#of course he is joining a preschool series

[datshitrandom]

Darren Criss joins voice cast for DreamWorks animation’s hit preschool series ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ | June 4, 2024 | 📸 via DreamWorks Jr.

[sturniqlo]

I Can't Do It Alone- C.S

summary: while mom!y/n stays home with their littles all day, chris doesn't see how tired she is and he puts more pressure on her. BLURB

cw: cursing, ANGST; arguing, crying, exhaustion, FLUFF; kissing, comforting, resolved angst

an: not apart of my positive series | lowkey hate this | lowercase intended

masterlist | join my taglist

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"daddy!" the littlest child, leslie, runs to the front door when she hears the door opening. "hey, les! how's my little girl?" chris smiles and locks the door behind him before kneeling down to pick up his daughter. "so so happy that you are home!" she squeals, wrapping his arms around his neck tightly. "yeah, i'm happy to be home too." he kisses her cheek.

"where are your siblings?" he refers to his five year old set of twins and his ten month old baby. "uhm- landon is watching a movie, lia is playing in our playroom and layla is sleeping." she says as chris walks them, and steps over some toys, towards the kitchen where he hears y/n shuffling around. "why don't you go get lia while i say hi to mommy." he puts her back on the floor.

"okay!" she nods, her pigtails swaying in the process. "lia! daddy is home!" the three year old goes up the stairs. chris enters the kitchen and sees his y/n preparing the twins' lunch for tomorrow. "hey, baby." he wraps his arms around her waist from behind. "oh, hey you're home." she turns her head and smiles softly at him. a tiredness in her eyes that chris doesn't seem to notice. "how was your day today?" she asks, going back to making the lunches.

"tiring," y/n almost a scoffs. "i had three meetings for future drops and filmed a video with nick and matt." he kisses her neck. "oh, well, i'm glad you're home now." she closes up the small containers. "hey, is it okay if-" she gets cut off by she yelling of leslie. "mom! lia won't give me the princess pjs!" she stomps into the kitchen. "these are mine!" lia comes in behind her, wearing the pink princess pajamas.

"leslie, you have the same exact ones in your closet." y/n says, opening the fridges and putting the lunches away. "no i don't! mine are dirty!" her lip quivers. "you didn't do the laundry today?" chris says, leaning against the island counter. "no, i had to go grocery shopping, clean the kitchen, our bathrooms, and i just washed everyone's bed sheets." she says, the girls still arguing.

"i'm sure you still had some extra time to do a load or two." he adds on. "no, chris. i had to take care of layla, she's still sick." she sighs, cleaning up a spill of juice from earlier. "hey, mom. can i stay up late and watch toy story 2?" landon comes in. "no landon, you have preschool tomorrow." y/n says for the third time today, he had asked her that earlier. "dad?" landon looks to chris. "of course you can, bud." he ruffles the boys' hair. "you're the best! see mom, dad lets me."

"chris, he has to wake up early tomorrow, he can't stay up late. it's almost time for bed." she looks at chris. "c'mon, just for today." y/n shakes her head. "no. kids, go brush your teeth." chris rolls his eyes at her stubbornness. "why are you being so strict?" he asks. "im not." she practically laughs. "just let landon stay up, tomorrow is friday anyway."

"exactly, he can stay up late tomorrow." she leaves the kitchen and chris follows. she walks into laylas bedroom and checks in on her. she had gotten sick two days ago. "oh my gosh!" chris whispers. "what?" she says. "i forgot to get the medicine for her yesterday." y/n shakes her head. "it's okay, i bought it today." y/n grabs a tissue from the changing table and cleans the snot from layla. "i'm sorry." he says. "it's okay, it happened already." she throws the tissue away and exits the room.

"did i do something? why are you mad." chris continues to follow her back downstairs. "stop it, chris!" she abruptly stops and turns to face him. chris stands there in shock at her sudden outburst. "just stop! i've had the most tiring days- weeks of my life! and you're here saying that you've had a tiring day all because of three meetings and filming video?"

before chris could say anything back, one of the kids upstairs called for y/n. "mom! she spit on me!" y/n sighed and turned back around going back up the stairs to resolve whatever was going on. chris decided to go back into the kitchen and look for the dinner y/n had mentioned earlier.

chris ate dinner alone while y/n was upstairs putting the kids to sleep. he cleaned his used dishes before going upstairs to his bedroom. "wanna tell me what that was all about?" he said when he saw y/n putting on the bedsheets she had washed. "lia had spat on landon." she said. chris shook his head. "not that, i'm talking about what you had said earlier." he walked closer and picked up a pillow along with a clean pillow cover.

"i don't want to talk about it." she mumbled, going back to putting on the bedsheet. "why not, there's clearly something bothering you." he pushes on. "you want to know what's bothering me chris?" she pauses. "i feel like i'm raising these kids all by myself. you're never home! you leave before the twins wake up for school, and you don't return until they're going to bed! on the weekends it's the same!"

"i'm working, you know that." chris says sternly. "i understand that, chris. but does it hurt to take at least one day off? just one day to spend time with them? just one weekend?" she runs a hand though her hair, frustrated. "do you not understand that i'm working my ass off for us! for our kids! for their futures!"

"i know that chris, but you have the privilege to choose to work from home- to stay home and you don't use it!" chris rolls his eyes. "you have the most easiest job in the world, you just watch the kids play, feed them and change laylas diapers!" he raises his voice.

"you're kidding right?!" she scoffs. "you think taking care of four kids alone is easy? i make them breakfast, i take the twins to school, i have to buckle all four of them in the car even with two of them are crying, i have to give a toddler and a baby my attention at the same time, i teach les basic things, i have to clean the whole house, i do the laundry, i cook, i take the trash out, i change diapers, i pick the twins up from school, i help the twins with their homework, i shower all four, i get them ready for bed, i break up arguments, i deal with their tantrums. im tired chris. i have no time for myself."

"i love those kids with all of my heart, but you promised me, chris. you promised me that we would raise them together! it seems like i'm raising them all by myself. and i understand that you're providing financially for us- for them, but i need your help in a non-financial way." she feels tears racing down her face. she didn't even know she was crying.

"y/n.." chris had never realized she was feeling like this. he felt bad, he hated that he never saw this. she was right, he was always there, but never there. he doesn't remember the last time he actually sat down with his children and played with them. "i- i don't know if you actually care about what i just said, but ive kept it in for so long i thought i'd let you know how i feel." with that, she turns around and walks to their bathroom and shuts the door.

chris sighs and runs a hand through his hair, taking it all in. "mom!" he hears one of his kids yell for their mom. without hesitation, he sits up and goes to who was yelling. "layla? you okay?" he sees that her door was the only one cracked open. "daddy?" she whispers. "it's me, why're you crying, sweetheart?" he takes a seat on her small bed when he sees her cheeks are damp with tears. "i- why are you and mommy yelling at each other?"

chris' heart breaks when he hears that his daughter heard them arguing. "we just- we had a little argument- just like you and your siblings have sometimes. but, everything is okay. i promise." the little girl smiles at the reassurance. "oh, okay."

"would you like me to take you and your brother to school tomorrow?" he says after he had been laying with her for sometime. "really?" she gasps. "of course!" he says. "will we pass for donuts? mommy always takes us every friday to get donuts for breakfast." she plays with the hem of his shirt. "we can, does mommy get a donut for herself?" she nods. "mhm, she likes the strawberry sprinkles, she told us you bought one for her on her birthday a long time ago." chris laughs at the exaggeration. "wasn't that long ago, just seven years ago."

chris recalls the time when they had just started dating, it was her birthday and he bought her a strawberry frosted donut with sprinkles and stuck a candle on it. "that's so far ago." she giggles.

he had stayed with her until she fell back asleep again. quietly, he exited the room and gently shut the door behind him. chris headed back to his bedroom where the soft glow of the lamp lit up the room. "babe, are you sleeping?" he says, closing the door and walks over to the bed where y/n is currently laying down. "no." she says and sits up on her shoulder. her hair a bit damp, chris knew she never liked to fully dry her hair with the blow dryer. "can we talk? i don't want to argue, i hate arguing." he tosses his shoes off and situates himself next to her.

"okay." she grabs her glasses off of the side table since she doesn't have her contacts in. they sit in silence for a bit until chris decides to talk first. "'m sorry you've been feeling this way. and- and i cant believe i didn't take notice. i mean everything was right in front of me. i'm never home, you're always alone with the kids, you're constantly tired. i- i'm so sorry, babe. i never meant to make you feel like this- to put you through this."

"it's- it's okay chris. i know you've been so busy with the new drop and everything. but, i just want to let you now that i'm not asking you to drop everything and stay home with us forever, just asking you to take a few days off during the week. i miss you, the kids miss you." chris wraps his arm around y/n and pulls her into his chest.

"'m sorry, 'm so sorry. i'll stay home until wednesday, when i have to film, how's that sound, hm?" he presses a kiss to her forehead. "really?" she looks up at him. "of course, anything for you." he says and lays them both down. "chris!" she squeals.

"let me love on my wife!" he kisses her neck up to her lips. "how about i take you out on saturday night? we take the kids to matt and nicks house. and we go to a nice restaurant and come back here for the night?" he pecks her lips. "i would love that." she hums, kissing him back. they lie together on the bed for a while until y/n speaks up.

"as much as i love being like this, you know i hate outside clothes on the bed." she tugs on his shirt. "i knew i couldn't get away with it." he sighs and kisses her lips before getting up. "i'll be in the shower, choose a movie for when i get out."

[ks-dreams-fantasies]

TEACH ME | TRAVIS KELCE

a/n: I've had an idea for a mini serie, so you'll most definetly be seeing multiple parts to this story. I love the relationship and the love between Baby Wy and Uncle Travy 🥹 Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Warnings: Nothing really, this one is kind of a slow burn with a first encounter.

Words: 1.247 (Not proofread)

Pairing: Travis Kelce x Reader

TEACH ME | TRAVIS KELCE

Early in the morning, as the sun began to paint the sky in soft pastels, you stood at the threshold of your preschool classroom. You unlocked the door and stepped into your vibrant kingdom of colors and toys. The walls were adorned with the artwork of your little kids. Bright finger paintings and carefully crafted collages that told stories only a child imagination could conceive. 

As the children began to trickle in, their faces lit up with excitement at the sight of you. Each one received a warm hug and a cheerful greeting, setting the tone for a day filled with love and learning.

‘’Guess what, Miss Y/N!’’ little Wyatt exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder. ‘’It’s my birthday this weekend.’’

Your eyes sparkled with delight. ‘’Already? Soon enough you’ll be older than me.’’ You said as she laughed loudly before running up to play with her friends.

The classroom buzzed with activity as children explored different stations. Your colleague and best friend Camille joined you with a warm smile. ‘’Good morning, girl! Are we still on for tonight?’’ 

‘’Of course, I’ll make a reservation at that little Italian place we both love.’’ You smiled. ‘’Good idea, I’ll see you later.’’

Later, during circle time, you read a story about a brave little turtle. The children sat in rapt attention, their eyes wide with anticipation.

"Who can tell me what the turtle did to be so brave?" you asked, your eyes scanning the eager faces.

Lily's hand shot up, her eyes shining. "He helped his friends cross the river!"

"That's right, Lily! Helping friends is an act of bravery," you affirmed, your heart swelling with pride.

As the day drew to a close, parents arrived one by one to collect their sleepy but contented little ones. You greeted each family with a warm smile, sharing stories of the day's adventures and highlighting each child's achievements.

‘’Uncle Travy!’’ Wyatt exclaimed as she ran into the arms of a tall and muscular man.  Standing at an impressive 6 feet 5 inches, his frame radiated an aura of power and confidence. His piercing eyes sparkled, and he smiled widely at his niece as he picked her up.

‘’Hi baby girl! Did you have a nice day?’’

‘’It was the best. We painted rainbow unicorns, and we had a dance party with Miss Y/N, it was so fun.’’ She smiled up at her uncle as he stroked her back gently. 

‘’How come I wasn’t invited?’’ he replied, pouting as he faked being hurt. The little girl laughed loudly ‘’You’re too old to be in my class Uncle Travy.’’ His eyes finally landed on you, greeting you nicely before putting Wyatt down. 

‘’Sounds like Wyatt’s found her happy place here.’’ He said, his eyes crinkled at the corners as he laughed. ‘’I’m Travis by the way’’ he said extending his hand for you to shake. 

As you guys chatted, you couldn't help but notice the friendly banter and easy rapport you shared with him. He exuded a warmth that put you at ease, and his genuine interest in Wyatt’s day was evident.

As you stood by Wyatt’s cubby, preparing her belongings, Travis’s conversation took a subtly flirtatious turn. "You know, Miss Y/N, I've heard that being a preschool teacher takes a special kind of person. Someone patient, kind, and full of love."

You felt a gentle blush rise to your cheeks, flattered by his words. "Well, it's definitely a labor of love. The children bring so much joy into my life."

His gaze held yours, his eyes sincere. "It's clear how much you care about them. Wyatt adores you. "

Before you could respond, she ran up to her uncle, her face beaming with excitement. "Uncle Travy, can Miss Y/N come to my birthday party this weekend?"

You couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. ‘’Of course, baby girl, that is, only if Miss Y/N wants to and is available.’’ He said, looking at you with his piercing stare. You turned to Travis, your heart full. "I'd be honored." You chuckled lightly at the little girl’s reaction.

You got interrupted by the light sound of heels clicking on the floor, Camille heading your way.

‘’Hey, you’re ready to go?’’ she asked you before acknowledging Travis, giving him a smile and a nod which he returned before staring back at you. 

‘’Well, we’ll leave you to it, we have plan on our own don’t we baby Wy?’’ he said stroking his niece’s hair as she nodded excitedly. ‘’I guess I’ll see you this weekend then.’’ The smile on both your faces were genuine. He thanked you before walking away hand in hand with his niece. You couldn't deny the flutter of attraction you felt, but you also knew the importance of professionalism.

Camille cleared her throat, nudging you with her elbow as she smirked at you. ‘’What was that about?’’ you blushed at her question before walking away from her laughing.

In a cozy corner of the Italian restaurant, you both sat huddled together, your face animated with excitement. Camille leaned in, her warm brown eyes filled with curiosity. ‘’Tell me everything, Y/N. What’s he like?’’

Your eyes danced with a mixture of adoration and wonder. ‘’Well you saw him, he’s tall, like really tall, and he’s funny, we joked around a little bit and he made me laugh. And he’s got these beautiful piercing eyes that I swear, they were seeing right through me.’’

Camille leaned back, a thoughtful expression on her face. ‘’Sounds like he’s got you smitten, you sound like me.’’ You laughed, she was right. You were pretty lowkey about personal relationships and you never were one to imagine scenarios so early on. 

After your breakup with Christopher, your ex-fiancé, you kept a lot to yourself. You had made the decision to call off the wedding as well as the relationship when you found out that he had cheated on you with one of his colleagues at a work party. He had tried to work things out, begging you to stay and telling you how sorry he was, that it was a drunken mistake, but being you, you couldn’t walk past it. Camille welcomed you for a few weeks before you found your own place. You hadn’t dated anyone ever since, giving the excuse that you didn’t have time with your work, but deep down you just knew you were scared of getting hurt again. 

‘’I don’t know, he was just different. The love he has for Wyatt made me melt, and he was so nice and respectful. They invited me to her birthday party this weekend’’ You shrugged your shoulder, blushing lightly as Camille reached out and gently squeezed your hand. ‘’You better go, girl. Don’t let an opportunity of getting to know the guy slip away.’’

‘’I don’t know, maybe he was just being polite by inviting me.’’ You said as you sipped on your glass of wine. ‘’Come on Y/N.’’ your friend exclaimed. ‘’Did you see the way he was looking at you, his eyes were glued to you. You’re going to go to that party and you’re going to have fun. Just be yourself and if it clicks it clicks.’’

You looked into Camille’s eyes, your heart filled with gratitude. ‘’Thank you, Camille. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’’

You continued to talk and laugh as you felt a newfound sense of confidence and excitement about Travis and seeing him at Wyatt’s birthday party. 

To Be Continued

Part 2

[spoopdeedoop]

hi i have some disorganized thoughts/hcs abt the found family human doctor au

(one of the thoughts being i should really give it a better name. another being YES this is only the nuwho doctors atm bc that's the only series i've watched so far apologies. if i ever get around to watching classic who i will add them trust)

BEHOLD my random, not at all in-depth headcanons

nine is the only one with a car out of all of them. they all keep bugging him to drive/pick them up from places -- he has mixed feelings about being the assigned taxi driver

both twelve and eleven are teachers -- college professor and preschool teacher respectively. twelve's students love them because he will say the most stupid, hilarious shit with a straight face without even knowing and eleven's students love him because he is the only teacher at the school that will dance with them during musical chairs (he doesn't even play the game. he just dances)

i want to make one of them an actual doctor but i don't think any of them could handle it unfortunately

they all share an an apartment flat on the same level -- nine, twelve and fifteen live in one room, ten, eleven and thirteen live in the one across from them. of course there are other people in the building too but they're all used to the strange loud hyperactivity of that particular flat. i think i'm using the right terminology here. yall know what im talking about

(i'm so tempted to make some companions be their neighbors)

nine and ten are the most insomniac of all of them, so they're used to bumping each other in the dead of night on their way to raid each other's respective fridges or something. very rarely thirteen will join them and they're like "WELL FANCY SEEING YOU HERE"

twelve does sleep, but like. he's nocturnal

eleven and ten hate each other in a sibling kind of way (see: day of the doctor). they are constantly sending each other death threats or tripping each other over. everyone is sick of it

sometimes when they're out shopping you'll hear ten yell "GET OUT OF THE FROZEN FOOD YOU NUMPTY WE ARE NOT BUYING FISH FINGERS" over the aisles and you'll hear eleven whine "WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH" back

(if you're lucky you'll be able to catch fifteen mumble "why did we put them in the same apartment. are we asking for an eviction notice")

eventually eleven will pick a random stray cat off the side of the road, take her home, and name her bowtie, which is a stupid name, so everyone just defaults to calling her kitty

kitty's favourite person is twelve, to eleven's absolute despair

(my original idea for this was to initially have ten hate the idea of living with a cat, since he's stated full on in the show that he doesn't like cats, but apparently there is some very obscure doctor who comic run in which he falls into a depressive spiral and adopts a cat whom he names rose-the-cat, so he might actually like cats idk?)

anyway ten hates her until he doesn't lmao. he vents to her when there's no one else home and she will Stare at him back and it is a very nice friendship

kitty and nine watch shitty romcom together

they have a joint groupchat together -- half of it is just thirteen and fifteen assigning everyone outfits they find on pinterest and the other half is eleven asking where everyone went (he keeps getting lost when they go out)

nine doesn't know how to download pictures off the internet and so resorts to manually editing memes together to send to the groupchat and everyone's like "girl that's so much more effort........."

(yes he doesn't know how to press save image to camera roll but he knows how to use a photo editor flawlessly. such is the logic of the idiocy of the doctors)

eleven and thirteen get along very well i think. they're the only two of the group to play video games and so they bond over that. they also have ridiculously similar clothing taste

sometimes they'll succeed in getting fifteen to play pokemon with them and then they'll proceed to not see him until the next day when he comes out of his room and goes "you didn't tell me plusle couldn't evolve i've been levelling it up all fucking night"

friday is assigned movie night (it's always big hero 6)

eleven is the only one to actively seek out physical affection, usually really abruptly like clinging to thirteen's back as she passes him in the hall or bapping ten with the palm of his hand until he sighs and gives him a hug. he does expect a platonic kiss on the forehead from anyone before he goes to bed and will complain if he doesn't get one

anyway thats it i'm sick in the head and really sad. if this keeps up i may be forced to actually write a fic

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

In My Arms

First posted: September 22, 2019

Focuses on: Bruce Wayne & Tim Drake

Favorite bookmark: “This is so soft and sweet I'm cryinf"

Second favorite bookmark: "This one makes me feel very fragile. Christ."

Tier: In my top 10 across all metrics

This is my “behind the scenes” series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

This started as a birthday gift for @audreycritter and was, I will admit, extremely targeted, as it was inspired by a song I knew she knew and was also baby-related. My gifts are blessings and also weapons.

As I mention in the notes, the title comes from this song.

Find the time traveler. Fix the timeline. Go home. Maybe not an easy set of to-dos, but a simple set nonetheless. A complete set. Nowhere was there listed an option to join a gathering of Gotham’s elite.

In my usual way, I only give a vague handwave to the inciting incident for this fic in the fic itself. There's a time traveler. They're up to something nefarious. Bruce has to go stop the plot, whatever it is. Don't know, don't care.

It's not important. All I needed was a strawman of a reason to send Bruce back in time and—and this is important—to note that what he needed to do was resolved before the fic even started. No matter the temptation, Bruce is not going to peel off an uncompleted mission.

