Dad Egbert/Crocker. Second Person Perspective.
The faint glow of early morning light rouses you from your sleep. The sun will be up soon and that means you should be to. Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise, they say. You push back the sheets and sit at the edge of the bed. Your slippers are conveniently waiting for you before you set them on the cold floor. You remember when John would sneak in and steal them. She could barely walk in them, but that didn't stop her from trying.
You frown as the face in your memory shifts between two children.
You shake your head and clear the remaining cobwebs of sleep from your brain. You stand and immediately remake your bed. You head to the adjoined bathroom to start your morning ablutions. There is something so calming and nice about a hot shower and methodical motions of shaving. It just lets you take a deep breath and cleanse yourself for the day.
You go to your closet and select your outfit for the day. Pale blue shirt, gray pants, brown belt and brown shoes, gray fedora, and a dark blue checkered tie all sound nice together. You clip your PDA onto your belt and straighten your tie in the mirror. The face that looks back is slightly weathered but taken care of. The eyes still glitter with mischief. Lines around the mouth and eyes show marks of smiles and laughter. There is still so much life in this old man.
But you've died.
Time to start breakfast. You absolutely love having a full house. It's much livelier than when it was just you and your child. And you believe John does as well, now that your attention isn't so overbearing. You couldn't help it. You were just so proud of him. And of her.
A pot of coffee first for those that wake up early. You don't take much yourself, being a natural morning person, but some in the household praise its caffeinated properties. Then pancakes from scratch because Jane can't stand anything made from Betty Crocker, won't eat anything she even suspects is made with that brand. Though you don't think that brand exists in this universe. You are still used to making the exception so it doesn't hurt to continue it. The Strider boys seem especially appreciative of anything home cooked. Their enthusiasm is very flattering.
Once a large bowl of batter is prepared, you start making a stack of perfectly golden fluffy pancakes, slipping a pad of butter in between each one. In another pan you have some bacon cooking. Apparently it wasn't exactly from a pig but from an Alternian substitute creature as one of the trolls informed you. It still tastes like bacon which is good enough for you.
The stack of pancakes isn't as high as it used to be now that the residents of the house have been moving out. You are proud of each and every single one of them on finding something to do for themselves. The trolls that paired up with other trolls were the first to leave because they were used to living on their own already. Such sad children, but you are slowly coming to understand that it was just how their race was. That won't stop you from spoiling them whenever they come home though. And they do stop by frequently which is nice for you and the others who are still here. Home is where the heart is and there are twenty one hearts that have a place here.
Rose is the first to enter the kitchen today. She is the last of the human girls to move out. Jane was surprisingly one of the first, but she is sure to do well with the bakery. And the troll that is helping her is a fairly obvious choice with his fascination with pies and clowns to match her love for harlequins.
But you know her chat handle is gustyGumshoe.
Roxy was the next to leave, going with that Sollux boy. Then Jade with Karkat. You sigh a little at the lost of Karkat. Despite his foul mouth and belligerent behavior especially when the two of you initially met, you found a mutual respect for one another. After you heard his story, how he led that band of young trolls to make the universe(s) that you were familiar with, you saw the respectable gentleman that existed underneath the gruff exterior wrought by necessity to live in a dangerous world.
You continue cooking as Rose glides in, wrapped in a fluffy lavender robe. She immediately heads to the cabinet for a large wide mug for her morning coffee. Kanaya is soon to follow. Now she is a proper lady you think. But no demure wallflower. She has her own strong sense of person. Together they make a fine pair, you smile to yourself as they trade silent glances over the breakfast table. You slide two plates in front of them with murmured thanks in return.
The boys trickle in next. Dirk and Jake are in town between their adventurous trips. The room fills with conversation, mostly thanks to the brunette. They are also quite an interesting pair.
John comes blustering in next. A veritable whirlwind of energy. You are surprised that it took him this long to wake up and join you especially as the scent of the bacon should have permeated the house by now. It's only when Dave comes slouching in do you understand his cause for tardiness. The signature aviators don't quite mask the dark circles under his eyes from your careful observance. You thought you heard someone's nightmare last night. The poor boy. But at least he has a best friend like John to take care of him. You raised that boy right. Going to become a famous comedian one day like his grandfather.
