Good Parents

by Felinis

In which Judith and Raven attempt to spoil Karol as their child

Felinis: I am so sorry this took as long as it did. The only real thing I have to say is that... sometimes your depression is more crushing then normal and your just not functioning as a person. The following is a story made for my patron on Pat re on

It was sort of an accidental 'what if' conversation that appeared frankly out of nowhere and yet expectedly. A small stumble into an agreement that they weren't entirely sure on yet where going along with all the same.

The setup, the staging if you will, for the scenario came up when Karol had noted offhandedly that he would be turning thirteen soon. It was weird to hear for the group because while the passage of time is obvious it meant that it really had been a long time since they founded Brave Vesperia. It also reminded them of the fact that Karol was even with all his maturity a kid which sometimes slipped their minds despite themselves.

The conversation happened on one of the adult outings the two Vesperia members and one Raven had every few weeks to kick back and relieve stress.

"It's kind of weird isn't," Yuri said into the foam on his tankard.

Raven leaned back in his chair tilting the legs off the ground slightly. "What ya mean per se?"

"Just that…" He tapped his foot a bit. "I don't know- I get that its part of the job but it seems weird for Karol to constantly be worrying about paperwork and guild finances instead of… whatever the hell kids are normally supposed to stress about. I dunno- I'm a bad example for a healthy childhood; I remember spending most of it trying not to starve."

Judith snorted the tiniest into her glass of wine. "I don't think any of us are examples of a good upbringing… Maybe Raven."

"Nah, I was born old and crusty like a fine loaf of rye."

"Well, that was a metaphor." Judith mused and Raven puffed up his chest in pride.

The conversation faded a bit till it finally circled back to Karol again. "I just think it's odd that he hasn't seemed to have had an actual childhood with like a family and everything. I mean, I was street baby but even I got that for a few years. Karol hasn't gotten anything like that."

"So what can we even do about that?" Raven says absently in a way that speaks of him caring about the topic but ultimately not invested in a solution. He cares a lot for Karol but it's not like he'd be any good at coming up with a solution for this sort of thing.

The silence on the topic falls again until Judith opens her mouth.

"Why don't we act like his parents and treat him like a little kid?"

The men stared at Judith and did their best to think about how she must have been joking because that idea was ludicrous... But, perhaps that is why it seemed very reasonable. Not like Yuri had never acted like a substitute for kids in the Lower Quarter but this was different, but he's not a parent and doesn't plan on being that for Karol because from his experience Yuri is not the person Karol needs as a parental figure. He glances a look at Raven who had broken into a cold sweat at the idea.

Him a dad? That's ridiculous! Raven would be an awful dad and besides, he wouldn't have any idea how to act and it would just be weird. Karol would think he was crazy for acting like that. It just would never work well, but it be cool to try… Karol had admitted once that Raven made him think of a dad. He'd be fine even if he'd probably just come off as a dumb deadbeat or creepy with all the affection, but it would be nice to try.

"Yeah, but aren't you a little young to be his mom?" Yuri jest at Judith breaking the nervousness in Raven.

"Step-mom." She said raising a finger. "So, who wants to be my loving husband?"

Raven's hand shot up. "Yes, Ma'am."

And that's about how they got into this situation. The two leaning against the wall in Brave Vesperia's headquarters trying to figure out how exactly to go about and start this since while they could just go up and start doting on Karol they very much doubt that he would enjoy that. The soon to be doted on 'son' in question was looking over some of the financial forums for the month with a fine-tooth comb.

"Okay, so if we take into account travel and advertising then it comes out to…" Karol muttered under his breath and Judith pointed Raven sternly in his direction. She kept moving her shoulders in a 'go and do the thing' sort of motion while trying to keep her face mostly neutral. Cautiously, Raven pointed at himself because he did not want to be the one to start something like this because that never goes well.

There's kind of a set universal rule that if Raven starts something then it is automatically suspicious on the grounds of 'no duh' and he is not sure at all how to go about this. What do kids do with their parents? Play ball or something? Judith coughed lightly into her fist and Raven sighed deeply; the things he does for this woman… usually completely of his own volition but minus any foresight.

Raven adjusted his jacket and held himself tall as he walked into the office ready to do something. Doting parent! Playing the doting parent… He stumbled into a nearby desk chair awkwardly with a small acknowledgment from Karol in the form of a raised hand.

