Heart to Heart

Everyone has wanted a Donovan and Mason chapter. Here you go! Don't say I never cave to your demands and slowly lose all essence of personal identity as a writer because of you.

It's a little simple and so I'm sorry if it's boring.

(Also references the Carter Broken Saga)
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A muffled squeal came from beneath the towel as Kennedy squirmed in Donovan's hold.

"Agent missing, agent missing!" he said, scrubbing Kennedy's hair with the towel. "I repeat, we have an agent missing! Agent Kenny was last seen by the bathtub. Does anyone have eyes on Agent Kenny?"

Another shriek of laughter came from under the towel and Kennedy wiggled more as Donovan dried her.

"We can't lose this Agent!" Donovan said. "This is one of our best Agents! Does someone have eyes on Agent Kenny? I repeat does anyone have eyes on Agent Kenny?"

When Donovan whipped away the towel, Kennedy bounced, her hair flying about her face.

"I'm here. I'm here!"

"Agent Kenny!" Donovan wrapped the towel around her again and hugged her, blowing raspberries on her chubby cheeks. "We thought we lost you. We've found our agent. I repeat Agent Kenny has been found."

Kennedy laughed and wiggled in Donovan's arms. Grinning, Donovan set her down and finished towel drying her hair. She stared at him with her big, blue eyes and Donovan's heart expanded. He'd never known his world could be contained in one small, human being but there she stood, watching him like he was the one who ruled the world. He never wanted that look to go away.

"What will it be tonight," he asked. "Bunny or baby chick?"

"Bunny!" Kennedy said bouncing again and looking a little like a bunny in the process.

"Okay."

Donovan picked up the bunny onesie. With a new diaper on, Kennedy placed her little hands on his shoulders as he guided her foot into one leg and then the next. When he zipped her up, he took the hood, with the two ears attached, and placed it on her head.

"Are you my bunny?" he asked.

Kennedy nodded and Donovan kissed her head. Giving Kennedy a small washcloth to be in charge of, he neatened up the bathroom and took her hand. In the small hallway, he lifted the lid to the laundry basket and Kennedy stood on her tiptoes to put the washcloth in.

"Good job!" Donovan said. He held out his hand. "High-five."

Kennedy happily slapped it and they headed into the family room. As they moved to the couch, a knock came on the door. Donovan leaned down. "Go pick out books to read."

Kennedy scampered off as Donovan crossed to the front door. He took a step back when he found Mason on the other side.

"Hey," he said.

Something about Mason's eyes told Donovan this wasn't a causal visit, but his manner seemed to contradict his expression. He strolled into the apartment with his hands in his pockets and a light swagger.

"Hey, Trouble," he said.

Kennedy's head shot up and a smile spread across her face.

"Ace!"

Pushing herself up, she raced over to him, her bunny ears flopping. She tackled his legs with a hug and Mason took a second before patting her head.

But Donovan watched him and knew Carter had been right. Why he even felt a little surprised, baffled him. Carter knew people. More than that, Carter knew Mason in a way Donovan didn't think anyone beside Yvette did.

Donovan knew enough of Mason to know how this visit would go. Donovan would play ignorant because if he came out and said exactly why he knew Mason was here, Mason would deny all knowledge. In this way, he was similar to how Carter was when they first met. Information came with patience and time.

It did make sense that Carter knew Mason to the core, they were extremely similar. At least that meant Donovan knew how to handle Mason. Most of the time.

"What brings you here?" Donovan asked.

"I forgot that Link and Harrison were visiting his mother. I hate wasting a trip and decided to stop by here instead."

Yes, Link and Harrison were at his mother's but it was the same time and the same day they did it every week. Mason knew this. Donovan knew this. Mason most likely knew that Donovan knew that Mason knew.

But Donovan didn't point out the lie.

"Carter isn't here," Donovan said. "I don't know if that changes your want to stay or not."

"Owens not being here makes me more inclined to stay."

This aspect never made complete sense to Donovan. Mason and Carter were friends. If pressed, he would say they were best friends. But yet, they acted as if they were antagonists to each other. But maybe that was how they were. They both hid their feelings well. Maybe it had been this way for so long that admitting it would be harder.

"It's book time for us," Donovan said. He pointed to the kitchen. "If you're hungry I made lasagna and garlic bread. You are welcome to have some. I'm keeping it warm in the oven for Carter."

Mason looked at Donovan. "It's mildly disgusting how good of a husband you are."

"I know."

Donovan scooped Kennedy up into his arms and walked to the couch.

"What books did you pick out?" Donovan asked, setting Kennedy down.

Despite her little arms, she picked up a stack of three picture books and carefully brought them over to Donovan. As he hoisted her onto his lap, he glanced over to the kitchen where Mason was making himself a plate of food.

"Where's Yvette tonight?" Donovan asked.

"Working late on her latest project."

Donovan nodded and picked up the first picture book. Kennedy curled into his arms and stuck her thumb into her mouth. As Donovan began to read, Mason sat in one of the armchairs and ate.

