The Maiden's Dragon

What's a Soulmate?

Red flicked through racks of clothes, frowning as Tommy tugged at the hem of his shirt for the umpteenth time.  He sighed when the boy said his name with way too many vowels.

"Tommy, stop whining."

Tommy frowned, dropping his grip on Red's shirt to slump unhappily.  "School shopping is boring."

Red nodded in agreement.  He glanced around, then reached down to ruffle Tommy's hair before turning his head to direct his gaze.  "See the movie section."

"Uh huh."

"You stay in my sight.  If you can't see me then I can't see you, got it?"  Tommy's head eagerly nodded beneath his palm.  "Pick out a movie for you and something Abbie would like when she comes over."

Tommy ducked out from under his hand and bolted across the aisle into the movie section.  Red smiled and went back to finding Tommy a school wardrobe with half his attention.  He stiffened at the disapproving woman's voice behind him.

"You should stop spoiling your son."

Red turned, raising a brow at the pinch faced woman.  "I absolutely will not."

She frowned at him.  "He'll grow up expecting everything to be handed to him.  Just another unproductive leech on society."

Red grinned, something a little too feral to be friendly.  "That's for him to decide isn't it?  And my decision to make up for six years of living on bare essentials probably isn't going to detract from that early lesson.  So thank you for your unwanted advice, and let me be the parent to my child."

She huffed, apparently offended.

"Who's this Red?"

Red turned a much more genuine smile on Vivienne as she came up, holding the notebooks and pencils and whatever else was on the list of Tommy's required school supplies.

The woman turned to Vivienne, perhaps thinking she would find sympathy from a fellow woman.  "Your husband is rude.  I told him he should stop spoiling your son."

Vivienne's frown gave the woman a brief moment of pleasure before she spoke.  "He absolutely will not.  And if we wanted your opinion on child rearing we would have asked.  You don't know anything about that boy, his situation, or what he'll be.  So kindly butt out."  She forced a smile.  "Have a lovely day ma'am."

She added her load to Red's cart and they studiously ignored the woman's outrage until she got bored and left.  Red finished picking out the last items for Tommy's wardrobe and shot Vivienne a grin.  "You know, it's almost amusing how people keep upgrading our relationship status for us."

Vivienne laughed.  Her hand slipped into the crook of his elbow as she put on a reflective expression with a teasing tone.  "Hmm, Vivienne Roth.  Not bad, I suppose."

Red grinned.  "Not Harry Brandt?"

"Brandt-Roth.  Roth-Brandt?  We can work on it."

Red chuckled.  "Will we now?"  Tommy came running over, holding up his selections.

"I found Dora the Explorer for Abbie and something about a Dragon for me."

"Of course you did, my little one.  Alright, we're almost done.  Let's find you some shoes to grow into."  Tommy nodded as he put the movies in the cart and led the way to the shoe section next.  Red pushed the cart after him, lightly bumping against Vivienne until they fell into step.

"Red?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you considered taking Tommy to therapy?"