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raeflora · 2 years ago

Text

take your time, think a lot (think of everything you've got)

[Dan needs fatherhood advice from the one person he never expected it from ♡ rated t ♡ please let me know if you want a part 2!!]

Being a parent is the single greatest thing Chuck has ever done. Well, that and marrying Blair, but the two things are so intrinsically linked that there's no way of thinking of one without the other. It's also the most challenging thing, especially when you're doing it by yourself.

Chuck feels his eye twitch again, despite the fact that the carrot sticks are going down much better than the sweet potato as Henry's preferred healthy lunchtime snack. That's the main problem, though, as half of the plate seems determined to go on the floor. He tries to bring the plate closer to the edge of the table, so Henry's little fingers don't have as far to reach, but his son pouts like his mother and insists he can handle it.

The hummus falls off his carrot stick onto his neatly pressed trousers, and Chuck quickly scoops him onto his lap.

"Sorry daddy" Henry sniffles as Chuck wipes before a stain can form, carrot stick still clutched in his hand.

"It's alright Henry" he soothes, kissing the top of his head "let's get you cleaned up before we go to the park later"

Henry nods, and as they walk upstairs it occurs to Chuck that there's still at least three hours until Blair comes back. It's not that he doesn't enjoy spending time with Henry, quite the opposite, it's simply that looking after a bright and energetic three-year-old is far easier when there's two of you. Not including Dorota, obviously, who helpfully brings Henry clean and far more park appropriate trousers without any question.

They pass the time by playing with Henry's many toys in their living room, Chuck sitting on the floor and not caring if his suit gets crumpled. The sound of Henry's laughter is far more important and precious than anything material could ever be.

"Is it time for the park yet?" Henry asks, driving a wooden car up and down Chuck's leg, eyes alight like Blair's.

"Not yet"

Henry pauses for a moment, sliding Chuck his beloved toy in an attempt at a bribe, "is it time now?"

"No" Chuck laughs, pulling Henry into his lap to tickle him, "you can't bribe me like mommy"

"Mommy said" Henry says in between giggles, "mommy said that giving presents shows you love someone"

"That's true, mommy's very smart"

"I love you" Henry says sweetly.

Chuck kisses Henry's cheek loudly making him laugh more, "I love you too"

"Can we go to the park now?" Henry tries again.

Chuck relents, lifting Henry up into the air with a roar, "because you're so clever, yes"

It takes them another half an hour to even get to their foyer, and the twitch in Chuck's eye is back. Although Blair calling him to say she could meet them at the park was a much needed reprieve, Henry deciding that he could do everything himself wasn't. He's been sitting on the chair in their foyer trying to put his own shoes on for what feels like an hour, but is almost certainly only five minutes, and Chuck kneels down in front of him, taking one sock clad foot into his hand.

"Daddy I can do it on my own" Henry cries, a frown on his little face that makes Chuck feel like he's looking in a mirror, "I'm big now"

"Yes you are" Chuck says smoothly, resting Henry's foot on his leg as he picks up a shoe, "but we won't be there to meet mommy unless we leave now"

"But I wanna do it" Henry protests, Blair's pout forming once again on his lips.

"You can do it next time, and then mommy can see what a big and clever boy you are too"

Henry relents at that, offering his foot willingly. Chuck sighs. Maybe, just maybe, if nothing else happens they can get to the park on time.

The doorbell rings, and Dorota opens it to reveal Dan Humphrey. Chuck swallows every curse word he knows.

"Hi Humphrey" Henry chirps as Chuck slides his other shoe on.

"Hey!" Dan says, and Chuck sees his eyes take in the scene in front of him, "oh were you guys heading out? Because I kinda wanted, well, needed, to talk to you about something"

"We are" Chuck confirms, trying to get Henry's knitted hat over his unruly hair to ward off the early February chill.

"Oh, uh, I can come back or-"

"No need" Chuck grunts as he stands, Monkey standing from his perch on the floor next to Henry as well.

Dan stands in their doorway, confusion evident, while Chuck rummages in the coat closet. He emerges with Henry's stroller and loops the strap of the bag containing the carefully selected snacks for the ducks and other toddler essentials around the handle. He pushes it towards Dan, taking Henry's hand in his as he goes, who stares blankly at him.

"What's this for?"

"Henry" Chuck says with a hopefully convincing amount of patience, "you're coming with us"

"Uh isn't Henry getting kind of big for this?"

"Trust me" Chuck says, taking Monkey's lead in his now free hand and finally heading for the door.

