AN – Sorry about the delay, Real Life landed on me from a great height, so I've had no spare time. But I had the day off today, hence all these new updates. After all I've had plenty of time to think. Here, at last, is the conclusion, please let me know what you think!
***
Richie groaned as he woke up the next morning and remembered his decision. This was gonna be pure torture. But it was no more than he deserved.
He might as well start right away.
"Hey, Rich," Duncan popped his head round the door, shortly followed by the rest of his body. "How are you feeling?"
"My hand is a little sore," Richie admitted. "But I feel much better than I did yesterday."
Perhaps predictably Mac only heard the first part.
"You hand hurts?" He sat on the bed. "Want me to take a look?"
"Yes please." Richie offered him the injured hand.
Duncan blinked. If Richie was willing to let him help, it must really hurt. As he gently unwrapped the gauze, he fervently hoped that the cut had not got infected.
To his relief, it was a little sore and swollen around the edges, but nothing our of the ordinary for this stage of the healing.
"Alright. It doesn't look too bad, but I'll clean it up, put some more of that cream on it and a fresh dressing, how does that sound?"
"Thanks Mac." Richie agreed.
Given that the wound looked only moderately painful, Duncan was mildly surprised when Richie yelped.
"Sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked.
"Just a bit," Richie flushed slightly.
"Sorry." Duncan apologised.
He wondered if there was a reason that the lad was being unusually jumpy.
"Rich, you're not still worrying about yesterday are you?" he asked. "Don't you know by now that I would never punish you like that?"
"I know," Richie nodded fervently. "I do," he insisted at Duncan's sceptical look. "Geez Mac, most of my foster parents would have been champing at the bit to torture me as much as possible, you've vetoed every punishment I've come up with so far. You think that doesn't tell me something about how much you care about me?"
"Love," Duncan corrected gently. "I love you Tough Guy. That's the difference."
"I guess." Richie smiled shyly.
"Answer me one question?" Duncan fished.
"Sure." Richie squirmed slightly.
"If so many of your foster parents punished you when you went off the rails, how come you still do so many bloody reckless things?" Duncan asked.
For a moment he though Richie wouldn't answer him.
But the lad surprised him.
"I guess, I never much cared what they thought of me," he admitted. "And even if they were majorly pissed some attention was better than none."
"Ach lad," Duncan reached out and hugged him, mussing his hair fondly. "Do me a favour though?" he nudged.
"What?" Richie looked distinctly wary.
"Remember that you are the centre of our world, and we would much rather spoil you than spank you," Duncan teased. "You don't need to act out just to get our attention. Whatever, you do, we'll always notice."
"I'm getting that." Richie admitted.
"Good," Duncan finished wrapping up the hand. "Well. Since that doesn't look like its gonna fall off any time soon, how do you feel about getting up today?"
"You want me to open the Store?" Richie offered.
"Easy Tough Guy," Duncan chuckled. "I was thinking more, some time out on the couch, with the TV and the remote control."
"Can I at least get dressed?" Richie demanded, then winced.
"I think that would be acceptable," Duncan frowned. "Are you OK?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Richie nodded earnestly.
But Duncan couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong.
***
When Richie appeared, neatly dressed in the dark blue chinos and button down shirt that Tessa had bought him to work in the Store, with his hair rigorously combed. Duncan knew something was amiss.
He just wished he knew what it was.
"If you think you are going to sneak out to meet some girl .." Tessa stood with her hands on her hips.
"What? No! Tess, I'm just gonna sit here like a stone all day, honest." The look of pure shock on Richie's face protested his innocence. The lad was a terrible liar.
"Well .." Tessa huffed. "Make sure that you do."
"Actually, I kinda wanted to talk to you guys about that." Richie spoke up.
"Oh?" Duncan tucked the afghan firmly around the lad, and put the remote within easy reach. "Are you taking a vow of celibacy?"
"Um Kinda," Richie blushed.
Duncan exchanged a quick glance with Tessa and they both settled into the big arm chair across from the teen. "Go on." Duncan encouraged.
"Look, I screwed up cos you gave me too much responsibility right?" Richie began. "You treated me like an adult when I'm only sixteen. So, as my punishment I figure I should go back to being a kid." He looked at them expectantly.
"Define being a kid." Duncan requested.
"You know," Richie squirmed. "You guys get to decide all those parents things, what my curfew is, what time I go to bed, what kind of things I can watch on TV, that kinda thing."
"For how long?" Tessa asked.
"Till you think I'm more responsible." Richie offered. "Like regular parents."
Duncan and Tessa exchanged an unreadable look.
"What?" Richie demanded.
"And you won't complain?" Duncan demanded.
"Or think we are being unreasonable?" Tessa added.
