Gm!! I saw your inbox was open!! I was hoping to request something with Sanji, Ace n Franky with a selective mute (gender neutral) reader talking to them through their voice for the first time to confess? 👉👈
(Btw I wanted to let you know that your writing has such a grip on my heart, I must have re-read your Sleepy Afternoon hcs at least a hundred times 🥺🫶 and i hope you have a wonderful day!)
So sorry I didn't get a new chapter out today...the holidays kept me busy! Enjoy these sweet short stories instead <3
Characters: gn reader x Sanji, Ace, Franky
Cw: none :)
Total word count: 1600
First Words
Sanji
Ever since you joined the crew, you had found yourself gravitating toward the kitchen.
Being with Sanji was easy. He never pestered you with questions or asked you to speak. If he did ask questions, they were always non-invasive, yes-or-no questions that you could answer with a shake of your head.
You realized you had feelings for him when he came into the kitchen one morning, dark shadows under his eyes. And before he began cooking, he signed good morning to you. You had signed back the same phrase before you realized that he had signed, not spoken.
He beamed with pride as your eyes widened in shock.
“You learned how to sign?” you signed quickly.
He focused intensely as he watched the way your hands moved, and then slowly nodded.
“I stayed up all night trying to learn the basics. I figured it’s lonely up there in your head.” He tapped his temple with his forefinger for effect. “I’m not very good yet, but I’ll try my best to follow you if you ever feel like communicating.”
You gave a soft nod, the thought making your eyes shine. Even just the effort of knowing good morning made your heart swell.
As the days went on, Sanji got better at sign language. So much better that he indirectly became your translator for the rest of the crew if you ever felt like adding to the conversation. He came to your defense whenever Luffy begged you to speak, and helped make sure your voice was heard without ever judging you.
As the two of you were sitting out on the deck one night under the stars, you decided you couldn’t hold it in anymore. You had to tell him.
“I have to tell you something,” you signed.
Sanji stood up a little straighter, looking at you with slight concern. “What is it, my love?”
“I think-” you paused your signing. Saying the words with your hands didn’t seem right. You trusted Sanji with everything. You wanted to tell him. You wanted to say it. Out loud.
“I think-” you whispered softly, your voice raw from time unused. But you grew more confident when you spoke again. “I think I might just be in love with you, Sanji.”
You could see him struggling to understand your words; the fact that you had spoken was enough to send him into shock.
And then he leaned in and kissed you.
You melted under his touch. Your body craved the feeling of his skin as he held your face against his.
“I love you too, my dear,” he whispered back. “And my name on your lips is sweeter than anything I could ever cook up.”
Ace
Ace didn’t mind that you didn’t speak a lot. Or speak at all. He did enough talking for the both of you.
Still, you liked being around him. At meals, you often found yourself sitting next to him. At parties, he was often at your door, dragging you out onto the deck to have a few beers with everyone.
You liked how he could bring people together. He was always the life of the party anywhere you went. You enjoyed his warmth, both through his devil fruit ability and personality.
You often found yourself staring at him, admiring everything about him. You knew every other person on the ship was doing the same thing. So even when his eyes locked onto yours and the two of you had silent conversations, you did your best to ignore that ache in your chest. He was loved by everyone. You weren’t special.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Ace said, taking a seat next to you on the deck. “I know you didn’t want to, and I know these parties can be overwhelming. So thanks for coming for me.”
You shook your head slightly, smiling softly. It’s no big deal.
“It is a big deal! You-” the rest of his sentence was cut off by a few of your crewmates screaming at each other and everyone cheering loudly.
“Come on,” Ace mumbled, rising to his feet and holding out his hand for you. “Let’s go somewhere quieter. I can’t hear myself think here.”
You smiled and nodded, taking his hand. It was loud and overwhelming. You were here for Ace, to celebrate him being promoted. But that didn’t mean you liked being around crowds or rowdiness.
There was only one place that was quiet on a night like tonight: the crow’s nest. So the two of you quietly snuck up the ladder and hid away from everyone. A moment of quiet amongst the sea of noise.
“It's so peaceful up here,” Ace said softly. “I love it up here.”
You hummed in agreement. “I love you.”
Both of you froze. You hadn’t even been thinking about a confession. It had come out entirely on its own.
You could feel Ace’s sharp gaze on you. “What?”
You cleared your throat, ignoring the heat on your face. “The view. I love the view.”
“You’re speaking.”
You finally looked at him, your voice rough. “I speak sometimes.”
“Never to me!” Ace ran his hand through his hair and took a long drink from the bottle in his hand. “You’ve never spoken to me!”