Technically, it was a fundraiser. Technically, he was invited. Un-technically, he was breaking every rule he had ever created just by stepping foot in the building. ... Technically—he was back to this again—Bruce reasoned that he wasn’t in the party but several corridors away.

I am emperor of technicalities when needed. A meticulous understanding of and undermining of a set of rules is so helpful when wriggling one's way to a goal. Of course Bruce would be the same way. And I do love that this is the one time where he uses his cunning for selfish means.

A girl no older than sixteen stood in the center of the nursery. She paced back and forth, bouncing slightly on her toes as she went. The child in her arms was not mollified, and even from his position in the doorway, Bruce could read the mounting stress on the girl’s face.

Crying babies are such a stressful thing if you're not one of those people with the magic touch. I am not. This is why I prefer preschoolers. Also, speech is so helpful. And potty training.

I am not a baby person, if you cannot tell.

Bruce Thomas, you idiot.

If you're not full-naming yourself, are you even really in trouble? I genuinely think Bruce spends as much of his time exasperated as himself as everyone else does.

Bruce had very little of his children from before they had come into his life. 

I enjoyed in the paragraphs that followed this sentence trying to puzzle out what he would have had, or not had, and why.

Hi, came the whisper from deep beneath his ribs. I know you. Tim didn’t stop screaming. If anything, he grew louder now that he had a new, direct target for his frustrations. “I hear you,” Bruce assured him as he began to pace the room. “It’s alright, sweetheart, I hear you.”

I like not making the younger versions of characters a weird shrunken-down version of themselves but still making correlations and playing to a theme. Tim, as he grows, needs to know that he's heard, and Bruce needs to be able to tell him so. Screaming with aggressive eye contact is also very baby and not Tim specific but feels well-correlated with who he grows up to be in regards to Bruce.

He cupped the back of Tim’s head and stroked the soft, downy strands as he continued to walk. Babies weren’t wholly unfamiliar to Bruce, but neither were they a subject in which he could claim expertise. He had missed the babyhood of all of his children, every last one of them.

Really, that's all this fic is, my campaign to Give Bruce Wayne A Baby.

As soon as he sat, the baby braced his hands against Bruce’s shoulder and pushed back, small body wobbling as he arched his back to get the distance needed to study Bruce’s face.

This was based off a specific child, but I can't for the life of me remember who I would have been interacting with at that age in 2019.

Bruce didn’t spend a lot of time mourning over what could have been—there was too much to regret and too much good to lose—but it would be untrue to say he was never wistful over the prospect of what he couldn’t have. Tim learning to walk. Tim learning to run. ABCs and shoe-tying lessons, skinned knees and bedtime stories. For all that Bruce had experienced, there was so much he had missed.

This was important to me, this bit and the paragraphs afound it. Balancing Bruce's wistfulness while still making it clear that it wouldn't have made things better or made him feel differently about Tim if he'd had the experience of raising Tim from infancy. More time wouldn't be better time just because Tim would be little and cute. It would just be more time and that in itself would be better, because it would be more time with someone Bruce loves.

Tim blinked at him. Bruce chuckled and ran a finger down the bridge of his tiny nose, then caught his breath as Tim’s tear-streaked face bloomed into a smile. Bruce wondered if it were possible to die of happiness.

LET!!!! BRUCE!!! BE!!!!!! HAPPY!!!!!!!

Also, that last line is specifically a paraphrase of Jane in Pride and Prejudice 2005 laughing with wonder, "Can you die of happiness?"

“Goodnight, love.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again—Bruce alternates between sweetheart and love because his parents used the former and Alfred used the latter.

“Golly, Bruce, don’t drown us in details,” Clark teased.

I just want to note that Clark is being deliberately hokey here and doesn't go around saying golly, except of course when he does. But it's with PURPOSE.

Bruce didn’t stop. Ordinarily, he would have spent a few more hours in the Watchtower, writing his report while the details were still fresh in his mind and spending time in the company of his team. He did like them, secretly, and he thought most of the knew it, even if he hid it well. (Clark knew, and Diana was no fool. The others were up for debate.)

As close as I'll ever get to describing JLA dynamics, probably. But the point here is Bruce! is on! a mission! He's got ta GO.

Though still and silent, the Manor was fuller than it had been in some time, and Bruce’s rounds took longer than usual. He didn’t mind. 

I don't remember who specifically I plucked the fanon from that Bruce does nightly rounds on all his kids, but he absolutely does because 1) it makes sense, and 2) it's what my parents did and they weren't even anxious vigilantes. (as far as you know.)

“Goodnight, love.”

I couldn't figure out how to wrap with fic at first, but seeing in the multiple echoes did the trick.

And people still read this fic! And like it! Incredible. I didn't expect it to have the resonance that it did.

[queenjunothegreat]

Hello, everyone!!! Who wants to be sad??? I apparently did because I wrote this. Always a good day when I get to write about how much I fucking hate Beryl Grace tho! Anywho, moving on!

And now here we have day five: And That Will Be Enough

“Your hair’s getting long again,” Leo commented quietly. “We’re gonna have to cut it soon.” Jason just grunted and pressed his face harder into Leo’s stomach. Leo sighed. “Jace, you know I haven’t gotten the whole Professor X telepathy helmet perfected yet. You gotta talk to me.” Jason was silent for a long time. If it were anyone else, Leo would have gotten frustrated, but Jason always chose his words very carefully. “Estelle’s two years old now.” “She is,” Leo agreed, not really sure where this was going, but willing to follow Jason anywhere. Jason squeezed Leo tighter. “She’s– She’s so little.” “She is.” Jason went silent again, and Leo almost couldn’t breathe for the tension that hung thick in the air. Then, in a small, fragile voice that Leo knew from his own experiences whispering about his sins in a confessional booth, Jason said, “I was two when my– When I joined Lupa’s pack. D’you think I was that little?” *** Jason and Leo go to Estelle's second birthday party, which brings up some memories. Turns out being abandoned in a park leaves a mark Ao3 Anniversary Collection Day 5: Parents

Through a series of coincidences that were in no way any fault of their own, Leo and Jason never got around to meeting Estelle until she was two years old. Piper had gotten to meet her (apparently being rich and homeschooled came with its perks) but convincing the faculty of Edgarton to just let two of its students go galavanting across the country to see a baby had been a little too difficult for even Piper’s charm. Then, of course, summer had rolled around and they meant to go see her, but Jason had been unceremoniously slapped with Quest Duty from his dear old dad, Leo had managed to break his leg, and the Jackson-Blofis household had gone on a trip to Germany to introduce the baby to her grandparents, and Jason and Leo were once again back at school, still without having been in a room with everyone’s favorite baby. But this time it was different. Now, Leo and Jason were at NRU and it was much easier to convince their professors to give them the weekend off for their surrogate sister’s birthday party. 

And what a party it had been. Leo hadn’t been to a birthday party that was anything but a roomful of traumatized demigods eating pizza and pretending to be less traumatized than they were in years, and he’d never been to a party for someone that young. It had mostly been for the adults and gathered teenagers, really and truly, but there were a few kids from Estelle’s preschool there, too, and Percy had put on a quite frankly masterful puppet show for them all. They’d all had a grand old time, and the weekend was over too soon, leaving Leo, Jason, Piper, Reyna, Percy, and Annabeth to all climb on Festus’s back for a hard ride to New Rome. All in all, a fun, worthwhile experience, and Leo was glad they’d finally gotten the chance to meet Estelle. 

The problem was Jason. He was… quiet, but not in his normal “sitting back and keeping watch” way, more in a morose, contemplative way that Leo didn’t really like. Nobody else had noticed, but Leo was as fine tuned to every change in Jason’s mood like it was his job, so he noticed. So, when they finally got to New Rome and they all went their separate ways, Leo didn’t even say a word before climbing into the lumpy twin bed that had been assigned to Jason. 

As expected, Jason immediately crawled into bed after him, and wrapped his arm around Leo’s waist, and pressed his face hard into his stomach like maybe he could hide from whatever thoughts were stuck in his head. Leo frowned softly and  began carding his fingers through Jason’s hair. Along the line, Jason had finally decided to grow it out from the standardized crew cut of the Legion, but he still never let it get too long because he hated the way it felt tickling the back of his neck. 

“Your hair’s getting long again,” Leo commented quietly. “We’re gonna have to cut it soon.” Jason just grunted and pressed his face harder into Leo’s stomach. Leo sighed. “Jace, you know I haven’t gotten the whole Professor X telepathy helmet perfected yet. You gotta talk to me.”

“I don’t know who Professor X is,” Jason mumbled, still hidden away.

Leo rolled his eyes, and gave a teasing tug to the lock of hair around his finger. “Shut up. Yes, you do, and I know you do.” He felt Jason smile, and he went back to his previous petting. “Now, come on. Tell me what’s up. Please?”

Jason was silent for a long time. If it were anyone else, Leo would have gotten frustrated, but Jason always chose his words very carefully. “Estelle’s two years old now.”

“She is,” Leo agreed, not really sure where this was going, but willing to follow Jason anywhere.

Jason squeezed Leo tighter. “She’s– She’s so little.”

“She is.”

“Sally loves her a lot. Paul, too.”

“Yeah. Lots of people love her.”

Jason went silent again, and Leo almost couldn’t breathe for the tension that hung thick in the air. Then, in a small, fragile voice that Leo knew from his own experiences whispering about his sins in a confessional booth, Jason said, “I was two when my– When I joined Lupa’s pack. D’you think I was that little?” 

“Jason,” Leo breathed. He wanted to wrap Jason up, maybe even fold him up and tuck him behind his ribcage so he could stay warm and safe in the space he’d carved out of Leo’s heart. He couldn’t do that, though, not with Jason clinging to him like he was, so he just cradled Jason’s head like it was the most precious thing on Earth. “Oh, god Jason. I’m so sorry.”

“Sally wouldn’t leave Estelle, would she?” Jason asked in that same tiny voice. “Not-not when she’s so little.”

“She wouldn’t,” Leo confirmed. “Sally’s a good mom and she loves Estelle a lot.”

That seemed to be a breaking point for Jason because he took in a deep, shuddering breath and suddenly Leo’s shirt was wet. “Why-Why didn’t my mom love me? Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” Leo said the word so fiercely that it came out almost like a snarl. Fiery anger and hatred flared to life in Leo’s chest, just like it always did when Beryl Grace was the subject of discussion. “Jason, no. You didn’t do anything. You were a baby, and what your mom did was wrong. I don’t– I don’t care what was going on with her and Jupiter or whatever, moms don’t leave their babies in parks, and if they do, that’s not the baby’s fault.”

Jason was shaking like a leaf, so Leo gently bullied him until they were both sitting up and he pressed kisses to every inch of Jason’s face, taking care to kiss away any of the tears that still clung to his cheeks. When he was done, he situated himself in Jason’s lap so he could tuck Jason’s face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. He pressed one more kiss to Jason’s hair before he leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “You were good, Jason. You are good. You’re kind and brave and a better son than someone like Beryl would ever deserve to call son, and I love you so much.”

Jason made a little choked sound in the back of his throat and clung to Leo like a lifeline. “Did you have a good mom?”

“My mom was the best,” Leo said with a wistful smile. He pulled Jason back just so he could press their foreheads together. Jason’s eyes were just as beautifully blue as ever, even red-rimmed and teary and Leo didn’t bother to smother his besotted smile. “She loved me lots and you know what? She’d have loved you, too. Almost as much as I do.”

Jason leaned forward that last little bit and pressed their lips together. It wasn’t a great kiss, it was far too salty and wet to claim that title, but it was one Leo knew he would remember for the rest of his life. It didn’t fix anything, not really. No matter how many times Leo proclaimed his love, it would never fill the hole Beryl had so cruelly carved out with her neglect, but maybe it didn’t need to. They couldn’t fix it, but they could face it. They could face down their ugly, hurtful pasts together and walk hand-in-hand into the brilliant future that awaited them.

And maybe that would be enough.

[buckysgrace]

Something Blue

Not really a series but will be doing little blurbs under Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Gator and Daphne's little family <3

CW: Smut and fluff

“What do you think you’re doing?” Gator asked, tilting his head down to the toddler who was trying to pull himself onto the counter.

Noah smiled sheepishly, his brown eyes full of mischief as he bounced on the tip of his toes again. His shirt and pants had been discarded, tossed away as he moved around in only a pair of undies.

“Cookie,” He pointed out, staring up at Gator with a bright grin as he pointed towards the cabinet again, “Pwease, pwease!” He encouraged, grinning like he already knew what Gator’s answer would be.

“Just one,” Gator responded as he pulled the chocolate chip cookie free from the bag, smiling as Noah let out a shrill squeal, “And don’t tell anyone.” He responded with a wink, satisfied as Noah quickly nodded his head in agreement. 

The summer months were quickly approaching, the sun hot and breeze cool as it swept in through the open windows. The twins had finished their first semester of preschool, which was only half days. It wasn’t too long for them to be away. 

Knox had passed out not long ago on the couch, making Gator wish that Noah would do the same as he really felt like a nap sounded good to himself. Noah still hated naps, would rather do anything but sleep. He was a handful, that was for sure. 

Piper was with Daphne, getting their last few accessories for the wedding. Which meant that they’d come home with painted nails and a handful of bags from whichever shopping mall they’d decided on. Piper had found a little handbag that she liked to carry around and insisted that her toy card worked just like a real credit card.

“Where’s your clothes at?” Gator asked, picking Noah up as he followed the trail back towards the living room, “You’re not teasing me with my bad side, are you?” He asked him seriously, watching the way Noah paused for a moment to think about it. 

“I don’t know,” Was his response as he shrugged his shoulders, more focused on munching his cookie down, “It yummy.” He said, little crumbs dancing off onto his tummy as he moved back towards the TV. 

“Can I have a cookie?” Knox’s head popped up over the couch, half of his face red and his hair messy from how roughly he’d been sleeping. Gator chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. He couldn’t ever really tell them no. 

“Of course you can have a cookie,” He said with a smile, “Do you see your brother's clothes?” He asked as he pulled another cookie free. He walked over, holding the cookie out towards him. 

“Not over here,” Knox said, smiling brightly as he took the cookie from Gator, “Thank you. Where’s mommy?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows together as Gator joined him on the couch. Noah appeared instantly, gripping his knees as he pulled himself up onto his lap.

“She went shopping with sissy,” He answered, waiting as Noah got himself comfortable. He laid back against Gator’s chest, wiggling his toes before he sighed deeply. Knox might be attached to Daphne’s hip, but Noah was attached to his. His little buddy, “Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Knox replied with a smile, “I get to hold the ring!” He said proudly as he moved onto his knees, grinning from ear to ear. Sometimes it was hard for Gator to tell which of his sons looked more like him. Today he thought Noah did, as Knox’s brown locks seemed to look just a bit more red than usual. 

“Hey,” Noah spoke up quickly, “Me too.” He said quickly, his brown eyes wide and full of panic like he feared that Gator had forgotten about him. He’d spent many afternoons tracing their faces and listening intensely to the tones in their voices to feel like he knew what they were thinking without questioning them. 

“Both of you,” Gator confirmed with a nod of his head, “It will be a lot of fun, don’t you think?” He asked, hoping that they’d all have fun with it. He had never planned on marrying Daphne with three toddlers running around, but he thought this made it even better. 

“Papa said it’s about time.” Knox added as he nodded his head along, making Gator sigh as he nodded his head along. He’d heard that more than once as well. He had just taken his time, there was nothing wrong with that.

He’d nearly lost his cool when he finally proposed, well he sort of did. It had all been fine, going perfectly to his plan until Daphne had almost swallowed the ring. She ended up having to hack it up, her face red and lips a shade of blue. That was the last time he listened to any advice from Wayne. 

“I’m sure he did,” He grumbled in response, “Oh look, there’s mama's car.” He said, hearing the car far before it pulled into the driveway. Knox’s features wrinkled up into delight as he raced out of the seat, rushing to be the first one to greet them at the door. 

Piper strolled in first, a green hand bag over her midsection and sunglasses over the top of her head. Her lips were shiny, and nails were deep purple. Gator slowly slid Noah off of his lap, figuring he better help them carry whatever inside. 

“Did you see how expensive gas is?” Daphne huffed as she came in next, carrying two handfuls of plastic bags, “It’s ridiculous.” She shook her head, but quickly curled her lips into a smile as Knox tugged on her pants. She dropped the bags, kneeling to kiss at his cheeks. 

“Mhm, gas was the expensive thing?” Gator asked, raising his eyebrows as he leaned against the couch. He counted twice, confirming that there were at least eight bags. She grinned as she stood, walking towards him slowly.

“I had to finish getting stuff for our trip,” She quickly defended herself, smiling as she pecked his lips twice, “How were my boys?” She smiled as she turned away, leaving his gaze lingering against her ass as she bent over again. 

“Cookie!” Noah exclaimed, smiling as he held up a soggy crumble of what he had left, “Hewe, mama.” He said happily, waiting for her to take a bite. She blinked slowly, her smile frozen as Gator did his best not to snort. 

“Oh I’m okay, baby,” She responded as she kissed his flushed cheeks, “Mama’s all cookied out.” She said as she wrinkled her nose, moving back towards the bags as he found his attention getting drawn away. 

“What about you?” He asked as he lifted Piper up into the air. He still liked holding them and feared the day that they’d get too big, “Did you get everything you needed?” He asked, poking at her bag playfully. It was most likely filled with hair ties, candies and different chapsticks that she always took from Daphne. Sometimes there would be change. 

“Yeah,” She said as she held her fingers out, showing off her nails dramatically, “Do you like them?” She asked worriedly, like she didn’t know what his opinion would be. He looked at them, pretending to inspect them in the way she liked. 

“Very pretty,” He said with a grin, watching as the two boys took turns tugging on Daphne’s skirt as she put a few things away in the fridge, “Are you going to get your hair done tomorrow?” He asked her, curious as to how she’d want it done. She was very particular. There had been more than one meltdown because she had insisted her sock was on wrong. 

“No,” She said as she rested her head against his shoulder, “You do it best.” She said as she inhaled deeply, sounding like she was tired from her shopping day. He rubbed her back gently. 

“Okay,” He said, grinning as he tucked the young girl close to him, “I can do it.” He promised her, rocking her back and forth as he enjoyed their moment together. He found himself doing that a lot with the kids, still fearing that they might feel as if they didn’t have enough time with him. He felt guilty all over again. 

“Daddy,” Noah approached him once again, “Want juicy.” He furrowed his eyebrows together, his lips pouting out as he began to tug on his jeans this time. 

“What do you say?” Daphne drew out, popping her head out from the pantry door. Knox was holding up one of the bags, handing her different items to put away. Noah gasped before he turned towards Gator again. 

“Pwease?” He asked, fluttering his eyelashes as he held his hands together. Gator chuckled as he nodded his head, using his free hand to touch the back of his head as he directed them back towards the kitchen. 

Rounding the three of them up that night for the wedding practice had been a nightmare. No one had seemed to want to go, even though any other time they were all excited to go for a car ride. Noah cried the whole way there, his missed nap clearly catching up to him. He’d missed most of the ceremony, finally passing out in one of the pews and refusing to move. 

Knox had frozen in the church, despite him knowing everyone else who was there. Usually Ruby was able to draw him out, but not even that worked. He stayed hidden behind Daphne, brown eyes wide as he peeked around at the other ten people that were there.

Piper had plopped herself into the back row, arms tightly crossed around her chest as an angry pout stayed glued to her face. It had taken a lot to finally get her to speak, to get some little answer out of her stubbornness. 

“It’s just practice,” He instructed her, trying to convince her that the wedding wasn’t happening tonight, “You don’t have to be dressed up yet.” He told her, trying to calm her down. She wanted her big pink dress. That’s all she wanted. 

“But mommy is.” She pointed out, bearing Daphne’s same irritated features as she continued to stare ahead. He sighed deeply as he slowly pried her hands free. 

“Mommy is always dressed up,” He said playfully, dramatically, “We don’t have to do it tonight, unless you really want to.” He added, squeezing her hands in hopes that she wouldn’t make them go all the way home to get it. She turned towards him, staring for the longest time. 

“I want these bows in my hair,” Piper directed as she shifted forward a little bit, “Please and thank you.” She added at last, nodding her head as he quickly obliged once she pulled them free from her little purse. 

He found Daphne a little later, thankful for Kurt’s many questions towards the priest as he followed her towards the front of the entrance. He stared at the vast decorations, thinking about how bland Roy’s own church had been. He shook his head, not wanting to think about his father at the moment.

“Maybe eloping would’ve been better,” She whispered softly, laughing as she leaned against him, “Oh, I hope it goes better tomorrow.” She replied as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, making him smile as he moved his arm around her waist.

“It will,” He said confidently as he glanced around, finding it safe enough to take a hit from his vape. He passed it to her next, watching the way she took a deep inhale and held it in her lungs. She closed her eyes as she exhaled, looking a little relieved, “And if it doesn’t -, that’s fine too. We’re not doing it to impress anybody.” He told her seriously, quite enjoying the way their three littles made their lives more hectic. 

