han_solo | (no subject)

"Priorities, huh?" Dean asks Hana, trailing along. His head does indeed make a drumming noise! Hana is in luck!

He eyes the caterpillar book rather dubiously when they get into the bunker and Hana gets set down in her crib. "This is catper?"

"It's a work of literary genius," Mel says, utterly deadpan.

"I'm so rutting sick of it you wouldn't believe."

Loo doesn't really care much about it. Hana is struggling to stand up and grab the book for herself.

Dean thinks the whole thing is funny, sharing a grin with Hana. He flips the book open and eyes it.

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar," he announces. "It's green and ... hungry. Does it eat people or something? What's the attraction?"

"No!" Hana objects, pawing at the book. "Apple!"

Mel, making sure Loo has her purple teddy close to hand, goes very suddenly very, very white. She wisely doesn't interfere with storytime.

"An apple, huh? I don't think a caterpillar could eat an apple," Dean says, doubtfully. "Not unless it was a huge caterpillar."

It's possible he's not the best at bedtime stories.

"Or I guess a hungry one, right?"

"Ver' hungy," Hana informs him. She grabs at the pages again, trying to get to the apple page, then turning it again.

"Look! Pear!"

"A pear too? I reckon that caterpillar's going to eat itself to death," Dean opines, letting her flip the pages, grinning at both twins. "Does it like mango too, like you do?"

One eyebrow lifts when he happens to glance to Mel and sees how pale she is.

She'll be OK as long as no one mentions eating people again. But right now, there's no eye contact with Dean.

"How many pears, Hana?" she asks, in her best Mom-voice.

"Two!"

Okay, Dean can work with that. She doesn't wanna say anything, he's not about to ask.

"Two whole pears?" he asks, doubtful. "No way. No caterpillar's that big."

"S tis," Hana argues. She skips the plums (ew plums) and presents Dean with a picture of four strawberries, sticking her fingers through the holes therein.

"Sbies."

Betcha didn't know strawberries only had one syllable.

Now he knows!

The book progresses, the rest of the food getting the same sort of discussion while Hana gets sleepier.

Dean pretty obviously thinks she's adorable - she and her sister both, although Hana gets more attention by virtue of being chattier. By the time he puts the book down and the girls are sleeping, he's grinning, lopsidedly.

"Cute kids," he informs mel, softly.

There's at least some colour in Mel's face now: it was only a slip and she's not going to hold him to it,but by transferring storytime to someone else, she's givenherself time to dwell.

"Yeah they are," she agrees. They are, after all, the cutest kids in the whole world. "Specially when they're asleep."

"And not wearin' three inches of mango?" Dean suggests, as they make their way out. He plucks at his unnecessarily-tight shirt. "That was just mean, you know."

"Hey, I just didn't interfere," Mel points out. A quick couple of stamps by the drawn curtain around Sokka and Steph's bed transfers babysitting duty to those two and she heads back towards the kitchen.

"Surprised she did it, actually. Han never likes anyone."

"Maybe I'm special," Dean says smugly. He looks a little flattered, though, casting a quick grin back towards the room. "It's the hair. Chicks dig the hair."

The hair in question has mango worked through it in chunks. It's not very diggable.

Mel smirks up at the hair in question. It's a long way up to smirk - probably even longer for Hana.

"Anyone that'll let a girl do that to his hair hasta be special."

"Maybe short-bus special," Dean suggests, grinning. "So what d'you usually do once they're sleeping? Need a hand with anythin'?"

This may or may not be a pretext to spend more time with her.

... the smart money is on 'may' though.

"Most'f the time I clean up the mess they made while awake," Mel admits. "Farm's all done for the day. Was planning on getting something to eat myself."

And hey, she likes company.

"Quiet time, huh?" Dean glances at the mango-covered table and grins. "Well, I'm planning on makin' coffee, if you want any. And if there is any. Where d'you guys keep it again?"

The table that's rapidly becoming less mango covered: Mel can do a half arsed clean up job quicker than anyone. Even while nodding towards the coffee cupboard.

"I'll have one, yeah. You want something to eat, too? Someone made a vegetable casserole that needs eating."

Lots of people bake in the kitchen. Even more people eat what's left around.

"Sounds awesome," Dean says gratefully, stretching up to get the coffee and busying himself for a minute with the plunger and finding mugs. "I freakin' love the way you guys run this kitchen, I gotta say."

Meanwhile Mel's going to help herself to two bowls of the casserole.

"Hey, everyone pitches in. It works."

"I gotta convince Sam or Jo or someone t'come here and learn to cook," Dean says happily, through a mouthful of casserole. "Mmmf. 'S good."

Mel's table manners are about as good as his. She smirks around her own.

"Could learn yourself."

"Then I'd be the one doin' the cooking," Dean protests, laughing. "Where's the fun in that?"