Fandom Fire Station, Saturday

[designateddadfriend]

Yes, last night had been Prom, and yes, Fandom tended to do a Thing the morning after Prom, and yes, Travis had been a Fandom resident for long enough to know and expect this. In his defense, Fandom had never before done that Thing to him specifically, so he'd had no reason to expect it to do it to him this year.

So he was going about his usual Saturday morning business of making himself an omelet and pondering the futility of the life of a firefighter in a town where fires very rarely ever really happened, with the added spice of guilt over feeling like an inadequate firefighter for getting himself injured the one time a real fire with people that needed saving had happened on his watch, none the wiser that anything out of the ordinary might be heading his way.

Probie, on the other hand, was pacing about on the alert. Dogs had a reputation for knowing when natural disasters were coming, and sometimes Fandom dogs had the ability to sense when Fandom Things were coming, too.

She just, you know, saw no real need to alert Travis to it right now. It didn't really seem like anything all that dangerous, if you asked her.

[for one, yes. And then maybe another. And likely SP because weekend.]

Comments

[glowyfacebabies]

Why would Probie need to alert Travis? Just because there was an adorable intruder clomping up the steps inside the fire station? An adorable intruder who was probably going to give her so much people food this weekend?

"Hi hi hi!" Also knock knock knock.

"Is it breakfast time?"

[designateddadfriend]

“It, uhhhhhh.” Travis blinked at the tiny astronaut standing in the doorway. “Hello,” he greeted in his standard ‘oh shit the public’ voice. “Are you lost?”

[glowyfacebabies]

"Noooooo, Appa! I'm right here I'm not lost."

You were so silly, Travis!

"I came here on purpose to find you!"

[designateddadfriend]

All the air got sucked out of Travis’s lungs in those two syllables.

Appa.

He didn’t know a lot of Korean — his mom didn’t really use it much at home, since his dad didn’t speak it — but he knew the words for “mom” and “dad” and “grandmother” and “grandfather”. They were words Nari had always used for her own family back home in Seoul. And he’d decided long ago, when he’d realized that any kids he’d have would have two fathers, that he wanted them to call him ‘Appa’.

(He’d imagined Michael would be ‘Dad’.)

“You did,” he managed breathlessly. “G-good job, uh. Buddy!”

[glowyfacebabies]

"Thanks, Appa! Is it breakfast time? Kimchi toasts?"

Travis, you weren't going to say no to that adorable face, were you?

"Or something else? Is Dad here too?"

[designateddadfriend]

This kid was getting a lot of staring. “N-no. Nope. Noooo, no. No, uh.” Say another word now, Trav. “No one here but me right now — kiddo. I have — omelets?”

Kimchi toast! Did he even have any kimchi? Holy shit how was he going to keep a kid alive all weekend without any kimchi???

“Heyyyyy soooooo. . . . Who’s your dad again?”

[glowyfacebabies]

They could BUY kimchi, Travis!

"I like omelets," the tiny astronaut child informed him. "But Appa, did you forget Dad? Did you forget me?"

[designateddadfriend]

“No,” Travis said firmly, because the very idea of a kid’s Appa forgetting them sounded absolutely crushing! “But — also kind of.” He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “It’s like — an adventure! You came and found your Appa before he — me — I — even met you! And possibly your dad! Which sounds a little scary maybe but you found me here which means you know Fandom and that means you must know Fandom’s just — like that sometimes. Right? It does — silly stuff, like mess with — time?”

How was he not better prepared for this? He’d been here for years. He should have prepared for this!

[glowyfacebabies]

"I didn't think you forgot. You don't forget important things and you said I'm the most important."

He pulled his helmet off and held it out for Travis to take.

"I forgot Fandom is WEIRD and sometimes time is WEIRD and maybe you didn't know me yet and maybe I'm not s'posed to go in portals all alone sorry Appa."

[designateddadfriend]

“You should definitely not go in portals all alone,” Travis decided. “Or through unfamiliar doors or windows or down streets or anywhere else or oh my god I am totally going to be a helicopter parent, aren’t I. Warren is going to give me so much craaaaaanywayyyyyy.”