“As long as we can keep the kids from fighting.” She said as she leaned against the wall with him, her blue eyes twinkling like bright gems. He couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow, to see how stunning she looked. 

“That’s the important part,” He said with a smile, leaning down to brush his lips against hers gently, “We’re getting pretty damn good at this.” He told her, feeling a little more confident in his parenting skills. Sometimes he still got scared, worried that he’d get too irritated and accidentally snap at the kids like his father did to him. It took a lot of reassurances to remind himself that he wasn’t Roy. 

“Gator Tillman,” She responded playfully as she held her hands on her hips, “Don’t you curse while we’re in the lord’s house.” The little white dress she was wearing bunched against her thighs, leaving him a little distracted as he peered at her freckled thighs.

“We’ve done worse things in churches.” He reminded her, feeling a little cocky as his lips turned into a soft smirk. Her features burned brightly, turning red all the way down to her collarbone as she narrowed her eyes in his direction. 

“Your father’s church didn’t count,” She said firmly as she took his hand, “C’mon, before they think we ran off.” She said as she pulled him forward, using her free hand to fan herself. He grinned, listening to what she said. She was usually right. 

Their last rehearsal went a little smoother after that. Piper stood proudly, showing off her braid and the big bow in her hair. Once Noah was finally awake he gripped Knox’s hand tightly, keeping him comforted and by his side so he wouldn’t feel quite so nervous. It was fine. Everything was fine. 

“Okay, what does everyone want?” He asked after the dreaded rehearsal was over. Part of the deal had been that they’d all go out to eat after as long as they behaved, which they had; for the most part. He also had a hard time saying no to them. Fatherhood was a lot softer than he thought it would be. 

“Chicken!” Noah yelled quickly, “And mac and cheese!” He giggled as he stood once again, leaving Daphne trying to convince him to sit down. Gator turned fully to watch him, prepared to pull him over if he did it again. He had a habit of trying to crawl onto the back of the booth seats. 

“Daddy I want the cheese burger.” Knox said as he paused his coloring, keeping neatly in between the lines. Gator was fairly certain that Knox had gotten his artistic skill. 

“Cheese sticks!” Piper said loud and proud, smiling as she began to scribble on her paper again. Noah began to tap his palms against the back of the seat, making Gator tug him away and onto his lap. He squirmed for a moment before he looked back at Gator, then started to giggle again. 

“You just want cheese sticks?” Daphne asked as he looked at Piper curiously, confirming that was what she wanted. They all had different appetites, but she seemed to be the pickiest by far. 

“Yesh.” She said, messing up on her words a little bit as she turned her attention back to the paper. Gator met Daphne’s eye, shaking his head a little bit as he looked at her amused expression. He exhaled, giving Noah a soft squeeze as he rambled on about something he had seen. 

“Mama, can I get a pop?” Knox asked suddenly, gaining the interest of his other two siblings. Their heads snapped around as they all shouted out at once, wanting the same thing. It made Gator laugh. 

“Oh me too!”

“I want one!”

“Just one little pop,” She said quickly as she blew her bangs out of her face, “Just one, okay?” She said as she looked at each one of them, meeting their eyes playfully. Noah clapped his hands as Gator shared a smile with Daphne. Sure, they’d be a little hyper later but it would be fine. They’d survived through worse things. 

“Mhm,” Knox said as he nodded his head quickly, “I promise.” 

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The next morning was harder to get them all rounded up. As the mornings usually were. Knox wanted biscuits and gravy, but Piper wanted oatmeal, meanwhile Noah wanted eggs and bacon. They eventually decided on pancakes, which was a lot easier than making three separate meals.

“You come and do my hair,” Piper said as she clung to Gator’s hand, “You promise?” She asked before they all separated. The boys would be coming with him, while Piper would be sitting in with Daphne and her bridesmaids while they got ready. They had hired someone to do hair, but apparently they weren’t good enough for her standards. 

“I promise,” He said as he nodded his head, “Daisy said she’d take you over to me when you’re all done getting dressed.” He reassured her as he bent low to kiss her soft nose. She had a lot of Daphne’s features; reminded him of how Daphne looked at this age actually. 

“Okay,” She responded as she gave his hand one last squeeze, “If you say so.” She fluttered her hazel eyes wide like she didn’t want to go. He kissed her temple softly, promising her that everything would be alright.

It didn’t take long for him or his crew to get ready. August was one of his groomsmen, along with Kurt, Nick and Michael. Some friends he’d had for a while. Oliver had been invited, but was currently living his best life in Australia with Hugh. It was an odd adjustment, but they made it all work.

On Daphne’s side she had Noelle, Daisy, Lucy as well as Maude and Jessica. They would be walking down with August, tasked with keeping him on his best behavior. If that was at all possible. 

They had snuck in a few shots, which Gator quickly hid from Knox and Noah’s view so they wouldn’t grow curious. Especially Noah. He was worse than Birdie, always in someone's business. He just wanted to know everything.

“Hello,” Daisy peeped her head in, blue eyes searching until she found Gator, “Where are you doing Miss Piper’s hair at?” She asked curiously, opening the door just enough so Piper could stick her head through.

“Piper!” Knox exclaimed gleefully, his smile stretching from ear to ear as he spoke as if he hadn’t seen her for the longest time. Piper giggled as he quickly walked forward, giving her a tight hug.

“We can go next door,” Gator responded a second later, tightening the cap on his shot glass as he messily shoved it into his pocket. He was hoping the alcohol would give him a little boost, make him feel less nervous than what he was, “That should work.” He said as he walked towards them, following them down the hall. He was grateful the church let them use the spare rooms, but it still felt odd to be in here. Like he didn’t belong. 

“Here you go,” Daisy said, holding onto Piper’s hand as she led her inside, “I’ll wait outside.” She said with a smile, giving them both a wave before she left once again. Gator smiled as the little girl turned her attention towards him. 

“Well, hi there,” He smiled as he bent over, getting a good look at Piper in her little dress. It was a soft pink, poofy towards her knees and covered in white and mauve flowers on the sheer material, “You look beautiful.” He told her seriously, a little saddened at how quickly they were all growing. He wanted them all to stop. 

“Thank you,” She giggled as she held her hands out, smiling brightly as he sat her in the chair, “It’s like a princess.” She said proudly as she fanned her hands over the curve of the dress. It made him smile as he caught the action of the corner of his eye. 

“You do look like a princess. See,” He grinned as he worked on braiding the top of her hair back, focusing on how it felt instead of how it looked. It always turned out better that way, “I told you I’d do your hair.”

“I so excited, daddy.” She drew out quickly, messing her words up just a little bit. He let it slide, thinking about how badly he’d miss the baby talk when she grew older. He slowly reached the end of her hair, keeping it pinched between two fingers as he drifted his other hand across the braid. He nodded, confirming that it felt right. 

“I’m excited too,” He said as he wrapped the big pink bow across the braid. He left part of it down, showing just how long her hair had grown. Sometimes he felt remorseful, thinking about how much they’d grown while he’d been locked away, “You look just like your mama, you know that?”

“Really?” She asked eagerly as she turned to look at him. He lifted her from the chair gently, nodding his head as he bent to her level once again. He wanted all of his kids to know just how important they were to him. 

“Mhm,” He said as he hugged her softly, “So pretty, smart and kind. And a little sassy.” He added playfully, watching the way she scrunched her nose up from his words. 

“Me?” She said with a giggle, “No way!” She began to shake her head quickly but then stopped, bringing her hands up to her face like she was worried she messed up her hair. He moved the strands aside gently before he stood. 

“Yes way,” He said as he picked her up and gave her cheek a quick kiss, “Go ahead and go back with Daisy. I’ll see you soon.” He promised her, watching the way she skipped back down the hallway. He shook his head softly, wondering how he’d manage giving her away one day. He didn’t like that thought at all. 

It wasn’t much longer and he was standing at the front of the church, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as the music slowed down around him. He felt like the world had stopped, came to a complete halt as the doors revealed Daphne. 

She looked stunning. Her hair was curled in loose waves, her bangs framing her face as the veil settled over her face. It was sheer with lace designs settling over the bottom of it. It matched her dress, the same one that he’d seen so many years ago. 

It hugged her nicely around the wait but drifted across her body in a soft manner. It dipped low on her chest, showing off just enough cleavage before it connected against her shoulders. It was long sleeved, sheer and hit against her thumbs. It hugged around her waist for just a second before it drifted neatly against her long legs.

He suddenly felt like it was hard to breathe, like he’d been hit by something very hard and very heavy and it had stolen all of the air from his lungs. She looked like an angel. 

“Woah,” He said as she approached, his hands shaking as he moved the veil back from her face, “You look beautiful.” He told her softly as he traced his thumbs across her soft features gently, careful not to smudge her makeup. 

“So do you,” She giggled softly, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at him, “Hi.” She whispered under her breath, her blue eyes gleaming like sapphires as she stared up at him. He reminded himself that it was too early to kiss her. Not yet. He had to wait.

“Hi.” He exhaled harshly as he shook his head, unsure of how he’d gotten so lucky. He’d made many mistakes, but she was never one of them. He just wished that he could’ve fixed things sooner, made her his earlier. He quickly stopped himself from going down the same old road, knowing there was no point in lingering on the past right now. 

His gaze stayed locked to her the whole ceremony, afraid that if he looked away he’d no longer be able to see her again. He had her image memorized in her mind; just in case one day he glimpsed at her it would be the last. 

Marriage with her honestly didn’t feel any different than the past few years had. Or his whole life really. It was like they were already set to be together long before, their whole lives set out to be with one another before they even realized it.

He certainly felt the same sparks as he pushed her into the secluded bathroom and struggled to keep her dress up over her hips. Their kiss was messy but sweet; sensual but dirty all at the same time. He craved the feeling of her mouth against his. 

“Gator,” She moaned out, the sound ringing in his ears in a beautiful melody as he slid his hard cock inside of her wet hole. She squeezed around him tightly, her wet walls sucking him in deeper as he slowly thrusted into her, “Feels so good.” She gaped, cheeks red as she turned her attention from the mirror.

He groaned as he held onto her hips, watching the way his cock disappeared inside of her. He gripped at her flesh, pulling her closer as the music from the reception rang off around them. He moved his lips to the crook of her neck, needing something to kiss as he dragged herself against the curve of his cock. 

Her moans were better than anything he’d ever heard before. He sighed at the way his cock throbbed inside of her, his mind feeling a little fuzzy at the way she cried out when he hit her bundle of nerves. He could always tell by the way her features tightened, how her lips parted wide and her eyes rolled just a bit. 

“Feel so fucking good,” He mumbled against her skin, grunting into her as her pussy leaked around him. The sound of their flesh meeting filled the bathroom, leaving him craving more as he dug his fingertips into her skin, “My good girl.” He reminded her, fully intent on having her forever now.

“God,” She sighed, her body shaking against him as she began to rut her hips back. She whimpered deeply, her body spasming as her pussy clamped down around him, “Fuck, fuck!” She cursed, coming undone underneath him as he began to frantically rub his fingers against her swollen clit. He wanted to savor her, but he knew that there was no time right now. He could have her as much as he wanted later.

“Daphne,” He groaned as he rested against her, pulling her close as his cock spasmed inside of her warm, wet walls. He came with a grunt, pressing into her deeply as his cum filled her, “Mhm. You’re a dream.” He spit out, sighing deeply as he rested lazily against her for a moment. 

“You’re funny,” She said with a laugh, still breathing hard. She always tried to brush away his compliments for whatever reason, although he knew that without a doubt she was the prettiest girl he’d ever met, “That was nice.” She teased as she held onto her dress for a moment.

He smirked as he caught her eye, slowly pulling her panties back over her slender legs. He fixed her dress a moment later, content with the way she looked. He wanted her to feel him as she walked around. It turned him on that much more. 

“I’m the luckiest guy,” He reminded her, grinning as he pressed his lips against her cheek repeatedly. They’d already stumbled through their first dances, struggled to get the kids food and listened to their friends repeat their sappy speeches, “I’ve never been so happy.”

“You keep saying that,” She said with a shy giggle with her cheeks red as she held onto him, “I’m very lucky too.” She added seriously, but he knew without a doubt that he really was the lucky one. He could live thousands of lifetimes and never deserve her. 

Noah appeared, having long discarded his jacket and a few of his buttons loose as he tugged on the end of Daphne’s dress. His little belly stuck out a little bit, probably full of cake and punch. 

“Why don’t you go play with Billy?” Daphne asked as she bent next to Noah, “He’s about your age. He likes to play.” She reminded him as she pointed towards the little boy who was rushing around near them. 

“He bites,” Noah said as he wrinkled his nose, “His daddy too.” He replied as he glanced towards Kurt, shaking his head as he held his arms out. He kept rubbing at his eyes, his hair wild in a way that Gator knew that he was growing tired. Poor sleepy boy. 

“How many pieces of cake have you had?” Gator asked as he bent down towards him too, grinning at the way the little boy shrugged his little shoulders. 

“Thwee,” Noah answered honestly, “It yummy.” He smiled as he held his hands out towards her, sighing deeply until Daphne held onto him. 

“Oh my goodness,” She said as she picked him up, “What are we going to do with you, little cake monster?” She teased as she brushed her fingers across his tummy, making him squirm in response. 

“Noting,” He giggled as he held his hands up to his chest, smiling as she tickled him, “Mama, you siwwy.” He replied as he pushed her bangs from her forehead. Gator paused as he looked down at the other two that approached him. 

“I’m the silly one?” Daphne asked as Piper reached for his hand, her braid still locked in place as she leaned against his leg. He smiled as he bent once again to pick her and Knox up, holding them close to his chest.

“Should we go dance?” He asked them both, enjoying the way their eyes widened as they nodded their heads in encouragement. Noah’s little head was already resting on Daphne’s shoulder, seconds from drifting off into his dreams.

“That sounds nice,” Daphne said as she took the first step down, guiding Gator in a way that he’d grown used to, “A big family dance.” She added with a smile, making him realize just how lucky he really was. 

[popculturebuffet]

Christmas in July: Bob the Builder: Christmas To Remember: the Movie: A Rope of Sand (Comission by LacheyV)

... i'm probably going to hell for that gag. Also Merry Christmas in July all you happy people. Christmas in July snowballs on with Lachey once again having me look at a show for young children. In the absence of Thomas, he'll be back later this year, we're instead looking at Bob the Builder.

Bob the Builder.. is not a franchise I had a ton of experince with but unlike thomas at least knew the theme song, as it was around a lot and I'd ocasinally see maybe a minute while flicking channels but never really stopped to watch it like I would with say Backyardigans or Lazytown. Granted Lazytown is just plain dope while also being insane so that helps it a bit. Point is I knew it existed, had good character design, got a reboot with character design that looks...

Yeah i'm staying far far away from that. After american carol i've had enough deep seated trauma for one year.

No we're looking at the OG which I was shocked to learn was british.. which in hindsight the term "builder" shoudl've given it away but unlike wanker or bloody it's not a term really used in the us. It still sounds neat enough to get a past.

Bob the Builder follows Bob, his common law wife Wendy and his variety of construction equipment/childrne that are alive because he and his brother discovered a fallen star as a kid and each took a piece. He also gave a piece to a local farmer, who tore it in half to use a bit on his tractor and the other bit to turn a scarecrow into his fully living son.

Look you have your bob the builder head canons and I have mine okay?

Point is it was a roaring sucess here and overseas and i'm covering it because about 70% of Lachey's hyperfixations are on old childrne's show. The man narrates the mr men books to me in his spare time and it is delgihtful, i'm not knocking any of this. Unlike my first attempt at doing a preschool show with mickey mouse's clubhouse, he tends to find ones that still have some charm.. or are batshit insane. usually both.

So we've come to the Bob the Builder Christmas special which involves child abandonment, cougars, manequin murder, non sentient jet planes and of course the secret origin of Sir Elton John. Join me under the cut for all of this and Mambo No 5.

The special follows the residents of ... (checks wikipedia) bobsville.. .did.. did he buy the town? It has a mayor... but then again so does Schitt's Creek so i'm saying he bought the town. The town gets ready for christmas in this small english town.. or american presumibly in both the US series an the upcoming film I completely forgot about but given who it's starring

The special is an hour long and has a tangle of plots that all intersect fairly well for the most part. The main throughline is bob getting a message from his brother tom. Tom looks exactly like him, which isn't unusual as A) it was easy to reuse the bob sculpt and they also do so for one of the rockstars in local band Lennie and the Lasers and B) there were five of him int he music video Bob did for his version of Mambo No 5

Now you may think that's a joke I told but no, this.. this is real. You can find it here. Now you may be asking why a children's show decided to put a song about Lou Bega banging as many women as possible on their children's album and making it about building instead, while having 5 bobs in the video and having his child/cememnt mixer Dizzy wear a boa and eye lashes and take the place of the women in the video despite being a children

Also wendy's right there. Use the actual adult for the video girl if you have to do that bit. There's also a video where bob sings the theme song while dressed up like ali g at one point

Point is tom's a coming with his dog whose name I forgot. But whose not coming with him is his Scooter Scoot, who also sounds like a children but is being left in the wilderness because Tom is a terrible father. Seriously Tom is kind to his machines, and his main conflict is the mayor , who we'll get to, keeps piling jobs on him but he's just too nice to tell her "The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit You Old Hag!", so he can't get around to getting his live in girlfriend and various childrne presents. The most Sir Toppham Hat gave his trains is some pretty lights and not putting Henry in the tunnel ever again. Tom has just ONE and abandons her to do his job while he's gone. I get it at FIRST, as you really can't take a sled/scooter on a boat, but he later gets a private plane, we'll get to that, with another power machine on board and can't bother to bring his child along. #JUSTICE4SCOOTS

As I mentioned there's a new mayor in town the er.. mayor. Look if Powerpuff Girls can get away with it, I think Bob the Builder also gets a pass. It's just science. Point is there's a new mayor. The old mayor was in the classic episode

She shows up in a few episodes after this and then never again, being replaced as mayor, looking at wikipedia by her sidekick for the episode and actual recurring character Mr. Bently. His job is to mostly go THIS IS MOST UNORTHADOX at Banger, a long haired unwashed young man who is roadie for Lennie and the Lasers, a local rock group with worldwide acclaim and a certain Rocket Man on the key boards. Banger is the best just having a jolly rocking attidue. Also the mayor wants a banger if you get my meaning...

Seriously it's a runner the Mayor is really into banger despite being a decade or two younger.. and i'm here for it. Let the mayor get it.

What she won't get.. is that bob needs a break, making a playful joke about him taking a tea break and piling more shit on constantly. I was forgiving a little as I figured we'd have her realize she was overworking him.. but nope. She gets to overworking Banger instead and just.. never cottons on while Bob's workaholic tendenices will have to be handled with an intervention down the road. The bulk of bob in this special is just him being too polite to say

While nothing gets resolved and it's easily the weakest part of it

Thankfully the other subplots fair better, as Spud, who came to life from that metorite I mentioned.. because not even wikipedia knows how he came to life in canon

He's as human as any of us though... in that he fucks up a lot. Judging from this that's just his lot in life.. showing up, fucking up the day and feeling bad about it, in this case because santa's coming. So he first fucks up the clocktower, then murders a manequin in the basement and dresses up to replace it. Good on his dad whose also a farmer for not carring he's in a dress though. I mean it's the basic decent thing to do, but I get it wasn't that common a thing in 2003. Also yes murders: he dances with the manequin but before he can do a sex to it in a reverse pearl situation, he accidentlyt akes an arm off and hides her body in the closet. How many have you killed Spud? HOW MANY.. HOW MA...

Meanwhile Lennie and the Lasers are preparing but OH NO LENNIE HAS A COLD. Luckily while his band prepares, their keyboardest colabs with Rollie, Bob's steamroller who he gave permission to go see the band and then got to see them recording because Lennie is a peach and also possibly Rivers Cumo. Their Keyboardest? Elton John. I must've gone to the bathrom when the sentient steam roller showed up in rocket man, curse my active bladder.

You can probably see where this is going: Elton John is unsure of himself, Rollie encourages him and when Lennie goes down right before the show, and he performs Crocodile Rock... suprisingly not cleaned up like Mambo No 5 for kids. It dosen't really need much but it is fun to hear it all.

So yeah the special has a lot going on.. but it works. It's an hour long, we still get plenty of bob doing builder things, and all the plots have room to breathe.

They also come together nicely in the climax: Lennie lends Wendy his plane and they go get Tom when he can't come because reindeer got stuck in a hole. yes really. It's a great sequenc eand all and the arctic bits are beauitfully animated, especially sicne they had to make an entire winter wonder land just for this one special. Tom never shows up again as does scoots. MAYBE CHILD SERVICE CAME FOR YOUR NEGLIGENT ASS TOM. Also dizzy sees santa on the way home.

So at the concert, Elton John performs, Banger prepares to bang her.. honor, and tom shows up as santa because bob does that every year. it's a sweet ending.. if a bit aburbt as we just get a bunch of photos afterwords of the party.

