crack_van | Hope for the Best, by inkmage (G)

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen (implied Alan/Kevin)
Length: 1,060 words
Author on LJ:

inkmage
Author Website: Inkmage on Fanfiction.net
Warnings: Extreme cuteness, slight angst
Why this must be read:

(I thought Sam could use a breather after my lest rec — and before my next one, mwahaha...)

This is an adorable story in which Alan Bradley picks up Sam from grade school and finds himself with a heartbroken six-year-old riding shotgun.

"He said boys couldn't like boys, only girls could, and that I was gross. And he kicked me," Sam added, pulling up his pant leg to reveal a not-unimpressive bruise on his shin. Henry must have played soccer. "Am I gross?" His eyes searched Alan's face anxiously.

Alan sighed and braced his hands on Sam's shoulders. "No, you're not gross, Sam," he said firmly. "Some boys like boys, some girls like girls, and some - most - girls like boys and boys like girls. Henry is one of the boys-who-like-girls."

"And I'm not? But girls are fine," Sam said, clearly not wanting to alienate half the population of his class. "Just boring."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "'Boring'?" he asked.

Sam shrugged and wrinkled his nose. "They don't do anything. They just sit around inside at recess. Except Hannah. She's pretty cool. She's good at kickball, too. One time-"

"Regardless," Alan interjected, "of whether you like boys or girls or both, there will be some people that don't like you back."

Sam's smile shrank, and Alan momentarily felt bad, before reminding himself that this was not particularly a conversation he wanted to leave to Kevin.

"Why not?" Sam asked. "I'm not mean to them, am I?"

"No," Alan conceded, although he didn't have any way of knowing, really. "But just because someone wants to be your friend doesn't mean they - they like like you. And sometimes, there's nothing you can do about it. You just have to let them live their life the way they want."

I have a soft spot for Alan-as-Good-Dad stories, and this one is charmingly bittersweet...with a hilarious coda for a tart finish.

“Hope for the Best”

Hope for the Best, by inkmage (G)

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