#i love kids man. babies are gorgeous and toddlers and young children are so fucking funny. SO devoted to chaos.

[thedreadvampy]

look how fucking small this baby is

(believe it or not she is Three Entire Months Old)

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Do you have any fics involving children. Preferably stiles or Derek's but I'm not fussy. Thank you xx

Sure thing!

A Wild Heart's Desire by mikkimouse

(1/1 I 13,410 I Teen)

If there's one thing Stiles Stilinski knows, it's that Deputy Derek Hale absolutely Does Not Like him. The only reason Derek even tolerates him is because their kids are worryingly codependent.

So Stiles is understandably confused when a very feral Derek shows up in his backyard after a call gone wrong and proceeds to move in with him.

That Which You Cannot Undo by uraneia

(1/1 I 28,181 I Explicit)

By twenty-eight, Stiles has resigned himself to a quiet life of working in his magic shop, selling Jackson Whittemore fart-inducing tea, and looking after his goddaughter. It's a good life. But the quiet goes to hell when his sister, Lydia, shows up with a crispy werewolf in her trunk and a bite mark on her shoulder, because hard on her heels comes the hottest person Stiles has ever seen, and he happens to be looking for his uncle.

You know, the dead guy Stiles helped Lydia bury last night.

(Or: the Pracitical Magic AU nobody asked for.)

Somewhere I Belong by heartsdesire456

(1/1 I 30,815 I Teen)

When Stiles got an interview for an internship at Fangs & Fur magazine, the publication owned by the well known and widely respected alpha Talia Hale, he never expected it to be offered an actual job by Alpha Hale herself. He also never expected for his life to change so much after he met the man whose department he was assigned to.

Stiles was not prepared for Derek Hale's cub, either.

Trust me by madsmeetsmisha

(18/? I 32,590 I Explicit)

Derek Hale needed a nanny for his kids. Someone who knew about werewolves, someone who was persistent enough not to throw in the sponge as soon as the kids wouldn't behave, someone trustworthy. Could a young, very talkative man like Stiles Stilinski be what Derek was looking for?

our lives are changing lanes by grimm

(1/1 I 47,537 I Explicit)

There's a lot of screaming going on inside the first house Stiles visits. He isn't really worried, because it sounds like kids, but then the door opens and hi, says his dick, because the dude in front of him is gorgeous, built like a god with a face like thunder. Stiles wants to lick that solid jaw line. Hold the fuck on, says his cop brain, because the dude's got kids hanging all over him; one's on his back, skinny legs looped around his waist, and another two hanging off one arm, toes barely brushing the ground. There's a tubby toddler clinging to his leg like a koala, and he's got a baby tucked into the crook of the one arm that doesn’t have kids hanging off it. Stiles' mouth drops open.

"How many of those kids did you kidnap?" he asks before he can wrangle his brain into submission.

The man gives him a look that says what the fuck is wrong with you and snaps, "You think I'd subject myself to this on purpose?"

"Oooh," says one of the kids hanging off his arm. "I'm telling Mom."

Give It Up to Me by moon_star

(8/? I 49,841 I Explicit)

Derek is a single father and a full time attorney. Stiles is the new intern at the law firm. They find it extremely hard to work together, but it gets even harder when they start sleeping together.

Bundle of Accidental Joy by tearsandholdme

(20/21 I 66,411 I Mature)

Stiles is just trying to live a simple life. Have a job, pay his rent, and survive enough to eat his next meal. But then he's fired from his job, watches a mother abandon her baby, tries to stop her and picks the baby up, and now everyone thinks the baby is his. Even his very handsome and moody boss, Derek Hale, who forces the responsibility onto him at the cost of keeping his job or else.

Balancing on breaking branches by Anonymous

(15/20 I 67,613 I Explicit)

“Your kid,” Derek said slowly, “came running up to me. Tried to nuzzle a hole into my calf.”

Stiles let out a laugh. It sounded bitter. “Caleb wouldn’t just leave my side like that. Did you call his name?”

“I’m not a—”

“A child predator? That’s exactly what a child predator would say, Derek."

Waiting For Our Superman by tearsandholdme

(22/22 I 95,250 I Mature)

Derek knew the moment he opened the front door of his clean and pristine apartment to Stiles Stilinski holding a small boy, a cluster of bags, and a suitcase, he was screwed. In every way possible. Undone by the big brown eyes of a small child and his annoying, witty, and attractive father.

The Moon Lives (In The Lining of Your Skin) by Quixoticity

(28/30 I 131,436 I Explicit)

Stiles is doing fine. Okay, so he didn't expect to be a single father to an infant daughter at the tender age of twenty-three, but it's working out great. And no, he didn't expect to be a curator in Beacon Hills Museum, where weird things happen with no explanation, but he's rolling with it. And he seems to have acquired a new brother now that his dad's gotten engaged, which, odd, but hey, Stiles is flexible, and there's no such thing as too much love, right?

But then the next twist comes in the form of mysterious new neighbour Derek Hale, who is both insanely angry at the world (it's possible he's murdered people with his eyebrows alone), and adorably good with children. He's also in possession of a truly excellent butt.

Stiles is doomed.

Past, Present, and Future by Code_Zackary

(24/60 I 182,513 I Mature)

Deputy Derek Hale has just become a single parent, after adopting abandoned five-year-old Isaac Lahey, and drowning in his new responsibilities as a father, and Alpha. Add the babysitting of his new rookie partner, Jackson Whittemore, and the weight of his past bubbling to the surface, Derek isn't sure how he's going to keep his head straight.

Meanwhile, Stiles Stilinksi returns home to Beacon Hills to give his son, Scott Stilinksi, a better quality of life. However, raising a werewolf pup, as a human, is something he struggles handling on a daily basis. Stiles wishes nothing more than to find a werewolf willing to show his son "the ropes", so Scott can fit in with all the other pups come the first day of Kindergarten. But where would he ever find a werewolf willing to help a human?

When the two meet, their struggles in life will come to the forefront, as the loners become an invaluable support system for each other, and build a unique Pack all their own.

[adarafaelbarba]

Some Family man!Rafael Barba

A/N: What?! Two fics in one day! Must be Christmas ... Nope. I’ve had this little fic laying around for a while and I finally managed to finish it 🥰 So here’s some fluffy family interaction with Rafi’s little family 🥰 Enjoy ❤️ -Karen

«Counselor there’s someone here to see you», Carmen said, poking her head round the door to ADA Rafael Barba’s office. «Who—», Rafael couldn’t even finish his sentence as two toddlers stormed into the office.

«Papi!!» they both squealed, making their way over to their father. «Lucia, Rafa! What are you doing here?! Where’s mami?» he asked, picking the two toddler up, seemingly forgetting the two detectives standing there dumbfound at the whole commotion.

At the question about the whereabouts of the kids mother, a short, heavily pregnant woman stepped into the office, holding a bag containing food in one hand, and her stomach with her other hand. «Cariño! You should be on bed rest!» he exclaimed, looking at his wife. «I’m just here to make sure you eat! Not to mention I had to pick up the twins from your mother’s house», the woman explained, pressing a soft kiss to her husband’s lips.

«Counselor?» one of the detectives spoke up. «Oh yes, sorry, Detective Amanda Rollins, Lieutenant Olivia Benson, may I introduce you to my wife (Y/N), and our twins, Lucia and Rafa», Rafael explained. «Papi?» Rafa looked at his father, holding onto him for dear life. «It’s okay Rafaelito.» Rafael reassured his son.

Lucia was much more open to meet the two detectives as she held her arms out to be cuddled by either one of the two women. «May I?» Olivia asked, looking to Rafael and then his wife. «You may», (Y/N) said, smiling at the detective who picked Lucia out of her father’s arms.

«Boy or girl?» Amanda asked, pointing to (Y/N)’s stomach. «A girl. We’re naming her Catalina, after Rafi’s abuelita», (Y/N) said, smiling at the blonde detective. «That’s so sweet! I’ve got two girls of my own!» Amanda went on to say. «Really? What are their names?» (Y/N) asked, placing the bag in her hand on Rafael’s desk. «Jessie and Billie», Amanda said, still smiling.

…

«Okay mija, mijo, papi needs to get back to work, come on!» (Y/N) said, coaxing her children to come with her. «I wanna stay with Papi», Rafa pouted, looking up at his mom before looking at his dad. «Rafa, sweetheart, papi has to work. You’ll see him at home tonight when he tucks you in», (Y/N) tried to reason with her son, but he wouldn’t budge. «Rafaelito, it will be okay. Papi will be home in no time, but right now he has to be a superhero», Rafael tried, kneeling in front of his son who seems to be close to tears.

Most times when they went to see Rafael either at the office or for lunch, Rafa would realize how much he missed his father, he adored his father, and it would be almost impossible to leave, resorting to (Y/N) and Rafael bribing with something that the little boy liked to get him to leave with his mother and sister.

«Rafaelito, por favor! I will be home before you and Lucia go to bed, but right now I have to help detective Rollins and lieutenant Benson. Escucha a tu madre, por favor Rafaelito!» Rafael sighed as the little boy started crying.

…

After some more back and forth, and a lot of shed tears, (Y/N) managed to convince the young boy to come with her and his sister. «I’ll see you tonight amor», she murmured, kissing her husband sweetly. «Voy a. I’ll try to get done early today. Te quiero cariño», he murmured back, kissing her again before placing a soft kiss to Lucia and Rafa’s foreheads.

…

«I never took you for a family man Barba», Amanda stated when the door had closed, turning her attention to the ADA. «I don’t like putting it out there, trying to keep them safe», he said, sitting down in his chair again. «It’s sweet, you’re great with them it seems», she added. «Thanks», he said, a blush heating up his cheeks. Rafael Barba absolutely loved his growing family.

He had met (Y/N) while visiting his mom at her work place, and (Y/N) happened to be there, working as a Spanish teacher. The two had hit it off right of the bat, and all the worries he had brought with him from the past seemed to just disappear as soon as he was with her.

It hadn’t taken much convincing from either one when it came to going out for their first date. His mother had been the one setting them both up, wanting her son to be happy, and well, she had a soft spot for the young teacher, so she knew they would be a good match.

«We want nothing more than to send you home to your family, seems your wife has more than enough on her plate with the twins and being pregnant», Olivia said, smiling at her friend. «Yeah, not long now and I might have to cut my hours severely», he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. «Yeah. So we’ll just need the warrant, and you’ll be able to go home», the lieutenant said.

…

«Here you go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow», Rafael said, handing Olivia the piece of paper. «Thank you Barba!» the lieutenant said, giving her friend a warm smile.

~Two weeks later~  

«Counselor! Your wife called while you were out. She’s gone into labor!» Carmen said as Rafael returned to his office with Benson in heel. «Already?! Shit!» he muttered, turning to his assistant. «How long ago did you get the message?» he added, «15 minutes ago sir, she couldn’t get a hold of you and neither could I, so she left a message with me, quote, «Rafael Barba, if you don’t show up to the birth of our daughter I’m divorcing your ass! Please get here asap!» end quote», Carmen said looking at her boss.

«Liv I’ve got to go!» Rafael said, turning to the lieutenant. «I’ll drive you Rafael. Let’s go!» she said, and with that they ran to the car.

…

«Rafi! You made it!» (Y/N) said, breathing out when she saw her husband running in. «I wouldn’t miss it for the world cariño! Where’s the twins?!» he asked, looking for the double trouble. «With your mot—fuck that hurt—mother», she said through hisses of pain. «Easy, just breathe through it cariño. Breathe», he said, rubbing his wife’s back.

two hours later, just after 8pm, Catalina Olivia Barba was born. She was the striking image of (Y/N) with a hint of Rafael in the color of her eyes and her nose. «She’s gorgeous!» (Y/N) said tiredly as she held the newborn baby girl. «Just like her mother», Rafael said, smiling at his wife and daughter.

«Hey! Brought someone here to see you», Lucia Barba said, entering the room followed by the twins. «Mami! Papi!» they said excitedly, running over, trying to climb up on the bed.

«Careful, mami is very tired okay, and Catalina is fragile», Rafael said, picking both kids up.

«We missed you!» little Lucia said, looking at her mom as she hugged her father.

«yeah», Rafa chimed in, cuddling up to his father.

«Were you both good to Abuelita?» Rafael asked, looking at the kids before looking at his mom. they both nodded their head, Rafa still holding on to his dad.

…

«Hey, is this a bad timing?» Olivia asked as she stood in the doorway.

«Liv! Hey, no not at all, come in!» Rafael said, standing up from where he was sitting by his wife’s side.

Walking into the room with a gift in hand she couldn’t help but smile at the image in front of her. «What’s her name?» Olivia asked, putting the gift on the bedside table before picking up little Lucia who had come over to her.

«Catalina Olivia Barba», (Y/N) said, smiling from the baby and up to the detective.

«That’s such a pretty name», Olivia said, smiling before looking back at the other woman, «Did you say Olivia?» At this (Y/N) nodded, «Got her middle name after you», (Y/N) said, looking back at her newfound friend. «Do you like your new baby sister?» Liv asked, tears in her eyes as she looked  at the little girl in her own arms.

«I love her!» little Lucia said, smiling wide.