“I-” you stopped. You hadn’t spoken much since you had joined the crew. Only to Pops, really. And only whenever you were asked a direct question. Ace had probably never heard your voice. “I thought you had. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize!” Ace said, laughing. “I just want to hear more of it! Tell me a story! Your voice is- is like-” he struggled for words, and then he smiled as his eyes locked onto yours. “It’s like a breath of fresh air.”
“It is not,” you smiled at his words, though. “You just feel that way because we can breathe up here without smelling our lovely crewmates.”
Ace barked out a laugh. “Stunning and funny. You really are the total package.”
You quieted at that. A true compliment from Ace didn’t happen often, and you could feel the blush creeping its way through your face.
Instead, you laid back and turned your head toward the sky, choosing to watch the stars instead. You were almost asleep when Ace spoke again.
“I love you too, you know.”
Franky
You liked being in the workshop with Franky. Franky never tried to get you to speak. Most of the time it was too loud in there to hold a conversation anyway. The extent of your conversation was him asking you to get a tool for him, and you silently retrieving it.
You weren’t sure it changed into something more, but you began watching him closely as he worked. After a day or two, he began explaining what he was building and all the steps that went into it. It wasn’t long before you were working on the bench next to him.
Some days, Franky was chatty. He talked about his home, his old life, and other projects he had done. Sometimes he asked you simple questions about your past, but he never pried too deep.
That’s what you liked most about Franky. Everything had been on your terms, and Franky had always received your decisions enthusiastically. He always supported you when you wanted to help him build a bench, but he also encouraged you to take rest days when you simply wanted to observe.
Franky was always on your side. No matter what you decided, he was going to agree. He was your biggest fan, always cheering you on.
And as his strong arms wrapped around you, both of you holding the torch to weld two pieces of metal together, you realized the heat on your face wasn’t just from the flame.
Franky pulled his welding helmet up. “So, do you like welding?”
You nodded. “I think I like you more, Franky.”
Franky’s mouth fell open in shock. For once, you had stunned him into silence. Only the hum of the generator buzzed in the air.
The silence made you feel strange, and words began falling out of your mouth in an attempt to fill it.
“You’re so kind and supportive to me and you always help me learn new things. You’ve been so amazing and patient these past few weeks and you’re always so encouraging and…I just…I like you a lot, Franky, and I was just thinking about how I wanted to tell you and then it just…came out.”
Franky was still staring at you, awestruck. “You can speak?”
You covered your face. He was missing the whole point. Maybe he would forget the words you had actually said.
He seemed to remember your words at that exact moment. “Me? You like me?”
A small smile creeped across your face. No backing down now. “Yes, I do.”
“Super!” His words made you laugh. “I’ve liked you for quite some time as well. Just didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Your smile finally widened, full and genuine. “You’re the place I feel most comfortable, Franky.”
He gently wrapped his arms around you, pulling you in for an embrace. “And I will never stop being that for you, I swear it.”
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Chapter Four: New Beginnings
FINALLY WE'RE BACK! I'm so sorry it took me so so long to post, but I hope this chapter makes up for it 🥹✨ As always, my inbox is open for you guys and please come talk to me about what you thought of the chapter 🫶🏼🫶🏼 All the love, Mar 🤍
March 14, 2022 – April 13, 2022: Month Four
March 15, 2022
New York City, New York. 1:45 PM.
The phone rang four times before he answered, “Hi baby”, I smiled, “Harry Styles you menace”, he laughed and I walked towards the flowers sitting on the coffee table; once he stopped laughing, he cleared his throat and said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
I sat down and snuggled into the pillows before answering him, “Oh? Well then, think I have to call Mr. Ricciardo and thank him for the flowers then”, he let out a grumble before mimicking what I just said which had me laughing, “I’m kidding baby; but you are a menace, three arrangements in a whole week?”
“I miss you baby, just don’t want for you to forget it”, I smiled, “I won’t, I promise you”, we settled into comfortable silence for a few until he spoke up, “How’s the baby?”, I sighed, “It’s been an adjustment, but we’re working on it”, he tsked his lips, “What’s wrong?”, I cleared my throat, “It’s nothing.”
“Baby, if it is bothering you, it is not nothing. Wanna switch to FaceTime?”, I sighed before quietly answering him, “Yeah”, we hung up and I pulled my laptop and charger, I plugged it in and waited for his call to appear, I smiled when I saw his face on the screen, and he returned the smile and a wave before asking me, “How on Earth do you get prettier and prettier each day huh?”
I laughed and hid my face behind my hands, “Stop it, I feel anything but”, he furrowed his brows a little, “What’s wrong baby?”, I sighed and started playing with my fingers, and looked everywhere but the screen where he was, “It’s just been… hard, like settling back home; jetlag hit us hard and she has also hit the sleep regression, so she isn’t resting well, which in turn has her in a bad mood all day long.”
