four men and a kid's birthday party [Lost Luau. James/Sawyer, Miles, Richard, Frank]
Title: four men and a kid's birthday party
Character(s): James/Sawyer, Miles, Richard, Frank, Clementine
Summary: In which James and company go to his daughter's birthday party for the first time ever.
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
A/N: For gottalovev and her prompt "Best Friends Forever" at the 2010 Lost Luau at lostsquee. (Also, gottalovev's own Luau fic here ended up working a little of itself into this fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or anything related to it.
ETA: Added just a little more dialogue.
James knew, deep down, that if it weren't for Miles' nagging, Frank's pointed and unsubtle remarks, and Richard putting on the con man charm that probably convinced Juliet to come to the Island (though it's best not to dwell on that), he wouldn't be on his way to Clementine's birthday party right now--pathetically, for his very first time. That, and it helped that they all agreed to go with him and help him shower his kid with gifts. Also, Kate and Claire and Aaron would be there too.
"Got her a Barbie," said Frank in a matter-of-fact voice as he drove the car, with Miles sitting next to him, Richard and James in the back.
"A what?" Miles laughed with disbelief, shooting Frank a sidelong glance.
The man shrugged, and said, "It's a pilot Barbie."
"Now, that's more like it."
"What did you get her, Miles?" Richard asked, and James glanced at him.
"What, you don't know? Thought you went with him, you guys are practically stuck at the hip--"
Richard just smirked at James, while Miles replied, "Got her a stuffed toy of that freaky animal she was watching on that cartoon--y'know, the one that just had a really crappy live-action movie come out--"
"'Avatar,'" said James, nodding.
Frank's brow furrowed, "James Cameron had a cartoon about his blue-cat movie?"
"No, the cartoon's called 'Avatar' too, or that's part of the name, but it's completely different from Cameron's film; the cartoon's new movie actually dropped that name to avoid that confusion." Everyone looked at Richard when he was finished answering (Frank did it through his rear view mirror).
"What?" Richard snapped, faintly annoyed, and with an inkling of what they were surprised by.
"Sorry Ricky-boy, we just got kinda used to explaining everything to you on the mainland," Frank replied bluntly. For his part, Richard took it well, just rolling his eyes.
James shuffled around in his gift bag. "Well, I got Clem--"
"A book," said Miles and Frank simultaneously, now rolling their eyes at each other. While James looked a little miffed, Richard's eyebrows rose a little too high, his eyes widening slightly--it was something the former con man found suspicious.
"You didn't," hissed James, as he pulled out the book from his bag, and Richard pulled out his gift too in response. Frank chuckled while Miles just groaned--both James and Richard held up matching copies of "Alice in Wonderland."
"Fuck you Alpert!"
"Hey!" Miles snapped at James' outburst, but Richard just shook his head.
Frank frowned, and wondered aloud, "How did you two get exact copies? I've seen so many damn different covers for the same book lately--"
Richard shrugged, then asked, "Mind just dropping me off here at Best Buy's? We're close to Phillips' place, I'll just walk the rest of the way and meet you guys there." Richard looked to a still ticked off James. "I'll just get her the DVD."
After they had left Richard at the electronics store and continued off to Clementine's birthday party, the three remaining men remained silent.
Finally Miles said, "You know, in this day and age, Richard's DVD is probably gonna own your book, right?"
"Shut up."
Frank snickered as he stopped at another light.
After Clementine had pulled out the movie and thanked Mr. Alpert, James turned to the man and asked with a puzzled face, "You got her the cartoon one?"
"It's the better one," insisted Richard.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because it's animated--it's the only way to watch drawings and paintings really move--"
James blinked, reminded that Richard really was old. "Well Gandalf, did you see Snow White when it first premiered?"
Richard leaned back in his chair, sighing an old man's sigh, but wearing an old man's nostalgic, slightly bitter smile. "Now that was the one bright spot on my last trip to the U.S. in the 30s."
"What, did you fight depression-era gangsters when you weren't watching landmark movies?" James had asked it in jest, but when Richard looked away and seriously drank his soda, James choked on his, and spluttered, "Oh hell, you've gotta be kidding me!"
RIchard looked back at him with a flat face. "I've fought against a smoke monster and saw you time travel." The man downed the rest of his drink. "I've lived an interesting life."
James shook his head, downing the rest of his soda. "Understatement of the century." Inwardly he winced at his choice of words, but Richard seemed to pay them no mind.