As a whole.. I really enjoyed this special. It sounds kind of insane when I retell it because it is. Murders were had, banging was done off screen, planes that are not sentient because they don't hav ea metor chunk won't take children, it's great. But ther'es also a lot of charm to it too: the series is warm, earnest and looks gorgeous, using plastic stop motion that looks like clay... I coudln't figure out quite what they used, may be something similar to aardman but it looks spiffy.

This special is nuts.. but damn if it isn't cute. It's charming, has a lot going on and dosen't wear out it's welcome despite being an hour long, quadruple the length of a normal episode from the looks of it. It's fun, breezy and very british. While I do think Scoots needs a new home, I also think this special needs a look as on it's own merit it's warm and charming, and on the merit of being hilarous. .it succeds. Mostly by being kind of nuts, but in a fun way. Check this one out soon as you can and thanks for reading about bob the builder man.

[jessamine-rose]

Househusband Twst ♡ Pomefiore Husbands

The Househusband! Twst AU has reached its finale!! We end this fluffy series with none other than Pomefiore ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

♡ The most beautiful and perfect househusband. You don’t need to explain; everyone knows. Mainly because Vil manages an ASMR channel detailing his home life. Healthy recipes, gorgeous room decor, day-to-day chores, Vil looking fabulous even at home—all of these aesthetic sequences are captured and compiled for his five million subscribers. His fans are so envious of you (⁎⁍̴̆Ɛ⁍̴̆⁎)

♡ As Vil’s spouse, you are the daily target of his tough love. He is strict about your health and lifestyle, from your sleep schedule to the food you eat. Your meals and bentos will always be healthy and aesthetically-pleasing; once in a while, Vil will indulge you with desserts or your favorite food. He just needs to count the calories in your next meal.

♡ He is greatly involved in your morning routine. Once you’re out of bed, Vil will help you get dressed for work. He’ll choose a nice suit for you, style your hair, and do your makeup!! Aside from that, he will make personalized skincare products for you and manually apply them onto your face. He also sews and modifies your wardrobe as he sees fit—he needs to make his spouse beautiful for even the simplest of appearances!! <3

♡ As a parent, he would be very soft and affectionate with your kids. He likes to dress them up in cute onesies or outfits, and he regularly reads bedtime stories to them. Playtime involves lots of mini performances featuring family costumes and you as their lone audience!! Vil also causes quite a stir when he picks up the children from preschool—all of the parents and teachers are so starstruck by his domestic beauty!! ´⊙ω⊙`

♡ Vil is proud of your hard work but he also wants you to take care of yourself. If you seem stressed or overworked, he will plan a special spa day for just the two of you. He’ll carry you to the bathroom for a warm bubble bath, wrap you in his fluffiest robe, and let you relax with him. When you leave home for work the next day, Vil will send you off with an unexpected kiss. You’ll be shocked and flustered during your entire commute, already excited to reunite with your husband after work~

♡ Rook loves being your househusband. Taking care of your home, supporting you with simple gestures, providing you with love and comfort at the end of each day—how romantique!! The work of a house-spouse is so conventional but full of thrills!! <3

♡ He is generally good at domestic work. No speck of dust can hide from his keen eyes, and his daily errands are a great opportunity for neighborhood interaction!! Cooking and gardening are fun because both chores give Rook the chance to analyze and experiment. Before you’ve even noticed a change in your body measurements, Rook has already resized your clothing!!

♡ He supports Vil as both a member of the neighborhood beautification committee and as a subscriber of Vil’s househusband channel. (He also follows Neige, of course~) The former position gives him an excuse to stalk approach neighbors for legitimate reasons. As a house-spouse, he is happy to oversee the beauty of his own home and the entire neighborhood!! The diverse community……the different houses……the experiences and bonds shared between neighbors……all of it is beautiful to him!! ^o^

♡ Rook would be an attentive father. The growth and perspective of a child is so dynamic; he’ll happily participate in all of their adventures!! He will join them as they watch cartoons and explore the world, keeping a close eye on their reactions. You should probably stop him from buying a toy archery set for your kids, lest you want your whole family to terrorize the neighborhood (￣∇￣)

♡ Thanks to Rook, every day will be special to you!! As cheesy as it is for him to constantly romanticize his job, that is what makes your home life so beautiful and endearing. He will fill your bento bag with long love poems, make sure that you are happy, and visit you at work when you least expect it. Don’t worry, your coworkers will eventually grow used to your husband’s notes delivered by arrow xD

♡ The way of the househusband is no difficulty for Epel!! Thanks to his upbringing, he is very experienced in helping around the house. Managing the household, preparing your meals, taking care of the garden, cleaning every nook and cranny—he can do it!!

♡ Your lunchbreaks always feel therapeutic. Epel’s bentos are simple but homey, and that is what makes your lunches so familiar and comforting. Your bento box is always accompanied with a bottle of fresh apple juice and Epel’s signature carved apples!! You will always look forward to seeing what kind of design Epel carved on your apple, from your favorite things to his own personal messages. Don’t worry, he soaks the apples in saltwater to ensure that they don’t go brown before you can eat them!! ☆〜（ゝ。∂）

♡ Your home has a very cozy charm to it. There will be lots of patterned blankets and tablecloths from Epel’s relatives, who will come over for family dinners every so often. Epel owns a few nice aprons, too. He’s not fond of the frilly bunny apron that Vil gifted him (tied back with a pompom tail~) but he adores his cool dragon-embroidered apron ψ(｀∇´)ψ

♡ By the time you’re married, Epel will already have his own Magical Wheel. He loves using it when he leaves the house for errands; it gives a badass edge to his domestic image. He once visited your workplace to drop off your forgotten bento, only to lose it when your bewitched coworkers called him your “beautiful housewife.” When he left your office, he did a few tricks on his Magical Wheel to dispel any remaining misconceptions. A house-spouse isn’t just some sweet, fragile thing!! >:0

♡ Your rest days and work achievements always call for small celebrations at home. Epel will grill barbeque for dinner, carve a few apples, and bring out the cider!! You will be merry and cuddly by the end of the night, and Epel will tuck you into bed and lull you to sleep with an euphonious lullaby. “You worked hard today and I bet you’ll do even better tomorrow!! I’ll do my best ‘n catch up to you!!”

♡

Aaaaand the Househusband! Twst series is over!! Thank you so much to everyone who read my AU!! It took a lot of time and energy but I’m glad that I worked hard to write it. Pls enjoy the completed series and let me know of your brainrot fufufu (^з^)-♡

Heartslabyul ๑ Savanaclaw ๑ Octavinelle ๑ Scarabia ๑ Pomefiore ๑ Ignihyde ๑ Diasomnia

Tag a Pomefiore stan!! @twstpasta​ @panacea-wishes​ @zariyen​ @twstedbeauty @jangmi-latte​ @tsunonotarou​ @raven-at-the-writing-desk @peachykindalovesyou

[tachosnachos]

I had some work to do but now I’m back with another series of *You know what this looks like to me*

note: Yes, I finished watching. Yes, I know they’re not their children. Am I still going to be delulu? Yes.

Another note: Of course I don’t support any of these actions. This is for comical purpose, so take it lightly.

You know what this looks like to me (Part 2)

Mommy’s favourite smart boy Ryun Goo edition

You know what this looks like to me?

🙎🏻‍♀️: my son just won 1st place mathlete

Mommy Koo: *snicker, pats Ryun Goo’s head fondly* Did you know my Ryun Goo won every other year, he didn’t go this year because he said it was boring and wanted join the one is US. He’s so selfless, giving other kids a chance… Did you also know he’s the class president, highest in class, music prodigy-

🙎🏻‍♀️: I heard Choi Jun Woong is last again

Mommy Koo: *scoffs* Please, the other boys could only dream to have half of my Jun Woong’s beauty. Ever heard the saying “When your pretty, nothing else matters”. Of course, it’s all thanks to me and my husband’s perfect visuals- *looks at 🙎🏻‍♀️’s son* You know korea has some top notch plastic surgeons, should I give you a number?

Ryun Goo: *silently eats his food because no one can stop a mom when they’re showing off* 👀 I should’ve stayed home.

You know what this looks like to me?

Ryun Goo: Eomma, is this necessary?

Mommy Koo: *shushed him as the door open* Principal! It’s nice to finally meet you! *snaps her fingers, her little minion staffs bring in boxes of gifts*

Mommy Koo: I hope you like them, I personally chose them for you! Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you from my husband! Do you remember him? THE CHAIRMAN OF JUMADEUNG CORP? CHAIRMAN PARK JOONG GIL? Yes, yes, I’m sure you know him! This is my son RYUN GOO, thay’s RY-UN-GUUU. Remember his name. I’ll introduce my other son, CHOI JOON WOONG, another time. *repeated her two son’s name slowly to get the principal to remember* Please take care very good care of them. Oh, here! I got you a new suit from xxx brand. It’s their limited edition!

Ryun Goo: *Face palm and mutters* you only talk about dad’s work when you need something…At least give him more attention at home…

Thank god dad works well or else we might go bankrupt.

You know what this looks like to me?

Koo ryeon stares down the girl at the door.

Ryun Goo: *nervous, whispers to daddy Joong Gil* Appa, help me.

Daddy Joong Gil: *eyes son, clears his throat* You must be our Ryun Goo’s friend… He’s told us a lot about you-

Mommy Koo: I need your portfolio, your grades and a resume of all your credentials all through out high school, middle school, primary school and preschool.

🙍🏻‍♀️: um…???

Daddy Joong Gil: Honey, be nice- *tries to laugh it off awkwardly*

Mommy Koo: If you’re taking my son to prom then I need to know who you are. *crosses arm* Now…your resume?

Ryun Goo: *sighs* I’m sorry for asking her out…

* Daddy Joong Gil pats him in the back, apologetic*

Choi Jun Woong: *Walks down stairs, sees scene at the door, walks back up*

No other species like asian mothers, am I right?

[atths--twice]

Birthday Surprises

Scully enjoys a morning with Rachel, Faith, and the twins, while a happy plan is secretly carried out. Number 45 in the Family Life Series 

This one is for my bestie on her birthday...

Playtime Gym March 22, 2022

“Mama! Mama! See me! Watch! Raycho! Watch me!” Faith called as she waved to them from the top of the indoor play structure, her eyes extra blue above the pink and gray kitty mask that she wore.

“We see you, love,” Scully said, waving to her from their spot on the floor. She smiled at her, though it could not be seen behind her own black mask with a mini solar system upon it, Jacob sitting on her crossed legs.

“It was a good idea to come today, although I wasn’t entirely keen at first, but Walter was insistent. I’m glad the instructors were okay with her being in the class with the babies,” Rachel said, Elizabeth braced against her own crossed legs, as she waved to Faith.  

“It was a good idea,” Scully agreed. “Especially as the weather has been so poor the past few days. Faith loves the rain and going on a puddle hunt after, but I can only do that so many times before it’s rather… tedious. And wet.” Scully chuckled as she shook her head. “Getting out and coming here was a much better option.”

“Agreed,” Rachel nodded, adjusting her purple tie-dyed mask and looking at Jacob.

“Here I go! Watch me!” Faith called and they both turned to watch her sit and slide down the long slide and land on her feet. Her long ponytails bounced on the sides of her head as she ran over to them. “Did you see me?”

“I did my love,” Scully said, touching her forehead to Faith’s. “You went very fast.”

“Yup! I did. Did you see me Jacob? It was fast and fun. But you too small to go on the slide. You and Liz Beth have to stay with Mama and Raycho,” Faith said, bending down to look at him and tickling his knee, as he squealed and waved his hands around.  

Scully smiled at her as she stood up again, turning and running back to the play structure.

A handful of women, and one man, were sitting on the floor of the baby gym like she and Rachel were, their babies sitting with them. Some were able to sit alone and even crawl, but most were still in need of assistance.

Two other children, siblings of the babies and no older than three, were running around, jumping on a large trampoline, climbing up the climbing wall, and playing on the large play structure.

The class generally was only for infants, the older children having a class of their own after the babies, but seeing as it was a small group, the owner welcomed the others to join them. Faith was having a fantastic time, seeing so many babies and also having friends to chase around.  

“I’m so happy to have found this place,” Rachel said. “Walter and I came two weeks ago and it was so much fun. The twins slept so well after, I’m really hoping it happens again.”

Scully laughed and laid her cheek on Jacobs’s head, holding him tighter, secretly planning for the exact same outcome from them this afternoon.

“Yes, sleep is always good. I’m sure this will tire Faith out, too. Plus, it’s good for her to be around other children her own age.”

“Speaking of which, have you and Fox decided on preschool yet?” Rachel asked and Scully sighed, raising her head and nodding.

“Yeah. There is one near our house that’s accepting applications. They’re having an open house in two weeks, so we’re going to check it out. And this would be where I ask if you and Skinner could watch Faith for the afternoon? Give us a chance to see it then go for lunch after to discuss it?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course we can. Walter will love that and so will the babies and Faith.” Rachel’s eyes crinkled as she smiled behind her mask and Scully nodded her thanks.

“Okay! We’ve got about five more minutes for the infant class! Let’s all meet on the circle rug for the dancing parachute,” the instructor said, a sweet, bubbly young blonde woman.

Everyone stood up and moved to the large circle rug in the middle of the room, sitting down spaced a ways apart. Faith ran over and sat between Scully and Rachel, her legs straight out and toes wiggling in her rainbow socks.

“I’m so ehsited,” she said in a whisper and Rachel shook her head as she stared down at her then flicked her eyes to Scully.

“She is just…” She shook her head again, rubbing Faith’s back gently.

“Okay everyone! Here we go!”

A large rainbow parachute was brought out and laid on the carpet, stretched out by the parents. Large plastic balls were dumped from a laundry basket and scattered along the parachute.

“Ohhh,” Faith squealed as music began to play and the adults held the handles of the parachute, shaking it like a wave and making the balls roll around and bounce. She held onto the parachute too, giggling as she watched them moving around.

“I am so in love with her,” Rachel said and Scully laughed, holding the parachute and shaking it gently as she rubbed Jacob’s chubby baby belly.

“I feel the same about these two,” she replied, glancing at Elizabeth and watching her eyes widen, her hands opening and closing.

The balls were collected after a couple of minutes, Faith and the other children running across the parachute to help put them into the basket.

“Do you all see Miss Faith’s socks?” the instructor asked. “They are the same colors as the parachute! Such beautiful rainbow colors!”

Faith’s eyes shone as she came back to Scully, sitting beside her and holding her hand, something she did sometimes when she felt shy. Scully squeezed gently and Faith squeezed back.

“Okay grownups! Now for my favorite part! Everyone grab a piece of parachute and lift as high as you can! One, two, three!”

They all did and the parachute shot up high and floated back down slowly. Faith let go of Scully’s hand and stood up, running under the parachute as it was lifted again. The two other children joined her and they laughed as the parachute came down again.

Some of the older babies crawled to the center of the circle, everyone laughing as they watched them.

A couple minutes more and it was time to say goodbye to the parachute and one another. They sang a goodbye song and Faith clapped along, bobbing her head from side to side. Scully clapped Jacob’s pudgy hands and Rachel did the same with Elizabeth’s.

Everyone said goodbye and left to the viewing area, gathering bags, shoes, and backpacks. Faith stayed in the play area, ready for her class, as Scully and Rachel put on their shoes.

“Faithy, my love? I want you to come and use the bathroom, okay? Slide your rain boots on and come with me. I’ll change Jacob’s diaper at the same time.”

Faith did as told and they went into the bathroom together. She told her how much she loved being there as she sat on the toilet and Scully smiled, changing Jacob’s diaper and tossing the dirty one into the trash can.

“I’m glad you’re having fun, my love. Flush the toilet and wash your hands.”

Each of them washed their hands and came out of the bathroom. Faith ran back into the play area after quickly removing her rain boots.

“All clean,” Scully said, buckling Jacob into the double stroller beside Elizabeth, who was chewing on her plastic giraffe. She handed him his own plastic elephant and he immediately bit its ear.

“Thanks, Dana. I really appreciate all the help today.”

“As always, it’s my pleasure,” she said, nodding at her.

“That’s a mother’s room there,” Rachel said, pointing to a room at the end of the viewing area. “I thought I could make it before we headed back, but I need to pump. Would you mind keeping an eye on them?”

“As if you have to ask,” Scully said, jutting her chin out toward the room. “You go ahead. We’ll be here.”

Rachel nodded, grabbed her bag and went into the room, closing the door behind her. Scully smiled as she looked at Faith swinging on the low monkey bars. Other children were now entering the play area, their parents sitting down on the long padded benches and chatting with one another.

Glancing back at the room Rachel was currently in, Scully took out her phone, opened her message app, and typed out a message to Mulder.

How’s it going?

She waited as she watched the three dots appear, knowing he had been waiting to hear from her.

Nearly done. How much longer do you figure?

Faith’s class is starting now. It’s twenty five minutes long, so I’d say… about forty five minutes?

Sounds good.

Rachel is pumping and the twins should fall asleep on the way back and hopefully stay asleep. Don’t think Faith will be tired yet, but she may be a little bit later.

Ha! She won’t be and you know it. She’ll be much too excited.

That’s true. But it’s all falling into place, just as I had hoped.

And secretly planned.

Absolutely.

Relentless.

Smart.

Sexy.

Stop.  

She smiled as she shook her head and waited for his reply, her cheeks feeling warm.

Damn that man…

Take some pictures for me. See you soon. 💋

Forty five minutes… plus or minus 💋

She looked at the twins still happily chewing on their toys and then at Faith who was sitting with the other children on the circle rug, listening raptly to the instructor.

Snapping some pictures and sending them to Mulder, she pushed the stroller up and down the viewing area when Jacob began to get fussy. He quieted when they moved and the music for Faith’s class began to play.

Twenty minutes later, Rachel had rejoined her and they were smiling and laughing as they watched Faith waiting in line for the zipline ride. She reached up and held on tight, squealing with excitement as she flew to the other side and the other instructor caught her.

“That was fun!” she yelled and danced around happily. “Mama! Raycho! Did you see me flying?”

“We did!” Scully exclaimed, sticking her hand out for a high five, reaching across the long counter. Faith hit her hand and then ran to get back in line.

When the class was over, she ran out to them, showing off the stamp she had received- a blue ink ice cream cone. She talked excitedly as she put on her rain boots, pushing her now messy pigtails out of her eyes.

“I had so much fun, Mama!”

“Good, my love. We’re going to go to Rachel and Uncle’s house now. Do you need to go to the bathroom before we leave?”

“Uh uh,” she said, shaking her head.

“Okay, well let’s just wash your hands and we can get going.”

Hands washed, goodbyes and thank yous said once again, they went out to the car.

It was new, one Skinner and Rachel had bought last month, trading his car for a larger one, knowing it would be needed soon. All three car seats could fit on the middle row, Skinner proudly showing them when they’d had dinner one night, Mulder teasing him but actually impressed and touched.

Rachel put the stroller in the back as Scully buckled in Jacob and Faith, giving her her water bottle and a cup of goldfish crackers. Taking off Faith’s mask, Scully put it into her pocket, rubbing Faith’s leg.

“The babies can’t-”

“I know, Mama. They can’t eat the crackers. I won’t share.”

“Good. That’s a good girl.”

Taking off her own mask, Scully quickly sent a message to Mulder and then closed the door, before getting into the passenger seat. Rachel joined her, setting her mask in the cup holder and starting the car. Scully hid a smile behind her hand as they began to drive back to the house.

They were all quiet. The twins had fallen asleep as planned and Faith was eating her snack, when they pulled into the driveway.

“Yay! We here,” Faith sang out and Scully turned to look at her.

“Shh, honey,” she whispered. “The babies are sleeping.”

“Ohh. Sorry babies,” she whispered. “We here.” Rachel smiled as she shut off the car, glancing back at her.

“It’s okay, Faithy. Those babies sleep hard, they won’t wake up. Well, hopefully not anyway.”

Yeah, hopefully, Scully thought, her stomach suddenly nervous with excitement.

“Let me get Faith and then we’ll each take a car seat out carefully. We can get the bags and stuff after we get them inside.”

“Okay.”

Faith was unbuckled and released from the car. She sang a song softly as she headed toward the walkway. They each took out a car seat, walking quietly toward the front door, Scully’s stomach feeling even more excited.

Rachel used her key and unlocked the door, letting Faith and Scully enter first. At Faith’s loud gasp, Mulder quickly grabbed her and covered her mouth, quietly telling her shhh in her ear.  

Rachel closed and locked the door softly, following them in, saying she really hoped the babies would stay asleep when they transferred them to their cribs.

Setting her keys down onto the table by the door, she turned and gasped as Faith had done, stopping short in the entrance to the living room.

“Surprise!” the small group of people standing inside the house said in a whisper shout and Rachel covered her mouth with the hand not holding the handle of the car seat.

Scully smiled as she watched Rachel’s reaction, handing Mulder the car seat holding Elizabeth and taking the other car seat from Rachel.

