*imitates Mushu from Mulan as I rise from the flaming smoke* I LIIIIIIIVE!
In all seriousness, I'm sorry I haven't updated this. If you don't follow my stories like crazy, I've had two specific stories that I've been focusing on for the past couple of weeks. Those are 'The Final Bell' and 'The Princess, The Thief, and The Alchemist'—both of which you should totally read if you get the chance. One is actually finished and the other one has daily updates that I've been churning out, so check them out!
First chapter with David as Nikki and Max's son. Enjoy!
David couldn't be happier in his new life with Max and Nikki.
Max was the kind of dad who cared from a distance—offering advice and reprimanding David when he screwed up, but ultimately providing the kind of care David needed from a father figure. Nikki was the mom that David had never really had—all about the hugs and making sure he had a semi-clean house to come home to. In all the buzz from moving from the country to the city, David had changed schools, too. His new classmates were city kids who saw him as a country bumpkin—a weirdo who didn't fit in.
That was the downside about the new situation.
"David, you okay?" Max asked him at dinner.
"I'm fine," David mumbled, picking at his food.
"If something's wrong, you can tell us," Nikki assured him. "We'll help."
"Seriously, I'm fine. I'm just having some trouble making friends at school."
"That's normal," Max stated with a shrug. "Just let us know if they start picking on you. That's when we're going to have a problem."
"Okay." Max glanced at Nikki, and they both looked at their adopted son.
"David, we have something to tell you," Nikki sighed. "You do know the reason we have a bunch of houseplants, right?"
"Because you get all sick when you're away from nature for too long?"
"Exactly. Well, we've been talking, and this apartment isn't big enough for the three of us."
"So, Nikki and I have been looking at places outside the city, and… we found a place. It's not that big, but it's a decent size for us. We wanted to discuss it with you before we made an offer."
"We're… moving?"
"If you're okay with it," Nikki interjected.
"Yeah… I'm okay with it." David gave his adoptive parents a big smile. "I'll do the dishes!"
He took Max and Nikki's plates along with his own and ran to the sink, where he hopped up on the stepstool they'd bought him. Max chuckled and took his phone out of his pocket to make a call. Nikki couldn't help but smile, too.
"Hey, Olivia. It's Max Acharya. I'm calling to make an offer on that house you showed me and Nikki." Short silence. "Yeah. I'll be there tomorrow. We'll discuss it then. Say, ten?" A little more silence. "See you." Max hung up.
"So, what'd she say?" Nikki inquired.
"We're meeting at her office tomorrow to discuss payment. Ten o'clock, while David's at school."
"Okay. I'll call my boss and let him know I'm coming in late tomorrow."
"And I'll do the same."
"This just feels more and more real… like we're really building a life together." They hugged and David glanced over. He'd already finished the dishes. "David, get your ass over here and join the hug."
David grinned even more widely and hugged his adoptive parents.
"Are we almost there?!"
"Calm down, Davey," Max sighed as he glanced in the rearview mirror. "I told you—it's a bit of a drive from our old place, but it's also closer to where me and Nikki work."
"So you'll be starting at a new school again," Nikki added. "I hope you're okay with that."
"Yeah. I'm fine with it."
"Settle down and we'll tell you when we get there."
David nodded and stared out the window as the buildings became fewer and fewer. He could remember Max talking fondly about the city over the summer, but he didn't quite get it. Why live in a dangerous, smog-filled city when you could live in the fresh air of the country? He suspected Nikki agreed on that front, but he didn't say anything.
"We're here," Max announced after a few more minutes of driving. David bounced as Max put the car in park. The moving van was already there, the movers bringing the stuff into the new house.
It was a clean-looking two-story place with a garage and plenty of space in the yard. There was also a front porch with a swing and plants already hanging from the beams. In the backyard, the beginnings of the nearby forest could be seen. David felt even more excited.
It looked like a home.
"Ready to go inside, David?" Max asked.
"Yes!" David slid out of the car as one of the movers came up to Max. Max paid the man for his services (plus tip) and the movers were gone. Nikki got out of the passenger seat and took a deep breath.
"Oh, yeah! Smell that nature! That's the stuff!" she sighed.
"Nature is to you and David what drugs are to the rest of us," Max laughed. "You said the same thing on your first day at Camp Campbell right before you bit Greg's hand to 'assert dominance'. He was so freaked out!"
"What can I say? I love me some nature." She kissed him on the cheek as David ran into the house.
The inside was fairly standard—stairs leading to the second floor, a living room, a small dining room, and a kitchen. And that's just what David could see. He ran upstairs to see what else there was and found five bedrooms.
"Wow! That's a lot of space!" he yelled.
"We wanted to have plenty of room for any future additions, because I'm not buying another house unless this one burns down," Max told his son.
" 'Future additions'?" Nikki questioned.
"I mean if we have any more kids."
"I think we should get settled in before we think about more kids," Nikki laughed as David came back downstairs. "And David, let's unpack before we do anything else."
"Okay!"
"Get started on your room so you have a place to sleep. We'll get started down here."
"Yes, ma'am!" David went back upstairs again, leaving his adoptive parents alone.
