Callen Troy (warrioroftroy) wrote in novsila_rpg, @ 2015-09-21 11:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | callen troy, rocco spinnet |
Who: Callen and Rocco
What: A favour from Rocco
When: Monday evening after this
Where: Rocco's Room
Status/ Rating: Complete/low
For Rocco, it was honestly just another day. Practice, work, visit the bookstore, come home. His job here might not have been as mentally stimulating as his real job, but it did leave him time to read while he waited for the stones to heat up and whatnot. It had started out as him just reading thing things he didn’t have time for back home, and it’d turned into a bit of an obsession. At the rate he was going he’d been through a book a week. And it had turned into anything he could get his hands on, fiction, nonfiction, the sheer amount quidditch magazines he had currently was bordering on the disturbing and questionable. But it helped him pass the time, get out of his own head, and gave him some quiet time at the end of the night before passing out. It wasn’t that he’d totally turned into a hermit, it was just that if he didn’t give his brain something to do in those quiet moments, he felt utterly lazy. Besides, it kept him from overthinking everything. And that probably hit more on the truth than anything. He wasn’t useful to anyone if he was overthinking everything.
He’d just gotten home from work and was in the middle of changing when he heard someone come in downstairs, not really thinking much of anything as he put on a clean pair of pants and reached for a clean and comfortable shirt. But it honestly wasn’t long after her pulled the shirt over his head that he heard his door open and someone walk in. Roc pulled his head through his shirt and saw Cal come in and he didn’t notice much else except for the fact that it looked like his friend had been crying, and worry filled his system. “Who died?” He paused. “Who’d you kill?” he said not really making a joke, but seriously worried right now.
****
After breaking the news to his sisters and talking everything out with them. Callen felt almost drained. He was so excited, but they had been making sure everything was good for this child from the start to end, That, and honestly Cal couldn’t remember the last time he had cried this much in his whole life. But here he was, a full grown man brought to tears almost constantly the past two days every time he saw Bailey. Everything was just so fresh in his mind and it was overpowering. She was carrying his child. He was going to be a da. That fact shook him so much more than he was prepared for. It was all in positive ways, but that did not make it any less terrifying to think about. But, perhaps, it would feel better when he told his best mates. That was why he headed over to Rocco’s place after work. He had important news and an important question to ask his mate. With the exclusion of his sissies, Bee, and Andy, Rocco was his favourite person in the world. He meant the world to Callen, which was the cause of most the harassment he gave the other man.
He hadn’t bothered with telling Roc he was on the way. He never did, really, just sort of showed up. There was nothing different about this day. he swung by the job first to make sure Rocco had left, then walked his way to the houses and let himself in. Slowly, he trudged up the stairs, his head still spinning. Normally that was a sign of way too much drinking, but right now it was spinning with the thoughts of rattles, baby bottles, diapers, and clothes. The stairs felt like miles before he finally got to the second floor and he opened Roc’s door. The amount of distraction he was facing was more apparent now, as no comments about his shirtless best mate escaped his lips. Instead, his still-wet eyes looked over his friend. A small, half-laugh was huffed out in response to his comment. Yep, that was sadly realistic for Callen to be the reason to cry. But all he did, instead, was shake his head. “Nah, mate, just the opposite,” he explained with a smile on his face. It grew once more into that dopey grin he had been cursed with for almost two days straight now. The tears welled again and he coughed. “I might have done the one thing you always fears aside from murder, though. Bee is pregnant.”
****
Roc watched his friend very carefully as he started to speak. He was slightly uneasy at the moment because, well, when the hell did Callen effing Troy cry? Something had to have been seriously wrong. And his brain went from zero to full on worry in nothing flat. When Callen started to speak again, he couldn’t help but raise a bit of an eyebrow. Half wondering what verbal dance he was going to be getting, and started to wonder in the back of his mind how he could spin it, make something look like self-defence, and maybe, just maybe, Callen wouldn’t get life somewhere. But when his mate said that it was the other thing Roc had always feared, he couldn’t help but draw a bit of a blank at the moment. What else had he feared would happen to Callen. A great many things, but most of them usually voiced through sarcastic reasoning or asking someone to go “Callen Sitting” with him that night. He couldn’t help it, he was just protective that way. And as many headaches as Callen had given him throughout the years, the good times out weighed them. He had a really good friend in Callen, and he wouldn’t change that in the slightest. Headaches and all.
