The Terrible Two (for xEmmalia-Chan)

[animefangirl]

Megan and Mason were sitting in the back of Ann, their social workers, car. They were on their way to yet another foster home since the woman had pulled them from their previous one. They had been in the system for a very long time, and despite their social workers best intentions they had been abused quite a few times and no longer trusted any of the parents they were assigned to. Megan had started to act out in response to the abuse but that had just made things worse when Mason joined her. They now had a reputation for being the "terrible two" twins in the system and they were running out of foster parents that were willing to take both of them in. If they had been the same gender it wouldn't have been such a problem but since they were not they couldn't be placed in the same group home, and the one time that they'd been separated they had both run away to find the other again. They'd managed to stay out for two weeks before the police caught them and brought them back to Ann who promised to keep them together if they did not run off again.

They arrived at the mans house and Ann turned to the kids on the front porch, wanting to talk to them real quick before they were introduced to their new foster father. "Guys, I know you have not had the best of luck with the last few families but I need you to try and behave for this one. He's single, works the same hours you'll be in school so he'll be home when you are, and he really wants to help you out. I know you know that you're running out of chances with the system, if you keep getting sent away by your foster parents then my boss will force me to separate you." Ann told them, her voice a little pleading since she was starting to get at the end of her rope with these kids. She'd done her best to find them good homes but they kept acting up, running away, fighting, and a hundred other things that made their fosters send them back. Then there were the abusive ones, and she felt horrible about those, but she'd always done her best to get them out of those situations when she had become aware of them.

Megan just rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she listened to Ann lecturing them. She was not the least bit enthusiastic about this placement and she wasnt going to pretend it made a difference to her which adult the system had picked to scream at them this time. She perked up a little when she heard it was going to be a single dad this time, if there was only one adult it would be easier for her and her brother to mess with him so that could be fun. When the woman got to the part about her boss threatening to separate her from her brother again she tensed, getting angry "Try it! You cant separate us, we'll just run away again and this time you wont find us!" She said, yelling a little but not caring about anyone noticing or disapproving. She hated these idiotic adults always thinking they could decide things for her and her brother, she couldn't wait until they were eighteen and would get kicked out of the system so they wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit anymore.

Mason followed his sister and the social worker to the front door, listening in a detached and disinterested way as the woman once again asked them to behave for the complete stranger they were being forced to live with this time. When his sister went off on Ann he reached out putting his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to get her to calm down a little since they were making a scene and they hadn't even met the new guy yet. "That's really shitty of you, Ann. You promised us last time that you wouldn't try that again." He said, his voice cold but his eyes were challenging. Ann just listened to both of them, shaking her head a little at the attitudes of these two. She understood that life had not been easy for them, but that did not make it any easier for her to deal with them when they were dead set on being difficult. "I don't want to do that, but my boss may make me. Just, try to give this one a chance that's all I"m asking." She said, then knocked on the door, wondering if the man had heard their conversation since the windows to his living room appeared to be open.

(this is a lot longer than I usually post (i usually do half this or 3/4), but I wanted to get some background and give you an idea of what their attitudes are like right away ^^ )

[EmmaliaChan]

Johnathan Snyder was quite eager to meet the pair of twins soon to be left in his charge. He'd left work, a simple nerdy office job where he dealt with fixing computer problems all day, slightly early, wanting to make sure he got home in time for when they arrived. Opening the windows to get a fresh breeze - well, the freshest breeze one could get in a city - going through the house, he hurriedly checked over everything to make sure it was neat. He didn't often worry about his house's appearance; no one visited him, and he lived alone, so although he wasn't exactly sloppy, it wasn't unusual to see a few empty soda cans on the living room table, or the plates from breakfast still in the sink.

However, he'd made an effort the night before to neaten things, going so far as to alphebetize his bookshelf as well as the video games he kept in his living room entertainment center (remember what I said about that nerdy office job? Yeah, he was a total nerd). It wasn't like they'd be seen since the doors to the large TV-holding unit closed, but he wanted his house to look as sharp as he planned to. He'd done all the laundry to make sure the clothes hampers were empty, done the dishes after breakfast that morning, scrubbed the bathrooms top to bottom, prepared their bedroom (he'd heard they liked to be together, so he'd put two dressers and beds in the same room and left the other one open for anything else they might want.

