musesandlyrics "Dear Diary..."
4. "Oh, this is a dear diary moment..."
Matthew Perry
“I’m taking Molly and Noah shopping today. They still need some school supplies and some new clothes, so I figure it’s best to get it over and done with now.”
Sylar struggled not to groan out loud as he made a slight face into his pillow. He could deal with shopping on his own, or with one child, but the times where it became a family ordeal he felt like he’d rather be anywhere but there. He tried to enjoy himself, but in the end he couldn’t help it. With three children, one still at the age where hearing no sent her into a crying temper tantrum, it was just hell on earth for him.
“And before you start complaining - you don’t have to come.”
He perked up at that, sitting up to look at her with a quirked brow, because it wasn’t often that he got out of things without at least whining a bit at first. Claire rolled her eyes at him at that before laughing, and then returning his look with a pointed one, her lips pressed together as if she was holding back laughter.
“Oh don’t look so surprised. You hate it, and I don’t want to have to listen to you complain the whole time. Besides - I want to get it over and done with quickly, so it’s just going to be me, Noah and Molly. You’re staying home with Aurora. No complaining about that either,” Claire told him, but that was one arrangement that he wasn’t going to complain about.
After breakfast they bid the rest of their family farewell at the door, Claire rolling her eyes again as they waved, but Aurora had wanted to do it, so he held her in his arms as she waved until they were out of sight.
“Alright, so now what do you want to do, kiddo?” he asked after setting her down and shutting the door, looking down at her expectantly. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing as she screwed up her face in thought, and tapped her chin as she’d often seen him do.
“I want to watch a movie, Daddy,” she replied after a moment, and nodded firmly. “Cinderella.”
“Cinderella, huh?” he answered, and she nodded eagerly. “Well, I guess that we can do that.”
He reached out and took her hand, pulling her up to carry her to the living room to put the movie on; and with her curled up in the lounge chair, he took it as his opportunity to snooze on the couch.
“Daddy?”
“Huh?” Sylar jerked awake at that and sat bolt upright, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light. He glanced at the TV and blinked again when he saw that the credits were rolling - he must have fallen asleep within a moment of closing his eyes. He groaned softly as he stretched and then turned his attention to his daughter, giving her a tired smile. “Mhm, what is it, sweetheart?”
“I want you to put me to work,” she replied, and Sylar’s eyebrows popped up as he looked at her.
“You want me to put you to work?”
“Yes, Daddy. You heard me,” she said and rolled her eyes, and that just made Sylar’s eyebrows raise further as he struggled to hold back his laughter. Of course, she noticed that and widened her eyes at him, trying to mimic one of the looks that she must have seen Claire give him at some point, and it took all his energy not to burst out laughing. “Daddy! I want to be a Princess, and Cinderella had to work until she became one!”
She stomped her foot at that and whined loudly, and he could sense the tantrum brewing, and that was something that he would rather avoid.
“Oh, right, uhm,” he started, and then brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head as he glanced around the room. “Well…your Mom did say that she wanted the kitchen floor washed…”
“Okay I’ll go put on my dress!” Aurora exclaimed, and she was gone before he could say another word. He got up though and went to the closet, getting out a bucket and filling it with warm water and soap, and he set it; along with a mop, a brush and a cloth on the floor in the kitchen, turning to find Aurora behind him in last year’s Halloween costume, and again he had to stifle a laugh.
“I’m…just going to go lie down on the couch again, okay? If I fall asleep, just come poke me if you need anything,” he told her, reaching up to scratch the back of his head, because despite all the parenting guides he had read, this wasn’t a situation that had ever been mentioned before.
“DADDY! Cinderella never got help! Her step-mother was evil! Stop being so nice,” Aurora said in a firm voice, and with that she tried to push him towards the door. “Go away now!”
“Alright alright I’m going!” Sylar exclaimed as he threw his arms up in the air, flailing them slightly, though she seemed to be onto him as she scowled at him, and gave her the most innocent look he could muster before disappearing into the living room again.
He planned on listening to her, to make sure that nothing bad happened to her, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he heard her start to sing as she, he assumed at least, worked; but the couch was ridiculously comfortable and he soon fell asleep again on it, snoring softly.
“Sylar!”
The smack was what roused him from his sleep and made him sit up so fast that he fell off the couch.
“Wassat? ‘s wrong?!” he exclaimed as he quickly stood up, swaying slightly on spot as neither his body or mind were fully awake yet. He adjusted quickly though, and this time his eyes fell on Claire, whose expression told him that he would most definitely be sleeping either on the couch or on the floor in his daughter’s room.
“Why did I come home to find our daughter washing the kitchen floor?!” she snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she tapped her foot expectantly. “Well!?”
“Uhm…she asked?” Sylar replied awkwardly, and brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head again as he smiled at her.
“You expect me to believe she asked to clean the kitchen floor?” Claire asked, an incredulous look appearing on her face. “Really, Sylar?”
“Yes?” he said, and gave her a slightly forced smile, though he was fully prepared to cringe as he felt as though she could smack him again at any moment. “ We were watching Cinderella, and after it she said she wanted to be put to work like Cinderella, and I just…mentioned the kitchen floor and she wanted to clean it… Aurora! Help me!”
“She’s taking a bath, Sylar. She’s four, she can’t clean the kitchen floor on her own!” Claire said and scowled at him again, and that made him cringe as though she’d hit him. “Now she’s made a mess in the kitchen, so I want you to clean it up before I have to make dinner, got it?”
“But…” he started, but stopped with his mouth open when their eyes met, and he sighed, slouching his shoulders a bit.
“No buts about it, bucko!”
“Yes ma’am,” he sighed, slouching his shoulders as he sulked off to clean the kitchen; and for some reason the couch wasn’t as comfortable that night as it had been during the day.
