And I Tell You, This Is Love - Ryan/Eric (Humor, Fluff)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction' started by Shadowfax, Nov 12, 2007.

  1. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    Title: And I Tell You, This Is Love – 1/5
    Author & Beta:
    Shadowfax27
    Fandom: CSI: Miami
    Pairing: Eric/Ryan
    Category: Humor, Fluff
    Fic Rating: PG-13 for some sexual innuendo – it’s the Hardy Boys! Can you blame me?
    Disclaimer: I own nothing but the cute little Halloween Penguin who decided to nudge me off the couch as I was watching CSI: Miami Monday night.
    Summary: Ryan and Eric take their daughter trick or treating.
    A/N: It’s been a while since I wrote anything, eh? RL and the absence of a reliable PC are to blame. But now I’m back (slowly but surely!). I’m trying something sort of new for me. I’m gonna keep these chapters fairly short so that they’re manageable. Oh, and for the record, I haven’t gone trick or treating since I was 17, but I do remember a lot of what we did back then. So I’m basing this fic on some of my personal experience.
    Written Entirely For: Alligator138.

    -----

    Chapter 1 – A Princess, Her Prince, And His Royal Steed



    “Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Let down your golden hair!”

    A series of squeals and giggles, followed by the unmistakable pitter-patter of tiny princess feet echoed through the brightly lit hallway of the second floor. The cacophony of delighted sounds reverberated off the cream-colored walls, bouncing off the hardwood staircase, and into the waiting ears of one very attentive royal horse – a Cuban stallion, to be exact.

    He saw a pair of dainty slippered feet stop just a few steps down from the second floor landing, and with a flourish inherent in six-year old girls who dreamed about fairy tales and “happily ever afters”, she tossed her long, braided, golden blonde hair over the banister and giggled even more.

    “Whoa! That’s quite some hair you got there, princess!” Eric beamed as he reached up and lightly tugged on the fake hair, running down about three and a half feet in length.

    “Papa!” The little girl tittered but spoke to him in a teasing, admonishing tone, “You’re not s’posed to call me ‘punzel. Only the han-some prince can call my name!”

    “Oh, right. Yes, of course,” Eric rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Only the handsome prince can call you to let down your hair. Well, what am I then?”

    “You…” he heard the unmistakable and amused voice of his lover as he came down the stairs, “…are supposed to be the royal aaa— I mean horse. The royal horse.”

    “I heard that.”

    “Yeah, well…” Ryan shrugged and stood a few steps down from where their daughter stood. “It’s either that or be the wicked old hag who imprisoned our little princess in the tower.”

    “I could’ve been the handsome prince, you know?” Eric interjected half grudgingly.

    Still amused, the younger man merely looked at him and chuckled, “Yeah, you could have. But we let Ali choose, didn’t we? And she chose me. Guess I made a more handsome prince.”

    Ryan winked on that last remark, knowing that it would annoy the heck out of his lover.

    The older man huffed and grunted before making a suspicious whinnying sound in the back of his throat. He crossed his arms and was mumbling something about “princes” and “being handsome” and “playing favorites with their daughter” and something that sounded a lot like “royal pain in my ass” under his breath when Ali gave an elated “Weeeeee!”

    That seemed to dispel any grudges on the part of the Cuban, and he looked up just in time to see Ryan scoop up their daughter under her armpits, turn around on the steps, and then carry her down the rest of the stairs at arm’s length, her teeny feet dangling like pretty little chandelier.

    Ryan set her down in the foyer, and both men took the time to inspect and admire their finished handiwork for the first time.

    Except for the little pink princess dress, slippers, and braided wig and tiara that Ali wore, which they had bought beforehand from the local Halloween specialty store in the mall, the rest of her costume was painstakingly agonized over by both of her dads for over a week.

    Yes, it took them that many nights to draw up the plans and find the supplies necessary to make a convincing looking tower that they could both agree on – a tower that would be long enough to encase their daughter in but not too difficult to create.

