Work Text:
The Investigation into the Blunt Weapon
by IrenaAdler
"At least let me teach you to bat right," Don said, waving to his father to tell him that he was taking over as Nena's teammate, then reached for Nena's bat. It looked like it had been used to subdue a lawn mower.
"What have you been doing?" he demanded, dismayed at the gouges and dents all up and down its length.
"Batting things." Nena shrugged.
Don waved his hand in a `continue' motion. "Like?"
"Baseballs, tennis balls, beach balls, Nerf balls ..."
"And?"
Nena looked chagrined for the first time. "Lego spaceships."
"Lego ..." Don stared at her, then at the bat. That would explain the dents. "Don't they ... shatter when you hit them?"
Nena brightened. "Not if you glue them real good!"
"Oh," Don said weakly. That's why Nena always needed more Legos. "And you're launching these spaceships ..."
"Zach and me," Nena said, referring to a neighborhood boy. "We've figured out tra-ject-ory, we're just having trouble with gravity and, uh, force. So they mostly end up, um ..."
"Where?"
Nena mumbled, "Mr. Santos's backyard."
Don grimaced. Every neighborhood had a grumpy old man and Mr. Santos was theirs. At least his backyard was so overgrown with weeds that he wouldn't notice the invaders. Probably.
Shaking his head, Don took the bat and set it on his shoulder. "Okay, so you want to put your hands closer together and keep your elbows up." He demonstrated. "Then follow through on the swing."
He took the doll's head from Nena and tossed it up in the air. When it came down, he swung, a nice clean good-feeling swing, and the plastic head went sailing over the trees, past Mr. Santos's yard and out of sight. Sweet!
"Uncle Don," Nena said with wide eyes. "You're totally our new Legos launcher!"
end