kadytheredpanda

Title: Pixie Boys of the 1950s [Comeback Tour]
Author: LM Simpson (Kady the Red Panda)
Fandom(s): Mr Peabody and Sherman, Tintin, Spirou
Pairing(s): Tintin/Spirou
Rating: K
Warning(s): very improbable crossover
Summary: Sherman's biological parents have arrived in New York City, and he's not sure how to react.
Word Count: 1422
Disclaimer: I am not associated with any of these series's copyright holding companies.
Other tidbits: Yep, more crossover goodness. This is the latest in the "Sherman being Spirou and Tintin's long lost son" series I've been working on.  It's Sherman's "birthday" today so I thought it'd be nice to whip out a short fic about their actual reunion and continue on in another, separate story.

I selected "Pixie Boys of the 1950s" from this round's title prompt list because all three characters existed in the 1950s (Tintin and Spirou going into their second decade of existence, and Sherman just beginning in the late 1950s). All three are at times quite naughty little pixie like characters too, so it fits. The "Comeback Tour" should be obvious for anyone that's been reading the other installments, considering this is the part of the story where the three get together as a "family" for the first time in seven years in the headcanon canon.

0000

Sherman was usually glad to be home after yet another adventure, be it school or back in time, but today he felt nervous to get onto the elevator with Mister Peabody when they arrived. Even at its worst moments, like when a rip in the time space continuum appeared above the penthouse and when child services nearly took him away a few months ago, home was still very much welcome, so it wasn't a problem with home itself.

Rather, the issue arose a week prior, when Mister Peabody announced over dinner that he contacted his biological parents a couple weeks ago and that they would arrive for the weekend before school ended for the year. Apparently the original story he had, that his parents were homeless drug addicts, was a lie, or at least a misconception on everyone's part (because surely Mister Peabody would never lie to him about such a thing) and in reality famous journalists. Who they were or why they abandoned him his father did not divulge, but Sherman wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. He did not tell anyone except Mason, Penny, and Carl at lunch about the news, nor that he was worried how he would react to seeing them.

It was now that Friday of that weekend. They would be arriving at any time.

"Hurry now, Sherman," Mister Peabody said while running faster than usual to the doors. "We mustn't a minute to waste. They're at JFK as we speak."

"Um, yes, Mister Peabody..."

The two made it to the elevator, and with a jump  the dog pressed the "up" button. The two entered when the doors opened, with Sherman taking over for the floor controls.

"Sherman, you appear... upset," Mister Peabody said.

"Me? Upset?" A forced laugh came out. "Naw, I'm not upset!"

"Now, I can see it on your face. Please tell me what's bothering you."

Mister Peabody, out of love, was going to continue on if he kept lying, Sherman reasoned. The car stopped gliding, doors opened and they stepped inside.

He sighed, readjusted his glasses, set his bookbag aside at its designated spot on the floor. "I'm just worried. This is the first time I'm ever seeing them. If they're so famous like you said, why didn't they keep me, Mister Peabody? Didn't they love me?"

Dog or not, Mister Peabody the father felt crushed seeing his son so saddened. He already talked to the two and knew things Sherman did not know yet, but already promised them that they, Peabody and them, would explain the situation further together to their son when they arrived from Europe. And so, he could only reply, with a paw on the child's shoulder:

"Don't worry about that. I'm sure they had their reasons, however horrible or crushing their choice was. We'll only have to wait another ten minutes or so to learn the truth."

Mister Peabody's green eyes were as sincere as they always were when Sherman stared at them. Regardless of how bad it got Mister Peabody was always going to be there for him, he knew, and he would do the same in his own special way if it got bad in the coming days. He nodded before wiping a tear from his eye.

