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The plan had started out simple really. He was going to go on a shopping date with Anna, poke around a few stores, maybe pick out Halloween costumes since that was fast approaching, dinner, and whatever else their time allowed but then he had gotten a call. A call from Patty. His son’s mother.
It was a simple request, take MJ out shopping for his own Halloween costume since he needed it for a class party and she had just been called in to work. Normally Quinn would have jumped at the chance but he had the date with Anna on the books for weeks now and with their busy schedules making things harder and harder to plan, the thought of canceling with Anna had him proposing an insane idea. Why not just take both MJ and Anna shopping? They could do dinner and everything a typical family would do. Besides, they really should meet, since Quinn was dating Anna and, while he wasn’t exactly at the point of marriage, he also knew it wasn’t a fling. They were in a relationship, a serious one. Anna and Patty knew about each other but so far Quinn hadn’t tried to have the two women in his life meet, let alone his son.
While this wasn’t ideal it really wasn’t a bad idea. He had quickly pitched the idea to Patty, and texted Anna to see if she was ok with it as well, so it wasn’t long before he had gotten the green light and picked up the seven year old from his apartment. The drive to Anna’s store was full of explanations and jokes, even if the jokes were a bit awkward or strained. It was to be expected. Quinn just hoped that everything went okay, all things considered.
“Alright Kiddo, we are here. Please be polite but let me know if you need anything,” He told the young boy in the backseat as he pulled into the parking lot and shut the car off. He wanted everything to go great but how MJ is feeling is also important to him. Much more than his own desire for this little adventure to go smoothly.
It was a simple request, take MJ out shopping for his own Halloween costume since he needed it for a class party and she had just been called in to work. Normally Quinn would have jumped at the chance but he had the date with Anna on the books for weeks now and with their busy schedules making things harder and harder to plan, the thought of canceling with Anna had him proposing an insane idea. Why not just take both MJ and Anna shopping? They could do dinner and everything a typical family would do. Besides, they really should meet, since Quinn was dating Anna and, while he wasn’t exactly at the point of marriage, he also knew it wasn’t a fling. They were in a relationship, a serious one. Anna and Patty knew about each other but so far Quinn hadn’t tried to have the two women in his life meet, let alone his son.
While this wasn’t ideal it really wasn’t a bad idea. He had quickly pitched the idea to Patty, and texted Anna to see if she was ok with it as well, so it wasn’t long before he had gotten the green light and picked up the seven year old from his apartment. The drive to Anna’s store was full of explanations and jokes, even if the jokes were a bit awkward or strained. It was to be expected. Quinn just hoped that everything went okay, all things considered.
“Alright Kiddo, we are here. Please be polite but let me know if you need anything,” He told the young boy in the backseat as he pulled into the parking lot and shut the car off. He wanted everything to go great but how MJ is feeling is also important to him. Much more than his own desire for this little adventure to go smoothly.
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Anna took a nice calming breath while she paced just a bit in her apartment. She didn't think she would be this nervous meeting a child but then again when you are dating his father it just made things more…Intense? No that was the right word…It's just she's seen shows where kids were not happy about their parents dating other people, they felt like their parents should be together [which made sense she would feel the exact same way as a kid in their shoes], which meant conflict and stress for all parties involved. “Okay Annalise you can do this. It's just Quinn and his son…That you've never met.” She worried her lip and sent a text to Quinn to let him know she would be down in a couple of minutes.
Was her hair alright? She should go check it. Yeah, she’d check her hair for the fourth time then she would be ready for this trip.
After checking her hair, Anna made her way down the stairs and to the outside of her store, smiling at the sight of Quinn’s car. She could do this… Walking up to the car, she opened the door to the passenger seat and slid inside, giving Quinn a wave. She looked to the backseat and waved to MJ as well.
Was her hair alright? She should go check it. Yeah, she’d check her hair for the fourth time then she would be ready for this trip.
