#rugrat

“That’s right, baby girl,” Leah smiled gently, “Are you feeling excited about it? You get to be Mummy’s mascot today, as well.”

You gasped in excitement, “Jus’ me? No Rugrat?”

Leah chuckled, “Well, I think she’s still a little bit young to be a mascot yet, bubba, but there’ll be Henry as well, if that’s okay?”

You nodded solemnly, not caring to hear any more reasoning behind it when it meant you got to be on the pitch yourself and not share the spotlight with Rugrat, “Kay, Mummy! I wear my Arsenal top?”

“It’s hanging up ready for you to put on,” Leah said, smoothing out your wild bed head curls, “And guess what? Rugrat is going to wear one as well, so you get to match with your baby sister!”

You furrowed your eyebrows, not exactly thrilled with that idea, “Dat mean da baby comin’ wif us to da game?” 

It’s safe to say that you weren't quite sold on the idea of Rugrat yet, since all she did was cry and steal cuddles from Leah and Jordan.

You were the baby. So why did she get all of the attention now?

“We can’t leave her at home now, can we?” Leah grinned, glancing at the Moses basket again beside the bed where, unfortunately for you, Rugrat was now starting to stir.

You definitely weren’t too happy about that.

“Oh, look who’s waking up,” Leah said sweetly, gently reaching over, “I think she wanted to be involved in the conversation  and say hello to her big sister this morning.”

“Tupid baby,” You scowled as Leah scooped up the squirming little bundle into her arms, “I don’ like ‘er!”

“Ooh, come here tiny girl,” Leah cooed, pressing a gentle kiss to Rugrat’s fuzzy little head as she let out another soft cry, which sounded vaguely similar to a little lamb.

Your scowl deepened, “I don’ like ‘er!”

“Hey,” Leah’s face fell, looking at you a bit more seriously now, “That’s not a very nice thing to say, Bubba, is it?”

“I don’ care!” You shouted, your own small voice sharp with frustration, which in toll made Rugrat’s cries more frantic, high-pitched and panicked as the loud shrill filled the bedroom, “I don’ like ‘er!” You repeated, louder this time as you folded your arms tightly across your chest.

“Buddy!” Leah scolded, trying to instantly soothe Rugrat’s inconsolable sobs, “We don’t shout like that. You’re frightening your baby sister.”

“I don’ care! I don’ wan’ be a ‘tupid big sister!” You snapped, kicking at the duvet in frustration with a pout on your face, “Jus’ send ‘er back, Mummy!”

Leah sighed softly, bouncing Rugrat gently in her arms to calm her down, “I know you don’t like this, and it’s not been easy but this is how things are going to be now.”

You didn’t give her a direct answer, just curled up tighter beside her while you proceeded to still sulk.

“Come here, my jealous girl,” Leah murmured, shifting Rugrat into one arm and using her free arm to pull you into her side, “Listen, bubba… me and Mama love you so, so much and this hasn’t changed anything. It never will. But Rugrat is here now, okay? And she’s not going anywhere.”

“I still don’ like her do, Mummy!” You muttered, hiding your face in her side, “Don’ like when she cry! Make ‘er stop!”

Leah chuckled, brushing a hand over your wild bed head curls, “I think she’s probably starting to get a bit hungry now, or she might need a nappy change. You were like this too, you know.”

“Was not,” You huffed, scowling at Rugrat.

“Come on now,” Leah smiled gently.

“She got a squishy head an’ weird legs an’ she smell icky!” You exclaimed dramatically, scrunching your nose up in disgust, “Baby’s are ‘tupid!”

“Buddy, that’s not a very kind thing to say,” Leah raised her eyebrow as she gently settled Rugrat against her chest, “You don’t mean that now, do you?”

“Well I no feelin’ very kind!” You huffed, not giving up on your decision about Rugrat, “She gettin’ all da cuddles! An’ she hafta wear a shirt too, an’ she too ‘ittle to even like football! Dat ‘tupid for ‘er to wear da shirt!”

Leah blinked, attempting to keep a straight face, “Hey, hey. What’s brought all of this on? I thought you’d be excited to show her everything—Arsenal’s in our blood, remember?”

You remained scowling at the innocent infant in Leah’s arms, “I no wan’ to! I gon’ go ‘wake Monks’ up an’ ask her to play wif me!”

“Ah, ah, not so fast madam,” Leah caught you with quick reflexes, before you even had a chance to scamper, “We’re going to be kind and let Monkey sleep, and not wake her up. Or she’ll be grumpy and none of us want that, do we?”

“I DON’ CARE!” You screamed without a care in the world, causing Rugrat to startle and let out another high-pitched wail in response.

Leah’s eyebrows rose, sharp and warning, “Evie Amanda, that’s enough of that.”

Uh oh. Now you know you might be in trouble.

You knew when Leah used your full name, that usually meant serious business. You didn’t want to sit in time out, you just wanted Leah’s attention without Rugrat there.

“If you’re not going to be kind and use nice words then I think you might need some time in timeout to calm down,” Leah said firmly, bouncing Rugrat gently in her arms.

“Nooo! Ou’ bein meanie!” You insisted, matching her expression with one of your own, your arms crossed over your chest.

Leah sighed, giving a look that you recognised seeing but directed at your big sister, “I’m really not liking this whole little attitude you’ve woke up with this morning, madam. Where has this come from?”

You pouted deeper, tears stinging your eyes, “Rugrat nuffin’ but dumb baby. An’ I don’ like ‘er!”

“Evie Amanda!” Leah gasped, scandalised.

“True, Mummy!” You huffed, defiantly as you kicked your feet under the duvet, “Send ‘er back!”

“Dis is no fun, sittin’ ‘ere! No fun at aaaaaall!” You huffed, dragging out each word and making it into a little song, kicking your feet to the beat of the music, the only thing to amuse yourself since you had the unfortunate luck of having to sit in timeout due to your not so nice words directed towards Rugrat, “Mummy’s bein’ a biiiig meanie!”

What you said wasn’t that bad. But apparently Leah thought differently.

“I bored now,” You whined, flopping sideways with a flair for dramatics which even Monkey would be proud of, “Can I come out now? Please?” You asked, perfecting the pout, that usually got you out of trouble.

This time, it did not.

Leah didn’t even look up from where she was kneeling on the floor, mid-changing Rurgat, “No, bubba. Two more minutes.”

“Dat be forever! Dis no fair!” You whined, scandalised and flopping back in your chair, “I no even be dat mean!”

Leah still remained to not bat an eye, not even a single twitch of sympathy as she continued to change Rugrat.

It felt the longest three minutes ever, and you certainly didn’t like it one bit. Timeout felt like officially the worst thing ever!

“Muuuuuummy!” You whined, protesting and kicking your legs once more, “I bored! Dis no fun! Timeout is mean!”

Leah remained stoic, ignoring your pleas, “Timeout isn’t supposed to be fun, bubba,” She said, readjusting Rugrat into her babygrow, “It’s for reflecting on what you said.”

“I finked already! I finked loads!” You pouted once again, usually knowing that does the trick, “I come out now. P’ease? I don’ like it, no more! I no mean it!”

“One more minute,” Leah said patiently, placing Rugrat in her baby bouncer.

You whined the whole minute, acting like you weren’t supposed to be sitting there at all. None of this was fair in your opinion, you only spoke your mind.

“Buddy,” Leah finally came over, crouching in front of you.

“Hi, Mummy!” You said, relief washing over you as you reached out towards her, “I come out now? I be good now!” You insisted sweetly, like you weren’t kicking up a fuss before.

“Hi, bubba,” Leah replied, fighting back a smile, “Do you know the reason that Mummy put you in timeout?”

“Yes I do, I wa’ horrible to da baby,” You mumbled quietly, refusing to meet her eye, “I no meant to be mean do!”

“That’s right,” Leah nodded solemnly, “And Mummy knows that you didn’t really mean what you said, did you?”

You shook your head, “No, Mummy. I ‘pologise to baby sissy!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Leah remarked, smiling gently, “Can I have a cuddle now?”

You didn’t waste a single second, throwing yourself into her embrace as Leah laughed, wrapping you in her arms and pressing a kiss to your head.

“Rugrat is your baby sister now,” Leah murmured, “And I know it’s tough for you to adjust. But nothing is going to change that now, Buddy.”

“But I wan’ ‘ou, Mummy,” You sniffled into her shoulder, “All da time. I don’ wan to hafta share!”

“You’ve still got me sweetheart,” Leah promised, squeezing you tighter, “But I’ve got to share my attention between you both now, okay? Your baby sister is very little, and she can’t do things for herself yet. She needs a lot of help.”

You scrunched your face up in protest, “I no wan ‘er! Give ‘er back to Monks’! It ‘er baby!” You declared, stubborn and pouty.