Matthew Perry
“I’m taking Molly and Noah shopping today. They still need some school supplies and some new clothes, so I figure it’s best to get it over and done with now.”
Sylar struggled not to groan out loud as he made a slight face into his pillow. He could deal with shopping on his own, or with one child, but the times where it became a family ordeal he felt like he’d rather be anywhere but there. He tried to enjoy himself, but in the end he couldn’t help it. With three children, one still at the age where hearing no sent her into a crying temper tantrum, it was just hell on earth for him.
“And before you start complaining - you don’t have to come.”
He perked up at that, sitting up to look at her with a quirked brow, because it wasn’t often that he got out of things without at least whining a bit at first. Claire rolled her eyes at him at that before laughing, and then returning his look with a pointed one, her lips pressed together as if she was holding back laughter.
“Oh don’t look so surprised. You hate it, and I don’t want to have to listen to you complain the whole time. Besides - I want to get it over and done with quickly, so it’s just going to be me, Noah and Molly. You’re staying home with Aurora. No complaining about that either,” Claire told him, but that was one arrangement that he wasn’t going to complain about.
After breakfast they bid the rest of their family farewell at the door, Claire rolling her eyes again as they waved, but Aurora had wanted to do it, so he held her in his arms as she waved until they were out of sight.
“Alright, so now what do you want to do, kiddo?” he asked after setting her down and shutting the door, looking down at her expectantly. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing as she screwed up her face in thought, and tapped her chin as she’d often seen him do.
“I want to watch a movie, Daddy,” she replied after a moment, and nodded firmly. “Cinderella.”
“Cinderella, huh?” he answered, and she nodded eagerly. “Well, I guess that we can do that.”
He reached out and took her hand, pulling her up to carry her to the living room to put the movie on; and with her curled up in the lounge chair, he took it as his opportunity to snooze on the couch.
“Daddy?”
“Huh?” Sylar jerked awake at that and sat bolt upright, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light. He glanced at the TV and blinked again when he saw that the credits were rolling - he must have fallen asleep within a moment of closing his eyes. He groaned softly as he stretched and then turned his attention to his daughter, giving her a tired smile. “Mhm, what is it, sweetheart?”
“I want you to put me to work,” she replied, and Sylar’s eyebrows popped up as he looked at her.
“You want me to put you to work?”
“Yes, Daddy. You heard me,” she said and rolled her eyes, and that just made Sylar’s eyebrows raise further as he struggled to hold back his laughter. Of course, she noticed that and widened her eyes at him, trying to mimic one of the looks that she must have seen Claire give him at some point, and it took all his energy not to burst out laughing. “Daddy! I want to be a Princess, and Cinderella had to work until she became one!”
She stomped her foot at that and whined loudly, and he could sense the tantrum brewing, and that was something that he would rather avoid.
“Oh, right, uhm,” he started, and then brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head as he glanced around the room. “Well…your Mom did say that she wanted the kitchen floor washed…”
“Okay I’ll go put on my dress!” Aurora exclaimed, and she was gone before he could say another word. He got up though and went to the closet, getting out a bucket and filling it with warm water and soap, and he set it; along with a mop, a brush and a cloth on the floor in the kitchen, turning to find Aurora behind him in last year’s Halloween costume, and again he had to stifle a laugh.
“I’m…just going to go lie down on the couch again, okay? If I fall asleep, just come poke me if you need anything,” he told her, reaching up to scratch the back of his head, because despite all the parenting guides he had read, this wasn’t a situation that had ever been mentioned before.
“DADDY! Cinderella never got help! Her step-mother was evil! Stop being so nice,” Aurora said in a firm voice, and with that she tried to push him towards the door. “Go away now!”
“Alright alright I’m going!” Sylar exclaimed as he threw his arms up in the air, flailing them slightly, though she seemed to be onto him as she scowled at him, and gave her the most innocent look he could muster before disappearing into the living room again.
He planned on listening to her, to make sure that nothing bad happened to her, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he heard her start to sing as she, he assumed at least, worked; but the couch was ridiculously comfortable and he soon fell asleep again on it, snoring softly.
“Sylar!”
The smack was what roused him from his sleep and made him sit up so fast that he fell off the couch.
“Wassat? ‘s wrong?!” he exclaimed as he quickly stood up, swaying slightly on spot as neither his body or mind were fully awake yet. He adjusted quickly though, and this time his eyes fell on Claire, whose expression told him that he would most definitely be sleeping either on the couch or on the floor in his daughter’s room.
“Why did I come home to find our daughter washing the kitchen floor?!” she snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she tapped her foot expectantly. “Well!?”
“Uhm…she asked?” Sylar replied awkwardly, and brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head again as he smiled at her.
“You expect me to believe she asked to clean the kitchen floor?” Claire asked, an incredulous look appearing on her face. “Really, Sylar?”
“Yes?” he said, and gave her a slightly forced smile, though he was fully prepared to cringe as he felt as though she could smack him again at any moment. “ We were watching Cinderella, and after it she said she wanted to be put to work like Cinderella, and I just…mentioned the kitchen floor and she wanted to clean it… Aurora! Help me!”
“She’s taking a bath, Sylar. She’s four, she can’t clean the kitchen floor on her own!” Claire said and scowled at him again, and that made him cringe as though she’d hit him. “Now she’s made a mess in the kitchen, so I want you to clean it up before I have to make dinner, got it?”
“But…” he started, but stopped with his mouth open when their eyes met, and he sighed, slouching his shoulders a bit.
“No buts about it, bucko!”
“Yes ma’am,” he sighed, slouching his shoulders as he sulked off to clean the kitchen; and for some reason the couch wasn’t as comfortable that night as it had been during the day.