“Happy birthday,” the group said, whispering again. Faith, now on the ground, jumped up and down with a grin as she looked at the decorations in the room.

“I can’t believe this… I had no idea…” Rachel said softly, with tears in her eyes. Skinner laughed, coming closer to take her hand and pull her further into the room.

“That was kind of the idea, honey,” he teased, kissing her cheek and smiling at her. “Why we kept it low key this morning and why you had to go to the baby class today.”

“You clever, sneaky man,” she said, cupping his cheek and smiling, the others laughing softly.

About fifteen people were there, friends and family who had come to celebrate Rachel’s birthday. Her mother Vivian, Howard and Betty, a few close friends and one who had flown in from Washington state, not having seen Rachel in person in years. Every one of them had been vaccinated, boosted, and had a clean bill of health, safety being the number one concern.

Mulder and Scully took the twins upstairs as everyone began saying hello and exchanging hugs. They expertly removed them from their car seats and bounced them gently, before laying them down with a pacifier. They watched them for a minute, waiting until they were sure they were sleeping soundly, then they left the room and closed the door.

“Hey,” Mulder said, snagging the back of her sweater, pulling her to him, and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Hey yourself,” she said quietly, threading her arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

“I missed you,” he whispered and she laughed breathily.

“Missed me? You saw me three hours ago,” she said with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

“And?”

“Just kiss me,” she whispered with a chuckle, and he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly three times before pulling away and taking her hand, leading her down the stairs.

Skinner met their eyes when they walked into the living room, eyebrows raised in a silent question. They nodded back and he smiled his thanks as Faith wrapped her arms around his leg. He looked down and swooped her up, setting her onto his left shoulder as she laughed and held onto his head.

A luncheon, prepared by Howard, and a beautiful layered cake made by Betty, sat on the dining room table as did plates, utensils, and napkins. Drinks were in the kitchen: lemonade in a large dispenser with ice and slices of lemons and limes, ice water in pitchers, and bottles of white and red wine.

They all filled their plates, got their drinks, and went to sit outside at the tables set up under the large pop up canopy. The weather was cool, but not raining. Rachel kept looking at everyone and shaking her head with a huge grin, so happy to see them.

Stories were told, laughter echoing in the yard. The food was exclaimed over as cups were refilled.

Faith flitted from table to table, talking with people, telling them about her day, especially the zipline and how she had flown so fast. Everyone was enraptured with her, especially Howard who was showing her magic tricks, his big booming laugh heard over all the others as Faith’s mouth dropped open and she asked him to do it again.

Mulder took Scully’s hand, threading his fingers with hers and squeezing. She turned to look at him, but found that he was looking past her, just over her shoulder.

“What are you looking at?” she asked him softly.

“The same thing I see every time we’re out here,” he answered with a smile.

“Which is what?”

“You and me. Dancing at our wedding dinner.” He squeezed her hand and she grinned.

“Every time, Mulder?” she teased and he nodded.

“Yup,” he said, leaning close to kiss the side of her neck, humming a song they had danced to that night.

“Such a softie,” she whispered and he hummed a laugh, not bothering to deny it, kissing her neck again.

“Daddy!” Faith said, pushing between them as she climbed into his lap. “I flied on the zipline today!”

“You did? I hadn’t heard that, tell me about it,” he said, holding her and then inhaling sharply as he moved her knee away from his crotch with a grimace.

Scully laughed softly, as Faith began to describe the fun she’d had that day. Glancing at the baby monitor in front of her, seeing both babies still sleeping, she rose to her feet to get another drink. She took Mulder’s cup, asking with a tilt of her head if he would like a refill.

“Lemonade,” he said with a nod.

“Me too, Mama. It’s yummy.”

Scully chuckled, kissed Faith’s head as she passed, and walked into the kitchen. Deciding to use the bathroom first, she left the cups by the sink. When she came back, Rachel was refilling her own cup and turned to Scully with a huge smile.

“Dana,” she said, setting her cup down and pulling Scully in for a hug. “Thank you so much. Walter said a lot of this was your idea.”

“Oh,” Scully said, hugging her back. “He’s being modest. Most of it was his, I just weaved in and out with some thoughts.”

“Still,” Rachel said, pulling back and holding onto her upper arms, squeezing them gently. “You helped and I’m thankful. Thankful for the friendship I’ve found in you… and Fox. And sweet Faith. Who would ever have known all those years ago that we would end up here? Literally.” She gestured around the kitchen and Scully laughed with a nod.

“No one could have foreseen this outcome, but I’m thankful everyday for it, just as you are,” Scully assured her, squeezing her hand.

“I am truly blessed to have the life I have,” Rachel said softly, wiping at her eyes, as Scully pulled her in for another hug.

Plates were cleared away and everyone came inside to sing happy birthday. Rachel was handed a single piece of cake which held the candle for her to blow out. Other slices were cut and distributed, everyone humming as they ate, proclaiming it delicious.

The babies woke up with a cry and Mulder and Scully went to get them, changing and then dressing them in the surprise outfits Skinner had purchased: matching blue and pink bodysuits with a festive cake and the words Happy Birthday written on them.

Rachel smiled and kissed each of them when she saw the outfits, then Skinner, thanking him as everyone gushed over the babies.

Many hands were available to feed and then hold them, Howard somehow getting the most time. He sat on the couch, holding them both on his lap, making faces until they laughed big belly laughs and Faith clambered up next to him, determined to get the same reaction from her beloved babies.

After a while, once Rachel had opened her gifts and the kitchen had been cleaned, people began to take their leave. Vivian was walking and rocking Elizabeth, singing softly to her as Faith lay on the floor next to Jacob, both of them on their bellies, as she showed him one of the books she had brought down from the bookcase upstairs.

“See, Jacob? That’s a tiger. Him say grrrrr!” she said with a deep growl and Jacob gurgled in response.

Scully smiled as she watched them interact, even as she felt the usual pang of remorse that bubbled to the surface against her will. Taking a deep breath, she forced the thought away and focused on the present.

“This one is a soth… a loth… Mama? What is this aminal?”

Scully smiled at her mispronunciation and knelt down beside her.

“That’s a sloth, love. Sl..oth.”

“Ssss…lll…oth, right. It’s a sssloth, Jacob. You see? Him say… Mama, what sound does a sssloth say?”

“You know, I don’t really know. But I do know they move very sss… looooow… ly,” she said, moving her head and hands slowly, causing Faith to laugh.

“I like the soth. No, the sloth,” Faith said, looking at the picture.

“Me too,” Scully agreed, kissing the top of Faith’s head.

When only Vivian was left, Scully and Mulder began to gather their things to leave. Faith put the books back that she had taken out and brought one more down, holding it close to her chest.

“I like this book. I have it?” she asked Scully.

“You would like to borrow it? Take it home for a little while and then bring it back?”

“Okay!” Faith said happily and Scully laughed.

“You need to ask Uncle and Rachel.”

Faith bounded off and Scully knew she would not be turned down, but she still needed to get approval before simply taking it.

Skinner carried her upside down into the living room, the book held tightly in her hands as she giggled.

“This one says she wants to start a lending library,” he said, shaking her slightly and making her laugh harder.

“If you don’t mind.” Scully smiled and he shook his head.

“Nah. She can take it with her.” He flipped Faith over quickly, standing her on her feet, and she squealed in surprise.

“We’ll bring it back in a couple of weeks.”

“No rush. The twins have already read that book and given us a full report on it.” He winked and Scully laughed, squeezing his forearm.

Faith said goodbye, hugging Rachel and Skinner, thanking them for the book. They wished Rachel a happy birthday once more and walked out to the car.

Faith looked at her book, talking about the pictures she saw, until her head began to fall forward and then back, landing on the side of her car seat, her hair covering her face, as she succumbed to sleep.

“She’s had a busy day,” Mulder said, smiling as he watched her in the rear view mirror.

“She has,” Scully agreed, looking back at her. “She’ll most likely be a little grouchy later, but it was worth it for one day.”

“Always,” he said, turning on the radio, smiling at her with a wink.

She smiled back when she recognized a song they had danced to at their wedding dinner, knowing he must have had it queued up before they left the house. Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

“Such a softie,” she whispered and he nodded, kissing her knuckles again.

“And you love it.”

She did not answer, but smiled in agreement as he hummed the tune of the song and rubbed his lips softly across her knuckles as she sighed contentedly.

She did love it.

So very much.

[goldensstateofgrace]

- Love Along The Way-   Chapter I

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Asks/ Lmk what you thought | 

Series Summary:  Reader joins the band in writing songs for their third album (Youngblood) and love finds her along the way. 

Chapter Summary: Y/n is working in the studio when Calum walks in on her writing ‘Babylon’ and it goes from there. 

A/N:  SURPRISE BESTIES!!! IT’S HERE!! AHH i’m so happy with this chapter!! I hope you all love this series as much as i love writing it!! All I am asking is that you give me your patience between chapters because i am a slow writer and i’ve been going through a hard time mentally. 

Warnings: talk of cheating, mom reader, heartbreak, cancer ( not in detail), lmk if i missed anything! 

Word count: 6k

I hope you guys enjoy!! I worked very hard on this and I’m super proud of it!! 

Happy reading!! - G

You’d had these lyrics stuck in your head, replaying on a loop for a while now, but hadn’t had any time to actually get them down on paper. 

You weren’t going to lie, this last year has been a clusterfuck.  From Easton breaking up with you,  basically telling you he found someone else and that he wants nothing to do with you or Elijah, to not being able to write because you’ve been transitioning Elijah into preschool (he was not having it.) It was safe to say it had been a very rough year for you. 

When you did sit down and try to write, nothing would come to mind. All of your anger and heartbreak were there and ready to be used to make beautiful music others could relate to, but you just couldn’t come up with anything. Well, besides those lyrics, it was a longshot trying to come up with anything for that either. 

Maybe it was still too fresh, and maybe you were still heartbroken, but you just needed to do something besides sit in bed wallowing in your self pity. 

Of course, Elijah didn’t know what was happening. He just knew ‘daddy’ left and that he hasn’t been back. You didn’t have the guts or the courage to break his heart by telling him ‘daddy’ wasn’t coming back. He was three, he wouldn’t understand, but it also broke your heart all over again when he asked in his tiny curious voice ‘da-ddy?’ 

What were you supposed to say, “I'm sorry baby, but ‘daddy’ doesn’t love us anymore and he’s not coming back?” No, you weren’t going to do that to him. 

But as you sit there on the dark studio couch, the lyrics on the tip of your tongue, it's like you can’t get anything out. You have them right there in front of you, your black bass guitar sitting in your lap as you strum the bass line softly and hum along until you finally try and sing out the lyrics. 

“We said we’d both love harder than we knew we could go,” you sang softly into the empty room, thinking back to nights when you laid next to Easton, talking about how much you loved each other and how neither of you would ever stop because you loved each other more and more everyday. 

“But still knowing when to let go- no” you shake your head, not liking how that sounded.  “But still the hardest part is knowing when to let go” nodding, you scratch out your previous lyrics and replace them before you go back to picking at the cords, finding where you left off. 

You were so focused on the lyrics, mumbling to yourself and scratching out lyrics and replacing them you didn’t hear the studio door open. 

You were struggling on a particular verse, mumbling to yourself as you read off the lyrics written in what looks like chicken scratch in the notebook layed out in front of you. 

“You wanted to go higher, higher, higher, we-” but you stopped, stumped on what should come next. You sing what you already have out, trying to come up with anything but fall back into the couch cushions groaning when you don’t. 

“We burn too bright, now the fire’s gone, watch it all fall down” a voice sings out, startling you, and you let out a gasp. Looking up at the tall curly headed man standing at the door, your brows furrow. You were supposed to have this studio for two hours. He was dressed in a pair of basketball shorts, and a ‘The tonight show, Starring Jimmy Fallon’ gray shirt. A pair of Vans covered his feet and tattoos covered his arms. 

“Just thought I'd suggest something that came to mind,” the accented man voices, walking down the small step from the door and down where you are. You watch as he takes a seat on the small black loveseat against the wall across from yours. 

You close your eyes and sing the words in your head, strumming the bass as you do. “Thanks, that’s actually really helpful,” you tell him, writing it down. “How long were you standing there?” you ask him, looking over his dark curly hair and down to his brown eyes that look over you just as you are him. 

“Just a minute or two. Didn’t expect anyone to be in here, the band is supposed to have booked it for a few hours today.” 

You look down at your watch hearing his words and gasp at the time.You were almost twenty minutes late to pick up Elijah from preschool. 

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I lost track of time” you tell him, quickly placing the bass back on its stand in the corner next to the couch and packing your notebook and music sheets in your bag. 

“It’s ok, happens to the best of us,” his deep accented voice carries towards you as you see him shrug his shoulder out of the corner of your eye. “I’m Calum by the way,” he introduces himself, holding out his hands as you move to walk past him. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/n and also very late to -” you hesitate, not wanting to tell a stranger you just met about your son. “ To a dinner” you finish, shaking his hand before walking around him and to the door. 

Your hand is on the handle and pulling it open, before you hesitate, awkwardly turning over your shoulder to say, “It was nice to meet you, thank you for the lyrics,” you smile at him. 

He nods, sending you a friendly smile. “Any time”. 

You watch his eyes roam over you before you wave and head out, a smirk playing on your lips. 

Quickly, you make it to your car, driving 10 over the speed limit and making it to the preschool near your house in record time. You run up the sidewalk, signing Elijah out at the front desk before making your way down the hall to his classroom. 

He’s playing blocks with two other kids who happen to be siblings, Avery and Jase, not even paying you any mind, too engrossed in building a tall tower just for it to fall down landing all over the play mat. 

“Elijah, mommy’s here,” his teacher, Miss. Rachel, calls him when she sees you in the doorway. You watch as his head quickly turns your way, a bright smile spreading across his chubby cheeks. 

“Mommy!” he squeals, standing to his feet and running to you. His small arms wrap around your thighs, his cheeks squished as he looks up at you with his bright smile. 

“Hi baby! Did you have fun today?” You smile, squatting down to his level and squeezing him to your chest as you place kisses all over his face. 

He nods against you, pulling back as he tells you all about how he painted you a picture but that you had to wait to see it because it had to dry overnight. 

“I can’t wait to see it, baby! We’ll have to hang it on the fridge” you tell him as you grab his bag off the hook, telling him to go help clean up the blocks and a few cars that were laying out when you see that the parents of Avery and Jase are also here. 

When he’s all done you pick him up, placing him on your hip as you walk out to the car, his head resting on your shoulder as his eyes fall heavy. You know he’ll fall asleep the minute you start driving. 

You load him into his car seat and buckle him in before heading down the street, taking a few left turns and passing tall, two story gated houses before you pull into your own gated driveway. You bought this house with Easton, but only you signed the mortgage, so it was easy for him to move out. No need to sign paperwork or go to court. You’re so thankful for that. 

You wanted a safe neighborhood for Elijah to grow up in, and this is it. You moved in when he was a newborn, you did have to sign an NDA because some celebrity lived in one of the houses across from you, but you'd never seen them so you didn’t know who it was.

As you expected, when you went to grab Elijah out of his car seat he was out like a light, his mouth open as he rested the side of his tanned forehead on the side of the padded car seat. 

Smiling softly at his sleeping form, you gently unbuckled him and rested him on your chest as you walked into your house and to the couch. You had a net that attached to one end of your couch that stopped about mid center of the cushions to stop him from rolling off. He doesn’t roll around in his sleep often, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. You place him behind it and lay his favorite blanket over him before you walk into the kitchen to start on dinner. 

--------

It’s been a week since you ran late in the studio and Calum walked in on you. For some odd reason, you couldn’t get him out of your head. You had barely even talked to the guy but yet he was stuck in your head. His lyrics were stuck, replaying in your mind. He had only stood there for a minute or two, but yet the lyrics he sang went so well with yours. 

You were back in the same studio today, placing the finishing touches on the lyrics before you recorded the demo for it and eventually sold it to an artist or band to make their own. 

You look up, your brows furrowing when you hear loud laughter out in the hall, but you brush it off and finish setting up your computer on the panel so you could record the demo when you were done with the lyrics. 

Standing, you make your way into the booth, setting up a stool and pulling the bass guitar and it’s stand into the booth as well. You didn’t hear the door open, or the four laughing men walk into the room until you go to step back into the studio where the panel is. 

Your brows furrow when your eyes meet Calum’s brown ones, his face showing shock before it turns into a bright smile as his cheeks scrunch up. It reminds you of Elijah’s. You know you weren’t late to pick him up or running over your studio time because you booked the studio until lunch; it was only 10:30am. 

“We really gotta stop meeting like this,” Calum jokes with you, his bright smile making something flutter in you. 

“But this time it’s not my fault,” you tell him, smiling and looking at the three other very tall men standing behind him. 

The tall blonde with blue eyes and curly hair that ends at his ears smiles at you, showing off his dimples, “I’m Luke, it’s nice to meet you.” he introduces. 

You smile politely. “It’s nice to meet you too, I'm Y/n.” 

“Oh we know,” the red head chuckles. His hair is clearly dyed, but it suits him. His smile is bright and contagious. “Cal over here couldn’t stop talking about you and how amazing of a songwriter you are. I’m Ashton,” he tells you, holding out his hand for you to shake. 

You quirked an eyebrow up in Calum’s direction. “Is that so,” you tease, watching as his cheeks tint a shade of pink while you shake Ashton’s hand. 

“Oh yeah,” the shorter blonde one speaks up. “He even looked you up, wanted to know if you were selling that song you were working on. I’m Michael, but you can call me Mikey.” 

“Well you’re in luck, I was just about to record the demo for it. But if you’re interested you can have a look at the finished lyrics,” you tell them, pulling out the pages of printed lyrics from your bag.

They all nod, sitting down on the couches. You hand Calum the papers, smiling down at him before you take a seat at the panel, watching as they all huddle around Calum to read the lyrics. 

A chorus of ‘holy shit’s’ and ‘fuck that’s good’ sound as they finally put the paper down and stare at you. 

“So, you like it?” you ask. 

“Do we like it?” Ashton asks incredulously, looking at the boys and shaking his head in a way that says he can’t believe you asked that. 

“Yeah, y/n. We like it.” Calum tells you. “We're working on our third album right now and I think it would be great to add it to the album,” he says, looking at the other guys as they nod along in agreement. 

“That’s great, we can sign all of the paperwork soon.” you say, excited you don’t have to record the demo now. It’s always the hardest part. “I wrote a bit of a bass line, but nothing else so do whatever with it.” 

“We actually have something to ask you,” Ashton says, nudging Cal in the arm. Cal glares at him with a look like ‘knock it off’. 

“We were talking after I played some of the other songs you’ve written.You’re an amazing songwriter and we wanted to know if you wanted to help us write our album?” he asks, a bit shyly you notice. 

You’ve never written with someone or a band, not because you didn’t want to, you’ve just never had the opportunity. The only reason you would even consider turning this down was Elijah; you couldn’t take this opportunity if it was going to keep you from him. 

You weren’t really keen on telling people you barely knew about your son, but if you wanted to work with them and still have enough time for Elijah they needed to know. 

“Look,” you sigh, watching their shoulders deflate a bit and their hopeful expressions drop a tad. “I would love to, but you need to know I have a 3 year old  son, and I can’t have this taking me away from him. I promised myself when I got pregnant that I would always choose him over anything. Even if it is my dream. So,” you prompt, “if we can work around me having time with him then I’m in.”  

They all assure you that they’d help you make time for him. Ashton really hit home with you when he tells you, “I totally understand you wanting to make time for him, I grew up with only my mom and my two little siblings. We’ll make sure you get time with him.” he smiles softly at you, a knowing but sad look in his eyes. 

You smiled at him softly, thanking him and the guys, “I grew up with only my mom too. It was hard, but she was the best mother and role model. She was the strongest woman I know.” 

“Was?” Calum asked softly. Looking at you with gentle but curious eyes. 

You nod, smiling sadly. “She passed away a year and a half after Elijah was born. Breast cancer. It was really hard.” The memories come rushing back, and tears well up in your eyes, but you push them down, not wanting to cry. 

You all talked for a while, working out when you were available and what times it would be good to meet at the studio. It was when you were all packing up that Ashton proposed a chill night. “We should all hang out and have a night where we get to know each other better, drink and just talk.” 

There was a chorus of agreements, but when you hadn’t said anything they all stared at you waiting for your answer. 

“That actually sounds like fun, I'll be there. Just let me know a time and place,” you tell them smiling. You haven’t had a night to yourself since before Easton left, so you were long overdue. 

Calum offered to host it at his house, before you all exchanged numbers and left for the day. You planned on picking up Elijah early and taking him out for ice cream. It was his favorite treat and it was pretty hot today, so you decided it was a good day to indulge. 

You were just pulling up outside of the preschool when your phone vibrated in the cup holder next to you. Pulling it out, you see the message notification reading ‘Calum Hood’ swiping it and unlocking your phone the text pulls up.  

