Bad Jokes that make you laugh.

“Dad,” Croaked the blonde boy sitting on his bed. “What’s wrong with me? Why aren’t I good at anything?” He knew it shouldn’t bother him so much. He was young, only thirteen, but seeing the rest of his family excel while he remained? It hurt.

It took Tak all of five seconds to cross the space between them. His arms wrapping around his only child and pulling him into a tight hug he shook his head. “There is nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect, Isaac. Just the way you are. No one can do better at that than you.”

It took a moment, though only a moment before Isaac returned the hug. Tightly gripped against the older blonde he managed a half laugh as his Father gave him a small squeeze. “I just want to be better at something…” He murmured with small sniffle. The frustration slowly began to leave then. “Everyone else is really good at stuff.”

Tak frowned at his son’s words. What brought about the yearning to be different so much? To be better? It was the first he’d heard of anything like it. “You are better at something. No one gets into fights like you do,” Tak joked with a smile as he moved to look down at his boy. “No one comes to the rescue like you do, at least from what I’ve heard.”

“Daaaad,” Isaac groaned with a smile. “Something, something real.”

“That is real, son.” Tak smiled. One hand moved to rest upon the boy’s head then. “You protect what is important to you. Consequences be damned.”

“Consequences be damned…” Isaac repeated with another sniffle. “Do you….think I might be good at other stuff?”

“Well you’ll never know unless you try, huh?” Tak smiled as Isaac’s brightened. “And  luckily you’ve got some of the best teachers around to find out with.”

“Yeah?” Isaac grinned. “Even Uncle Evan?” At the joke, Tak couldn’t help but laugh and hug the boy. “Even Uncle Evan. He might be just as crazy as me but he can teach you things I can’t. Though,” He began with smile as he wiped away the boy’s tears that had fallen. “You can bet I gave you some of the best looking genes there are. You’re one handsome boy.”

“DAD.“ 

“What?” Tak laughed as Isaac pulled out from the hug with a small smile. “Alright, alright, I get it. Just answer me one question will ya?” Isaac waited. And as his Father’s smile softened he knew what was coming.

“What on Earth made you ever question yourself like that?”

He can see the difference as time goes on. The light in his Father’s eyes shines a little less. His smile doesn’t quite make it to a grin. And he hates the reason why. The glances at family pictures eat at him. 

Family. It means everything to Father. To the both of them.

And after a moment of letting Tak continue to stare into the glossy picture of their family smiling back at him, Isaac places a hand upon the older blonde’s shoulder. “Dad? It’s time to go.”

There would be plenty of time to look at the last family portrait. Plenty of time when they got home. A place Isaac was dead set on keeping more than just a word. For both his Father and himself.

“Think we should tell them we won Nationals with this song?” Benji asked with an amused grin. He along with two of his fellow Dalton Alumni sat in the far back of the auditorium watching, listening to the newest generation of Warblers perform.

“Nah,” Tak offered, his head tilted to the side as he watched three boys in particular move and sing in sync with the group. “You know how they feel about getting passed the torch and stuff.”

“…I still can’t believe they’re in high school. I want my babies back!” Raf finished with a sigh, his arms crossed as he leaned on the seat in front of him. “Where did the time go?”

“Come on, just this once?” Pleaded Oliver as he trailed after the older boy. Isaac, who had yet to give into the younger boy’s request of borrowing his leather jacket.

“Why don’t you just wear yours?”

“I left it at home! And Dad said it’d be here the day after tomorrow! My date is tonight.”

“You sound a lot like Meg right now,” Isaac mused with a small smirk as Oliver groaned in reply.

“Please?” The younger boy all but begged as Isaac glanced towards his life long friend, and finding the other boy pulling out his best puppy-pout the blonde boy had no choice but to groan in reply and shake his head.

“Okay, okay! Just put away the pout!”

“Yes!!!” 

“Look on your face says you totally failed to get to first base last night.” Sighs Isaac as he seats himself next to Oliver who, not expecting to see the older boy jumps, eyes wide as he turns to face the other boy.

“Where did you even com—” He pauses his question as Isaac raises a brow in amusement. “Never mind. And I’m telling you nothing.”

“Whatever,” Isaac grins as he pulls the other boy closer with a one armed hug. “I’ll bribe it out of Seth later.”

“HEY!”

“So that means you bust their faces open?” Seth sighs as once again, he wraps the blonde boy’s hands up to heal.

“Break them, actually.” Isaac smiles happily.

“What?” The older boy murmurs in confusion.

“I don’t bust ‘em,” The blonde grins in a punch drunk manner. “I break ‘em. Much harder to fix.”

Memories force him back, the other boy’s voice higher, softer as small arms wrap around him in apology. “I’m sorry, Seth. Don’t be sad.”

It’s no different, at least to Seth, as Isaac simply hugs him. His arms tightly securing the older boy who chuckled in minor amusement at the gesture. Isaac Abercrombie-Avalon, Dalton bad-boy and trouble maker had a soft spot.

“Want me to break their faces?”

Well, maybe a little different. 

“Where are you—” Seth groans as he watches the blonde boy open the window to the second story of the building with ease. “You can’t really expect me to let—ISAAC!”

The older boy sighs as, with a wink and grin, the younger boy once more slips down the gutter pipping and into the branches of the tree of the dorm hall. Watching with a frown of exasperation, Seth looks on as the figure of his friend, rather younger sibling, swiftly closes the distance from the tree to the wall and in a swift, practiced motion, vanishes over the top of it.

“Next year,” Seth grumbles as he retreats into the room, shutting the window behind him. “We’re living on the fourth floor.”