Mitch/Merome- See You Again? Part 1

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Mitch's P.O.V.

I sighed heavily and scooped one of my girls up into my arms, ignoring her cheeky giggles. That was the fourth time she had run from her bed that night, it was well after 10 pm, and after the second time I didn't talk to the kids, because it only encouraged them to get up more.

Tucking her back into bed I took a quick glance at my other daughter, sound asleep in her bed on the other side of the room. I was glad that both her and her brother had decided to behave because I knew I couldn't put up with three 3-year-olds all at once. I was exhausted.

Thankfully Violet decided that she had had enough and after that time she was out, leaving me alone in the living room. I glanced at the wall, on which hung a picture of the three kids, all sitting still and smiling for once in their lives, no fighting or scrapping.

I smiled at it, still able to feel fond even if I was physically exhausted and mentally cracking. I had been looking after the three of them since birth, raising them completely on my own after the mother gave up her right to them. For a month or so I wasn't even entirely sure if they were mine but a DNA proved me to be the father, so I took them in.

Suddenly the life I had built for myself was flipped on its head- I knew I wasn't going to be able to do YouTube with my kids. I had enough savings in the bank from years of being frugal and with what YouTube paid, it was enough to support us until they went to school, until I could get a job again, with plenty left over.

And so that was what I did. Less than a month after they were born, after they were proved to be mine, I completely quit YouTube. I didn't give anyone any warning, I gave no explanation as to where I went. I had already been on hiatus since they had been born but after a couple of videos, I quit.

My focus was my kids- and nothing else.

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Lily, Violet and Daniel were all asleep on the couch, having dropped off after watching a movie. They didn't normally have naps now they were three but at that moment I didn't mind because I was still exhausted- Daniel had crawled into my bed at half past 5. We slept in the same room, there were only two bedrooms in our tiny flat and the girls shared the other one.

Since the kids had been born I had changed my number so none of my friends could contact me and I had logged out of all my social media, but each year on my birthday I logged back in. I had moved from Florida into a different state so Jerome wouldn't run into me or my kids, but his messages to me were heart-breaking.

He knew I was there because each year I read his messages, leaving him on read and never replying. Each message was so full of emotion, begging me to come back or even say something to tell him that I was alive because he missed me so, so much.

I got messages from the other boys too, some from the Sidemen on occasion, but I never read them. I couldn't.

But I couldn't go back either, I didn't want my kids to grow up in the limelight. I wanted them to go to school, make real friends and not friends because their dad was famous, work hard and reach their goals. I wanted them to grow up like normal children, and my work wouldn't allow them to do that.

After tucking Daniel and Violet into their beds I gathered up Lily, the smallest of the kids. Despite her and Violet being identical twins, the older had always been bigger than her sister for reasons I didn't quite know.

I kissed her forehead, smiling. I was ready for a nap.

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I had the kids at the park, allowing them to stretch their legs and get some of their pent up energy out. Daniel had climbed up onto my lap after about half an hour and had fallen asleep, so I was keeping an eye on the two girls with him fast asleep in my arms.

"Dad!" Lily shrieked, barrelling in my direction with her sister close on her heels. "Carry meeeeeee!"

"I can't Lily, I've got your brother." She pouted but spun around and ran away again. She was easily distracted.

I leaned back against the park bench, my hand behind Daniel's head.

"Mitch?" A low voice asked, sounding so aghast and disbelieving that I spun around. "Is that... is that you?"

My eyes made contact with someone I knew very well and I jolted, lurching to my feet with Daniel in my arms.

"Jerome?!" I gasped, so confused and bewildered that I almost stumbled.

"Oh my god- Mitch holy f-"

"Nah uh uh uh!" I yelped, cutting him off. "Don't swear!"

Jerome's eyes flickered down to my son and they widened in understanding, a look crossing his face. I saw some disappointment, some confusion and some understanding as well.

"Mitch, is he yours?" I nodded, adjusting my arms around him. "Is that why you left?"

I was about to reply when Lily and Violet came barrelling back towards me, excited and happy. It was clear they had made a couple of friends- also identical twins. Jerome look was priceless when he saw the two, completely identical except for Violet being a little bigger, and they were carbon copies of me in female form.

"Dad!" Violet demanded, careful not to bump her brother. "Can I have my water?"

I gave her a raised eyebrow.

"Please?" Lily piped up, giving me puppy eyes.

"Alright." I laughed, digging around in the backpack I had for their bottles. They weren't allowed juice except on special occasions so they never asked for it, knowing they wouldn't get any. "Here you go."

Jerome stumbled, his eyes even wider than before. I watched as the girls ran off again, his hand gripping on the back of the bench so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Mitch..." He said softly. "Triplets...?" I smiled.

"Yeah. It's been a while, eh?" I said nonchalantly.

"Yeah..." He said sadly. "It has."

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As much as I didn't want to, Jerome insisted on getting my number so we could stay in contact. I finally agreed to meet up with him over a weekend at the botanic gardens so the kids could have a run around and all of them were very excited, running back and forth across the path but they always came back to me to hang off my arm.

I meet Jerome at the park, allowing the kids to bolt off and play on the equipment. He was sitting at a bench, his head craning around for me but when his eyes landed on me he completely relaxed, giving me a smile.

"Hey Mitch." He said, watching my kids for a moment.

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"So... why did you want to meet?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Mitch... I haven't seen you in three years. You've got kids, you ran away from YouTube. Do you have any idea how painful it was for us to have no idea where you were? Mitch, you were my best friend and you just ran away with no explanation. We thought you died!"

I sighed, covering my mouth for a moment while I thought.

"I know. I know I shouldn't have left but... I couldn't let my kids grow up like that in the limelight. I left to protect them."

Jerome smiled sadly.

"Would you ever consider coming back? Mitch your audience misses you so much, we miss you so much. The boys want to talk to you please?"

I sighed, but in my head I really was considering it. Once the kids were older I would need a job again and although I didn't want to... I wanted to catch up with the boys again. How had they been over the past 3 years? I rested my chin on me knee, thinking.

"I'll- I'll see..." I mumbled. "I wanna check up with the boys? How they been doing?"

"They're alright. They miss you."

I smiled, watching my kids.

"I miss them too. I'll work something out."

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