Summer Mischief (Niko!)

[Chase Campbell]

With James out on a special recruiting assignment he’d wanted to handle personally, Chase had been stuck for ideas on what to do with Niko now summer break was here. He’d wanted to plan things like trips to the lake, and grilling on the deck for dinner. Instead, they had been loafing around for the better part of the morning watching movies.

At least until he’d gotten an idea.

That idea had taken them from lazing around home to the mall. Chas wanted to pick up a few things for the summer, and needed Nikki’s input for what he wanted to do. He was tempted by some of the blow up raft toys for the lake, but there were also things like slip and slides and... too many things. Lots of things that James would probably point out safety concerns for, but right now they all looked like they spelled fun rather than trouble.

He still had a hard time believing that the thirteen year old by his side was the same skittish nine year old they’d first fostered. Nikki had changed so much in the past couple of years, and though it reminded Chase that he was getting older too, it was scary at times. Nikki was a teenager now. Barely, but it still counted. Sometimes when he saw his son at Hammel talking to his friends or playing sports during gym it really hit him that Nikki wasn’t that little boy anymore.

At least he’d agreed to go shopping with him, and he knew that Nikki would be, if nothing else, a partner in crime rather than the voice of reason. It wasn’t that he wanted to go behind James’ back with certain purchases. It was just... one of those things that was easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

Studying a series of blow up toys for pools, Chase picked up a shark shaped one. “What do you think, Nikki? Recreate Jaws in the lake this summer?” He grinned at his son before offering out the shark’s box to him. “Or do we want to be sensible and find a raft instead?”

[Nikolai Campbell]

The house without James was... different. Sure, it was fun, he'd give Chase that. And usually, whether Niko smiled or not, Chase was funny. But there was something missing. There was always something missing when his parents were apart.

Niko sunk deeper into the couch, his eyes trained on the movie. If you had asked him what had just happened, he would be forced to offer only a blank stare or some elaborate- but completely fabricated- assumption of a plot twist. He wasn't very good at those. Which meant responses were limited to, 'mhm', and, 'yeah, dad, it was'. Had you asked him what he imagined the area James was in to be like, or what the kid James was with was probably doing about now, or even what he planned to spend the next school day doing, you'd have a better chance of getting an honest answer.

Shopping? Niko flashed a rare smile, his blue eyes lighting with enthusiasm. The best time to shop was when James wasn't there to tell them what they hadn't yet thought through. Granted, it usually lead to injury or disappointment without his warnings, but hey, it was fun while they were still shopping. Which was why Chase had Niko's full attention as they walked through the mall, and kept it even in a store full of toys and other kids.

"That's perfect dad," Niko took the box being offered, the grin returning for the second time that day. Everything was right with the world, surrounded by so much colorful merchandise and advertisements with smiling children.

"It floats just as well as a raft," Niko added helpfully, moving the box slightly away from his chest in order to read the packaging. It seemed only mildly useful to make sure it wasn't a miniature shark in a deceptively larger box- they probably wouldn't live that mistake down if James found out.

"Can we get a foam circle thing, too? You know, those long..." Niko's eyes darted up from the box, scanning his surroundings for the foam noodle. "Colorful... foamy things." None were visible, so, box still in hand, Niko closed the short distance to peer into another aisle nearby. None there, either.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase had long since gotten used to how the house felt without James around. It had become significantly less lonely since Niko had joined the family, but he still preferred when everyone was together. After spending most of his life uninterested in a family, now he had one he preferred having everyone home together.

He could tell that Nikki was about as invested in the movie as he was, so the change in activities was well timed. Now that their son was older, the chances of him being entertained in the yard with things like the sprinkler were pretty low. Well, no matter. They’d find some toys and things to take to the lake. ... And maybe a slip and slide, if only because Chase, despite being forty-two (Jesus), still wanted to act like a teenager half the time. So what if the risk of injury was fairly high, even if it was only aching muscles? So, so worth it.

Silly as it may have sounded, he still got a thrill every time Niko called him Dad. It hadn’t been an instant transition, and sometimes he switched back to James and Chase when he was trying to address one of them over the other. Smiling at Niko, he reached out to ruffle his son’s hair affectionately.

“Exactly! Safer than a raft, too. Piranhas aren’t going to mess with a shark.” Saying that around James might have earned him a look, but it was intended to be playful and innocent. Of course piranhas didn’t live in the lake, and Nikki knew that.