    The tower had to fit her just so, but it also had to be loose enough so that she could get in and out of it easily and be able to walk in it by herself. The result was an impressive single-piece, lightweight cardboard concoction that was conical in shape and widened gradually at the base like a laboratory flask. The bottom of the tower came up at just around the ankle area so that “people could see my princess feet,” as Ali had so keenly put it.

    Then they left one small window for their daughter’s face to look out of (and her hair to fall through) in the top “tower” section of the costume and two small windows on either side of the main body of the tower for her arms to dangle from.

    “Not bad,” Eric smirked as he nodded his head.

    “Yeah,” Ryan agreed heartily, impressed with his own handiwork. “I dare say it looks like it was done by a professional.”

    “Yeah, but let’s not forget who did the paint job,” Eric winked.

    “Ha! That’s only because you couldn’t draw a proper brick-stone!” Ryan retorted, rolling his eyes.

    “Well, brick-stones aren’t supposed to be in a straight line, querido,” Eric objected, knowing how much his OCD-prone lover would love to argue the fact. “They’re supposed to have imperfections. We’re talking about ancient architecture here.”

    “Uh-huh. And if I had let you continue on drawing, then our daughter would’ve been encased inside the leaning tower of Pisa instead of a proper fairy tale tower,” Ryan parried back.

    “Can we go trick or treating now, please?” Ali’s excited voice cut into their mock argument.

    “Sure, sweetie. Just let me make sure that the royal horse is ready, and we’ll be off in a minute,” Ryan replied, turning to look at the Cuban teasingly.

    “I’ll show you what kind of a horse I am later, oh handsome Prince,” Eric whispered hotly into the younger man’s ear when Ryan took hold of his reins.

    Shuddering, Ryan replied in kind, a challenge in hushed tone, “Oh yeah? You gonna give me the ride of my life?”

    “Well, I am the royal stallion,” Eric answered smugly, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

    Ryan snorted at the remark but didn’t argue. He didn’t take his eyes off his lover either. It felt a bit odd talking about naughty things to a horse costume, even if he could easily imagine the fine-looking man inside.

    Eric was dressed head to toe just like a regal white steed with a royal purple and gold banner draped across his back. They had actually stumbled upon the costume at one of those rent-a-costume stores that specialized in medieval and fairy tale attires. Even so, the costume fitted his body well enough that the younger man could still see the faint traces of the Cuban’s gorgeous physique underneath.

    Ryan, on the other hand, was quite lucky to find a complete prince’s attire in white and gold from the same store. He wore his hair sleeked back a bit, just like he used to style it when he was still working for Patrol, which reminded Eric of the first time they met at the scene of a bus crash all those many years ago.

    The attire also reminded Eric of the kind of princely uniform that Prince Charming wore in “Cinderella” when they first met at the royal ball, and he thought proudly that his partner, in no uncertain terms, looked most devastatingly dashing in it.

    Quite handsome, actually, in his proud and accurate opinion.

    “Is everything ready for the ‘trick or treaters’?” Eric asked offhandedly, aware and yet distracted by the way Ryan was running his fingers lightly over his costumed chest.

    “Yep. The basket of candy’s already out on the front porch with a sign to take only one piece.”

    “You really believe kids will follow that rule? Especially teenagers?”

    Ryan shrugged, “Some probably will, but it doesn’t matter. I’d rather all the candy be gone by the time we get back than have to hide them from Ali.”

    “Good point,” Eric conceded, nodding.

    “You look really han-some, Daddy,” Ali cut in softly, a shy and adoring look in her dancing eyes.

    “Why, thank you, darling,” Ryan turned around, beaming proudly at their daughter.

    “Hey! What about me?” Eric nearly whined, flailing his hoofed arms. “Doesn’t your Papa look good too?”

    Laughing heartily, Ali replied, “Yes, Papa. Like the bestest royal horse ever!”

