Go Fishing

Date/Timing: 25 January 2019
Setting: Hansen-Vos suite, The Shed; Vaucluse, NSW, Australia
.
The doorbell chimes and the light flashes.
Chuck blinks rapidly, grumbles, "Does it /have to be that bright?"
::Has to get my attention if I'm busy,:: points out Pietr, getting to his feet.
Chuck grunts.
Suite door opens.
""Cadeboss!"" squeals a tiny voice.
Chuck glances over.
Xiong's Squire hands—
Chuck's face heats.
—Pietr an anklebiter, says, "Someone's made a new friend."
Anklebiter coos, snuggles up under Pietr's chin.
Pietr nuzzles their hair.
"The Marshal would like you gentlemen to watch Fei Yen for the next couple of hours," says the Squire.
Pietr absolutely glows, bounces on his toes.
"It's her bedtime right after, so don't wind her up /too much."
Pietr nods earnestly.
Squire Xiong laughs. "I'll leave her in your capable hands, Cadets. Have fun, everyone!"
Pietr grins, pirouettes—Fei Yen shrieks—skips over to the kitchenette.
Suite door closes.
"So—" Chuck rubs the back of his neck. "—what're we gonna do with her?"
Pietr hops with an idea, stuffs Fei Yen into Chuck's arms, tears off.
Fei Yen blinks.
Chuck swallows, croaks, "'ey there."
"Mak's tipet!"
Huffs, "His name is /Max."
"Mak!"
Sighs.
Max woofs and trots over, Pietr right behind with his rope chew.
"Mak Mak Mak!" Fei Yen makes a break—
Chuck gets a fistful of shirt.
Max gets his front paws on the edge of Chuck's chair, woffles.
Fei Yen smooshes his face.
Max leans into her hands.
::Let her down,:: says Pietr.
Chuck loosens his grip.
Fei Yen slides off his lap, drapes herself around Max's neck. 
Max wags his whole back half.
Fei Yen giggles.
Pietr offers the rope chew.
Max lunges, towing a squealing Fei Yen along.
Next thing Chuck knows Pietr and Fei Yen are both sitting on the floor, laughing hysterically and wrestling Max for the rope.
Max 'wins', flops down and pants happily.
Fei Yen leans against Pietr, breathing almost as hard.
::C'mon and join us.::
"I'm alright here."
Pietr rolls his eyes. ::Get over here.::
"But—"
Pietr's lips turn down.
Chuck heaves a sigh, throws himself to the floor next to Pietr.
Pietr beams—
Chuck huffs.
—bops his shoulder.
Chuck doesn't smile. "What now?"
Pietr stretches, nabs a tablet with his fingertips, and pokes at it, then offers the screen to Fei Yen.
She smiles, jabs something.
Pietr passes the tablet to Chuck, bobs his chin, 'go ahead'.
Chuck blinks, scoffs, "You want me to read a kids' story?"
Fei Yen and Pietr nod, puppy dog eyes set to full power.
Chuck grumbles and rolls his eyes, but takes a deep breath and recites, "Once upon a time—"
By the middle of the second story, Fei Yen's oozed from Pietr's lap into Chuck's.
She's kinda warm and soft.
's weird.
The doorbell chimes and the light flashes.
Pietr hops up, comes back a moment later towing a stammering Squire Mouse, pushes him—
Mouse squeaks.
—by the tops of his shoulders down beside Chuck.
Fei Yen looks over, starts babbling at Mouse in Cantonese.
"I-I don't understand. S-sorry."
"[You don't speak Cantonese like Logan]?"
"Uh, n-no." Mouse swallows. "N-not yet, 'least."
Fei Yen's brow furrows. "[But you're Logan's twin]?" >if it's likely she would make this mistake; if not, this whole section can go<
"'m h-his brother, but he's ei-eight years older than me."
Fei Yen processes this.
"[What's your name]?"
"Derek."
"[Derek]."
Chuck looks to Pietr. "What do we—"
"[Finish the story, Chuck!]"
