#dad! danny gvf

[what-i-read-home-of-reblogs-mama]

Sooooo SWEET🍬🍭🍯🍦🍫🧁🎂🍨🍧🍰🥧

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of Year

Warnings: Mentions of minor injury, Fluff otherwise!

Word Count: 2.2k

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams It's the most wonderful time of the year There'll be much mistltoeing And hearts will be glowing When loved ones are near

Daniel POV: 

“Ah, YEP. There it is,” I practically growl as the breaker trips, shrouding my apartment in darkness. 

I should have known better than to try to mash potatoes with a hand mixer when I already have three crock pots plugged in, warming side dishes. 

“Fucking ancient wiring,” I mutter to myself as I rip the plug from the wall before heading into the laundry room to flip the breaker back on. 

The breaker is just the latest bit of misfortune that has derailed my plans for a traditional Christmas dinner. 

First, I severely overslept. Melody and I wanted to wake up at 7:00 to do presents with Iris. Imagine my shock when she strolled into our room at 9:30, questioning why Santa came and we didn't wake her up. 

Then, after we opened our presents and Iris was sufficiently tuckered out and down for a nap, I started preparing for dinner. 

Because I wanted to be fancy, I obviously bought fresh vegetables, which led to me nicking my finger while cutting the green beans.  

After Melody played nurse and left me with one gloved hand, I managed to grab the handle of a pre-heated cast iron skillet with my other hand. Melody was not happy with me when she had to play nurse for a second time in under an hour. 

It had been smooth sailing after that, up until the breaker issue. 

I’m pulled out of my reverie by a tiny hand tugging at the hem of my shirt. 

I look down to see a freshly awoken Iris rubbing her eyes. She lets out a big yawn before meeting my eyes. 

“Can I have juice?” she signs. 

My heart melts as I nod and rush to pull down a Big Girl Cup from the cabinet. I opened the fridge and pulled out the super-special organic apple juice that Uncle Sammy bought for Iris. The glass bottle slips in my hand, but I catch it before it drops. 

HAHA! Not this time!

I pour her juice and hand it over. 

“Be careful,” I ruffle her hair, “Now go play.” 

I look up and see Melody standing in the doorway, watching on with a fond smile on her face as Iris skitters past her. 

She walks into the kitchen and wraps her arms around my middle, “You’re a good dad, Daniel,” she presses a soft kiss to my chest as she nuzzles into my sweater. 

I breathe out a sigh and drop a kiss on the top of her head. 

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I chuckle, “If stuff keeps going the way it is, I might not even be able to feed our kid tonight.” 

“You’re being a bit dramatic, babe,” she pinches my side, wiggling out of my arms, “It’ll all work out.” 

I pop the turkey in the oven and check my watch. 2:00pm

 Perfect! Everything is back on schedule, and I finally feel like I can take a breath. 

I lean against the counter and feel a smile creep over my face. My dinner is coming along. I can hear the tinkling giggles of my girls coming from the living room. I haven't made too much of a mess in the kitchen. 

I start to put away the dishes I’d left on the drying rack and spot the crystal wine decanter on the top shelf. 

Bingo!

I pull the decanter and two glasses down and glance over the bottles of wine sitting out on the counter, trying to determine which varietal Melody would appreciate most right now.  

Settling on a Merlot, I pour the bottle into the decanter and leave it to open up before venturing into the living room. 

Melody has her back to me, helping Iris change the dress on one of her new dolls, and I tiptoe up behind her. I catch Iris’ eye and bring a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet. 

She flashes me a toothy grin and tries, poorly, to hold back her giggles. 

Melody stiffens almost imperceptibly, and I already know she will be faking her reaction for Iris’ benefit. 

Regardless, I continue creeping up and grabbing Melody’s shoulders, gently shaking her in the process. 

“AHHHHH,” Melody drops the doll and lets out an exaggerated shout, “YOU SCARED ME, DANIEL!” 

She whips her head around and gives me a little wink.

Iris giggles again, “That was funny.” 

I grin and waggle my eyebrows at her, “More juice?” 

She nods, holding her cup out for me to take. 

I squeeze Melody’s shoulder again before heading back into the kitchen. 

I fill Iris’ cup with more apple juice, diluting it with water. I can’t have her getting an upset tummy on Christmas. Then, I pour some wine into one of the glasses and carry both back into the living room. 

“Thought both of my girls might be thirsty,” I say as I pass the wine to Melody. 

“You thought right, my love,” she grins. 

Iris’ eyes flit between us for a moment, “play with me?” 

And how can I say no to that? 

An hour and a half later, I’m back in the kitchen checking on our slowly progressing dinner. 

Turkey is coming along perfectly. The sides are looking good. I’m incredibly proud of the way I’ve turned this day around. 

Since we’re in the home stretch, I finally decided to pour myself a glass of wine. 

As I reach for the decanter, it slips from my grasp and shatters into a million little pieces. Merlot paints nearly every kitchen surface: the walls, the floor, the fridge, everywhere. 

“FUUUUUCK,” I scream at the top of my lungs. I’ll be shocked if we don’t get a noise complaint from one of the neighbors. 

I hear footsteps walking up the hallway.

“Please stay out of here. There’s glass everywhere,” I grind out through clenched teeth.

“I’m slipping on shoes, then I'm coming to help you,” Melody replies. 

We clean up silently; I’m on sweeping duty while Melody comes behind me with the mop. 

I finally set the broom down, confident I had swept up all the tiny crystal shards. 

“This day keeps getting worse,” I sigh, and Melody pats my arm, “I’m going to text Josh to see if he wants to come get Iris until dinner’s finished. At this point, I’m worried that my bad luck will rub off on her, and she’ll be the next victim of some inexplicable accident.” 

“Okay, big guy,” Melody lets out a small laugh, “I’m sure Josh would be happy to hang out with her solo.” 

Thirty minutes later, I let Josh in. Iris has practically been vibrating with excitement since we told her Uncle Josh wanted to see her. 

“Where’s my favorite little girl?” is the first thing out of his mouth as he steps over the threshold. 

“Well, hello to you too,” I say, rolling my eyes. 

“Oh, forgive me. HELLOOOOOOOO DANNY!” he claps back immediately,  “Now, where is she? Quinn and I have a whole afternoon planned for Iris, and that's more important than your ego.”

“Jesus, dude,” I say, rubbing my chest in mock hurt. 

“I’m just being honest,” he flashes a massive grin at me. 

“Well, thank you so much for your honesty,” I roll my eyes again, “Melody’s helping her get ready. Now, I know I don't need to tell you how to take care of her. Buuuuut, bad luck has been plaguing me all day. So, be extra careful with her.” 

“Gotcha, gotcha. I’ll be on the lookout for any falling pianos or trap doors,” it’s Josh’s turn to roll his eyes. 

“I know you're making fun of me, but with the luck I’ve had today, nothing would shock me at this point,” we share a laugh that’s interrupted by a bundled-up Iris rocketing herself into Josh’s legs. 

I watch as he quickly scoops her up and spins her around before setting her back down. 

“Ready to go, Petal?” he asks Iris with a cheesy grin. 

The second she nods her affirmative, they're out the door. 

Unfortunately for me, not even a minute after they’ve left, the smoke detector starts going off. I sigh for the trillionth time today and head back to the kitchen. 

Walking through the doorway, I see Melody standing in front of the open oven. She’s using an oven mitt to fan smoke away from the turkey. 

“Babe, stop. It's fine,” I start, “we both know that Christmas dinner is pretty much fucked at this point. Just turn the oven off.” 

I lean against the counter and hang my head in my hands, ultimately defeated. 

“It’s okay, babe. I have a plan!” Melody says as she takes my burnt Turkey out of the oven, trying to keep my spirits high. 

I fight the urge to scoff as I watch her open the freezer and pull a Pyrex dish out. 

“What's that?” I eye the dish in her hand. 

“It's a lasagna, Daniel. I always keep one on backup,” she grins at me, dimples on full display, “I know it's not traditional, but who’s gonna be mad about pasta?” 

“You’re a genius, dear,” I gently kiss her temple. 

She shrugs off my praise, “HA! No, not a genius. Just a mother. Moms always have to have at least three backup plans ready.” 

Melody greets our first guests at the door as I put the finishing touches on everyone’s place settings at the table. 

I vaguely hear them laughing together as I walk into the kitchen to add one final layer of cheese to the top of the lasagna. 

“Please make yourselves at home,” I can hear the genuine smile in Melody’s voice, “Daniel is likely in the kitchen if you want to go harass him.” 

The goofiest laugh follows her statement, and I know it’s Sam and Willa. 

“Oh, Daaaaaaaniel,” Sam calls out as he pops his head in the doorway, “it smells phenomenal in here, but nothing like turkey.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Last minute change of plans,” I reply flatly. 

“Josh texted me earlier and told me you were being a ‘Drama Queen,’” he adds air quotes before quirking a brow, “but I didn't assume you’d throw in the towel, buddy.” 

“Oh, get bent, Sammy,” I threw the towel draped across my shoulder at him.

He whips his head around, facing Willa, “Did you see that, Birdie? The fucker proved my point.” 

“I think it's lovely that you were able to solve your own problems, Danny,” Willa adds before smacking Sam across the chest with a smirk, effectively shutting him up. 

They make their way to the living room as our other guests show up. 

Jake and Charlotte show up next, popping in for a quick hello, not wanting to distract me. 

Obviously, Josh, Quinn, and Iris are the last ones to show up. 

“Oh, Iris just got so distracted playing. Sorry, we’re late.”

“That line doesn't work on me, Josh,” I let out a laugh, “I know you. You can't blame my kid for your chronic lateness.” 

“I resent that, Danny. I always arrive precisely when I mean to,” Josh scoffs indignantly. 

“Well, why don't you arrive in the living room and tell everyone dinner’s almost ready?” 

I lock eyes on Charlotte as I set the final dish on the table. 

Her eyes flit across the table, and the confusion on her face grows as she mouths the name of each dish she sees. 

Mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, LASAGNA?

Jake is patting her thigh comfortingly as he holds back laughter. 

I see her confusion mirrored on everyone else as I look around the table. 

Jake pulls himself together long enough to break the silence, “Wow! What a delightful array of food you have for us, Danny Boy! You even have rolls!” 

“Hey! I put garlic butter on them, asshole.” 

“Oh, then, by all means, they belong. Not a single thing out of place here.” 

That gets a round of laughs from the entire table. 

“Yeah, Danny,” Quinn starts, “I’m not trying to be mean, but wasn't this supposed to be a traditional dinner?” 

“Now, Bug, who can really say what ‘traditional’ means,” Josh ponders. 

“Ya know what, thank you, Josh,” I nod in his direction. 

“Oh, I’m not trying to help you, Danny. I’m just getting philosophical.” 

“Okay, everyone,” I pinch the bridge of my nose, “After the day I had, I’d like to see you come up with something better.” 

Melody nods with me as she opens a bottle of wine and passes it to Sam, “He really did have the most unfortunate string of luck. You all are lucky we even have dinner at all.” 

I grab her hand and gently kiss her knuckles in thanks as everyone finally tucks into their meals. 

“I do have a question,” Charlotte whispers, setting her fork down. 

I nod for her to go on. 

“What happened to the decanter we got you for your engagement party? This seems like a perfect time to use it.”

I let out the loudest groan, “I love you, Charlotte, but please never ask me that question again.” 

“It’s a sore spot for him,” Melody pats my hand, “I’ll tell you later.” 

“So, on that note,” I say, gesturing for everybody to start eating, “Merry Christmas, everyone.” 

Masterlist | Taglist

[hailthegodsong]

BABY FEVER

One Shot ~ Danny Wagner x Female Reader

Word Count: 7.8k +

Summary: When you and Danny are left alone with your niece with no warning, seeing Danny step up to take care of baby Maya has you aching to have his baby.

Content Warnings: lots of fluff and Danny taking care of a baby, baby poop (it gets gross sorry), baby crying, hormones and maternal instincts, possible mentions of postpartum depression/ just general difficulties from birth and having a newborn, talks of having children, SMUT 18+ INCLUDING: fingering, grinding, p in v unprotected sex, breeding kink sort of, cum play if you squint.

｡˚○

You and Danny were getting ready to leave the house, tangled up in that usual slow morning dance, music playing from the speaker in the kitchen, the smell of coffee still lingering in the air, his shoes kicked halfway under the couch where he always left them.

Your sister’s baby, Maya, was a little over three months old now. You’d been there when she was born, held her for the first time in that sterile hospital room, heart full and aching. And in the weeks that followed, you’d stopped by your sister’s house almost every day, helping with dishes, folding laundry, bringing groceries. Just doing what needed to be done while she adjusted to the impossible newness of it all. But she was finally starting to feel more like herself again, and as of late, she’d determined she was ready for guests. Today Danny was going to meet baby Maya.

You looked up from the mirror just in time to see Danny tug your scarf from the hook by the door and wrap it loosely around his neck, clearly pleased with himself.

“That’s mine,” you said, grinning at him.

He turned to face you, totally unbothered. “No, this is ours.”

You crossed the room and plucked his beanie from the back of a chair. “Okay, then by that logic, this is ours too.”

“I’ll never protest to you wearing my clothes, you know that,” he said, standing by the door with this dumb, contented little smile.

“You excited?” you asked, stepping towards him and brushing a bit of lint off his hoodie.

Danny nodded, shifting on his feet. “Yeah, I think so. A little nervous. I hope they don’t want me to hold her… I’ve never held a baby that small before. Like, what if I break her?”

“You won’t,” you said gently, handing him his bag. “She’s sturdier than she looks. And you’re gentle.”

He slung the bag over his shoulder and followed you toward the front door, pausing to grab the car keys from the dish. “Still feels weird, though. The whole thing, I mean. Like, ‘Uncle Danny.’ That sounds like a man with a mortgage and a receding hairline.”

You laughed as you pulled your jacket on. “I did think your hair was looking a little different lately…”

He gave you a look, feigning offense. “Wow.”

“Only kidding,” you smiled, ruffling his familiar curls and smiling cheekily before popping a kiss to his cheek. 

He was still smiling as you stepped outside, the air crisp, the early sun catching in his curls where they tousled softly in the breeze. There was something unshakable about days like this, being with him, the ease of it, the way you didn’t have to reach for comfort because it was already right there in your pocket.

He reached out and caught your hand without thinking, fingers curling through yours like they always had, like they were made to do it.

“She’s gonna love you,” you said quietly as you reached the car.

He glanced over at you, eyes soft. “Yeah?”

You nodded, smiling. “You’re a natural with kids.”

“Guess we’ll find out,” he said, opening your door for you with a little bow. “Let’s go meet the tiny human.”

Danny drove with one hand on the wheel and the other resting lightly over your knee, his thumb tracing soft, absent patterns through the fabric of your jeans. He was quiet, but not in a distant way, just calm and thoughtful. You could feel him processing, like he was already picturing what it would be like to finally meet little Maya.

“She’s really only… what, three months?” he asked, glancing at you at a red light.

“Just over,” you said.

Danny smiled softly, rubbing at his jaw. “Feels like she’s been around longer. I keep forgetting I haven’t actually seen her yet.”

“She’s so tiny,” you said, shifting to face him more. “Like, alarmingly small. Her whole hand is barely the size of your thumb.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll see.”

He pulled into your sister’s driveway a few minutes later and parked carefully, turning the engine off but not moving right away. You smiled, leaned over, and kissed his cheek before you both climbed out of the car.

The porch creaked under your feet as you stepped up and knocked. The door opened almost immediately, and your sister stood there in cozy leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, her hair twisted up messily, face glowing in a tired, relieved kind of way.

“Hi, hi!” she said, already reaching for you. She pulled you in first for a tight hug, then turned and did the same to Danny, kissing each of your cheeks like she always did. “Come in. It’s freezing.”

The house was warm and dim, faintly smelling of baby lotions and such. You stepped out of your shoes by the door, and just as you were pulling off your beanie, and Danny was unwrapping his scarf, her husband, Harry appeared in the doorway to the living room, barefoot in jeans and a faded t-shirt. Little Maya was tucked tightly against his chest in a soft swaddle, her head barely peeking above the edge, one impossibly tiny hand curled under her cheek.

“Hey, you two,” he said, smiling, shifting his weight with that slow bob. “You made it.”

“Hi,” you said, giving him a one-armed hug as you glanced down at sleeping Maya. “Hi sweet girl,” you cooed.

Danny stepped up behind you, and Harry reached out to clap him gently on the shoulder, pulling him in for a side hug too.

When they pulled away, Danny took the opportunity to take in the little bundle that was Maya. “She’s so small,” Danny said quietly, eyes fixed on the tiny baby.

“She is,” Harry chuckled, adjusting her slightly. “She’s in the phase where she wants to be attached to someone at all times.

“I can’t believe that’s a whole human,” Danny said, crouching slightly to get a better look. His voice was soft, reverent. “She’s like… doll sized. Her head fits in your palm?”

“Basically,” Harry said, laughing gently. “And somehow she still manages to scream loud enough to shake the windows.”

“She’s freshly changed, so you’re meeting her at her best,” your sister added, coming to peek over Harrys shoulder. 

“She looks like she’s dreaming,” Danny murmured, watching Maya’s mouth twitch in her sleep.

“Probably dreaming about boobs,” your Harry said, straight faced.

Your sister groaned. “Oh my god, please stop saying that to people.” She stepped away and made towards the living room. “C’mon into the living room” she said over her shoulder. “I haven’t sat down all day.”

You followed after her, Danny close behind. Harry trailed in last, still gently patting Mayas back, his palm moving rhythmically, in a way that had clearly become second nature. Maya’s cheek was pressed into his chest, her tiny mouth slightly parted, her fists tucked into herself. She barely moved except for the slow rise and fall of her breathing.

You all sank into the couch and chairs.

“So,” you said, turning to your sister, “how are you actually doing?”

She let out a quiet breath and smiled. “Better. I mean, not sleeping through the night, obviously. But I don’t feel like I’ve been hit by a bus anymore. Just… like a slow moving truck.”

You grinned. “That’s progress.”

She nodded. “The bleeding’s mostly stopped, and I can walk around without feeling like my insides are rearranging themselves. So, yay.”

“You look amazing,” you said honestly. “Seriously.”

“She’s been doing really well,” Harry chimed in as he rocked slightly. “Even managed to take a shower two days in a row.”

“Twice,” your sister said proudly, lifting her chin. “Like a real human woman.”

Harry shifted Maya slightly in his wrap. “Honestly, Maya’s been good. Not colicky or anything. She just wants to be on someone. Like, all the time. Put her down for a nap and she lasts fifteen minutes. Hold her, and she’s out cold for hours.”

“She’s already a little attention seeker,” your sister added, reaching for a cup of tea on the coffee table. “But a cute one.”

“What’s she like when she’s awake?” Danny asked, curiously.

Harry smiled, glancing down at the tiny face resting on his chest. “Mostly just stares at stuff with those giant eyes. Occasionally screams like we’ve wronged her deeply for making her wait fifteen minutes in between feeding. I swear she’s got such an appetite she’s gonna be huge soon.”

“Sounds dramatic,” Danny said, eyes wide with amusement.

“She is,” they both said at the same time, then laughed.

