Taylor was juggling Ezra on his hip as he went about putting some filing away on the dining table. Humming a new tune to himself, he was in a different world until Ezra squeezed him on the nose.
"Hey," he smiled, moving Ezra's hand down and getting back to it.
"Hungry!"
"Ok, just wait a-"
"Now!"
"Wait," Taylor insisted, "you'll get nowhere with demands. Ask nicely."
"Food."
Taylor rolled his eyes.
"Right," Taylor moved some folders aside and headed into the kitchen where Nat was.
"Are we running low on milk or have we stocked up again?" he asked absently, opening the fridge door.
Natalie
"I picked up some this morning," Natalie replied.
She gave the frying pan a cursory inspection, sighned when she realised she hadn't gotten it all off yet, and took to it once again with the steel wool.
Taylor
"Ah ha!" Taylor grabbed a ready-made bottle and went to put it in the microwave.
He looked over his shoulder as he waited.
"Need any help?" he offered.
Natalie
"No, but thanks anyway," Natalie smiled. "This is the last thing."
She rinsed the soap suds off and inspected the pan again. Finally! She tipped it over and added it to the rack of things to dry. And they were going to air dry because she really wanst bothered drying them manually.
Taylor
"Ok," Taylor smiled back, jiggling Ezra a bit as he continued waiting for the microwave.
"So... I was thinking of asking Mom to homeschool Ezra," he brought up suddenly, seemingly out of the blue.
Natalie
Natalie blinked.
"Homeschool?" she repeated. "What's wrong with school-school?"
Taylor
"Ah... where do I begin?" Taylor couldn't help but chuckle.
Natalie
"Anywhere you like," Natalie replied. "I could name a few issues I have with homeschooling. Take Zac's spelling for example."
She raised her eyebrows as she hoisted herself up on a stool.
Taylor
Taylor frowned a little as the microwave finished, and he fetched the milk to test it.
"It's no that bad. And besides, Ike and I turned out fine," he defended.
"I just think it would be a good idea. You know, being high profile and all. And we can't teach him, because I can't be around for him to learn English..."
Natalie
"So, all the more reason for him to go to school," Natalie replied. "Y'know, with teachers and students. None of whom have powers for Ezra to borrow."
Taylor
"What's he going to do with X-ray vision and empathy?" Taylor pointed out, juggling Ezra and the milk as he tested it.
"Come on, it'll be safer. I'll feel a lot less worried knowing he's in Mom's hands."
Natalie
"Yes, but he needs a peer network too," Natalie pointed out. "And his abundance of cousins curtosy of Zac don't count. They're family."
Taylor
"You're really considering this, aren't you?" Taylor's brow furrowed as he began to feed Ezra.
"Him going to public school."
Natalie
"Of course," Natalie replied with a slight shrug. "I went to public school. I turned out okay."
She gave him an amused smile.
Taylor
"Well, yeah, but..." Taylor stuttered, knowing it'd be hard to come back from that.
"Your power isn't as big a deal. It wasn't as dangerous."
Natalie
"Last time I checked, Tongue wasn't exactly lethal either," Natalie replied primly.
She was sure he didn't mean it that way, but it was mildy offending to be told that her power "wasn't a big deal".
Taylor
"They're bounty powers," Taylor's frown deepened.
"Once word gets out that Ezra has a rare power, he's going to be sought after. Even I got that, and mine's nowhere near as rare. It's just plain dangerous!"
Natalie
"Mine's rare too y'know," Natalie retorted. "And I seem to remember you certainly appreciated it when you needed it."
Taylor
"I know, and you know that's not what I meant," Taylor defended as Ezra watched with wide eyes.
"You just haven't had as much trouble as us with alien hunters."
Natalie
"Right, so just because I haven't been kidnapped, or shot at, or tortured or whatever means that my desire to give my son the best possible education is going to be disregarded?" Natalie frowned.
Okay, she knew she was being just the tinsiest bit irrational but that was completely besides the point.
Taylor
"Thathad nothing to do with-!"
Taylor stopped himself, putting the hand holding the bottle up in surrender and making Ezra reach out for it.
"Nevermind, forget it. We're not getting anywhere."
He returned the bottle to Ezra's mouth and started walking towards the livingroom to make them more comfortable.
Natalie
"You're right, we're not," Natalie agreed hotly.
She scanned the kitchen and realised with regret that she's already cleaned it.
"I'm going to clean the bathroom."
She always got restless when she was annoyed.
Taylor
"You do that," Taylor mumbled.
He went to sit in one of their rocking chairs, pulling a blanket over to cover his lap underneath their son.
Natalie
Natalie turned on her heel and left through the other door towards the bathroom.
Well, that could have gone better.