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redrobin-detective · 5 months

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You better learn it fast, you better learn it young 'cause someday never comes

Father was coming. Months and months of waiting for him to reach out and, finally, Father was coming home. It wouldn't be to stay, no, he had his own life outside of the ice. As much as Ice Thing who had once been Gunter and before that Orgalorg missed him, they knew father had earned his flesh and freedom back. The crown had been Father's prison but it was Ice Thing's bright new future. Once upon a time, they would have never been satisfied with this; paltry powers and a minor kingdom but Father's influence had shown them the beauty of a simple life.

"Come on everyone, Father and the others will be here any minute and I want this place spotless," Ice Thing announced, clapping their way through the hoard of penguins careful not to jostle them. They were the master now but Ice Thing would always be one of them.

"Wenk," Guntilla said, flapping her fins.

"No, he's just visiting and if we want him to visit again everything needs to be perfect," Ice Thing explained impatiently.

"Wenk, wenk," Goonder noted bitterly.

"Don't talk about him like that, he may look and act different but he's still our father. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior or we'll have no snacks or cuddles tonight and that's a promise," the rest of the penguins wenked in dismay and hastily went back to cleaning the Ice Palace. They were just putting the final touches on the charcuterie board when there was a knock at the door.

"Oh they're here!" Ice Thing exclaimed, "Gonther, Ginty, open the door and let our guests in." They stood in the entryway holding the ice board of snacks when the group shuffled in. Big sister Marceline - elder only in years as Father's child and not in age- and younger brother Finn were there followed by friend Jake. The Candy Princess was absent, Ice Thing was neither surprised or unsurprised given her bad history at this palace. Father was hanging towards the back of the group, looking shyly around the place. He had on an obnoxiously big coat with his hands stuffed under his armpits. He was using the coat more as a shield than out of any desire for warmth.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Ice Thing exclaimed, shoving the ice tray into Jake's hands so they could shake everyone's hands. "I was delighted to get your message; I'm so happy you guys could come. Please stay as long as you like, here have some snacks, have anything you want. The fruit of the Ice Kingdom is yours for the picking!"

"Thank you for having us," Father said quietly. His mouth quirked up into a little smile as some of the penguins waddled up to him and flapped at his knees. "And hello there, how have you all been?"

"Wenk," Gunder elaborated. Father blinked in confusion at the various chirpings. Ice Thing had worried Father would lose his affinity for Penguinese along with, well, everything else. The others would be so disappointed but they'd deal with that particular heartbreak later.

"He says he's better now that you're home," Ice Thing translated before hastily continuing when they saw father's grim expression. "Of course I've explained that this is just a visit." They reinforced to the penguins still mobbing Father. "Father doesn't live here anymore, he has his own home to return to. He's here to collect his things from the Past Room, remember?"

"Father?" Marceline muttered under her breath with a guarded look.

"I mean it makes sense, Simon or wait I guess he was Ice King back then was always babying these guys and calling himself Daddy and stuff sooooo," Jake continued. He opened his jaw wide and ate the entire charcuterie board, ice tray included. "So I guess you don't speak penguin anymore, huh?"

"I guess not," Father said, hands awkwardly hovering over the heads of his penguins, children who had not seen him for months on end and demanded attention. Some begged for forgiveness for whatever kept him away from home. Some screamed at his absence, at his change. Some wept, believing he no longer loved them. Father, ignorant to their chittering, looked up at Ice Thing with poorly disguised anxiety.

"Gunter," Ice Thing said to his second in command. "Please show our guests to the Past Room so they can get stared. Ice boxes are all set for you down there. I'll let Father take what he needs from his bedroom and he'll join you downstairs soon."

"Why the rush? I think we should all go together?" Marceline frowned. They didn't know what she was jealous of when Father clearly favored her best.

"Marcy, come on, let them have some alone time. I think they got some Daddy-Alien Penguin Child stuff to sort through," Finn loudly whispered which everyone heard. Father's tanned cheeks turned an embarrassed red but said nothing. "Alright Gunter 2, lead the way!" He spun around to follow after the penguin and the others followed leaving Ice Thing alone with his father. They'd missed him terribly but now that he was here, they had no idea what to say.

"Your room just as you left it, didn't touch a thing. It's always open to you, if you ever want to come back, for a visit or for longer. The Ice Kingdom will always be your home," Ice Thing explained cheerily as he showed him the path Father undoubtedly knew. Father was silent as he walked quietly behind them.

"The penguins have missed you," so did I, went unsaid. "I'm sure they would love it if stopped by more often, or even just called."