You looked over at Maya again and caught the softest little sound, barely more than a breath. A tiny, airy coo that made you instinctively smile.

Her dad stilled, lifting a hand to brush gently along Maya’s cheek. “Looks like someone’s waking up,” he said softly.

Maya stirred, a slight frown pulling at her forehead, her lips parting with another sleepy little noise. One arm squirmed out from the wrap, and she gave a half hearted little kick, her face scrunching.

“She’s probably hungry,” your sister said, already leaning forward, reaching her arms out. “Here, I’ll take her.”

Harry transferred the baby carefully, tucking a blanket around her as he passed her over. Maya let out a tiny wail in protest but settled as soon as she was against her mother’s chest. Without fuss or hesitation, your sister adjusted her sweatshirt, pulling it down to nurse.

The room stayed comfortable and quiet except for the tiny sucking noises.

Danny’s eyes lingered for a moment, just observant, thoughtful, and then flicked over to you. He looked amazed by it all.

“So what’s the sleep situation now?” Danny asked gently, resting back against the cushions, one arm draped behind you.

“Still awful,” your sister said, chuckling softly. “She’s up every two to three hours. I’m basically a human pacifier at this point.”

“She doesn’t like bottles?” you asked.

“She’ll take one,” Harry said, reaching for his mug, “but only sometimes. And only if she’s not too hungry or too fussy or too... anything, really.”

“She’s got a very specific set of rules,” your sister added, smiling down at her. “And we don’t know any of them.”

Danny grinned. “Sounds like she runs the house.”

“Oh, absolutely,” your sister said.

You smiled as you watched Maya’s tiny fingers flex against your sister’s chest, her eyes fluttering open slowly like she was only halfway convinced she wanted to be awake.

After a few more soft sucks, she popped off with a little sigh, mouth slack and chin damp, clearly full and freshly alert. Your sister reached for a cloth, dabbing her mouth gently. 

“Hello, sweetheart,” she murmured, adjusting her shirt and tugging it back into place one-handed. “You gonna be social now?”

Maya blinked up at the room, quiet and curious, her head turning toward Danny’s voice as he leaned in slightly.

“She’s so cute,” he said, awe softening his face.

Your sister glanced at him, then at the baby, then back again. “Do you wanna hold her?”

Danny blinked. “Uh—” He looked at you for a split second, almost like he was hoping you’d save him. “I’ve never held a baby before.”

“That’s okay,” your sister said easily, already shifting Maya into the crook of her arm. “I’ll show you. It’s easy.”

Danny straightened up a little, hands half-lifted like he wasn’t sure whether to reach or hide them. “I don’t know, I— what if I do it wrong or something?”

“Nonsense,” your sister said with a little grin. “You’re Maya’s uncle. She’s gotta know who you are.”

Danny let out a quiet laugh, nervous and incredulous. “Oh shit,” he mumbled, sitting up a bit straighter as she approached.

You smiled, watching the whole exchange from your seat. He looked like someone being handed a priceless glass sculpture and told to juggle it.

“You don’t have to stand up,” your sister said gently. “Just scoot forward a bit. I’ll place her in your arms.”

He did as she asked, shifting to the edge of the couch cushion, legs slightly apart for balance.

“Okay,” she said, all business now, adjusting Maya against her shoulder. “So cradle one arm under her like this, and make sure her head’s supported. You can rest her body across your forearm. The other hand just kind of... steady her. Wherever it feels natural.”

Danny followed each instruction with intense focus, his lips slightly parted, brows drawn together like he was trying to remember a complicated chord progression. He shaped his arms carefully, watching your sister for approval.

“Perfect,” she said, then leaned down and slowly nestled Maya into the space he’d made.

The moment the baby settled into him, Danny went completely still, stiff as a board.

Maya blinked slowly up at him, her little lips puckering in a dreamy, milk-drunk expression, her fists bunched lightly against her chest. She made a soft, contented grunt and blinked again, as if accepting this new arrangement.

Danny’s face melted and his shoulders slackened.

“Awww,” he breathed, the sound barely audible. “She’s so... oh my god.”

You couldn’t help but smile, your heart swelling at the look on his face, completely enamored, touched, reverent. His whole body softened around her as if instinctively forming a shield.

“She likes you,” your sister said with a grin, stepping back to sit down beside Harry again.

Danny’s eyes never left Maya. “She’s so light,” he whispered. “I thought you were exaggerating.”

“Nope,” you said, watching his thumb hover, featherlight, near the back of her tiny hand. “She’s the real deal.”

“She’s got strong neck muscles though,” your Harry added from the other side of the room. “She’ll be trying to hold it up, even if it wobbles like crazy.”

Danny adjusted his grip slightly, barely moving her. You smiled and leaned your head against his shoulder, heart fluttering at the way he looked down at her like she was the most precious thing he’d ever seen.

Danny looked up from the baby with a soft smile of his own, totally enchanted. He leaned his head forward just a little, speaking in a gentle voice as he peered down at her tiny face.

“Hello,” he said. “You are just the cutest little thing, aren’t you?”

Maya blinked slowly and let out the tiniest coo, a high, airy sound, like the world’s smallest sigh. Her eyes, deep and wide, locked onto Danny’s like she knew exactly who he was.

“She knows a good soul when she sees one,” your sister said with a smirk, already pushing herself up from the couch. “Well!” your sister said cheerily, brushing her hands off on her jeans. “She loves you both. Perfect timing!”

You looked over, confused. “Huh?”

She was already moving, grabbing for her bag by the door. “Harry and I have been meaning to run a few errands, and now that you’re both here—”

Danny blinked up. “Wait, what?”

Harry gave a sheepish shrug as he stood, easing the last sip of coffee from his mug. “It’s just groceries and picking up a prescription, and… some other stuff. Won’t take long. Be back in a couple of hours.”

You stood too, your voice pitching slightly. “Wait— right now?!”

Your sister swept past you, bending to grab the plastic bin that doubled as Maya’s changing station. She parked it beside the couch. “Changing stuff’s here. Wipes, nappies, cream, whatever you need.”

Danny looked between you and your sister, still holding Maya like she was made of blown glass. “I literally just met her ten minutes ago.”

“She loves you already,” your sister sang out, walking briskly toward the kitchen. “There’s pumped milk in the fridge, just warm it in a mug of hot water if she gets hungry. You can call me if anything happens, but she just ate, so you’re golden.”

You followed her in a daze. “Are you serious right now?”

“Love you, sis!” she called, kissing your cheek as she passed again, grabbing her keys from the counter. “This is good for you. Great practice!”

“Practice for what?” you spluttered, spinning as she breezed toward the door.

Harry pulled on his coat and gave you both an apologetic smile. “We’ll be quick, promise. She’ll probably sleep most of it anyway.”

“Probably?” Danny echoed faintly.

You watched, frozen, as your sister blew you both a kiss, yanked open the front door, and disappeared out of it with Harry in tow.

You turned slowly toward Danny, who hadn’t moved an inch, still staring down at the baby cradled in his arms.

He looked up at you with wide eyes. “Did we just get ambushed?”

You blinked. “Oh, yeah.”

“She planned that.”

“She absolutely planned that.”

You both stood there for a second, completely still, as Maya blinked up innocently at Danny like she was enjoying the whole thing.

“…What do we do now?” he asked quietly.

You glanced down at the bin of baby supplies your sister had left beside the couch, then back at Danny.

“Well,” you said, exhaling slowly, “we pray she doesn’t poop.”

Danny gave a single, slow nod.

You exhaled, hands on your hips, heart still half racing. Then you looked at Danny again. The way he was cradling her securely, gently, like he was already tuned in to her little rhythms, eased something in your chest.

Danny looked at Maya, then smiled. “I can’t even be that mad. Look at how cute she is.”

You stepped toward them and sat beside him, curling one leg under the other. “She’s fed, changed, and slept. It’ll be easy.”

“Famous last words,” he said softly, grinning down at her.

For a while, it really was easy. Maya slept, again. You and Danny whispered, not daring to raise your voices as though the house had become some sacred, hallowed place. You talked about how weird it was to suddenly be in charge of a newborn, how small she looked in Danny’s arms, how strong her grip was for someone so tiny.

Danny had been tracing the edge of her hat with his pinky, like even touching her too much might wake her. 

And then, slowly, Maya began to stir. At first it was just a little squirm, a soft whimper that made Danny glance at you in alarm. You looked over from your place on the floor, mid-sorting a tiny pile of blankets.

“She’s waking up,” he said, voice low. “Think she needs something?”

Before you could answer, Maya made a louder noise. Not a cry, but a confused, squeaky grunt, and her tiny face twisted up in a funny, crumpled way.

Danny chuckled softly. “What kind of face is that?”

And then the sound hit. Unmistakable, wet, and shockingly loud for such a small person.

Danny froze. “...Oh no.”

You pressed a hand to your mouth, half laughing, half horrified. “Oh my god.”

He shifted his arms slightly. “That was so aggressive.”

You stood up, grabbing the little basket your sister had set up nearby. “Come on. We have to change her.”

“I’ve never changed a diaper in my life.”

“Neither have I.”

Danny stared down at Maya, whose face had relaxed again, completely unaware of the chaos she’d just caused. Danny frowned, “Proud of yourself, are you?.”

You spread out the mat on the carpet and motioned for him to bring her over. He stood, cradling her in his arms like she was about to break. 

“Lay her down,” you gestured to the mat. Danny crouched carefully, easing her down with both hands, supporting her head exactly the way your sister had shown him. You reached into the basket for a fresh nappy and a packet of wipes.

He paused. “I don’t even know how to open this thing.”

“It’s snaps,” you said gently, pulling it open.

Once the onesie was unsnapped and pushed aside you opened her nappy too. Danny stared down at the diaper in mild horror. “That’s... I didn’t even know it could be that color.”

You tried to hold back a gag at the smell. “Oh my god, it smells so bad,” you complained. “And why is it green?!” 

“This is disgusting,” Danny grimaced but opened the wipes with one hand, following the instructions on the diaper package like it was a bomb manual. You helped, handing him what he needed, both of you keeping your heads as far from the baby as possible to try and escape the smell as you navigated each step.

He got the clean diaper on eventually, hands steady despite the stress. “Okay,” he exhaled. “Done.” Danny lifted his hands carefully, admiring the neatly placed, clean diaper and clean baby, pulling away like she might go off again. “That wasn’t too bad.”

“You did great,” you patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks for doing the hard work.”

He smiled and looked up at you, flushed. “She didn’t even cry. That’s a win, right?”

You smiled. “Huge win.”

Danny carefully picked her back up, settling her against his chest. You opened your mouth to remind him about supporting her neck, but stopped when you saw he’d already done it, his hand cupping the back of her head, arm wrapped firmly around her.

“Don’t worry,” he said, catching your almost-warning. “I’ve got her.”

You just nodded, watching how naturally she rested against him. But then her face scrunched, and the first real wail came. It was sudden and sharp, and so, so surprisingly loud.

Danny winced. “Oh no. No no, baby, you were so happy a minute ago.” He rocked her gently, bouncing her a little. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” She didn’t relent. Danny flinched back as she screeched in his ear. “What do I do? Did we change her nappy wrong? Is she hungry?”

You hesitated, frantically searching the room. “I’ll warm a bottle up.”

“She just ate,” Danny remarked astonished. He bounced her lightly as he swayed around, his hand patting the back of her little body against his chest. “Shhh. Please stop crying.”

You fumbled with bottles and milk bags in the kitchen, quickly preparing a warm bottle. 

You popped the bottle into the warmer and hovered over it like it might speed things up just by staring. Behind you, Danny was pacing the living room with Maya clutched against his chest like a precious, screaming package.

“She is so loud,” he said over her cries, his voice part amazed, part pleading. “What do we do if this doesn’t work?”

“It will work,” you replied, though honestly, you weren’t that confident. You held your hand to the side of the bottle, checking for warmth. “Babies cry. That’s their job.”

“Well, she’s excellent at it.”

You pulled the bottle free, gave it a good shake, then crossed the room and held it up triumphantly.

Danny looked wildly relieved. “Oh thank god.” He bounced Maya a little more, then paused. “Do you want to…?”

You nodded, already reaching for her. He passed her over carefully, like she was made of glass, watching your hands closely to make sure you had her neck supported before fully letting go. Her face was scrunched and furious, red and glossy with tears, little fists flailing like she was punching the air for answers.

“Shhh, hey,” you cooed, settling into the couch with her. “Hey, hey, baby girl. It’s okay. I’ve got you.” You guided the bottle gently to her mouth, and miraculously, her cries cut off like someone had flipped a switch.

You both sighed in relief.

“Oh my god,” Danny whispered, stunned. “That’s all it took?”

“Like I said,” you murmured, brushing a thumb over her soft cheek, “babies cry. Doesn’t mean we’ve failed.”

Danny made a soft noise behind you, a little agreement.

You adjusted her in your arms once she slowed, easing her upright against your shoulder and patting her back gently. A tiny burp escaped her, followed by a soft sigh, and then her arms flailed up, stretching out like she was reaching for something.

You giggled, “What’s she doing now?”

Danny laughed, walking over and crouching beside the couch as you laid her back against your lap. “She’s like a tiny dancer.”

Maya’s fingers waved in the air, and you reached out, offering your pinky. Her hand closed around it instantly, warm and soft and so small. 

“Oh,” you breathed, eyes wide. “Okay, yeah. That’s adorable.”

Danny watched her too, then looked at you. “She really likes you.”

You smiled, not looking away from Maya. “She’s met me so many times, she just knows me, that's all.”

Maya’s eyes had opened again, bright and curious. She blinked up at you, then turned, slowly, catching sight of Danny.

Her eyes locked on him. She stilled.

You watched her face. “Yeah?” you said softly, as if narrating to her. “That’s Danny. He’s your uncle, Maya.”

Danny gave a small wave. “Hi.”

Her tiny mouth opened in an ‘O’ of concentration, eyes huge and unblinking. Danny chuckled. “She’s trying to work out if I’m friend or foe.”

“Want to hold her again?”

He nodded, hands already out. You passed her over, making sure he had her secure before leaning back on the couch. She settled quickly, her body molded to his chest like she already knew that spot belonged to her. She didn’t cry. Didn’t squirm. She just… was there, nestled peacefully against him, her little hand resting against his collarbone.

Danny rocked slightly from side to side, eyes half-closed. “She’s kind of perfect.”

You didn’t answer. You were too busy staring. Something about the way he held her, carefully but confidently now, one hand supporting her bottom, the other curled protectively around her back, was doing something deep and unwelcome to your insides.

His hair had fallen a little in his face, and he shook it away absently, his focus still on Maya. He looked soft. Not just in the way he moved, but in the way his face changed around her like he’d unlocked some gentleness you didn’t know he had.

And maybe it was just hormones. Or your ovaries yelling from the rooftops. Or maybe you were just sleep-deprived and easily swayed. But Jesus Christ, seeing him with the baby was… something else.

You were still staring when he looked up, eyes meeting yours.

“What?” he asked, brow raised slightly.

You blinked quickly, shaking your head and dropping your gaze. “Nothing.”

Danny tilted his head a little, clearly not buying it, but he didn’t push. Instead, he looked back down at Maya, whose hand was now slowly, clumsily batting at the collar of his shirt. He caught her hand gently in his fingers.

“She’s got a good grip,” he murmured, half to her, half to himself.

｡˚○

The rest of the afternoon passed fairly easily. Maya had short bursts of energy, waving her arms around, staring at light fixtures like they were the most incredible things she’d ever seen, curling her fingers around anything that came close. She didn’t cry again, not really. Just let out soft little noises now and then as if to remind you both she was still there.

You and Danny stayed mostly on the floor with her, taking turns letting her rest on your chest, or bouncing her gently when she got a little fussy. He even tried to read to her at one point, using a cookbook you’d found on the coffee table. Maya stared at the pages like she understood none of it but appreciated the effort.

There wasn’t much to do, but it didn’t feel boring. It felt like you were inside a bubble, just the three of you, where everything slowed down and nothing felt that urgent. And watching how attentive Danny was, how patient, how good— it kind of messed with your head in a way you were trying very hard not to over analyse.

At one point, you slipped away to the bathroom, leaving Danny with Maya, who was being a bit fussy– not full-out crying, but making it obvious she wasn’t happy with something. You washed your hands, splashed a bit of water on your flushed face, and took a few deep breaths. When you stepped back into the hallway, the house was so quiet you thought maybe she’d fallen asleep again.

But then you heard Danny’s voice. You stilled, just outside the living room. He wasn’t talking. He was singing, humming.

You inched closer, your heart already doing something ridiculous in your chest. Peeking around the corner, you saw his back to you where he stood near the window, Maya curled against his chest, her little hand fisted in the fabric of his shirt.

“We are going… heaven knows where we are going…” Danny sang softly, swaying with her, his voice low and warm and maybe just slightly off-key.

She let out a soft babble, as if trying to join in, and Danny chuckled under his breath, bouncing her a little more.

“But we know within… that we will get there…” he continued, gently tapping her back in rhythm.

You stayed hidden in the hallway, completely still. Something about the moment felt too private, too tender to interrupt. Like stepping in would break whatever spell he’d cast around the two of them.

“We will get there… heaven knows how we will get there… but we know we will…”

Maya gurgled again, louder this time, and Danny smiled.

You pressed a hand to your mouth, your chest feeling weirdly full like you might laugh or cry or both. You didn’t know if it was hormones or your heart or just the sheer, stupid beauty of it all, but you stayed frozen there for a few more seconds, just watching them sway.

｡˚○

By the time your sister’s key turned in the lock, Maya was fast asleep again, tucked neatly into Danny’s arms as he stood swaying near the crib.

“Hellooooo,” your sister called, sweeping through the door with a big, exaggerated grin. Harry followed a few steps behind, looking a little too pleased with himself.

You stood, brushing yourself off and fixing your expression into something halfway between deadpan and fake enthusiasm. “Oh hey,” you said sweetly. “How nice of you to join us.”

“How was it…?,” she asked cautiously. “You don't look too happy…”

You raised your brows and gestured to the sleeping baby. “You left us with this without warning.”

“I left you with my daughter,” she corrected.

“Yes. Your daughter who pooped in technicolor, screamed in surround sound, and then fell asleep like nothing ever happened.”

Danny chuckled softly behind you.

Your sister gave you an exaggerated pout. “I’m sorryyyyy,” she whined. “We just really needed to get some things done.”

“Mmmhmm,” you replied, narrowing your eyes. “I’m sure you had so many important errands to run.” She opened her mouth to defend herself, but you cut her off with a pointed look. “Your buttons are done up wrong, by the way.”

She looked down, gasping as she fumbled to fix them, cheeks turning red. Harry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, glancing everywhere but at either of you.

“Oh my god,” she mumbled. “You’re the worst.”

“You’re not exactly slick,” you muttered back, folding your arms.

“How was she, really?” your sister asked, now distractedly adjusting her bag over her shoulder.

“She was fine,” you said honestly. “She pooped— horrifically, might I add— and we fed her. After that she just… slept and hung out. She’s a chill little baby, when she’s not unleashing war crimes in a diaper.”

“She really is,” Danny added, giving Maya one last glance before walking over to gently place her in the crib. She didn’t even stir, just curled a little tighter into herself, lips parted in that open-mouthed baby sleep that somehow made her even cuter.

