Post by wordy on Dec 18, 2009 10:24:08 GMT 10
Title: Home Alone
Rating (and Warnings): G
Prompt: #16 Decorations
Summary: Cythera lets Gary spend some quality time with their kids.
Notes: I've grown rather attached to Gary (as you can probably tell by now ) so I thought I might as well take the whole family. ;D
"I won't be gone for long," Cythera was saying, "just play with the children until I get back. Surely you can handle that, Gary."
"Of course. But - I thought the point of having a midwife was that she came to you, not the other way around," he replied, looking at his very pregnant wife with some concern and confusion.
Cythera merely waved a hand in dismissal as she walked out the door. Gary looked at the door for a moment before turning and seeing three small faces looking up at him with interest. "Um," he said.
"Daddy." Gary's gaze fell to the smallest face, belonging to their youngest daughter, Jaquetta. She was looking up at him with big brown eyes. A dimple marked her left cheek, making her look even more adorable, if such a thing was possible. "Mummy said we could decorate, can we decorate?"
Midwinter would soon be upon them, and Cythera had said they should decorate the place a bit. It looked rather drab and dreary at the moment, Gary thought, all grey walls and dark carpets. The two older children, Gilmyn and Zenoby - each a miniature of himself and his wife - continued to look at him with big, curious eyes.
"Of course we can decorate!" he said, clapping his hands together and putting as much cheer into his voice as he could. "Where should we start?"
Jaquetta dragged him toward a cupboard, which opened to reveal a mess of Midwinter decorations: bows and ribbons, bits of holly, a few sprigs of mistletoe, and long strings of golden beads. Gary looked at the mess with growing horror. It had spread onto the carpet when Jaquetta had pulled open the door. Bits of leaves, twigs, and pine needles had attached themselves to the carpet.
Gary cleared his throat. "Excellent. Shall we start in this room then? Mummy will be very surprised when she gets home and sees it." Very surprised, he thought woefully, but hopefully not too angry.
Zenoby immediately reached forward to grab a string of the golden beads, and draped them around her neck. "I'm going to hang these over there," she said, and traipsed over to the other side of the room without so much as a backward glance. Gary was pleased that she, at least, did not seem to be so much trouble; although he wasn't quite sure what she was going to hang the beads on, since all he could see in that corner of the room was a wide expanse of grey wall. He turned back to the mess. Gilmyn was picking up the holly and mistletoe, obviously forsaking the ribbons and such for what he thought were the more manly decorations. Zaquetta was bent over, trying to pile a bit of everything into her arms. At last, she managed to make her dress into a sort of basket to carry it all, her white petticoat showing. Gary couldn't decide if it was comical or cute. Probably a bit of both.
Gimlyn had marched off to decorate above the fireplace, having dragged a large chair across to stand on. Gary called out to him to be careful, but his son merely continued draping and arranging the holly on the mantelpiece as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Rather than make the mess any bigger than it already was, Gary decided to help Jaquetta with her decorating, since she seemed to have the most to do. He pushed as much of the leftover decorations as he could back into the cupboard with his foot, almost getting caught on a string of beads and falling flat on his nose. He caught his balance just in time though, pushed the door closed, and followed Jaquetta as she waddled across the room.
"Hold this," Jaquetta said, and Gary found himself kneeling on the carpet with an armful of ribbons and bows. Gently, she let her dress rest on the floor so that nothing escaped, and only when he saw her reaching toward his old dog Blazer, who was sleeping under a chair, did he bite his lip with worry.
"There," she said, observing her work with a happy look on her chubby little face. Blazer looked up at him slowly, the large red ribbon on top of his head hindering his movements a bit. Sorry, Gary mouthed, when Jaquetta had turned away. Blazer merely looked at him with large, woeful eyes before going back to sleep.
For the rest of the day, Gary followed his youngest daughter about the room on his knees, watching helplessly as she decorated anything that took her fancy. Gimlyn and Zenoby had grown tired of decorating early on, and now preferred to sit and watch as Jaquetta led him about the room, their faces passive. Gary knew they must be laughing on the inside, the little brats.
Gary thought he would die of relief when he heard Cythera arrive home, her step - slow and steady, since she was almost nine months along now - getting closer and closer. Only when she opened the door did he think to worry about the sight she was about to see, but relief and exhaustion overruled that quickly.
When she saw him lying exhausted on the floor, Zaquetta bustling about and decorating him from head to toe, Cythera could only laugh.