Pietr kisses Fei Yen's temple, pats Chuck's head.
Chuck sighs, picks up where he left off.
"[Thank you, Chuck]," says Fei Yen when he finishes.
"You're welcome," Chuck grumbles.
Fei Yen turns to Pietr. "[Play a game now]?"
Pietr nods, stands, and skips to his room. He bounds back with a pack of cards, folds himself back into his place on the floor.
Chuck tilts his head toward the cards. "What's this?"
::Go Fish! You deal.:: Pietr grins, reclaims Fei Yen.
Fei Yen cheers.
Chuck deals a hand to Mouse, himself, and one for Pietr and Fei Yen to share. "You start," he tells Pietr.
Pietr pokes one of the cards Fei Yen's holding for them, points to Mouse.
"[/Ursa Bravo, Derek]?"
"Um, go fish."
Pietr sighs; Fei Yen echoes.
Chuck says, "Pi—"
Pietr frowns, points to Fei Yen.
Chuck rolls his eyes. "/Lady Danger, Fei Yen?"
"[Go fishing, Chuck!]"
Chuck frowns, picks a card from the pile.
Mouse studies his cards. "/Puma Real, Cadet Hansen?"
"Go fish."
Mouse takes a card.
Fei Yen frowns at her hand, points to one.
Pietr whistles an ascending tone.
Fei Yen twists around.
Pietr nods, whistles again.
"Mmm!" Fei Yen faces front. "[/Eden Assassin, Chuck]?"
Chuck flicks it over.
Fei Yen giggles—
Pietr smooches her hair.
—drops its mate.
"Fei Yen, have a /Solar Prophet?"
Fei Yen fumbles the card out.
Chuck accepts, sets down the pair.
"/Lucky Seven, Fei Yen?"
"[Go fishing, Derek!]"
They've played three rounds—Fei Yen winning two, Mouse taking the other—and Chuck's /finally gotten the lead—
The doorbell chimes and the light flashes.
Mouse jumps up—"'scuse me!"—opens the door for Xiong's Squire.
"Sorry to break up the party, but it's time for little birds to go to bed," they say, sauntering over.
Pietr and Fei Yen pout.
Chuck busies himself gathering the cards.
"You can play with your new friend tomorrow, Cadet," giggles the Squire.
Pietr sighs, pushes to his feet, surrenders Fei Yen to the Squire.
"Thank you, Cadets, Officer."
"[Thank you!]" chirps Fei Yen.
"You're welcome," murmurs Mouse.
Chuck mumbles.
Pietr bows.
Squire heads for the door.
Pietr trails.
""Bai bai, Cadeboss!"" says Fei Yen.
""See you tomorrow, Cadet,"" says the Squire.
Suite door closes.
Pietr pads back, sighs to the floor.
Chuck takes a deep breath, taps Pietr's arm.
Pietr attends.
"Is that like what you do with your kids? At home?"
Pietr glows. ::Except my wife reads the stories.::
"Every night?"
Pietr nods.
Chuck grunts. "Your parents like that, Jones?"
Mouse cringes. "N-no, n-not with me, at least. Don't know about m...."
Pietr frowns, nudges Chuck, queries.
"When I was tiny. Mum did, mostly." Chuck shrugs. "Yours?"
::Every night.::
Chuck sniffs.
Mouse sighs.
Pietr's brows lower, his lips twist. ::You were both cheated.::
"Life ain't fair." Chuck shoves upright, shtumps to his room, joins Max on the bed.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Skeleton Key
Category:Cultural Exchange
Category:Chuck H
Category:Chuck H's POV
Category:Chuck H (ficlet)
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Sydney Shatterdome (setting)
Category:Nang
Category:Nang (ficlet)
Category:Fei Yen
Category:Fei Yen (ficlet)
Category:Derek
Category:Derek (ficlet)
Category:Logan (mention)
Category:Vos family (mention)
Category:Jones family (mention)
Category:Angela (mention)
Category:Hansen family (mention)
Category:Max
Category:Max (ficlet)
Category:Xiong (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images