baby, I'll show you the world [muke af]

(Thursday, September 19th, 2019)

(Thursday, September 19th, 2019)

Luke got out of his car, closing and locking the door behind him. He pulled down the large tee shirt that clung to his stomach, yet fell off of his shoulders. His body was in a weird shape currently, and finding clothes began a struggle.

He walked up to the doorsteps of Ashton and Cal's house. He smiled at the stupid memories of this stupid house. The bright 'for sale' sign on their lawn made him a little bit upset, though.

Ivona answered the door, Ashton a few steps behind her with a laundry basket in his hands. "Hey, Iv is sick, so she's hanging with us today," Ash called as he walked up the stairs.

Ivona looked up at her uncle, a smile on her pale face. "Hi, Lukey."

"You're faking sick, aren't you?" He whispered. Luke squeezed past her, shutting the door and locking it. He kicked off his shoes, laying his light jacket on the couch.

She shook her head fast left to right, "Nuh-uh!"

Luke pinched her cheeks, "Alright, Baby Girl." He took her hand, helping her get up on the couch. Her feet hung over the edge as she kicked them back and forth. "Do you want something to eat?"

The blonde wandered to the kitchen. This was practically his second home, he didn't feel bad invading their kitchen.

"Can you bring me Oreos?"

Luke laughed, "You're just like your father." He took out the container they were placed in, grabbing a bag of chips for him as well.

Ashton came back to the kitchen, glaring at the blonde. "Don't give her that, she's supposed to be sick. Sick girls don't get cookies."

Luke pouted, "Don't be Mr. Grumpy, let the girl have her cookies." He squeezed his body around Ash's, sitting down next to Ivona.
She took the container, placing it on her lap. She leant against Luke, her head on his enlarged tummy. "This is nice," Ivona said, poking his stomach.

"I'm sure they enjoy it, too."

"When do you find out how many you're having?" Ashton asked from the kitchen. He was cutting up a banana, preparing himself a pre-lunch snack.

"October. I think it's only two. We'd know if it's more than that, right?" Luke asked. He turned his head, looking at his best friend.

He shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've only had two."

Ivona lent forward, grabbing the television remote. She turned on the screen, flipping through channels. "There's nothing to watch," she whispered to Luke.

"Am I not enough entertainment for you?" He pecked her forehead and tickled her sides, making her giggle. She was so much like Ashton it was truly eerie.

Ashton made his way next to Iv, pretending to sit on her feet until she moved them. "Are you feeling better?"

Ivona's face dropped as she remember she was supposed to be sick. "I don't know, my head still hurts."

Ash looked up at Luke, smiling with a roll of his eyes. They both know she was faking, but Ash decided to give her a break.

"Did Bella mind going to school alone?" Luke asked. He reached over, stealing a banana slice from Ashton's plate.

"Nah, she's so social, she wouldn't want to miss a single day," he said between bites of his mini meal.

"I wish I felt like that about school."

Ashton chuckled. "You and I were such losers in college."

Bella giggled, her head kept looking at the man talking. She liked feeling like an adult.

"We were!" He agreed. "We stayed in the apartment watching videos about blonde penguins."

Ashton had a smile sparkling on his face. "Amazing," he said, "Amazing."

Ivona moved the container of cookies upon Ash's lap as she cuddled more into Luke's lap. She placed her hands on Luke's belly. "They are big."

"Sweetie, you need to ask people before touching them.'

She put her hands up, sitting up on the couch. "Lukey, can I touch your tummy?"

Luke laughed, "Of course." He looked over at Ashton. The brunette has always taught his daughters the best lessons, even from such a young age. Getting those stuck in their head from the age of two was probably a good idea, though.

She placed her hands back on his tee shirt clad stomach. "They're my cousins, right?

Luke smiled. "I guess so, yeah. You and Bell will be best friends with them. Maybe you can even babysit them when you're a bit older."

"A lot older," Ashton added. He stood up, stretching his back. "I have to put away laundry, don't set the house on fire while I'm upstairs."

"No promises," Luke called while he left their ear-reach. He made himself comfortable on the couch, bending down until he reached Ivona's height. "So, do you wanna tell me why you stayed home today?"

"I'm sick," she tried again.

"Baby, I faked sick almost every day for my entire high school years, you need to try harder than that."

Iv looked down at her hands. There was orange marker around her fingertips from some art project she must have been doing. "I hate school, everyone hates me."

Luke wasn't going to scold her for saying hate, he wasn't Ashton. "I know school kind of sucks, but you've gotta learn to like it."

She looked up at him, her glowing eyes saddened. "They like Bella, but they don't like me. Why?"
Luke tried not to cry. He knew this was going to turn bad if she lived like this. She'd grow up, suddenly questioning her place on this Earth. Luke doesn't want that. "They like you, too. It's impossible to hate such an intelligent, pretty girl like you."

"Is that true, Lukey?"

"Of course it's true! You meet so many people at school! My closest friends I met through school. I met Mikey through school. If I didn't go to school, I wouldn't have met your two daddies, then I wouldn't have met you!"

She nodded, understanding the importance. "Why is it hard to talk to people?"

"You've gotta force yourself to do it. I know how you feel, I'm not very good at talking to people, but I know that I need to."

"Does it get easier?"

He wishes he could tell her yes, but he could never lie to those big blue eyes. "It's gonna get a lot harder before it gets easier. But, it'll pay off, and you'll be happy you did it."

(a/n) the next chapter is one of my favorite chapters i've ever written bc it's literally me. maybe double update tonight.