Not long later, he heard shouting outside, and sure enough, there was the social worker he'd met up with to discuss the twins and the troublesome twosome themselves marching up to his doorstep, yelling all the while. When they knocked on the door, he tried to hide his eagerness, and counted to three before opening it. "Good afternoon, Ann. Hello Megan, Mason." The man greeted with a smile, stepping aside and gesturing into the house to invite them inside. He looked stern, especially in his work clothes, but his smile had probably given away that he was a lot more relaxed than his neat appearance was - ha! They should see him at night, after work! Usually loose-fitting shorts and a t-shirt, hair messy and flying every which direction!

Still, though, despite how relaxed he could be, he'd heard about these two, and the situations that bouncing around the system had placed them in at times. Johnathan pitied them, and wanted to make them as comfortable as possible. He knew he could do better than those other parents, and he would refuse to give up on them; they'd be like his children now, abandoning them like their previous families had would just feel wrong. "Would any of you like something to drink? Water? Lemonade? Soda? Coffee?" As he added coffee, he looked at Ann rather than the kids - any other teenagers and he'd be willing to let them, as he was drinking coffee at that age, but it was probably best to keep these two from having anything caffeinated...



((OoC; n.n Okay~! Type as much or as little as you like. x3 I'm used to typing and responding to seven to ten paragraph posts on RPs I'm in on other sites, so I'm pretty flexible. n.n!))

[animefangirl]

If they'd known he was excited about having them, they would have thought he was crazy or trying to trick them. No one was ever excited to see them, because their reputation always preceded them and their foster parents would approach them as if they were some sort of juvenile delinquents. Which they were, but that didn't mean they liked being treated bad right off the bat. They didn't have long to wait after Ann knocked on the door and a youngish seeming man opened it. Mason let go of Megan and picked up his bag with his clothes in it. That was all they were allowed to take from place to place, they'd never really had any other personal items since whatever they were allowed to use was considered family property. Megan glared at the man for a moment, wondering why he was being so friendly but she picked her bag up too and followed Ann into the house. Neither kid answered his greeting, they were too busy looking around the house and warily watching the new adult that would be their legal guardian...for now. Neither thought this would last long, regardless of how nice they seemed in the beginning it never lasted.

Ann tried to pretend that the twins weren't acting surly and she smiled at Johnathan, "Good afternoon Mr. Snyder." She said, keeping to the more formal address. She never got on a personal level with the foster parents, because it was her job to look out for the best interest of the children and if she let personal feelings develop for the parents then she worried that she may be less likely to believe accusations of mistreatment or abuse. She followed the kids into the living room satisfied that everything was in order here. "No thank you, I have to get going." She reached out to put a hand on each of the teen's shoulders, smiling at them. "You can call me, anytime, and I'll be back next week to visit." She told them before shaking Johnathan's hand and leaving the three alone to get to know one another.

Megan and Mason nodded at Ann, watching her leave. They used to feel scared when she left them alone with someone, but they were used to it by now and as long as they were together they weren't that afraid of whatever their foster parent was capable of. Megan looked him over, frowning a little since he looked strict and professional. Sometimes that meant that they were workaholics who would ignore her and Mason, sometimes that meant they were hard-asses who would be on their case all the time. She didn't answer his question, just crossed her arms and watched him, measuring him. She was dressed in a black tank top, black skirt with a studded belt, and had boots that went up to her knees.

She looked something like a mix between the goth and the skater-girl, just without the extreme make-up since her previous foster mother had not bought it for her. Mason glanced at her, realizing she was going with the silent treatment for now, and figured he might as well answer for her. He was a generally good kid, except when Megan was dragging him into trouble. "We're fine. Ann got us something to eat on the way over here." He answered, looking the man over as he tried to get a guage for him. Unlike Megan he was not the type who just decided that this guy was bad right from the start, he still had some hope that because the man was being friendly he was going to treat them decently at least, even if he did not trust Johnathan. He was dressed in baggy blue-jeans and a tony-hawk tee-shirt. Of the two he looked less intimidating but he was the more dangerous of the two since he would go to extremes to protect Megan when he had to. Neither of them would be dangerous to Johnathan, since he was older and stronger then them, but together they could probably overpower him if they had to.

