Babysitter's Club

[catchacold]

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[catchacold]

Your dad's not better than mine. You are better than that.

You should get your highschool diploma. You're smart. It'd be easy.

[trickedya]

My dad's great. He got in touch with me, he didn't have to do that. And now he writes to me all the time. He just started Breaking Bad, we're watching together.

Nah, pass. I don't want to.

[catchacold]

He'll want to use you, like my dad used me all my life.

[trickedya]

Or he'll get out on prison one day when those idiots realise they were wrong to imprison him and we'll totally hang out and do stuff. I never had a dad before, it's so cool! There's so much potential.

[catchacold]

No one else gets it.

You're my legacy.

You can only trust family.

You understand me, you are me.

Just like me when I was your age.

I'll teach you the family way.


Things my father likes to say.

[trickedya]

It's different.

Fuck off.

He loves me.

[catchacold]

No. He loves the idea of using you.

I care for you.

[trickedya]

You don't even know my dad.

I dunno why you do. You don't have to. I'm not a charity case.

[catchacold]

Come with me. We can visit your dad. See what he's like.

[trickedya]

....

You mean it? You'd take me?

[catchacold]

Sure. I got contacts, I can get you a visit.

[trickedya]

You're the best!

When? I'm free ALWAYS so just give me a time and a date and we can go. It's going to be so awesome. Once you meet him, you'll see. He's cool.

[catchacold]

Tomorrow?

[trickedya]

YES!

Lenny, I love you so much!

[catchacold]

Great. Just take care of your business and meet me at Mick's tomorrow. I'll pick you up at two.

[trickedya]

I'll do it, I'll have everything sorted. I'm so excited :D

[catchacold]

I'll see you tomorrow.

Indeed, the next day at two, Leonard was kissing Teddy goodbye and brushing his hand against Mick's, then handed the baby over to him. "You need anything? I can pick up stuff on the way back."

Hartley was holding his ears shut and focusing on a still mostly blank music sheet in front of him, sitting on the couch and concentrating but he noticed when Axel got up and lifted his head, lowering his hands. "Take care, please."

[trickedya]

"Milk. We need more milk and maybe get brainiac over there some coffee and some painkillers." Because he was whining about ear pain on and off and he didn't want to sleep because he was working but he was kind of sleepy so Mick was mostly trying to help the kid out. He eyed Leonard and Axel, who was pretty much bouncing excitedly outside the door. "Good luck." Was all Mick could say because he knew this was going to be rough.

"I'll be fine. Catch you later, Hart." Axel grinned and waved before he started moving, trying to encourage Leonard to do the same and come. "Let's get going!"

[catchacold]

"Calm down, kid." Leonard stroked Teddy's head once more and then kissed Mick quickly before heading for the door behind Axel, hands sliding into his pocket. He supposed Hartley might be able to focus better now that Axel stopped fidgeting all over the place, at least.

As they headed down the stairs, he looked at Axel from the side. "Just remember, Ax. I don't think your dad's a good guy."

[trickedya]

"He's not, I get that. He blew up a lot of people so he's not technically good but he's not like the worst person in the world." Axel knew it was complicated to justify his dad, he'd read a lot on him. An unsettling amount. He'd even been on those weird pro-serial killer websites to try and read arguments that justified what his dad did so he could accept this whole thing more. He didn't like to think of the victims, he just focused on what it all meant.

He had a family, he was going to be loved. He'd have the best legacy ever. "You can be a bad person and love someone though. So even if he's not perfect, he might still love me. Like properly and everything."

[catchacold]

"Maybe. I'm not saying it can't happen. I just know my father's never loved anyone." Leonard headed out the door and for his car, unlocking before sliding into the driver's seat and buckling the seat-belt. He instructed Axel to do the same before starting the car, then backed out of the parking spot into traffic. "What's up with Hartley?"

[trickedya]

Axel slid into the car and did up his seatbelt before Leonard even could. Please, he knew how to ride in the car with Leonard Snart. "His ears hurt. He has like implants in them but that's all I know. He said that sometimes they hurt, it's no big deal. Mick keeps tilting his head and trying to look into his ear, it's kinda funny. They keep arguing over it." Mick kept trying to suggest ear ache remedies and Hartley kept freaking out. Yesterday when it first started, Axel brought him some ear muffs. Just in case Mick tried to meddle.

[catchacold]

"At least they both have something to fight about." They seemed to need that somehow, although it was pretty hilarious, since Hartley kept being polite to a fault, calling Mick "sir" and often getting so snarky that Mick needed a moment to realise that he hadn't actually agreed with him. At least that style of arguing meant that they could do it around Teddy without Teddy freaking out. "Don't mention that you're your father's son in front of the guards. We got some alone time with him, but they probably wouldn't let the man's son near him."

[trickedya]

"They fight a lot, it just takes Mick a while to realise he's even in one. My favourite was when they were arguing while Hartley was baking. Mick could barely remember his argument." It was so cute to watch them together sometimes. Hartley was shockingly a great addition to that little family and Mick was taking care of him in his own Mick way. Axel was endeared. "Oh? Okay. I can do that." Why wouldn't they let his own flesh and blood see him? Surely they got priority? "He told me the visiting system there was super unfair but I didn't think it was that bad."

[catchacold]

"A few years back, he influenced a young guard to almost go and blow up a primary school. He has a certain hypnotic charisma, apparently. Now only experienced guards get to interact with him. They wouldn't trust him not to use his son for a scheme." Simple as that and a big reason why Leonard didn't trust him either. "You'll know if he's trying to use you. Not an easy realisation to arrive on, but you're quicker on the uptake than I am." Took him a long time to realise things with his father.

"I remember the baking argument. Hartley's not that bad at baking. Not as good as you."