“Dr. Ramirez said it was normal, but I don’t know, I feel awful for her, and we’ve been having issues with breastfeeding, my supply has been all over the place, so I have had to supplement with some of the frozen milk we have, which in turn has me tying to pump to make up for the milk I grab but then again my supply is not great so it is just this big mess; I mean don’t get me wrong, she is fed and happy, but I feel like I have been failing her.”
“Oh baby”, there was something on his tone that made me sniffle, “And… this is stupid because I know things take time, but I wanted to wear a dress I just bought and it did not fit, and I knew I wouldn’t be back to my pre-baby weight. But not even the next size fits comfortably, which then had me doing some try-ons and decluttering and I had to stop because I would have thrown out everything I own”, I wiped the tears that had fallen and turned to look at Harry, “I’m sorry, I just loaded you.”
He shook his head, “It makes me feel happy that you trust me enough to tell me how you feel darling, and I wish I could just reach into the screen and pull you into a hug”, I chuckled and he continued, “I’m so sorry things have been so hard for you, especially with the baby when I promised you I would always be there, but please get this into your head: you’re not failing her, haven’t failed her even before she was here and that is worth everything”, he smiled and I nodded.
“She is still tiny, and even if it hurts us, she is growing too, so these things will happen because they are part of her development, and we will always work together to help her, yes? You and me, we are a team; I remember that in one of the baby books I read they discussed ways to help soothe her during her crisis and ways to help you keep up your supply, so let me check my notes and I’ll send them your way.”
The smile that adorned my face was difficult to hide, I felt so damn proud of him, of the great father and boyfriend he had become, of the love he had for her and for me, and how much effort he was putting into taking care of Pippa and myself, he cleared his throat, “As for you Miss, I wish you could see what I see”, I smiled before giving him a questioning look, “And that is?”
He smiled, “A beautiful, strong, intelligent, talented, sexy as hell woman, both inside and out, a mother who everyday selflessly takes care from her baby and is making sure that her needs are met and that she is a happy baby, a friend who is always there for whoever needs her; I see the girl of my dreams and the woman I want to share the rest of my life with”, my heart started beating so fast and I smiled, he took it as a way to continue speaking.
“I don’t want to override your feelings, because they are valid, but just know, I think you are beautiful, and what matters to me the most is the fact that you are healthy, that you are thriving, and above all, that you are feeling good about yourself yes? I truly don’t give a shit if you’re a size zero or a size fourteen, I do care that you feel supported and loved by me and everyone who loves and cares for you.”
I sniffled and nodded before speaking up, “I am happy, I feel like we are getting a hang of this whole new adventure, so I feel like I am also thriving alongside her, and I do feel good about myself and so damn proud of having grown and birthed a healthy baby girl but, I don’t know”, is eyes were full of sorrow and worry, I cleared my throat before continuing.
“I feel like I’m comparing myself to all new moms who by now have their figure back and they are so confident, and me, well I feel good and look good, but I don’t know… I’m sorry I’m just being irrational”, he smiled, “Baby, you’re not. It is valid and I hear you and see you and the only thing I really want to do is be there for you in any way I can, is there anything literally anything I could do to help you to work on this problem?”, I smiled, “Just get home safe, we miss you so much and having you here is definitely the best medicine there is”, he smiled, “I am counting down the days to be next to you again, and until I am, expect many more surprises.”
I laughed and turned my head when I saw two boxes I had opened once we got back home, “By the way, you should definitely call Taylor and thank her for the lovely gifts”, he gave me a surprised look while taking a sip of water before speaking up, “Really? What did she send?”, I smiled, “A lovely, knitted cardigan with her name on it, and a crocheted blanket and it has her birth flowers knitted, and it is purple like her birthstone.”
He smiled, “I’ll make sure to reach out tomorrow and thank her, does she love her gifts?”, I nodded, “Her blanket is so cozy; it is the one I have been using when we need to go out, and her cardigan I’m saving it for a special occasion, like maybe one of her daddy’s concerts?”, that had him smiling so big and before he could speak up I added, “Coachella maybe?”, I grinned.
He sat up straighter and opened and closed his mouth, I took this chance to speak up, “I know we agreed that maybe we should stay home, but I know this is a very big and important time in your life for you baby, and we would love to be there with you”, he sniffled and smiled, “I would love nothing more than to have you two there with me my heart”, I smiled, “I love you baby”, he kissed his fingers and pressed them to the screen “I love you more my heart.”
March 20, 2022
New York City, New York. 12:30 PM.
My heart was going crazy while I was walking to the sushi place that we had agreed to meet up on. A few days ago, I had received an email from Matthew telling me he would be in the city and would love to meet for lunch so we could properly catch up. Before I confirmed my assistance, I decided to tell H about the situation, and although he wasn’t too thrilled, he said he trusted me and to call if anything happened.
