's shoulder.
"Mm?" Paul said. The water was lovely and cool, and Robbie looked delighted as he hauled the watering can back to the hose to refill it.
"Your dress is see-through."
"Ack!"
END
Bonus:
Ways to trap a Paul:
Michael twitched the towel lower, so that it sat barely above his hips, the knot dangerously loose. He sauntered past as if checking on his sleeping son, and made sure Paul caught sight of him. Paul, who hadn't moved from the homework-laden computer in four hours.
"Work going any better?"
Paul grunted.
Michael smirked. "Okay then. Going for a shower."
Michael lingered just around the corner; he heard several hard keystrokes, a hesitation, a few more, and finally the creak of a chair being pushed back.
Score!
Not going to be around tonight; getting dragged out. :C
Summer afternoon. Robbie had gone straight from "crawl" to "lightspeed", which meant that whichever Daddy had Robbie-duty usually wound up a salty, overheated mess in short order, whilst the baby blithely dashed about poking at things and giggling. Paul, recently relieved of said duty, put on the lightest cotton dress he could find and flipped his hair out of the alligator-clip he'd used to keep it dry when he showered.
Dinner was in the oven; Paul wandered past and poked at it. He hunted in the fridge for something to drink and emerged with a container of cranberry juice with a mere half-inch left in it. After a quick look around to make sure he was unobserved, Paul lifted the container and drank, summer sunshine filtering through the windows and lighting the juice like rubies. No sense dirtying a glass for so little. He tossed the container into the recycling pile.
Every window was open, but the breeze itself was warm, sluggish. Paul wanted to collapse under a tree and doze with his family, but the odds of getting Robbie to hold still were slim. He'd already napped.
After Paul had forbade excessive hose-abuse on the grounds of the water shortage, Michael had sulked for a moment and had then scampered off with a look of high glee. He'd returned a few moments later clad in red and yellow swim trunks and carrying two watering cans. Paul had rolled his eyes and gone to shower. Paul perched on the windowsill now, one leg drawn up and his pale skirt tucked.
Michael had just refilled his watering can and was currently chasing Robbie around, watering him. He and Robbie were both soaked. Michael's pale skin was just pinking up across the shoulders despite the sunscreen Paul had slathered him with. Robbie's nose was white with the stuff, round face stretched in a grin. Paul spent all of 34 seconds pretending he'd go and get a head start on his thesis, and then Robbie spotted him. He couldn't sign without dropping the watering can, but he nevertheless made it clear he wanted Paul to come back out, waving the watering can and running towards the window.
"Hey!" Michael said, following Robbie's motions and then catching sight of Paul. "Great idea!" He set the watering can down and advanced on Paul, bare arms gleaming. The window was nowhere near high enough to offer any protection; Paul could have pulled a strategic retreat, could have claimed homework or housework or anything, really. Grinning, Michael scooped Paul out of the windowseat and crouched so that Robbie could up-end the watering can over his head. He put up just enough of a fight so that later, he'd be allowed to mock-gripe at Michael for getting his dress wet.
"Hey, Paul," Michael said, his chin hooked over Paul's shoulder.
"Mm?" Paul said. The water was lovely and cool, and Robbie looked delighted as he hauled the watering can back to the hose to refill it.
"Your dress is see-through."
"Ack!"
END
Bonus:
Ways to trap a Paul:
Michael twitched the towel lower, so that it sat barely above his hips, the knot dangerously loose. He sauntered past as if checking on his sleeping son, and made sure Paul caught sight of him. Paul, who hadn't moved from the homework-laden computer in four hours.
"Work going any better?"
Paul grunted.
Michael smirked. "Okay then. Going for a shower."
Michael lingered just around the corner; he heard several hard keystrokes, a hesitation, a few more, and finally the creak of a chair being pushed back.
Score!
Not going to be around tonight; getting dragged out. :C