"Heya kiddo!" Raven smiled as he turned backwards in the chair to rests his arms across the top.

Karol shuffled the papers into a tighter pile and set them aside. "Oh, hey Raven."

"Ya seem pretty busy." Raven looked for his entry into a conversation but the kid just shrugged lightly.

"It's the end of the fiscal quarter and the guilds finances need to be assessed so that I don't overpay everyone and not leave enough for other expenses. Not to mention making sure everything is still up for regulations…" Karol's voice started to trail off as he talked more and more on his duties that were not as glamorous and tended to drag down the job of being the leader of a guild, but Karol didn't seem bored but rather invested in making sure everything was lined in a form of perfection. Raven felt pride stir inside with how well Karol was adjusted to his duties and how devoted he was.

But really, how could anyone expect less from Karol?

"Would ya be up for takin' a break and hangin out with Old Raven?"

"I guess…" Karol's hand lingered on his pen before setting it down and stretching in his seat. "I could use a walk. I've been sitting in that chair for hours."

As they make their way out of the building Raven makes a point of scolding Karol because that seems like something a responsible parent would do. "It's good to focus on yer work and all that but ya shouldn't just sit for hours and hours."

"What would the Don do?" Karol said looking up with distinct puppy eyes.

Raven thinks back to what he remembers of the few times he got glances of the Don at his desk and not posing as the great mountain of a man everyone knew him to be. "Well, he always made sure that after an hour he practiced for two or just did something fun in that time."

"Like what?"

"Mostly, he just hung out with Harry or read. Nothing all that fancy really." As they entered the streets Raven started to wonder what to do to push this whole dad thing along. "If ya need ta you can always come hang out with me if ya've been sitting there too long."

"I'd like that." Karol smiled and cautiously Raven set a hand on his shoulder. Was that right? Karol hadn't said anything- so that's fine! "I know you said you'd stay with Altosk till Harry was ready to lead on his own but you'll come to Brave Vesperia once that's done, right?"

"I promised, didn't I so?" He smiled and Raven turned his face towards the buildings to hide the tinge of red on his cheeks. Raven tried to think of something to extend the walk and let him be a dad and all that but his mind was in a panicked blank-slate on ideas. It was then Repede cam walking down the street with a ball in his mouth and stopped in front of them.

Right- dad's play catch or whatever with their kids. "Think he wants us to play?"

"I dunno, I still have a lot to do…"

Raven took the ball from Repede and tossed it Karol's way. "Yer only young once sonny. Don't waste it all working when ya could be having fun." He struggled a second to catch the ball with Repede bumping his leg and whining. "Come on, have some fun."

Karol shrugged and tossed the ball back and Raven didn't want to say it but the kid could probably dislocate his arm with that swing. It went slowly like that tossing a ball and making their way down the street till finally they reached a plaza and he noted other kids were around playing. They were normal kids and you could see it in the way they walked, dressed, the shape of their muscles, the glint in their eyes… They had something that felt close to innocence and as the two grew tired of tossing the ball around they sat at the edge of a small dried up fountain staring out at the crowd.

"So uh… do you have any friends- I mean- not like we aren't friends and all that kiddo just…" Raven rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he tried to find his tongue. "Karol, ya ever get tired of hanging out with us adults and wanna just go hang with folks yer own age?"

Karol narrowed his eyes and crossed his legs. "Why?"

"Well, it can't always be fun hanging out with us boring adults." Raven laughed and Karol snorted in a cynical fashion.

"Are you kidding?" it came out almost as a sigh. "When I was little, a lot of kids would make fun of me for always working so hard and doing jobs, but it's not like I had much of a choice. I mean, work or go hungry… still," Karol's eyes drifted to a group of three kids playing soccer a small distance from them, "when I was… I think about eight, I tried to play some games with the others because I had some time and I just kind of realized something."

"What was that?"

Karol tapped his fingers on the side of his cheek lightly. "I don't think I'm able to have fun like most kids. Like, I know what others do for fun and all that but I just- just felt it was-"

"A waste of time?" Raven finished and got a small nod. "So because of that, you don't like to hang out with other kids?"

"Yeah. Is that dumb?"

"I just think you haven't found anybody on your wavelength yet." He slung an arm over his shoulder and pulled him into a small hug. "Yer not the average kid and that makes it hard to deal with all the other normal people out there."

