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In a booth, Charlie is trying to feed Seth from a jar of crushed plums. Seth has several purple-ish blobs on his face, and has gotten very little of the fruit into his mouth. Woe.

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Blink.

Blink.

"Okay."

"There's some kind of virus going around. Not as bad as the nightmare virus back in February, I think, but not pretty at all."

"You've not got it? Or Seth?" Bartleby frowns.

"I feel fine--aside from the everyday stuff that's my own damn fault--and Seth's not running a fever or sneezing or turning odd colors. I think we're okay."

"Good. Everyday stuff?"

"Ringing in my ears, mostly. Headaches, sometimes. Occasional nausea." He shrugs. "The side effects of drug abuse will never end, love."

"Oh, those." He leans over to kiss Charlie's cheek. "Thought you meant something extra."

"The jeans dry okay, by the way?"

"Nope, nothing extra.

"They dried. They were a bitch to get off, though." He gives Bartleby the most reproving look he can manage. "Could have used an extra hand."

"I was swimming," he protests.

"You're very yummy in a swimsuit," he acknowledges.

Seth kicks his feet. Worship and adore me! I'm bored!

Charlie catches hold of his toes and gives the bottom of his foot a kiss.

"Not quite the point, but thank you." He grins.

"Just making an observation." He grins at Bartleby. "Perhaps I will join you again--in a proper swimsuit this time."

He takes Seth out of his carrier and sets him in his lap, hoping he might take the plums more readily this way. Seth twists back to look up at Charlie and then settles against him with a sigh.

"Considering that you had to be dragged in, I'll not be too optimistic." He chuckles.

"Hey, octobaby."

Seth eats more plums from Charlie's finger and regards Bartleby. Hey, angel-man.

"Swimming in a lake is very different from swimming in a pool," Charlie says. "It's weird, not being able to see the bottom--how deep it is or what's out there. There are squids, you know. A squid. Could be other, nastier things." He shudders. "Don't fancy death by drowning."

"I wouldn't let you drown. Promise."

"Thanks," Charlie says softly, and holds Seth so that he can stand up and lean over to kiss Bartleby. "So you may get me in the water again yet.

"Somebody ought to be able to teach Sethie to swim when the time comes, I suppose. Might even be me."

"Should start getting him in the water now."

Charlie looks down at Seth, who is sucking contentedly on his finger. "Now? He can't even sit up by himself for more than a minute."

"You can hold him. Babies like water."

"Well. We shall have to try that sometime soon." He runs his hand over Seth's head.

"And you, a stor? What have you been up to today?"

"Slept in." A slow grin. "Ate strawberries."

Charlie narrows his eyes a little at him. "Ate strawberries without me around." He pouts.

"You got up. Your loss." He grins.

"I don't like to wake you when you're sleeping. You need it. Though I suppose I could lure you awake with the promise of strawberries now . . ."

Bartleby leans forward and tickles the bottom of Seth's feet. "Perhaps you could."