“…You know how it is,” your sister said, a little sheepish now, rocking back on her heels.

You gave her a flat look. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

She grinned, unabashed, and clapped her hands together like everything had gone exactly to plan. “Thanks for the free babysitting service, by the way. I’ll be sure to leave her with you guys again soon.”

“Mm-hmm,” you deadpanned. “Next time I’m charging hourly.”

Danny offered a small wave as everyone said their goodbyes. Harry gave a nod and a “thanks again,” and your sister actually had the nerve to wink as you walked out the door.

｡˚○

Later that night, everything should’ve felt back to normal. You and Danny had eaten dinner, showered, and curled up on the couch in sweats, a movie playing lazily on the TV. But your head was somewhere else entirely. Your body too, if you were being honest.

You couldn’t stop thinking about him. Holding Maya. Rocking her so gently, like she was something fragile and precious. Talking to her in that soft, low voice. Smiling down at her like she was magic. It had cracked something open in you— some primal, aching little part you didn’t want to name.

And, okay, fine. He’d looked really good doing it. Hoodie sleeves pushed up, curls falling in his face, arms steady as anything. Protective. Capable. Warm. God, it was so unfair. You tried to focus on the movie, but your gaze kept drifting to the wall across from you, unfocused and burning with thoughts you didn’t want to say out loud.

Next to you, Danny shifted slightly, arm still slung over your shoulders. “Hey,” he said, voice low. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

You blinked. “Hm? Nothing.”

He turned toward you with a knowing look. “Mmm, try again.”

You huffed, smiling despite yourself. “It’s nothing. Really.”

Danny sat up straighter, grinning like he’d caught a secret. “Oooh. It’s really juicy, isn’t it?”

You rolled your eyes and tried to turn away, but he leaned over you, hovering like a smug blanket. “Tell meee.”

You pushed at his chest, laughing. “God, you’re so annoying.”

“You know you want to. C’mon now, out with it,” he smiled.

You sighed and fiddled with the drawstring on his hoodie, staring at your fingers so you didn’t have to look at him. “Okay. Just… don’t make fun of me.”

Danny’s tone softened instantly. “Never.”

You picked at the string, twisting it between your fingers. “It doesn’t mean anything. I just… It was just a thought…”

He looked at you with one brow raised as if to say ‘go on…’

You sighed. “I liked seeing you today… holding Maya– playing with her, caring for her, you know.”

He was quiet for a second, just watching you.

“It was sweet,” you added. “And it made me…” You hesitated, heat crawling up your neck. “I don’t know. Made me…”

Danny tilted his head. “Made you wanna have one of your own?”

You gave the smallest nod, cheeks flushing.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the tip of your nose, then rested his forehead gently against yours. “Me too.”

You pulled back slightly, just enough to search his face. “Really?”

Danny’s gaze held yours, unwavering. “Yeah. Really.”

His thumb swept across your jaw, slow and sure, and then down, trailing the side of your neck like he couldn’t help it. “Watching you today…” he exhaled, jaw tensing just slightly. “You looked good.”

He smiled softly, but there was heat behind it now. “You knew what you were doing. Holding her. Feeding her.” His fingers skimmed lower, brushing your collarbone. “You didn’t even hesitate.”

“I was faking it,” you murmured, breathless.

Danny shook his head, eyes dark. “Could’ve fooled me.” His hand slid to your thigh, tracing idle patterns there. “You looked… really good.”

You swallowed hard. “You did too.”

He tilted his head. “Yeah?”

“Mhm.” Your voice came out barely above a whisper. “Took control… and just– took care of her so well.”

Danny’s thumb dipped beneath the edge of your shorts. “We worked pretty well together, huh?”

You nodded slowly, pulse picking up with each slow pass of his hand.

“And you liked seeing me like that too?” he asked, fingers sliding just slightly higher.

You let out a quiet, shaky breath. “You have no idea.”

Danny leaned in closer, lips brushing your cheek, your jaw. “I think I might.”

He kissed just beneath your ear, slow and deep, and the sound you made in response had him smirking against your skin.

“We were good at it,” he murmured, hands firm now on your thighs, pulling you slightly toward him. “Every little thing… we handled it like it was nothing.”

“Felt natural,” you whispered.

Danny pulled back just enough to look at you— hair a little messy, necklace hanging in the quickly shortened space between you, eyes heavy with something softer and deeper than lust. “It did.”

You watched the way his chest rose and fell. The way his hands stayed on you, steady and sure. The way he looked at you like he already knew what you were thinking.

“It would be nice,” you murmured, almost like you were confessing a secret, “to have one of our own someday.”

“You want to have a baby with me?” he asked, voice low, reverent.

Your chest rose slowly. And then you nodded, eyes never leaving his.

His eyes fluttered and jaw ticked, but he seemed a little surprised. “You… sometime in the future… or, the near future… or…”

“Whenever. In a year, in a month, a week… tomorrow… tonight,” your eyes locked into his, your voice teetering in caution. “I don't care when, Danny. I just know that I want it to be you.”

“Tonight?” he repeated, eyes darkening as his hand slid up your thigh again, squeezing slowly. 

You paused and then nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“You want me…” he shifted so that his body was completely hovering over you now, “To get you pregnant… tonight?” he breathed, so close you could have sworn you could hear his heart racing in his chest. 

You nodded before you could even let the flush of embarrassment creep up your cheeks. “Yes.”

Danny didn’t waste another second before kissing you, lik your words flipped a switch in him. You barely registered the way he pulled you beneath him, how your back sank into the couch cushions, because his mouth was everywhere. Hot and hungry and full of want.

His hands pushed your shirt up in one motion, dragging it over your head and tossing it blindly aside. His mouth latched onto your breast, hand grabbing the other and kneeding it as he sucked and kissed like a man starved. 

“Jesus, Danny,” you exclaimed, the feeling shocking you and making you quirm. He pulled back and hooked his fingers into your shorts and underwear at once, pulling them down slow but deliberate, groaning when he saw you.

“Fuck,” he murmured, voice thick. “You’re already so wet for me.”

You nodded, barely breathing. You grabbed the ends of his shirt and tugged it up. “Off, please,” you begged. Danny sat up on his knees and pulled his shirt off, his shoulders and chest contracting beautifully in the movement. 

He back leaned in, kissing you hard, tongue sliding against yours as his hand dragged up your thigh, spreading you open beneath him. “You know what you do to me?” he whispered into your mouth. “You tell me you want to have my baby and expect me to stay calm?”

You whimpered, arching into him and hips rocking against his hand. 

“Shhh,” he whispered against your throat, slipping two fingers inside you, curling them just right. “Let me take care of you first.”

Your hands clawed at his back, gasping into his mouth as he kissed you again, fingers working you open slow and steady, like he was memorizing the shape of you, learning every twitch and moan.

He kept his forehead pressed to yours as he worked you— deep, steady strokes that had your breath hitching with every curl. His thumb brushed against your clit, light and maddening, circling slow and deliberate until your thighs trembled beneath him.

You clung to his shoulders, panting, your eyes half-lidded and glassy. “Danny— please—”

He kissed you again, catching the sound in your mouth. You felt too hot all over, too wound up. His fingers were so good, too good, but you needed more. Needed him.

Your hand slid down between you blindly, seeking him out, palming him through his sweats. He was already hard, straining against the fabric, and you felt him twitch beneath your touch.

He groaned, low and sharp, but then he caught your wrist gently and held your hand still.

“Wait,” he whispered, eyes flicking up to meet yours. He kissed your knuckles, holding your hand close to his chest. “I need to make sure you really want this, tonight.”

You blinked at him, breath still stuttering.

His voice was quieter now. Earnest. “This… it’s not nothing. It would change everything. I just—I need to know you really want it. That you’re sure.”

Your heart squeezed at the way he looked at you. Serious. A little scared. But ready—if you were.

You took his cheek into your open palm, pulling him closer. “I know. I really want this,” you said softly. “With you.”

He didn’t ask again. He kissed you hard, fingers slipping from your body so he could push his sweats down, one hand fumbling between you. You felt the blunt heat of him pressing against your thigh as he grinded down against you, his groans muffled by your mouth. You blindly reached for him, and wrapped your hand around him, hot and heavy in your palm, and he let out a sharp breath against your lips. You stroked him once, slow and long, and he dropped his forehead to your shoulder, hips jerking.

“Fuck,” he whispered, his voice rough, like just your touch was too much.

You guided him between your legs, the head of him dragging through your slick folds, and he pressed his hips forward instinctively, catching just at your entrance. But then he stilled, his eyes meeting yours again. Both of you breathless. Eyes wide.

You nodded, cupping his jaw. Slowly, like he didn’t want to rush a second of it, he slid inside.

The stretch made you gasp, your fingers curling around his shoulders as your whole body opened to him. He filled you inch by inch, thick and warm and so deep you couldn’t think. He held still once he was buried all the way, both of you clinging to each other in the silence that followed.

You could feel his heartbeat against yours.

“God,” Danny breathed. “You feel… so perfect baby.”

You swallowed hard, eyes fluttering shut as your hands slid up into his hair. “Move, please.”

He pulled back just enough, then rolled his hips into you, deep and slow. The pace was steady, deliberate, like he was trying to memorize you from the inside out.

Your hands roamed his back, his sides, everywhere you could touch as his mouth found yours again— kissing you like he couldn’t get close enough. You moaned softly into him, your legs tightening around his waist to keep him there.

Each thrust rocked through you, full and smooth, dragging moans from your throat you couldn’t hold back.

“You’re taking me so well,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to yours. “Every time… but this— fuck, this is different.”

You nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. Your body felt feverish, too much and not enough all at once, the drag of him inside you hitting that perfect spot with every stroke.

Danny’s breath hitched against your throat, voice rough and barely audible like he was talking more to himself than to you.

“Ohhh, fuck… gonna give you what you want,” he murmured, hips rolling deeper, slower. “So perfect for me… take me so well… just like that…”

You whimpered, clutching at his back, and he let out a low, broken sound.

“Gonna fill you up,” he groaned, teeth grazing your jaw. “Yeah, that’s what you want, isn’t it? You want me to come inside you… fuck, say it. Say you want it.”

“Yes,” you gasped. “I want it—I want you— please.”

His mouth stayed parted on a moan, a crooked smile breaking through as his hand slipped between your bodies, fingers circling your clit, just enough pressure to make your thighs tremble. He shuddered when you began to tighten around him.

“That’s it,” he murmured. “Let go for me.”

You cried out, clenching around him as your orgasm hit— hot and slow and all-consuming, back arching off the couch. He moaned, fucking you through it, hips stuttering slightly from how tight you were gripping him.

“I’m close,” he panted, voice shaking. “You sure you want me to—”

“Yes,” you gasped. “Don’t pull out, please Danny.”

He dropped his head to your shoulder, hips snapping faster but sloppier now, until with a strained groan he pushed in deep and stilled, cumming hard inside you. His body shook with it, and yours wrapped around him, both of you breathing heavy, hearts racing.

He didn’t move right away. Just held you, kissed your shoulder, your cheek, your mouth— full of something much softer.

When he finally lifted his head to look at you, his eyes were glassy, lips parted, still catching his breath. He leaned in and kissed you, like a thank-you. He eased himself out of you with a sigh, and sat up slightly, his hand drifting down, resting warm and wide over your lower belly.

“You think…” he swallowed, voice barely a whisper, “You think it’s going to work?”

You reached up, brushing the sweaty hair back from his forehead, and gave him the smallest, sleepiest nod.

“Hope so…”

Danny glanced down between your bodies and stilled. He could see the slow, glistening mess of himself leaking out of you, and his eyes shifted reverently.

“Shit baby,” he muttered, almost under his breath.

He brought his hand down, fingers dipping between your thighs, gathering the spill on his fingertips. Then carefully, he pushed it back into you with two fingers, curling them shallow as your hips twitched.

You gasped softly, the sensitivity too much, your body already tender and overused.

“Shhh,” he murmured, leaning over you, his other hand rubbing slow circles into your waist. “I know, baby. I know.”

His fingers slipped out but he didn’t move far, just stayed close, kissing the side of your face, your shoulder, the corner of your mouth.

“You did so good, took it so well,” he said softly. “Look so beautiful like this… All tired and messy.”

You didn’t have the energy to respond, and your eyes fluttered shut as he gathered you gently into his arms, pulling you against his chest. You curled into him automatically, limbs heavy and sore in the best way.

He kissed your forehead, his voice rough in your ear.

“You’re gonna be the best mamma, I can’t wait…”

｡˚○

Tag List: @frogkiszka @hailtheaeon @allof--mylove @scarabsinthestardust @musicislove3389 @lightsofthe-living-gvf @demolitiondanchipsversion @malenaintheskywithdiamonds @cheersdannyx2

[hearts-hunger]

okay but what if your little girl has always grown up having danny wrapped around her finger, knowing she's safe and loved, but one day she sees danny doing some manly work for you, like moving furniture so you can rearrange her bedroom, and she realizes for the first time how big and strong he really is, especially compared to her. and danny notices she's looking at him with big eyes and he asks what's up.

“you're kinda scary, daddy.”

he frowns. “scary?” he says. he tries to figure out what could have made her think that. he is moving some heavy furniture, he guesses, and his arms look big and bunched up as he works, and maybe she's just never noticed that before.

he sets the furniture aside and hunkers down in front of her.

“scary, huh?” he asks gently. he brushes her hair back from her face. “i promise i’m not. not to you, little girl. not ever.”

she hugs her stuffed pink bunny a little closer.

“but your arms,” she says, trying to put this feeling into words, trying to explain something she’s never known before, the reality that her dad is big and she is small. “you can do things i can't do. things even mama can't do.”

he shrugs. “yeah, i guess so. i like to help you and mama do that kind of stuff.” he tickes her. “like rearranging your whole bedroom when mama gets excited about redecorating.”

she giggles and his face melts into a grin. god, he loves her. this little look-alike of you that broke his heart when he held her the first time and has put it back together every day since.

“you’re bigger than your little bunny, aren't you?” he asks, tugging gently on the well-loved ear of her stuffie. “and you can do things she can't do, right?”

she nods.

“but you’d never hurt her,” he says. “and she doesn't have to be scared of you, does she?”

“i don't think so,” she says, starting to understand.

he holds out his hand and lets her compare her hand to it. it barely spans the length of his palm.

“same with me and you,” he says. “i am a lot bigger than you. but you don't have to be scared of me. because i'll never hurt you, baby girl. you hear me?”

she nods. she throws her arms around his neck and hugs him as tightly as she can. he holds her close and hugs her back, knowing just how gentle to be with her.

“i love you, daddy.”

danny hugs her a little tighter, using his strength for tenderness, always, when it comes to her.

“i love you too, little girl.”

[kissingkiszka]

I think we need some more dad jake

Father’s Day - dad!Jake Kiszka x Reader

Words: 450+

Summary: On Father’s Day, you surprise Jake with a very special gift, making it his first Father’s Day.

CW: MDNI, 18+, fluff, pregnancy, surprises, cursing, talks of anxiety, implications of sex, suggestive talks

Happy Father’s Day!

—————————————————————

“Goodmorning, love.” You giggled into Jake’s shoulder. He was buried under the covers, it was still pretty early in the morning.

He groans, rolling over to his other side. “Hi beautiful.” He manages to mumble.

“It’s Father’s Day.” You tell him.

He shoots up and looks at you, rubbing his eyes. “Oh shit. Is my dad coming over?” He asks, trying to blink the sleep away.

You casually shake your head, in no rush. “He’ll be here in a few hours.”

“Okay.” He accepts, he stands up and saunters over to his closet.

You sneak into the other room while he’s getting dressed and grab the gift bag you had put aside for safe keeping. You wait a few minutes until he’s fully ready to give it to him.

“Hey, Jake.” You smile, hiding the gift bag behind your back. You’re feeling all the feelings of anxiety to excitement running through you.

“What’s up?” He asks, putting the finishing touches on his outfit. He’s wearing a striped button up and light colored jeans.

“Happy Father’s Day.” You giggle.

“What?” He chuckles, not understanding what’s going on.

“Happy Father’s Day.” You repeat, becoming more nervous.

“I’m not a dad, but, thanks.” He laughs. “I mean, shit, I’ll be your daddy.”

You giggle and then shake your head. “No, Jake.”

You hand him the gift bag. His eyebrows furrow with confusion as he takes the bag from you.

He scans the bag curiously before carefully pulling the tissue paper out.

“Love…what is this?” He questions softly. “You know I don’t like surprises.” He smiles, opening the bag further.

He pulls out a black box from inside the gift bag and inspects it thoroughly. You chuckle out of nervousness. He wastes no time opening the box, and pulls out a onesie with a pattern of guitars scattered all over it. Followed by a pregnancy test. A positive one.

“No.” He gasps, his free hand flying to cover his mouth. Your heart sinks before he uncontrollably breaks out into a smile, which is then followed by laughter.

“Oh my god! You’re-” he asks through giggles.

“Yes!” You nod with a chuckle. Finally over the moon to reveal your secret with him. You wanted to make it the most special day and also tell him the news in the most special way, and figured Father’s Day was coming up, so you had to plan it out perfectly. Although the past few days were near impossible, making sure not to accidentally let it slip.

He holds you for what feels like eternity, and you wish it had been.

“Oh my god!” He repeats, in complete shock. “My love! We’re having a little love!” He exclaims, his voice breaking.

You lean in and plant a kiss on his lips. “Happy first Father’s Day, Jake.”

“My first Father’s Day.” He repeats to himself, making him beam with pride.

[anthemofgvf]

jake sent a nine year old fan a guitar and a shit ton of other things. don’t mind me over here crying..

here’s the post if you want to see all the goodies this sweet girl got from gvf’s management and jake❤️

[gracev0609]

I Was Born to Love You - Sam's Version

A gracev0609/ @losfacedevil collaboration.

Meet Sam in this version of I Was Born to Love You, and watch how he wades through his struggles and losses. How he learns to look for love in places he always knew was there, and how a family full of love and contentment doesn't have to be traditional.

*Disclaimer*: this story will contain themes of child abandonment as well as a queer love interest.

Let us know if you want to be tagged!

[imgonnagetkilledbynutstink]

This picture is literally gonna kill me

[ashisill]

Waited all my life

Dad Josh that was supposed to be a blurb, but turned into a whole fic.

Warnings: pregnancy, birth (at home), mentions of childhood trauma, crying. If I missed any let me know.

~

Josh was in love with your baby the moment you found out you were pregnant. It started when you were a day late. No big deal it will come. Two days there’s still plenty of hope. Three … no worry. Then the two week mark hit, and you knew something was up.

“Josh I need to talk to you” you said sitting him down on the bed.

“Right now sweetheart? Jake and Danny are downstairs” he questioned.

“Josh it’s really important it can’t wait” you reassured him.

“Okay darling I am here talk to me” he took your hands into his.

“I am late”

“By how many days?” He asked.

You said softly “two weeks”

“Do you think it’s a possibility?”

