#ellis you’re so precious 🥹

[bradshawsbaby]

#1 but instead of it being a couple it’s nat and ellie when she’s basically a baby and mrs bradshaw with lydia, and they make flower crowns for their girls together..maybe lydia is trying to braid her mom and nat’s hair and/or playing with baby ellie

jake and bradley watch their girls without them knowing 🥹 (they’re probably almost in tears too because it’s so pure and wholesome)

This request was so unbelievably precious! 🥹 I hope you enjoy!

It wasn’t often that Bradley, Phoenix, and Jake all had a day off at the same time—and even less often that it happened to fall on a Saturday. By some miracle, when it did finally happen, the weather just so happened to be absolutely gorgeous, perfect for a day of outdoor family activities.

To make the most of this rare occasion, you all planned a joint family outing, Bradshaws and Seresins, to the San Diego Zoo, followed by a picnic in Balboa Park.

Goose had been most excited for the jaguars.

JJ wanted to see the elephants.

Lydia couldn’t stop gushing about the koala bears.

Ben and Liam nearly got lost near the baboons.

James was thrilled by the lions.

And Ellie was in awe of the giraffes.

By the time your group had finally gotten settled in a nice, shady spot in the park, you, Bradley, Phoenix, and Jake were exhausted. But it seemed like the boys were just starting to get a second wind—Ben and Liam were running around in circles, seeing who could get dizzy faster, while Goose and JJ were racing each other between two trees, four-year-old James pumping his tiny legs to try to keep up with them.

“How do they even manage it? I don’t think I’ve ever had so much energy in my life,” you confessed from your spot on the picnic blanket, where you were currently reapplying sunblock to Lydia’s shoulders.

“I’m exhausted just looking at them,” Phoenix nodded in agreement, holding out a piece of strawberry for two-year-old Ellie to munch on. Turning her head, she glanced over at her husband, who was lounging on the grass with one arm flung over his eyes. “Hey, Bagman,” she said, nudging him with her foot.

“Hm?” he asked, lifting his head with effort.

“Why don’t you and Rooster go put the boys through their paces so that they’ll all pass out and stop running around like maniacs,” she suggested, smirking over at you when you laughed behind your hand.

“But Minx!” Jake whined, already tired from chasing after the twins all day.

“Come on, Hangman,” Bradley laughed, winking at you as he rose from the spot where he’d been resting and smacked his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s give the ladies a little girls’ time. Unless you’re feeling too out of shape for a quick round of dogfight football.”

“Hell no,” Jake declared immediately, hopping up from the ground in record time. “But you’re getting the twins on your team this time,” he smirked, cupping his hands around his mouth as he began calling for Goose, JJ, Ben, Liam, and James to fall in.

Phoenix rolled her eyes, laughing. “Typical. Still as competitive as ever, those two.”

“Always,” you grinned in response, popping a couple raspberries into your mouth.

“Mommy! Flower!” Ellie cried out, pointing towards a small cluster of wildflowers growing nearby, a riotous array of pinks and purples and yellows.

“Oh, look how pretty!” Phoenix cooed. “Do you want to pick some?”

“Pick!” Ellie exclaimed eagerly, nodding her head.

“Come on, Ellie, I’ll pick flowers with you!” Lydia said, taking the little girl’s hand in hers as she walked them over to the wildflowers. At seven, Lydia loved getting to look out for Ellie—she was like the little sister she never had.

You and Phoenix smiled as you watched your daughters pick flowers together, Lydia gently trying to show Ellie how to hold them without crushing them. It was a peaceful scene, punctuated every now and then by the rambunctious shouts of your boys when one of them made a particularly impressive play.

A few minutes later, the girls returned with a large number of pretty blossoms in hand.

“For Mommy!” Ellie declared, dropping a handful of flowers onto Phoenix’s lap.

“Oh, thank you!” Phoenix replied, picking up a light purple flower and sniffing it delicately.

“Aren’t they pretty, Mommy?” Lydia asked, holding out a fistful of pink petals in your direction.

“Beautiful!” you nodded enthusiastically, beaming up at her. “Why don’t you show Ellie how to make flower crowns, the way Amelia was showing you?” you suggested.

“Oh, yeah! Good idea!” Lydia smiled, sitting down beside Ellie on the blanket. “Want to learn to make flower crowns so you can be a princess, Ellie?”

Ellie’s eyes widened at the word “princess” and she nodded exuberantly.

It was slow going, and a lot of assistance from both you and Phoenix was required, but soon enough, you had four beautiful flower crowns lying in front of you, the sweet smell of spring and sunshine wafting through the air.

“Aunt Phoenix, can I braid Ellie’s hair?” Lydia asked, looking up at her with hopeful eyes. “Mommy is teaching me how!”

“Of course,” Phoenix nodded with an indulgent smile. She loved all your children, but she had a particularly soft spot for Lydia.

“Thank you!” Lydia beamed, practically glowing. “Mommy, you should braid Aunt Phoenix’s hair!”

And that was how the Bradshaw ladies ended up braiding the Seresin women’s hair, Ellies’s braid short and sweet, and Phoenix’s a bit more elaborate because you ended up having fun with it. You were just crowning one another with your flower circlets when the boys came traipsing back over, sweaty and red-faced and out of breath.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Jake grinned, lifting Ellie into his arms and tapping her nose affectionately.

“Daddy! I a princess!” Ellie cried happily, squeezing his face between her hands.

“Oh, a princess, huh?” he asked, tickling her belly until she erupted into a fit of giggles.

“Well she’s a princess,” Phoenix smirked. “I’m a queen.”

“Well I knew that already,” Jake winked, lowering down beside his wife so that he could plant a kiss on her lips. The six-year-old twins pretended to gag in response.

“Do you like our crowns, Daddy?” Lydia asked, running up to Bradley and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“They’re beautiful, angel,” Bradley nodded, ducking down to press a kiss to the top of your daughter’s head. Taking her hand, he sat down beside you on the picnic blanket and kissed you softly. “Very beautiful, Your Highness,” he whispered teasingly.

“So who won dogfight football?” Phoenix asked, watching with an arched brow as the boys began digging through the picnic basket.

“We did!” all of them declared, leading to a heated debate about which team had actually taken the victory.

In the end, as busy and hectic a day as it had been, none of you would have changed a thing about it. The kids all fell asleep on the ride home, giving the adults a bit of respite and time to unwind.

Lots of fun today! Can’t wait to do it again soon, you texted Phoenix during the drive back.

Not too soon 🤪😂

When the Seresins arrived back at their house and began unloading the car, Phoenix carrying a sleeping Ellie into the house, Jake glanced down at the floor in the backseat and spotted a small circlet of flowers.

“Can’t forget this,” he said, holding it out gingerly to Phoenix when he stepped inside. “Every princess needs her crown.”