Once we arrived, the lovely host led us to a secluded table where the stroller wouldn’t bother any of the guests and the noise would not wake up Pip; as I was finishing checking my emails, someone cleared their throat before speaking up, “Hi Birdie”, I left my phone on the table and turned to look at him, I smiled while standing up and reaching to pull him into a hug.
“Hi Matthew, it is so nice to see you again”, he squeezed a little before pulling back and turning to look at the stroller with a smile, “Sleeping?”, I nodded and he did too, “Well let’s take advantage and eat while she sleeps, yes?”, I smiled and nodded while he called the lovely waitress, who after taking our orders left our table.
I took a moment to just observe him; he was still the guy I had dated but he definitely had matured, and you could see it on his face, he smiled before speaking up, “You haven’t changed that much”, I laughed, “I was thinking the same thing about you”, he nodded, “So… I really don’t wanna be that guy, but I need to ask.”
I laughed, “Oh, it is a story to tell. I won’t bore you with details that are not that important; a few months after we broke up, I met Harry, he hired me for some design projects for his album and we started dating a few months after I finished the projects. We broke up on December of 2020 because I could see that he was falling out of love with me and I didn’t want to be left heartbroken, a few months later, in March, I travelled to L.A. for some work commitments and we happened to run into each other, and after dinner, one thing led to another, I ran way the next morning knowing that what happened had been a mistake; a few weeks later I found I was pregnant.”
He sat there and nodded, waiting for me to continue, I sighed and smiled a little, “I was so shocked, but I fell in love with her from the moment I knew she existed, and it was the kind of love that is all consuming and comes along with the need to protect her”, I peeked into the covered stroller and smiled at her before turning to see Matthew, “Her dad was dating someone else at the time, but they eventually broke up. I still remember how excited he was when he found out we were having a baby together, we had a few hiccups along the way but I’m glad we were able to work things out for her. We decided not to find out the gender until birth, it was the best decision.”
He gave me a teasing grin, “And between you two? Harry and yourself?”, I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, “We’re taking it one day at a time, but I know that he is the love of my life and hopefully the father of all of my children, and I will do everything in my power to make things work”, he nodded, “And Harry? How is he?”, I took a sip of my tea, “He is good, he is an awesome father and I have also realized that the Harry I fell in love is still there, I’m falling in love with him even more.”
He smiled, “You look happy Birdie”, I sat down for a moment to let his words sink in, “I am. So happy, happier than I thought I would be to be honest”, we ate a little more in silence before I asked him, “And you?”, he cleared his throat, “After we broke up, stayed in Manhattan for a few months, then my boss asked me if I would like to transfer to the London office and after giving it much thought I said yes and the next month I was on the move.”
I nodded encouragingly, hoping he continued to tell me his adventures, “A few months after moving I met Claire”, I could see him smile so big, before he continued, “She’s from Vancouver but her work also relocated her to London. We bonded over being to foreigners with new jobs and trying to understand England and started dating a few months after we met each other, I asked her to marry me a few months ago and she said yes.”
I smiled so big, “Oh Matthew! That’s so wonderful, congratulations!”, he laughed a little, “Thank you Birdie! Yeah, we’re very excited for this nee chapter for us; we will be getting married in Scotland in May, there’s a castle that we fell in love with when we visited and after the wedding we will be moving to Vancouver because we got a new job”, before I could speak up there was a little cry, a mewl from the stroller, so I reached in to pull the baby into my arms and settled her in my arms with a bottle covering her with the blanket.
“Holy crap she looks so much like you”, I smiled, “You think so? I think she’s more Harry’s twin at the moment”, he shrugged his shoulders, “I mean, yeah she looks like her dad, but the resemblance with you is also impressive, I have a feeling you have a mini you in your hands”, I laughed, “I’ll let you know because I swear to god she changes every day”, I then patted her back hoping to help her settle a bit more while she had her lunch.
Matthew smiled at me, “Motherhood suits you well, Birdie”, I smiled and peeked into the blanket to see the lovely eyes I had fallen in love for the last few months, before turning to look at Matthew, “I never in my wildest dreams thought I would love being a mom so much, but she makes everything so wonderful, she has given my life so much color and happiness, I really cannot imagine what my life would be without her here.”
Once we finished lunch and I had burped Pippa, I strapped her in the stroller so she could take her afternoon nap, Matthew paid for lunch and we made our way outside; we stood on the side of the street and we pulled each other into a hug, and once we pulled back, he peeked into the stroller and smiled before turning to look at me.
“You have a beautiful girl Birdie, and I am so happy you are happy”, I smiled, “I am so happy you are happy too Matthew”, we pulled each other into one last hug before he whispered, “Don’t be a stranger, yes? I would love to hear more from you”, I nodded, “You too, you have my phone number and email, so please keep in touch”, he nodded and waved while he walked onto the main street, I turned to see if everything was good in the stroller and started making my way back home.