Sherman spent time in his room, changing into his normal white shirt and black pants and sitting cross legged on his bed as he skimmed through a science fiction book he borrowed from the school library to try to distract himself from thinking about his parents. When that failed, all he thought about was the same questions he had pondered over for a week: Had he seen them before on the news? Were they there when time almost collapsed on itself back in September? Did they interview him then? Did they abandon him so they could still be famous? Did they recognize it was him? Did they cry over him when they realized it was him? Like Mister Peabody his friends gave them answers that gave him comfort, like that he would be loved regardless, but the aching feelings of "what if" and "why" still invaded his mind...

...Until he heard voices that were definitely not from Mister Peabody outside his room. He knew instantly. He silently shook, nervous to leave his room, until he heard a knock on his door. It opened a little wider than a crack and Mister Peabody's head popped into his room. Strangely, he was smiling.

"Come on out, Sherman. We have some visitors."

He was a head taller than his father by now but still sensed comfort following behind him. They turned the corner and into the kitchen when he finally noticed, to his surprise, two older men on the sofa that he had never seen before. Both were red-haired just as him, with shades only darker than his because of age. The one with a turquoise pullover, white long sleeved shirt and khaki jeans sported a goofy haircut and grinned, dimples spotting his cheeks, when he spotted the boy. The other, in a red jacket, also red collared shirt and denim jeans, and what appeared to be a bellhop uniform hat on his head waved with an also sweet smile. Sherman noticed that the hat wearing one had the same shade of brown as him, and, eerily, a similar haircut.

"Sherman, meet Mister Tintin and Mister Spirou." Mister Peabody forwarded a paw towards a man as he labeled him. Without further prompting Sherman stepped ahead of his father and asked, whilst pointing to Mister Spirou:

"Are you... my father?"

The man with the bellhop hat pointed to himself. "Me?"

Sherman nodded. The man nodded. He still smiled, even if there was a tinge of pain or relief in it. Sherman turned to the other.

"So does that make you my uncle?"

"Actually..." He blushed as he set his hand atop Sherman's father's. "...I'm your father too."

Sherman, confused, turned to Mister Peabody, who sat on the chair behind him with an observant face. It's alright, his demeanor appeared to say, go on.

"So I have two dads?" Sherman did not find this awful or upsetting. Inside his little mind he was confused as to how anyone could have two fathers, unless perhaps it was a stepparent-relationship. "Is my mother coming?"

The two men stared at each other, as if they didn't know how to react or explain it.

"Well," Tintin eventually answered, "sadly not now. She's currently very busy with her job and couldn't leave it with us, but we do have a letter from her to give to you, along with some home videos and pictures."

"...Oh. What does she do?"

"She works in an art museum in Brussels. Do you know where that is?"

"Uh... Belgium, right?"

Both smiled and nodded.

So that was why he didn't recognize them. "You're from Belgium, then? Then that means... I'm Belgian too? Then how did I--"

"How about you sit down before we explain it?" Spirou suggested, just as seemingly teary eyed as Sherman's other father. "It's quite complicated."

Once again he turned to Mister Peabody for silent advice. The dog mouthed: Go ahead. Sit down. We all need to hear this. With this, the two men scooted to opposite sides of the couch to let Sherman join.

Tintin raised his arms towards Sherman, as if he wanted to hug him. "May I?"

At first Sherman was unsure, but quickly decided "why not." Despite what he thought they didn't appear to be bad people after all.

"Sure."

Tintin hugged him in a bear hug. Then Spirou hugged him from behind and they began breaking down.

"You have no idea how happy we are to see you," Tintin declared.

"It's been seven years... We were so worried we'd never see our little boy again."

Sherman still did not quite understand the relationship or the full details of the situation, but he now knew that he wasn't actually abandoned after all. He began sniffling now over the revelation. With hot watery eyes he noticed Mister Peabody was getting openly emotional as well. "What happened?"

The two broke apart from him, both rubbing their eyes before composing themselves. "Well... Tintin, should you start or should I?"

"I'd say you go ahead, dear. I'll take over whenever you feel so."

"Okay, then." Spirou wrapped his arm around Sherman's back, cleared his throat, and began the story that had a happy family separated, became reunited, and hopefully, with some adjustments, would grow happy once again.