#*sprays eloise with water* STOP IT

[totowlff]

extra — powódź zniszczyła ten dom

➝ after finding elisabeth in tears in the bathroom, toto sees no other way out than a serious conversation with his mother

➝ word count: 5,8k

➝ warnings: none

➝ author’s note: this is probably the toughest extra ally has ever written for this story. i hope it is less cruel to you than it was to me.

DECEMBER, 2015

Toto thought it was going to be a nice enough evening. His mom and sister agreed to come to dinner with Elisabeth and him — an opportunity to meet the other women that were most important to Toto, other than his daughter, but Elisabeth had already met Rosi anyway. He picked a restaurant in Vienna he thought sounded interesting. Lili ended up missing her flight from Paris — she, her husband Gerard and her daughter Eloise were there over the holidays with his family. 

Toto couldn’t help but think that Elisabeth looked amazing. She always did, in his mind, but she looked particularly good that night. She wore a navy blue dress, and, while Toto didn’t pay much attention to things like makeup or jewelry, he noticed that Elisabeth wore the ring that he got her for Christmas. Well, Rosi helped him pick it out for her, and Liesl seemed to absolutely love it. She wasn’t one to wear things that are too flashy, normally, but when Rosi pointed out that particular ring in the store, Toto knew that Elisabeth would love it. 

He thought everything was going fine, other than his mother asking what happened to Aurélie. Toto awkwardly explained that they had broken up over a year ago — he was sure he’d told his mother, but maybe not. They didn’t really have the closest relationship. They never had, but Toto tried his best.

He had to get up and use the restroom in the middle of dinner. After he got back to the table, the air at their table was thick with tension. Joanna’s expression was haughty and unpleasant, and Elisabeth’s eyes were locked on her plate of dumplings. They were in the middle of talking about what Elisabeth did for work. Toto thought that was why — there was no straightforward answer, and it was a tricky conversation at the best of times — most people outside of the world of finance didn’t really understand it, that she does some consulting and manages her father’s business interests. She’s very good at it, too, but Toto couldn’t help but notice that his mother seemed a bit surprised.

After saying good night to mom and thanking her for coming out with them, Toto and Elisabeth went back to his penthouse that she had essentially moved into, staying with Toto when they weren’t in Oxfordshire. She still had her apartment in Vienna as well, but it was mostly empty now, and she was preparing to possibly sell it.

Elisabeth said she wanted to get a shower before she and Toto headed to bed for the evening. Toto went about his usual nighttime routine, but was surprised when he heard something that sounded like a woman crying from the bathroom.

He had to check on her.

— Liesl?

Toto didn’t want to barge in on her. He called her name, softly rapping on the door. He could hear the shower water running, and when he said her name, Elisabeth started crying even harder. 

Toto opened the door to see her sitting under the spray of the shower, the water rolling down her back and neck. She was hugging her legs to her body, her forehead on her knees, sobbing her eyes out. 

Toto wasn’t sure what was wrong, but he didn’t ask just yet — he knew whatever it was, wasn’t going to be fixed with her sitting in the shower. Toto stepped into the stall and turned off the water. He knelt down next to her, speaking to her softly, gently trying to get her to untangle her limbs from the ball she was curled into.

— Elisabeth, please, talk to me. Please, baby.

She stopped crying for a second, but started again once she finally looked up into Toto’s face, seeing the worried sadness in his eyes. The look on her face broke Toto’s heart, too. He wasn’t sure if it was something he could fix, but he knew that he had to try.

Elisabeth let Toto take her out of the shower and dry her off, wrapping her up in some fresh towels so she’d stay warm while they talked. Toto knew she probably wouldn’t have it in her to change into some pajamas, but that was okay. He took her hands in his and walked her to the edge of the bed, sitting her down so that they could talk.

She explained everything. 

Toto pulled Elisabeth close to him and wrapped his arms around her, guiding her head to rest against his chest. Her hair left damp patches on the front of Toto’s dress shirt, but he didn’t mind. It didn’t matter, as long as it soothed her. If it would make her feel better, Toto would have held onto her like that forever.