Rafa nodded his head and smiled too, «I love her too!» he said, having warmed up to his father’s friend.

«Do you want to hold her, Liv?» (Y/N) asked, looking at the brunette. «Yes, if I can», Liv responded, smiling at the woman in the bed. «Of course. Rafi, wanna help?» she asked, looking at her husband who nodded in response and picked Catalina up.

Liv carefully put little Lucia down on the end of the bed before holding her arms out for Rafael to put the baby in her arms. «Oh, she’s so precious», Liv said, looking down at the baby. «Rafi and I were wondering if you would like to be her Godmother.» At this, Liv looked up in surprise, her eyes finding Rafael’s eyes first, and then she looked to his wife. «I would be honored, yes», Liv exclaimed, cuddling the little baby.

taglist: @kriegsverlobte​ @inmylifeilovedthemall​ @thatesqcrush​ @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ @detective-giggles​ @beccabarba​ @stardust-fray​ @storiesofsvu​ @rafaheadcanons​ @rafivadafreddy​

[something-tofightfor]

Triple D: Delos Does Disney (Part 2)

Pairing: Logan Delos x Reader

Word Count: 5720

Rating: M. Language, mention of sex. 

Author’s Note: Writing Logan happy and in love and  

Summary: You and Logan continue your day at Disney ... what does Logan have planned?

Tag list: (Please let me know if you wanna be added, removed, or moved to a different category!)

General:

@the-blind-assassin-12 @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @obscurilicious @sweetybuzz25 @suchatinyinfinity @lexxierave @gollyderek @poindexted @ificouldhelpyouforget @elanor-of-imladris @thesandbeneathmytoes @luminex3 @geeksareunique @weallhaveadestiny @mfackenthal @thesumofmychoices @yannii04 @beautiful-thinking @drinix @agentlingerie​  @blah-blah-fuckit-shit  @dreams-with-thoughts  @wangmangagavroche

Logan Delos:

@nananananananananananabatman @damalseer @chibiyanai @life-is-a-melody

Unsure:

 @madamrogersstorytelling @songtoyou @ethereal-heavcns @editboutique @marauderskeeper @ilkaeliseb @delicatelilyflower @king4thesirens @ymariejp @mr-robot-x @rageshots @shinebrightlikeafanbase @littlemermaidprobz @introvertedlibrary @writing-for-a-chance @yesixoxo @ilikebeachessushiandsmallanimals @likeorions @swiftyhowlz @dylanobrusso @malik-payne @lynne1993 @traeumerinwitzhelden @ladyblablabla @dreamwritesimagines @audreychaz @tc-elliot @kind-wolf @honeyydippaa @binbonsadoration @ificouldhelpyouforget @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @ms-delos @jeanettexkillian @avengerswhore @elioelioeli0 @projectcampbell @giggleberts

The rest of the morning flew by quickly; you and Logan riding Hyperspace Mountain twice since the line was short before moving on to the Nemo Submarine, despite the line of children you had to wait in. Logan struck up a conversation with the couple in front of you, grinning at the young man - Cameron -  as he tried helplessly to wrangle one toddler (Thomas) while the woman he was with - later introduced as Mandy, his wife, spoke quietly to their other child, a daughter named Lola, pointing out the water and the Monorail, the little girl excitedly naming the things that she saw. “You two want kids?” Cameron shook his head as the line moved, allowing you to step closer to the loading platform. No. 

 Without looking at each other, you and Logan both shook your heads, your eyes going wide. “No, I don’t… we��re just enjoying being married, you know?” Logan’s arm went around your shoulders, pulling you close. “I don’t wanna share her.” Grinning, you looked up at him as he shrugged. “We’ve only been married about a year, and I’m really close to my sister and her husband, so…”

 “Her two kids are more than enough for us, right Lo?” He nodded at you, ducking his head to kiss you quickly, nose wrinkled. You stepped forward again, Cameron now with Thomas securely on his shoulders, the little boy pointing excitedly at the submarines. “It’s not really in our plans.”

 “It will be.” Mandy nodded at you, fighting back a smile. “Just wait, you’ll see.” No, it won’t be. You thought back to the period when you and Logan had refrained from touching each other, to the distance you’d felt from him in the first few days, the absolue longing you’d experienced during those ten days. “And you’d make gorgeous babies,” the woman continued, her eyes moving from you to Logan and then to her own husband and son. “I know it.” 

 “Mandy.” Cameron cut in, shaking his head at his wife. “Not everyone wants kids.” Thank you. You smiled gratefully at the young man, realizing that Logan’s arm was still around your shoulders, hand resting against your arm, thumb moving back and forth slowly. “Besides, with careers like yours, I can understand the dedication.” Oh, so he knows who… You heard Logan laugh quietly next to you, agreeing. The six of you were assigned to the same submarine, and though you and Logan sat back and listened to the ride operator, the mood had shifted between the two of you again, and even Logan’s body pressed up against yours wasn’t enough to help. Does everyone think we should have kids? Is that the next thing I’m going to have to worry about… 

 “You’d be a great mom,” Logan whispered in your ear. “And our kids would be ridiculously attractive.” Shit. “But I want you all to myself, Mrs. Delos. Always.” His teeth closed on your earlobe and you felt a shiver move through you, your breath catching. “Fuck everyone else.” He kissed your cheek before muttering one final thing - we know what we want - and sitting back, knees spread apart and the arm not around you resting against his thigh. As always, Logan had known what to say to fix things, reassuring you that no matter what else anyone said or thought, he got you. For the remaining few minutes, you ignored what was going on around you, focusing on Logan and the way his heartbeat through the shirt he wore calmed and reassured you. Always.

 Even if you’d been on the ride alone, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it - the inside of the sub smelled vaguely like stale water and sweat, and it was oddly humid - and though you still had a smile on your face as you exited, you were thankful for the fresh air. “We’ve got time for one more ride before we gotta meet them for lunch,” Logan rolled his neck, looking around. “Monorail, or you wanna head over to -”

 “Matterhorn.” You grinned at him, nodding excitedly. “No more slow rides right now.” You waved goodbye - and good riddance - to the family you’d met and took Logan’s hand as you walked over toward the mountain, stepping quickly through the crowd. Logan had pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes again to counter the late morning sun, and he left them on as you got into line - no children present. “So what’s going on for lunch, Lo?” You looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “It’s after eleven already so we can’t be going too far, and -”

 “Have I ever disappointed you before?” You felt your face turn red, knowing that he didn’t mean only in terms of surprises, but also in the general sense. Never. “Didn’t think so. You can wait and see.” He squeezed your hand, pulling you forward as the line moved. You and Logan made small talk for the next twenty minutes, Logan telling you a story about the meeting he’d had the previous day - his last one before he left the office, rolling his eyes as he recounted the way that the man and woman had tried to lowball him. Of course you didn’t let them. You knew that Logan in his element at work was a powerhouse, and Logan at work hours before a three week long vacation? You almost felt sorry for whoever he’d met with. 

 As you stepped onto the platform and waited your turn to board, you heard a few whispers from behind you, your last name one of the things that stood out. Of course. Finally, the gates opened and the employees motioned you forward. By the time the ride started moving, you were laughing out loud, the people behind you forgotten as the image of your husband folding his long legs as he sat in the seat in front of you, knees sharply bent was burned into your brain. Oh, God, this was worth it. He grumbled a little, but you heard the amusement in it. “Little more uncomfortable than you thought, Lo?” You leaned forward, brushing your knuckles against the back of his neck before you sat back, still laughing. 

 “Shut up.” But he laughed too, and even though the ride was bumpy - you let out a few surprised gasps and groans throughout - you enjoyed it almost as much as you had Hyperspace Mountain, and it seemed as if Logan had, too. You laughed again as you watched him push up and out of the seat, the muscles in his arms flexing. “Ready for lunch?” Nodding, you realized how hungry you were and took Logan’s hand again as you walked away from the ride. “We’re going toward the cen-”

 “Excuse me.” You stopped first, cursing silently at yourself as you did so. You’ll never learn. “Are you Logan Delos?” The female voice sounded young, and so as you turned your head you kept your face friendly, not dropping the smile. “Ohmygod it is him!” The small group of girls looked to be in their early twenties, dressed in almost identical outfits of tight athletic leggings and cropped sweatshirts in various colors, Adidas shoes on their feet. “Can we take a picture with you?” The one that had spoken stepped forward, already thrusting her phone toward you. Wow. Logan still hadn’t spoken, nor had he let go of your hand. “We just saw you on the cover of People, and you’re so …” She stopped as Logan cleared his throat. 

 “Sure, we can take a picture.” He squeezed your hand before letting go, reaching up to pull his sunglasses off, folding the arms and tucking one of them into the V of his shirt, pulling the opening down a little more with the added weight. “Will you take it for them, Mrs. Delos?” He winked at you, tongue darting out to wet his lips. As you grinned, you took the phone from the blonde and waited until she and her friends had gotten into position next to your husband. You stepped back, aiming the camera and debating over whether or not you wanted to block the shots with your finger, but instead decided that it didn’t matter, so you took the pictures - a few of the group of them, noticing that Logan’s smile was genuine but not a grin, and his arms were around the women, but not holding them. 

 “Do you want separate ones, too?” You heard yourself speak, watching as Logan bit back a laugh at your question. “No big deal, you’re already…” The girls scattered, taking turns posing with your husband, and you noticed that he seemed more comfortable with each of them one on one, the poses more natural, at least until it was the final woman’s turn - the one whose phone you held. She stepped next to Logan with a determined look in her eyes and slid her arm around his waist quickly, gripping him tightly. Jesus. Logan, ever the professional, reached up, and you watched as he settled his fingers on the opposite shoulder, standing straight up as she leaned her head  toward him. You took the picture, nodding as you lowered the camera and held it out to her, but a surprised inhale from Logan distracted you, eyes darting back toward him as she laughed, taking the phone out of your hand and turning back toward her friends, who had just finished thanking you. “You’re welcome,” you mumbled as you stepped toward Logan, whose eyes were wide. “What?” 

 You furrowed your brow at him but Logan didn’t respond, and instead of taking your hand, you felt his arm go around your waist and then his fingers slide into the back pocket of your jeans. He never does this, what… But he didn’t speak, the two of you walking forward and toward the center of the park for a few steps, Logan’s hand on your ass in full view of everyone. “Fuck it.” Logan stopped walking suddenly, pulling his hand away and using it to spin you toward him in one smooth movement, his other hand reaching to your cheek to pull your face toward his as he dipped his head down, lips pressed against yours before you could even react. Letting your breath out in a slow exhale of his name, he deepened the kiss as soon as he could, his tongue delving into your mouth as you reached up, hands automatically finding his shoulder and his hair, fingers on the latter hand curling into the long, soft strands. I don’t know why this is happening, but… “She fuckin’ grabbed my ass,” he breathed as he pulled away from you, gulping down air. “Right in front of you, she…” 

 You laughed - you couldn’t help it - your fingers stroking through his hair as his hand settled at your waist, the other against your neck. “So you kiss me like that? Wha-”

 “I wanted her to see.” He smirked, leaning down to kiss you again, this time only on the corner of your mouth before he straightened up, eyes darting over your shoulder. “And she did, that whole group is staring at us right now.” He locked eyes with you, shaking his head. “No one gets to... “ He swallowed. “Just you.” You felt yourself growing warm as you looked into his eyes, focused entirely on you - as they almost always were. “Only you.” A few years ago, those words wouldn’t have come out of Logan’s mouth in any capacity, and you understood exactly what they meant, as well as why he was so possessive, so open with showing what he felt for you, ignoring everyone else around him. Alright, Logan. 

 “Your ass does look great in those jeans, Lo.” You bit down on your lower lip as your hand moved down his chest, finger trailing against the bare skin at the center, the hair thin but there, something you’d convinced him to let grow. “So I can’t blame her.” He laughed at that, reaching up to run his own fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. “But unless you feed me, I won’t be around to grab you-” He laughed out loud again, rolling his eyes and gesturing toward the center of the park. What does he have planned?

 --- 

 A few minutes later you were no closer to getting an answer, Logan stopping you as you reached the walkway that led to the way through Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which was roped off. It’s never closed, Emily’s going to be so disappointed. Logan’s phone was in his hands, fingers flying over the keyboard as he messsaged Mark, glancing up and looking around. “Alright, they’re coming around from the boutique, Emily just got her princess makeover, so…” He tucked the phone back into his pocket, taking a few steps toward the path to the left of the castle, eyes scanning the crowd. “There they are.” You felt yourself getting excited, eyes picking out the young girl first and then falling on her parents, only a few steps behind her. You watched as Juliet saw Logan, her face splitting into a grin as she nodded, elbowing Mark to alert him. “Emily.” Logan spoke loudly, clearing his throat. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady?” 

 The little girl stopped immediately, her head swiveling toward the two of you. “Uncle Logan?” She smiled too, eyes widening. “You’re here?” She glanced over, seeing you. “You’re here too?!” You nodded as she ran for Logan, her arms wide. He crouched down, hugging her tightly. “Don’t wrinkle my dress, Uncle Logan, I just got it!” You pressed your lips together to ensure that you didn’t laugh as Logan looked up at you, brows knit. He mouthed the words ‘Who is she?’ at you and you replied with a silent ‘Merida’ nodding your head. 

