my notebook

Holiday Oneshot I

Based on characters of 'the game'

It was a cold and crisp day, the perfect weather for an ice skating trip to the nearby lake.

A young girl, no more than five, was staring at the frozen lake suspiciously, not trusting that it would hold her.

One of her fathers, Justin, was lacing up her ice-skates as she narrowed her eyes at the ice.

"I've come every year since I was a little boy." He cooed to reassure his precious daughter. "Belle, your Gran and Pop used to take me down here when I was your age."

Belle fiddled her mittened hands nervously. "It...might crack. Then the sea monster would get me."

"I promise you there's no sea monster." Justin finished off securing the small ice-skates and ruffled up Belle's black hair.

"Daddy told me there was..."

Justin looked back at his husband with a frustrated expression. Max returned a ginger and apologetic smile.

"Oh, Belle, I was just kidding around."

She frowned, unconvinced.

"Don't you want to show (Y/n) what a brave girl you are?"

Belle's eyes lit up at this. Ever since she'd met (Y/n), her daddy's friend had been her idol. She wanted to be just like the young woman when she grew up.

"Ha! That convinced you, huh?" Justin chuckled to himself and glanced up at Max. "I swear, sometimes Belle likes her more than us."

"Sometimes?"

"Where's (Y/n)?" The little girl asked quietly, still sitting in the snow all wrapped up in her warmest winter clothes.

"She's just getting ready inside the house but will be out at any minute." Max assured Belle, leaning down to give her a quick hug. "We don't want to force you to try it, we just think you'll have a lot of fun."

Belle glanced at the lake, a new determination in her mind now. "I want to try it...with (Y/n)!" She smiled brightly at the mention of her favorite person in the world.

Justin and Max couldn't help but share a glance that silently expressed the sentiment of finding their duaghter utterly adorable. Both were also pleased with quite how much she warmed to (Y/n).

Justin couldn't say that when Max returned after being missing for months that he was expecting him to bring some young woman with him, but Justin became fast friends with her.

The couple helped (Y/n) to her feet financially, even though she had her own place now she still stayed with them often enough to be an honorary third parent to Belle.

No one adored (Y/n) quite as much as Belle did, and (Y/n) loved her very much too, taking every opportunity she could to babysit or spend time with her found family.

It was a dramatic time when Max was gone, but that was years ago now. Luckily Belle had been young enough when it happened not to have it heavily affect her, Justin still couldn't help but worry but was nowhere near as paranoid for his husband's safety as he had been.

(Y/n) walked out of the lake house, her heavy winter boots leaving deep markings in the perfect layer of snow. In her hand was a pair of ice skates and on her face was a warm smile that contrasted the cool temperatures.

"Are you ready, bumblebee?" (Y/n) sat down beside Belle, using the child's nickname that only (Y/n) called her. Belle giggled at being called by the affectionate tag.

"Yeah!"

"Will you tell her that there's no sea monster in there?" Justin asked pleadingly.

(Y/n) started to replace her shoes with the skates. "In that lake? No way, we had the sea monster exterminators around last week." She joked.