Her Christmas dinner with her family was terrible, apparently. Mathias, after walking in on Elisabeth and Toto in a compromising position during a race weekend, was furious with her, and apparently hadn’t cooled down yet. Toto suspected more — she would have mentioned Christmas dinner earlier, right?

He dreaded asking if it was something his mother had said to Elisabeth. 

Toto’s relationship with his mother was complicated, but ultimately, he did love her. She was somewhat distant when he was a child, but she was very good at a lot of things, and incredibly smart. He’d gotten closer to her as an adult and developed an appreciation for the hardships and trauma she’d gone through in her own life. She left home at a young age to escape the rising tide of a brutal Communist regime in Poland, she came to a new country where she didn’t speak the language, she lost her husband twice — first to a divorce following Sven’s brain cancer diagnosis, and then to the illness itself. She was incredibly good at a lot of things, but being a mother wasn’t one of them. Toto still couldn’t pinpoint what it was — a lack of tenderness, perhaps? She was an excellent grandmother to Rosi and Ben, however. 

But if she said something she shouldn’t have to Elisabeth, it wouldn’t have surprised Toto. It wouldn’t have been the first time. 

Toto remembered the night he introduced his mother to Aurélie. 

One thing that many people didn’t realize about Toto was that he sought to minimize risk in his life. An odd trait for someone in investing and finance to have, sure, but maybe that was why he’d been successful so far. He sought to control as much of his life as he could, especially in the midst of the chaos of his job. He stayed in the same hotel in every different city — the same room, if possible, on trips to races. He ate the same meal for dinner — grilled chicken and vegetables — on race trips, preferring only to eat with Elisabeth or Niki, and to eat lunch by himself. He preferred to minimize chaos and keep things in as much order as possible. Emotions, just by their nature, were chaotic. It wasn’t that he didn’t like having emotions or desired to suppress his, but he felt like he needed to control his, to a degree.

He was passionate, no doubt, especially when it came to racing. He’d long struggled with depression, and had been regularly seeing a therapist for a few years now, but he wanted to be in control of his feelings when possible, and that included love. He desperately wanted to feel something for Aurélie, and thought that by introducing her to his mother and children, it would make her feel like part of his family. 

Toto’s mother loved her. His kids didn’t, but she and Joanna got along like a house on fire. Elisabeth and Aurélie were so different in many ways, though, so maybe Elisabeth was just not measuring up to Joanna’s standards by comparison. After all, Joanna had said that Aurélie “was a lovely woman” during dinner.

— Fuck. Forgive me, Liesl.

She said it wasn’t just that. Toto tried to recall everything they talked about over their meal, but there was one big gap, one big unknown.

— It was when I went to the bathroom, wasn’t it?

She nodded, and Toto’s heart sank. What could his mother have possibly said that Elisabeth didn’t want to say?

It took some begging, as Elisabeth didn’t want Toto to be mad at his mother, knowing how difficult of a relationship they’d had before, but Toto told her that if he did get angry at her, it would be Joanna’s own doing. 

— Toto, please…

— No — he said, cupping one of her cheeks with his hand — I beg you. Please tell me. I need to know.

She sighed heavily. Toto could feel the way her chest heaved as she tried to calm herself down, and described the questions that his mother asked when he had gotten up to go to the restroom. It sounded like Joanna had been quick to jump to a conclusion about Elisabeth — that she was just with Toto for his money, that she was a social climber, hoping to take advantage of him.

He looked down at the floor, trying to keep focused on his breath so he could keep his anger reined in.

— Did she say anything else? — Toto asked, quietly. 

— Well, one more thing.

— What?

— She said she would do anything to protect you from… Whores like me.

Toto inhaled sharply again. Elisabeth noticed him clenching his fists. He took his arm off of Elisabeth’s shoulders, putting his hands on his knees, leaning forward a bit. He remained quiet for a moment.

— My mother couldn’t have said that — he said. It was clear he was trying very hard to maintain his composure. 

— Please don’t be mad at her…

It tipped Toto over the edge.

— How could I not be mad at her? She had no right to treat you like that or to talk to you that way, Elisabeth.

