Kiddie AU

[sliceitwithwind]

November 11th, after the great hair dying Halloween, when the kids got home from school there was a strange man sitting on the porch with Lenna, Elcy, and Yinsi. He was seven foot seven inches tall and seemed to take up the entire porch. Skin four shades darker than Dilan's, brilliantly green Katzu eyes, and braids down to his knees of thick, black and grey hair.

He was in a beautiful coat of terrible chartreuse, and the instant the boys saw him Dilan bolts forward shrieking happily in too-fast Katzu.

Braig grabbed Aya's hand and explained, "That's his great-grand-uncle Sannish."

Comments

[mitochondriaaya]

He was going to have to wait until she was done giggling and saying 'wheeeee!' for an answer! Naturally, some things came before polite conversation!

"Yes! We learned to talk Katzu from it and that makes Dilan happy! Hey, just it hurt to have Dilan swing on your hair? It's gotta hurt right? It hurts when people pull on my hair!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"No, no, my hair is used to it. I have many little ones around me at home." He shakes his body to send Dilan squealing through the air, finally letting go and landing with a thump on the ground. "You may climb on it too, when I am not busy."

[mitochondriaaya]

That looked like SO MUCH FUN! Dilan had the best relatives! Relatives with swinghair!

That probably wasn't a word though. Hair swings? Jungle braids? Tarzan hair? Whatever, it was awesome! "Thank you! When are you busy?" So she'd know when not to climb on him!

Oh, and another important thing! "Is Dilan going to be as tall as you when he grows up? Cause he already eats a lot and we might have to get cows or something..."

[sliceitwithwind]

"If I am talking to another adult, or if I am on the telephone, or if I look grumpy." He didn't do grumpy often, only if something was very tense, but it was a good idea to lay it out clearly. "He might, little one, but we do not know. His father was a bit shorter than I am."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Is it okay if I stand by you and wait if you're on the phone or talking to adults?" CLEAR GUIDELINES WERE IMPORTANT! Especially where adults were involved!

"And should we get some cows just in case? I think they could live in the yard. And what do you like for dinner cause you should all come to my house for dinner sometime because you're cool!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"If it is not I will let you know." he promises, heading for the porch to settle down again. "I think you will not need to get cows, at least not for a few more years. I am very fond of meat, just like Dilan, and I like blueberries better than strawberries."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Deal!" She grinned and kicked until she could wiggle out of his arm, using a tight grip on his wrist to right herself before she smacked the ground. "Did you hear that Dilan? I get to play with his hair too!" This was the important part to share!

"And we gotta get some blueberries!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Uh huh, I heard." Dilan grinned and ran up beside them again. "Great-Grand-Uncle is awesome, he visits every other year."

Braig got his own hello-hug and greeting from the visitor, and then went to grab the after-school snack for all three kids.

[mitochondriaaya]

"What makes this an other year? Wasn't last year an other year too? Is it like evens and odds?" Aya asked, shrugging out of her small backpack so she could toss it over the fence into her yard. "And what do we do now? He's off talking to the grownups again."

[sliceitwithwind]

"It's like evens and odds, yes. He comes on evens." Dilan shrugs, "Braig is getting our snack? Later there will be presents!"

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay, that makes more sense!" She grinned and grabbed Dilan's arm so they could swing in circles. What? She had a lot of energy at the moment! "He brings you presents?! It's like having an extra birthday then!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Kinda! But he brings us all presents, so there'll be presents for you too!" He was certain of it, and he was right, so that worked out well.

Braig passed around the post-school PB&J's for himself and Aya, and roast beef for Dilan, and settled on the ground near them.

[mitochondriaaya]

Food meant that it was time to stop swinging around and sit on the grass, which she did, sitting close enough to the boys to touch their knees. "Do you think he'd like to watch tv with us? What kind of things do you normally do when your great-grand-uncle visits?" She was proud of herself for remembering the double G's going on in the title!

"And should we make a thank you card now? or do we get him a present too?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"He likes thank you cards and pictures we draw, but we can make them later. We go to the park and walk around, and sometimes we go to the zoo...we even get to take a couple of days out of school!"

Which isn't Dilan's favourite part, but Aya might enjoy.

[mitochondriaaya]

She had to think about that for a minute. "Doesn't my dad have to sign something for that? And who would water my sunflower seed?" Because this was a big concern!

"We planted sunflower seeds in milk cartons."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Why wouldn't he?" Dilan asks, blankly, "I dunno about your sunflower, though. Maybe you could bring it home and take care of it here?"

[mitochondriaaya]

"I unno, sometimes he doesn't sign stuff?" She shrugged and glanced over to the spot where her dad had been leaning. Yep, he'd gone inside to develop film. "I should ask if I can do that! It won't hurt it right, moving around?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Nu uh. I kept mine with me a couple of times when I did it." Dilan assured her, "We'll get the sign-out forms tomorrow, and Momma will drop them off on Wednesday."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay, should I get a little purse for it? Or make it a nest or something in my room or is it okay just in the milk carton?" Because obviously she had to take EVERY PRECAUTION since she was taking it out of the classroom.

[sliceitwithwind]

"It'll be best if you put it on the kitchen window-ledge. The pets can't get it there and it'll get lots of sun." Dilan said with authority and a bright smile.

[mitochondriaaya]

"The pets are at your house." She didn't have any! Which was good because they might eat her sunflower! "Does it need anything special like milk or just water?" Cause milk made things strong and that was important right?

And why else grow them in milk cartons?

[sliceitwithwind]

"Just water!" Dilan said, instantly, "But if you're gonna keep it at your house instead'a here you should put it in your bedroom window, 'cause that'd have better son. Your house is turned different than this one."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay, so in the kitchen window when I'm here and my bedroom window when I'm home." She repeated, just making sure she had the information down properly. "Mrs. Ingles gives the plant on her desk coffee! It's not a sunflower though."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Only some plants need coffee. It depends on what kind of things they need to grow and what stuff is in the dirt." Dilan says, "Sunflowers don't need coffee, I think."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Ours are in potting soil from a bag. There's little white things in it too! Mrs. Ingles bought it though so it should be the right kind for sunflowers right?" she wouldn't buy them the wrong kind for the plant, it'd be cruel, right?

The sandwiches were done, the little conference had covered everything important...and the adults were still talking. That left only one possible action. Aya reached across the small circle to poke Braig's shoulder. "TAG!"