“I feel weird Josh. I just can’t explain it”

“Okay darling I hear you. we’ll get a test and go from there okay? Don’t worry”

That’s all it took for him to hop in the car. He got what you needed, making sure to bring a few of your favorite snacks back. You sat on the couch with Jake and Danny. Listening to all their crazy stories. Jake told you about the last time he took mushrooms, and all the wild shit that came with it. Danny added some stories of his own to the mix. Josh arrived back home with the box of pregnancy test in hand.

Jake stops mid sentence “pregnancy scare huh?

“Might be more than a scare”

~

You walked out of the bathroom, and waited for the timer. You got lost in the conversation. It almost seemed like that was Jake’s plan. He could tell your anxiety was through the roof. Every time he’d notice you starting to zone out he would bring you back. He did the best he could until that dreaded ringtone burst into the cozy conversation.

“Can I come with you or would you rather do it alone?” Josh asked looking down praying you’d let him in.

“Of course I want you with me silly” you laughed softly before opening the bathroom door. “You ready?”

He stared at the faced down pregnancy test, and took a deep breath“yes”.

You saw it

You knew it was true. Every emotion hit you at once. “Hey it’s gonna be okay. Lemme make sure” Josh took off sprinting into the living room. He grabbed the paper and there it said.

“Two lines” he said almost a whisper “Y/N TWO FUCKING LINES!”

He ran back as fast as he could. You felt like crying, but you didn’t want him to think you were upset. Instead you wrapped your arms around his neck giving him a kiss. “Your gonna be the best dad darling”

The rest of the night went well. Jake wrapped Josh in his arms for a long and tight hug. “I am so happy for you brother”. Jake knew Josh had always wanted to be a dad. Growing up he’d always dreamed of it. When they reached adulthood together he’d would always ask Jake if he ever thought about having kids. He’d tell him all his hopes for a future. Then he met you, and he told Jake it would be you. You would be the one to give him his dream. A little baby. A bundle of joy. A child to pour all his love into. Your the only one he’s ever thought about having kids with. He’s brought it up before, but never flat out asked if you were ready. Making little comments like “I just can’t wait to have kids”. “We’re gonna be such good parents one day”. Or when he sees a baby in public, and he gets a big warm smile “don’t you just want you one?”

A few days past he asked you about telling his parents. You talked about it for a while and decided to give them a call in the morning. The next day came and immediately he was on the phone telling his mom to get the next flight to Nashville. He spent all day pacing around the house. Cleaning things that didn’t to be clean, reorganizing, cleaning some more.

The front door opened no need for knocking. They reunited talking loudly over each other, and lots of hugs. It didn’t matter that you saw them all a week ago. Sam came in after his parents. Jake making a big entrance almost an hour after everyone arrived.

Jake and Josh headed outside to throw some food on the grill. You stayed in chatting with his family. They were pretty much your family at this point.

~

After everyone finished their meal Josh stood up. He signaled for you to stand with him, and so you did.

“Guys I need everyone’s attention” he kissed your forehead, and placed an hand on your belly. “We’re gonna have a baby. She’s pregnant”. That’s all it took for everyone to be back on their feet. Hugging the both of you. A few tears were shed from his momma. You loved her dearly. Karen was the first one to take you in, and treat you like her own.

You looked over at Sam to find his jaw dropped. “No words Sammy?”

“I am so fucking happy for you” he ran and wrapped you in a hug. You were surprised by this Sammy was never affectionate towards you. In return you hugged him tighter, and stayed there for a while.

Papa Kiszka noticing jakes nonchalant reaction he asked him about it. Jake explained that him and Danny were there you found out. Karen was very jealous. She would have loved to of been there when you found out. She’s been waiting for grandkids. She always said Josh would be the first to give her some. Guess moms are always right.

~

The next 9 months we’re spent planning, and heavy thinking. Karen there every step of the way. Sometimes getting to much in your business, and josh getting annoyed at her. You always reminded him how lucky he is to have her. Your mother wasn’t quite the mothering type. Hence to all your childhood trauma. You knew you would never let your kid grow up the way you did. That’s why you decide to not let her know you were pregnant. You didn’t want her involved with this life your creating. She always ruined yours. You never want your baby to feel how you had too.

You and Josh being the non traditional people that you are. You’ve decided to an at home birth. A water birth. Karen supported your decision adding that the hospital is very pushy. Plus all the hospitals policies were something Josh and you didn’t agree with. Knowing Josh would end up with wrinkles and grey hair with all that stress before the baby was even born. After all you didn’t want to be told how to give birth. It’s your body’s natural process, and not a medical emergency. You two like to do things a natural way. That meaning literally everything you two did.

Of course you made sure this was completely safe to do. Making sure you weren’t high risk, and assuring the babies safety.

~

Names names names.

“What about _?”

“You really wanna name our kid _? Do you want our poor baby to get made fun of?”

“Okay then. Your so dramatic mama. What about this one?”

“Joshua really”

“Well considering we planned on not knowing the gender till birth it has to work both ways”

“I’ve got one … River”

And it stuck.

~

A couple weeks past and Josh’s family had a huge family gathering. Celebrating a few birthdays that were past or coming up, the boys success with the band, and to announce your baby on the way. You two slept over that night to help set up the next morning. Josh woke up, and decided to let you sleep. He covered the blankets back over you, and headed for the kitchen. You awoke about an hour later not feeling so well.

“Good morning my pretty girl” he kissed your forehead. “How’s our baby?” He bent down kissing your stomach.

“Babies good. I am not feeling so great though” you told him. “ I feel like I am gonna be sick”

“Oh it’s morning sickness my dear” Karen told you finishing up breakfast.

You felt it rising, and looked around frantically for a safe place. Josh could tell by the look on your face what was about to happen. “Trash can sweetheart” he quickly walked you to it.

You felt terrible even tho you couldn’t help it. Tears threatening your eyes, and you tried to hide them well. “Hey don’t even worry about it sweet girl”. Josh’s kind words making you want to crawl into his arms and cry. “Don’t cry angel”. He swiped his fingers under your eyes to dry up any tears.

You apologized to Karen she just waved her hand, and said “you have nothing to be sorry about. Trust me I’ve had four kids I know how it feels”. Josh took you to the bathroom to run you a shower. He sat on the bathroom counter and talked to you as you cleaned up. After, you greeted his family and announced the news again, but to a bigger crowd this time.

~

Around three months in you and josh started on the nursery. You painted the walls a beautiful shade of light blue. One evening you went to the store to grab a certain snack. Pregnancy cravings are no joke. You came back to find josh painting little clouds on the wall. He picked the wall the crib was going on.

“Josh” you said looking at the clouds.

“I got carried away we can paint over them I just-”

“No no no love it’s perfect. The baby is gonna love em” you said tearing up. Surely just the pregnancy hormones, but this was a beautiful moment. “Awe baby don’t cry” he took you in a hug. “I am glad you like them”

~

Nearing the time of your due date Karen stayed with you. She slept in the guest bedroom so you never had to be alone. One night you’ve began feeling contractions, so Karen started timing them. You were in pain, but enough to function. You moved around a a yoga ball josh insisted you buy. Josh began playing music through the speakers. At this point joshs closest family was there. Along with your closest friends.

“Come dance with me darling” josh held his hand out.

You giggled through the contractions “josh I can’t”.

“Don’t lie to me” he joked “C’mon on ya feet I’ll hold you up”.

How could you stay no to that?

You began dancing more like waddling around with josh. Then suddenly the feeling of water dripped down your legs. You looked down immediately knowing what just happened. Josh knew too “Her water broke!” Josh shouted.

Everyone sprung into action. The midwife was called and the small circular inflatable birthing pool was put up. You got in the pool with help from josh.

Only Karen, josh, and the midwife were in the room now. Giving you your space as they all waited anxiously in your living room.

“I can’t josh” you cried in pain.

“Yes you can your so fucking strong” josh stood on the side holding you up as you bent over the pool side.

You gripped Josh leaving finger nail prints on his arm.

“Your almost there I promise” Karen told you.

You squeezed the fuck out of Josh’s hand as he talked you through it. “It’s almost over darling. I am so fucking proud of you” his eyes started to swell this tears. “I am so proud of you” he whispered.

One final push

The moment you waited 9 whole months for was before you. A thousand feelings hit you. Sad? Happy? Relieved? Pain? No a feeling that didn’t have a name. You couldn’t explain it because you’ve never felt it before. I sense a change. Protectiveness. A motherly feeling.

The midwife carefully examined, and lifted the newborn out of the water. The gender was announced, and josh started crying harder. The baby was laid on your chest as tears streamed down your face.

After some time the question was asked “Anyone cutting the umbilical cord?”

Josh’s eyes met yours. “Would you like to?” You asked him.

“I would love to”

He was showed where to cut it once he lined it up he asked if it was right just to make sure. He got the go ahead, and cut the umbilical cord.

~

You josh got a moment alone.

“May I?” Josh said asking to sit in the water with you.

“Please” you said. When he sat down softly you handed him his daughter. Karen being the only one beside you two who knew the gender yet.

“She’s so beautiful” he began to cry. “Just like her mama. I am so happy to meet you baby” He rambled to his daughter for quite some time.

“I’ve waited all my life for you”

An hour past and your excitement grew “When do you want to show them?” You asked.

“Whenever your ready mama” he said handing her back to you. You told him you were, but asked if he wanted to let Jake announce the gender. He got teary eyed again more than happy to let his twin be involved. When Karen came back you requested Jake come in alone for a minute.

“They said there about ready, but they’d like Jake to come in alone first” Karen said.

“Me?” Jake stood up and gently opened the door. He immediately washed his hands before heading over to you.“Oh my god. It’s not bald” he laughed.

“No she’s not” you laughed.

“It’s a girl” he smiled “I fucking knew it”

You started handing River over to Jake. “Are you sure?”

“Yes of course. We want to ask you something as well” you said looking at josh to finish.

“Would you like to announce the gender?” Josh said.

“I would fucking love to. Are you sure?” You both nodded, and looked down at the infant in his arms. “Hey little girl it’s uncle Jakey. Well aren’t you just the prettiest”

You watched josh and he looked at Jake with complete love in his eyes. Watching his twin brother hold his daughter made all this seem real. Tears ran down his face again making you start to cry.

“Oh god don’t do that” Jake said looking at you two. He looked down again “your gonna make me cry to pretty girl” his eyes began to water. He looked up and took a breath refusing to let them fall. “Emotional moment ay?”

You laughed at Jake’s attempt to stop the tears.

“Ugh I guess I gotta share ya huh? You ready to meet em sweetheart?”

~

Everyone was called in, and the room was filled with love as everyone gasps and cooed at the newborn. Jake still held her in his arms as his sister Ronnie tried to take her.

“Back off” he joked. “I’ve got news folks” the room went quite “Rivers a girl”.

As calm and relaxed as Karen’s been the whole journey you began to watch her eyes swell. Not only was it her first granddaughter, but that josh needed Jake to be included. No matter how old they may get they still needed each other. As much as you’d need oxygen to breathe. Even though this was Josh’s moment he needed Jake to share it with.

[psychedelicstardust-gvf]

ok so I basically had this idea for a fic i wanna write but I need second opinions.

SO basically, the reader is a surrogate mother for Josh and his partner, and the reader is with Danny right. So about 6 or 7 months into pregnancy, Danny and the reader have a long talk about how they want kids of their own and it just gets really mushy.

wait i have so many thoughts about this, that’s such a good idea

i feel like Danny would love how the reader looks pregnant, but like there might be some insecurity on his part about his place in the situation. like i think he would want to love on the reader while they’re pregnant, but something as intimate as rubbing their baby bump might be uncomfortable for him since it’s not his child.

even if he’s okay with the reader being a surrogate, i feel like it would make him want kids with the reader more so that he could love on them AND his child. if that makes sense.

let me know if you need more elaboration! sorry lol, i’m tired and not wearing my glasses so hopefully i got what i was trying to say across.

[luverleaver]

My favorite trio 🥰

[jrvanfleet]

Reposting this fic because it’s a year old today… Happy Halloweenie you beautiful people :)

Theres also a part 2 smut of this fic for all those who partake 😈

When You’re an Addams - j.t.k.

summary: you and Jake have a 4 year old who’s recently been obsessed with the 1991 film The Addams Family. with halloween approaching, it only makes sense for everyone to get in on the costume fun.

pairing: jake x f. reader

warnings: none! cute family/domestic shit bc i can’t control myself. also bonus uncle!josh content that will probably make you cry i’m ngl..

word count: 3.2k

[read part 2 of this fic HERE! - warning, part 2 is 18+, Minors DNI!]

—————

It was your favorite night of the year. October 31st. Hallow’s Eve. It was made even sweeter now that you had a four year old who was just starting to understand the wonder of Halloween. Her recent obsession, aside from butterflies and her strange connection to pirates (something she picked up from her father), was the 1991 film The Addams Family. Her obsession started a few months before when her uncle Josh had picked her up from school.

When Jake let himself through his brother’s front door to pick her up, he found the two of them snuggled up on his twin’s couch with a snack, your daughter fully enthralled with the movie. Ever since, she’d been obsessed with the film, asking you to put it on every afternoon when she came home and waltzing around pretending to be Wednesday Addams.

It was no surprise to you or Jake that when you asked her what she might want to dress up as for Halloween, her answer had been immediate.

Her costume had been mercifully easy to put together. Her hair was a beautiful brown, not quite as dark as Wednesday’s but thankfully long enough to put into two braids. You had taken her out on a mother-daughter date the weekend before Halloween and had found the perfect black dress with a white collar and some black tights. She was so excited that she couldn’t even wait until you’d gotten home to start tearing into the package of the tights and trying to pull them on over her leggings.

Your mother-daughter date hadn’t been solely for your four-year-old though. While you’d been out, the two of you had stopped by a few stores looking for the perfect dress for your costume.

After your daughter’s declaration of wanting to be Wednesday, it was obvious to you and Jake that you had to get in on the Addams Family themed costumes. Jake luckily already had a heather grey linen suit in his closet that he was planning to wear, but you wanted something a bit more dramatic.

“Mommy, what about this one!” your daughter shouted down the aisle yanking on a piece of silky black fabric hanging from a rack. You pulled the dress from between the mass of options and your mouth dropped open from the gem your daughter had discovered.

“It’s perfect, buggy!” you told her, kissing her on the top of her head as she ran her fingers over the fabric.

As you walked hand in hand towards the exit of the mall, you were drawn to the delicious smell of Annie’s Pretzels. You leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Let’s get a treat, but we can’t tell daddy.” A devilish grin spread across her face at her new secret.

The two of you walked back to the car, pretzels and shopping bags in hand, your daughter buzzing with excitement in her carseat.

She raced up the few steps through the interior door in the garage, throwing it open and kicking her shoes haphazardly in the direction of the shoe closet yelling “Daddy! Daddy!”

She found him in the kitchen, placing a few plates from the sink into the dishwasher. He quickly dried his hands and spun around to pick her up in a big bear hug.

“Did you have fun today, Buggy?” he asked as she squirmed in his arms.

She recounted your afternoon in rapid fire, telling him all about her ‘Wednesday dress’ and her new tights and how she had picked out mommy’s “perfect costume”–a comment that earned you a sultry eyebrow raise from your husband when he looked up at you leaning against the kitchen door frame–

“And then when we were about to leave, mommy said we should get pretzels but not to tell–” Your daughter cut herself off as she realized she’d spilled her secret in her excitement. Her eyes went wide as Jake gasped with mock hurt.

“You two got a pretzel and didn’t get me anything?” He asked her with a pout.

“Oh no, daddy! Mommy we have to go back and get daddy a pretzel too!”

You smiled as you held up the second half of your snack that you’d saved for him, knowing your daughter couldn’t keep a secret to save her life.

Jake strode over to you, taking it out of your hand and kissing you firmly. “I love you,” he said, smiling into the kiss.

—————

Your daughter couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to dress up as her favorite character from her favorite movie. When Halloween finally arrived and you picked her up from school she was talking a mile a minute. She told you about how all of her friends were going trick-or-treating tonight too and how she had made a ghost out of a tissue and a rubber band. She held up the little ghost so you could see it in the rearview mirror and you laughed as she made it fly around the backseat.

When you finally arrived at home, she ran to her room to start putting on her costume. It was only three o’clock and you still needed to clean up the house and get dinner started, but you thought there wasn’t any harm in letting her run around in her dress and tights for the afternoon.

You’d been home for about an hour, your daughter coming in and out of the kitchen, twirling and dancing with her stuffed animals singing “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky. They're altogether ooky, The Addams Family!”

You heard the garage door open and shut.

“Daddy’s home, wanna go help him bring his stuff in, buggy?” You asked your daughter. She immediately dropped her stuffed animal on the floor and threw open the door.

“My love!” Jake said, a guitar case grasped in each hand. He knelt to set one down in the small hallway so he could scoop her up with a free arm.

“Look at my costume!” she exclaimed from her perch on his hip.

“I almost didn’t recognize you buggy. You look just like her!” He hugged her close to his side and kissed her cheek. Your husband leaned over towards the guitar case he’d set on the floor, trying to balance his things and his daughter all at once. You heard him curse under his breath as he started to lose his balance.

“Jake, don’t you dare drop my child.” You said over your shoulder as you wiped down the dining table.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sugar,” he replied, his voice strained from the effort. “Let's put this stuff away bug, and then how about we do Wednesday’s braids?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she cheered and clung tighter to Jake as he shuffled down the hallway towards his studio.

You couldn’t help but smile at your daughter’s enthusiasm. She and Jake truly were best friends.

Ten minutes later, your daughter came bounding into the kitchen followed shortly after by your husband. Her hair was divided into two cute little braids down the sides of her head and she was twirling in large circles trying to make the braids fly out with the movement.

Jake made his way over to you in three easy strides and you smiled when his hands found your waist and pulled you into a sweet kiss.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” you grinned. “Those braids look good.”

Jake smiled and turned his head to the side, watching your daughter who was lost in her own world. “Why thank you, I am quite talented aren’t I?” A hint of his fake British accent found its way into his joke, his lips turning up at the corners. “Go get ready sugar, I’ll wrangle the bugster.”

You kissed him once more before heading down the hallway to your shared room.

You had only tried the dress on once before. The night you bought it, you kicked Jake out of your room (much to his dismay) and made sure that it fit. It had been against your better judgment to buy a dress without trying it on in the store first, but luckily, it fit just right.

Black satin, dark as onyx, the dress shone in the soft light of your bedroom as you turned left and right. The sleeves reached almost to your fingertips, flaring out dramatically towards the floor, reminding you of a bat’s wings. Your hands smoothed over the bodice, feeling the softness of the buttery fabric under your touch. You’d spent most of your time making your makeup dramatic for the occasion. You took the dress off the hanger and slipped it on. Since it was meant to be form-fitting, it was hard to get the near-invisible zipper up all the way by yourself. You struggled with it for a minute, jumping slightly (as if that helps at all). You managed to close it three quarters of the way before you gave up.

“Jake!” you called to your husband in a huff. You weren’t sure that he could even hear you from all the way across the house, but he needed to get his costume on soon anyway. Moving on from the stubborn zipper you leaned towards the mirror with your favorite red lipstick, applying the color just as Jake knocked lightly on the door.

“Babe it’s your room too, you can just come in,” you joked, the door slightly creaking as he pushed it open.