That should work for you, Elijah has been going to sleep around that time and you should be able to get Jessie to come over and watch him for a few hours while you’re over there. His address sticks out to you, not because you thought you’ve heard of it before but because it was basically your address just a few numbers off. 

Maybe he’s why you had to sign the NDA. He most likely has had fans coming to his home and waiting around to even get a glimpse of him in the past and didn’t want this address to get out to the public. 

Quickly sending him back a text, you put your phone back in the cupholder and go in to grab Elijah. 

------

The next day you were up and finishing off the last ‘Mickey Mouse’ pancake for a late breakfast. You were surprised Elijah stayed asleep past 8am, it was currently almost 11am and you were just about to go check on him and tell him breakfast was ready when he came padding around the corner rubbing his eyes with his tiny fists. 

“Well good morning little man,” you smile down at him, placing blueberries on his ‘Mickey Mouse’ pancake for eyes, chocolate chips for the mouth and a blackberry as the nose all adhered with whipped cream. Elijah was allergic to strawberries, or otherwise you would have added those in somehow. 

You woke to a message from Calum, replying to your message from last night. It was only sent about forty minutes before you woke up, but you didn’t see it until you were in the middle of making breakfast. 

You typed out a reply with one hand while flipping a normal round pancake for you and sending it. 

 You couldn’t figure out why you were smiling. He was a very attractive man, nothing like the guys you’ve dated in the past. Maybe that’s why you’re attracted to him. He’s not like the other guys who have treated you badly in the past; he’s nice and caring and didn’t run the second you mentioned you had a son. 

When you and the guys had been talking yesterday in the studio he asked to see a photo of Elijah. He told you how adorable he was, and how he looked just like you. Calum seems to be such a genuine and down to earth guy and if you weren’t careful you would fall for him. And hard. 

Carefully, you cut Elijah’s pancake up in little bites for him to eat, and pour a small amount of syrup over his and yours. 

You watch as he uses his green plastic fork. He has his mouth wide open the whole time as he carefully brings it up to his mouth. 

You cheer and kiss his cheek happily when he looks up at you excited when he got it in his mouth without dropping it. 

“Look at you! You don’t even need mommy anymore, you're such a big boy!” you smile down at him, taking a bite of your own pancake. He laughs his small contagious laugh, picking up another piece of pancake. 

“Baby, I need to talk to you about something” you say to him, making him look up at you with his wide brown eyes, his fork just at the entrance of his mouth. 

“T-trouble?” he asks you over his chewing, still looking up at you. 

“No, baby,” you chuckle, wiping the corner of his mouth where there was a bit of syrup threatening to drip down on his pj’s. “You’re not in trouble.” 

“But I have a big job.’ you tell him, “ A band asked me to help them write music for their album, so it might not always be me picking you up from daycare, it might be Miss. Jessie sometimes, is that ok?” 

He nods excitedly. “Yeah! Mi-miss Jessie is nice to m-me!” he stutters a bit as he gets excited. 

“Okay, also, i have a friend and he invited us over to swim! Do you want to go swimming?” you ask him as you sip the last of your coffee before eating the last bit of your pancakes. 

“Yeah!” he shouts. He’s been taking swimming lessons since he was two, he knows what to do if he falls into the pool. He loves the water too, he's a little fish when it comes to the water. 

You both finish eating and while you rinse off the dishes and place them in the dishwasher Elijah runs into his room screaming excitedly about going swimming. You laugh, shaking your head at his antics before following after him when you’re done loading the dishwasher. 

You change his diaper into one of those swimming ones with cars on it, before pulling a pair of yellow swim shorts over the diaper.  When you have him changed, you pack his diaper bag with a change of clothes, an extra swim and regular diaper along with sunscreen and his yellow bucket hat. 

You double check you have everything before you put his sandals on and bring him into your room so you can change into your blue bikini. It had high rise bottoms and the cups actually covered all of your breasts. You throw on a white cover up before sliding your own sandals on and heading out. 

Since his house is literally one house down from yours and across the street, you decide to just walk over. 

The sun was beating down on you as you walked out of the front door and locked it behind you. You text Calum that you’re on your way over before putting your phone in the diaper bag and heading down your driveway. 

It only takes you a minute to walk down the sidewalk and cross the street to his house. Checking your phone to see if he messaged you back when you’re outside the black gate, he did, telling you the gate was open and just to come in. 

You push open the gate, closing it behind you once you’re on the other side. There’s a black range rover parked in front of the open garage where you heard what sounded like an air pump. 

Walking towards the garage and around the black SUV, you see Calum’s familiar dark curls  as he kneels on the concrete blowing up a small turtle pool floaty. 

“Hey,” you greet Calum as you place Elijah down on his feet and squat behind him, pulling up his yellow shorts from where they fell down on the walk over. 

Looking up, you’re greeted with that bright white smile you’ve seen a few times at the studio but never fails to warm your heart. 

“Hey, I'm glad you guys could come!” Calum greets you, plugging the hole on the floaty before he turns off the air pump. He stands up just to walk a few steps in front of you and kneel down to Elijah’s level. “It’s nice to meet you Elijah, I’m Calum,”  he introduces himself sweetly as he smiles down at your son. 

Elijah giggles, turning into you as hiding his face on your leg. “Don’t be shy, baby,” you chuckle, running your hand over the back of his dark hair. You smile up at Calum, his face showing nothing but happiness and  eyes  lit up with pure adoration. 

“Can you say hi? Say, ‘Hi Calum’” you whispered in Elijah's ear, chuckling when  he shook his head and held on tighter to you. 

 “The tickle monster is gonna get you,” you sing out, your hands unwinding from him and to his sides where you tickle him. Elijah lets out his high pitched laughter, giggling at  you to stop as he tries to squirm out of your hold. 

“Hi!” he squeals loudly and you stop tickling him. Elijah turns around to face Calum, smiling up at him as he says, “Hi, Ca- calum.” 

“Hi, buddy. Are you ready to go swimming?” 

Elijah shouts out a ‘Yes!’ throwing his hands in the air and singing the song he was singing this morning about going swimming. 

“Sw-imming swimm-ing i going swimming” he shouts, causing you and Cal to break out in laughter. 

----- 

Calum was amazing. 

He was so sweet and caring with Elijah. Playing the same game over and over for almost an hour just to hear Elijah’s loud laughter. 

Catching your three year old over and over when he learned it was okay to jump into the pool and dunking him when he caught him just to throw him a few feet away in the water. 

Elijah’s loud laugher reverberated around the backyard and the trees that were planted against the walls encasing the closed off area. You felt pure joy at hearing his laughter. You knew he was feeling down with everything that’s happened with Easton, and hearing his laughter reminded you just what you have to live for, what’s waiting for you on good days and bad. 

Elijah is your whole world, your little sunshine, and you couldn’t imagine life without him. 

Looking over at the pool where Elijah and Calum were splashing each other, big contagious smiles spread across their faces and laughter flowing from their chests, you can’t help but smile. Watching them warms your heart. 

You were sitting on a couch in the shade next to the pool, Duke in your lap sleeping peacefully until Ashton’s loud voice invaded the bubble you all had been wrapped up in for the last four hours. 

“Hey, why wasn’t I invited?” he fake pouts as he stands in the doorway of the sliding glass doors. His hands rest on his hips as his eyes flicker around to all of you. 

“Thought you were with Kaykay,” Calum calls over to him, shrugging as he holds Elijah to his chest. That makes your heart flutter, seeing how tightly he holds him and how Elijah wraps his arms around Calums neck, a huge smile playing on his face. 

“Again,” Elijah giggled out. 

“Again? Ok,” Calum chuckled, throwing Elijah up in the air, his contagious laughter ringing out before he fell into the water below. You watch as Elijah swims to the surface,wiping his face of water and calling out ‘Again!’

Time flew by, because the last time you checked your phone was when you all sat down to have a bit of lunch around two, and it was now almost four thirty. 

Ashton made his way over to the long outdoor couch you were sitting on and took a seat in the spot next to you. 

“Is that Elijah?” he asks you softly, his eyes trained on Calum and Elijah who were spinning in the water before Calum launched your son in the air again as he let out a squeal of happiness. 

“Yeah,” you chuckled. “That’s E. He’s a handful.” 

Ashton smiles, letting out a deep chuckle, “I bet. He’s adorable, he looks just like you,” he tells you. 

“Thank you. When he was a baby he looked so much like my mom it was crazy.” you smile softly to yourself, remembering when you found old pictures of your mom and put one side by side with one of Elijah’s. They were practically identical. 

You were brought out of your thoughts when a small wet body climbed up in your lap and laid his head on your shoulder tiredly. “Are you tired, E?” you ask him softly, moving his wet hair - he needs a haircut - off his forehead before placing a light kiss upon it. 

He nods tiredly against you, his small hand lazily stroking the top of Duke’s head. The dog  had moved to  cuddle into the side of your thigh when Ashton sat down. 

Calum appeared in front of you, a towel wrapped around his hips as he smiled down at you softly, holding out a towel for you. “Thank you,” you tell him, taking the towel and wrapping it around Elijah to try and keep him warm and dry him off. 

“Should we just call Luke and Mikey and tell them to come over now? Since we're already here?” Ashton asks as Calum sits on the ‘L’ part of the couch next to your legs. “Did you drive here?” he asks you, his brows furrowed. “I didn’t see your car out there when I pulled in.” 

“Oh, no,” you shake your head. “I live across the street.” 

Ashtons eyebrows raise in surprise before he lets out a chuckle, “wow, small world.” 

You nod, “if you guys want to call Luke and Mikey that’s okay with me, but the babysitter I have  for E can’t come until 7, she has a family thing.” you tell them, looking down at the small boy in your arms who has fallen asleep against your shoulder. 

“That’s fine. If you want you can go lay him down in my bed? So he can take a nap until your babysitter gets to your house,” Calum tells you softly. 

“Yeah,” you nod. “That would be good.” you tell him, smiling up at him gently. 

You all head inside, Elijah on your hip sleeping soundly against your shoulder as Calum leads you down the hall just off the kitchen and to the last door on the right. It was nothing like you’d picture his room to be. 

The  walls are white, and there’s a tv hanging on the gray accent wall in front of the bed. The bed is made with the white fluffy comforter folded where it meets the firm, white pillows at the top of the bed. The floor is clear, save a few cords to the tall lamp in the corner of the room and a charger. 

“Bathroom’s through there,” he tells you pointing to the open door next to the tv. 

“Thank you, Cal,” you tell him sincerely. Thankful for him offering to let E nap in his room. 

“Yeah, of course y/n. Make yourself at home,” he smiles before leaving you and walking back to the living room. 

You unwrap the towel from around Elijah, laying it out on the bed before placing your sleeping boy down gently. You change him into his regular diaper, causing him to whine and thrash around before you change him into a pair of navy blue cotton shorts and  a plain white shirt . He quiets down, falling back to sleep as you move him up to the pillows, forming a sort of wall around him with a pillow on both sides of his body before you gently place a kiss to his forehead. 

Picking up the diaper bag you walk into the bathroom, which is just as clean as the bedroom, to change yourself. 

You untie your bikini top and reach into the bag, only to find a swim diaper and the sunblock. You swore quietly, thinking back to when you packed the bag and realizing you didn’t pack a pair of extra clothes for yourself. 

Quickly you put your top and your white cover up back on, swearing at yourself in your head for forgetting clothes before walking out of the bathroom quietly so you didn’t wake Elijah up. 

You padded down the hallway and into the kitchen where Cal was sitting at the counter as Ashton rummaged through the fridge talking about a song he started writing. 

Calum looks up when you appear in the kitchen doorway, his eyes flickering over your body as his brows furrow, “You didn’t change?” he points out more than asks. 

You nod, biting your lip as your cheeks blush. “Uh, yeah. I forgot to pack any clothes for myself,” you tell him, smiling shyly, “But i’m ok in this,” you assure him. 

“Are you sure?” he asks, concerned. “I can watch Elijah while you go home to change-” he pauses, “or actually I think Mali might have left some clothes behind when she was here last.” he tells you, hopping off his stool and walking down the hall again. 

Mali? Is that his girlfriend? 

Your stomach fills with dread. Just when you thought you finally met someone that didn’t run at the mention of your son, he probably has a girlfriend. Just look at him, of course he has a girlfriend. 

“She’s always buying way too many new clothes while she’s here, she can’t fit them all back into her suitcase when she needs to leave,” he tells you chuckling as he holds out a pair of grey sweat pants and a green hoodie. 

You hesitate a second, not really wanting to wear his girlfriend's clothes. But the chill in his house is causing goosebumps to appear on your arms. “Thank you,” you say, taking them from his hands and walking back down the hall to change rooms and check on Elijah. 

----- 

“No,” Luke sighs, shaking his head.

“Yeah,” you nod, your mood a stark difference from what it was an hour ago. “He came home one day and said ‘I found someone else, I don’t love you and I'm leaving’ he didn’t even mention Elijah. Just packed up all of his shit while I sat on the couch crying trying to wrap my head around what was happening.” 

“From the moment I found out I was pregnant it felt like he was on a different planet. We didn’t match anymore, we didn’t have that spark. If I'm being honest with myself that spark died out a long time ago, I just didn’t want to admit it. He was obviously not excited about the pregnancy- and I wasn't either at first, but when I heard E’s heartbeat for the first time-” you pause, “I can’t even describe it. It was like all my motherly instincts clicked in and I loved him more than I could ever have imagined,” you sigh, smiling at the memory of  the day you heard Elijah’s heartbeat. 

“I kept telling myself that Easton would come around once Elijah got here. It never really happened though. We were both in our twenties, he wanted to party, and drink and just have fun, and he did, and I stayed home with a screaming newborn while he was out living it up.” shrugging you looked up at all of them, smiling softly. 

When you came out from changing into the clothes Calum lent you, all the guys were in the kitchen talking. Luke brought Chinese and you all just sat around talking for hours. You learned a lot of eye opening things. Elijah went home about an hour after they all got there, Jessie coming over to grab him before going back over to your house.  

They formed their band when they were still in highschool, which was crazy to you. How they were still friends amazed you; you had lost contact with all your highschool friends when you moved to LA. 

Ashton was the oldest out of all of them. Mikey told the story of how he messaged Ashton on facebook messaged Ashton asking if he wanted to join the band. You laughed so hard at how the story was told, it was like one of those boards with all the strings connecting different things that all come to one big conclusion. They were all over the place. 

Then it was Mikey and Calum in the middle and Luke was the baby. They were all amazing, genuine guys and you couldn’t have been happier to call them your friends. 

You somehow had gotten on the topic of siblings at one point. Mikey doesn’t have any, but he was chessy when he said, “yeah but I have these guys as my brothers,” all the guys ahh’d and called him out on being cheesy but you could tell they were family. 

Ashton talked more about his sister and brother, telling you about how his dad walked out on him and then his mom met his stepdad and they had Lauren and Harry before he eventually walked out too. Your heart hurt for him, because you knew just how that felt. 

Luke has two brothers, Jack and Ben. You smiled and laughed as he told stories of his childhood and how he and all the guys got up too. 

You told them all about your brother, Jaxon. How he was back home in Nashville playing baseball and how he dreamed of going pro.  

Calum talked about his sister, how she visits every once and a while when she’s not in the studio or writing her own music. 

“Yeah, Mali lives in London so I don’t get to see her much. We talk at least twice a week just to catch up. She’s supposed to visit in a few months so you’ll get to meet her soon,” he smiles over at you. 

Mali is his sister? Well, that makes a whole lot of sense. 

“That’s great, I can’t wait to meet her!” you tell him, smiling over at him happily. 

You all talked for another hour or so, laughing and telling stories before you decided it was time to go. You said bye to everyone, hugging them and telling them you’d see them on friday when you and Alec met them at the studio after lunch. 

Calum politely walked you home just to be safe. 

“I had a great day, thank you for inviting us over. I know Elijah had a blast,” you tell him, smiling softly up at him. “You were so great with him, he’s normally pretty shy around new people.” 

“I did too, we’ll have to do it again.” he tells you. “He’s a great kid, he’s so adorable,” he tells you, smiling. 

“Definitely,” you nod up at him.

There was that awkward silence where you both just looked at each other, your eyes flicking between his as his eyes flicked over your face and fell to your plump lips. Your breath hitched as his eyes linger there before returning to your eyes. 

“Goodnight, Y/n,” he whispers, pulling you into a tight hug.

You relax in his arms, hugging him back as your face hides in his neck. “Goodnight, Cal” you whisper back lingering in the hug before he kisses the top of your head and lets go. 

“I’ll see you Friday,” he calls, descending the three steps of your  porch. 

“See you friday!” you call back before walking into your house. Your back pressing to the back of your front door as you let out a sigh, closing your eyes. 

“Oh my god! That was Calum Hood!,” you hear excitedly from your couch making your eyes pop wide open.

---

Taglist (striked out couldn’t be tagged - get added here -) @wontlastimokwiththat @doctcr-reid @harrystylesandharrypotter @vividstyles23 @thesadstoryofme @hufflepuffhaze @kuolonsyoja​ @lonelyheart5​ @kyleeisahotmess @wiiildflowerrr 

[moon-kn1ght]

toes in the water

pairing: frankie morales x reader

word count: 2k 

warnings: kindergarten should def be a warning, maybe also incredibly unvaried sentence structure? rated E for everyone :)

a/n: this is going to be a small series surrounding a single father frankie morales and reader who is a kindergarten teacher. semi-slow burning, super cute and will def have storage closet / after-hours classroom sex at some point. thank you @wyn-dixie for the beta and for quelling my anxieties about literally everything. 

masterlist || tag form

Were you supposed to be using the kindergarten enrollment forms to sus out potential cute, single parents? No, definitely not. 

But the process of going through the individual forms and comparing them to the database for possible clerical errors was tedious at best, and grueling at its worst. Sitting on those tiny kindergarten chairs, you and the other four members of your team of teachers had already rehashed all of the gossip from the summer, including how Jessica the first year teacher from the 3rd grade cohort had hooked up with that sleazy geometry teacher from the high school at the end of the year district-wide social last May. 

“God, I remember when he was student teaching at the middle school,” Dora, your most senior coworker who had ‘been around the block a few times’ and also held onto every piece of gossip that circulated in your district for the last 17 years, drawled, “He had the grossest little rat mustache, you could hardly tell him apart from the 8th graders!” 

The group laughs in response to that joke, always ready to make of the holier-than-thou high school teachers. “You know what?” Dora adds, “You’d think after so many years, I’d be used to these tiny fucking chairs, but I am not. I need a walk and a Diet Coke.” 

“I’ll join you!” chimed Joanne, the second-oldest teacher in your cohort. The two leaders of your team left the room, leaving you, Claudia, and Andrés, the youngest teachers in the kindergarten cohort. Andrés and you had gone through your credential program together and had known each other for upwards of five years now as best friends. When the two of you arrived at Franklin Elementary, fresh out of school, Claudia had just completed her first year so she welcomed more young teachers with open arms. The three of you have been inseparable for the past several years now. 

“Okay, pull out your stacks!” Andrés orders, citing your group’s earlier plan to use this menial labor to check for potential single parents. You were just looking on the forms to see who did not have both parents listed. It wasn’t a perfect system. And yeah, it was probably inappropriate but y’all were just messing around and killing time on this sweltering August day. 

“I have one in my class!” you offer. “Student: Grace Miller. Parent: Susan Miller. Occupation: Landscape architect.” 

“Oooo, intriguing. Love someone who works with their hands,” Claudia remarks in a silly, sultry voice. “I have one, the student is named Peter, mom is Karen. She’s an accountant.” 

“I don’t like the sound of that. Karen? Yeah no thank you. Glad she’s in your class, not mine.” Andrés laughs and you join him. Kindergarten was just as much of a transition for students as it was for parents, and sometimes they took it harder than the kids. “Here’s to hoping she doesn’t live up to her name...” he continues, “Ooh, I have one! He's single dad--” 

Oooh, you and Claudia purr.

“Rosalia Morales is the daughter of single dad Francisco; form says he's a small business owner,” Andrés presents this crown jewel piece of information to a round of applause from you and Claudia. 

“Ugh, let’s hope he’s cute!” Claudia adds and the three of you dissolve into giggles as the older women  return from their Diet Coke run. 

—X—

Rosalia Morales was ready for kindergarten. Frankie Morales, on the other hand, was not. 

The younger Morales had spent the first weeks of August carefully preparing for this new (and very important) chapter in her life. She carefully deliberated over decisions like what backpack and lunchbox to get from Target (she chose a matching Sofia the First set, so that it could be a topic of conversation for her and her potential new friends at school) to what she was instructing her father to pack in her lunchbox (no PB&J’s in case her new friends were allergic, she wanted to be able to sit at the same lunch table with them and not have these seminal weeks defined by the separation of Peanut vs Peanut free lunches). Rosalia was very meticulous, and she always had been. She was well-prepared to face all the challenges kindergarten wanted to throw at her. 

