#froggy in a bottle

[amphibizzy]

theres a bottles worth of microplastics in my brain. and thats where i keep him

[krumpkin]

A Happy AI Frog Drinking Some Nice Cool Water 😜

[padthaifan]

No one asked for this but here are my frog headcanons for Johnny and Gyro. If they were frogs.

Johnny is an upland chorus frog (Pseudacris feriarum). Johnny toadstar? He’s not a toad though. I need to think of a better pun

Gyro is a Balearic green toad (Bufotes balearicus). Gytoad Zeppeli or whatever

What handsome devils they are! Both are terrestrial species, perfect for crossing the continent in the Steel Frog Run ✨

[froggieboisposts]

someone kill me.

[ourceliumnetwork]

i did the biggest and scariest of the things on my list (the last thign on my list in fact) and it took like. MAYBE 5 minutes total including login time navigation and page loading.

now i get to have fancy Oreo Poptarts because i'm a big strong boy whose knee is slightly dislocated (it's fine i just went too hard and i'll wrap it up here in a minute) and did a big scary thing and also now gets to fully devote brain power to anxiety about the (potential) hole between two of my heart chambers and the accompanying doctor's appointment tomorrow morning.

[episodes-without-incident]

[Dramatic music plays. A chair and a beer appear, then another chair and beer. As a froggy chair and baby bottle fade into view, Julia and Jacob start laughing.

Text on screen: COMING MAY 23RD 2025

Julia: That might be the stupidest thing we've ever made.

Jacob: That's right baby! We're adding one more chair to the family! There's gonna be a tiny chair in Secret Sleepover Society. We got a baby on the way! And we're finally able to tell people.

Julia: Yeah!]

Here's the clip! So you can get both the funniest ways of finding out (this blog, and the actual announcement trailer)

[apple-cores]

COMPANY ENA - AIM FOR THE QUOTA!

below: closeups + text wall of carefully impulsively considered dream bbq lethal company employee team dynamics, because of course

ENA - host and tryhard. enigmatic comedic timing. savescummer. fighter. nut gunner. jetpack demon. savescums solo runs after everyone dips. doesnt communicate at all during oldbird warzones and meteor showers until in ship

FROGGY - ship comms (near useless teammate GET YO BUNNY SUIT ON AND HELP US MOVE THESE BOTTLES!! WE ARE ON ASSURANCE!!! GET REAL). has his own belt bag but for little reason. has to be yelled at to help move scrap and only if its already outside. competent at jetpack when he gets off his ass and uses it. only one annoyed with the savescumming but he cant stop her

CORAL - employee hazing ritual victim. calmest and most precise cashie mover. tho exterior enemies smell her fear. honest mistakes when pulling ship takoff lever. belt bag user (vanilla)

KANE - more "QOL" mods secretly installed (cheating). truck freak. hype about big scrap value finds and number go up. jingles keys in front of old birds and dogs. loudly roleplayed nuclear war during a meteor shower as a bit then died tragically

TASKI - always a morecompany risk, but never actually uses it. the threat of it drives everyone mad. memeloard soundboard maestro. TROLL. will takoff the ship on anyone not carrying anything important. will troll until the last person standing (kane truck passenger acceptable exception) then absolutely fuckin clutch. is also truck freak and knows all the turbo jumps. LOCK IN!!! XU jkdfhgy87t594yh4h458yhgjuh

DRATULA - completely useless comms, usually left to his own devices. eggbombed a giant once and it was awesome. dies to egg in ship every other time. thankless ship terminal command angel (him and froggy fight over hogging it). will never clutch solo but it will at least be funny i forgot suspicious man but hes probably spiritually processing a bracken to be fair

[godricgryffinsnore]

Here to add to your pile:

Period Comfort.

Harry Potter/YN

Chocolate, Cramps, and Clueless Chosen Ones ♡ | Harry Potter ⋆˙⟡

“She had cramps. He had no idea what he was doing. But love? Yeah… he had that part handled.”

pairing : Harry Potter x fem!reader

summary : Harry tries to comfort his girlfriend during her period—with zero clue and all heart. Chaos, cuddles, and chocolate ensue.

warnings : Mentions of menstruation and period symptoms (cramps, mood swings, etc.), Light swearing (mostly from Ron), Comedic cluelessness about female anatomy, Physical touch (comfort massage, cuddling), Ridiculous levels of fluff and Harry being hopelessly in love, Hermione being everyone’s mother, Ron being traumatized by tampons offscreen (implied). Please let me know if I missed any.

author's note : English is not my first language, so please forgive me for any grammatical errors or spelling errors. Re-blogging is completely fine with me, but please don't copy my work. I love you all. Enjoy <3.

della's note : Thanks for requesting lovie!!! It was amazing to write a fiction for Harry and his clueless yet loving ass!! Love you <3

word count : 0.8k

navigation <3

banners : @/roseschoices and @/cafekitsune and @/omi-resources

You were dying.

At least, that’s how it felt. One hand clutched your abdomen like you were trying to physically remove your uterus. The other was flung dramatically over your face as you groaned on the Gryffindor common room couch.

Harry walked in, saw you writhing in flannel pajamas and fuzzy socks, and froze like he’d witnessed a murder.

“Is she—did someone hex her?” he whispered to Ron.

Ron’s eyes widened. “Bloody hell, is she dying?”

“I’m fine!” you snapped, voice muffled by the pillow. “It’s just my period.”

Harry blinked. “...your what?”

Ron paled. “Oh no.”

Cue the sound of an exasperated sigh and the swish of a bushy-haired goddess entering the room.

“Oh for Merlin’s sake,” Hermione groaned, slamming her book shut. “Both of you—out. Go fly a broom or stick your heads in a bucket. Just stop acting like she’s been cursed.”

“But she’s groaning!” Harry protested. “She looked like she was in pain!”

“She is in pain,” Hermione said. “Because her uterus is trying to kill her. Now, go. Before I hex your kneecaps.”

Ron fled. Harry didn’t.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed and the fire had dimmed, you were still curled up on the couch like a croissant of misery. And you heard soft, uncertain footsteps.

“Hey,” Harry whispered. “I brought… I don’t know. A hot water bottle and some chocolate frogs? Hermione said those help.”

You blinked at him, teary-eyed. “You brought me a froggy and a bottle?”

“I mean—yeah? Is that right? Did I mess up?”

You smiled, laughing weakly. “No. It’s stupidly sweet.”

He awkwardly shifted, then cleared his throat. “Do you… want a massage? Like. On your back. I—I read in a book that it helps with pain sometimes. I swear it wasn’t a weird book.”

You rolled over, raising an eyebrow. “You read a book?”

“I panicked, alright?” he mumbled. “I goog—I mean, I researched cramps.”

You bit your lip to keep from laughing. “Okay, Harry. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

He sat behind you, gentle as ever, hands on your lower back. His fingers were a little clumsy at first, but gods, they were warm. So warm and careful. You sighed, melting into him.

“Better?” he asked softly.

“Mhm.”

Harry brushed your hair back from your shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to the top of your spine. “You’re magic, you know,” he whispered.

You smiled lazily. “You’re not so bad for someone who thought I was cursed.”

He scoffed. “I still think you’re cursed. Just—beautifully.”

You turned to face him, eyes soft. “Thank you.”

He grinned, a little pink. “Anything for my girl. Even… weird uterus warfare.”

You burst into laughter.

The next morning, Harry was sitting in the corner of the common room, furiously scribbling notes on a bit of parchment. His brows were furrowed, his quill tapping against his lip, his expression one of grave concentration.

Ron leaned over, peeked at his paper, and recoiled like it had bit him.

“Mate,” he whispered. “Are you... studying periods?”

“I’m preparing, Ron,” Harry whispered back, like it was a war strategy. “She looked like she’d been Cruciatus’d last night. I’m not going in unarmed next time.”

Ron looked traumatized. “Why are there diagrams?”

“Just in case.”

Hermione chose that exact moment to come down the stairs and nearly face-planted at the sight of the parchment Harry was so reverently flipping through.

“Harry James Potter,” she said slowly, “is that… a color-coded period pain management chart?”

Harry jumped. “It’s not weird! It’s strategic care, Hermione! Look—see? ‘Phase One: Hot water bottle. Phase Two: Chocolate. Phase Three: Gentle massage and compliments.’ I even included emergency phrases like ‘You are strong’ and ‘The uterus is no match for you.’”

Hermione stared. Then sighed. Then walked over and patted his head.

“You’re a mess,” she said.

“I’m in love,” he corrected proudly.

Ron muttered from behind a cushion, “You’ve changed, mate. You used to be cool.”

“I was never cool,” Harry deadpanned. “But I am a boyfriend now. That comes with responsibilities.”

Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the fond smile as she sat beside him.

“You’re lucky she’s not the type to be freaked out by this.”

“She called me her ‘little uterus warrior’ last night.”

“She’s definitely the right girl for you,” Hermione said, absolutely done.

That night, you found the parchment folded on your pillow.

Your name was written at the top in loopy, clumsy handwriting: Operation Period Peace Treaty.

Inside, Harry had written:

Phase One: Cuddle until further notice. Phase Two: I will smuggle chocolate from the kitchens. Phase Three: Tell you I love you at least three times per hour. Additional notes:

You melted.

You marched straight to the boys’ dormitory, kissed him breathless, and said, “You absolute dork.”

He just smiled, wide-eyed and flushed. “Did it help?”

You threw your arms around him. “Harry, it’s better than a healing spell."

And he held you like you were the center of his universe.

(Spoiler: you were.)

[heich0e]

"soooo...." tenko's little voice cuts through the hum of cicadas, cuts through the static of the hot summer day, and captures your attention. "where's the baby at now?"

you look over at your nephew, and your sunglasses slip down the bridge of your nose. it's disgustingly hot out today, midsummer and scorching, but tenko and katsuki had insisted on taking a walk to the park to fill your afternoon. for fun! tenko had insisted, which was much more convincing than your husband's you need to leave the house and get some vitamin d—you look like a damn ghost.

"still in here, buddy," you tell him, pointing lazily down to your stomach. you still aren't really showing much, and your recollection of high school biology might not be the best, but you trust the situation hasn't changed drastically since the last time tenko asked (three hours ago.)

you suddenly feel queasy.

morning sickness has been ravaging you for the past few weeks. at first it wasn't so bad—it had a bit of novelty to it, a bit of unbefitting charm, to be experiencing that trademark symptom of pregnancy. katsuki holding your hair away from your face and rubbing your back as you were hunched over the toilet, then laughing about it together once the worst of it subsided. it felt like a milestone. like a special moment you'd look back on fondly.

by the fourth day of losing your breakfast, it was decidedly less tolerable. when you realized it was not a sickness exclusively reserved for mornings, you were well and truly over it.

katsuki's been circling you like a hawk lately, too, like's he's always on edge. you know he means well. you know he wants to help. but between the constant nausea, the "pregnancy tips" your husband keeps finding and sharing, and the god damn heat...

well. suffice to say, you're not at your best.

you squeeze your eyes shut and fight the sudden onslaught of disgust you feel overtaking you.

"hey brat," your husband's voice is welcome. grounding. "you pesterin' her again?"

"i was just asking where the baby's at!" tenko squeaks, proclaiming his innocence.

"same place as always," katsuki grunts, settling down beside you on the blanket you have spread out in the grass at the park near Izuku's home. the plastic bag from the convenience store across the street rustles as he sits. "it's still sleepin' in her tummy."

katsuki's shoulder bumps yours, and you open your eyes, glancing over at him with a feeble smile you're sure reads more like a grimace.

"you good?" he asks you quietly, fishing a bottle of water out from the bag looped over his wrist. you take it, tucking it down beside you for later, and nod.

