Ficlet: Happiness is TwoKinds of Ice Cream (GH, Robin/Patrick, Lana Verse)
Title: Happiness is Two Kinds of Ice Cream
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 87 - Chocolate
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana Verse
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Robin and Patrick are not mine, Lana and Matt Drake are.
Word Count: 961
Spoilers/Warnings: It's all AU.
Summary: You promise you won’t tell your mom and that you’ll eat all your dinner no matter how many sweets you have this afternoon?
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus, and in celebration of Father's Day. Title from the song "Happiness", from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
“Daddy!” Lana stood at the door, hand on the door knob. “Let’s go!”
Patrick walked into the living room, fastening his watch around his wrist and checking his pockets for wallet and cell phone. “Hold your horses, sugar plum.” Satisfied that he had everything, he called out, “Robin, we’re leaving now!”
Robin came down the stairs, Matt on her hip. “Have fun guys,” she said. She ran a hand across Lana’s head. “Behave for your dad, okay? It’s Father’s Day, after all. Don’t run him ragged.”
Lana nodded, as she bounced in place. “I will.” She shot Patrick a pleading look. “Can we go now, Daddy?”
Robin and Patrick traded amused glances over their daughter’s head.
“Alright, alright,” Patrick said. He bent down to kiss Robin and the top of Matt’s head. “We’ll be home in a couple of hours, alright?”
“Don’t forget your dad is coming over for dinner tonight,” Robin reminded, as Lana tugged Patrick out the door.
“We’ll be back in plenty of time, I promise.” With a final smile, Patrick let Lana pull him in the direction of the sidewalk.
Robin smiled at their retreating forms, and closed the door behind them.
*
Lana and Patrick walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand, as they headed for the park. When Robin had suggested that he and Lana spend part of Father’s Day by themselves, Patrick had thought it was a brilliant idea. Since Matt’s birth, father and daughter who had been so close, hadn’t been able to spend much time alone together, and though she did her best to not act like it, Patrick was sure she must feel slightly neglected.
Spending the afternoon together was one way to help fix that.
Patrick looked down at Lana’s dark head, pony tail bobbing along as they walked. “So what do you want to do at the park, short stuff?”
Lana looked up at him. “Everything?”
Patrick laughed. “I’m not sure we’ll have time for everything,” he teased gently. “What do you most want to do?”
Lana frowned slightly, considering. “Well,” she started slowly. “I really want to ride the carousel. And feed the ducks. But daddy, it’s Father’s Day. What do you want to do?”
Patrick stopped and knelt down to be eye level with her. He tapped her on the nose gently. “I want to spend the day with you. Whatever we do is fine with me. Okay?”
Lana nodded. “Okay.”
Patrick stood and they pair resumed their walk towards the park. “So, let’s save the ducks for last, okay? That way we don’t have to worry that our hands are dirty for the rest of the afternoon. We can ride the carousel first, if you want.”
As Patrick spoke, they entered the park and saw that many other families had the same idea about how to spend a beautiful Father’s Day afternoon. Patrick started looking around for the ticket counter with the shortest line, when he became conscious of a tugging on his hand. He looked down at Lana. “What’s up?”
She pointed in the direction of an ice cream stand. “Can we get ice cream first?” She smiled up at him winningly. “Please?”
“Ice cream?” He knelt down once more. “You promise you won’t tell your mom and that you’ll eat all your dinner no matter how many sweets you have this afternoon?”
She nodded eagerly. “Promise.”
Patrick held out his pinkie. “Pinkie swear.”
Solemnly, Lana joined her pinkie with her father’s. “Pinkie swear.”
Satisfied, Patrick stood and grabbed Lana’s hand, as the two moved to stand in line. Quickly, they reached the front and Lana stood on her tiptoes to see what flavors where available.
Patrick smiled at the attendant, a kindly looking older gentleman. “Hi, I’ll have a cone of chocolate chip, please. Lana, what do you want?”
She looked up from the ice cream case. “I’d like a chocolate ice cream cone, please.”
“That’s all?” Patrick questioned. “You don’t want a different flavor?”
Lana shook her head firmly. “Just chocolate.”
Both Patrick and the attendant laughed. “Just the two cones then, please,” Patrick said.
The gentleman nodded, and set to work, first on Lana’s, then on Patrick’s ice cream cones. He handed them over carefully, and Patrick paid him quickly, grabbing a handful of napkins as they walked away from the stand.
Father and daughter settled on a nearby bench, each licking their ice cream quickly to prevent melting in the warm summer day. Both were silent, concentrating on the treat in front of them.
Patrick finished his cone, and looked down at Lana, expecting her to still have a lot of ice cream left. To his surprise, his normally incredibly tidy daughter’s face was covered in the remains of her ice cream cone spread across her tiny face. He stared in horror for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Lana looked over at him, still slurping away at her cone. “What’s so funny?”
Between bursts of laughter, Patrick managed to say, “If your mother saw you like that, your promise to not tell her about the ice cream wouldn’t matter.”
She frowned, as she finished her cone. She looked down at her pale yellow tank top and jean shorts. “I didn’t spill on me, did I?”
“No, sweetie, but your face is a mess.” Patrick grabbed the fistful of napkins he’d taken and started wiping off the remains of her early dessert from her face.
Once he finished, Lana looked down at the pile of used napkins and made a sheepish face. “Oops?”
She started giggling and Patrick joined her, wrapping his arm around her tiny shoulders, as they settled back into the park bench, just enjoying the sun and each other.
