Hunter Clarington

Ollie shifted a little, opening his eyes drowsily as Hunter moved his hair. He mumbled a few words, one of which was definitely “Daddy” and something about a “train”. Frannie softly shushed him and rubbed his back as Hunter took her bag. “Shhh, you can tell Daddy about the train tomorrow. And the colors it was. And the track that went around. And all the ‘choo-choos’ you said.” She snickered slightly at the last comment. “There were a lot… lots and lots of ‘choo-choos’.” 

As he settled back with his head on her shoulder, she walked further into the townhouse. “Well, he definitely didn’t scream when I said we had to get off the train after our ride was over…” Her eyes widened a little as she thought back to it. “It was rough. Lots of staring. But we got through it and he got to decorate some cookies and color a snowman. It’s in my bag if you want to see it. He’s getting better.”

>

“Sounds like the little guy has a cold.” Hunter snickered to himself at his bad joke about choo’s while he followed Frannie into the house. “We can play trains tomorrow Ollie, remember you have your train set with Thomas and Friends and you can tell me all about the best ones you saw with Momma today.” Hunter kissed Ollie on the forehead and put down Frannies bag on the couch. “Let’s fetch you some pj’s little man then bed time I think.” He smiled at Frannie, grabbing a onesie from Ollies room and shrugged to himself thinking it was probably easier to just get him ready in the living room when he was already half asleep.

Frannie wasn’t really sure when Baxter and Benji were going to tell Hunter about their engagement, but she knew damn well that she was not going to be the one to tell him. That was their mess to sort out since they wanted all this. But she figured that whenever it happened… well, she should be around, right? He’d probably want to talk? No, why would he want to talk… 

She kind of wanted to talk. Well, no, she never wanted to talk, but… she had been completely freaked out at the idea of the two of them getting engaged.. or even Hunter considering that. She was terrified. It made her heart beat faster whenever she thought about it. And sometimes when she was at the townhouse and everything was light and felt like home with the three of them, that crept up and she was almost always excusing herself to hide in one of the rooms or the bathroom to snap herself out of it. 

That particular day, she was bringing Ollie back over to Hunter’s, knocking on the door. He was half asleep in her arms after a fun-filled day at the park and no nap at all in the middle of the day. She knocked again, using her foot to tap against the door.

-

“Mm hey babe,” Hunter greeted, turning to Frannie first when he saw Ollie was all but asleep “hey handsome.” Hunter smoothed over his son’s soft blonde hair, his mood instantly lightening when he saw his two favorite people. 

Hunter had spent most of his day working between his coaching job and keeping his Father’s contacts happy. The Military colleagues of his Father were still not letting Hunter forget he still owed them an answer of which department he’d be joining and when he’d be leaving his ‘time wasting civilian job’ as they’d all called it, wording courtesy of his Father he was sure. 

Hunter knew his time was running out and that trying to change his father's mind was like begging the sun to stop rising and falling everyday. Needless to say he was desperate to savor every moment he could find with his family. Ollie being gone hurt more than ever and he missed the smell of Frannie’s shampoo lingering in his house. 

Frannie continued listening to Hunter speak as she loaded her bag into the car and got into the driver’s seat with a sigh. “Okay, but… I just want you to know that there are options.. I don’t want you to overwhelm yourself… I’m here. You can lean on me… whether that’s taking Ollie sometimes during the week instead of the weekend or doing anything in regards looking out for Benji… I can help.” She fell silent again, staring out the windshield for a few moments. “I mean, I’m the one that suggested eating so, yeah, I want to do that, Hunt. I don’t generally suggest things I don’t want to do, Hun.” She teased him, trying to lighten the mood.

Frannie frowned as she listened to Hunter speak. She hated that he was blaming himself for what happened. She hated that their father still had such a hold on their lives and could somehow manage to do something so despicable. “Hunt…” She started quietly but trailed off. “We could work out like… a different schedule.. I don’t know…” Reaching into her bag, she grabbed her keys to unlock her car. “…Okay, I can do that for a while… Maybe eat there too if that’s okay?” 

