#dad!terry

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Like five hundred other people are to blame.

Surgeons. Doctors. Nurses. Midwives. The medical staff at the emergency room. The poor, unlucky chauffeur who drove the beloved to their usual appointments, for all we know. The measures they took. The measures they didn't take. The amount of dedication they clearly didn't show, in his opinion. It is the ultimate betrayal that'll get so many people hurt. When Terry Silver pays a sum for a service, he expects the service delivered to perfection and according to his instructions; that's how that social contract works because nothing's for free, and if you throw a whole fortune at something, you expect nothing but your vision delivered to you down to the smallest details. The fact that he was failed so catastrophically it resulted in the death of the person he covets and loves the most? Someone stripped away beyond his control to stop it!? When he trusted vetted professionals, the best of the best in their field, to do the job right!? I swear to god, heads will fly. He daydreams about what could've happened if he just kicked down the doors of the delivery room and carried beloved out of there before it was too fucking late. The revenge will be horrifying, though. People will lose jobs. Their licenses to practice medicine. They'll be blacklisted. Sued. They'll find their cars blown up. Their places of residence broken into. Burned down. The hospital they worked in foreclosed, bought out, bulldozed overnight and turned into an empty privately owned lot until not even a single brick remains of the place that killed beloved. For the love of all that's holy, some of the participants involved in the tragedy might even find their own loved ones done in by mysterious circumstances because blood can be only repaid by blood. A life for a life. And since Terry might just think the life of someone he loves is worth infinitely more than just one life, the retaliation can be truly awful and result in some many injured parties and so much damage it is pretty hard to describe just how far he'd go.

Pretty far, I'd reckon.

Murder, carnage and torture type of far.

When the dragon's been woken, it's impossible to get him to slumber again.

But, however far it does go, I doubt he'd ever blame his child; if anything, his possessiveness of them is only kickstarted into some very excessive territories day one seeing as how they're the last thing he has left off from beloved and the one thing that'll outlive him and carry him on, into the future, and so, all the more reason for him to be devoted to his offspring with all the lovesickness a human heart can produce, blaming, perhaps, himself, all the more, behind the narcissistic facade that he is infallible and all powerful. Terry actually feels he's entirely to blame, triggered into a bygone time where his clumsiness resulted in a friend's death, and here he is, decades later, at the very exact same place. He lost control then and he lost control now. Almost like he's back at the very same spot he was in Vietnam and he's still that scared, shivering boy in the cage and he's angry. Desperate. Vulnerable. And oh so feral. And everyone best beware. This is an issue that The Valley might just end up burning down over, engulfing everything far and wide. Man would step on the whole world because he'd feel the world deserves it now more than ever.

This is an extremely deadly mindset to put Terry Silver into.

Charlotte - Lotte, Eleanore - Ella, Abigail - Abby, Winnifred - Winnie or Freddie, Evelyn - Evie, Elizabeth - Eliza, Lizzie or Beth, Dorothea - Thea.

Just some names I could see him naming his daughter if he had a daughter, he would spoil her like crazy. Could you just imagine the bedroom that little girl would have?

― Twig? Maybe one child at best, not because he doesn't want more. Oh, he very much does --- he seems like he'd yearn and ache for it theoretically, but in practice he would've been freshly back from the war, he's still immensely young in the grand scheme of things even after everything he's been through, possibly messed up and internally traumatized in more ways than one, survivor's guilt galore, growing pains of a multitude of types (involving an oppressive, demanding father of his own, maybe?) budding ambitions to fix everything, including his own perceived weaknesses by accumulating power and strength, and so yes, one child does it in this period --- if that. The timing is bad for anything else, because this is entirely a transitional and transformative period for young Terry. He is out to outgrow everything he figures made him...well...Twig. He's out to build an empire. Learn how to run conglomerates. Companies. Learn how to be The Terry Silver. Polish himself into someone tough. Worthy of respect. Fear. He's hellbent on training. On training his body. His mind. On helping John build himself up too, because he figures he owes him that much after the man saved his life in Vietnam, and so really, the prospect of progeny? Have to wait a couple of years, because Terry would undoubtedly want to be at the top of his A-game and settle scores regarding everything first. He's simply a perfectionist like that. Or rather, he's shaping up to be one.