Leah exhaled a small sigh, “Buddy, bubba, remember  what we talked about? Monkey’s not feeling very well right now, and she’s not in a place to look after Rugrat properly. So me and Mama are taking care of her now to help her, alright?”

You sniffled harder, not wanting to reason with her, “Dat no fair no, Mummy!”

“I know it doesn’t seem fair, but all that matters now is that you are the best big sister you can be, yeah?” Leah offered gently, rubbing your back, “Rugrat needs someone great to look up to, doesn’t she?”

“Fine…” You muttered grumpily, not one hundred percent sold on the idea as you eyed Rugrat in her bouncer, “But she no ‘llowed to steal m’ dino’daurs.”

“I think your dinosaurs are safe for now, bubba,” Leah chuckled, brushing back one of your wild untamed curls.

“An’ no McQueen either!” You declared, firmly with a wiggling finger, “Dat no ‘llowed! She hafta keep her hands off dem!”

Leah laughed, shaking her head fondly, “Alright, no dinosaurs or Lightning McQueen. That’s the law.”

You squinted suspiciously at Rugrat, who in return let out a gurgle almost like she was mocking you, “She touch ‘em, an’ I bite her.”

“Buddy!” Leah scolded lightly.

“No hard bite, Mummy!” You quickly backtracked with an innocent smile, “Jus’ a tiny nibble.”

“No biting your baby sister,” Leah stated, firmly as you gave you a look, one that was usually reserved for Monkey when she was pushing her luck, “... I never thought I’d have to say that.”

“She not ‘llowed to cry all da time either!” You insisted, doing your best serious expression, “She do dat an’ I won be able to sleep!”

Leah blinked, confused, “Bubba, when you were her age you used to do the same, it’s just what babies do.”

“Did not,” You huffed.

“Oh, you did,” Leah smirked, standing up and lifting you into her lap, “You used to keep me and Mama awake every night.”

“Dat no true! I no cry, I was good baby!” You exclaimed, scandalised that Leah would accuse you of doing such a thing.

Leah laughed, shaking her head, “You definitely did, bubba. You can even ask Mama the next time that you see her, and she’ll tell you the same.”

You scrunched your face up, “Ou’ no fib, Mummy! Dat naughty!”

“I’m not fibbing,” Leah said, ticking you under your armpits which made you giggle in return, “Now, do you want to help me feed your little sister a bottle? I bet she’d love to spend some time with her big sister.”

You wrinkled your nose, “... Mummy, she stink like milk.”

Leah smiled in amusement, “She’s a baby, bubba. That’s what they smell like.”

“Buddy just stay there until Mummy’s gets Rugrat settled in her pram,” Leah said through gritted teeth, wrestling with a muslin cloth that somehow attached itself to everything, “And then I’ll get you out, bubba.”

“I wan’ get out,” You whined, already halfway into unbuckling yourself.

“It’s not safe yet,” Leah replied, one eye fixed on you while the other remained on the pram frame that she was proceeding to try and yank out of the boot with increasing frustration.

You frowned, certainly not liking that answer, “Why no’?”

“Just… stay there,” Leah murmured, fixing the pram frame together and hurrying round to the passenger side to unclip Rugrat’s car seat out.

Leah was three seconds away from combusting before she glanced over at Monkey, who was leaning up against the car and chewing gum obnoxiously loud, with her face glued to her phone and trying to block out the chaos surrounding her.

“Monkey,” Leah called out, sharper this time as she acknowledged your big sister, “Can you perhaps maybe pay less attention to your phone for just a second and help me out a little?”

Monkey didn’t even glance up from her phone from where she leaned up against the car, “Why do I have to help?”

Leah let out a sharp breath, trying her best to not fully loose her cool in the middle of the car park, “Because, whether you realise it or not, I’m not super mum and I don’t have eight pairs of hands,” She shot back, deadpan, “Can you help Buddy out of the car, please—Seriously? Just help me. I’m trying to do everything I can right now and I really don’t need your attitude on top of it.”

“Whatever,” Monkey grumbled, dragging her feet in a show of reluctance and unblocking you half heartedly. 

“Ooft,” Lia appeared beside Leah’s car, a coffee in one and sunglasses perched on top of her head, while her other hand held everything that she needed for the following match, “You look… not well.”

Next to her, Mariona winced with genuine sympathy, “Bad night with the baby?”

“Auntie Wally!” You launched yourself at her, wrapping your arms around her legs.

“Hello, little one,” Lia smiled, dropping her bag to the floor before effortlessly scooping you up into her arms, “Are you ready for today’s match?”

“I so ‘cited for it!” You told her enthusiastically, “Look! I got kit that look like ‘ours!”

“Oh wow, so you have! That’s soo cool!” Lia noted, mocking a gasp, looking in Monkey’s direction, “And how's my other favourite niece doing this morning?” She asked, genuinely.

“Tired, that baby kept me awake with her screaming,” Monkey grumbled, choosing to pay interest to her phone again instead of watching where she was walking, “Can I come stay around yours? I need a decent night's sleep… and coffee.”

“You don’t need coffee, I feel you’re already… high energy without it,” Mario teased, not knowing exactly what the correct word was.

Lia chuckled, wrapping her free arm around Monkey and kissing the top of her head, “I’m sure a sleepover can be arranged,” She paused, sneaking a peek into the pram, “Oh, she’s so precious, Le. I can’t believe she’s here, and how tiny she is.”

Monkey took a moment to barely glance into the pram before turning her head, “Yeah. Whatever,” Before pretending to check her phone again.

“Tiny, but fights sleep like a pro already,” Leah muttered, juggling the baby bag on her shoulder and adjusting Rugrat’s hat with another, “She’s giving Buddy a run for her money from when she was a baby with these sleepless nights. I’ve already dealt with a jealous sibling tantrum, a timeout, one baby blowout that I was not expecting and what else… oh, that delightful attitude,” She nodded towards Monkey, “That I do not need.”

Mario grinned, lifting Lia’s bag and throwing it over her own shoulder, “So… just another day in the Williamson household then, right?”

“I just need a cup of tea, and potentially a nap ahead of the game,” Leah admitted, the bags under her eyes clear as day as she stifled a yawn and pushed the pram towards the players entrance, “Thank god it’s the end of the season.”

“Uncle J!” You exclaimed vibrantly, running straight towards him the minute that you spotted him inside the stadium along with the rest of the family that was all dotted about.  

“Whoa, whoa, steady on there munchkin,” acob chuckled, catching you just in time before you could fully cannonball into his legs, “You nearly took me out then!”

“Look at m’ shirt!” You beamed, proudly gesturing to your own Arsenal kit, “Me an’ Mummy match!”

“Hi, G’anma,” You greeted her sweetly, wiggling side to side as you spotted Berny chatting to Amanda, “Ou’ like m’ Arsenal shirt? Me an’ Mummy watch!”

Berny leaned down with a warm smile, cupping your cheeks and pressing a kiss to your forehead, “I love it, angel. You look exactly like your Mummy! I bet you’re excited for today, aren’t you?”

“I ‘poper Arsenal now!” You giggled proudly, twirling around so your shirt flared a bit, “See, Uncle J? Told ‘ou I am ‘poper!”

“Oh yeah, you look like a true Gooner,” Jacob nodded solemnly, one hand on his heart for dramatic effect.

“I bet that killed you to say then, huh?” Holly smirked, elbowing Jacob as she leaned over to peer into the pram, where Rugrat was awake and looked around with wide eyes, “She’s awake for once! Oh, aren’t you so adorable?”

“More than you know,” Jacob muttered with a long-suffering tone of voice, “Would it kill for just one of your girls to like Spurs?”

“Not so adorable when she’s screaming the house down at four in the morning,” Leah remarked, reaching to unbuckle Rugrat out of her carseat, “Isn’t that right, Pos? You just like to keep me up all night, don’t you?” She cooed.

“Me a Gooner!” You declared, promptly, “No ‘ucky Tot… Tottenham!”

“You tell him right, bubba,” Leah grinned, cradling Rugrat with one arm, “My girls have the right sense to support the better team, J.”

“Maybe I’ll have a chance with the baby,” Jacob murmured, reaching over to take a gentle hold of Rugrat’s tiny hand, “What d’you say, Pos? You wanna support Spurs like your Uncle J, yeah?”

Of course, Rugrat answered the question in the most on brand way possible, by letting out a loud screeching wail.

“Oh, I don’t think she agrees with that one,” Holly stated amusedly, taking a small sip of her drink.

Jacob blinked, startled, as Rugrat’s face scrunched up dramatically and her cries echoed in the room, “Oh no, no, no, don’t start… It’s okay, you don’t have to… don’t cry.”