"I didn't mean to abandon them," Father said slowly, carefully. "I will admit I was scared of coming back, afraid that being here would - I don't know - make me turn into him again or something. I didn't forget about them or you, I-I guess I hadn't framed our relationship as you had."

"You hate the Ice King," Ice Thing said, their voice becoming rough and losing it's whimsy as they stood in the entryway of his father's former bedroom. Blue mumus, various colored pencils and cracked ice sculptures were littered on the floor, unmoved since their owner last threw them there. Ice Thing had stood in this doorway many times, intending on tidying up the space but found they could not touch their father's abandoned possessions. Then he really would be gone.

"I don't really hate-"

"You deny all the things he loved in order to separate yourself from him. You stay with sister Marceline and care for brother Finn but we were your children the longest and instead you shun us." Ice Thing stated coldly, staring ahead into the vacant room and not at the familiar imposter beside him.

"The Ice King was silly and kind and full of feelings he could not understand much less control. But he was, more than everything, my beloved father. I understand he was not you and you were not him but you are the only thing that remains of him and so I must either build a relationship with you from broken scraps or accept that he is lost forever." They finally turned to look at the pale, stricken human. "My daddy is gone but I am willing to make due with a father if you are."

"Gunter," Father whispered softly, staring into Ice Thing's crystalline eyes. Father may have changed but his eyes were still pale wizard blue and just as sad. He wordlessly opened his arms and Ice Thing -a king and a god but also a parentless child - shuffled forward into his embrace. He was warm. It felt wrong but also strangely right.

"I'm so sorry," Father took a deep steadying breath. "I don't mean to but somehow I end up leaving the people I love behind. I know it must be strange to see me like this but the man I was... I was so miserable and confused and out of control. It took so long to escape from the crown that I kept away from anything reminding me of my old life. I wanted to be my own person outside of his craziness but by doing so I lost my connection to all the good things I had as Ice King and you all were one of my good things." Father pulled back and looked up at them.

"I'll be better. I'll stop by more often and bring treats and generally be more present. I... Daddy promises," he said awkwardly trying to infuse his old self into the words. But the attempt fell flat into the air, sinking like the dust on his father's old life. Ice Thing appreciated it but they had already made peace with their loss. They had watched Father and Marceline circle each other miserably for centuries. That would not be them.

"Thank you, Father," Ice Thing said, gently squeezing his father's delicate human shoulders. "Please take what you'd like from this room but I'm going to leave for you in case you need it. As I said, the Ice Kingdom was once yours and its lights will always be on for you. And if you ever need to talk, let us say I know what it's like to have your loved one changed and gone before your eyes."

"Yes, I suppose you do," Father muttered mostly to himself. "What did I ever do to deserve such kind children?"

"It was how you raised us," Ice Thing responded. They watched as Father took in the room, running his hands over the dust covered objects like they were ancient artifacts to be studied instead of his own belongings. He looked over at the drums hastily shoved into the corner and tapped a knuckle roughly on one of the cymbals which echoed through the room. "Do you still play?"

"I never learned how to play the drums," Father sighed. "Ice King did that all on his own. I never felt a calling to learn the drums but I guess it suited him. I-I think I remember songs, hours and hours of practice and how to hold a beat but I haven't touched them since I changed back. Not sure I really know how anymore."

"You taught me or rather you talked out loud enough as you learned that I picked up the basics. We could play together sometime, like you and Marceline do. Maybe one day we could play as a family." Ice Thing offered. Father smiled at him, sweet but also sad.

"I would love to, honestly but I think I need more time before I'm ready to step back into those shoes again. I'm sorry, Gun- Ice Thing, really I am, but right now it's quite difficult to even stand in this room. I need to be Simon again before I can think about being Ice King." Disappointed but not surprised, Ice Thing led Father out of his former room and towards the stairs to the Past Room with the others.

Father was alive but it was different than before. Ice Thing had no hopes that he would ever return to being Ice Thing's beloved if complicated Daddy. It stung, an ache that reached deep into their icy heart. Father would visit and he would laugh with them and maybe, one day, he would even play the drums with them again. But it would never be the same. It was up to all of them to accept this new reality, for all the good and bad that came with it.

"Let's bring some more snacks down, if Finn doesn't have something to distract himself he's going to cause problems trying to get the car working," Ice Thing commented.

"The car?" Father blinked, "just what do I have down there? I can't even remember."

"I guess we'll find out together."