Spring OTP Prompts 🌼

[celestie0]

Ellie, I mean it when I say that if you hurt my precious little Kickoff Satoru Gojo and Kickoff Reader, I will cry 😿 you’ll be making a grown woman cry 😿

I’m joking btw you do whatever you want and I will manage because I BELIVE IN TRUE LOVE AND TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL 🥺🩷

Also I’m so weirdly emotional about kickoff ending??? Like obviously I know their story has to end but I don’t want it to ?? It’s like seeing my friends (how pathetic that I’m calling fanfiction characters ‘friends’) graduate 🥹 like it’s so bittersweet ??? Anyways 😔🫶🏽

AHHH bb i fear it will be quite a bit angstyy shdkdkdj BUT I PROMISE there will be a very happy ending :”) like a sickeningly sweet happy ending ive actually already written a lot of it n it makes me sob AAA so dwww

YES TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL IS DEFINITELY THE THEME OF THIRD ACT IN KICKOFF

awiee im so touched to know you feel sad ab it ending bc i feel so sad ab it ending too 😭💕 but im the author so that would make sense LOL it’s just im glad to know im not alone hahah you’re too sweet my love :”)

AND NO THATS NOT PATHETIC AT ALL i swear there are fictional characters i’m literally so delusional that i think they genuinely exist out there somewhere bc they mean that much to me slksdjaksjdh i’ve def felt a lot for fanfiction characters i’ve read too hahah <33

im so glad to know you’re looking forward to seeing them graduate, i think that scene will be the sweetest to write bc i look back at my own graduation very fondly, and it’ll be a nice way to remember it 😭💕 anywho im yappin but LOVE YAAA <33

[finelinevogue]

Omg Ellie I was just like I need more fiancé!harry content and then you post the birthday blurb🥹 you’re way too precious 🫶🏽🫶🏽

thank you so much for reading and enjoying!!! fiance harry is my fave!! x

[sugarcoated-lame]

This was so unbelievably soft and sweet and so freaking cute and I am feeling SO MANY EMOTIONS 😭😭

Joel being a grumpy, overprotective girl dad, while also just being the softest dad is literally my favorite thing ever. Like, sneaking crayons because he knew it would make his baby girl happy 🥹 and this:

It is hard. Because even though she isn’t his, she’s his and he’s afraid to lose her somehow.

The amount of care Joel has for both of his daughters is just so abundantly clear in the way he worries for them and wants nothing more than to protect them and it’s everything to me

Having a child had changed your body and while you two seldom had time to yourselves to do anything of this nature, when you did find time, he never failed to make you feel like you were still just as beautiful to him, if not a thousand times more.

And also his love for the reader too, this bit was so sweet and made my heart melt 🥹

“‘Cause. As long as daddy’s around, he will always protect you,” he promises her. “He’ll never, ever let anythin’ bad happen to you, Rosie. I swear it.” Joel kisses the top of her head, his gaze meeting yours. He murmurs his oath quietly, “On my life.”

“And Ellie,” he nods, firmly. “M’always gonna keep my girls safe. S’long as I’m around, you’re all safe.”

Vee, my HEART !!!!

“I—uh, I have an angel in the clouds who looks out for me. She watches over me, keeps me safe and sound.”

“Her name was—her name is Sarah.”

The way I literally started sobbing after this… aghhhhwjgjejgh

This was such an emotional, but also very comforting read, it’s beautiful and I just love their little family so much 🥹 and can I just say Rosemary is the absolute cutest !! she’s so precious and I just want to protect her at all costs. Ok I’m gonna go cry some more, but I loved this! 🧡

safe and sound

Post Outbreak! Joel Miller x Female Reader

summary: Your daughter has a nightmare—her daddy makes it all better.

warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. set in Jackson. slight canon age deviations (Joel is 56, Ellie is 17) READER’S AGE IS NOT SPECIFIED. she’s a child bearing adult woman so do with that information what you will. established relationship, reader and Joel have a toddler (her age is not specified in fic but she’s 3 ish years old), reader has NO PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION and neither does their child except she has Joel’s eyes and his dark curls, no mentions of her skintone. Joel and Ellie are fine bc he deserves it, Joel’s an overprotective girl dad, reader is the chill parent. implications of a toddler being told about clickers, bad dreams, almost smut, Joel and reader get cockblocked, SOFT Joel who comforts his babygirl, mention of Sarah towards the end. very minimal editing.

word count: 2.3k

a/n: listen, i love me some daddy joel but tonight i needed a bit of actual daddy joel. this was whipped up last minute bc i haven’t had the best weekend and needed some comfort. also i didn’t have the mental capacity or energy to come up with a moodboard, so gif it is.

Joel looks down at the old, worn book in his hand.

Winnie the Pooh.

He never would have imagined it. This.

Reading a bedtime story to a toddler. His toddler.

He’s in his fifties—he shouldn’t have a toddler.

He shouldn’t have a teenager, either.

Yet, he has both.

The toddler has his blood, the teenager doesn’t.

But that doesn’t matter to him.

Joel still considers her to be his own kid.

Only, she’s not a kid anymore, not really.

She’s seventeen now. She doesn’t need him much anymore, not the way that his toddler needs him.

“Ellie’s not coming home tonight,” you’d said from where you stood at the stove, stirring in chunks of potato and chopped carrots into the pot of stew in front of you. “There’s a birthday party down at the bar. She’s going with Dina and Jesse.” You can feel the look of disapproval on his face and add, “I said she could go, Joel. She asked me permission.”

“She didn’t ask me,” he’d gruffed. He looked down at the little girl sitting in his lap, scribbling away on an old state map. He had given it to her along with the pack of crayons he’d found during patrol when his group stumbled across a schoolhouse. Though crumbling on the outside, the inside had remained untouched throughout the last two decades—little coats hanging over the back of little chairs, papers scattered all over little desks, little lunch boxes still stored in their cubbies at the back of the room. He instructed the group to search for anything useful, anything that Jackson’s teachers could use for the children in their classrooms. Joel knew that taking without trading was against the rules, but that did nothing to stop him from secretly slipping the box of crayons into his jacket pocket when no one had been looking.

His daughter’s squeals of delight when he’d gifted them to her had been well worth the theft.

“Because she knew you’d say no to her.”

“I would have. Kid’s got no business going to a bar at her age. She’s fuckin’ seventeen years ol—”

The little girl had gasped and stopped coloring.

“Daddy said a bad word.”

You’d turned around and glared at him. “He did.”

She looked up at him with her wide, brown eyes.

Those she’d gotten from him. His dark curls too.

Everything else?

Her smile, her nose, her softness?

That was all you.

“M��sorry, babygirl,” he apologized, sheepishly.

“S’okay, daddy.”

And back to coloring she went.

“Joel, let’s face it. Ellie’s growing up. She’s turning eighteen in a few months and truth is, she has one foot out the door.” Crossing your arms, you leaned back against the counter. “She was telling me how she wants to turn the garage into her own space.”

“There a reason she ain’t talkin’ to me ‘bout this?”

You’d smiled wistfully at him.

“Because she knows this is hard for you, Joel.”

It is hard. Because even though she isn’t his, she’s his and he’s afraid to lose her somehow.

Joel manages to snap himself out of his thoughts.

Rosemary’s now fast asleep, her well loved stuffed bunny rabbit wrapped in her arms. She’s a handful for him during bedtime—she has too much energy and most nights, you have to step in and help him. But tonight, after her bath, he had warmed a glass of milk for her to drink and it seemed to have done the trick because within minutes of him reading to her, her eyes fluttered closed.

