if coral loved something, it was their afternoons together, and friday was definitely her favourite day. as casey picked celeste up so she wouldn’t fall while drinking from her yogurt pouch, coral smiled softly, she loved all that energy, loved how their daughter was basically a tiny version of him, it was too cute. she laughed as casey leaned in closer to celeste, making her giggle in his arms. "her mother loves you two more than anything in her life, and she can handle all that energy because of it," she said fondly, letting out a soft sigh as she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them, just another one for the growing collection of her two favourite people. she kept walking beside them before guiding them toward a patch of grass, pulling out the blanket she had brought and spreading it on the ground. she was the first to drop down onto it, tapping the spot next to her as she rummaged through the bag. "c’mon, i need you two over here with me," she laughed. she pulled out some washed strawberries, a diced apple for celeste, and a couple of muffins, setting everything out neatly. "i think this is more than enough, if not we won’t have dinner later," she added with a small smile.
Casey was mid–aeroplane-noise, bouncing Celeste lightly in his arms like she weighed absolutely nothing, when Coral’s voice cut in. His head snapped toward her instantly, grin already there, bright and full and completely unfiltered. "You hear that, princess?” he said to Celeste, gently tapping her nose with his finger, eyes wide in exaggerated shock. “Your mum just exposed us. Said she loves us more than anything. That’s, like top-tier information.” Celeste giggled, clutching at his shirt, and Casey’s whole expression softened for half a second, just a flicker, but it was real. Then he looked back at Coral, already moving toward her like she had gravity all her own. “I mean,” he added, dropping down onto the blanket beside her in one quick, slightly chaotic motion, “good thing, too, because we are a lot and we both know it." He shifted Celeste into the space between them, steadying her with one arm while immediately reaching for one of the strawberries with the other, holding it up in front of her like it was a grand offering. “But,” he countered leaning in toward Coral now, voice softer but still laced with that restless energy, “I love you more. Just to keep the competition alive.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, then another, because one clearly wasn’t enough, before pulling back with a grin. “And her,” he added quickly, tapping Celeste’s little foot. “Obviously. She’s, like tied for first." Celeste squealed, grabbing for the fruit, and Casey laughed, letting her take the smallest bite from it while he leaned back on one hand, looking between the two of them like he couldn’t quite believe they were his. His eyes drifted over what Coral had set outthe blanket laid out perfectly, the strawberries washed and glistening, the apple cut up just right for Celeste, everything placed with this quiet kind of care that made his chest feel weirdly tight. He stilled for a second, really looking at it this time. Then at her. “You’re,” he let out a small breath, shaking his head with a quiet laugh, “You’re actually unreal, you know that? You make everything feel sorted. Like, I don’t know, like we’re doing life right. Also, these snack choices are elite. Good job, Mommy."