“The baby has taste,” Holly added, reaching forward to stroke Rugrat’s cheek.

“I think that tells you exactly what she thinks about it,” Leah said smugly, rocking the slight wriggling infant with practiced ease, “She knows that North London is red.”

“Clearly,”  Jacob mumbled in response, “And here I thought I had a chance,”

Leah continued to soothe Rugrat in her arms, “It’s okay, Pos. Uncle J was just being silly about what he said. He didn’t mean to upset you, baby girl.”

“Oi oi, if it ain’t the superstar—who upset the baby?” Ben strolled over, drink in hand and eyebrows raised as he clocked the tiny wailing infant.

“Enj! Uncle J made Rugrat cry!” You announced, eyes wide and scandalised, pointing an accusing finger at Jacob, “Shame on ‘ou!”

“He did?” Ben gasped dramatically, scooping you into his arms with a mock-offended look, “Well that is very mean, isn’t it? He can’t go around makin’ babies cry.”

“Whoa, hey,” Jacob held up his hands, defensively, “I just asked her if she might wanna support Spurs  like me, and well… that screech was her answer.”

Holly snorted, shaking her head, “Can’t argue with the volume.”

“Oh, come here, sweet girl,” Amanda cooed, reaching out to take Rugrat from Leah’s arms and bounce her gently, “Come to Nana.”

“Nooo!” You whined instantly, twisting in Ben’s arms, “My Nana!”

“Buddy,” Leah said patiently, already used to this newfound jealousy you had, “We have to share now, remember?”

“But she’s my Nana!” You sulked, glaring at the fussy infant in Amanda’s arms like it was entirely her fault, “Not ‘ers!”

“Oh no, you’re at that phase,” Holly said knowingly, biting back a laugh, “How’s that going for you?”

Leah grimaced, “Well, it’s been… difficult. For all parties involved,” She explained, adjusting the hat on Rugrat’s tiny head, “We had to spend a bit of time sitting in timeout this morning, didn’t we, bubba?”

You huffed dramatically, “Weren’t m’ fault! I didn’t do nuffin’!”

Leah raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“I don’t think that’s true, is it?” Holly teased lightly, reaching over to ruffle your hair playfully, “You wouldn’t be sitting in timeout for no reason now, would you?”

“Not m’ fault, Rugrat stealin’ all da cuddles!” You whined, crossing your arms grumpily, “Now Mummy say we hafta share an’ dat no fair!”

“I know it might feel like that but you know,” Holly leaned in a little closer, “Sometimes being a big sister isn’t all that bad.”

“No way! Don’ see nuffin’ fun ‘bout it!” You muttered, scrunching your eyebrows together, “I don’ like bein’ a ‘tupid big sister! Send ‘er back, right now!”

“Buddy,” Leah warned in that firm voice, “What did we say earlier?”

“... Gotta be kind,” You mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Leah, or the offending tiny baby culprit.

“I know it feels unfair right now,” Holly said, softening her voice, “But Rugrat is your baby sister, and you two are going to grow up together. That means that she’ll always be around to play with, and just think that when she’s old enough, you can teach her how to play football, can’t you? You can play all sorts of games, you two can share toys and you will be able to teach her all of the fun stuff, and you know what the best thing is…?”

You furrowed your eyebrows, intrigued to know more, “What dat?”

“You get to boss her around when you play together,” Holly told you, honestly.

“I do like bein’ da boss!” You exclaimed, perking up at the thought.

“You sound just like your Mum already,” Jacob muttered with a smirk, loud enough to earn a swift smack on the arm from Leah herself, “Ow, okay that was rude!” He grumbled, rubbing the spot.

“So are you insisting what you did!” Leah fired back, glaring at her younger brother.

“Kids,” Amanda exhaled a sigh, shaking her head as she bounced Rugrat in her arms, “What’re they like, hm? They’re so silly, aren’t they?” She cooed to the tiny infant.

“I be da leader?” You asked, curiously.

“Well… sort of, I guess?” Holly admitted, shrugging her shoulders, “Right now you just need to be a good big sister. Do you think you can do that?”

You nodded solemnly, wiggling in Ben’s grasp, “Dow’ now, p’ease, Enj! I hafta show Rugrat things…”

Ben chuckled, “Sure can do, cheeky chops,” He murmured, lowering you to the ground.

“Fank ‘ou very much,” You thanked the lad before proceeding to walk over to Amanda, who still had Rugrat in her arms, “Listen ‘ere, Rugrat! I older den ‘ou so dat means I be in charge now! ‘Ou got it?” You told her, wiggling your finger in front of the infant’s face.

Jacob snorted, “Oh I definitely think she knows who is the boss now you’ve declared it, munchkin.”

“Auntie Leah!” Henry’s voice carried through the room, darting straight for Leah, “Auntie Leah!”

“Sorry, we’re late!” Jordan rushed in, holding Max in his carseat with one arm while holding Henry's hand with the other, “We went to leave the house, and well… we’re still adjusting to life with two boys now.”

“I know that feeling,” Leah remarked, bending down to lift Henry up into her arms, “Here’s our little man!”

“Henry!” You echoed excitedly, bouncing on the balls of your feet, “Ook’! We both match an’ wearin’ Arsenal!”

“Yeah!” Henry cheered excitedly, throwing his hands up in the air.

“He’s been excited to see you since he woke up this morning,” Jordan informed, placing the carseat down, and wincing when she noticed the vivid bags under Leah’s arms, “Wow, Le. You look truly as knackered as I feel.”

Jacob grimaced, “Jords’ right there, you look proper knackered.”

“So would you if you were surviving on only two hours of sleep,” Leah muttered sarcastically, exchanging a look with him, “Unfortunately, your youngest niece does not like to sleep. Two kids felt a walk in the park compared to three,”

“Touche,” Jacob replied, shrugging his shoulders., “Well at the least the season is almost over so you can catch up on sleep, aye?”

Leah raised her eyebrow, “Is that you offering to watch your nieces so that can happen?”

“Yeah, er, well now…” Jacob immediately threw his hands up in the air, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You know I love my nieces, obviously—a lot, of course, even! They’re like my favourite tiny humans, and me and Monkey have a bond like no other, but all three of them at once? That’s a full time job I can’t commit to, I’m afraid Le.”

“Wow, the loyalty there is really inspiring J,” Leah deadpanned.

“You know I’ll visit,” Jacob insisted, “I’ll drop by, bring snacks and of course, wind them up but then I’ll take that as my queue to leave when the chaos happens. That’s why I’m the fun uncle, isn't it?”

Leah rolled her eyes, “It's a classic move for you, J.”

“Look forward to the holiday before the Euros, my lovely,” Berny chimed in.

“It’ll be a well needed break for you and the girls,” Amanda added, gently bouncing Rugrat in her arms.

Leah hummed in agreement, “We just have to get past the final in Lisbon first, but I can’t wait to spend quality time with my girls.”

“Mummy?” You tugged on Leah’s trouser leg, it felt like you had been waiting ages and Leah was still talking to your family, “Can we go on da pitch now?”

“Not yet, bubba,” Leah answered honestly, glancing down at you, “We just have to wait a bit longer, and then we will.”

You groaned dramatically, flopping against her leg, “But I wan’ go now! I ready to go!”

Henry nodded solemnly in agreement, “We ready, Auntie Leah!”

“We have to be patient and wait, kids,” Leah reminded them with a tired but amused laugh, “I know it might be difficult for you both.”

“Ugh! Ou’ take forever!” You whined, impatient as ever, “No fair, Mummy!”

Leah chuckled, gently placing Henry back down on the floor, “I know you don’t like it bubba, but I need to make sure that both of your sisters are okay first, alright?”

“Ugh!” You exclaimed, dramatically again, “I no like dat! Ou’ hafta be quick!”

“God, she’s definitely your daughter, Le. She’s very dramatic,” Holly teased, making fun at the expense of her cousin.

Leah scoffed, “Oh, thanks. I feel the love there.”

“Auntie Leah! Where Monks’?” Henry asked, confused to not see your favourite person anywhere.

“She’s over there, little man,” Leah said, motioning to where Monkey was stood chatting to Kyra, Vic and Alessia.

“She don’ look ‘appy,” You noted, scrunching your face up in confusion, “Why Monks’ no smile no more?”

“Monks’ always smile before!” Henry added, just as confused.

“Well, the thing is that Monkey is sad at the minute for a reason that your both too young to understand, and we just need to give her that space right now, alright?” Leah explained in a gentle tone of voice, “We have to give her a bit of time and then she’ll start to feel better.”

Henry frowned, “I go an’ cheer ‘er up!” He declared, puffing out his chest.

“Me too! I go too!” You insisted, you hated seeing your big sister looking so upset and not like her usual self.