Good save, Travis! Very smooth!

“What’s your name? I probably shouldn’t just call you ‘buddy’ or ‘kiddo’ for the next three days. That’d make me a pretty bad appa.”

[glowyfacebabies]

"I'm Zachary Michael Montgomery," Zach said, holding out a hand. Because that's what you did when you introduced yourself. You shook hands! First impressions were important.

"Very good to meet you, Appa!"

[designateddadfriend]

Zachary Michael. Travis wanted to sit on the floor and cry. Or scoop this tiny, polite, gorgeous little thing up in his arms and shout. Maybe spin around and dance while he was at it. There were a lot of feelings involved.

Instead he crouched down to Zachary’s (Zach’s?) level and shook his hand with tremendous solemnity.

“It’s extremely nice to meet you too, Zachary. What’s your favorite kind of omelet?”

[glowyfacebabies]

"Usually you call me Zach," Zach said, lowering his voice and looking around the room as if he was imparting a very important secret.

"I like kimchi omelets and I like bacon omelets and sometimes you say I need more vegetables so maybe just a little bit of spinaches and a lot of cheese?"

[designateddadfriend]

“Zach,” Travis said with a nod. “How about . . . bacon and spinach and cheese? I think I have all that.”

He wasn’t about to tell this kid that kimchi was made of vegetables.

[glowyfacebabies]

Popcorn was made of corn, too, but that didn't mean it was vegetables! Sometimes things changed.

"Cheese and bacon and spinach," Zach confirmed. Was the order important? Maybe. He was a small child sometimes these things mattered and sometimes they didn't.

"Are you having omelets too?"

Was Probie going to get a lot of omelet? Absolutely.

[designateddadfriend]

Travis was probably going to allow a lot more spoiling of Probie than Appa normally did, too. He didn’t know how to watch for it and prevent it!

“I’m having an omelet too,” Travis confirmed. “With cheese and bacon and spinach and onions.”

He hadn’t planned to add spinach to his at first, but it seemed only fair if he was going to get Zach to have some.

[glowyfacebabies]

"Onions are smelly," Zach informed him. Which was a bit rich coming from a child who had requested kimchi twice already this morning but what could you do? "You can have alllll the onions. Can I help cook? I like helping."

[designateddadfriend]

“I am totally going to eat alllll the onions,” Travis agreed, standing back up and looking for something kid friendly Zach could assist with. Nothing with hot oil or raw egg or meat or mess…. Which eliminated most of the cooking process.

“Do you want to set the table?”

That would be kid proof, right?

[glowyfacebabies]

"Ok, Appa."

This Appa was maybe even more nervous than usual!

Zach nodded. "Where is everything? Are we just us or do we need more plates than two? Do we need forks and knives and spoons and cups and napkins and salt and pepper?"

[designateddadfriend]

Travis pointed out the silverware drawer and got a couple plates down from the upper cabinet. “Just us two. And Probie of course. And I think we just need forks and napkins. And salt and pepper if you want. Omelets aren’t spoons and forks food. What do you like to drink? We have orange juice, milk orrrrr…..” Coffee. No. “Water.”

[glowyfacebabies]

"Does Probie get omelets too?" Zach asked, eyes wide. "I bet she likes omelets."

Probie was getting some omelet whether Travis liked it or not, let's be real here.

"Juice please. For me. Not for Probie! Dogs don't like juice."

[designateddadfriend]

"Probie gets her usual breakfast," Travis said. "She likes it best."

Probie would love an omelet and you know it, Travis.

"And you're right. Probie will have water with her breakfast. She eats under the table, as I'm sure you know."

[glowyfacebabies]

Probie was getting some omelet pieces slid under the table. Wasn't that why she ate there? To get good snacks?

"Probie is a Very Good Girl," Zach said solemnly. "She knows where to eat."

And where to get snacks. Even this Probie, probably.

[designateddadfriend]

"That's right," Travis agreed. "She's the very best good girl."

Probie was wagging her tail so hard her entire body waggled.

This was the best weekend ever.