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“Alright,” Fan said softly, watching as his wife disappeared out of his viewpoint from where he was standing. He shut the door, shuddering a bit from the cold bitter wind outside.
He looked down, focusing on the small being holding onto his leg, peering curiously up at him with sparkling green eyes. He couldn’t help but smile proudly.
Beaker had just turned two, and was already showing so much potential, having her father’s curiosity and her mother’s determination. She was not too tall for a toddler, but she didn’t let it stop her. If she were any better at talking, Fan knew she would probably ramble about her ideas for hours and hours.
Just like Test Tube.
“Ma gone to work.” Beaker broke the silence, still peering up at her dad. “Ma’s a science.”
“A scientist, dear,” Fan chuckled, picking the toddler up in his arms. “She’s a scientist.”
“Science-tist.” Beaker nodded, smiling like she had just figured out the secrets to life.
“What do you want to do today?”
“Hmmmmm,” She put her finger to her chin like she’d seen Test Tube do a million times. “Tell-vison,”
“You want to watch TV?” Fan smiled as he carried her into the living room. As much as Beaker was like her mother, she did have her Fan moments.
“Watch.. da.”
“Hm?”
“Watch dada show.”
“Ohh, you want to watch your dad’s Fantastic Features?” He sat down on the couch, setting his daughter down next to him.
“Mhm!”
“You must’ve watched every episode by now!” He joked, finding his show on a streaming service they had. As he clicked on the first episode, he sighed as he was met with the face of his younger self. It was crazy to think how much things had changed, looking at the younger’s messy hair and oversized red hoodie.
Maybe his wife would fix her time machine, and maybe he could go back in time and tell his younger self everything he had to look forward to.
No use reminiscing on the past, though. He looked to the side, smiling wide as Beaker watched the screen, completely mesmerised.
“Who’s Fan?”
“That’s me.”
“But you’re dada.”
He chuckled. “Yes, that’s right. But I’m also Fan.”
“Dada Fan?”
He ruffled her hair. “Yeah, you could say that!”
Beaker nodded like she always did, having learned new information that was ever so valuable to her.
“Dada, we see auntie Bulb? And Pain-brush?”
Fan snorted at ‘Pain’-brush. “Maybe tomorrow, dearie,”
He was glad the Bright Lights had never grown apart. Lightbulb and Paintbrush lived not too far, and Lightbulb loved Beaker to bits, asking the toddler to call her “auntie Bulb”. Paintbrush had never been to keen on kids, but cared about Beaker just as much as their girlfriend.
Fan smiled. His life had changed so much, yet some things had stayed the same. He was married, and a father. Yet he still had his friends, no matter how many years had passed.
He couldn’t really ask for more.