“Whoa, whoa, slow your roll there, bubba,” Leah instinctively reached out and grabbed the back of your shirt before you had a chance to run off in Monkey’s direction.

“But I hafta cheer Monks’ up!” You argued, vibrating with determination, “Monks’ is always sad an’ I don’ like dat!”

“I know, bubba,” Leah murmured, crouching to your level as she brushed your curls out of your eyes, “But do you remember what we talked about? Monkey just needs a little bit of space right now, yeah?”

You huffed in a dramatic fashion, scrunching your face up in disagreement, “But I da best at cheerin’ Monks’ up and she be ‘appy ‘gain!”

“You are, Buddy but this time is just… different,” Leah told you honestly, frowning, “We just need to be patient and let Monkey come to us when she’s ready to talk.”

“She no even watch Shrek movies. She really sad!” You insisted, throwing your hands up in surrender, “Ou’ hafta make her better, Mummy. Ou’ fix everythin’!”

“I’m trying my best, bubba,” Leah murmured, smiling gently, “But this is something that even I can’t fix, I’m afraid.”

“I jus’ wan Monks’ to be ‘appy,” You pouted, furrowing your eyebrows in disappointment, “Ou’ hafta do better to fix her!”

“Hey, kids. I'll tell you what we can do in the meantime!” Holly piped in, cheerfully crouching between you and Henry, “How about we go and find something that you both like a lot?”

You sniffled, wiping your sleeve across your face, “Wha’ dat?”

“Sweeties,” Holly whispered, acting like it was top secret information, “I happen to know where we can find some good ones. Shall we go and find them?”

Henry gasped, “I wan’ dem!”

You nodded vigorously, “I do too! I wan’ dem!”

“Well then, what’re we waiting for?” Holly grinned, offering both of her hands out, “Let’s go and find the sweeties, and let the grown ups talk about boring stuff, aye?”

Leah shot her cousin a grateful smile, “That does sound like fun, doesn’t it, bubba? You can go and pick what you want to eat during the game!”

“Can we find fruitshoots as well?” You asked, like that was the bargaining chip.

Holly hummed playfully, “I don’t see why not! Maybe they’ll have the purple ones that you both like.”

“Dey best!” Henry exclaimed, promptly.

“... I can have two?” You asked, trying to negotiate the best that you could.

“One,” Holly said firmly, her eyes narrowing in mock suspicion, “Just as long as you promise to not lob it during the match again.”

“Dat no me,” You grinned cheekily, “Ou’ ‘ave no proof!”

“You, little madam, sound exactly like your big sister when you say that,” Holly teased, gently poking you on the nose, “And I know it was you because I was sitting next to you when it happened, munchkin!”

Leah snorted, shaking her head, “Good luck.”

“Come on, kids, let’s go and find the treasure,” Holly joked, leading the two of you over to where the sweets and drinks were on sale as your chatty voice could be heard loudly as you told a story about last week when you went to the park with Jordan, Erin and Blu, and unfortunately for you, Rugrat as well.

Jordan glanced over from where she was now feeding Max, “How’s things at home, truthfully?”

“Tense,” Leah admitted, rubbing a hand across her jaw, “I’m trying to keep everything together, but…  it’s hard. Monkey’s shut herself out, barely refusing to speak and it’s like she’s reverting to old coping methods, Buddy doesn’t understand a lot of what’s happened and she’s not really settled on the idea of her new baby sister, and Rugrat… she’s not sleeping, so I’m lucky if I am getting an hour of sleep at that. It’s just all a lot to handle on my own.”

Jacob frowned, “What about Jordan? Or Elle?”

“We’re here, bubba. You don’t have to do this all on your own,” Amanda added.

“She’s trying her best to be there when she can, and she’s doing her bit to look after the girls,” Leah explained, running a hand through her hair, “Elle’s helping as well bit it’s a lot to ask of her when we’ve not even been together even a year and already she’s taking on looking after a baby that she never asked for.”

Jordan frowned softly, nodding as she jiggled Max a little, “It’s okay to ask for help, Le. Your Mum is right, you don’t have to do this all on your own. I know it’s a shock how it all happened, and believe me, I think we’re all trying to wrap our heads around it but you know when it comes to your girls, we’re here and willing to help with whatever we can.”

“Thanks, guys,” Leah exhaled a slow breath, nodding with a tired, appreciative smile, “I know I don’t say it often enough, but I’m really grateful for all of you.”

Berny reached out and gave her hand a warm squeeze, “That is what family is for, my lovely.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” Leah said, thankful as she glanced over to where Monkey was still talking to Kyra, Alessia and Vic, “Mum, do you mind keeping an eye on Rugrat and Buddy for me while I go and talk to Monkey? I just want to check in and make sure she’s okay before I go and get ready for the game.”

Amanda smiled, nodding in agreement, “Of course, bubba.”

“Thanks,” Leah smiled at the older woman and began to walk over to where Monkey was, “Monkey…?”

Monkey didn’t even turn in response, “I don’t want to talk, Mum,” She muttered, her voice strained and guarded, nothing like the usual smart-ass girl that Leah had raised, “I’m busy.”

“Hey,” Leah tried to take a hold of her hand, “C’mere, sit down with me for a second, I just… I want to make sure you’re okay before I go and start to get ready for the game.”

“Talk? Nah, I told you that I’m good, I don’t want to do that,” Monkey replied, the words tasting bitter in her mouth, “I don’t even want to be here. I should be down there, with the team—it’s not fair!”

“I know it doesn’t seem fair right now,” Leah replied calmly, guiding Monkey away from the rest of the girls, “But whether you want to admit it or not, you had a baby last month. Your body needs the time to heal from that.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Monkey spat out the words, scowling across the room at the tiny infant in Amanda’s arms.

“I’m worried about you, my girl,” Leah told her honestly, folding her arms, “You’re shutting everyone out, and you know it’s not healthy to do that.”

“What would you rather I do? Be all happy and jump about, like there’s nothing wrong with me?” Monkey scoffed, picking at the skin around her nails, “Sorry to break it to you Mum, but I’m not that girl right now.”

Leah’s jaw ticked, “Nobody is asking for you to be like that, it’s understandable Monkey.”

“Yeah, well you could’ve fooled me,” Monkey muttered under her breath, staring down at the floor, “Everyone just keeps acting and expecting me to all fine, like everything is all hunkey-dorey! Like, I crack a joke and talk to people then it’ll go away.”

“Nobody is expecting anything like that, everyone just cares about you, my girl,” Leah explained, keeping her voice firm, “You’re not being punished by sitting out, remember.”

Monkey rolled her eyes, folding her arms stubbornly, “Sure, Jan. Whatever, ‘cause it definitely feels like that. I have a baby, and suddenly I’m benched just ‘cause I’m broken.”

“You’re not broken,” Leah replied firmly.

“Oh no? Maybe I’m just defective then,” Monkey snorted, a bitter smirk curling on her face, “Maybe just go ahead and slap a label on me, like ‘warning handle with trauma’ or better yet, how about something along the lines of ‘product of ibiza’s finest night’ that might sound better, right?”

Leah’s whole body went rigid.

“That’s enough,” Leah said, jaw clenched.

Monkey blinked, nonchalant, “What? I’m just coping with my trauma.”

“There’s a time and place, my girl,” Leah snapped, “And here is not it.”

“But it’s just a joke, Mum…” Monkey responded, shoving both of her hands in her pocket, failing to see the harm.

“It’s not just a joke!” Leah’s voice cracked with the weight of her own restraint, “It’s trauma. It’s something that you’ve not even begun to process properly yet, and you’re just throwing it out like you’re at a damn comedy club!”

Monkey’s smile faltered, unsure what to make of things, “... I thought it was funny though. It’s my trauma, I can handle it however I want.”

Leah let out a breath, slow and deliberate, “Not here, Monkey. You can’t… I know you don’t understand it properly, but it’s not okay to say things like that, alright? I know that you’re hurting, but you can’t make jokes like that, my girl.”

Monkey didn’t verbally respond with any words, she just rocked on her heels and chewed her bottom lip.

“We’ll talk about it after the game,” Leah softened her voice, reaching forward to brush a strand of the younger girl’s hair out of her face, not missing the fact that Monkey visibly flinched at the contact, “Just… I want you to sit with the family, please. I know you might not like it, but just do it please, for my sake of mind.”

Monkey let out a heavy sigh, “... Fine, but don’t expect me to sit nowhere near her.”

“I won’t,” Leah replied carefully, “Luck enough uncle J will be here to keep you company.”

“She’s not crying,” Monkey muttered, glaring vaguely in Amanda’s direction at the content baby, who was now asleep.

“She’s not,” Leah said.

