(Untitled)

[necessary_child]

One Friendly Neighbourhood Lucifer, sprawled on a sofa with a book. Periodically, he reaches out for an After Eight chocolate from the box next to him, or (depending on how lazy he's feeling) one of the little square chocolates levitates itself to him.

DEFINITELY botherable.

Comments

[guppy_sandhu]

"I was going to bring you some fountain chocolate, but looks like you've got plenty." Guppy says, dangling a stick of strawberry and marshmallow with chocolate on over him.

Fortunately he let it dry first, in order that it wouldn't dribble everywhere.

"Hey Sam."

[necessary_child]

Sam leans up and neatly snags a strawberry with his mouth.

"Hi, Guppy. Long time no see."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Yeah, too long, how you keeping?" Guppy asks, passing him the stick.

"I figured you wouldn't want to come to Life Support even to get chocolate." he adds.

[necessary_child]

Sam shrugs. "I'm all right. You?"

He shudders slightly. "Yeah, I'll pass."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Eh, keeping busy, fending off an evil administrator, had another baby, stopping Scampi from becoming morbidly obese, that sort of thing." Guppy says.

He noms his own chocolate stick. "You still with Medusa?"

[necessary_child]

"--Wait, what?"

Nice try.

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy holds up his hands.

"Don't worry, I washed before I came over."

[necessary_child]

"--That wasn't what I was asking about."

He doesn't think babies have cooties! Well, not literal ones.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Oh, well, you've got to learn some time I suppose. A Mummy and a Daddy, who love each other very much, have certain urges..."

Grin. "Her name's Coral, I'll introduce you when she's out of nappies. The rest of my news was mostly exaggeration."

[necessary_child]

Flail!

"But - don't you have a baby?"

Does not compute!

[guppy_sandhu]

"Well, yes, but Fry's more of a toddler these days. He'll be two in November." Guppy says. "He walks and talks, goes to nursery, plays Wii tennis - sort of. Nineteen and a half months isn't that unusual an age gap between kids."

[necessary_child]

That's still a baby as far as Sam is concerned. He can just about understand having one baby, but two? Why?

"Um... I'll take your word for it."

Pause. "Um, congratulations."

He's aware that this is what's required, what's expected, after all. Even if he doesn't understand it.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Thanks." Guppy smiles slightly.

"It's okay, I'm not here to convince you to like my children. I'm sure when they're older they'd like to know you, but I'm not going to force anything. I really did just come over here to give you chocolate and keep you in the loop."

He eats a marshmallow off his stick. A year ago he thought Sam would come around on the subject, but he's accepted that's not happening and that it's fine for Sam not to like children. Should he unexpectedly change his mind, he'd of course be welcomed with open arms. But in the meantime, bringing them together wouldn't be fair on Sam or the kids.

"So, what's going on in your life? I had to leave the football early, who won?"

[necessary_child]

Just as well, because after five thousand years of disliking kids, nothing about that is ever going to change.

"I don't think anyone did. I didn't see anyone keeping track of the score, even."

He'd eventually wound up wandering off after an attractive policewoman. These things happen.

[guppy_sandhu]

"I think at one point there was more than one ball involved." Guppy says. "Certainly seemed to be a lot going on at once. And lots of substitutions."

[necessary_child]

"And I'm pretty sure that there were several not-footballs in play as well," Sam nods. "But that's Milliways for you."