![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Jul. 20th, 2014 09:36 pm"I'm sorry for the short notice, I really appreciate this." Mum says, as she drops Fry and Coral off with Grandpa. "You're quite sure Maggie won't mind?"
Fry glances around the house. It doesn't smell the same as Grandpa's old house - which Granny still lives in - but he never really liked going there anyway. And it's got to be better than the KIDZFUN! club he got kicked out of.*
It had been a bit of a shock to Mum and Dad when Grandpa brought Maggie over for the first time, and Mum said it was because Maggie was a lot younger than Grandpa and still had children at home and that was apparently a bit of a surprise. Fry wasn't very surprised because he didn't think he would enjoy living with Granny either and Maggie is quite nice so far.
"Hello Stepgrandmother." he says politely, when Maggie appears.
Maggie laughs. "Oh sweetie, we are definitely going to need to come up with a better name than that."
"Yeah..." Mum grimaces. "We'll have to have a discussion about that at some point, now that you've met Dad's grandkids."
"I promise not to get in the way of them and their Gran in any way." Maggie promises. "I know I can never be her."
"I hope not, she's mean to me." Fry says.
"Fry." Mum warns, before turning back to Maggie. "I'll have my phone on at work, if you have any problems. I really appreciate you stepping in."
"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll get on with mine just fine." Maggie says, showing Fry and Coral inside and seeing Mum off.
Fry looks around the living room.
Television on MTV three DVD racks in the wrong order smells like dog box of toys on the floor models of dogs on shelves smells like dog clock shaped like dog ticking five minutes slow smells like dog recycling bin is full coffee table five copies of Real People Magazine smells like dog broken crisp on carpet pattern is spotty spots like a five side of a dice in two directions smells of dog...
Fry bends down to run his fingers carefully on the pattern of dots. Five sided dice shape, over and over, the bottom spot forms the top spot of the next five sided dice shape.
"What are you doing?"
Fry finishes tracing three more shapes before he looks up. A boy slightly older than him wearing a t-shirt with a truck on it is staring at him.
"Callum, this is Fry and Coral." Maggie says. "They're Frank's grandchildren and they've come to play today." She beckons a little girl about Coral's age down the stairs. "Madison, do you want to show Coral your dollies? Ethan's around here somewhere..."
"Do you want to go in the garden?" Callum asks, looking doubtfully at Fry, who has got distracted again by the carpet.
"Okay." Fry follows Callum out into the garden, and proceeds to inspect all the plants. An older boy of about ten, Ethan, wanders out to join them, having been prodded into doing so by his mum. Callum starts kicking a ball against a wall.
"What's he doing?" Ethan asks Callum, watching Fry.
"I dunno, he's just staring at stuff." Callum says. "He's really weird."
"This is a buddleia." Fry says, suddenly, looking at the plant. "Dad said that all plants have names in Latin because that means anyone in the world knows what they are talking about."
"Whatever, are you gonna play football?" Ethan asks.
Fry glances at the football.
"I don't like football." he says. "I don't like to be touched."
"Okaaaaay. What do you like doing?" Callum asks.
"Maths." Fry says. "Or playing the piano. Or video games."
"We have video games." Callum says. "Then you can do my homework or something..."
***
"What the fuck?!" Ethan yells, after the fifth round. "How is he doing that?"
"No fair, let's play a different game." Callum complains. "Mum only bought us this stupid brain puzzle game for school anyway."
"Guest chooses the first game and I am not losing to a five year old!" Ethan yells, restarting the game.
Fry smiles slightly as he fires rapidly at the numbers on the screen. Maybe he'll have something in common with his step-uncles after all.
[*Apparently, phoning the police to report 'It hurts, everyone is screaming and I'm scared' is not the socially acceptable response to the KIDZFUN! club organisers getting a local pop act to perform loud music.]
Fry glances around the house. It doesn't smell the same as Grandpa's old house - which Granny still lives in - but he never really liked going there anyway. And it's got to be better than the KIDZFUN! club he got kicked out of.*
It had been a bit of a shock to Mum and Dad when Grandpa brought Maggie over for the first time, and Mum said it was because Maggie was a lot younger than Grandpa and still had children at home and that was apparently a bit of a surprise. Fry wasn't very surprised because he didn't think he would enjoy living with Granny either and Maggie is quite nice so far.
"Hello Stepgrandmother." he says politely, when Maggie appears.
Maggie laughs. "Oh sweetie, we are definitely going to need to come up with a better name than that."
"Yeah..." Mum grimaces. "We'll have to have a discussion about that at some point, now that you've met Dad's grandkids."
"I promise not to get in the way of them and their Gran in any way." Maggie promises. "I know I can never be her."
"I hope not, she's mean to me." Fry says.
"Fry." Mum warns, before turning back to Maggie. "I'll have my phone on at work, if you have any problems. I really appreciate you stepping in."
"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll get on with mine just fine." Maggie says, showing Fry and Coral inside and seeing Mum off.
Fry looks around the living room.
Television on MTV three DVD racks in the wrong order smells like dog box of toys on the floor models of dogs on shelves smells like dog clock shaped like dog ticking five minutes slow smells like dog recycling bin is full coffee table five copies of Real People Magazine smells like dog broken crisp on carpet pattern is spotty spots like a five side of a dice in two directions smells of dog...
Fry bends down to run his fingers carefully on the pattern of dots. Five sided dice shape, over and over, the bottom spot forms the top spot of the next five sided dice shape.
"What are you doing?"
Fry finishes tracing three more shapes before he looks up. A boy slightly older than him wearing a t-shirt with a truck on it is staring at him.
"Callum, this is Fry and Coral." Maggie says. "They're Frank's grandchildren and they've come to play today." She beckons a little girl about Coral's age down the stairs. "Madison, do you want to show Coral your dollies? Ethan's around here somewhere..."
"Do you want to go in the garden?" Callum asks, looking doubtfully at Fry, who has got distracted again by the carpet.
"Okay." Fry follows Callum out into the garden, and proceeds to inspect all the plants. An older boy of about ten, Ethan, wanders out to join them, having been prodded into doing so by his mum. Callum starts kicking a ball against a wall.
"What's he doing?" Ethan asks Callum, watching Fry.
"I dunno, he's just staring at stuff." Callum says. "He's really weird."
"This is a buddleia." Fry says, suddenly, looking at the plant. "Dad said that all plants have names in Latin because that means anyone in the world knows what they are talking about."
"Whatever, are you gonna play football?" Ethan asks.
Fry glances at the football.
"I don't like football." he says. "I don't like to be touched."
"Okaaaaay. What do you like doing?" Callum asks.
"Maths." Fry says. "Or playing the piano. Or video games."
"We have video games." Callum says. "Then you can do my homework or something..."
***
"What the fuck?!" Ethan yells, after the fifth round. "How is he doing that?"
"No fair, let's play a different game." Callum complains. "Mum only bought us this stupid brain puzzle game for school anyway."
"Guest chooses the first game and I am not losing to a five year old!" Ethan yells, restarting the game.
Fry smiles slightly as he fires rapidly at the numbers on the screen. Maybe he'll have something in common with his step-uncles after all.
[*Apparently, phoning the police to report 'It hurts, everyone is screaming and I'm scared' is not the socially acceptable response to the KIDZFUN! club organisers getting a local pop act to perform loud music.]
