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“You’re sure he’s ok?”
“He’s fine Lars”
“He hasn’t made a sound”
“Because he’s asleep”
Abby had decided if one more word came out of Lars she was going to lose it, everyone warned her about the baby keeping her up all night. Not about her husband doing it. He had been fine when they were at the hospital, but the moment they stepped foot in the house all he saw were things that could happen, despite everything being baby proofed for months already, and Mason sleeping not even three feet away from them.
“I’m going to check on him” she felt the bed shift and Lars get up,
She sighed heavily, “You’re going to wake him up”
“I won’t” he promised, peering over the side of the bassinet focused on the three-day-old bundled up in it. “Do you think he’s cold?”
“If he was he would be crying” Abigail didn’t even turn to look at Lars, deciding she was too tired to even do that. “Can you come back to bed?”
“Maybe he should sleep with us” Lars didn’t move from next to it, Abby was sure he would stand there all night if she let him.
“We agreed he wouldn’t so it would be easier when it came to moving him to his own room”
“But just tonight wouldn’t hurt” Lars sounded slightly embarrassed admitting the next part, “And I would sleep better”
Abigail sighed, “Fineeeeee”
She heard the creaking of the bassinet rocking slightly as Lars got Mason. She turned on her other side, to face him as he set the baby in between them. The little thing was such a heavy sleeper already, he didn’t seem to mind being moved at all.
“Better?” she asked Lars almost teasingly,
“Much better” He answered climbing back into bed, his eyes not moving off the baby. Abby couldn’t believe how much he adored Mason sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Look at how handsome my boys are!” Abigail, stood on the stairs wearing a far too elaborate princess peach costume. From her place on the stairs she could see Lars–who had been half-bribed into being Bowser–and Mason, who had already pulled off his mushroom top hat and was chewing on it.
“He won’t keep the hat on” Lars stated it very matter of fact, not even attempting to take the hat from his two year old son knowing it would simply make everything worse.
“It's fine,” Abby came down the rest of the way taking Mason from him, “As long as I can get him to keep it on long enough for us to win the group costume contest” she smiled, walking away. Lars thought it would have to be rigged for her to win at her own party.
He followed her, leaning on the doorway to the kitchen “When is everyone supposed to get here?”
“In about twenty minutes,” He tried not to laugh as she tried to get something from a shelf while keeping Mason, who had finally lost interest in his hat, balanced on her hip.
“And what did Gilbert say?”
“He promised no scary costume this year,” she finally set the toddler on the counter, a quick warning to not move while jumping to try to get what she wanted. “I swear, if he shows up in one anyway and scares all the littles at this party I'll riot!”
Lars agreed, watching his wife with amusement as well as keeping an eye on his son sitting on the counter. He remembered before Mason Abigail’s halloween parties–and costumes–had been much less child friendly; they had mellowed out majorly as she wanted their son involved. She was even claiming she was going to swear off the parties entirely once he was old enough to take trick-or-treating.
“Lars, could you start the music? It’s too quiet in here” she was closer to what she wanted, as he went to turn something on. While looking for the cassette Abigail would usually play at her halloween party.
Something crashed in the kitchen, followed immediately by Abigail yelling, “Holy shit!” and then a quieter, “Mason, never repeat that”
“Are you okay?” Lars yelled back as he headed to the kitchen, he wasn’t too worried if Abby had time to worry about telling the two year old not to repeat cuss words.
“We’re okay!” He stuck his head in the doorway to see Abby on the counter, a jar of something splattered everywhere–including Abigail and Mason, and approximately all the cabinets.
“You’re sure?” he asked, while still assessing the damage.
“I’m sure”
“Do you have a backup costume?”
“Nope.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I don’t wanna go” Mason wouldn’t let go of Lars, refusing to even step out the front door.
“You’ll have lots of fun! We promise!” Abigail had been trying to coax him into putting his shoes on for almost twenty minutes, worried about this she–re. Lars–planned plenty of time in case he was being stubborn.
“It’s just school,” Lars could have gotten the six year old off him easily, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. “And it’s only till 1:15, three days a week, you’ll be back home before you know it”
“I don’t wanna go” he repeated it for the millionth time, holding even tighter to his dad’s shirt. Abby had been insisting school would be good for Mason, Lars wasn’t so sure, thinking it would have been better to just skip kindergarten all together. Straight to first grade in a few years. That was more because he wanted Mason home. They met in the middle, kindergarten, but only part time.
Abby sighed, mouthing to Lars ‘if you don’t let him go, he won’t let go of you either’
He didn’t let go, mouthing back ‘i don’t want him to go’
The couple engaged in a short stare off, the seconds till they had to be leaving ticking by, as Mason, still, did not have his shoes on.
“Mason Gilberttt” she dragged the t out on his name trying to get his attention, “It’s only five hours, you’ve had longer playdates”
“I know my friends” he still refused to look at her, Abigail knew he would listen to Lars. If Lars would only tell him he had to leave.
“You’ll make new friends, I’m sure of it!” She had been repeating that sentiment in particular, for weeks, ever since they had told Mason he was going to school in the fall.
Lars nodded, but still didn’t let go; “There’s nothing about you people couldn’t love”
“But! You won’t meet any new friends if we don’t leave soon” She looked pointedly at Lars, he really was the one to convince in this situation.
He finally let go of Mason, setting him down, “I’m sure you will have plenty of fun,” Lars didn’t look convinced despite what he was telling his son “now listen to your mother and go get your shoes on”
Mason pouted for a moment more before going towards the front door to find his tennis-shoes, “Thank you” Abigail sighed in relief,
“I’m not ready for him to grow up” Lars sounded half-heartbroken,
“I know,” she rested her head on his shoulder, “We still have plenty of time though”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Your team should have won!” Abigail was wondering if she should have let Lars drive when he was this upset.