"how come baby has to sleep so much?" tenko asks with a pensive little expression on his face. his perfect green curls spill out from underneath his favourite froggy sunhat and burn bright like jade in the mid-afternoon sun.

"cause it's growin'," katsuki answers, fishing out an ice pop from the bag next. he rips into it with his teeth, and then carefully peels the plastic wrapper away so he can hand it to tenko. "it's still just tiny, y'know."

tenko takes the ice pop, his eyes wide—though you can't be certain if it's the treat or the information that has him interested. he sticks the frozen lolly into his mouth. "how tiny?"

your husband fishes another ice pop out of the bag—this time for you. you know it's for you, because it's the same variety you've been craving lately. one of the only things you've managed to keep down lately. katsuki's done so many late-night runs to the convenience store to get you this specific brand and flavour that the old man who owns the convenience store in your neighbourhood started setting them aside for katsuki to buy up and bring home to you.

katsuki unwraps your treat the same way he did tenko's, then hands it right to you. you pop it happily into your mouth.

now that the temperature-sensitive goods have been doled out, the man at your side returns to the conversation at hand.

"how tiny?" katsuki muses, licking away a drop of melting ice pop that had dripped onto his knuckle as he passed it over to you with a quick flick of his tongue. he makes a fist and holds it up towards tenko. "smaller than this."

"weeeeally?" tenko asks, the word garbled thanks to the dessert in his mouth. he plucks it out, and then makes a fist just like his uncle, holding his hand up towards him. "smaller than this, kaccha?"

tenko's little hand is so itty bitty compared to katsuki's. it makes something tighten in your chest when you look at it. it makes your eyes prickle if you think too long about it. you force yourself to focus on eating your ice pop, pushing your sunglasses up your nose.

katsuki bumps tenko's fist gently with his own. "yup. smaller than that."

"wow," tenko says, awestruck. there's melted ice pop all over his face. "that could fit in my bug house."

"bug house?" you ask the little boy, perplexed.

"'s where i put the bugs i catch!" tenko exclaims excitedly. "like beetles and also other stuff!"

you think you recall the little yellow bug catcher he sometimes carries around, and laugh a little bit to yourself. you didn't know it was called a bug house—you're not sure that's even the official name for it.

"don't worry though, auntie!" tenko says, his tone suddenly ardent. "i won't put your baby with the bugs."

your ice pop is melting down your fingers, the sun is beating down on you relentlessly, you haven't eaten a proper meal in three days, and your baby is currently small enough to fit inside a bug house. you lean against katsuki's shoulder, hiding your laughter in the sleeve of his t-shirt. you can feel the quiet laughter shaking his frame too.

"you done with that?" katsuki asks you softly once both of your laughter has petered out, nodding towards your half-eaten and one quarter-melted treat. you nod.

carefully, he plucks the remnants from your hand, tucking it back into the wrapper and then sticking that back in the shopping bag to dispose of later. then he fishes a wipe out from the package he keeps on hand whenever tenko's around, swiping it along your palm and between your knuckles to clean away any lingering trace of stickiness.

"you next?" katsuki asks his nephew, who agrees—and who seems to be wearing more of his iced treat than he could possibly have actually consumed. katsuki then dutifully cleans him up as best as he's able, just like he'd done for you. he's so gentle with tenko, you can't help but think as you watch them. so good with him.

you lay back on the picnic blanket and stare up at the cloudless summer sky, a little smile tugging at your ice pop flavoured lips.

miraculously, you don't feel so queasy anymore.

[aspenscore]

Author: Aspenscore

Title: A Mania Of Joels

Creative Commons License: A Mania Of Joels © 2025 by Aspenscore is licensed under CC BY 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Size: 384x512

(Really hoping the March 15 deadline includes March 15. I'm posting this before midnight on March 14 in my timezone, but it is already March 15 for Joel.)

Process TL;DR:

I've decided a group of Joels is called a mania.

My favourite part of Joel's season has been his many characters, as well as the Hermit Baths On Hermitcraft podcast, so I decided to combine those two things in this drawing.

This piece started as a bunch of sketches at work and took me about 20 hours to draw, plus an additional 8 hours fighting tech issues (including a crash that lost me the completed drawing (luckily I took this screenshot just before)).

Despite my struggles with that + screen rec software, there'll be a timelapse video of my drawing process coming soon on my channel!

Re: the title, I've decided a group of Joels is called a "mania" (like how a group of horses, for example, is a "herd").

One of my favourite things about Joel's season are all the fun intros and characters he's created, which inspired me to create something that showcases some of the main Joels we've met so far. I also really like the Hermit Baths On Hermitcraft (Another Podcast Hosted By A Straight White Male), so I figured the bathhouse would be the perfect place for a mania of Joels! I would've loved to include all the Joels, but by my count, there are at least 26 distinct Joels in this season so far, which is far too many Joels for me to fit in one image (and several of them are hard to distinguish based on appearance alone).

Since I could only include so many, I tried to choose Joels who are either recurring characters, or relevant to other things Joel has done in his videos. With that in mind, on this episode of Hermit Baths On Hermitcraft we've got Joel Who Asks You To Subscribe, News Reporter Joel, Bad Boy Joel (the statue counts as being in the season imo), Bartender (Horse Killer? :0) Joel, Officer Joel (RIP Detective Joel, would've loved to include him but it wouldn't be lore-accurate for him to be alive), Joel Who Totally Isn't Obsessed With Etho, Frogger Joel, Podcast Host Joel, and Singer Joel.

A few details I wanted to highlight:

News Reporter Joel always has a headline scroll bar with him. He doesn't know how or why. It's just there.

Joel Who Totally Isn't Obsessed With Etho not only has the Etho shirt on, but he's also in etho cosplay (headband) and has Etho face floaties (no idea where that came from but once I'd thought it I couldn't un-think it).

I'm most proud of Frogger Joel's outfit. He's got a froggy hat, frog crop top, lilypad shorts, and frog shoes with lilypad tops.

Singer Joel's kimono was originally going to have a pattern of symbols relating to Joel's season, but then I realized those wouldn't show up very well with the lowered resolution. The planned symbols included music discs, xp bottles, axolotls, slime balls, honeycomb, frogs, horses, glow squid, and glow berries.

Podcast Host Joel's abs are drawn on. Gem said it so it's canon.

Bartender Joel's vest is the same colour and pattern as that horse head...

And now for the process! I know a lot of you probably aren't that interested in it, but I spent a lot of time on this so I'd at least like to record my efforts.

This piece actually started on paper, because I work a lot and I knew I wouldn't have time to do the whole piece if I didn't at least do some advance planning during down time at my job. However, all I had at work was some scrap paper and a pencil (I couldn't even find an eraser the day I started this!), so I needed to find some way to get the aspect ratio correct without a ruler. While there were no rulers at work, I was able to find some mini origami paper, and since that's a perfect square, I was able to use it to replicate the sizing I'd chosen. I sketched out the general background layout, used two of those lines + the edge of another piece of paper to determine the vanishing point, then re-drew the rest of the background according to the point I'd determined. These techniques worked shockingly well, and when I scanned the drawing and checked my measurements in my drawing program, they were surprisingly accurate!

With the scan uploaded, along with a page of outfit design sketches I had also done at work, I ran into my next hurdle: screen recording software. To keep a long and agonizing story short, I draw on an old tablet that has very little storage, RAM, or processing power, so OBS + my drawing program were not an option. The drawing program itself doesn't have a timelapse feature either, so I had to go find another piece of software that would meet my needs. I even tried using my tablet as a third screen for my PC, which could absolutely handle the processing and storage needs of this project, but the latency was far too high for that to be a feasible option. Trying all of these options took at least 8 hours and at one point had the side effect of permanently messing up something on my main PC monitor that causes it to reset all its settings periodically (if anyone has any idea what's going on with that, I'd love to not have to re-do my settings every couple minutes or so).

My tablet's limited storage also resulted in me almost losing a portion of my footage, but you can rest assured that I've managed to save all of it, and if it's useable I will be editing it down into a timelapse + process video to upload to my channel! The video will probably include a lot of the information here, but hopefully it'll be a bit more interesting and engaging! (I was originally going to link the video here instead of writing all these paragraphs, but the drawing took so long I haven't had time to make the video).

Finally, after spending basically all of my free time at home during the past two weeks working on this drawing, I finished it just a couple hours ago.

I hit save.

And got an error message.

Storage issue.

Since the image resolution is intended to be reduced anyway (for minecraft painting, but also just how tumblr treats images), I grabbed a screenshot of the finished piece before my tablet crashed and rebooted. It saved some of my work, but not all of it, so this is now the only complete version of the piece in existence.

At the end of the day, I'm just glad I finished it on time and am happy with the final product. If you've read this far, thank you so much for your patience with my rambling, I hope you enjoy the final piece as much as I do. And thank you to Joel for creating such fun videos and awesome builds! I look forward to the rest of your first Hermitcraft season.

[cuteandhughesy]

i’d LOVE to see you write “just sit down and let me pamper you” with joseph woll

prompt no.14: “just sit down and let me pamper you”

you’ve always loved being, for lack of a better term, a girl. fresh blow outs and velcro rollers. summer fridays lipgloss and planning outfits days in advance. choosing nail designs, watching rom coms, anx everything showers. also called pampering yourself.

and that’s not to say if you do those things you’re automatically girl, as well as if you don’t do those things, doesn’t mean you’re not a girl. but there’s just something that feels so relaxing and feminine about doing your skin care routine that you’re not sure what else to call it.

before joseph met you, he didn’t have a skin care routine. hell, most men don’t. he’d scrub his face with either shampoo or body wash in the shower and call it a day. so a few months into dating, just at the point where sleepovers became common, he found you in your bathroom before bed, sleeves rolled up and little towel bracelets around your dainty wrists.

your face was slathered in pre-cleanse, giving you that oily, wet look as you quirked a brow through the mirror in joseph’s direction. “you okay?”

he’s leanings against the doorframe, looking at you so curiously. his eyes move over your skin, the way your makeup is melting off, and then down to your bathroom counter. there’s so much skincare.

obviously he’s been in your bathroom before, but he’s never really looked at what you keep on your shelves and in your drawers. it’s rather intriguing—the lineup of products that you’ve set out in order of usage. joseph meets your gaze through the mirror, “what does that do? like the stuff on your face.”

“it’s called a pre-cleanse,” you say, wetting your hands and beginning to massage the cleanser into your skin. “it’s the first cleanser. to get off my makeup before the gel cleanser.”

“there’s multiple cleansers?”

you hum before leaning over the sink, cupping your hands under the tap and then splashing it over your face. you repeat that a few times.

curiosity gets the best of him and joseph walks further into your cluttered bathroom, moving right up beside you. he picks up one of the products. seaweed mask?

you rise back to your full height and jump in surprise when you spot your boyfriend, much closer than when you last saw him. he doesn’t even noticed you though, too busy switching out the mask in his hand for a milk toner, which he inspects in detail. “you use all of this? at once?”

“not at once,” you tell him, gently slapping his hand as he tries to grab your gel cleanser. you squirt some into your palm, and then put the bottle back down. joseph immediately grabs it, pops it open and sniffs. you giggle, emulsifying the product in your hands, “I just use the basic stuff everyday, and then if there’s something I need to focus on, i’ll incorporate certain products.”

“focus on?” he trails off, waiting for you to elaborate.

“like,” you start, washing your face, “if i’m breaking out. or if my skin is really dehydrated i’ll use more hydrating products.”

