Babysitting

[Arden Patricks]

I laugh very slightly but make myself stop, shaking my head. "I can see how it would be. I certainly wouldn't want to be a reader though." I grimace slightly. "Would you?"

[Ian Hunt]

"Definitely not," I frown slightly, shaking my head, "It's probably best not to know a lot of the time."

[Arden Patricks]

"Mm, agreed," I nod, briefly letting go of Isobel's hand to switch Melody to my left arm, and keeping like that when she doesn't seem to mind.

[Ian Hunt]

"Alex and Daniel seem to like it though," I shrug after a moment, "Apparently it's really cool to have their cousin/nephew to read their mind."

[Arden Patricks]

"Huh...." I shake my head. "Seems doubtful that'll hold true when they're older, but oh well." I pause, not sure if I should ask or not, then shrugging. "Does he like you any better yet?"

[Ian Hunt]

"No," I answer after a moment, not elaborating.
There's really nothing else to add to that, except that it's been over a year of him hating me which shows I've really fucked up this time.

[Arden Patricks]

I bite my lip slightly, looking down at the sidewalk. On the one hand, I really can't blame the kid because it's really fucked up to walk out on your family and then show up two years later and everything's peachy. But on the other... well... I guess there sort of isn't any other hand.

[Ian Hunt]

I almost feel like I should explain, and I'd really like to even if I don't owe her an explanation at all. There is no explanation though.
I know exactly why I did it, I just can't put it into coherent thoughts let alone words.
So I just shove my free hand into my pocket and pretend that this isn't awkward.

[Arden Patricks]

I shake my head after a moment. "I don't suppose you've ever considered telling him why? Or offering to let him beat you up or something? That might help."

[Ian Hunt]

"He won't listen. Not to a word I say," I mutter, shrugging slightly.

[Arden Patricks]

"Even if it means he can beat you up?" I shrug. "Well... he's bound to come around though, eventually."

[Ian Hunt]

"I haven't tried that one, it might work," I shrug, "Yeah, I suppose he has to eventually."

[Arden Patricks]

"And I could try talking to him maybe," I shrug. "Reverse psychology or something."

[Ian Hunt]

I smile a little at that, gratefully, "Again, might work. Thank you."

[Arden Patricks]

"Or backfire," I mutter, shrugging. "But hopefully not."

[Ian Hunt]

"I honestly don't think it can be any worse," I admit under my breath.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug, deciding not to reply to that directly because I figure things can always get a bit worse.
"You can't really blame him though, can you?"

[Ian Hunt]

"No," I laugh softly without humour, "I don't blame him at all."
I felt the same way towards Kris at first, and I suppose if I still call him resolutely by his first name and refuse to openly acknowledge that he is my father most of the time, that doesn't bode well.

[Arden Patricks]

I nod, shrugging slightly. I don't suppose it would help much if I mention that Fitzy and I get along now, because it's not exactly a miracle that I forgave someone. I actually can't work out at this point if I'm still annoyed with Ian myself or not.

[Ian Hunt]

"Poppy forgave me, eventually," I say after a moment, because I'm still having trouble deciding why this is, "So that must mean...it's excusable?"
I don't know why I'm even asking her.

[Arden Patricks]

"Could be." I shake my head. "I don't know. Everyone has their own definitions of what's forgivable."

[Ian Hunt]

"I suppose so," I nod.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug, glancing down, and taking Isobel's hand again when I notice her looking up at me.
"He'll come around," I say again. "He's at kind of an age where it's easy to hate people, isn't he? At the very least, when people get to be about fifteen they start understanding things more and seeing the points of views of others, right?" I shrug again, not sure if it's actually comforting or not to tell him he might have to wait until Alex is fifteen.

[Ian Hunt]

"Fifteen?" I repeat, "Five years?"
I shake my head after a moment because I don't want to dwell on this, nor do I want to talk about my son who hates me any longer.
"How have you been lately, anyway?"

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug a bit apologetically, but drop the subject when he does, glancing at the sidewalk and shrugging again. "I've been all right. Nothing exciting, really. I go to work, read a lot, and take care of various combinations of these four when their parents don't want them. And that's about it."
I'm semi a hermit staying almost exclusively in the muggle world... but overall that's not a bad thing, really.
"How about you?"

[Ian Hunt]

"Babysitting," I shrug, "Trying to find a job so I don't have to babysit as much anymore. That's pretty much it. You work in a library, don't you?"
I'm not sure if I've remembered that correctly, but it's one of the things that I probably should remember about my friend.

[Arden Patricks]

I nod, shifting Melody slightly. I actually don't know when in the last year I mentioned that, having switched jobs a fair while before so it wasn't something I felt the need to tell people anymore. But I suppose it must have come up.

"You think you'd like to work there?" I ask teasingly. It's hard to think of Ian having a job other than watching his kids, even though the sentence 'Ian Hunt is a stay-at-home father' had me laughing for about five minutes the first time it popped into my head. It's hilarious in a way, but somehow fundamentally true and unchangeable.

[Ian Hunt]

"Definitely not," I laugh slightly, shaking my head, "I don't understand how you stand the quiet."

[Arden Patricks]

"I like quiet," I shrug. "I've never liked to be around people for more than a few hours at a time."

[Ian Hunt]

"Each to their own," I shrug slightly.