 “Well, Em… or should I call you Merida?” She giggled, stepping back from Logan, who was still crouched, one knee on the ground. “How would you like to eat lunch inside of a castle like a real princess?” Oh my God. Your own eyes widened as you realized what Logan was asking - and why the castle was roped off. Emily’s squeal was drowned out by Juliet’s protests that it was too much, and Mark’s agreement, but you simply stared down at your husband, dumbfounded. “Because if you want to, you and your mom and dad and the two of us are going to go eat inside of the castle.” The little girl was silent for a few seconds but then she launched herself at Logan again, hugging him tightly. “I guess that’s a yes.” 

 He stood, Emily immediately latching onto his hand, Logan’s long fingers closing around her entire palm as she tugged him toward the main castle walkway, her parents forgotten. You glanced back over your shoulder at Juliet and Mark, who shrugged their shoulders and rolled their eyes playfully. No matter what, everyone else disappeared for Emily when Logan was around, and even though her parents pretended to be annoyed by it, everyone knew that they weren’t. Emily and now Isaac, you knew, were the perfect solution to children in Logan’s eyes: he could spoil them, dote on them, give them everything he would have given his own kids… but at the end of the day, they went back to their parents, leaving him free to return to his life and responsibilities - and to you. Even as the thought crossed your mind, you felt Logan’s fingers twining with yours and his gaze on you, pulling you back into focus. 

 You smiled at your husband, opening your mouth to speak when Logan beat you to it. “I love you.” Your fingers tightened against his and you remained silent, feeling your cheeks growing red as the five of you kept walking. Reaching the front of the roped off area, Logan pulled his hand from yours and motioned to one of the cast members, who walked over quickly. Within five minutes, you were seated at a round table that had been set up off to the right of the main walkway, which would allow you to eat without being stared at by the people peering down the paths and into the castle. Though your table was completely covered by the castle itself, it was bright beneath the structure, and Emily’s eyes were wide as she looked around, talking excitedly to her parents. “Surprise.” Logan leaned over, kissing your temple. “This is for her, but it’s kind of for you, too.” 

 You turned to look at him in surprise, not understanding. “Logan, this is…” You gestured forward, watching as cast members brought drinks and the first course to the table - fruit salad and bread. “This is excessive, I don’t even know how you -”

 “I am excessive,” he said with a grin, taking a sip from his cup of water. “You know that better than anyone.” He caught your hand in his, bringing it to his lips and kissed your knuckles, eyes focused on your ring finger. “Way better than anyone.” I do. And you’d said those words three times to him - once in Las Vegas, once in Los Angeles, and again in Hawaii, meaning them more each time they’d left your lips - so you decided to say them again. 

 “I do, Logan Delos.” His expression changed at your words, the smile tugging his lips up a soft one that radiated happiness, but it was short-lived as he cleared his throat, looking down and away. 

 “Eat.” He reached forward, picking up his fork. “My favors are only good for so long, and so we only have until 1:30 before we’ve gotta be out of here and they can clean up.” Even Logan’s influence has its limits, who would have thought? So you ate quickly, talking with Juliet and wondering what the main meal was going to be until Logan nudged you using his chin to gesture toward the staircase across the corridor. You noticed that Juliet had pulled her phone out and was pointing it at Emily, who was locked into conversation with Mark, the two excitedly talking about the rest of the rides. She’s going to flip. “Em.” Logan only had to say part of her name for the girl to focus on him. “Look behind you.” 

 The girl turned, and you laughed as you heard her squeal, pushing out of her seat and running across the room toward the figures that were walking down the steps: Sleeping Beauty herself, followed by Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. You rested your chin on your elbow as the three figures surrounded Emily, Aurora glancing over and asking where Emily’s mother was before returning to conversation with the girl, taking for a few moments before taking a picture with her. You laughed as Tinkerbell sprinkled glitter from a tiny pouch at her waist onto Emily’s head, glancing over at Logan, who was watching his niece with interest. “Tinkerbell’s costume’s so short.” You eyed your husband, noting that he gave the woman in green only a cursory glance before turning to eye you. 

 “She’s got nice legs.” He poked his tongue out, shrugging. “I mean, they’re right-”

 “Hey!” You heard Emily call your name, your attention turning from Logan to the girl. “Come get your picture taken with Peter.” Your lips twitched, but you stood, nodding to Emily as you took your place next to the man - dressed in green. “That’s my aunt.” You laughed as Peter uncrossed his arms, bowing at the waist. 

 “Have you been to Neverland?” He widened his eyes at you, holding out a hand, and you bit back your initial response - No, I’m perfectly happy where I am - to shake your head, placing your hand against his. “You could come, with Emily!” He looked down at the little girl, nodding excitedly. “We could play together, and there aren’t any rules, and…” He looked back at you, giving you a wink. “And we’ll never grow up!” Emily clapped and Peter smiled, looking over at Tinkerbell, waving her over. “Tink, give these two some more Pixie Dust, and we can go back to Neverland together.” You waited as Tinkerbell flung some of the blue glitter at you, hoping that Juliet was still taking pictures, and after a few seconds, Peter called for Emily to step to his other side, looking down at the little girl and then back at you, eyes sparkling. “Alright, think happy thoughts and - “

 “My wife’s got somewhere to be tomorrow.” Logan’s voice interrupted Peter, and he fell silent as you three looked over at your husband, who was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. “She won’t be flying -” Is he jealous of this cast member? For real? 

 “Wife?” Peter looked at you, a sad expression on his face. “I guess you’ve already grown up, haven’t you?” You nodded, trying desperately not to laugh at the tone in Logan’s voice or the amusement in Peter’s. “Well.” He winked at you, shaking his head. “That’s too bad, but at least I’ve still got Emily, right?” Peter let go of your hand and turned to focus on Emily, crouching down in front of her. “It’s time for us to go back, but whenever you want to come to Neverland, just close your eyes and think happy thoughts.” Giggling, Emily nodded, and then Peter stood again, looking back over his shoulder at you before he and Tinkerbell walked out of the castle, waving. 

 You sat back down at the table next to Logan while Emily returned to her parents, asking to see the pictures of her and the characters. “Logan Delos, were you jealous of Peter Pan?” He took a long drink, eyeing you. “Was it the tights? I mean, it -”

 “Stop.” He stared at you, fighting back his own smile. “I just don’t like seeing another man holding your hand.” Oh, Logan. You’re an idiot. The five of you continued eating - hamburgers and french fries, all of Emily’s favorites - and when you were almost done, there was another noise on the stairs, and your eyes locked on a legitimate parade of princesses walking down the stairs. Holy shit. You knew that they walked around the park, meeting guests throughout the day, but you’d never seen so many of them in one place, and Emily once again abandoned her chair, lunch forgotten. “I’ve heard,” Logan said, speaking quietly into your ear. “That Disney princes are responsible for giving women very unrealistic expectations when it comes to relationships.” He kissed you on the cheek, clearing his throat. “So I wanted to make sure all of your expectations were being exceeded.”

 “Logan, what…” You trailed off as you noticed that following the female characters down the stairs, there was a shorter line of male cast members. Holy fuck  “The Princes aren’t…” 

 “They only bring them out for special occasions, and today’s a special occasion.” You looked back at Logan and then your eyes went back to the giant group of characters in front of you. They’re just people in costume it’s… But as you watched them interacting with each other and with Juliet, Mark and Emily, you realized that it wasn’t about the fact that it wasn’t real - it was about the fact that they were there. “Go.” He pulled his phone out. “Don’t worry, I’ll take your picture.” You caught the sarcasm in his tone, but also saw that he was serious, his gaze focused on you. “Go.” 

 And so you did, joining the other three in the middle of the open space, talking and laughing with the characters, taking pictures of Emily and her parents, getting completely engrossed in the moment as you talked with the men and women in costume. I grew up with these characters, this is unreal. Goddamn Prince Charming is actually kinda hot… You posed for your fair share of pictures with the men and women, even allowing Charming to kiss the back of your hand - your right hand, because it’s the one that he grabbed, the crowd thinning out somewhat as some of the cast cleared out after interacting with the four of you. Emily and Mark were deep in conversation with Merida, Juliet speaking with Cinderella when you finally turned back to Logan, letting out a surprised “oh” when you saw that he’d stood from his seat and had been cornered by two princesses: Rapunzel and Belle. Well they’re the two prettiest ones, so I’m not surprised. 

 Rather than interrupting, you stepped close enough to hear the conversation and pulled your phone out, starting to take pictures of Logan and the two women, who were both talking excitedly. 

 “I’ve never seen you in the village before,” Belle said, stepping closer to Logan and batting her eyelashes. “Though I’ve been cooped up for a while, and might have missed something.” Logan cleared his throat, eyes going back and forth between the women as he took a step back. “What’s your name?” She paused, looking over at the woman in pink, whose hands were fidgeting with her long braid. 

 “I don’t know, Belle, but if I’d known he was down here I would have climbed from that tower much sooner.” She stepped closer, reaching out with one hand and stopping just short of touching Logan’s chest. “Doesn’t he look a bit like my Flynn?” You rolled your eyes and took in the way the women were looking at your husband - still managing to stay in character even though they seemed to be about thirty seconds from proposing a threesome with him. “What is your name, sir?” You saw the involuntary response as Logan’s eyes flashed, his jaw twitching slightly at the use of the word, his attention going fully to the blonde woman. 

 “Oh, that’s what it took?” Belle laughed, reaching out to touch Rapunzel’s arm, effectively blocking Logan in without making it look like that’s what she was doing. “If you’re new here, we could give you the grand tour, there’s so much to see.” 

 “Yeah, it would be our pleasure.” Rapunzel cocked her head to the side, smiling brilliantly at Logan. “Emphasis on the pleasure.” Oh Jesus Christ. There’s an eight year old a few feet away. 

 “Both of you,” Logan said, looking back and forth between the two of them, schooling his features into a passive expression. “Both of you are very attractive, and if I’m being honest with you, there’s something about the idea of a princess that…” Wait, what? You blinked, ready to interrupt when Logan continued. “But you’re here to see my niece, and… I’m pretty sure my wife now has enough blackmail material to last her for a few years, so…” He shrugged, averting his gaze from Belle’s face and to yours, the smirk growing. “Have you met my wife yet?” Both women stepped back as you tucked your phone into your back pocket, walking back toward the table slowly. 

 “Didn’t want to interrupt, Lo.” You looked between the two women, raising one eyebrow at the almost angry expression on Rapunzel’s face as she eyed you. “Figured you were enjoying your lunch with the princesses, and…” You shrugged. “You know.” Belle laughed, reaching up to pat her hair but Rapunzel stood her ground, the fingers of one hand still on her braid, the other arm crossed over her stomach, fingers tight on her elbow. “Do you guys want a real picture with Logan, or…” Belle lowered her head and stepped away from Logan, who started to protest. “No. Come on, Logan. Have some fun.” He took his place next to the woman and without batting an eye, turned toward her, his face smoothing into a smile as he reached out, putting a hand on her waist as if to dance with her, one of her hands going to his back as they linked the fingers of the other hands together, lifting them. That’s actually really good. 

 You heard Emily exclaiming excitedly from behind you that her uncle was dancing with a princess, and after you’d taken a few pictures of Logan and the woman standing in one place, he surprised everyone by stepping to the side, leading the woman in a few slow circles around the room. You managed to switch your phone into video mode and to keep silent, only focused on the way that they were moving, Logan ending the short dance by nodding his head, releasing her waist and raising his arm to spin her away from him - and then back toward him, her palm ending up pressed flat against his chest, her cheeks red from smiling. Though you’d encouraged it, you felt a pang of jealousy in your chest as the two of them laughed together, stepping apart to the applause of the remaining princes and princesses, plus Emily, Mark and Juliet. “Fun?” Logan said, looking at you as he stepped away from Belle and back toward Rapunzel, who was watching intently. 

 Logan reached out for the woman’s hands, taking them both in his own as he spun her around, the girl laughing out loud as Emily clapped and your heart raced. He’s acting. It’s just… you kept your phone steady, watching as Logan dropped the girl’s hands, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the side. “You said I reminded you of ‘your’ Flynn?” She nodded, tapping a finger on her lips. “Well, how’s this?” He used a hand to free some of his hair, allowing it to droop over his eyes and then recrossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he stared at her, smirking for a few moments. Rapunzel giggled and then clapped her hands, jumping up and down a few times. 

 “Yes, you definitely remind me of him.” She sighed. “It got so lonely up in that tower, and it’s so good to see …” Logan beckoned her forward, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest and closing her eyes as she sighed. Oh, please. You switched the camera back into photo mode, snapping a few shots of the two of them, Logan giving you his best smolder, one hand on her back and the other on his own hip, and tried not to let your face betray you - at least not while the two of them were still in the castle. Once you put the phone away, Rapunzel pulled herself away from Logan, turning away and toward Emily, kneeling down to hug the girl like nothing had happened as Logan turned and walked across the room, fixing his hair. Unsure of where to go or what to say, you took a breath, closing your eyes for a moment. 