There wasn’t a better way to spend Father’s Day.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 87 - Chocolate
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana Verse
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Robin and Patrick are not mine, Lana and Matt Drake are.
Word Count: 961
Spoilers/Warnings: It's all AU.
Summary: You promise you won’t tell your mom and that you’ll eat all your dinner no matter how many sweets you have this afternoon?
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus, and in celebration of Father's Day. Title from the song "Happiness", from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
“Daddy!” Lana stood at the door, hand on the door knob. “Let’s go!”
Patrick walked into the living room, fastening his watch around his wrist and checking his pockets for wallet and cell phone. “Hold your horses, sugar plum.” Satisfied that he had everything, he called out, “Robin, we’re leaving now!”
Robin came down the stairs, Matt on her hip. “Have fun guys,” she said. She ran a hand across Lana’s head. “Behave for your dad, okay? It’s Father’s Day, after all. Don’t run him ragged.”
Lana nodded, as she bounced in place. “I will.” She shot Patrick a pleading look. “Can we go now, Daddy?”
Robin and Patrick traded amused glances over their daughter’s head.
“Alright, alright,” Patrick said. He bent down to kiss Robin and the top of Matt’s head. “We’ll be home in a couple of hours, alright?”
“Don’t forget your dad is coming over for dinner tonight,” Robin reminded, as Lana tugged Patrick out the door.
“We’ll be back in plenty of time, I promise.” With a final smile, Patrick let Lana pull him in the direction of the sidewalk.
Robin smiled at their retreating forms, and closed the door behind them.
*
Lana and Patrick walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand, as they headed for the park. When Robin had suggested that he and Lana spend part of Father’s Day by themselves, Patrick had thought it was a brilliant idea. Since Matt’s birth, father and daughter who had been so close, hadn’t been able to spend much time alone together, and though she did her best to not act like it, Patrick was sure she must feel slightly neglected.
Spending the afternoon together was one way to help fix that.
Patrick looked down at Lana’s dark head, pony tail bobbing along as they walked. “So what do you want to do at the park, short stuff?”
Lana looked up at him. “Everything?”
Patrick laughed. “I’m not sure we’ll have time for everything,” he teased gently. “What do you most want to do?”
Lana frowned slightly, considering. “Well,” she started slowly. “I really want to ride the carousel. And feed the ducks. But daddy, it’s Father’s Day. What do you want to do?”
Patrick stopped and knelt down to be eye level with her. He tapped her on the nose gently. “I want to spend the day with you. Whatever we do is fine with me. Okay?”
Lana nodded. “Okay.”
Patrick stood and they pair resumed their walk towards the park. “So, let’s save the ducks for last, okay? That way we don’t have to worry that our hands are dirty for the rest of the afternoon. We can ride the carousel first, if you want.”
As Patrick spoke, they entered the park and saw that many other families had the same idea about how to spend a beautiful Father’s Day afternoon. Patrick started looking around for the ticket counter with the shortest line, when he became conscious of a tugging on his hand. He looked down at Lana. “What’s up?”
She pointed in the direction of an ice cream stand. “Can we get ice cream first?” She smiled up at him winningly. “Please?”
“Ice cream?” He knelt down once more. “You promise you won’t tell your mom and that you’ll eat all your dinner no matter how many sweets you have this afternoon?”
She nodded eagerly. “Promise.”
Patrick held out his pinkie. “Pinkie swear.”
Solemnly, Lana joined her pinkie with her father’s. “Pinkie swear.”
Satisfied, Patrick stood and grabbed Lana’s hand, as the two moved to stand in line. Quickly, they reached the front and Lana stood on her tiptoes to see what flavors where available.
Patrick smiled at the attendant, a kindly looking older gentleman. “Hi, I’ll have a cone of chocolate chip, please. Lana, what do you want?”
She looked up from the ice cream case. “I’d like a chocolate ice cream cone, please.”
“That’s all?” Patrick questioned. “You don’t want a different flavor?”
Lana shook her head firmly. “Just chocolate.”
Both Patrick and the attendant laughed. “Just the two cones then, please,” Patrick said.
The gentleman nodded, and set to work, first on Lana’s, then on Patrick’s ice cream cones. He handed them over carefully, and Patrick paid him quickly, grabbing a handful of napkins as they walked away from the stand.
Father and daughter settled on a nearby bench, each licking their ice cream quickly to prevent melting in the warm summer day. Both were silent, concentrating on the treat in front of them.
Patrick finished his cone, and looked down at Lana, expecting her to still have a lot of ice cream left. To his surprise, his normally incredibly tidy daughter’s face was covered in the remains of her ice cream cone spread across her tiny face. He stared in horror for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Lana looked over at him, still slurping away at her cone. “What’s so funny?”
Between bursts of laughter, Patrick managed to say, “If your mother saw you like that, your promise to not tell her about the ice cream wouldn’t matter.”
She frowned, as she finished her cone. She looked down at her pale yellow tank top and jean shorts. “I didn’t spill on me, did I?”
“No, sweetie, but your face is a mess.” Patrick grabbed the fistful of napkins he’d taken and started wiping off the remains of her early dessert from her face.
Once he finished, Lana looked down at the pile of used napkins and made a sheepish face. “Oops?”
She started giggling and Patrick joined her, wrapping his arm around her tiny shoulders, as they settled back into the park bench, just enjoying the sun and each other.
There wasn’t a better way to spend Father’s Day.