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Morning comes. In a half-asleep daze Abel reaches for Ish, only to find the other side of the bed empty. The sheets there are still warm, but his husband is gone.
A little more awake, now, Abel bothers to listen to the house. There is the sound of heavy feet on the stairs, and squealing laughter to match. From somewhere downstairs, Ish starts yelling. Abel does not catch all of the words, but Cain tactlessly informs him they were "Madz! Stop! Don't run on the stairs!". Madz picks up her laughter in response.
Abel does consider going to help them, then decides to instead roll back over, and bury his head into the pillow. It is a very human response, especially when he is fully charged, but he thought of himself human long enough to forgive himself for it.
Maybe a minute of peace longer, and Abel feels an eye piercing into his side. With a groan he frees himself, turning over and searching for their son.
"Good morning, Deckard." He asks, trying to sound sleepy in the vain hope it will grant him a little longer. "Did you need something?"
"Father Abel," Deckard acknowledges, always knowing who he speaks to. "Father Ish is in the kitchen. I believe he wishes for a 'family breakfast' again today."
That does pull a small smile to Abel's lips; however often it happens, the acknowledgement of their family draws a smile to his lips.
"Alright, son," he replies, knowing just how happy it makes their boy. "Go let your other father know I'll be down in a minute."
"Yes, Fathers."
Abel can feel Cain's smugness at the address, though he knows better than to say anything. He burrows his face below the pillow for another twenty three seconds, before finally pulling himself up.
First to sitting, then to standing, and finally to pulling on his dressing gown before he makes his way downstairs.
Madz is already at the kitchen table, swinging her feet as she rests her chin on her arms. It still swells Abel's heart to see her wings flutter ever so slightly as she moves; Jade had warned they might again never work at all. Deckard, meanwhile, is standing next to Ish, fingers ringing through a tea-towel as he stares at the eggs on the stove.
"Morning," Abel tells them all. He considers joining the stove group, before deciding that Ish probably has it in hand. "Did we all sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you!" Madz shoots up, now sat straight and giving him her full attention. "Good morning, Daddy!"
"Good morning Father Abel, Father Cain." Deckard turns to nod to them both. "Father Project Manager says we need to purchase more eggs. I have suggested that we keep chickens instead, like K8-E does, but he seems adverse to the idea."
"It is a fine idea, Deckard." Not even after breakfast, and Ish already sounds exhausted. "However, I need eggs by this afternoon. If you can find some chickens that do not belong to anyone we can keep some, but it does not solve the immediate problem of not having eggs."
"I said he should have made toast for breakfast instead, but he didn't like my idea," Madz chimes up. Cain flashes protectively for a moment; Abel has to quickly reign him back in, explaining how that is Madz's teasing voice, not her sad one.
"We can just go shopping," Abel yawns, a habit of his human life. "If Raine doesn't have any, we can try asking Pink."
"See, Deckard? I told you your father Abel would understand. Eggs are the superior breakfast food."
Ish sounds too proud of himself; Abel loves him more than anything - except possibly for their children - but superior breakfast food? Truly?
"I always preferred melon, personally."
Two pairs of curious eyes - and one scandalised set - turn on him.
"Oooh, yes! I like melons! Papa, can we have melons for breakfast?" Madz lights up at the suggestion.
"I- No- We-" Ish splutters as he looks between Abel and Madz, clearly three feet behind.
"Yes, Father Ish." Deckard joins in, enclosing from the other side. "You would not want to make Father Abel sad."
"But-"
"It's okay, Deckard," Abel takes pity on his beloved, rescuing him from their children. "We can trade for melons in town, too, and have them for breakfast tomorrow."
"Yay! Thank you!"
Madz bounces up, throwing herself at Abel. He catches her in a hug, his own metal reinforcements the only reason he can withstand the weight of excitable copper.
Deckard also seems satisfied, nodding to himself and turning to look out of the window. The sun is still fairly low in the sky, but the light is bright enough to see their garden hedge - and Cain's train-set - by.
Soon enough, four bowls of eggs are handed out and eaten. The conversation becomes firmly fixed upon their shopping list. It goes as well as ever; Madz keeps trying to add pickles, while Deckard keeps trying to remove the soap. Just like every week, Ish eventually abandons trying to write the list down.
