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

"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?"

Posted by

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.

Posted by

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.

Posted by

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.

Posted by

hawk_shot

It all happens too fast. Ted moving and Kate noticing he's with two other people, who she instantly recognises even though this is the very first time they meet. She's never seen a photo of Michelle before, but she's seen Henry plenty of times. On pretty much every wallpaper Ted's had on his phone since they've met. By the time he makes the announcement, she's already processing the information.

And god, she looks like a train is about to run over her.

"Uh! Oh, humm.. Hi! Hi, hey. Hey!" Yeah, for a moment she's completely incapable of muttering something more complex that a monosyllabic answer, stepping back and making room for all three of them to step into the house.

Henry greets her distractedly, clearly not thinking much of Ted's other guest and still too focused on the dog. He holds onto the straps of his backpack and follows his father.

Michelle on the other hand? She's still processing what just happened.

"Uh..." Walking backwards, Kate points at the kitchen. "Hummm, should I bring cake?"

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theodorelasso

"Oh, uh, yeah, d'you guys want--" he starts, but the word 'cake' seems to have been the only thing that could distract Henry from the adorable golden retriever, and Ted nods at Kate. "Yes, please, bring the cake. Uh, the nice one, next to the fridge." He turns back to his unexpectedly early guests. "Come on, make yourselves at home."

He ushers them into the living room, setting the luggage down and grabbing a sweater that's draped over the back of the couch, folding it, looking around before just hanging it over the back of the couch again, now folded. Kate pulled that sweater off him two nights ago. God, he's glad the two of them are fully dressed and doing something so innocent as eating cake.

"Uh, actually, I'm gonna get some coffee going too. You guys just make yourselves comfortable. Henry, keep a watch on that dog for me, buddy?" He mostly asks to keep the kid busy. He gives Michelle an apologetic look before disappearing to the kitchen.

"God, sorry about this. You okay?" he asks Kate in hushed tones as he enters the kitchen. He's very glad for the amount of walls and doors separating the kitchen in this house.

Posted by

hawk_shot

Even though Ted can sure recognise that his ex-wife is a little startled, she smiles politely at him and nods, putting her hands on Henry's shoulders before she encourages him to follow his dad's suggestion. By the time Ted leaves the room she's helping him take his backpack off.

Meanwhile, Kate is holding onto the kitchen counter as if that was some sort of lifeline. The second he steps into the kitchen she spins on her spot, her eyes wide as platters.

"I thought they were coming tomorrow? What happened?" Even though she matches his whispers, Kate sounds much more desperate than he does.

And then she catches herself and how panicked she sounds.

"He's adorable," Kate is quick to offer.

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted gently shushes her comfortingly, stepping over to her and putting his hand on her arms to steady her.

"Yes, he is," Ted agrees with a smile. "Change of plans and they wanted to surprise me. Look, if you want to head out, it's all good, I will cover for you. We don't have to do any of this right now."

Reassuring Kate at least makes him feel a bit more steady. Like he gets renewed strength to keep it together, for her sake.

Posted by

hawk_shot

The second he holds her Kate seems to mimick Ted, reaching out to hold onto his biceps as he offers her options. As he says outloud something she's wondered from the second she stepped into the kitchen.

"But... I just-- Wouldn't it be weird? As first impressions go and--" God, she just wants to grab her things and flee. "I don't wanna mess it up and make him think I'm terrified or whatever."

Which she totally is.

Posted by

theodorelasso

Ted nods, agreeing that yeah, would be weird if she just ran away. Well, Henry might not think too much of it, but Michelle will definitely question it.

"Alright. Here's what we're gonna do," he says, with calm determination he's trying to make himself feel. "We're gonna have some cake and some coffee. Gonna make some nice small-talk. Then after cake, you can excuse yourself, and it won't be weird. And I can talk to Michelle and Henry about it properly afterwards. It's gonna be alright."

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hawk_shot

The thing about Ted is that, people might underestimate him. But in an emergency? There's nobody else Kate would trust as much. Nodding to his every words, she doesn't just agree blindly. That is a plan that both makes sense and gives her time to adjust to things.

