John chuckled softly to himself when Alexander stopped in his tracks, causing Eliza to walk right into his back, and Philip to almost do the same to her. Thankfully, John was used to this by now, so he easily scooped the little guy up into his arms and set him on his hip. This way, the poor kid wouldn't have to suffer any more near misses. "Dude, why did you just stop so suddenly?" He asked, voicing what they were all thinking.
Alexander slowly turned around to them, looking more ashamed than John had ever seen him before. That was a little worrying, as Alexander had done a lot of stupid shit in the past. John tensed up, waiting for the ball to drop. "I… I can't believe I've done this… I'm a disgrace to the whole family…" Alexander whispered.
John shared a concerned look with Eliza, then looked back at Alexander. "What do you mean? What did you do, love?" Eliza asked warily.
Alexander looked at them with a haunted gaze, then bit his lip and looked at the floor. "I forgot the coffee." He said softly, barely audible.
John and Eliza stared at Alexander for a long moment, then they both just shared a look and nodded. John looked Alexander in the eyes when he was finally able to look up and just shook his head. "I can't believe you've done this." He said, in a horrible attempt at a British accent.
Eliza looked at Alexander as well. "Adam!" She said, in a very accusatory tone.
This was enough to snap Alexander out of his little rut, and he started to chuckle. "You guys are so weird! Why are you always mixing vines up!?" He asked.
Eliza grinned a little and kissed his cheek. "Because it makes you smile, and you know we love it when you smile." She said.
John nodded along and grinned at Philip who looked highly confused, but was being surprisingly patient. "We all love it when you smile, right Pip?" He asked, using Alexander's cute nickname for the little guy.
Philip beamed up at John and nodded happily. He looked right at Alexander and said something John will never forget. "Talk less, smile more Daddy!" He declared happily.
All of the amusement leached out of Alexander's face, and it would have left John's as well if Philip wasn't so innocent and cute. Philip had spent a lot of time with Burr lately, so it was no surprise that he would pick up some of his words. Alexander cared for the man, as did John, but he was sometimes really annoying. This particular phrase was apparently one of them for Alexander. He knew he had to act fast if he didn't want Alexander saying something stupid. "How about you go get that coffee, hm? 'Liza and I can get in line so we don't have to wait as long." John suggested.
Eliza nodded along with John, clearly relieved for the distraction. "That sounds like a splendid idea!" She said, then ushered Alexander to do just that.
They both let out a sigh of relief when Alexander walked off, then they got in line. John set Philip down now that there was no worry of him getting involved in a multi-person pile up. "Well that was close." He said sheepishly.
"Did I do something wrong?" Philip asked, looking ready to cry.
Eliza quickly swooped down and hugged him before John could even think of what he would say to that. Mothers were freaking amazing; Eliza being the best of the bunch. "No, of course not. Daddy is just… He talks a lot, so he likes to talk and smile!" She said with a bright smile.
Philip's eyes widened and he nodded. "Ooooh! Okay! I'll make sure to tell him that!" He chirped.
Eliza chuckled softly, then kissed his forehead. "That's my boy. Now, you have been really good. If you promise not to tell daddy, you can pick out a chocolate bar. Would you like that?" She asked.
Philip's eyes lit up with the light of a thousand suns at that offer. He then paused and looked at the candy rack, then back at his mother. "Can I get a kinder egg instead?" He asked.
Of course he would want the kinder egg. Philip was a great child and he didn't want to be too bad, so a kinder egg was the best idea. There wasn't too much chocolate, and there was also a toy in there as well, so it would keep him relatively entertained until it broke eventually. God, he loved that kid. "Of course you can, darling. Did you want something else with it? It's not much chocolate." Eliza said.
Philip shook his head and grabbed a kinder egg carefully and handed it to his mother to hide in the cart. "No, that's okay mommy. The kinder egg is good for me!" He said happily.
John chuckled softly and ruffled his hair. "You really are Eliza's kid. It makes me wonder if you're even related to Alexander. He would have jumped at that offer." He said.
Philip looked up at John and grinned cutely. "I have self control." He said.
