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tamingthemuseTitle: The Mister Feeny of Their Generation
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Girl/Boy Meets World
Character/Pairing: Cory/Topanga, Riley
Rating: G/K
Challenge: #453: Ooze
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,034
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Blood oozes from the cut. Cory gulps, turning even whiter, and fights to hold on to consciousness and his daughter's hand. "Dad?" Riley asks nervously. "Is it really that bad?"
"It -- It's pretty bad," Cory stammers in response.
Unseen by both of them, Topanga rolls her eyes. "It's just a cut, Riley," she reassures their daughter, moving to her side and opening the First Aid box. She eyes Cory as she adds out of the corner of her mouth in a tone soft enough to not upset their daughter but also firm enough to command her husband's obedience, "Pull it together, Cory, and put a Band-Aid on her."
"A Band-Aid? But -- But -- "
"WWFD?"
"But -- "
"WWFD?" Topanga repeats again more firmly.
Cory sighs. "Okay, okay," he mutters and almost yanks the Band-Aid she gives him. Very carefully, he opens it and plasters it across his daughter's knee. He's still visibly shaken as he kisses her bandaged cut, then hugs her to him. "Now," he asks his wife, looking at Topanga from over Riley's little head, "can I pass out?"
Topanga eyes him suspiciously. "Cory, it was just a cut."
"On our baby girl!" he cries. "But don't worry, sweetheart," he says, clinging more tightly to Riley. "You'll never have to learn to ride a bike on your own! Daddy will always be here for you!"
"Cory!" Topanga chastises.
"Can I go now, honey?"
She sighs. "Yes," she says, and no sooner has the word left her mouth than her husband hits the floor. "Cory?" she asks, still eyeing him.
Auggie toddles in at that moment, sees his father on the floor, and pushes him. Cory doesn't respond. "Daddy go boom boom!"
The toddler laughs as Topanga rubs her daughter's back reassuringly and tries to think of how to explain her husband's behavior to her. "Yes, he did," she admits.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Riley?"
"Is Dad always going to be like this?"
"I'm afraid so. Your father means well, Riley, and he loves you very, very much. But there are certain things Cory just isn't . . . equipped to hanlde?"
"What's that mean?" their little girl asks, making a face.
It means he's a complete idiot and falls apart over simple things. "It means he just can't handle some things," she explains in a gentle voice, "and seeing you hurt, no matter how great or small, is one of those things."
"Oh. Because he loves me, right?"
"Yes."
"Mom?"
"Yes, Riley?" Topanga answers immediately while watching Auggie playing with Cory's dark curls. She supposes there are far worse things a father can do than falling to pieces when his child is hurt. Cory does love them all; of that, she's never had any doubt. He's a good father, just . . . inept in some situations, but then that's always been her Cory. She smiles, remembering other times he overreacted. He used to do it considerably more so than he does now that they're older.
"What's WWFD? I know what WWJD is. It means What Would Jesus Do, but I've never heard WWFD before."
Topanga's smile grows. "It means What Would Feeny Do."
"Who's Feeny? I think I've heard his name before."
"You have many times." Topanga's eyes moisten. "He was a wonderful friend, one of the best your father and I ever had and certainly the best teacher the world has ever seen." Perhaps she was the one over reacting now, but she can't imagine a better teacher or friend or a wiser councellor than Mister Feeny. "He was the one who inspired your father to go into teaching. Your daddy tries to be like him all the time, so when he's having trouble, I'll ask him what Mister Feeny would do. That usually helps him to pull his act together," she glances again at where Cory's still passed out on the floor, "even if it doesn't last long."
"Oh. I wish I knew Mister Feeny."
Topanga hugs her daughter and tries her best not to cry. "I wish you did too, Riley, but you kinda know him."
"How?" the child wonders.
"Through your father and I." Topanga smiles and strokes Riley's long, dark hair. "I'll let your dad tell you more about Mister Feeny when he wakes up. He's got the best stories, but from now on, I take over your bicycle lessons. Deal?"
Riley grins. "Deal." She pauses but asks a second later, "Mom?"
"Yes, Riley?"
"Can we not do the bicycle lessons when Daddy's home?"
Topanga laughs. "Yes, sweetheart," she agrees readily. She kisses her daughter's head before scooping her up into her arms. "Why don't we all go watch some cartoons?"
"Yay! Toons!" Auggie exclaims and finally stops pushing and prodding Cory's unconscious body.
Topanga carefully steps over her husband. She leaves him there on the bathroom floor, not seeing the smile into which his lips curve. She knows he'll come back to them when he's ready -- he always does --, and when he does, she'll have him tell their children all about Mister Feeny. They already know him more than any of them realize, however, she thinks, for Cory has come to be a lot like him despite still having some considerable growing to do.
Her smile turns wistful as she turns on the television for her children. She leans back with them, letting the TV rattle but remembering her own stories instead. Yes, they certainly know Mister Feeny far better than they realize. She's marvelled before at how she ended up marrying the Mister Feeny of their generation. Growing up, she never would have thought Cory would become their Feeny, but he has.
She knows, too, as Cory's arms encircle her from behind and she tilts her head up for his kiss, that there were a lot worse ways they could have ended up than Cory being Mister Feeny and she being married to him. Thank you, Mister Feeny, she thinks silently. Cory joins them on the couch, and she lets their children finish their program. Then she turns off the TV and regales in the stories as much as their kids do as Cory reflects on his childhood with Mister Feeny.