 “Hey.” You heard a soft voice from next to you, eyes opening to see  that Belle was standing there, grinning. “Thank you.” She swallowed and you saw the sincerity in her eyes and heard it in her voice. “We all got a little excited when we found out who had set this up, and I really didn’t mean to flirt with him in front of you.” You knew what a big deal it was for her to break character and so you forced a smile, feeling your heartbeat slow fractionally. “Mr. Delos is a great man to have set this up for Emily.” Belle licked her lips, nodding. “You’re a very lucky woman.” She squeezed your elbow. “Thank you again for letting us pretend for a few minutes with him.” Your first instinct was to reply with something petty, but instead, you held it in, choosing to be nice. 

 “Of course.” Your eyes went to Logan, who was sitting on the bottom of the steps, chin in his hand as he watched you. “I know you can’t tell me your name or anything, but I’ll post those pictures of you guys, and if you want the video… you can have it, too, just reach out to me.” She smiled gratefully and curtsied before she stepped away, joining Rapunzel and Cinderella with Emily as you took a deep breath and began walking toward Logan, catching Juliet’s eye as you moved. It’s fine. Logan didn’t speak as you reached him, but his eyes followed you and he sat up straight, waiting to see what you’d do or say. “Lo…” 

 You didn’t like how your voice came out - shaky and quiet - but you sighed, lowering yourself onto his lap and raising one arm so that you could stroke the hair at the base of his neck. He immediately put his arms around your waist, taking a deep breath. “I didn’t… they…” 

 “Logan, I’m not mad, come on.” You shook your head, staring into his face. “Even Prince Eric was staring at you, I don’t think he looked at me or Ariel once.” Logan snorted quietly, but it was a short noise and then he fell silent again. “Em’s never gonna forget this, Lo. This was… incredible.” Turning your head away from him to watch as the last few characters stepped out of the castle, leaving the five of you alone again, you swallowed. “Wanna go back and finish lunch?” You glanced down, seeing that you still had about fifteen minutes before you had to clear out of the castle. “C’mon, Lo. We still have a ton of time here, you’ve gotta eat.” He stayed quiet for a few seconds and then stared at you, wrinkling his nose. 

 “How aren’t you mad? I just…” He shook his head but you only rolled your eyes, standing up and reaching for Logan’s hands. “I’d be…” 

 “Logan.” You squeezed his hands as he placed them into yours immediately feeling more at ease. “How could I be mad at you for that? I’ve seen you do worse.” And you had  - on a ‘no holds barred’ trip to Westworld, both of you had taken your turn with Hosts, and so you had firsthand experience seeing Logan kiss someone else, his hands on their body. “This was nothing.” As  you made your way back to the table, sitting down, you picked up a few more fries, chewing on them thoughtfully. “And besides, Lo… I can’t be mad about some harmless flirting for a few minutes, because I get that forever.” 

 Despite his silence, you saw him smile at your words, lifting the cup back to his lips and taking a long drink. 

--- 

[godlyvan]

07 | CHRISTMAS GIFTS

summary | christmas and new year’s eve parties lead to the creation of baby mccann #3. only things don’t exactly go to plan.

warnings | swearing, drunk bondy, unexpected gifts, and an uber amount of cute ass van.

a/n | @mimiandvan and i came up with this idea when she asked if i could write a family one for van. was in a christmas mood, so i wrote out a christmas one. this one’s pretty damn long. it’s over 2000 words, which means up until now, november fourth, twenty-seventeen, this is the longest fic i have written. i’m going to dedicate it to @storiesaboutvan because it was her fics that lead me to posting mine. also, we’ve hit one hundred followers! yay! i’ve only had this account since august, and i’ve been blessed with so much. thank you, this is only the beginning.

Christmas was a time where everyone would get together at Van’s house drink, and exchange gifts. The boys would all come over with their girlfriends, and some of Y/N’s friends would come with their partners. The house would be filled with laughter and soon a handful of people would be drunk, you and Van trying to keeping your twins away from them, which went unsuccessful, seeing as Bondy was now telling the twins stories about you two from when you were younger. They were too young to comprehend his words, giggling when Bondy giggled. “Your parents are crazy!”

“Alright, Bond, that’s enough drunken fairy tales for Em and El, alright?” Bondy nodded as Emery and Elliot were whisked away in Van’s arms. They giggled as they played with Van’s hair, which made Van smiled wide. Y/N’s eyes landed on her boys, making Grace and Allie look in their direction, too.

“You’re so lucky, Y/N. You’ve got two healthy boys, who’re so giggly. And a giant toddler, who’s also giggly.” The three of them laughed, Van walking into their conversation. Van argued that he wasn’t a toddler, but when he began to pout, it didn’t help his argument.

“I still love ya, Ryan.” She kissed his cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck. He sat down, followed by Y/N sitting on his lap. They looked over their party, seeing everyone laughing and exchange gifts within their little groups, making Y/N smile. Y/N stood up and brought Van into the kitchen, stopping at the doorway, looking up at the mistletoe that was taped to the top of each doorway. Van looked, smiled and brought his head down to kiss her. “Bob got the boys something for Christmas, and told ‘em that Daddy had to let the boys come over whenever they needed to practice. Handed them little drumsticks, and now they’ve been banging on the pots in the kitchen with Bob. He’s gone and shut the door so the party wouldn’t be disturbed.”

“Bob’s a good lad, he’ll be a great father someday, you know?” She nodded, kissing Van’s temple as she got off his lap. “Where ya going now?”

“I’ve gotta give out my gifts, babe. I’ll be right back,” Van nodded, watching her walk away. He’d been blown away with how gorgeous she looked tonight. The mother of his children was walking around with such a glow. It made her irresistible to Van’s stares. He got up and walked off towards Grace, talking with her.

“I’m nervous, though. I’m probably gonna wait till later tonight, when you’re all gone and the kids are asleep.”

“That’s a good idea, but you’ve actually gotta do it, Van. You love Y/N a whole fuck ton, and she loves you endlessly, just do it and get married already. All of us have been waiting for a long time!” She laughed, punching his arm. He rubbed the area she punched, while he saw Y/N handing two gifts to Benji and one to his girlfriend, telling him to give it to Bondy when he’s sober. He was beginning to stare again, his eyes trailing up and down her body, taking in every inch of her skin.

“You’ve got some good kids, mate. They’re sleeping now, probably will wake up in an hour or two like they do at my house. Dee and I are going to head on home, got a little ways to drive. See you on New Year’s, mate. Love you loads.”

“Love you too, Bob, merry Christmas, man.” Couple by couple, they began filing out. The house was a wreck, wrapping paper was crumpled in balls around the house, and toys from the twins lay around in messy piles around their room and the living room. They sit on the couch in pajamas, Y/N’s legs on top of his.

“Today was a great day.” Y/N admitted, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He nodded, kissing her arm. He grabbed her hands, his thumb gliding over her knuckles. He kissed them lightly getting off the couch before walking into the kitchen. He brought back two glasses of hot chocolate, and a low self-confidence from a pep talk he had given himself.

“I’ve saved the best presents for last.” Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed as Van smiled at her. He began to get down on one knee, making Y/N’s mouth open, and her hands to over it. “I know that this is forever. Known that since the day I first saw you. I just, you know, wanna make it real. Wanna be with you forever and grow old and shit. I love you so much, and I cannot live without you. You’re the mother of my children and I want to have so many more children with you. And I promise I will always be there to protect you and our wonderful little boys. Will you marry me, Y/N?” “Y-Yes!” She practically jumped off the couch and into his arms. From across the room, little giggles could be heard as Emery and Elliot peered from behind the corner. They’d woken up and heard their Dad saying sweet things to their Mom and they wanted to know what was happening. Y/N called them over, their little feet pounding against the hard-wood floors. The couple swept their children up in their arms and turned on a Christmas movie, waiting for the kids to fall asleep again. “I love you so much, Van. You can’t even imagine.”

“Also forgot this,” he handed her a velvet box, her eyes flickering from Van to the box in her palm. She was frightened to open it, in fear that it would be another expensive thing she didn’t need. But it wasn’t expensive in monetary value, just rich in meaning. The box held the necklace Van had worn around his neck since he could remember, he had never taken it off in his life. “Wanted you to have it. And when our boys grow up, we’ll have to add another necklace to the tradition.”

“Van, I can’t take this, it’s yours.”

“It’s yours now. One day, we’ll pass it onto Em and El, and they’ll pass it onto their children.” Her hands grabbed Van’s cheeks, pulling him in for another kiss. They soon found their spot lying on the couch with their boys, all comfortably wrapped together. Sleeping with all of them on the couch was peaceful, if one woke up, they would kiss the other three’s closest body part, letting them know they were there.

But the next morning came right on time. Y/N’s nose filled with the smell of bacon and pancakes, and her ears began to be soothed by the sounds of Emery and Elliot’s laughing. She got off the couch, wiping the last bit of sleep out of her eyes, walking over and kissing Van on the lips, distracting him from cooking for one second. Your twins yelled in unison, running away from their parents. “Ew!”

Van and Y/N laughed, leaning closer for one more kiss before calling the boys back for breakfast. They groaned as the boys drowned their pancakes in syrup, transferring their pancakes onto another plate while they watched the extra syrup go down the drain, but nonetheless, they had a wonderful breakfast. And at the end, the boys put their plates into the sink, going off to play with what they had gotten for Christmas four days before.

New Year’s Eve came sooner than anyone expected. Only a few people are over, Bob and his girlfriend, and Bondy. They drank a little champagne and a few glasses of wine, letting the twins play with their toys while listening to the sounds coming from New Year’s Eve in New York. They all chatted, congratulating the couple on their very recent engagement. But soon, it came time for everyone to retreat into their guest rooms, each having their own little after party in there. Thankfully, Bondy wasn’t fully drunk, but just enough to become tipsy. Reason being, the boys had fallen asleep, ten minutes to midnight. Each laying on a separate end of the couch with a blanket pulled over their heads. “Guess it’s just you and me, fiancee.”

“Guess so. I love you very much, Mr. McCann.”

“I love you, too, soon-to-be Mrs. McCann.” It was five minutes to midnight, the new year beginning to roll in, bit by bit. They held each other in a warm embrace, Y/N’s arms wrapped around his waist, as well and Van’s arms wrapped around hers. Their foreheads rest together, eyes staring into each others. They could hear the thirty second countdown beginning.

“We should have another kid.” Van really looked at her, staring into her eyes as they got down to twenty-five seconds. Van nodded, agreeing with her.

“Should start now.” Twenty seconds left. They rushed to put the kids to bed, rushing into their bedroom. Fifteen seconds left. They turned on the tv, the volume rising as Van undressed him and his fiancee. Ten seconds left. They stared at each other’s bodies as if they hadn’t done so before. Five seconds left. They got into bed, Van hovering over Y/N’s body. “Happy New Year.”

As the tv yelled Happy New Year, they kissed, beginning their new year trying to conceive baby McCann #3.

four months later.

The waiting room wasn’t packed, but they were sure busy. Women sat in chairs at various stages of pregnancy. Y/N looked at all of them, admiring each stage of baby bumps that showed in every direction. She smiled, holding her stomach as her and Van’s name were called. They followed the nurse into one of the many rooms they had, asking her to sit down on the table. She did so willingly, asking if she could take off her shoes. And with permission from the nurse, she did.

She checked blood pressure and went over all the areas Y/N checked off as areas of concern. Then, they were instructed to wait until their doctor showed. Y/N’s nerves wracked up, Van lips coming to kiss her knuckles reassuringly. “Everything’s gonna be alright, baby. You’re fine, okay?”

Y/N nodded as Jackie came in, welcoming the pair with a huge smile, “I hear you’re pregnant again, congratulations. You’re very lucky. I assume we’re checking up on the baby today, so I’m going to need you to lift up your shirt and pull your pants down a little. I’m just gonna put this down here, but you’ve been through this all before, so I’m not gonna walk you through it again.”

“Thanks, Jackie.” Jackie nodded, squirting the cold gel onto Y/N’s stomach. The little wand glided over every inch it needed to, finding three heartbeats. “Are those - are those heartbeats?”

“It appears you’re having triplets, Y/N. Congratulations once again!” Y/N’s widened, looking over at Van who’s laughing his head off. Jackie looked between the two of your reactions, knowing triplets wasn’t something the couple had thought of.

“I’m that good, huh, babe?” He asked between fits of laughter. Jackie cleaned up Y/N’s stomach, handing her a prescription for the list of medications she’s going to take.

“How is this even possible? We’ve had twins, and now we’re going to have fucking triplets. Are we even gonna have enough room for them, Van?”

“Of course we’ll have room, darlin’! If not, I’ll get us a bigger house, don’t you worry! We’ve just gotta worry about keeping these three snots safe, I promised you I’d protect you and our kids, always.” Jackie admired the love they shared, smiling at the two as she went over proper care for having triplets.

“You ready to go through this, knowing you’re having triplets? I know this can be overwhelming.”