"How do-" Dan pauses as Chuck shuts the door behind them, "how do you get this down the steps?"

"You carry it"

"But it's so" Dan gestures as Chuck and Henry make their way down, "big. And heavy. Don't you have someone to carry this for you?"

"That would be you" Chuck quips and Henry giggles.

"Right" Dan laughs.

He makes it down the steps, and the three of them set off for Central Park. Henry chatters happily as he walks in between Chuck and Dan, telling them all about how he and Blair are going to feed the ducks and how he and Monkey are going to find treasure. Dan pulls his coat tighter around him.

"Are you cold Humphrey?" Henry asks, looking up at him, "why don't you have a hat? It's important to dress properly" he says, clearly repeating his parents' words.

"I'm alright. And your dad doesn't have one either" Dan teases, finally somewhat able to joke with them.

"Daddy's too handsome for one, that's what mommy says" Henry says simply but with care, "it can make your hair look nice or- or it makes it go poof" he mimes with his free hand.

Dan laughs, "I think my hair's ok,"

Henry pulls on Chuck's leg, and he wordlessly lifts him up, adjusting him with practiced ease in one arm. His little face is level with Dan's, and he squints up at his hair.

"It looks fuzzy, like Elmo" Henry giggles.

"You like Elmo" Chuck laughs softly.

"But you shouldn't wanna look like him" Henry giggles again.

"You know this isn't the first time my hair's been compared to a Muppet" Dan chimes in with, "well, Muppet-adjacent, so maybe you're onto something"

Chuck sets Henry back on the ground and they resume their walk. Henry swings his and Chuck's entwined hands, falling silent for a moment and taking in the sights and sounds all around him. Chuck takes the opportunity to address Dan directly.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" He drawls, gently pulling Monkey's lead back to slow him down.

Dan exhales, shoving one hand in his pocket, "well it's, uh, it's this" he gestures with his free hand, "Fatherhood"

Chuck half laughs, "that's a broad subject for a Friday afternoon, Humphrey. Besides, if you want advice on raising a child in Brooklyn surely your own father would be more helpful"

Now it's Dan's turn to laugh, "maybe, but you're the only other guy I know my own age who has a kid. And, you know, you're pretty good at this"

"Daddy" Henry interrupts before Chuck can respond, pulling at his hand, "can I walk with Monkey?"

"Hold his leash tightly, please, and be gentle"

Henry nods, "I will"

He runs ahead a few steps, taking Monkey's lead in his little hand and stroking his head with exaggerated care. Chuck is fairly certain that he also tells Monkey he loves him, but he could also be telling him that Dan looks like a Muppet. Either way Chuck's proud of his boy.

"What's prompted this sudden thirst for paternal knowledge?" Chuck says, steering his attention back to Dan.

"Serena's halfway through her pregnancy today, and it hit me that we're going to have a baby in the exact same amount of time it took to just get here and, I don't know, I feel so" he pauses, flexing his grip on the stroller handle, "unready"

"There are books for this, you know"

"I know but it's not the same as, uh, real life knowledge"

"True" Chuck concedes, keeping an eye on Henry walking up front, "in that case ask away"

Dan takes a breath, and Chuck sees the nerves flicker across his face. There was a time when the sheer idea of Dan Humphrey needing advice from Chuck Bass would've been unthinkable. But now, they're here, and it doesn't feel like the most insane thing in the world anymore.

"Is it as disgusting as everyone makes it seem?" Dan says abruptly, "I know when Georgina made me look after Milo it was, uh, unpleasant but is it always like that?"

"Humphrey" Chuck starts, glancing over at Henry who's still happily talking to Monkey, "you're going to being covered in every fluid and substance you can imagine. You think you won't, but you will. This is of more concern for Serena's clothing than yours-"

Dan huffs out a laugh.

"You're not going to sleep, so you'll never be sure what smell is coming from your baby and what's coming from you. Of course if you don't sleep then obviously that means your baby isn't either, so be prepared for the hours and hours of crying on top of everything else"

"Of course" Dan echoes, fear evident in his eyes.

Henry interrupts before Chuck can continue, "I see the park! Daddy we're there!"

"We are. Come back and hold my hand to cross the street please"

Henry runs back and links his fingers with Chuck's again, before turning his head up to beam at his father. Chuck squeezes his hand gently.

"Good boy. Did you and Monkey have fun?"

"Uh-huh" Henry nods, looking up at Dan curiously, "are you ok Humphrey? You look sick"

"I'm fine" Dan assures him, smile not quite convincing.