He was furious, but there was a part of him that marveled at the way Elisabeth was begging him to not be angry. His mother had just called the woman he loved a whore and a gold-digger, and said that their relationship wouldn’t last. And that same woman was insisting that his mother did it because she was worried about her son, asking him to try not to be so angry with her. 

“Leave it to Elisabeth to see the good in everyone”, Toto thought.

If only he felt it in him to do the same.

Toto assured Elisabeth that he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, that he saw a future of being by her side as they traveled the world, thousands of possibilities. He said he even saw them having children — a little boy running around their yard in Oxfordshire, with Elisabeth’s eyes and his grandfather’s red hat.

She seemed to be reassured, at least for a bit. They both got up and finished getting ready for bed, but, by the time they’d laid down, Elisabeth had started sobbing again. Toto held her close, sitting up against the headboard, stroking her dark hair as she cried into his chest.

— I’m sorry… I thought I’d be okay, but I keep thinking — she swallowed, trying to continue. Her words came out in gasps — I keep thinking about the way your mom looked at me.

— I know, I’m sorry. She had no right to say those things. I thought she’d love you, because I do — Toto softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of Elisabeth’s head — Especially because, if anything, it couldn’t even be true. Of the two of us, you’re the one that came from a famous family. If anything, I’m using you for social climbing.

Elisabeth lifted her head to look up at him, her expression skeptical. 

— Toto…

He rubbed her back, kissing her again. 

— I know, baby. I’m just joking. But, it just shows you that my mother has no idea what she’s talking about.

They talked for a little while longer. Elisabeth cried some more, eventually falling asleep against Toto’s chest. He let her stay there, watching her as he rubbed her back, doing his best to give her some comfort and reassurance, even in her sleep. Toto didn’t sleep much that night, just dozing here and there. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Elisabeth, and couldn’t stop thinking about how poorly things had gone.

By the next morning, he had decided that his mother’s behavior couldn’t go unanswered. He hated that he had to get up, because Elisabeth looked relaxed and comfortable against his chest, but he needed to take care of this. He ran his hand through her brown locks, gently, until her eyes fluttered open.

— Good morning, my love — he said, quietly — I need to run an errand, but I’ll be back in a bit.

Elisabeth blinked her bleary eyes, trying to focus on his face. 

— Oh… Where are you going? — she said with a yawn.

— I will tell you later, but I’ll bring you back some breakfast. I’ll get some of those croissants you like from Parémi. We can even have them with apricot jam, if you want. They’ll be nice and warm. And I’ll bring you a coffee so you don’t have to make any. You just stay here and sleep as long as you’d like — he told her. He had slid out of bed, at this point, replaced by the pillow Elisabeth was now cuddling with. He brought the duvet up to her shoulders, tucking her in as she sighed happily. 

— That sounds good — she said drowsily — Don’t be gone too long.

He bent over to press a kiss to her cheek. 

— I won’t, I promise.

He got dressed, fixed his hair, and threw on his coat as he went to leave the apartment. As he was reaching out for the door handle, something caught his eye. It was a framed photo that Toto had put up on the wall just a few days ago.

It was a photo from the moment the team’s second World Constructors Championship was assured, when Elisabeth turned to him and pulled him into a tight hug, while he lifted her off of her feet. Their faces were joyous, both mid-yell. They were in the center of the frame, seemingly in their own little bubble, blurred figures of mechanics and engineers in the frame behind them, cheering.

The team’s social media manager, Paul, had shown the picture to Toto while preparing posts for the week after the team’s victory. Toto asked him to omit the photo from any of the team’s social media channels, but asked Paul to send him the RAW file directly from the camera. Paul didn’t ask questions, which Toto appreciated. He had it printed out at the highest resolution he could, and had it framed in a simple black frame. 

It was his favorite picture.

Elisabeth thought it was a bit embarrassing, because she’d forgotten, in the moment, that their relationship wasn’t public yet and she needed to exercise a bit more subtlety, but she admitted that she loved the picture, too. It was one of Toto’s favorite memories, now enshrined in an A4-sized frame on their living room wall.