"Now that we're alone…" Max chuckled, wrapping his arms around Nikki's waist.
"We can unpack. No funny business until we're settled in." She was smiling, but he knew she was being dead serious.
"Okay, fine. You're the boss." He took out his pocket-knife and sliced open a box in the kitchen. "We've got… dishes."
"Glasses and silverware in here," Nikki replied, opening another box.
"Great! We can almost have dinner tonight."
"Uh, no. I'm not cooking. We're getting pizza."
"Fair enough."
By nightfall, the boxes had all been unpacked and they were currently sitting on the couch, watching a movie on TV. David was sitting between Max and Nikki, a tired expression on his face as he fell asleep on Nikki's lap.
"Aw… remember at camp when he did this?" Nikki whispered.
"Yeah. I'll take him up to bed if you want, then we can take care of anything else we need to do."
"Sounds good."
Max lifted the ten-year-old up and carried him upstairs, tucking him into bed. David's room was actually pretty bare; he didn't really have any toys or games or anything yet, save for the few he'd brought from his old house. They were actually planning to take him into the city and let him pick out some stuff to help decorate his room, but that wouldn't happen until he started school again.
"Night, bud," Max murmured, pulling the blankets over David.
"Night, Dad," David mumbled in his sleep. Max froze.
Did he just call me Dad?
The twenty-five-year-old slipped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him before heading downstairs. Nikki was taking inventory of what was in the fridge, leaning over to see what was inside. It was too good an opportunity, so Max took it. He pinched her butt and she let out a yelp.
"Dammit, Max!" she hissed, giggling.
"Hey, you like that shit, so don't protest."
"I'm not. I'm just saying, maybe not do it when you've just finished putting our ten-year-old son in bed?"
"Fair enough." Max cleared his throat as Nikki turned back to the fridge. "David just called me Dad."
Nikki whirled back around, a carton of orange juice in her hand as she looked at her boyfriend in surprise.
"Really? He called you 'Dad'?"
"Yep. I told him good night, and he said, 'night, Dad'."
"Oh my God. That is adorable!" She put the orange juice back in the fridge and shut the door. "Well, we're set until Saturday. We'll have to go to the store then."
"I hope so. I only bought enough stuff for a few days." She gave him a tight hug, which he promptly returned.
"I'm so glad we're doing this." He tilted her chin up and started kissing her.
"I love you, Nik. Don't ever doubt that."
"Why would I? I love you, too."
They started kissing again, Max maneuvering them so that Nikki's back was against the island. His hands traveled down her body, brushing all the places he knew she was sensitive and making her sigh in pure ecstasy. She shuddered in anticipation as his hands went under the hem of her T-shirt, ready to do it…
…when her phone went off.
"Dammit," Max grumbled, running a hand through his hair. Nikki groaned and picked it up.
"It's Neil," she said in confusion. "I haven't spoken to him since Christmas. Why is he calling at eleven o'clock at night?"
"Answer it," Max replied, shrugging.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey, Nikki! How are you?"
"You're calling me at eleven o'clock for a 'how are you' call?"
"No, that's not why I'm calling. I'm calling because I went by Max's apartment and nobody was there. The landlord said you moved out?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. We forgot to tell you. We bought a house and we're living there now."
"A house? You're not pregnant, are you?"
"No, I'm not pregnant!" Max rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh. In response, she smacked his arm.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. We haven't done anything in a while. Can we please change the subject?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm leaving on my six-month research trip in the morning, and I wanted to say goodbye before I left."
"Shit. I forgot. Sorry, Neil. We'll miss you at camp this summer!"
"I'll miss you guys, too. Tell David I said bye."
"We will."
"Bye, Nikki. Oh, and tell Max I said goodbye, too."
"He's right here." Nikki handed the phone to Max.
"S'up, nerd?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow for my six-month research trip. I'll see you guys in September!"
"Bye, Neil."
Click. Neil had hung up.
"I hate him sometimes," Max grumbled.
"Aw, because he cock-blocked you?"
"Exactly."
"Well, we have a brand-new bed upstairs that we still have to break in, if you're in the mood."
"Hell yeah I am. I'll take you in here some other time."
Nikki blushed as they headed upstairs.
A house-warming to remember for sure.
And done!
Like I said, I've had other fics I've been focusing on because this one is at a point where I can do sporadic updates. 'The Princess, The Thief, and The Alchemist' is my daily upload, while 'The Final Bell' is a completed story you can find on my profile.
That being said, there's an opportunity for you to meet me in real life. I'll be at DragonCon in Atlanta this weekend. Look for the girl with her hair in a ponytail wearing glasses with a Doctor Who backpack and a laptop. If there's a panel for Steven Universe, RWBY, Disney, Schoolhouse Rock, shipping, Gravity Falls, or Camp Camp, I'll be at any of those. If you really want a surefire way to see me, I'll be in line for the Tara Strong panel if there is one. Feel free to stop by and say hi, ask me questions, or just to bug me. No pictures, please, unless it's cool fanart you want to show me!
So long and thanks for all the fish!