Joel sets the book down and leans over to brush a kiss onto her cheek, quietly whispering goodnight. “Sweet dreams, babygirl.”

He switches off the lamp on the bedside table and steps out of his child’s bedroom, being careful not to wake her as he closes the door behind him.

“I still can’t believe she fell asleep within minutes,” you say, staring at him in utter disbelief. “How?”

“Gave her a glass of warm milk before I tucked her into bed,” Joel explains, tugging on a pair of faded black sweatpants. He peels off his shirt and tosses it onto the floor before climbing into bed. “Worked like a fuckin’ charm. She’s out like a damn light.”

You set your book down and raise an eyebrow.

“Joel, I brushed her teeth before her bath.”

“I brushed them again after she drank it, darlin’.”

He outstretches his arm, beckoning for you.

Grinning, you scoot closer to him, draping an arm over his bare chest. “It’s only nine,” you tell him. “I have no idea what we’re going to do with all of this free time we have. Rosemary’s asleep, Ellie’s gone for the night.” You slowly drag your hand down his chest and over his stomach, a finger skimming the waistband of his sweatpants. You hear the way his breath catches in his throat and tease, “I guess we can actually get some good sleep for once, huh?”

Groaning, Joel rolls over and pins you down to the bed as he positions himself on top of you, his eyes glazed over with lust. “We can sleep,” he murmurs as his mouth hovers over yours. He reaches for the buttons of his flannel you’re wearing and begins to single-handedly pop them open only to find you’re not wearing anything underneath. He groans once more. “Or I can make you feel good. S’your choice, baby.”

You gasp as he nips at your chin and starts trailing his lips lower, peppering kisses down the length of your body. Heat blossoms in your lower belly as he settles himself between your thighs. Hooking both arms around them, he nibbles at the soft spot that is right below your navel, the spot you hate, but he adores. Having a child had changed your body and while you two seldom had time to yourselves to do anything of this nature, when you did find time, he never failed to make you feel like you were still just as beautiful to him, if not a thousand times more.

“Fuck,” you whimper. “Please, Joel.”

“Please what, sweetheart? What do you want?”

His voice is low, husky.

Your hands reach down and tangle in his curls.

“Your mouth, Joel. Please. I need your—”

The sound of a teeny knock at the door makes you both freeze on the spot.

“You heard that, right?” you ask him breathlessly.

There’s a second teeny knock.

It’s then followed by an even teenier voice.

“Mommy? Daddy?”

“Fuck,” Joel hisses, scrambling off the bed. “What the hell is she doin’ out of bed?” Picking his t-shirt up from the floor, he quickly throws it on, ignoring that he’d put it on inside out. Watching you as you fumble to button his flannel, he calls, “Just give us one second babygirl, alright? We’ll be right there.”

“I’m decent,” you tell him, getting the last button.

Nodding, Joel opens the bedroom door. His knees protest when he squats down, lowering himself so that he can meet Rosemary’s tearful gaze.

“S’matter, Rosie Posie?” he asks her in a soft voice that he reserves for his girls. “What happened?”

She sniffles. “I—I had a bad dream, daddy.”

You sit on the side of bed and wait patiently.

Joel has it handled. He always has it handled.

He never stopped knowing how to be a father.

“You had a bad dream?” he repeats, frowning.

Rosemary nods, clutching her rabbit to her chest.

A single tear slips down the side of her little face.

Joel reaches out, gingerly wiping it with his finger.

“M’sorry it scared you, babygirl. Tell you what, just for tonight, how about you sleep with me and your mama in our bed? That sound good?” With a small labored grunt, he scoops her into his arms. She is getting heavier and you often tell him it’s not good for his back—he can’t care less. He’ll keep picking her up until the moment his little girl decides she’s a big girl and doesn’t want him to pick her up. Joel carries her over to the bed and sits her on your lap and reminds her, “But this is just for tonight, Rosie Posie. Tomorrow night you’re back in your own big girl bed, alright?”

“Okay,” she nods again and leans against you, tiny shoulders slumping.

“Rosie? What was your dream about?” you ask her gently, wrapping your arms around her. She hardly ever has nightmares—she’s too young to know the world outside the commune’s walls, smart but still too little to understand why she cannot go outside the gates. “What did you dream about, honey?”

She hesitates, then answers, “Monsters.”

“Monsters?” Perplexed, you glance at Joel.

He seems to be just as confused as you are.

“Who did you hear that word from, babygirl?”

“Robbie.”

Your neighbor’s unruly, troublemaker son.

Joel’s jaw clenches slightly. “Thought I told you he ain’t allowed to be around her. The kid is nine, ain’t got no business bein’ around Rosemary. Little brat ain’t nothin’ but a bad influence. He’s always up to no good.” He shakes his head at you. “Said I didn’t want that boy anywhere near our daughter.”

“The kids were out playing in the snow today,” you remember. “He must have been there too. It’s kind of hard to tell who is who when they’re all bundled up and flinging snowballs at each other, Joel.” You shoot him an apologetic look. “Rosie was having a blast playing with everybody—I’m sorry. I suppose I should’ve paid more attention to who was around her.”

He bites back a sigh. He knows it’s not your fault.

Rosie’s too good of a girl, too pure and innocent to know that not everybody is her friend.

“Rosie, what did Robbie say to you?”

Again, the child hesitates.

“He said—he said monsters live outside. They bite people and turn them into monsters too. He said it happened to his daddy.” Rosemary’s eyes flit from you to Joel. “He said it would happen to you, too.”

Your eyes widen in shock. “He said that to you?”

Hands curling into fists, Joel reminds himself now isn’t the time to let his anger take over. “S’not true at all, babygirl.” He reaches over and slides her out of your lap and onto his. Like you, he wants to lie—tell her those monsters she was told about are not real, that they don’t exist. But they do exist and as much as he wishes he could keep her from finding out about all that lies beyond Jackson’s walls, Joel knows that one day, she will. “Listen to me. M’real sorry to hear ‘bout Robbie’s daddy, baby. But I can promise you, that ain’t gonna happen to me.”

She points a chubby finger at you.

“What about mommy?”

“Ain’t gonna happen to her either.”

Rosemary drops her hand, fear clear in her tone as she asks the both of you, “What about me?”

“Of course not,” you say, smoothing back her dark curls. “You’re safe here, honey. As safe as can be.”

Joel nods. “Your mama’s right, darlin’. You’re safe,” he reassured her. “You’re safe and sound.”

“I am?”

He gives her body a warm, gentle squeeze. “Mhm. Always will be. Y’know how I know that, babygirl?”

“How?”

“‘Cause. As long as daddy’s around, he will always protect you,” he promises her. “He’ll never, ever let anythin’ bad happen to you, Rosie. I swear it.” Joel kisses the top of her head, his gaze meeting yours. He murmurs his oath quietly, “On my life.”

Flashing him a small, grateful smile, you reach out and touch his forearm and he places his hand over your own.

“And mommy too?” Rosemary questions him.

“And mommy too.”

“And Ellie?”

“And Ellie,” he nods, firmly. “M’always gonna keep my girls safe. S’long as I’m around, you’re all safe.”