“oh,” he chimes, picking up one of the hydrating masks you must be referring to.

you wash the cleanser off your face before continuing. “that mask would be really good for you joe, with the ice and sweat and all that stuff.”

then it’s like you just found some kind of great discovery, eyes wild and bright as you spin half way around to look at your boyfriend. your hands, still wet, clap together, and you’re practically jumping on your feet. “oh my god, can I put it on you?”

you look so cute and so enamoured by the idea of putting a light blue face mask on him, all clean, rosy skin and a froggy headband pulling your hair back, that joe almost doesn’t want to say no. he sighs, tired from afternoon practice and not much sleep the night before. “I don’t think so, baby, but thanks.”

he pats your butt affectionately before making a move to leave your cluttered bathroom. but you’re not having that. you grab his arms, pulling him back towards you. “please,” you pout, “it’ll feel so good and your skin will thank you.”

he laughs, kissing your pout. “my skin is fine.”

you quirk a brow, “says who?”

his mouth opens, and he scoffs in amusement. “did you just diss on me?”

“just...sit down and let me pamper you” you grumble.

joseph sighs, and by the look he gives you, you already know your answer. and the answer is yes. you gleam, guiding him over to your closed role it seat and plopping him down.

“okay,” you start cheerfully, “do you want a cat headband, or a cow headband?”

“cat obviously.”

—

(not edited)

[coffeeghoulie]

Mushy May Day 11: Sitting On Their Lap

Mushy May put together by the lovely @forlorn-crows <3

Dew wants to take advantage of a quiet night in the den to watch a movie. Rain has other plans. No warnings. 800 words.

divider by @ghuleh-recs <3

The last Dew checked, he’s the only ghoul in the den, the rest out doing various things he can’t quite remember. All he knows is that he can watch what he wants on the common room tv, so he tucks himself into the corner of the biggest, plushest couch, fidgeting with the sliding lid to the battery compartment on the remote.

He finds one of his favorite guilty pleasure movies and puts the dvd in, pulling one of Cumulus’s blankets over his legs and snuggling into it as the starting credits play. Distantly, he thinks about snacks and a drink, making an event out of it. Treating himself.

Dew sighs, pausing the movie and grabbing a bag of microwave popcorn and a glass bottle of strawberry soda. He skips past the microwave, taking his spoils back to the common room. Because his packmates aren’t there to judge him for not using the perfectly fine microwave, Dew holds the bag between his palms, carefully funneling his magic into his hands.

He huffs a laugh through his nose as the popcorn pops, counting seconds until the popping stops and the room is filled with the salty sweet scent. Dew licks his lips, mouth watering. A waft of steam curls from the bag when he opens it, forgoing a bowl to just eat straight from the package like a fiend.

Dew laughs at the thought. He is, quite literally, a fiend. He can eat how he likes, thank you very much. He slams the marble down the neck of his soda and takes a long drink of just barely too sweet soda before setting the bottle on the coffee table.

He unpauses the movie, settling back into his corner of the big couch and getting comfortable. Outside, through the windows, clouds start to roll in. Dew can feel the cold front coming, the ache of water in his bones letting him know that there’s snow coming. He just cranks up his internal fire, ignoring it in favor of his movie. He is comfortable, and warm, and very much enjoying himself-

“Didn’t take you as a rom-com man, Dewey.”

Dew hisses, jolting and nearly throwing his popcorn all over the couch. “Seven Sisters, Rain, you can’t just fucking- Lucifer.”

“I can do what I like,” Rain says, turning his nose up playfully. He gestures to the movie, leaning over the back of the couch. “No but seriously. Didn’t think you’d like this.”

Dew huffs, throwing a palmful of popcorn into his mouth. He raises an eyebrow and levels a burning hot glare at Rain.

Rain thinks about it, raising an eyebrow as he completely ignores the heat of Dew’s not quite real ire. “Or, actually. It makes complete sense. You’d love to be swept up by a handsome knight on horseback trying to win your favor. How romantic. Should I tell Aeth about this particular fantasy?”

“You are jumping to conclusions and interrupting my movie,” Dew snarks once he swallows.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, my lady. Let me just-” Rain cuts himself off by sliding over the back of the couch. Dew grunts and splutters as the water ghoul lands in a tangle of limbs square on his lap.

“The fuck-” he hisses, shoving halfheartedly at his shoulders, spilling popcorn all over his lap. Rain kicks, a little too close to knocking over Dew’s soda. “Get off, there’s fucking fifteen feet of couch and you wanna-”

Rain purrs apologetically, nudging a seaglass horn against the edge of Dew’s jaw. “’M sorry, just cold. Snow’s comin’. ”

Dew freezes, any annoyance melting away like ice on a summer sidewalk. “Should’ve led with that, froggy. C’mere.”

He pulls back the blanket, scattering spilled popcorn on the floor, and Dew sighs, resigning himself to picking it up later. For right now, he has a water ghoul to defrost.

Rain snuggles into Dew’s lap, straddling skinny hips to cling to him like a koala.

“Lucifer,” Dew hisses instinctively as Rain’s icy hands slide under his shirt, seeking heat to sooth aching joints.

“Not my fault I’m cold blooded,” Rain murmurs, rearranging himself subtly so Dew can prop his chin on his shoulder. He pushes his hair aside so Dew can keep watching his movie.

“Not at all, pearl.” Dew kicks up his fire, purring raspily into Rain’s throat; inhaling the clean, cool scent of sea salt and tea tree, feeling a steady pulse against his cheek. “Get comfy.”

“Already am,” he slurs, sounding half asleep already now that’s he’s starting to warm up. Dew tucks the blanket around the two of them, knowing the rest of the pack will find them just like this when the credits roll.

[mcrdvcks]

i love you, always and forever ࿐‧₊ you are in love pt.2

chapter summary: Gabby takes after you and Logan in more ways than one.

word count: 11.6k+ (25.1k+ in total)

pairing: Logan Howlett x fem!reader

notes: this spans from after gabby's first birthday to right before her fourth birthday!

this is the second part of the chapter! go read the first part!

warnings/tags: reader wears glasses, fluff, the avengers, mention of hydra, excessive use of the word 'froggies'

series masterlist - chapter 17.0 → chapter 18

3 Years

You gently moved the thermometer away from your forehead, groaning. “Darlin’, stop shovin’ it away.” Logan huffed, grabbing your wrist with one hand and pressing the thermometer back with the other. “Stop movin’.”

“I’m fine.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re runnin’ warm, and you look like hell.”

You rolled your eyes. “So romantic.”

Logan ignored you, waiting for the thermometer to beep before pulling it back. He squinted at the numbers, then frowned. “One-oh-one.”

You sighed, slumping back against the pillows. “It’s just a fever.”

Logan set the thermometer down on the nightstand, crossing his arms. “You’re stayin’ in bed.”

“I have class,” you protested, adjusting your glasses.

“Not today, you don’t.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but before you could, the door creaked open, and Gabby waddled in, her curls still damp from her bath. She held Nova tight to her chest, her little face scrunched with concern. “Mommy sick?”

Logan glanced at her, then back at you. “Yeah, kid. Your mom’s gotta rest.”

Gabby’s eyes widened, and she hurried over, climbing onto the bed. She pressed a tiny hand to your forehead, mimicking the way Logan had just checked your temperature. “Hot.”

You smiled weakly. “Yeah, sweetheart, just a little.”

Laura stood near the foot of the bed, her arms crossed as she watched Gabby carefully press her tiny hand to your forehead again. “Aunt Jean will get Mom medicine,” she told Gabby, her voice even.

Gabby’s brows furrowed as she turned to Logan. “Daddy, fix Mommy.”

Logan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I would if I could, kid.”

You let out a weak chuckle, brushing a hand over Gabby’s curls. “Sweetheart, I’ll be fine. It’s just a little fever.”

Gabby didn’t look convinced. She turned to Laura, as if expecting backup, but Laura just shrugged.

“I told her to stay in bed,” Laura said.

Gabby turned back to you, her little hands patting your arm as if she could physically keep you in place. “Mommy, no move.”

Logan smirked. “Looks like you���re stuck, sweetheart.”

You sighed, adjusting your glasses. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”

Gabby gave a small nod, clearly satisfied, before climbing up onto the bed beside you. She wiggled until she was half on your lap, her small fingers curling into your shirt. “I help.”

Your heart melted instantly. You kissed the top of her head. “You are helping, baby.”

Laura eyed Gabby before looking at Logan. “She’s been following Jean around all morning, asking about medicine.”

Logan raised a brow. “That right?”

Gabby nodded against your chest. “Jean fix.”

You smiled, brushing your fingers through her curls. “Jean’s good at fixing things.”

Right on cue, Jean walked in, holding a bottle of medicine in one hand and a small cup in the other. “Alright, I’ve got the good stuff.”

Gabby immediately perked up. “Jean!”

Jean smiled, ruffling her hair before setting the medicine on the nightstand. “Hey, kiddo. You keeping Mom in check?”

Gabby nodded solemnly. “Mommy sick. No move.”

Jean smirked, glancing at you. “Sounds like she’s got things under control.”

Logan huffed. “Yeah, she’s bossin’ us all around now.”

Gabby turned to him, her little face serious. “Daddy, no move either.”

Jean laughed, pouring a dose of medicine into the small cup. “You heard her, Logan. Sit tight.”

Logan rolled his eyes but sat down on the edge of the bed. “Happy now?”

Gabby studied him for a moment before nodding.

Jean handed you the cup, giving you a pointed look. “Take this, and maybe your tiny bodyguard will relax.”

You took the medicine, wrinkling your nose slightly at the taste. “Ugh.”

Gabby looked up at you, concerned. “Mommy?”

You forced a small smile. “It’s okay, baby. Just tastes bad.”

Gabby turned to Jean. “Fix?”

Jean grinned. “I wish I could make it taste better, but it’s still medicine.”

Gabby frowned, clearly displeased with this information. She turned back to you, patting your cheek gently. “Brave.”

Logan chuckled. “Damn right, she is.”

Jean smirked. “I’m sure she gets it from somewhere.”

Laura, who had been standing quietly, suddenly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small candy. She stepped forward and placed it in your hand. “It helps.”

You blinked in surprise before smiling warmly. “Thank you, Laura.”

Laura just shrugged, looking away like it wasn’t a big deal.

Gabby, seeing this, perked up. “Me too?”

Jean laughed. “Nice try, but you don’t need medicine, kiddo.”

Gabby huffed, crossing her little arms. “Unfair.”

Logan smirked. “Life’s unfair, kid.”

Gabby turned to you. “Mommy, fix.”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Not this time, sweetheart.”

Gabby sighed dramatically, flopping against your chest. “Okay.”

Jean crossed her arms, looking at Logan. “Make sure she actually stays in bed.”

Logan scoffed. “Yeah, yeah.”

Jean smirked before ruffling Gabby’s curls again. “And you keep an eye on her too, okay?”

Gabby grinned. “Okay!”

Jean glanced at Laura. “You too.”

Laura nodded.

Jean shot you a look. “And you—actually rest.”

You smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Jean rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered as she turned to leave.

Once she was gone, Logan leaned back against the headboard, his arm draped lazily over the back of the bed. “Guess we’re stuck here for a while.”

Gabby wiggled into a more comfortable position against your chest. “I stay.”

You kissed the top of her head. “I’d like that.”

Laura climbed up onto the bed too, sitting near the foot with a book.

Logan smirked. “Whole damn family’s settin’ up camp in here now.”

You chuckled. “Could be worse.”

Gabby yawned, snuggling deeper into your arms. “Love you, Mommy.”

Your heart melted instantly. You tightened your hold on her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you too, baby.”

Logan reached over, brushing his fingers lightly over your arm. “Get some rest, sweetheart.”

You nodded, relaxing against the pillows as your eyes fluttered shut.

And with your family around you, resting didn’t seem so hard after all.

---

After teaching a class in the Danger Room, Logan and Ororo walked the halls. “What do you think I should get Gabby for Easter?” Ororo asked.

“Anythin’ with frogs.” Logan muttered. “Kid’s still obsessed with ‘em.”

Ororo smirked, adjusting the cuffs of her jacket. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Logan grunted, shifting the gym bag slung over his shoulder. “Ain’t bad. Just means I ain’t gotta think too hard about gifts.”

Before Ororo could respond, a firm knock sounded at the front door. Logan frowned, glancing at her before heading over.

The moment he pulled the door open, his eyes swept over the group standing on the front steps—Tony, Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Clint, Sam, Wanda, Peter, and Bucky.

They looked like hell.

Tony’s suit was scratched up, a noticeable gash along the left side of his helmet. Steve had a split lip, and Bucky’s metal arm had a fresh dent in it. Natasha looked like she’d gone three rounds in a fight she only half won, and Clint was pressing a hand to his ribs like he was seconds from cursing out whoever was responsible.

Peter, at least, seemed mostly intact. But the way he shifted on his feet, eyes darting between Logan and Ororo, made it clear he was trying to figure out how to break the tension.

“Logan.” Steve’s voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, a tightness around his eyes that hadn’t been there the last time they visited. “We need help.”

Logan exhaled through his nose, taking another long look at the group before stepping back. “Get in here.”

They filed inside, some more stiffly than others. Peter hesitated at the threshold for half a second before slipping in last, his eyes still bouncing between Logan and Ororo like he was waiting for something.

“You look like you all got your asses kicked.” Logan shut the door behind them, crossing his arms. “Who’d you piss off this time?”

Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s a long story. And as much as I’d love to sit down and give you the full play-by-play, we’re running on fumes here.”

Jean’s voice cut through the hallway before Logan could respond. “What the hell—” She stopped short at the sight of the group, her brows pulling together. “Oh.”

Scott, appearing behind her, frowned. “They’re back?”

“Yeah,” Logan said, his eyes flicking toward Steve and Bucky. “Been a while.”

Steve gave a small nod. “Five years, give or take.” His gaze lingered on Jean, then Scott, then Logan before finally landing on you.

You stood near the stairwell, a physics textbook tucked under your arm, brows slightly furrowed as you took in the sight before you. Logan saw the moment your brain started processing—injuries, tension, the sheer number of them in one place.

“Y/N.” Steve’s voice was softer now, more hesitant. “It’s good to see you.”

You blinked at him, then at Bucky, who was watching you just as carefully. It took you a second longer than it should have to respond. “You too.”

Bucky’s lips twitched, but whatever thought was running through his head, he didn’t voice it.

Scott crossed his arms. “You guys don’t usually show up unless it’s bad.”

Tony let out a dry chuckle. “Oh, trust me, Slim. It’s bad.”

Before anyone could ask what that meant, a voice piped up from the hallway.

“Gabby!” Laura called out, as the young girl ran—as fast as a 3-year-old could—down the hall, holding a book.

“No more readin’!”

Gabby’s little feet thudded against the wooden floor as she charged down the hall, clutching a book in both hands like she’d just stolen the most valuable artifact on the planet. Behind her, Laura stormed after her, looking equal parts irritated and unimpressed.

"Gabriella," Laura said, her voice calm but edged with warning. "Give it back."

Gabby twisted her head to look at her, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "No!"

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. "What the hell is goin’ on?"

Laura came to a halt near the group, crossing her arms. "She took my book because she wants me to play."

Gabby clutched the book even tighter. "Laura play now."

Laura sighed sharply, looking at you. "Can you tell her to give it back?"

You crouched down to Gabby’s level, adjusting your glasses as you held out your hand. "Gabby, sweetheart, you know we don’t take things without asking. If Laura wants to read, she gets to read."

Gabby’s grip didn’t loosen. She looked at you, then at Logan, as if expecting him to take her side. Logan raised an eyebrow. "Don’t look at me, princess. You know the rules."

Gabby pouted, her lower lip jutting out dramatically.

"Gabby," you said softly, keeping your hand extended. "The book, please."

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, with an exaggerated sigh—like she was carrying the weight of the world—she slowly, reluctantly placed the book in your palm. "Fine."

Laura took it back without hesitation. "Thank you."

Gabby flopped dramatically onto the floor, arms spread wide. "No fair."

"Life’s unfair, kid," Logan muttered, shaking his head.

That was when Gabby finally seemed to register the other people in the room. She pushed herself up on her elbows, blinking at the group of strangers standing near the front door. Her eyes landed on Peter first, who gave her a little wave.

"Hey, Gabby."

Gabby gasped, scrambling up to her feet. "Petey!" She ran straight for him, throwing her arms around his legs.

Peter let out a surprised laugh, bending down to hug her properly. "Whoa, you got big! What are they feeding you, mutant growth hormones?"

Gabby pulled back just enough to give him a confused look. "Froggies."

Peter blinked. "Froggies?"

Logan sighed. "Gummies."

Peter grinned. "Right. That makes way more sense."

The rest of the Avengers, meanwhile, were staring.

Tony leaned slightly toward Steve. "Did that kid just call him Petey?"

Steve nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Like she knows him?"

"Yeah."

Tony turned to Peter, arms crossed. "Is there something you’d like to share with the class, Underoos?"

Peter cleared his throat, gently prying Gabby off him before rubbing the back of his neck. "Uhh… surprise?"

Logan snorted. "Kid’s been comin’ here for years."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Years?"

Jean nodded, arms crossed. "Since he was a kid."

Clint blinked. "Wait, wait, wait—how do you all know Peter?"

Peter shifted uncomfortably under the weight of all the stares. "Uh, well… I kinda… met Logan and Y/N when I was five?"

Tony’s eyes narrowed. "And you never thought to mention this?"

Peter let out a nervous laugh. "I mean… it never really came up?"

Gabby tugged Peter’s hand, making a motion with them. “Shoo!”

Peter blinked down at her, confused for a second. “Uh… you want me to—?”

Gabby huffed, her little hands waving more insistently. “Shoo! Shoo, Peter!”

It took him a second, but then realization dawned. His eyes widened, and he pointed at himself. “Oh! You mean—?”

Gabby nodded eagerly. “Webs! Shoo!”

Peter’s face lit up, but before he could even move, Tony held up a hand. “Wait, wait, wait—hold on. This tiny human—who I just met—knows about the webs?”

Gabby turned to Tony with a very serious nod. “Peter shoo fast.”

Logan exhaled sharply, crossing his arms. “You’re actin’ real shocked, Stark.”

Tony shot him a look. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because no one told me my protégé has been hanging out with the X-Men behind my back?”

You finally spoke up with your arms crossed. “Your protégé? Peter, what about that time I helped you with your science project a year ago? The one with the drone?”

Peter’s face immediately lit up in recognition, an excited grin spreading across his face. “Oh! That drone was awesome! You helped me fine-tune the stabilization system, and it actually worked! I got first place, and—” He suddenly stopped, eyes darting to Tony. “Uh… I mean, you both taught me stuff. Equally. Totally equal.”

Tony shot him an unimpressed look. “Uh-huh.”

Bruce, who had been silent up until now, raised an eyebrow. “You do realize you just admitted she helped you win a science fair, right?”

Peter blinked. “Uh—”

“You trusted her with your drone?” Tony added, arms crossed. “Not me? Not the guy who literally builds drones?”

Peter winced. “It—it wasn’t like that! Y/N just—she explained the quantum mechanics part, and I was struggling with the math, so she—”

“I built time-travel, kid,” Tony deadpanned.

Peter groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m never getting another Stark internship, am I?”

You adjusted your glasses, biting back a small smile. “If it helps, he actually did most of the work. I just helped with the calculations.”

“It does not help,” Tony muttered. “I was supposed to be the cool science mentor. Now I find out I’ve been sharing custody?”

Clint snorted. “Damn, Stark. Even the kid prefers the X-Men.”

“That’s not what I—” Peter started, but Tony waved him off with a dramatic sigh.

“No, no, it’s fine. I see how it is.” He turned to you. “Congratulations, you’re officially in the running for Favorite Parent.”

Logan smirked, crossing his arms. “Yeah? Well, good luck beatin’ her at that one, Stark.”

Before Tony could respond, Gabby, who had been clinging to Peter’s leg this entire time, tugged on his sleeve. “Peter,” she said seriously, “what’s a drone?”

Peter brightened immediately, crouching down. “Okay, so, a drone is kind of like a tiny flying robot—”

“Like Iron Man?” she gasped, eyes wide.

Peter hesitated, glancing up at Tony before nodding. “Uh, yeah, kinda.”

Natasha cut in, turning the conversation back to why they were there. “As fun as this conversation has been, we should talk about why we’re actually here.”

Steve nodded, his face settling into something more serious. “We had a run-in with HYDRA. A big one.”

That got Logan’s attention. His smirk faded, and his arms dropped to his sides. “HYDRA?”

Bucky, standing just behind Steve, let out a sharp breath. “Yeah.”

Jean glanced between them, her brows furrowing. “I thought you tore them apart years ago.”

“So did we,” Natasha said, crossing her arms. “Turns out, they were just biding their time.”

Scott sighed, rubbing his jaw. “This isn’t a conversation for the hallway. Let’s move to the conference room.”

Steve nodded. “Agreed.”

Logan glanced over at you, his expression unreadable for a moment before he reached out and gave your arm a light squeeze. “You got Gabby?”

You nodded, adjusting your glasses. “I’ll take her upstairs.”

Gabby, still clinging to Peter’s hand, perked up at the sound of her name. She turned her wide eyes up to you. “Where we go?”

“Bedtime,” you said gently.

Gabby pouted immediately. “No bed.”

You crouched down, brushing a curl from her forehead. “It’s late, sweetheart.”

Gabby turned back to Peter, making a small, urgent motion with her hands. “Stay.”

Peter gave her a sheepish look. “I gotta go with them, Gabs.”

Gabby frowned, her fingers tightening around his. “No fair.”

“Life’s unfair, kid,” Logan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Gabby huffed dramatically, but before she could argue, Laura stepped up beside you. “Come on, Gabby,” she said. “I’ll take you.”

Gabby, still unimpressed, turned back to Peter. “Tomorrow?”

Peter smiled. “Yeah, kid. Tomorrow.”

She considered this for a long moment, then let go of his hand, but not without a heavy sigh. “Okay.”

You reached for her, scooping her up into your arms. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you ready for bed.”

Gabby’s tiny arms wrapped around your neck as she nestled against you, already starting to yawn. “Mommy stay?”

You pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Of course.”

With one last glance toward Logan, you turned and carried Gabby upstairs, Laura following close behind.

---

Gabby’s bedtime routine was quick. She was tired enough that she didn’t put up much of a fight, only grumbling a little as you helped her into her pajamas. Laura sat on the edge of the bed, flipping absently through a book while she waited.

Once Gabby was settled under the blankets, she reached for Nova, tucking the worn stuffed bear under her chin. Her big eyes blinked up at you sleepily. “Story?”

You smiled, adjusting your glasses as you sat down beside her. “Just a short one.”

Laura let out a quiet sigh but didn’t protest when you handed her the book. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she muttered.

Gabby grinned, already victorious.

You smoothed a hand over her curls as Laura started reading, her steady voice filling the room. Gabby listened with half-lidded eyes, her little hand clutching the blanket.

By the time Laura finished the story, Gabby was barely awake. You pressed another kiss to her forehead, smoothing the blanket over her small frame. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Gabby murmured something against Nova’s fur, her voice too soft to catch, before her breathing evened out.

Laura closed the book, setting it aside as she stood. “She’s out.”

You nodded, standing as well. “Thanks for staying.”

Laura shrugged, but there was a small softness to her expression. “She’s my sister.”

You smiled at that, brushing a hand over her hair before leading her toward the door. “Let’s give them time to talk.”

Laura nodded, following you quietly as you left the room, shutting the door softly behind you.

