-GRELL-
A young boy happily follows his father into the woods, lugging around a small axe as he trails behind the black haired man who holds a saw and a sled. It's snowing softly on the ground as the pair slowly make their way deeper into the forest where the pine trees grow.
"How about this one?" Mr. Sutcliff adjusts his ponytail, pointing to the nearest tree.
Grell studies it intently before shaking his head. "It's too bare."
"All right then, what about this one?"
"It's too fat."
"This one?"
"It's got the bottom branches missing."
"That's good, though, Grell, it means less pine needles on the ground."
"No!" Grell pouts. "There won't be enough space for all the decorations!"
His father chuckles before adjusting the grey hat over Grell's red hair so it covers his ears a bit better before they continue into the forest.
Grell's eyes immediately light up when they find the perfect tree. "That one!"
"You sure, kiddo?"
"Yeah!" Grell runs up and immediately scales up the tree right to the top, where he sits there grinning, pleased with himself.
Mr. Sutcliff gives a chuckle before heading over to the tree. "All right, kid, off the tree. I don't want to saw it down when you're still on it."
Grell jumps straight off the top of the tree, rolling once he hits the ground, unharmed. For a kid, he's sure been taught well, and he's already on his way to becoming a fighting genius.
"Here." Grell's dad hands him the saw. "Why don't you try cutting it down?" He holds his hands over Grell's as he shows him how to hold the saw. "You move your arm from the shoulder, tighten these muscles but relax these ones. Use both hands."
"Like this?"
"Yeah, you got it!"
Upon the encouragement, Grell bounds over to the tree and starts hacking away at the base. Sure, it takes him longer than it would an adult, but so long as he's having fun, his father thinks to himself.
Eventually the tree falls with a crash and a loud whoop from Grell.
"Great job" Mr. Sutcliff wraps his arms around his son in a big bear hug. "You're going to grow up to be a strong man, I can just tell."
Grell's face falls a bit. There's something... wrong...with that statement. He's not sure what it is. The statement isn't even wrong... but he doesn't like it. It's a weird, and unfamiliar feeling. He doesn't like being called a boy or a man. But then if he's not a boy or a man then what is he? Maybe if he just ignores the feeling it'll go away.
Grell's dad misses this reaction and lets go of him and moves to tie the tree to the sled. Once it's securely tied, he moves the rope over his shoulder.
"Let's head back home, Grell."
Grell nods excitedly, already having temporarily forgotten the problem and bounds over to tug at the rope, eager to help and prove himself in his father's eyes.