    “You hear that?” Eric nudged Ryan. “I’m ‘the bestest royal horse ever’ according to our daughter,” he smirked.

    Ryan was about to parry back with another sarcastic remark when Ali cut in unknowingly once more.

    “How do I look?” she asked to no one in particular, turning to do a little pirouette.

    “Absolutely gorgeous, princess!” Ryan replied with a smile.

    “The most beautiful little princess we’ve ever seen!” Eric added, beaming.

    Ali giggled once more at the compliment and then walked over to the coffee table to retrieve her “trick or treating” basket. They watched as she strode purposefully towards the front door, half waddling in the process.

    “Coming, Daddy? Papa?”

    “Right behind you, sweetie,” Ryan replied.

    And with that, Ryan tugged on his stallion’s golden reins, and the three headed out into the night holding hands, Ali in the middle, holding both of her fathers’ hands, an excited bounce in every one of her little steps as they went “trick or treating” from house to house and from townhome to townhome in their neighborhood on Halloween night.

    ---

    TBC

    I dare say this is the first Halloween Penguin I’ve encountered. Glad it’s not the spooky kind the first time around. *shudders*

    A/N:
    This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it snowballed into 5 small chapters. Meh. Updates will be posted on Mondays. And yes, I decided to name the little girl “Ali.” I couldn’t think of any other name, and the Penguin demanded that I use it. :D
     
  2. SpeedsDaughter

    SpeedsDaughter CSI Level One

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    Don't you just love Plot Penguins? :lol:

    I'm reading this on FF.net... it's really really good!
     
  3. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    I do! :lol:

    I always forget to post my fics here, but better late than never, I guess. Thanks for reading! :D
     
  4. Need4Speed

    Need4Speed Coroner

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    OMG!!!!i love it!!!! Ali is so cute! :lol: and i love the flirty Hardy Boy moments. they had me grinning as "naughty" images popped into my head :devil:
     
  5. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    :D Thank you so much!

    I'm glad you found Ali cute, and I was definitely hoping some naughty images would pop up as the boys flirted. :devil:
     
  6. CSI_in_training

    CSI_in_training CSI Level Two

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    Awww. that was so sweet and adorable. Ali is so cute. I bet Ryan made a great handsome prince, and Delko would be a great royal steed. I loved it.
     
  7. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    Thank you! :D

    They do make for some great royalty, don't they? I could just imagine Ryan being this dashing prince and Eric... well, you get the picture. ;) :lol:
     
  8. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    Title: And I Tell You, This Is Love - 2/5
    Author & Beta:
    Shadowfax27
    Fandom: CSI: Miami
    Pairing: Eric/Ryan
    Category: Humor, Fluff
    Fic Rating: PG-13 for some sexual innuendo – it’s the Hardy Boys! Can you blame me?
    Disclaimer: I own nothing but the cute little Halloween Penguin who decided to nudge me off the couch as I was watching CSI: Miami Monday night.
    Summary: Ryan and Eric take their daughter trick or treating.
    A/N: I haven’t gone trick or treating since I was 17, but I do remember a lot of what we did back then. So I’m basing this fic on some of my personal experience.
    Written Entirely For: AliGtr

    -----

    Chapter 2 – System Of A Treat



    “How do I look?” she asked to no one in particular, turning to do a little pirouette.

    “Absolutely gorgeous, princess!” Ryan replied with a smile.

    “The most beautiful little princess we’ve ever seen!” Eric added, beaming.

    Ali giggled once more at the compliment and then walked over to the coffee table to retrieve her “trick or treating” basket. They watched as she strode purposefully towards the front door.

    “Coming, Daddy? Papa?”

    “Right behind you, sweetie,” Ryan replied.

    And with that, Ryan tugged on his stallion’s golden reins, and the three headed out into the night holding hands, Ali in the middle, holding both of her fathers’ hands, an excited bounce in every one of her little steps as they went “trick or treating” from house to house and from town home to town home in their neighborhood on Halloween night.


