rockabye, baby

Moodboard: Aurora May Williams & Kai Mitchell

but i look at you.                                       i look at you, and god,                                       constellations are bursting,                                       fires are dying,                                       silence is deafening,                                       the whole damn world is terrifying - - -                                       — — and im falling, god, i’m falling,                                               i’m falling in love with you.

🎶 “I've got something to confess / I keep you in my pocket to use / You're my only compass / I might get lost without you”  ( Compass - The Neighbourhood )

👤 honey 🍯 ( @swcctashoncy )

🎶“Sugar pie, honey bunch / You know that I love you.”  I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) -  The Four Tops

theo: Is there ever a time when I am wrong?

theo: I will do that then.

theo: I will close up in five minutes, and be there to pick her up in twenty. Is that okay?

aurora: ...another good point.

aurora: Thank youuuuuuuu 💕

theo: It is a rather quiet day.

theo: Although, a library is supposed to be quiet.

theo: But, I agree. No one has been here in a while. I'm thinking of closing early.

theo: Maybe I could take Bridget to the festival until your shift is over and then we could all grab dinner?

aurora: You...have a good point.

aurora: You should!! Close early, that is!

aurora: So, I am figuratively dying.

aurora: Is it as quiet at your shop as it is here?

closed starter for @aurcramay ;

❝ Oh, my goodness, don’t tell me you’re already interviewing nannies. ❞ 

She’d seen Nico plenty of times around town before their first meeting. The first time she ever saw him?...Well...Aurora’s pretty sure she didn’t say anything at all, just stood there staring at this tall, dark-haired man smoking on the other side of the street. It wasn’t that she was enamored with him, he was just...handsome, and different from the boys she’d known growing up. Everyone in the Hundred Acre Wood had a clean-cut look to them, for the most part. After a few seconds of almost-obvious staring, she’d processed what she was doing, and speed-walked the rest of the way home to the little group she considered a family.

When they met, it was different. Aurora had Bridget this time, and it was the weekend. Aurora had no obligations, no responsibilities, nothing that needed her attention except for her child. Bridget wanted to go to the park, and so that’s where the pair ended up, with a picnic in the grass. After eating, Bridget started running around -- never wandering far -- as part of some game she’d created. All was going well...until the tyke ran straight into a pair of legs belonging to someone she didn’t know -- the man Aurora had seen on the street. Rory was up in seconds, apologizing and introducing herself and her child, and thus began the story of a rather unexpected friendship.

And now? Well, Aurora wouldn’t say they were close, but they were getting there. Making plans to hang out in the park made them more than acquaintances, right? They had to be friends now, in her mind, or they would be soon at least, she was sure of it. As the Williams girls approached the gates to the park, it was clear Nico was already there, and waiting. He seemed a bit distracted, though, and Aurora was going to take that to her advantage. Squatting to Bridget’s height, she whispered a plan into the little girl’s ear, and once she had a nod of understanding, the pair began to sneak their way towards Nico, with Bridget running ahead once they were close enough. As Bridget attacked Nico’s legs from the front, Aurora leaned over his shoulder from behind (which was a feat in and of itself, given their height difference) and whispered softly, right next to his ear. “Boo.” @hellfire-bright

Theo laughed at Aurora’s many thank you’s. “Yes, you have actually.” Theo stated, recalling the many times Aurora said she appreciated him. “I can read that one then. I know she likes Where the Wild Things Are.” Putting his hands on her shoulders, he smiled. “I don’t mind at all. Bridget is family, and we do anything for family.” As he walked out of his room and towards Bridget’s, Theo turned back towards Rory. “I’ll take a plate, and a blanket sounds good. It’s a little cold in here today.” 

Theo walked into Bridget’s room, quietly. Peaking his head through the door, he pretended not to see the little girl. “Where’s Bridget? I can’t seem to find her.” She laughed, saying “Here I am, Uncle Theo.” Theo acted surprised when she popped out of the covers. Bridget laughed, making Theo laugh, because her small laugh was so contagious. “Alright. Well, your Mommy says it’s time to sleep. So, let’s read a story, and then you have to promise to go to sleep. Okay?” Bridget nodded. “Okay, good.” Theo began reading, but couldn’t even get to page three before Bridget was out like a light. He covered her with the blanket, and quietly walked out of the room. 

“That was quick.” Theo said, sitting on the couch, waiting for Aurora to finish up what she had been doing. 

Aurora would thank her lucky stars later for her wonderful little family of friends. She was a tad embarrassed when Theo confirmed that she had in fact told him lately how much she appreciated him, her cheeks flushing a warm shade of pink, but the embarrassment passed rather quickly, and she nodded and moved on to the kitchen. She wanted something simple, but not Bridget-foods, so the brunette rummaged through the fridge, freezer, and pantry before coming to a decision. Pasta sounded good, and it wouldn’t take too long to make. 

While Theo read to Bridget, Aurora set up a pot of water to boil and grabbed a blanket from the hall closet for the movie. “So,” she began, “first of all, bless you for getting her to sleep so quickly. I swear she loves you more than she loves me sometimes. Secondly, I didn’t pick out a movie yet so if you wanna do that while I wait for the water to boil? It shouldn’t take much longer. I’m feeling either something with action or a rom-com but the final choice is up to you. Also, do you want water or something else to drink? I’m making pasta with parmesan and pesto.”

Theo was in the middle of Looking for Alaska when Rory knocked on the doorway. Finishing his page, Theo looked up from his book, looking at his friend in the dim light. She was beautiful, as she always had been, but he didn’t dwell on that. “Of course I’ll read to her. Any book in particular you’d like me to read?” Theo asked, getting up from his window seat, walking towards Rory. “Well, why don’t you go make yourself some dinner, I know you haven’t eaten yet, and then we can watch a movie after Bridget is asleep.” 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you? Because it’s a lot. And honestly, you can read Bridget any of her books -- I tried Goodnight Moon,  Llama Llama Red Pajama, and Guess How Much I Love You, and none of those worked. She might like Where The Wild Things Are tonight, but I’m pretty sure she’d listen to you read anything.” Rory had a working theory that Theo could read his grocery list and Bridget would still be enamored with him -- sometimes it seemed Bridget favored Theo over everyone else in the house, which was definitely cute but also a problem on nights like this. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can make a plate for you, too, if you want. Also -- blanket while we watch the movie, yay or nay?”

With a sigh, she laid down next to Bridget on the abnormally small bed (why were children’s beds so fucking tiny?) and decided to give one of the books one last shot. Sometimes Bridget just needed to be cuddled, and Rory was hoping that would work...Unfortunately, by the time they’d reached the last page, Bridget was only half-ready to sleep. Getting out of the bed and kneeling to be eye-level with her little girl, Rory whispered her last resort question. She hated doing this to her roommates, her friends, but...she just couldn’t handle Bridget on her own tonight. “Bridget...baby...Mommy’s tired. If Honey or Theo reads you a story, will you go to sleep? You like when they read to you, right?” Once Bridget gave a small nod, Rory promised to return quickly and walked down the hall to Theo’s room. 

“Knock knock.” She smiled weakly as she stood in Theo’s open doorway, knocking her knuckles against the wood. “B won’t sleep and I was wondering if you’d read to her? You know I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate, and she loves you so much, and...please? We can do something after, if you want, but I can’t guarantee I’ll stay awake much longer without something to eat or drink in me.” @tygeriffictheo