(cool, i wont hold back then ^^ My posts are going to be a little strange until I get a feel for them, but once I do they'll probably be a bit easier to follow lol. Sorry if this one is sorta scattered ^^ )

[EmmaliaChan]

Once their social worker left, he found himself feeling a bit... Lost. Yes, he'd wanted to try to help raise these two children, yes he felt he was ready but... Despite his somewhat young appearance (which, if commented on, he chalked up to his glasses whether he was wearing them or not out of humbleness) the man was thirty-two. He'd lost his wife of four years just a year before, so the thought that he may never love again, and therefore may never have children, was deep rooted in his mind. However, he was determined to, hopefully, bring the twins up as his own, and give them the chance they deserved.

Appreciating the boy not being as distant as his sister seemed to be, he smiled and nodded in understanding when he told them Ann had gotten them something to eat. "Good, that takes a huge weight off my shoulders! I was worried you two would be hungry and I wouldn't have anything you liked to make." Johnathan stated, smile soon becoming a grin. Taking his glasses off so he could get a proper look at the two - he was just a tad far-sighted, so keeping them on made them slightly blurry - and placed them on the counter. Megan seemed to be a tough-girl, but her sweet-looking face made it seem a bit ironic. Mason he couldn't really get a feel for the personality of just yet, but he seemed to be much more calm and open than his sister.

Rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, he continued, "So, about your rooms. Ann told me you liked to stay together, so I made it so you can either each have a bedroom to yourself," He began, looking between the two to try to engage Megan in the conversation as well. "Or leave it the way I have set up, a room which - I thought it was stupid when I first bought the place but it's come in handy now - has two bathrooms attached to it, and each sleep in one room and keep the other for whatever else you'd like. I'd say a 'game room' but you're welcome to use the ones in the living room entertainment center. Everything's up to date with the latest and greatest and..." He paused for a moment, brows furrowing as he cleared his throat. His wife had been a bit of a nerd, herself, and they'd often played together. It seemed silly, but the memory of her still lingered whenever he put his hands on the controller. Forcing his smile to come back, he finished, "Well, I never use them anymore. Anyway! It's your call. If you want I'll move them around as soon as we get back from grocery shopping for some stuff you like."


((OoC; It's fine~ Oh, sorry about the using Ann's first name thing, her last was never mentioned or I'd've had him call her Miss Whatever. xD And I know the pic looks young but finding an anime pic that doesn't look like the person's in high school is hard. e ue;;)

[animefangirl]

(It's fine, she doesnt have a surname lol. We'll just say it's Scott ^^ and o.k. my bad I just figured he was youngish because of his picture, but I know it's hard to find a good looking anime guy that doesnt look 16 lol)

Megan sat on the back of the couch as Ann left them alone with their new "father". She was tiny for her age, partially from malnutrition when she was young, partly because of her genes. When she was perched on the back of the couch, her arms out to either side for balance and her feet not quite touching the ground, she looked a lot few years younger than she actually was. Mason leaned against the couch beside his sister, looking over at Johnathan as the man started talking. Mason couldn't help but smile a little at the obvious relief the man felt about the whole food situation. They weren't picky about food, but there really wasn't a way for Johnathan to know that. At least the man seemed to care about having stuff they liked around, that was an improvement over some of the other fosters they'd had. Megan gave him a strange look, shrugging her shoulders "It's not like we're high maintenance or anything. Seriously, you can relax, we're used to looking after ourselves." She told him, her tone implying that she would prefer if he just ignored them.

They didn't say anything as the man removed his glasses and started rambling a bit about the room situation. As soon as Johnathan stopped talking they both spoke at once. "I want to share a room with Mason." Megan announced, her tone slightly less bratty than before. The two had never shared a room before, most of their other foster homes required girls to stay together and boys to stay together, since they had never been the only children in the home until they came here. "Why don't you use them anymore?" Mason asked, speaking at the same time as Megan so that the two might be a bit difficult to understand. Mason had not-so-subtly checked out the entertainment center when Johnathan drew his attention to it so he could tell there was some nice equipment and it was strange that Johnathan wouldn't use it.

