Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x M!Reader

Eight

"Hey. Hey!", slightly irritated, you caught Elliot out of the air as he tried to throw himself off his bed to his certain death.

Or something like that at least. The car-shaped bed was barely high enough to reach your knees. Still, he had a knack for falling every now and then and spraining his ankle.

You playfully waved him twice through the air before he fell laughing into the pillows.

"And now it's time to sleep, sir.", you reminded him with a kiss to his little snub nose. "Eyes closed. Lights off. Where's Paddington?"

He proudly held his teddy bear out to you, wearing blue wellies and a yellow mackintosh.

"He's already very tired, can you see that?", you picked up the bear and held him in front of your face, yawning so loudly that it looked like he was really tired. "It's time to go to bed, Elliot."

The little one laughed, grabbed the bear and rolled the blanket so tightly around his shoulders that only his little head full of hair was visible.

With his eyes squeezed tightly shut, he pretended to fall asleep immediately, but you could see the grin he was giving Kyle. Kyle held a finger to his lips with a wink.

"Little boys have to sleep a lot to grow up.", he whispered with a wink. "But don't tell your dad. He probably wants you to stay his little one forever."

"I'm going to grow up!", Elliot whispered back. "As big as you, Uncle Kyle."

They both smiled. You smiled.

Kyle gave his hair a quick tousle and then made his way through the many Lego land mines to you. One last check and then the light was switched off and it went dark except for a small night light in the shape of an elephant.

Sighing softly, you pulled the door shut.

"Sorry.", you yawned for a moment. "He actually falls asleep quickly. But not when he's excited. Sometimes I think he has ADHD."

Kyle snorted and rolled his eyes.

"He's just a kid.", with a shrug, he followed you down the stairs into the open-plan kitchen, which was connected to the living room and the conservatory.

Soft light illuminated the stone walls. Real wooden floorboards creak under your feet. Whistling, Kyle looked at you at the exposed ceiling beams.

"Wow, this house is even fancier on the inside.", he said.

You waved a hand.

"Do you have any idea how stupid it was to rebuild everything?", you opened the fridge, took out some biscuits and pastries from the day before and then walked around the worktop to the pantry door. "Are you drinking red or white?"

Kyle propped his arms up on the kitchen island.

"I'm not picky.", he replied. "Honestly, it looks so clean in here. And everything looks just right."

You came back with two bottles in your hands, put them in front of him and turned round to reach for wine glasses.

The kitchen was decorated in a Mediterranean country style to match the age of the house, with loads of natural wood and copper to make it feel more rustic.

The pans that hung from a metal bracket from the ceiling were almost all French, with the exception of a few made of cast iron. He was right in assuming that the space seemed far too fancy.

"Paid an interior designer back then.", you said and put his glass down.

He snorted, picked up the first bottle and scrutinised the label.

"Wouldn't have taken you for someone interested in interior design.", he decapitated the red wine.

You put the white wine in the fridge.

"I'm not.", you shrugged and pushed your glass towards him so he could pour you a drink.

"Then why a house that looks like it's in a catalogue?"

He poured you two fingers of wine, not very little but somehow you wanted more. The first sip tasted tart, fruity with a hint of acidity.

Lost in thoughts, you chewed your lips. Suddenly it felt so hard to look at him.

"The house was supposed to...", you stopped mid-sentence and shook your head. "I think the story is too long for one evening."

Embarrassed, you laughed. Kyle looked around. There was still a rumpled blanket on the couch and toys strewn all over the carpet.

Behind that, the conservatory opened up, black pillars held together walls of glass and allowed a view of the garden.

Flowers began to bloom, trees swayed in the wind. In the dark it was hard to see everything but you knew that the garden was overgrown. There were simply things for which there was no time. This was one of them.

"Soooo...", Kyle took a sip of his wine. "Where's the missus?"

Swallowing hard, you dug your fingers into the surface of the kitchen island.

There it was. The question that made your heart race with worry. But that was Kyle and you were just glad he was here. That he still felt like a friend. Taking a deep breath, you shook your head.

"There's none.", you admitted. "It's... difficult."

Brown eyes watched you.

"Oh?", that was all he got out. "I didn't mean..."

"No, it's fine. All cool.", you swallowed hard. "To be honest, you know her."

Now his eyebrows raised in curiosity. A sip of wine in his mouth, he pressed his lips together. You gave him a look that was somewhere between bitter humour and embarrassment.

"Do you remember Kimmy?", you asked, finishing your wine in one gulp.

Kyle almost choked.

"Kimberly J?", he asked, his eyebrows drawn together. "Crack Kimmy?"

You had to snort at the nickname.

"That's her.", you chewed your lower lip again, lost in thought. "You... I... I mean we... used to have a thing. It was weird, her and I didn't fit together but she was there and I was there and... it kind of worked."

"Wasn't she an addict?"

"Is. Still is.", you took a deep breath. "That's why I have sole custody."

For a long moment he was just silent, staring at you.

You could feel the tension filling the air and making the back of your neck tingle. Finally, he shook his head.

"Slow down a bit, mate.", Kyle laughed hoarsely. "You have to tell me everything. Right from the start."