Rosie tiredly snuggles into his chest, yawning.

“What about you, daddy?”

“Huh?”

You squeeze his arm. “Think she’s asking you who is supposed to keep you safe, Joel.”

The little girl nods sleepily. “Yeah. Who?”

“Well.” Joel’s throat bobs nervously. He knows the moment he says what he’s about to say, there’s no going back. Not that he never planned to tell Rosie about her sister, but he’d always imagined doing it when she was older and understood death. “I—uh, I have an angel in the clouds who looks out for me. She watches over me, keeps me safe and sound.”

Rosemary’s curiosity is all that is keeping her from completely passing out in his arms.

“Really? You have an angel?”

Your heart squeezes tightly in your chest. “Joel—”

He lightly shakes his head.

“S’fine sweetheart. I don’t mind tellin’ her.”

Rosie’s fighting to stay awake just a little longer.

“Daddy? What’s your angel’s name?”

Joel answers in the steadiest voice he can muster.

“Her name was—her name is Sarah.”

“Sarah,” she mumbles, her eyes closing. “S’pretty. Your angel has a really pretty name.”

“The prettiest name,” you agree, softly.

Rosie yawns again. “Daddy?”

“What is it, babygirl?”

“Will you tell me stories about Sarah? Please?”

Joel chuckles, rubbing her back. “I sure will. I have plenty of them to tell, Rosie Posie. But not tonight. I’ll save them for tomorrow ni—”

You cut him off “Joel?”

“Yeah?”

“She’s out cold.”

He glances down and sure enough, she’s asleep.

Moments later, the three of you are in bed. Rosie’s in the middle, curled up against Joel’s chest—your chest is pressed against her back but you’re being careful not to sandwich her in too tight in between your bodies.

In a beam of silvery moonlight shining through the bedroom window, you meet Joel’s gaze.

“Thank you,” you whisper.

He chuckles. “For what? Doin’ my job and soothin’ our daughter after a bad dream?”

You smile at him.

“For being so good to her. To me and Ellie.” Lifting a hand, you reach over and cup the side of his face in your palm. “You’re so good to all three of us and I can’t even imagine what we’d do without you.”

Joel turns his face, brushing a kiss into your hand.

“I mean it,” he says, quietly. “S’long as I’m around, you girls will always be safe and sound.”

credit divider @saradika-graphics

[bradshawsbaby]

okay so i thought of the cutest little head cannon so idk if schools do this were ur from but in the south (aka mostly the part of texas i’m from) we do these dance or cheer clinics where older girls in highschool freshman all the way up to seniors for a day teach younger elementary and middle school kids a cheer or dance routine for whatever they signed up for and they perform it for there parents at the end and it’s the cutest little thing ever they get a cute little outfit and they dress up so i thought maybe lydia in high school as on drill team or cheer whatever phoenix signs ellie up to do it as something fun to do so if i’m right which i hope so they have a five year age difference right ?so lydia gets paired up with ellie which also i feel like if ellie didn’t get paired up with lydia lydia would just come over and swap name cards with whatever kid she was supposed to have and swap it for Ellie but anyway and they would have so much fun together and they just have the best time and at the end phoniex and hangman come to watch there not so little baby do a fun whatever cheer or dance routine and cheer her on in the crowd and Jake filming her and phoniex getting on him cause he isn’t supposed to but he’s all like that’s my little girl down there I don’t care (in my mind i think lydia would be a freshman and ellie would be in fourth grade) but the cute part is that lydia is watching from the side so happy and proud of ellie cause maybe ellie was a little nervous and also i feel like maybe mrs bradshaw signed lydia up to do the same exact thing when she was younger and lydia loved it so much she did it every year all the way up to high school and decided to drill team or cheer so she could teach little kids

Oh my gosh, this is too precious!!! 🥺🥹😭

First of all, you’re right—there is a five year age difference between Lydia and Ellie! And Ellie totally looks up to Lydia, so this would be a dream come true for her. Oh my gosh, soooo sweet! 💕

The whole Dagger Squad would definitely be there to cheer her on! 🥳

[justanother-nerds-blog]

@morning-star-joy i don’t think you understand how much i love this. Honestly it’s quickly becoming my favorite Joel fic. There’s just something about the grumpy x sunshine dynamic. It’s one of my favorite tropes to read EVER but your writing makes it a million times better. I’ve said it before but i can’t stress this enough because i love it SO MUCH! It’s really early on but i’m already so in love. Please i adored reading Joel’s pov so much, it was hilarious 😂😂😂😂😂 he’s so bewildered by her, i can’t! I love that he insists on being an asshole and she just insists on not taking his bullshit and being patient and sweet. I can relate to this reader so much (apart from the end because who can’t relate to that right?). I particularly love flowers and being a teacher kinda teaches you that resilience of keeping it together and insisting on repaying whatever kind of attitude with understanding and kind words - it usually works!

Somehow the way you’re writing Joel is funny but not out of character and i have NO idea how you’re doing that because i particularly think it’s a very difficult task. But i just laughed so many times while reading this chapter. It’s so cute this phase where he likes her so much, but doesn’t want to like even more lol

I loved it so much when he said he hadn’t seen Ellie smiling so much since their winter from hell and this is why your writing is so brilliant! That’s so sensitive and deep and funny and sad at the same time. How????? 🥲

This was precious and please you need to give us Joel’s pov of catching her in the act because that’s gonna be a whole comedy on its own. Like i can just imagine him being completely flabbergasted! I simply must have it!!! And poor readerrrrr that’s kinda mortifying but i can’t wait for their next encounter 😍

I figure this will get angsty at some point cause it’s JOEL but i’m enjoying the cute and sweet romcom part so much 🥹

THANK YOU I LOVE THIS

but I wake up before we do it (Joel x F!Reader)

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, Post!Outbreak Neighbors

Summary: You're Joel's new next-door neighbor when he settles in Jackson, and you're determined to add some positivity to the grumpy old man's life. Joel, however, is equally determined to keep you out of his life. Especially when you start to make him feel something he knows he shouldn't. Little does he know, you feel it too.

Tags/Warnings: 18+ MDNI Explicit Sexual Content Joel is Horny, Reader is also Horny (f masturbation, Joel hears you), Soft!Reader, Joel is kinda an asshole, Grumpy x Sunshine, Age Gap (Reader late 20s, Joel 56), Innocence Kink vibes, Language

Wordcount: 2.9k

Part I || Part II || Part III || Masterlist (More Parts Coming Soon)

Joel Miller masterlist

Fucking hell, you were far too good to ever be true.

It was all Joel could think about, the pervasive fact that lingered in the back of his mind whenever he walked by that cup of water sitting next to the sink on his kitchen counter, with the long stems of the daffodils you had given him bunched up inside of it, the blooming flowers drooping awkwardly from the far too small container.

He had first dropped the flowers on top of the counter, dangerously close to the trash can beside it. Honestly, Joel had been aiming for it, but his hand had twitched at the last moment, the bright yellow flowers falling from his calloused fingers to land on the counter instead.