Nanna owned a joke shop.
Soon all of the children have a plate of pancakes and a side of bacon when you finally serve yourself. The chatter turns to everyone's plans for the day. You just sit and eat quietly, smiling when someone glances at you. You are happy with a family. It was just the two of you for so long.
You have two children.
John asks if he can borrow the car to take everyone to the mall today and you nod. You are so proud that he took the initiative and made sure everyone took driving lessons and passed the test. Though several of them had to tried multiple times. But John never gave up on them. He took extra time and was very patient with each and everyone. That boy Equius was especially tricky but at least he would always repair the car after any incident.
John finishes his breakfast first, excusing himself over the scrape of his chair. Dave calls after him not to pull any of his pranks. The table unanimously rolls their eyes at the answering laughter that trails back to the kitchen.
Also finished with the meal, you collect the plates from around the table and start doing the dishes. You see Rose off to the side eyeing the dishes. From what you've gathered, she was one of the few who had some semblance of a home lifestyle. You shoo her off, taking the responsibility for the dishes yourself and freeing her of any obligation. She nods in respect of your decision and glides off to get herself ready for their mall adventure. You don't mind the chores at all. Gives you something to do because idle hands are the devil's plaything. And no one needs anything to do with any devils around here.
The kitchen is empty and quiet again. It will be like this the majority of the time once everyone moves out. You hope they'll come back as you have offered but you are also so proud to see them striking out on their own. Even John will leave the nest one day. Until then, you have a full house to take care of.
Dishes done, laundry completed, dinner in the oven cooking, dessert iced and waiting, you run out of chores. You warily eye the computer that Roxy and Sollux gave you when they departed. They also gave you a crash course in how to operate it, but so far you haven't spent much time on it. You suppose you should. It is meant as a communication device and is supposedly a wealth of knowledge about this new world. You used the internet before but just enough to get around and mostly for business transactions. But now your only business is taking care of this house. Which when there were twenty-one persons living here, that was easily a full time job. Perhaps you should look for another one. As the computer loads, you contemplate your options. Jane always thought you were some sort of street performer or a comic busker, and you could never dispel her of that notion because it honestly sounded much more entertaining than your actual desk job.
Turns out John hated clowns. Did he hate you?
You suppose you take up baking as well, but Jane has beaten you to the punch on that track. She has learned so much from you in the confectionary arts as you learned so much from your mother.
Jane and Nanna were the same person.
Perhaps you could become a haberdasher since so many have complimented you on your fine gentlemanly fashion. You think that fedoras are the finest of accessories. You briefly remember a dream of purple where you taught a lot of carapaces how to dress their best. You wonder if people here would appreciate your dapper knowledge.
You also remember a purple world full of jesters with terrible hats.
The soft chimes of your computer bring your attention back from dream worlds and vague memories. You feel that faint headache at the base of your skull that comes from too much contemplation on such notions. But the past doesn't matter anymore. You've been given this present for one reason or another and who are you to question it.
Instead you entertain yourself learning about the amalgamation that the Alternian and Earthen cultures have become.
You are pulled away from your computer as the oven timer chimes to inform you that you should check on dinner. You open the door and delicious aromas waft out. As you inspect the dish, you find that it still needs more time. After resetting the timer, you use your PDA to text Dave that dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. That boy is uncanny with his sense of time and you know he will pass it on to the rest of the crew. They are sure to return just in time for dinner.
In the meantime you start work on the side dishes and the salad. You are what you eat and you will make sure that these children are healthy.
Like clockwork the troupe comes home as you are taking dinner out of the oven. You hear the car drive up and the slam of doors as they get out. You listen to the loud conversation over the crinkle of bags carrying their finds when they come in. They wave and say hello as they pass you in the kitchen to drop the bags off in their respective rooms. You nod back as your hands are busy with the hot food. When they all return, everything is already set and waiting on the kitchen table.