March 23, 2022
Harry. New York City, New York. 8:00 PM.
I closed the door and dropped my suitcase next to it, I let out a deep breath once I took off my mask and removed my shoes on the way to the kitchen to wash my hands. I was so anxious and excited to finally be able to kiss my girls and have them in my arms once again, it had been too long, and the separation anxiety had done wonders on me.
As I made my way from the kitchen to the bedroom, I saw Y/N exiting our room and closing the door, I pouted before whispering a very sad, “Noo”, she gave me a sympathetic smile while she walked to me, “I’m so sorry baby, I really tried my best to keep her awake, but she was very crabby and tired, literally fell asleep breastfeeding and it was a struggle to get her to finish, I need to pump a little.”
I nodded while pulling Y/N into a hug and kissing her forehead multiple times, “I missed you gorgeous, and thank you for trying, I’m sorry she has been a menace today”, she laughed while pulling back a little and kissed my lips before we started walking to the kitchen, “I missed you too H, so much; and don’t worry, she was fine but I guess we did a lot of things today that tired her out.”
I helped her plate the dinner she had made, and we sat down on the counter, not before making sure that her chair was really close to mine, she smiled when I reached to place a kiss on her temple, she took a bite of dinner and swallowed before asking me, “How did the flight go?”
I groaned while I finished chewing, “It was awful, we were supposed to takeoff at around 4:30-5:00 PM UK time hoping I could get home and see the baby before she went down, but air clearance took about 45 minutes longer than expected so we ended up leaving about six, even Jeff was pissed about it and you know he has a lot of patience and understanding with these type of situations.”
She nodded while taking another bite, “Then the flight was so bumpy and we hit turbulence for the last hour and I was really freaking out because it literally felt like we had no breaks in between, but everything was better when we landed and I saw your text about her still being awake, but I forgot about stupid rush hour in New York.”
She laughed, kissed my temple, and rubbed my shoulders while I finished eating, “I’m sorry lovely, but thankfully you are here now and we will make up for all the cuddles we missed yeah?”, I nodded and smiled while reaching to puller her in for another kiss, “How about we finish dinner and I’ll go have a quick shower while you pump and then we can watch a movie?”, she nodded in agreement while taking another bite.
Once we finished eating, we picked up our plates and I made my way to the bedroom to have my shower, I decided to carefully peek into the bassinet and my heart just about melted, her cheeks had definitely grown, and I knew I would spend an unhealthy amount of time kissing them. After my shower I made sure that she was still sleeping then left the room, once I reached the living room I smiled when I saw Y/N settled on the couch waiting for me, after choosing what movie to watch, I pulled her into my arms so I could cuddle her and give her all the kisses I had missed these last few weeks, and while we were cuddling, I realized, there was no other place I’d rather be.
March 25, 2022
New York City, New York. 6:00 PM.
The music coming from the other side of the door had me smiling and rolling my eyes. Today is my birthday and even though I had begged Harry to keep it on the low and he had assured me he would, I had been getting spoiled all day long, and don’t get me wrong, I love the attention, but truly this year I felt like I had everything I could wish and more, still he argued that I deserved all the love I could get today.
It all had started with a lovely breakfast in bed which included my favorite pastries from the bakery three blocks down alongside a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers from my little girl, followed by an array of phone calls and video calls with our family out of town and more arrangements from friends and family with well wishes and lots of love, our house at the moment looked more like a flower shop.
Harry then prepared some light lunch for us and sent me with Ray to an undisclosed location with the instruction to turn my phone off as soon as I arrived at my destination, promising that if anything was to happen he would make sure to reach me, the undisclosed location turned out to be one of my favorite spas in the city, where I learned I had been booked for a full body massage and a facial. Once it finished, I was on my way back home to what I thought would be our normal night routine, but then again, I should have expected for it not to be the case.
The first thing I noticed once I opened the door was the balloons and garlands decorating the pathway to the kitchen and living room; when I turned to see the living room he had set up a picnic on the floor, and placed candles all over the tables, along with more balloons and pictures tied to the end of the balloons, the pictures that went all the way back to when we first met, some of my pregnancy I had either sent him or my friends, to Pippa’s birth and these last few months of being her parents and all the way up to a selfie with Pip I had sent him a few days ago.
The house smelled of lavender and the air felt warm, which was an indication that bath time had probably just ended; when I turned to the kitchen, I smiled at the picture I came across, the baby was settled in her little bouncy seat playing with a little rattle Anne had knitted for her while her father was singing to her, a demo from his new project still to be announced to the world, but the date was fast approaching.