“I know, but I didn’t want to see you in all your glory until you were ready,” he said, closing the door. “Bug is finishing her mac and cheese I–” his voice trailed off as he took you in.

“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath.

“What? You don’t like it?” You looked down at yourself. Maybe the cut was too low or he didn’t like the satin. He was quiet for a second and your eyes raised to look at his reflection in the mirror where he stood behind you, taking in the view of you from behind.

“No sugar, I love it.” His eyes were glued to your ass and the curve of your waist. The back of the dress was nearly nonexistent, showing off the entirety of your spine. “You’re so fucking hot.”

Your cheeks heated as he tore his attention from your body to look you in the eyes through the reflection.

“Will you give me a hand?” your chin motioned towards your unzipped clasp behind you as your husband’s heated stayed on your reflection. He quickly crossed the room until his chest was pressed into your back and his hands gripped your hips.

“Always,” he said into your ear. You couldn’t help the shiver his words sent through you. He leaned back slightly to pull the zipper up the rest of the way. He took the advantage of his hands being so close to your ass to give it an affectionate smack before hugging you close to him again. “I can’t wait to take this off you later.” He took your earlobe between his teeth lightly to emphasize his point.

You couldn't get enough of these quiet moments with him. It didn’t happen often, both of your lives going at full speed as individuals and as parents, but you soaked up every moment you could with just him.

“I love you,” he murmured onto the skin of your shoulder, his lips leaving a trail of kisses across the top of your shoulder and the back of your neck. “I don’t tell you that enough.”

You laughed lightly, closing your eyes and leaning into his weight. “Yeah, you only tell me every day.”

“Nmhm,” his voice was muffled from his face being buried into your neck. “It’s still not enough.”

Your heart began beating harder in your chest. Even after years of marriage and the fact that the two of you were raising the child you created, he still gave you butterflies.

“Do you know what’s hot?” you asked, interlacing your fingers on top of his. His hands were warm and strong. You fiddled with the thin wedding band on his left ring finger before turning your face towards his and kissing him softly. “You, in that grey suit over there.” You nudged him toward your shared closet.

His eyes narrowed at your playful tone but he let go of your body, immediately beginning to unbutton his already half-open shirt.

You let him get ready in peace, snatching the small white box that sat on your bed and bringing it with you back into the kitchen. Finding your daughter shoving the last spoonful of mac and cheese into her mouth you asked, “Are you almost ready to go Miss Wednesday?” She nodded furiously as you picked up her bowl and set it in the sink.

It wasn’t long before Jake was sauntering into the kitchen, dressed in a dark linen suit. He’d put his hair up and trimmed his mustache a bit. You smiled when your gaze met his and he wiggled his eyebrows dramatically.

“What do you think, bug?” Jake asked your daughter who was now jumping up and down with excitement.

“Daddy, you look perfect!”

“Perfect, eh?” He lifted your hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed it slowly, his eyes never leaving your own. You could see the heat in his gaze as he lowered your hand.

“I have a surprise for you,” you said, tightening your hand around his and leading him to the kitchen island. The white box was small and unassuming. Jake hadn’t even noticed it, though you had gone out of your way to hide it so he wouldn’t find it accidentally. “The finishing touch.”

You lifted the dark red bow tie out of the box which you’d bought the same day you and your daughter had gone shopping for your costumes. Jake smiled at you as you placed it around his neck, situating it under the collar of his shirt. Your husband couldn’t keep his hands off you as he stroked up and down your sides as you tied the bow tie.

Straightening the tie you asked, “Not too tight?”

“It’s perfect my love. Thank you.”

You leaned in for a quick kiss but when you made to pull away, Jake didn’t let you go. He deepened the kiss, licking your bottom lip as you tried to ignore the way your heart stuttered in your chest.

“Jake! My lipstick!” you laughed, detaching yourself from his grip.

“Mmm, I can’t contain my passion.” His voice dropped to a sultry lull, fully in character.

Your moment was interrupted by your daughter yelling from the living room, “Daddy! Uncle Josh is here!”

“Go meet him outside buggy, we’ll be out in a sec” he replied, still distracted by kissing you.

After kissing you firmly a final time, Jake grabbed your daughter’s halloween basket off the counter and headed outside, his hand still interlaced with yours.

“Uncle Josh!” your daughter yelled, running down the porch steps towards Josh’s jeep truck. You couldn’t contain your burst of laughter as your husband’s twin stepped out of the car wearing a black and white striped shirt paired with black shorts.

“You dressed up as Pugsley!” your daughter giggled, jumping into his arms.

“Oh course I did! I couldn’t let you have all the fun alone!” Josh squeezed her tight and spun around.

You were grateful that you lived in a neighborhood that had lots of kids. It was a safe area and your daughter had lots of friends from school that lived down the street. That made her even more excited for Halloween.

It was only 5:30, but the neighborhood was buzzing with families starting to come out for trick or treating. As the four of you walked down the street, your daughter spotted one of her friends and she and Josh went over to catch up with them.

That’s how most of the night went, Josh and your child running from house to house, getting as much candy as they could until her basket was almost overflowing. And then there was you and Jake, watching her joy and excitement and enjoying the crisp October air.

By the last house, the sun had sunk behind the horizon and the streetlights sent a cozy glow across the street. Josh carried your daughter on his back like a backpack and spun in circles as he walked, making her squeal with laughter.

“Stop it Uncle Josh! I’m so dizzy!” she managed to say through a fit of giggles. He laughed along with her and pretended to stumble along the sidewalk.

When you made it back to your front door, Jake's arm was wrapped around your shoulders and yours around his waist, holding him close to you. He only let you go when you reached the front door to find his keys.

“Hey bug,” Josh said over his shoulder to the child clinging to him. “What do you say to a movie-night-candy-eating-sleepover-extravaganza at Uncle Josh’s house?”

Her face immediately lit up and she couldn’t contain her shakes of excitement.

“Can I daddy? Pleaseeee?” she pleaded in her best pouty voice that she knew would make Jake melt.

Jake looked over at you, grinning slightly.

“I don’t know bug, do you promise not to stay up too late and to save some of your candy for later?” he asked in a half-serious voice.

“I promise, I promiseeeee!!” she answered so quickly that she barely heard his question. You and Jake chuckled to each other under your breath as he looked at you, pretending to have a serious silent debate between your gazes.

“I guess so, but you’ll have to grab your overnight bag from your bed,” he answered with a dramatic sigh and smiled when she immediately jumped from her uncle’s back and barreled past Jake into the house.

“Seriously, don’t let her eat all her candy,” Jake said to his twin who was sporting the biggest grin you’d ever seen.

“Don’t worry,” Josh answered, “I’ll make sure she eats everything but the Reece’s. I know those are your favorite.”

Jake laughed. “Fine.”

Your daughter came flying back out of the house, her backpack now strapped across her back. She had jumped down two steps of the porch before you said, “No good night kiss?”

She gasped and stopped in her tracks, remembering that she was going to be gone for the whole night. Turning around she jumped into Jake’s arms in a big hug. He kissed her cheek before telling her, “Have fun, but don’t let Uncle Josh have too much fun. I love you.”

She giggled and immediately jumped into your arms next. Her small arms wrapped around your neck in a tight hug.

“Goodnight mommy, see you tomorrow,” she said as she pulled away and gave you a smacking kiss on the cheek before running back to Josh, ready for their adventure.

You laughed as you stood up. Josh had a carseat already installed in his Jeep since he picked her up from school so often and after she was all situated, you and Jake waved to them from the porch.

Once they had turned the corner off your street Jake’s hands were back on your body, his lips slowly and lovingly exploring your neck.

“Mmm a whole night to ourselves,” you murmured, rocking back into him. His grip tightened on you as he hummed his approval. “Whatever will we do with ourselves?” You couldn’t contain your grin as he hummed again.

“I can think of many, many things,” he said into your skin before taking your hand and leading you into the house.

——————

This is the end of Part 1 for this fic!

If you’d like to read PART 2 which is a Jake!smut and 18+!! You can find it HERE!

I’m sorry dad!jake is so FAR UP MY ASS RN but I’ve just been feeling so fertile recently what can I say… also I love Halloween and the Addams family so this worked out perfectly.

Happy Halloween whores thx for reading our fics. We luv u hehe.

As always Love and Light and we’ll be seeing you soooooon

-JNR

[kissingkiszka]

i’m yearning for jake period fluff BAD so here’s my request! jake really wants y/n to stay over. she agrees but then tells him she’s having her period this week. y/n was super nervous and shy but jake was super understanding and caring. he’s adaptive to her needs (advil, heating pad, supplies) and takes care of y/n for the days she spends there. SUPER fluffy, realistic, sweet, and lighthearted.

By Her Side - Jake Kiszka x Reader

Requested! I hope you enjoy :)

Words: 1.9k+

Summary: when Jake finds out the reader is on her period, he does everything in his power to help her feel better.

CW: 18+, MDNI, fluff, periods, talks of pain & period symptoms, use of pain medicine, surprises, cursing, there’s just lots of fluff, use of pet names, I believe that’s all!?

—————————————————————

6:32 p.m.

Jake: Come over?

You glance down at the notification on your phone and let out a loud sigh. You had just gotten your period yesterday and all the symptoms were hitting you like a brick. You reread his text a few times and think of all the possibilities. The second and third days were always the worst for you, and in no way did you want Jake to see you like this. You type out your response and bury yourself under another blanket.

6:36 p.m.

You: I don’t think that’s a good idea.

6:37 p.m.

Jake: Is everything alright?

6:38 p.m.

Jake: Call me.

Of course he’s going to be suspicious, you never say no to spending time with him. You watch as his name and face light up the screen. You let out a groan and lift the phone up to your ear.

“Jake-” You start.

“Hi Beautiful. What’s wrong?” He asks, worried.

“I'm fine. I’m just a bit preoccupied. That's all.” You unconvincingly tell him.

“Yeah, Y/N. I know you well enough to know that you're not fine right now.”

“Jake, I'm fine. I swear.” You had a feeling he wasn’t going to back down until you really told him what was wrong.

He inhales, and you can tell he's growing more concerned. “But you’re not.”

You liked Jake so much, and you really had a strong connection with him. But you just weren’t close enough with him yet to feel comfortable talking about all your period problems. You didn’t know how'd he react- if he’d be grossed out, or if he wouldn’t be understanding, or maybe he just didn’t want anything to do with this stuff. That is what made you the most nervous. It was a weird phase in your relationship that you couldn’t wait to get past. But maybe, this was the push that was needed to get you past it after all.

“Okay, Jake. Maybe you're right.” You fold, clutching your blanket closer to your chest.

“You know I’m here for you, always will be. So, lay it on me.”

“Well…” You hesitate for a bit. “I’m-uh, I got my period yesterday and I guess, I’m just not feeling well.” You shyly admit.

“Oh…” Jake pauses and a lump forms in your throat. “Honey, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He asks softly.

“I just- I didn’t know how you’d take it.”

“Baby, I’m always gonna be here for you. I mean it. Don’t be scared or nervous to talk about natural things with me.” He takes a breath. “Maybe some company will help.”

“Okay.” You whisper softly.

It's Jake, of course he would understand.

“I’m coming over. Hold tight.” He tells you before hanging up the phone.

You continue to lay down, scrolling mindlessly on your phone while you wait for Jake to come over. There’s no use in getting ready, he’s going to show up soon and you feel comfortable enough to be around him now that he knows what you’re going through.

Even though Jake only lives down the street from your place, it still takes him about 45 minutes until he arrives. You hear the tires pull onto the driveway and decide to send him a text.

7:26 p.m.

You: Key is under the mat. Don’t feel like getting up.

A few minutes later, you hear the door open and Jake’s voice announces his arrival.

“Honey?!”

“In here.” You sluggishly call out as footsteps grow closer to your room.

Your bedroom door swings open and Jake peers his head in. His eyes land on you, laying in bed.

“Hi, honey.” He softly smiles. He walks into your bedroom and you notice he's carrying multiple bags in hand. “You okay?”

“Hi Jakey.” You smile back at him, the only time you’ve smiled today. “Well, I kinda feel like shit. What’cha got there?”

“I would've gotten here sooner, except I made an essential pit stop on the way.” He tells you, dumping the bags on your bed.

“Awh, Jake, You didn't have to.”

“Let me take care of you.” He delicately runs his hand down your cheek, moving any hair out of your face. “There's that beautiful face.”

You begin to rummage through the bags together, seeing the various things he got for you.

“Well, I might’ve gone overboard.” He says as he pulls out a box of pads and a box of tampons. “I didn’t know which ones you preferred.”

“Thank you.” you nod. “That’s very thoughtful.”

“That’s not all.” He enthusiastically takes a bottle of Advil out of the bag and tosses it over to you. He then pulls out some chocolates and a box of herbal tea bags. “I can make this for you, you just let me know when you’d like it.”

“Thank you.” You graciously reach for a piece of chocolate and begin to munch on it. You immediately down the Advil in an attempt to get any sort of relief from the terrible cramps and the aching headache, amongst other symptoms.

“And, since you deserve it…” He reaches his hand into the second bag, and pulls out a bunch of body care items. “I got you a few bath bombs, a face mask, some body wash, and epsom salt. And look, this kind is specifically for periods.” He tells you, pointing to the package that reads ‘menstrual relief’.

You break out into a huge smile, nobody has ever done anything as sweet as this for you.

“Jake-” You sigh happily. “This is so sweet. Thank you.”

Even though your insides felt like they were at war with each other and all you wanted to do was bury yourself under a mountain of blankets for the next week, you couldn’t help but crack a smile. Jake always brought out the best in you.

“No need to thank me. I just want to see you happy.” He smiles and leans over to give you a hug.

He stands back up, and puts his hands on his hips while he thinks for a moment.

“Okay, so…” He begins. “You’re gonna stay here, and I’ll be right back.” He tells you before grabbing one of the bags off of your bed and walking out of your room.

You have no clue what he’s doing or where he’s going, so you begin to scroll mindlessly on your phone. You hear water begin to run in your bathroom. About 10 minutes later, Jake walks back into your bedroom.

“Where’d you go?” you question through a giggle.

“Come on. I’m gonna take good care of you.” He declared, helping you up out of bed.

“I can get up by myself.” you joked.

“I know you can, I just want to help.” He replied.

Feeling his strong arms wrapped around your waist while you went to stand was more than enough to send shivers down your spine.

“Okay, close your eyes and follow me.” He requests with a cheeky smile written across his face.

You sigh and close your eyes. He grabs your hand so he can easily guide you into the other room.

As he walks you across the hall, hand in hand, a relaxing aroma fills the air. You know you’ve entered the bathroom when you feel switch between the hallway's hardwood floors to the cold tile on your feet.

“Okay, ready?” He asks, squeezing your hand.

“Mhm.” You nod softly.

“Okay…open!” He announces.

You open your eyes to see the most relaxing bathroom set up ever. The lights are dimmed, there are burning candles on the countertop, your essential oil diffuser is pumping out lavender oil to help you relax, and there is a fully ready bubble bath awaiting you.

“I made you a bath.”

“Jake!” you gasp. “You did all of this? For me?”

“I sure did. You deserve it the most.” He lets go of your hand. “I’m sorry you’re going through so much right now.”

“It’s fine, Jake. It’s only my period. I get them every month.” You laugh, giving him an embrace. “This is the most thoughtful, sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me.”

“I know periods are monthly.” He laughs. “But if there is the slightest thing I can do for you during it, I will a hundred percent do it for you.”

“Thank you.” You grin, pulling out of the hug. “Stay the night?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He holds your forearms delicately and looks into your eyes. You could feel yourself getting lost in his deep brown eyes, and he gets lost in yours. After a few moments, you both snap back to reality.

He nervously giggles. “Oh! Don’t want the bath to get cold.”

You turn to face the bath and notice a tray next to your sink containing a face mask and one of the bath bombs he had just gotten for you. Jake sees that you notice the tray and carries it over to you.

“Almost forgot, you can use this face mask in the bath, if you want.” He kindly offered. “And I figured you’d want to put the bath bomb in yourself. Watch it fizz up..y’know..” He gives you a shy grin. He makes sure you’ve got everything you need to enjoy your bath time before he leaves you be.

After being able to decompress and clean yourself off in the warm and relaxing bath, you get out and wrap yourself in a fluffy towel that Jake had set aside for you. This was such a nice gesture from him, but it definitely wasn’t out of the norm for Jake. He always went out of his way to show his love, and this was no exception. Looking back, you had no idea why you were so nervous to tell him. You quickly dry yourself off and walk back to your room.

Back in your bedroom, you immediately notice your bed had been made with a set of freshly clean sheets. On top of your neatly made bed laid your most comfortable lounge clothes gracefully folded. Next to them were the boxes of pads and tampons that Jake had just bought for you. You quickly got dressed and wasted no time to make yourself comfortable. Jake was out in your living room, giving you privacy and space until you were decent.

“Darling, may I come in now?” He asks, knocking lightly on the door.

“Yes you may.” You reply, adjusting your shirt.

“How was the bath?” He inquires, laying down next to you.

“It was so nice. I feel so much better now.”

“I’m glad.” He chuckles.

“Thank you, really.” You say, turning to face him in bed. The smell of the clean sheets mixed with Jake’s musky cologne is more than enough to bring you peace.

“No need to thank me. I’m doing the bare minimum for you.”

“Wait, actually-”

“What do you need?” He immediately jumps up, ready to fulfill any of your requests.

“Could you bring me my heating pad?”

“Of course, honey.” He wastes no time and runs out of the room. He doesn’t want to leave you waiting.

“In the bathroom closet!” You exclaim, making sure he can hear you from wherever he is.

A few moments later, he saunters back into your room with it in hand. “Aha!” He plugs it in and hands it to you.

The rest of the night was spent with the two of you cuddling and watching some of your favorite comfort movies together. He even ordered take out from your favorite Chinese restaurant, per request.

That entire week he spent at your place, waiting on you hand and foot. He had you completely spoiled, but he knew you deserved it. Anything you needed, he jumped up at the first chance to get it for you.

[stardustbarbarians]

The Devil Knows My Name

A Daniel Wagner / Samuel Kiszka fic

Summary: Sam and Danny travel the world together hunting ghosts. And Danny has a secret.

Tags: ghost hunting au, humor, horror elements, demonic elements, getting together, this is low key a buzzfeed unsolved au

Trigger Warnings: mentioned child abuse (explained in A/N)

Words: 8.8 k

A/N: Right off that bat: one of the locations Sam and Danny investigate is a real abandoned orphanage that had rumors of child abuse tied to it. Unfortunately, all of the claims mentioned about the place in the fic are real allegations. If that makes you uncomfortable, do not feel like you have to read that section as you won't miss any plot points. Outside of that, this fic is very lighthearted. I wrote it as a part of @hearts-hunger GVF Halloween Event, which I was not expecting to finish this soon (I picked prompt 15!). It was super fun to write and I hope you all enjoy! As usual, this fic is dedicated to @ofthecaravel. Title taken from The Garden by the Crane Wives.

+++

“I was reading the comments on our last video-” 

“A wonderful thing for your mental health, I’m sure.” 

“-and I couldn’t help but laugh.” 

“Oh? Why is that?” 

“Everyone seems to agree. They think you’re a demon.” 