Then Megan spoke up again, having belatedly registered that Johnathan had said they were going to the grocery store. "I dont want to go grocery shopping." She said, once again in a snotty tone. She hated grocery shopping, it was boring. Mason glanced at her, then glanced back at Johnathan. He didn't mind going to the store but he wouldn't if Megan did not go because he did not like to be too far away from her even when he logically knew that she wasn't going anywhere. The farthest apart the two ever got was when they had different classrooms in school, and even that was rare since they tended to have the same required classes. He was also wondering when the 'laying down the law' would happen, usually the first thing their foster parents did was sit them down and lay down the house rules that they would be expected to follow. This was usually met by Mason staring blankly at them and not really paying attention, and Megan arguing with each rule that was stated just for the sake of being difficult.

[EmmaliaChan]

He smiled gently, despite her slight rudeness. It was understandable that she wouldn't be trusting right off the bat - he hoped to change that soon enough. At least her brother seemed civil, and he was getting the feeling he'd likely end up enlisting the boy's help on occasion to get his sister to pay attention. Sure, he could punish her, but it wouldn't do any good if he resorted to it for everything she did - what the twins needed, especially Megan, was someone to listen to them and support them. "Well, starting today you are semi-high-maintenance. I intend to take care of you, and I want you guys to be happy, so I'm likely going to fuss over whether you do or don't like something often."

It wasn't much of a surprise to him that she wanted to share a room with her brother; it was already obvious how close they were just by their mannerisms. The good thing about them talking at once was that he could subtly avoid Mason's question; he wasn't ready to talk about his wife with them yet. "Alright then, it's settled. Works out great for me again - now I don't have to rearrange the rooms." Johnathan stated, pleased. Not that he would've minded, but beds were always a pain to take apart and move only to put back together again, plus he had them made and ready for sleeping in and it'd be a shame if the effort to have it prepared for as soon as they got there went to waste.

Johnathan couldn't help but laugh a bit. He didn't particularly want to go either, but shopping was an unfortunate necessity. "I'm not a huge fan of grocery shopping, either, but if you don't come along all I'm going to get tofu and soy milk and say it's because you didn't tell me what you wanted." The man scrunched up his nose at the thought. Perhaps there'd be an inconvenience for him in there, as well... "Well, maybe not. I don't think I could stand to eat them." With a grin, he added, "Tell you what, though: I don't really have many rules for you guys, and I'm sure they're nothing you haven't heard before. However, my main one is just generally to behave, so, if you agree go grocery shopping and don't act up, we'll go to the mall afterward and you both can pick some stuff out. Deal?"

[animefangirl]

Johnathan's idea of enlisting Mason to help manage Megan was probably a good one, because if she would calm down and listen to reason from anyone it would be from Mason. Still, that would involve getting Mason on his side, but that was always an easier feat than it was with Megan. However, he was in for a long and difficult road if he thought that they would just give in to his attempts at playing nice. For now they were being good, at least as good as they ever got, but the little devils in them would rear their ugly heads soon and they would start pushing his buttons to see what he would do. Their philosophy was that if you got in trouble on purpose early on, then there wouldn't be any unpleasant discoveries later. That way, if the parent was going to be abusive, they'd know right away instead of getting attached and then getting their asses beat for something. That had happened a few times before they started figuring out ways to prevent it.

They listened as he told them that he was going to be taking care of them, and that they should expect to be fussed over and happy while they lived with him. Megan's expression darkened slightly as she thought of the many other families that had told them the same or something similar, only to beat on them or discard them at the first sign of trouble. Mason actually sort of believed him, and he was unconsciously relaxing more as Johnathan talked to them calmly and without showing even a hint of irritation at Megan's tone. He sort of liked Johnathan, but he'd wait a bit longer before letting himself start to get attached. Megan was bound to cause trouble the next day at school, she always did the day after their new placements, so Mason would withhold his judgment of Johnathan until then.

They weren’t sure what to say in response to his comment about taking care of them, or his agreement to let them stay in the same room, so they kept quiet. Mason didn’t even really notice that Johnathan had not answered his question because he was distracted by Megan’s dark reaction to everything Johnathan was saying. The man went on to talk about getting tofu and soy milk and the twins both made similar expressions of distaste at the same time that Johnathan did. Mason grinned when he realized it, but Megan just scowled at the room in general. So they were a bit relieved when he went on to take his words back and offered them an alternative. If they went with him and behaved themselves, though his definition of behave might be different than theirs, they could go to the mall afterwards. They both looked skeptical at first, but Mason nodded his head agreeing to the offer. Megan looked at her brother but she nodded too.