#adventure time #simon petrikov #ice thing #i cannot BELIEVE I am getting emo over Ice Thing #they have a surprisingly healthy view of the situation and I believe its bc they're crazy old - older than marceline and way less human #but they still lost their daddy bc Ice King may have been a crazy nuisance but Gunter and the rest LOVED him as he was #Simon is back but there is a cost #Gunter and the pengies are def Simon's kids and don't you forget it #Ice Thing/Simon is like Ice King/Marcy and it makes me so sad #also just in general how our relationship with our parents change as we age #we can form new relationships as adults but its not the same as it was #I was talking about something similar to my therapist over how Ive lost my old relationship with my dad and now Im saddddd #Ice Thing just wants his Daddy but Simon has 99 complexes in a trenchcoat he needs to address before he can meet IT halfway #up on AO3 #song is someday never comes by CCR about abandoning fathers

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softquietsteadylove · 1 year

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I have this idea for the Parent/Teacher AU!

So Thena and Gilgamesh have been together for quite some while now and spent a lot of time at each others places with Druig. Gilgamesh takes care of Druig like a dad! So one day Druig calls him „mister dad“ on accident and you can decide how they react! Just a sweet, soft moment!

(*whispering* happy belated, Butterfly 🦋❤️)

"Okay, buddy, ready to go?" Gil asked as he packed up his bag, ready to leave with Druig in tow. Thena was getting off work a little early, but she had told Gil that if she wasn't there by pick up time, to simply come meet her at her ongoing shoot.

"Almost!"

Gil shook his head with a grin, fixing the strap of his satchel on his shoulder. He walked over to the reading corner, where Druig was procrastinating (like always). "Don't you wanna go see Mum, pal? We can pick her up from work, and then I'm making spaghetti for dinner."

Druig sighed, closing his book and getting up from his position of lying on the floor. "Okay, Mister Dad."

Gil looked at Druig, who stared right back at him. Gil made sure to keep his face neutral, though. He wanted to see what big feelings Druig might be having over what had just happened, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the kid feel like he'd done something wrong.

Druig hugged the book to his little body, doing his little stomping dance of anxiety. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Gil was quick to reassure the boy, dropping his bag and kneeling before him. "I'm not mad, Druig."

He looked at Gil, though, as if trying to see if it was a lie and by how much.

"Here," Gil sighed, sitting down completely and settling in for a good talk. "Can we talk about it?"

Druig, recognising the body language of when a calm, safe discussion was about to be had, automatically followed his lead.

"Now," Gil patted his knees, looking at the boy in front of him.

He and Thena had been together a few months already, and were playing things by ear on how to proceed with Druig. They had explained that they were 'special' friends, and that they would be spending some time together. Thena kept a close eye on how Druig was feeling at all times, but he had shown no resistance to any changes in their relationship from his perspective.

Gil was still his teacher, but also spent a lot of time at their house, just not specifically to play with Druig (to his occasional annoyance).

Gil didn't want any pressure to be put on Thena or Druig, though. Kro was technically still Druig's father, no matter how seldom he was in the picture. And Gil was happy with however they chose to include him things as they desired.

"It was an accident," Druig mumbled out, still looking embarrassed as he crossed his legs, poking the part of his sneakers that could light up in the dark. He was getting a little better with his 'a's and 'an's.

"I know, and that's okay," Gil nodded, watching the kid closely. "How did you feel when you said it?"

Druig squirmed a little.

"It's okay to feel embarrassed," Gil said gently, to which Druig nodded. Gil leaned his elbows on his knees, "can you name another feeling?--or something you thought?"

Druig exhaled, unfolding a little bit. Gil couldn't help but smile; he really was the spitting image of Thena, if not in looks then behaviour. "Will Mum be mad?"

Gil gave Druig a smile, "you can ask her. But I don't think she'll be mad. Are you worried she will be?"

Druig looks down at his feet again. "Dad'll be."

That made sense. Not that Druig was worried about what his father would think, but that he was anxious about the temper his father had. Thena had done her best to keep him protected from it, but clearly Druig wasn't ignorant to it.

Gil sighed. This was a delicate situation, and certainly there were going to have to be some discussions about it. But he always felt strongly that he didn't believe in lying to the kids unless it was for a greater good. "How about this?"

Druig perked up.

"We'll tell you mom, and we can talk about how we all feel about it," Gil suggested gently, to which Druig still seemed resistant, "but you don't have to tell your Dad if you don't want to. If we have to tell him, then you can let Mum and me worry about it, okay?"

Druig pursed his lips (also a Thena habit). "What if he yells at 'er?"

Gil drew in a breath, still trying to keep his face neutral. "I promise I won't let him, okay? We can talk about it nicely, like grownups."

"Okay."

Gil tilted his head at Druig's resignation. He didn't seem to feel any better about the situation. "Is there anything else you wanna talk about?"