---

Barely an hour later, Logan came into the bedroom, finding you already on the bed reading something on your tablet.

“How’d it go?” You asked, setting the tablet on your lab.

Logan shut the bedroom door behind him with a quiet click, exhaling as he shrugged off his jacket. "‘Bout as expected."

You raised an eyebrow, watching as he tossed his jacket onto the chair near the dresser. "That bad?"

He let out a low grunt, rubbing the back of his neck. "HYDRA’s got their hands in more shit than we thought. They weren’t just lying low—they were rebuildin’. Bigger, meaner, and a hell of a lot smarter."

You frowned, adjusting your glasses as you shifted on the bed. "And they came to us for help?"

Logan sat on the edge of the mattress, reaching for the water bottle on your nightstand. "Don’t like it any more than you do, sweetheart, but yeah." He twisted off the cap, taking a sip before setting it back down. "They got hit hard. Lost a few people. Needed somewhere safe to regroup and figure out their next move."

You studied his face for a moment. He looked tired—more than usual. "What did Charles say?"

Logan let out a short breath, leaning back against the headboard. "Said we’d help. Ain’t like we got much of a choice. HYDRA’s our problem too."

You nodded slowly, pressing your lips together. "And what’s their plan now?"

"Same as always," Logan muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Figure out how deep this goes, track down whoever’s runnin’ things, and put ‘em down before it gets worse."

A beat of silence stretched between you. Logan didn’t have to say it out loud for you to know what he was thinking—what this could mean for you, for Gabby, for all of them.

You sighed, rubbing at your temple. "This isn’t going to be simple, is it?"

Logan huffed. "Nothing ever is."

You leaned back against the pillows, adjusting your glasses again. "Did they say how soon they need to move?"

"Not yet," Logan said, tilting his head back against the headboard. "Steve’s talkin’ it through with Charles and Scott. They’re tryin’ to figure out the safest play before we jump into anything."

"Good," you murmured, relief washing over you. You trusted Charles to make the right call—to think things through before sending anyone headfirst into a mess they couldn’t get out of.

Logan was quiet for a long moment before he finally glanced at you. "Gabby asleep?"

You nodded, smiling faintly. "Out like a light. Laura helped."

Logan’s lips twitched. "Guess she didn’t put up much of a fight then."

"Not once she realized she was getting a bedtime story," you mused, shifting under the blankets. "She was halfway asleep before Laura even finished the book."

Logan smirked, shaking his head. "Kid’s got a routine."

You studied him for a moment, noting the way his shoulders were still tense despite his relaxed position. You reached out, resting a hand on his arm. "You okay?"

Logan glanced at you, his expression unreadable for a second before he exhaled. "Just a lot to take in. Been a while since we dealt with HYDRA."

You squeezed his arm gently. "Yeah."

He covered your hand with his, his thumb brushing lightly over your skin. "We’ll handle it. Like always."

You nodded, your fingers curling slightly against his arm. "I know."

For a moment, neither of you spoke. The quiet hum of the mansion at night filled the space between you—the distant murmur of voices downstairs, the soft creaks of the old building settling.

Then Logan gave your hand a light squeeze before standing up. "C’mon, darlin’. You should get some sleep."

You sighed but didn’t argue, setting your tablet on the nightstand before slipping under the blankets. "You too."

Logan smirked, clicking off the bedside lamp. "Yeah, yeah."

As he settled in beside you, you curled closer, letting his warmth chase away the lingering weight of worry pressing at the edges of your mind.

Whatever came next, you’d face it together.

---

Laura poured milk into Gabby’s small bowl before her own. Gabby picked a green clover marshmallow from her bowl. “Laura, wha’s this?”

"A clover," Laura said, pouring the rest of the milk into her own bowl. She set the carton back in the fridge before turning back to the table, watching as Gabby studied the green marshmallow in her hand.

Gabby frowned slightly, holding it up to inspect it more closely. "What’s a clover?"

Laura sat down, picking up her spoon. "It’s a plant. People say it’s lucky."

Gabby’s eyes widened slightly, her fingers tightening around the marshmallow. "Lucky?"

"Yeah," Laura muttered, taking a bite of her cereal. "That’s what they say."

Gabby’s little brows furrowed in deep thought before she abruptly stuffed the clover marshmallow into her mouth, chewing quickly.

Laura raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Gabby swallowed, then grinned. "I eat lucky!"

Laura shook her head, taking another bite of her cereal. Footsteps sounded out before Sam and Clint walked into the kitchen. Sam reached for the box of Lucky Charms in front of Laura, but before he could pick it up, Laura released her claws, sticking them through the side of the box.

Sam immediately yanked his hand back. “Okay, damn.” He looked from the impaled cereal box to Laura’s flat expression. “Did I just walk into some kinda breakfast turf war?”

Clint, standing beside him, crossed his arms. “You know, there are better ways to tell someone you don’t wanna share.”

Laura kept eating, unfazed. “She’ll cry if you eat it.” She peeked over at Gabby, who was currently holding a pink heart to Nova’s mouth.

Clint raised an eyebrow, glancing between Laura and Gabby. "She’ll cry if I eat the cereal? Seriously?"

Laura didn’t even look up. "Yes."

Sam let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he stepped back from the table. "Man, I’m not about to start my morning with a three-year-old crying over marshmallows. You win."

Gabby, still oblivious to the cereal-related negotiations happening around her, pressed the pink heart to Nova’s fuzzy mouth. "Eat," she whispered, as if feeding the bear was the most serious task in the world.

Logan walked into the kitchen just in time to hear that. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "She talkin’ to the bear again?"

Laura, unfazed, took another bite of her cereal. "Yes."

Gabby finally looked up at Logan, her eyes lighting up. "Daddy!"

Logan’s expression softened just slightly as he pushed off the counter and walked over. "Mornin’, kid." He crouched beside her chair, ruffling her curls. "Nova eatin’ breakfast too?"

Gabby nodded enthusiastically, holding up the stuffed bear like it was something to be proud of. "Pink one’s his favorite."

Logan smirked. "Yeah? That so?"

Gabby hummed in agreement before reaching into her bowl, grabbing another marshmallow, and shoving it toward Logan’s mouth. "You eat too."

Logan eyed the soggy marshmallow for a second before sighing and taking it from her fingers. "Fine, but if this is some kinda trap, we’re gonna have words, kid."

Gabby giggled as he tossed the marshmallow in his mouth, chewing like it was some great sacrifice.

Sam leaned against the counter, watching with amusement. "Man, I gotta say, seeing this Logan? Real different from the guy I remember."

Logan shot him a look. "What the hell’s that supposed to mean?"

Sam smirked. "Just sayin’, I never thought I’d see Wolverine taking orders from a three-year-old with a stuffed bear."

Logan grumbled something under his breath before standing up. "She’s persistent. Ain’t got much of a choice."

Gabby, completely unaware that she was being discussed, happily fed another marshmallow to Nova. "Lucky bear."

Jean walked into the kitchen, her eyes flicking between Logan, Gabby, and the others. "Everyone’s up early."

You walked into the kitchen, a stack of papers in your hands. "You know how she is. If Gabby’s awake, everyone’s awake."

Jean chuckled, walking over to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Fair enough."

Bucky walked in behind her, his eyes scanning the room before landing on you. "Morning."

You gave him a small smile. "Morning."

Gabby looked up at Bucky, blinking at him like she was analyzing something very important. Then, she pointed at his metal arm. "Shiny."

Bucky raised an eyebrow, then held up his hand, turning it slightly. "Yeah?"

Gabby nodded before turning to you. “Mommy? Fact?”

You cleared your throat, setting the papers down next to Gabby. “There are certain species of frogs that can almost freeze themselves solid in the winter. They produce urea and glycogen to make an ‘antifreeze’ that fills and protects their cells and organs while the rest of the body freezes solid. And then, in the spring, they emerge unscathed.”

Bucky, who had been quietly sipping his coffee, raised an eyebrow at your sudden fact drop. "You just had that one ready to go, huh?"

You adjusted your glasses, giving him a small shrug. "Gabby likes frogs."

Gabby nodded enthusiastically, shoving another handful of marshmallows into her mouth before pointing at Bucky’s arm. "Shiny. Froggies freeze. Bucky freeze?"

Logan, who had been leaning against the counter, let out a short laugh. "Hell of a comparison, kid."

Jean smirked, sipping her coffee. "Honestly, not the worst analogy I've heard."

Bucky looked at Gabby, considering the question seriously. "Yeah, kinda. I was frozen for a long time."

Gabby’s big eyes widened. "Spring come?"

Bucky blinked at her, then at you. "Does she always ask stuff like this?"

"Always," Laura muttered before taking another bite of cereal.

You smiled, brushing a stray curl from Gabby’s forehead. "She means, did you wake up okay? Like the frogs do."

Bucky tilted his head slightly, clearly caught off guard by the depth of the question. "Yeah, kid. Spring came."

Gabby beamed. "Lucky!"

Sam snorted. "Yeah, Barnes. You’re just like a frog. Lucky."

Bucky shot him a flat look. "You want me to throw you out a window?"

Clint, shaking his head, leaned against the counter. "Man, I gotta say, I did not expect to start my morning watching a three-year-old lecture Bucky Barnes on bad words and cryogenic freezing."

Jean chuckled. "Welcome to life at the mansion."

Gabby, apparently satisfied that Bucky had ‘defrosted’ like a frog, turned her attention back to her breakfast. She picked out another marshmallow, this time a yellow moon, and held it up toward Logan. "Daddy eat."

Logan sighed, already knowing there was no getting out of it. He took the marshmallow from her tiny fingers, tossing it into his mouth. "Happy?"

Gabby grinned, nodding. "Lucky."

Laura, shaking her head, muttered, "She’s obsessed with that word today."

Jean smiled, nudging your arm. "She probably gets it from you."

You blinked at her. "Me?"

Jean smirked, sipping her coffee. "You talk about probability all the time in your classes. Maybe she picked up on it."

Gabby, clearly listening even while eating, perked up. "Mommy say science is magic that’s real."

Logan exhaled sharply through his nose, glancing at you. "That what you’re tellin’ her?"

You adjusted your glasses, a small smile tugging at your lips. "It’s not wrong."

Jean laughed. "She’s got you there, Logan."

Gabby clapped her hands together, officially deciding that the conversation was over. "Lucky magic!"

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "You know what? Sure, kid. Lucky magic."

Logan sighed, rubbing his temples.

---

Rogue, as usual, watched Gabby while you and Logan taught your classes for the day. This time, Peter was in the living room working on a paper for one of his classes.

Gabby walked over to him and plopped down next to him on the couch, carrying your large space encyclopedia that you kept in her room.

She flipped it open to a random page and looked at the pictures before looking over at Peter typing on his laptop, mumbling to himself.

“Wrong!” Gabby exclaimed, pointing at the screen.

Peter blinked, fingers hovering over his laptop’s keyboard. “What?”

Gabby scooted closer, gripping the giant space encyclopedia she’d dragged over with her tiny hands. She frowned at the words on Peter’s screen, then flipped a few pages in her book. “Wrong,” she repeated, more certain this time.

Peter glanced between her and his laptop, confused. “Gabby, this is my paper for class.”

Gabby, unbothered, tapped the screen insistently. “Wrong,” she said again, then shoved the open encyclopedia onto his lap. “Look.”

Peter sighed but humored her, glancing down at the page she’d flipped to. His eyes scanned over the text, and then—he froze. His mouth opened, then closed again. “Oh. Oh, wait—hold on.” He scrolled back up on his document, reading over what he had just typed. “No way.”

Rogue, who had been sitting in the armchair across the room, glanced up from her magazine. “What’s goin’ on?”