Once he noticed I was standing at the entrance he dropped the spatula he was holding and smiled while making his way to me, “Hey birthday girl! How was your spa session?”, I kissed his chest and cuddled into his hug, “It was divine H, very much needed, thank you again baby”, he pulled back a little and smiled, “I’m so glad you enjoyed it, you deserve it; dinner is almost ready and the little miss is ready for a feed and cuddle with her mumma, so why don’t you go sit on the couch with her while I finish.”
I nodded and started walking to the little bouncer, and as soon as Pippa saw me, she gave me the biggest smile and my heart just about melted, I cooed to her, “Oh hi little miss look at that smile! Yeah, baby I love your smile”, I tickled her chin, “Are you gonna give me a laugh? Will you give mumma a laugh as a birthday gift?”, she just crinkled her eyes and moved her arms around, I took this chance to unbuckle her and made our way to the living room.
As soon as we settled, she latched and started feeding, and I felt a sense of proudness when I saw how chunky she was getting. We were just switching sides when Harry came into the living room carrying two pizzas, he turned and gave me a smile, “Pizza made from scratch for you my love, one has some veggies and the other is a deli meat blend”, he sat down next to me and I squeezed his arm, “Thank you baby, would you mind bringing her little basket? Maybe she can snooze a little while we eat.”
He nodded, stood up and made his way to the nursery where we keep the little travel bassinet, we sued to lay her down for short periods of time, and when he came back, I was just finishing burping Pippa, we sat down in front of the table, and I settled the baby in her bassinet while we ate. Once we were done, I tried to help H clean up, but he refused my help, he went into the kitchen and screamed out, “My love please make sure the baby is in your arms, yes?”
I laughed and reached in for the baby who had just woken up from her nap, I kissed her forehead and settled her on my lap before I screamed, “We’re ready!”, a few seconds later he started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ while making his way back to me with a small cake and a few candles lit, once he set it in front of me he sat down and sat down to finish singing.
I grabbed Pippa’s hands and pretended to clap alongside him, “Make a wish darling”, I closed my eyes and truly thought about my wish, I smiled while I made my wish, I wish for a life full of the bliss and happiness I have been feeling lately, I opened my eyes and blew out the candles, then Harry made his way to sit next to us and took a picture to send to our family.
Once we ate our cake and picked up, we made our way to the bedroom, where we made sure that her diaper was clean before we settled Pip into her bassinet for the night; we then got ready for bed together. Once we made sure all the lights were off and we had everything in place for the night feeds we got into bed, Harry then turned to his nightstand and pulled out a box from the drawer, I gave him a knowing look and he bashfully smiled, “I promise this is the last gift I will give you today”, I kissed his cheek and grabbed the gift, “Thank you baby, but you didn’t have to you know.”
When I opened the box I found a necklace settled, it had a pendant with a P, he spoke up, “I know you love your jewelry, and I thought this could be a beautiful addition to your collection, and it is dainty and discreet just how you love them; and if we have more babies we can add their initials”, I smirked at him, “So you want more babies huh?”, he laughed and nodded while kissing my lips.
He pulled back a little, a very sincere look in his eyes full of love and gratitude, “I want everything with you, for as long as you’ll have me”, I smiled and pulled him in for a kiss, when we pulled back I whispered, “Thank you baby, I love it, and I also want everything with you for as long as you’ll have me”, he smiled, “You are welcome my heart, did you enjoy your day?”, I nodded and smiled, “It was the best birthday I could have wished for.”
April 5, 2022
Harry. Indio, California. 4:00 PM.
I removed my seatbelt and got out of the car before turning to give Jeff a handshake, “Thanks for the ride man”, he smiled, “No problem, say hello to the Missus and Pip for me, and if you guys need anything please call or text yeah?”, I nodded and then turned to thank the driver before closing the door and making my way to the house we had rented for the weekend.
As soon as I opened the front door my heart broke when I heard the cries of Pippa somewhere in the living room, I removed my shoes and mask, went to wash my hands, and started making my way to where I could hear Y/N shushing Pip. When I entered the kitchen and she saw me her lips went into a pout.
We had been in California for four days, and two days after we arrived Pippa had come down with an awful ear infection, which had us visiting the Urgent Care upon the recommendation of Dr. Ramirez and having to give her a round of antibiotics. Because of this, there hasn’t been a lot of sleep for her, Y/N and Pip had been staying in another room so I could rest and be able to fulfill all of my work commitments.
Once I stood up beside her I sighed, “How is she?”, she shook her head a little before kissing Pippa’s forehead, “She was perfect all day but woke up very emotional from her nap, I think her ear is still bothering her; I spoke with Dr. Ramirez, said that this was normal and to keep giving her some ibuprofen, if this persists then maybe we can discuss another round of antibiotics but doesn’t really want that”
I nodded and reached for the baby, “Oh baby, I’m so sorry you feel bad, should we cuddle a little?”, I made my way to the little swing settled on the patio and sat down kissing her forehead and patting her bum, a few seconds later Y/N came to joins us and brought along with her a pitcher of lemonade and some popcorn.
