Being up and about wasn't something that Lennox necessarily wanted to be right now, but he had to get up, he had to shower and eat and bring food to Chris if he decided not to leave the hut or the Hamlet. Since Lennox figured Chris was allowed to stay home in bed if he wanted, it was up to him to get the food, which was what he was doing now, damp hair still dripping, even as he ran his hands through it.
"If you want to trade that one, I'll give you Hal," he said with a bit of a smile as he entered the kitchen. Despite what had happened in Neil and Gordon's hut, something good had come of that day, at least for him and Mike. Especially Mike. "Hal doesn't have thumbs, so it's hard to teach her to wait on us."
"I would," he says, looking up and returning the smile, faintly. "Think her mom might notice, though."
Since Halloween, things with Lennox have felt... eased. He's made no excuse for the fight with Chris, but maybe he's stopped feeling like he even has to. Lennox has seen what not even Hobbes has. There's a part of him he no longer has to explain.
"How've you been doing?" he asks, eying Lennox a little more closely as Flo wriggles in his arms. He still hasn't seen Chris. Maybe right now that's for the best.
Lennox held arms out for the baby in case Mike wanted to get rid of her for a bit. And maybe a small part of him wanted to hold her, just for awhile, just because she was so tiny and trusting and he knew that she wasn't going to stay this small forever. Soon she'd be Emmy's size and then Emmy would be even bigger.
"I'm okay," he answered. "Chris is okay, too. I mean, he's not great, 'cause he just... you know, but he's okay. He's talking to me about it a lot, so that's good." And more than Lennox had hoped for.
He gently transfers Flo to Lennox's arms without hesitation, and she goes to him with what sounds like a happy burble. He supposes that maybe he should be jealous that his daughter seems to like someone else more at the moment, but really he's just grateful to have free arms for the first time in a couple of hours.
"That's good," he echoes. "Talking's better than quiet." Which he knows first hand. He looks down at his boots.
"I feel like maybe I should have been there," he says after a second or two, and he means all of it and he means Chris in particular. "Like maybe I could've done something."
"Hey, kiddo," Lennox said, positioning Flo against his shoulder carefully, where she decided to try and suck on his hair, which he imagined didn't taste very good. But kids were strange and he didn't question it.
Just shaking his head, Lennox smiled slightly and said, "Nothing that could've been done. You know what Chris is like, I don't even know if he would've let anyone in who didn't know Peggy." He was sure Chris would've liked to know Mike was around, but he'd had his own stuff to deal with and it was just as important. "He knows what happened with you. He knows you had... stuff, too."
"Yeah," he says, rubbing his arms and still looking down. "Stuff." He doesn't say it with any regret and with hardly a trace of guilt, but there's still pain there. He imagines there always will be. What matters is that it's no longer crippling.
"Thanks for being there," he adds. He's said it already and he knows Lennox doesn't need to hear it, but maybe he needs to say it.
"Hey, man, it was my pleasure," Lennox replied, reaching up to tug his wet hair out of Flo's mouth. "Well, y'know, not my pleasure like we had some wild party time, but... you know what I mean, right, man?" God, he hoped Mike knew what he meant.
"And you," he said to Flo, "Need to learn that hair is not for eating." Though, by the wide-eyed look on her face, he doubted that she agreed with his statement.
"She thinks everything's for eating," he says with a wry smile, reaching out and poking her lightly in the cheek. "She ate an ant yesterday. Wasn't fast enough to stop her." He hadn't mentioned it to Eostre. Truthfully he doubts it'll hurt her.
"And I know what you mean." He swallows and turns to the stove, where the kettle has begun to sing. "You want coffee?"
"Ah, it's good for her. Kids should eat ants and dirt and bugs and, apparently, their Uncle Jim's hair." He wasn't sure when he'd decided he was an uncle, but he had, apparently, and he didn't think Mike or Eostre would mind much. Flo apparently didn't mind, especially not as she grabbed his hair in her chubby fist again and once more began to slobber on it.
"Sure, man, coffee's good," he agreed, bouncing Flo gently. He wished he could have seen Emmy like this, but he'd take whatever he was given with her. With all of them.
"'Uncle.'" He doesn't quite roll his eyes as he pours the water down into the filter. "I can already tell you'll be a fucking wonderful influence on 'em." Not that he thinks he'd be a lot better, frankly, and cursing around them is something he only does when Eostre isn't there to shoot him a Look.
