life & itâs serendipity
â let life surprise you. â
pairing: dad!steve harrington x fem!mom reader
summary: after a usual long, chaotic day, you and steve wind the girls down for bed when you find out news you definitely hadnât quite foreseen in your future.
the girls: josephine (6), lindy (4), & eloise harrington (18 months)
warnings: vomiting, mostly heartwarming stuff!!
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The door clicks carefully, Steve slipping inside his warm and cluttered house, shoulders drooping slightly with fatigue from the day. Taking in the evidence of his three beautiful little girls scattering the floor and walls. Crayon marks, tiny handprints, scuffs in the paint; all things that make his seemingly imperfect home, perfect.
âHiiiiii daddy!â Josephine pedals toward the door, abandoning her crayons, and softly grasping Steve by his legs; followed closely by Lindy, mirroring her actions yet, much more aggressively.
Steve immediately reaches down, bunching both girls into his arms, lifting them up, and squeezing them tightly. âHello my sweet girls,â he says with a huge grin, âI missed you two today.â
âI missed you daddy! I was cwayze today! Fun!â Lindy squirms in his arms and stares at his face with her huge, excited eyes.
Steve chuckles while placing both girls back on the floor, âmhm⌠is that so?â
âYes, Yes! I play outside and I color all my color bookâŚâ Lindy animates her story for him, bouncing up and down on the wood floor, landing on his feet with every jump.
âSounds like a lot of fun honey, Iâm glad you had a good day.â Steve smiles while pushing Lindyâs wild, curly hair out of her face, before gently turning his attention to Josephine. âWhat were you up to today, love?â
âI colored a lot daddy, and I started reading a new book but I couldnât do the words and-and⌠I-â Josephine looks down at the floor, twiddling with her fingers and swaying back and fourth. Sheâd always been more doubtful and reserved in herself.
âHey⌠Josie, look at me.â Steve slowly kneels down to her level looking in her eyes with pure admiration and love. âYouâre awesome honey⌠and youâre so so so so so smart,â he reaches out to lightly shake her by her arms. âWe can work on the words together before bedtime, okay? How does that sound?â
A soft smile creeps on her face as she nods at the idea. Lindy has completely abandoned them by now, back in the kitchen, drawing away with her crayons over her old drawings turning each paper into a blissful sheet of extreme color.
âMommy! Iâm hungry!!â Lindyâs voice booms from the kitchen, loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood.
Steve follows suit of grabbing Josephineâs hand and pulling her with him to the kitchen, âOh youâre hungry huh?â He questions her with an eyebrow cocked and a teasing grin.
âYouâre not mommy! I want mommyâs dinner. Your dinner is gross and bad. Icky.â Lindy crosses her arms over her chest staring into Steveâs eyes with her stubborn, yet adorable, hazel puppy dog eyes and a slight pout.
Steve starts, âWell honey, Iâm sure mommy is busy right now and she-â
âLindy, do you remember what we said about our words?â You walk in the room, holding a slight stern expression, Eloise bouncing on your hip.
âYou saidâŚâ she stares at the floor, swaying side-to-side, âyou said⌠be nice.â
âMhm. I did say that, and⌠was that very nice to say to daddy?â You ask, swaying Eloise back and forth to keep her from fussing.
âNo. It not.â Lindyâs outgoing personality has now dissipated to sheepishness, avoiding eye contact at all costs. As if the only way she could possibly get in trouble is if she were to look up from the floor. âIâm sorry daddyâŚâ she says between shallow breaths, eyes welling with tears. âI didnât me-mean to da-daddy i-â
âShhhh⌠honey. No need for tears, okay? Iâm not mad at you, mommyâs not mad at you, no one is mad baby.â Steve scoops Lindy off the counter into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, rubbing her back gently.
âYes baby, youâre not in trouble. We just need to think about what we say to others, right? Being kind, hmm?â You add in, stepping closer and wiping a stray tear from her nose. Lindy nods tiredly against Steveâs shoulder. Looking at you with drooping, glassy eyes.