It made his chest tighten a bit. He was happier than he’d ever remembered being in his lifetime, but there were so many people — his mother, Elisabeth’s brother — that were trying their damndest to snatch it away from them. He was resolved, then, to protect that. He wouldn’t ever let anyone steal Elisabeth’s happiness. Seeing her so upset the previous night was awful, and Toto never wanted to see her like that again. 

As he drove over to his mother’s apartment in Mariahilf, he tried his best to focus on remaining calm. It was tricky, because every time he thought about the things Joanna had said to Elisabeth, it made him feel so angry. 

He pulled up to his mother’s building and sighed as he put the shifter into park.

“Well”, he thought. “Here goes nothing”.

He knocked on the door to his mother’s apartment. Tentatively at first, then a bit more forcefully.

Joanna opened the door. She was visibly surprised to see him at first, but her expression softened into a smile. 

— Totouśka! What a nice surprise! — she said, reaching out her arms to give her son a hug and a customary kiss on the cheek in greeting.

Toto held up a hand to her chest, stopping her from getting any closer. He wasn’t there for formalities.

— Save it, mama. I’m not here for a social visit. We need to talk — Toto said, in Polish. His face was serious and stern. Joanna’s expression fell, and her brown eyes moved up and down the length of Toto’s stature, before she pulled the door open more, gesturing for him to come inside.

— Well, what did you need to talk about? It must be serious for you to come all the way to Mariahilf without calling first — Joanna said as Toto toed his shoes off at the door and hung his winter coat on a coat hook. He bristled at her tone. She was either being deliberately obtuse or sarcastic, and Toto wasn’t sure which option annoyed him more. She was speaking Polish now as well, and folded her arms over her chest as she eyed her son — We can sit in the living room. I can make some tea, if you’d like.

— I think you know exactly what we need to talk about — Toto said, as he crossed the apartment’s foyer, settling onto the edge of the cream-colored sofa in his mother’s living room — And don’t bother with the tea. As I said, I’m not here for a social visit.

Joanna raised her eyebrows, clearly a little taken aback, but gracefully rounded the sitting area, perching herself on a cream-colored armchair across from the couch. As she walked, the light fabric of the long top she was wearing floated behind her, giving her a bit of an imperious aura. She crossed her legs as she sat, folding her hands into her lap. She narrowed her brown eyes a bit.

— I’m sure you’re here about dinner last night — she said — Which means that your… Girlfriend, or whatever she is to you, probably told you what we talked about.

— Do you mean when you called her a whore and told her that our relationship wouldn’t last, and that you wouldn’t let her use me for my money? That was what you talked about, right? — Toto’s voice was even, flat. He knew it wouldn’t do any good to come into his mother’s house with metaphorical guns blazing, but he was exerting a great deal of effort to not start yelling anyway. 

Joanna pressed her mouth into a thin line, nodding. 

— Ah — she said — Well…

— Well, what? You don’t deny that you told her those things, do you? Why… How, even, could you say something like that to her? You had just met her. How could you say that to anyone, honestly? Not to mention… You inferring that she wanted to have a baby with me at the first opportunity?

Joanna threw her hands up in resignation. 

— What do you want me to say? Yes, I said those things, and I meant it. You introduce this new woman who cannot give a straightforward answer about what she does for work, and she’s wearing an enormous ring she said was a gift from you. What was I supposed to think was happening, Totouśka? I’ve seen the women you’ve dated before. I know you’ve hung around with pageant queens and models. I’ve seen what the magazines call you. And Aurélie was a model, but I liked her. She talked about how hard she’s worked to get to where she was, and seemed very smart, easy-going, down to earth. I was thinking, finally, you’re settling down with a nice girl with a good career…

— Mama, why is it any of your business who I date? I am a 43-year-old man, I don’t really need…

Joanna huffed.

— Well, I just remember what you went through when you and Stephanie divorced, I remember how difficult it was on Ben and Rosi. I just wanted to make sure you were making good choices about the women you date, because you have a bit of a tendency to be a little naive and rush headlong into these things. And when things go wrong, they affect you so deeply and…

Toto covered his face with his hands in frustration, and then brought a fist down onto the arm of the sofa, the dull thud cutting Joanna off.

