The Better Life

First Days and Crying

"Wake up, Felicity!" Phoebe Ball yelled to her best friend.

Felicity groaned and turned over, hiding her face from the light. "How'd you get in here?"

"Your dad let me in."

"Which one?"

"The badass."

"Which one?"

Phoebe huffed. "Don't make me take Sticky from you."

"You wouldn't dare," Felicity replied.

"Try me."

Felicity sat up in bed and faced Phoebe. Phoebe had her hair in a braid on the side and was wearing a leather jacket over a white t-shirt.

"I'm up," Felicity said, "you can go now."

"Fine, but I'll be standing outside your door."

Felicity rolled her eyes as Phoebe closed the door behind her and stood against it. Felicity had known Phoebe for three years now and when she thought Phoebe couldn't surprise her, she was always wrong.

Once, on Valentine's Day when Felicity was feeling lonely, she bought Felicity chocolate and a bouquet of flowers. She got pink and white roses for Felicity because she knew they were Felicity's favorite.

Felicity had felt a funny feeling on that day but she pushed it aside, blamed it on cafeteria food.

Felicity, now, was putting on a pair of black shorts with a red and white striped t-shirt. She put on her new Converse that she had Phoebe paint for her. Phoebe had painted Supernatural symbols on them. Phoebe had a pair that she cartoonized. Phoebe's shoes looked like something out of a comic book.

Anyways, when Felicity finished, she asked Phoebe to do her hair like hers. Felicity had dyed her hair blue again. Felicity, by now, had mastered the art of being still, so she wasn't difficult to do. It took Phoebe ten minutes to get Felicity's hair done.

They went downstairs to eat food. Yev was down there at the table, munching on a poptart. Specifically, a S'mores poptart.

"Hey, dads."

"Good morning, Fliss."

"Morning, Blue's Clues."

"Hey, Yev!" Felicity crouched down and said to her little brother. 

"Mowning, Fwissy!"

"You ready for kindergarten?" Fliss asked excitedly.

"YES!"

Phoebe in the background greeted Phoebe's parents with "Sup".

Ian's reply: "Good Morning again, Phoebe."

Mickey's reply: "Morning, Biker Barbie."

Felicity grabbed herself a s'mores poptart. Breakfast of champions, she called it.

"Felicity, did you feed Sticky?" 

"Yes, Dad."

"Did you charge your computer?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Wow, you sound like a robot, Felicity," Phoebe joked.

Felicity flipped Phoebe the bird when Yev wasn't looking.

"Guys, in the car, we gotta go," Ian said.

Felicity grabbed her bookbag and lunchbox. She helped Yev get his bookbag on and carry his lunchbox. He had a Captain America lunchbox and a Captain America bookbag. 

"You're going to have a great day and here's why," Felicity said to Yev. "You're going to see your new teacher and you're going to make some new friends. You have a good lunch and you're going to see some pretty girls and guys."

"Yay!" Yev yelled.

Phoebe, Felicity, and Yev climbed in the back of the car.

"Why are you coming with us, rugrat?" Mickey asked Phoebe. "Don't your parents usually take you?"

"In my parents own words," Phoebe started. "Tell him to 'shut the fuck up and take you to school or else I'll beat his ass.' I'll pay you if I have to."

"Nah, it's fine."

Phoebe and Felicity were dropped off first. They knew where their classes were and automatically went to them. They ran before Mickey could embarrass them with some lame ass comment.

Next was Yev. It was his first day of Kindergarten. It was monumental and important. Mickey actually wore a button down shirt and a nice pair of blue jeans.

They walked Yev in and kneeled down to his level.

"Make sure you're good for your teacher," Ian said. "Be nice and make friends."

"But if some little asshole is mean to you, knock the shit out of them."

"Mickey!"

"It's profound advice!" Mickey argued. "Forget the scriptures of Aristotle. Listen to the Scriptures of Mickey. I'm a genius."

"You're a dumbass."

"You love my dumb ass."

"Sadly."

Mickey kissed Yev on the head and Ian hugged them. 

"Bye, Daddy and Papa."

"Bye, Yev."

Ian watched Yev go and greet his teacher. He heard sniffling next to him.

"Are you crying, Mick?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"Wasn't going to say anything."

"Good," Mickey replied. "You know, it seems like just yesterday, he was a baby. He's growing up so quickly."

"Mickey, if you start crying, I'm going to start crying, so let's go."

Mickey led his crying husband out the doors of the elementary school.

"Can you show me some form of affection, asshole?"

Ian huffed and pulled Mickey into him. Ian rubbed Mickey's back and told him it was going to be okay.

"Why didn't you react this way when Felicity first started high school?"

"Because she would've made fun of me and then proceed to cry along with me."

"Let's just go home. We have an empty house today."

Mickey instantly perked up. "That means we can..."

"Do the bills we've been putting off!"

"You're no fun, asshole."

Ian leaned down to whisper in Mickey's ear. "If you're good, I'll reward you."

Mickey stared at Ian. 

"Fine. I'll do the bills. But you better keep up your end of the bargain."