Aeryn🐺🍎

ᯓ★ family man valko who's the eldest child of the family. so he's always been the one to buy them things and give them lifts. they all come to him for advice, and confide their biggest secrets and problems to him. they also all look up to him and wholeheartedly believe he's the coolest person to ever exist. they all love him to death, more than he'll probably ever know.

ᯓ★ family man valko who was the type to send out the youngest kids (aka the favorites) to the parents and tell them "go tell auntie you wanna eat take out. but don't say I sent you, okay?" and the poor kids, who tried their best to impress and please their favorite cousin, always nodded vigorously while he ruffled their hair, and acted like they'd been sent out on a mission with their life on the line.

ᯓ★ family man valko who gets crazy baby fever watching you play with his baby cousins. the fact that they all love you and welcomed you with open arms was already a good sign. but with you returning their love and affection so easily, as if they were your own, it only melted his heart more. he loved watching you from afar, as you giggled with them, tugging their cheeks, showering their heads and faces with kisses. he could only imagine how you'd be with your guys' future children.

valko rests his face in his hand, covering his growing smile with the heel of his palm. you're lying on the carpet of the room, surrounded by toys and children as they playfully tug at you, bite your hair, your face, your fingers. maybe other people would find it gross, but you didn't mind it. you reciprocated it instead. and valko loved you all the more for it.

one of the older cousins, who's closer in age to him, stands near him, eyeing him skeptically. "you've got it bad." they comment with a scoff.

that seems to snap him out of his trance. "what're you talkin' about?" he feigns ignorance.

"you're looking at her with those "I'm gonna put a baby in you" eyes." they chuckle.

his face flushes, and he frowns. "hey, don't talk about her like that." he throws a pillow at their face.

they dodge it skillfully, being used to it from all the years of playfighting at sleepovers with him. "just telling it how I see it." they shrug before walking off.

valko tries to ignore their remark, but he knows it's true. you'd make him the happiest man in the world by making him a father.

ᯓ★ family man valko who's phone wallpaper used to be a family photo for the longest time. now that he's an adult and has a big boy job at a tech company, he's further away from them, and thus can't see them as often. so he liked seeing them everytime he opened his phone, it reminded him of who he was doing all this for.

ᯓ★ family man valko who has since then changed his phone wallpaper. it's still a family photo he took at one of their dinners. but the main difference―one he deemed very important―was your presence in the photo. you were sat in the midst of all his cousins, and were holding the youngest in your lap, cuddling her like she was a teddy bear with your cheek pressed against the top of her head. if he could, valko already would've put this photo up in a museum. but having it printed and framed in his living room was enough for now.

ᯓ★ family man valko who encourages roughhousing against him with his cousins, but does not play when it comes to you. he knows them, he can take them, and he's used to them. but he worries about you getting overwhelmed. I can only imagine his conversation with them before they met you for the first time.

"no tugging, no pulling, no kicking, no punching―" he looks them all in the eye one by one, with his index finger pointed at them, his tone severe. "―and most important of all, no biting. do I make myself clear?"

they pout, not liking being told off. playfighting was their way of showing excitement. "... fine." they mumble.

but he shakes his head, unsatisfied. "I said, do I make myself clear?" he repeats.

they immediately straighten their postures. "yessir!" they shout in unison.

"good." he nods once, his smile returning to his face, before reaching out and ruffling their hair. "now go get ready, she'll be here any minute."

ᯓ★ family man valko who was shocked by your reaction when you learned of this. upon meeting them for the first time they seemed a little pouty or sad, like they were hiding something. and when you finally asked them what was wrong after valko left the room, and they told you everything, you were a little angry.

"valko! did you tell them not to play with me?" you frown once he comes back.

he freezes in the doorway, staring at you with wide eyes. "... I did. why?"

"well look at what you did to them, they're all sad now." you stand up.

"they'll be fine―" he scoffs with a nervous laugh. "don't fall for their puppy eyes."

you roll your eyes at him before holding both your hands out to the kids. "c'mon guys, let's go play outside and leave your lame cousin here."

their pouty faces morph into bright smiles as they all jump up, grab onto you and follow you out.

valko's left standing in the midst of the living room, baffled. "... they already like her more than me?"

ᯓ★ family man valko who never cusses at family gatherings out of fear of the kids hearing him. not even when it's just the adults and elder cousins. he doesn't want any of them picking up on bad habits.

ᯓ★ family man valko who's feminism stems from the fact that his pack is a matriarchy. with having so many important figures in his life that he looks up to being women, he naturally respects and loves them. was actually kind of shocked when he realized that that wasn't the norm in the world outside of his family, because it just makes sense to him.

ᯓ★ family man valko who eventually realized he had to learn to share you with his family. he couldn't blame them for loving you so much, since he was guilty of the same thing, but it still annoyed him a little every now and then.

"big sis, big sis! do you wanna play just dance with us?" the twins barge into the room where you and valko had run off to to hide from all the noise of the function. his teenage bedroom, to be exact.

your eyes soften, and you open your mouth to reply but he cuts you off.

"maybe later guys, she's busy with me." he folds his arms over his chest.

"whaaat? no fair, you've had her for like―a million hours!" they whine, grabbing at the doorknob, swinging it open and close repeatedly.

you laugh at their gesture and the way he rushes over to make them let go of the door. "yeah, well, she's my girlfriend. and she's tired, let her rest." he huffs.

you stick your head out from behind him to stare down at the pair of children. "actually―I'm not tired." you beam at them. they shout in unison and grab at your hands while jumping up and down.

valko gives you an exasperated side-eye. "why do you hate me?"

you chuckle as they start tugging you back downstairs to the living room, making sure to grab his hand along the way. "quit being dramatic and show me your dance moves, c'mon."

he rolls his eyes, but the second you turn away to face the twins infront of you, a smile breaks out on his face.

ᯓ★ family man valko who used to get teased by his aunties and especially his grandma whenever he'd come home without a plus one during the holidays. they'd hover around him, pinching his cheeks, grabbing and brushing his hair, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes while calling him handsome and intelligent and wondering why he still hadn't brought anyone home yet. you can imagine their excitement when they finally met you, and knew from your scent alone that you were perfect for their valko.

A warning without heat. One that earned a huff of soft laughter that tickled your skin. 

“Whaaaaaaat?” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your neck. “Can’t I offer my mate a good morning without being scolded?” 

You would have rolled your eyes had you dared to open them. You didn’t, though. You allowed the final remnants of your dream to invite you back. 

You really wanted to go back. 

“Sleep…” 

“But…” 

“Sleep,” you emphasized, keeping your eyes squeezed shut. 

“But…” he mumbled, voice quieter, now. He always knew how to tug at your heart without trying. 

You swallowed hard. 

“You can’t sleep forever, Sweets.” 

Your eyes shot open at the nickname, his name on your lips. You shifted position to find him, but behind you was nothing but the pillow you’d placed the night before. 

Nothing but your window, the light threatening to creep through the curtains, and your dead phone that once showed a picture of him when you thought you had more time.