Rating (and Warnings): G
Prompt: #16 Decorations
Summary: Cythera lets Gary spend some quality time with their kids.
Notes: I've grown rather attached to Gary (as you can probably tell by now ) so I thought I might as well take the whole family. ;D
"I won't be gone for long," Cythera was saying, "just play with the children until I get back. Surely you can handle that, Gary."
"Of course. But - I thought the point of having a midwife was that she came to you, not the other way around," he replied, looking at his very pregnant wife with some concern and confusion.
Cythera merely waved a hand in dismissal as she walked out the door. Gary looked at the door for a moment before turning and seeing three small faces looking up at him with interest. "Um," he said.
"Daddy." Gary's gaze fell to the smallest face, belonging to their youngest daughter, Jaquetta. She was looking up at him with big brown eyes. A dimple marked her left cheek, making her look even more adorable, if such a thing was possible. "Mummy said we could decorate, can we decorate?"
Midwinter would soon be upon them, and Cythera had said they should decorate the place a bit. It looked rather drab and dreary at the moment, Gary thought, all grey walls and dark carpets. The two older children, Gilmyn and Zenoby - each a miniature of himself and his wife - continued to look at him with big, curious eyes.
"Of course we can decorate!" he said, clapping his hands together and putting as much cheer into his voice as he could. "Where should we start?"
Jaquetta dragged him toward a cupboard, which opened to reveal a mess of Midwinter decorations: bows and ribbons, bits of holly, a few sprigs of mistletoe, and long strings of golden beads. Gary looked at the mess with growing horror. It had spread onto the carpet when Jaquetta had pulled open the door. Bits of leaves, twigs, and pine needles had attached themselves to the carpet.
Gary cleared his throat. "Excellent. Shall we start in this room then? Mummy will be very surprised when she gets home and sees it." Very surprised, he thought woefully, but hopefully not too angry.
Zenoby immediately reached forward to grab a string of the golden beads, and draped them around her neck. "I'm going to hang these over there," she said, and traipsed over to the other side of the room without so much as a backward glance. Gary was pleased that she, at least, did not seem to be so much trouble; although he wasn't quite sure what she was going to hang the beads on, since all he could see in that corner of the room was a wide expanse of grey wall. He turned back to the mess. Gilmyn was picking up the holly and mistletoe, obviously forsaking the ribbons and such for what he thought were the more manly decorations. Zaquetta was bent over, trying to pile a bit of everything into her arms. At last, she managed to make her dress into a sort of basket to carry it all, her white petticoat showing. Gary couldn't decide if it was comical or cute. Probably a bit of both.
Gimlyn had marched off to decorate above the fireplace, having dragged a large chair across to stand on. Gary called out to him to be careful, but his son merely continued draping and arranging the holly on the mantelpiece as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Rather than make the mess any bigger than it already was, Gary decided to help Jaquetta with her decorating, since she seemed to have the most to do. He pushed as much of the leftover decorations as he could back into the cupboard with his foot, almost getting caught on a string of beads and falling flat on his nose. He caught his balance just in time though, pushed the door closed, and followed Jaquetta as she waddled across the room.
"Hold this," Jaquetta said, and Gary found himself kneeling on the carpet with an armful of ribbons and bows. Gently, she let her dress rest on the floor so that nothing escaped, and only when he saw her reaching toward his old dog Blazer, who was sleeping under a chair, did he bite his lip with worry.
"There," she said, observing her work with a happy look on her chubby little face. Blazer looked up at him slowly, the large red ribbon on top of his head hindering his movements a bit. Sorry, Gary mouthed, when Jaquetta had turned away. Blazer merely looked at him with large, woeful eyes before going back to sleep.
For the rest of the day, Gary followed his youngest daughter about the room on his knees, watching helplessly as she decorated anything that took her fancy. Gimlyn and Zenoby had grown tired of decorating early on, and now preferred to sit and watch as Jaquetta led him about the room, their faces passive. Gary knew they must be laughing on the inside, the little brats.
Gary thought he would die of relief when he heard Cythera arrive home, her step - slow and steady, since she was almost nine months along now - getting closer and closer. Only when she opened the door did he think to worry about the sight she was about to see, but relief and exhaustion overruled that quickly.
When she saw him lying exhausted on the floor, Zaquetta bustling about and decorating him from head to toe, Cythera could only laugh.