"The moral of that story," Mason said. "Is that not all big and flashy items are the ones with the most value. Trouble, keep that in mind when a boy proposes to you. The rock might be big but if it's fake it isn't worth anything."

"Such wise words," Donovan said. "You'll make a great father one day."

Mason let out a short, derisive laugh. Donovan hadn't been able to help poking at the issue. Something Mason failed to have realized over the years was that Donovan's IQ matched Mason's. Mason simply failed to understand that just because Donovan didn't flaunt his intelligence at any chance didn't make him any less smart.

"Next," Donovan said.

Kennedy pointed to the next book and Donovan read.

"The moral is that if they don't accept you for who you are, they aren't truly your friends," Mason said.

"That's closer to the mark," Donovan said, moving to the last book.

When he finished the final book, Mason didn't comment, his gaze pinned on Kennedy asleep in Donovan's arms. Setting the books aside, Donovan cradled Kennedy in his arms and stood. Mason remained seated as Donovan headed to Kennedy's room. He tucked her into bed and stroked her hair for a minute, simply watching her.

When he turned to the door, he found Mason there observing him. Donovan clicked off the light and left the door open a crack. Neither of them spoke as they walked back into the living room.

"Does it ever annoy you being so good at everything you do?" Mason asked.

"Why would being effortlessly good at everything annoy me? I think it would make everything rather easy."

Mason rolled his eyes and Donovan smiled.

"You glimpse moments and assume no work went into making them happen," Donovan said, gathering up the picture books and putting them away. "Everything in life takes work. The question isn't whether you can do it or not. The question is whether you are going to put in the time to succeed at it."

"So the day Kennedy was born, you didn't instantly know how to be the perfect father?"

Donovan bent down and collected the stray toys on the floor.

"Of course not. The perfect father doesn't exist. A father who does all he can to be a good father is what matters. I have messed up countless times with raising Kennedy so far and she's only three."

"I find you messing up hard to believe," Mason said.

"It's because you don't want to see that where I am now is attainable. Instead, saying I'm somehow perfect without trying gives you an excuse to not work as hard." Donovan studied Mason. "But you know this. You know that being a father takes work. Or else you wouldn't have the years of disliking your father that you have."

Donovan turned away from Mason and dropped his arm full of toys into the box. He didn't need to turn away from Mason, but he knew that what he said would hit Mason. He flashed a light briefly on the thing Mason didn't want to talk about. What Mason did with that opening was up to him. Donovan knew it was a fifty-fifty chance that Mason opened up or clammed up.

"Is there a way to not screw up with a kid?" Mason asked.

Donovan faced him. "Yes, because despite how strict my father was, I never doubted his love for me. I might have had times of being mad at him, but at the end of the day, I knew that if I ever needed him he would be there for me. That's what a child needs most, knowing that a parent will be there. And that is shown by constantly being there for them. Even when you mess up or they do."

Mason sat there. Donovan waited. Again a door lay open, the decision to walk through it was Mason's.

When Mason clapped his hands and stood, Donovan knew that Mason wasn't going to walk through it. He understood, though they had been in each other's lives for years, they didn't have a relationship where Mason could freely open up.

"Solid advice," Mason said. "I'll pass it on to Link. I know he was wondering that."

He wasn't. Donovan knew because Link and he talked consistently about being fathers and what it meant. They shared views and advice. They supported each other as Donovan did with his other brothers.

Donovan collected Mason's dishes and headed to the kitchen. As he opened the dishwasher, Mason spoke.

"Thanks for the food."

"Of course. Have a good night, Mason."

Mason paused and Donovan wondered if he would say it, but he didn't. Instead, he opened the door and left.

*****

Mason closed the door to the Keller apartment and stood in the hallway. There was no denying it, Donovan Keller had to be the most irritating man on the planet.

Mason had already come to this conclusion on multiple occasions and felt it was always important to acknowledge it when it occurred again. What type of person was that good-looking, that good of a father, and a great husband on top of it? He was probably a good human being as well. And a good cook. It didn't make sense.

This man shouldn't exist, a person should only have two of those traits, three max but all of them?

Yeah, Donovan Keller was extremely irritating. And the worst part was he gave sound advice.

Mason shook his head. He needed to leave before he doubted everything about his own life. Something he rarely did. He never doubted it, but sometimes being around Donovan made him feel... a little uncertain.

Mason headed to the elevator, needing to get away from the apartment. Who knew, Donovan might have been able to sense his thoughts and he'd come out and reassure Mason of his own worth. That would be the lowest Mason could sink. He didn't need Donovan to tell him that he was amazing. Mason already knew this.

The elevator dinged before Mason reached it and Carter stepped out.

"Link and Harrison are at his mother's," Carter said.

"They are. I ate your dinner," Mason said.

Carter paused before Mason and gave him a look. An Owens' look was something Mason figured most people would crack under. It was cutting, critical, and calculated. How anyone didn't dissolve into a blubbering mess when hit with her look, he didn't know.

Except for him, her look only glanced off him.

"The view from the rooftop is pretty this time of night," Carter said, causally.