+++

Daniel had known Sam for, like, ever. They went through grade school together, graduated together, even went through a failed band together, too. In fact, it seemed they did everything together. Mostly, it was on purpose; truly at this point it felt wrong to be somewhere without Sam at his side. But, becoming famous ghost hunters? That was an accident. Really, if Danny had known that ghost hunting would be their future careers, he never would have accepted that dare. 

“Come onnnnn! Ghosts aren’t real, anyway!” Josh lamented, attempting to shove his baby brother out the door of their house. 

“Yeah, you chicken,” Jake tacked on at the end, a knowing smile barely contained on his lips. 

“I am not a chicken!!” Sam roared, slapping Josh’s hands away from his back. There was a deep frown on his face that was somehow halfway to a pout. 

“We’re even letting you take Danny! Honestly, we’re being very generous about this whole ordeal,” the oldest brother continued, fighting off a laugh of his own at seeing Sam acting tough. Acting, being the key word. 

“Sure. And what are you gonna tell mom and dad when we end up shanked by some drifters protecting their territory??” Sam squawked, trying to get back into the house. But Jake and Josh had blocked the entrance, standing shoulder to shoulder in the doorframe. Sammy might have towered over the twins, but it was clear who was stronger out of the three of them. 

“Oh, please. There’s no vagrants at the Garnet house, just a bunch of teenagers doing drugs and shit there.” 

“And, I mean, you don’t have to take the dare…” Jake offered. A fake olive branch if there ever was one. The devious smile on his face betrayed his caring tone. 

“Yeah, and do your guys’ chores for a month?? I don’t think so,” Sam snipped, ripping the family movie camera out of Jake’s extended palm. 

“Uh, don’t I get a say in this?” Danny finally pipped up, watching in silence while the three Kiszkas bickered. 

“NO,” all three barked in unison. Danny shut his mouth so fast, his teeth clicked. 

“Like Sam would go anywhere without you,” Jake muttered under his breath. Sam shot him a fierce glare that only succeeded in causing the twins to implode into laughter. 

“You guys are the WORST!” Sam exclaimed before turning on his heel and stomping down the porch into the backyard. Danny was quick to follow, scrambling after his best friend and clicking on the flashlight he was given. 

Sam didn’t talk to Danny for a solid minute after his altercation with his older brothers. He was too busy cursing them under his breath and indulging in his temper tantrum. 

“This is the worst sleepover ever. Why did we even let them join in the first place??” Sam whined, the first words he spoke that weren’t muttered. That was how Danny knew he was talking to him. 

“Oh, c’mon. We were having fun with them before this dare,” Danny offered, his eyes watching the leaf-covered terrain for any rogue branches he could trip over. They were not exactly quiet as they trudged through the dried autumn leaves, each step sounding like static. 

Sam shot him a look that was halfway annoyed and halfway resigned. “Yeah, whatever. But they took it too far like they always do.” 

“Gee, I don’t know, Sam. Maybe if you hadn’t boasted very loudly about how ‘ghost hunters aren’t shit’, ‘they’re a bunch of pussies’, and ‘I could do that’, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation,” Danny countered. It was all lighthearted, of course. Danny could never truly be annoyed at Sam. He did choose Sam, after all. 

“That’s because they are! They’re all acting for the camera and it just makes them look like a bunch of wimps!!” Sam had finally turned to face Danny, his pale face illuminated by the flashlight as he turned his expression to a caricature of the host of the ghost hunting show they just watched. “Huh! A creak in an old house that hasn’t seen maintenance since ‘Nam! Must be a g-g-g-ghost!!!” 

Danny couldn’t help his snort of laughter as Sam mocked the ghost hunters. He himself didn’t believe in ghosts, either. Especially the tv shows that claimed to always find ground-breaking “real” evidence every episode. If they had something to gain monetarily, Danny didn’t trust them. 

“Then why are you so scared to do this dare?” Danny baited, knowing it would get a reaction out of Sam. Sometimes he just couldn’t help but rile him up; it was easy and fun. 

“Ok, first, I’m not scared. I am rightfully cautious. Not only will we be trespassing, but we will be filming our crime,” Sam held up the camcorder in his hand and waved it a little, “and we don’t know if it will be empty. For all we know, there could be squatters in there who are a little too stab-happy!” 

“Says the one with the arrest record,” Daniel muttered under his breath, loud enough that Sam could hear. 

“Hey!” 

+++

“Are you rolling?” 

“For the hundredth time: yes, Sam,” Danny exasperatedly replied, adjusting his hand holding the camera. The hand strap was digging into his skin and he really just wanted to get this over with. He hadn’t felt good since they came upon the house when the woods cleared.

“Alright, snippy, no need for the attitude,” Sam shot back, giving Danny a look as he adjusted his long hair. 

Danny just rolled his eyes, signaling with a wave of his hand for Sam to hurry it up. They both had a few drinks before walking out there and Danny was starting to feel them. The last dare he got was to shotgun a beer and he wished he had chosen truth instead. 

“We’re standing in front of the Garnet house where it is said that William Garnet murdered his wife, Sylvia, back in 1956-” 

“God, everyone knows that’s just some stupid urban legend. There’s literally no proof anyone was killed here,” Danny lamented, tired of hearing about William and Sylvia Garnet. He’d looked into the real story himself. 

“Are you the host, or am I?” Sam snapped, an annoyed pinch in his face. “Start over.” 

“Nope. Keep going.” 

With a pointed, heavy sigh, Danny could see in the small LCD screen as Sam rolled his eyes. But, he continued anyway. “Because of that, the house has been abandoned since that bloody day.” 

“Because they moved out and couldn’t sell the house because of the location. Do you see how far away from a road we are?” Daniel had panned away from Sam to show the lengths of woods surrounding them. 

“You’re no fun, Daniel,” Sam whined, sounding like a child. Danny even heard his foot stomp into the cold dirt with his boot. “Let’s just… go inside.” 

Danny didn’t stop recording as they trudged around the house, looking for an opening they could slither through. He probably should’ve been less focused on filming Sam looking for an entrance and more so on helping him, but oh well. Someone had to hold the flashlight and also, it was a cool shot getting Sam tracing his fingers along the crumbling brick of the old house, looking up at the windows. His profile was perfectly illuminated by the light, making his jawline look sharper than usual. His misting breath was also being caught in the flashlight beam, looking like an apparition in its own right.  

They ended up having to climb into a window, Danny boosting Sam in. With a grunt of exertion, Sam was able to hoist Danny in. However, his foot slipped out from underneath him just as Danny’s torso passed the windowsill. So, instead of the graceful landing Daniel was hoping to pull off, he instead found himself on all fours in the dust of the dilapidated flooring. The abrupt change in position as well as the scraping of his stomach against the windowsill did nothing to help his alcohol-induced nausea. 

“Are you alright?” Danny asked, having to swallow thickly to keep his bile down. 

Sam groaned from underneath him, something that Danny hadn’t even realized until that moment. “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Danny got up as quickly as his spinning head would allow him, offering a hand out to Sam as soon as he was stable on two legs. They both tried to brush the grime off of them, knowing that they would need to wash their clothes to truly be rid of all of it. 

“Alright, let’s be quick. If there’s anyone here, they would have heard that.” For the first time that night, there was a slight tremor to Sam’s voice. That was all the indicator Danny needed to know that Sam was more scared than he was letting on. That, and the way Sam’s hand had trembled in his own as he helped him up. 

“No arguments here,” Danny commented, scanning the floor with his flashlight to find his dropped video camera. Luckily, it was unharmed and still rolling, capturing the embarrassing moment of them falling to the ground, despite being about ten years old. But that was good old early 2000s technology for you. Once he’d found the camera, Danny passed the flashlight to Sam. It made more sense for him to hold it as he led them through the house. 

“Let’s just find the bedroom, ask a few questions, and leave. That should be enough to satisfy the twins’ stupid dare.” Sam seemed half distracted as he scanned the dark rooms around him. And, to be fair, the place was rather ghoulish and imposing. The walls showed exposed wooden slats behind the crumbling drywall, cracks formed all around the ceiling, graffiti stained the walls, and the odd trashed piece of furniture that you’re sure was a person in the corner of your eye decorated the space. 

In order to lighten the mood, Daniel quickly thought of a way to make Sam laugh. Though, “quickly” was relative as his head was still spinning a little. 

“The bedroom? Sam, you should at least take me out to dinner first.” The teasing tone Danny used just caused Sam to let out an abrupt bark of laughter and nudge his best friend with his elbow. 

“We both know you wouldn’t even need dinner first,” Sam jested back, a sly smile pulling at the corner of his lips. This was far from the first time their teasing had toed a line. They both silently acknowledged that line existed, and also acknowledged that it wasn’t weird to cross it with one foot from time to time. 

Danny had gotten the urge to shove Sam in the shoulder, but they were climbing the stairs. They were rickety and treacherous enough as it was; no need to add another risk. 

“Who’s body count is higher?” 

“Like it’s a bad thing-” 

Knock! 

Both boys froze in their tracks. They were about halfway up the staircase when it sounded like knuckles rapped against some wood. 

“Did you hear that?” Sam’s eyes were huge as he turned to look down at Daniel who was one step below. 

“Yeah. Sounded like it came from upstairs,” Danny truthfully answered. 

Sam let out another groan, his bottom lip finding itself worried between his teeth. It was a bad habit Sam had when he got nervous. “I really hope that’s a ghost and not some addict.” 

“You and me both.” 

Taking a steadying breath, Sam worked up the courage to continue up the steps. He was climbing them slower than usual, but that was to be expected. But, that did not help the very loud squealing of said steps. It really only made the squeaking worse and drew out the sound. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the top floor and were greeted with a liminal hallway. A dusty chandelier cried broken crystals and cobwebs, more graffiti scored the walls, the floor was littered with joint cones and cigarette butts, and the doors along the walls were all closed, but not shut entirely. All of them stood ajar which, for some reason, was more unnerving than if they were completely shut or completely open. 

“Let’s see what’s behind door number one, shall we?” Danny prompted, realizing Sam was frozen in fear next to him. Despite the flippant tone he was employing, Danny was feeling awful. His head hadn’t stopped spinning since he stepped onto the property and his stomach was still churning. He felt cold but couldn’t blame it on the late October weather. 

With a shaky smile and a nod, Sam reached for the door handle on his right and gingerly pushed it open. It revealed a similar decrepit state as the rest of the house, the LED light from their flashlight casting it in an eerie glow. It seemed they had found the bedroom, a four poster bed frame pushed against the wall with the whole thing covered in carved initials and names. More graffiti coated the walls, but it all seemed to have a theme. 

“Talk about sympathy for the devil,” Sam joked, tepidly entering the room and illuminating all the 666s and reversed crosses on the walls. 

“Please allow me to introduce myself,” Danny quoted, attempting his best Mick Jagger impression. That got him a laugh from Sam, even if it was just from how shitty the impersonation was. 

“Mick Jagger is rolling in his grave for that one.”

“Mick Jagger is dead? Has anyone checked the news??” 

Once again, Sam elbowed Danny in the side. A huge grin was on his face as he did it, so Danny counted that as a win. However, it was a short-lived victory. Just as Danny had found himself in the center of the room, he doubled over in pain. 

“Daniel? What’s wrong??” There was genuine concern in Sam’s words as he raced over to his best friend’s side. 

“I… I don’t…” he dropped the camera to the ground as he clutched at his stomach. It was as if he had just been punched in the gut by Mike Tyson as his nausea came at him with full force. 

Sam had grabbed the camera off the ground, a decision that would solidify their fates. Now armed with both the flashlight and the camera, Sam became the cameraman as he documented Danny’s sudden distress. 

He didn’t even know what caused him to look up. But regardless, as he tilted his head backwards, Daniel noticed a pentagram on the ceiling in black spray paint. 

“What’s going on?” Sam’s voice was shaky. And if Danny wasn’t trying his best to vomit all over the scuffed and dirty floor, he might’ve noticed the way the house seemed to shake around them. 

The footage of this moment would be shaky and just slightly out of focus. It was something Danny, as well as the rest of their audience, would clown him for for years to come. However, that was about the only funny thing about it. At the time, as Sam filmed Danny being doubled over and the house rattling around them, it was no laughing matter. You see, as Sam illuminated Daniel so that he could be seen, a dark shadow was cast behind him. One that seemed to slowly seep out of the shadow that Danny cast against the wall. Sam was petrified for a moment as fear gripped his mind and forced his muscles to turn to stone. But, as the shadow grew what looked to be claws, that’s when his concern for Daniel leaped into overdrive. 

His shriek of terror was the last thing the video they uploaded of that night would show. However, there was about ten more minutes of footage that only Jake, Josh, and Sam and Danny would see. It recorded the floor as Sam grabbed Danny’s wrist and bolted out of the house. It recorded the rustling leaves and their labored breath as they sprinted away from the house and back towards Sam’s. It also captured the sound of Danny’s misery as he threw up in the bushes, Sam frantically trying to soothe him but also get them to safety. But none of that made it into the video. 

+++

Their success happened seemingly overnight. It was a few weeks before their video got views over the double digits. But then, a famous reaction channel had used their video and suddenly, people flocked to it. Most people just commented on whether or not they thought it was fake, others commented on how hot they thought Sam and Danny were. But a good chunk of them, including the youtuber, were clamoring for more from them. It seemed a lot of people found them highly entertaining and wanted to see more of them. 

It was a complete accident that they became famous internet ghost hunters. That’s what made their job seem so surreal. Not only were they able to travel the country searching for ghosts and ghouls, but the world as well. They would get recognized on the street or in stores, being asked if they could take pictures with a wide variety of people. Suddenly, not just friends or family followed them, but complete strangers. Hundreds of thousands of people. Frankly, it was a little overwhelming. Daniel, and Sam, was just glad he had his best friend with him the whole time. 

“When is this video going out?” Daniel asked Sam with a sniffle, the two of them getting ready in their shared hotel room. 

“It should be posted in about a month,” Sam responded, staring into the mirror of the bathroom trying to get his hair to de-frizz. He had never really put that much effort into his appearance before, but they were now being scrutinized by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. So, Daniel stopped brushing out his curls and actually had a multi-step hair routine. 

“I was reading the comments on our last video-” 

“A wonderful thing for your mental health, I’m sure.” Danny interrupted, a crooked smile on his face before he blew his nose into a tissue.

“-and I couldn’t help but laugh.” Sam had finally emerged out of the bathroom and started to lace his boots. They were an old pair of Doc Martens that he’d owned forever and usually only wore for ghost hunting. 

“Oh? Why is that?” Danny was pouring himself out a dose of DayQuil, throwing it back as if it were a shot. He would have plugged his nose if it weren’t already stuffed. He hated the taste of both DayQuil and NyQuil vehemently, always making him gag despite how effective they were. 

“Everyone seems to agree. They think you’re a demon.”

Daniel had stopped himself short of pouring out another dose of DayQuil, the bottle still in his hand poised to pour. After realizing he was frozen, Danny forced himself to set the bottle down and face his best friend. He was sitting on the edge of Danny’s bed (it was closer to the door), struggling to pull his boot onto his foot. He really hadn’t seemed to notice Danny’s reaction to the accusation, too focused on cursing the tight boots that he stubbornly refused to loosen the laces on. 

“Oh yeah? And why do they think that?” The amusement in Danny’s tone was not manufactured, nor was the smile pulling at one corner of his lips. 

“Well,” Sam started with a grunt, letting out a satisfied sigh at finally getting his boots over his feet, “they seem to think that because you’re hardly scared in any of the places we go into that you must be a demon.” 

“Oh, so, because I’m not afraid of non-existent ghosts, I myself am a supernatural entity?” Daniel dryly questioned, shaking his head and returning to his previous task. 

“I mean, there is also that shadow creature that emerged out of you our first investigation. Should you be taking that much?” 

“I need a higher dose or else it won’t work,” Daniel flippantly answered, waving his hand in a dismissive manner before throwing back his second full dosage of the medicine. That one he could taste in full, the bitterness making him hiss in disgust. “That ‘shadow creature’ was just my shadow.” 

Sam handed Danny a bottle of water, watching the man down it before going to brush his teeth in the bathroom. “There was also that time you got a nosebleed the second you walked into a church. And we got it on camera,” Sam persisted, not one to lose an argument so easily. He had followed Danny to the entrance of the bathroom, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed. 

“Eh wa thuh ead uh winer, am,” Danny rebutted, toothpaste foaming in his mouth and hindering his speech. Sam managed to understand him: It was the dead of winter, Sam. Danny spit out his toothpaste, brushing his tongue a little before going back to continue his argument. “It was drier than the Sahara in that old building.” 

“Ok, then how do you explain the fact that you were the only one who had their eyes roll into the back of their head when they were touched by that exorcist?” Sam shot back, kind of impressed at himself for remembering all of these instances off the top of his head. 

Danny rolled his eyes at that, a smile pulling at his lips as he shooed Sam out of the way so he could put his shoes on. “I thought it would be funny! What’s with the third degree, anyway? You’re picking on a sick and weak man.” 

“Yeah, those arms are just for show,” Sam countered, flicking him in the bicep. As a reaction to that comment, Daniel, on a whim, ducked down, grabbed Sam by the waist, and hauled the man over his shoulder. Sam started giggling and squealing at the act. 

“Still think they’re just for show?” Danny casually asked, pacing around while holding Sam as if he weighed nothing. He could not keep the smile off his face as he did so, enjoying Sam’s own laughter. 

“No! Now, put me down, you menace!!” Sam had managed between giggles, his hands lightly beating into Danny’s back. Truthfully, Danny hadn’t known why he thought to pick Sam up. It just crossed his mind and Danny decided to go for it. That usually seemed to happen when he took cold medicine and he hoped it wouldn’t bite him in the ass later. 

Instead of placing him back down on the ground, Danny threw him gently onto the mattress. Sam bounced as the springs took on his weight, and then Danny’s as he climbed onto Sam. They both continued to giggle, Sammy throwing his arms around Daniel’s neck as they came face to face with one another. 

“Hi,” Daniel breathed with a honeyed tone. 

“Hi there,” Sam responded, his tone equally as candied. They both wore matching grins as they searched one another’s eyes. But that was where they stayed. This was a fairly recent development in their dynamic, starting back about two or three months ago. They already spent a lot of time together back when they still lived in Frankenmuth, but doing this job was drastically different. Instead of hanging out for 12 hours out of the day, now they saw each other 24 hours out of the day. It was not hyperbole in the slightest to say that they saw each other the most out of any other human on earth. And that kind of time spent together, well it draws people closer. So, this development seemed… natural. But, neither of them wanted to make the first move for equally valid reasons. So, this purgatory-state they were in (comfortable enough to hold one another as they slept but scared to even think about kissing the other) was where they stood now. 

And people noticed. 

Sam let out a short, nervous laugh. “We oughtta get down there. The rest of the crew is waiting.” He relinquished his grip around Danny’s neck, patted him twice on the shoulder, and then slipped out from under him to go stand by the door. 