Just like every week, Abel pretends to have forgotten it, while making a perfect mental record all the same.
Breakfast is cleaned, and shoes are obtained. With the sun so bright, hats prove necessary; Deckard keeps tugging on his, reminding himself it is there, while Ish helps Madz get her antenna through little gaps in the straw weave.
Abel, for his part, has to run upstairs and get dressed. The clothes he throws on are entirely random, but something he can wear to town. By the time he makes it back downstairs, Madz barely has her hat on, and only Deckard is fully ready. Abel slips on some sandals and is still ready faster than Ish, who keeps getting interrupted as he tries to tie his shoes.
Taking pity on his husband, Abel steers Madz and Deckard outside. A once ornamental garden has been torn up for vegetable beds - smaller things for the household, rather than the farming fields out the back - though nothing is ripe just yet. It is a fairly isolated part of town, many of the old ruins having been torn down to make space for those fields, but the house opposite is occupied. Cain and 4 wanted to stay close, and just like Abel's family follow him, Sidefall, Mia, and M.O.O.N. followed 4.
It seems that house is also up already; even from this distance, Abel can hear Sidefall yelling for M O.O.N. to bring them something . In their front garden, significantly less practical than Abel's own, 4 follows Mia's instructions in an attempt to trim the rosebushes.
"4!" Cain calls, without Abel's permission, brightening to see his 'comrade'.
"Good morning uncle 4! Auntie Mia!" Madz hops up and down as she waves, attempting to ensure that she is seen.
The old android pauses, then turns slightly, offering a brief wave. He seems to be about to come over, only for Mia to catch his arm and whisper something in his ear. As that is happening Ish finally leaves the house, locking up and hurrying to join the rest of them on the street. Abel greets him with a kiss on the cheek, but more is interrupted by Mia and 4 coming to a conclusion.
"Good morning!" 4 calls first. "I... don't have time to chat, sorry. We can speak later, though!"
"You should come for lunch, and talk then," Mia adds on. "I'll let MOON know!"
Ish laughs off the offer, only to receive it again, more insistent and determined. It is Mia who comes with the almost threat, moving closer and widening her eyes; Abel knows Cain well enough to realise that 4 is giggling at the whole situation, despite the way he just blankly stares.
"But father, why don't you want to have lunch with them?" asks Deckard.
Abel can see how Ish weighs up his options, before taking a deep, measured breath, every part of him softening a little. "Alright, Deckard. Madz, Abel, do you wish to come too?"
"Yes!" Madz chimes. "Yes, yes, yes! Can we make brownies to bring? I want to bring brownies."
"Of course we can, Madz. Abel?"
"I will attend," Cain is the one to reply through their shared lips. "Abel will assist with the baking."
If Cain had shins to kick, Abel would do so. As it is, he instead sends him an irritated thought, and wrestles back control of their face.
"We can bake once we've been to see Raine; we needed eggs, remember?"
"And chickens."
Deckard has latched on to the chicken idea, then? Abel should probably pick up some materials to make a pen. He knows how this ends. He knows how this always ends.
"Yes, yes, eggs come from chickens," Ish does not appear to realise quite what he has agreed to. "Mia, we'll come over around one?"
"That would be lovely! Sidefall should be done with their meeting by then." Mia gives them her attention, while 4 returns to the rosebush. After a moment she pulls a few flowers from the pile of cuttings, and passes them around. "Here, for all of you."
"Thank you, Mia," Abel begins to round up his family, and continue to steer them towards the shops. "We'd better get into town, but we'll see you this afternoon?"
Mia smiles, bobbing her head as she speaks. "Have a good morning!"
With that sorted, Ish takes Deckard's hand - and Abel takes Madz's - and they continue on their way. The other three do pick conversation back up as they go, and Abel is quite happy to just listen, to feel the sun, and have his new family here and in hand.
