Yeah, well, you put in all the hard work already. I just have to show up and they... are the only two people in the country who think I'm cool. [He laughs at himself at that. He's usually enough on the socially awkward side when he does venture out of his comfortable bubble of solitude that he gets chided for it. Still, having two kids that look up to him is enough to get him to want to strive to do better - or at least, keep trying to be in a better place today than he was yesterday.

There's no rules or recipe or anything that he's following, he's just winging it when it comes to putting the pan on the stove, getting the sausage mince in there with a melting glob of butter, and rolling them around to brown. In hindsight it was probably a good idea to put at least a shirt on in case of any oil splatters or, you know, burning the house down and having to leave in a hurry, but he barely flinches when he does get splashed on a little bit a couple times, and she's around to prevent the house from burning down so there shouldn't be any worries there.]

Is that why Sam's so attached to that boat? [He's watching her work the dough, sure, but mostly he's just watching her. It's been so long since he had anything resembling a family life like this, he finds himself unconsciously taking up some interest in the push-pull in their relationship, all the things in life that people usually worry about that isn't some intergalactic fight or world-ending magic.]

I get it. I'm not-- taking sides. I just... you know. This is your life. You have to do what you have to do. [If they could all make sentimental decisions, he's not sure that either of them would be here right now. Sometimes it is the right time to make a sentimental decision, but it's not a privilege they often have.]