fatherhood // lashton

4

"What time does Calum's plane land tomorrow?" Luke asked Michael while opening the envelopes filled with either commercial or bills. It was kind of depressing for the 21 year old.

"Around three. When do you quit work?" Michael asked and drew cartoon doodles on the mail Luke had put in the 'trash' pile.

"One. I only have breakfast and early lunch tomorrow. I'll go home and shower and then we'll get Calum and then we'll get Leon from preschool"

"Leon doesn't know Calum's coming tomorrow?" Michael asked and looked up from his doodles.

"No, I thought it'd be fun for Calum to surprise him. Leon will be very happy" Luke said and Michael smiled before going back to his doodles.

A small voice from the living room was heard, calling out for 'dad'. Without lifting his head from the bill Luke was reading through, the father answered.

"Yeah?" he called but didn't get any answer back from the little one. It couldn't have been that important then, Luke thought and opened yet another envelope.

Michael started to sing Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit quietly and Luke nodded along, miming the words and placed yet another envelope in the trash pile.

"Dad?" Leon called from the living room again. Luke lifted his head and looked over to the doorway of the kitchen, looking over to where Leon was even though all he could see was the wall that was in the way.

"Yeah bud?" Luke asked again and there was still silence. Luke sighed and shook his head before chuckling at Michael who had now gone over to sing the guitar solo in Paradise City with too much passion.

"Dad!" Leon called again, more irritated this time.

"Yes Leon?" Luke called back, slightly frustrated when hearing he still didn't get any answer. He stood up from his chair with a grunt and Michael laughed before going back to singing in a high pitched voice, trying too hard to sound like Axl Rose.

Luke walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, sighing loudly when seeing his son sit on the couch looking through a book with pictures and small lines of text, wearing Michael's headphones and listening to music.

"Dad!" Leon called again without tearing his eyes away from the picture of the small kitten.

Luke rolled his eyes and laughed when walking over to Leon and took off the big headphones from his small head.

"You have to take these off if you're gonna be able to hear anything. Like my answers" Luke said and ruffled Leon's hair.

"Dad?" Leon asked once again and looked up from his book.

"Yes, what is it?" Luke asked and sat down on the small table in front of the couch.

"Can I have a kitten?" Leon said and pointed down on the picture of the small grey cat.

"You wanna have a kitten?" Luke repeated, raising his eyebrows.

"I heard 'kitten'" Michael said and walked into the room, sitting down beside Leon in the couch.

"I want a kitten" Leon said and smiled up at Michael. Michael gasped and nodded his head before looking at Luke.

"I want a kitten too" Michael said and Luke rolled his eyes. His friend did not help the situation at all.

"We can't have a kitten" Luke sighed and rolled his eyes when both Leon and Michael pouted.

"Why?" Leon whined.

"Because it cost money to own an animal and you have to take care of it, which we don't have time for. And we live in an apartment in the middle of the city so the kitten would never be able to go out. It's not so fun for the kitten" Luke said.