The End
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Girl/Boy Meets World
Character/Pairing: Cory/Topanga, Riley
Rating: G/K
Challenge: #453: Ooze
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,034
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Blood oozes from the cut. Cory gulps, turning even whiter, and fights to hold on to consciousness and his daughter's hand. "Dad?" Riley asks nervously. "Is it really that bad?"
"It -- It's pretty bad," Cory stammers in response.
Unseen by both of them, Topanga rolls her eyes. "It's just a cut, Riley," she reassures their daughter, moving to her side and opening the First Aid box. She eyes Cory as she adds out of the corner of her mouth in a tone soft enough to not upset their daughter but also firm enough to command her husband's obedience, "Pull it together, Cory, and put a Band-Aid on her."
"A Band-Aid? But -- But -- "
"WWFD?"
"But -- "
"WWFD?" Topanga repeats again more firmly.
Cory sighs. "Okay, okay," he mutters and almost yanks the Band-Aid she gives him. Very carefully, he opens it and plasters it across his daughter's knee. He's still visibly shaken as he kisses her bandaged cut, then hugs her to him. "Now," he asks his wife, looking at Topanga from over Riley's little head, "can I pass out?"
Topanga eyes him suspiciously. "Cory, it was just a cut."
"On our baby girl!" he cries. "But don't worry, sweetheart," he says, clinging more tightly to Riley. "You'll never have to learn to ride a bike on your own! Daddy will always be here for you!"
"Cory!" Topanga chastises.
"Can I go now, honey?"
She sighs. "Yes," she says, and no sooner has the word left her mouth than her husband hits the floor. "Cory?" she asks, still eyeing him.
Auggie toddles in at that moment, sees his father on the floor, and pushes him. Cory doesn't respond. "Daddy go boom boom!"
The toddler laughs as Topanga rubs her daughter's back reassuringly and tries to think of how to explain her husband's behavior to her. "Yes, he did," she admits.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Riley?"
"Is Dad always going to be like this?"
"I'm afraid so. Your father means well, Riley, and he loves you very, very much. But there are certain things Cory just isn't . . . equipped to hanlde?"
"What's that mean?" their little girl asks, making a face.
It means he's a complete idiot and falls apart over simple things. "It means he just can't handle some things," she explains in a gentle voice, "and seeing you hurt, no matter how great or small, is one of those things."
"Oh. Because he loves me, right?"
"Yes."
"Mom?"
"Yes, Riley?" Topanga answers immediately while watching Auggie playing with Cory's dark curls. She supposes there are far worse things a father can do than falling to pieces when his child is hurt. Cory does love them all; of that, she's never had any doubt. He's a good father, just . . . inept in some situations, but then that's always been her Cory. She smiles, remembering other times he overreacted. He used to do it considerably more so than he does now that they're older.
"What's WWFD? I know what WWJD is. It means What Would Jesus Do, but I've never heard WWFD before."
Topanga's smile grows. "It means What Would Feeny Do."
"Who's Feeny? I think I've heard his name before."
"You have many times." Topanga's eyes moisten. "He was a wonderful friend, one of the best your father and I ever had and certainly the best teacher the world has ever seen." Perhaps she was the one over reacting now, but she can't imagine a better teacher or friend or a wiser councellor than Mister Feeny. "He was the one who inspired your father to go into teaching. Your daddy tries to be like him all the time, so when he's having trouble, I'll ask him what Mister Feeny would do. That usually helps him to pull his act together," she glances again at where Cory's still passed out on the floor, "even if it doesn't last long."
"Oh. I wish I knew Mister Feeny."
Topanga hugs her daughter and tries her best not to cry. "I wish you did too, Riley, but you kinda know him."
"How?" the child wonders.
"Through your father and I." Topanga smiles and strokes Riley's long, dark hair. "I'll let your dad tell you more about Mister Feeny when he wakes up. He's got the best stories, but from now on, I take over your bicycle lessons. Deal?"
Riley grins. "Deal." She pauses but asks a second later, "Mom?"
"Yes, Riley?"
"Can we not do the bicycle lessons when Daddy's home?"
Topanga laughs. "Yes, sweetheart," she agrees readily. She kisses her daughter's head before scooping her up into her arms. "Why don't we all go watch some cartoons?"
"Yay! Toons!" Auggie exclaims and finally stops pushing and prodding Cory's unconscious body.
Topanga carefully steps over her husband. She leaves him there on the bathroom floor, not seeing the smile into which his lips curve. She knows he'll come back to them when he's ready -- he always does --, and when he does, she'll have him tell their children all about Mister Feeny. They already know him more than any of them realize, however, she thinks, for Cory has come to be a lot like him despite still having some considerable growing to do.
Her smile turns wistful as she turns on the television for her children. She leans back with them, letting the TV rattle but remembering her own stories instead. Yes, they certainly know Mister Feeny far better than they realize. She's marvelled before at how she ended up marrying the Mister Feeny of their generation. Growing up, she never would have thought Cory would become their Feeny, but he has.
She knows, too, as Cory's arms encircle her from behind and she tilts her head up for his kiss, that there were a lot worse ways they could have ended up than Cory being Mister Feeny and she being married to him. Thank you, Mister Feeny, she thinks silently. Cory joins them on the couch, and she lets their children finish their program. Then she turns off the TV and regales in the stories as much as their kids do as Cory reflects on his childhood with Mister Feeny.
The End