    ---

    An hour and a half and a basket full of assorted candies and chocolates later, Ali and her two dads finally half-walked, half-galloped home. They reached their front door, and once inside, Ali scramble-waddled into the living room. She slipped out of her tower costume, which promptly toppled over to its side like a fallen castle of old and then proceeded to dump all of her acquisitions onto the rug-covered floor.

    She sorted each treat into four different piles: chocolates, bubble gum, hard candies, and yuck.

    “She gets that from you, you know?” Eric teased, watching his daughter in amusement.

    “Well, treats do have a system, believe it or not,” the other man replied flatly.

    “Treats are meant to be unwrapped and enjoyed immediately,” Eric countered.

    “True. But how can you enjoy them if you don’t know what all you got?”

    “Riiiight. Sure. Whatever happened to being surprised?”

    “Surprises can be good,” Ryan agreed. “But after that, I need to know how much of everything I got so I can plan how many of each kind I should eat when.”

    Shaking his head, Eric replied, “Only you would say and do something like that. Oh… and teach it to our daughter.”

    “It’s not that bad. Besides… I guess we all know who’s going to get the ‘yuck pile’ tonight,” Ryan returned, grinning smugly.

    “Aw, why do I always get the ‘yuck pile’?” Eric protested.

    “Because you’re the only one who likes licorice.”

    Eric rolled his eyes but didn’t deny it. It was true that he was the only one who ate licorice, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like the chocolates and the other pieces of candy as well.

    “You think she’ll eat all of that?” Eric whispered conspiratorially, eyeing the treats on the floor.

    “Eventually,” Ryan answered. “And if I didn’t know any better, I bet you she’ll try to keep tabs of how many she ate from which pile.”

    “She gets that from you too,” Eric teased.

    “That’s ‘cause her Papa can’t be trusted not to eat the treats when he thinks no one’s looking,” Ryan retorted, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

    Chuckling, Eric conceded, “Yeah, well… You got me there.”

    “We’re gonna have to hide some of that candy or she’ll be bouncing off the walls like pinball on crack,” Ryan reminded him, nodding towards their daughter.

    “Agreed. Just as long as you don’t touch my licorice,” Eric added.

    “You don’t even have to worry,” Ryan winked, smiling.

    “Hey, you know the city’s hosting a Halloween event at the Community Center tonight,” Eric suddenly remembered. “Think we should check it out?”

    “Sure, as long as Ali’s up for it.”

    Taking his horse mask off for the first time, Eric sauntered over to their daughter’s side and knelt. He took a few amused moments to watch their daughter work methodically on categorizing each of her treats before interrupting.

    “How are you feeling, Sweetie?” Eric asked. “Are you tired yet?”

    “Nope,” Ali answered, sorting out her treats without looking at her Papa. “Don’t wanna go to bed yet. I wanna eat candy.”

    Chuckling, Eric replied, “And you will, Sweetie. But I have a question to ask you. Can you stop what you’re doing and listen to Papa for a minute?”

    Sitting back on her haunches, Ali stopped sorting her treats and turned curious eyes on her Papa.

    Just beyond the couch, Ryan smiled proudly, “That’s my girl.”

    “Ali, would you like to go ‘trick or treating’ some more?”

    Her face lit up all of a sudden, and she didn’t even have to think about her answer. The words darted out of her mouth before she could remember that she wasn’t finished organizing her edible little treasures.

    “Uh-huh, that would be fun!” she nodded enthusiastically.

    “Well, how would you like to take a ride over to the Center?” Eric now asked. “I heard they’re having games there and giving away some more candy and some prizes. Maybe you could even join the costume contest,” he suggested, a slight twinkle in his eyes. “Would you like that?”

    “Yes, Papa. Can we go?” Ali asked, barely able to conceal her excitement as she stood up suddenly.