While Rosalia had spent weeks preparing, Frankie had spent weeks dreading the imminent separation from his favorite person in the universe. Yes, he had sent Rosalia to preschool and pre-K but those had all been half-day programs. He would drop her off on his way to work and then pick her up at lunchtime. That only meant four hours apart but full-day Kindergarten was drop-off at 7:45am and pick up at 3:30pm. Seven and a half hours. How am I going to do it? he thought to himself. 

—X—

At Franklin, they implemented a very specific first day schedule. Parents walked their kids to their classrooms to hang up their bags, then the students got to go play on the playground while the parents left. The older teachers designed this system to reinforce to the students that school = fun. Yes, of course there were always students who had a rougher first day, but it usually took a couple of hours for the fatigue to set in before the students realized how long the day (and year was going to be). 

This system most importantly allowed for a clean break with the parents, a solid ‘goodbye!’ point that the teachers could enforce. But, always, there were some straggler parents (either loitering inside, near the front door or in their cars in the parking lot). The administrative team would let the indoor stragglers know that it was time to leave, but they would have two of the teachers go into the parking lot to make sure all the parents had cleared out. 

This year, you and Claudia had pulled those short straws, so while the rest of your team monitored the early recess, you two roamed the parking lot with reassuring waves and “I’m sorry, it’s district policy, you have to leave the parking lot after drop off.” Everyone usually took it graciously—it’s like ripping off a band-aid, it’s better to just get it done. 

You had almost cleared the lot of loitering vehicles when you came upon an older, red truck with a man inside it. His window was down so you began to speak to him a little before he noticed you, causing him to jump. 

“Hi, I'm one of the teachers in the Kindergarten cohort," you say as you run your bare left hand through your hair. “Are you a parent?” 

As he turns to look at you, you can notice that even with his cap pulled low, he has definitely been crying a little. “Hey, yes sorry. I’m Frankie Morales, Rosalia’s dad,” the man stammers, “I’m sorry, I know the policy, I think I’m just having a little bit of separation anxiety.” HIs brown eyes look a little bloodshot as he gives you a half-hearted smile. 

You search his face and see no traces of dishonesty, this is just a man very nervous to be sending his kid to school. And a cute one at that too. Claudia called it, you think. 

Before you can let your mind wander too far about this stranger, you have to say something. “Mr. Morales...” you start. 

“Please call me Frankie. Mr. Morales is my dad,” he interjects nervously.         

“Okay, Frankie,” you say. “I understand how nerve-wracking sending your kid to school can be. I may not be a parent myself, but I can empathize. But I can also offer to you that in my years in kindergarten, I’ve never seen a student not adjust to the classroom,” you offer. 

“But I also understand that our anxieties can be irrational and don’t like when presented with things that might undermine them. So it’s okay to still be nervous or anxious right now,” you add. “Do you think there’s something that I could do to help you feel better about leaving school property in the next ten minutes or so?” you smile a little to help this last bit come off as nice as possible. 

“I…” he mumbles, “I… I’m not sure, my parental intuition is telling me that something will happen in the middle of the day and it’ll take me too long to get here, which I know isn’t going to happen but… I’m worried that I won’t be able to be enough for her”  

“You worry because you care, and I can already tell that you care about her a lot. Hey, like I said, our worries don’t have to be rational to get at us.”

“She’s just all I have, she’s the center of my universe,” he adds. With this, you can see the shift in his eyes, from worry to love. You can tell that he loves his daughter with his whole heart. 

“Rosalia is in Andrés', I mean, Mr. Gonzales’s class, right?” 

“Yeah, she is.” 

“I think I might have a solution, a little band-aid just for today,” you bid and Frankie looks hopeful. “This is very much against district policy so you have to promise not to tell on me.”  

He laughs with this, and promises not to tell. “How about I give you my phone number, and any time that your fatherly intuition is telling you that something bad is going to happen, you can text me and then I’ll peek across the hall to Rosalia’s classroom, and I can factually assure you that nothing bad is happening?” 

Frankie actually smiles, for the first time in this whole conversation, “That would be great,” he says.

—X—

As you knew would happen, the day passed without incident. Frankie didn’t even text you, which you felt good about. But also a little sad because you wanted to start a little texting thing with this single dad. But you knew it would be a little inappropriate, in your heart of hearts. 

After all the students get picked up, Claudia and Andrés migrate into your classroom. 

“Don’t you think the first day of school calls for a celebratory drink out this afternoon?” Andrés probes. He always was down for happy hour (and to be truthful, you were too). “We should go to the brewery down the road, they have some nice outdoor seating.” 

“I’m in,” you state, “And I may or may not have some other good news..” you tease. 

“What? What good news could have happened in a room full of 6 year-olds?” Claudia jokes. 

“Y’all can’t tell anyone but I got the phone number of that single dad from Andrés’s class,” you say as quickly as you can. 

Claudia and Andrés both break into shrieks with this news. 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe our prowling on the enrollment forms WORKED!!” Andrés exclaims. 

“He was nervous at drop off so I gave him my number but he didn’t end up texting me, so nothing will probably ever come of it. But still, small win in my book.” 

Claudia throws her head back, “You deserve all the wins you get, whatever happens, we’re psyched for you.” 

Later, during happy hour you check your phone and notice a new text from an unsaved number. 

Hey, thanks for your help this morning, having this line of communication made me feel a lot better. Rosalia had a great day today. -Frankie 

You try to keep your facial expressions minimal as you read the message. They don’t need to know about this, you think to yourself before shooting back a quick message. 

That makes me so happy Frankie. Feel free to reach out whenever you need! About whatever :) 

You add that last line hastily and hit send. I can thank this liquid courage for that, you think as you down the rest of your pint. 

TAG LIST: @wyn-dixie | @empress-palpat1ne | @marvelousmermaid | @knivesareout | @sleep-tight1 | @justanotherblonde23​ | 

[winterscaptain]

buffer.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader

a/n: takes place after constellations and before through and through. this is just a fun little piece before i continue my descent into Ouchtown, USA with the ajf 100 arc. i am really excited to include more of these early-series ‘home scenes’ with the hotchners and reader!

an ajf fic that requires no context!

words: 2.6k warnings: language

summary: happy 3rd birthday, jack! it’s a family affair, in more ways than one. 

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | requests closed!

“So, how do you know the Hotchners?” A handsome man, probably just a little younger than Aaron (but significantly shorter), asks, filling his plate beside you.

“I work with Hotch - Aaron - Jack’s Dad - at the DoJ.” You keep your tone neutral, polite. There’s something off about him - he’s a little overeager, a little too comfortable in the Hotchner house. 

“Ah,” he says. “A profiler.” 

With a little laugh in your voice, you ask, “Are you familiar with the field?”

“Haley’s told me a little bit, but I wouldn’t call myself an expert, no.”

“I see. Do you know Haley well?”

“Yeah, my son is in Jack’s preschool class.” There’s still something he’s not telling you, but nevertheless, he sticks his hand out and you shuffle your plate to take it. “I’m Joseph. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Joseph. Not Joe. 

What happens if you call him Joe? 

Pin that for later. 

You introduce yourself and continue to make small talk for another few minutes, noting that he’s filled a second plate - you can only assume it’s for someone else. 

Let’s keep an eye on this one...

+++

“I’m so happy you all could make it.” 

You jolt back into your body after zoning out for a couple of minutes, finding yourself alone at one of the patio tables with Haley. A smile breaks across your face. “Me too.”

She snacks on a chip, delicately covering her mouth as she asks, “Is there anything exciting you’re all working on right now?”

Since when is Haley interested in cases? 

“Kind of. I head out to Colorado with Emily and Spencer tomorrow to go visit a religious cult on a compound in the mountains.” She laughs, and you follow suit. “So, it’s the little things, I guess.” 

“Very few things have changed, then?”

You nod, a knowing smile on your face. “Exactly.” 

There’s quiet for a moment and your eyes wander across the yard out of habit, taking stock of all the preschoolers running around, their parents at the perimeter. 

“Oh!” She sits forward, pulling her knee to her chest and propping her heel on the edge of her chair. 

You look back at her expectantly. 

“Did you like the book? Catch-22 is one of Aaron’s favorites. I think I wrote that in the note, but…” She gestures vaguely. “I thought it would be helpful.” 

Smacking your hand to your forehead, you laugh a little. “Oh, it was! I completely forgot to send a thank-you note, Haley, I’m sorry.” You lean forward conspiratorially. “I loved it. It was such a thoughtful birthday present. Thank you” 

Her nose scrunches up as she smiles. It’s adorable. “Good. I’m so glad.” 

+++

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Dave sidles up to you, eating a piece of cake. 

You follow his gaze, where Haley, Joseph, and their boys are kicking a soccer ball around. Haley’s full of laughter and unnecessary touches, but that’s not a new observation. 

You’ve had Joseph-not-Joe’s number since he first spoke with you. He seemed far too interested in getting to know the people close to Haley to be without ulterior motive. 

“I’m seeing something. I’m not sure what it is, yet.” You take a sip of your drink, letting your eyes wander. 

“Not for nothing,” Dave says, “and, of course, this stays between us -” 

“Of course.” 

“- But Aaron thought Haley was seeing someone before they got divorced, in the spring before you joined the team.” 

You hum. “Interesting. Do you think this is the guy?”

This is definitely the guy. 

“Well, there’s more to their relationship than ‘our kids go to preschool together,’ don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I do.” Your eyes wander to Aaron, who’s chatting with a couple of the parents, Emily at his side. He’s distracted, also focused on Haley and Joseph with the boys on the other side of the yard. “Give me a second, would you, Dave?” You absently hand him your drink as you cross over to the small cluster. 

“Hey, Hotch,” you put a hand on his shoulder with an apologetic smile to the mom you just interrupted. “I think we have a little bit of a crisis in the kitchen. Can I steal you for a minute?”

With a grateful look only you and Emily pick up on, he says, “Sure.” With a rueful smile and wave to the other parents, he leaves Emily to her own devices. Much to her (and your) relief, JJ and Will are on their way, ready to save her from the inane conversation. 

“What’s up?” Aaron asks, his brow just a little furrowed. 

Triple checking that the house is empty, you lead him into the kitchen and lean against the counter, crossing your arms. “What’s going on with you?” 

His eyes flicker around the room before settling back on you and his jaw is tight. Somehow, he’s still trying to avoid you when you’ve made it impossible. “What do you mean?” 

You level him with a Really? look. “Tell me.” 

“Fine.” He leans back and mirrors you, crossing his arms. With only a little bit of reluctance, he shares, “This is the first big event...thing since the divorce and I -” He huffs. “I don’t know how to be a divorced parent when I’m...in front of people? I don’t know.” 

You cross the kitchen and lean against the counter beside him, the heels of your hands resting on the marble. “You’re not alone. We’re here with you and nobody expects you to be perfect.” You laugh lightly. “There are at least seven divorced couples out in your yard right now. Weirdly, it’s normal.” 

He shrugs. “I guess.” His eyes wander to the window, where Haley and Joseph are still visible with some of the other parents, seated around one of the patio tables. Joseph’s arm rests casually on the back of Haley’s chair. 

That’s it. 

“What’s going on with those two?” You pointedly match his focus and Aaron sighs. 

“Did I ever tell you I thought Haley was seeing someone before we were divorced?” 

You shake your head, only a little thrilled he’s choosing to share this with you so soon after Dave read you into the secret. 

“I think that’s the guy.” 

“I was wondering about him, myself. He seemed a little…eager,” you say with a laugh. 

Aaron rolls his eyes. “He thinks he’s subtle, but I’d also imagine it’s rough to be the mistress when the ex is an FBI profiler.” 

You snort. “True.” 

Aaron’s hand covers yours and you look down, the contact shooting a spark through your arm and down your spine. 

Isn’t that the biggest cliche on the planet? 

“Thank you,” he says. “Thank you for being here.”

You look up again, meeting his eyes. “You’re welcome.” With a smile, you add, “I’ll always be here to save you from suburban moms and your ex-wife’s boyfriends.” 

The smile you get in return warms you from your scalp to your toes. 

+++

A couple of hours have passed, and Aaron settles into his role as the birthday boy’s dad. He’s been particularly demonstrative with Jack, but it’s all genuine. He chased him around the yard, threw him over his shoulder, covered him in kisses, and just generally lavished him in all the love of which he’s bereft while away on cases. 

It’s simultaneously weird and very normal to see him with that face-splitting grin. It looks at home there, and you wish you had the pleasure of seeing it more often. 

Watching father and son together is something special. The resemblance is often uncanny, even more so now as Aaron has Jack propped on his hip, chatting away, almost nose-to-nose. You’re only aware of the soft smile on your face when Jessica, Haley’s sister, plops down beside you. 

“Those two are something else, aren’t they?” She says with a little smile. 

You nod. “Two peas in a pod, for sure.” 

You’re both quiet for a moment, watching Haley jog up to the two of them, her cheeks flushed in the autumn chill. She lays a hand on Aaron’s arm as she speaks, her other hand rising to Jack’s face to rub some frosting off his cheek. 

“How’s it been on his end? Being apart?” 

You look over at Jess. “It’s been alright. He stays even later in the office, if you can believe it -”

“Is that even possible?”

“You’d be surprised,” you laugh. “I’ve been thinking about getting him a shock collar or something so I can train him to be home by eleven.” 

She snorts. “That would be a sight, wouldn’t it?”

The two of you share a raucous bout of laughter, drawing the attention of both Aaron and Haley. Their confused looks only make you laugh harder, and pretty soon you and Jess are clutching each other for dear life. 

You don’t know her well, but you imagine you’ll jump that hurdle. You’re already halfway there. 

In fact, the original thought isn’t even that funny anymore - you’re just laughing for the sake of it. It feels good.

+++

You find yourself next to Haley as the cleanup proceedings begin. She’s got a little smile on her face, and you take a moment to admire just how lovely she is. 

Haley, you think, is a bit like the sun. She’s bright, but will burn the shit out of you if you’re not careful. 

She glances up at you, blue eyes warm in the waning October sunshine. “Thank you.”

You hold up handfuls of wrapping paper and shrug. “No problem. Happy to help.”

“No,” she laughs. “I mean thank you for looking out for Aaron.” She lowers her voice and leans in toward you. “I know he’s not always cooperative.” 

You suppress a rueful smile. “Haley, I don’t -”

She lays a hand on your arm. “I know. Just…” Her eyes wander across the yard, where Aaron’s passing (a very pregnant) JJ a glass of water. “Thank you.” 

“I wish I could say it was my pleasure but...” you pull a yikes face and it makes her laugh again. 

+++

You end up spending much of your time together as she thanks guests and people start to go home. There’s a kind of camaraderie that develops between you and it feels like you’ve known each other for years. 

Her temperament tells you a lot about Aaron. They way they must have functioned together through the years. They’re so different, complementary, but you can see how things could get heated fast between them (good or bad).

She’s surprisingly affectionate by nature, her fingers glancing over your shoulder to direct you to tasks you’ve offered to help with, pressing a kiss to her sister’s temple as she passed her on the porch, holding onto Aaron’s forearm when she’s talking to him, and most notably, embracing Joseph by his car as he leaves, lingering only a little longer than she should. 

Nevertheless, you’re almost impressed by their restraint. You haven’t caught them on anything major, and it’s been close to eight hours since he arrived. You’re sure you haven’t seen the last of Joseph-not-Joe. 

Haley wears her emotions on her face. She can’t hide a thing. It’s refreshing. 

+++

You lean on the porch railing, enjoying the crispness of the early autumn evening. Dave stands beside you for a while in silence. When he’s had his fill of your tacit company, he kisses you on the cheek and bugs out with Spencer. 

Will takes JJ home a few minutes later. There’s a little smile on your face as you watch her take his arm down the front path, leaning on him. 

They’ll do well together. 

Soon, everyone else is gone, and you’re only a little concerned you’ve overstayed your welcome. Jess tells you you’re being ridiculous as you rearrange the fridge for leftovers. 

“When has my sister ever kicked anyone out of her house while they’re still of use?”

You take a moment, fighting a smile. “Thanks, Jess.” 

“As far as I’m concerned, the BAU is part of my extended family.” She bumps your shoulder. “And family is always welcome in a Brooks house.” 

+++

Even when it’s time for you to go home, it isn’t. 

Jack almost breaks down in tears when you kneel to hug him goodbye, so you’re trapped. It’s not like you can leave him, right? Not when he holds you hostage with those big brown eyes. 

Identical to Aaron’s. 

Funny enough, you can’t deny him anything either. 

Oh, that’s enough. 

Haley catches you by the forearm as Jack runs back to his dad, who gently launches him onto the couch. “You can sneak out, if you want to go home. I’ll distract Jack.” 

You raise your eyebrows. “And leave you without your buffer? Not a chance.” 

You’re rewarded with another laugh and she lets you go, shaking her head. She can’t say you’re wrong. As much as she and Aaron can fitfully coexist on their own, it’s much more comfortable with you around. 

Haley might love him, but she doesn’t always like him. You, for some reason, make it easier to like him.

She resolves to think a little more about that, for future reference. 

About twenty minutes later, you assume your role as the buffer and land between Haley and Aaron on the couch, with Jessica on her other side. Jack’s stretched out across all of you, his head in his mom’s lap and his little arm hanging off the edge. You managed to find a movie he actually wanted to watch, but you suspect he’ll be long asleep by the time it’s over.  

Aaron’s phone buzzes and he maneuvers it out of his pocket. Being nosy, you peer over him without disturbing Jack. 

Strauss.  

He answers it, quietly. “Hotchner.”

You can feel Haley’s disappointment and residual resentment without even looking at her. 

He continues to speak in hushed tones, drawing little patterns on the back of Jack’s calves as he does so. “Ma’am, I’ll take care of that when I’m back in the office...No ma’am, I’m with my family at the moment...Yes...Thank you, ma’am...You too.” Aaron takes a second and silences his phone, stretching a little to set it on the end table. 

You’re sure the rest of you are wearing matching expressions of shock. 

“It can wait.” He shrugs like it’s nothing and turns his attention back to the screen.

Turning to look at Haley, you find her staring at Aaron with a kind of soft surprise and pride in her eyes. You feel a little like an intruder, so you drop your eyes to the back of Jack’s t-shirt under your fingertips. 

In the rapidly-approaching darkness, Haley reaches for your hand and you take it, your hands landing on Jack’s little shoulder blade. You drop your head onto Aaron’s shoulder, leaning into the casual familiarity of the moment.

It’s nice to feel like family. 

“Thank you,” he says. It’s hardly a breath, let alone speech. 

You nod once. Anytime. 

If either one of them asked, you’d keep them from tearing their heads off forever. It’s not a far reach from your everyday responsibilities, you already do it for Aaron and Derek. Trading out one temper for another is almost easy. 

Aaron looks down the line when the credits start to roll, finding Jess and Haley with their eyes closed, leaning against each other. You’ve been out for a little while, now tucked under his arm where it’s stretched across the back of the couch. One of your hands still loosely holds Haley’s while the other rests on the middle of Jack’s back. His lips twitch up into a smile as he rests his head against the back of the couch. 

Maybe it will be alright.

+++

tagging: @arganfics @quillvine @stxrryspencer @agenthotchner @wandaswitxh @hurricanejjareau @ughitsbaby @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @shrimpyblog @genevievedarcygranger @ssaic-jareau @good-heavens-chris-evans @davidrossi-ismydad @angelsbabey @gublergirls @writefasttalkevenfaster @venusbarnes @hotchsflower @ogmilkis @marvels-agents100 @hotchslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @whoreforhotch @pinkdiamond1016 @pan-pride-12 @sunshine-em @word-scribbless @jdougl-love @sageellsworth05 @nohalohoseok @giveusbackourbucky @writerxinthedark @bauslut @dreila03 @forgottenword @aaronhotchnerr @ssa-morgan @buckybau @sana-li @tegggeeee @abschaffer2 @ssacandice-ray @ellyhotchner @lotties-journey-abroad @mrs-joel-pimentel-23-25 @laneygthememequeen @violentvulgarvolatile  @mooneylupinblack @ssareidbby @violet-amxthyst @bwbatta @roses-and-grasses @lcvischmitt @capricorngf @missdowntonabbey @averyhotchner @mandylove1000 @garcia-reid-lovechild  @cevanswhre @qvid-pro-qvo @jeor @spencers-hoodrat @infinity1321 @zizzlekwum @popped-weasels @evee87 @nuvoleincielo @this-broken-band-girl @reidtomestyles @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @winqhster

[hockeyboysiguess]

nine ladies dancing -> nine hockeys dancing | j. benn

a/n: i know christmas was two days ago, but 2020 isn’t real so here’s day 9. rest of the series linked here. 

word count: 2,799

warnings: single!dad jamie, a very absent mother figure, some cute dancing. 

“You want what?” 