Monkey huffed, picking at the skin around her nails again, “Yeah, well, she will, though.”

There was a tense silence between the two of them.

Leah rubbed her temples, “Monks—”

“I’m not doing this right now,” Monkey mumbled, turning away.

“Good chat,” Leah murmured under her breath, shaking her head and walking back in the direction of the rest of the family.

“Is she doing okay?” Jacob asked, picking up on the atmosphere of the conversation.

“No, I don’t…” Leah paused, pinching the bridge of her nose, “I don’t know, J. I don’t even think she knows it yet.”

Jacob followed his older sister’s gaze, resting his hand on her shoulder, “Want me to go and sit with her?”

“She’d probably prefer you over me right now,” Leah muttered, rubbing her face, “It seems like I can’t say or do anything right at the minute.”

“I don’t think it’s anything personal, Le,” Jacob replied honestly, “Just leave it to her favourite cool uncle to handle.”

“You’re her only uncle,” Leah shot back without missing a beat, “And right now, she’s most likely not to tell you but she needs you, regardless.”

Before Jacob could say anything else, you ran back to Leah with a purple fruit shoot in one hand and a pick n mix worth of sweets in the other.

“Mummy! I back now!” You called out, excitedly as you waved your fruit shoot around like a prized possession, “Ook’ I got a fruit shoot, an’ sweeties!”

Leah turned, her face breaking out into a small, “You have? Wow! You’re a lucky girl, aren’t you?” She bent down to your height, “Did you say thank you to Auntie Holly for getting you that?”

You nodded solemnly, “Uh huh! I said fank ‘ou!”

“Good girls for remembering your manners, bubba,” Leah said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, “Mummy needs to go and get ready for the game, but you’re going to stay here for now and when it’s time, Auntie Holly is going to bring you and Henry down to the tunnel, alright?”

“You got it, dude!” You grinned proudly, puffing out your chest, “I go an’ cheer Monks’ up now?”

“Let’s hold fire on that for now, okay?” Leah murmured, tucking a loose curl behind your ear, “I just want you to stay with everyone for now, alright?”

You huffed, pouting a little bit, “Kay den.”

“Le, bubba, I know you’re worried but she’ll be fine with us,” Amanda reassured Leah, seeing her fretting, “You just focus on winning this last game of the season. We’ve got your girls. They’ll both be okay.”

“Yeah, you’re right, okay. Rugrat’s already had a bottle before we left, she shouldn’t need one until about half time,” Leah murmured, standing up and reaching out to brushing her fingers through the infant’s soft tuft of hair, “She’ll probably nap through the first half, but if she starts to get fussy then try her dummy before—”

“Leah,” Amanda tried to interject, amusedly.

“Buddy will be fine, she’ll be the easiest to look after. Just don’t let her have too much sugar, please. And Monkey will probably not say much, but if she does then just… be there for her, please, Mum? She’s not herself, not even close. She’s so distant, and quiet. I don’t recognise her right now, and if she does start to cry then maybe buy her a hot chocolate, it’s not quite as good as homemade ones, but you know she’ll drink it, she’ll probably blame it on something like hayfever, so don’t… don’t let her spiral, okay?” Leah continued to ramble her list of instructions, thinking of everything that she needed to mention, “Just keep her talking, even if she’s moody and tries to leave—”

“Leah,” Amanda interrupted gently, stepping in front of her and placing a firm hand on her arm.

Leah blinked. She was starting to unravel and she didn’t even realise.

“Bubba, I have raised you and your brother. I’ve dealt with several tantrums and injuries over the years,” Amanda noted, half-amusedly, “I can handle this.”

Leah furrowed her brow, “Mum—”

“I’ve got this, sweetheart. I know what I’m doing. Your girls are going to be just fine. Rugrat will nap, Monkey will sulk and Buddy, well… she’s going to be living her best life walking out with you on the pitch,” Amanda told her, gently.

Leah let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

Amanda smiled reassuringly, “You’ve done the hard part, darling. Go and do what you love. We’ll be right here when you’re done.”

Leah nodded slowly, leaning in to kiss Rugrat’s head, “Be good for Nana, yeah?” She whispered.

“She’ll be good as gold,” Amanda told Leah.

Leah nodded solemnly and then snuck a glance over to where Monkey was sitting, legs close to her chest, “Just make sure she’s okay. She’s not okay, Mum. I know… She won’t talk about what happened directly, she just keeps on making jokes… but just be there for her.”

“We’ll look after her, bubba,” Amanda agreed.

“Alright,” Leah murmured, turning to you, “Okay, bubba. Right, Mummy needs to go down to the changing rooms and meet up with the other girls but Holly is going to bring you and Henry down to the pitch before it’s time to walk out, okay? Good girl, be good for Nana and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“You got it dude! I be on m’ very best behaviour! But I no sharin’ m’ toys wif Rugrat!” You declared promptly.

 “That’s all I ask for,” Leah chuckled, kissing the top of your head, “I love you, bubba.”

“Race ‘ou!” You squealed, running ahead as your feet could carry you towards the direction of the tunnel.

“I beat ‘ou!” Henry declared triumphantly, even though it was clear you were going to win first since you took off first.

“Buddy, Henry… don’t run off!” Holly called after you both, jogging to catch up, “Come back here, you two!”

“We hafta run to da tunnel to find Auntie Le!” Henry insisted with all the energy that the two year old had combusted, “I gon beat ‘ou!”

“Careful, or you might end up tripping over,” Holly warned, wearily as she rushed to keep up with you two while reluctant to let you both out of her sight, “Buddy! Henry! Don’t run off!”

“We hafta get to Mummy quick!” You huffed dramatically, “Ou’ bein’ too slow!”

“You’ll get there, but we don’t want to end up injuring ourselves before we even get the chance to walk out onto the pitch, do we?” Holly chuckled, shaking her head fondly.

“Mummy!” You shrieked, spotting Leah amongst the rest of the players in the tunnel as you made a beeline straight for her.

Leah barely had a second to register your voice before you both came barreling into her shins, “Whoa—Bubba!” She laughed, instinctively crouching down to catch you in her arms as Henry latched onto her side, “Oh, this is a very lovely hug, thank you!”

“I missed ‘ou soooo much!” You declared dramatically, arms flung around her neck, like you had been apart longer than what it actually felt like, “Ou’ took forever!”

“I wasn’t gone that long, silly billy,” Leah said with a soft chuckle, brushing your hair away from your face, “Have you two ran off away from Auntie Hol?”

“She too slow,” Henry mumbled, hiding his face behind Leah’s leg, “We hafta find ‘ou first!”

“Oh yeah?” Leah grinned, “And what was so urgent?”

“Ou’ need extra hugs before ‘ou go on da pitch, duh!” You said, like it was the most obvious answer in your four-year-old brain, “An’ we gotta be ‘ere ready to go out on da pitch wif ‘ou!”

Holly nodded solemnly, his tiny hand clutched around a fistful of Leah’s shirt, “We both gon’ wave lots for ‘ou! Time to go now?”

“It’s almost time,” Leah said in agreement, “We’ve got to stand in this line and show everyone our best games faces, can you both do that?”

“I can!” You insisted, puffing out your chest and proceeding to pull a serious facial expression that could give Leah’s a run for her money, “See, Mummy? Jus’ like ‘ou!”

“Wow, that is certainly terrifying,” Leah joked, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, “How about yours, little man?”

“Grrr!” Henry growled, scrunching his face up which looked funny to you, “I be scary as well, Auntie Le!”

“Good job, little man!” Leah grinned, high fiving the lad, “Right, we’ll just stand here and then we’ll be ready to go.”

“Oi, oi, if it ain’t the double trouble duo,” Katie teased, approaching the three of you, “I hope yer two aren’t causing too much chaos in the tunnel, eh?”

You spun around, instantly recognising the voice and throwing yourself at her, “Auntie Katieeeee!” You squealed in delight, “Ou’ ‘ere!”

“Little legs!” Katie grinned smugly and reached down to scoop you up into her arms without any hesitation, “I am! Wow, yer look just like me!”

“Nuh uh!” You shook your head firmly, “I look jus’ like Mummy!”

Katie held her free hand up in surrender, “Oh, excuse me. My mistake.”

“I be Mummy’s mini-me, right Mummy?” You turned to look towards Leah for clarification.

Leah nodded, smiling in agreement, “That’s right, bubba. You look just like I do!”

“I even got da hair do!” You insisted, flicking your hair dramatically like you had seen Monkey do plenty of times before, “See?”

“Oh yeah,” Caitlin chimed in, smiling amusedly, “You just gotta perfect the look now.”

“She’s already got that nailed,” Leah joked, brushing back your wild curls that were fly away, considering the amount of time you had spent running around the stadium ahead of the game, “She’s even giving me a run for my money now!”