Druig eyed Gil, coming off as much older than his mere six years. He picked at his shoelaces. "Would it hurt Dad's feelin's?--if I called you Mister Dad?"

Such a sensitive kid. Gil considered what to tell the little old soul. He was glad that he had reservations about hurting others' feelings, even if it was for a father who didn't necessarily deserve his consideration. "Well, I don't know, Druig. It's nice that you don't want to hurt his feelings, though."

Having it phrased back to him actually seemed to make him less inclined to be. He frowned, desperately trying to sort out his young feelings and put them into words. "Is...you're not mad?"

"I'm not mad," Gil smiled.

"Not at me?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Or Mum?"

"I'm not mad at Mum."

Druig accepted the truths given, filing away the new information.

"Druig," Gil scooted a little closer.

He could have guessed this might arise. He and Thena had no way of spending their time together completely away from Druig's attention. Neither of them had any intention of lying to him, and it wasn't as if Gil was a stranger to Druig before their relationship began, anyway.

He was quickly becoming one of the most prominent presences in Druig's life, alongside Phastos and Ben. Ajak and Thena were already like a co-parenting dream team with how sewn together their kids were.

Kro was probably - understandably - far from Druig's mind when he thought about his family and who comprised it.

"When we're in school, everyone calls me Mister Gil, because those are the rules, right?" Gil proposed, to which Druig nodded. "You call Uncle Phastos Mister Stoss, don't you?"

He nodded again.

"But, when we're at home, or out spending time together," Gil offered a gentle smile, something in his chest aching, "it's okay with me if you want to call me Mister Dad."

Druig, no matter how much he had learned to be hard to read from his mother, was still a 6 year old. And the smile that came over him lit the whole classroom.

Gil felt his chest tighten. Past his degree in child psychology, and his teaching certifications, and his experience as an educator--even past his fondness for Druig as his student, he loved this kid. His attempts to intellectualise his way around the feeling always ended up with him just adoring the sweet little boy who seemed so much like his mother.

Gil blinked as Druig ran over to him, receiving the boy in a hug that was almost alarmingly out of character for him. Druig wasn't affectionate by nature, and only Thena and Makkari were ever on the receiving end of hugs from him.

But Gil ruffled Druig's hair, letting him bury his face in the arm of his sweater.

"Everything okay?"

Gil smiled as Thena knelt down next to them. Druig didn't even look up, immediately moving from Gil's embrace to his mother's. She curled around her son instinctively, cradling him against her and kissing his hair. Gil met her eyes, "we're okay. Talking about some big feelings."

Thena nodded; that meant that they would have plenty more to talk about later. She ruffled Druig's hair, "are you ready to go home, Darling?"

He nodded, rubbing his teary eyes and runny nose all over her nice blouse.

"Okay," she just smiled, letting him make as much of a mess of her as he wanted. She stood, holding Druig to her as Gil picked up his bag and collected Druig's backpack and jacket. "Mister Gil is going to make spaghetti, Darling. Does that sound good?"

"Yes."

At least it was something, and even just the one word was enough to comfort Thena. She looked up at Gil, who leaned in to kiss her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," he assured her, his free hand naturally finding the small of her back as they made their way out of the building to his car.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Darling?" Thena looked at Druig, brushing away some tears from his eyes.

"Can Mister Dad read me a story tonight?"

Thena looked up at Gil with wide eyes, but he just nodded. This was what they were going to have to talk about more later. Later, because this was not the time nor the environment in which to try it. She ran her fingers through Druig's hair, "if you like, Darling, of course he can."

"M'kay."

Gil gave Thena a smile and a shrug. He really was fine with it, maybe even further endeared to them. Thena blushed faintly; not only did they have to talk about this as Druig's mother and teacher, but also what it meant in the context of their relationship.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"Is Mister Dad gonna sleepover again?"

Thena's blush doubled, although she buried it against the top of Druig's head. "Let's just get through dinner first, okay, Love?"

#Teach Me to Love AU #for our dear Butterfly #because I missed her birthday at first #and she had this super cute idea #and I think it makes sense #that Gil is like a dad to Druig #certainly more than Kro is and ever was #and I really do think that as Druig gets older #and people are like what's up with your mom's boyfriend?#first of all he's like mind your fucking business #take my mother's name out of your goddamn mouth #but he's like I dunno Gil's...Gil #he's been there for almost as long as he can remember #teenage Druig calls Gil Pops and I will die on this hill #Thena and Gil and Ajak and Phastos and Ben are all a co-parenting A team #and Kro...sometimes calls #I really think Druig will get to a point at which he refuses to speak to his father #don't get me wrong #I'm a child of adoption so blood relations have never meant anything to me #but I am a firm believer in found family

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