After checking her hair, Anna made her way down the stairs and to the outside of her store, smiling at the sight of Quinn’s car. She could do this… Walking up to the car, she opened the door to the passenger seat and slid inside, giving Quinn a wave. She looked to the backseat and waved to MJ as well.
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Quinn had been ready to get both of them out of the car and walk up to Anna’s apartment, above her store, but when he got the text that she would be down, he stayed put. “MJ, Ms. Anna will be down in just a minute.” The kid gave him a thumbs up and started to read his book. That wasn’t all that surprising. The little boy had a voracious reading habit, one he was now able to indulge in to his heart’s content since Quinn gave him an allowance. It was a set amount that Patty and he had come up with but that didn’t mean Quinn didn’t slip a new book into MJ’s TBR stack when he got the chance.
When the car door opened Quinn turned his attention to the woman sliding into the front seat. “You look great,” he said quietly as he gave her hand a quick squeeze. He didn’t even have to say anything else since the young boy looked up from his book and waved back at Anna before asking, “We are looking for a DnD costume. What kind of costume are you looking for Ms. Anna? Mr. Quinn, I mean, Dad said we can go to the mall and check out what they have but suggested we try Spirit Halloween first since they had everything.”
The man in question winced slightly when the boy in the back seat corrected himself. “You can call me Dad or Mr. Quinn, MJ. It's ok. Call me whatever you're comfortable with.” They had this conversation a few times but it hadn’t been quite a year yet and they all were still adjusting. It wasn’t easy but they were working on it.
When the car door opened Quinn turned his attention to the woman sliding into the front seat. “You look great,” he said quietly as he gave her hand a quick squeeze. He didn’t even have to say anything else since the young boy looked up from his book and waved back at Anna before asking, “We are looking for a DnD costume. What kind of costume are you looking for Ms. Anna? Mr. Quinn, I mean, Dad said we can go to the mall and check out what they have but suggested we try Spirit Halloween first since they had everything.”
The man in question winced slightly when the boy in the back seat corrected himself. “You can call me Dad or Mr. Quinn, MJ. It's ok. Call me whatever you're comfortable with.” They had this conversation a few times but it hadn’t been quite a year yet and they all were still adjusting. It wasn’t easy but they were working on it.
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Anna has vaguely heard of DnD, but she didn't really know much about it sadly. “I don't know much about DnD, but maybe you could tell me a thing or two while we are out shopping?” okay this wasn't going to be so bad, MJ seemed like a good kid over all. “You know, I'm not sure what I'm looking for. We can try the spirit of Halloween and see what we find.” Personally it's been a minute since she’s done anything remotely Halloween-esque, but she had to admit that she was a bit excited. Anna looked at Quinn with a smile, squeezing his hand back. “Ready to go?”
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“That's okay! I know lots! Does that mean you didn’t see the movie that came out? It was really good,” MJ started off on a conversation about the movie, something Quinn was actually glad for since he had not seen the movie and couldn’t even tell you what it was about. The kid did though. That was good enough for him! He smiled at Anna before focusing on the road and getting them going, glad that they seemed to be getting along. It was really great!
MJ just laughed at Anna when she called the store ‘spirit of Halloween’ and promptly corrected her the only way kids knew how, “Noooooo. It's ‘Spirit Halloween’! Not spirit OF Halloween. Mr. Quinn, do you think they will have a really cool adventurer’s outfit? Or a rogue? I don’t really want to be a rogue but if it's cool enough I think I could pull it off.”
Quinn just shrugged, “I don’t know MJ but I’m sure we will find something. And if not we can put together a really great costume for you. Something you will love.” He really would do what he could to make this one of the best holidays ever for the young boy. Last year had passed before he could really get to know his son as his son so this really was the first Halloween that he would be out and about as ‘the dad’. He wanted it to be memorable.
MJ just laughed at Anna when she called the store ‘spirit of Halloween’ and promptly corrected her the only way kids knew how, “Noooooo. It's ‘Spirit Halloween’! Not spirit OF Halloween. Mr. Quinn, do you think they will have a really cool adventurer’s outfit? Or a rogue? I don’t really want to be a rogue but if it's cool enough I think I could pull it off.”
