Lemon Boy
His good eye narrowed slightly as he noticed Torin seemed to...smile? Or at least, it looked like he was trying to hide a smile but ultimately failed to succeed. He couldn't be sure. It had been a long time since he'd seen Torin smile, and he himself hadn't smiled in a long time, either. "I have news." A brow rose as he remained quiet, waiting patiently for his son to tell him. He could tell that whatever this news was, excited him. And he had to admit, this was all too unusual for him after all the crap that had been going on between them for so long. "I haven't told anyone else yet, so you're going to be the first to know... aside from myself... oh and Derecho... obviously." Odd...
"Hm?" He wasn't sure what to say quite yet. He wanted Torin to come out and say whatever he wanted to say, so he stuck with that single 'hm' to avoid accidentally saying something that might be offensive. Not that he was going to try to say anything offensive, he just didn't want to spoil the mood. He knew that Derecho was Frostbite's niece...but since he'd practically made himself a hermit and kept to himself, he didn't think to put two and two together. What amused him, however, was that Torin was rambling. It was completely throwing him off, because he never did that. Despite their strained relationship, Torin often reminded him of himself when he was younger.
"You're going to be a grandfather." At last. Torin had spilled the beans. In the silence that followed, Zell stood there unmoving, shocked. He showed no sign of excitement or anything, just...stood there. His mind was taking a minute to process the news, and when he was asked not to tell anyone yet, he managed to pull out of his stunned silence. He nodded. Who was he going to tell anyway? His other kids and the pack would find out eventually, and he didn't exactly have any friends anywhere. So it was safe to say that information wouldn't leave him anytime soon. Still in some sort of shock from the news, he wasn't totally sure what to say. He didn't want Torin to think he wasn't excited or happy for him, because he was.
"Congratulations, son. I'm happy for you. And..." He took a deep breath, gaze turning away for a moment as he tried to think about what he wanted to say. He was never really good with words, or how to express much of anything that wasn't anger or indifference. But he wanted his son to know how he felt. Without warning, he moved closer to his son and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm proud of you, Torin. I always have been." He knew he didn't say it enough. If at all. And he hoped he wasn't too late in trying to mend what had been been broken. |
