hawk_shot | for @theodorelasso

Kate's barely been able to sleep these last few days. It's a huge milestone, after all. It's been months since she and Ted started dating and, even with a werewolf in the mix, the prospect of meeting his son has been both the most surreal concept and the thing Kate has feared screwing up the most. It's just strange, being aware that they are into something serious and that would make her ~~a step-mom~~ part of this kid's family. Is she ready? Geez, according to her own mother it's surprising Kate can even look after a dog.

Remembering how Ted introduced himself to Lucky, Kate decides to bring a little something that hopefully will excite Henry even if he turns out to hate her guts. It's certainly more than just a steak. Getting out of her Uber, Kate's got her arm wrapped with Lucky's leash as she makes room to pull out the box they somehow managed to fit along in the back of the car.

"Ted? Can you give me a hand?" She calls out the second she sees her boyfriend step out of the house to come greet her.

The basketball hoop is not terribly heavy, but when a retriever is super excited to mee his own step-dad? Yeah, it becomes a bit of a challenge.

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Posted by

theodorelasso

"When we get the hoop up, I can start coaching you in basketball," he answers, half-serious. Serious in that he'll absolutely do it, but not-so-serious as in they won't have any specific athletic goal in mind.

He takes a single bite of cake, before he pops to his feet again, noticing Lucky begging at the table. He grabs a bag of dried fruit dog snacks from a kitchen cupboard, then gently slides Lucky's pillow over towards the table with his foot, and spends a few moments getting Lucky to actually lie down on it, before giving him a treat as reward. It'll probably only work temporarily, but hey. It's better than either of them buckling and giving him cake.

Posted by

hawk_shot

"Don't be your usual great self or I might end up super disappointed once you turn down my offer for a job," she quips right back at him, only half serious herself. Her coaching team has been going through changes and, knowing how well she works with Beard? Asking him to take over and train her in more than just the one discipline had felt natural. Now, working with Ted too? That would be at least interesting.

Digging in, she watches him take a moment to actually try and get her dog to behave. Sure, Lucky might not obey for long, but compared to how things were when they started dating? Her dog would practically put his paws on the table to see if he could steal a bite. "You're so good with him," Kate points out through a mouthful of cake.

It's Ted's patience that's proving to make a difference.

"How was work?"

Posted by

theodorelasso

There's been several days where Ted has dog-sat Lucky where he's made some effort to make him behave. Which, yes, did take many hours. But it made it a bit easier to maintain those things whenever Kate was also there, and led to overall improvement.

"It was alright. Didn't really get much done, honestly," he answers, getting back into his chair to enjoy his cake. "No practice since most of them were off on a field trip, so I tried to do some paperwork and planning, but, you know. Couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow." He smiles and shrugs.

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hawk_shot

The loud tapping on the pillow is a sign that Lucky is tempted to sit up again and double his efforts on begging for some cake. Kate holds a finger at him. "Bud? Behave. Down," she says firmly until her dog finally lowers his head, properly laying down.

Taking another bite of cake, she listens to Ted, reaching out to give his arm a squeeze as he once more proves just how excited he is about Henry's visit.

Nervous as she is, Kate knows she ought to ask her question, see what's waiting ahead.

"So... You've made any plans for tomorrow? I mean, out of the obvious. Like, are you taking him to Central Park or something? Legoland?"

Is she gonna be part of some of those plans?

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theodorelasso

Ted smiles warmly as he watches Kate, proud of both her and Lucky. They've come a long way.

"Tomorrow's probably gonna be pretty relaxed, no big plans except for hanging out. But, after that..." he says, leaning his elbows on the table as he leans forward a little. "One of the next few days, I'd love for you to come along for something. Like a show, or, sure, Legoland."

He's alluded to it enough by now that he figures she'd know he'd want her to. But he hasn't had a chance to make specific plans. And he just wants that chance to talk to both Michelle and Henry about it first.

