seasonal ♕ nba shorts

dollhouse ❆ pau gasol

mara stumbled behind her five year old as she swiftly pushed past the big crowd of people. "kayla, wait!"

obviously not hearing her mum yell over the loud commencer talking about the good deals in the toyshop, she continued to run towards the long rows of shelves filled with barbie dolls.

she pulled her bag up her shoulder and picked up her pace, trying not to lose her sight on the child. "kayla!"

by the time she reached the shelf she last saw her daughter at, she was gone. she groaned loudly and threw her head back in frustration. it was the twenty third, just two days before christmas, and she was looking for something to get her niece and her daughter.

something inexpensive, at least. being a single mother with an average paying job meant that she couldn't spoil her baby girl much especially with all the taxes and bills she had to pay. not to mention she had another two growing boys.

"yeah, i like dolls!" she whirled around at the sound of her daughter's giggles. following the sound, she found herself a good three to four rows away from where she'd been and her daughter pointing at a large dollhouse with a man squatting next to her.

"sweetie, we can't get that," she frowned, trying to beckon her daughter closer to her. "let's just get something else, okay? maybe another doll?"

"but i found daddy," she smiled sheepishly at mara with a finger in her mouth. she rocked back and forth and mara was confused. "he said he'd get me the dollhouse!"

then it struck her. there'd been a picture of her and pau in one of the boxes she found lying around when they moved in just the other day. the young girl found the picture and was confused as to who this man was.

she had to explain herself. she explained every detail about who pau was and what he did, but obviously had to leave out the part that he walked out on them.

he got to his feet and smiled at her. he scratched the back of his neck and he tried to look in his brain for something to say, but could only end up with a "hey".

she stared at him for a moment before glancing down at kayla. she stormed towards her daughter. she yanked her away from pau. "no."

"why 'no', mommy?" she pulled back, stopping her mother from walking away. "he's my daddy, isn't he? why can't he get me something for christmas?"

she sighed. she was not just about to do this in the middle of a toys tore two days away from christmas. besides, she had a seven another a twelve year old to find in the crowd.

they'd gone off to find gifts for exchange gifts and secret santas for their own and she agreed to meet them at the cashier in about another five minutes. she couldn't afford to do this right now.

"because he scratched that title from you a long time ago," she sighed, shaking her head. she starts pulling her away from him again.

but when the five year old started to complain about how her mummy was hurting her, pau finally stepped in. "hey, you're hurting her."

and it ticked mara off like you wouldn't believe. whirling around, she gently pushed kayla behind her and didn't notice her two sons backing her up. "no, you hurt her. you hurt all of us."

"i said i was sorry, mara," he frowned. looking past her, he smiled slightly again. "hey, guys."

"dad," the twelve year old, aiden, greeted his dad with venom in his tone. it was obvious that he didn't like his dad very much anymore. after he walked out of them, mara moved away and cut all connection with him.

the seven year old, raph, didn't think his dad was a bad person. he somehow understood what happened better and was okay with it. "daddy."

scanning her surroundings, mara sucked in a deep breath and looked at pau again. she didn't know if it was possible, but if he could've gotten taller since she last saw him  he probably did.

"i am not doing this with you right now, pau," she swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back tears, "i've done this with you and i'm not doing it again. you're not the father of my children anymore."

"how can i not be?" pau raised an eyebrow and his eldest was not impressed at all. he could only roll hid eyes and wrap an arm around a confused kayla, hugging his legs.

"i've stripped that title from you a long long time ago, pau," she shook her head slightly. "i survived five long years without you and i can do it again."

she was pregnant with kayla when he left. she remembered having to go through another pregnancy without her husband and had to rely on her best friend for help. from that moment on, she decided she was done with him — packed her things then left with her two boys.

but pau couldn't believe how big her youngest was now. she looked just like mara. her curly brown hair and slightly chubby cheeks with a smile that could kill if she used it properly.

he wanted to be a part of their lives, at least. but he knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon especially with the anger he's managed to build up inside mara.

"i know, and i'm sorry i put you through that," he says calmly, "but at least let me get them something. it's christmas."

she wanted to say 'no', but who was she to stop him from being a father to her children? she couldn't change their dna no matter how hard she tried.

"this once, pau," she says sternly, releasing her children. she nodded at her eldest who then guided his two siblings towards pau. "and then you're gone again."

↳ lukeskink ↲

i'M SORRY, THE PAU FEELS PUNCHED ME EVERYWHERE AND I WAS FEELING A LITTLE EMO SO YOU KNOW YA GIRL HAD TO BECAUSE SHE HIGH KEY EMO AND IT'S THREE IN THE MORNING NOW

SO HERE YA GO, MERRY CHRISTMAS AGAIN EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT

AND Y'ALL LUCKY I'M LOSING SLEEP FOR THIS BECAUSE I HAVE A BUSY ASS SCHEDULE NOW THAT MY PARENTS HERE AND CHRISTMAS IS COMING SOOO

YES. HAVE FUN, I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS