Work Text:
“Dad, how did you know you wanted to marry mum?”
Max looked up from his cereal across the breakfast table at Luna, and then quickly glanced at Helen who was at the counter making some tea. She popped an eyebrow in Max’s direction indicating she was interested in the answer too.
“Well, Luna-bug, there are so many reasons. But probably the biggest one was she was my very best friend. My favorite person to talk to and spend time with. Why do you ask?”
“Charlie asked me to marry him,” Luna said matter-of-factly.
Max spit milk out across the table. Helen laughed and tossed him a towel.
“He did, huh?” Max choked out while trying to wipe up the milk from the table and his own chin. “And what did you tell him?”
“I told him I was too young and I still had too much life to live.”
Max looked at Helen and she winked at him. Clearly they’d been having some conversations without him. Before Max could think of a response, Luna hopped down from her chair and went over to Helen for what had recently become their daily, post-breakfast ritual. She kissed Helen’s baby bump.
“Hi baby. It’s me, Luna. Charlie’s coming over to play today. You can play with us when you get here. Have fun with mum today. Love you.”
And then she was off to play in her room, completely unaware of the internal chaos her question had stirred in her father. Max looked over at Helen incredulously.
“Marry him, Helen? Do I need to be worried about that boy? He’s coming over later.”
Helen walked over with an amused look on her face and put a steadying hand on his shoulder.
“‘That boy’ is Charlie. He’s wonderful, only 6 years-old, and here all the time. So no, Max, you don’t need to worry about him.”
Max knew she was right, but it just made him think about how fast Luna was growing up. That if he blinked, he might just miss the whole thing. He put a hand on Helen’s belly and bent down to whisper to the baby.
“You are not allowed to grow up. Ever. Do you hear me?”
Helen ran a comforting hand through his hair while also teasing him. “I’m sure the baby will take your request under advisement, Max.”
Two hours later, Helen was off doing some baby shopping with Serwa, and Max was home supervising the play date. Like always, Luna had waited by the door for Charlie to arrive, and both of their little faces lit up the second they saw each other. They were off in their own little world before Robyn could get so much as a goodbye out of Charlie. For the first hour, they’d run around the apartment in capes made of sheets playing superheroes, and taking cushions off the couch to build a fortress. Loud chaos everywhere they went.
But as Max sat enjoying an extra cup of coffee and scrolling through his phone, he suddenly realized it was quiet. Eerily quiet. Never a good sign. Max went down the hall to check on them, hoping not to discover that they’d been coloring on the walls or doing something much worse. Max paused just shy of her bedroom doorway when he heard them talking, content to eavesdrop for a moment.
“Want to play house?” Luna asked Charlie.
“How do we play?”
“We just talk like our parents and do whatever they do.”
“Hmmm…okay. But you start.”
“Burden me, Charlie.”
Charlie lifted his hands up level to his shoulders. “What does that even mean, Luna?”
“I don’t know. But my dad says it to my mum whenever she starts cleaning too much. And my mum says it to my dad whenever he gets really cranky.”
Max had to put a hand over his mouth in the hallway to stifle his laughter.
“Should you start cleaning something?” Charlie asked.
“Maybe you should start cleaning something,” Luna replied quickly.
“I don’t think cleaning sounds like very much fun. What else do your parents do?”
“They stare at each other a lot,” Luna said.
“They don’t say anything?”
“Nope. Just stand there and look at each other.”
“Sounds really boring. Most of the time when my mom stares at my dad, it’s because he did something stupid. And then he hides in the garage and my mum takes a walk,” Charlie said.
“Oh my mum stares at my dad for that too. But then my dad makes a joke and she laughs. And then they tell me to go to my room. I don’t know what happens after that.”
Max’s eyes widened and nearly bulged out of his head. He was just about to break up their conversation and distract them with an ice cream bribe, when they moved on.
“What do your parents do?” Luna asked.
“Work a lot. But they’re both accountants. They try to make it sound fun. But Luna, it’s just maths. Maths ALL day long.”
“I hate maths.”
“Me too. I asked them why they couldn’t be something cool like a firefighter or an animal trainer or someone who makes video games.”
“My parents are both doctors. My mum is the boss; she gets to tell everyone what to do. I definitely want to be a boss. But there is also a lot of blood in her job, which sounds gross. They used to work together. My mum says when they met, my dad used to always walk around and ask, ‘How can I help?’”
“Helping is always good,” Charlie said.
“Yes,” Luna said, furrowing her brow like she was trying to work something out. “She smiled when she told me the story. But didn’t he know how to do his job? Why was he always asking people to tell him how to help?”
It was taking everything Max had to stay quiet in the hallway and not give himself away. He really wished Helen was hearing this too; he didn’t think he'd be able to do it justice when he recounted it for her later.
“If I really have to get a job, I’m definitely going to work with animals. That way it won’t really feel like a job,” Charlie said.
“I’m going to go to space. Probably fly the ship. If I have to get a job, I want it to be an adventure,” Luna replied.
Both kids were quiet for a moment thinking big thoughts.
“Luna…I don’t think we should get married. You’re still my best friend. But being a grown up sounds really boring, and I’d rather keep having fun with you instead.”
“Me too, Charlie. Let’s play something else. House isn’t a good game.”
“Do you think we could convince your dad to let us have ice cream?”
“Probably. We just have to look really sweet when we ask. He always says yes.”
Realizing that they were about to come flying out of Luna’s bedroom, Max tried to run while tiptoeing down the hall so they wouldn’t catch him listening in. He flung himself down on the couch right before they came running out to ask him for ice cream. And even though it was almost lunchtime, Max scooped sundaes for everyone. Luna was right; he did almost always say yes. Max leaned against the kitchen counter watching Charlie and Luna giggle and shove spoonfuls of ice cream into their mouths, somehow managing to get as much of the fudge on their faces as they did into their actual mouths. He was so grateful to be right here.
He pulled his phone out to fire off a text to Helen.
Crisis averted. The wedding has been called off!! 🥳 Luna is still a kid for a little while yet. And kids are the best. Can’t wait to do it all over again with our second 👶🏽.
Then he sent one more.
But also…Luna sees and hears all. 😳 We need to be a LOT more careful. Will explain when you get home. Hugs to Serwa, even if she doesn’t want them! 🤣 Love you.