BOYS AND THEIR TOYS
Title: Boys and Their Toys
Series: A Year in the Life - March 2010
Date: March 25th - Letting Go of Stuff Day
Author: cunningdeb
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, Joshua, Hannah, Mrs. Willowby
Summary: Spring cleaning their closets and toy chests
Disclaimer: Pure fiction.
Part of my Allen-Lambert universe
Thanks amberboc for the prompt.
--*--
Spring cleaning in the Allen-Lambert household meant hiring professional crews to freshen up the gardens and lawns and clean the main house but the family didn’t skip out on all the fun. All five residents cleaned their own rooms - as best they could - and went through their closets and toys, passing on the gently used items they didn’t want anymore to those who could use them.
While Mrs. Willowby supervised the professional crew - she was very particular about how HER house was treated - the parents supervised their kids.
In an effort to teach the kids that cleaning and giving could be loads of fun, the weekend before, all three adults and the two kids had a little craft session. Each had three boxes - one labeled ‘toss’, the second labeled ‘give’ and the third labeled ‘keep’. Kris and Adam hit a dollar store and came home with nearly every craft supply they had on the shelves. They decorated their own boxes with crayons, markers, paint, stickers, and construction paper. They did buy glitter but Adam got to it first - enough said.
Hannah and Joshie helped Mrs. Willowby go through her closet and then it was their turn.
Kris sat on Joshie’s bed watching his seven-year-old digging through the bottom of his closet. The only help Kris offered was in reading the words on his boxes and helping his son figure out what didn’t fit any more. Like a typical boy, Joshie didn’t want to part with his old clothes because they were really comfortable but Kris wasn’t having his little guy walking around Los Angeles with his teddy bear briefs showing through his pants. A little bribery, like a promise to get him a new plaid shirt, eased the separation anxiety.
The toy chest wasn’t as easy. Kris sat on the floor for this one.
“But Joshie, you haven’t played with that truck in months. Don’t you think there might be another little boy or girl out there that would like to play with it?”
“Yeeesss,” he whined, “but what if I want to play with a truck?”
Kris reached into the ‘keep’ box. “Then you can play with one of these four trucks. What’s our family rule?”
“If it doesn’t see the light of day then it’s time to give it away.”
“Good boy! So let’s go through your toys one at a time and see what can share with others. Sounds good?”
“No,” he sullenly replied, “but okay.”
Adam was helping Hannah with her own cleansing. Sorting the toys was painless as their twelve-year-old didn’t play much with them any more. Except for a few special items, like her first teddy bear, the rest went into ‘toss’ or ‘give’.
On the other hand, Hannah was as much a clothes horse as her Papa. Her closet was overflowing as were her dresser drawers and the storage containers under her bed used for her seasonal wardrobe. Adam had to remember he was the grown-up and not to give in to her arguments - the same arguments he would use later when Kris helped him through the trauma of purging his own things.
“I can’t get rid of this one!” Hannah declared, holding up a black t-shirt with the Union Jack bedazzled on the front.
“It hasn’t fit you since you were nine.”
“I know but you brought it back for me from one of your tours.”
Sentimental value. He knew it well. Time for reverse psychology. “Okay but if it stays in your closet then that’s one less spot for hanging something new.”
“New! Are you gonna buy me new stuff for everything I let go rid of?” She was bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Nice try Sweetpea. What else could we do with it.”
Hannah chewed her bottom lip, taping her cheek with her finger. “Put it in your closet?”
Before Adam could reply, she corrected herself. “Wouldn’t work - no room.”
“How about….we frame it and hang it on your wall.”
“Yeah!”
One item down, dozens to go.
Whereas it took Joshie about an hour to straighten his room, it took Hannah nearly three after a down and dirty tug-of-war with her Papa regarding her clothes. By the time they were done, Adam felt ten years older and in desperate need of a drink.
He flopped down on the couch in their bedroom and gratefully accepted the whiskey Kris offered. Kris couldn’t help commenting, “Welcome to my world.”
“Oh shut up, I’m not that bad.”
“No,” Kris responded, sitting beside his husband and drinking his beer, “you’re worse.”
Adam bolted upright. “Now hold on a minute!”
“Let’s review the evidence. Is there room in our bedroom closet for more of YOUR clothes?”
“No but….”
“And aren’t all the dresser drawers full of your stuff?”
“Well, yes but…”
“And isn’t there overflow in the closets of both our guest rooms?”
Adam sat back, chugging his whiskey and grumbling, “That’s playing dirty.”
“Call ‘em like I see ‘em.” A self satisfied smile crept over Kris’ lips.
“You’re not any better.”
“What the hell that does mean? I rarely buy new things until I need them.”
“True but your taste is kind of limited.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh come on Mr-I-Never-Met-A-Plaid-I-Didn’t-Like. You’ve got enough plaid to make kilts for the entire population of Scotland!”
They stared at each other, trying to look indignant but ended up laughing their asses off.
Kris offered his hand first.
“Truce?”
