(closed) march catchall

[tealeafs]

Who: Ange (entreats), Chizuru (tealeafs), Daniel (miyagimagic) and various others.
What: March shenanigans.
When: During all of March.
Where: Locations vary.

Content Warnings: Nothing right now, specific warnings will be in headers when they come up.

( starters in the comments! if you want to plot anything with me, feel free to either pm the journal or contact me at queeningsquare, i'm always open to new ideas and threads! )

Comments

[miyagimagic]

[ The boy's reaction very much makes sense in the light of what he says next. There's a moment where Daniel mistakes the reaction for typical teenage embarrassment, similar to the kind Robby showed after planting that kiss on his cheek - but as it continues, Daniel does realise it's a little bit more than that. Something more emotional.

He kind of figures it's about Robby's mother before the boy says it. He may not have been able to see Shannon and Robby together a whole lot, and he knows that things can't always have been easy between them either - especially not with her just casually abandoning him by himself in an apartment while going on vacation herself - but there must have been some love there. Robby never seems to speak of her in the same way he used to speak of Johnny, after all.

And what sensation is more familiar to Daniel LaRusso of all people than missing family?

It leaves him with a hum of acknowledgement at the statement about his mother, a hand moving to idly rub the back of Robby's neck before the fingertips instead reassuringly brush through the ends of his hair. ]

I'm not sure. [ That's the first answer, but quickly followed by: ] Guess yours do though, huh?

[ Okay, yeah, maybe Johnny doesn't, but this statement isn't about discounting him as Robby's parent at all. It's about acknowledging the implication hidden in Robby's words, the implication that makes Daniel's heart melt inside of his chest, and seizing hold of the implication. Taking the spot that Robby is willing to grant him here, the one Daniel has been longing for. ]

Unless you're saying you dislike it.

[ Daniel doesn't think Robby is disliking it even the slightest bit. ]

[strongroots]

[ It was a bit of a pointless question, asked just to say something; a silly call-out that all parents are like this, surely, and it's not like Mister LaRusso could know what he's weak to. It's an excuse to still be standing here with him like this, where Robby can't compare the man's touch on his neck this time to anything his mother does. With his fingers different, a gesture more his. She strokes his hair, Mister LaRusso always touches him around the neck.

Though, the embarrassment is real, when his brain acknowledges Mister LaRusso's own implication, 'Yours do though, huh?', and it feels like his Trench birthday all over again. Hi, he'd like to die from embarrassment and live in the sea for a while, thanks. How do people survive this kind of attention?

Unfortunately, being a squid person still doesn't allow for disappearing into the ground--bummer. ]

It's okay, [ Robby says, does instead, with no alternative granted to him. Tone aloof, like he doesn't have any strong feelings about it. ] As long as you're not forcing anything.

[ A little payback? As a treat? Don't mind Robby if he does. ]

[miyagimagic]

[ Daniel lets out a sound that somehow manages to hit the perfect balance between amused and offended. ]

Alright. [ His tone, however, lacks the offense, even if the humor in it is a little tight. He's not removing his hand from Robby's neck just yet though, so clearly it means he isn't bothered by it. ] You got me there.

[ He sees what you're doing there, Robby. He'd say he can't believe you'd use his words against him like this, but it does seem to be a teen's favourite way of teasing an old man.. ]

But.. you know, I feel a whole lot better right now.

[ It's a tiny bit embarrassing to admit, just like how it was a tiny bit embarrassing to admit to sulking over something like this in the first place, but.. ah, whatever. If he admitted to one thing, he can admit to two things, and Robby does deserve to know he's done a good thing here, going out of his way to help him. ]

So I suppose I'll forgive you for that one.

[strongroots]

[ You're right, Robby does deserve to tease an old man with his own words. Constantly.

But as Mister LaRusso speaks on, Robby does finally lift his head from the man's shoulder to look at him, if with a shy gaze he needs to battle with. There's some colour to his cheeks, though there isn't anything like tears that can be found. But he hums what's more of a huff, giving the man a lopsided smile. ]

Thanks. I dunno if I forgive you for trying that, buuut.... I'll think about it come dinnertime. I got you a bunch of stuff to play with, too.