"Not something I needed to know."

Carter merely smiled and kept walking.

Mason punched the button to call the elevator. The doors instantly opened and he hesitated. He looked to where Carter was opening the apartment door. If Owens thought the view was pretty then maybe that was worth something.

Mason left the elevator and climbed the few flights of stairs to the roof and stepped out. An early autumn breeze stirred the night air and welcomed Mason. By the roof ledge, he found a pair of worn chairs.

Chairs he'd bought years ago for Carter. For a time when she wasn't herself and needed other people around her to help her. He'd been one of those people. He'd tried to be one of those people. He wasn't sure if he'd succeeded. Nothing he did had ever felt like it was enough. 

Mason tucked his hands into his pockets and stared out at the city, thousands of lights beaming from the windows. Lives of people he never knew and would never know. Lives that when contained in a beam of light seemed easy, manageable.

The door to the roof opened but Mason didn't turn around. When Carter joined him, settling into one of the worn chairs, he didn't say anything. Neither did she.

The silence felt too much like the one he'd experienced with her a long time ago. A silence that he'd struggled to fill. A silence that he never wanted again. Never wanted her to have again.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, needing to break from the memory of that time.

Carter held a plate of food in her hand and quietly ate. It wasn't the Carter of before.

Reassured, Mason went back to contemplating the cityscape. He didn't know who would talk first. He didn't have anything to say. Owens always had something to say. It was a downside to her personality. Along with everything else. It was the deeper of the downsides.

If she broke the silence it would most likely be with an insult, that meant Mason should beat her to it. He should say something. Possibly something insulting to keep up their tradition. Saying anything else would be stupid. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't...

"I'm going to be a father."

So clearly he was stupid.

"I know," Carter said.

Mason started but didn't turn around.

"Yvette tell you?" he asked.

"No, I knew when you came to take Kennedy and Harrison to the park the other day."

Mason nodded. Sure, that made sense. Owens knew he was going to be a father because he had said nothing about it and gave no clue about it at all. She was a psychic.

"It was your expression," Carter said.

Ah, she was a mind reader as well. Fantastic. That explained everything. 

"You looked terrified."

Mason nodded again and still didn't look back at her.

"I am terrified," he admitted.

Carter didn't say anything and Mason found himself strangely grateful to her for that. His fear wasn't something that could be talked away. If it could be, he would have been able to do it himself. Or Yvette could have.

Behind him, the plate clinked against the glass end table and Carter joined him at the railing. They stood there for a long while, absorbing the noise of the city.

"I was terrified too," she said.

Mason nodded to this. Nodding. That seemed to be all he could do. Where had his brilliant ability to banter gone?

"I've screwed up so much in my life," Mason said. "I've failed countless times and people have paid for it." Unable to stop himself, he looked back at the two chairs.

"What happened to me wasn't your fault," she said.

There was nothing Mason could say to that because he didn't believe her.

"It was you that helped me get back," she said.

Mason snorted. "No, it was the boy scout husband of yours."

Carter cocked her head, forcing Mason to meet her gaze. "And who was one of the people giving him the support so that he could help me come back?"

"Your family, his family, Link, Maddy-"

"And you." She leaned against the ledge. "You say you've failed countless times. I think that means you had countless lessons on what not to do. Countless times to learn a better way of doing things." She looked at him again. "I say that means you're more prepared to be a father than most people."

"And if I'm not?"

"Then like you were there to support Donovan, I'll be there to support you." 

Mason rested his arms on the ledge. They remained there, silent but Mason didn't mind this silence. He could be afraid but he wasn't alone.

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Hey there, dumpling!

(mandoo,mandoo)

Penny for your thoughts? 💬🗯💭👨‍🍼

And no I'm not increasing the amount despite the fact that with inflation that statement would be a tenner for your thoughts. (Though I'm not British so where the term tenner popped out of, I don't know)

Is Donovan too perfect and a man like him doesn't exist in the real world?

Technically yes...

But also no, because I can think of seven men who fall into the same category that Donovan does. Though two of them can't cook to save their lives. But they all seem out of this world as well.

I guess that's the category Donovan lives in: Out of this World.

Donovan is an alien!

😱 OH. MY. GOSH! It all makes sense! Donovan is an alien and I should have seen this! It makes sense! Aliens are always cooler and better than humans. Unless we're talking about the aliens from Alien and in that case it doesn't count because those things are creepy.

Wait, are aliens the cool ones or an I thinking of elves? Dang, now I don't know anymore.

Whatever.

What were we talking about?

Right, Donovan being adorable with Kennedy! Go ahead and leave me an endless string of awes to express how cute it was.

As always, Mason and Carter's bond in one of my faves! Siblings without being siblings! Love them!

Okay, that's all I have to say about life, the universe and everything

Answer is not 42, it's Donavon.

Do I make sense?

No. But I never do so yay me for always being on-brand!

Vote, comment, follow unless you don't like stars. Non-star lovers will be excluded.

The animal representation of Mason and Carter even though they would be offended and deny that this is them.

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