➹BEEPER

[intheblanks]

"It had better be an emergency."
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[intheblanks]

[Her dad can speak one of those. Both, if Latin counts as Italian (and he claims it does, when he's trying to annoy them).]

Pancake day's a while off, yet.

[tiesaribbon]

No, we can go to the cafeteria, and get lots of pancakes, and eat them before mama finds out.

[She is on a strict no-sugar after 8pm diet. She has enough trouble sleeping as it is.]

[intheblanks]

[He hums.]

Do you know who that'd be a good party for?

[tiesaribbon]

Me. The answer is me, Daddy.

[She has that same look Chase does, like duh, it's obvious.]

[intheblanks]

Yeah. You, and nobody who has to deal with you vibrating off the walls all night.

[She'd end up overtired and sobbing. He knows, he's given in once too often before.]

We can have a vending machine hot chocolate party. Just one.

[tiesaribbon]

You are no fun. No fun.

[But hot chocolate.]

...can we have some marshmallows? I know you have them in the cabinet I can't reach.

[intheblanks]

Not if I'm no fun. Serious people don't have marshmallows. And if they do, they're the kind that have been left to dry out and get crusty.

[Or honeybears, or the little comic book figures that fight around his computer. He sets her down, only to stand and lift her in a fireman's carry over his shoulder.]

You'll just have to consider whether I'm fun or not on the way.

[tiesaribbon]

No-

[There's not much she can do because she is tiny]

No no no put me down and I'll hold your hand!

[But she doesn't kick she just hits him on his back with her tiny hands]

[intheblanks]

[And she's going to stay tiny. Sorry, kid, genetics. Just be glad humanity is apparently the dominant gene.

Meanwhile your tiny fists shall not thwart him, puny mortal. Or something. He's heading into the hall.]

But you're all the way up there now...

[tiesaribbon]

Please? Please please-

[She pats his back with her hands, thrum thrum thrum]

I'll give you a kiss!

[intheblanks]

Hmm, tempting starter offer.

[He just lopes along.]

[tiesaribbon]

I'll show you where I hid your honey bear!

[Noooooooo]

[intheblanks]

And?

[Loping! People will see!]

[tiesaribbon]

And I don't know what else you want!

[Huff]

[intheblanks]

Then I guess I'll have to take the deal as is.

[He stops and reaches a hand behind his back.]

Shake?

[tiesaribbon]

[SHE SHAKES, SHE SHAKES, DAMN IT.]

Now put me down.

[intheblanks]

[So he does. Right next to the vending machine.]

[tiesaribbon]

[She looks up at him, puffs her cheeks out as if she was a tiny pufferfish.]

You're mean.

[intheblanks]

[He clasps his hands gently to those hamstercheeks and squeezes.]

Yes I am. But you can have marshmallows.

[tiesaribbon]

You can't buy my love!

[She heard one of the nurses say something like that before. Not to Chase, god.]

[intheblanks]

[Did she. That's not the tone it strikes with Chase.]

Stop watching soaps with House, they'll rot your brain.

[tiesaribbon]

Doctor House doesn't let me watch TV with him anymore. He says my....[she pauses this part is hard to get right]...unfathomable knowledge of tropes borders on pathologically creepy.

[She frowns at the machine.]

I don't know what pathologically creepy means and when I asked him he told me that basically it meant my mama.

[intheblanks]

It means he's jealous of how smart you are.

[Chase plugs in two hot chocolates and catches the first cup.]

Your mum's the same. [She gets tropes, too. They're easily copied.]

[tiesaribbon]

One day I want to make TV shows.

[She waits, patiently.]

Ones that I can't figure out everything in ten minutes.