Really, maybe a couple of bad influences might be good. Keep things interesting.
"Hey, Emmy's turned out just fine and I'm her godfather," Lennox pointed out with a wide smile, bouncing Flo gently, his lips brushing her soft head. She was still so small, still so tiny and she needed him. Well, she needed Mike and Eostre, really, but he'd pretend they needed him, too. "Besides, they love me."
"Think I better get used to not approving of what they love," he says evenly, rummaging in a cupboard for mugs. He's trying not to think about teenagers and boyfriends with wandering hands. If he makes it that long.
"Seriously, though, you know we appreciate it. Lately it's been..." He pauses and sighs. "Well. I haven't been around enough anyway."
"Yeah, man, I've stepped up, become a man," Lennox teased with a small grin, shifting Flo in his arms. "I don't mind, they're great girls, you know. I like being around them." It was a lot of fun, actually, but mostly that was because Lennox knew that he could give them back at the end of the day. "It's okay, though. They're good and you're good and we're all good, right?"
"Guess so." He thinks he is, anyway. Better than before. He's still feeling it out. "Think it might be sort of downhill from here." He glances back at Flo, who blows a spit bubble at him and hiccups.
"She's good." He makes a face at her. "So good she was gonna wake her mom up. Had to get her outta there."
Lennox decided not to hear the part about it all being downhill from here, especially since he'd thought things were just getting better. Instead, he shifted Flo again, getting some of the spit on his face when she blew another bubble and then looked her in the face.
"She just gets more and more beautiful every day, doesn't she?" he asked. "Both of them."
"Every day." He smiles to himself as he pours coffee into the mugs. "I figure by the time they're ten we won't be able to look directly at 'em." And sometimes he's close to that now. Sometimes he watches them sleep and something tightens in his chest and he has to look away and swallow hard.
"If you want to trade that one, I'll give you Hal," he said with a bit of a smile as he entered the kitchen. Despite what had happened in Neil and Gordon's hut, something good had come of that day, at least for him and Mike. Especially Mike. "Hal doesn't have thumbs, so it's hard to teach her to wait on us."
Reply
Since Halloween, things with Lennox have felt... eased. He's made no excuse for the fight with Chris, but maybe he's stopped feeling like he even has to. Lennox has seen what not even Hobbes has. There's a part of him he no longer has to explain.
"How've you been doing?" he asks, eying Lennox a little more closely as Flo wriggles in his arms. He still hasn't seen Chris. Maybe right now that's for the best.
Reply
"I'm okay," he answered. "Chris is okay, too. I mean, he's not great, 'cause he just... you know, but he's okay. He's talking to me about it a lot, so that's good." And more than Lennox had hoped for.
Reply
"That's good," he echoes. "Talking's better than quiet." Which he knows first hand. He looks down at his boots.
"I feel like maybe I should have been there," he says after a second or two, and he means all of it and he means Chris in particular. "Like maybe I could've done something."
Reply
Just shaking his head, Lennox smiled slightly and said, "Nothing that could've been done. You know what Chris is like, I don't even know if he would've let anyone in who didn't know Peggy." He was sure Chris would've liked to know Mike was around, but he'd had his own stuff to deal with and it was just as important. "He knows what happened with you. He knows you had... stuff, too."
Reply
"Thanks for being there," he adds. He's said it already and he knows Lennox doesn't need to hear it, but maybe he needs to say it.
Reply
"And you," he said to Flo, "Need to learn that hair is not for eating." Though, by the wide-eyed look on her face, he doubted that she agreed with his statement.
Reply
"And I know what you mean." He swallows and turns to the stove, where the kettle has begun to sing. "You want coffee?"
Reply
"Sure, man, coffee's good," he agreed, bouncing Flo gently. He wished he could have seen Emmy like this, but he'd take whatever he was given with her. With all of them.
Reply
Really, maybe a couple of bad influences might be good. Keep things interesting.
Reply
Reply
"Seriously, though, you know we appreciate it. Lately it's been..." He pauses and sighs. "Well. I haven't been around enough anyway."
Reply
Reply
"She's good." He makes a face at her. "So good she was gonna wake her mom up. Had to get her outta there."
Reply
"She just gets more and more beautiful every day, doesn't she?" he asked. "Both of them."
Reply
He clears his throat. "Milk? Sugar?"
Reply
Leave a comment