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crooked_lossTitle: Was Es Ist
Summary: Jax and Oz discuss France.
Timeline: November 2032 - Jax is 16, Oz is 46
Challenge: FOTD (blithe), Star Fruit #3 (pardon my French), Molasses #21 (pain in the neck)
Word Count: 831
Rating: G
Blithe \BLAYTH\, adjective;
1. Joyous or merry in disposition
Example: Jax
Oz remembered when he and Andy had sat down and discussed children. They had talked about adoption, but settled on surrogacy, and afterwards it seemed like they had researched for days on finding the right mother. Then Sarah had popped up and said she would do it, and they hadn’t really been inclined to argue about it. It certainly saved them quite a bit of hassle. They had never talked about the number of children they would have, though. All of them seemed to just rest on the unspoken agreement that they would just stop after one pregnancy, and however many came out, that was it.
For sixteen years, he and Andy (and Sarah and Adrianna) had raised one child. One very rambunctious, enthusiastic, charismatic child, that none of them could really ever say no to. Somehow, Chloe hadn’t turned out to be a complete brat, and he thanked his stars for that miracle. Yet now, after sixteen years of one kid, his house always seemed to be filled with them.
He was glad Chloe had friends. Oz would have been dead shocked if she didn’t have friends, considering she seemed to have her own way about her that just drew people in like gravity. But he didn’t quite understand why they always had to be at his house. Chloe and Faith seemed like plenty to him, but when you added in Penn, and Chastity, and Altar, and Grace (who always stopped to shyly say hello before running up the stairs to Chloe’s room), and Erin... He felt like he was in a much more modern version of the Brady Bunch.
And then there was Jackson, or Jax, but never Jack (as Chloe had been sure to tell him). Oz had only met the boy two months ago, but he still felt as if he had known him for much longer at this point. Not only had he quickly become one of Chloe’s friends, but he had become Andy’s last apprentice. When Oz didn’t see Jax at his house, he almost always saw him at Andy’s shop, and it was almost like he suddenly had a son to match his daughter. And speak of the devil...
“H’lo, sir.” Jax chirped as he came down the stairs. “We aren’t bein’ too loud, are we? Cause Faith and Chloe got into a contest to see who can talk in French longer, and Erin is tryin’ to tell them that they aren’t really speakin’ it right, but they ain’t listenin’ to her much.”
Oz grimaced at that. Why French? Why? Chloe could have just as easily taken German and then he could have actually helped her with her homework. “I can’t hear anything, but as long as it’s kept to a dull roar, it shouldn’t be too bad.”
“I’ll be sure to tell them that.” Jax picked up his forgotten messenger bag, which had been laying near the front door. “You don’t like French much, do you, sir? Chloe told me you didn’t, but I don’t really know how you can’t. It just sounds so pretty.”
“It isn’t that I don’t like it, really. I just got bad memories of France. See... When I was a kid, my mum and dad always went to France in the summer, and they’d drag me along with them. Couldn’t stand it, but I didn’t have much choice.” Oz answered, before he hesitated. He rubbed at the back of his neck, before awkwardly continuing. “Usually, I just put up with it, but then when I was your age, there was this boy. Jakob. I begged to either stay home that summer or for him to come with us, but my parents wouldn’t hear any word of it. Well, eventually, things with Jakob ended, and I always hated the fact that I had to miss an entire summer with him just because of some stupid tradition I never liked in the first place. Just haven’t really liked anything French since then. Language included.”
Jax stared at him, wide eyed. “That seems like it might have been an awful long time ago, sir.” He quietly answered, before realizing exactly how that sounded. He blushed furiously before correcting himself. “I just mean that, maybe you should give it a shot again before you completely give everything up that’s French. Besides, it’s good to know more than one language. You can borrow one of my books, if you want.”
Oz waved the suggestion off. “I already know German, and I’m pretty sure I remember a little bit of Gaelic. Not that that’s a language worth knowing anymore, but still.”
“You know German, sir?” There was that awed tone in Jax’s voice again, and Oz couldn’t help but smile at that. For a moment, Jax fidgeted with his messenger bag before reaching into it. Very quickly, he laid a beginner’s guide to French next to where Oz sat before he dashed up the stairs.
Staring at the book, Oz snorted before pushing it away. “Er ist schlimmer als Chloe.”
