Stretching her legs, (Y/N) watched William arch his back into the backseats, unbuckling Evan from his booster seat.
On Thursdays, Evan didn't have preschool, explained Afton. It was rather inconvenient considering his circumstances, but it was what it was. His baby boy would come to the diner twice a week, in comparison to the other two, who were only available to turn up on Saturdays. It wasn't all that bad, he'd added, stating that one of the employees just so happened to double as a babysitter, and kept watch over Evan while his father worked. Not a big deal.
Pulling out the baby, he set him down, shutting the car door. Evan gripped onto two of his dad's fingers, reaching his other hand out to (Y/N). Understanding what he was asking for, she lended him two fingers of her own which he gratefully accepted, wrapping his chubby little hand around them. He giggled, waving his arms to and fro in a pendulum-like rhythm. It was so cute... the (H/C)-ette could've melted from how adorable Evan was.
Stepping into the diner, Henry was the first to greet them, smiling brightly.
"You guys look–look like one happy family!"
(E/C) scanned Emily's skinny frame, a warm feeling bubbling in her chest. She glanced down at Evan, and up at William, a shy smile spreading across her face. If Henry kept saying things that pleased her ears, perhaps she'll have to delay his murder. Hearing those sorts of things... yes, she wanted that more often. God damnit, why couldn't other people mistake them for a husband, wife and newborn son, too? She enjoyed the tingling sensation it gave her.
"Yes, well." William coughed, eyeing the empty pizzeria, trying to find a certain someone. "Where's Alice?"
"Al–Alice? Alice resigned, err, at the beginning of the week, I think. Didn't, um, didn't you know?"
"I did not, no." William frowned, scowling. "That's unfortunate. Where in the Hell am I going to find a—"
(Y/N) connected the dots right at that moment, cutting off her boss to mention, "I can keep Evan!" She grinned sheepishly at Afton's directed glare at her for interrupting him. She didn't let him finish, regardless, finishing herself, "It's only for today, right? Not too hard for me!"
"Are you sure, love? Evan isn't like—"
"Yadda, yadda, yadda!" (Y/N) blabbered, snickering at William's glower from being cut off a second time. "He loves me, don't you Evan?"
"Yah! Yah! Yah!" Evan mimicked, beaming up at the woman and tugging her. He let go of his father's fingers, who blinked at the loss of contact, rubbing his cold digits with a foreign look in his eyes. She couldn't quite decipher what it was, but it put her on edge, the slightest. Blinking away the gloom, William ran those fingers through his hair, nodding at his counterpart.
"Keep him safe, alright, darling? If he gets irritated, bring him to my office immediately. He's not a cryer, but if he does, again, bring him to my office. Don't give him any of the pizza, I don't want him food poisoned. Make a trip to the toilets every hour or so, he's a cheeky man who won't tell you when he needs it." He listed, chuckling under his breath at the last part.
"Whatever you say, William." She responded playfully, with some seriousness in her tone to reassure him.
"Yes, it is what I say, and you'll follow my orders." He wasn't in the mood for jokes, or it had flown over his head. But why was he so oddly commanding, more so than often, to begin with?
"Yeah? I planned on anyways."
"Mm, obedient dog."
"I will bite you."
"Don't threaten me with a good time."
"Uh, guy–guys... let's not..." Henry winced, standing between them like a peacemaker of some sort. Even he found the aura to be quite... strange.
As if he'd noticed the tension, Evan tugged on (Y/N)'s hand, trying to pull her with him to the play-area. She broke her unnerving stare-off with William, flashing a smile at the child.
"I'll be off, then." She waved with a tight-lipped smile directed at her counterpart, following the blabbering baby along, out of the pair's sight. Silvery blue globes stalked the two for as long as they could, a small sense of fear swirling in them. But, there was nothing to be afraid of; it was his diner, and the person taking care of his child was also his employee and housemate. What wrong could she possibly do?
Of course, it wasn't her wrongs he was truly worried about.
💜
Not surprisingly, Evan was an extremely active child! Despite his chubby build, he was running around the diner without a care in the world, not once stopping for a breather. His marshmallow cheeks were bright pink, a grin poking dimples into them. (Y/N) was left to scramble after him through the entire restaurant, a panting and sweaty mess. She wasn't complaining, no, this was the most exercise she'd gotten in months, but she was beginning to wear out. She was unsure of how long she could keep up the chase.
Using her last drops of energy, she lunged forwards, scooping Evan into her arms and letting out breathy laughs.
"Gotcha..." She wheezed, practically shuffling across the floors because her legs shook too violently from all that exertion to walk properly.
"Ball! Baaalll~lll!" Evan giggled cutely, huffing and puffing. He patted (Y/N)'s cheeks and pointed at the ball pit repeatedly, his message being understood immediately. She headed its way, analyzing it for potential hazards. It was a bit crowded right now, but they'd make do! Evan wanted to play in the ball pit and there was nothing stopping (Y/N) from giving him everything and anything he wanted.
Just at the edge, the woman jumped as high as she possibly could with a baby tucked under her arms, and dove head-first into the pit. She shoved the baby out first, surfacing a moment later and gasping for air. Laughing together, she released the child, allowing him to swim in the sea of colored, plastic balls by himself. She, on the other hand, stood up, realizing the ballpit must've been deep she was buried up to her mid-torso. Eyebrows raised in slight shock, she wondered if that meant that it'd be easy for smaller kids to drown in the pit. She glanced at Evan, who was sitting on top like he weighed nothing at all.
She'd test her theory out on other... kids? Huh? Where had they all gone? Their chatter and laughter had died out, but when? (Y/N) couldn't remember them all hopping out of the pit at once. Confused, she shrugged it off, reassuring herself that maybe the kids were thoughtful and wanted to give a grown lady and her tiny baby a bit of their own personal space.
