Of Twins and Tree Houses
May. 19th, 2009 03:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
notarrowette[Bart is used with love, if not technically with permission. Future-fic, nothing binding, except Ick. Because she's awesome.]
Sometimes Bart can still hear the way Wally laughed until he cried when he heard that Cissie was pregnant with twins. Now was one of those times.
"Where did this tree house come from?"
Jenni stuck her head out a window, beaming at him. There was yellow paint on her forehead. Where did ten-year-olds get paint? "We built it!"
"You built a tree house?" Bart asked, zipping around the tree to take a better look at it. "Are you sure you should be up there? Is it structurally sound?"
"Yeeees, Dad," she said, giving a world-weary sigh. "Max read books!"
"We had blueprints and everything!" Max's head appeared next to his twin's in the window. "Wanna see?" He ducked away and a second later was at Bart's side, holding out an armload of books.
Bart looked at the first book on the stack. "They had Do-It-Yourself tree house building books in your school library?"
Max and Jenni looked at each other. "Not exactly," Max said slowly.
"But they did at the University library." Jenni smiled sweetly. "Max read the books. I did the building!"
"I helped!"
"You hit yourself with the hammer!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Okay, okay!" Bart pinched the bridge of his nose. More Wally laughter. "Where's Ick?"
"Um."
Oh, things were starting to make sense now. "Where is your sister?"
Max scuffed his sneaker in the dirt, and looked at Jenni. "Um. She's doing homework?"
"Max."
"She's... doing homework with Lian? ...In Italy?"
"ITALY? How did--How may times have we told you two? No running over oceans!"
"We were really careful, Daddy!" Jenni cried, pouting at him. Damn it, she was using the sad eyes! "And Ick's doing research! For her project on Ancient Rome!"
"I bet she's doing research," Bart mumbled, crossing his arms.
"What?"
"Nothing. NO OCEANS!"
"I only tripped once, Dad!" Max protested, scowling.
"Once is once too many! Your mother's going to have a fit. And where did you get the tools to build this thing anyway?"
"Uncle Kon."
"...Of course."
"Daddy?" Jenni asked sweetly, giving him her most angelic look. "Can we at least show you our tree house? We worked reeeeally hard on it."
Bart looked at her. And then at Max, who was looking up at him hopefully and reminding him of a puppy, and he sighed. Well, it was already built. "All right." He let Max pull him up the ladder and couldn't help being impressed as Jenni gave him the Official Tour. "This is a nice tree house, guys. You should have asked Mom or me first, though. And Ick is in so much trouble." The twins exchanged a look, and Bart wondered why that made him nervous. He sighed, hearing a car approaching. "Mom's home. You should at least wash the paint off--where did you get the paint, anyway? Or the wood. ...Where did you get the wood, guys?"
Another twin-look. "Um."
"We... found it."
"...Where?"
Jenni and Max looked at each other. Bart looked at them. From the house, Cissie yelled, "BART! Where is the back porch?!"
Sometimes Bart can still hear the way Wally laughed until he cried when he heard that Cissie was pregnant with twins. Now was one of those times.
"Where did this tree house come from?"
Jenni stuck her head out a window, beaming at him. There was yellow paint on her forehead. Where did ten-year-olds get paint? "We built it!"
"You built a tree house?" Bart asked, zipping around the tree to take a better look at it. "Are you sure you should be up there? Is it structurally sound?"
"Yeeees, Dad," she said, giving a world-weary sigh. "Max read books!"
"We had blueprints and everything!" Max's head appeared next to his twin's in the window. "Wanna see?" He ducked away and a second later was at Bart's side, holding out an armload of books.
Bart looked at the first book on the stack. "They had Do-It-Yourself tree house building books in your school library?"
Max and Jenni looked at each other. "Not exactly," Max said slowly.
"But they did at the University library." Jenni smiled sweetly. "Max read the books. I did the building!"
"I helped!"
"You hit yourself with the hammer!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Okay, okay!" Bart pinched the bridge of his nose. More Wally laughter. "Where's Ick?"
"Um."
Oh, things were starting to make sense now. "Where is your sister?"
Max scuffed his sneaker in the dirt, and looked at Jenni. "Um. She's doing homework?"
"Max."
"She's... doing homework with Lian? ...In Italy?"
"ITALY? How did--How may times have we told you two? No running over oceans!"
"We were really careful, Daddy!" Jenni cried, pouting at him. Damn it, she was using the sad eyes! "And Ick's doing research! For her project on Ancient Rome!"
"I bet she's doing research," Bart mumbled, crossing his arms.
"What?"
"Nothing. NO OCEANS!"
"I only tripped once, Dad!" Max protested, scowling.
"Once is once too many! Your mother's going to have a fit. And where did you get the tools to build this thing anyway?"
"Uncle Kon."
"...Of course."
"Daddy?" Jenni asked sweetly, giving him her most angelic look. "Can we at least show you our tree house? We worked reeeeally hard on it."
Bart looked at her. And then at Max, who was looking up at him hopefully and reminding him of a puppy, and he sighed. Well, it was already built. "All right." He let Max pull him up the ladder and couldn't help being impressed as Jenni gave him the Official Tour. "This is a nice tree house, guys. You should have asked Mom or me first, though. And Ick is in so much trouble." The twins exchanged a look, and Bart wondered why that made him nervous. He sighed, hearing a car approaching. "Mom's home. You should at least wash the paint off--where did you get the paint, anyway? Or the wood. ...Where did you get the wood, guys?"
Another twin-look. "Um."
"We... found it."
"...Where?"
Jenni and Max looked at each other. Bart looked at them. From the house, Cissie yelled, "BART! Where is the back porch?!"
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 07:51 pm (UTC)THIS WAS SO GOOD.
Ick is so dead. <3<3<3
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Date: 2009-05-19 07:54 pm (UTC)Ick says she was researching Roman architecture! For school! Making out with her girlfriend in the Coliseum was, you know, an accident.
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Date: 2009-05-19 07:58 pm (UTC)Yeah yeah. Bart says he knows how that goes, because he's the king of accidental make outs! And the accidentally makes out with her mom just to prove it!
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Date: 2009-05-19 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 11:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-20 09:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-20 02:51 am (UTC)Is only using this icon to match Tim :P
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Date: 2009-05-20 09:33 am (UTC)Heee! Silly you! <3
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Date: 2009-05-20 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-20 09:33 am (UTC)