#dadiism

what started as a great day quickly turned into a frustrating night, leaving femi practically grumbling as she threw her things together in the locker room. she'd had her fair share of shitty patrons here and there over the years, yet each time she ran into one of the worse ones, it seemed to make her skin crawl. shaking her head as if she were shaking the night away, she pulled her phone out and let angelo know she'd be outside soon. walking over to the mirror, she threw her oversized hoodie on and straightened her hair out after. it was the most she could do with the energy she had, she decided, turning around and sitting in her chair for a moment. this was not the mood she wanted to go into the rest of her night with, shaking herself off once more before finally making her way outside. the air felt nice on her skin as she made her way through the doors, waving at the familiar security men and thanking them once more. stepping further into the parking lot, her eyes landed on him and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly. "hey stranger," she called out, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she stopped in front of him, looking up with a small smile and practically on her tip toes. "looks like you passed your first lesson after all."

There were certain perks that came from being the baby of the family and for as long as he could remember, Eli had enjoyed them. Growing up, he'd gotten away with a myriad of things simply by playing his cards right. It was abundantly clear that Noah had inherited this trait. So, when he'd thrown a mini tantrum over having to clean up his toys, Eli had packed him up and announced that they were on their way to visit Esme. Any excuse to give himself a break. When they arrived, Eli knocked on the door, Noah's hand clutched tightly in his, but as soon as the door opened, the boy wriggled free and was off. "I don't know how you've done this for ten years," Eli greeted. "I'm exhausted."

waves of butterflies coursed through femi’s system as she locked the doors to her car, making her way toward the entrance of the familiar ice cream shop. if there was one thing she couldn’t say no to, it was a free treat. she had never been one to enjoy going places alone, always opting for some form of company instead. today that came in the form of angelo, bringing along waves of memories and old feelings with him. she had yet to get over the shock of seeing him again for the first time, both elated and dismayed at the reunion. on one hand, it felt like seeing an old part of her she’d long forgotten, and on the other, it felt like trying to peek through doors that had already been closed. twiddling with her keys, she pulled the entrance door open and scanned the building for the familiar physique. after spotting him, femi took a grounding breath and formed a bright smile, walking over with a nod of her head. “hey stranger, fancy seeing you here.”

for as long as he could remember, cooking for his family had been a comfort. there was something special to him about making food for the people he most cared about. especially since vince had seen him go from a novice starting oil fires to the chef he was today. it gave him a sense of pride to serve him something and watch him enjoy it. he smiled to himself, humming as he stirred the pot he was currently standing over. the sound of laughter from the other room was another comfort, always taking refuge in the presence of his brother and kids. marco reached out, lowering the temperature on the stove and placing the lid on the pot before walking to the other room for a moment.

"do you want a beer or do you want a beer?" he asked, announcing himself. "and what are you guys getting up to out here?"

The last few weeks had been a dream. Diego had shifted his work schedule so that he could come home earlier each evening, and he'd been taking a longer lunch once each week so that he could spend time with his husband. The changes, small as they might have been, had left him feeling like he'd felt when he was in his twenties, head over heels in love with Kai. Over the years, the love hadn't faded, it had simply taken a backseat to everything else in their lives -- their children, their careers, their own worries. But as good as the last few weeks had been, Diego knew that it couldn't last. Not if he didn't come clean with Kai first. So that's what he planned to do. "Hey," Diego greeted, brushing a kiss against his husband's jaw. "Want to join me for lunch today? There's some things I wanted to talk to you about."