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"Fawkes? Where are you? I got dinner an' dessert. Answer up, Fawkes."
"In the living room." Darien croaked, quickly shutting off the video tape he'd been watching. As Bobby entered with several bags in hand, one look at his partner told him something was very wrong.
"Hey.... you've been cryin'. What happened? Is everything okay? Is the baby alright?"
"She's fine. I'm fine. It's all... fine."
"Yeah, right. You can sit there an' say that with the tears still dryin' on your cheeks. Talk to me."
After a moment of thought, Bobby remembered hearing a click as he came in and connected the sound with the VCR remote. "What? It's about a tape? You were bawlin' over a video? What is it, huh?" Bobby asked, swiping the remote and pushing the play button.
"Hobbes, no! Give it!" Darien protested, grabbing the device back and stopping the tape again. They battled back and forth for a few minutes, one on the remote, one at the machine, until Darien realized he wasn't going to win and allowed the movie to play. Seeing, at last, what had apparently made the other man so emotional, Hobbes burst into a fit of guffawing laughter.
"No way... "The Tigger Movie"?! You gotta be kidding!"
"Yeah, whatever." Darien shot back sourly as he stopped the movie again. "Just 'cause you've never seen it an' don't have the first clue what it's about..."
"It's about a stuffed donkey....an' a stuffed bear.... an' a stuffed pig...." Bobby choked out before he lost control of himself again.
"No, it's not! It's about me! It's about.... thinkin' you're all alone in the world.... an' you know what you really need... is somebody who understands you.... an' wants to be a part of your life. You go crazy lookin' for that one person.... then you realize they were under your nose all along...."
Finally beginning to realize how strongly Darien truly felt about the movie, Bobby took the food into the kitchen, returned and dropped to the sofa beside his partner.
"Yeah? All that in a cartoon, huh? Sounds more like one a'them Hallmark movies. Feel like watchin' it again?"
"It isn't over yet."
"Yeah, but I gotta see it from the beginnin' to get the message, don't I?"
"I guess so." Darien acquiesced, hitting the button to rewind the tape. "On one condition. No more making fun."
"I swear. It just hit me weird that somebody as smart as you would be watchin' a cartoon."
"Full length animated feature if you don't mind."
"An' lah-di-dah to you too, Fawkes. Just start the thing up, wouldja? Don't skip over the before the movie stuff. I like to know what's comin' out next."
"Didn't you just tell me that smart adults don't watch this stuff?"
"I'm not smart... not like you anyway. Besides, it ain't for me. Every time Disney re-releases one of the classics I pick up a couple copies an' send one to my sister's kids an' one to my brother's. They're gettin' a pretty decent collection."
"Just because the baby's been born doesn't mean you can go back to knockin' yourself, Hobbes...."
"Doesn't mean you can keep naggin' me about it, either. Hold off on startin' the tape. I'll grab the food an' we'll eat in here."
"We are gonna talk about this sometime, Bobby...."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get out here an' fix yourself a plate before it gets cold."
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"Fawkes? Where are you? I got dinner an' dessert. Answer up, Fawkes."
"In the living room." Darien croaked, quickly shutting off the video tape he'd been watching. As Bobby entered with several bags in hand, one look at his partner told him something was very wrong.
"Hey.... you've been cryin'. What happened? Is everything okay? Is the baby alright?"
"She's fine. I'm fine. It's all... fine."
"Yeah, right. You can sit there an' say that with the tears still dryin' on your cheeks. Talk to me."
After a moment of thought, Bobby remembered hearing a click as he came in and connected the sound with the VCR remote. "What? It's about a tape? You were bawlin' over a video? What is it, huh?" Bobby asked, swiping the remote and pushing the play button.
"Hobbes, no! Give it!" Darien protested, grabbing the device back and stopping the tape again. They battled back and forth for a few minutes, one on the remote, one at the machine, until Darien realized he wasn't going to win and allowed the movie to play. Seeing, at last, what had apparently made the other man so emotional, Hobbes burst into a fit of guffawing laughter.
"No way... "The Tigger Movie"?! You gotta be kidding!"
"Yeah, whatever." Darien shot back sourly as he stopped the movie again. "Just 'cause you've never seen it an' don't have the first clue what it's about..."
"It's about a stuffed donkey....an' a stuffed bear.... an' a stuffed pig...." Bobby choked out before he lost control of himself again.
"No, it's not! It's about me! It's about.... thinkin' you're all alone in the world.... an' you know what you really need... is somebody who understands you.... an' wants to be a part of your life. You go crazy lookin' for that one person.... then you realize they were under your nose all along...."
Finally beginning to realize how strongly Darien truly felt about the movie, Bobby took the food into the kitchen, returned and dropped to the sofa beside his partner.
"Yeah? All that in a cartoon, huh? Sounds more like one a'them Hallmark movies. Feel like watchin' it again?"
"It isn't over yet."
"Yeah, but I gotta see it from the beginnin' to get the message, don't I?"
"I guess so." Darien acquiesced, hitting the button to rewind the tape. "On one condition. No more making fun."
"I swear. It just hit me weird that somebody as smart as you would be watchin' a cartoon."
"Full length animated feature if you don't mind."
"An' lah-di-dah to you too, Fawkes. Just start the thing up, wouldja? Don't skip over the before the movie stuff. I like to know what's comin' out next."
"Didn't you just tell me that smart adults don't watch this stuff?"
"I'm not smart... not like you anyway. Besides, it ain't for me. Every time Disney re-releases one of the classics I pick up a couple copies an' send one to my sister's kids an' one to my brother's. They're gettin' a pretty decent collection."
"Just because the baby's been born doesn't mean you can go back to knockin' yourself, Hobbes...."
"Doesn't mean you can keep naggin' me about it, either. Hold off on startin' the tape. I'll grab the food an' we'll eat in here."
"We are gonna talk about this sometime, Bobby...."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get out here an' fix yourself a plate before it gets cold."
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