“...Wait...you did what now?” he said taken aback, clearly not expecting those words to be coming out of Callen’s mouth. He didn’t know about how highly improbable this whole situation was up until recently. And if wasn’t for the giant smile on his face right now, Roc would have told him to sit down so they could talk and eventually move the conversation to paternal legal rights. But he was smiling. And trying not to cry. Shock was written all over his face, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was just clear that Roc’s brain had been going one way and hadn’t expected to make the sharp left turn that it just did. “You’re going to be a dad?” he said as Callen’s words finally started to sink into his head, as his own giant smile started to spread across his face. He knew Callen loved kids, anyone who had spent ten seconds with Callen and any sort of child could tell you that. “Congratulations, mate.” he said reaching out to hug his friend briefly. “I knew the odds would catch up to you eventually.” he teased him as he took a step back and messed up Callen’s hair with a short laugh.
“You doing all right with all of this, then?” he said clearly, Callen was happy, but at the same time, he had to make sure. It’s what friends did for each other. Callen had been one of the people he’d let help him through all of his shit, so, he thought it was only fair to make sure right now. Because you could still be happy about something, and still be overwhelmed at the same time.
*****
Cal nodded excitedly when Roc asked for clarification. The words once more were stuck in his throat as he faced the truth again. Fatherhood. It was a dream for Callen. He waited patiently for Rocco to catch up with the conversation. He knew that there was a bit of surprise on his end because of the fact that he knew, at least the basics, of Bailey’s condition. He knew that there was a better chance than not for her. That maybe she would never be able to have her own children. The fact that someone was willing to have a child with him was also shocking. Rocco knew more about his exploits than anyone on the Earth really wanted to know. There was no way anyone would ever look at the man and see future material in him. Something worth holding onto, especially not when he was always in the news for some form of misdemeanor. The facts were never important to these stories, and he had lost a very solid relationship in Brigid a long time ago. Now he had this beautiful chance with Bailey and she was willing to do this. She was happy about it. He was happy about it. And he just waited with that dopey smile on his face as he waited for the words to process and the face to adjust on his best mate.
“Yeah, I’m gonna be a da, mate.” He repeated again. A laugh escaped Callen and he ran his hands through his hair before his thick arms pulled Rocco in for a tight bearhug. There was no denying exactly how excited he was. This was easily the best news anyone could have given him. He only laughed again when the hug was broken and Rocco commented about how he was eventually going to have one turn up. Ain’t that the truth, but he was lucky that, thus far, it wasn’t the case. When Roc asked if Cal was okay with this, he nodded. The man’s face grew a bit more thoughtful, as he was clearly not clueless to exactly how difficult and stressful this would be soon. He was not an optimist and did not think that they were going to be golden forever just because of an infant in their lives. But, all the same, he couldn’t help but be happy. “Aye,” he confirmed. “I know that this ain’t gonna be the best spot for it. We can only hope we be goin’ home at some point, aye? But she’s willin to move in with the if we do get back. Be willin’ to make it a life with me. No’ growing a babe in two places away from one parent at a time. Haven’t quite told her ain’t no Troy being born and raised outside of Ireland yet, but that will come later. Andy ain’t gonna be around for another eight months, so we got time to figure something out.
Callen paused and ran his hands through his hair and then over his beard as he thought carefully. He had come here with more reason than just to personally tell his best mate about the baby. He wanted to ask something very dear to him. “Actually, I came because I had a question for you, if you don’t mind me sittin’ here a mo longer, aye?”
******
“Holy shit.” Roc said shaking his head with a bit surprise as he ran his hands over his face and let out a bit of a laugh as his hands fell onto his hips. He figured some day that they would be having this conversation. But in the million ways that he’d thought this conversation might be happening, this had not occurred to him. On an Island, without the rest of their family around them for support, or rather, just basic normal things they were used to. Well, this was going to be an interesting shock when they all got home. Good thing Bailey worked in PR and could probably handle the situation, but all the same. But that was no matter at the moment, he was going to be more focused on this joyous news than anything else. “This really is fantastic, mate.” he said leaning against his dresser a bit.
“Oh, I’m sure she’s figured it out by now. She does know you well enough to raise a child with you. I think she’s pretty aware that Scotland isn’t going to be an option.” he said with a bit of laugh, actually hoping more than anything that was the case. Otherwise, that was going to be more than a little interesting. “And I’d offer to help change your back room into a nursery now but...when we get back, you know I’m in.” he offered up. He was so happy for his friend, while he usually had a bit of a smile playing on his lips, Cal would be able to tell that Roc really was happy for his friend. Children didn’t scare him as much as people would think. He had his niece back home that he adored, but, that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted some of his own at the moment. He had a few other things to figure out first. And hey, at least Roc was better than Straton on the matter. “...wait...Andy? You named it already?” The significance of the name was not lost on him. In many ways, sometimes Roc felt like he was trying to replace the man that Cal had lost. He knew that it was stupid and that they were friends in their own right. But at the same time, there were moments where Roc had felt like he was stepping into way too big of shoes to fill. Not that Callen would ever know. He wouldn’t, Roc would make sure of it, but at the same time, it was there on occasion. “Impressive. Must be a new record.” he chuckled a bit.
