Chapter Text
Arthur is four, and his dad has just bought an aeroplane. The aeroplane is for Dad and not for Arthur, but it is still the best thing ever. Today Arthur and his mum get to fly in it.
“Where are we flying, Dad?” he asks as his mum buckles him in.
“Just taking her for a spin,” Dad replies in his pleased voice. “I’ll be up in the flight deck, Carolyn.” He strides away.
His mother nods, handing Arthur a sippy cup full of orange juice. “Now, we have to make sure Snoopadoop is buckled in too!” she tells him. Arthur dutifully puts his stuffed puppy on the seat beside him, and Mum buckles the seat belt before settling herself across the aisle.
The plane drives really, really fast before it suddenly leaves the ground. Arthur presses his nose to the window. Wow! The houses look even smaller than his Legos! It really is the best thing ever!
He sits enraptured for the entire too-short flight, nose smudging the glass and fingers wrapped around his juice cup. When the plane finally touches down again, he turns around and beams at his mother.
“Did you have fun, dear heart?”
“Yeah!” Arthur says. Mum smiles.
A bell goes bing-bong, and Dad’s voice fills the cabin. “Eh, Carolyn, Arthur, how’d you like to see the flight deck?”
“Yeah!” Arthur says again, bouncing up and down in his seat. His mother unbuckles him and Snoopadoop. He tucks his toy under his arm and follows her to the front of the plane.
The flight deck is amazing: full of shiny airplane instruments. Arthur’s mouth falls open. He yelps when Dad scoops him up: “How’s my boy like my aeroplane?” Arthur is too awed to answer.
“He loves it, Gordon.” And Arthur does. He loves the plane, and he loves that both his mum and his dad sound happy today. It’s the best day he can remember in a long time.
Then Dad laughingly plunks him down on the pilot’s seat, just a little too hard, and Arthur drops his juice cup. It clatters to the floor and the lid pops off, spewing orange juice everywhere—not right on the shiny instruments, but very, very close.
Dad stops laughing.
Mum’s smile fades.
“Now look what you’ve done,” Dad snaps. “Get him out of here.”
“Gordon—”
“I said out!”
His mum scoops him up and takes them both back to the car. Arthur tries hard not to sniffle as she buckles him in again. “Mum? I didn’t mean it.”
“I know, Arthur,” she says, ruffling his hair.
Dad comes back an hour later. Before Arthur can even say sorry, Gordon Shappey speaks directly into his face. “Know what you are? You’re a little idiot. Just see if I ever let you on my plane again.”
Arthur bites his lip. He knows it’s a bad idea to cry in front of his dad.