Katie laughed, “Oh yeah, definitely yer Mammy’s double now then! Are you excited to be a mascot? You have a big job to do, little legs!”

“I remember dat I hafta wave!” You declared, proudly.

“That’s right, wave and smile to everyone,” Katie reminded you, thinking that you had already forgotten what to do.

You’d been a mascot a lot of times for the different games. You still remembered.

“I remember! I be a mascot all da time, Auntie Katie!” You told her in a bossy tone of voice, “I be ‘oper good at it now! Me and Henry do a good job!”

“The best job, for sure!” Henry echoed, more shyer than you as he hid behind Leah’s leg.

“That’s right. You two are pretty good at it,” Leah added, watching you both with a fond smile, “Right, time to line up and get ready to go out now. No more running off.”

You pouted in disappointment, “We no gon’ fair no more, Mummy!”

“Hm, I’m not sure about that one now,” Leah teased, tightening your ponytail a bit, “The last time you was here, you tried to run onto the pitch, remember?”

“You two both ready to be the stars of the show?” Mario asked, smiling kindly as she was standing behind Leah with her own mascot.

“We already stars!” You beamed proudly, puffing out your chest.

Mario chuckled in amusement, “Of course you are!”

“Manu!” You tapped the goalkeeper in front of you, curiously, “Do ‘ou ‘ave a baby?”

“I do,” Manu smiled, nodding in agreement, “And I’ve heard you have a baby sister now as well, don’t you?”

You scrunched your face up in disagreement, “Uh huh, but all she do is cry a lot, an’ I don’ like dat!”

“That’s what babies do, I’m afraid,” Manu said, amusedly, “They do it because they can’t vocalise what they need at the age they are.”

“But Rugrat cry so much, I don’ like dat. She so loud!” You whined, definitely not a fan of the infant crying as much as she does.

Henry nodded solemnly, “Babies are loud!”

“Uh huh! I hafta keep my hand over my ears to block it out!” You exclaimed, proceeding to hold your hands over your ears to show Manu what you had to do, “She no ‘ere now ‘cause she too little to walk out on da pitch wif me an’ Henry!”

“I’m sure she will when she’s a bit older,” Manu offered, gently.

You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest, “No! I don’ wan her too! I like walkin’ on da pitch without her!”

“You’re going to have to share your spotlight soon enough, little miss,” Mario chimed in, standing behind Leah with her own mascot.

“Mario!” You spun around, beaming at the Spanish midflelder, “When are ‘ou an’ Auntie Wally gon’ have kids?”

Mario blinked, stuck for words, “... Umm, I don’t know about that one yet.”

“Bubba…” Leah began, trying and failing to hide her amusement, “Not everyone wants to have kids.”

“Oh,” You frowned, confused before an idea popped into your head, “Dat’s ‘kay! Ou’ can borrow Rugrat instead, ‘cause she cries too much!”

“Buddy,” Leah chided, shaking her head amusedly.

“Only to borrow!” You covered your plan up, quickly before you could find yourself in trouble again, “Ou’ hafta give ‘er back or Mummy an’ Mama will miss ‘er!”

“Okay,” Mario replied, stifling her laughter.

“Almost showtime,” Kim chimed in from the front of the line.

“Best game faces’ on, right, kids?” Leah reminded you, peering down to look at both you and Henry, “Perfect!”

“We goin’ on da pitch now, Mummy?” You asked the question, for what like maybe the fiftieth time in five minutes, bouncing on your heels with all the excitement vibrating inside of you, “We been standin’ ‘ere forever!”

“It’ll be soon now, bubba,” Leah reassured, crouching down to adjust your tiny kit shirt, “Are you both excited to walk out there?”

“I be waitin’ forever!” You whined dramatically, arms flopping out, “I gettin’ very bored now!”

“I wanna go, Auntie Le!” Henry chimed in, clinging to Leah’s leg.

Leah smiled fondly, eyes flicking between the two of you, “You two are both ready to go, huh?”

“I be ‘pert mascot, Mummy!”You declared proudly, puffing out your chest and feeling like a pro, considering the numerous times you have had the chance to be a mascot, “I know all da rules!” 

“Oh, yeah?” Leah played along, raising an eyebrow, “What’re those then?”

You nodded seriously in agreement before starting to counter on your fingers, “We hafta smile, no fall over… oh, an’ wave to ‘body too on da telly!”

“That’s right, you nailed it, bubba,” Leah chuckled, pressing a quick kiss on your forehead.

“We gon’ win today, Auntie Le?” Henry asked, looking up with wide and hopeful eyes, “I cheer loud for ‘ou!”

“That’s the plan, little man,” Leah smiled in agreement, “I’ve got my two little cheerleaders in the stands, huh?”

You nodded vigorously, “I cheer so loud for ‘ou, Mummy! Louder den all da fans too!”

“Oh, you’re going to give them a run for their money,” Leah teased, tucking a loose curl behind your ear, “Just don’t scream in anybody’s ear, or I don’t think they’ll be too impressed, will they?”

“No loud scream, just’ like a dis…” You said, doing your best impression of a small squeak, “See, Mummy? Dat better!”

“Okay, bubba… if you insist,” Leah grinned, proudly, “Showtime now!”

“Up, Auntie Le!” Henry insisted, holding his arms up, “I don’ wan walk!”

“Up you go, little man,” Leah obliged, lifting Henry up and resting him on her hip as she held your hand with her free one, “Come on then, kids. Let’s get this show on the road!” She joked.

“Everyone’s so loud, Mummy!” You exclaimed, shouting to be heard amongst the rest of the fans in the stadium, “Wow! Der so many signs an’ flags!”

Leah hummed in agreement, clutching your hand tightly, “Remember to wave, bubba.”

“I do dat!” You declared, using your free hand to wave to the fans in the stadium, “Hi people! Dis sooo cool, Mummy! I see da people!”

“There’s a lot of them, isn’t there, Buddy?” Leah smiled, peering down with a soft smile, “Just keep waving, you’re doing a great job!”

“Don’ like everyone bein’ so loud,” Henry mumbled, retreating to become shy and tucking his entire face into the crook of Leah’s shoulder, “Why dey so loud?”

“You doing okay, little man?” Leah checked in, cautious for him to not be too overwhelmed with everything going on, “Just a bit longer, and then Auntie Holly will come and take you back to your Mummy.”

“He gon’ shy, Mummy!” You pointed out, not so discreetly.

“It’s alright, not everyone is fond of the noise,” Leah replied, keeping a calm voice as she rubbed Henry’s back, “The crowd can be a bit scary, can’t it?”

“Mummy! He hafta wear dem headphones, like Rugrat an’ Max got!” You insisted, knowingly as you remembered the headphones that Rugrat and Max were both wearing, “Dey help wif noise!”

Leah let out a soft chuckle, “That’s a good idea, bubba. We’ll make sure that he’s got some next time, yeah?”

“I wan wear red ones,” Henry said, peeking up from Leah’s shoulder with wide eyes, still wary of the crowd, “How much longer, Auntie Le?”

“Not much longer now, little man. Just gotta high five with the players on the other team and then take a quick photo,” Leah did her best to reassure him, standing there with you as the camera panned past you all, “Big smiles, remember, so everyone can see you!”

“Cheeseeeeeee!” You shouted aloud, excitedly as you beamed, waving to the camera, “I did it, Mummy! Now everyone gon’ see me on da big screen!”

“Well done, bubba,” Leah said, smiling proudly as she proceeded to keep hold of your hand and walk you down the line to exchange high fives with the Manchester United players.

“Hiya, little ‘un!” You recognised Ella Toone amongst the Manchester United players in the line up.

“Look, bubba, it’s Tooney. You remember her, don’t you?” Leah tried to track your memory of the girl, “You gonna high five her?”

You scrunched your face up in protest, “No fank ‘ou. I don’ wanna. You play for da ‘ucky team!”

“Oh, I’ll try to not take any offence to that,” Ella joked, high fiving Henry who held his hand out shyly, “At least your cousin high fived me!”

“Ou’ p’ay for ‘ucky team!” You declared, still point blank refusing to exchange a simple high five with her, “Buh-bye!” You stated, dismissing her and along with the rest of the players in the team.

“Do I get a high five, Buddy?” Grace questioned, crouching down slightly and holding her hand out, “You can’t leave me hanging, can you?”

“Nuh-uh! No fank ‘ou!” You declined the hand held out for a high five, proceeding to try and run off.

“Bubba, come ‘ere—don’t run off,” Leah was quick to grab a hold of your hand before you ran wild on the pitch, “We have to take a photo now, remember? Big smiles, again!”

“I don’ wan smile no more,” You huffed, quickly fed up with doing everything that you suddenly didn’t want to do, “I don’ wan do it!”

