Fic: Sunday Afternoon
Title: Sunday Afternoon
Fandom: QAF-US
Pairing: Brian/Michael
Rating: PG-13
Summary: While snooping around Gus and Jenny find something that’s not meant for them to play with.
Disclaimer: I disclaim.
Michael awoke with a start. It took his brain a moment to catch up with his body and then he realized a little hand tugging at his sleeve. He groaned, opened his eyes reluctantly and finally rolled his head to the side to face the child standing beside the couch.
“Hey sweetie…” Michael yawned heartily. He was reminded again why he had been so happy when he had successfully talked Hunter into covering for him in the store today. Michael had spent almost the entire night at Red Cape, taking stock without getting disturbed by customers, and now he was bone-tired.
Jenny’s eyes were suspiciously bright and now she blushed. “Hi Daddy…”
Michael just looked at her. Something was wrong. And maybe it was his fault for falling asleep on the couch in broad daylight. Or maybe it was Brian’s fault for pleading with him to come over and watch the kids for him so he could just stop by his office for an hour. Glancing at his watch, Michael’s suspicion was confirmed. One hour… Yeah, sure.
“Jenny, what’s up?”
She squirmed. “Can I show you?”
Michael got up and held his hand out to his daughter. Whatever they had done, it was too late now anyway; usually both children were guilty, not just one of them. There was no need to make Jenny feel even worse than she apparently already did.
When they approached Brian’s bedroom, Michael saw Gus lying on the bed. For a moment, he feared the boy was sick, but no. At least he looked quite chipper.
Michael let go of Jenny’s hand and walked quickly over to the bed. “Gus… You okay?”
The eight-year-old nodded. Michael noticed that Gus, just like his sister, looked rather sheepish. “Okay. Just tell me what happened and I promise not to yell.” Silently he added: No promises what your dad will do once he’s home again…
“This…” Gus rolled onto his back and Michael got a good view of Brian’s son had become attached to the headrest of his father’s bed.
Michael’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “Oh God… Okay. Where’s the key?”
Jenny climbed up on to the mattress and crawled over to lay beside Gus. “We don’t know…” she said in a little voice.
“Huh? Where did you find them? There’s got to be a key somewhere…” Michael took a few calming breaths and all but ran to the open drawer both kids pointed at. To his relief, he didn’t find anything mortifying in it…but unfortunately there was no key either. And now what?
Michael sat beside Gus on the bed and inspected his hand and the handcuffs closely. Nope. They were too tight to get him free without any means…the key or something out of a tool box, whatever…
“Can I ask what you were thinking??” Michael was curious. There was no way it would help, but he still wanted to know.
“We played and she was the police officer who caught the criminal and then we tried to find something to use so she could keep me from flying and then we opened the drawer and um, found the handcuffs. Uncle Mikey, I swear I thought they’d work like the ones Mom gave me for Halloween a few years ago. They were easy to open…”
Michael had to suppress a grin. Poor Gus… He must have been terrified once he realized that he couldn’t free himself like he thought. Embarrassing enough as it was, Gus was not only chained to the headrest, but Michael had also just caught them going through someone else’s stuff again. And that was something that was strictly forbidden.
“You know that you’re not supposed to open anything in this bedroom, right??”
Gus muttered “I’m sorry…” and Jenny simply nodded.
Michael used both hands to rub his temples. “This was a bad idea, kids. A really bad idea.” Michael examined the head part of the bed and quickly decided that there was no way for him to take off something in order to get Gus free. At least not without the possibility to damage something and then Brian would go berserk…
Both children looked at him with wide eyes, expecting him to find a solution. Michael looked at the handcuffs again. They didn’t appear to be of the extra robust kind but were clearly too thick to just use scissors.
“Gus, I promise you I’ll get you free, one way or another, okay? I just need to find something to cut them… Do you know if your dad keeps any tools around?” Michael felt stupid asking a child for advice on the whereabouts of tools but since Brian had moved back into the loft, Michael hadn’t been here as often as before and that’s why he didn’t know where everything was anymore.
Gus shook his head.
Michael sighed. Obviously, he had no other choice than to call Brian. He didn’t want to start rummaging through the closets, afraid of what he might find. Somehow he felt he didn’t have the right to touch Brian’s personal things. And, oh, that thought hurt.
After the third ring, Brian picked up his phone. “Mikey…”
“Hey…um, I’ve got a question…”
“Go ahead…”
“Do you know if you’ve got a tool box somewhere?”
“Excuse me? Are you planning to redecorate for me? Gus and Jenny didn’t smash anything or do anything stupid whatsoever, right?”
“Noooo…they were playing.” Michael considered just telling the truth but, in the end, decided against it. He didn’t want Brian to get annoyed. “Uh…about the tool box…?”
“You’re serious? Okay… I guess there’s something in the kitchen under the sink. But as long as I don’t know what you’re looking for…”
“No! No, that’s a huge help. Thank you.” Michael was about to hang up when he heard Brian call his name. “Yeah?”
“Is everything fine? Anything I should know?”
“No…”
“I’m sorry for making you look after them today. I know you’re tired and that you just want to crawl into your bed, hide under the covers and sleep until tomorrow morning. Really, I am. Now…I’ll be back in an hours. Scout’s honor…”
“Take your time…” …at least until I’ve had the chance to get your son free again…
“Are they driving you crazy?”
“No… No, they’re just a bit bored, is all. I should have taken them to my place.”
“Uh…sure... Like Ben would love to have them around… And especially now that he’s not feeling all too well.”
Michael didn’t want to admit it but Brian had a point. Ben was too pissed with his life in general in order to enjoy anyone’s company, let alone the one of two lively children. Even Michael often felt like his presence was barely tolerated…sometimes only because Ben wanted his help for something or another...like a cheap housekeeper or a nurse.
“I’ll leave you to your work. Sorry to bother you.” This time Michael hung up before Brian had the chance to say one more word. He just couldn’t deal with a concerned Brian right now because that would make him feel too vulnerable.
Michael put the phone aside and went to the kitchen, looking for the tool box and praying to find anything suitable in it.
…&&&…
True to his word, Brian had made it back to the loft in shortly under an hour after the phone call. He had found Michael and their children seated on the floor around the coffee table, playing a board-game. They looked so peaceful together that Brian couldn’t help but wonder, for a short moment, how it’d be to come home to this scenario every day. While he took off his jacket and shoes and put away his laptop, Brian allowed himself to dream of a future together - just the four of them.
Carefully insuring that his features were not showing his emotions, Brian approached the small group consisting of his loved ones.
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