His request for a foam thing took a moment for Chase to translate. Round, made of foam... colorful... noodles! “’Course we can get noodles.” They had to be in the area somewhere. Then again, they were big, so maybe... hmm. In the middle of the store, where there was more room? While Nikki peered down one aisle, Chase headed to the opposite end and spotted what he was looking for in a tall box. “Hey, Nikki? C’mere. Found them.” He wasn’t sure how many they needed, or how long Niko would be interested in them, but it seemed smart to get at least two or three. That way if Jordan was over too, they’d have spares. “What colors do you want? We can get a few.”

[Nikolai Campbell]

"I'll definitely tell James that when he asks," Niko joked, thinking precisely the same thing as Chase: there was no way James would see the logic in that. "If I did see a piranha, I wouldn't want to scare it off. How could would it be to have a piranha tooth? Everyone has a shark one. They probably lose teeth sometime."

Niko was fairly certain he was supposed to dislike his father's small acts of affection, The same way he was probably supposed to dislike hugs in public, in fact. Fortunately for Chase, the ruffling of Niko's hair earned a grin of amusement before Niko moved his hand to smooth out his own hair. Just to make sure it hadn't made his hair look messy. At nine, it wouldn't have mattered, but thirteen? He could imagine the other children's teasing and didn't want to test his chances.

Ah, center. He should have thought of that. Niko retreated away from his end of the aisle to find the display Chase had located.

"Awesome," Niko smiled, shifting the box over to one hand, held against his side with his arm, "Blue," Like the shark, Niko didn't bother to offer his explanation for why aloud. He pulled the lightest shade of blue available, selecting a rounded noodle opposed to the ones with unique shapes to their cylindrical form. He only needed one, but he wouldn't mind a spare or two just in case. Briefly he considered just how silly it'd look if he had to walk around the mall with the large noodles in hand. It'd be worth it if he could get the noodle to hold up a basket for drinks or to round up anything that floated. Call it a very simple science project, or pure curiosity. Either way, Niko had recently bought into the do-it-yourself trend as a form of entertainment and a source of accomplishment.

"Maybe green... Which ones do you like?" Niko prompted. The color wouldn't matter that much, anyway.

"What else do we need, dad?" Niko quizzed, absently toying with the foam cylinder to figure out how best to carry it. He was tempted to fold it completely in half, but he refrained from testing it. He did bend it slightly (a tough task with only his single free hand) which only seemed to him to increase the space the foam would occupy. Niko gave up, letting the foam spring back to its unfolded state.

"I want to find something James will like, too. Maybe a new squirt gun?" Shopping for James was one of the more difficult things for Niko, but presenting him with a supersoaker to encourage him to be involved in the water activities even from the shore seemed to be the best suggestion.

[Chase Campbell]

Chase laughed, knowing full well that James knew as well as he did that there were no piranhas in the lake. Salmon, maybe, or trout, but no biting fish. Still, he trusted that his husband would play along with Niko’s fantasies the way he always had. “We can look up piranha teeth when we get home. They’re pretty small. We could find you something cool, though, if you want a tooth.” Maybe that would be a good birthday or Christmas idea for their son. If they could find something neat. Maybe a replica dinosaur tooth. They still made those, right?

Niko’s automatic smoothing of his hair made Chase both proud and sad at the same time. It was just another stark reminder that his son wasn’t a little boy anymore. He was growing up, and that was something to be proud of. He’d just have to suck it up and deal with it. Niko was growing up into a great kid, no, teenager, and he could only hope he would stay that way.

The trainer didn’t mind essentially spoiling Niko, partially as a leftover feeling that he needed to after the whole MSAD debacle, and partially just because he could. They didn’t see Ginny often enough to spoil her, though they did a good job of it when she did visit. After looking at the noodles, Chase pulled out an orange one and a green one, then held out his hand for the blue one. Three was good enough, though after a beat he also pulled out a purple one. “For Ginny,” he clarified. Just in case she was around for some lake fun during the summer. They could always throw them in the Jeep before they continued on their mission.

“What else do you want? A Slip ‘n Slide? Water guns, maybe?” They were harmless enough, and could be played with in the backyard. As long as it was clean water, he was sure James would join in as well. It seemed as though both he and Niko were on the same page for that one. “I think James would like that. Lead the way, kiddo.”