Fanon:Walker family/Friday fraternal friendships

Mitchell had to work late today. For some reason, nearby Jewell's County saw a massive death wave and he was made to work overtime writing nice stuff about the deceased. There were leftovers in the fridge and Mike surely got the text and put himself to bed on his own, so hopefully things were okay while he was gone.



He cracked the door to Mike's bedroom open a smidge. His son was sound asleep, so at least he put himself to bed. It was 11pm, however, so who knows how late he stayed up until. Mitchell decides not to press him on that. He quietly closes the bedroom door, the springs in the doorknob creaking ever so slightly.



Mitchell seats himself in front of his computer. He sometimes wishes he could be a better father for Mike. If only his wife were still here. He stares at the blank computer screen for a bit, then turns the computer on. It's getting late, and he still has to work tomorrow, but for some reason he doesn't feel like sleeping just yet. He starts up his word processing program and looks at his unfinished novel. He hadn't touched it in a week. His night owl self was kicking in, though. He sets down a single letter onto the page.



A letter turns into a sentence, a sentence into a paragraph, a paragraph into a page. He pounds away at the keyboard, writing well into the night. A page turns into a chapter, then two. He feels motivated. He was on a roll.



When Mike wakes up the next morning, he's surprised to find his dad passed out on the couch instead of in bed. "You alright, dad?" he asks, and Mitchell wakes up, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just beat writer's block last night."



He had never thought of himself that way, but maybe he really was a night owl. His writing well was dry again this morning. Every time he lowered the bucket, he brought up nothing but air.



Mike brought home the Urban twins after school. He's been getting to know the two really well, and he admires the two of them a lot. They just get along with each other so well!







Mitchell thankfully doesn't have to work late again. He fixes some dinner and the four eat on the balcony. Mike's bubbling on and on about his friends. That's one thing Mitchell doesn't have to worry about, at least.



The three go off to do something that Mitchell doesn't see. He's at the computer again, though his well is still empty. Maybe it's still too early for those creative juices to start flowing? While he's mindlessly browsing the web for random garbage, Mike returns. The twins had already gone home as it was getting late. "Dad?" he asks. "Can we talk for a bit?"



"I want a sibling," Mike explained when the two were seated.

"What makes you want that?" Mitchell asked.

"Well, I'm the only only child in town, and it's kinda lonely being the only kid in the house. I'm the only kid in this entire apartment building! I keep thinking about how Jared treats Tommy, and how Tommy treats Jared, and how they have like a built-in best friend that lives with them and all. They don't ever have to feel lonely. I feel kinda lonely."



"C'mon, Mike... you know you have me. I know I have work and all, but at the very least you have me."

"Yeah, but, it's not the same. It can't be the same. You're my dad. You're not a kid like me. If I had a brother or a sister that was a kid like me, it would be different. It would be like all the other kids around here that have siblings, which is basically everyone except me."



Later in bed, Mitchell really does wonder if he's falling short of being a great dad. His son wants something that he can't give. What was he supposed to do about that?