It is early enough for town to be quiet, though that is not to say it is empty; Unit B is out herding the children into the building used as a classroom, Branzy teary eyed like every morning when he waves goodbye to Jan. Madz slips out of Abel's grasp to run over to him, regifting the flower from Mia. Abel watches the crowd as he waits for her to be done with her conversation; Jade is setting up the sign outside of their mechanical repair shop; Magamemnon drops Lexi off at the clinic before heading over to Mae's bakery; Shan waits by Pink's tailors; newer folk, one who followed tales of the fledgeling town, also going about and between places, just living their lives... Not everyone is awake or about just yet, and some have no reason to be in the middle of town, but the mix of humans and androids just living their lives... It was everything Abel wanted, when he joined Chrysalis. For a time they broke him, made him believe it was not possible at all, and yet-
"Abel?" Madz asks, finally returned, an anxiety flittering through her broken wings. "Where did Deckard go? And Ish?"
"They just went on ahead," he is quick to reassure her. "I was waiting for you, but they wanted to be sure Raine still has eggs."
Madz nods nervously; Abel takes her hand again, and leads her to the little store Raine - with some admin help from Goggles - runs.
It is a relatively small place, and barely a shop at all. People can trade items for money, and vice versa, but among the core group - those who came from New Star City - it is more common to simple exchange goods. There is no exact prices for them, just bring what you can spare, and take what you need. Goggles makes sure that none of them abuse the system, but after everything... After everything, none of them are especially inclined to.
"Good morning Raine!" Abel calls, as he leads Madz inside. "I'm looking for my husband?"
Raine pops her head around a doorway, stack of boxes in hand, but is cut off by Ish before she can speak.
"I'm over here, Abel," Ish sounds somehow even more on edge than usual. "I was trying to explain to Deckard that we only need eggs, not chickens."
Seeing that question answered, Raine just gives a wave, before returning to what she was doing.
"On the contrary, if we have chickens, we will not need to collect as many eggs." Deckard replies. "They will need to grow, but they are good chickens."
"There are real chickens?" Madz asks. "I thought K8-E had all the chickens?"
"Sidefall finally managed to trade for some roosters and an incubator," Ish explains, pinching his forehead. "I had just not expected her to have an excess of chicks already."
"They're cute," Raine offers, as way of exploration. "And... I didn't say, but I think K8-E already has as many birds as she can handle. She's hoping some other people will get in on the egg market."
"We do have four pairs of hands, and a farm," Abel nods along. "There's a little space between the crop fields we could use."
"Not you as well," Ish groans. "Abel..."
"It is only logical." Cain takes over, weirdly excited about the idea of chickens for all his voice remains monotone. "We have space, and use a lot of eggs."
"I hate you."
"The feeling is mutual."
Even Deckard can tell the affection in those words, if the way he laughs in reply is any indication.
Or perhaps it is not one, for moments later, he rounds a corner with a chick gently held in his hands.
"Father Abel," he says. "This chicken looks like Project Manager Father. Do you not agree?"
"Deckard!" Ish is clearly flustered. "Please, Deckard, put the chick back. It does not look like me."
Abel looks at the chick, and contemplates. It is obviously a chick, maybe a few weeks old, and therefore does not look like Ish at all. However, there is something... In its expression, perhaps, or the feathers prickling like eyebrows, or even the exact shape of the beak, that makes Abel understand exactly what Deckard means.
"I see it," he therefore agrees. "How adorable."
He reaches out, and very carefully pets the chick.
"Wait." Ish pauses, freezing. "Adorable? I am not adorable, I am strong! And handsome! And-"
Abel leans over, quickly kissing his cheek.
"And adorable."
Ish splutters, and Abel turns back to Deckard. "We don't have the supplies to look after chicks right now, but if we ask Raine I'm sure she'll look after some for us while we get everything set up. Why don't you and Madz pick a few, and I'll talk to your other father."
"Thank you, father Abel!"
It is obvious how Deckard wants to run back to the chicks, but instead he pauses, and moves carefully instead, respectful of the little one in his hands.
"You agreed to chickens." Ish sounds almost accusatory.
"Deckard wants them, and we have the means," Abel shrugs. "It was going to happen anyway."
"What Abel means," Cain cuts in. "Is that you are soft, emotional, and vulnerable, and so will not refuse Deckard in matters unrelated to safety."
Ish groans, but cannot argue. Abel leans over, resting his head on his shoulder; the sun is shining, Raine is helping the children pick chicks, and they have lunch with Cain's family this afternoon. Ish had long been in Abel's imaginings, but not the rings on their fingers, nor the truths uncovered.
Abel could have done without some of the truths and most of the torment, but at the same time? He would not give this up for the world.