― Now, Terry in the 80's might go right into another extreme altogether; this man would either proceed having no children and enjoying perpetual bachelorhood and the life of a Californian Playboy Billionaire bon vivant (someone who lives exuberantly well) or he'd just hit an entirely different contrast and want several children. At once. Now. There's no either or. It is everything or it is nothing. Go large or go home. He wants so many that a company (or a full Tang Soo Do class) can be named after them. Silver and Sons Branch of Dynatox. Silver and Children Inc. Terry Silver's Cobras. The world is his Oyster and he intends to dine with a big, decadent spoon and he almost views siring quite as many kids like one would view a competitive sport, except, Silver is out here to win a Gold Olympic medal for it (same as always), because beloved never really stops being knocked up. They give birth and not before long --- whoops, it happens again. First of all, wonderful way to sweetly be in control and ensure his beloved stays put and under his devoted thumb. Second of all, he relishes in seeing them so dependent and so his. Filled with him. Third of all, their pregnancies are a full circle of a self-fulfilling prophecy that function a bit like a natural aphrodisiac for the aspiring patriarch of ten, because beloved might turn him on so much he is already planning the next child before the first one is even born.

Heck, Terry would say this purely because he's that territorial.

That madly jealous, even towards his own children.

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Best of all, Terry Silver doesn't even consider himself bad father material and this is a statement he'd absolutely loathe. Heck, if nobody, abject failure people like Johnny Lawrence can be a parent multiple times over, he is convinced, then why can't he, accomplished, wealthy, cultured, put together, worldly, successful, sleek and on top of the world as he is? He has all the right then. The only right. He can give them so much, he feels. Be so devoted to them. Like nobody else. Protect them so fiercely. Teach them so much. Kill for them. Die for them. Ensure the world is their oyster. Never abandon them. He has so much love and zeal to pour into somebody and it is just left there, sitting, festering into resentment and darkness inside of him, having done so for years and decades. He'd never neglect, he doesn't think. No. Never. He is too giving and devoted for that. Not in ways other lesser parents would neglect. It is just that he never found a worthy vessel and a worthy someone to birth these figurative children for him. And he is convinced with every atom of his being he'd do excellently.

Truth of the matter, Terry Silver might be jealous.

Of all the people he considers worthless and subpar who simply had the chance to be fathers and mothers over and over and over again, breeding like rabbits and not even really putting any substantial thought into it, seldom getting criticized or judged for it, it is him who is singled out as the rotten apple. Why? He feels life has left him bereft of something crucial in him having no kids and due to it, he has ascribed the role of legacy to other things and abstractions. Other ideas. Cobra Kai is also his child. His brand of Tang Soo Do. His multiple companies and ventures, undoubtedly. His wealth. That too. But, the fact that some parents let their children roam the streets, that they can be easily scooped up, influenced, molded, used, ironically, mainly by people like him, because there's no present parental figure to defend them, again, from people like him (and even John Kreese) on a pathological level, he resents that. He gleefully and sadistically takes advantage of the weakness of it, sure, but he also knows that if he was the father, he would never allow that. In the most meta sense imaginable, Terry Silver would know he'd never allow a person like Terry Silver to be in his child's life or anywhere near them. Maybe these parents should be punished for their oversights then. By Terry Silver himself. The punishment will be that he will lure their kids and do whatever the heck he wants and have all the fun in the world doing so, changing these ripe minds until they're unrecognizable, bending to his will, either doing it through advice, teaching Karate, mentoring, favors, gifts, being the aspirational figure they always craved --- you name it. But, that's the price you pay. For being callous with your kid. Not vigilant enough. Just plain bad.

That's what the likes of Johnny Lawrence deserve, is what Terry would think. What Shannon deserves, not as much for her abuse of narcotics, her string of men and her alcoholism, but rather for not even bothering to be able to be there for longer than not at all. What Terry probably thinks Tory's mother deserves too merely for being sick, with her attentions not where they should be, allowing her children to practically raise themselves. Carmen too, for having the bad call of making, again, Johnny Lawrence, of all people, her kid's father figure. Literally a test of intelligence (or lack thereof) if he ever saw one. Back in the days, what he felt Lucille Larusso deserved also for just ditching and letting her kid practically be raised by the elderly Japanese neighbor while she was just doing quite literally anything else. Undoubtedly felt the same way about Amanda and Daniel for pretty much overlooking what was happening to Antony the whole time it was happening.

It is a form of elaborate revenge on Terry's behalf.

To both the parents and the children. To life itself.

A big 'fuck you'.

Has at least one son named John, regardless of whether he's currently having bad blood with John or not --- and if they're good and close, then it is a direct homage to his Captain and Terry is very upfront and adamant about it because there's no individual he'd rather name his offspring after in the whole wide world --- quite literally a 'you're named after the greatest man I know' moment and this stands true even during those 30. years were John is absent from Terry's life and comes with bittersweet sentiments all while being a name frequent and general enough to where he can brush it off as something without meaning and hide the truth of how much it actually means to him. But, John, yeah. If the original John isn't in his corner, then his son with the exact same namesake will be, because he will be raised and taught to be in his corner, and Terry vicariously lives through that act of control.