“I’m all good now. Just feel like a fairy tale, you know? Didn’t think I’d be having twins, let alone triplets. Oh god, your mum’s gonna have a field day, Van. What’re we gonna tell her?!” Van put on her shoes, slipping them on one at a time before tying them gently. He looked up at her, helping her off the table. He kissed her forehead, licking his lips before speaking again.

“I’ve got a magic penis, babe, that’s what we’re going to tell her.” Jackie, Van, and Y/N all laughed, exiting the room with huge grins on their faces. “We’re having triplets, babe, just wait till the boys hear about my magic penis!”

[distant-rose-archive-blog]

No Leg to Stand On (2/2)

Note: Oh my god, this took FOREVER to write. So much is packed into this aftermath focused part two. I wasn’t expecting everyone to be so upset about Beth not telling the truth, but here we are. Anyway, please note that this takes place four years in the future. Beth is now 20, Henry is 39, Harrison is 24, Wes is 22 , Neddy is 15 and Lucy is 14. Scary right? Anyway, there is A LOT of emotions in this. A LOT. Please do not kill me. Thanks @welllpthisishappening for being the coolest person alive and feeding me fluff as I wrote this. Summary: At sixteen, Beth Jones is Killian’s pride and joy. She’s gorgeous, intelligent, clever, witty and possibly the most talented swordsman of her generation. She might also be pregnant Rating: T Word Count: 9,400+

Four years later...

Parents weren’t supposed to have favorites amongst their children. Killian Jones would vehemently deny he had a favorite out of his kids, but if he had to pick one, he would admit, privately and only to himself, that it would be his daughter. Killian loved his sons and he would fight anyone to said otherwise, but he and his daughter Beth had always had a close and special relationship. Daughters were a different sort of breed than sons were and his connection with Beth seemed to go deeper than the ones he had with Henry, Harrison, Wes and Neddy. Since the moment she had opened her eyes, Killian had felt nothing but an intense love and a fierce need to protect his daughter; to cradle her in his arms and never let her go.

There no denying that Beth had always been a “Daddy’s Girl.” When she was a child, she rarely left his side, often tugging on his pant leg and clutching his hook tightly - she always made a point to hold onto his hook and had done so since she was a toddler. She would snuggle into his side and listen with full attention as he regaled her with stories of his pirate days, often interrupting him with a question or a comment, but nonetheless always eager. For the first five years of her life, she walked around with a foam play sword and preened whenever they would call her the “Pirate Queen.” And that’s what she was to Killian, a little queen. His little queen.

Naturally, she became more aloof and independent in her teenaged years, but they maintained a close relationship. Until she turned nineteen and went off to have adventures of her own, Killian and his daughter would purposefully wake up just before dawn and would work on her swordplay in the backyard. She had a tenacity and talent with swords that none of her brothers had shown and Killian loved nothing more than those moments where they would spar and talk about everything and anything. It seemed like there was nothing they could talk about. There were no secrets between father and daughter.

Or so Killian thought.

His entire opinion on his relationship with Beth changed one night when he answered a call from the Rabbit Hole to intervene on drunk and disorderly conduct being committed by one Benjamin “Benny” Booth. None of this seemed out of the ordinary. Booth was an acknowledged alcoholic and known to be belligerent when he was too gone in his cups.

Killian did not like handling calls for drunk and disorderly conduct. They were often messy affairs that involved him hauling someone away in the back of his car where they would proceed to throw up over his leather upholstery. With the recent additions of his eldest son Harrison and his brother-in-law Neal to the law enforcement team, Killian normally left the night business, especially the drunks, to the boys. Harrison and Neal were both tall, healthy and able-bodied young men who were more than capable of handling violent and inebriated shenanigans.

However, that particular night Harrison had on a date with his longtime girlfriend Nasira and Neal had been sick when he and his wife received a call from the local bar and were asked to intervene. Emma was just as fond of those type of calls as Killian was, which led to them drawing straws on who would be the one to answer. Naturally Killian lost. He grumbled a bit in his defeat, but gave his wife an affectionate kiss before donning his leather coat and answering the call.

It was a call he wasn’t likely to forget.

“Deputy Jones,” Booth had acknowledged him with an exaggerated nod and a smirk as Killian had approached him. “An alcoholic after my own heart. Normally I’m a whiskey man but for you, I can stomach some rum.”

“No need to switch on my account,” Killian replied smoothly. “Actually, I would prefer it if you would consider turning in for the night. It’s getting late. I’m sure Marco and August are worried.”

“Are you trying to kick me out of here, Deputy?” Booth asked. “Because I’m not leaving this seat. This is my seat, you see. This is where I live.”

Booth’s eyes were glossy and he was wobbling a bit in his aforementioned seat. His speech was also a bit slurred and Killian would bet a pretty penny that he smelled like a distillery. Killian subtly placed his hand on his hip, not too far away from his cuffs. He didn’t want to hull the man out and he would give him every chance to go in peace, but Killian had a feeling Booth wasn’t going to out quietly.

“That’s quite evident,” Killian replied, tired and trying his best to be patient. “But it’s getting late. Nick is looking to close down soon, mate. He would appreciate it if you went home.”

“No. I’m not leaving! You want me to leave, you’re going to have to fight me!” Booth snapped back belligerently.

He banged his glass down hard on the table, causing the patrons around him to jump and eye him warily. Killian sighed. This was actually what he had wanted to avoid.

“Look, Benny, I don��t want to fight you. I don’t even want to cuff you. I would prefer it if we handled this like civilized men and we parted company without me hauling you down to the station for booking. I would much rather you go home to your family so I can go home to mine,” Killian replied, giving to keep his voice as gentle as he could.

“You’re not a fighter, huh, Deputy? You’re more of a fucker than a fighter,” Booth slurred, swaying in his seat like an angry cobra and glaring at Killian. “Like your daughter, huh? You would rather fuck than fight.”

Drunk cursing never really bothered Killian. He had heard more than his fair share of colorful insults over the centuries. Booth’s ravings were far from creative. However, the second Booth mentioned Beth, a spike of anger ran down his spine.

“Let’s leave my daughter out of this business, shall we?” Killian asked coldly.

“I fucked her, you know,” Booth smirked, leaning back in his seat before turning to the people around him. “I fucked his daughter. I fucked Beth Jones. Everyone thought she was an untouchable but I had her! I screwed the brains out of Storybrooke’s perfect little princess! And let me tell you, the things she could do with her legs? The girl belongs in porno. She was surprising a good time, you know, for being sixteen and all. And now, she’s fucking a fish.”

Killian had made a lot of progress over the years abstaining from giving into his more violent impulses when he was angry but the second Booth smirked and kept spewing nasty things about Beth, he saw red. He grabbed Booth by the front of his t-shirt, hook piercing the worn cotton. He glared down at the drunken man with murder in his eyes, wishing that that his hook was lodged in the man’s neck rather than his shirt. He wanted nothing more than to watch this pitiful excuse for a human being to choke on his own blood.

The entire bar went silent as Killian grabbed Booth, watching with wary but curious eyes. He had no doubt that someone in the crowd was texting his sons to let them know what was happening at the Rabbit Hole.

“It would be a wise decision if you stopped talking,” Killian said in a dangerously soft tone. “Just stop talking. Because if you say another word about her, I can’t promise you that you’re going to leave this bar tonight with your face intact.”

“You’re not going to hurt me,” Booth scoffed. “You’re a cop. Besides, after all, we were almost family.”

“What are you talking about?” Killian hissed.

Killian pulled Booth closer. His hook slipped further into his shirt until the fabric hit the top of Killian’s brace and the sharp tip was poking into Booth’s chin. The steel nicked Booth’s skin, blood trickling down the side of Killian’s hook.

Either Booth was so drunk that he didn’t feel the hook digging into his chin or he was just insane, but he laughed as Killian got in his face; arrogant and completely unafraid.

“Didn’t think I knew about the baby, did you? She told me she thought she was pregnant and I know you killed it. Couldn’t bear the thought that I put a bastard in that belly, huh? I’ve always wanted to know how you got rid of it. Did you take her to a clinic across the town line or do it the old fashion way with tea and tansy? You’re an old fashioned boy, aren’t you, Deputy? I’m betting it was the tea.”

Killian’s eyes bulged and he nearly yanked Booth off his seat in his rage. There were a few gasps that resounded around the room and Killian became very aware that the people around him had heard the ridiculous accusations that Booth had made.

“Do you know what I hate more than sloppy violent drunks, Booth? Shameless liars who try to tarnish the names of ladies,” Killian replied through gritted teeth. “I’ve told you twice now to stop bringing my daughter and lying about her. Mention her name again and I will make good on my threats.”

Booth laughed in Killian’s face again.

“Lady? Please! Your daughter is a wh-” Booth didn’t finish his sentence.

Killian’s fist connected with Booth’s jaw with a loud sickening crack. Booth sunk back in his seat, knocked cold by the combination of Killian’s hard swing and the massive amounts of alcohol in his system. Killian shook out his hand, hissing slightly at the throbbing in his knuckles. He detached his hook from Booth’s shirt, not caring as the unconscious man’s head slumped forward and smacked into the table. He pulled out his cuffs, roughly brought Booth’s hands behind the chair and restrained his arms.

The bartender Nick was an old friend of Killian’s. He had been working at the Rabbit Hole for as long as Killian could remember. He was a heavyset man with graying black hair and a lightly bearded face who shared Killian’s penchant for wearing black. Nick was a capable man and didn’t often call about the drunks who inhabited the Rabbit Hole, often preferring to take care of them by himself. However, like Killian, he was an aging man and had recently had a hip replacement surgery. Drunk wrangling wasn’t easy for him anymore.

Nick had a glass of rum waiting for him on the counter when Killian looked up.

“On the house, Captain,” Nick said with a sympathetic look.

Killian looked at the rum then looked back at Booth who was unconscious and probably would be for a few more moments. Feeling still a bit raw and petty, he kicked Booth’s foot unkindly before joining Nick at the bar with a weary expression.

“Thanks, mate,” he said, lifting the glass and taking a healthy sip. “I needed that.”

“It’s a pity that you didn’t get to hit him before he passed out on the table,” Nick said loudly, looking sternly at his patrons as if daring to them to contradict him.

Killian snorted.

“That’s not necessary,” Killian said. “He was so liquored up, I doubt he’ll remember it.”

“Hey, I don’t want you getting in trouble. I’ll lose my best customer then,” Nick replied. “Besides he was saying shit about your daughter. Beth’s a good girl. She doesn’t need those rumors flying around.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Killian responded, taking another generously gulp.

“Speaking of your daughter…How is Beth doing these days?” Nick asked casually.

“Well. She’s doing well. Grown up and off doing her own thing. Barely has time for her old man anymore,” Killian chuckled. “David is convinced she’s going to be settling soon since she’s been seeing Will for a year now. You’ve probably seen him around be around before. Ariel’s boy. Big tall ginger lad.”

“Ah, so the fish comment now makes sense. I didn’t quite get that,” Nick said with a nod. “A pirate’s daughter with a mermaid’s son. That’s quite the pair. Is he a good guy?”

“He’s a very nice kid,” Killian replied diplomatically. “Very respectful. Very polite. Just as charming as his mother. Asks a lot of questions like her too.”

Nick frowned as he listened to Killian’s words, cleaning down his side of the bar as he did so.

“Sounds decent enough. But you don’t seem to like him.”

“I don’t like anyone who dates my daughter. But I like Will as much as I could given the circumstances. He’s a thousand leagues better than Whiskey Dick over there,” Killian said, jabbing his thumb back in Booth’s direction. “But I can’t figure out what Beth likes about him. He’s too…safe. Too vanilla. She leads him around by the dick.”

“Maybe she likes that. If I recall your daughter as well as I think do, she’s always been on the bossy side,” Nick commented, taking Killian’s empty glass and pouring him another drink.

“That’s my little girl you’re talking about, mate.”

“Allow me to apologize. Your drink is on me again,” Nick replied lightly.

Nick pushed it across the bar until it stopped against Killian’s forearm. He took and raised it in thanks before bringing it to his lips. A comfortable silence fell between the two men.

“Killian, we’ve known each other for a long time…” Nick started, looking unsure for a moment.

“Since I pilfered your rum stock when I first arrived back with Cora. I remember it well,” Killian chuckled.

“Yeah. I’m never going to forget that, you old bastard, but please understand that I don’t mean to insult you or your family when I ask this, and you’re quite welcome to steal my rum stock again for this question, but is there’s any stock in what Booth said? I mean, he’s drunk out of his mind, but he seemed to believe what he was saying and you know what they say…drunk words, sober thoughts.”

Killian’s jaw worked. He wanted to berate his barkeep for asking the question and follow it up with a taste of his hook, but the truth was that Booth’s words had been marinating in the back of his head since he heard them. Beth had never mentioned Booth to him, and they had lengthy conversations about her paramours in the past without much issue. If there was once something between Booth and his daughter, he would like to think that she would have told him about it, especially if there was a pregnancy involved.

“No,” Killian said firmly. “He’s just a fuckhead. Beth would have told me if she was involved with him.”

Nick gave him a sad smile.

“You sure? Teenage girls tend to hide things like unsavory boyfriends…”

“Positive,” Killian replied with as much conviction as he could muster. “Beth has always been open with me about her relationships with her boyfriends and her girlfriends. Booth is full of shit.”