After another minute's silence, James asked, "So, what about King Kong?"
His eyes widened when the older man actually laughed. "Oh yeah, that was incredible too--"
"King Kong?!" Richard immediately shut up at Clementine's outburst, knowing better than to continue with talk about time travel and reminders of his age in the child's presence. She clambered onto the seat next to James, saying, "Oh daddy--" and Richard smiled at the slightly overwhelmed but pleased look that came into James' face "--Mom says she's thinking about taking me to the new King Kong ride at Universal, and you have to come--"
Richard stood up to leave James alone with his daughter, looking for Miles and Frank (he had suddenly been painfully reminded of Alex and Ben, and just...just needed some distance).
"Richard."
The older man shook himself from eyeing the chocolate birthday cake and chocolate ice cream as Miles walked forward, shaking his head.
At his side, Richard said, "I was looking for you--"
"Uh huh--c'mon, swear to god Cassidy's gonna stab a spork in the eye of anyone who so much looks at the dessert funny before Clem's ready to blow out the candles."
Richard frowned, and muttered, "You act like I don't have any self control."
"You're the one who has the same tastes as a little kid."
"What's wrong with having a sweet tooth?"
Frank looked up at them from his game of pool with Kate, Claire, and Cassidy in the opened up garage. "Hey, Lucy, Ricardo, shut up and come help me beat these lovely ladies."
Claire giggled (a sweet, harmless sound), "Three against three, huh?"
"You bet, darling," replied Frank as Miles and Richard came up on either side of him, grabbing their cue sticks.
When they got home, all four immediately plopped down until something soft and cushioned, half their group on their own beds, half on the couch.
"What the hell, I got tired just watching the little brats scamper around," said Miles, his voice muffled in the pillow.
"Clementine looked like she had fun," said Richard as he slipped off his shoes.
Miles snorted. "Understatement of the cent--uh, day. Understatement of the day." Richard just rolled his eyes, too tired to elbow Miles in the side.
Just as their eyes were about to close, they snapped wide open as snores sounded from James' and Frank's rooms.
Miles leaned over into Richard's shoulder, groaning, and though the older man's arm was too tired to go up and pat his head, he had enough energy to settle for tapping the younger man's knee reassuringly.
Character(s): James/Sawyer, Miles, Richard, Frank, Clementine
Summary: In which James and company go to his daughter's birthday party for the first time ever.
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
A/N: For gottalovev and her prompt "Best Friends Forever" at the 2010 Lost Luau at lostsquee. (Also, gottalovev's own Luau fic here ended up working a little of itself into this fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or anything related to it.
ETA: Added just a little more dialogue.
James knew, deep down, that if it weren't for Miles' nagging, Frank's pointed and unsubtle remarks, and Richard putting on the con man charm that probably convinced Juliet to come to the Island (though it's best not to dwell on that), he wouldn't be on his way to Clementine's birthday party right now--pathetically, for his very first time. That, and it helped that they all agreed to go with him and help him shower his kid with gifts. Also, Kate and Claire and Aaron would be there too.
"Got her a Barbie," said Frank in a matter-of-fact voice as he drove the car, with Miles sitting next to him, Richard and James in the back.
"A what?" Miles laughed with disbelief, shooting Frank a sidelong glance.
The man shrugged, and said, "It's a pilot Barbie."
"Now, that's more like it."
"What did you get her, Miles?" Richard asked, and James glanced at him.
"What, you don't know? Thought you went with him, you guys are practically stuck at the hip--"
Richard just smirked at James, while Miles replied, "Got her a stuffed toy of that freaky animal she was watching on that cartoon--y'know, the one that just had a really crappy live-action movie come out--"
"'Avatar,'" said James, nodding.
Frank's brow furrowed, "James Cameron had a cartoon about his blue-cat movie?"
"No, the cartoon's called 'Avatar' too, or that's part of the name, but it's completely different from Cameron's film; the cartoon's new movie actually dropped that name to avoid that confusion." Everyone looked at Richard when he was finished answering (Frank did it through his rear view mirror).
"What?" Richard snapped, faintly annoyed, and with an inkling of what they were surprised by.
"Sorry Ricky-boy, we just got kinda used to explaining everything to you on the mainland," Frank replied bluntly. For his part, Richard took it well, just rolling his eyes.