“Dad, it really wasn’t-” The now eleven year old tried to reason with his father, nowhere near as concerned with the game as he clearly was.
“No! That Jason is dragging the team down” Lars kept mumbling angrily to himself.
“Daaaadddd” Mason slouched down in the seat clearly not ready for this rant yet again. “It’s not like i’m going to play as a job”
“Don’t say that, someone has to carry the Netherlands through a world cup” at this even Abigail rolled her eyes. Lars had been insisting it would be his son that would break their bad luck streak; always spiraling into rants about how the Dutch team was better and by all odds should have won.
Abby sighed, looking back at her son, “Mason, you know we think you can do anything you set your mind to, and your a wonderful soccer player” she looked at her husband next to her, “That being said; Lars, he doesn’t have the talent to make a professional team”
“Thank you mom!” He half yelled from the backseat, more happy his mom was on his side than anything else.
“It’s not about talent! It’s about determination” Lars wouldn’t let this go, ignoring that his son's team was the worst in the state league, and Mason was a mediocre player at best. He really only did it for the exercise, and to make sure he was still around kids his age during the summer.
Abigail and Mason both groaned, ready for yet another pep talk about how he could do it, and one day people would be chanting his name in stadiums around the world; as long as he put in hard work and Jason got out of his way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ma! Pop!!! Get up!!!” Mason was half banging his parents door down. He was under the resolve that if they weren’t out in fifteen minutes he would go downstairs anyway, tired of sitting at the top of the stairs for almost an hour already.
He could hear them moving in the bedroom for a while now, but they still hadn’t come out. The door was locked to keep him from barging in and waking them, something that had started a few years prior after he made it a habit to do so. The door finally opened both Abigail and Lars standing there, looking varying levels of awake,
“Merry Christmas!” Mason jumped up from his place on the stairs, though the proclamation sounded more impatient than sincere.
Abby hummed, half pulling him down and kissing him on his cheek, “Merry christmas baby”
He took a moment to dramatically wipe it off, “Can we go downstairs please?” he dragged the end of the sentence out, tapping his foot. The excitement bubbling up more and more.
“One more minute” Lars sounded barely awake as he went downstairs, making Abby and Mason wait at the top.
Abigail wiped the sleep from her eyes, mumbling about needing coffee, and how no one should be up this early on a holiday. Mason bounced on his heels getting more and more curious as he heard the back door open and close. He tried to look out the hall window to see what his father was doing, but barely caught a glance of the snow covered front walk before his mother grabbed him, pulling him back, chiding him about peeking at presents.
The door opened and closed once again, “Abby,”
“Yeah sweetpea?” Mason made a face at the nickname she used,
“Can you come down here,” Mason half jumped down three stairs before hearing, “Don’t let the boy come yet!”
His face dropped, “dad!”
“Just another second, promise” Abigail winked at her son as if she had just told him what the present was though he still had zero clue.
Another second seemed an eternity before he finally heard his mother call, “You can come down now! We’re in the kitchen”
To say he almost fell down the stairs wouldn’t be enough to convey the excitement. He half slid into the kitchen though stopped dead seeing what his father was holding, “no way”
Abby laughed, holding a video camera up to catch his reaction. Lars was holding a border collie puppy; who looked just as excited as his new owner.
“You wanted a dog didn’t you?” Lars asked, going over and half dumping the dog into his sons arms.
“I didn’t think I would-” he could barely speak, a huge smile on his face, “i didn’t think you were actually going to get me one!”
“We decided you’re responsible enough” Abby told him, “Your uncle Gilbert really convinced us though”
Mason looked at the camera, pure joy in his words “Thank you uncle Gil”
“What are you going to name him?” Abby asked, as Mason set the dog on the ground rubbing him as the new member of the family got used to his surroundings.
“Bandit!” He declared excitedly, “Cause he’s my partner in crime”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He sat right outside the principal's office, his hands folded in his lap trying his best to not think about his mother on her way right now. The other kid was being a jerk, basically asking to be punched. It was only a fight if he hit back, which he did! The whole thing would have been avoided if he had just-
“Mason Gilbert Van Dijk!” and here it comes, he looked over in the hallway, at Abigail storming down the hall. Originally he was thankful his dad was on a business trip, now he wasn’t so sure. Abby had yelled loud enough even the principal's secretary looked up, she had plenty of experience with Abigail and Lars, and knew they were…not average, this still came as a slight surprise.
“Hi mom” Lars sounded sheepish, not moving a muscle too scared of what would come next.
“Don’t ‘Hi mom’ me! Do you know what it’s like to have to leave work because your fifteen year old idiot son punched a kid during lunch?” she was livid, he knew he deserved it, and he knew it's how she would be, it still stung a bit.
“I’m sorry” he mumbled, “It’s just he was-”
“No” she rubbed her eyes, exasperated, “There’s no excuse to resort to violence like that,”
“But grandpa said-”
“Ignore your grandfather, listen to me, we’re not having a repeat of last year.” she sat down next to him, “you can’t get suspended again this year for picking fights because you think other kids are stupid”
“I won’t be”
Abby looked him over, hesitant to admit she knew this came from her side. Even more so knowing it was Gilbert who taught him how to throw a punch, despite her protests.
She sighed, “I can’t stay mad at you, you know that?”
Mason smiled lightly, “Yeah i know”
“You’re still in trouble”
“I know that too”