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It was dinner time with Will and Hannibal. Will, not wanting to miss the Paw Patrol marathon coming on, had already finished shoveling all his food in his mouth. Except for the vegetables of course.
“Will, you need to finish your broccoli,” Hannibal said.
“No thank you, Daddy. I’m finished.”
“ Will .”
“Daddy, I can’t eat vegetables! Lamby doesn’t like them!”
Rather than point out that Lamby is a stuffed animal and can’t eat food, Hannibal asked, “Has Lamby ever tried broccoli? I think he would like it.”
Will stabbed a piece of broccoli with his fork and brought it up to Lamby’s mouth, but didn’t quite touch him with it. The broccoli fell off the fork onto the floor. Will picked it up and put it on a napkin.
“See, Daddy, he hates it! Can we go watch Paw Patrol now? Please?”
Hannibal clasped his hands together on the table. “Would you like some cookies, darling?”
“Yes, please!”
“Then you need to eat your broccoli. At least half of it.”
Will huffed and leaned back in his chair. He angrily ate the broccoli, making a face after every bite. Hannibal knew it wasn’t that bad, but Will would never admit that he liked when Hannibal made vegetables.
“Can I have cookies now, Daddy?”
“I have to make them first. Would you like to help me?”
“Not today. Me and Lamby have to go watch Paw Patrol.”
“Go on, then. But you’ll have to eat your cookies at the table.”
“Kay! Thank you, Daddy!” Will made Lamby kiss Hannibal’s cheek. “Lamby said ‘thank you’ too!”
“You’re welcome, Lamby.”
As Hannibal made the cookies, he knew he would have to come up with another way to get Will to eat his vegetables. He couldn’t bribe him with cookies every night. He’d do some research online after he put Will to bed.
---
“Dinnertime, Will! Come wash your hands.”
Will carried Lamby to the kitchen and washed both of their hands (he just dried Lamby’s with a towel). He carried his and Hannibal’s cups to the table. Will had grape juice to drink and Hannibal had red wine.
“What are we having, Daddy?”
“I’ve made you a filet mignon, mashed potatoes, and some honey glazed carrots.”
Will started to make a face about the carrots, but stopped when Hannibal put his plate in front of him. The carrots were cut into heart shapes! He picked up a carrot heart with his fork and placed it in his mouth. He hummed happily. “Yummy! It tastes good when it’s cut into shapes, Daddy.”
Hannibal chuckled. “I’m glad. There’s more if you’d like.”
“Yes, please!”
Hannibal smiled, triumphantly. Looks like he finally found a way to get Will to eat his vegetables when he’s little.
---
Will walked inside Hannibal’s house after work the next day. He sniffed the air and could smell some kind of meat cooking. He went to the kitchen to see Hannibal making dinner.
“That smells good. What is it?”
“Hello, elskede. Roast pork, potatoes, apples, and green beans. How was work?”
“Fine. Uneventful. How was your day?”
“My day was fine as well. Dinner is just about ready. Would you go set the table and get our drinks, please?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Finally, they both sat down for dinner. Even though Will wasn’t little, Lamby was on the chair next to him. Will pouted at his plate.
“Is everything okay, darling?” Hannibal asked.
Will blushed. He didn’t want to answer, but knew Hannibal would be upset if he didn’t tell him what was wrong. He was a little embarrassed, though, since he wasn’t little at the moment. “The potatoes aren’t cut into shapes,” he mumbled. “Sorry, it’s fine! I’m not even little now.” Will sat up and speared a potato with his fork.
Hannibal smiled. “Darling, it’s no trouble. I didn’t want you to think I was trying to push you into your little headspace if I cut them. Let me see your plate and I’ll be right back.”
Will gave Hannibal a small smile. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, elskede.”