#i met my cousins baby the other day and im having baby fever ahffchhjhvc

[thefactsofthematter]

📰 if u want just some fluffy cuddles or some shit with a pairing of your choosing thank u

ok so this took FOREVER im sorry! it’s been hard to get the writing motivation flowing lately 🤦‍♀️

anyways, here’s some jatherine because i haven’t written that ship in forever!! modern au, no content warnings!

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Getting Jack Kelly to be still and quiet is an incredibly rare occurrence.

He's someone who's always on the move— rarely sitting around or staying on one topic for longer than a few minutes. Calm isn't exactly part of his vocabulary.

That's why Katherine appreciates these evenings at home so much. She's the only one who gets to see this other side of Jack: when he'll lay on the couch with his head on her lap and their newborn on his bare chest, half-asleep and perfectly content.

It's been a tricky couple weeks as first time parents— they're still young and hadn't totally planned to have a child just yet, but they've taken everything in stride and they're really just doing their best. They've been stressed: Katherine is still dealing with overwhelming hormones, and Jack is someone who's never sure he's doing the right thing— he can hardly change a diaper without second-guessing his own ability to apply rash cream.

Right now, though, they're all settled down.

They've had dinner; they've fed and burped Adeline; and rather than put her to bed right away, they've opted for some family cuddles. Kath has a glass of wine on the coffee table— something she'd dearly missed throughout her pregnancy— and Jack is slowly falling asleep as she plays with his hair.

She's never seen him quite so happy as these past few weeks. He was born to be a dad, she's sure. He hardly lets Adeline out of his sight and he never tires of holding her— he's almost got more of a mama bear instinct than Kath herself.

"You falling asleep on me?" whispers Katherine, letting her fingers run down Jack's cheek. "You'll have to get up to put her to bed."

"Mm, no," sighs Jack with a content smile, his eyes seeming to fall shut of their own accord. He's always had a bit of insomnia, so living with a newborn has been particularly tiring for him. He wakes up every time Adeline needs to be fed, and he stays awake with Katherine until it's done, as some kind of show of support in his own weird little way. "I'm just resting my eyes. You've got a comfy lap."

"Oh sure, resting your eyes," chuckles Kath. "Your big head is about to make my legs go numb. You should go put her in the bassinet, and then come out here and cuddle me."

Jack just hums softly as he nods.

"Okay, I'll do that soon," he mumbles. He turns his head a little as Kath brushes his cheek again. He rubs a hand along Adeline's back— she's fast asleep on his chest now— and sighs contentedly. "This is nice, though. Just me and my girls."

Katherine twirls a finger into his hair. It gets curly when it's long enough, and he hasn't had a haircut in a while. If she had an elastic handy, she might try to scoop it all into a man-bun. In all honesty, she's sure he could pull it off.

"Imagine if our high school selves could see us now," sighs Kath. "Back when we couldn't stand each other— who would've thought we'd have a baby someday? Life is totally crazy."

They've known each other since childhood, and it's safe to say they did not get along. Katherine will admit that she was rather stuck-up back then, but she still swears she had every reason to despise Jack's cocky attitude. They were two very, very different people, but that's ultimately what brought them together. By the end of their senior year of high school, they were secretly head-over-heels for each other, and they'd gotten together for the first time at a grad party. All their friends had supposedly seen it coming— apparently they'd been obliviously flirting for months.

Now, five years later, they're engaged and settled down with a comfy condo and a beautiful baby. Katherine writes for the New York Times, Jack's art is in galleries, and life couldn't possibly be better.

"I had a crush on you since the beginning." Jack's eyes are still closed as he speaks so softly Kath can barely hear him. "But so did every other boy at school. I had to stand out somehow."

"By annoying me half to death?" laughs Katherine. "Weird strategy."

"Hey, it worked."

He cracks an eye open to take in her expression as he grins cheekily up at her. Kath can't fault him there— it surely did work.

“You’re such a little shit,” she giggles. Thankfully Adeline isn’t old enough for them to have to watch their language around her just yet— lord knows how they’ll pull that off when she starts talking, as they both have filthy mouths. “Go put the baby to bed before you fall asleep holding her.”

Jack, remarkably, does as he’s told. He holds her up for Katherine to kiss her head first, and then very carefully carries her off to bed. Kath can hear him in the bedroom, singing a quiet little song as he settles her in the cradle.

How the hell did she get so lucky?