James shuffled around in his gift bag. "Well, I got Clem--"
"A book," said Miles and Frank simultaneously, now rolling their eyes at each other. While James looked a little miffed, Richard's eyebrows rose a little too high, his eyes widening slightly--it was something the former con man found suspicious.
"You didn't," hissed James, as he pulled out the book from his bag, and Richard pulled out his gift too in response. Frank chuckled while Miles just groaned--both James and Richard held up matching copies of "Alice in Wonderland."
"Fuck you Alpert!"
"Hey!" Miles snapped at James' outburst, but Richard just shook his head.
Frank frowned, and wondered aloud, "How did you two get exact copies? I've seen so many damn different covers for the same book lately--"
Richard shrugged, then asked, "Mind just dropping me off here at Best Buy's? We're close to Phillips' place, I'll just walk the rest of the way and meet you guys there." Richard looked to a still ticked off James. "I'll just get her the DVD."
After they had left Richard at the electronics store and continued off to Clementine's birthday party, the three remaining men remained silent.
Finally Miles said, "You know, in this day and age, Richard's DVD is probably gonna own your book, right?"
"Shut up."
Frank snickered as he stopped at another light.
After Clementine had pulled out the movie and thanked Mr. Alpert, James turned to the man and asked with a puzzled face, "You got her the cartoon one?"
"It's the better one," insisted Richard.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because it's animated--it's the only way to watch drawings and paintings really move--"
James blinked, reminded that Richard really was old. "Well Gandalf, did you see Snow White when it first premiered?"
Richard leaned back in his chair, sighing an old man's sigh, but wearing an old man's nostalgic, slightly bitter smile. "Now that was the one bright spot on my last trip to the U.S. in the 30s."
"What, did you fight depression-era gangsters when you weren't watching landmark movies?" James had asked it in jest, but when Richard looked away and seriously drank his soda, James choked on his, and spluttered, "Oh hell, you've gotta be kidding me!"
RIchard looked back at him with a flat face. "I've fought against a smoke monster and saw you time travel." The man downed the rest of his drink. "I've lived an interesting life."
James shook his head, downing the rest of his soda. "Understatement of the century." Inwardly he winced at his choice of words, but Richard seemed to pay them no mind.
After another minute's silence, James asked, "So, what about King Kong?"
His eyes widened when the older man actually laughed. "Oh yeah, that was incredible too--"
"King Kong?!" Richard immediately shut up at Clementine's outburst, knowing better than to continue with talk about time travel and reminders of his age in the child's presence. She clambered onto the seat next to James, saying, "Oh daddy--" and Richard smiled at the slightly overwhelmed but pleased look that came into James' face "--Mom says she's thinking about taking me to the new King Kong ride at Universal, and you have to come--"
Richard stood up to leave James alone with his daughter, looking for Miles and Frank (he had suddenly been painfully reminded of Alex and Ben, and just...just needed some distance).
"Richard."
The older man shook himself from eyeing the chocolate birthday cake and chocolate ice cream as Miles walked forward, shaking his head.
At his side, Richard said, "I was looking for you--"
"Uh huh--c'mon, swear to god Cassidy's gonna stab a spork in the eye of anyone who so much looks at the dessert funny before Clem's ready to blow out the candles."
Richard frowned, and muttered, "You act like I don't have any self control."
"You're the one who has the same tastes as a little kid."
"What's wrong with having a sweet tooth?"
Frank looked up at them from his game of pool with Kate, Claire, and Cassidy in the opened up garage. "Hey, Lucy, Ricardo, shut up and come help me beat these lovely ladies."
Claire giggled (a sweet, harmless sound), "Three against three, huh?"
"You bet, darling," replied Frank as Miles and Richard came up on either side of him, grabbing their cue sticks.
When they got home, all four immediately plopped down until something soft and cushioned, half their group on their own beds, half on the couch.
"What the hell, I got tired just watching the little brats scamper around," said Miles, his voice muffled in the pillow.
"Clementine looked like she had fun," said Richard as he slipped off his shoes.
Miles snorted. "Understatement of the cent--uh, day. Understatement of the day." Richard just rolled his eyes, too tired to elbow Miles in the side.
Just as their eyes were about to close, they snapped wide open as snores sounded from James' and Frank's rooms.
Miles leaned over into Richard's shoulder, groaning, and though the older man's arm was too tired to go up and pat his head, he had enough energy to settle for tapping the younger man's knee reassuringly.