“Just checking,” Nick said before leaning down, grabbing an unopened bottle of rum and placing it down in front of Killian. “For your troubles, old friend. I wasn’t sure if he had struck a nerve or not aside from just being a complete shitbag. Needed to know if I was going to have to help you hide a body later.”

Killian and Nick didn’t discuss much after the exchange. Killian finished his glass, picked up the unopened bottle and placed it in the crook of his arm before not too gently dragging the still unconscious Booth into the back of his car. Killian stopped by the station and placed Booth in one of the holding cells. As he hauled Booth onto the metal bed, he looked down at him and studied his features.

Despite being an absolute piece of garbage in Killian’s mind, Booth was admittedly on the attractive side. He had lots of thick wavy hair and almost feminine looking eyelashes. His visage was one could be classified as conventionally handsome. He could see why women would like him even if he was an unsavory character while intoxicated.

Had his daughter fallen for this pretty face? Killian wanted to think that his daughter was capable of seeing the character that lay behind the mask. He had always taught her on how looks could be deceiving and had even advised her to use her own to her advantage if she was in a tough situation and if her life depended on it.

Booth had given a specific age. He had claimed to have slept with Beth when she was sixteen. The very thought sickened him. Beth had always been clever and a head more mature than her peers; always trying to act older than she was. Killian had always attributed it to the fact she had a tendency to hang around her older brothers and their friends. On top of that, as intelligent as she was, Beth had always been horribly impulsive, jumping into things before she had really assessed them; continuously brazen and bold. With as lively and beautiful as she was, Beth was definitely capable of catching anyone’s eye and with Booth being older than her, she would have thought of him as a challenge.

Furthermore, Killian had never made it a secret how he felt about Benny Booth. He had never been a fan, but then again, this wasn’t surprising, considering who his father was. Killian disliked August Booth with a passion of a thousand suns and didn’t necessarily like the looks August gave his wife. He was even less of a fan when August had arrived back in Storybrooke twenty years ago with a three-year old son and had all but dropped that son on his elderly father Macro. As much as he didn’t care to admit it, a lot of Killian’s dislike of Benny stemmed from his dislike of August. Beth had known this. Perhaps knowing his dislike for the Booths had made her reluctant to admit to her father that she was attracted to him.

The more Killian pondered, the less confident he felt.

Beth getting involved with Booth? It was a possibility, Killian begrudgingly admitted it. But Booth getting Beth pregnant? That was really the kicker. He really didn’t want to believe that Beth would keep something that major from him or that she was even capable of hiding something like that. She was clever, but not that clever. Killian had supported his wife through four different pregnancies. He would like to think he could spot the symptoms if he saw them again. He raked his memory, trying to find something that would imply that Beth, at some point, could have possibly have been pregnant but there was nothing.

The more Killian thought and the more he looked at Booth, the more he wanted to kill him for even putting these horrid thoughts in his head. He left the station as quickly as he could, trying to put as much distance between himself and Booth as he possibly could.

When Killian crawled into bed next to his wife that night, Emma immediately turned to face him and curled her arms around his torso. When she felt how tense he was, she frowned sleepily and looked at the pensive expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

“Nothing,” he replied with a sigh.

She pressed her fingers into the stiff muscles of his shoulders. He winced slightly at the feeling.

“This does not feel like nothing,” she said.

“Benny Booth said something and I can’t get it out of my head,” Killian sighed.

“Well, what was it? If it’s bothering you this badly, it’s got to be something.” Emma shifted closer to him. Her fingers trailed down his clavicle and his arm until they brushed against his only hand. Her hand gently met his and she laced their fingers together, getting him gentle squeeze.

“According to Benny, he and Beth were a thing once upon a time…”

“A thing?”

“Well, he pointblank said he fucked her and claimed she had gotten pregnant,” Killian clarified, glaring up at the ceiling. “He accused me of aborting the child.”

Emma sat up and looked at him with a mixture of horror, shock and outrage. He sat as well, searching her face. It didn’t seem like his wife knew anything more about this absurd tale than he did. Killian had been certain that Emma would never keep something like this from him if he knew, but they did have a history of keeping things from one another if they thought it was too upsetting.

“That’s quite the story and quite an accusation,” Emma breathed. Her green eyes were still wide as she regarded him. “You don’t believe him, do you?”

“Every part of me wants to call him a lying sack of shit, but he seemed so certain. He was drunk as a skunk, but that’s nothing something you come up with when you’re too deep in your cups,” Killian sighed. “Well, one thing he’s wrong about is that I certainly didn’t make my daughter have an abortion. That is something I would never do. But did Beth and him ever have a thing? I’m not certain. She never spoken of him, but this keeps rubbing me raw.”

“I would hate to think that I was so oblivious that I didn’t notice that my baby was having a baby,” Emma remarked, running her hands through her hair. “But then again, I thought Neddy was menopause.”

They silently regarded each other for a moment, both of them tired but full of adrenaline. Emma was fiddling with the corner of their down comforter, biting her lip. Killian swallowed for a moment before reaching for his phone which he had left on his bedroom table. He thumbed in his passcode before scrolling through his contacts.

“You are seriously not calling our daughter at two in the morning!” Emma hissed, whacking his shoulder.

“No,” Killian sighed. “I’m calling Henry.”

“Why the hell are you calling Henry?!” Emma exclaimed. “He sure as hell isn’t going to be up! You really want to wake him and Jacinda up over this insanity!? No! Killian put it down!”

Killian paused in his task and looked up at Emma with an exasperated look.

“Look, I’m not going to get any sleep tonight until I get some answers. If anyone is going to know anything, it’s Henry. They always tell him everything. I bet you the Jolly that if Beth had any involvement with Booth, he would know. And he also is the only one out of the five who knows how to forge my signature. If she had a procedure done…well, no one would think twice if he claimed to be her father…He would have been able to give authorized consent. I need to know this, Swan,” Killian said in a near lecturing tone. “I need this. I need to know. And Henry owes us.”

“What do you mean he owe us? Killian, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about all the times in college he called us at two, three or four in the morning because he was drunk and needed something. Remember when he lost his keys during that absurd school festival of his and we had to get a locksmith to make a new car key? I’m cashing my payback in for that,” Killian replied.

“That was eighteen years ago, Killian,” Emma groaned while rubbing her temples.

“Perhaps. But I don’t care,” he said, not looking at her as he pressed his thumb on Henry’s name and placed the phone to his ear.

The line rang three times before Henry picked up.

“Hello?” His voice was muffled by sleep. There was a loud yawn that followed the greeting. It was obvious that the phone call had awoken him.

Killian didn’t care.

“I’m going to ask you questions and you’re going to answer them honestly yes or no,” Killian said tersely.

Emma groaned beside him and there was a long pause on the other end of the line. Killian was about to address him again when Henry spoke up.

“…May I ask why I’m facing the Inquisition?” Henry asked with another yawn.

“Because someone said something to me tonight and I need answers. And if anyone knows the truth of the situation, it’s you,” Killian replied.

“They really must have said something if you’re calling me at two in the morning on a Friday? Saturday? Fuck, I don’t even know. All I know is that it’s too early for this…Why would I know the truth about anything?”

“Because WWHD,” Killian said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his ear.

Emma was looking at him in confusion. Upon seeing her expression, Killian made a sigh and he nudged her arm to the side with his injured arm, tapping the inner side of her wrist with his blunted one. Her eyes went wide when she realized what he was referring to.

When Beth turned eighteen, she and the boys had the brilliant idea of getting matching tattoos. Killian couldn’t necessarily judge. He had more inked skin than not, but they hadn’t necessarily told their parents about this plan before they had done it. The day after they had celebrated together, they had come home with bandages on their wrists. Harrison, Wes and Beth all had gotten the words ‘WWHD’ tattooed on them. When Emma had asked what that meant, Harrison who replied that it stood for a question they all asked quite often when they were in trouble.

“WWHD? What are you talking about, Killian?” Henry asked, sounding now more confused than sleepy.

“WWHD. What. Would. Henry. Do,” Killian responded, emphasizing each word. “Your brothers and sister admire you more than anyone else. If they told anyone anything, it would be you. Don’t deny it. I know you’ve bailed them all out once or twice. I’m not angry with you about that. That’s just being a good brother, but this…I need to know.”

“Okay, okay, easy Killian. I’ll talk. Okay? Death Star plans? Marauders maps? The one ring to rule them all? It’s all yours. Just ask.”

It always amazed him just much Henry could sound like Emma at times. And this was definitely one of those times. The pure exasperation in his voice was definitely something he got from his mother.

Killian licked his chapped hips for a moment and looked his wife in the eye. She gave him a firm nod. He kept her gaze as he asked his question.

“Was Beth ever involved with Benny Booth?”

Over the phone, Killian could hear Henry suck on his teeth when he heard the question. Killian closed his eyes. There was silence and Killian knew the answer before Henry even spoke. He wanted to throw something, preferably his phone but he wanted, no, he needed Henry to answer the question.

“Yes,” Henry said reluctantly.

Killian tossed his phone down on the bed with a frustrated noise crawling up the back his throat. He picked it up again and put the phone on ‘speaker mode’ so that Emma could hear the conversation. Emma seemed to realize the answer that Killian had received because she paled visibly.

“You’re on speaker. Your mother is awake and listening,” Killian informed his stepson. “Now, you’re going to tell us everything you know.”

“Well, this is certainly a wakeup call. Look, give me a second and we’ll talk. I really don’t want to wake my wife. I think you both can understand and sympathize with that,” Henry said and there was a snappish hint to his tone.

Killian rolled his eyes and Emma leaned forward to give him a smack on the shoulder. If Killian wasn’t so anxious over the situation at hand, he would have offered his wife a smirk, a wink and a tumble in the sheets, but all joy seemed to be sucked out of him at that moment.

There was rustling on Henry’s end following by a soft clicking down, which Killian could only assume was a door.

“Okay, I’m back, High Inquisitor. You may begin your interrogation,” Henry said with a sigh,

“I would tell you’re hilarious, but I’m afraid I’m not in a charitable mood,” Killian replied with a small scowl. “I need you to tell me everything you know about Benny Booth and Beth. In as much detail as you possibly can provide, lad.”

“To be honest with you, I don’t have that many details, Killian,” Henry sighed. “I don’t know when they got together or how they got together or how long they were a thing. Beth was pretty scant on the details when she told me. She just thought she was in a bad place and that they had broken up and that she needed my help. I know that they ended on horrible terms and they haven’t spoken to each other since…I do know that Benny was as big of a douche-canoe as you can imagine and wrote some pretty shitty stuff about her in the bathroom at Flavors. It really hurt her, but I think Wes and Harrison took care of that.”

“That’s why Harrison threw Benny Booth over the Hermans’ fence that summer,” Emma gasped, eyes wide. “He never said why he did. Just fixed the fence without complaint.”

Killian recalled the incident in question vividly. Nothing had shocked him more than getting a phone call from Sean Herman about how his eldest son had lifted up Benny Booth and had nearly tossed him over the white picket fence that outlined their property. Harrison hadn’t been able to completely fulfill his human toss as Booth’s ass hadn’t cleared the top of the posts and therefore had broken that section of the fence. No matter how much Killian and Emma had grilled him, Harrison had never given an explanation for assaulting the young man. He had just quietly accepted his punishment without compliant.

His sons had known about the relationship and what it had done to their sister. They had never told him anything about it. A strange mixture of guilt and rage churned in Killian’s gut.

“Henry, I need you to answer me honestly now, lad,” Killian said after he fully digested the information. “Did Beth ever mention anything about being pregnant?”

Henry was quiet for long a time. As the silence stretched, Killian and Emma shared another anxious look. This was not a good sign.

“Beth was never actually pregnant,” Henry said cautiously. Killian and Emma both breathed sighs of relief. A weight lifted itself from Killian’s shoulder and he felt much lighter than he had since Booth had thrown the accusations around. “She thought she might be and she called me. I got her a test and it came out negative. And that was the end of it.”

“Henry, why didn’t you say anything?” Emma said, taking Killian’s hand and squeezing it.

“Because it wasn’t mine to tell. Look, I wanted her to tell you. I told her to tell you, but she didn’t.”

“That’s not her call,” Killian said sharply. “She was a little kid. She doesn’t get to make that decision. Henry, you were the adult. You should have told us.”

Emma sucked in a breath at the anger that was building up in Killian’s tone. She gave him a warning look that he didn’t give much mind to because he was more than aware that if he did then they would get into a nasty fight.

“I was between a rock and a hard place, Killian. I wanted you to know, but she didn’t want you to. She begged me not to tell you about it. Numerous times. I didn’t approve of her keeping it from you, but I didn’t want to lose her trust. I was thinking in the long term. If I had told you, she would have stopped telling me things and I thought you would rather have an adult who she could turn to in a time of need instead of going at all alone,” Henry said defensively.

“All I’m hearing is a bunch of weak excuses as to why I wasn’t notified that my daughter had a crisis and was harassed,” Killian responded, almost spitting his words in his fury. “The key wording here is that she’s MY daughter, Henry. Mine. I know it gets a little confusing sometimes with the age differences, but she’s not your child. How would you feel if Lucy had a crisis like this and I kept it from you? Because I’m fairly certain you would punch me in the face if I kept it from you for four years. Four fucking years.”

