by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: The Pretender
Characters: Sydney, Jarod
Words: 458
Tags: Friendship, Found Family, Post-Canon, Fluff
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Originally posted to Dreamwidth on September 4th, 2024. Written for the Comment-Fic challenge.
"You did that very well," Sydney commented. "Where did you learn to cast a line?"
Jarod, standing a few feet away with fishing rod in hand, smiled. "I looked up some books on fishing last week. And talked to a fishing instructor. I didn't have a chance to practice before today, though."
Of course he did. Sydney really wasn't surprised that Jarod had over-planned for what was supposed to be a casual activity. Not that he'd needed to, anyway. Through pure luck, the day was starting off wonderfully so far. They'd found a beautiful spot along the river that was secluded enough to be safe from prying eyes, but also close enough to an access road that they'd be able to escape quickly if needed. Beyond security, the day itself was pretty much perfect as well. The sun overhead was warming the rocks they were on, helping to offset the cool autumn air. Every tree around them was lit up in brilliant shades of red and gold.
"In that case, you'll probably do better than I will," Sydney commented. He selected his bait from the tackle box and sat down on a rock to begin preparing his line. "I haven't done any research on fishing techniques."
Jarod glanced at him sideways, biting his lip as he seemed to be debating an issue in his head. Sydney recognized the look all too well. He could tell when Jarod wanted to say something but couldn't decide if he should.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I could show you," Jarod said, gesturing at Sydney's fishing rod. "If you want."
Sydney smiled. "That would probably be best. Otherwise I am just as likely to get my hook caught in the trees as I am to get it into the water."
He joined Jarod by the edge of the water and listened intently as he was walked through the steps of setting and casting his line. There was a surreal feeling to having his former student be the one teaching him for a change. And yet, it was a nice feeling, too. In four short years, Jarod had grown from knowing nothing about the world or normal human life to navigating everything life threw at him with more patience and skill than anyone Sydney had ever met.
In light of all of that, Sydney was proud to have Jarod teaching him a new skill. To have the child he raised able to grow and become greater than anything he could have ever dreamed. That is, after all, every parent's goal.
"I'm glad we made time to do this," Jarod said, as they settled onto the rocks to wait.
Sydney reached over and rested a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I am, too."
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