Functional Adults
frank (warfare) x harper (oc), baby oscar
word count: 1k+
summary: Frank is so fucking tired and Harper wants him to know that she sees what he’s doing for her.
warnings: just a baby!
notes: Just a quick jump in the AU because I couldn’t get this out of my head lmao.
Harper's laying flat on the couch, sunk deep into the cushions as she tries to relax. The TV is droning on quietly in the background, low enough that she can barely make out the words. She's not really watching it, anyway, it's just some rerun she'd put on to keep her mind from being with itself. The TV is casting a soft, flickering glow over the living room around her. There's laundry piled high on the loveseat and an old formula bottle on the table.
She's got a blanket pulled over her legs, even though she's pulled one leg out the side to rest above the blanket. Oscar is sprawled out on her chest, a warm little weight. His cheek is smushed so tightly to her that it feels like he may be trying to fuse with her ribcage. One of her hands drifts lazily up and down his back, muscle memory, to comfort him.
Goose is stretched out beside the couch, pressed up against it. Harper lets her other hand drop to pet him the best she can. Then the front door creaks open.
Harper's eyes flick up from where she was watching Oscar sleep to her husband stepping inside.
Frank looks like hell. Like he got dragged through fight after fight by the shirt collar and lost every single one of them. His shoulders are drawn in, tight even. His feet shuffle, boots dragging, across the floor just enough that he can shut the door behind him.
Harper watches him for another moment and says in that same dry voice Frank usually loves to hear, "Wow. You look terrible."
Frank exhales something that might count as a laugh. "Good to see you too."
"Just calling it like I see it." Harper hums, adjusting Oscar slightly when he shifts his little body to get more comfortable. "You want me to lie? I can lie."
He shakes his head faintly as he hangs his keys on the hook. He doesnt even bother with his boots, he just makes his way over to the couch, each step slower than the last. When he reaches it, he sinks down at her feet— which she does at least move out of the way for him— without another word. He rests his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Then he sinks back against the cushions and leans his head back. He turns his head and his eyes fall straight to Oscar.
Harper angles her body just a little so he can see him better from where he's sitting, her hand still resting on the baby's back. "He's out cold." She chuckles a bit. "He fought it for like… twenty minutes, so we're getting better."
Frank nods, lifting his hand just enough to brush his fingers against Oscar's bare little foot. She lifts her legs a bit and drapes them over his lap. Frank's free hand settles around her leg and lands on her calf. His thumb starts rubbing slow absent little circles against inked skin.
She watches him for a moment, studying him with her head slightly tipped at an angle. Even from where she was lying against the arm rest. "So." She starts, her tone lighter than usual, which immediately has Frank lifting his brows in mock concern. "That a long day face or a someone pissed me off face?"
He laughs and shakes his head, giving her leg a gentle squeeze. "A little of both if I'm being honest."
"Mm. Okay." She nods quietly. Her fingers keep moving over the length of Oscar's back, slowly. "I won't make you talk about it yet."
He just lets a smile tug at the corners of his lips in return. "Appreciate that."
"Don't get used to it."
She lets it go. Let's the quiet room settle in around them for a little while. She thinks she hears the theme song of that show play twice over. Goose even lets out a sigh before she nudges Frank's stomach gently with her foot. He hadn't even changed. "Hey."
He opens his eyes, "mm?"
"You wanna go get food?" She asks softly. "Like, before you fully become part of the couch?"
He thinks about it for a moment, his thumb tracing the same small pattern that it had before. "Yeah, I could eat."
"Shocking." She teases. "Navy SEAL requires food to function. This is breaking news."
He laughs again, quietly, but there's a little more life to it now. Something about being home with his wife and kid makes it all better.
Harper looks down at Oscar and adjusts him again carefully. "We can drop him off with your mom." She adds. "She texted me this morning asking if we were ever planning on sharing him again or if we were raising him in isolation away from the love of his grandmother."
Frank rolls his eyes, "classic."
"Mhmmm. She's about two texts away from just showing up and taking him herself anyway, so." Harper shrugs. "Think we'd be doing her a favor. Really selfless of us."
His thumb slows to a stop and he hums. "You really thought this through, no?"
"Of course. I'm always thinking." She grins and shrugs the best she can when her baby is trying to become one with her skin. "It's my best quality."
That gets a real laugh. One of the loud ones that comes from his belly. "That right?"
"Absolutely." She's smiling now. "Right after my sparkling personality that you love so much." There's a small pause while she takes in just how tired he looks. If she didn't already know just how much she loved him, seeing him like this would've definitely moved that along. "We can keep it quick, okay? Just go drop him off, grab food, come back and crash."
It's the closest she can get to, I see what you're doing for us and I love you.
Frank nods and then taps a finger against the inside of her calf. "Yeah, babe. That sounds good."
Oscar shifts again, letting out a tiny sigh. Both of their eyes immediately shift doward to the sleeping blonde bundle. Harper instinctively shifts him closer, her hand smoothing fully over his back until he settles once more. Then her eyes lift up to her husband's, meeting pools of exhausted blue. "Alright. Let's get moving before you actually die on the couch."
He leans forward with a groan, and Harper swears she hears his spine pop. He pushes himself up until he's standing and rolls his shoulders, trying to shake the concrete like feeling from his bones. Harper stands a second later, shifting Oscar into the carseat carrier by the door.
Frank grabs his keys again as she buckles in the baby. He lifts the carrier as she grabs an already packed diaper bag. "C'mon." She whispers, leaning close to kiss his cheek. "Let's go pretend to be functional adults."
