Small Victories
Pairing: Héctor Fort x Reader
Word Count: 2399
Request open!
You come up out of sleep like a swimmer pressing toward the surface: the house quiet, the city beyond the window breathing in soft orange streetlight, and then the smallest sound, a questioning little whimper from the bassinet. Itâs not a full cry. Itâs a warm-up, a âhey, is anyone out there?â kind of noise.
Your hand twitches toward the covers, but Héctor is already moving. He never stumbles; he just slides, a practiced shift from the warm hollow of your shared bed, blanket lifting with a whisper, feet finding the floor. You hear his breath,steady, calm,as he crosses to the bassinet and leans down.
âHola, campeĂłn,â he murmurs, voice almost a laugh in how soft he makes it. âÂżQuĂ© pasa, eh? ÂżTienes hambre, Mateo? ÂżTienes sueños raros? Hi, pequeño⊠Itâs okay, Papiâs here.â
You blink into the dark. Heâs a silhouette at first, shoulders broad in the oversized tee he tugged on before bed, curls a little wild from the pillow. You canât see his face, but you donât need to. You know exactly what he looks like when he talks to your son: mouth gentle, eyes melted, the whole fighterâs intensity turned inward into care.
âShh, shh,â he says, and the bassinet creaks just a little as he slides a big hand under Mateoâs back. âWe donât want to wake mami, no. Mamiâs sleeping, and sheâs the smartest person we know, so we let her do genius things like⊠dream about eight consecutive hours. ÂżVale?â
Mateo answers with a sigh that sounds like a bubble popping. Then a hiccup. Héctor grins,you can hear it.
âUn hic,â he whispers, delighted. âAnother? No? Okay. Up we go, chiquitĂn.â
The mattress dips where heâd been lying. You turn your face into his pillow, into the smell of laundry powder and the faintest echo of stadium grass that somehow always clings to him, even on days off. You think of sitting up. You donât. You let the warm dark hold you, because you trust him, because he has taught you that it is not selfish to rest when you are offered rest, because he makes it safe.
Thereâs the soft rustle of a blanket, the slip of stuffed bear limbs, the hush of a bottle plucked from the warmer you keep on the low shelf. He moves like someone who knows the map of the room by heart.
âYou and me, Mateo,â he tells the baby, stepping lightly, an athleteâs balance turned into night-time grace. âOperation: Donât Wake Mami. We got this.â
Mateo offers a more opinionated whine. Not loud. Just⊠persuasive. You smile into the pillow.
âVale, vale, ya,â HĂ©ctor says, settling into the armchair next to the window. Itâs the one you found secondhand and rescued together with a new cushion; itâs become their spot. âFirst, we sit. Second, we cuddle. Third, we have an important meeting with Señor BiberĂłn,yes, el señor bottle. Donât look at me like that. Heâs very prestigious.â
He shifts, a soft grunt as he finds the right angle,baby tucked along his forearm, head at the crook of his elbow, tiny fingers capturing the fabric of HĂ©ctorâs shirt like itâs a lifeline. You hear the rubbery sigh of the bottle nipple and then the quietest contented noise,Mateoâs first sip.
âThere you go,â he says, almost reverent. âAsĂ, despacio. Slow and steady wins the race. Except, uh, not in football. In football you also need speed. But with milk? Champions go muy tranquilo. SĂ.â
Heâs mostly whispering to Mateo, but heâs talking to himself, too. Thatâs how nights are here,half lullaby, half pep talk, all love. He shifts the bottle, watching closely.
âGordito, youâre a machine,â he says. âFive months old and your technique⊠impeccable. The hold, the seal, the focus. Iâm giving this 10/10. The scouts will be impressed. But listen, thereâs more to life than milk, Âżeh? Thereâs⊠uhâŠâ He glances at the window; you can hear him gesture even if you canât see it. âThereâs buses and dogs and the smell of your mamiâs coffee and the way the sun turns our living-room rug into a stadium in the morning. Thereâs your little bear with the one ear thatâs already trying to escape. And thereâs us. Weâre pretty great. I am biased, but I think weâre great.â
You feel your throat get warm. He thinks youâre asleep, and it lets him talk in that open way that always undoes you.
âMm,â Mateo answers, which is to say, he drinks and sighs and blinks very big solemn blinks like heâs taking notes. HĂ©ctor chuckles.