They cross the street in silence, and as soon as they enter Central Park Henry starts avidly looking around, taking in the way the wind makes the leaves on the ground dance and the chatter of everyone around. There is one sight he is trying to find in particular, though.

"Is mommy here yet?" he asks, gazing up at Chuck.

"I'm sure she will be soon. Come on let's get to the ducks, you brought them special food didn't you?"

"Yeah. I don't want Monkey to scare the duckies though" Henry trails off, little eyebrows creasing.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Right Humphrey?"

"Huh?"

Chuck stares expectantly at him, waiting for him to realise that this would be an excellent chance to test his parental skills. What little he has, that is.

"Oh, uh, sure. I don't think they'd let you bring dogs near the duck pond if it was dangerous. I mean, you can never be certain, you know, things happen-" he quickly registers Henry's wide eyes and Chuck's glare that could cut him in two, "but it's really unlikely, Monkey's a great dog so don't worry"

Henry nods, somewhat satisfied and pulls Chuck towards the nearing duck pond. As they come to a stop Chuck unzips the bag still hanging from the stroller and pulls out the bags of seeds and oats and sweetcorn and lettuce. Henry bounces excitedly next to him.

"The duckies are gonna love this" he whispers in awe as Chuck gently gives him a handful of seeds.

"Ok be careful. Remember how mommy showed you to throw them in?"

"Yeah"

Chuck and Dan stand just to the side as Henry starts happily feeding the ducks, still within easy reach in case he gets too close to the pond. Dan watches with less ease than Chuck, his eyes still fearful and mind clearly full of horror stories. Chuck clears his throat.

"About what I said earlier"

"That fatherhood is terrifying and disgusting and I'm completely unprepared?"

"You said the last part, not me. But it's not just that. Yes it's exhausting and difficult, but it's rewarding, and beautiful, and fast. You think they'll stay like that forever and then they're walking and talking and you wonder what happened to the baby who refused to let go of you and couldn't sleep without you there" Chuck takes a breath, "although your baby won't remember any of it, you will, so don't focus only on the hard parts, focus on what your baby needs and do what's best for them. That's what fatherhood is"

Dan glances across at him, eyes sparkling, "you really do have a heart in there, don't you"

"You don't have to sound so surprised"

"Are you sure you don't want to write a book?" he teases.

"That's your job"

Dan exhales, bending over to rest his chin on the top of the stroller.

"Did you really need to bring this?" Dan asks after a moment, half muffled by his position, "Henry seems fine walking"

"It's not for now. It's for when he gets tired halfway home and refuses to be carried, because he will" Chuck smirks, "that's also fatherhood, Humphrey, anticipating what your child needs before they do because you've been in this exact position a hundred times"

At that point Henry hurries over to show his now empty hands, grinning eagerly up at his father. Chuck starts opening the bag again, but is interrupted by Henry's gasp. If he was smiling before he's positively beaming now.

"Mommy!" he cries, dashing over to where Blair has walked up behind them.

"There's my favourite boy" she coos.

She crouches to hug him, her 7 month pregnant bump making it significantly harder but she perseveres. Henry's arms go around her neck and she holds him as tightly as she can, and when she has to stand up he presses his little hands to her bump in search of his new favourite greeting.

"Can you feel your sister saying hello?" she asks as Henry stares intently at his hands, placing her own on top of his to make sure he's in the right place.

"Yeah" he presses his face closer to their joined hands to whisper, "it's me Henry"

Blair smiles fondly at him and takes his hand in her own before turning her attention to her husband, and startles at the sight of Dan still lounging against the stroller.

"Humphrey" she says uncertainly, smoothing out her dress as he gives her a one handed wave, "I didn't know you were coming. Is Serena here too?"

Dan shakes his head, "just me. I needed some help with fatherhood advice and couldn't think of anyone better to ask"

"Well for once, you're not wrong" Blair teases, coming to kiss Chuck, but Henry pulls her towards the duck pond before she can.

"Mommy the duckies need food" he pouts, tugging at her hand.

"They do, sweetheart" Blair soothes before anything can escalate, "why don't you get Humphrey to help you while I talk to daddy?"

Henry nods, happily roping Dan into giving him more duck food. Chuck hands Monkey's lead off as Dan walks around the stroller, ignoring his look of confusion as he grapples with the idea of dealing with a toddler and a dog, and finally focuses on his wife.

Blair smiles, leaning up to resume their interrupted kiss, "hi" she murmurs as they break apart.

"Hey" Chuck kisses her again, bringing his hands from her waist to her bump, "and hello to you too" he whispers.