“Will you smile if I give you some chocolate?” Chloe Kelly tried to offer, knowing the way to your heart, “I know you like milky bar’s!”

“Kay den, but ‘ou better gimme it!” You told her, wiggling your finger in front of her face, “Or I no smilin’ on da picture!”

“Nana! She cryin’ ‘gain! Make ‘er stop!” You whined, frustrated at the current volume Rugrat was projecting right now, wailing like a banshee.

The crowd amongst Emirates stadium was loud, however the sheer volume of noise was currently coming from the away section of fans as Manchester United had scored a goal to equalise.

The noise was clearly too much for Rugrat to handle, screeching loudly that you definitely were not a fan off.

You huffed, scowling at the fussy infant in Amanda’s arms, “Make ‘er stop. I don’ like it!”

“I’m trying, sweetheart,” Amanda murmured, trying to bounce the squirming baby against her shoulder, “Your sister is just a little bit fussy at the moment.”

“A little fussy?” Jacob winced, covering one ear, “I’m pretty sure she’s louder than the fans in the way section.”

“Oh, she’s definitely giving them a run for their money,” Ben added, dodging the flailing limbs of Henry waving a matchday programme around in his hands, “Oi, careful there, little man.”

Henry was completely unphased, whapping the programme in the air and in the process, hitting Ben with it, “It funny, Uncle ‘En!”

“Right, course it is,” Ben muttered, remaining to duck the programme as it nearly took out his eye, “I’m gonna end up leaving this match with a cut eyebrow at this rate.”

“I bored now,” You huffed, folding your arms as your legs swung under your seat, “Dis takin’ forever! I fort dis was gon’ be fun. It borin’ now. Nuffin even happenin’ cept one goal.”

“We have to give it time, sweetheart,” Berny said gently, beside you, keeping her voice warm and patient, “Your Mummy and the team are working very hard out there.”

“Dey hafta hurry up,” You muttered, chin resting on your fists as you slumped further down in your seat until you were almost sliding off the chair, “I bored. Go home now?”

“They still have another seventy odd minutes to play,” Holly teased, reaching forward to swoop you out of your seat to avoid you falling flat on your face at the rate you were going,”Come here, munchkin!”

“Ah, let me go!” You shrieked, thrashing around in her arms, “Put me down! I wan be free!”

“Oh yeah? If I set you free then how do I not know that you’ll do a runner?” Holly smirked, keeping one arm secured around you, “Just hold out until halftime, and we’ll go find some snacks, alright?”

“Well can dey hurry it up? I gettin’ very ‘patient now!” You whined, head thudding back against her chest, “An’ hungry!”

Jacob snorted, “Oh, don’t we know it.”

You twisted in Holly’s arms towards Berny, hearing the shrill of Rugrat still,“G’andma! Can ‘ou tell Rugrat to be quiet? She bein’ noisy stil!”

Berny chuckled, “I’m afraid she’s a baby, sweetheart. They don’t have a volume control.”

“What if we jus’ put sticky tape over ‘er mouth? Dat could work—” You tried to offer the solution.

“Buddy,” Amanda chided, sending you a warning look.

You grinned cheekily, “It could…”

Berny smiled fondly, shaking her head in amusement, “You can’t do that, darling.”

“Why no’? She won’ stop cryin’ an’ I don’ like dat!” You huffed dramatically, slumping against Holly’s chest for extra emphasis, “She makin’ me miss da game wif all ‘er cryin!”

Jordan frowned, “Maybe it’s colic?”

Amanda hummed in agreement, rocking the infant gently, “It might be,” She said, shifting Rugrat upright against her shoulder and rubbing small circles on her back, the steady motion and quiet shushing softening the crying a little bit.

“Poor thing,” Holly said sympathetically, leaning over to stroke Rugrat’s head.

You frowned, irritated with her evergrowing crying that didn’t seem to stop and having zero sympathy for it, “She loud, I don’ like it! Why can she be like Max? He no loud!”

“It’s not her fault, Buddy,” Amanda murmured, still rocking and patting in a rhythmic way that eased the trapped wind, “Her tummy’s hurting her.”

“Yes it is! Her cry so loud!” You exclaimed, scrunching your face up in frustration.

It didn’t take long for your attention to be turned to something completely different, and that being the vuvuzela’s around the stadium.

“Uncle J I wan one of dem noisy fing’s like dos’ people ‘ave got!” You insisted, pointing to the instrument that made a lot of noise, “I wan one!”

“Oooh, no, definitely not,” Jacob was quick to disagree, dramatically shaking his head, “There’s much better things to have then those. I speak for all of us when I say that.”

“Yeah, we value our eardrums, cheeky chops,” Ben added, still dodging the mini assault from the programme in Henry’s hand, finding it amusing to smack him in the head with it.

“But it make lotta noise like honk an’ it funny!” You argued, copying the noise of the horn for the purpose of a helpful demonstration, “No fair! I wan one of dem!”

Jacob leaned down to you were eye-leve with one another, “Tough luck, munchkin. I’ll get you something less… noisy instead,” Jacob said, playfully poking you on the nose, “And you’ll enjoy it a lot more.”

“Hey! Don’ poke me!” You squeaked, scrunching your face up in protest, “But I wan one of dem ones! Nuffin’ else!”

“You can sulk about it now, munchkin,” Jacob said, keeping his tone of voice light, “But you can pick anything else that you want.”

You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest, “I don’ wan dem, I wan dat!”

“I’ll get you something else, munchkin, anything better than that,” Jacob tried his luck to bargain, but it was no use.

You tilted your head, doing your best with wide eyes to look innocent, “Pretty please, Uncle J?”

“She’s not gonna give up anytime soon,” Ben smirked, amusedly.

“I think you might be right,” Jacob muttered, rubbing his temple.

“P’etty please, Uncle J!” You repeated, dragging out the words with exaggeration, perfecting the pout to make it even more convincing.

Eventually, Jacob exhaled a sigh, “Alright, fine, but here’s the deal,” He murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose, “You don’t blow it directly in anyone’s ear. Got it?” 

“Ou’ got it!” You agreed eagerly, wanting nothing more but to get your hands on a vuvuzela like everyone else had.

Holly grimaced,  twisting in her seat to look at Jacob, “Are you sure you want to do that? Your gonna have to deal with the rath of your sister after the game.”

“I can handle it. I can’t handle my little niece being upset,” Jacob said, puffing out his chest, making a run for his own back, “I’m the cool uncle, after all.”

Ben snorted, patting Jacob’s shoulder sympathetically, “Good luck, pal.”

“Come on, Uncle J! We hafta go an’ find it, right now!” You insisted, yanking on his hand to promptly go and sought out a vuvuzela that you so desperately wanted.

“Alright, alright, come on then… let’s go and find the delightful noise maker,” Jacob grumbled, already regretting his decision.

“Look, Henry! Dis how loud it go!” You grinned, taking a deep breath before blasting the vuvuzela as a man in the row in front flinched, “See? It so loud!”

“I wan a go!” Henry squealed, eagerly trying to grab the instrument, “I go!”

“It ‘kay, we can share!” You agreed, passing it over to him with a cheeky grin, “‘Ere ‘ou go!”

“My go!” Henry proceeded to blow the instrument, letting out a deafening noise that echoed around the stadium, “It funny!” He laughed and continued to blow it again.

“My turn! My turn!” You said, bouncing on your toes, accepting the vuvuzela with eager hands and blew it again.

Henry laughed and clapped his hand excited, “Do dat again! Dat funny!”

Holly exhaled a sigh, “And just like that, the season's over.”

“This season felt so long,” Ben murmured, running a hand through his hair.

“A lot of up and down’s…” Jacob pointed out.

“There’s still Lisbon,” Berny reminded them, bouncing Rugrat in her arms.

The game had now wrapped up but the crowd was still buzzing with the end of the season chaos. 

You and Henry were having more fun running around now that you had more freedom to do that, with your new vuvuzela in hand near the pitch, while there was exchanges of goodbyes on the pitch since Amanda, Lina and Teyah would be leaving at the end of the season.

“Wow, that thing is really noisy,” Holly commented sarcastically, flinching as the noise of the instrument vibrated around.

“I’m sure that Leah is going to be thrilled about it,” Ben added, smirking.

“Yeah, but look how happy Buddy is now—Buddy, remember, don’t blow it in anyone’s ear, or face…” Jacob grimaced, taking hold of the bright green instrument, “Or you know what, better yet just keep a five metre distance. Okay?”

“Okay, Uncle J!” You exclaimed, doing the exact opposite and blowing it again right in his face.

“Oi, you little—” Jacob exclaimed, lifting you off the ground and throwing you over his shoulder playfully, “I told you not to blow it my ear, you little terror!”