Peter groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “She’s right. I wrote the wrong number for the escape velocity on Mars.” He leaned back, exhaling dramatically. “Gabby, how did you even catch that?”

Gabby beamed, clearly delighted with herself. “Mommy say check numbers!”

Rogue snorted. “Well, can’t argue with that.”

Peter muttered something under his breath as he corrected the equation. “This is so embarrassing. I got called out by a three-year-old.”

Gabby nodded seriously, then pointed to Nova, who was sitting beside her on the couch. “Nova smart too.”

Peter chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, I bet he is.”

Gabby scooted even closer, resting her chin on the couch cushion as she watched Peter type. “You do ‘nother?”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “You wanna check my whole paper?”

Gabby nodded eagerly.

Rogue laughed, shaking her head. “Damn, Parker. You just got yourself a tiny editor.”

Peter sighed, but there was amusement in his voice when he said, “You know what? Sure, why not?”

Gabby clapped her hands, clearly excited to be involved. “Okay! I help!”

Rogue smirked. “Better be careful, Peter. She might start charging for her services.”

Peter shot her a look. “Oh, trust me, I already know. The swear jar incident was enough proof.”

Gabby giggled, completely unbothered by her reputation. “Money!”

Peter groaned, shaking his head as he scrolled to the next section of his paper. “Alright, Gabby, let’s see if you can spot any more mistakes.”

She leaned in, her little brows furrowing in concentration. “Hmm…”

Peter watched her with mild amusement, but there was a tiny hint of anxiety in his expression. "Look, Gabby, I'm pretty sure—"

Gabby’s tiny finger shot out, pointing at the screen. "Wrong."

Peter groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Okay, what is it this time?"

Gabby tapped the open encyclopedia again, her lips pursing in a way that looked far too serious for a three-year-old. "This say 'orbit,' but you wrote 'rotation.'"

Peter blinked. Then he scrolled up. Then back down. Then back up again. His shoulders slumped. "No way."

Rogue snorted, watching the exchange from her chair. "Damn, Parker. You just got corrected by a toddler twice in five minutes. That’s gotta sting."

Peter let out a dramatic sigh, fixing the mistake as Gabby sat beside him, clearly proud of herself. "I swear, she’s like a tiny version of Y/N."

Gabby perked up at your name, her little hands pressing against the encyclopedia as she nodded eagerly. "Mommy say check numbers!"

Rogue smirked. "Yeah, I think you already said that, sugar."

Peter leaned back against the couch, rubbing his temples. "Man, this is actually humiliating. I double-checked everything before I started writing."

Gabby patted his arm like she was comforting him. "Mommy check better."

Rogue full-on laughed at that, and Peter groaned again, slumping further down the couch. "Okay, you know what? That one actually hurt."

Gabby giggled, flopping onto her stomach and kicking her legs behind her. "More mistakes?"

Peter scoffed. "Oh, so now you're actively looking?"

Gabby nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I help."

Peter glanced over at Rogue, who smirked at him over her magazine. "Man," he muttered, shaking his head. "Logan wasn’t kidding. She really is a menace."

Gabby gasped, sitting up on her knees. "Scotty say no bad words!"

Peter immediately threw his hands up. "No, no, no—'menace' isn't a bad word!"

Gabby narrowed her eyes, considering. Then she held out her tiny hand, palm up. "Money."

Peter gawked at her. "What?! No! That’s not—" He turned to Rogue in disbelief. "Are you seeing this?!"

Rogue was grinning, barely holding back her laughter. "Yeah, I’m seein’ it, alright."

Peter groaned, shaking his head. "Unbelievable. I just got scammed by a three-year-old again."

Gabby beamed, clearly pleased with herself, then flopped back onto her stomach and started flipping through the encyclopedia again.

Peter shot Rogue a deadpan look. "How do you deal with this every day?"

Rogue shrugged. "Oh, I just don’t swear around her. You’re the one slippin’ up."

Peter muttered something under his breath before returning to his paper. Gabby hummed as she flipped another page, glancing at the pictures. Then she stopped suddenly, pointing at one of the images of a galaxy. "Peter. What’s this one?"

Peter glanced over, relieved to be back in territory he actually knew. "That’s the Whirlpool Galaxy. Also called M51. It’s a spiral galaxy about twenty-three million light-years away."

Gabby’s eyes widened in wonder. "Big."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "Really big."

Gabby tapped the picture again, then turned to Rogue. "Lucky?"

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Uh… lucky how, sugar?"

Gabby thought for a second, then nodded to herself, satisfied with whatever logic she’d come up with. "Big lucky."

Peter chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, Gabby. If you say so."

Gabby grinned, then went back to flipping through her book, kicking her legs behind her.

Peter exhaled, staring at his laptop screen like he was still processing the fact that he’d been outmaneuvered by a toddler. "Man. I’m never gonna live this down."

Rogue smirked, turning the page in her magazine. "Nope. Not a chance."

Gabby perked up at the sound of boots faintly walking down the hall, before eventually Logan walked into the common room.

Logan heard the sound of little feet thudding against the floor as Gabby ran straight toward him. He barely had time to brace himself before she crashed into his legs, her tiny arms wrapping around his shin.

"Princess, you want lunch?"

Gabby tipped her head back, her curls bouncing as she beamed up at him. "Yes!" Then, before Logan could lift her into his arms, she grabbed his wrist with her small fingers, tugging insistently. "Daddy! Daddy, guess what?"

Logan crouched down, resting his forearms on his knees. "What, kid?"

Gabby turned, pointing at Peter with all the enthusiasm of someone revealing the greatest discovery in the world. "I helped Peter with homework!"

Logan raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Peter, who was still slouched on the couch, rubbing his forehead like he was nursing a mild existential crisis. Rogue smirked behind her magazine, clearly enjoying the whole thing.

"Yeah?" Logan muttered, scooping Gabby up onto his hip. "What kinda help we talkin’ here?"

Gabby, proud as could be, held up two fingers. "Two mistakes!"

Peter groaned dramatically. “She called me out twice. Spotted a math mistake and a word mix-up like it was nothing.”

Logan smirked, glancing at the open laptop on Peter’s lap. "That right?"

Gabby nodded eagerly, bouncing slightly in Logan’s arms. "Mommy say check numbers!"

Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And apparently, I don’t check them well enough."

Logan chuckled, then leaned over slightly, glancing at Peter’s screen. His eyes flicked over the text, skimming a few lines before he snorted. "You got that orbital decay rate wrong."

Peter blinked. "What?"

Logan pointed at the sentence near the middle of the screen. "You’re off by a factor of ten. That equation’s for a body orbitin’ in vacuum conditions, but you forgot to factor in drag from residual atmospheric particles."

Peter stared at him, mouth slightly open. "How the hell do you know that?"

Logan smirked, adjusting Gabby on his hip. "You think I don’t listen to my wife, even when she rambles? I learned my lesson a long time ago, kid."

Peter continued staring at him, then let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he corrected the mistake. "Man. I don’t even know what’s worse—getting corrected by a three-year-old or getting called out by Wolverine on space physics."

Gabby perked up, placing her hands on Logan’s cheeks. "Daddy smart!"

Logan chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Damn right, princess."

Peter sighed, closing his laptop. "You know what? I’m just gonna accept that I got outclassed today and move on."

Rogue, who had been holding back laughter, finally snorted. "Smart move, Parker."

Gabby grinned, clearly pleased with herself, before turning back to Logan. "Lunch now?"

Logan nodded, shifting her higher against his chest. "Yeah, let’s get you fed before you start chargin’ people for math corrections."

Peter shot him a look. "Oh, she’s absolutely going to do that now, isn’t she?"

Logan smirked. "Wouldn’t put it past her."

Gabby hummed, resting her head against Logan’s shoulder as he turned toward the kitchen. "Daddy, I want froggies."

Logan sighed. "Yeah, yeah, kiddo. Froggies it is."

As Logan carried her away, Peter let out another long sigh, shaking his head as he shut his laptop. "Unbelievable."

Rogue smirked, flipping another page in her magazine. "Yeah, but you gotta admit—it’s kinda impressive."

Peter groaned. "Oh, it’s terrifying."

---

“Laura! Laura!” Gabby whisper-yelled.

Laura looked up from her comic to her sister, who was standing by her bed on her tiptoes.

“What? Why are you whispering?” Gabby placed an old magazine on Laura’s lap, one that looked like it was originally Rogue’s. “This isn’t what I read.”

“No!” Gabby flipped open the magazine to a page about pieing people in the face. She stabbed a finger at it.

Laura raised an eyebrow, looking down at the page, then back up at Gabby. "And?"

Gabby’s eyes were wide with determination as she pointed again. "Do this!"

Laura smirked, already intrigued. "You wanna pie someone?"

Gabby nodded quickly, curls bouncing.

Laura glanced at the page again, flipping through the short article. “You get a pie, sneak up, and smash it in their face… Yeah, okay, I’m in.”

Gabby grinned, clapping her hands.

“But,” Laura leaned back, crossing her arms, “who?”

Gabby didn’t hesitate. "Uncle Scott."

Laura let out a short laugh. "Why him?"

Gabby scrunched up her nose like the answer was obvious. "Fun."

Laura considered that for a second, then nodded. "Can’t argue with that."

Gabby grabbed Laura’s hand, tugging insistently. "Now!"

Laura snorted. "Alright, alright. But we gotta do this right. We need a plan."

Gabby gasped. "Secret mission?"

"Yeah," Laura muttered, flipping the magazine shut. "Secret mission."

Gabby grinned. "I get pie?"

Laura smirked. "I’ll handle it. You just be ready."

Gabby bounced on her toes. "Ready!"

Laura ruffled her curls, then stood up. "Alright, let’s go find Scott."

Gabby grabbed Nova from the bed, clutching him tight as she followed. "Pie time."

---

Scott adjusted his visor as he sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through a report on his tablet. The mansion was quiet—for once—which meant something was absolutely about to go wrong.

Logan, standing by the counter pouring himself a coffee, noticed the way Scott kept glancing around. "Somethin’ got you paranoid, Summers?"

Scott scoffed, not looking up. "I live in a house with a feral nine-year-old and a three-year-old mastermind. If I wasn’t paranoid, that would be concerning."

Logan smirked, sipping his coffee. "You got a point."

Before Scott could respond, Laura casually walked into the kitchen. Too casually.

Scott eyed her suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

Laura shrugged, grabbing an apple from the counter. "Nothing."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "You never just do nothing."

Laura took a bite of the apple, unfazed. "Not my fault you’re paranoid."

Scott sighed, shaking his head. "Where’s Gabby?"

Right on cue, Gabby’s voice piped up from the doorway. "Uncle Scott!"

Scott turned in his chair, watching as she waddled in, clutching Nova tight. "What’s up, kid?"

Gabby beamed. "Hug?"

Scott’s brows furrowed slightly. "Uh, sure?" He set his tablet down and opened his arms. "Come here, kiddo."

Gabby toddled over, still smiling, and climbed onto his lap. She wrapped her little arms around him in an exaggerated hug, pressing her cheek against his chest.

Scott softened, patting her back. "What’s this for?"

Gabby didn’t answer.

But Logan smirked into his coffee cup.

Scott frowned. "What?"

Then he saw it—Laura, standing behind him, holding a pie.

"Aw, come on—"

The pie smashed into his face before he could finish.

The room went silent for half a second.

Then Gabby erupted into giggles, clapping her hands. "Pie!"

Laura, grinning, took a step back to admire her work. "Mission accomplished."

Scott slowly wiped some of the cream from his face, inhaling sharply. "You little—"

Gabby gasped dramatically, placing both hands on his chest. "Uncle Scott! No bad words!"

Scott exhaled sharply, looking at Logan, who was still smirking.

"You’re gonna let them do this?" Scott demanded.