[ Truly, Mister LaRusso's cooking skills will decide his fate over doubting Robby's feelings. But he looks over to the crate now that's been rather forgotten on the kitchen counter behind them with its assortment of foods.

(...nevermind the cookies that have also probably been forgotten. For five minutes, yes, but do you trust unsupervised cookies to not burn??) ]

[miyagimagic]

Stuff?

[ Daniel repeats the word, slowly removing his hand off Robby as he turns to look at what the boy is talking about, the crate having gone completely unnoticed in the middle of his Ultimate Sulk Mode shifting into Ultimate Dad Mode..

.. but, indeed, Daniel realises something else as he actually turns towards the counter. It shows in his eyes, the way they widen at the sudden realisation, and then Daniel basically diving at the oven to pull it open, frantically grabbing an oven mitt - more out of habit than actual necessity given his blood - to take out the tray of cookies to put on the counter.. S-Sorry, Robby, he'll get to the crate in a moment, he's just got cookies to save!

If Robby looks at them, they-- well, they definitely look a little burnt at the edges due to Daniel losing all sense of time in the middle of getting affection from his son. But.. ]

They're still salvageble, right? [ T-The center is still okay, right? Even though the edges Daniel taps on with a finger sure sound rock solid..

The shapes are cute though, at least. All shaped like the flower on Daniel's headband and the Miyagi-do belts. Papaw was putting some effort into his stress-sulk baking.. ]

[strongroots]

[ Why does Mister LaRusso look like tha--oh.

Here's another point for 'people who forgot about the cookies' side of the graph--which, unfortunately, leaves the cookies in the state that the older man rushes to take them out of the oven in, which is: a touch too loved. By the oven, and not by them, with the plume of smoke that follows with their release.

And it's not a big plume, but, hm. Hm.

Robby moves over to see the damage done, winces for the edges, but it's a small wince. Really, they're not bad-looking--they're even cute, reminding him of Christmas gingerbread biscuits without the icing.

But Mister LaRusso is asking a very important question, and carefully examining the snacks....Robby grabs for one, meaning to speak, but the cookie is still hot and he hisses as he sits it on a palm, flipping it between his two hands. ]

I'll tell you in a sec! [ Let him blow on this bad boy...!!! ]

[miyagimagic]

[ Look at the way Daniel's jaw drops almost instantly. ]

Robby!

[ Yes, at least this is a definite case of Dadniel over here fussing just a little bit too much. It's not like touching a slightly hot cookie will absolutely murder Robby, after all.

But Daniel is clearly a gentle soul who fusses even at this. Even if it's at least left at him calling Robby's name like that, rather than making any real attempt to take that cookie he's juggling away from him. It mostly just makes him look very dramatic over here.

Daniel LaRusso: putting the stress into stress baking. ]

They have to cool first! You're going to burn your hands!

[strongroots]

[ Do you know what some people do when they're caught with their hands on a cookie? If they're weak, put it back. Bold? Gobble it down.

And the option Robby goes for now, with a fussy old man hovering near him sounding (even if he won't) like he might take this cookie away from him if he doesn't put it down himself?

He pinches the cookie between his fingers and gives it a wiggle, eyebrows raised as he looks directly at Mister LaRusso, while also starting to dart off. ]

See ya, dad!

[ Time to use that sacred title so cheekily so he can make his escape with the goods...bye!!!! ]

[miyagimagic]

[ It's so effective. Robby has zero idea - okay, maybe a little bit more than zero, if he's using it here on purpose - of just how much power he's got over this man. It's not even like Daniel was that insistent on making such a big deal over these cookies and the potential of Robby burning his hands on them, but the moment he hears that?

He freezes. Not even in a bad way, more a way that makes Daniel look kind of stunned. Stunned enough that Robby can easily escape from the kitchen with that cookie while Daniel is way too busy staring. Processing.

D-Did Robby just call him dad? Voluntarily? Out of nowhere?

Daniel's soul will be right back, thanks, he's way too busy having an internal crisis about this of the best kind. He doesn't even realise that he's smiling down at his slightly-burnt cookies.

Dad.

Does he expect to hear this regularly, especially in contexts where Robby isn't just trying to be cheeky? Definitely not. But-- that doesn't mean he can't enjoy it when it does happen, right? ]