âYou donât remember, peque,â he says, âbut when you were born, I was very nervous. Shh, donât laugh. Papi nervous is a new species. I thought⊠I donât know. That Iâd mess up. That Iâd be too young, too loud, too something. That Iâd love you and your mami so much Iâd break something inside trying to do it right.â He pauses to adjust Mateo up a little. âBut then you held my finger. Just like that,sĂ, youâre doing it again, mĂralo, mĂralo,and I thought, okay. I can learn. I can learn anything if it means you sleep and she smiles.â
You could pretend youâre not crying a little. You donât. You let the tear find the corner of your mouth and vanish.
âBig gulp,â he notes, gently tilting the bottle back. âWe pace it, Mateo. Little breaths. This is also football. Breathe when you can.â He hums then, a tiny wandering tune that might have started life as an anthem and has turned into your familyâs private song. âBum, bum, bum,â he adds, amused with himself. âThis is very technical. Donât tell the team I do this.â
The bottle pauses as he checks the level. âYouâre destroying this,â he says in mock awe. âMy son, my goal machine. Okay, un descanso,little break. We burp. Itâs glamorous. You ready?â
He sets the bottle down with a soft clink on the windowsill and shifts Mateo upright against his chest, palm big and warm against the small of the babyâs back. The rhythm of his patting is steady, like the metronome of a heartbeat. âUp,â he whispers. âWe send the milk to the right places and the bubbles to the moon. Come on. Do it for me, mi vida.â
Mateo obliges with a sound so comically adult that Héctor stifles a laugh against his shoulder.
âÂĄGolazo!â he breathes, triumphant but quiet. âYes, yes, yes. I knew you had it in you. Mami is going to be so proud when I tell her you did a perfect burp. Textbook. We can put it on your highlight reel. But for now⊠drink two.â
He settles back into the chair and goes again: bottle, tiny sips, tiny breaths. The window hums with late-night traffic. Somewhere, a distant siren sings itself out. In here, time has shrunk to a circle where there is only your boy, your boyâs boy, and the slow, patient music of care.
After a while, Mateo lolls a little, milk-drunk and heavy, eyes sliding like shutters. HĂ©ctor gives him a ministrations youâve seen a thousand times but never get tired of: a swoop of thumb over the soft hairline, a kiss pressed gently to the round of his temple, another to the flat space between his brows.
âBueno,â he murmurs. âWeâre almost there. And when you sleep, Iâm going to put you down like a ninja. You havenât met ninjas yet. Theyâre like defenders with socks pulled over their faces.â
He glances toward the bed. You make your breathing even, but heâs not fooled; he never is.
âHey,â he whispers, a smile in his voice. âGo back to sleep, cariño.â
You hum without opening your eyes. âAre you winning?â
âObviously,â he replies, mock-offended. âWeâre top of the table. Itâs 2-0. A burp and a half bottle.â
âCoach says keep your shape,â you mumble, and he huffs a laugh.
âYes, coach. Shh, mamiâs joking,â he stage-whispers to Mateo. âShe thinks sheâs funny because she is.â
He checks the bottle again and tucks it away. âAll right, capitĂĄn,â he says, easing Mateo onto his shoulder. âLast burp. Then we talk about ambitions. Very important at five months.â
He pats and sways; heâs all soft angles now, the edges worn gentle by repetition. âWhat do you want to be?â he asks their son. âA meteorologist? Because youâre very good at telling us when the storm is coming. A chef? Because you have strong opinions about milk temperature. A dancer? We already know you can wiggle. Or maybe you want to be⊠happy.â He kisses Mateoâs hair. âI vote happy.â
The little body on his shoulder relaxes, breath evening into those deep, trusting sighs that are the secret currency of parenthood. Héctor keeps swaying for a minute after sleep arrives, superstition and love both telling him not to rush.
âI like us,â he says softly, almost to the window. âI like our messy sink and your dinosaur pajamas and mamiâs list on the fridge that says âremember to remember.â I like being tired like this. It means we have something worth being tired for.â
You canât help it; you turn your head, eyes slit open. In the dim glow, you catch the outline of his face as he looks down at Mateo. Heâs all tenderness. You whisper, âYouâre very good at this, you know.â
He tilts his head toward you, smile small and bashful like heâs twenty and just learning how to wear praise. âHi.â
âHi,â you echo.