Logan leaned against the counter, taking another sip of coffee. "They ain’t my problem."

Scott groaned, "you all suck."

Gabby giggled, then reached up and swiped some of the whipped cream from his cheek. She popped it into her mouth, humming happily. "Yummy!"

Laura snorted.

Scott sighed heavily, glaring at Logan. "This is your fault somehow, I know it."

Logan smirked. "Yeah? Prove it."

Scott groaned again, looking back at Gabby, who was still sitting in his lap, completely unbothered by the chaos. He shook his head. "You’re lucky you’re cute, kid."

Gabby beamed. "Lucky magic!"

Scott muttered something under his breath before standing up, setting her on her feet. "I’m going to shower." He pointed at Laura. "You. Don’t do anything while I’m gone."

Laura smirked. "No promises."

Scott sighed, walking out of the kitchen, still wiping pie from his face.

Gabby turned to Laura, her grin wide. "Again?"

Logan actually laughed at that.

Laura smirked. "Maybe later."

Gabby nodded sagely, picking up Nova and hugging him tight. "Secret mission good."

Laura ruffled her curls. "Yeah, kid. It was."

Logan chuckled, finishing off his coffee. "You two are gonna be trouble."

Gabby turned to him, tilting her head. "Lucky trouble?"

Logan sighed. "Yeah, kid. Lucky trouble."

And, as Gabby grinned up at him, he knew that was exactly what she was.

Lucky trouble.

---

After a week of the Avengers taking shelter at the mansion, they had finally come up with a plan to take down the HYDRA base.

You zipped up Logan’s suit, giving his chest a pat. “You’re okay with me goin’?” He asked.

“I wouldn’t say okay, but, I know why you have to go.”

Logan huffed, resting his hands on your waist. "Doesn’t mean you gotta like it."

You sighed, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his shoulder. "I don’t. But I know you’re gonna do what you always do—go in, tear things apart, and come back in one piece."

He smirked, tilting his head slightly. "That right?"

You nodded, adjusting the collar of his suit before looking up at him. "Yeah. And I’d prefer if that ‘one piece’ didn’t have any bullet holes this time."

Logan snorted. "No promises."

You shot him a look, but before you could say anything else, the bedroom door creaked open.

Gabby toddled inside, Nova clutched tightly in her small hands. She looked up at Logan, her little brows furrowing. "Daddy, where go?"

Logan exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face before crouching to her level. "Gotta take care of somethin’, kiddo."

Gabby blinked at him, then turned to you. "Mommy go too?"

You shook your head, crouching beside Logan. "Not this time, sweetheart. Just Daddy and the others."

Gabby’s lips pursed, her grip tightening around Nova. "No like."

Logan sighed, reaching out to smooth a stray curl from her face. "Ain’t my first rodeo, kid. I’ll be back before you know it."

Gabby’s frown deepened. "Promise?"

Logan held out his pinky. "Pinky promise."

Gabby hesitated, her tiny fingers tightening around Nova. Then, slowly, she reached out and wrapped her pinky around his. "Pinky promise."

You smiled softly, watching them before leaning in to press a kiss to Gabby’s curls. "Come on, sweetheart. Let’s let Daddy finish getting ready."

Gabby looked up at Logan again, then at you. After a long moment, she reached for you, allowing you to scoop her up. She rested her head on your shoulder, still clutching Nova like the bear itself would keep Logan from leaving.

Logan exhaled, standing up and pressing a hand to your lower back. "I’ll be back before bedtime."

You arched an eyebrow. "Before bedtime?"

He smirked. "Alright, maybe before breakfast."

You sighed, leaning in to press a kiss to his jaw. "Be careful."

Logan’s hand tightened briefly at your waist. "Always am."

Gabby lifted her head slightly, her voice muffled against your shirt. "Daddy no owies."

Logan chuckled, brushing a thumb over her cheek. "I’ll do my best, kid."

Gabby considered this for a moment, then reached up and patted his face. "Okay."

Logan smirked, giving your waist a squeeze before stepping back. "You two behave while I’m gone."

You huffed. "I should be telling you that."

Logan just grinned before grabbing his gloves and heading toward the door. He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at you and Gabby one last time.

"See you soon, darlin’."

You nodded, holding Gabby a little closer. "See you soon."

Logan walked down the stairs to the main entrance, scanning the gathered group. The Avengers were double-checking gear, strapping on weapons, and murmuring in low tones, getting ready for the mission ahead. Peter stood a little apart from them, mask in hand, shifting on his feet like he was working through something in his head.

Logan stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gestured for Peter to come over. "Hey, kid."

Peter looked up, surprised, then jogged over, stuffing his mask into his belt. "What’s up?"

Logan glanced toward the others, making sure no one was listening in, then turned back to Peter. "You’re stayin’."

Peter blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You heard me," Logan said, arms crossed.

Peter’s brows pulled together in confusion. "But I thought—I mean, I was supposed to—" He gestured vaguely toward the rest of the team. "Why am I staying?"

Logan exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because outta all of them, you’re the one I trust most to keep an eye on things here."

Peter stared at him for a second. "You trust me?"

Logan huffed. "Don’t make me say it twice, kid."

Peter shook his head quickly. "No, no, I mean—wow. Uh, okay. I just… wasn’t expecting that."

Logan glanced back at the team again before lowering his voice slightly. "Listen, we don’t know how this is gonna go. If things get messy and somethin’ happens—" He sighed, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking off the thought. "I need someone here who can handle it."

Peter swallowed, his expression growing serious. "You think the mansion might get attacked while you’re gone?"

"Don’t know," Logan admitted. "But if it does, I don’t want Y/N, Gabby, or Laura caught in the middle without someone who can protect ‘em."

Peter straightened slightly at that. "You really think I can?"

Logan gave him a pointed look. "I know you can. You’re fast, you’re smart, and you’ve been comin’ here long enough to know the place inside and out. You can handle yourself, and more importantly, you can handle them."

Peter hesitated, glancing toward the staircase, where he knew you and the girls were. His jaw tightened slightly, and when he looked back at Logan, there was no hesitation left in his eyes. "Alright," he said firmly. "I’ll stay."

Logan gave a short nod. "Good."

Peter let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his head. "So, uh… do I tell the others, or are you gonna break the news?"

Logan smirked. "I’ll handle it."

Peter huffed a small laugh. "They’re not gonna like it."

"Don’t care," Logan said, already turning back toward the group. "They can bitch about it on the way."

Peter watched as Logan walked back toward the team, his usual gruffness back in place like the conversation had never happened. Still, something settled in Peter’s chest—something warm, something steady. Logan trusted him. Out of everyone, he’d picked him to watch over the people he cared about.

And there was no way in hell he was gonna let him down.

---

After you put Gabby to bed, you went downstairs to get a small snack before going to bed. Instead, you found Peter rummaging through the freezer, still in his suit with his mask stuffed into his belt.

“Peter, you know they left, right?”

Peter froze mid-rummage, one hand buried in the freezer, the other hovering over a tub of ice cream like he was debating whether to commit to it. Slowly, he turned his head toward you, a sheepish grin already forming.

"Uh… yeah?" he said, voice just a little too high. "I mean—of course I know. Obviously. I just—uh, needed a snack."

You crossed your arms, adjusting your glasses as you leaned against the counter. "Logan asked you to stay, didn't he?"

Peter groaned, shutting the freezer door with his hip before dragging a hand down his face. "Okay, how did you know that?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Because you look guilty, and you’re terrible at lying."

Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, alright. He told me to stay."

You nodded. "Figured. But why are you acting like a starved raccoon?" You gestured toward the half-empty bag of chips, the granola bar wrapper, and now the ice cream container he was clinging to.

Peter blinked at you, then at his collection of food, before looking mildly offended. "Okay, first of all, I am not a raccoon. Second, I have a super-fast metabolism. I literally have to eat more than the average person or I start getting all shaky and weird, and that’s not a good look for anyone."

You shook your head, amused. "So, what, you’re just going to eat everything in the kitchen?"

Peter shrugged. "I mean… not everything." He hesitated, then added, "Just, like… a lot of it."

You rolled your eyes, stepping past him to grab yourself a drink. "You could’ve at least told me Logan asked you to stay instead of trying to play it off like you just happened to be raiding the fridge at one in the morning."

Peter exhaled, leaning against the counter. "Yeah, well, I figured you might not be thrilled about it."

You frowned slightly, twisting the cap off your bottle. "Why wouldn’t I be?"

Peter hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. "I dunno… ‘cause you’re used to Logan being the one watching out for you guys. And now it’s me."

You studied him for a moment before setting your drink down. "Peter, Logan wouldn’t have asked you to stay if he didn’t trust you. And I wouldn’t either."

Peter blinked. "Wait—you trust me?"

You tilted your head. "Should I not?"

Peter quickly shook his head. "No! I mean—yes! I mean—you should! It’s just… I dunno, kinda cool to hear it out loud."

You smirked, picking up your drink again. "You’re overthinking it."

Peter sighed. "Yeah, I do that a lot." He hesitated for a second, then asked, "So… you really don’t mind?"

You gave him a small smile. "No, Peter. I don’t mind."

He let out a breath, shoulders relaxing. "Oh, good. ‘Cause I already kinda told Logan I’d do it, and I was really hoping I wasn’t gonna have to call him and be like, ‘hey, so, uh, Y/N said no, and now I feel bad.’"

You shook your head, amused. "You stress yourself out way too much."

Peter scoffed, grabbing a spoon for his ice cream. "Yeah, I know. It’s kinda my thing."

You rolled your eyes. "Well, try not to give yourself an ulcer while you’re here."

"No promises," Peter said, already taking a bite of ice cream.

You exhaled, shaking your head as you leaned against the counter. "Just don’t eat all the food, and we’ll be fine."

Peter gave you a thumbs-up, mouth full.

---

Warm, familiar arms wrapped around you. In your sleepy haze you could recognize Logan’s bodywash—he must’ve just showered.

You barely stirred, your body still heavy with sleep, but the scent of him, the warmth of him, pulled you toward consciousness. His arms tightened slightly, grounding, solid. His forehead pressed against the back of your head, his breath steady against your shoulder.

"You're back," you mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah," Logan muttered, his voice low and rough. "Didn't wanna wake you."

You hummed, shifting slightly, but his arms didn’t loosen, keeping you close. Your hands found his forearms, fingers brushing over the scars littering his skin.

"You okay?" you asked softly.

Logan exhaled, his breath warm against your skin. "Yeah." A beat passed. "Mission went fine. No major issues."

You sighed in relief, though you hadn’t realized how tense you were until now. Your hand moved on instinct, reaching up to touch his face, but you hesitated, blinking in the darkness. Right. Your glasses were still on the nightstand. You couldn’t even see him clearly.

Logan must’ve noticed because he let out a quiet chuckle, taking your wrist and guiding your palm to his face. "Go on," he murmured.

Your fingers brushed over his cheek, feeling the rough stubble, the faint warmth of his skin. He leaned into your touch, his lips ghosting over the heel of your hand before pressing a lingering kiss to your wrist.

Your throat tightened. He was okay.

"You’re really back?" you whispered.

Logan shifted, pressing a kiss just behind your ear. "Really back."

You exhaled, letting yourself sink fully into him. "Gabby missed you."

Logan chuckled, his chest vibrating against your back. "Yeah, I figured."

"She made me pinky promise you wouldn’t get hurt," you murmured, a small smile tugging at your lips.

Logan huffed. "Guess I got lucky then."

You hummed, fingers tracing slow, absentminded patterns on his arm. "You should sleep."

Logan grunted. "You first."

You sighed, your body already heavy with exhaustion again. "Only if you stay."

His hold on you tightened slightly, his lips brushing against your shoulder. "Always."

And with that, you let yourself drift back into sleep, safe in the warmth of his arms.

