25 Unicorn Street- Monday afternoon

[throughaphase]

Kitty had brought Lexi to class with her, and they returned to the house a little later than expected, with their hands full of grocery bags. Apparently these things happened when your kid was cute and inherited her dad's habit of doing the whole big ol' innocent eyes thing.

"We brought home ice cream!" Lexi announced the second she was inside, because there were things to get excited about, and then there was ice cream.

[For the dad!]

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[so_hawkward]

"You're going to be on a sugar high for a week. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Because asking a child that was a totally great idea.

[ahawkwardphase]

"I'm not gonna put it all on one sundae," Lexi assured him. "The rest'll go on my sundae at dessert."

[so_hawkward]

"The first sundae isn't going to be dessert?" Clint said.

[ahawkwardphase]

"The first sundae is lunch," Lexi explained.

"I did not agree to that," Kitty said.

[so_hawkward]

"Yeeeah, nice try. Even I'm going to agree you need real food for lunch, or I'd be a really bad dad," Clint said. "You need like, a sandwich or something."

[throughaphase]

"Aww, see, you've got this dad thing down," Kitty smiled, heading into the kitchen to put the bags down.

[so_hawkward]

"The basics of feeding is easy," Clint said, peering into the bags and looking for something he could help put away. "At least, when I'm feeding someone else."

[ahawkwardphase]

"Then can I have a sandwich so I can have a sundae for dessert?" Lexi asked, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

[so_hawkward]

"Oh man, now I know where all the ice cream came from. Stop looking at me like that, of course you can have a sandwich," Clint said, clutching at his chest.

[throughaphase]

"Just think, I probably get to deal with that from both of you," Kitty pointed out.

[so_hawkward]

"I only make eyes at you like that when I've done something wrong and need to be forgiven," Clint said, grabbing bread to make peanut butter and jelly. "Which, okay yeah, that means you probably get it from me a lot."

[throughaphase]

"I also got it for 'I got another dog, do you mind?'" she reminded him. "Which is not the same thing."

[so_hawkward]

"Yeah, but I'm stopping at two, so at least you don't have to worry about that again." Really, how many strays could he pick up?

[ahawkwardphase]

"We definitely have more than two," Lexi laughed.

[so_hawkward]

Sorry Kitty, but the look on Clint's face definitely wasn't regret. "Really? More dogs?" he said, lighting up. "And your mom hasn't killed me yet?"

[ahawkwardphase]

"She didn't know about the last one till after we brought him home," Lexi said, and looked a little guiltily at her mom, who was just facepalming. "Them and Lockheed's why we need a house."

[so_hawkward]

Clint gave Kitty a sheepish look. "Hey, we have a house. That's exciting news, right? And the dogs must get along with Lockheed..."

Boy, it was a good thing he was cute, although that's partly how they got into this mess in the first place.

[ahawkwardphase]

"Most of 'em! I think Lockheed's used to being outnumbered," Lexi confirmed. "And yep, we have a house. An apartment gets crowded fast."

[so_hawkward]

"So it's you and me and your mom, and Lockheed and a bunch of dogs. No siblings?" Clint asked, hoping he'd gone about that in a non-grossing out way.

[ahawkwardphase]

"No," Lexi sighed. "But all the dogs are a good trade-off!"

[so_hawkward]

"And your mom doesn't have to do anything to get the dogs," Clint said with a smirk. "Maybe if you come back again, we'll have more dogs here next time."

He'd been good! And clearly it was his destiny to adopt all the strays, sorry Kitty.

[throughaphase]

"Oh, Lexi needs to come back every time but you have a Conversation in your future, mister," Kitty warned, even if Lexi was looking gleeful at the thought of more dogs.

[so_hawkward]

"I haven't done anything wrong yet!" Ah yes, there were the puppy eyes. "I was just putting it under consideration."

[throughaphase]

"No, no, no," she said. "See, this is where she gets it. Also I have no idea how I get anything done in a house with both of you and that 'I'm so innocent' look."

[so_hawkward]

"Because you love us and that means you're willing to give us anything we want?" Clint suggested.

[throughaphase]

"'Anything you want' is a little far," Kitty said. "I am totally the bad cop parent, huh."

Don't ask how she was just now realizing this.

[so_hawkward]

"I... can't see myself being the bad cop, no," Clint said. "You're just so much better at being serious than I am. Did that come out like a compliment? Because I meant it as a compliment."

[ahawkwardphase]

"It's all the teaching she does," Lexi said, trying to help her dad out.