Posted by

hawk_shot

It just makes sense. It's not like they have too many chances for this, for Ted just to decide when it's the right time to introduce them. But this is a big deal. It's been months already, but they're serious enough for Ted to want to introduce her to his kid.

For all they know there might be months before they have another chance.

"That's cool." Nervous as she is about this whole deal, she can't deny that at the same time she's pretty touched by the whole situation, by how Ted wants to make it official. "Yeah, I was't sure if you wanted..." She shrugs, focusing on slowly digging into the cake with her fork, how it cuts through the cream. "Like, if you just wanted time with him. It would be totally understandable."

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theodorelasso

"You're both really important to me. I want you guys to meet each other," Ted says sincerely, putting his fork down and focusing entirely on her. "Doesn't have to be a big deal. Just... spending some time together." He pauses, watching the way she's stabbing the cake. "How do you feel about that?"

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hawk_shot

Noticing how Ted's put his fork down, she turs to face him, well aware that they both know about the many unsaid things related to Henry's visit. Kate puts her fork down too.

"Sorry, I didn't want to worry you or anything," she chuckles, clearly a little flustered. "I was honestly wondering like... When it would happen and, you know, how." She knows Ted won't make a big deal of it, for both her and Henry's benefit. "It is a big deal. But..." He will make it as easy as possible for all three of them.

No. Not just that. It won't be only Ted's doing.

"But I know we'll make it work."

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted smiles warmly and nods in agreement. "We will," he agrees. "And, you have input here too, you know. On how you think we should handle it. Like.. if you want to have a proper chat with him about it, or if I should do it and then introduce you... What we should tell him. And what we should get up to together. Stuff like that, yeah?"

If they're gonna be together for the long term, there is a solid chance Kate will be an important figure in Henry's life as well. Potentially she'd eventually become his step-mom. And while they're nowhere near that, he does want Kate to feel like she has a say.

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hawk_shot

Finally addressing the elephant in the room is not as terrifying as Kate had expected it to be. She's well aware that Ted knows what a scary situation this is for her ad he's supporting him the best way they can manage.

Chewing her lips, she leans back on her seat, slowly exhaling a very deep breath as she smiles nervously at him. There's responsibilities with this too, it's something Ted has warned her about since they started dating.

"I think you should probably warn him at least. Me having a chat with him and being all like 'hey, I'm your Daddy's girlfriend' is just cringey. Just ask Jack." Jacques, boyfriend to Kate's mom. Who Ted is well aware that Kate can barely stand. "Do you have any idea of what he told me the other day?"

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theodorelasso

Ted chuckles at her example, picking up the fork again to continue eating. He definitely agrees with that. He's gonna have a conversation about it with Henry, both before and after.

"No, what'd he say?" he asks curiously, popping a forkful of cake and whipped cream in his mouth.

Posted by

hawk_shot

It's like a weight's been lifted off her shoulders, even if it's something brief. Because until this whole visit is done, Kate has no idea of how things are gonna be.

"Okay so, I'm at my mom's office, right? We're hanging, the guys walks in and makes himself at home." She sounds way more like her usual enthusiastic self right now. Even if she's ready to talk shit about Jack. "Starts pretending like it's all cool between us. And then the asshole looks straight into my eyes-" She turns her hand towards herself, grabbing her fork at the same time and cutting another slice of cake. "And tells me he's bought himself a book about 'how to be a step-dad'! Can you believe it?"

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted nods along enthusiastically, always ready to hear her stories, even if doesn't usually engage in gossip or dirt-talking. And he sits there listening, attentive and curious and...

He keeps sitting there, eyebrows raised, like he's waiting for a punchline.

"...So... he's making an effort to have a good relationship with you...?" Ted prompts, trying to figure out exactly what she's so annoyed about.

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hawk_shot

It's nothing like what Kate had been expecting. No 'oooh, that's so wrong' or the "what a bag of dicks' Greer had offered over texts. No. Ted's actually...

