A Twist In Time

Like Father, Like Son

When Tommy entered the house it was warm and he could smell something coming from the kitchen. There were two plates of pie and mash dished up, one notably smaller.

"At least she's playing fair," he muttered before striping TJ of his coat and settling him in his highchair.

This was going to be easy, Tommy thought as he set TJ's plate down in front of him.

Ten minutes later he wished he never thought that as he fought as the boy flung his food around the room.

"TJ, stop," Tommy warned, giving his son a stern look.

"No!" the boy said as he flung his spoon at Tommy, the mash sailing passed his head.

"Do you want to go to bed without dinner?" Tommy asked, reaching over and taking the spoon from him. TJ slouched in his chair, his bottom lip trembling at the thought. "I thought so."

"He's like you," Polly said, startling Tommy as he hadn't heard her come in. He turned to face his aunt, frowning at the smirk on her lips. "Like father, like son."

"Is Romy with you?" He asked, placing all his attention on his aunt ready to catch any lies.

"No, but John and Arthur told me what she did." Polly pursed her lips as if she didn't agree with it but didn't say anything.

"Pol, can you stay here while I go—"

"No. She's trusted you to do this, Tommy. Be a man and do it. Give TJ a bath, not too deep and don't leave him. He has a bottle of warm milk before bed and it usually gets him to sleep."

Before he could say anything, Polly was making her way out the house, only pausing at the door to give him one last look.

"Fuck."

"Uck."

Tommy snapped his head down to his son and shook his head.

"No." He did not want TJ saying that to Romy when she came back. He knew she'd say something about it if he taught their son how to swear.

"Uck," TJ repeated, clapping his hands in enjoyment. "Uck, uck, uck."

"TJ, stop that," Tommy warned, clenching his jaw as the boy shook his head and repeated the word. "Right, come on, bath time."

If he was expecting bath time to go any better then he was sorely wrong. It was as if TJ was doing this on purpose.

"Just ... stay ... still," Tommy muttered as he tried to capture his son's arms as he splashed at him. "Thomas-J, I'm warning you."

"Dada," TJ cooed, smacking his hand on his face, giggling as a trail of water dripped down his cheek. "Poop."

"What?" He was sure he heard him correctly, but Tommy was mortified when there was in fact, a poop in the bath. "Arg," he muttered, sweeping TJ from the bath and struggling to wrap him in the towel. He was not ... he'd deal with that later.

Having carried TJ into his bedroom, Tommy was now struggling with what he was meant to do. A nappy... right, how was he meant to put that on?

Laying the boy on the changing table, Tommy struggled to slide the cloth over his wiggling bottom and his kicking legs. He almost impaled him with the nappy pin due to his struggling but was thankful he had somewhat fastened the nappy on him. It didn't look perfect but at least it was on.

With a mutter to himself, Tommy slid the nightgown over TJ's head and picked him up and carried him down the stairs. Thankfully there was a bottle ready for him and all he had to do was tip it into a pan and heat it.