#and this was in my wips so fkfafa

[johnnycranes]

   “How is my wife more badass than me?” for Sydney and Jacob??? 💕

look at me finally writing for a prompt sksks. Thanks, Amanda and sorry this took so long!!

this is just pure fluff i wanted to write with their kids 🙈🥺 takes place after the collapse or no-cult au fhdsalkj

Mom vs Dad words: 1.5k

warnings: lots of fluff and maybe a bit of bad parenting on jake and syd's part

“Boys, c’mon. You guys stayed up late last night, you’re not getting another free pass.” Jacob said as he watched his twin sons entirely focused on the damn video game Boshaw got them for their birthday. They’d been playing nonstop the whole damn day.

“Two more matches, dad.” Nathan said over the volume of their game, his brother Duncan nodding in agreement.

“You heard him.” Sydney said as she came down the stairs, her hair still wet from showering. “You two only got up from your game today to eat!” Sydney said as she came down the stairs, her hair still wet from showering.

And damn it if John just kept his promise to watch his boys that night, Jacob would’ve joined her. But his little brother just so happened to have ‘better things’ to do all of a sudden.

“But mom, you promised we could play Mortal Kombat tonight.” Duncan whined.

Jacob sighed before looking at his wife, who seemed more interested on their floorboards all of a sudden. He raised one eyebrow, arms crossed as he looked at her. “She did, did she? And where did you even get-”

“Uncle Hurk.” his sons and his wife all answered together.

Of fucking course.

To be fair he had no problems with his now nine year-old sons playing something so violent. Hell he was younger when he played his first violent game at an arcade, a rare moment when their dad allowed them to, before his anger worsened, before John was born. While Sydney grew up watching her father play.

So yes he could excuse that, but he had to draw the line somewhere. And that line was Nathan and Duncan needing proper sleep.

“You can play tomorrow. Your fu-, your da-, your video game isn’t going anywhere.” he stumbled, still not used to not swearing every five minutes when he was around his boys.

But they didn’t seem to hear him, as they continued playing, looking too focused to mind the dad almost cussing. Sydney flashed him a sarcastic smile and gave him a thumbs up, mouthing ‘Good job’ to him.

Yeah like she was any better, one time yelling ‘fuuuhreak’ when she stubbed her toe in front of them.

Sydney clapped her hands and made her way to the kitchen. “I said we could play yes, but you two ended up playing that other game the whole fu- freakin’ day.” Jacob grinned at her own almost swear and Sydney only glared mockingly before continuing. “So I promise to play with you tomorrow. For now, why don’t I fix you two some milk before bed, hmm?”

Unfortunately their sons didn’t seem to take the bribe, the tv still blaring.

Nathan, the more mischievous one of the two, - a trait he obviously gets from his mother, as Jacob keeps saying - finally looked up from the damned game.

Jacob also didn’t miss the suspicious glance he gave to Duncan before he looked at their parents, while the latter’s eyes twinkled suddenly.

What were those two up to?

“You know mom, Uncle Hurk told us something interesting when he gave us the game.” Nathan said, waving the game’s case like he was flexing it.

“And what’s that, Nate?” Sydney asked from the kitchen, bringing out two glasses and the milk.

Nathan smiled innocently. Too innocently. “He said you’re the absoulte best at this game.”

Jacob’s eyes widened.

No. They wouldn’t.

He turned to look at his wife, who was now grinning as she poured the milk. “Ah, I’m okay, I guess.” Sydney said, in a tone that Jacob already knew she used when she was trying not to sound too proud of herself.

Shit, they would.

“I mean,” she continued, “I beat my dad, finished the campaign, nothing to brag about.”

Any other time Jacob would mock her until she did that adorable pout she did when he annoyed her, but they needed to be on the same side for this battle.

Now it was the younger twin, Duncan’s turn to speak, their game all but forgotten. He flashed wide blue eyes. “Mom, please! You gotta show us your moves. Please please. Just one game!”

Nathan was already replacing the CD for the Mortal Kombat one, like he already knew they won against them.

And as Jacob looked at Sydney, his wife smiling bright, he knew there was no getting her back.

She pretended to think about it for a moment before shrugging. “Ok but just one game, that’s it.”

