#broken radios

i was tagged yesterday by @letsdosciencetoit (mwah!) and also there's a finish your wip event floating around for this weekend and while i'm not sure actually getting it done is on the horizon because ugh busy, i am aiming to make some progress on broken radios version 2 - the one with theo.

"Where did you go?" Theo asks. "Is Tommy mad?"

"No, baby, he's not mad," Evan says. And then, because he has a policy of not lying to his kid, adds, "I think he's just a little sad. We went for coffee with his dad, and it was…not what he wanted."

Tommy can picture the frown on Theo's face so perfectly because it's pure Evan when he says, "Was it bad coffee?"

Evan laughs, and there's the soft sound of him dropping a kiss on top of Theo's head.

"No. No, they just have a…a complicated relationship."

"Why?"

Tommy closes his eyes and wonders how the hell Evan's going to sell this to a six year old.

"Uh. Well. Tommy's dad isn't always the nicest. Sometimes it makes Tommy feel like his dad doesn't like him, and that's a sad feeling."

"Oh," Theo says. There's a long pause. "Should I give him a hug?"

"You know, I bet he would love that," Evan says and Tommy quickly wipes his face.

He's just in time, because a tiny whirlwind bursts into the room, grabs him around the legs in a hug and yells at the upper end of the acceptable indoor voice range, "I like you even though your music is boring and you won't let me fix cars."

Tommy hiccups a laugh and touches his hand to Theo's soft, silky hair.

"Thank you, kiddo. I like you too."

Theo tips his head back to look up and Tommy with a megawatt grin and says, "I know!"

tagged recently by a whole bunch of lovelies including @setmeatopthepyre, @ambernotember, @chimneyschewinggum, @theotherbuckley and @wee-fuckin-woo. sorry if i missed anyone! tagging you all back along with @corporatebanana, @rcmclachlan, @trombonechurchill and @sunnywithachanceofbi

it has been A Weird Week (i am a broken record i think) but i have finally caught up on last week's episode so here's some more of broken radios aka having a family is weird aka dads, man, oof)

"How did you get there?" Tommy asks. "How did you decide to…I don't know. To try? To take them at face value?"

Evan sighs, twists his mouth a little the way he does when he's about to choose his words more carefully than usual.

"I guess it didn't feel like a choice. There's Maddie. Jee and Nash. They're always going to be part of my life."

There's clearly more, so Tommy just waits.

"And they're trying. Actually trying. Dad especially. It's weird and awkward, but he's really trying."

Tommy takes a breath, because he knows what he wants to say, and he knows there's a really good chance it comes out mean. He is so, so jealous of Evan's weird, fucked up, difficult relationship with Philip Buckley.