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."
"Nah, just black," Lennox replied, holding Flo up higher and grinning when she gave him a wide, gummy smile and kicked her little legs. "I would totally trade my dog for you, baby, but I think your mom and dad and your other dad who's not quite your dad, but is also in love with your mom and therefore close enough might have something to say about it. Also, my husband might not like it much either."
Which was Lennox's not very subtle way of telling Mike that he knew about Hobbes and Eostre.
Mike turns with the coffee in his hands and just stares for a couple of seconds. It's not a disbelieving stare. It's a 'I'm not sure what the hell you just said so let me try to figure it out' stare. Finally he blinks and smiles faintly, holding out the mug.
"Kid couldn't keep his mouth shut if I stapled his lips together, huh." Not that it's been a secret, exactly, but still. It's amusing more than anything else.
"He told me not to tell Chris because he wants to tell him," Lennox said with a dry smile, giving Flo a little wiggle when she gave a little squeal and waved her arms at him. "You know how fucking hard it is for me to keep secrets, man? It's worse than Tom! I had to wrangle it outta him when I got him stoned and he started talking about refusing sex unless you dressed up like Santa for the twins, but only sex with you. Which made me wonder who else he was having sex with."
Mostly Lennox just hoped Mike caught onto the Santa part. That had been his favourite.
Mike blinks again, processing this. "You two deserve each other," he decides. "You... you can babble at each other and I'll go live in the jungle somewhere and come back on weekends. How's that sound?" He smirks and heads over to the table with both cups.
"And I'm not surprised he didn't want you to tell Chris. Still kind of tricky there." He wishes to God it wouldn't be, but he supposes there's not much he can do about it at this point.
"Chris is probably gonna be weird no matter who tells him, it's just a pain in the ass to have to keep a secret from the guy I'm married to," Lennox replied with a laugh, picking up his coffee long enough to take a sip before he returned his attention to Flo.
"And we weren't babbling, we were thinking of ways to make the twins first Christmas kick ass," he corrected with a small smirk. "Therefore Santa. Obviously."
"Yeah, well, red's more your color." He smiles thinly as he sinks into a chair, Flo squeaking indignantly as she's jostled. There are certain lengths to which he will not go. Not even for his own flesh and blood.
"And I know." He makes a face. "Believe me. I know. I just wish..." He sighs. "It's fucking ridiculous for me to wish that people wouldn't be difficult, I know. But I wish he wouldn't be, so much."
"I love Chris, but he's been difficult his whole life. Ain't gonna change any time soon." That said, he was a hell of a lot better than he'd been for a long time and Lennox knew it. He could deal just fine with the minor difficulties as long as Chris wasn't running away from him.
"Guess not," he says, sipping the coffee. It's hot enough to burn the tip of his tongue, just a little, giving it a pleasant numbness. "Wouldn't really be him, then, anyway. And I like him, sorta.
"He just got lucky with you," he adds, looking at Lennox over the rim of his mug.
"He got lucky with me?" Lennox repeated, looking a little skeptical at that. He didn't think that anyone in his whole life had ever said that Chris was the lucky one. Even when they'd been kids and just friends, people in Long Bay had said he was lucky to have a friend like Chris, someone to keep him on the right path, someone to watch his body.
"Are you sure you didn't get that mixed up?" he asked.
"He's an asshole," Mike says simply. "And you put up with him. And you seem like you want to put up with him for the rest of your life. Yeah, I'd say he's pretty fucking lucky." He leans back in his chair, coffee mug in one hand and a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Lennox had never really thought of it like that, especially not when, all his life, Chris had been the centre of attention. People loved Chris Cutter and Lennox, well, he'd just been the sidekick.
After a moment, he smiled back and nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess I would."
"You gotta listen to me, man," he says, still with that crooked half-smile. "I think the secret to happiness is finding someone who can put up with you. And not everyone does." His face turns a little more serious, though the smile doesn't really fade. He's remembering the fact that Lennox hadn't turned and sprinted away from what he'd seen. That he'd stayed when Mike had asked him to. That he probably would have even if Mike hadn't asked him.
Lennox smiled at that and ducked his head, a true, genuine smile and a rare moment of real embarrassment. "I think he gets it," he answered honestly, looking up at Mike again after a moment.
"And, uh... thanks. You know, for saying shit like that. For the most part I was just Chris Cutter's sidekick back home. No one even knew who I was unless they knew him first."
"I'm thanking you 'cause it's nice to hear," Lennox replied with a shrug, leaning against the cupboards as he takes another sip of his coffee. "That's all. I'm allowed to thank you for that, right?" he asked, grinning.
"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."
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Which was Lennox's not very subtle way of telling Mike that he knew about Hobbes and Eostre.
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"Kid couldn't keep his mouth shut if I stapled his lips together, huh." Not that it's been a secret, exactly, but still. It's amusing more than anything else.
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Mostly Lennox just hoped Mike caught onto the Santa part. That had been his favourite.
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"And I'm not surprised he didn't want you to tell Chris. Still kind of tricky there." He wishes to God it wouldn't be, but he supposes there's not much he can do about it at this point.
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"And we weren't babbling, we were thinking of ways to make the twins first Christmas kick ass," he corrected with a small smirk. "Therefore Santa. Obviously."
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"And I know." He makes a face. "Believe me. I know. I just wish..." He sighs. "It's fucking ridiculous for me to wish that people wouldn't be difficult, I know. But I wish he wouldn't be, so much."
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"He just got lucky with you," he adds, looking at Lennox over the rim of his mug.
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"Are you sure you didn't get that mixed up?" he asked.
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"Wouldn't you?"
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After a moment, he smiled back and nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess I would."
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"Hope he knows just how lucky he is."
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"And, uh... thanks. You know, for saying shit like that. For the most part I was just Chris Cutter's sidekick back home. No one even knew who I was unless they knew him first."
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He smiles again, warm and still faintly teasing. "I am just telling the truth, though. Far as I know it. Don't fucking thank me."
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