    “What do you think, Daddy?” Eric asked Ryan, as if to put him on the spot.

    Ali now turned pleading eyes on the shorter man, “Please, Daddy? Can we go to the Center? Pleeeeaase?”

    Smiling indulgently, Ryan replied, “Okay, Ali. Just let me grab my keys and wallet, alright?”

    “What? You’re driving?” Eric frowned, standing up all of a sudden.

    “Uh… yeah? Why?”

    “Because I’m the one who always drives,” Eric interjected.

    “Not in that costume, you’re not,” Ryan opposed, smirking.

    “It’s the horse, isn’t it?” Eric asked almost petulantly, to which Ryan merely laughed. “You think I can’t drive the car with this on?”

    “Not at all, oh brave steed.” Ryan answered half-mockingly. “Not at all.”

    “Oh, ha-ha!”

    “Oh, come on, Love,” Ryan countered easily, sidling up to Eric before whispering lasciviously into his ear. “You’re the horse; I’m the rider. Lets keep it that way, shall we? Why don’t you just let things be for now and let me do all the driving and riding tonight, yeah?”

    Mischievous hazel greens sparkled wickedly as they met stunned chocolate browns. And before the Cuban could react or respond, Ryan winked at him slyly before leaving his side and prancing up the stairs to retrieve his wallet and keys.

    It took Eric a few seconds to comprehend what exactly Ryan had told him, but once his partner’s nominally cryptic message finally sunk in, he shook his head and had a devious leer on full display by the time Ryan came down the stairs.

    “What?” Ryan asked, feigning innocence as soon as he saw the look on his lover’s face.

    Grabbing his elbow, Eric leaned in and whispered hotly, “Save some energy, oh Prince. Because tonight, we’ll see exactly what kind of a rider you really are.”

    “Does that mean I’ll have to tame you?” Ryan spoke lowly, his eyes shifting back and forth between the Cuban’s eyes and full lips. “’Cause you know I like my stallion wild.”

    Eric grunted, a cocky lopsided grin slowly stretching his mouth, “We’ll see, querido. We’ll find out soon if you can handle riding this stallion.”

    And with a wicked leer that had Ryan blushing like a bumbling schoolgirl, Eric let go of his elbow, picked up his horse’s head, Ali’s tower costume, and her now-empty basket, and headed towards the garage without giving the younger man a second glance.

    That said, Ryan felt his stomach somersaulting into giddy little flip-flops, each flip and flop causing his heart to beat faster and faster until he could feel his face flushing even more. He knew he was bound to lose control if he didn’t get a grip on his building anticipation.

    And so, taking a few deep breaths to calm his heart’s excited flutter, he turned his attention towards his daughter, bowed in a princely manner, and held out his left hand with exaggerated gusto.

    “Are you ready to go, princess?” he asked in his most charming and chivalrous voice.

    Grinning broadly, Ali took her Daddy’s hand and answered, “Take me away, Daddy! Let’s go trick or treating again!”

    And with that, Daddy and daughter headed into the garage, got into the car with their steed, and then drove east about ten minutes towards the Miami-Dade Community Center.

    ---

    TBC

    Penguins are like Halloween costumes: some are sweet, some are funny, and some are just plain naughty. And sometimes... I just get one who embodies all three. ;)

    A/N:
    Whoo! *fans self* Sometimes those darn boys just couldn’t help themselves, could they? *runs into PG-13 border* :lol: And yes, I had the same “treat system” as Ryan and Ali. I would separate mine into piles and plan how I want to eat them so that each pile went down evenly. And then I'd keep track of how many I ate of which just to make sure my sisters weren't stealing any of mine. Yeah, I know… I’m kind of nutty like that. :p
     
  9. Need4Speed

    Need4Speed Coroner

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    ooooohhhhh...naughty naughty Hardy Boys :devil: more naughty images in me head from reading all that :devil:
     