Another day passed before he stood in his kitchen in the morning, cup of coffee in hand, staring at those flowers laying precariously on the edge of the counter, hating how they mocked him before pushing himself up with a sigh.

Joel heard your voice then, being so bold as to tease him, something he hadn’t thought somebody as soft-spoken and sweet as you would be capable of: Traditionally, you put them in a vase. Fill it with water.

He didn’t have a vase, though. And he wasn’t about to put in the effort to find one just because you had mentioned it.

Still, he grabbed a glass from his cabinet, flipping on the faucet to fill it with water as he glared vehemently at the daffodils, grabbing them roughly to then unceremoniously shove them inside the glass, leaving them right next to the sink without giving it another thought that it didn’t deserve.

That was a lie, though.

Every time he passed through his kitchen, he saw them.

And he thought of you.

He couldn’t stop thinking about you.

What made the illness you had plagued his mind with even worse was the bright smile on Ellie’s face when he had passed along your daisies for her. It was happiness he hadn’t seen on the girl’s features since the first time they had visited Jackson, before the winter of fucking hell, when he had almost died, and a part of Ellie did.

Joel was even more irritated that he was still thinking about you, even now, walking back home from a long patrol that had left his body aching, in desperate need of a hot shower that he would gladly praise any fucking higher power that may exist for being possible in Jackson.

He looked down at the cuts on his hands, the dirt caked under his fingernails from where he had fallen from his horse today when it had gotten spooked by the appearance of a Clicker. Luckily he was still alive, thanks to Tommy’s quick thinking and quicker shooting, but the situation had been far too close for comfort for Joel to forget about it so quickly.

Maybe he was just getting too old for this shit.

With a sigh, he rolled his shoulder back, wincing at an ache that was beginning to throb there as he pulled his pack off to carry it in his hand instead. Joel focused on the weight of it in his hand, trying to ignore how his dirty fingers reminded him of yours, covered in soil when you had shown up on his doorstep with the flowers.

It was infuriating, not to mention incredibly disrespectful to your kindness (even though he was at a complete loss for why or how that kindness existed), that the dirt that had been marking what looked to be your incredibly soft skin and staining your immaculate, weathered sundress, had sent blood rushing right to his cock when he couldn’t stop thinking about it later that night.

Joel had forgone Jackson’s heavenly gift of hot water for a frigid cold one before bed, palms placed firmly against the wall of the shower as his head bent under the stream of freezing water, taking deep, steady breaths in through his nose and out through clenched teeth as he tried to will his growing erection to go the fuck away.

Even when he had woken up from a dream about you—one that taunted him with impossible images of that sundress on his bedroom floor and streaks of dirt left across your naked flesh from his own fingers—Joel had resisted the incredibly strong urge to palm his throbbing cock where it strained against his boxers, stumbling out of bed to head into the bathroom for another cold shower.

He did his best to avoid you once the lust to have you really started, opting to take the side gate in his backyard to get in and out of the house, cutting through the greenhouses to avoid running into you on the other side of his house if he left out the front door.

Jesus Christ, Joel didn’t even fucking know you.

But he knew that if he did, there would be a catch. Some hidden cruelty underneath those frustratingly warm smiles you sent him both times you showed up outside his door.

There was no way you would have survived this long otherwise.

Lifting his head, Joel let out a small sigh of relief as he turned onto the street where his home sat, ready to indulge in a hot shower for the first time in weeks, before the sound of light, musical laughter filled his ears, coming from the first house in front of him.

Fuck.

He saw you instantly, arms crossed as you leaned them on top of a fence, smiling kindly at an older woman on the other side that was talking to you with a small grin that spoke of undeniable fondness for you.

“I don’t know how you do it,” the older woman was saying, huffing out a playful sigh that drew another soft laugh from your lips, and Joel found his feet frozen to the spot at the end of the street as he watched the interaction. “It just never tastes the same when I make it!”

“Well, Ms. Garcia,” you said slowly, flashing a teasing grin that made Joel stiffen before you asked, “Are you absolutely sure you’re putting sugar in, and not salt?”

“Oh, you,” the woman sighed, wagging a finger at you, causing you to giggle in a way that made Joel’s grip tighten on his backpack. “You’re probably right, though. I’m terrible with this kind of thing.”

“I’ll just have to bring some more by for you,” you replied, still smiling brightly, a smile that didn’t fade even as Ms. Garcia’s gaze flickered over your shoulder, landing on Joel.

Joel frowned at the same moment the older woman did, leaning away from her fence slightly as her brows furrowed, bright countenance disappearing as he wondered how quickly he could walk to get by you without drawing your attention.

He already knew it was far too late to avoid you now, though, especially as you turned to follow Ms. Garcia’s sightline, your eyes finding him standing there, blatantly staring at you while you talked to your—and his, he supposed—neighbor.

To Joel’s complete and utter confusion, you straightened up with an even brighter smile, giving a friendly wave the moment you saw him.

“Hi there, Mr. Miller!” you called, still waving before your hand dropped, and you turned back to Ms. Garcia.

Joel was almost foolish enough to believe that that would be all you said to him, but as he finally began to walk down the street, he had to bite back a sigh when you stepped away from the fence to walk beside him.

He knew that his growing irritation at the situation he was now in was probably an over exaggeration. He knew that you had to walk home, just like he did.

But did you have to walk home with him?

“So,” you started, and Joel held back a sigh.

Did you have to talk to him?

“Did you just get back from patrol?” you ended up asking, and Joel glanced at you from the corner of his eye, noticing that you were wearing jeans today instead of the usual sundress, the pants paired with a lightweight, oversized sweater that hid your curves.

Good. He didn’t need his thoughts distracted right now, not when he was trying to get back inside his house as quickly as possible.

Because he really wanted that hot shower today.

“Is it that obvious?” he found himself drawling, the words holding no small amount of sarcasm.

Joel actually felt a small twinge of guilt as he noticed you shift awkwardly beside him, but you brushed off his rudeness with another laugh, the soft sound a bit less joyous, and a bit more forced this time.

In the back of his mind, Joel had the terrible thought that, maybe if he pushed you far enough, you wouldn’t be so kind as you seemed.

“Just a little,” you found your voice again, and Joel’s grip on his pack tightened, shifting the weight of it into his other hand as he felt his arm begin to ache from holding it.

At the movement, your eyes caught on his hand, and he noticed you swallow hard as you watched his fingers dangle by his side and Jesus Christ, no, you couldn’t feel this too—but then you were glancing back up into his face, your brows furrowed in concern.

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“What?” Joel asked, not even realizing his face had turned fully towards you now until he looked down at his hand at the question and back up at you. “No. ‘M fine.”

“Uh-huh,” you said slowly, glancing over his face again, like you were calling bullshit and searching for the truth.

He thought that when his lips pressed into a firm line and he stared back at you, daring you to say something about it, you would back down.

You didn’t.

“I have some first aid,” you said quietly, gesturing towards your house as they began to near it, and Joel was already shaking his head, instincts telling him he needed to stay far, far away from ever entering your house, even as you continued, “I can help you—”

“No,” he said firmly, and your jaw snapped shut, brows furrowed as he watched your eyes spark with the briefest hint of frustration and ah, there it was. A crack in the perfection that was you. “I told you, I’m fine.”

