Happy PI Day
Title: Happy PI Day
Author: Jelsemium
Characters: Charlie, Alan, Larry
Word Count: 597
Time: 45 minutes, as I was also chatting
Dedication: To MusicDreamer
Rating: K
Charlie and Amita had been home for almost a week before Charlie worked up the nerve to even ask about the changes the garage. It had been his sanctum sanctorum for so long, it was strange to think that he would never work in there again. He was going to have to figure out someplace else to put all his chalkboards. (For some reason, Amita didn't want them in the master bedroom.)
"It hasn't been changed too much in the six months you've been gone," Alan answered when he finally asked. "What with needing special licenses to change any part of a Craftsman and all the design changes..."
"The city keeps making changes?" Charlie asked.
Alan shook his head. "No, the client. Seriously, I have never worked with a fussier, more vacillating client in my life!"
Charlie scratched his head. "Um, Dad? Aren't you the client?"
Alan sighed. "Yes, and I never realized what a kibitzer I was..." he glared at Charlie.
"What?" Charlie demanded. "You said it, not me!"
"You didn't have to agree so fast," Alan grumbled. He stomped out the back door and headed for the garage.
"What?" Charlie demanded as he followed him. "I didn't say anything. I hadn't even gotten around to thinking anything!"
"Yeah, right," Alan said. They entered the garage and Charlie felt something like to see that his chalkboards were still up. Things hadn't changed as much as he had anticipated.
He looked at the boards curiously. His cognitive emergence work had been transferred to paper and erased, and he hadn't been working on anything for Don in what seemed like forever, yet the chalkboards were full.
Intrigued, Charlie moved closer. He wasn't an architect, but he could see this had nothing to do with the renovation. "What is this a design for?" he asked.
"What does it look like?" Larry said. He appeared suddenly from behind the blackboards, making Charlie jump. He and Alan exchanged smirks. Charlie wondered, but did not become alarmed as he assumed they were amused by his reaction.
"It looks like a catapult of some kind," Charlie said, going back to examining the drawings.
"Got it right the first time," Alan said.
"Some contest at CalSci?"
"No, Charles," Larry said. "We made it especially for you."
"Why, what does it do?" Charlie asked.
"Come closer and take a look," Alan invited. He gestured and Charlie could see the actual catapult sitting on the floor just behind his chalkboard.
Don, on his most naive day, would not have fallen for this trap. Charlie, on the other hand, did as he was told. He moved closer and leaned in. He had just noticed what the catapult was loaded with when Larry triggered it.
*SPLAT*
Charlie reeled back in surprise, his face covered with yellow and white goo.
"Happy PI Day!" chorused Alan and Larry.
After a few minutes of spitting, sputtering and scraping his face, Charlie finally manged to speak. "Was that a lemon meringue pie you two just wasted?"
Alan and Larry laughed.
"Well, I was trying out a new recipe and we decided it wasn't edible," Alan said. "So we had to use it for something, didn't we?"
"Heaven forfend that we should waste food," Larry added.
Charlie had removed enough pie to give them an ironic look.
"Cheer up, Charlie," Alan said. "We did save you a large slice of the successful pie!"
"It had better be the best pie ever," Charlie warned darkly.
"Oh?" Alan asked. "Or what, little boy?"
Charlie managed an evil grin. "It's only eighteen days until April 1st."
Author: Jelsemium
Characters: Charlie, Alan, Larry
Word Count: 597
Time: 45 minutes, as I was also chatting
Dedication: To MusicDreamer
Rating: K
Charlie and Amita had been home for almost a week before Charlie worked up the nerve to even ask about the changes the garage. It had been his sanctum sanctorum for so long, it was strange to think that he would never work in there again. He was going to have to figure out someplace else to put all his chalkboards. (For some reason, Amita didn't want them in the master bedroom.)
"It hasn't been changed too much in the six months you've been gone," Alan answered when he finally asked. "What with needing special licenses to change any part of a Craftsman and all the design changes..."
"The city keeps making changes?" Charlie asked.
Alan shook his head. "No, the client. Seriously, I have never worked with a fussier, more vacillating client in my life!"
Charlie scratched his head. "Um, Dad? Aren't you the client?"
Alan sighed. "Yes, and I never realized what a kibitzer I was..." he glared at Charlie.
"What?" Charlie demanded. "You said it, not me!"
"You didn't have to agree so fast," Alan grumbled. He stomped out the back door and headed for the garage.
"What?" Charlie demanded as he followed him. "I didn't say anything. I hadn't even gotten around to thinking anything!"
"Yeah, right," Alan said. They entered the garage and Charlie felt something like to see that his chalkboards were still up. Things hadn't changed as much as he had anticipated.
He looked at the boards curiously. His cognitive emergence work had been transferred to paper and erased, and he hadn't been working on anything for Don in what seemed like forever, yet the chalkboards were full.
Intrigued, Charlie moved closer. He wasn't an architect, but he could see this had nothing to do with the renovation. "What is this a design for?" he asked.
"What does it look like?" Larry said. He appeared suddenly from behind the blackboards, making Charlie jump. He and Alan exchanged smirks. Charlie wondered, but did not become alarmed as he assumed they were amused by his reaction.
"It looks like a catapult of some kind," Charlie said, going back to examining the drawings.
"Got it right the first time," Alan said.
"Some contest at CalSci?"
"No, Charles," Larry said. "We made it especially for you."
"Why, what does it do?" Charlie asked.
"Come closer and take a look," Alan invited. He gestured and Charlie could see the actual catapult sitting on the floor just behind his chalkboard.
Don, on his most naive day, would not have fallen for this trap. Charlie, on the other hand, did as he was told. He moved closer and leaned in. He had just noticed what the catapult was loaded with when Larry triggered it.
*SPLAT*
Charlie reeled back in surprise, his face covered with yellow and white goo.
"Happy PI Day!" chorused Alan and Larry.
After a few minutes of spitting, sputtering and scraping his face, Charlie finally manged to speak. "Was that a lemon meringue pie you two just wasted?"
Alan and Larry laughed.
"Well, I was trying out a new recipe and we decided it wasn't edible," Alan said. "So we had to use it for something, didn't we?"
"Heaven forfend that we should waste food," Larry added.
Charlie had removed enough pie to give them an ironic look.
"Cheer up, Charlie," Alan said. "We did save you a large slice of the successful pie!"
"It had better be the best pie ever," Charlie warned darkly.
"Oh?" Alan asked. "Or what, little boy?"
Charlie managed an evil grin. "It's only eighteen days until April 1st."