Terrence Junior? Undoubtedly, at least one of his kids is named after himself, because of course they are. As someone prone and hellbent on legacy, there's no better way to continue it but by directly naming the next generation after oneself and create, quite literally, another Terry Silver, in his own image, decades down the line to give his enemies pause. It is a symbolic way for Terry to prolong himself in the future, way after he's gone, the way he sees it and handing over his life's work, his ideals and everything he's built to another him. Might even go somewhat avant-garde and combine things in a slightly eccentric, typically Hollywood way and name his child Terryjohn. Written together, yes. Maybe apart, as a middle and first name; Terry John Silver, for a more conventional spin. What better way to connect and entwine meaning, gratefulness, devotion and immortalize it in one's own flesh and blood.

If a Terrence Junior exists, then for girls, whatever beloved's name is, or overall, depending of beloved's gender, one of their children gets named after beloved too, because Terry is just as likely to be fixated on beloved existing through their namesake in the future as well because that's his person --- they belong to him ---and as such, they're inherently worthy of having his children named after them. What he wants, he gets, after all. A Terry Silver Junior and beloved's name in equal measure gets attached to a Junior. It is almost like he and his partner will be out there, continuing to exist (and be indomitable, the way he likes to see it) in the years to come and something about that fact tickles a certain satisfaction and sense of rightful permanency inside of him. A love this grand, he thinks, shouldn't end with just him and beloved and should continue through devotion between siblings.

Funny how I imagine Terry would instantly know something peculiar's up, because his staff isn't sloppy. He knows this. He has never maintained a careless, sloppy staff that clocks out without doing their extremely well paid job. He vets them extensively and wishes to inspire devotion. Picks the best of the best --- or at least ones he has a personal bias and liking towards and who to an extent, seem to like him back; people work more effectively that way, turns out. He wants disciplined houseworkers that are professional and leave nothing to chance, especially where his most precious belongings are concerned, namely beloved and beloved's comfort. So, confusion sets in when beloved mentions Melinda, who's, lets say, a kitchen attendee we made up, who didn't clear the oven. No, no. Terry's staff is just as perfectionist and in control of their environment as he is. He'd stand there, nonchalantly, a wrapped oven-bun in his hand, hand in his pocket, setting down the meal on the table and giving it a speculative, inquisitive look that travels back to beloved. He almost semi-expected someone to have planted a ticking time bomb in there, which he doesn't comment on. His first impressions are often the darkest things.

Never exactly the best --- I assign that to trauma.

But, we've headcanoned before that Terry would notice beloved's impending early pregnancy way before beloved themselves does, purely on intuition and observation alone. All those trips to the bathroom. Strange food cravings. Sensitivity. The beginnings of swelling. Complaints of stomach acid and the discomfort that comes with it. Sore breasts. Of course Terry notices because Terry tends to spy and stalk and eavesdrop far too much not to (undoubtedly observes beloved's activities through camera feeds when they think they aren't watched and has that same staff rat them out to him on the regular --- that's the voyeur in him), and where sex is concerned, I imagine someone as control oriented as him wouldn't leave going raw to pure chance. If he wants a pregnancy, it'll happen and if he doesn't, it won't --- he's far too old and far too smart to knock someone up if he doesn't mean it. Turns out, it did happen and it is being announced to him just now when he was on the verge of phoning his major domo to phone his secretary to phone is junior secretary to phone Melinda and question her about the kitchen mess, except...Terry's large hand comes down on beloved's belly, resting his palm there, feeling it.

-"You shouldn't joke around with an old man."-

He might comment, in full seriousness.

Of course he knows.

His face softens infinitely and he's staring at that belly in wonder.

The contraceptives were ditched and he's been having beloved and consummating all of this as naturally as he could for months beforehand, but it has happened and his lips quirk up into a smile. Thing is, I'm convinced Terry's never really though he'll be a father, be married, have a meaningful romantic relationship outside of fickle adventures, or have a family in the classical sense; all his life was a pursuit of power. Reinvention. Then more power. Blending in. More reinvention. More power. Now, in his mature years, after years of empty relationships, conquests, playboying and fucking around, it felt right and he's very intentionally impregnated beloved feeling he wanted them to be his absolutely. Feeling he wanted someone entirely his. Finding he wants to live on. Leave them with a part of himself. Eternal, like a serpent biting its own tail. He silently shuts the door to the kitchen so they cannot be disturbed or seen, his demeanor dignified and he sinks to his knees in front of the dining table chair beloved's sitting on, a bit tense, and he embraces their knees, pulling their whole body and frame close, kissing their hands, in a perfect blend of possessiveness, odd tenderness, grimness and want. Mine, mine, mine, all mine, he thinks.

He kisses their tummy.

Their legs.

Their fingers.

Their mouth.

Their face.

Their shoulders.

Everything.

Terry could devour beloved from happiness.