âShe didnât nap today,â you whisper to Steve, âtried for an hour but no luck.â You place a light kiss on her forehead. âYou tired baby?â She just shakes her head in response, already practically asleep in Steveâs arms.
âWell that definitely checks out.â He speaks softly back to you, mostly just glad that sheâs already starting to wind down for the night. Sometimes, she made bedtime impossible. âDid she eat dinner yet?â
âSteve, itâs 6:30âŚâ You cock an eyebrow at him, more confused than anything on if heâs trying to punk you or not. âShe had a big lunch, and a few snacks, so sheâll be okay for the night Iâm sure. Donât wanna keep her up if itâs not necessary.â
âMakes sense. I can take Eloise if you wanna take Linds to bed. I can start making dinner for us and the girls⌠that are left.â He chuckles, rubbing Lindyâs back softly and gently.
âSounds good honey,â you reach out and switch the two children with each other. Eloise giggling when Steve tickles her belly on the transfer. âIâll be back. Love you.â
âLove you more⌠hey honey, you look exhausted though-â he calls out right before you can exit the kitchen.
âHmm? Iâm fine honey. Just been a busy day, be right back.â you say before slipping down the hallway cutting off his chance to put more word in.
At the end of the hallway, you meet Lindyâs room. Light pink wallpaper lining one wall, the others painted a pale yellow. Toys scattered all over the floor. Books discarded where she last sat. The perfect kind of messy that encapsulated Lindyâs personality, the same personality you and Steve loved so much.
Walking over to her bed, she stirs slightly in your arms, face still pink from her recent emotions. Sheâs heavier now than you remember her being even a week ago. I guess itâs just how fast kids grow up these days. Harder to follow around and keep up with. As you lay her down, a small sound escapes her lips, like one last word of the day.
You stand there for a while, looking at her. Thinking about how much you love your life. How youâre living the life youâve always dreamed of. The life you promised yourself, with the love of your life. You canât help but smile, relish in it even. These moments, even the tears and the long days, they are all you couldâve ever dreamed of.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Steve gets to work. Placing Eloise in her high chair and maneuvering himself all about the space to create the perfect tomato soup and grilled cheeses. Heâs melting cheese like never before, stirring soup like itâs nobodyâs business, and toasting each piece of bread to perfection. Heâs always been quite attentive in the kitchen and tends to get carried away while cooking. Itâs only when he hears a soft sniffle from the dining room table that he looks up.
Josephine is softly mewling over one of her books in the dining room.
âJosie? Honey?â Steve shuts off the stove and rushes to the table beside her. âHey, look at me.â
Josephine looks up, eyes glassy and lip quivering. She points at her book, specifically at the word beginning.
Steveâs heart melts. Josephine was his shy girl. She loved to sit and observe. And while she was quiet, her heart was loud and beautiful. Steve loved all his girls, that was definite, but Josephine? Josephine was his first, his quietest, and the one that reminded him most of himself when he was young. He always had an extra soft spot just for her.
âItâs alrightâŚâ he lightly rubs her back for reassurance, âwe can sound out the word together, okay?â Josephine nods in response, wiping her eyes with her fists. âItâs okay to get frustrated. Youâre so smart but sometimes words are hard, everyone has to learn the first time. Here,â he points at the word, âwhatâs this letter?â
âIt-itâs a BâŚâ Josephine replies sheepishly with a slight sniffle.
âVery good! Youâre already off to a perfect start!â He continues guiding her through the whole word; letter by letter, sound by sound.
âB - E - G - I -N - N - I - N - G. Beginning.â Josephine finally pulls it all together, grinning softly at her dad. Heâs her lifeline. Her everything. She loved both of her parents, theyâre her world, but sheâd always been a daddyâs girl. From her first word, to her favorite park date, it was always him.
