"She likes puns." Gid explained as he sat back and took the offered plate. Bacon, eggs, sausage, beans and potato waffles? His eyes went side and to him, this was a luxury meal. He started eating eagerly and watching as Holden held his little girl and hugged her close. She seemed to really love her daddy. That was nice.
"How do you have Rhia if you're... you know. Seeing the council?" Holden was gay, right? So how on Earth did he have a daughter? He definitely didn't have a wife so what was going on.
"I've adopted her, haven't I, darling?" Rhia was eating a piece of bacon off her dad's plate. Well, she was sucking on a corner of the bacon, anyway, which was close enough. She nodded to her dad's words, than explained what it really meant to Gid.
"Uncle Jon took me to my daddy cause my daddy really, really wanted me the most. Cause I'm precious." No self-confidence issues here. "My family picked me. I've got Uncle Klausi's hair."
"Do you? Ah, okay. Well, you have very pretty hair, darling." He smiled and winked at her before he went back to eating his food. So Holden had a kid but he was gay and into that bloke but he was raising a little girl and he was... normal. He didn't try to fuck him, he wasn't a perv and Rhia liked her daddy way more than he liked his.
"I didn't think that ga-- guys could do that sort of thing." Gideon confessed as he ate more sausage and then looked over at the various toys on the floor. She had more toys than him too.
"I've been wanting kids for a while, so I was on a few waiting lists. I'm single and male, that would make it harder normally, but as Rhia said, my brother found her. She's a traveller, she was with me from when she was a wee one, so they ruled in my favour." And now he'd never ever have to give her up again. He wrapped both arms around her tightly at the thought, hugging her close as she sucked on her bacon. "Things can be pretty good for a guy. If you have good people around you."
"Adoption is cool. I think it's good you can ... help. I was with the social once, when my mom left. Like, she always left but that time she left-left." He hated her for it but he mostly just missed her. She was more of a mate than a mom but he liked having her around, she soften dad a bit. Just a bit. "But dad got his shit together so I got to go home. Good thing to, no one gives a damn about a 10 year old. They want the kiddies."
He looked at Rhia and then realised his mistake. "Sorry... didn't mean to swear. Didn't think about the baby."
"Uncle Alfie says bad words a lot," Rhia explained and Holden nodded in regretful agreement before simply feeding her a bite of potato cakes so she would get some breakfast in.
"I'd have taken a ten year old," he assured Gideon, smiling a little bit. "They've still got my name down. I'd even take a lad your age. What are you, fourteen? Love to have one of you lads around, maybe help out with Rhia a bit."
"Santa will get me a brother," she informed Gideon knowingly.
"All sorts say that to your face. They don't mean it. Like, no offence, but you don't want me." He didn't even know him. Hadn't seen his piss poor school record or tried to match wits with his shitty dad. He wasn't someone people wanted, he knew that, but he knew that people liked to say otherwise. It made them feel better about themselves. "But I'm glad you got her. She's a proper darling."
He always wanted a little brother or sister. He always liked to take care. He even liked caring for his dad, as thankless as that bullshit was.
"And you don't want a brother from Santa. You can get anything! Get a cool toy, way more fun."
"My dad has soooo many brothers. Brothers are the best." She was convinced of it. So there was no persuading her differently. She offered Gideon the piece of bacon she had been chewing at and Holden snorted, pulling it out of her hand instead.
"Gideon has his own bacon, darling. Eat some more potato, come on." He fed more to her and then looked at Gideon again, not wanting to argue too much with him for now. "I reckon Ollie's brother doesn't know about you?"
He highly doubted it, knowing Greg. "You've found the right young lad there, in Ollie. There's a right little prat."
"Nah, he doesn't. Ollie says he'll kick me out." He had heard him, Greg, mostly yelling up the stairs after Ollie. He wasn't shocked, Ollie seemed like a lot honestly. "I like Ollie, he's a funny lad. Bit odd but who isn't? Nowt as queer as folk."
Gideon finished his plate eagerly and watched Rhia eat her small bite of potato. "You like your daddy's cooking?"
"Nuh-uh," Rhia said honestly, "No one likes it. Felix made the good bits. Daddy just heats stuff."
"I've made the eggs, the beans and toasted the bread, I'll have you know." And, yeah, mostly he just heated stuff and the eggs were both too runny and burnt somehow, but Holden was reasonably proud himself. "I'm afraid I ain't much of a cook. I make a decent cuppa tea."
"And ribena," Rhia praised, "Daddy makes it best."
"Felix... the bloke from the council?" He seemed like a nice sort of bloke, maybe a bit posh and odd but he was alright. He wondered how close he and Holden were. How much they were together? Raising a kid and all of that. Weird. He didn't think two guys could raise a kid but then again, his mom and dad couldn't either.
"I'm gonna head off and find Ollie today but thanks for the sofa. Honestly, mate. It was great." No one was ever that nice to him.
"Don't worry about it, lad. Come by again some time in case you get lost. No need to spend the night in my apple tree." Holden knew he should probably do something more but it might be for the best to play things slow here. Not as if Gideon had any way of leaving the village until Saturday. "Nice greetings to Ollie. Tell him he ought to stay in school, the lazy sod."
"You should come back, Giddy." Rhia had already given him a better name. "We need to play Postman Pat more. Cause I'm the cat."
"I'll... maybe I'll stop by again, yeah?" Gideon picked up the Postman Pat cat toy off the couch and came over, gently booping her face with it and letting her take it to hold. He smiled awkwardly at Holden and then took off towards the door. "I think you're cooking is good, for the record. Great toast!"
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"How do you have Rhia if you're... you know. Seeing the council?" Holden was gay, right? So how on Earth did he have a daughter? He definitely didn't have a wife so what was going on.
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"Uncle Jon took me to my daddy cause my daddy really, really wanted me the most. Cause I'm precious." No self-confidence issues here. "My family picked me. I've got Uncle Klausi's hair."
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"I didn't think that ga-- guys could do that sort of thing." Gideon confessed as he ate more sausage and then looked over at the various toys on the floor. She had more toys than him too.
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He looked at Rhia and then realised his mistake. "Sorry... didn't mean to swear. Didn't think about the baby."
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"I'd have taken a ten year old," he assured Gideon, smiling a little bit. "They've still got my name down. I'd even take a lad your age. What are you, fourteen? Love to have one of you lads around, maybe help out with Rhia a bit."
"Santa will get me a brother," she informed Gideon knowingly.
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He always wanted a little brother or sister. He always liked to take care. He even liked caring for his dad, as thankless as that bullshit was.
"And you don't want a brother from Santa. You can get anything! Get a cool toy, way more fun."
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"Gideon has his own bacon, darling. Eat some more potato, come on." He fed more to her and then looked at Gideon again, not wanting to argue too much with him for now. "I reckon Ollie's brother doesn't know about you?"
He highly doubted it, knowing Greg. "You've found the right young lad there, in Ollie. There's a right little prat."
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Gideon finished his plate eagerly and watched Rhia eat her small bite of potato. "You like your daddy's cooking?"
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"I've made the eggs, the beans and toasted the bread, I'll have you know." And, yeah, mostly he just heated stuff and the eggs were both too runny and burnt somehow, but Holden was reasonably proud himself. "I'm afraid I ain't much of a cook. I make a decent cuppa tea."
"And ribena," Rhia praised, "Daddy makes it best."
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"I'm gonna head off and find Ollie today but thanks for the sofa. Honestly, mate. It was great." No one was ever that nice to him.
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"You should come back, Giddy." Rhia had already given him a better name. "We need to play Postman Pat more. Cause I'm the cat."
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Of course, he had low standards. "Laters."