Is he siding with Jack?

"Yeah, no. If you had been there you would have noticed that shitface smile on his face." Just because he comes over and has invited her to have dinner along with him and her mother doesn't mean that Jack is trying and really means it. "He was like... Poking me."

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theodorelasso

"Hmm," Ted answers thoughtfully. "I mean, it's... definitely pretty awkward to announce it to you like that. But are you sure he just... doesn't know how to connect with you?"

Ted's trying to frame it gently. He knows she doesn't like the guy. But he is also trying to get her to try to give Jack the benefit of the doubt. Even if the guy's being kind of weird about it. Buying and reading the book? Sure, great effort. Telling Kate about it to maybe score some points or convince her he's trying? Awkward at best.

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hawk_shot

"You think?" The tone in her voice clearly states that to call it pretty awkward is really nothing but an understatement.

It was probably the wrong turn to take, bringing up her own shitty relatioship with Eleanor's boyfriend, specially when she's what? A couple of days away from meeting Ted's son. It does put things in a good perspective though, reminding her of everything she's not gonna do around Henry.

"Yeah, announcing that he thinks he can replace my dad is not the way, I can promise you that."

This is different. Henry's got both his parents. Jack has no idea what he's talking about.

Posted by

theodorelasso

"Hmm," Ted repeats, mulling that statement over for a second, trying to decide how to address the glaringly huge fallacy in it, nodding slowly and staring at the table.

"Do you think that, for me, you're replacing Michelle?" he asks gently, cautiously. And then quickly adding, "Not in regards to Henry. Just me. As a girlfriend, as a partner. Do you think you're just... overwriting her, in my heart? You don't, right? It's not like... a single slot in my heart, that you're kicking her out of."

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hawk_shot

Even though she was ready to take another bite of cake, Kate lowers her fork, the look she aims at Ted one that lingers near to disappointment.

Is he actually siding with Jack?

"This is different. Michelle is still around and you chose me." Turning her face away sharply, she stares at the kitchen wall for a second. "He's just--"

The doorbell rings before Kate can elaborate, Lucky instantly getting up and barking away as he heads to the door.

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted has lots more to say on this subject. He's pretty sure he can get Kate to make consider it a tiny bit that allowing herself to at least begrudgingly get along with Jake isn't gonna be some major betrayal towards her dad. That there's room for both.

But then there's the doorbell, and Ted puts a brief pin on it, until he's checked on who's at the door. He does lean in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek on the way, because he saw that look of disappointment and he doesn't want it to have time to settle.

As he heads to the door, he grabs Lucky by the collar, just to make sure he's not about to jump out at whoever's outside. That's one thing they haven't trained out of him, which he makes a mental note of as he opens the door.

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hawk_shot

"Surprise!" Both Henry and Michelle call out in perfect unison, clearly having practiced on the taxi as they made their way towards Ted's new home. What's certainly not practiced is the way Henry goes in a beeline straight towards Lucky instead of Ted, sinking into his knees as he ruffles the dog's chest. "Daddy's got a dog!" He cries out in clear excitement.

Michelle, looking a little dishelved like anyone who's got out of a plane normally does, holds their son's luggage as she smiles apologetically at Ted. "You definitely trumped our surprise with this one," she points out with a chuckle. "Henry--"

Before she says anything, their son is up on her feet again, wrapping his arms tightly around Ted's waist as he clings to him.

They've got a great kid.

Edited on 2023-06-06 07:26 am (UTC)

Posted by

theodorelasso

Surprise is definitely accurate. He lets go of Lucky's collar without even thinking about it, straightening up in confusion and shock.

He looks between his ex-wife and his son hugging Kate's dog. "He's not--" he starts, but can't really finish. He looks at Michelle and takes in how they clearly got here straight from the airport.