“Uncle J!” You squealed in a fit of laughter, pounding your fists on the lads back, “Put me… Put me down… Put me down!”

“Alright, munchkin. You and me need to have a little talk,” Jacob’s voice softened, holding you in his arms so you were directly in eye level with one another, “I know you got a new toy and it’s exciting, but you gotta promise to not blast that thing in anyone’s ear, or face again, alright?” He asked, shaking you gently.

You giggled, trying to wiggle free in his grip, “Okay, Uncle J. No more ‘ear blasting!”

“That’s my girl,” Jacob set you down gently on the ground, playfully ruffling your hair, “Good chat!”

That, of course, didn’t last that long at all.

“Monks’!” You ran over to your big sister with your vuvuzela in your hand, “Look at m’ new toy dat Uncle J brought!”

Monkey briefly glanced up from her phone for half a second, “Oh, right… that’s cool, shrimp,”  She mumbled with zero interest at all, looking back down at whatever was on the screen.

You frowned, not understanding why she seemed so glum, “Why are ‘ou so sad?”

“Life’s just… difficult, right now. You wouldn’t understand you're just a kid,” Monkey admitted quietly, going back to paying more attention to her phone than you.

“Why?” You pressed, tilting your head in confusion.

“You wouldn’t understand, shrimp,” Monkey muttered, scrolling through her phone like it was the most interesting thing going on.

 “Oh,” There was a tense beat of silence until your face lit up, an idea popping into your head almost like you knew it would solve the problem, “I know what’ll make you feel better, Monks’!”

You didn’t even waste time letting Monkey respond before you took one big breath and blew the vuvuzela right down her ear.

That immediately made your big sister jump, startled as she almost dropped her phone, “BUDDY! WHAT THE HELL?!” She yelled, clutching her ear.

You burst into a fit of laughter, finding it completely hilarious, “It funny! Do ‘ou like it, Monks’?”

“No!” Monkey hissed, scowling at you, “That thing is stupid and annoying. Don’t do it again!” She snapped.

Of course, you were four-years-old and your brain didn’t realise the true meaning of that word, so you grinned, bringing the instrument to your mouth and proceeded to blow it. Again.

“BUDDY!” Monkey screamed, her emotions getting the better of her as she yanked the vuvuzela straight out of your hands, “I TOLD YOU TO FUCKIN’ STOP IT! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” She yelled, her voice sharp and loud.

“Oh boy…” Ben mumbled, already knowing where this was heading.

Your bottom lip began to tremble instantly, eyes filling with tears, “I jus’... I jus’ wanted to make ‘ou happy!” You hiccuped before bursting into loud sobs.

“Monkey!” Amanda’s voice cut through the room with a firm expression on her face.

“What?” Monkey shot back, irritated.

“It is not okay to talk to your sister like that,” Amanda stated sharply, “Ever!”

Your big sister huffed, rolling her eyes in disagreement, “She was blowing that stupid thing in my face! I told her not to do it!” She argued, her voice dripping with attitude, “It’s her own fault!”

“That still doesn’t make it okay to speak to her like you did,” Amanda chided, crouching down to comfort you, “Come here, sweetheart. It’s okay. Your big sister didn’t mean what she said.”

You sniffled into Amanda’s shoulder, peeking out in time to see Monkey with her arms crossed, and muttering something that definitely did not sound like any form of an apology.

“Excuse me?” Leah’s voice appeared, sharp and straight to the point, she was standing there sweaty from ninety minutes on the pitch with her hands resting on her hips, “I know you weren’t just talking to your Nana like that, and thinking it was acceptable, young lady!”

Your big sister’s head jerked up, “Oh, er… hi Mum.”

“Nuh uh. Nope. Do not even start with that innocent act,” Leah fixed Monkey with a firm gaze, “You do not get to run your mouth like that, and think you can get out of it. I want you to apologise, right now!”

“Fu…” Monkey muttered, immediately being cut off.

“Do not even think about finishing that word,” Leah interjected, her eyes narrowing as she strode further towards you all, taking note of your upset state, “Oh bubba. What’s the matter?”

“Monks’ shouted at me an’ threw m’ toy!” You hiccuped, wriggling out of Amanda’s arms and burying yourself into Leah’s side.

“What?” Leah’s tone dropped to sound more softer, comforting you, “She did?”

“Uh-huh!” You sniffled, nodding as you clung to Leah, “She shouted at me an’ call me names I not ‘llowed to say!” You tattled on your big sister.

“Oh, bubba,” Leah kept you wrapped up in a warm hug, rubbing your back, “You’re okay, Buddy. It’s alright, I’m sure your sister didn’t mean to say what she did.”

Monkey crossed her arms again in a sulk, “Sure, you act like this now but she’s the one that blew that stupid thing right in my face! Why am I the only one in trouble here?”

“Logan!” Leah’s jaw clenched in that usual way it did when she was not happy with your big sister, “I don’t want to hear your excuses. You know that you don’t shout at your sister, and you certainly don’t swear at her either!”

Monkey huffed, rolling her eyes, “Yeah, but Mum—”

“I said I don’t want to hear it,” Leah’s voice was sharp and straight to the point, “You’re grounded, Monkey!”

“Oh, come on, Mum!” Monkey started to try and defend herself, as Leah cut her off with a stern look that she knew all too well, “You can’t ground me, I’m twenty now! That’s just fuckin’ dumb!”

“Logan Reece Williamson-Nobbs!” Leah chided, her eyes narrowing, “Do not swear at me. I don’t care if you’re twenty, you live under my house and therefore, you will follow my rules!”

“Mum, that’s so unfair!” Your big sister grumbled, clearly unhappy with this decision.

Leah held her hand up, cutting any of Monkey’s further protests off, “I’m done talking about this, Monkey. Now, I want you to apologise to your Nana and Buddy, and hand my your phone please. You’ve lost it until you learn to speak to people properly.”

“What?!” Monkey whined, her eyes widening in shock, “That’s so not fair! I need my phone to socialise—and I’m supposed to be hanging out with Kyra, Vic, Lessi and Codi after the game! I have to go out with them!”

“Tough, maybe you should have thought about that before,” Leah stated firmly in that usual no-nonsense tone of voice, “No going out, no electronics. You’re grounded.”

“This is so unfair!” Monkey snapped, storming off straight in the direction of the pitch where Kyra was hanging out with Steph.

“Monkey!” Leah called after her, “We’re not done talking yet! Don’t you walk away from me, young lady—and she’s gone, wonderful.”

Right on queue, Rugrat started to let out an ear piercing wail that got Leah’s immediate attention.

“Mummy! Da baby is cryin’!” You informed her, like Leah didn’t realise herself.

“Ooh, I think someone’s starting to get fussy,” Leah cooed, reaching for the squirming infant, “Hi baby girl! Did you miss Mummy? I missed you, lots and lots!”

“Mummy can we go on da pitch now an’ kick da ball?” You asked, eager to get on the pitch now it was free reign to do that, “Come on Henry! Let go!”

“Come on, bubba. We’re going to go and walk around the pitch to thank the fans,” Leah explained in a soft tone, holding out a free hand for you to take.

You furrowed your eyebrows, much preferring to kick the ball on the pitch instead, “No fank ‘ou. I run and kick da ball instead!”

Leah chuckled, smiling in amusement, “I guess there’s no stopping you, huh? Go on then. Run free, Buddy.”

“I go now!” You squealed, toddling onto the pitch as fast as you could with Henry running after you, “Come on, Henry!”

The two of you were living your best life on the pitch, laughing and kicking a football around.  

“Kick it, Mummy!” You squealed, having a blast as you kicked the football towards Leah, disregarding the fact that she was holding Rugrat in her arms, “Kick da ball!”

Leah, like the pro that she was, cradled Rugrat with one arm, while she was still a bit fussy as she tapped the ball gently with her foot in your direction.

“Ou’ did it, Mummy!” You squealed, running after the ball with endless energy, going in for another big kick, “Ou’ hafta kick in da goal, Mummy!”

“Kick it back this way then, bubba,” Leah said, smiling softly as she rocked the still-fussy infant in her arms, “Careful not to kick it too much though, bubba. Remember I’m holding your baby sister in my arms.”

You frowned, crossing your arms over your chest, “Ou’ could put ‘er down, Mummy! An’ then we can kick da ball!” You insisted, completely disregarding Rugrat in favour of football.

“I don’t think that would be sensible, bubba,” Leah chuckled, shaking her head fondly as she gently kicked the ball towards you, “Just think that one day, the three of you will be able to play together, that’ll be fun, won’t it?”

“No!” You huffed, reluctant to agree to that anytime soon, “Ball more fun den baby sissy! She no kick da ball!”