“You… you weren’t…” She tried to assure him. “It wasn’t annoying or stupid, Hunt… I was worried too. It was scary…” Frannie spoke softly as she continued walking towards the parking lot. She stayed quiet for few moments, chewing on her lower lip. “Well… I mean, if you two are okay… I should probably work on some stuff for my classes… maybe.” 

Frannie was honestly about to hang up anyways, not being able to take the ringing of the phone one more time when suddenly Hunter’s voice came through. She froze for a moment, bringing the phone back to her ear. “Hey…” She replied, clearing her throat. “Got your message. You’re, y’know, you’re welcome. I was glad that I could stay. How’s- How are you doing? You and Ollie? Do you need anything? Should I come back over?”

Frannie yawned as she walked out of her last class, slinging her bag across her before reaching into her bag to take out her phone. She scrolled through the notifications until she saw Hunter’s name and froze. A voicemail? What was wrong? Was Ollie okay? Was Benji okay? She fumbled a little with her phone until she tapped play on the message and held the phone up to her ear. A wave of relief washed over her as she began listening, hearing the softness- if not also a little bit of awkwardness- that was Hunter’s voice on the other end. Nothing was wrong. Everyone was okay… relatively. Before she actually knew what she was doing, Frannie had pressed 3 and the line was ringing.… What was she doing? Why was she calling him? What was she supposed to say back to him about this? A “you’re welcome” and then hang up…? No that would be stupid. But wouldn’t it be weirder if she hung up now? Oh god, why did she think this was a good idea?!

baxtersmythe​:

Baxter nodded and looked down at Benji, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head. As nervous as he was, now and in general, all he really needed to do was show that he genuinely loved Benji. And that was something that he strived to do everyday anyway. 

He chuckled softly. “Oh, Olivia’s what Benji calls my sister’s baby,” he explained. “He’s sure it’s a girl, so he named her after Ollie. But she probably won’t mind since she hasn’t been born yet. And Luke is Sebastian’s… something. He doesn’t speak French, but he’s been doing okay with the game so far.” 

Baxter moved finally to lead them back into the living room. “Yeah, I did. Nothing too fancy since we usually just sit around the coffee table to play.” 

“It’s like Scrabble! But fast! You’ll love it,” Ben explained right as he felt Baxter kiss his head, which he responded to with a little wiggle of his bunny ears and a wide smile. “Olivia’s definitely a girl. No one believes me, but I know I’m right,” he assured Hunter as they came back to the living room. He smiled and leaned against the arm of the couch while he waited for Baxter to sit so he could take his normal spot.

“…So! …You two should get to know each other!”

“I’m sure Ollie would love that you name someone after him but I’m sure Julie has her own plan for her daughters name.” Hunter responded to Benji’s excitement carefully not knowing the level of relationship Jules and Benji had.  “As long as I don’t have to watch Seb and his current bed partner turn game night into some kind of voyeur kink..” Hunter mock shuddered, wondering who had caught Seb’s attention. “Do you allow both French and English words then or does that leave our one outsider at too much of a disadvantage?” Hunter directed to Benji, wanting to fully engage in a game his brother clearly was excited about.  Hunter stared at Baxter awkwardly for a moment, Ben’s direct addressing of them meeting for the first time slammed the breaks on any natural progression of the conversation. He looked around the room. “You can evidently do snacks and hors d'oeuvres but do you cook with Ben?” Hunter watched Bax closely. 

Benji: This isn't a good idea, Hun[DELETED]

Benji: [...]

[...]

Benji: I really think you guys should talk befo[DELETED]

Benji: [...]

Benji: Does she *know* you're making her an office?

Hunter: Not directly.

baxtersmythe​:

“Right, yes. I’m Baxter,” Bax agreed, the hand that was on Benji sliding around to hold him against his side. “Oh, not professionally or anything, but it’s a hobby I really enjoy, yeah. And yeah, Benj likes to eat the things I make. Especially waffles and pancakes. He likes to help me with the blueberries, don’t you, babe?” He relaxed slightly even under Hunter’s gaze, just having Benji so close by his side. 