— Stephanie is in the past. There were very specific reasons why our marriage didn’t work out, and they have nothing to do with my life now. Plus, we get along now, because it’s better for the kids. Aurélie is also in the past. I didn’t love her! I love Elisabeth, mama. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. That’s why I introduced you to her. You and Lili are important to me, and I’m trying my best to make up for the way things were between us when I was younger.

— Totouśka, you cannot possibly be in love with her — Joanna said, tossing her head back. She leveled a serious gaze at her son — I’m only saying this because I care about you and don’t want you to get hurt again. I will admit, I didn’t realize that she was Niki Lauda’s daughter. Hell, I didn’t realize that Niki Lauda even had a daughter until a few years ago, but she hardly has a personality. She’s very pretty, I grant you, but it felt like she barely said three words to me during the dinner.

Now, Toto was angry. He balled his hands into fists, pushing them into the top of his thighs. 

— Because you hardly let her say a single word before making up your mind about her and calling her a whore and a gold-digger! Sure, she’s shy in social situations, and she was a bit nervous before the dinner, because she was afraid that you wouldn’t like her, and you didn’t! And if you really did care about me, you would know that I’m serious about her, and you will apologize to her for the things you said. Honestly, I couldn’t believe that she told me what you said to her, but I know she wouldn’t lie to me.

Toto’s voice was getting louder, now. He’d all but abandoned his effort to keep himself calm, and now that he’d started yelling, it was becoming harder and harder to stop.

— She is the kindest, most intelligent woman I have ever met. She’s far more accomplished than I am, mama. She has two college degrees, including an MBA. I dropped out of college! Sure, she comes from a successful family, but her career, her highly successful career, mind you, so far has been entirely her own making. She hates telling people who her father is, because she knows that it changes people’s expectations of her. She’s not after my money or status because she doesn’t need either of them! She doesn’t even like it when I buy her things! I’ve tried! She buys all of her clothes, shoes, and jewelry herself! The only things I’ve bought for her was that ring for Christmas, and a dress for the Prize Giving Gala last year. Every idea you have about her is wrong!

Joanna looked a bit stunned. She grimaced and looked down at her hands, still folded into her lap. 

— I just… I thought you were rushing into a relationship with her as some sort of, I don’t know, rebound after you and Aurélie broke up.

Toto laughed in disbelief. 

— That’s something else you have wrong. It was the other way around. I started dating Aurélie because Elisabeth told me she didn’t have feelings for me. She said that because she was afraid. I introduced you to Aurélie to make the relationship feel more real, but I was never in love with her. She was a good, kind woman, but we were wasting each other’s time.

Toto’s voice got quieter again, and he settled back into the sofa, looking down at the intricate Oriental rug in the center of Joanna’s living room. 

— When I had my bike accident, Liesl came to visit me, right away, without hesitation. I told her how I felt about her. I was completely open and honest with her. I could have died that day, so I knew it was time to tell her that I liked her, and wanted to be with her, but she didn’t believe me. She thought I was only saying that because of the pain medication and the concussion, so she left. If you’re worried about me getting my heart broken, I will tell you that it broke then, when I saw her turn around and leave my hospital room. But I knew that I couldn’t pretend to ignore the way I felt about her any longer, and that I couldn’t continue trying to force myself to feel something about Aurélie. It wasn’t fair to either of us.

Toto tipped his head back to the ceiling, trying to prevent the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes from falling. He felt a little embarrassed, as a 43-year-old man, by the prospect of crying in front of his mother, but he couldn’t help it. His feelings for Elisabeth were so overwhelming that they were hard to contain at times.

— Well, if you’re so serious about her, serious enough to introduce her to me and your sister, why is your relationship not even public yet? — Joanna threw her hands up — You can’t be quite that serious if the fact that you’re dating is still some big secret.

Toto furrowed his brows, looking at his mother again. He sighed.

— Believe me, I would rather it not be, but it’s mostly because of Niki, and because of her position with Mercedes, managing his father’s interests in the team. She doesn’t want her father to be upset with her. Her brother was furious when he found out. If it were up to me, I’d never stop shouting about how much I love her to anybody that would listen. Even if they wouldn’t listen, I’d tell them anyway.

— So, what’s the problem? What is she afraid of? Is she just a coward?