A sick, twisted part of Joel wanted you to fight him on it, but your brows smoothed back out instead, and you gave a nod as your face melted into one of understanding.

Understanding, of all things.

What fucking bunker had they been keeping something sweet like you in for decades to preserve you in all this unimaginable kindness?

“Of course, you probably have your own,” you brushed off with another laugh, the sound a bit easier this time, eyes so warm that he was looking back down at your sweater again, wondering if your skin was just as warm underneath that—

Joel’s head whipped around, staring in front of him as you came to a stop at the pathway that led up to your front door.

“Well—”

But Joel kept moving, heading up his own pathway, not even looking back at you as you loitered at the edge of your property, refusing to give into the first time he had felt any sort of temptation to look back at you as he closed the door behind him.

God fucking dammit, he was having another cold shower tonight.

The cooler spring day began to warm up towards the end, so much so that you had to open up your bedroom window to let a gentle breeze in before bed.

You settled under your faded floral sheets with a book, opening it up to the homemade bookmark you had left to keep your spot, fingernail trailing across the words until you picked up exactly where you left off.

Unfortunately, after only a few pages, you found yourself reading the same words over and over as you thought back to your interaction with Joel that had occurred hours ago.

When you read the words “he said” at least 5 times before you lost track, you put your bookmark back between the pages, snapping the silly little romance novel closed and tossing it to the side with a groan.

Reaching your hands up, you pressed your palms against your eyes, willing the image of Joel Miller to disappear from where it had been haunting you.

It was just the latest of the very few, very short times you had seen him, but it had left you just as intrigued, just as unsatisfied as the ones before.

You shook your hand, letting your hands drop to your sides, placing your palms flat against the top blanket as you tried your best to stop thinking about him.

Part of you couldn’t help but feel a little worried, still rehashing how he had brushed you aside when you asked if he was hurt.

But Joel was a grown man—very much so, you thought as images of the silver in his hair flashed through your mind, the salt and pepper facial hair covering a weathered face and no, no, enough of that—and he had to know how to take care of himself. Especially in this kind of world you had all been in for the last twenty years.

Still, you couldn’t help but think of the cuts that had littered his hand, the dirt and a bit of blood caked under his fingernails when he had shifted his backpack to his other hand.

You also couldn’t help but dwell on the length of those fingers, how thick they were, as they hung by his side, inches away from the fabric of your jeans as you walked beside him.

No, you thought firmly to yourself, pressing your palms even harder against the blankets, willing yourself to keep them at your sides. No, you were not thinking of Joel Miller, your grumpy, standoffish neighbor who probably despised you, that way.

Then you glanced back over the book you had abandoned, taking in the scantily dressed woman draped across the broad, firm chest of a ruggedly handsome man across the cover, his strong arms wrapped around her and oh, no.

Your fingers began to slip up the blanket, biting your lip hard as you stared at the cover of that book, remembering the smutty words of the last chapter and oh no.

With a shaky exhale, you reached one hand out for the book, picking it up and quickly flipping backwards in the pages to that scene. You desperately reread the words, soaking in the description of a thick, throbbing cock sinking into the moaning, mewling heroine, over and over, your free hand slipping under your blanket to find the band of your shorts, moving underneath to fiddle with the hemline of your panties.

You shouldn’t.

You really, really shouldn’t.

In fact, you convinced yourself you weren’t. You told yourself you were purely basing this little self-love moment of much-needed release off the smutty book.

But when your eyes fixed on that description, your fingers sliding underneath your panties to glide along your folds, a soft moan escaping your lips as you collected your wetness to begin to slowly rub your clit—you weren’t seeing the way that man was described.

In your mind you saw dark curls instead of the short blond hair that was written; brown eyes instead of blue, holding a severe stare instead of a loving gaze; tan skin instead of pale, weathered and scarred, maybe? Did he have scars on his body, like the one on his temple, and the one on his nose?

Your hips lifted into your hand as your head tilted back, moaning again as you circled your clit faster, lifting the book above your head so you could focus on that one sentence—he thrusted into her quickly, his nails digging into the soft skin of her thighs, drawing wanton moans from her plush lips—and you moaned again, even louder, eyes fluttering shut as you felt yourself hurtling towards that edge, so close that if you just changed the angle of your fingers a little bit, you would—

The sound of a door slamming shut made your eyes snap open, a gasp pulled from your lungs as the book tumbled from your hands to land on the bed at the same moment your other hand snapped away from your throbbing clit.

You grabbed the sheets, pulling them closer to yourself as you glanced around wildly, heart pounding in your chest at the thought of being caught.

But who would catch you?

You were very much alone, having nobody to keep you company in your little house.

Then a breeze brushed past your face, and your eyes lifted towards your bedroom window and, oh.

Oh, no.

You pushed yourself from your bed quickly, too quickly, legs tangling in the sheets and causing you to fall to your forearms.

With a groan, you detangled yourself, rising to hurry towards the window that was still very much open.

For a moment, you glanced through it, noting the open window on the second story right above your own window.

Jesus.

Had he—

A blush warmed your cheeks, and you slammed your window shut, grabbing the curtains to pull them over it, feeling a surge of overwhelming embarrassment as you hurried back to hide under your sheets.

Yeah, you were never leaving your house again.

[21-wishes]

Drake being so exasperated with Liam and everyone for not listening to him 😂🤣

Everyone turned to look at Leo, who looked down at the Pluto t-shirt he was wearing with a sigh. Before he could process what was happening, Ellie shot across the room and delivered a well executed sucker punch to his gut then darted over to Drake, retreating behind his back for sanctuary.

“Well, thank you, Miranda.” He drawled out slowly, purposely emphasizing his Cordonian accent.

Dude wastes no time 😂

“I don’t care, you’re forgiven, flirt with all the nurses you want, hell, bang a few of them, just gimme the food, please!” Riley reached out with both hands and made a grabbing motion.

Leo held the bag just out of her reach, “Who’s your favorite brother-in-law baby?”

“Bertrand. Now give me the damn food!”

“Wait a minute....” Leo’s eyes narrowed, “Were you just using me to get food?”

“Obviously. But look at it this way Leo, tonight you were able to give me something that none of these other three boneheads were.”

I will always admire Bad Romance Riley. Girl might manipulate shit but she won’t lie to you. 😂🤣

“Bullshit, Liam! I did say so! Multiple times, but no one was listening to me! You were all too busy cooing over the baby! And I get it, he's adorable and precious and beautiful and perfect and wonderful but God damn, I did just push a seven pound baby out of my hoo haw. Can mama not get a little attention?”

I always hated how sometimes mothers don’t get the attention they deserve but most of the focus plus on the baby.

“What they’re saying is that they love me no matter what I eat or if I gain weight because of it. The fact that you don’t see the difference is why I married your brother and not you.”

“Ok, I knew you guys were rich, but I was thinking like one of you was a celebrity or a tech CEO or something, not fucking royalty! Oh, shit, I’m sorry!”

This poor guy has no idea who he stumbled upon 🤣 like at the moment he probably thinks sneaking whisky into Disneyland is the worst thing Drake Walker did 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

Liam nodded in understanding, “We want to pay for your medical education.”