  10. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    :lol: I'm afraid I keep running into the PG-13 border here, what with all the sexual innuendo in this chapter. Those naughty boys! :devil: They can't help themselves either! :lol:
     
  11. Need4Speed

    Need4Speed Coroner

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    i love it!! and my Hardy Boys and Speed/Eric/Ryan, CaRWash, Speed and Sarah(the chracter i created for that story) ones slam into the pg-13 border every now and again too :devil:
     
  12. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax CSI Level One

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    Title: And I Tell You, This Is Love – 3/5
    Author & Beta:
    Shadowfax27
    Fandom: CSI: Miami
    Pairing: Eric/Ryan
    Category: Humor, Fluff
    Fic Rating: PG-13 for some sexual innuendo – it’s the Hardy Boys! Can you blame me? :p :devil:
    Disclaimer: I own nothing but the cute little Halloween Penguin who decided to nudge me off the couch as I was watching CSI: Miami Monday night.
    Summary: Ryan and Eric take their daughter trick or treating.
    A/N: I haven’t gone trick or treating since I was 17, but I do remember a lot of what we did back then. So I’m basing this fic on some of my personal experience.
    Written Entirely For: AliGtr

    -----

    Chapter 3 – Come One, Come All!



    And with a wicked leer that had Ryan blushing like a bumbling schoolgirl, Eric let go of his elbow, picked up his horse’s head, Ali’s tower costume, and her now-empty basket, and headed towards the garage without giving the younger man a second glance.

    That said, Ryan felt his stomach somersaulting into giddy little flip-flops, each flip and flop causing his heart to beat faster and faster until he could feel his face flushing even more. He knew he was bound to lose control if he didn’t get a grip on his building anticipation.

    And so, taking a few deep breaths to calm his heart’s excited flutter, he turned his attention towards his daughter, bowed in a princely manner, and held out his left hand with exaggerated gusto.

    “Are you ready to go, princess?” he asked in his most charming and chivalrous voice.

    Grinning broadly, Ali took her Daddy’s hand and answered, “Take me away, Daddy! Let’s go trick or treating again!”

    And with that, Daddy and daughter headed into the garage, got into the car with their steed, and then drove east about ten minutes towards the Miami-Dade Community Center.


    ---

    Exactly ten minutes later, Ryan pulled into the Center. He parked the car, and the trio began to walk towards the entrance of the main building.

    The décor and the spooky but jovial atmosphere inside at once impressed them. It had a “Come one, come all!” ambiance, and it took them no time at all to get into the fun and festive spirit of the event.

    Inside, there were plenty of simple carnival-type games, which were set up in individual booths, and a couple of small non-scary haunted houses for the kids to enjoy. Various community organizations and businesses were also there to advertise and help host some of the activities.

    They arrived just in time for the “Kindergarten Costume Contest,” which Ali promptly entered. Each child who registered was given a number and then he or she would parade his or her costume across the small stage, where they were then judged.

    There were about eighteen to twenty kids who had entered the contest for Ali’s age batch, all with varying costume designs. But none were, as her fathers would like to believe, as impressive as Ali’s “Rapunzel in a Tower” ensemble, which, of course, received the loudest accolades from her two dads.

    After each age group had gotten a chance to model their costumes, then the judging and awarding began. They waited patiently for the judges to make their decisions, and before long, they were calling out the winners from each division. Ali ended up winning second place overall from her group plus the “Most Creative Costume” award out of all the age groups put together.

    Both of her dads clapped loudly and cheered her on, their faces a picture of glee at their daughter, who had modeled her costume quite confidently for a six-year old, and pure triumph for their painstaking but imaginative handiwork. They couldn’t be prouder at what they’d accomplished together as a family, and several of the other parents and spectators complimented them and their daughter for her very creative and original costume.

    After the contest, Ali decided to leave her tower for a little while, entrusting its care to her Papa. Then fathers and daughter went around the different booths to play games and win some more candy prizes. Ali got to play ring and beanbag tosses, went fishing for some small toy prizes, and got her picture taken with a human scarecrow.