“There is no need to bring Lucy into this just because you’re pissed off with me,” Henry snapped.

“Apologies, I meant no disrespect to her, she is my granddaughter after all, but I need you to understand this from a father’s prospective, not a brother’s. This isn’t just hiding Wes when he’s too hungover or buying a new couch because Harrison broke the old one and he didn’t want us to know. This…this is bigger than that. This…I’m not sure I can forgive this,” Killian replied.

There a long silence that followed. Emma was pale and staring at him in disbelief. Killian was still feeling raw; emotions that he hadn’t felt in a long time were quelling inside of him. He felt like he was on the verge of exploding.

“You know what, Killian? You can be mad at me. You don’t have to forgive me. You’re entitled to whatever. But it’s three in the morning and I really am not in the mood to be berated and yelled at like I’m seventeen again for something that happened four years ago. So, I’m going to hang up before this goes any further. Goodnight.”

When the call ended, Killian picked up his phone and threw it against the wall. It made contact with a loud thud before falling. It bounced three times before laying defeated on the rug. Killian leaned back against the pillows, placing his forearm over his eyes and letting out an angry sigh. He wanted yell, fight, destroy something and cry at all the same time.

“Did that make you feel better?” Emma asked after a moment.

“No,” Killian said hollowly.

“If you shattered your screen again, I’m going to have to kill you. Those things are horrible to replace,” Emma signed.

Killian lifted his arm and look at her with an expression that couldn’t decide if it was perplexed or annoyed. Emma, who had long since learned that her husband was a bit more open with his emotions than she was, took his hand back in hers and gave him a small squeeze.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Killian,” she sighed. “All I can say is thank god she wasn’t pregnant. And fighting with Henry isn’t going to change anything.”

Killian didn’t reply, mainly because he knew she was right. There was absolutely nothing he could do about the situation now, except possibly beat Booth bloody, kill him and then take Nick up on his offer to help hide the body. He couldn’t do that though. His wife would kill him.

The real heart of the issue lay in the betrayal. He was used to the boys keeping things from him. In fact, he had come to expect that from them but Beth? Killian had been certain that nothing could have come between them. They had a relationship that he had been led to believe was based upon openness and honesty. She kept this from him. And apparently all of his children had been in on it. Henry had gotten the test and kept it a secret. Harrison had assaulted the bastard and hadn’t said anything. Idly Killian wondered how Wes had reacted to the news and what his retaliation had been. The sadistic part of Killian hoped it was clever, painful and humiliating.

“Goddamn it, Elizabeth,” Killian muttered under his breath. His heart felt heavy.

“Well, lucky for me, Beth and Will are stopping by tomorrow,” Emma said lightly. “You won’t be a brooding and sulking mess for long, and the screaming match won’t be delayed. It will be nice to have this all out in the air. Just promise me you won’t do it on the front lawn. The neighbors talk about us enough as is.”

“Very funny, Swan,” Killian grumbled before turning to look at her.

He looked his wife in the eye and tried to convey all the emotion that he was feeling that he couldn’t bring himself to express through words; the anger, the betrayal, the fear and, most of all the pain. Physically, Kilian’s back ached, his knuckles were bruised and his knees weren’t what they used to be. But emotionally? He felt as if he had been skinned and covered in salt.

Emma sighed, understanding what he couldn’t say and bringing his hand up to her lips and giving it a kiss. As her mouth brushed against his discolored knuckles, he was reminded of all the times he had done the same action to comfort her.

“She didn’t tell me, Emma. She kept this from me.” The fact kept repeating in the back of his mind like a broken record.

“Of course, she didn’t, Killian. She was a teenager. And that’s such a typical dirtbag teenage thing to do. I can understand you’re hurt, but I’m not surprised,” Emma said, giving him a sad smile.

“We were always so close. I thought she told me everything. She came to me when she got her period. She came to me when she got kissed for the first time. She told me about every single fight she had with her girlfriend or boyfriend at the time. She admitted to me when she got that tattoo underage…” Killian trailed off.

“Maybe that was the problem,” Emma said quietly. “Maybe you were too close…”

“What do you mean?”

Emma was quiet for a while. Killian pulled at their hands, not disconnecting their fingers, but moving them so that their hands over his heart. He waited patiently, allowing her to gather her thoughts.

“I was jealous, you know? Of you and Beth. You two were always as thick as thieves. She looked at you like you were both the sun and the moon. She always followed you around, always went to you, always wanted to be you. Everything was Dad! Dad! Dad! She looked at you like a god. She never saw me that way even though I carried that child for the longest nine months of my life,” Emma said with a harsh swallow.

Killian couldn’t breathe. He wanted to say something but words were failing him.

“I made my peace with it because it was something that was just so pure…I just didn’t want to ruin it or see it ruined…Anyway, that is not the point,” Emma paused for a moment, gathering her bearings. “The point is I’m certain that to this day that there is no one Beth loves more than you Killian, but with that worship…there is a certain need to be perfect, to be worthy of the person you hold so dear. As someone who has lived through a teenage pregnancy, there is a lot of shame to it. Tattoos, drinking, dating, violence, sex. Those are things that be spun as something cool, something to be admired. There’s nothing admirable about being pregnant as a teenager. How do you tell someone you love so much, someone you admire, someone who is your god, that you are in a situation that is surrounded with so much shame?”

“I didn’t want to be her god,” Killian whispered. “I just wanted to be her father.”

“It doesn’t matter. That’s just how it was. You wanted to an explanation of why she didn’t tell and I’m telling you why. She didn’t want to lessen yourself in your eyes. Henry? She loves him, but he’s not you. His disapproval is nothing to compared to yours. That is why she didn’t tell you and she told him, Killian.”

Killian didn’t sleep well that night. The secrets that Henry had unveiled and Emma’s comments kept swimming in his head and they wouldn’t let him go. He spent the majority of the night staring at the ceiling and wondering what else his daughter had kept from him.

Despite the pain, the anger and the disappointment, Killian found it in himself to smile when his daughter and her boyfriend arrived the next morning. Beth, who had spent the last month in the Enchanted Forrest with Will and his parents, looked happy, healthy and incredibly tanned. As a child, Beth had Emma’s lily white complexion, but now she looked just as swarthy as Killian had in his pirate days. It made both her green eyes and the freckles on her face look more pronounced. Her hair now was longer than Emma’s had ever been, but still wild with small braids running through it. She looked more pirate than princess, wearing leather breeches, a silken maroon blouse and a dark corset. It amazed him how as Beth got older, Killian started notice more resemblances that his daughter had with him than his wife.

“Dad!” Beth cried, letting go of Will’s hand and sprinting towards her father.

Killian stepped forward and pulled her into a fierce hug, closing his eyes and he held her close. She smelled like the sea, and a part of him jolted at the scent; there was a small part of him that still longed to be out on the ocean, free from everything.

“Welcome home, Minnow,” Killian murmured against her hair.

“I missed you.” Beth snuggled herself against him, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck as she had since she was a little girl.

“I missed you more,” he replied and it was the truth. No matter what she had done and how much it had hurt him, he still loved her fiercely and ached when she went away. It was hard at times to swallow, but his daughter was nearly grown and out of the nest.

As they pulled a part, Will approached him and held out his hand for Killian to shake.

“Hello Mr. Jones. A pleasure to see you again. It’s been too long. Perhaps next time, you will join us at my parent’s castle. My mother misses you terribly,” Will greeted with a broad grin.

Killian’s first impression of Will was that he smiled too much, but then again, that had been the same thought he had about Will’s mother Ariel when he first met her. Despite the grim circumstances and less than savory outcome of their first meeting, Killian had found Ariel to be determined, unfailingly optimistic and full of energy. Will was the same way. He greatly resembled his mother with his fiery red hair, kind eyes and wide smile. The only thing he seemed to have gotten from his father was his stature and ability to be perfectly content with being driven about by a strong woman.

“No need to call me Mr. Jones, Will,” Killian said good-naturedly. “You can call me Killian. Or even Hook would be more preferred.”

"No can do, sir,” Will said the name like he was testing it on his tongue. “I mean I've always known you as Hook, but my mother taught me better than that. She always loved to tell us about the pirate who fell in love with a princess and would do anything to get back to her, but she would slap me across the face if I called you by your first name. It's just not respectful.”

Killian wouldn’t help the faint blush that rose to his cheeks and Beth laughed.

“I didn’t realize she shared those stories,” Killian muttered as Beth pulled him into a side hug.

“Oh yes. She loves to tell us that any fish-head could be a prince as long as he had someone to love,” Will responded with an amused smile.

Beth laughed even harder and Killian just chuckled.

“Well, Ariel isn’t wrong. Luckily this fish-head got his lady or this marvelous creature wouldn’t be here today,” Killian replied, placing a quick kiss on top of his daughter’s head. “Though, Will, I must apologize though, because I am hoping to steal your lady tonight. You see, my favorite daughter has been gone for a month and we need to have a drink together, pirate to pirate. I hope you’re willing to forgive me.”

“I’m your only daughter,” Beth said with some amusement.

“That just makes you my favorite,” Killian chuckled.

“There’s nothing to forgive. Though I wouldn’t call her mine. She’s her own person, wild and powerful as the sea and no one, not even myself, could give own such a thing. If Beth wants to have a night with her father, she’s more than welcome to have it,” Will replied, taking Beth’s free hand and giving it a kiss.

Beth grinned at Will, affection clear in her eyes.

“You’re sweet and very cheesy,” she said, leaning upwards to give Will a quick kiss.

“I’m yours,” he responded with a fond smile.

Killian desperately hoped this wasn’t what he and his wife looked like when they were making eyes at each other. It was almost too saccharine for him to handle.

The sweet words, constant touching and cuddling continued throughout the entire day. It was almost disturbing to Killian to see his daughter so in sync with another person aside from himself. Will seemed to know whenever Beth wanted something and got it for her without complaints while Beth seemed to sense whenever Will was getting uncomfortable with a subject and would change the direction of the conversation. It made Killian uncomfortable.

And it was only going to get more uncomfortable, Killian knew. He was going to have to confront his daughter when they went for drinks. He just couldn’t keep what he had learned to himself. He needed to her to look him in the eyes and tell him everything.

When the moment came and they arrived at the Rabbit Hole for their drink, Killian made sure to place him and Beth at the furthest end of the bar where no one would over hear them or bother them. Killian met Nick’s eye as they sat down and held up two fingers at him.

“You’re actually allowing me to drink? Nick is actually going to serve me?” Beth asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

“I fail to see why not. You’ve been drinking since you were fifteen. Don’t think I don’t know about that because I do. You’re twenty and the only person who could arrest him for serving someone underage is me,” Killian responded with a shrug.

Nick approached, placing two glasses of rum in front of them.

“Hey Beth, you’re looking tan,” Nick greeted. “I almost didn’t recognize you and thought to myself ‘Who is the poor gorgeous woman with Killian Jones? Is she brain damaged?’”

Killian rolled his eyes, snorting as he picked up his drink.

“Well, you get tan when you spend in an entire month in the Enchanted Forrest and occupy most of the day by being in the water,” Beth laughed.

“Your father says your boyfriend is a merman,” Nick stated with a small grin.

“Did he now?” Beth asked, circling the rim of her glass with her pointer finger. “What else did he say?”

“That he’s not good enough for you,” Nick replied with a shrug.

“The first one is true. Occasionally my boyfriend has fins instead of feet, but he’s more than good enough. Trust me on that,” Beth said, taking a large sip of her rum.

“I’ll take your word for it. Dads tend not to be reliable on that sort of thing. They think no one is good enough for their girls,” Nick chuckled.

“Don’t you have other customers, Nick?” Killian asked archly.

“I do and I also know when I’m being dismissed,” Nick replied smoothly. “I’ll let you have your drinks. Beth, if he gives you any trouble, just give me a shout you hear?”

Nick gave Killian a mocking low bow before turning to serve a gaggle of young women who were sitting at the other end of the bar. Beth shook her hair, smirking a bit.

“Some things never change,” she commented.

“Eh, some things do. Mainly in ways you never expect,” Killian responded rather cryptically.

Beth bit her lip for a moment, looking down at her glass but looking up at her father with a small smile.

“I’m glad we’re doing this. I missed you terribly. Ariel and Eric have a beautiful kingdom, but it’s nothing compared to home. And there was no swordsman I couldn’t beat. No one was as good as me” Beth said, voice filled with pride.

“Ah, well, not many men are taught from age six and have two master swordsmen as teachers. Nor does anyone practice as much as you do. I still get up early and have a jaunt and work on my strikes in the backyard, but it’s not the same without you too….” Killian said with a sad smile. “You and I, we’ve always been close.”

“Yeah, we have,” Beth grinned. “I love that about us.”

And that was a moment that Killian knew that he couldn’t keep what he knew and how he felt to himself. This was the opening. He finished his rum before he spoke.

“Yeah, but you don’t love it enough to tell me about what happened with Booth and that pregnancy scare of yours.”