See it’s such things that make me love the way you write so much. Like yea as an idea it’s wonderful. But the wording. The We. Like even if they haven’t discussed it with everyone, he knows everyone would be on board and everyone is grateful for his assistance in a tough time. And even though probably it might be funds from Liam, but it’s all of them who are grateful therefore its been done in everyone’s name ♥️

“Yeah, I will.” He said in bemusement, touching his cell phone which now had the queen of Cordonia’s personal number stored in it. He was still a little in shock as he left the room.

I mean same. They’re humble monarchs and leaders so it is shocking. But still very sweet.

You know, I know the guys get annoyed with Leo at moments, but it was so sweet reading Liam and max trying to help him and teach him on how to hold an infant 🥹

Liam took Jace so Leo could pull his shirt off. “This isn’t funny anymore.”

I beg to differ I think this makes it change number five or six 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Bad Romance Disney Adventure Chapter 5: Bickering

Miniseries: Bad Romance Disney Adventure

Main Series: Bad Romance

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: Riley x Liam, Liam x Max, Riley x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Leo (past)

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language

Word Count: 2,431  

A/N: Listen. I know I said chapter 5 would be the last chapter, but to be fair I also said that about chapters four and three so.... ya'll should know by now never to believe me on series length! Once again, things just got away from me. But this time I promise that chapter six will be the last one because it's mostly written pending proofing and a bit of minor tweaking and that's all there is for this alleged miniseries. (When does it just become a whole series?) There might be an epilogue though (Ok, there is, it's mostly written already too.)

A/N 2: Thank you @harleybeaumont for bouncing ideas and prereading snippets. Thanks again to @queen-arabella-of-cordonia for the ask for Jace's birth and @nestledonthaveone for the BR gang at Disneyland ask. They launched this series.

My other stuff: Master List.

Liam called Dr. Russo on the way to the hospital and asked her to meet them there. “Probably should have taken her to Disneyland with us,” He told Drake, “But live and learn. Who could have foreseen something like this happening?”

“Uh…me! I told you this was a bad idea, but did you listen? Nooooooo! No one ever listens to Drake, he’s just the overly serious, overly grumpy one, no one takes that guy seriously!” Drake threw his hands up in the air while shaking his head as his voice got louder, “I don’t know why I even try to warn you people about shit! It’s a waste of fucking breath, is what it is! You don’t listen, she doesn’t listen! Nobody fucking listens and I know what the fuck I’m talking about! I’m literally always right about these things, but does that change any damn thing? Does it?”

“Well-“ Liam tried to answer.

Drake wasn’t done with his rant though, “It does not. It does not! No matter how many fucking times I’m right, no one ever thinks, oh, maybe we should listen to Drake…he knows what he’s talking about, remember all those times we didn’t listen to him, then wished we had? Remember all those times he turned out to be right and not just an overly serious, grumpy fucking asshole?”

Liam waited for a moment to make sure there wasn’t any more forthcoming before asking, “Are you done?”

“I just want it on the fucking record that I was right and that I fucking told you so!”

“So now you’re an ‘I told you so’ kind of guy?”

“When have I ever not been an ‘I told you so’ kind of guy? Because you know why, Li? Do you fucking know why?”

“Why, Drake?”

“Because I fucking told you so, that’s why!”

“Okay!” Liam threw his hands up in the air as his body thumped back into the leather seat of the SUV they were riding in. “It is noted for the fucking record, we should have listened to Drake! Are you happy now?”

“Eh.” Drake held a hand out and tilted it from side to side.

Liam blew out a breath of frustration. He leaned forward and asked the driver to hurry.

By the time Liam and Drake reached the hospital, Riley had already been settled into the hospital’s most luxurious, private VIP room. Dr. Russo was with her and there was a young nurse bustling around the room.

“Riley is doing great!” Dr. Russo greeted them, “Jace is in the nursery right now, I’m on my way to check on him next. I’ll be right back.”

Dr. Russo exited, but the door swung open again almost immediately.

“Sorry I’m late.” Leo called out as he barged into the room.

“You’re not late,” Drake snapped at him, “How can you be late to something you weren’t invited to?”

“Oh, I was invited!”

“By who?”

“By Riley.” Leo answered, glowing with satisfaction.

“No, she didn’t…did you?” Drake spun to Riley for answers.

Riley smiled as she reached out toward Leo hopefully, “Did you bring it?”

“I brought it-“

Xander started to cry from his spot on the sofa that graced the far side of the room.

“What’s wrong, Xan? Buddy?” Liam asked gently.

Xander pointed at Leo, “That dog!”

Everyone turned to look at Leo, who looked down at the Pluto t-shirt he was wearing with a sigh. Before he could process what was happening, Ellie shot across the room and delivered a well executed sucker punch to his gut then darted over to Drake, retreating behind his back for sanctuary.

Leo fumbled the food he was holding. He managed to grab it as it fell, but the lid flew off the shake, most of it sloshing over the top of the cup and spilling down the front of his body. He managed to pull the grease soaked bag into himself but copious amounts of chili soaked through the bag and onto his new shirt. “Son of a bitch!”

“No!” Riley gasped, concerned about her dinner.

“Oh, you poor thing!” The nurse exclaimed. “Here, let me help you!”

Leo sat the food down on a counter as the nurse grabbed a towel out of the bathroom. She took the towel over to him and started wiping him up. Leo put his hands up in the air and let her rub the towel all over his torso, then he pulled his shirt off. Again. The young woman looked up at him and flushed.

“Uh…. You know I could go get you some scrubs, if you want.” She offered.

“That would be great miss…..what’s your name?” Leo gave her his best dimpled smile.

“Ah…I…Miranda.”

“Well, thank you, Miranda.” He drawled out slowly, purposely emphasizing his Cordonian accent.

Miranda’s eyes widened before she hurried out of the room.

Drake turned to Riley, “You saw that, right? He flirts with everyone, you see that, right?”

“I don’t care who the hell he flirts with, Drake. Why would I?” She asked dismissively.

Leo defended himself, “I’m just having fun, Riley. No one holds a candle to you, baby!”

“I don’t care, you’re forgiven, flirt with all the nurses you want, hell, bang a few of them, just gimme the food, please!” Riley reached out with both hands and made a grabbing motion.

Leo held the bag just out of her reach, “Who’s your favorite brother-in-law baby?”

“Bertrand. Now give me the damn food!”

“Wait a minute....” Leo’s eyes narrowed, “Were you just using me to get food?”

“Obviously. But look at it this way Leo, tonight you were able to give me something that none of these other three boneheads were.”

“You’re right.” Leo grinned as he handed over the food. What was left of it anyway.

Liam gaped at her in astonishment, “If you wanted food Riley you should have just said so! One of us would have gotten it for you!”

“Bullshit, Liam! I did say so! Multiple times, but no one was listening to me! You were all too busy cooing over the baby! And I get it, he's adorable and precious and beautiful and perfect and wonderful but God damn, I did just push a seven pound baby out of my hoo haw. Can mama not get a little attention?” Turning back to Leo she continued, “This is what happens once you give them babies, you are no longer the center of attention! Babies are little attention stealers, that's what they are!”

“Riley, you know that's not true!” Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. Drake and Riley were both full of attitude today. Maybe Disneyland hadn’t been his greatest idea.

Drake threw his arms up in the air, “What the fuck, Riley? You just remarked today on how obsessed I am with you!”

A frown spread across Max’s face as he told her, “I spent all day catering to your needs!”

“We all spent all day catering to your needs!” Liam insisted.

She grinned up at them from around the cheeseburger in her mouth, “Calm down, I'm kidding.” Cutting her eyes back to Leo, she gave him a conspiratorial wink, “Mostly.”

Miranda the nurse came back with a scrub top for Leo.

“You’re an angel.” He told her with a wink as he pulled it on. “What time do you get off work?”

While Leo was busy hitting on the nurse, Dr. Russo returned with baby Jace, “Here he is. I know you guys want to room in. He passed his physical with flying colors, so he won’t have to go back to the nursery.”

Not only did Riley prefer to keep her baby in the room with her, but Drake had pretty much insisted on it as a matter of security.

Riley fed him again then handed him to Max who walked around the room rocking him while singing Beatles songs. Liam and Drake also took turns holding him. Leo alternated between keeping Riley company, hitting on the nurse, cracking jokes with Liam and playing on his phone.

Dinner was brought in, and everyone ate, including Riley who was still hungry, “I’m eating for two, shut up.”

“Literally no one said anything about it.” Drake told her.

“Eat as much as you want, love.” Liam said.

“Yeah, and then have some dessert!” Max added.

“I don’t think eating that steak is going to be a problem.” Leo said, “I mean, you just had a whole baby and you’re still hot as hell.”

“Shut up Leo.” The other three men said at the same time.

“What?” Leo was genuinely confused, “It was a compliment.”

“What they’re saying is that they love me no matter what I eat or if I gain weight because of it. The fact that you don’t see the difference is why I married your brother and not you.”

When dinner was over, Ellie and Xander took turns holding the new baby carefully in their laps, while sitting down next to an adult who provided maximum supervision. Jax looked at him, but didn’t seem that interested.

“He’ll be more fun once he’s moving around, buddy.” Max promised.

“I’m going to check in with the security team. I’ll be back.” Drake gave a Riley and Jace both a kiss on the forehead before leaving.

When he came back, he wasn’t alone.

“Look who I found downstairs.” Drake called as he came through the door with Jason, their Disney tour guide and Jace’s namesake, in tow.

“I just wanted to stop by and make sure everything was ok. Of course, there’s no one on the maternity floor named Riley Smith.” He glanced around the room hoping someone would enlighten him.

“Yeah, I told Liam that was a lame alias.” Riley agreed.

Liam sighed, “Really, love? It was effective. No one questioned it until you started yelling about being queen and Drake outed the security team-“

“Hey! We needed security!” Drake sounded offended.

“Oh yeah,” Leo decided to spill the beans. “My brother is the king of Cordonia.”

“What?” Jason’s eyes went back and forth between Leo and Liam, expecting Liam to tell him Leo was just fucking with him. But he didn’t.

Liam grimaced a little, “Thanks for blowing our cover.”

“I hate to break it to you, little bro, but your cover was blown the minute you had an entire hospital floor cleared.” Leo swiped at his phone a few times then shoved it under Liam’s nose.

“Queen Riley Rys of Cordonia rushed to UCLA Medical Center after giving birth at Disneyland!” The headline screamed.

“Well fuck.” Liam said.

Leo showed the article to Jason next. Jason’s mouth fell open, “Ok, I knew you guys were rich, but I was thinking like one of you was a celebrity or a tech CEO or something, not fucking royalty! Oh, shit, I’m sorry!”

“You’re good.” Max told him, “Riley and Drake cuss like sailors, no one here is going to be offended by the use of the word fuck. Plus, you delivered our son so you’d get a pass regardless.”

“He’s right.” Drake interjected, “But I’m going to need you to sign some NDA’s since you now know who we are and the nature of our relationship.”

“Oh! I…uh…sure.” Jason agreed.

“You work at Disneyland to pay for medical school?” Liam asked him.

“Yes.”

Liam frowned slightly, “I’m certain it would be better for your studies if you could devote yourself to them fulltime.”

Jason smiled wryly, “I’m sure it would, but unfortunately, bills don’t pay themselves.”

Liam nodded in understanding, “We want to pay for your medical education.”

“What? That…I can’t…I mean, that’s too much, I barely did anything!”

“Nonsense! You took charge of the situation, kept everyone calm and delivered our child. You were a godsend.” Liam clapped him on the back, “What’s your last name?”

“Withers.”

“The Jason Withers scholarship fund. You’ll be the first recipient.”

“I…that’s…wow, just wow! I don’t know what to say, thank you! Thank you so much!”

After Jason held the baby, made some small talk with everyone, signed the NDA’s and gave Liam all his contact information for the scholarship, he bid them goodnight and took his leave. “I have an early class in the morning. It was so nice meeting you all.”

“Keep in touch!” Riley told him.

“Yeah, I will.” He said in bemusement, touching his cell phone which now had the queen of Cordonia’s personal number stored in it. He was still a little in shock as he left the room.

Max turned to Leo with Jace in his arms, “Do you want to hold him?”

Leo looked around in confusion, “What? You mean me? I…I don’t know anything about babies…”

“Except how to make them.” Liam snorted.

“It’s easy, we can show you how.” Max responded.

“Oh, I, uh….sure.” Leo looked and sounded anything but sure.

Max placed the wriggling bundle in his arms. Liam showed him how to cradle the baby correctly. Drake just scowled at him from across the room.

“Like this?” Leo asked uncertainly.

“Just like that.” Liam patted his shoulder.

“You’re doing great!” Max encouraged him.

“He’s holding a baby,” Drake shook his head, “It’s not rocket science.”

Max leaned in and whispered, “Ignore him. You’re doing great.”

“Are you sure? He seems fussy, maybe he doesn’t like me…”

Drake snorted, “Then he’s got good taste already.”

“Of course, he likes you!” Max assured him, “You’re his uncle!”

“I mean….am I?” Leo asked skeptically.

“Leo.” Liam sighed, “This child is a Rys by every measure that counts.”

“Other than DNA, right?”

“Swear to God.” Liam responded, “Why are you so hung up on DNA? You have seven children carrying yours and have you ever even met any of them!”

“What’s that got to do with- Oh! Why is he making that noise? What’s happening?”

“He sounds like he’s trying to poop.” Max responded. “Here, I’ll take him.”

But it was too late. Jace’s grunting got louder as he pulled his legs up and a black tarry substance exploded out of the leg of his diaper.

“Oh…oh shit!” Leo exclaimed as the front of his shirt got soaked, again. He was getting used to it.

“Literally!” Drake laughed.

Max brought him another towel and helped him wipe it up. “I’m sure you could get that nurse to bring you another shirt.”

Liam took Jace so Leo could pull his shirt off. “This isn’t funny anymore.”

“Yes, it is.” Drake chuckled.

“Fuck you, Walker.” Leo held his middle finger out to the other man before walking out of the room looking for the hot nurse.