Adam grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a wet lingering kiss. “Truce. I do love make up sex.”
Kris ran his thumb over his husband inviting bottom lip. “Later, we have a job to do.”
Half way through their own cleaning, Mrs. Willowby and the kids came in. Hannah and Joshie jumped on the bed, looking into the boxes and Mrs. Willowby pulled clothes out and folded them properly.
Joshie raised an eyebrow then planted his hands on his hip, trying to look serious. “Where are your toys mister?”
Hannah took a second glance at the boxes then joined her brother. “Yeah! If we have to clean out ALL our stuff so do you guys.”
Kris and Adam looked at each other, completely confused. Adam dove in. “What are you two talking about? We don’t have toys.”
“Yes you do,” Joshie replied.
“No we don’t.”
“Yes you do!”
“No…we…don’t!”
Kris had to step in. “Enough boys. Joshie, what toys are you talking about? Like our iPods or maybe the board games in the family room?”
“Your jump ropes.”
“Jump ropes?” both Adam and Kris blurted.
“Uh-huh,” Hannah added, “And that tickling thing you got in France.”
“The what?!”
“And your remote control car.”
“Okay kid, you lost me,” Kris said, looking to Adam. No help there; he was just as baffled.
“I hear it buzzing at night and you guys laughing. Can I play with it if you don’t want it any more?”
Mrs. Willowby chuckled, her cheeks blushing. Adam and Kris looked to her for silent clarification. Her eyes drifted towards the wooden box beside their bed.
Light bulb moment!
Adam turned white and Kris turned red. Holy crap!
“Oh, um, those…”
“Well, you see kids…oh boy…”
“Hannah, Joshua, go to your rooms and bring your ‘give’ boxes to the front door. Let you Daddy and Papa finish up here and then we’ll all drive go for a drive and drop our things off.”
“Can we get ice cream?” Hannah begged.
“I want a Happy Meal!” Joshie corrected.
“Whatever you want. I’m sure your parents just want to get this done and over with. Lads?”
“Right, right, yeah, go get your stuff kids….”
“We’ll be right down….anything you want….”
A hand on each back, Mrs. Willowby led them out of the room, looking back at her big boys and winking.
Kris collapsed against Adam, his knees giving way. “We really need to be more careful…or quieter.”
“I go for careful…being quiet is really hard when you’ve got your mouth around my….”
Mrs. Willowby waited outside the kids’ rooms as they retrieved their boxes. She looked back towards Adam and Kris’ room. A huge smile on her face, she sighed and shook her head.
“Boys and their toys….boys and their toys.”
Series: A Year in the Life - March 2010
Date: March 25th - Letting Go of Stuff Day
Author: cunningdeb
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, Joshua, Hannah, Mrs. Willowby
Summary: Spring cleaning their closets and toy chests
Disclaimer: Pure fiction.
Part of my Allen-Lambert universe
Thanks amberboc for the prompt.
--*--
Spring cleaning in the Allen-Lambert household meant hiring professional crews to freshen up the gardens and lawns and clean the main house but the family didn’t skip out on all the fun. All five residents cleaned their own rooms - as best they could - and went through their closets and toys, passing on the gently used items they didn’t want anymore to those who could use them.
While Mrs. Willowby supervised the professional crew - she was very particular about how HER house was treated - the parents supervised their kids.
In an effort to teach the kids that cleaning and giving could be loads of fun, the weekend before, all three adults and the two kids had a little craft session. Each had three boxes - one labeled ‘toss’, the second labeled ‘give’ and the third labeled ‘keep’. Kris and Adam hit a dollar store and came home with nearly every craft supply they had on the shelves. They decorated their own boxes with crayons, markers, paint, stickers, and construction paper. They did buy glitter but Adam got to it first - enough said.
Hannah and Joshie helped Mrs. Willowby go through her closet and then it was their turn.
Kris sat on Joshie’s bed watching his seven-year-old digging through the bottom of his closet. The only help Kris offered was in reading the words on his boxes and helping his son figure out what didn’t fit any more. Like a typical boy, Joshie didn’t want to part with his old clothes because they were really comfortable but Kris wasn’t having his little guy walking around Los Angeles with his teddy bear briefs showing through his pants. A little bribery, like a promise to get him a new plaid shirt, eased the separation anxiety.
The toy chest wasn’t as easy. Kris sat on the floor for this one.
“But Joshie, you haven’t played with that truck in months. Don’t you think there might be another little boy or girl out there that would like to play with it?”
“Yeeesss,” he whined, “but what if I want to play with a truck?”
Kris reached into the ‘keep’ box. “Then you can play with one of these four trucks. What’s our family rule?”
“If it doesn’t see the light of day then it’s time to give it away.”
“Good boy! So let’s go through your toys one at a time and see what can share with others. Sounds good?”
“No,” he sullenly replied, “but okay.”
Adam was helping Hannah with her own cleansing. Sorting the toys was painless as their twelve-year-old didn’t play much with them any more. Except for a few special items, like her first teddy bear, the rest went into ‘toss’ or ‘give’.