It is pleasant to see everyone gathered around, even if it happened only this morning. The children immediately launch into telling me about their adventure at the mall. The girls apparently dragged them everywhere and Kanaya gave such good advice to fill their closets. Jake was the most excited about the shorts that they found. You catch Dirk smirking at that while John and Dave groan. You are glad that John is getting along with Jake nowadays. He used to complain about him and his outrageous claims all the time when they were just simply internet friends.
Conversation shifts to discuss weekend plans. Dirk has news that a new theme park has opened up on the outskirts of town. John and Dave are extremely enthusiastic about that prospect and demand that they all go on Saturday. When you chide them about remembering to write their college application essays, they are quick to inform you that they mailed those off the day before. John is growing up to be such a fine young lady. You catch a rosy blush go across John's cheeks as conversation around the table stumbles. Oh dear, you've laid on your affection too much again, haven't you. You just can't help it; you are so proud of your son. Kanaya helpfully breaks the silence by asking Dirk what sort of rides the park will offer.
Rose and John help you clear the table after dessert. You dismiss the children as you fill the sink with hot soapy water and prepare to wash the pots and pans. John bounds away happily, but Rose lingers behind. She inquires about you how you are feeling and you tell her everything is normal. An odd sad look crosses her face as she tells you that if you ever need to talk to anyone her door will always be open. You thank her but you wouldn't ever burden her with your troubles and woes especially after all she's been through as a child no less. She tells you goodnight and softly exits the room.
It doesn't take you long to finish up the dishes because you did quite a few as you were cooking despite the volume of feeding five additional people than you were used to. It used to be John's task to wash the cooking dishes and Jane would put the plates and silverware into the dishwasher before all of those dreadful events. But with the return to normalcy and the dwindling of house residents, you have taken the chores upon yourself. It's the least you can do in return for the sacrifices they made to save whole universes. Your children, all twenty of them, are truly fantastic.
The kitchen shone with cleanliness and the scent of fresh lemons hung in the air. Everything was tucked away in its rightful place. The little bit of leftover food wrapped up and placed in the refrigerator for a quick lunch. The cabinets were all wiped down and cleared of clutter. The sink had been washed out and dished dried and put away. You had even taken the time to quickly sweep the floor of all debris. It was all ready for the next day.
You tell your goodnights to the group as they settled in front of the television for one of Jake's favorite movies. He is such a movie aficionado. You wonder if Jane still has the same avidity towards Nicolas Cage movies as she did before.
John was the one who knew every line.
You shake your head to clear it. Today seemed to be prone to them. You make your way up stairs, straightening up the flotsam that has accumulated over the day on them and in the halls. You enter the sanctuary of your own room and slowly disrobe. You carefully place your fedora on the shelf next to the others. You hang your tie in the vacant spot that it left when you took it this morning. You coil your belt and tuck it back in its proper position. You set your shirt and pants into the hamper for laundry later in the week. You sit on the edge of your bed and roll your socks off, correcting them before they also go into the hamper. You find your sleep pants and a comfortable soft shirt folded up and waiting for you on the bed where you left them earlier today. You enter the bathroom for your evening ablutions.
The simple movements of routine help dissipate the headache that builds up from the day. You focus on the now instead of looking back at the distorted overlap of two lives. Everything is normal here, you think as you brush your teeth. Though normal has been stretched to include the Trolls as well has memories of a whimsical game of absurdities and painful truths. You are so proud of your children. All twenty of them. They have done so very well.
You gently pull back the covers and slip into the fresh sheets. You pick up the book that Karkat left for you to read from the nightstand. You have time for a chapter or two before you have to sleep. It's a fascinating story of vacillating quadrants between three noble Troll families that defend the agriculture planet from invaders. A truly riveting story.
You reach the end of the, oh dear, seventh chapter of the night. You tuck the bookmark into the spot and set it aside for tomorrow. You reach over and turn off the light and then sink down into the pillows and mattress. You relax completely in the darkness, feeling sleep start to creep at your consciousness. Perhaps tomorrow you will bake something with oranges. Perhaps tomorrow your mind will make more sense.