Eliza had to hide her laugh as she got up and started to put the groceries onto the conveyor belt. She hid the egg in the groceries she put up, and just in time too. Alexander suddenly popped up with the coffee and set it down. "There we go!" He declared happily.
Eliza chuckled softly and kissed his cheek, then went about putting more of the groceries onto the conveyor belt while John kept Philip entertained and distracted Alexander so he wouldn't notice the kinder egg. He then heard Eliza sigh loudly. "What's up?" He asked.
She shook her head and looked at John and Alexander. "Apparently today is just a day for forgetting. I need to get some flour for the cake I was going to bake today. Alexander, darling? Can you finish with this while I get some flour?" She asked.
Alexander nodded and gave her a quick kiss. "Of course Betsy. Go on, I got this." He said and took over.
Once Eliza was out of view, Philip grabbed Alexander's leg. "Daddy! I want to tell you something!" He said happily.
John quickly took over so that Alexander could lean down and talk to Philip. "What is it, buddy?" He asked.
Philip took a deep breath and grinned happily. "You should smile and talk more! Frown less!" He said happily.
That was enough to bring a bright smile to Alexander's face. God, his boyfriend was so easy to please sometimes. It was way too cute. "You're so sweet Pip! You know what? You've been so good, why don't you pick out a chocolate bar?" He asked.
Philip looked like he just struck gold and was barely able to contain his excitement. "Can I get a kinder egg?" He asked.
Alexander chuckled and nodded. "Sure, but I think you should choose something else to go with it." He said.
John looked over his shoulder and tried his best not to laugh. Philip looked him in the eyes and then looked at Alexander. "Can I get two?" He asked.
Alexander nodded and kissed his forehead. "Sure! Hurry so I can hide it in the groceries. We don't want mommy to know, now do we?" He asked.
Philip quickly grabbed both the eggs he wanted, then let Alexander hide them in the groceries. It was just in time as well, as Eliza just showed up and put the flour down. John saw the satisfied look on Philip's face and he realized just how much like Alexander Philip really was. That little shit… He shook his head in amusement and saw the looks both parents gave him, so he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't his fault their kid was really good at getting what he wanted.
John made sure to distract them both as the eggs were scanned and packed, then he sneakily slipped them into a bag that he would carry so that neither of them would know. He just smiled innocently at them when they grabbed the other bags. Their son was like Alexander, so who was John to ruin his fun? After all, John was the one who often helped get Alexander into a lot of shit, wasn't he?
Once they were home, John quickly handed Philip his eggs, then watched him run off to hide them. He then paused and realized the one mistake he'd made. Alexander and Eliza always went over the receipt when they got home, and they apparently forgot that as well. He watched their faces, then the look of confusion when they saw all three kinder eggs on the bill. "How was there three?" They both asked at the same time.
They paused and looked at one another, then the realization hit them. They both laughed and looked at John. "You little shit, you knew!" Alexander said.
John shrugged with a cute smile. Then Philip came running out, hiding something behind his back. "Was I caught?" Philip asked.
Alexander nodded, trying his best not to laugh. "Yes, you were. You're too smart for your own good, Pip."
Eliza nodded along, not at all upset. She loved that her son was so smart, after all. He just played along with his parents.
Philip grinned cutely. "You told me not to tell!" He declared.
They all laughed and nodded with his words. "We did, didn't we?" Alexander asked.
Philip turned to John, then thrust a kinder egg into his hands. "This is for being nice!" He said with a cute smile.
John almost cried at that. He had conned his parents so he could get John a gift. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. He took it and hugged Philip close. "You're the nicest con man I have ever met!" He said happily.
Philip grinned and hugged him back. "I don't have money, so I had to do what I could!" He chirped.
Alexander chuckled and shared a look with Eliza. Their son was the nicest kid anyone could ever ask for, that was for sure. "That was so sweet of you, Pip." Alexander said.
Eliza walked over and kissed his cheek. "Next time ask us if you want to get something for John." She said with a chuckle.
Philip nodded and grinned. "Okay, I will!" He declared.
It was at that moment that John knew his love for this little family would never fade. Sure, he wasn't Philip's father, but he loved them as much as they loved him, and that was more than enough for him.