On the other hand, Hannah was as much a clothes horse as her Papa. Her closet was overflowing as were her dresser drawers and the storage containers under her bed used for her seasonal wardrobe. Adam had to remember he was the grown-up and not to give in to her arguments - the same arguments he would use later when Kris helped him through the trauma of purging his own things.
“I can’t get rid of this one!” Hannah declared, holding up a black t-shirt with the Union Jack bedazzled on the front.
“It hasn’t fit you since you were nine.”
“I know but you brought it back for me from one of your tours.”
Sentimental value. He knew it well. Time for reverse psychology. “Okay but if it stays in your closet then that’s one less spot for hanging something new.”
“New! Are you gonna buy me new stuff for everything I let go rid of?” She was bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Nice try Sweetpea. What else could we do with it.”
Hannah chewed her bottom lip, taping her cheek with her finger. “Put it in your closet?”
Before Adam could reply, she corrected herself. “Wouldn’t work - no room.”
“How about….we frame it and hang it on your wall.”
“Yeah!”
One item down, dozens to go.
Whereas it took Joshie about an hour to straighten his room, it took Hannah nearly three after a down and dirty tug-of-war with her Papa regarding her clothes. By the time they were done, Adam felt ten years older and in desperate need of a drink.
He flopped down on the couch in their bedroom and gratefully accepted the whiskey Kris offered. Kris couldn’t help commenting, “Welcome to my world.”
“Oh shut up, I’m not that bad.”
“No,” Kris responded, sitting beside his husband and drinking his beer, “you’re worse.”
Adam bolted upright. “Now hold on a minute!”
“Let’s review the evidence. Is there room in our bedroom closet for more of YOUR clothes?”
“No but….”
“And aren’t all the dresser drawers full of your stuff?”
“Well, yes but…”
“And isn’t there overflow in the closets of both our guest rooms?”
Adam sat back, chugging his whiskey and grumbling, “That’s playing dirty.”
“Call ‘em like I see ‘em.” A self satisfied smile crept over Kris’ lips.
“You’re not any better.”
“What the hell that does mean? I rarely buy new things until I need them.”
“True but your taste is kind of limited.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh come on Mr-I-Never-Met-A-Plaid-I-Didn’t-Like. You’ve got enough plaid to make kilts for the entire population of Scotland!”
They stared at each other, trying to look indignant but ended up laughing their asses off.
Kris offered his hand first.
“Truce?”
Adam grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a wet lingering kiss. “Truce. I do love make up sex.”
Kris ran his thumb over his husband inviting bottom lip. “Later, we have a job to do.”
Half way through their own cleaning, Mrs. Willowby and the kids came in. Hannah and Joshie jumped on the bed, looking into the boxes and Mrs. Willowby pulled clothes out and folded them properly.
Joshie raised an eyebrow then planted his hands on his hip, trying to look serious. “Where are your toys mister?”
Hannah took a second glance at the boxes then joined her brother. “Yeah! If we have to clean out ALL our stuff so do you guys.”
Kris and Adam looked at each other, completely confused. Adam dove in. “What are you two talking about? We don’t have toys.”
“Yes you do,” Joshie replied.
“No we don’t.”
“Yes you do!”
“No…we…don’t!”
Kris had to step in. “Enough boys. Joshie, what toys are you talking about? Like our iPods or maybe the board games in the family room?”
“Your jump ropes.”
“Jump ropes?” both Adam and Kris blurted.
“Uh-huh,” Hannah added, “And that tickling thing you got in France.”
“The what?!”
“And your remote control car.”
“Okay kid, you lost me,” Kris said, looking to Adam. No help there; he was just as baffled.
“I hear it buzzing at night and you guys laughing. Can I play with it if you don’t want it any more?”
Mrs. Willowby chuckled, her cheeks blushing. Adam and Kris looked to her for silent clarification. Her eyes drifted towards the wooden box beside their bed.
Light bulb moment!
Adam turned white and Kris turned red. Holy crap!
“Oh, um, those…”
“Well, you see kids…oh boy…”
“Hannah, Joshua, go to your rooms and bring your ‘give’ boxes to the front door. Let you Daddy and Papa finish up here and then we’ll all drive go for a drive and drop our things off.”
“Can we get ice cream?” Hannah begged.
“I want a Happy Meal!” Joshie corrected.
“Whatever you want. I’m sure your parents just want to get this done and over with. Lads?”
“Right, right, yeah, go get your stuff kids….”
“We’ll be right down….anything you want….”
A hand on each back, Mrs. Willowby led them out of the room, looking back at her big boys and winking.
Kris collapsed against Adam, his knees giving way. “We really need to be more careful…or quieter.”
“I go for careful…being quiet is really hard when you’ve got your mouth around my….”
Mrs. Willowby waited outside the kids’ rooms as they retrieved their boxes. She looked back towards Adam and Kris’ room. A huge smile on her face, she sighed and shook her head.
“Boys and their toys….boys and their toys.”