"Should I leave Lucky with you?" As if she finally dared to, the corner of her lips turned into a tentative smile. "I think Henry is a fan."

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theodorelasso

Ted returns the smile fondly. "Not gonna miss your emotional support dog? Who's gonna wake you up at 7 am when neither me nor Lucky's there?" he asks. He doesn’t want her to feel lonely, or stress herself out on her own.

Even if he very much appreciates the instinct of wanting to do just about anything for Henry.

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hawk_shot

She chuckles over his input, not because the joke is hilarious but rather as a way to shake her anxiety off.

"Yeah..." The adoring way she looks up at Ted says it all about how grateful she is. He's always finding new ways to look after her. "I think I could do with the company." Ted will have enough on his plate too. "Besides, Henry will be happier to see me if I bring Lucky, right?"

She hasn't screwed it up yet. Contrary to what her anxiety claimed, she hasn't screwed up things with his kid for the whole ten seconds they interacted.

"Are you okay?"

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theodorelasso

"Right," Ted agrees, glad she takes him up on it. Looking after herself when Ted can't be there. And yeah, Henry probably shouldn't get used to the idea of having a dog. Michelle is the one who's gonna be stuck with that problem.

He softens when she checks in with him too. "I get to spend an extra day with my kid," he answers softly, as if that solves and makes up for everything. And in a way, it kind of does.

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hawk_shot

It's obvious how it pulls at the strings of her heart. Because even though that smile of hers grows wider as it empathizes with Ted's joy, it's impossible to miss the pain that comes up in contrast. As happy as he is now with that realization, Kate becomes aware of the pain that comes with months spent away from the person he probably cares the most about in the whole world.

Kate blinks a few times, aware of how her eyes are becoming glassy. She cups Ted's cheeks, stroking them with her thumbs.

"I'm so glad for you, baby. You deserve it." Terrifying as it is and as much as it changed their plans? Just seeing how happy Ted is makes it well worth it. "I love you so much."

Posted by

theodorelasso

"I love you too," he answers softly, and leans in to give her a brief but loving kiss. "Alright, let's get this cake sorted," he says, a little louder, letting go of Kate and setting about preparing and gathering everything they need for cake and coffee (and some milk for Henry).

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hawk_shot

"Do you think Henry would like his milk in my Avengers mug?" It was a gift from Ted that Kate liked to keep at his place.

Meanwhile, Henry was following his dad's direction and explored the living room as he followed Lucky around. On his feet or in all fours, the pair played aroud, sneaking around the furniture and chasing each other, only to end up rolling up on the carpet.

Michelle tried to keep a smile on her face as she asked Henry to be careful and not fill his clothes with dog fur: it'll give his dad more work to get rid of it.

Her eyes were glassy and her nose started to feel clogged as the allergy caught up with her. But she was too focused on the texts she was sharing with Jake at the moment. On how he was asking her to try and keep calm as she faced this situation.

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theodorelasso

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Ted agrees immediately. "Alright, I'm gonna bring the cake out. Can you bring the coffee when it's done?" Flustered as he is, he doesn't quite wait for a response as he starts carting the cake and plates and forks into the living room, setting it down on the table.

"There we go," he says brightly. "Now just-- hey, you alright?" he asks, suddenly noticing Michelle's face. "I've got some allergy meds if you don't have any with you." He takes them for hay fever, but it works just the same.

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hawk_shot

The second Ted steps into the living room, Michelle puts down her phone. She's already reaching for the plates to give Ted a hand while asking Henry to come over. Their kid is too distracted rolling around with Lucky.

"Oh, please," she smiles at him, waving her hand at her own face, redder by the minute. "Normally it doesn't get this bad, but..." She shakes her head, shrugging as she trails off.

And then she sees the chance.

"Let me come with you, Ted?"

Posted by

theodorelasso

"Wh--okay?" he answers, confused and a little surprised, not entirely sure what she means. "Sure?" He gestures for her to lead the way, even though that absolutely defeats the purpose of 'coming with' anywhere. He feels like he should be worried but isn't entirely sure why.