Quinn just shrugged, “I don’t know MJ but I’m sure we will find something. And if not we can put together a really great costume for you. Something you will love.” He really would do what he could to make this one of the best holidays ever for the young boy. Last year had passed before he could really get to know his son as his son so this really was the first Halloween that he would be out and about as ‘the dad’. He wanted it to be memorable.
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Oh there was a movie about it? Anna shook her head, “I haven't, maybe I should try and see it sometime so I can learn some things.” She covered her mouth to keep from snorting when MJ corrected her in the only way a child could. “Ooooooh! I apologize~ Spirit Halloween, Got it~” She giggled and settled back in her seat, wondering what she would be able to dress up in. There was a party for adults that would be going on for Halloween that Quinn was hosting at his work, so she would need to get two costumes instead of one.
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Quinn remained quiet through the back and forth between Anna and MJ, doing his best to hide the grin at the young boy’s reactions. God, it had really thrown him for a loop when he found out he was a dad but now, now he would move heaven and earth for the kid. Who knew having a child would change everything.
Ultimately the rest of the drive was like that. General questions, jokes, and chatter. When things got quiet it wasn’t awkward. It was nice. Nice and normal. And that normality continued all the way up until they reached the store. MJ hopped out first but stayed by the car when Quinn reminded him to, for safety and all that. Before long all three were in the store browsing, the boy pointing out all the ‘neat’ and ‘cool’ things. Quinn was mostly humoring him since to his eye it was all rather ‘mass market’ but if his son liked it who was he to argue. “Hey, how about that one for me?” He pointed out a hotdog costume just to see MJ make a face.
“What would you be?”
“I don’t know… the hotdog vendor? Do they have them in DnD?” He turned to Anna, “What do you think? I think I could pull off being a hotdog.”
Ultimately the rest of the drive was like that. General questions, jokes, and chatter. When things got quiet it wasn’t awkward. It was nice. Nice and normal. And that normality continued all the way up until they reached the store. MJ hopped out first but stayed by the car when Quinn reminded him to, for safety and all that. Before long all three were in the store browsing, the boy pointing out all the ‘neat’ and ‘cool’ things. Quinn was mostly humoring him since to his eye it was all rather ‘mass market’ but if his son liked it who was he to argue. “Hey, how about that one for me?” He pointed out a hotdog costume just to see MJ make a face.
“What would you be?”
“I don’t know… the hotdog vendor? Do they have them in DnD?” He turned to Anna, “What do you think? I think I could pull off being a hotdog.”
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Anna was trying to see if she could find something to wear, and not finding much to work with. Well, there was a lot to work with actually, but she didn't think the costumes would be work appropriate or kid appropriate for that matter. She sighed but spotted something interesting…
It was a good thing blushes don't show easily on her skin.
She spotted a cowboy outfit and her legs automatically made their way over, grabbing the hat with a concentrated look on her face. Anna took the hat and made her way back over to Quinn, reaching up to place the hat on his head and stepping back. Oh…..Oh wow…Welllllll, maybe there was a chance she could convince her boyfriend to be a cowboy?
She fanned herself slightly.
Goodness she hoped so.
It was a good thing blushes don't show easily on her skin.
She spotted a cowboy outfit and her legs automatically made their way over, grabbing the hat with a concentrated look on her face. Anna took the hat and made her way back over to Quinn, reaching up to place the hat on his head and stepping back. Oh…..Oh wow…Welllllll, maybe there was a chance she could convince her boyfriend to be a cowboy?
She fanned herself slightly.
Goodness she hoped so.
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He had gotten a distracted negative reaction from Anna while she eyed other costumes. Ones for her. He honestly had spotted a few he would like to see her in but none of them were exactly anything he wanted to mess with while his son was there. No sir. Not happening. But he did make a few notes in his phone since damn near anything can be ordered offline now.
