Chapter Text
It was beyond strange. A moment ago, he barely knew this boy. Now, here he is, trying to ... take the basketball hoop off the top of the garage.
"Gendry. Gendry, what do you think you're doing, lad?"
"This is mine!" he said almost possessively.
"I-I don't understand"
"Tommen gets a childhood, a dad, a family, and a basketball hoop? No. No, I should at least get the damn hoop! I'm taking it with me!"
"Alright, ju-just calm down"
"W-Why should I? You suck. You're lame! Yo-You're just some ... lame suburban dad!!"
He knew that much was certain. He was no longer the wild inconsiderate nineteen-year-old jack-ass. How and why Ned tolerated me I will never know.
"Why does that make you so mad?!"
"Because if you were going to be some lame suburban dad, why couldn't you have become mine?!!"
He already had tears fighting to stay in.
I haven't changed. Marriage didn't completely change me. I'm still the same jack-ass from before. Gods know I suck worse than the Seven Hells. I failed with Mya. Edric managed to finally hate my guts. Now him; the spitting image of his youthful self minus all the jackassery. I screwed more people than I known.
"Gendry ... I, I know that I've screwed up ..."
"Screwed up? Screwed up doesn't begin t- "
"I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW!!
I want to fix this and I don't know how!! Please, just tell me what I can do?! I'll do anything!!"
He just glares at him for a while. Then turning back to the hoop, still angrily trying to remove it, with his hands now. Quickly, he goes to his shed and got out his toolbox.
"You're never gonna get it out like that," he said as he handed his son a screwdriver. He quickly took it, only to slam it on the hoop instead.
"Gendry! Calm down, and put the pointy end into the grooves," he instructed as he calmed down some listened. He might be the first Baratheon to do so. "Good, now turn it. Righty-tighty, lefty loosey, you got it," he said, trying to encourage him.
He the slumped closer to his car. "I have no excuse Gendry. It took me years before I could look myself in the mirror the way I let you down. And others beyond count.
It took a great amount of courage to send me that letter. ... More courage than I ever had...
I owe you a lifetime of apologies and I just ... I have no idea where to begin"
His son then handed him the screwdriver quietly. " Can ... you help me with this?"
With relative ease, he got it out and he just picked it up as it nearly fell on the ground.
"... If you ... ever feel like you're ready ... I'd love nothing more than to be a part of your life," he said with the"I' most sincerity he could muster.
Gendry slumped his shoulders, reminding him so much of himself and Stannis in a way he never thought possible. He then looked him in the eye, before turning his face and slightly pouted his lip. A part of him hoped that he would say "Yes". But reality's a bitch, as Gendry took the board under his arm and said, "Bye".
"You sure you don't want to talk about it, Gendry?" Gilly asked him.
"I'm fine," he said, while then looking to the backyard of his friend's future home.
"Oy, Jon"
"Yea, mate?"
"You, uh, still want that basketball hoop?"
"Uh, actually, I was beginning to consider your stripper pole idea ..." he said trying to cheer me up, obviously.
"In all honesty, Gendry. It sounds pretty awesome," Sam said, also trying to cheer him up.
"No. You were right Jon," he said looking to the backyard again.
"A kid needs a hoop"