Work Text:
“Mickey we’re supposed to be studying,” Stacey, the girl he was supposed to be studying with said in a half-hearted protest as they sat together in his bedroom kissing.
Mickey Steele flashed a cheeky lopsided grin at her and replied, “C’mon Stace this is a lot more fun than studying huh?” as he went to kiss her again. She smiled at him in agreement but was still a little hesitant. “What if your mom or dad catch us?’
“Don’t worry about it, they’re downstairs,” Mickey tried to convince her as his lips found hers.
Just then Laura opened the door with some snacks for the two of them and almost dropped the tray she was carrying in shock as she saw the two of them kissing. They sprung apart a little guiltily, although Mickey was trying to hide the grin that was threatening to spread across his face .
“I ah..think I better go,” Stacey muttered hurriedly in response to Laura’s icy glare as she gathered up her books.
“Yes I think that’s a good idea Stacey,” Laura replied over sweetly as Mickey looked at his mother a bit angrily.
As Stacey ran down the stairs and through the living room to the front door Remington looked up momentarily from his newspaper. “Oh um.. bye Mr Steele,” she said with more than a little embarrassment. “Oh.. bye Stacey wasn’t it?” he replied, a little perplexed at her hasty departure.
Meanwhile, Laura was upstairs voicing her displeasure to their son. “Michael Richard Steele – just what do you think you were doing?” she demanded, her brown eyes boring into his. Although he knew his mother was really angry with him as she used his full name, he quipped cheekily in reply, “Mom , I think that’s kind of obvious.”
At that Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think this is funny Mickey? Right - you are grounded young man and no more ‘study sessions’ with Stacey, or any other girls for that matter,” she stated angrily. “Oh c’mon Mom, that’s so unfair..” he went to argue but stopped when his mother gave him “the look” – the one his father knew all too well too, which meant you were in trouble and lots of it.
With that Laura turned on her heel and stormed downstairs into the living room. “Do you know what your son has been doing?’ she demanded heatedly as Remington put his newspaper down.
“Laura why is he always my son when he’s in trouble?” he asked wryly as she rolled her eyes and gave him an ‘isn’t it obvious’ look. “Okay what has he been doing this time?’ he sighed.
“He was up in his room kissing that girl instead of studying – and I don’t mean peck on the cheek stuff either,” Laura replied seriously as Remington tried to hide the grin that was threatening to spread across his face, thinking to himself, “He’s certainly a chip off the old block.”
“Laura, he’s a fifteen year old boy - quite frankly I’d be surprised if he was just studying with a girl in his room,” he pointed out as Laura looked none too happy with him.
“Well don’t you think you should talk to him about ..things?” she said , giving her husband a meaningful look.
“Okay, okay I’ll talk to him,” he relented with a smile in an attempt to placate his wife.
Later that afternoon as Remington drove Mickey to baseball practice he looked over at his son momentarily who was uncharacteristically quiet, staring out of the window brooding. “Ah your mother told me about her walking in on you and Stacey,” he broached the subject as his son frowned. “We were just kissing Dad and Mom went off her nut,” Mickey complained.
“Yes well my boy you may have been just kissing but that, as I’m sure you’re aware, can lead to other things,” Remington replied seriously, giving him a meaningful look. At that Mickey grinned and quipped, “I can only hope,” as his father shook his head and despite himself a grin spread across his face at how much Mickey reminded him of himself at the same age.
“Well having been your age once son I can relate to that, but I still think you’re a bit young to be contemplating all that,” Remington stated seriously as he looked at his son.
“Oh c’mon Dad – how old were you the first time?” Mickey asked as his father looked slightly uncomfortable. “You mustn’t have been that old ‘cause Harry just didn’t ‘appear’,” Mickey stated somewhat cheekily in reference to his older half-brother who Remington had fathered as a teenager.
“Yes well it doesn’t matter how old I was Mickey – we’re talking about you not me. And I didn’t have the benefit of parental guidance – you do,” Remington replied, deflecting the question. “And all the more reason for you to learn from my mistakes son – not that your brother was a mistake, but he wasn’t exactly planned either,” Remington stated honestly. “So before you go thinking about doing anything like that you‘ve got to be prepared and well.. you know.. take the proper precautions,” he went on as both father & son looked a bit embarrassed.
“And you don’t need to rush things either Mickey – sometimes it’s worth the wait, believe me,” Remington added with a smile, thinking of Mickey’s mother. With that thought in mind, he added with a meaningful look, “Don’t be too angry with your Mum mate – it’s hard for her to see her little boy growing up.”
With that, Mickey nodded with a familiar lop-sided grin as Remington pulled up at the baseball park, then he grabbed his bat and ran out of the car over to his coach. Remington watched him for a moment, wondering where the years had gone – it just seemed like yesterday he had had a similar conversation with his older son Harry before Mickey was even thought of, and now here he was almost a young man, and Harry was married with two young children of his own.
Later that night after their two children had gone to bed Remington and Laura stayed up watching an old movie and sharing a couple of glasses of wine. “So I had a chat to our young Romeo,” Remington remarked to his wife as he filled up her glass.
“And?” Laura asked giving him an expectant look as he sat down next to her and put an arm around her and she snuggled up next to him.
“Well I think I set him straight on a few things and told him he should learn from his old Dad’s mistakes. And he asked me some rather embarrassing questions,” he added a little ruefully.
“Such as?’ Laura asked curiously.
“He wanted to know how old I was..my first time.” Remington stated frankly.
“You didn’t tell him you weren’t much older than him did you?” Laura asked a little worriedly.
“No of course not,” he replied with a laugh. “But I did remind him I didn’t have any parental guidance like he does. And I told him to take it easy on you – I know it’s hard for you to see your little boy growing up,” he added with an understanding smile as Laura nodded.
“Yes I guess it is,” she admitted as she ran a hand through her hair. “It just seems like yesterday he was a baby and now he’s a teenager full of hormones and in a hurry to grow up,” she sighed with a rueful smile.
“Hmm I know,” Remington agreed. “He’s gone from jumping into Daddy’s arms to jumping into young ladies’ arms in the blink of an eye,” he quipped as Laura laughed.
“And your little princess is growing up too - that can’t be easy for you,” Laura commented with a warm smile in reference to their seventeen year old daughter Olivia, as Remington nodded.
“Yes that’s true – I think I need to get a bigger shotgun to keep those boys away,” he laughed as Laura nodded.
“Yes well I guess I can’t blame Stacey for kissing Mickey – he has inherited his father’s charm after all,” she added with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“Charm huh?” Remington replied with a grin as he cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Yes.. fatal to any woman,” Laura whispered as she brushed his lips with hers.
“Are we talking about one woman in particular?” he murmured back as the kiss deepened.
“Could be Mr Steele - guess you’ll just have to find out won’t you?” she replied with a cheeky dimpled grin.
“Hmm – fancy a study session Mrs Steele?” he quipped with a wink and a laugh as he stood and offered her his hand. Laura laughed in reply as she put her hand in his and the two of them disappeared upstairs…