Beth stiffened, as if someone had casted a freezing spell on her. The only movement was the widening of her eyes. She didn’t move for a good few minutes, but when she did it was to open her mouth. She looked like she was trying to say words but she was put on mute. She swallowed for a moment before finally finding her voice.

“You know?”

“I know,” Killian said before taking her glass of rum and downing it himself. If there was ever a conservation that needed a drink, it was this one.

Beth was still stunned. She didn’t even react to him stealing her glass.

“Did Henry tell you?” She asked in a hushed voice.

“No. Not at first. You should have told Booth you weren’t ever pregnant though, so he didn’t shout out about your dalliance and accuse me of making you get an abortion in front of an entire bar,” Killian replied, vaguely surprised that he was about to keep his tone even.

Beth buried her head in her hands on the bar.

“Shit.” Her voice was slightly muffed by her arms, but Killian could still hear the curse.

“Shit is definitely word for it,” Killian remarked. “There are lot of other words I would use, but we’re kinda in public and I don’t think everyone would appreciate that much salty language.”

“Shit,” Beth repeated, not looking up from her hands.

“Is that all you’re going to say, Elizabeth?”

“What would you like for me to say, Dad?” Beth looking up from her hands. Her face was pale, as if the tan she had gained over the last month had been drained for her face.

“Well, you could start with the fuck you thought you were doing? Why you never said anything? It’s been four years, Elizabeth, four years and you’ve never breathed a word of it to me. Never. I’m more than just your swordplay instructor, I’m your father. You’re supposed to tell me when these happen!” Killian stated, his voice rising with every word.

He slammed his fist down on the bar, causing his daughter to flinch.

“Dad…I…I thought I could handle it,” she whispered

“You were not supposed to be handling it. You were a child. You had no business being around Booth and you certainly had no business thinking you handle that situation alone. I thought we were better than this, Elizabeth. I never thought this would ever happen with you. I thought you smarter than that.”

“I’m sorry,” she said and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to hate me…”

“I don’t hate you. I could never hate you,” Killian respond, taking one of her hands and squeezing it hard. “Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I angry? Without a doubt. Am I hurt that my only daughter trust me enough to love her and support her when she needs it? That’s one I feel most of all. I failed you as a father. It’s my job to protect and raise you and to teach you how to manage in this world, and I failed you.”

He had finally given a voice to the emotion that he didn’t want to name. Failure. He had failed her. If he had spent more time being a father rather than an idol to follow, then this situation wouldn’t have happened. She would have told him about Booth and maybe he could have prevented this entire saga from happening.

Beth shook her head violently.

“You didn’t fail me. You didn’t fail me at all. You were the best. You are the best. I fucked up,” Beth said, her voice cracking. Tears were dribbling in earnest down her cheeks.

When Beth was a child, she rarely cried. She screamed to the high heavens and tore things apart like the little human hurricane she was, but rarely did tears come to her eyes. In fact, Killian could count only sixteen instances in her twenty years of life where she had burst into water works. He hated it. There was nothing Killian hated more than the sight of his daughter sobbing. He cupped her face and wiped her tears away with his thumb, brushing gently against the apple of her cheek.

“You’re supposed to fuck up,” Killian said with a sigh. “That’s practically your job as child. You’re supposed to fuck up, but you’re supposed to trust me to teach you and help you fix your fuck up. You don’t trust me enough and for that I’m sorry.”

“But I do trust you…” Beth whispered. “Daddy, I trust you so much.”

“But not enough to let me help you with something like that…”

“How do I fix this?” she asked, almost desperately.

“I’m going to tell you something your mother once told me. Elizabeth, you come to me. I don’t care what it is whether you’re pregnant with a fishstick, murdered someone or whatever. You come to me. And you lean on me. And trust me to be able to help you. We can’t hide things from each other, love. I hoped the daughter that I raised would know that, but apparently you don’t, and that’s my fault. But whatever it is, no matter what, I will help you out because I’m your father and that isn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I can do that. I can do that, I promise,” Beth said with a brittle smile.

“I want to believe that. I really do,” Killian replied, giving her a fragile grin of his own.

Father and daughter regarded each other for a while as if they were both taking their time to examine the fractures of their relationship. Beth took his hand away from her face and held it in her own. She didn’t lace their fingers together like she normally did.

“Where do we go from here…?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Well, things are going to take time. That’s just the nature of it, love. But for now, I guess we can talk about how everything is between you and Will, and you can give me heart palpitations when you tell me how much you want to marry him?” Killian said with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t mind marrying him,” she said with a shaky laugh.

“So, it’s that serious?” Killian frowned.

“Dad, I’ve been with Will for year. Of course it’s serious, but I’m not planning on wearing white anytime soon. If he asked I wouldn’t say no,” Beth said with a shrug.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Killian said, filing this information for later. He couldn’t deal with anymore heavy emotions at the moment. “Good to know. It’s just funny. I always joked that you would end up with a pirate, but I think I can handle grandchildren with fins.”

“Don’t think I turn Will into a pirate?” she teased and her smile almost convinced him that she had recovered from their conversation. Almost.

“Elizabeth, you can do anything you set your mind to.”

[youngavengersfeels]

This Means War

Pairing: Stucky

Word Count: 1713

Summary: Bucky just wanted to have a good time at his niece birthday party. He would have to if the ridiculously hot man hadn't engaged him in a splash war. Bucky wasn't one to go down without a fight.

Read on Ao3

“Alright one more time,” Bucky conceded quickly looking to make sure the lifeguard wasn't watching them before picking Winnie up and tossing her into the pool. She squealed loudly as she flew. Bucky had miscalculated where he threw her and the splash ended up hitting another swimmer. “Sorry, man. I didn't see you there,” Bucky said wading over.

He was thanked with a giant wave of water to the face. His mouth was still open so unfortunately he ended up with more than he watered in his mouth. At all the chlorine in the water killed any germs, right?

“What the fuck” Bucky said before seeing the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Bucky almost wanted to insist the man put on a shirt because a chest that perfectly sculpted was borderline public indecency but then he would be robbed of the chance of ogling the man.

Even if the man was gorgeous Bucky wasn't going to back down from what was a clear declaration of war. Bucky splashed the man back making a small toss wave in the pool. The guy had one of those floating lounge chairs which Bucky promptly tipped him off of.

“Winnie help totally own this guy,” Bucky said to the very receptive toddler who was more than willing to engage in a splash war.

“No rough housing!” came the shrill shout of an underpaid lifeguard ending the war.

“Hey, sorry about all that,” Bucky said to the blond not wanting to look like a total ass. His attention was a little split though because Winnie was already dashing off to join her friends in the kidszone.

“Don’t even worry about it. I think we both gave as good as we got,” the man said flashing a smile that would have made a weaker man’s knees wobble. Bucky really would have loved to stay and chat but he also didn’t want his niece or any of her friends to drown on the account of him trying to flirt with an actual greek god. He made a little apologetic wave at the man and then took off after Winnie.

Bucky really needed to pee. He was pretty proud of how well he was keeping hydrated, that was a personal goal of his. Just as Bucky was passing the diving pool he was hit with a giant splash of water. Looking into the pool he saw the blond resurface grinding over at him.

“Were you waiting for me at the top just to splash me or what?” Bucky asked both annoyed and impressed at the guy’s dedication.

“Lucky coincidence. I'm Steve by the way,”

“James you are setting a bad example for the kids,” Becca said.

“Nah, look at them they're doing great,” Bucky said pointing over to where the kids were all lining up to go down the water slide, not even pushing each other.

“That's because even as toddlers they are more mature than you,” Becca said. Bucky rolled his eyes already knowing where this was going. “Once you settle down and have kids yourself, you'll mature real quick,” Becca said putting a hand on her very pregnant stomach. Bucky blanched. He absolutely did not want to have kids, he would much rather just spoil Becca’s and then give them back to her whenever they got fussy. He was a great uncle but would be a terrible parent himself.

“You're worse than mom,” Bucky complained. His peers had been hounding him for years to give them grandchildren but had thankfully calmed down once Becca had gotten pregnant the first time. They had been Easton to find out she was expecting her second child. Bucky was hoping Becca’s pregnancy would get him off the hook for a little while longer. At least as long as he didn't have a significantly other none of the not so gentle hints to start making babies were serious.

He looked back at Steve who was watching the interaction looking amused. Bucky hated it. “Wipe that look off your face,” Bucky muttered.

“Of course, James,” Steve said. Bucky cursed his sister for insisted on using his legal name. She claimed the first step to him growing up was to stop using his childhood nickname.

“It’s Bucky actually,” he corrected. Steve’s grin widened.

Bucky loved the lazy river. It helped that it was too boring for all of the kids so it was the one place in the entire water park that he could get a break from the little heathens. Not that he didn’t love playing with them, but he wasn’t as young as he used to be and needed a little adult time. It was a shame the park had a no alcohol policy.

He was enjoying his third trip around when he was rudely interrupted by some idiot using his tube more like a bumper car. He didn’t even need to look to know it was Steve.

“Hey asshole some of us are trying to relax,” Bucky said wiping the water off his sunglasses.

“My bad,” Steve said with a shit eating grin barreling down the river cruising past the other tubers. Bucky couldn’t even hold it against him because damn he looked good in those swim trunks although Bucky would pay good money to switch them out for a speedo.

Bucky knew that Steve was going to lap him, probably planning on splashing him again but Bucky was ready for him. He manage to cloak Steve’s tube before he could run into Bucky and ended up up turning Steve for the second time that day much to his amusement. Steve didn’t go down quietly though, grabbing Bucky and dragging him down with him.

“Sir’s I’m going to have to ask you to exit the lazy river. You are disrupting the other guests experience,” A lifeguard said.

“Great, now you got us kicked out of the lazy river,” Bucky said exasperated and a little embarrassed as he climbed out.

“It’s a boring ride anyway,” Steve said following him. Before Bucky could reply Steve ran off probably to go harass someone else.

Generally speaking Bucky liked his brother in law, he was a good dad and husband. His best feature was his grilling. He didn't used to be good at bar quest but apparently having a child grants the power to grill the perfect hamburger. Before Bucky could even take a bite he was hit in the face, burger centimeters from his mouth, with water. Dropping the now soggy burger back onto his plate Bucky looked for the culprit totally unsurprised to see Steve’s broad figure turning to flee the scene of the crime.

Looking down at the tug on his arm, Winnie was there holding out a water gun with a devious grin. Becca was right, Bucky was a bad influence. Bucky grabbed the water gun and went off running after Steve without a second thought. Sure he knew running around a pool was dangerous. Sure he heard the lifeguard whistle, but he was so focused on Steve’s laughing as he hurtled over one of the lawn chairs that he ignored the other stuff. Well he did until he slipped and came down hard smacking his head against the ground. He blacked out for a second, when his vision came back his head hurt a lot and he felt like he was going to throw up. He rolled over and narrowly missed vomiting on a pair of feet of one of the many people who had gathered around him.

“Sir, you may have a concussion. You need to go to the emergency room, we are going to call an ambulance” the lifeguard said. Bucky could tell the teen was trying to hold back a ‘“ told you not to fucking run.’

“Ugh, no ambulance,” Bucky said struggling to sit up his head throbbing.

“You can’t drive yourself. Let me take you since it's my fault,” Steve said looking stricken. Seeing as Bucky couldn’t have driven himself even if he was up for it because he had carpooled with Becca, Steve’s offer was definitely cheaper than an ambulance ride.

“Alright,” Bucky said with a nod which he immediately regretted. He had to lean on Steve heavily to hobble his way to the car.

“Is Uncle Bucky going to die?” Winnie asked tugging on her mother’s arm.

“Why is it that all of my children's birthday parties end with you going to the ER?” Becca said dryly.

“Gotta live up to the cool uncle title,” Bucky said with a wince, his head really did hurt. Steve ushered him into the car after that, tittering in concern. Steve forced him to keep talking the entire drive to The ER probably worried that Bucky would pass out which honestly he would have given the chance.

He kind of expected Steve to just drop him off and then continue about his day, but after the bored desk attendant wave them off with paperwork Steve sat himself down next to Bucky in that uncomfortable plastic chair. Bucky was kind of amused by the fact that Steve was so huge that he seemed too big for the chair.

Steve was still there when Bucky came out. Extremely hungry and exhausted. It was actually really nice because now he wouldn't have to pay for an uber home.

“Can I buy you dinner to make up for giving you a concussion?” Steve asked.

“No,” Bucky Said, Steve visibly drooped. “But you can buy me dinner for our first date.” Steve looked so stupidly hopeful at that, that Bucky felt himself get a cavity.

“So what did your sister mean when she said you always end up in the ER?” Steve asked breaking the moment.

“There haven’t been that many birthday parties so I think the statistic is off,” Bucky said defensively. Steve quirked an eyebrow at him. “Oh shove off,” Bucky huffed. Steve laughed and wrapped an arm around Bucky and He kind of liked it.

“Sorry I perpetuated the cycle,” Steve said as a consolation.

“Well at least with you around I have someone to blame,” Bucky smiled, Steve shoved him and they got into Steve’s car. To be fair at Becca’s baby shower ended with Steve in the hospital and Bucky standing next to him laughing his ass off.