Work Text:
Domestication
By Perpetual Motion
"I'm home," Hal calls as he opens the door and throws his keys on the side table.
"Hey, old man!" Lian pokes her head out of the kitchen. "Dad got called up for a mission about an hour ago."
"I got the note at base." Hal walks into the kitchen and kisses Lian on top of the head. "How was school?"
"French blows."
"Language."
"'Blows' is not a bad word."
"Maybe not for you."
Lian rolls her eyes. "God. You are so old."
"In my day, we called it being polite."
"So old."
Hal laughs. "Shut it, kiddo." He unzips his jacket and hangs it over one of the dining set chairs. "What's for dinner?"
"Fried chicken, home fries, and sweet peas."
"Clark stop by?"
"No," Lian says with a laugh. "I got the recipes from him the last time you made him babysit."
"It's not babysitting if a world-renowned assassin has threatened your life."
"You say tomato," Lian throws Hal an apron and turns the chicken in the frying pan.
"I say guy trying to kill you," Hal counters. He slips the apron over his head. "What can I do?"
"Cut potatoes."
Hal obliges, scrubbing and cutting potatoes while Lian watches the chicken. "Why does French suck? " He asks her after a few minutes.
"Because I spent two hours studying for the first test, and then I spent two days studying for the last test, and there was only a point difference in the grade." Lian turns down the burner. "French is stupid."
"French is difficult," Hal says as he slices potatoes. "That doesn't mean it sucks."
"That's the definition of 'sucks'," Roy says as he walks in the kitchen. He grins at Hal. "Don't you look cute."
"Shut it," Hal replies and smiles into the kiss Roy gives him.
"Hey, Dad," Lian says, and immediately presses the spatula into his hand. "I'll get the peas seasoned if you'll do this."
"Sure," Roy agrees, and rotates the chicken. "This looks good, kid."
"It's easy," Lian tries to deflect. "I'm just trying to make sure it doesn't burn."
"It's a success," Roy tells her. "And don't listen to Hal. Just because he has a translator, he thinks language isn't hard."
"It isn't," Hal argues. "It's just memorization."
Lian rolls her eyes. "Oh, yeah, sounds like all kinds of fun."
"I never said it was fun." Hal lays out the potato slices on a baking sheet. "What do you want on these?"
"Butter and garlic." Lian hands Hal the garlic. "Everything go all right?" She asks Roy in a tone that's almost casual.
"No problems. Just a quick fact-finding mission."
"Everything okay?" Hal asks.
"Fine. The information wasn't even valid." Roy turns off the burner and moves the pan to the back of the stove. He steps aside to let Hal slide the potatoes into the oven. "There was a guy saying he knew something about a syndicate that's trying to make inroads here, and it was bogus."
"You sure?"
"I do have a few detective skills, Hal."
"Burn," Lian mutters.
"None of that," Roy tells her. "If you're going to insult someone, put some effort into it."
"I don't think she needs the help," Hal responds. He pulls the plates out of the cupboard and passes them to Lian. "Set the table, please."
"It was a pretty good burn."
"I'll admit nothing."
Lian rolls her eyes and takes the plates. "You are so boring."
"One of us has to be," Hal says under his breath. He catches Roy's eyes and smiles. "If she has two cool dads, that'd just be weird."
"You're right," Roy agrees with a smirk. "Does that make you the tightass?"
Hal crowds Roy against the counter and whispers in his ear, "You've said it before."
Roy laughs. "That's a 'yes', then." He kisses Hal and runs his fingers through his hair. "Everything really did go okay."
"I know."
"I don't know which one of you worries more."
"Probably me. It's my job."
"You're a fine specimen of a father."
Hal grins. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."
"God, you guys are gross," Lian says as she comes in to get silverware.
"I think it's in our contract," Hal replies.
"Lame."
"That was pretty lame," Roy agrees.
"You're both lame," Hal tries and laughs. "How does that not work when I say it?"
"Because we're cool."
"You are not cool," Lian tells Roy.
Roy pulls a face. "Says you."
"Yeah, says me."
"Let's have dinner," Hal cuts in before the conversation can devolve further.
end