“But yeah, we have plenty. And Jules and the soon to be newest Smythe that goes everywhere with her are on their way, yes.” 

Benji barely even reacted when he felt Baxter pull him closer. Frankly, he understood: his brother could be fucking terrifying and, in this point, absolutely was. He gave a little nod to what Baxter said and gave Hunter his best grin. “Mhm! Or the strawberries. Sometimes we use strawberries too,” he added, although as soon as he processed what a ridiculous attempt at adding to the conversation that he did, he grimaced slightly. What was wrong with him right now?

“Yeah, we can play Bananagrams! That’s my favorite! …I think we only have the French tiles though, so if you want, we can borrow some from Scrabble to get rid of the accents and make it English if you that’d be easier,” Ben offered. “Jules is about to pop, so she’s slow right now, but she’s coming! And she’s bringing Olivia! And Sebastian and Luke’ll be here too. It’s gonna be fun. Promise.”

He blinked, realizing the three of them were still standing awkwardly halfway between the living room and the dining room. “Anyway! Snack time?”

Hunter could only nod along with what the two of them were saying about breakfast foods. The way Benji was acting right now reminded Hunter of when his brother was young and so full of light and energy before *The General*, and Hunter himself, tried to tare it out of little Benji. Hunter was so grateful Ben had found away to survive. Looking at him new you’d never know what Bens childhood had been like and Hunter was so proud. Maybe Frannie was right, maybe Smythe- *Baxter* -deserved a chance. 

“You’re going to have to remind me how this works, it’s been a while. The French tiles are perfectly fine Ben,I know you’ve been talking to Ollie in French so if you want to do that more we can. Depends on if Olivia and Luke are okay with that I don’t think I have a single clue who they are.” The names sounded vaguely familiar but Ben always seemed to have a million friends so he wasn’t worried.

“Lead the way... did you cook?” Hunter tacked on the end as they walked into the main part of the room and observing how homey the place looked.

Frannie paused for a moment before following his thoughts. “Baxter- his name is Baxter. And he’s really kind. It’s not… I mean, you’re obviously entitled to be worried about Benji, but I wouldn’t have helped push them in the right direction if I didn’t think that he was good for Benji… He’s like another son to me.” She shrugged gently. “And even though I’m complete shit at all this…. relationship stuff for myself… I’m better with other people’s relationship stuff.” She smiled at him again. “I know he will… and I’ll miss him like crazy too, but I also-” She drew a sharp breath in. “-want to be realistic. Whether we are a couple or not… you’re always going to be Ollie’s dad, Hunt. I want to make sure that you get to experience the ridiculousness that can be having him everyday.” She let out a small laugh. “And I trust you. I trust you to make the best decisions for Ollie… while also making sure that you lean on people that already know him for help. Like Sam and Nikko… and Benji and Baxter…”

Her smile got a little sadder as she looked up at Hunter. “Then don’t tell him… Let him go with you.” She sniffled. “And once he’s settled there… we- well, maybe we can give us some more time- actual time. Time where Ollie goes over to see Sam and Nikko, or Benji and Baxter, or any of the other people that would be more than willing to care for him… and we focus on us outside of just Ollie’s parents…” She wiped a tear that was falling down her cheek before closing the gap between them so his lips landed on her forehead. She moved her hands from their place in his and wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll figure this out… All of it.” 

“It took me ten years to learn Hummel’s name now he’s trash beneath my shoe. I’m not going to waste my time until I know he’s going to be part of the family and that Benny isn’t just a fun little novelty he’s going to drop like last seasons’ Versace.” Hunter griped, already trying to be prepared to catch Benji when he fell. 

Hunter took a heavy sigh, nuzzling Franny, taking in the smell of her hair and the feel of her skin, committing them to memory even if it was going to be only hours, at most days, between the two seeing each other.

“You’re right, as much as I hate to say it-” Hunter chuckled “-you are right. We’ve done this all backwards and I know Maman would be having a fit about not courting you correctly, though she’d love the crap out of our little monkey.” Hunter carried a heavy heart with his soft words as his mind strayed to imagining Ollie with Hunter’s loving mother.