"So… it's fine that I hang out with adults?" Karol jest. "Because I'm not sure what to tell the guild otherwise."

Raven gave him a light noogie and poked at his cheeks. "Is that so? Well, hate to tell ya but yer still gonna have to make friends your own age eventually."

"Never!"

It broke out into a tickle war that devolved into a wrestling match somewhere after Raven tickling Karol's stomach and getting suplexed onto the ground. Why is this kid so stupidly strong? It's not fair! In the end, Raven has to cry out defeat and yells how he'll buy Karol ice-cream as a trophy.

"What am I five?" Karol huffed in mock frustration as Raven passed him a rather large sundae.

"No, but ya gotta be cynical as fuck ta not like ice-cream." Raven snorts stealing a bite and gets an elbow to the nose.

"Hey, get your own!"

It was hard and easy to give Karol affection. On the one hand Raven knew the basics of what Karol liked and how to have fun with him but on the other, it was difficult to think of ways you could spoil him that weren't crossing lines. Oh sure, the easiest thing to do would just be to shower Karol in gifts but he doubted any of that would feel sincere and he's not even that sure what he could buy Karol that wouldn't feel like junk. So Raven figures that he'll spoil with compliments and advice because it's the only thing he can think to do. Kids are supposed to get life advice from their parents all the same so he's doing something right.

Maybe.

Judith hadn't really worked out a real plan of attack for them because it should be easy… Raven stuffed his hands inside his jacket and watched Karol shovel down the treat only stopping for the occasional brain freeze.

Yeah, right. So easy. Geez, what else can even do… Wait- that could work.

"Ya know, I don't mind helping ya with the paperwork side of everything." Karol gave a very muffled 'you sure?' through a mouth full of vanilla and chocolate chip ice-cream. "Yeah, it's no big deal," he leaned over and swiped another bite ignoring the protests. "Besides you'll be at it all day otherwise."

The paperwork genuinely isn't that hard or even that much compared to some of the stuff Raven has had to sort through in his day. Seriously, being both Shwann and Raven wasn't as fun as it seemed when you stripped away the so-called glory of fighting 'bad guys' and spying on ledges. A lot of it was actually bureaucracy in disguise so none of these papers were anything new to him.

"Okay, so remember to always double check this clause. This is the one they'll try to change most often so they can squeeze tax dollars out of idiots."

Karol squinted at the paper. "Isn't that a bit shady?"

"Yeah, but it actually helps to make sure everyone's reading the fine print… kinda." Raven shrugged and watched as Judith came in with two cups of hot cider and apple pie. She set it down gently to the side and made a point to kiss Raven's cheek and to give Karol a light hug from behind before leaving.

Karol took the cider and sipped at it slowly a smile spreading on his lips. "It's got cinnamon and paprika in it."

"It's nice."

"Mom used to do that too…" Karol muttered and then stiffened, his mouth twisting into that awkward and nervous grin he did from time to time when uncertainty took him. "I mean- not my Mom, mom- but see… um there was a really nice lady and she was sort of like a Mom and she always gave out food to kids and sometimes she made cider with cinnamon and paprika…"

He raised a hand to shut the panicked boy up. "Hey, no need to get defensive on me. I get it. Sometimes ya get something that reminds you."

A palatable silence held in the air for a minute before Raven took his cup and carefully sipped from it.

"Was she nice?"

Karol set his cup down. "Maybe? She wasn't ever mean to anyone, but I don't think she really cared for any of us. She'd just sort of watch any of us orphans until we could work…"

Outside the room Judith listened closely and listened for tone and for a sign that the privacy of father-son bonding was closing for her to step in. She listened and she understood Karol's version of a mother because it reminded her of her childhood in Myorzo. Surrounded by people who didn't understand her and cared in a way that felt obligated rather than affection.

Well, that's not the kind of mom Judith wanted to or would be.

She stepped away into the kitchen where Yuri was munching softly on a slice of pie. "Hey, what do you think Karol would like for dinner? Something special."

He shrugged, "You realize that you know him as well as I do, right?" Judith set a cold glare at him. If he was not going to participate the least he could do is occasionally offer pointers. "All, right. Sheesh… You can never go wrong with omelet rice or Salisbury steak. You know all this stuff."

"But, what about something special?" Judith wanted to make something extra to show her affection! Something that would wow him and be something a mom would do for their kids. That's what they do!... Right?

