Chapter Text
Work was terrible today. How people sleep comfortably at night after treating another human being with such disrespect and disregard over the phone truly boggles my mind. When I got that degree in sound engineering, I thought that I'd get a more respectable lineage of clientele coming my way. But no, 20% of the time it's actually respectable clients who speak to me like a proper human being and the other 80% of the time it's the most mediocre, passion-void, passé musical """artists""" that I've ever heard berating me over the phone like I'm dog shit beneath their shoe. If the pay wasn't as good as it was, I'd flush that degree down the toilet and work at some shitty fast food chain like McDino's instead. At least there if a customer is being a rude, snobby cow you can just spit in their food. Can't exactly do that over the phone now, can I?
Wait, what the fuck am I waffling on about? I’ve been sitting in my car in the driveway for the past 5 minutes mumbling about how much I hate people. God, that’s pathetic. What Lucy saw in me all those years back to make her want to marry and have a kid with me will always be a mystery to me. Lucy… Sweet Tooth… Suddenly I’m not as angry as I once was. I’m back home now. Free from the stress and monotony of work and back into the graceful clutches of my loving family. All notions of resentment and anguish previously present in my mind are quickly evaporated at the thought of my wife and child. Both of which are probably inside waiting for me to come bursting through the door any minute now. Speaking of…
I quickly open the driver’s seat door of my car and step outside, taking my suitcase along with me. I shut the door and hurry over to the front door of my house as to escape the current downpour of rain that’s shooting down onto me. With a hasty sorting of my keychain I find the key to the front door, unlock it and make my way inside.
“I’m home!” I yell to alert any of my surrounding family members. I look towards the TV in the living room to see some sort of old FPS playing on the screen before it’s quickly paused and the head of my teenage daughter peers over the couch in front of it.
“Hey dad!” Amber says excitedly. I walk over to her and place a quick peck on her forehead.
“Hey sweet tooth.” I say afterwards. Amber just rolls her eyes while the grin on her face betrays her ploy to seem annoyed. Much to my, and yet not much so, surprise, Trish’s daughter Sera pokes her head over the couch as well.
“Hey daddy~” She says with half lidded eyes. That’s strange, I’m not her father. Is she stupid or something? I’m about to point out this irrevocable mockery of basic logic until Amber zips her head towards Sera, shooting her a mean death glare before elbowing her side.
“GHA! What the hell was that for!” Sera says. Amber doesn’t reply, the mean scowl still ever present on her face. She then turns her head to me and that scowl disappears before her usual light hearted demeanor and smile return to her face.
“Mom’s almost finished cooking dinner, Dad. Spaghetti balls and- bologna- bolo-” She struggles to say.
“Bolognese?” I cut her off before she can continue.
“Yeah, that stuff. Oh! And with garlic bread too!”
“Mmm, sounds good!” It really does. I’m fucking starving right now. Although my attention is quickly turned to the game the two girls are playing currently. “What are you guys playing?”
“Hmm? Oh! Just some old FPS from the early 2010’s. Ancient as shit.” Youch, now I feel old. “I think it’s an old Claw Of Duty game. We’re playing the zombies mode right now because the multiplayer’s basically dead and the campaign sucks ass.”
Oh. Must be Black Ops 3. Now I really feel like an old-timer. “Cool! Any chance I could play as well? I may be old but I’ve never lost my skills.” I say while flexing a bit in an attempt to make myself look tough which makes Amber roll her eyes again while Sera watches extra carefully while biting her bottom lip. Huh, at least somebody appreciates my vast gaming skills. The daughter of the tiny tyrannical trigger terror no less!
“As much as I’d like to see you get downed 14 times before round 5, Dad…” I see how it is. Looks like somebody’s not getting a kiss on the forehead goodnight… “Dinner’s almost ready like I said, and I need to have a bit of a uh, chat with Sera here about some school stuff so we were gonna wrap it up anyways.” Really? That’s good to know that she’s taking her schooling seriously. At least, more seriously than I did.
“Oh! Uh, okay then! I’m just gonna go get changed out of my work clothes and I’ll be down in about 5 minutes. Make sure to tell your mother that I’m home, sweet tooth. You know how she gets when her precious dweeb isn’t around for more than 5 minutes.” I say as I begin to make my way upstairs into Lucy and I’s shared bedroom to change into my casual wear.
“Alright, Dad! I’ll let her know!” Is the last thing I hear as I walk upstairs into my bedroom. I’m so proud of her. Stopping her gaming session to discuss schoolwork with her friend. I could never imagine in a million years me or Lucy doing such a thing back when we went to high school together. Those two are going good places. I can already tell…
I watch as Mr Mous. goes upstairs presumably to get changed into his everyday attire. Aw man, that was the perfect chance to ask if he needed help getting changed. Really need to step up your game, Sera! Although my train of thought is cut off when I hear Amber clearing her throat to the left. Uh oh, I know what’s coming. And it isn’t good…
I slowly turn to face her like I’m in a shitty b-tier horror movie and I’m met with a very displeased Amber scowling at me.
“So Sera. Anything to say?” She says to me in a deceptively calm tone, masking her true ptero rage beneath.
“Hmmm, I dunno, Amby.” I put my hand to my chin as if I’m deep in thought. “Oh, I know! I want to bang you dad?”
Amber scowl deepens, her teeth starting to show. “You know that’s never going to happen, Sery-poo.” She replies mockingly. Damn you Mom for calling me by that stupid pet name in front of her! “As long as I live and as long as my parents stay together, which they will for the end of time, I will be there to stop you and your dastardly schemes.”
I suddenly stand up from the couch, towering over the currently sitting amber. “Oh? And how long do you plan on keeping this charade up for, Amby?” I ask her rhetorically. “As long as me and your Dad walk this Earth, I will never stop trying to get in his pants. The more that you thwart me, the better my schemes will become. And eventually, one of us isn’t going to be able to keep up anymore. And I have a feeling in my gut that who that somebody might be… Is you .” I put my hands on my hips and stare her down.
Suddenly she shoots off of the couch and begins staring back at me, a primordial protective rage in her amber eyes. “That’s what you think, Sera. But I’ll never back down. I will protect my father from your carnal desires for as long as I live! When alone, we may be friends. But when my father is in the same room as us, we are mortal rivals.”
I don’t reply, instead keen on trying to stare her down into submission. I don’t know how long we keep up this game for, but it feels like it goes on for hours. I open my mouth to speak again before I’m suddenly cut off.
“Kids! Dinner’s ready!” I hear Mrs. ( Soon to be just Ms. ) Mous. yell from the kitchen area. Our little staring contest is put on hold as Amber looks towards where the voice came from.
“Coming!” She yells. She makes her way towards the dining room area before shooting me one last glare. A glare of which tells me all I need to know.
This is not over yet, trigga.
Oh, it most certainly is not. And I’ve got a scheme brewing that’ll undoubtedly have Anon Y. Mous in my clutches whether she likes it or not. “Wait for me!” I yell before also making my way to the dining room. I’m tempted to laugh maniacally like one of those old 90's Saturday morning cartoon villains before I go and eat dinner, but that’s really gay so I don’t.