Summary: Jax and Oz discuss France.
Timeline: November 2032 - Jax is 16, Oz is 46
Challenge: FOTD (blithe), Star Fruit #3 (pardon my French), Molasses #21 (pain in the neck)
Word Count: 831
Rating: G
Blithe \BLAYTH\, adjective;
1. Joyous or merry in disposition
Example: Jax
Oz remembered when he and Andy had sat down and discussed children. They had talked about adoption, but settled on surrogacy, and afterwards it seemed like they had researched for days on finding the right mother. Then Sarah had popped up and said she would do it, and they hadn’t really been inclined to argue about it. It certainly saved them quite a bit of hassle. They had never talked about the number of children they would have, though. All of them seemed to just rest on the unspoken agreement that they would just stop after one pregnancy, and however many came out, that was it.
For sixteen years, he and Andy (and Sarah and Adrianna) had raised one child. One very rambunctious, enthusiastic, charismatic child, that none of them could really ever say no to. Somehow, Chloe hadn’t turned out to be a complete brat, and he thanked his stars for that miracle. Yet now, after sixteen years of one kid, his house always seemed to be filled with them.
He was glad Chloe had friends. Oz would have been dead shocked if she didn’t have friends, considering she seemed to have her own way about her that just drew people in like gravity. But he didn’t quite understand why they always had to be at his house. Chloe and Faith seemed like plenty to him, but when you added in Penn, and Chastity, and Altar, and Grace (who always stopped to shyly say hello before running up the stairs to Chloe’s room), and Erin... He felt like he was in a much more modern version of the Brady Bunch.
And then there was Jackson, or Jax, but never Jack (as Chloe had been sure to tell him). Oz had only met the boy two months ago, but he still felt as if he had known him for much longer at this point. Not only had he quickly become one of Chloe’s friends, but he had become Andy’s last apprentice. When Oz didn’t see Jax at his house, he almost always saw him at Andy’s shop, and it was almost like he suddenly had a son to match his daughter. And speak of the devil...
“H’lo, sir.” Jax chirped as he came down the stairs. “We aren’t bein’ too loud, are we? Cause Faith and Chloe got into a contest to see who can talk in French longer, and Erin is tryin’ to tell them that they aren’t really speakin’ it right, but they ain’t listenin’ to her much.”
Oz grimaced at that. Why French? Why? Chloe could have just as easily taken German and then he could have actually helped her with her homework. “I can’t hear anything, but as long as it’s kept to a dull roar, it shouldn’t be too bad.”
“I’ll be sure to tell them that.” Jax picked up his forgotten messenger bag, which had been laying near the front door. “You don’t like French much, do you, sir? Chloe told me you didn’t, but I don’t really know how you can’t. It just sounds so pretty.”
“It isn’t that I don’t like it, really. I just got bad memories of France. See... When I was a kid, my mum and dad always went to France in the summer, and they’d drag me along with them. Couldn’t stand it, but I didn’t have much choice.” Oz answered, before he hesitated. He rubbed at the back of his neck, before awkwardly continuing. “Usually, I just put up with it, but then when I was your age, there was this boy. Jakob. I begged to either stay home that summer or for him to come with us, but my parents wouldn’t hear any word of it. Well, eventually, things with Jakob ended, and I always hated the fact that I had to miss an entire summer with him just because of some stupid tradition I never liked in the first place. Just haven’t really liked anything French since then. Language included.”
Jax stared at him, wide eyed. “That seems like it might have been an awful long time ago, sir.” He quietly answered, before realizing exactly how that sounded. He blushed furiously before correcting himself. “I just mean that, maybe you should give it a shot again before you completely give everything up that’s French. Besides, it’s good to know more than one language. You can borrow one of my books, if you want.”
Oz waved the suggestion off. “I already know German, and I’m pretty sure I remember a little bit of Gaelic. Not that that’s a language worth knowing anymore, but still.”
“You know German, sir?” There was that awed tone in Jax’s voice again, and Oz couldn’t help but smile at that. For a moment, Jax fidgeted with his messenger bag before reaching into it. Very quickly, he laid a beginner’s guide to French next to where Oz sat before he dashed up the stairs.
Staring at the book, Oz snorted before pushing it away. “Er ist schlimmer als Chloe.”