If she's honest Judith is really only half sure on what parents are supposed to be like and what they do. She's had those small tabs off care here and there but it's not the same as a real parent. Geez, she's not even sure how to go about any of this in a way that's not weird! She's still young too and unlike Yuri, she's never taken care of a child for more than a few hours.

Yuri sighs and picks at his pie slice with his fork. "This is why I thought this whole thing was stupid… What do you think Karol would love?"

"Right, but what about something special! I want to make him a dinner he'll absolutely love."

Another deep sigh and a groan as Yuri leaned back in his chair. "Omelet rice. I can not state enough times about how aware we are of Karol's love of omelet rice. You realize that impressing kids doesn't actually take much effort?"

"But this isn't any kid. This is Karol."

"Fuck it! I'm going out to beat up monsters while you guys keep overthinking everything." Yuri took the actual pie in his hand as he left. "Good luck."

She huffed and went to the pantry. Well, that was rude! This is important and they were trying to make Karol feel special which means a nice homemade meal like the ones that people always look forward to in stories.

The pantry is actually looking rather bare and that worries her as she goes over what they have. She can always look through one of their many cookbooks to see if she can find a particular meal that fits her needs. But, Judith also understands that simplicity is sometimes the better solution and Yuri could be right on that.

She pulled out a cookbook and started looking over some recipes that would go over well. Beef stroganoff, porkchops, fried chicken might be good- Judith started a list of things that seemed a reasonable idea as she dug around for ingredients and frustrated that really the most they had were leftovers, eggs, and rice… This is beginning to feel like a joke.

Shopping. She could and would go shopping and come back to make an amazing family dinner. Judith cracked her knuckles as she grabbed a large shopping bag and her coin purse taking straight to the door. Her legs moved with a purpose as she haggled and filled her bags full of various vegetables, spices, and meat. She wasted no time coming back and only stopped the briefest second to twirl the knife into a good position before setting to work.

She could hear laughter coming from the office and what sounded like the two getting all up in arms over something trivial. Sounded a bit like a board game.

"How come you keep winning?!" Raven yelled and Judith grinned as she pictured the frustrated scowl on his face and that little-frustrated hunch that he made from time to time.

A giggle. "I mean- how are you that bad at this? It's backgammon. Aren't old people supposed to be good at it."

"Just because I'm old does not mean I know how to play games like this." Everything was almost at that point where she could step away from the kitchen for a few minutes while it all cooked. She'd drop in and cheer her boys on.

Mostly Karol. Exclusively Karol. Raven was very funny when he was out of his wits about losing in a simple game enough times. She dipped herself into the office and stood behind Karol looking at the board that was not one she was very familiar with herself but could feign enough to get buy if needed.

"Kick his ass, Karol!" She laughed and ignored Raven's complaints as she ignored Raven's demand for moral support. Judith instead rolls her eyes and dips back into the kitchen to make sure dinner isn't burning and that everything is on track.

Bit of spice here- a little extra salt. Better turn down the heat real fast before the potatoes burn. Judith couldn't wait for the smile on his face when Karol got a look at dinner. She made quick work of setting the table and started prepping the plates to look their best and considered she might read Karol a bed-time story.

That's a thing. She can do it… Really, there's not a lot of material to guide her on what moms do with their sons so she's not sure. Raven has it easy in comparison. She knows food is important along with kind words so that's what she's focusing on.

Even if it means she's not over there hanging out with them laughing away. Judith's fine with that because she'll get her time to goof off with her favorite boys.

"Hey, dinner's ready!" She calls and gives one last glance over dinner. Mashed potatoes with bacon bits, sautéed spinach and mushrooms, porkchops with a peach chutney, balsamic vinegar, and pine nuts. Overall fancier than the usual straightforward entrée and a side veggie but totally worth the work if it makes Karol smile.

A tiny whistle breaks Raven's lips as he looks at the table. "Well, ain't that a fancy spread!"

"Like it?"

Karol takes a whiff of the air and smiles. "It smells really good. What's the occasion?"

Judith grins pulling out a chair and ruffles his hair. "No occasion. Just felt like making my boys something special."

"Where's Yuri?" Karol asks as he takes a seat noting the distinct lack of both him and Repede.

"Oh, you know Yuri. Sometimes he just gets caught up killing monsters." Judith laughs as she pours some water for all of them.