I gave her an appreciative smile before speaking up, “Her fever finally broke?”, she nodded, “We’ve been fever free for about 18 hours finally, I think she’s just a little colicky and overall tired”, I nodded and continued to shush her, and from her pliant body I believe she was falling asleep finally.
After taking a sip of her lemonade she ran a hand down my hair and smiled, “How did rehearsals go?”, I smiled back at her, “They were good, the set is awesome and Shania and I had a good one, she is so excited to meet Pippa”, Y/N nodded and helped me take a sip from my lemonade because the baby had finally fallen asleep in my arms.
Y/N let out a yawn, which had me also yawning, we both laughed quietly before we settled further into the little swing, Y/N then whispered, “Nap?”, I nodded and kissed her forehead, “Baby, can we please sleep in the same room? I miss you so much and you also need to rest”, she pondered for a moment before answering, “I think we can do that, she’s over the worst part and we miss you too.”
I smiled and pecked her lips a few times before we settled into a much needed family nap; when I woke up again Pippa and I were still cuddling on the swing, but we were now covered with a blanket and Y/N was nowhere in sight, I checked the time on my watch to see we had been napping for about an hour and a half, I took a moment to fully see my girl.
She still looked a lot like me, but little by little the resemblance with her mum has come to the surface, especially on the bow of her lips, her long lashes, but also personality wise, like for example how she was now grabbing my shirt to make sure I was there just like her mum did when we slept. This. This was the feeling I always knew I wanted but knew that it was more than I would ever need.
I heard the sliding door open and turned to see my girl coming out with a smile on her face, she sat down next to me and ran a hand down Pip’s back, “So, Jeff and Glenne dropped some dinner for us courtesy of the one and only Shelli Azoff and speedy recovery wishes for the baby”, I moaned a little, “Shelli’s cooking is amazing, I will send her a thank you gift.”
She nodded then pouted while looking at the baby, “I really think we should wake her up, but she looks so comfy and happy”, I smiled, “I believe we should maybe let her rest, it has been quite a few days for her huh?”, Y/N nodded and smiled before she cuddled to me, “Yeah, maybe we should join her in a little snooze?”, I kissed her forehead, “That is an awesome idea my love.”
April 13, 2022
Indio, California. 4:00 PM
After the hectic start to our California adventure, it seemed that things were already starting to settle. Harry’s first Coachella appearance was looking to be one for the books, the show was spectacular, the band was amazing and above all he was thriving and so happy and I am the proudest girlfriend in the whole world.
Today, Harry had some PR commitments related to his album, Jeff and Mitch tagged along, which left Glenne, Sarah, the babies, and me to rest and enjoy the pool in the house we had rented. So far, we had sunbathed, then we prepared and ate lunch, and we laid down the babies for their naps, while we waited for them to wake up, we decided to just sit and relax.
Glenne turned to look at Sarah and me before speaking up, “Hey have you seen the latest challenge on TikTok?”, we both shook our heads, she sat up straighter and cleared her throat, “So… it is called a ‘Pregnancy Roulette’, and basically you take a pregnancy test and then place them all in a box and once the loading time is over you pull them out to see if there is any positive ones.”
Sarah and I sat there in silence, stunned at what she had just told us, and it suddenly dawned on me why she told us, I started shaking my head, “Glenne…”, she sat up straighter, “Hear me out”, Sarah interrupted, “Wait, what am I missing?”, before Glenne could answer we both turned to look at Sarah and I spoke up, “She wants us to do this challenge.”
Sarah turned to look at Glenne, surprise written all over her face, “You’re joking, right?”, Glenne shook her head, “Come on! It will be fun, and do you really think there is a chance it could be positive?”, Sarah and I turned to look at each other, Sarah then spoke up, “I mean, if you agree with this I will say yes”, I sighed before turning to look back at Glenne, “I cannot believe you convinced us to do this Glenne.”
She squealed and then we made our way to the bathroom on the master bedroom. Glenne then went into her bag to look for some pregnancy tests before we each took a turn at the bathroom. After Glenne, Sarah went into the bathroom, then Sarah came out which then had me going into the bathroom.
When I came out, I dropped the test into the box and turned to look at them, “Glenne this is stupid, why did we agree?”, Sarah nodded her head in agreement with me while Glenne laughed at us before speaking up, “Oh come on girls! It was just for fun, Jeff and I are not actively trying, Sarah you also said that, and you Missy just had a baby, so we can assume it will be negative.”
I nodded and we settled back into her couch while we waited for the timer to stop, Sarah let out a sigh before speaking up, “I am really glad we have this time to be just us three; don’t get me wrong, I love the boys and the babies, but I feel like we have lost our friendship a little with everything that happened, it would be perfect if Gemma was here.”