Toto glared at his mother, who simply shrugged. 

— No, she’s not a coward. I��m her father’s business partner, after all. Elisabeth told me that I’m the first actual friend Niki has had in a long time, and she didn’t want our relationship to interfere with that, somehow, and isn’t sure what he would think. Plus, she’s very close to her parents — Toto sighed. 

It had taken him many, many hours of therapy and introspection to even begin to heal the wounds that his childhood left on him, but every once in a while, he couldn’t resist the urge to pick at the scabs. It gnawed at the back of his psyche, like an itch that never truly went away. 

— I know neither of us would understand what that’s like — he completed, his voice completely deadpan.

Joanna’s posture immediately went rigid, her face contorting into a sour expression.

— Listen, Totouśka. You know that I was doing my best to keep things together after your father got sick. I had to work to keep a roof over our heads. Do I wish I could have spent more time with you and your sister? Of course I do, but the reality was that I had to work long days at the hospital and come home and take care of the house all by myself. And before you even say it, I know, I let that thing with your school tuition lapse, and I’m sorry, you know I didn’t speak French! It took me long enough to learn German! But really, I did the best I could. You know that I love you and that I care about you, and that I always have — she was gripping the arms of the chair she was sitting in, her nails sinking into the fabric.

Toto rolled his eyes.

— If you care so much about me, then calling the woman I love a whore and a gold-digger behind my back is an odd way to show it.

— I’m just trying to protect you from having your heart broken again! Seeing what you went through with Stephanie, and what it put Rosi and Ben through… I just don’t want that to happen again. Now… I concede that maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge, but what else should I think about a woman on your arm with a ring like that, that I didn’t even know you were dating? Put yourself in my shoes — she shrugged again, and sighed in resignation — Look, I realize what I said was… Harsh, but I was afraid for you… And for Rosi and Ben.

— Well, you’ll be happy to know that Rosi and Ben absolutely adore Liesl, then. They didn’t really care for Aurélie. So, maybe if you don’t trust how I feel about her, maybe you’ll trust what your grandchildren think.

Joanna sighed, defeated. She sat back in her chair, and remained quiet for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Toto simply waited. It gave him a chance to try and calm back down again.

— Well, what should I do, then? Rather, what do you want me to do? — she asked. Her voice was small, shy. She did look like she felt genuinely bad. Toto also felt a little bad about using his children as his trump card in the argument, but, he figured, she did it first. 

— I think an apology is in order, at the very least. But, not right now. I think, if you tried to talk to Elisabeth about this… It’s just too soon. I don’t want this to upset her more than it already has. I think I’ve said everything that I have to say to you. At least, for now.

Toto stood up, with Joanna following suit. They both started walking towards the door, neither of them saying anything. Toto slipped his shoes back on and put on his coat. Before he turned to leave, he gave his mother a tentative peck on the cheek. It had absolutely none of the warmth that their usual greetings and goodbyes had, like it was just an obligation between mother and son.

— I’ll call you once the dust settles. We can figure it out then.

He stepped out the door without actually saying goodbye to her.

When Toto sat in the driver’s seat of his Mercedes, he sighed and sat there for a moment, trying to release all of the tension from his neck and shoulders. He started the car, and started driving back toward the Innere Stadt, to stop at the French bakery a few blocks away from his apartment that Elisabeth had come to adore.

He ordered her favorite coffee, a double cappuccino with hazelnut syrup and nutmeg, and a few of the croissants she adored, with some small containers of the amazing French butter and apricot marmalade they both liked. It was a short drive back to his penthouse from there. 

By the time he got back up to his apartment, everything was still quiet — it didn’t seem like Elisabeth was awake yet. That was fine. He set the bag of croissants and coffee on the kitchen island, and slowly walked toward the master bedroom.

She was indeed still asleep, snuggled into the duvet. Toto stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the way the low winter sunlight streaming in through the gap in the curtains fell across her face, illuminating her features, making it look like she was something divine, some sort of heavenly vision or dream. 

He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch her soft brown hair, running his hand delicately down the side of her cheek. She wasn’t a dream — she was real, soft and warm under his palm. She was real enough to make him feel whole.