Jamie sighed, covering his skate blades before dropping them into their designated spot in his stall, all part of his routine that was so practiced and rehearsed he didn’t have to think about anything before he did it. He thrived in the routine of it all, as much routine as he could get at the rink because when he got home, all semblance of a routine went out the window for the dark-haired little girl in pigtails on the background of his phone, sitting in his lap. She was five now, joyful and gap-toothed and as perfect as she’d been to him the day he knew that he was going to be her dad. She was his pride and joy, the only thing that when the sun set everyday, no matter where he was, mattered. It was him and her and he’d do anything to keep her smiling, including ask his teammates to sacrifice a little of their time and a lot of their pride for her.

“Lottie’s nervous about her recital for dance,” Jamie repeated himself slowly and steadily. “She’s scared she’s going to mess it up if she doesn’t practice in front of people who aren’t just her dad as she says, so I was hoping some of you might be willing to drop by the house later to give her an audience? I know it’s a lot to ask for this time of year.” 

Some of the younger guys bristled a little at the idea of giving up a prized free Friday night in Dallas without a team commitment the following day to watch Charlotte Benn dance as well as a five-year-old could perform The Nutcracker. Other teammates smiled with experienced and well-knowing understanding, having similar experiences in their own past, and standing up in front of the team to ask for something for their families. Jamie hated asking, but he asked more than anyone else. He hated asking now, especially this close to Christmas where people wanted to be with their families most of all, even though Jamie Benn hated Christmas these days. 

“What time do you want me?” left Tyler’s mouth so much more easily than the call for help had left Jamie’s moments before. “Who else is coming?”

Jamie’s calls for help were always answered in this room, a gift he never expected to receive but now couldn’t imagine his life without the people in this room. Especially as hands went up, along with a disjointed but beautiful chorus of, “I’m in,” and, “Me too,” fell from his teammates mouths, Jamie couldn’t stop the grateful smile from forming on his face. The support fell over Jamie’s shoulders in a way that reminded him of the way his mom would pull his heavy, puffy winter coat over his shoulders before sending him outside back home in Victoria ages ago, back when he thought his life was going to be simpler than it was, back when he thought he would follow the traditional order. Grow up, get a good job, find a wife, get married, have a few kids, and live happily ever after in a blissful, peaceful, uncomplicated, adult world. To be fair, Jamie had done most of that, but after Charlotte was born, she left them both, wiping her hands of him and her daughter without a thought of how cruel it really was to leave your child who hadn’t even seen a full year of life the day before her first Christmas.

Jamie hated her for a lot of things now. One of the many things was that she made him hate Christmas and hating Christmas just wasn’t ever in Jamie Benn’s plans. But he had to pretend he didn’t hate Christmas, or her for that matter, because Charlotte deserved to get to be happy and unburdened by her father’s hatred or her mother’s lack of desire to be her mother. So, Jamie Benn loved Christmas, as long as you didn’t look too deep into his eyes where the pain rested as he lied about how excited he was for it. 

Still, Jamie painted that smile on his face when he answered the door covered in the most basic Christmas wreath Jamie could get away with to see more of his teammates than he imagined standing behind it. Tyler led the group, big smile and a flower for Charlotte in hand, an attempt to maintain his title as her favorite uncle. Dicky and Guri seemed to have been pulled into this by Tyler, but were happy to have come along probably under the promise that Jamie might just join her for a terrible dance or two, terrible because of Jamie not Charlotte. The girl dad crew, as the shirts one of them had gotten them for the start of the season said, Comeau, Dowling, and Klinger, were all right behind them, and Bishop tagged along as well. The only true surprise was Rads, who despite being a dad himself, only had boys and wasn’t exactly a ballet sort of honorary uncle, but Tyler Seguin could make people do a lot of things for his very deserving niece and he’d put his mind to giving her the biggest audience possible. 

The smile relating to Christmas itself might have been fake, but the gratitude Jamie felt to his teammates for stepping up on short notice brought a real one to his face in place of the fake one. His smile carried over as Tyler made a beeline for Charlotte who was standing in the living room, with all the furniture pushed to the walls, in her tutu and a gapped-tooth grin on her face. Tyler scooped her up easily, setting her on his hip and offering her the flower in one smooth motion. 

“For me?” Charlotte asked him, her little hands already reaching for it. 

“Of course it’s for you, Miss Charlotte,” Tyler smiled back at her as he placed it gently into her waiting hands. “There are no other pretty ballerinas around who deserve flowers.” 

“You’d make a pretty ballerina, Uncle Tyler,” Charlotte told him with her eyes trained on her flower. 

Jamie funneled past them and into the kitchen to grab a vase for it, the one Charlotte had decorated with her handprints in preschool. Jamie kept everything, every ornament, every macaroni art, every card, every little thing Charlotte made. He had bins of stuff by now, but he was more than content to buy more bins and fill his basement with everything she made. He rotated what was on the fridge weekly. This week, his fridge doors were full of various glittery Christmas artwork from school. Glitter rained on the floor every time he opened it. Jamie didn’t mind in the slightest.

Charlotte was charming his teammates with her dimpled smile when Jamie came back into the living room, vase with water in hand. He knelt down next to her and offered her the vase to slide her flower into. Taking it from her would lead to tears, but letting her put it in the vase she made herself eliminated that possibility. Jamie sat the flower in its vase next to the speakers and pulled up the soundtrack for her recital on his phone.

“Okay, you ready, Lottie?” 

Jamie’s question caused his teammates to settle themselves around the room. Tyler took the floor in front of Bish and patted the ground next to him for Jamie. He started the music, then made his way to his spot, slumping down onto the floor while Charlotte fussed with her dance costume and shuffled her feet on the floor. Jamie could hear her counting softly under her breath and see her foot loosely tapping to the beat. Jamie didn’t know a thing about dance, but he had seen Charlotte practicing enough to know she’d missed when she was supposed to come in and was just staring at her shoes instead. 

“You okay, honey?” Jamie asked her softly.

“I’m nervous, Daddy,” she mumbled in reply, fingers fussing with her tutu. “I don’t want to dance alone.”

Before Jamie could even begin to stand, Tyler was up on his feet and reaching for Charlotte’s small hands. She sheepishly held onto a few of his fingers. 

“Would it help if Uncle Tyler danced with you?” he asked her softly, head ducked down to be level with her. “That way, you won’t be doing it alone.” 

“But you don’t know the moves,” Charlotte mumbled, eyes trained on the grain of the hardwood as Tyler swung their conjoined hands back and forth to try and cheer her up. 

Tyler laughed as he spoke, “Uncle Tyler can manage just fine, with a little help from some friends?” 

Jason Dickinson was up on his feet without another word, with Guri hot on his heels and Klinger right behind him. Bishop might have been flexible, but dancing wasn’t exactly his forte. He still rose to his feet to join everyone else who was gathering around Charlotte. Tyler reached out and grabbed Rads’ forearm, seeing as he hadn’t moved yet, and yanked him into the crowd. 

“Daddy!” Charlotte called out from his spot among his teammates, hidden from view. “Come dance too!” 

Jamie really, really wasn’t a dancer. Jamie wasn’t a lot of things. He wasn’t the most bold sort of guy, preferring to stay inside of his comfort zone most of the time. He was a good captain, but not by being outspoken. He led quietly by example. Jamie wasn’t the guy who ever thought he’d be a single dad. Hell, sometimes Jamie thought he was the guy who was going to be relegated to the fun uncle role for his entire life before Charlotte was born. Jamie wasn’t the guy who ever thought he’d need other people like he needed people now, like he needed his friends to make his daughter feel comfortable enough to practice for her dance recital, a sentence Jamie never thought would be among his list of concerns in life, because he always thought his ex-wife would be there to help and could handle this sort of thing he was particularly bad at. 

Most of all, Jamie never thought he’d hate Christmas, but he truly couldn’t wait for December 26th to come and for that godforsaken tree tucked in the corner that reminded him of everything he wasn’t, everything that he’d failed at, to go back into its box, for his daughter to be doing normal ballet recitals instead of ones of the Christmas variety, for everything to stop reminding him of the holiday he used to love. Still, Jamie rose to his feet from the floor and restarted the music, ready to sway as poorly to it as he did, because Charlotte had asked him to, like doing it didn’t make his chest ache and his head spin as he remembered that life he was supposed to have but never would. 

Tyler was the best worst dancer of the bunch, attempting to spin when Charlotte did, arms over his head doing his best impression of a five-year-old doing her best impression of a real ballerina. Jamie just swayed a little to the music, feet shuffling side to side. Rads was trying his hardest to be The Grinch, but it was increasingly hard to do with their teammates making fools of themselves for the sake of Charlotte Benn, Guri finding himself in the air courtesy of Jason and being spun like a top. John was swaying with admiration on his face, seeing this as his future with his own little girl. Charlotte’s giggle was drowning out a lot of the music. Rads ended up slow dancing with Tyler after a fight about which of them was actually right to lead. The fight lasted all of four second before Radulov took charge and started leading Tyler around the living room. Comeau and Dowling were swaying together, giving Jamie supportive looks because they understood what seeing her laughter meant to him on a level others didn’t.

The only thing that dulled the ache in his chest was Charlotte’s laughter. She loved Christmas still, something Jamie would never try to take from her. He didn’t want to pass any of his resentment and anger down to her like a tradition that should’ve died years ago. It would die with him. Jamie was determined to make it so. 

His teammates doing their best attempts at ballet meant for five-year-olds to The Nutcracker soundtrack with the fire crackling in the background was a pretty good way to make sure all Charlotte remembered from his Christmas was love and joy. Jamie scooped her up as the song ended, causing a fit of giggles to pour from her mouth. 

“You did so good, peanut!” Jamie tickled her a little as he spoke, heightening her giggles. “So good, right guys?” 

The chorus of approvals and cheers from his teammates made Charlotte's smile wide impossibly more.

“I think I’m going to do so good tomorrow at the re-re-recital,” Charlotte stuttered a bit as she spoke. The word recital was a difficult one for her. “Uncle Tyler should join. He’s a good dancer.” 

“Not as good at you, Miss Charlotte,” he assured her, ruffling her hair a little and making her giggle again in Jamie’s arms. 

Charlotte carried the smile she grew that evening with her all the way through to her recital the next day. Jamie dropped her off early, as he always did, and took his seat in the audience among the other eagerly waiting parents. He managed to find a prized seat at the end of the aisle, where Charlotte might actually have a chance at spotting him from the stage.

“Is the seat next to you taken?” 

Jamie lifted his eyes from his phone to see you standing there, coffee in hand despite it being seven at night two days before Christmas. You were beautiful and Jamie wondered who you were here with. He wasn’t able to make most dance practices or parent events, so he didn’t have a good idea of who you might be even though it made him feel like a worse dad for not knowing.

“Your Charlotte’s dad, right?” you asked him after clearing your throat. 

“Uh, yeah,” Jamie mumbled as he scrambled to his feet to let you get by and take the seat next to him. He dropped back into his seat when you did. “How’d you guess?”

“Well, she looks just like you,” you told him. “But also, figured you had to be the hot single dad everyone talks about in the moms’ group chat.”

Jamie threw his head back and laughed, “The moms’ group chat talks about how I’m hot?”

“Shhhh,” you shushed him softly. “Don’t rat me out as the source of that information though. You’ll get me kicked out of the chat and that chat is the only source of entertainment I have in my life that doesn’t involve a five-year-old.” 

Jamie nodded and put a hand over his heart, “Your secret is safe with me. Promise.”

“Better be, or I’ll have to kill you,” you joked, drawing another laugh that caused him to tip his head back and shift his hand over his stomach as he laughed with his whole body. 

As he came down from his laughter, the lights began to dim around you to signal the start of the show. You watched as various moms slipped into the aisle, phones outstretched, to record the show. You shook your head softly. The studio always recorded the show and sent it to all the parents after, and you were partial to watching her dance with your own eyes rather than through your screen. 

“Gonna get out there?” Jamie whispered to you. 

“Their teacher will send out the recording,” you shrugged. “I’d rather watch it.”

“Finally,” Jamie sighed, voice heavy with relief, “someone else gets me.”

“Maybe we should sit together at more of these,” you suggested to him as the lights went dark. “Single parents who don’t believe in watching the recital through their phones.”

Normally, especially now when trees stood in people’s living rooms and wreaths hung on front doors, the acknowledgement Jamie was in this alone with Charlotte, that she left them both, made him feel alone. When the words left your mouth, Jamie felt a sense of closeness, of kinship, of mutual understanding that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was natural, the way you two talked between dance numbers, about Charlotte, about your daughter, about hockey, about your work, about your lives. Jamie left that recital with your phone number burning a hole in his pocket and Charlotte’s hand in his, feeling like, for the first time in a long time that Christmas might still have some magic left in it after all.

[lizacstuff]

Sen Çal Kapımı episode 47 asks

Below the read more find asks and answers about episode 47, the fragman for 48 and other miscellaneous things.

(UNDER THE CUT)

Anonymous asked: Hi! I hope you are enjoying your vacation. I remember you mentioned you would be traveling. What were your thoughts on the epi? I think this was one episode where everything was happy! No big problems. The truth about Kemal being Serkan's dad could have been dramatic but Ayse and team wrote it like a romcom. I'm not really feeling the Deniz being the saviour of Artlife like they are portraying in the fragmans but I'll wait for the next epi to make a judgement.

Thank you. Once again, I though the whole episode was a really easy watch and I enjoyed every minute.  

I really appreciate the tone this season, even something as series as Serkan’s parentage is played lightly, as you say very much rom com, and not full of heavy melodrama (as it would have been if explored during the 30s). This is exactly the tone and feel of this show that I want.  

Serkan’s reaction was predictable, but it was also clear that he just needed time to adjust and settle down and he’ll come around. I like that. 

I don’t have time this week to do full episode thoughts, but I enjoyed Serkan and Eda’s morning after conversation. Hilarious that he’d removed all the sharp objects from the room. Loved that after all of Eda’s fear-fueled reticence, once she decided to take the plunge with him, she was all in. Eda admitting that she’d been unbalanced and had been at fault for hiding Kiraz,--and acknowledging that Serkan had been fighting for them and now she wanted to as well-- was very nice. After running a bit hot and cold, Serkan deserved to hear that.  

lolo-deli asked: Hard to believe we didn't get a reconciliation scene in 47... Nobody expected sex but we couldn't even get a hug or kiss when they made up? "I want to see that tattoo" was not the romantic reunion I was hoping for. Were you at all disappointed?

IMO, we did see the important part of the reconciliation, and that was the conversation. Sure, I think we should have seen Serkan and Eda kiss in the last episode. If I were in charge we would have, but I don’t think the story actually loses anything because it’s not a mystery what happened.   

Clearly, he says the tattoo line and they jump each other, make their way to the bedroom, have sex, but don’t really communicate until the morning when she wakes up, and that’s where the show picks up and we get to see those first important moments. 

If you’re looking for romance, then I would point to everything that led up to that tattoo line in 46. That entire episode (and the one before it) was their romantic reconciliation. Moments alone where he takes in her scent and whispers how much he’s missed her, waking up in bed together when they just automatically gravitate to one another, the moments of pretending to be married that were very comedic, but also very soft and romantic (What’s your greatest passion, what’s the first line you ever said to one another), the heartfelt conversation on the bench, the actual tattoo conversation at dinner. That’s the romantic reunion. Yes, if they had just reunited after years (like in episode 40) right before the tattoo line, I  would have needed more romance, but we’ve had 7 episodes of them working their way back to one another. Everything was primed, all they needed was to light the match.  IMO that line did the trick. 

So, am I disappointed? No. I’m happy to go with the flow and enjoy every minute of what they do give us in these last few episodes. I choose not to get tied up in what I wish would happen vs what actually happens. I find I don’t enjoy any show when I put the onus on the show to conform to my wishes. 

Some might be disappointed, that’s their choice, (and make no mistake, it is a choice) but that’s not how I’m approaching this second season which is serving up so much romance, comedy, and domestic family goodness. I suffered through the 30s so I could get to this, I’m not going to waste any of it being disappointed.

Anonymous asked: Idk why this proposal was the most emotional out of them all for me. Perhaps with the other ones I just KNEW the other shoe had to drop because they couldn't let them get happily married this early and this time I knew it was finally it. Or maybe it was the fact that knowing they're married means the show really is ending soon, but I was a blubbering mess lol. Sure there's drama ahead, but it's definitely not a plane crash and memory loss or a "fake" Selin pregnancy!

Yes! Thank goodness we don’t have any of that nonsense waiting for us.  They are really going to be married. 

I enjoyed this proposal very much, it was so sweet the way he planned everything out and had everyone helping, while Eda (and even sort of the audience) was in the dark about what was really going on there.  

For me, as far as the words spoken, nothing really tops his speech to her in 27, but the great thing is that we get them all and this was special in it’s own right because he really surprised her and swept her off her feet this time around.  I loved it!

Anonymous asked: So I am confused about Serkan’s ability to have kids- it’s not a problem now? If him being infertile was only temporary, why did he say it was impossible to have kids and it was a part of why he left Eda in the first place so she could have it somewhere else? They could’ve just waited a couple years to have kids then...? I know he also left her cause he was scared of dying but they really made his reaction seem like he’d NEVER be able to have kids

My assumption is that since they were able to have Kiraz, they know it’s possible, so even if it won’t be easy (and fertility is usually not a hard yes/ no line... mostly it’s a measure of how likely it is) they are choosing to believe they will be able to conceive again.  

If you’re looking to change what his assumptions were when they first broke up and he thought he was unable to have kids (and that there was a 70% chance the cancer would come back) and deciding he should have made different decisions based on the fact that he was able to father Kiraz... to be blunt you’re looking at it the wrong way. 

At that time, he thought he would never be able to have kids. Full stop.  The fact that wasn’t necessarily true doesn’t change what he believed at the time. 

Anonymous asked: serkan being the overly protective, worrying, affectionate baba is EXACTLY what i imagined, as i'm sure everyone else did. who else would worry about the pH balance of the soap at their daughter's preschool?! serkan thinking his angel can do no wrong.. of course it was all can's plan to hide them in the bathroom lmao. i hope, and with how this season is going i think we'll get it, we get to see this serkan in action when eda is pregnant too.. even if we just see a couple minutes of it!

YES! I loved overly protective Serkan. Thankfully, for Kiraz’s sake he has Eda (who might be a bit too far the other way) to balance him out.   I agree that it was hilarious how he was trying to blame sweet Can.  Even without seeing what happened, I’m pretty sure anyone else who had spent two minutes with those kids would figure out who the instigator was.  When rabble rousing is going on, I think it’s fair to point to the offspring of Serkan Bolat and Eda Yildiz as the cause, lmao.

It would be great it we got to see glimpses of Serkan as an expectant father and also the father of a newborn.  I would love that.

Anonymous asked: I see that the "Nitpick of the Week" as I'm calling it, this week is where Serkan proposed. Because Serkan Bolat would neeeeever propose in a "parking lot" .. am I the only one seeing that it's not even a parking lot, it's a road. Like if it is a parking lot where are the other cars then lol?! Putting aside that he's proposing outside their literal wedding venue, their entire story started in a parking lot. He told her he loved her for the first time on the side of a road. I'm not understanding.

You make great points!  Their love story did start in a parking lot AND he was trying to pull off both a surprise proposal and a surprise wedding in one day’s notice. Since we’ve already seen a proposal on a plane, a proposal at a piano bar and a proposal at their place of work, I don’t really have the energy to join the discontented masses on twitter and nitpick the location of this proposal. He could have proposed in front of a landfill and I would have been delighted. 

Anonymous asked: I'm sorry if you don't find it as funny, but people's reaction to this new fragman is so exaggerated like they're about to witness Indecent Proposal dizi-edition that I literally couldn't help but find it hilarious. Like no where is it ever implied that Deniz is offering Serkan SEX, but when Eda says "just do what you have to" somehow that's the first thing everyone thought of?! Not to mention we know this is Deniz's last ep.. the dramatic reactions really have me dying lmao.

OMG! I know. So this is a show that doesn’t show sex, Serkan didn’t sleep with the woman he thought was his girlfriend during amnesia, Serkan and Eda were both celibate for 5 years, but suddenly they’re gonna have newly-married Serkan go to the edge width Deniz?!?!?!  Those people on twitter lost their damn minds.  

On Saturday, I was on vacation and had just popped in to see if the new fragman was released, I was happy to nope right out of there when I saw the insanely melodramatic overreaction to the fragman. 

It’s obvious that since the biggest issue between Eda and Serkan is Eda’s fear that Serkan will always prioritize work over her, as he did on their first wedding day, this story is to show that Serkan will 100% choose Eda over work and Art Life.  Also I’m sure the episode will have the same tone as the rest of the season, which is light and comedic.  

Anonymous asked: sometimes I go back to episode 28 and still can't believe they got that bathtub + shower scene in there with the rtuk guidelines. I've watched a couple more romcoms since starting SCK and have never seen anything close to that. I know they got fined afterwards but they were really like "screw it, we're going it for anyway" 😂

It’s interesting that the production company and network went for it there. But as you say they did get fined, so they didn’t get away with anything.