âSee sweetie?! You are brilliant. Everyone has to learn the first time.â He leaves a soft kiss against her hair, getting up from his knee by her chair. âYou ready to eat?â She nods.
Youâd caught the end of the conversation from the kitchen opening, leaning your shoulder against the doorframe. Looking at the two of them, you couldnât help observe quietly, not wanting to disrupt their moment. You saw exactly who you married. The Steve who wanted to be a father and a husband, not just have a wife and kids. It was wonderful.
As the pair of them turn around, walking back towards the kitchen counter, Steve catches you staring. âMmm youâre back,â he head your way, placing a kiss on your forehead, âshe go down okay?â
âMhm⌠Just the price of no one napping today. Thank you for making dinner, youâre too good to us.â You say, sitting down next to Josephine at the kitchen counter.
âThe least I could do for my favorite girls.â He walks over to the soup and sandwiches heâd cooked up a few minutes prior. âGrilled cheeses and some fresh, just out the can, tomato soup!â Steve chuckles as he hands Josephine her bowl and plate.
As he hands you two bowls of soup for both you and Eloise, the smell is nauseating. You canât help but gag at a food that usually wouldnât bother you. Youâre pale and biting your tongue to stop your lunch from coming back up. As calmly as you can, you leave both bowls on the table and quickly dash down the hallway to the bathroom, closing the door and kneeling over the toilet. You canât help the feeling that follows. You end up vomiting and loosing your appetite all together.
After about 5 minutes, you hear a soft knock at the door. âHoney? You in there?â Steve speaks softly through the wood, opening the door. As it cracks you see Steve standing with worry plastered all over his feature, Eloise resting on his hip, Josephine grasping his other hand tightly.
âIâm okay guys, everythingâs alright.â You say reassuring them with a weak smile. âJust not feeling the best tonight.â
âHere, honey I-â Steve stammers, moving toward you before you can cut him off.
âIâm okay. Really. Just ate a bad lunch. Nothingâs wrong.â The nausea is now gone, only leaving confusion as to why you got so nauseous in the first place. âHow about you go lay Josie down and I can get Eloiseâs bottle ready for bed?â
âHoney⌠I-â Steve starts but you shoot him your âjust do it look,' so he drops it. âOkay. Come on Josie, tell mommy goodnight.â
âGoodnight mommy. I love you. I hope you feel better mommy!â Josephine grabs your legs in a tight hug as she speaks. You gently rub her head before placing a soft kiss on it.
âI love you too, Josie. Sweet dreams baby.â You whisper to her as they head out of the bathroom. Steve stares at you with a âthis conversation isnât over yetâ look before finally turning out of the doorway and taking the girls to Josephineâs room.
The worst part was, you knew you werenât sick. The feeling of being âsickâ was much different than this. This feeling was only the feeling you got when⌠oh god.
Instead of going back to the kitchen, you shut the door again and open the bottom bathroom drawer. The one that held nothing, well almost nothing. The one that only held a small white box of pregnancy tests.
You take one out of the box, unwrapping it, hands trembling slightly. You canât be pregnant. Eloise was only 18 months old. You and Steve hadnât talked about having another yet. The house perfectly fit your family now. Four bedrooms, one for each of the girls. You didnât know what to do, all you knew was that you needed to take that test.
Waiting for it to develop, the minutes felt like hours. It wasnât until a sudden, soft knock came from behind the door that you came back to your senses.
âHoney?â Steve tries to turn the door handle but itâs locked. âHey, open the door. Josieâs asleep. Just let me in.â You can sense Steveâs worry in his tone. Heâs not pushing or upset, just concerned and patiently waiting for you.
You immediately turn the handle of the door, revealing him standing there, Eloise practically asleep on his hip. His eyes fly to the counter where he sees the test. He nods, now understanding everything, while he looks into your eyes, âOkay⌠okay⌠so weâre doing this. Do- do you know yet?â
You shake your head, looking down at the floor. âI-Iâm too scared to look. I just- I donât know I-â The words get caught in your throat and you canât speak clearly anymore.
