#grabbing onto the small cute/heartwarming moments cause my god the show went all out in these s2 first episodes

[maranull]

Suletta is adorable

[drowninginyoureyes95]

In Your Bright Blue Eyes

So I got stuck in my head a little the last few weeks, and uni hasn’t helped. I was watching Vickings and instantly loved how Alex Hogh Anderson portrayed Ivar. Me being me, I found some fanfics, and came across @squirrelacorngliterfarts​ ‘s fanfic See You Tomorrow (which is really sweet and heartwarming and you should definitely read, and she has full credit for the idea of this fic) and this happened... so. Yeah. Let me know what you think! It might not be the best, but it did help with some writer’s block

pairing: Alex Hogh Anderson x OC

warnings: none in this bit, just pure fluffiness :)

summary: Claire doesn’t think much of helping a man and his daughter when she hears the little girl crying in the grocery store, however, their chance encounter will lead to something that neither Alex or Claire ever expected.

Part 1

It was the piercing sound of a cry that drew her attention from two aisles over, the desperate hiccups of the baby sitting in the padded seat of the stroller. Her face was red from the exertion, tears streaming down her little face. Her father, a phone cradled between his shoulder and ear, had his hands plunged into a large bag, hurriedly trying to find something to soothe her.

“I’m sorry… I know… just give me a second. No, don’t hang up. Just give me a moment,” he said breathlessly. His forehead was beaded with sweat and she saw how his eyebrows were drawn in frustration. Without thinking, Claire looked through her bag, withdrawing the dummy she had on her at all times, just in case her godson needed it. She checked to make sure it was clean, then reached towards the man to tap him on the shoulder. He spun on his heel, his blue eyes blazing in anger, but once Claire held the dummy between her thumb and forefinger right in front of his eyes he immediately nodded. Claire reached around him towards the bawling infant, and slipped the dummy into her mouth. Instantly, the little human settled, bright blue eyes now becoming heavy lidded as she sucked. The man sighed in relief at the sight, holding his phone just away from his face as he stared at his daughter, a small smile curling his lips.

A buzzing sound from the phone drew his attention away. “Yes. No, I heard you. Just forward the plans to me and I will see what we can do. Yes, thank you. Good bye.” He placed his phone in his back pocket, and Claire couldn’t help but notice the broadness of his shoulders, or how his tailored suit showed off the muscles in his arms. He was attractive, more than any man had any right to be. His dark hair was shaved close to his scalp on the sides, the top tied in a bun at his crown. He stared at his daughter a moment longer, then flicked his mesmerising eyes to Claire. “Thank you,” he said, his voice soft. “I couldn’t find hers and I really needed to take that call.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Claire replied just as softly. She blushed under his gaze, looking at her hands which were fiddling with her messenger bag before glancing back up again. “What’s her name?”

“Lily,” his mouth curled up in that small smile again, and his hands shifted to rest in his trouser pockets.

“She’s beautiful,” Claire whispered after a moment, watching as Lily’s eyes drooped shut and her mouth went slack around the blue plastic pacifier. After a moment of awkward silence, Claire cleared her throat and shifted her weight. “Well… I better get going. I hope you have a good night,” she said as she backed away, watching the man bite the inside of his cheek, causing his full lips to purse. She turned on her heel and went to the checkout, leaving the grocery store with her heart still pounding in her throat, striking blue eyes etched in her mind.

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It was two weeks since she had met Lily and the blue eyed man, and she still got goosebumps every time she thought of his smile and the way he watched his daughter with so much love. She was at her weekly playdate with Mel, her best friend, and Charlie, her godson, the only time she could really see them these days. Charlie was crawling, and Claire was reminiscing about the time when he could barely hold his head up when a little body pushed itself into her lap.

“Hello, little one,” she said brightly and smiled down at the dark head of hair that had made itself comfortable on her stomach. At the sound of her voice, the baby looked up at her, and Claire’s heart stuttered for a moment. Those were the same pair of eyes that had haunted her for two weeks, only surrounded by thick lashes and a cute button nose. Claire’s arms wrapped around the small body of their own accord, causing a gummy grin to appear on Lily’s small face.

“I’m sorry, she’s never done that befo-” at the sound of his voice, Claire peered up to see the same eyes looking down at her. His apologetic smile faded to one of surprise. “Oh, hi there,” he said, coming to sit cross legged on the padded floor. He was sitting so close, Claire could swear she could feel the heat of his leg against hers. He was wearing beige chinos and a white shirt that pulled tight across his muscled chest, a cap back to front covering his hair. Claire tried, and failed, to keep from staring at him. It only caused a smirk to break across his face.

“Oh, Claire, this is Alex,” Mel said, trying to man handle Charlie to try and get him to let go of her ebony hair, not noticing the tension between the two people next to her.

“Nice to meet you, Claire,” Alex continued to smirk at her, his large hand held out to her in the space between them.

“Nice to meet you,” she breathed, her small hand cradled gently in his. He glanced down, holding onto her hand for a moment longer than strictly necessary, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. He cleared his throat, peering down at Lily who was more than content on Claire’s lap.

“Hello, my little elsker, do you remember Claire, do you?” He smiled when she clapped her hands in his face, her grin lighting up her face.

“Is she usually this friendly?” Claire asked, struggling to think of anything to say with him so close. He laughed, the sound making her heart leap.

“No, no definitely not. She’s usually so shy, I usually have to sit with her while she watches others play. She seems to like you, though.”

