A/N: So, I haven't updated this fic in . . . awhile. Which brings me to my next cause: Writer's Block Awareness. It's a very, very serious disease, and a program needs to be started to find a cure.
Anyways, we get to meet Christian in this chapter. He and Gloria have a playdate. I'm just gonna say right now, they're pretty cute. But who doesn't love kids when they're that little, and can't annoy you yet . . .
Chapter Name: Song by Green Day, and Billie Joe and Mike's band before Green Day. I thought it would be appropriate . . .
Disclaimer: I do NOT own American Idiot. However, I do own Christian and Gloria (within the confines of this fic)
After eating a quick breakfast, Johnny threw on his jacket, grabbed his keys, and headed for the door.
"Going to see Gloria?" Will called from his seat on the couch. Johnny had gone over to see her every day for the past week. "I've never seen you so dedicated to anything before." They heard a knock at the door, so Johnny went over to answer it. Outside the door stood Heather, with a child's backpack slung over one shoulder and clutching the hand of a five year old boy with messy, black hair and grey eyes.
"Hey, buddy," Will said, leaving his seat on the couch and going to greet his son.
"It's a miracle! Will actually got off the couch," joked Heather, walking towards the kitchen and setting Christian's pack on the counter. Johnny laughed and Will shot him a menacing look.
"Did you have fun with your Mom this week?" he asked Christian, who nodded his head yes. "Yeah? What did you do?"
"Mommy took me to the zoo, and I got to see the lions and the monkeys and the sharks," Christian told him. Will laughed lightly.
"So, uh, how's Miguel?" he asked Heather, saying the name with poorly hidden resentment.
"Ugh, I dumped him," she said.
"Really?" Will asked, brightening up a bit. "How come?"
"Well, it turned out he had a kid in New York he never told me about, and another one out by the bay. And he's divorced. And of course, he didn't tell me any of this, I found it out completely on my own. So I left him. Too many secrets, not very trustworthy. You know?"
"Well, I think it was a very smart decision," said Will, obviously pleased by the news. Heather rolled her eyes at him.
"So, how have you been, Johnny?" she asked.
"He has a kid," Will interjected.
"He has a what?" Will simply nodded his head at her and she looked over to Johnny for confirmation.
"Is everybody going to react like this?" he asked.
"Well it's not like you're saying, 'Hey, guys, my girlfriend is pregnant,' or something. You're saying, 'Hey, guys, I have a four year old daughter I just found out about.' It's a bit strange, Johnny Cakes," Will told him.
"Wait, what happened?" Heather asked.
"Yeah, weird, isn't it?" Will said. "And Johnny seems to be taking the news better than anyone else, and he's the one it affects the most."
"Well he doesn't have time for flawed thinking," Heather said. "He's the Jesus of Suburbia, remember?" She and Will both laughed.
"Haha, very funny," Johnny said. "I gotta go."
"Aw, come on, I was just kidding," Heather said.
"Oh no, it's not because of you," Will told her. "He's off to see Gloria."
"Gloria. Is that that your daughter's name?" she asked.
"Yup," Johnny answered, trying to head once more for the door, before being stopped again.
"She and Christian should meet each other sometime," Heather said happily.
"That's what I said!" Will told her.
"It would nice for him to have someone to play with when he stays here, since you never do anything with him," Heather said.
"Hey! I take him places!" Will argued.
"The drive-thru at Burger King does not count."
"I've taken him places other than Burger King!" Johnny saw this as an opening to leave.
"Alright. I'm gonna go then. See ya, buddy," he said to Christian, who had long since been ignoring his parents and was sitting on the living room couch coloring.
"Bye, Johnny," he called back, and Johnny walked through the door.
There was a knock at the door. Johnny went over to answer it.
"Daddy!" said Gloria, rushing forward to hug him.
"Hey, baby girl," Johnny said, hugging her back. He smiled and said hello to Naomi, who handed him a small backpack with Gloria's things in it.
"Have fun at Daddy's and play nice with Christian, okay?" she informed her daughter. "I'll be back in a few hours." She gave Gloria a hug goodbye, waved to Johnny, then walked out the door. Johnny took Gloria over to where Will and Christian were sitting in the kitchen. He introduced her to Christian, who shyly looked away and mumbled hello. Gloria smiled and greeted him happily, full of energy. Gloria grabbed Christian's hand and pulled him into the front room, and suggested they build a block tower. Johnny laughed and sat at the table next to Will.
"So, how are things with Naomi?" Will asked him. Johnny looked at him slightly confused.
"Fine . . ." he answered, confused by Will's tone.
"Have you two gotten back together, yet?" Will asked. Johnny sighed. He should have known that's what he was getting at.
"No," he told Will. "We haven't."
"Well, you gotta make your move sometime soon, Johnny Cakes. Or you might not get another chance."
"Well, I appreciate your concern, but I'm not concerned about getting back together with Naomi right now. I'm concerned with taking care of Gloria. Naomi and I are on friendly terms right now, and that makes it easier for everyone in this situation. I don't want to do anything to mess that up."
"I can understand that," said Will. "Having Heather bitch at me constantly isn't exactly cloud nine. And her hating me sure makes it a pain in the ass when I'm trying to see Christian. It's bullshit, man."
"Hey, watch the swearing, dude. There're two little kids right in the next room." Naomi would kill Johnny if Gloria started picking up bad habits when she visited him.
"Come on. Like you never swear," Will said incredulously.
"Not in front of Gloria," Johnny shot back.
"Psh, whatever," Will began. "I don't see why we're not supposed to swear in front of our kids. I mean, it's not like it's gonna make them start swearing." Just then, the small block tower the two children had been building toppled over.
"Shit," muttered Christian, and Gloria clapped her hand over her mouth, wide-eyed. Johnny looked over to Will.
"Shut up," he told Johnny, then turned to look at his son. "Hey, Christian," he said.
"Yeah?" Christian asked, looking over to his father.
"Don't say that in front of Mommy, okay?"
"Okay!" he answered, turning back to the blocks and Gloria, still shocked by what he said.
"That's my boy!" Will called, before turning back to Johnny. "See, I got it covered." Johnny sat there for a few seconds in silence before breaking out in laughter.
"Why did you say that word?" Gloria, still wide-eyed, asked Christian while they started rebuilding their block tower. He shrugged. "My Mommy says that it's a really bad word," Gloria informed him.
"Yeah, my Mom says that, too. I think that's why my Dad doesn't want me to say it in front of her. Gloria nodded her head in agreement.
"Well, I'm never gonna say that word. It's very rude, so I can't say it, 'cos I'm gonna be a princess one day, and princesses aren't supposed to be rude." Gloria said all of this very matter-of-factly, as if she knew for a fact she would be a princess one day.
"You're kinda goofy," Christian told her.
"Well, you're kinda goofy, too," she said. Christian nodded his head; that's what other kids said, too. But she said it differently, like it was a good thing to be goofy.
"So, if you're going to be a princess," he started, "you'll need a knight to protect your castle."
"Yes, I will. Do you wanna be my knight?" she asked him excitedly.
"Sure," he said, seeing her face light up.
"Great! Hm, let's see. I'll need a royal throne too," she said. Christian went over and cleared his things off of the living room chair. "Thank you," Gloria said, smiling as he helped her sit down. "Now what?"
"We have to protect the castle from fire-breathing dragons," Christian said, getting into the story. The two played for hours, fighting dragons and saving damsels, until Naomi came to pick Gloria up and take her home. Gloria gave Christian a hug goodbye before leaving with her mother, already knowing that this was the start of a great friendship.
A/N: Aw, I told you they were cute . . .
Reviews please!