Her blue eyes cracked open after a moment, and she smiled sleepily up at him.

— Good morning, my love — Toto said, softly — I’m back. And I got you breakfast and a coffee, just like I promised.

Elisabeth pulled her arm out from under the duvet, grabbing Toto’s hand that was stroking down her face, and moving it to press a kiss to his knuckles.

— I’m glad. What did you have to leave for?

Toto took a moment to consider whether or not to tell her the truth. He didn’t like the idea of lying to her, even by omission, but he knew if it were him, his emotions would still be too raw, not even twelve hours after-the-fact. Even after Joanna insulted Elisabeth, she begged Toto not to be mad at his mother, insisting that she just was concerned for him. She probably wouldn’t like hearing that Toto had gone to yell at his mother on her behalf. 

He would tell her eventually. Just not right now.

— I just went to have a chat with an old friend — he said, quickly, hoping she wouldn’t ask him to elaborate — Now, if you want to stay in bed for a bit longer, I can bring you your breakfast in here, or we can eat in the kitchen. Either way, the croissants are still warm, so you don’t want to wait too long to decide.

Elisabeth opted to rouse herself, following Toto into the kitchen, sipping her cappuccino as Toto spread butter and jam on the pastries. 

They ate their breakfast in almost silence — they usually did, as both of them enjoyed a moment of quiet before starting the typical chaos of their work days. Toto couldn’t help but stare at Elisabeth. Her face was innocent of makeup, her hair was mussed with sleep, her eyes were still not really open all the way, but she was eating her croissant with a small smile on her face.

Toto looked at her, transfixed, until she noticed.

— What’s wrong? — she asked, after swallowing a bite of pastry.

— Nothing’s wrong. I just noticed that you’re smiling again, and… It makes me happy when you’re happy.

— Well, it’s easy to smile when I’m eating my favorite breakfast that the man I love brought me — she said, picking up her cappuccino. She took a sip and set the cup back down on the table, and reached her hand out across the table, lacing her fingers into Toto’s hand that was laying on the tabletop — Thank you, by the way. You didn’t have to go to the bakery just for me, but… I’m glad you did.

— Please — Toto said — It was nothing. I would fly all the way to France for croissants if you asked me to, if it would make you happy.

He wasn’t exaggerating a bit. 

[titanlights-moved]

“ you know , you’re really cute. “ // emrys @ eloise

Eloise immediately melts. She giggles like a schoolgirl and sways. "I am, aren't I? You're cute too, by the way." The pair's out in public, all the more reason for Eloise to be a shameless flirt. "You look very handsome in that shirt, but i'm sure you're handsome underneath it too."

[wastelandcth]

days in the park - cth

summary: calum finds out just how much him and his daughter have in common. 

author’s notes: thanks to @mxgyver​ for sending me this idea that had me screaming over how cute calum and eloise are!

masterlist || request || more doves

Calum remembered waking up before the sun and rushing out the door with his dad to practice. He remembered how the smell of wet grass filled his nostrils as he ran drills with his dad before anyone else showed up to practice. He remembered the adrenaline rush he'd get when he'd scored a goal or when he managed to block a player from taking the ball. He cherished the memories of playing football in his youth, how his passion for the sport took him to a country so magical and far away from home and he wanted his son to experience the joy of football much like Calum had when he was younger. 

Charlie had loved to watch football on the tv with his dad. It was their usual boys day out activity, where Calum would let Charlie eat an obscene amount of french fries while the game played on the big screen of whatever sports restaurant was playing the best game that week. It wasn't long until Calum and Dovey found themselves shopping for tiny cleats and ordering small jersey's with Hood printed on the back. Calum couldn't help the swell of pride in his heart as he took his son to his first ever football practice, almost as if he was watching a flashback happen before his eyes. 

The first time Dovey and Eloise had joined Calum and Charlie to the park during the football season was during Charlie's first practice. Calum, being the supportive parent he'd always been, had made jerseys for all of them sporting the Hood last name and had made sure to get the best seats in the park to watch as Charlie ran drills with his team. Dovey had tried to watch most of the practice, Eloise having taken up most of her attention as she waddled around the grass, trying to catch butterflies and humming along to whatever song had been stuck in her head that day. 