They both knew it wouldn’t be just one.

Sydney walked over to the living room, bringing the two glasses with her, placing them on the coffee table on top of the coasters her mom said to ‘always have ready because my daughter will forget them if you store them in the kitchen.’

Jacob knew he should say something but honestly, seeing his wife and his two sons all huddled up together in front of the tv, excited and laughing together, it made him melt, made him falter in his mission to get them to bed early.

Moments like these grounded him on what his purpose was, to protect his family, to keep them safe and to be with them like how they were now. Moments where they could just spend time together playing video games, drinking milk, without a care in the world.

He was honestly about to let them off the hook and sit down with them when Duncan yelled, “Mom, you just sliced the guy up! I knew you were a badass!”

“Yeah, maybe even more than dad.” Nathan added slyly.

Sydney actually cackled as the game showed her character standing over a mangled and bloodied opponent. She seemed to catch herself and said, “Language, Nate!” Then she kissed the top of his head. “But thank you, sweetheart.”

Jacob finally moved to sit down on the couch, his family making space so he could sit in the middle with Sydney, their sons on either side of them. “I’m sorry, how is my wife more badass than me?”

Sydney again said, “Language” but her eyes were glued to the screen.

Duncan sat on Jacob’s right, handing his dad a controller. “Dad, have you ever played this game before?” he asked, his eyes full of excitement, nowhere near close to wanting to go to bed.

Jacob ruffled his hair before grabbing the controller, the tv screen showing different characters, Sydney scrolling through different ones.

“The older one, Dunc, yeah.” Jacob said, internally relieved that some of the fighters were familiar to him. He couldn’t let his wife upstage him in front of their sons.

Not that she could, really. Whether he knew the characters or not. He was a quick-learner anyway.

“Are you sure you’re up to this, hon?” Sydney teased beside him and oh she was going to regret losing. “You saw how I just destroyed the other guy.”

Nathan peaked at him from beside his mother. “Yeah, dad. Mom’s pretty awesome at this. Even better than Uncle Sharky.”

Oh, oh no.

No no no no. His sons were not going to think Boshaw was better at something than he was.

He didn’t wanna crush his wife’s ego too badly, but hearing his son, his own flesh and blood, say that, it changed everything.

He’d make it up to Sydney later.

Cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, he picked his own character. “Boys, have you ever seen me lose to your mother? Ever?”

Jacob laughed seeing Sydney look almost offended by the pause her sons needed, Duncan even taking the time to take a sip from his milk.

“That one time in paintball?” Nathan asked, but still sounded unsure.

His brother shook his head. “No, doesn’t count. Dad was feeling sick that day and he still almost won. And Uncle John didn’t try hard enough.”

“Exactly! Thank you, Duncan.” Jacob said, high-fiving his son.

Sydney scoffed playfully. “Ok, your dad may win occasionally-”

“Always.” Jacob interrupted, smiling cheekily.

Sydney narrowed her eyes at him and Jacob couldn’t help but feel warm and relaxed, surrounded by his family and spending time with them. They were far from normal sure, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

And with moments like this, just being so happy, with them, sometimes he still didn’t know what he did to deserve all of it.

“Occasionally,” Sydney emphasized, bringing him out of his thoughts. “But he won’t win this one, I can guarantee you.”

“Wanna bet, angel?” Jacob asked, stretching his arms out on the couch, behind his family, making sure to look like he wasn’t threatened and worried at all. Duncan laughed beside him while Nathan said ‘Ooooooh.’

Sydney glared at him playfully. “The usual?”

Jacob nodded. “Fifty push-ups and extra cheese rolls for a week.”

“Deal.”

They kissed quickly to seal the bet, to which their sons rolled their eyes at and yelled ‘Gross!’

As the announcer proclaimed the start of the first match, Jacob no longer felt that disappointed that his sons were going to stay up late, and for the second night in a row too. He even sort of felt proud that Nathan and Duncan cooked up this little scheme to get their parents to compete and stay up with them.

They won the battle, he’d give them that.

But Jacob won the war when his sons fell asleep after only three matches, and he and Sydney carried them back up to their room, their glasses of milk empty.