#that's a lie. I thought about Ted having 'allergies' and Karen finally being able to get a cat so she does it out of spite

[evil-ontheinside]

After Ted and Karen get divorced the Wheelers get a cat. He has a totally normal and respectable name at the beginning but after a week the kids start to call him Teddy in remembrance of their dad ("he's not dead, why are you like this?")

Mike starts to tell him what a great dad he is whenever Karen is around. He gets especially dramatic about it when she has a bad day. She's not sure if she should reprimand him or laugh.

She cracks when one morning she finds the normal cat bowl replaced with one that says 'best dad ever'. (Mike also gets her a cup with the same on it bc she's been parenting them alone the whole time, she deserves both titles)

Will is a little worried about Mike at first bc he still remembers how it was with his dad and Mike's been a little quiet ever since but then he sees him make a father's day present for the cat and decides he's gonna be alright

Dustin is always overly polite to 'Mr. Wheeler' whenever he's around and tells him how much he respects and appreciates him and all the work he does around the house

Ted doesn't know any of this but Mike slips up one time and calls the cat dad while he and Holly are over for the mandatory visits. Ted doesn't get it but Holly can't stop giggling for the rest of the time and Mike makes sure to make little 'mistakes' like that around Ted to see how much he can get away with. Ted never gets it but Holly is lying on the floor laughing as soon as they get home. Karen is suspicious but the two refuse to tell her what's so funny

Nancy doesn't seem too invested in the whole thing at first but then she replaces Ted's face in the family picture with Teddy's (it took her and Jonathan hours to take the perfect picture so it would fit but it was worth it). Karen didn't notice at first and then has to awkwardly explain the situation to Mrs. Sinclair when she comes over for coffee. Mike loses it every time he walks past the picture