As the season came and went and Charlie had told his parents that he didn't really want to be signed up for another year, Calum couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. Of course he was still proud  of his son, who shot the winning goal at the end of the season game, but he had also expected him to keep playing like he'd done throughout his childhood. One thing Calum couldn't help but notice was that Eloise, who was usually too busy chasing her mom around the playground, had insisted on sitting on the grass and watching the game. At first, Calum and Dovey had thought that the five year old had gotten hurt because there was no way their daughter had ever been so quiet and still while at the park. But the more that Calum watched her during the game, the more he realized exactly what was happening. 

"Papa?" Eloise mumbled as Calum fixed the strap on her car seat, her eyes wide with excitement, "I want to learn about football too!" 

Calum had never felt more excited than he did on that car ride home. Eloise had asked him and Charlie all the questions her little mind could conjure up about the rules and how fun it was to play football. With every question answered, Eloise's eyes grew wider and more questions seemed to fall from her mouth, Calum making sure he answered every single one for his little girl.  It wasn't long before she was practically begging Dovey and Calum to let her play football like her big brother. 

A few weeks later, when Calum had promised Eloise to have a daddy daughter date, the two of them found themselves at the same sports store that he'd brought Charlie too not that long ago. Calum chuckled as he saw Eloise's eyes grow wide when they walked into the store filled with every single sport equipment imaginable. He had a mental list of things to get before they headed off to the park, most of them would be up to Eloise to choose, but he had also promised Dovey to send her as many pictures as possible of the two of them all dressed up. 

"Alright, Elly. We need to pick out some cleats, which one do you think are the ones?" Calum asked as he strolled through the aisle of kid's shoes, a very excited Eloise tugging him along. 

"Those! Those like Charlie's!" Eloise nodded and pointed over at the bright yellow and green cleats that he remembered trying to convince Charlie to put down a few months back. 

"Yeah? You sure?" Calum asked softly, a disgusted look on his face, "Lime green and yellow too?"

"They're perfect, papa!" 

After picking up everything they needed, which had consisted of maybe way too many tiny footballs (but how could Calum say no to Eloise?), the two were off to the park to make the most of their new shared interests. Calum hadn't expected his daughter, who was a force to be reckoned with, to take to the game so easily. After running a few basic drills with the excited kiddo, Calum found himself chasing after her in an attempt to steal the ball back. It wasn't until she scored a goal against him that he realized maybe football was Eloise's sport. 

The car ride home was quiet, a very tired and sweaty Eloise snoring away as the city passed by the windows. Calum had been on the phone with his dad, telling him all about his little girl and how he was excited to sign her up for a league once she was old enough. He'd rambled off about all the things he'd taught Eloise and how quickly she'd picked up on the tips and tricks. 

"Sounds familiar to me, don't you think?" his dad had chuckled at one point, "I remember taking you to the park during the weekends and spending hours running drills with you." 

"I think she's even better than I was back in those days." Calum chuckled, a smile on his face as he remembered his dad cheering whenever he'd score a goal against him. "And it's only her first day."

Back at home, where Charlie and Dovey had been busy giving Duke a bath in the backyard, Calum watched as a very sleepy but very excited Eloise rushed through the house to tell her brother all about her day playing football with her dad. As Eloise told Charlie all about how she could score goals against Calum and how she got matching cleats, Calum couldn't help but chuckle as Charlie's face scrunched up. 

"Now you really are smelly Elly." Charlie nodded as he glanced at the hose in Dovey's hand with a mischievous look. 

Before Calum or Dovey could even stop the chaos that was about to ensue, Charlie had taken the hoes from Dovey and proceeded to spray Eloise, who in turn decided to splash him with the soapy water that Duke had been calmly sitting in. Calum glanced at Dovey who just shrugged, a smirk on her face as she grabbed the bottle of dish soap and squeezed it in Calum's direction. It wasn't long before the entire family was covered with blue dish soap and drenched in water, all four of them playing a game of football while Duke sat off to the side enjoying the sunspot he'd found to watch the chaos that was his family. 

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