Danny sighed, disappointed in himself as he watched Sam fidget with his hands out of the corner of his eye as he put on his own boots. He wanted to take that plunge with Sam so badly, but he also knew that there were too many risks involved. For one, their job depended on their dynamic. Part of their appeal was the way they so effortlessly bounced off one another comedically. And the other: if they went south - which Danny had a feeling they would because of him - not only would their jobs suffer, but they would too. They had been best friends for life and Daniel did not want to risk losing Sam because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. 

Danny knew he had to do something. They couldn’t go into the shoot this way. So, as they walked out of their hotel room, Danny tapped Sam on the arm with the back of his hand and chirped “you’re it” before bolting towards the stairwell. Danny didn’t have to turn around to know Sam was racing after him, he could hear Sam’s laugh following him. 

+++

“Greetings Travelers!” Danny started their intro with a wave of his hand. Ever since they had started taking this job seriously, Danny no longer had to be behind the camera. Instead, it seemed his presence was demanded in front of the lens alongside Sammy. 

“And welcome to the Old Holy Family Orphanage in Marquette, Michigan,” Sam finished for Danny. They were standing shoulder to shoulder with the building to their backs, the structure illuminated behind them and looking just as imposing as it felt. 

“This one is right in our backyard!” Danny smiled over at Sam, never having to fake a single one for the camera if Sam was there with him. 

“Give or take a few miles.” 

“Like… 400.”

“That’s a pretty big backyard!”

The two of them broke out into laughter, despite the joke not really being that funny. But, that was their dynamic. No matter what, they would always laugh. 

“Alright, Dan the Man. Shall we get into the depressing history?” Sam had slung an arm around Danny’s shoulders, the touch making Danny feel all warm and fuzzy. It was a welcome feeling considering the cold darkness that seemed to seep out of the building behind them. 

With a smile that bordered on sad, Danny poised his pointer finger in the air and swirled it around, just as he did every episode. “Roll the tape.” In the final cut, this is the part where they would cut away to a voiceover of Danny with b-roll of the place they were investigating behind it. 

Danny slid his phone out of his pocket, the script he wrote containing his research saved there. No matter how large their audience would grow, Danny refused to let anyone else research the history of their locations. Not only did he want to make sure that he was respecting the lives of those who perished at these locations, but he also did not want anyone to weaponize and abuse the history just to make it seem like ghosts existed for their gain. Sam was the only one who didn’t seem to think he acted prissy over the whole thing. 

“So, the place was built in 1915 and funded by the Catholic church. Their idea was to take in only white kids and give them to white families-” 

“Racist bastards,” Sam cut in, his breath tickling Danny’s cheek as the man leaned in to see Danny’s phone. Daniel tried extremely hard not to think about how close Sam’s lips were to his skin. (He failed miserably, his blunder displayed in the form of a pink blush dusting his cheeks for all to see)

“Oh, it gets worse. Now, that’s where all the documented information ends on this place. So, we’re slapping a very general ‘allegedly’ on everything from here on out.” Danny made the mistake of looking up from his phone and into Sam’s eyes, their faces barely inches apart, his breath catching in his throat. 

“They don’t even have proper sources,” Sam commented in a theatrical disapproving tone, his eyes never leaving Danny’s. Danny could feel rather than see the easy smile on Sam’s lips. 

“Th-They - uh,” Danny cleared his throat before tearing his eyes away and back to his phone. “There are claims that Native children from the surrounding areas were ripped away from their families as babies and then ‘Americanized’ before being adopted to white families. They wouldn’t find out the truth of their heritage until well into adulthood.” God I hope they don’t include me being so flustered in the final cut

“You mean this was a residential school??” Sam seemed genuinely outraged at the news, his outburst causing Danny’s ear to ring. 

“Allegedly,” Danny responded, using his free hand to rub at the affected ear. 

“I say again: ‘Racist bastards!’” 

“I’m pretty sure calling nuns ‘bastards’ gets you sent to hell.” 

“Fine! That means I’ll get to fist fight ‘em while I’m down there!” 

Danny shook his head, laughing at his co-host and best friend’s theatrics. “You’re something else, Sam.”

“And by ‘something’ do you mean charming, handsome, and funny?” Sam batted his lashes while preening, tossing his long hair over his shoulder. 

“Sure… we’ll go with that.” 

Sam let out an offended squawk, causing Danny to giggle. He shot Sam a wink before continuing on with his script. 

“Once again, there’s not a whole lot more on this place besides a lot of stories with no real sources. However, a lot of adults who lived in the orphanage as children would report terrible living conditions and mistreatment by the nuns. One report claimed that a little girl who was staying in the orphanage got caught in a huge blizzard, then died of pneumonia after she returned to the nuns. And instead of burying her right away, they put her body on display in the lobby as an example for the other kids.” 

“Jesus Christ almighty. Like, dude, I’m genuinely so fucking mad that I can’t even think of a joke,” Sam fumed, his grip on Danny’s shoulder tightening. 

“Well, these are all alleged-” 

“I don’t care. Usually I feel bad annoying the ghosts we visit. But tonight? I fucking hope I piss these bitches off!” 

“If ghost nuns even exist,” Danny countered. 

Sam didn’t respond verbally. Rather, he shot Danny a long-suffering look that really told Daniel how thrilled he was over that particular bit of input from the man. Danny just laughed, tilting his head a little so that it was resting against Sam’s. Sammy still had yet to let his arm drop from around Danny’s shoulders. 

“Is that everything?” 

“One last little thing, and then we’re all clear to go in. We’re actually pretty lucky to get in here when we did. We’re the last group of ghost hunters allowed to investigate this place before they start renovations.” 

“Pfffff, why? From the pictures I saw online, it’s beyond saving,” Sam looked over his shoulder at the aforementioned building. Just the exterior of the place was in bad shape: the brick was covered in crawling ivy, spray painted tags providing the only color to the faded orange brick, and practically every window was shattered or boarded up with plywood. 

“The previous owner was bought out. Another company, who graciously agreed to let us go through with this investigation before they started construction, is gonna turn this place into an apartment complex,” Danny explained, slipping his phone into his pocket once more. 

Sammy’s mouth fell open, a knit in his brow that showed just how much he was in disbelief from that claim. And that was when he slid his arm off of Danny. Quick to follow the void of the affectionate warmth of Sam’s touch was the frigid and sinister grope of the orphanage. Daniel never before put stock into Sam’s bullshit “energy” of the locations they visited, but this one felt different. 

“Hope those renters don’t mind having demonic nuns as their roommates,” Sam jested, his light-hearted tone simply a ruse for him still reeling over the fact that people are going to live in the building that has rumors of child abuse attached to it. 

Daniel could not help the wheeze of laughter that squeezed out of his lungs. “Damnit, Sister Mary! I told you not to leave the light on at night!” Danny played along, hoping that his joking around with Sam would ease the dread beating in his heart. As unsettling as it was, that unease seeping into Daniel’s bones felt familiar. 

“I’m gonna start making you pay rent!!” Sam continued with a laugh, his smile brighter than the floodlight pointed at them for the camera. 

“Would you rather have a demonic nun or a creepy ghost child as your roommate?” Danny asked as they began to walk up to the entrance of the old orphanage. 

Sam hummed in consideration, his fingers tapping on his chin. “Honestly? The nun.” 

“Really?” That was not the answer Danny was expecting. Sam had a long documented history of not liking demons in the slightest. He was the most afraid of the “demonic” locations they visited. 

“Well, 9 times out of 10, the ghost kid is actually a demon in disguise, right? So, rather than having the stress of having to guess whether or not it’s an actual kid, I’d rather have a demonic nun lady who’s honest about her identity.” Sam enthusiastically waved his hands as he spoke. 

“So… you’d pick a demon?” Danny’s hopeful tone surprised even himself. 

Rather than listen to Sam’s response, Daniel was instantly hit with a ringing in his ears that tuned him out the second he crossed the threshold into the abandoned building. He felt as if the world was moving in slow motion, his senses all zeroing in on the dark energy permeating out of the very walls of the place. Darkness charred the edges of his vision as they focused in on something at the end of the hall, something that was watching them from behind a corner. It was insane, but Danny felt as if he knew this presence, as if they were someone he was familiar with in passing, but was not closely acquainted with. And that wasn’t even the craziest part. Danny felt as if this… thing’s… attention was squarely on Sam and Sam alone. 

“-aniel?” 

With a touch of his hand to his shoulder, Sam yanked Danny out of whatever state he was just in. Like he emerged from a body of water, suddenly Daniel’s hearing was back to full capacity and his vision was fully intact. As he turned his head to look into Sam’s rich, amber eyes, time was restored to the correct speed. 

Glancing back down the hallway once more, Daniel found nothing but a dark, liminal space with fallen plaster and wood pieces littering it. He shook his head to clear it, his curls hitting his cheeks. However, he was still left with the feeling of his brain being waterlogged. 

“Are you ok?” Sam’s words dripped with concern, his eyes even glittering with it. With Sammy’s focus on him, Danny felt better. As long as he was next to Sam, nothing bad would happen. He vowed his life. 

“I think you're right, I shouldn’t have taken that much DayQuil,” Danny joked, hoping it would distract a little from what just happened. 

“Do we need to stop? You don’t have to do this tonight if you’re not-” 

“I’m alright, Sammy, I promise.” Danny flashed his most charming smile towards his best friend. He knew it was manipulative, but he also knew that it was justified. What Danny had stopped Sammy from suggesting was the man doing the whole episode by himself. If Danny wasn’t there, Sam would most definitely get into trouble. Life-threatening trouble. 

With an uncertain sigh, Sam gave Danny a comforting squeeze of his shoulder. That translated to him that Sam didn’t agree with Danny, but he was dropping the subject anyway. 

“Alright. Let’s go into the nursery first. Apparently more than a few people have gotten voices on the Ovilus in there,” Sam dictated, pulling a flashlight from his pocket and clicking it on. The beam of cold LED light illuminated a flurry of dust particles that made Daniel want to sneeze just looking at them. Please let there be no asbestos in here

“And where is that?” 

Daniel’s blood turned to ice in his veins as Sam pointed his flashlight beam down the hallway Daniel had just been staring down. “Somewhere down there. To the left, I think.” 

The side that Thing was hiding

Daniel had to roll his eyes at himself. There wasn’t anything actually down there. It was probably just too much cold medicine making his brain weird. 

“Ready for a baby, Sammy boy?” Danny jested, a crooked smile pulling at the left corner of his lips. He fumbled into the pocket of his own jacket, clicking on the flashlight as soon as he got a good grip on it. 

“Only if it’s yours,” Sam replied, not missing a beat. Stunned, Danny turned his head to see Sam bounce his eyebrows at Daniel before trudging down the hall. For the second time in five minutes, Daniel found himself having to shake his head to clear it. Sam was going to be his demise, that he was sure of. 

+++

“One more time. If you want to talk to us, please say one of our names back to us! My name is Sam,” Sam paused.

“And I’m Danny,” Daniel finished without missing a beat. He was used to having to introduce himself to empty rooms. But this time, he could not shake the feeling he was being watched. And it couldn’t be blamed on the cameras pointed at them. 

“Da-an,” the electronic voice of the Ovilus device coughed out. That thing, allegedly, picked up on ghosts and spirits manipulating the environment and formed sounds in what was called “phonetic mode”. Most of the time it just sounded like a robot with a bad cough, but sometimes it would form some words that even Danny couldn’t deny. 

“Oh, that’s a first. It wants to talk to you, Daniel,” Sam taunted, a shit-eating smirk on his lips as he held the device out to Danny. With a roll of his eyes, Danny took the thing from Sam’s hand and entertained the “ghost” trying to talk to him. 

“You’ve reached Danny,” the man droned in an unenthusiastic tone. He tucked his arm around his middle and rested his arm holding the equipment on it. 

“Hello… bro-o-ther.” That same chilling feeling that had been rattling his bones since Danny stepped onto the property slammed into him in full force, as if Lake Superior herself had sent a titanic wave to drown him. He wasn’t aware of the way his eyes widened nor the way he froze in place as if Medusa glanced his way. 

With a weak smile, Danny tried to recover. “Josie? What are you doing all the way over here? Last I knew, you were still alive.” 

“In-n-n-fernal.” 

All of the moisture left Danny’s mouth. 

“Uh-oh.” 

If Danny didn’t know any better, he would’ve said the thing was laughing at him. 

“What do you want?” Daniel’s tone was cold yet sturdy, like a predator growling out a warning. 

Before the response came, Sam yipped in surprise, jumping about three feet in the air. He bolted over to Danny’s side from his spot across the room, tucking in against Danny’s arm. “Something just grabbed me.” His voice trembled on his tongue. 

“Sam.” Out of instinct, Daniel wrapped a possessive arm around his best friend and pulled him tight against his side. 

“What do you want from me?” Sam was attempting to be brave, but the way his voice wavered betrayed how scared he was. 

“Everything.” With each word it spoke, the Ovilus became clearer and clearer. It still maintained its robotic tone, but the thing was not spouting words clear as day. 

Perhaps it was the cold he was suffering from or too much DayQuil. But, no matter what you wanted to blame, the outcome remained: Danny slipped up. Again. 

“Like hell you are,” Daniel growled. At the same time the Ovilus did. 

“Daniel?” Sam’s meek voice squeaked out to his right. 

“Scared. Tasty.” 

Daniel pulled Sammy closer to his side out of a surge of protectiveness. His eyes were now rapidly scanning the darkness surrounding for any signs of danger or threats. 

“Demons feast off fear…” Sam whispered. Because he was so close to Danny, the man could feel his best friend shaking. 

That was when the Ovilus started to spew words in a different robotic tone. It sounded crazy, but it was as if the voice setting was changed on the device to make it sound higher-pitched. 

“MINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINE-” 

“Sam,” Daniel interrupted, his eyes locked onto the doorway to the room they all stood in. The Ovilus was still repeating itself in Danny’s hand. 

“W-What?” Sammy’s tone quivered as it escaped his lungs. Danny didn’t have to look over at him to know his face was drained of blood and his eyes were as big as the moon. He’d been in enough places that scared the shit out of Sam to have that expression of his permanently etched into his mind. 

“I need you and the crew to get out.” It was a demand that left no room for argument. 

But, of course, Sam was the exception to that rule. 

“What?? No! I’m not leaving-” 

“Damn it, Sam! I’m trying to save your life! So for once in your fucking life, do as I say!” He snapped his head over to Sam’s direction as he screamed at his best friend. There was a large pang of guilt that stabbed him through the heart as he realized he’d made Sam cry. 

“Your… your eyes…” Sam trembled out, a quaking finger pointing at Danny’s face.

With a guilty sigh, Daniel kissed Sam on the forehead as he forced himself to soften his tone. “Please. Take everyone and get as far away from here as possible. I’ll meet up with you as soon as this is over; that’s a promise.” 

With a few rapid blinks, Sam nodded his head shallowly. Daniel, reluctantly, let go of Sam before the co-host grabbed their cameraman by the arm and bolted out of the door. He spared Danny one last frightened glance before completely disappearing into the darkness. Daniel prayed (the irony was not lost on him) that seeing his love in such a terrified way was not the last way he’d ever gaze upon him. 

“In love. Disgusting.” 

Daniel just scoffed. There was no way in hell he was going to be ashamed of what he felt for Sam.

“Attach. Sam. Still.” 

“I sent him out of range, you brainless bastard,” Daniel hissed, his eyes back on the doorway. It was the spot in the room where he felt that frigid darkness in the highest volume. He would be able to see it if he weren’t in this form. 

“Sam. Frightened. You,” it taunted. Daniel knew it was just trying to get in his head, but, fuck, if it wasn’t true. He’d seen that look of terror on Sammy’s face as he’d yelled at him. 

“I’ll take that over him being dead.” Daniel growled out, his jaw clenching so hard it could have shattered his teeth. 

With a clench of his fist, the Ovilus shattered into thousands of pieces in his hand. He paid no mind to the stinging pain he experienced as his skin dripped with the blood of his fresh wounds. 

“Enough chatter. Let’s dance, gingerbread.” 

+++

Daniel had found Sam pacing on the crumbling street in front of the orphanage. While he was a little miffed that Sam decided to stay that close to the building, he could hardly stay mad. He watched for a moment as Sammy plowed his fingers through his silky locks, or chewed on the skin of his thumb, or shoved his hands into his pockets. It wasn’t until Danny approached Sam (more like limped towards him) that the man even noticed him. 

Instead of the bone-crushing hug he was expecting from his best friend, Daniel was greeted with a face full of scalding, searing, divine, holy water. 

“Fucking SHIT!” Danny wailed, clutching his face with his hands as he doubled over in pain, his knees hitting the dewy grass beneath him. 

“YOU’RE A DEMON?!” 

Sam’s screaming accusation echoed off the surrounding houses and trees, a flock of poor, unsuspecting birds taking flight into the twinkling sky. 

Daniel, feverishly wiping the blessed water off his burning skin with the sleeve of his jacket, winced at the thundering volume Sam employed. Once he got as much of the water off of his face as he could, he looked up at Sam only to be met once more with a dousing of angelic H2O. 

“Mother- Could you quit it with the holy water, please?!” Daniel begged, more than a little desperation in his tone as he pawed at his scorching skin. He was convinced that his face was going to be bubbling with blisters. 

“You’re a demon.” It was a statement. A law of nature. What goes up, must come down; Daniel Wagner is a dirty fucking demon. 

“Yes,” Daniel sighed in resignation. There was no denying it now. Not only was Danny very visibly adverse to holy water, but he was pretty sure in the heat of the moment, he had fucked up and flashed Sam his true eyes. 

“Where the fuck is my best friend?” Sam growled through gritted teeth, his hand holding the holy water lifting up as if ready to strike again. 

“Right here! Right here,” Danny rushed out, shielding himself with his arms. 

“LIAR!!” 

“No, please! Sammy! Sammy,” Danny begged again, dropping his arms so that he could look Sam in the eyes. “It’s me. It’s always been me. I swear.” 

Danny wasn’t sure what it was, but Sam lowered the holy water. A breath of relief punched out of his chest, but the demon knew that this was far from over. There was still a righteous fury burning in his eyes and a set in his jaw that would have been extremely sexy if Danny weren’t so scared of losing Sam. 

“Prove it.” 

For a moment, Daniel didn’t know what to do. His mind floundered for a way to prove that the person Sam had always known as Danny was a demon. As he fumbled around his head, Sam deemed that he was taking too long and lifted up the holy water again. 

“WAIT wait!! Shit- the first time we ever had a sleepover! It was at your house, and- and- we stayed in your shared bedroom with the twins at first, but then we snuck down to the basement to play Clue at 1 am. We got caught because we played that Carole King record too loud and woke up your mom.” Daniel was talking a mile a minute, feverishly attempting to pour his soul, or, the demon equivalent, into his words in the desperate hope Sam would believe him. 

Sam thought for a second. But it was only for a second. 

“Not good enough-”

“NO! God, Sam, please! I swear it’s me. I-I don’t know what else I can do to convince you. But I swear on my life, I’ve always been this way. And, yes, I did trick you and lie to you the whole time, I don’t deny that. But, that guy who you travel the world with and laugh with and spend all your hours with? That’s me.” Daniel didn’t know when he started crying, but he frankly didn’t care. He was too focused on searching Sam’s face for any indication that he was getting through to Sam. 

His face was as impassible as stone. 