"You guys are the most reasonable people I've ever met," Richie said sincerely. "I can do this."
At least he hoped so.
***
"Is he in bed?" Duncan asked.
"With his teeth brushed and his pyjamas on, and the covers pulled up to his chin." Tessa sighed.
"Pyjamas?" Duncan winced.
"It is like our Richie has been kidnapped and replaced with some alien!" Tessa exploded. "All week he has been the perfect child. He eats all his vegetable for lunch. And dinner. He would not put his feet on the furniture. I cannot take much more of this!"
"You think that's bad," Duncan told her. "This morning I caught him watching Documentaries on the TV and this afternoon he was reading a book."
"That is not so bad," Tessa objected. "At least those things are educational. He is much brighter than he admits."
"The Documentary was on the life of the sea slug and the book was in Latin." Duncan pointed out.
"Oh," Tessa frowned, cuddling up beside him. "Are you sure he is not still delirious?"
"No," Duncan shook his head sadly. "I think he is trying to be the son he thinks we want him to be."
"What?" Tessa sat up and looked the Immortal full in the face. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it Tess," Duncan told her. "Has he been the least bit, annoying, irritating, or obnoxious all week?"
"No, he has been the perfect Angel." Tessa did not look pleased. "It is not natural. Because we are angry at one thing that he has done does not mean that we wish him to be like …" words failed her. "Like this .."
"Doesn't it?" Duncan arched a brow. "You bought him all those new clothes."
"I just wanted him to have some nice things," Tessa said sadly, "His clothes are so old and worn. You were the one who told him about the Teutonic Knights."
"I thought he would enjoy the story," Duncan protested. "I didn't expect him to start work on a translation."
You must talk to him." Tessa decided.
"Me?" Duncan protested. "Why me?"
"Because." Tessa threw Richie's favourite argument at him with an impish smile.
"Try again." Duncan nuzzled her neck.
"We must talk to him?" Tessa suggested, swayed by his affectionate advances..
Duncan only wished he could influence Richie so easily.
Then again .. maybe he could at that.
***
The next morning Richie woke to the unmistakable smell of apple pancakes. He couldn't help but grin.
Maybe this torture had some compensations.
"Hey Rich," Duncan knocked lightly on the door and came in carrying a well laden tray, closely followed by Tessa, who was carrying a pot of tea and a jug of orange juice.
"Um. What's this?" Richie wondered.
"Breakfast." Duncan told him. "Most important meal of the day?"
"We don't usually have it in my room." Richie pointed out.
"Well, we wanted to talk to you." Duncan heaped two enormous pancakes onto a plate, topped them off with whipped cream. And passed them to Richie.
"Um." Richie looked from one to the other. "Have I done something wrong?"
"Indeed," Tessa poured him a glass of juice. "You have been very foolish."
"So .. you're going to spoil me to death?" Richie hazarded.
"Nope," Duncan helped Tessa to a pancake, without cream, and then took one himself. "We're gonna set you straight."
"S'cuse me?" Richie was totally lost.
"You did a damn foolhardy thing." Duncan nodded at his now healed hand.
"And we were very angry about that." Tessa acknowledged.
Richie looked down, wishing fervently that the bed would swallow him up.
The Immortal's warm, strong, hand, under his chin, gently brought his eye up.
"But then, you took responsibility for your actions." Duncan affirmed.
"And you have punished yourself with this behaviour far more severely than we would have done." Tessa put in softly.
"IT must have nearly killed you, being absolutely honest with us all the time and wearing those clothes." Duncan agreed.
"Have you guys been eating that weird cheese with mould in it again?" Richie asked. "Cos, I gotta tell you. I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Latin?" Duncan challenged.
"Pyjamas?" Tessa arched a brow.
To his credit Richie blushed slightly.
"OK, so maybe I went a bit overboard," he acknowledged. "I just wanted .." he trailed off.
"Rich, we may not always like everything you do, but we will always love you." Duncan told him.
"Just the way you are," Tessa smiled.
Richie took a deep, shuddering breath. No one had ever said that to him before. He had to be sure.
"You mean that?"
"You can be very responsible, you know, most of the time. You keep Duncan's secret, non?" Tessa assured him.
"What about the rest of time?" Richie was cautious.
"That's called growing up, Tough Guy," Duncan told him. "If we don't give you the freedom to make choices then how are you ever going to learn?"
"So, no curfew? Naked mud wrestling on TV?" Richie grinned cheekily at them.
And Duncan was glad to see it.
"Why don't we negotiate something we can all live with?" he laughed.
"I can live with that." Richie grinned.
"Good," Duncan tousled his hair. "Now eat your breakfast."
"That, I can do," Richie took a forkful of pancake, then paused. "Um. Tessa didn't make these did she?"