An awkward sound of teeth scraping against something they shouldn't be caught her attention. Picking Evan up, she turned him around, finding him chomping on a blindingly yellow ball. She pried it out of his grip with a few nudges of the nose, chuckling.
"Lunch time it is!" She assumed, stepping out of the multi-coloured mess with Evan still in her grasp. It felt like she was holding a cat. Securing him onto her hip, they were off to the dining area!
First, they'd have to get through these halls that were always clogged with children. Although, right now, surprisingly, they weren't. It was eerily empty, as if it were full of kids a moment ago, but they'd emptied out as soon as the pair had strolled in. She could've sworn she'd heard echoes of shouts and giggles from here but... guess not. It didn't really matter, just felt a bit odd is all.
Strapping Evan into the highchair, (Y/N) sat across him, sifting through the menu. So many damned pizza options, but William had specifically stated not to feed him any of it, so... maybe a bag of carrot sticks would do? She hoped so, at least. Beckoning the waiter over, she ordered hers and Evan's lunch, cheerful and bright. When he left for the kitchen, the (H/C)-ette handed a chew toy to the baby to keep him distracted for a short while. She, also, needed a small break from the day's exhausting activity. She so deserved that extra large strawberry slushy.
Leaning back into her chair to crack a few stiff bones, the woman sensed... a peculiar feeling: one she couldn't shake off. Was everyone staring at her? She glanced around, but no one met eyes. Even their talking had stilled, and (Y/N) realised it had been silent in the dining area for way too long. Whispers broke out as soon as she acknowledged as such, and quite quickly, they didn't sound as hushed anymore.
"... custody from her! You really think he's a safe man?"
"Bet his darn kids are the same... they live with 'im, Afton's definitely teachin' 'em wrong!"
"Yes, it's such a shame... poor her, she should've taken them..."
It took (Y/N) a split second to notice they were whispering about her. It was obvious by their pointing from under the tables. She could not put what she felt into words. What was this... this unspeakable rage? Where had it sparked from? Those gossiping bastards... what did they know about the Afton family? Yes, she'd only stayed there for two days and three nights, she knew William was a good man. Right? He loved his kids more than anything, and hasn't ever shown any signs of lashing out at them, let alone raise them horribly. And who was this... this her!? Mrs Afton..?
"One extra large slushy for the lady, and one pouch of carrot sticks for the lad!"
Normal chatter resumed in the place, lacking the harsh words and rude glares. (Y/N) thanked the waitress a bit confusedly, ripping open the plastic and letting Evan devour his lunch. Hopefully, it'd be enough for him... she wouldn't really know. Her mind had been consumed in a matter of minutes by all the jack everyone around them had been chatting.
Bah! Forget all of that... she was here to babysit Evan, not ponder over some stupid people's meaningless opinions. Laughing dubiously loud, she painfully grated her chair over to said baby, slurping her slushy rather loudly. She scowled back at all those who threw her dirty glances, trying her best to remember who they all were.
(Y/N) had originally came back to Hurricane to kill Henry, but she wasn't against the idea of taking a few extra lives with her.
💜
Huzzah! Evan had finally fallen asleep, which meant no more running around the entire pizzeria behind him. Unsure of what to do, (Y/N) figured she'd head to William's office. Barging in without knocking, as always, the babysitter was a bit disheartened to find the room empty. Sure, she loved Evan with all her heart, but... he was a heavy baby, it had been hours, and she didn't know how much longer her fatigued arms could hold him up.
Guess she'd just wait for him.
Waltzing over to his chair behind the desk, (Y/N) could've melted from how comfortable it was. It was so comfortable, in fact, that she slipped her shoes off and brought her knees up to curl into the seat better. She adjusted herself, and her clothing, in a way to keep the baby in her arms warm and safe. His hair was just tickling her chin, his face pressed against her collarbone. This was better than carrying him around with a near-to-shattering spine, at least.
Yes... it was so much more better... she was so tired out from her work... Evan was so warm... the chair was so comfortable... she wanted so desperately to sleep as peacefully as the little Afton did... No! She has to fight the urge, if William found her—but damn that! She had worked hard all morning, it was time she got a break and a well-earned nap. Leaning her head back, she let her eyes droop and allowed sleep to finally overtake her. She could only hope the father wouldn't berate her for doing as such.
Said father walked into his office about ten minutes later, noticing the two and gently closing the door with a soft click. Shrugging off his coat, he wrapped it around the pair like a blanket, tucking it in places, in the hopes that it'd stay on.
Getting even closer, he kissed Evan's forehead, because that was his house culture: to kiss those who are asleep. Moving back a bit, he gazed at (Y/N)'s countenance with an odd longing. He couldn't understand what that yearning ache that struck him the second he laid eyes on her was. He didn't kiss her forehead, no, instead questioning the urge that told him he should have.
It was strange; not inherently the praise itself, but the fact that his heart begged him to praise her to begin with. Where were his usual, teasing thoughts? The ones telling him to taunt her to Hell and back? Having these thoughts about a random woman who only entered his life three days ago sounded rather stupid, but William was known to be a damned fool.
It was routine, no? No, it wasn't... but she appeared so... in place, like the final puzzle piece of a jigsaw. With Evan – his child – in her arms, she was so... perfect. Therefore, it'd only be natural for him to—
What the fuck was he doing?
Knocking himself out of his thoughts, the brunette backed away before his lips could pepper (Y/N)'s face. Was he being serious right now? One lesson was enough, there was no need to sit through another. Picking up miscellaneous files, he practically teleported out of the awkward situation.
"Sleep well, little dove."