There's a million thoughts in Ted's head all of a sudden. Is Kate gonna be alright? How's he gonna explain this to Michelle now? He had a whole conversation planned. How's he gonna warn Henry? He should've made sure Michelle brought her allergy medication. He hasn't changed on the bed yet. He was supposed to clean the house. He needs to invite them in, but what about Kate?

And then his son is hugging him, and Ted smiles despite everything, hugging him back. "Hey, kiddo. You good? How was your flight?"

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hawk_shot

"Real good. I watched the new Transformers and they gave us this really weird chips that tasted like barbeque. I would have brought you some but I was real hungry and mom said it would be alright." Henry seems to spurt out the words without a break for a breath. But before his dad can say anything, his neck cranes as he tries to see where the dog's gone to. "What's his name?"

Lucky, wagging his tail wildly as the joy in the encounter is clear contagious, first heads towards Michelle, who instinctively puts the luggage between herself and the retriever. "Hey, you," she tells him. "Sorry, I promise you that you're adorable, but dogs are not really my thing."

Luckilly, the dog is already turning and heading back towards both father and son, getting on his hind legs to hug them. That prompts Henry to lean further into his father's chest as he giggles away.

"Jake had to come earlier to New York," Michelle starts explaining. "We thought we might as well surprise you. Hope it's not an inconvenience?" How could it be? Ted's always so thrilled to see Henry.

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theodorelasso

"Oh, uh, that's Lucky. He's just visiting," Ted answers, wanting to clarify that as quickly as possible. "Sorry, if I'd known--" he starts to say to Michelle, though he leaves it there, knowing she knows what he means.

And then the dog's there again, pretty much the same height as Henry when he's standing on his hind legs like that, and Ted's very glad that Lucky's a very friendly and nonthreatening dog, and that Henry loves dogs a lot more than Ted did at his age.

"No, uh -- We'll figure it out. Hope you don't mind a mess, though," he says with an awkward chuckle. Internally he's definitely panicking. He feels locked in place, still knowing he should invite them in, and somehow unable to make a move.

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hawk_shot

"Hey Lucky!" Letting go with just the one arm, Henry still holds onto his dad as he turns to face the dog, getting welcomed with a faceful of happy licks. Michelle does find it a little odd that' Ted is dog-sitting, but instantly realizes she's glad he's made that sort of close friends in New York. She shakes her head in a way that lets him know she'll be alright.

"Hey, we raised a toddler together. You know we're mess-proof," she quotes the joke they've made a million times together. Moving the luggage, she adjusts it in the way that will be the most comfortable to roll it into his home. That is, if Ted invites them in. There's an odd silence then, only interrupted by the sound of Michelle smiling awkwardly and Ted's chuckle. She starts wondering if perhaps surprising him was a mistake.

After what feels like a lifetime, the silence is interrupted.

"Ted? Do you need help? I can take Lucky if you want." Kate calls out as she steps into the hallway that leads to the door, only seeing his sillhoutte and Lucky's as he stands on the doorway.

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theodorelasso

Ted turns to look inside, and he's not sure where to be grateful or worried that Kate came to check on him. Well, guess they're doing this!?

"No, uh," he says, stepping back inside as he leads the way, rather than holding the door open and waiting for Michelle and Henry to enter first - so he can give Kate at least a split-second of warning. "Michelle and Henry are here," he says, and his voice is perky and cheerful, but the face he gives her as he catches sight of her is a mix of deeply apologetic and slightly panicked.

"Here, let me--" he says suddenly, offering to take the luggage from Michelle, suddenly realizing he should do that. "Uh, Kate, this is Michelle and Henry. Michelle, Henry, this is Kate."

He absolutely cannot bring himself to add any descriptors to that. Girlfriend, meet ex-wife and child. Ex-wife and child, meet girlfriend. That is a conversation they will have to have later. He especially can't do it in front of Henry, not like this.

Ted hopes dearly that most of the awkwardness is passing over Henry's head, but he's pretty sure the tension will be obvious enough to Michelle for her to guess that, well, this is not just a random friend who happened to be here at this moment.