milliways_bar | (no subject)

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The front door opens.

Two veteran soldiers, weatherbeaten and exhausted, drag themselves into the bar and sag into the nearest booth.

It's not a war they're coming from this time, though.

Yesterday was their twin children's second birthday party.

[ooc: Two pups, two muns, tag one and get both. Open until it scrolls.]

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"I want," Gordon says as his head thunks down on the table, "a sandwich. One neither of us has to make."

"And I want something to drink that isn't eighty percent sugar," his wife replies wearily.

Good thing they're at Milliways. There are rats only too happy to oblige on both counts, even if they don't usually serve a whole lot of peanut butter sandwiches and ginger beer.

Not quite what Alyx was expecting, but she'll take it. She takes a substantial swig of her ginger beer.

Eventually: "You, uh, you have a little bit of frosting right..."

Gordon blinks, chewing silently, and reaches up to wipe at what he thinks is the stuff's location. "Fanks," he says indistinctly. "Fought I got'm all."

"No, a little higher up--" she reaches over to rub at the frosting herself.

Gordon holds very still as she does so. Clearly, if he's that zonked, the best thing to do is not to move.

"There." She wipes it off and grabs a napkin from the dispenser to get the frosting off her fingers.

He smiles a little, and reaches for one of her hands. Not that Alyx has frosting to clean up. He just wants to hold her hand briefly as a gesture of gratitude.

Alyx is momentarily puzzled by the gesture, but then takes the offered hand with a soft smile of her own.

"Made it through another one," he finally says. "I think we're doing pretty well."

A quiet huff of laughter. "Now we just have to deal with the 'terrible twos.'"

"One day at a time," Gordon says. "Let's not borrow trouble if we don't have to."

"Mm." Then: "Man, look at us. Did you ever think we'd end up all domestic?"

Gordon shakes his head. "Closest I ever got was thinking I might make a good uncle," he says. "This, not so much."

"I never even imagined having kids around, let alone that they'd be mine," admits Alyx.

"There's a lot of stuff that's happened that I'd never imagined," Gordon says. "Thank you for most of it."

"Oh, I can't take all the credit." She leans over the table again, this time to give him a peck on the forehead.

It's been a while since Kreyu has raised children, but she recognizes the weariness in Gordon and Alyx.

"Gordon, Alyx," Kreyu says, greeting them with a smile. "Can I get you anything while you recover from the fray?"

"Yes," says Alyx vehemently.

...it may be a bit before she gathers her wits enough to actually specify what she wants.

"Lunch?" says Gordon, who is never known for his verbalization at the best of times.

After some thought he adds, "There was a party yesterday."

"Lunch is well within my power," Kreyu replies with a chuckle. "Any preferences, of shall I have Bar surprise you?"

"If I remember correctly, this is about the time of year when your little ones were born, yes?" Calendars get weird between universes and the way Milliways fiddles with time.

"As little sugar as possible," says Alyx. "We all had enough sweets yesterday to last an entire year."

Gordon nods. "It was their birthday party," he confirms. "Lots of honey. Lots of maple syrup. That's... probably enough."

Kreyu nods and fetches a lunch for both of them, a platter of sliced cheeses, bread and summer sausage and a large pitcher of water. Nothing sweet anywhere to be seen.

"Children do seem to have a near endless appetite for sweets," she says in a tone of fond reminiscence. "Or perhaps that was just my Zenna."

"...wait, you had a kid? I thought dragons didn't work like that where you're from."

"Could be adopted," Gordon points out. Hey, his mom was a family court judge; these things come to mind.

"She was adopted," Kreyu confirms with a smile. "She was only a few days old when she came into my care, so I got to raise her almost from the beginning of her life."

And see her die, but that's rather too depressing for this conversation.

"She tended to climb up high and jumping off of things and eat enough honey that she made herself sick if left alone for a second."

Alyx smirks around a mouthful of cheese and bread. "Sounds like a typical toddler, all right."

"Must've been one hell of a handful," says Gordon, and starts assembling something with bread and sausage.

Ibani chuckles. "She was. I loved her dearly, but if I had been human she would have turned all my hair grey before she was three years old."

"I'd say that if the Combine War hadn't turned our hair gray nothing will," says Alyx, "but... I'm honestly not so sure."

"Give it about twelve years," Gordon murmurs. "They'll be old enough to start dating then."

He knows better than to assume romantic interest begins at sixteen.

Kreyu chuckles at Gordon's comment. "Ah yes, that might do it. I suspect your two will be beating suitors off with a stick."

If only because their parents are famous.

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