“Nooooo dad! There are no hotdog vendors in DnD!” His son chided him before focusing on some of the other costumes. “What about this dad? I think this would work.” MJ held up a simple ‘adventurer’ bundle. It wasn’t fancy or all that specific but it did seem ok to Quinn’s eye.
He didn’t really get a chance to reply before a hat was plonked on his head, with a brow raised he looked over at Anna, the one who had done the plonking, and reached up to take the hat off to see what it was. The minute he grabbed the crown of the hat he knew exactly what it was. It was a cowboy hat. He was quite familiar with them… with his. Without even thinking he tipped his hat and said, ‘Ma’am’ with a slight drawl to his voice.
He might have done more but a young voice cut in, “Nah. There aren't any cowboys in DnD either, but that hat does look cool! Maybe we could do an Old West group?”
“Nooooo dad! There are no hotdog vendors in DnD!” His son chided him before focusing on some of the other costumes. “What about this dad? I think this would work.” MJ held up a simple ‘adventurer’ bundle. It wasn’t fancy or all that specific but it did seem ok to Quinn’s eye.
He didn’t really get a chance to reply before a hat was plonked on his head, with a brow raised he looked over at Anna, the one who had done the plonking, and reached up to take the hat off to see what it was. The minute he grabbed the crown of the hat he knew exactly what it was. It was a cowboy hat. He was quite familiar with them… with his. Without even thinking he tipped his hat and said, ‘Ma’am’ with a slight drawl to his voice.
He might have done more but a young voice cut in, “Nah. There aren't any cowboys in DnD either, but that hat does look cool! Maybe we could do an Old West group?”
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Okay, THAT was rude.
Anna raised an eyebrow, finding it unfair when that drawl made her feel warm but she said nothing since there is a child nearby and also because he suggested an old west group. That didn't sound like a bad idea, her new Cowboy attraction withstanding. “I think that would be fun~ MJ would you like to be Sheriff?” Anna waited for his answer before she looked to Quinn next for his thoughts.
Anna raised an eyebrow, finding it unfair when that drawl made her feel warm but she said nothing since there is a child nearby and also because he suggested an old west group. That didn't sound like a bad idea, her new Cowboy attraction withstanding. “I think that would be fun~ MJ would you like to be Sheriff?” Anna waited for his answer before she looked to Quinn next for his thoughts.
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“Sheriff? Like the Lone Ranger? That would be cool! What do you think dad?” The little boy’s eyes sparked at the idea of being a wild west sheriff. Almost as much as they did when he was thinking of being an adventurer. And he turned those puppy dog eyes on Quinn, something that the older male had definitely not come up with an immunity too. Not that he minded too much. He actually still had some parts of costumes for his folks that he could reuse.
“Sure kiddo, we can do that without any issues. Let's see what they have here.” He gestured to the area where there were more cowboy things before shooting Anna a look. “Guess we will have to find a good dress for the ma’am who thought of this idea.” They had a few saloon girl outfits that he wouldn’t mind seeing her in. The question was, were they something to go trick or treating in or would they have to do something else.
“Sure kiddo, we can do that without any issues. Let's see what they have here.” He gestured to the area where there were more cowboy things before shooting Anna a look. “Guess we will have to find a good dress for the ma’am who thought of this idea.” They had a few saloon girl outfits that he wouldn’t mind seeing her in. The question was, were they something to go trick or treating in or would they have to do something else.
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Well, at least she'd get to see where this cowboy attraction would get her.
Anna smiled to herself and shook her head. A dress huh? What if she wanted a pair of pants instead? She would have to ask later. “Lead the way Darlin~” she made sure to add a nice little twang to her sentence, giving him a knowing smirk.
Anna smiled to herself and shook her head. A dress huh? What if she wanted a pair of pants instead? She would have to ask later. “Lead the way Darlin~” she made sure to add a nice little twang to her sentence, giving him a knowing smirk.