âGo to sleep,â he says, even softer, and the way he says it,an offer, not an order,makes you sigh. âIâve got him. Iâve got both of you.â
You let the words wrap around your bones. The armchair creaks again as he rises, slow and careful. He pads to the bassinet and lowers Mateo like a prayer,pause, breathe, pause,as if the universe will hear if he moves too quickly. The babyâs face scrunches for one second,HĂ©ctorâs breath catches,and then smooths. The tiny hand unclenches.
âEso,â he whispers. âMuy bien.â
He tucks the little blanket around Mateo, smooths it once, checks the pacifier, sets the bear with the rebellious ear within grabbing distance. He stands there an extra beat, superstition again, watching. Then he comes back to bed.
The mattress dips; the covers lift. He slides in behind you and pulls the duvet over your shoulders, tucking it like a promise. You back up into him, bumping knees and finding the groove, your spine to his chest, his arm curved around your waist.
âReport,â you murmur.
âTeam performed with maturity,â he says solemnly, lips against your hair. âWe handled early pressure, controlled the middle third, and executed at key moments. Star striker scored two burps and nearly added a third.â
âMan of the match?â
He pretends to think. âItâs a tight race between Mateo and Señor BiberĂłn. But Iâd give it to mami for a very strategic decision to stay horizontal.â
You snort. âI wasnât staying horizontal. I was⊠trusting my teammate.â
âMm. You were perfect,â he says, no teasing now. His hand rests on your stomach, warm and steady. âYouâre always perfect.â
âLiar,â you say, but you smile.
He kisses the spot where your neck meets your shoulder, just a brush. âYou okay?â he asks, soft and real, the way he always asks, even when he can see youâre fine, because he never assumes.
âIâm okay,â you whisper. âYou?â
âIâm⊠happy,â he says, and you feel it through him, that word settling into his bones like a weight and a buoy both. âTired. But happy. You smell like soap.â
âYou smell like baby,â you say, amused. âMilk and talc and victory.â
He chuckles. âPut that on my player profile.â
You reach for his hand and weave your fingers through his. He squeezes, and your eyes sting again for no reason except everything.
âHey,â he says, after a small silence. âThank you.â
âFor what?â
âFor⊠letting me be this,â he says. He always chooses words carefully when heâs telling the truth. âA boyfriend who can be a papĂĄ in the middle of the night and still be the guy who makes you laugh in the afternoon. For trusting me to learn as I go. For⊠you.â
You turn in his arms because you need to see him, even in the half-light. His face is open in that way it gets only in this room, at this hour. You touch his cheek. âThere was never a world where you werenât good at this,â you tell him. âYou were always going to love big.â
He ducks his head like he can hide from the compliment and then kisses your forehead instead. âSleep,â he says again, almost ritual. âWeâll trade off if he wakes at five.â
You yawn, traitorously on cue. âHe wonât,â you say, liar that you are. âHeâs perfect.â
âHe is,â HĂ©ctor agrees solemnly. âBut he is also my son, and therefore dramatic.â
You laugh into the pillow. He smiles into your hair. The apartment settles, the city whispers, the bassinet murmurs now and then with tiny baby breaths. Time stretches.
âTell me something nice,â you mumble, already fading.
He thinks for a second, then says, âOkay. Something nice: tomorrow morning Iâm going to make you toast the way you like it,too dark, which is a crime,and Iâm going to bring it to you with coffee, and Iâm going to tell you a story about a little boy who discovered his own hand at 3 a.m. and fell in love with it. And then weâre going to take him to the park and show him leaves. And then Iâm going to do the dishes. And then Iâm going to kiss you until you forget which day it is.â
âToo nice,â you whisper, smiling.
âAnother nice thing,â he adds, softer still. âWeâre doing it. Weâre really doing it, cariño. Not perfectly. Just⊠together.â
Your throat aches with how much you love him. âTogether,â you echo.
He draws the blanket up one more inch, like he can tuck love in, like it will stay better that way. âBuenas noches, mami,â he breathes.
âBuenas noches, papi,â you answer without opening your eyes.
You slide down into sleep anchored by his arm and the small hush of your sonâs breath, and the last thing you register is HĂ©ctorâs quiet, ridiculous whisper over your shoulder, aimed at the bassinet like a secret:
âMateo, we won. Again.â

