Karol crossed his arms in frustration. "One of these days he's going to come home limping and covered in blood. I just know it."

"Don't worry. Yuri's a big boy he can handle himself." Raven says as he started on cutting up his meal.

Karol shrugged taking a large bite of pork. "Still doesn't change the fact that last week he tried to skydive off of Ba'ul but forgot the parachute."

"Make sure you don't even think of doing anything like that," Judith scolded lightly as took a bite of her greens. "At least not without the proper safety equipment. What would we do if you got hurt now that we don't have artes?"

"You don't have to worry about that."

Judith asked about everyone's day and Karol talked about the tips and tricks of the trade Raven had taught him while she was out. After they had finished there was a big fuss about Raven wanting to have some fun so they broke out the backgammon board. "He didn't even come close to winning once!"

"I could have if I had some practice."

"What about you, Judith?"

Her day had actually been fairly mundane with her mostly cleaning up, training, and cooking. It was a lazy day and she was fine with that. She chose to listen to Karol talk about upcoming Union meetings and about potential jobs that would take them across the world.

A new shipping job in particular for relief supplies.

"Do you think we should start looking for more members soon?" She asked as the list grew longer and longer.

"Probably, but I don't want to just let anyone in." Karol started to rant qualifications and reason on his fingers. He had morals and ethics that he wanted to focus on and the fact that he had such a vision was ultimately what gave her the biggest swell of pride.

Judith loved that Karol had pride in his guild and she wanted to watch Brave Vesperia grow into its own powerhouse.

"Dinner is delicious!" He chirped and asked for seconds that she complied with happily. Her hand drifted under the table to Raven's and she took enjoyed the warm callouses and the small amount of sweat he'd make. Judith leaned over and got a quick kiss on the lips before sitting straight again; a small blush on Karol's face as he's never gotten quite used to the PDA.

"After dinner would you be up for anything?" Judith asked softly as she noted some vinegar on his cheek and wiped it away with a wet thumb, and Karol slowly raised a brow. "I was thinking we could read together or-"

Karol raised his hands in a gesture for silence. "Look, I know I'm a kid and all but I know everything you've done today is a little weird."

"What have we done that's weird?" Raven protested sitting straight up and rigid.

"My birthday is not for another month and for some reason guys keep popping me full of sweets and for some reason you are ruffling my hair and pulling me into side hugs." Judith was about to point out that they did that all the time anyway, "More than usual. It's not bad or anything it's just kinda weird."

Judith pouted and rested her head on her hand. "I didn't think you'd notice."

Raven leaned back in his chair and picked at his ear. "Judith thought you'd like it if we acted like we were your folks for a bit."

"Why?" Karol blinked a bit and looked up in contemplation. They start to slowly explain their tale and a deep exasperated mix of a sigh and laugh comes from Karol. "You already act like my parents?"

Raven fell a bit in his chair. "We do?"

Karol nodded. "Yeah, all the time. You give me advice, you help me shop for clothes, you try to set boundaries or at least tell me what they are, you're encouraging, when I caught a cold you made sure to keep a close eye on me, you make me dinner. You do basically everything else a parent is supposed to do."

"But, aren't we supposed to dote on you all the time and-"

"No- I am not five. You treat me like I'm twelve and you respect me and don't coddle me." Karol says loudly. "Frankly, if you did coddle me I'd probably hate you."

A silence fell and Judith fidgeted in her seat a bit. "Um… It's silly but, would you be okay with me reading to you… I just- Raven got all the time today and-"

Karol stood up and gave her a love-filled hug. "I mean if you really want to. I won't say no." Karol ran a hand over the back of her hair. "Just… um, don't overdo it and stuff. Also, I'm picking the book."

The dishes were cleaned and put away quickly as Judith made her way to Karol's bedroom and took the book from his hands. It looked very worn and old and the title was one she remembered Estelle mentioning once or twice.

"Where are we at?" Judith licked her thumb and gently lifted the pages once or twice.

"The fall of Akzeriuth," Karol said and Judith insisted he get comfortable as she opened it up and softly started to read the passage. She noted Raven's entrance as he sat against the bed but did not stop and read in soft and steady pace until she heard yawning from Karol and decided to shut the book.

A kiss on his forehead. A whisper of 'good night'. Taking Raven's arm with hers and walking towards her bedroom with a smile that said they were going to laugh on the bed and fall asleep in each other's arms.