"Please?"
"Not today, buddy."
"Please, daddy, please?"
"Will, no."
"How come?"
"Because we don't have time." Carl sighed, looking down at his son, who was having a hard time keeping up to Carl's steps with his arm raised to be held in his.
"Why not?" The boy looked up at him, with the same big doe eyes as his mother, which Carl had spent quite a bit of time learning not to immediately give in to anything his son asked for when he looked up with those eyes.
"Because I said so."
"I hate when you say that." He muttered with a pout.
"Sorry, charlie." Carl shrugged.
"I'm not Charlie!" He suddenly stopped walking just as they approached their apartment building. "I'm William Ashton Gallagher."
"I know you're William Ashton Gallagher." Carl smiled and ruffled his hair, "But Charlie rhymes."
"What's rhymes?"
Carl sighed, "I'll tell you later."
I'll tell you later. That was Carl's go-to for when Will was in the mood to ask a million questions. It worked well because will got the message that he should stop asking questions, and it also made him feel that he would get his answer eventually, even though Carl usually forgot about telling him later.
"Come on, we're almost home." Carl said, lightly tugging at his hand before walking through the doors of the elevator. Carl reached out to press the button for their floor, but his hand was smacked away by Will's smaller one.
"I wanna push it." Will muttered, standing on his toes and lightly sticking out his tongue as he struggled to press it.
"Good job." Carl muttered, trying to sound excited even though he was exhausted.
"Is mommy home?"
"Not just yet, buddy." Carl lightly smiled down at him as he leaned against the wall. "She's gonna be home from work soon."
"Is she helping people?" Will asked, lightly jumping as the elevator began shifting.
"She is helping people." Carl nodded.
"Is she the best helper?"
"Nurse," Carl chuckled, "she's a nurse."
"Is she the best?"
Will turned his body to keep his eyes on Carl as he walked out of the now open doors of the elevator.
"Of course she's the best." Carl assured him, laying his hand on the top of his back to usher him down the hallway to their apartment.
"Can I turn the lock?" Will asked as they approached the door.
"Sure, you can try." Carl chuckled, handing over his keys to Will.
Will liked doing things on his own, or trying to do things on his own. He's mastered the art of pressing the elevator buttons, but has yet to learn to unlock the door.
"You just do it." Will grumbled in frustration, holding the keys back up to Carl after a few attempts. Will's frustration didn't subside right away, and he immediately dropped to the floor when he entered the apartment, roughly ripping off the velcro on his light up shoes before following Carl into the kitchen.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Carl asked, lifting Will up to sit on the counter.
"How about some steaks and some fruits." Will looked up with hopeful eyes, asking for the exact dinner he got at a fancy dinner weeks ago that he just can't seem to forget about.