Neither of them was sure that Johnathan would keep up his side of the deal, because it could be a trick to get them to do what he wanted, so they didn’t let their hopes get up but they would go along and see how things worked out. “We’ll just take our stuff upstairs and meet you outside then.” Mason said, picking up both his and Megan’s suitcase of clothes. She got up and followed him upstairs. If Johnathan was listening at the bottom of the stairs they would hear the two arguing a little as Mason told Megan that he thought Johnathan was one of the nice ones, and she argued back that they hadn’t even gotten him mad yet so there was no way to know if he was nice or not and she also told him that he needed to be careful about getting attached because it was just a matter of time until Johnathan sent them away like everyone else did. They weren’t keeping their voices down at all, so the whole conversation would have been easy for Johnathan to hear if he were listening. Then they headed back downstairs and got into the back seat of his car. Megan crossed her arms irritably and leaned back against her seat, Mason just sat beside her and looked up at Johnathan in the drivers seat. “So, what should we call you?”

[EmmaliaChan]

Johnathan was quite pleased when he saw them both nod; he wasn't sure his offer would appeal to the two, but he was glad it did. ...Especially since he had planned to take them to the mall anyway. Grinning, both at his little hidden win, as well as at their agreeance, he, too, nodded, when they said they'd meet him outside. Taking a moment to get his keys, it didn't take any effort to hear the two arguing. At least Mason seemed to be able to tell his intentions were naught but of the best, but Megan was, unsurprisingly, incredibly untrusting of him. While he couldn't relate to the girl's feelings with personal experience, he was empathetic enough to be able to understand that what they'd gone through would ruin anyone's ability to put faith in others. He just hoped he could help them overcome it.

Once they got in the car, after softly reminding them to put their seatbelts on, the man was a bit taken aback by her question. Call him? What should they call him? To be quite frank, he hadn't put any thought into it, and it showed in his baffled expression. "Uhh, I guess call me whatever you want. Except things like 'moron' or 'idiot' or... I don't know, some profanity or something." He laughed, shooting them a grin in the rear view mirror as he added, "John, Johnathan, That Person, or even Dad if you really want. Just be prepared for me to blush and giggle like a schoolgirl if you choose that last option." Looking at the road as he began to pull out of his driveway, after a few seconds he looked up again. "I'm kidding, of course. Partially."

..................

A short while later, they arrived at the store, and he led them inside. Grabbing a cart and heading through the doors, he looked over at the pair. "So, anything specific you two want to get? Maybe something for dinner tonight? Or dessert? Or both?" The man asked, pulling his glasses out of his shirt pocket and putting them back on his face. "Suggestions mean we get through this faster, and you two will have more time to look around at the mall."


((I'm so sorry for the delay! Work's been killing me. I'll try to post regularly now, though it'll likely be a bit sporadic for a while. >.<;;)

[animefangirl]

Mason already had his seatbelt on but Megan rolled her eyes at the reminder, putting it on because she knew from experience that most adults wouldn't drive unless she was wearing it. Mason noticed his baffled expression and thought it, and the man's attempt at humor, was sort of funny. He figured that this was strange for the man just like it was strange for them so he was willing to give the guy a chance. So far he wasn't all that bad. Megan looked up at the front of the car when John started going on and on about what they should call him, giving him a look like she thought he was insane when he started talking about 'giggling like a schoolgirl' if they called him dad. "Like that will ever happen" She muttered, not quite soft enough to not be heard by the others in the car if they were listening. Mason spoke up quickly, trying to pull attention away from Megan's not-so-nice announcement. "John it is then." He said, sort of liking that the guy would let them call him by his first name. Most of their fosters wanted to be called Mr. or Mrs. whatever.

The rest of the ride was silent, luckily for them it was a short ride. When they got to the grocery store the twins got out of the car, though Megan sighed dramatically when she did so as if she were doing the world a huge favor by being here at all. They followed him into the store and looked around as he got a cart, since this wasn't a store they'd been too before. Megan crossed her arms and stared at him as he said that suggestions made the shopping go faster. She was here against her express wishes and had no intention of helping him. Mason on the other hand just wanted to get this over with so they could do something more interesting. "We like pizza. Mac n' cheese and hotdogs are good too. We're not picky." he told Johnathan, though he knew that Megan really liked pizza so that would probably make her a little less bitchy.

[ooc: that's fine, I"m just glad you're still interested in it ]