âShhhhh. I know. I know.â Steve pulls you into him with his free arm, holding you tight and kissing your forehead. âWhatever it is⌠we do it together. Like always.â A moment passes. âDo you want me to look?â
You nod into his neck before he releases his grip on you, reaching for the white strip on the counter. You see it the same time he does. Two, dark pink lines with a white background. You couldnât have missed it from a mile away. Steve blinks at the test then whips his head back to you. Youâre crying softly. But not because youâre scared. Overwhelmed maybe, but definitely not scared.
He doesnât speak. He doesnât need to. Steve knows you like the back of his hand; he knows exactly what youâre thinking without a word. He just pulls you back into his arms, cautious of the sleeping baby, and holds you.
A moment passes, then another. Itâs comfortable silence. Steve is waiting for you to begin, letting you process.
âOkay.â Thatâs it. Thatâs all you say to break the silence.
âOkay?â He pulls back slightly, looking into your eyes, scanning your face for any emotion he can catch.
âO-okay.â You take a shaky breath. âWe-weâve done this before. Three⌠three times and we⌠we can be okayâŚâ
âWe will be okay. We always are.â He corrects you.
âThis just- it just wasnât the plan and- and we⌠we donât even have the space and- the time or- we just didnât talk about this and-â Youâre suddenly choking out your words, swallowing back another breakdown, when he cuts you off.
âHey⌠Hey. Deep breaths⌠Youâre right. This-this wasnât the plan and we didnât talk about this. Itâs okay to feel overwhelmed right now. Hell, thatâs pretty much the only valid reaction. But look at us. We have three beautiful girls. Each one so special in their own way. Iâm here with the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen, and I get to call her my wife. We have one hell of a support system of friends and family to fall back on. Weâre in a house that we couldâve only ever dreamed of having. And we, weâre doing a hell of a good job with it all. And you, youâre the best mother that Iâve ever seen. The way you are with our girls, and eventually this little one, i-iâm just in awe of you. Youâre amazing. This is our life, hectic, but beautiful. And this? This is just the serendipity of it all, yea? I love you so so very much. And I love whatever will come next for us. Iâm here. Every step of the way.â He said it all staring into your eyes with pure honesty, trying not to get emotional himself.
Your lip quivers as you stare at him. He wipes one of the last stray tears from your cheek with his thumb, giving you a soft kiss on the lips. As you pull back, you smile, something you definitely didnât picture yourself doing even five minutes ago.
âYou-you always have such a way with wordsâŚâ You softly giggle out with a sniffle. âThank you. I love you so so very much too.â
âMmm, I know you do. So youâre okay? We donât need all the answers right now, but youâre okay?â He double checks one last time.
âYea. Iâm okay. Even if I wasnât, Iâd have someone pretty perfect to get me through it.â
âWait, who?â He feigns innocence in his question.
âYou. But we both know that you said that just because you wanted to hear me say itâŚâ
âMaybe⌠But is that such a crime?â He kisses your forehead softly. You shake your head. âCan I get you anything honey? Like are you physically feeling better?â
âWell I am starting to get a bit hungry againâŚâ you shrug.
âThen to the kitchen we go.â He grabs your hand and drags you out of the bathroom, back to the kitchen. âIâll make whatever you want, long as itâs not that tomato soup againâŚâ He smiles softly in the dim lighting.
You couldnât help but smile at his personality. And he was right. While you didnât have all of the answers or know the future, you knew youâd be okay. You two always seemed to be just fine together.
I guess thatâs just life⌠and itâs serendipity.
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writerâs note: hi all! i hope you all enjoyed it. since itâs my first post and i havenât written anything for a while, iâm so sorry itâs a tad rushed and messy. i not in love with it, but it helped me get back into my creative swing! please let me know your thoughts and thank you for reading! (didnât proofread majority of it)