---

Hours later, you woke to the sound of small, determined footsteps padding into the room.

"Daddy!"

Logan barely had time to react before Gabby clambered onto the bed, crawling up between the two of you.

"Morning, kid," Logan rasped, his voice thick with sleep.

Gabby settled against his chest, her little hands patting his shirt like she was making sure he was real. "You came back."

Logan’s lips twitched into a smirk. "Told ya I would."

Gabby squinted at him, clearly deep in thought, before nodding. "Good." Then, without hesitation, she climbed onto his stomach and plopped down. "Now pancakes."

You stifled a laugh, rolling onto your side to get a better look at them. "That’s what this is about? Not 'good morning, Daddy, I love you'?"

Gabby considered, then leaned down and pressed a loud, exaggerated kiss to Logan’s cheek. "Love you, Daddy," she declared. Then she sat back up. "Now pancakes."

Logan sighed, shifting to sit up, taking Gabby with him. "Alright, alright. Pancakes."

Gabby cheered, scrambling off the bed and toddling toward the door. "Mommy, hurry!"

You stretched, still drowsy, but you could already smell coffee brewing downstairs. "I’m coming, sweetheart."

Logan watched as Gabby disappeared into the hallway, then glanced at you, amusement flickering in his tired eyes. "Three years old, and she’s already runnin’ my damn life."

You smirked, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. "You love it."

Logan huffed but didn’t argue. Instead, he kissed your forehead before muttering, "C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s go make some pancakes."

---

By the time you got ready for the day, Ororo was already making breakfast. Some dirty plates were already in the sink, telling you she’d been at this for a while.

Peter was sitting at the island, damp, curly hair falling in his face while Gabby regaled Peter with frog facts.

"Some frogs don’t drink water," she announced, holding up a piece of pancake like she was delivering the most important news of the morning. "They—" she scrunched her nose, thinking for a second before continuing, "absorb it. Through their skin!"

Peter, mid-bite, paused to process that. "Wait, seriously?"

Gabby nodded solemnly, chewing her pancake. "Mommy said."

Peter glanced at you for confirmation. You, still sipping your coffee, nodded. "She’s right."

Peter huffed, shaking his head. "Man. You know, when I was a kid, I was just eating pancakes like a normal person. Meanwhile, Gabby’s out here dropping National Geographic-level facts before I’ve even finished breakfast."

Gabby beamed at that, kicking her legs under the stool. "Peter, guess what?"

Peter set his fork down. "What?"

Gabby pointed at her plate. "Froggies."

Peter blinked at the completely normal-looking pancakes in front of her. "...Those are pancakes, kid."

Gabby shook her head and then grabbed a piece, biting into it with an exaggerated ribbit.

Peter’s eyes widened. "Ohhh, now I see it."

Gabby giggled, clearly satisfied.

Across the kitchen, Clint nudged Sam and muttered, "Kid’s got priorities, I’ll give her that."

Sam, sipping his coffee, just smirked. "Yeah, and apparently, they all involve frogs."

Jean walked into the kitchen, reaching for a mug. "Morning."

Gabby perked up. "Auntie Jean!"

Jean smiled, ruffling her curls before pouring her coffee. "What’s going on in here?"

"Frog talk," Ororo answered, flipping another pancake onto the growing stack.

Jean sipped her coffee. "Of course."

Peter turned to Gabby. "Alright, tell me another one. Hit me with your best frog fact."

Gabby’s eyes gleamed. "Some frogs have bones that glow through their skin!"

Peter’s eyebrows shot up. "What?"

"Uh-huh!" Gabby nodded furiously. "In the dark! You can see ‘em."

Peter turned to you. "Okay, Y/N, is that true, or did she make that up to mess with me?"

You smirked, "it’s true. The Fleischmann’s glass frog has translucent skin, and its bones glow under UV light."

Peter blinked. "Okay, wow. I officially know nothing about frogs."

Gabby looked triumphant. "I win."

Peter let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. "Yeah, kid, you definitely win."

Gabby beamed, picking up another bite of pancake and shoving it into her mouth. Across the kitchen, Logan leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching with an amused smirk. "Can’t even argue with her."

"You wouldn’t win," Jean added, sipping her coffee. "She’s got better recall than half the students here."

Peter groaned, slouching back in his chair. "This is actually humiliating. I came here for breakfast, not an ego check."

"Life comes at you fast," Sam muttered, grinning behind his coffee mug.

Gabby, still chewing, looked between Peter and Sam before mumbling, "Peter slow."

Peter nearly choked on his coffee. "What? No! I’m literally fast! I have spider speed!"

Gabby tilted her head. "Frogs jump fast."

Peter narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying a frog is faster than me?"

Gabby shrugged, utterly unbothered. "Maybe."

Sam snorted, and Clint leaned forward on the counter, grinning. "Man, this is the best morning I’ve had in weeks."

"You all enjoyin’ yourselves?" Logan drawled, smirking as he took another sip of coffee.

"Oh, absolutely," Clint said. "I didn’t know I needed to see Parker get schooled by a toddler, but here we are."

Peter huffed. "I am not getting schooled! She’s just—" He gestured vaguely at Gabby, who was happily eating her pancake, completely oblivious to the crisis she’d sent him into. "Weirdly smart for a three-year-old."

"Three and a half," Gabby corrected, holding up three fingers.

Peter gave her a flat look. "Oh, excuse me."

Bruce, who had been quietly watching the exchange from his spot near the coffee maker, finally spoke. "You know, Peter, technically, frogs do have impressive acceleration when they jump. Some species can reach over twenty times their body length in a single leap."

Gabby gasped, twisting toward Bruce. "Fact?"

Bruce nodded. "Fact."

Gabby clapped her hands, then turned to Peter. "See? Frogs fast."

Peter slumped further down in his seat. "This is the worst day of my life."

Logan snorted. "You’ll live, kid."

---

After classes were over for the day, you found yourself in the common room with Gabby, a National Geographic documentary playing about volcanoes.

Gabby’s attention was fully on the TV when you looked at Logan, who was sitting by your side. “You gonna tell me about the mission?”

Logan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Went about as smooth as it could. Got in, tore the place apart, and got out.”

You adjusted your glasses. “And that was it? That was really the last of them?”

“As far as we know,” he muttered. “Didn’t find any signs of more cells. No loose ends.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression unreadable. “It’s done.”

You studied him for a moment. “But?”

Logan let out a sharp breath. “Ain’t used to things actually bein’ over.”

You understood what he meant. HYDRA had been a shadow hanging over all of them for decades. Even if this was really the end of it, it didn’t feel real yet.

“Did they put up much of a fight?” you asked.

Logan scoffed. “A little. But nothin’ we couldn’t handle.”

Across the room, Gabby gasped dramatically at something happening in the documentary. “Boom!” she announced, pointing at the screen as lava exploded from the volcano.

Logan smirked. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

You leaned back against the couch, letting the weight of his words settle. It was hard to believe it was finally over. No more HYDRA bases, no more chasing ghosts from the past.

“Didn’t lose anyone,” Logan added after a moment, his voice a little quieter. “No major injuries, either.”

You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. “Good.”

Logan’s hand found yours, his fingers curling around yours with a quiet squeeze. “Yeah.”

Gabby, still mesmerized by the documentary, suddenly turned toward you and Logan. “Daddy, lava hot?”

Logan huffed a short laugh. “Yeah, kid. Lava’s real hot.”

Gabby’s brows furrowed. “How hot?”

You smiled, reaching over to smooth down her curls. “Hot enough to melt almost anything.”

Gabby gasped, eyes wide. “Even metal?”

“Even metal,” you confirmed.

She turned to Logan. “Even you?”

Logan chuckled. “Yeah, princess. Even me.”

Gabby considered that for a long moment before nodding solemnly. “No lava.”

Logan smirked. “Agreed.”

You watched them, your heart settling a little more at the sight. No matter how many missions he went on, no matter how many battles he fought, he always came back.

And that was enough. Well, almost enough.

“C’mere,” Logan said.

You looked at his face, before looking down at the couch. “Logan, I’m right next to you.”

Logan smirked, his grip on your wrist tightening just enough to pull you toward him. “Not close enough, darlin’.”

You let out a soft huff, but before you could argue, Logan tugged you onto his lap. A surprised gasp left your lips as you steadied yourself, hands pressing against his chest. His arms wrapped around you easily, warm and grounding.

“Better,” he muttered, his chin resting against your shoulder.

You sighed, but there was no real protest behind it. Settling into him, you let your head rest against his. “You’re impossible.”

Logan chuckled, his breath warm against your neck. “You love it.”

You rolled your eyes, but the smile tugging at your lips betrayed you.

Across the room, Gabby’s attention was still locked on the documentary, completely unaware of the two of you. Or maybe she was just pretending not to notice.

Logan’s arms tightened slightly around you. “Told you I’d be back.”

Your fingers brushed against the fabric of his shirt, lingering over the places where you knew scars lay beneath. “I know.”

He pressed a slow kiss to your shoulder. “Didn’t break my promise, did I?”

You turned your head slightly, catching his gaze. His eyes were steady, searching. You exhaled, your fingers curling lightly into his shirt. “No. You didn’t.”

Logan smirked, but it was softer this time. He brushed his nose against your jaw, lingering close.

Before he could say anything else, Gabby twisted around on the couch, staring at the two of you.

"Daddy?" Gabby asked, tilting her head as she stared at Logan, her little brows furrowed in thought.

Logan shifted slightly beneath you, his arms still wrapped securely around your waist as he glanced at her. "Yeah, kid?"

Gabby’s eyes flicked between the two of you before she grinned. "Kissy!"

You barely had time to react before Logan smirked, his grip on your waist tightening just enough to keep you from slipping away. "That what you want, princess?"

Gabby nodded eagerly, bouncing slightly on the couch. "Kiss Mommy!"

You exhaled, adjusting your glasses. "Gabby, sweetheart, you can’t just demand kisses like—"

Logan didn’t wait for you to finish. He leaned in, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to your lips. The warmth of it, the familiarity, sent a pleasant shiver down your spine. His fingers traced slow, absentminded patterns against your waist, keeping you close.

Gabby let out a delighted giggle, clapping her hands. "Again!"

Logan chuckled against your lips before pulling back just enough to meet your gaze. His smirk softened, his thumb brushing against your side. "What do you think, sweetheart? Should we give the kid another show?"

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t fight the smile pulling at your lips. "You’re impossible." You smoothed a hand over Logan’s hair before gently nudging him. "Come on, we should probably start dinner."

Gabby perked up. "Froggies?"

Logan sighed, finally letting you slide off his lap. "Yeah, kiddo. Froggies."

As you stood, stretching slightly, Logan reached out, giving your hand a light squeeze before following you toward the kitchen. Gabby toddled ahead, already deep in conversation with Nova about what toppings she wanted on her plate.

i know i was supposed to post this chapter last weekend, but i wanted to until i finished chapter 18, the next, and final chapter. i'll have more to say about it then, but, i hope you enjoyed this one!

[markscherz]

Hello! With the holidays around the corner, I've been trying to think of a gift for my mom who loves colorful tree frogs. As a frog enjoyer, do you have any frog related gifts you'd recommend? Or deets on any gifts linked to habitat conservation funding. Thanks for any advice!

Wellllll… if you can afford it, I happen to sell some froggy things on RedBubble, including some really big transparent treefrog stickers that happen to look very nice on nalgene bottles and cupboards and things…

I am afraid I don't know any links related to conservation funding that are actually genuinely beneficial.

[liberaljane]

Magical Froggy is here to Guide You!

Digital illustration of a wizard witch frog sitting on a purple potion bottle. There’s liquid inside with text overlay that reads, ‘diet culture is a bunch of hocus pocus’