“Yeah, sure, what’s going on?” he asked crossing his arms over his chest, wondering what was on his friend's mind. “You can stay as long as you want, but I was going to drag you out and buy you a celebratory round.”
****
Really, it was all a very unfair setting to have a child in, but really it was only that way for Cal, who had a very strong relationship with his parents. With both sisters on the island, and Bee not being close to any of the surviving family members, there was no real reason for them to not be happy. Of course, he was not sure what was going to happen when they all finally returned. It was scary to think that there may not be the same type of support once he returned home. Not that he cared, really. To him, it was the family that mattered right now. His family that was just now forming and becoming real. This was something he was not going to let the papers or tabloids ruin. No amount of fans could ruin his happiness, simply because he knew that there was no one who could really replace Bailey. No one really would put up with him. That was a big part of why he was so head over heels now that he understood it. He simply watched his best mate, his eyes glowing with tears. He could only nod when Rocco offered to help with a room and laughed again. But when he asked if the baby was truly Andy, a tear finally fell from Cal’s eyes. He sniffed hard and wiped it away before nodding. “Aye, be it a wee Andrew or Andrea, the babe will be an Andy. Always been me promise since he passed, no matter what.”
There was no replacing Andy in Callen’s heart. And it would genuinely break his if he knew that Rocco felt that way at times. He was something special, and though the void will never be filled, Cal also did not try to fill it. Roc was something that Andy was not. He was a voice of reason, someone who Cal actively wondered what he thought. And while he never really showed that it bothered him when Rocco was not approving of actions, it bothered Callen. Roc was a good man, and he was sent into violent fits of rage whenever the man was wronged. Rage that he did his best to hide from the eyes of his mates. It was something he did in private, and more often than not he had sought out healers to fix his hand before returning to see them. That was why this question caught in his throat. He ran his tongue over his lip for a moment before biting it and running his hand through his hair. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and almost cracking, as if this was the single scariest thing he could ask someone. “Well, we been mates for ages, yeah? Would go as far as saying you ain’t just me mate now, aye? Some… Troy we left in the oven too long and he burnt,” he started before coughing. “And with the baby and we know how I play the game. Would, you know… mean the world over if…” he paused to cough again. His tongue tracing the inside of his lips a bit before his head shook a little and looked down. “Would you be Andy’s Godfather?”
*****
Roc watched his best friend tear up again and thought about making the cheap joke about who was really hormonal right now him or Bailey, but decided against it. It didn’t seem like the right time, or the place to do so. He’d save it for later. He could tell that whatever this was, it meant the world to Callen, and he wasn’t about to cheapen the moment. Roc gave a nod with his head when he explained that it was something he’d promised himself a long time ago. “That’s down right honorable, mate.” he said with a bit of awe in his voice. As much as a headache as Callen could be, Roc also knew the man to hold to those kinds of promises that he made his friends. And it was one of the many reasons that he put up with some of the bullshit. Because deep down, Callen was a good man. And he could always count on him. Which wasn’t something he could say about all areas of his life at all times.
“Aye, we have.” he said raising one of his eyebrows slightly with a smirk on his face. As Callen started to get out what he wanted to get out he watched his friend. Watching Callen behave like this was both weird and warming at the exact same time. He was not used to him being this emotional in this way, but at the same time, it also just reassured him that he really was happy about this. There was no faking happiness about becoming father and starting a family with Bailey. He’d been married and the idea of children with his ex-wife terrified the shit out of him. Probably a sign that it was doomed, but this whole concept was foreign to him. And yet, seeing his friend go through all of this, was amazing. And he really couldn’t wait to see how this all unfolded. He wasn’t foolish enough to know that it’d be all perfect all of the time, but when it wasn’t, Roc knew that he’d be there for support for his friend. And if he had to remind him of how wonderful this all was, he’d remind him of this moment.
He hadn’t expected to be asked to be the godfather at first. He could have picked any number of people, like Paddy who already had a kid and was good at the whole fathering thing. But there was a swell of pride in his chest and he couldn’t help but beam back over at his friend as he placed his hand on his shoulder. “Of course I will.” he said simply. There was no cheesy line needed, or anything, just simply, of course. “I’d be honored to.” he added because it was the absolute truth as he squeezed Callen’s shoulder a bit.