Drabble! Sadness! Not meant to be long!
It was sunny outside, the tree in the front yard looking cheerful despite its seemingly perpetual baldness. The Egberts were gathered in the kitchen, having a Sunday family funtime. Something like that. Dadbert was currently cooking up a storm- literally- and popping pan after pan into the over. John was sitting by the table, chair turned and his arms resting on the back. There was a small smile on his face, and he kept gazing around the kitchen in strained happiness. As the timer went off, his father trotted over and opened it, another cake tin in hand.
John groaned at his father, but there was a grin on his face. "More cake, Dad?" Egbert chuckled and switched the cakes, one going in and one coming out of the oven. It was chocolate this time, and John cringed in disgust at the sight of it. Damn you, Batterwitch.
"You can never have enough cake, son." His father said wisely, neatly setting it next to the growing pile of them. "And these are all going to the town festivities, anyways. No taste testing for you."
"Urgh, good." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you... do you want any help decorating those?" His father paused, giving his son a surprised look before nodding with a happy smile. John took the icing bag offered to him and settled in front one of the larger set to their task in content silence, John silently cursing at some points as the icing became messy on his. Dadbert mercifully ignored his son's foul language. They finished their first cakes quickly (or in John's case, hurriedly and with frustration) and Dadbert gently set his decorating bag aside, glancing at his son. He was wholly focused on fixing a last minute mistake- completing the bound without overlapping the icing, classic- and didn't notice.
"Son." He started. John startled and turned to him, questioning. "..Thank you for helping me with this. I always thought you didn't like my baking."
"U-Uh well... I guess not. But I wanted to help you this time, Dad! I thought it would be nice to spend time with you." John replied, smiling weakly. " I kind of miss doing stuff like this. We just sorta stopped at some point, and I didn't notice it."
"Yes, I missed it too. I missed you, son. You've grown up so much. You did so well." John startled again.
"I-what?" He stared at his father, really stared at him, and finally noticed his blank eyes and burnt fedora. "...Dad? It's.. actually you?" His father's face crinkled, and his smile was cracked at the corners, and he reached for his son to pull him into a hug.
"Jo-
-HN! GET YOUR FUCKING ASS UP!" John jumped from his bed, breathing hard and gazing wildly at his friend in the doorway.
"Karkat?" The troll glared at him, car keys in hand.
"I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, BUT WE SORT OF HAVE TO FUCKING MEET UP WITH THE OTHERS IN TEN MINUTES, EGDERP."
"I.. sure, yeah, I'll be out in a minute." He said dazedly.
As Karkat left, he stared at the beige walls that now surrounded him, and breathed out a long, tired sigh.