"How have my boys been today?" Blair asks, softly running her fingers across his jaw.

"Better, now you're here" he captures her hand and kisses it, "But Henry's been good. He tried to bribe me, compared Dan to Elmo and he's been excited for the ducks all day" he pauses at Blair's giggle, "Now, how are my girls?"

Blair hums happily, "we're fine. The meeting with the new supplier ran over, but now I'm officially on maternity leave. Ah-" she winces slightly, placing her hand on her bump, "and someone's very happy about that"

"She's not the only one" Chuck says softly, resting his hands on top of hers.

Henry laughs, drawing their attention back to the duck pond. They watch him for a moment, Chuck running his hand up and down her arm gently. Dan looks less stiff than he did before, hands coated in seeds.

"So, have you scared Humphrey into rethinking fatherhood?" Blair asks playfully, running her hand around his waist to his lower back.

"Almost" Chuck responds smoothly, "but he wanted to know the truth about what it was like"

Blair's voice is soft as she speaks, "And what is it like?"

"This" he says, simply and honestly.

Blair hums contentedly, tipping her head up to steal another kiss before relieving Dan of duck duty. He walks back to Chuck, offering Monkey's lead, and shoves his hands in his pockets.

"There's one more piece of advice I forgot to tell you earlier" Chuck says, adjusting Monkey's lead in his hand.

Dan raises his eyebrows, "I, uh, I thought we pretty much covered everything"

"You're not doing this alone" Chuck says firmly, gaze drifting to Blair and Henry, "every difficulty that comes with fatherhood, every ruined shirt and sleepless night is made easier because you have someone to share it with. You and Serena are equals in this, and that's what being a parent is"

"I'm just gonna ask one more time are you sure you don't want to write a book-"

"Don't ruin this"

Dan laughs, clapping a hand on Chuck's shoulder. He drops it back down like he's been burnt. Baby steps, after all.

"Well I should get back to Serena, she's probably done with Lily by now. This was surprisingly fun, though. We're probably gonna be doing this more often since our kids are cousins, so this was good practice"

"If you need anymore advice you know where to find me, but don't make me come to Brooklyn for it"

"Of course" Dan laughs, "bye guys" he calls across to Blair and Henry.

"Bye Humphrey" Henry waves, Blair waving too.

With one more nod to Chuck he walks off, leaving the three of them content to spend the afternoon together. Henry feeds the ducks until there is no more food to offer, and then watches them swim around as his parents hold each of his little hands. Once he's satisfied that the ducks are happy he sets off with Monkey to find treasure, Blair taking the opportunity to sit down.

As the late afternoon glow comes across the sky, and after Henry safely collects his treasure of flowers and stones, the former of which he offers to Blair who graciously accepts such a precious offering, they make their way back home. Chuck tries to carry Henry as he starts to grow tired, but as expected he protests that he's far too big to be carried home. He settles Henry in the stroller easily, his eyes already drooping, and takes Blair's hand in his own.

They approach their townhouse in a comfortable quiet, Henry napping peacefully.

Blair breaks their silence gently, "You were right earlier, this is definitely what makes being parents worth it" she sighs, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Ten minutes of peace and quiet?"

She playfully rolls her eyes, "having time like this with you and our children, Basshat"

"Careful Waldorf" he teases, a real smile forming on his lips, "our daughter can hear you"

"And we heard what you said to Humphrey. I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else, Chuck. It wouldn't be possible"

"And I wouldn't want to" he replies, cupping her chin between his fingers as they stop outside their home, "you gave us everything we need and more"

Blair kisses him, slowly and sweetly, before pulling back, mischievous smile on her lips, "maybe you were right about having some quiet time, too. I think we might just be able to take full advantage of it before Henry wakes up"

Chuck hums in agreement, dipping his head before kissing Blair's cheek and moving around to unbuckle Henry. Their little boy stirs slightly as Chuck passes him to Blair, balancing him on her bump as best she can as they ascend the stairs.

Being a parent truly is the greatest thing he's ever done, Chuck thinks, and no matter how hard it is he knows it's worth it. Because there isn't any feeling that can compare to what blooms in his stomach as he watches Blair carry Henry inside, and that's his favourite part of being a father without a doubt.

#mine: fics #gossip girl #blair waldorf #chuck bass #chuck x blair #blair x chuck #chair #chuck x blair fanfiction #chuck and blair #blair and chuck #henry bass #dailygossipgirl #dailygg #dan humphrey #gossip girl fic #gossip girl fanfiction #fics: gg #hope u enjoyyy 🫶🏻🫶🏻

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