“Fuck,” Danny whimpered under his breath, hanging his head as sobs wracked his body. 

He was losing Sam. 

“I know you don’t believe me. Hell, I don’t deserve to be believed. But, please just… please just try. You’re… You’re my best friend. You’re the reason I trapeze around the world looking for ghosts, why I shower in cold water because you take yours so scalding it nearly burns off your skin, so I let you go first. You’re the reason I know all the words to Layla by Eric Clapton and why I learned guitar. You’re the reason I get up in the mornings… the reason I breathe, Sam; so that I have enough air in my lungs to crack a joke on the off-chance I get to hear your laugh. I…” The words caught in Danny’s throat as it closed in on himself, painful sobs hiccupping out of his mouth that he tried to stifle with the press of his hand. “I love you, Sam. And… And I’d rather be tortured by Satan himself than lose you. But, I know that I hurt you. And I know that you’re afraid of me. So… if you le-” He couldn’t even form the words, even thinking them too painful of a fate. “But if you turned around and never came back, well… that’s more than I deserve.” 

The night was perfectly silent, save for Daniel’s lamenting that echoed around him, as if taunting him. He was the worst demon ever forged in hellfire. Instead of feasting off of Sam’s soul and turning him towards hell like he’d been assigned to do, Daniel went and fell in love with the bastard. And there he was now, crying like a wimp because he thought he was going to lose Sam forever. 

He was coming up with plans on how to get himself exorcized by some priest when he felt a pair of hands grab his wrists and pull them away from his face. Before Danny could even process what was happening, a pair of soft lips crashed into his own. They were so, so warm. In fact, they felt like sunshine as they chased away all of the storm clouds thundering inside of Danny. 

Before he could really even savor them, the lips were gone from Danny’s. He’s ashamed to admit it, but the demon whimpered at their loss. 

“You’re Daniel.” Despite being spoken as a statement, Danny heard the question in Sam’s words as he rested their foreheads together. 

Danny didn’t trust his voice. Instead, he nodded in confirmation. That was all Sam needed. 

“I’m so fucking pissed off at you. And I will be for a very, very, long time.” 

Daniel could not control his cry of relief as it slipped out of his mouth. A fresh set of tears flowed from his eyes, these ones warm as they streamed down his cheeks. Once again, Daniel was able to read between the lines of Sam’s words better than anyone else; Sam wasn’t going anywhere. 

“Thank you,” he managed to breathe out. He wanted so badly to pull Sam into a crushing hug, but he also did not want to test his luck. 

“I have about a million questions for you that I expect answers for. Every. Single. One. Is that understood?” Sam’s tone was still steely, but Danny could hear his resolve start to crack. 

“Anything you want. I promise.” 

Finally, Sam let go of Danny’s wrists and wrapped his arms around him. That was all Daniel needed before he copied Sam and lunged at him with so much force, Sam was sent to the ground, landing on his back. He let out a grunt as he collided with the grass, but did nothing to remove his grip on Danny. The two of them stayed there for a length of time, god only knows how long. 

“I love you, too,” Sam whispered into Danny’s ear. Overwhelmed by that confession, Daniel burst into tears all over again. Sam said nothing, just stroked Danny’s back in a soothing manner as Daniel released all of his worries over Sam rejecting him. 

After he ceased crying, Daniel helped Sam up out of the grass. Despite it being July, the night was still cold. And Danny was still sick, something Sam would make fun of him for later on when he realized it. 

“I don’t think we’ll be able to film anymore tonight,” Sam posited, his hand finding Danny’s and lacing their fingers together. Daniel felt his heart leap into his chest at the action, a smile so wide on his lips it made his cheeks hurt. 

“Good thing we have access to it tomorrow night as well,” Danny reminded, swinging their interlocked hands as they walked back towards the car they drove there from the hotel. 

“So… if demons exist… does that mean…?” 

Despite his head tilting back in exasperation, Sam’s question only made Danny’s smile grow impossibly larger. 

“Yes, Sam.” 

“I KNEW GHOSTS WERE REAL!!!”

+++

@doodle417 @sammykiszkasunusedshoes @jmks-housewife @alwayssotiredbutneverofyou @ageoferin @etoilesnoor @ascendingtostardust @godlygreta @s0livagant @gretavanflowerpower @morganic-goods  @baguettejuliette @fan-girl-97 @gaby-gvf @age-of-nyahh @mzbrightside @myownparadise96 @xserenax-13 @sammysvanfeet @strugglingtodoshit @loofypoofy @chalametpwk @seventieswhore @razorbladekiszka @unfortunatelykristin @welightthefire @gretavanfleas @sammiejane22 @satanplayshisfluteforhim @starsasone  @writingcold @tearsofbri @teddiie @GardensGateDaisy @sparrowofthedawnsworld @angelbabyyy99 @whollyfreeamongststars @gretaswhore28 @l0rdoffli3s @kay-jordan @lightmyloverry @kenzie18 @gotavansleep @roosterbbradley @freckled-wonder @flower-power-anthem @Gabyvanfleet @Sarakay-gvf @Mamalikes-gvf @josh-iamyour-mama @st4rdust-ch0rds @fallonfatality @earthlysorrows @jessicafg03 @rossy1080 @hippievanfleet @spark-my-nature @hayley1623 @schleeble @gretavanflipflop @mehboihourz @jakeydoesit @BusyBeingTrash 

[sparrowofthedawnsworld]

that fic I just read and reblogged gave me soft uncle/dad!gvf thoughts, but specifically Sam and Danny😫

Uncle Sam and uncle Danny meeting their niece for the first time…

“Jesus christ, I’m scared…” Sam mumbles, walking up the sidewalk with Danny, up to you and Jake’s house.

You’d had Jake call both of Sam, Danny and Josh, earlier this morning, to inform them all that it was okay to come by and meet your little newborn. Of course, Josh beat them by a long shot to your house - funny considering he’s never the first one anywhere. Sam and Danny obviously hadn’t been too far behind, though.

“Scared for what?” Danny chuckles, reaching the steps of the porch just before Sam.

“What if she cries when I hold her?!” Sam exclaims worriedly. chewing on the inside of his cheek as he watches Danny lift a hand up to knock. “And why do you think Jake wouldn’t tell me her name?”

“I don’t know. Jake just said it was a surprise for when you meet her.” Danny shakes his head, already knowing what her name is. Keeping it from Sam definitely hasn’t been easy the last few days, but he’s certain the reaction will be worth it.

Within seconds, Jake is opening up the door and greeting them with a big, toothy smile, engulfing each of his brothers in an excited hug.

You listen to the soft chatter of the three boys as they enter the living room, where you’re watching Josh hold your daughter - calm and collected as he carefully sways her back and forth.

“Oh… my god…” Sam utters, barely audible, looking between her and you with wide eyes. Danny is close behind him, jaw dropping with amazement and disbelief that he’s looking at her in real life.

“Go ahead, Sammy…” you smile, nodding your head towards her, giving him permission to hold her.

Josh silently walks over to Sam, gingerly passing off the tiny, sleeping baby off to his little brother with a wide smile. Josh mutters a few things for him, likely about the best way to hold her, to which he just nods and scoops her from Josh’s hands.

She fits right into Sam’s hands alone, both of them together large enough to cradle her entire little body.

The room falls silent, until Sam finally chokes out his burning question. “What’s her name…?”

Everyone exchanges a few quick glances, and you give Jake a look. He quickly nods and steps up behind Sam, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder.

“Her name is Melody… Melody Francis.” Jake tells him, looking at his little girl from over Sam’s shoulder.

“Melody…” Sam’s voice cracks. “Melody Fran- Wait- What??“ His head immediately snaps up, looking over his shoulder at Jake and then over to you. “No… No way…”

You watch as Sammy’s eyes glass over and a couple of tears free themselves to run down his cheek. He looks back down at her with a slowly growing smile, a barely audible little sob choking its way up his throat.

“You’re my little side kick, now, Melody.” Sam coos to her, just as her eyes begin to slowly open. He gasps excitedly, eyes lighting up even more. “Hi, precious…”

“She didn’t wake up for me,” Josh scoffs, playfully rolling his eyes.

“Actually,” Danny cuts in. “She woke up just in time for me to hold her.”

[hopefullyitsextensivebule]

When The Lake Thawed Out: Chapter 5

Summary: In 1993, a young man goes missing near a lake in his hometown; the town heartbroken and having lost a spark in their lives. Now, after 30 years of unanswered questions, he comes home in one of the most intense heatwaves to ever hit the town of Little Franconia, seeing that things are the same and different. In this tale of discovery and family, watch as Joshua relearns the world around him and adjusts to the nuances of pop culture, technology, and generational rot.

Writer’s Whining: N/A

Warning(s): Angst.

Word Count: 2K+

@List: @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @asparrowofthedawn@obetrolncocktails, @fallonfatality, @wetkleenex-gvf, @takenbythemadness, @heatsaboves @joshym, @freyjalw, @gvf23 @basiccortez @alwaysonthemend @losfacedevil@puzzle-gvf@sinsofstardust@glorpa@nessie-glorpa @myownparadise96

The night was silent and calm, a rare occurrence in the Kiszka household. Sam lay comfortably in his bed, hugging his pillow and hair splayed on it as if he were in a deep slumber. Jamie was in his bed, arms crossed under his head as he fell asleep in that position from jamming to music hours earlier.

Jacob was in bed, his leg propped up on a pillow and his arms on his stomach. He snored slightly, eyelids shut and eyeballs roaming underneath as if in search of something. That level of comfort would never be the same again.

His phone had rung from the nightstand, Jacob grunting and stirring in his sleep as his hand tried to search for his phone. With laziness, he picked his phone up and propped it on the pillow and answered. “Who is it?”

The voice on the phone had sounded panicked and excitable, to which Jacob had struggled to sit up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. “Wai-slow down, Daniel,” he says, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, “what do you mean…”

Within minutes, the sounds of clothes being found and hastily put on ensued. His shoes weren’t tied, but they were on to get to where he needed to be. He had dropped a lamp, the bulb breaking, to which Jake cursed himself and swept the mishap under the bed. The door soon opened to see a tired Sammy rubbing his eyes. “Dad, is everything okay?”

Jake halted his erratic behavior and spoke. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine, Mr. Wagner needs me to do something,” he said, putting his hair in a low ponytail. 

“Is it about Danny? Is he okay?” he asked, concerned. 

“No no no, don’t worry, go back to sleep,” Jake said to him, getting his things and stepping out the room. Sam saw the broken lampshade and how tired and frazzled his father was. Sam went back into the room and started to get dressed himself.

Jake was about to exit the house. His youngest was right behind him, “Sammy, what are you doing?”

“I’m coming with you; you’re too frazzled and can’t drive in the dark,” he said. Jake had groaned in frustration and had go in the passenger seat, Sam driving to the Wagner’s house. Jake was pensive as Sam drove, his eyes fixated outside and his fingers tapping on the door hand of the car. When Sam drove in front of the house, Jake trying to open the car door, but it was not yet able to yet. Sam unlocked the door, Jake jumping out the car, and limping, realizing that he did not have his cane. Sam had reached behind the passenger seat in the netted pouch and grabbed his father’s foldable cane, and brought it out to give it to him.

Jake banged on the door urgently, knocking on it. Sam had to calm him down. The door opened easily, Mrs. Wagner opening it. She had an arm full of clothes that needed washing. “Jake-” she said. 

“W-Where is he!” he said urgently, Mrs. Wagner taking him into the house along with Sam.

“Jacob, he's fine,,” Mrs. Wagner states, “but please, he looks out of it.”

Jake looked at the woman and then headed to the bedroom. “Mrs. Wagner… what’s going on?” Sam asked her, Mrs. Wagner’s hand on his shoulder.

“It’s… complicated,” she told her. 

“Where’s Danny?” he asked.

“In the basement, finding some old clothes,” she answered.

Mr. Daniel Wagner was in the guest bedroom, where he had a pitcher of cold water and a glass filled already. He looked at the young male, seeing how tired and worn he looked. The father of one himself had wet eyes, knowing how much this would have meant to his friend. The door opened behind him, a nervous Jake standing at the door's threshold.

“Is it him?” Jake asked. 

Mr. Wagner had moved out of the way so that Jake could get close to him. Jake had taken a shakey breath of air, the lump in his throat large as he saw him. He had sat on a chair and had scooted close, taking the male’s hand in his and rubbing it. His hands were identical to his… but they were not aged like his. His knuckles and his palm were soft and feathery.

He stirred in the bed, eyebrows furrowed and eyes clamping shut. “… mm”

Jake held his breath, waiting for him to say something to him. The older male had gone to touch his forehead, feeling how warm he was. “Say something…”

Chestnut eyes greeted the world, a bit dull but still had so much life in them. He scanned the room to see where he was, wondering how he ended up here. He soon met the other’s, his eyes filling up with a light of relief.

“Jakey…” he called him, a faint but overt smile on his face. Jacob soon hugged the male tightly, the other weakly hugging him and rubbing his back. Sobs left Jake as he was finally reunited with him. He was reunited with his twin. 

Josh.

Mr. Wagner had rubbed his eyes, trying to compose himself as well. Mrs. Wagner came with the old clothes. She saw the reunion and felt tears sitting on the brims of her eyes. Jake had pulled away, looking at Josh’s face. “You… haven’t aged… how’s this possible.”

“Jake, he’s tired,” Mr. Wagner said, his hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Can I stay the night?” Jake asked, “please…”

“Of course, you can,” Mr. Wagner allowed, rubbing his back. Sam and Daniel looked at each other briefly before looking at the scene before them.

⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹⟹

After some time had passed, Daniel and Sam sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea for each of them. “How did he even find your house?” Sam asked him. 

“We never moved from here. This house was my dad’s growing up, so I guess he thought my dad was still here…” Daniel said, “it was so weird, seeing him though. He was out of it, but he thought I was my dad’…”

“You and your dad do look alike,” Sam said, “I’ve seen photos of him when he was a kid, you guys are twins.”

Daniel chuckled and rolled the cup of tea between his palms pensively, “still. Seeing your dad’s twin alive just like he was when he… you know. It has to be pretty weird. I mean, technically, that’s your uncle.”

“That is… if he is related to us,” Sam said, “I just find it weird. Like what if he’s one of those scammers for missing or dead family members and he’s just here to get money from us. Scammer do all that research just to get a couple bucks.”

“Well, he must be really good at memorizing things because when he was talking to mom. He told a whole story about how my dad and yours were in band class, and that your dad only was in band class to get with the ladies,” Daniel had chuckled. “My dad hadn’t laughed like that in ages,” he said to him. 

“Dad can finally be at peace now. This had eaten him up a lot since forever,” Sam emphasized. Sam had a good idea of who his uncle was; Jake described him as if he had seen him yesterday. It would be anything that reminds Jake of him. Jamie would grow tired over the course of the years, but Sammy listened.

Mr. and Mrs. Wagner had walked down the stairs, Mr. Wagner speaking to the boys. “Your dad is going to stay here for tonight. Daniel, if you can get the airbed from the basement that’ll be just great,” he said, Daniel starting to move.

“Oh, Mr. Wagner, that’s not necessary,” Sam pleaded, “I have to go back home; Jamie is still there; he doesn’t even know what’s happening.”

“Well… in that case,” Mr. Wagner said, looking at his son. “Danny, can you stay with the boys at their place tonight?”

“Sure,” Danny said, having rushed up his room to get his things.

“Let me text Jamie at least,” Sam said, getting his phone out and beginning to text Jamie, being left on sent. Danny had taken his father’s car and taken Sam back to the house, Sam’s face laced with worry. Daniel tried his best to lighten the mood, Sam smiling a little, but it faded. 

They had returned to the house, Sam and Danny heading up to the Kiszka’s room. The small lamp had turned on, but Danny was able to see the room. It was decorated with different jazz artist posters and other little trinkets. Danny found a photo of the two of them from when they were younger, picking it up and seeing their preteen faces.

Sam had grabbed some blankets and placed them on the bed when he saw Danny smiling at him. “That was so long ago… wasn’t it.”

“Yeah,” the other said, fingertips touching the picture, “let’s go to bed…”

“Literally just thinking that…” Sam agreed. Daniel had gotten into his pajamas and had entered Sam’s bed. Sam did the same but the opposite end. They fell quiet and eventually fell asleep.

[withlovegvf]

ugh i die STOP THIS MADNESS

Dad!Danny moodboard by @allieisacrybaby

This is just a quick little blurb inspired by this beautiful moodboard and the idea of Dad!Danny getting home from tour. 😩

You plopped down on the couch with a sigh, watching as your handsome husband diligently unpacked his bags from tour. He was still wearing his “road clothes”, which consisted of whatever band shirt was still clean and a pair of gray sweats. “Daniel,” you said softly, when you still hadn’t gotten his attention, unable to fight the smile that played on your lips. You knew he had tried to be as quiet as possible coming in, trying his hardest not to wake you or your son, but you heard him moving around when you got up to pee. He turned to you with his hair in a messy bun, loose curls hung wildly in front of his face. He let out a puff of air, sending the strands flying before flashing you a wry smile.

“Hey, baby,” he crooned as he stepped closer, leaning down to press his lips to yours. You breathed him in, savoring his warmth and the taste of him. God, you had missed him..

When he suddenly pulled away, you mourned the loss momentarily…at least until you heard the quiet voice calling for you as your son wandered towards the living room. “Mommy?” He asked sleepily.

“Hey, bud,” Daniel stepped towards him, eyes already wet with the threat of tears as he squatted down.

“Daddy!” little Danny squealed as he ran and threw himself into his father’s waiting arms. Daniel scooped him up, hugging him tight as they spun around the living room. “I missed you!” He sobbed against his dad’s chest.

“I missed you so much,” Daniel murmured against your son’s scalp. Tears streamed down your own face as you witnessed their reunion, placing a hand on your growing bump and smiling as you felt the fluttered response of your daughters tiny feet. “Awh, baby, did you miss me, too?” Your husband asked with a teasing smile as he settled in to the spot beside you, still holding your son. You shot him a glare that had him throwing his head back laughing. “These hormones are no joke, huh?” He teased some more and you stuck out your tongue as your only response. He kissed your cheek lightly, lingering long enough to whisper, “I missed you, too, sweetheart.” Your cheeks flushed at his tone, but you leaned into his side. He kissed your temple this time and asked your son, “Why don’t you snuggle mama for me while I go make us some snacks?”

Almost immediately, the little guy draped himself across your bump, tiny hands pressed firmly against your stomach. “Sissy out now,” he instructed your daughter in utero. You smiled to yourself and heard Danny chuckle from the kitchen. You ran your fingers through his dark brown curls, admiring the freckles splattered across his nose as his eyes fluttered beneath their lids. Already asleep. Your heart swelled to the point of bursting, and Danny walked back in with a bowl of the main craving you’ve complained about while he was away, only to see you on the verge of tears once more. Your son had sprawled out in the spot Daniel had vacated, so he took the spot on your other side, looping an arm around you and holding out the popcorn he had mixed with little red cinnamon candies. You leaned into his chest, still smiling as you felt him squeeze you just a little tighter.

“You three are just going to have to come with me next time…can’t have us all falling apart all the time,” he finished with a sniffle, causing you to look up at his face, which was already damp with tears.