“Oh God, Claire, I forgot I have to go to the doctor at two and then Lewis and I have a date night tonight.” Mel clasped her hand around Claire’s forearm, interrupting what Claire was about to say to Alex, her face a picture of guilt. “I’m so so sorry to drop this on you but do you mind looking after Charlie until tomorrow morning?” Claire glanced at her rambunctious godson now playing with a large truck and babbling to himself. She smiled softly, thinking of the bottle of wine and Netflix that had awaited her at home but shrugged and nodded to Mel.

“Of course, I couldn't think of anything better than having a date night with my little man.” Mel’s face split into a delighted grin. She quickly stood and kissed Claire on the cheek before picking up her son and bouncing him on her hip before kissing his head and placing him back on the ground on his tummy.

“Thank you so much. I owe you one,” she said as she grabbed her handbag from Charlie's stroller and ran out the door of the children's play area.

Alex watched the exchange with a keen eye before glancing down at his daughter, seeing that she had fallen asleep with her head cradled against Claire’s chest. His heart clenched at the sight. Noticing the same, Claire shifted herself to sit with her back against the wall, making sure not to jostle Lily in the process.

She watched as Charlie started to crawl towards her, his forehead crinkling in concentration and his bottom lip jutting out. He stared at Claire with a look akin to betrayal and babbled at her. Claire laughed at him, seeing his jealous eyes taking Lily in.

“I think someone wants some attention too.”

“He’s an only child. And I can't help but to spoil him,” Claire sighed, adjusting Lily gently to make enough room for Charlie. “Do you mind sitting him on my lap, too? I've kind of got my hands full.” She giggled as Charlie watched Alex with large brown eyes, placing him in Claire’s free arm. Once he was settled he grinned up at Claire. She touched her nose to his, whispering “man, the things I do for you, kiddo.”

Alex and Claire sat for some time more. He told her that he was an architect and that he had opened a business up with his friends a few years before, that he had moved just down the road when Lily was born. Claire hesitantly told him about her art. Before they knew it, an hour had passed and the playground was cleared of children, both Charlie and Lily still fast asleep in Claire's arms. Alex cleared his throat.

“I should probably wake her up or she won't sleep tonight,” he said, a hesitant smile in his face as he reached for Lily. His hand brushed Claire's arm, causing goosebumps to raise. He lifted Lily, who mewled at the sudden movement and being woken up.

“I should probably get this one home so that he can have some fun before bed time.”

“I'll hopefully see you around sometime, Claire.” Alex smiled as he settled Lily and started walking out the door.

“It was good to see you again, Alex,” Claire replied shyly, strapping a grumpy Charlie into his stroller before walking back to her apartment, thinking of painting just with the colour blue.

________________________________________________________________

She was sitting on a red painted iron bench in the park, the cold seeping through her jeans to leave goosebumps on her skin. The wind blew a strand of hair into her face, and she quickly raised a hand to remove it, brushing away a tear from her cheek at the same time. She was staring at her fingers, deep in the recesses of her own mind when his voice stirred her from her thoughts.

“Claire?” She looked up to see Alex’s blue eyes look down at her with concern, his grip firm on the stroller. He wore a warm looking woolen jacket, his hair loose and flowing to his shoulders. She quickly dashed the tears from her cheeks, sniffling and trying to muster a smile.

“Alex, hi… I'm sorry, I didn't see you. How are you?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“May I?” he gestured to the space on the bench next to her. At her nod, he settled himself on the bench, turning the stroller so he could let Claire peer in to see Lily fast asleep. “I think the better question is how are you?” He said, lowering his head to peer into Claire’s hazel eyes. She immediately looked down at her hands, the tips having gone blue from the cold. She scrunched up her brows, trying to stave off the next litany of tears from falling.

“Oh me? I'm fine,” she let out a small chuckle, sniffling again and wiping the last of her tears from her face. She bit her lip, trying to contain the bubble of sadness lodged in her throat

He hummed, cocking his head to the side with a crooked smile. “I don't know... Do you want to talk about it?” Claire shrugged. He didn't need to know her problems, did he? He probably had his own to worry about. “Come on, Claire. I wouldn't ask if I didn't care.”

Claire huffed out another small chuckle at his cajoling smile, his eyes watching every small move she made. “I just recently lost my job waitressing at this place that closed down. And Jonathan, my boyfriend, he can't help pay rent. Which, I mean, is fine. He said he can barely get by at the moment. So I'm just a bit stuck… I guess.” at the mention of Claire's boyfriend, Alex’s face fell, but he instantly was indignant to the fact that this Jonathon couldn't at least help for a few days, or even ask her to move in with him if it stressed this girl out so much. He watched how she chewed on her bottom lip, wishing so badly he could reach over and save it from its rough treatment that he had to put his hands in his pockets. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before making his decision.

“Okay. So feel free to say no. But. I've been looking for a nanny to look after Lily, but I've never found someone that felt…. Right, I guess. I want the best for her but they've never matched up to that and she's never acted around someone she doesn't know well like how she's acted around you and -" he took a breath when Claire placed her hand on his forearm, looking at him with wide hazel eyes. Gods, she’s beautiful, he thought. Her smile caused dimples to appear in her cheeks.

“I’d love that,” she said brightly, glancing at the pram suddenly to make sure she didn't wake Lily up. “When do I start?”

Read Part 2 here