Glenne and I smiled in agreement before the three of us cuddled into a hug and just sat there until we jumped a little once the timer stopped, Glenne stood up first and we followed, she set up her phone to record, then grabbed the box and we each pulled out a test making sure that the results were not on display.
Glenne turned to look at us with an expectant smile, “On the count of three, yes?”, Sarah and I nodded, “One… two… three”, I took a deep breath and turned the test, letting out a relieved breath I didn’t know I was holding, Sarah was the first to speak, “Negative”, I laughed a little, “Negative.”
However, when we turned to see Glenne, her face was very pale and it seemed she was in shock; Sarah cleared her throat, “Glenne? What’s wrong?”, she waved her hand in front of her face and that seemed to do the trick, when she turned to look at us, she was at loss for words and I spoke up, “Glenne what happened?”, she let out a nervous chuckle while turning the test so we could read the result and told us, “Positive.”
My heart fell to my stomach when I realized what she said, my eyes going wide and out of the corner I could see Sarah cover her mouth, Shit. I stood there frozen while Sarah walked to Glenne to see the test, “This has to be a joke, right?”, Glenne shook her shoulders, “I mean, I don’t know? Shit, what should we do?”, before they could panic more, I snapped out of my trance and cleared my throat while stopping the recording.
“Okay, let’s not panic until we have to, okay?”, they both nodded and I took a deep breath, “Glenne, you need to call Lucy and ask her to buy a new box of tests, if any of us go I can only imagine the havoc it will cause”, the three of us chuckled, “In the meantime the babies will be waking up very soon, so we need to feed them and entertain them until Lucy brings the tests.”
As if they could hear us, there were two distinct cries from the guest rooms at the end of the house, both Sarah and I made our way to the babies while Glenne called Lucy. After settling the babies, we made our way to the garden where I fed Pip while Sarah fed baby boy and we played with them.
Pippa was laying on her back and we were playing with some of the toys we had brought from home, her smiles had been getting bigger day by day, Sarah reached to gran one of her fingers while holding her baby with her other arm and turned to see me, “Has she started laughing?”
I shook my head while pulling another funny face, “No, we think it will be soon, but she is making us sweat for it”, we laughed a little and turned to the house when we heard the back door open, Glenne was making her way towards us with a bag from CVS in her hands, “So, shall we try this again? asked for two boxes so we each can take two tests.”
Sarah and I nodded, and we grabbed the babies and made our way to the master again; we had agreed that this time we would take the tests and then wait until results came back before the next of us took her tests. Glenne was the first one, and once she finished doing her business, she left the tests to load and sat down on the bed with us, once the timer went off, she walked to the bathroom and retrieved them.
She sighed, “Negative”, Sarah and I let out a little breath of relief but anxiousness at the same time; Sarah then went into the bathroom and repeated the same steps as Glenne and when she came back out of the bathroom she gave me an apprehensive look, “Negative”, Glenne squeezed my hand, and I took a deep breath before nodding and making my way to the bathroom.
My heart was beating out of my chest while I was taking both tests, and once I was done, I decided to wait inside the bathroom until they were done loading; so many questions were tormenting me: how would we do this? Are we ready for another baby? How would Pip react? Yet the only thing I knew for sure was that if the test turned out to be positive, we would love this baby more than anything.
The timer went off and I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, I grabbed the tests and counted to three before opening my eyes, and just as they focused again, I stared at the screens in front of me. A single line in both. Negative. I let out a chuckle and unlocked the bathroom.
Sarah and Glenne turned to look at me as soon as the door opened, I smiled at them and said, “Negative”, the three of us let out a breath we did not know we were holding and then high-fived each other. We made sure to collect all the trash so that we did not raise any suspicions and we made our way downstairs to wait for the men to arrive.
After discarding everything, we settled in the living room, Sarah was the first to speak, “This is the last time we will go through with one of your stupid ideas and challenges Glenne”, I nodded in agreement and she chuckled, “I do admit it was stupid, I’m sorry I put you guys through this.”
I shook my head, “It’s okay, I mean it wasn’t the ideal situation, but we solved it”, Sarah then asked, “Why on Earth did we get a positive?”, I sighed, “Probably it was a default test, they happen sometimes”, Glenne scoffed, “Well, how lucky we are to get the faulty one eh?”, we nodded and laughed.
A few moments later the door unlocked, and the boys let us know they had returned, we let them know we were sitting in the living room and after dropping the dinner they bought in the dining room, they made their way to us. As soon as Pippa saw her dad, she gave him the biggest smile and he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her cheeks, and for a split moment a feeling of sadness filled my heart and I found myself wishing that the test came back positive.
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