    She also participated in a princess cupcake walk and human checkers with the help of her two dads. She went through both kiddy haunted houses four times alone back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and before the end of the night, got colorful and sparkly fairy wings painted on her face and around her eyes.

    They were just about to head out when Ali spotted one more station she hadn’t visited, a series of mewling sounds and the sight of furry feet catching her attention.

    Tugging on her Daddy’s and her Papa’s hands, she pulled them along towards the information booth with surprising strength for a six-year old. And there, behind the booth of the Dade County Humane Society, Ali let go of her fathers’ hands, swooped down, and then scooped up a newborn black and white kitten, whom she promptly fell in love with.

    “Awwww…” Ali purred, cuddling and stroking the little fur ball in her teeny arms. “He likes me, Papa! And he’s soooo cute! Can we take him home with us? Daddy? Please?”

    The two men exchanged glances.

    “How come she only asks you whenever we have to take stuff home?” Eric asked teasingly.

    “That’s ‘cause she knows you always cave,” Ryan answered matter-of-factly.

    “Ha!”

    “Yep, she has you wrapped around her little fingers, and she knows it,” Ryan chuckled.

    “Oh, you say that like you’re not wrapped around her fingers yourself,” Eric retorted.

    “I am,” Ryan conceded readily. “But at least I don’t give in as easily as you do. I make her work for it.”

    “Yeah, whatever,” Eric smirked, rolling his eyes. “We’ll see how long you last once she starts giving you those big puppy eyes,” he nearly threatened.

    “You just had to teach her that, didn’t you?” Ryan accused, feigning offense but unable to hold back a smile.

    “No, sir. I didn’t have to teach her anything,” Eric denied, throwing his hands up in innocence. “She got that puppy look from you,” he pointed out.

    Ryan couldn’t argue with that. It was true that he was the one in the relationship who used that look a lot, especially when it came to getting what he wanted. Maybe Ali had unconsciously picked it up and imitated it, seeing how well the puppy eyes worked to her Daddy’s advantage most of the time, especially when dealing with her Papa.

    Maybe it really was learned behavior.

    “Daddy?”

    Ali’s voice cut into Ryan’s train of thought, and he looked down to see his daughter giving him said puppy look as she held the kitten close to her chest, cuddling it with her right cheek.

    “See?” Eric nudged, smirking as if to prove a point. “What did I tell you?”

    Rolling his eyes at his partner, Ryan sighed and knelt in front of his daughter.

    There was no point in denying it now.

    He’d been had, he knew.

    “Ali Sweetie…” he began, his tone gentle but serious all at once, “a kitten’s not a toy, you understand? You’ll have to take care of it and feed it and clean after it and play with it if you get one,” he tried to explain.

    “I know, Daddy,” Ali nodded. “But it’s okay. Papa’s gonna help me take care of him.”

    “Wh- What?” Eric nearly choked when he heard his daughter’s words implicate him. “How the heck did I get dragged into this?”

    From his position, Ryan turned to look up at the taller man and failed to suppress the snicker that suddenly bubbled out of his chest when he caught the bewildered look on his partner’s face. The Cuban glared at him in return, shaking his head and mumbling something in Spanish that Ryan didn’t quite catch.

    He turned his attention back to his daughter.

    “That’s good, Ali. Papa can help you take care of the kitten.”

    Ryan said this, knowing that it would cause the Cuban to stop his ranting and glare at his back even more. He hid his smirk and tried to ignore the eyes that were beginning to burn holes in the back of his head.

    “But he’s gonna be your kitten, okay?” Ryan continued. “And that means that you have to be the first one, the main one, to take care of him.”

    “I’ll take care of him, Daddy,” Ali assured him, her big green eyes sparkling with sincerity. “I promise.”

    “Papa?” Ryan now turned his attention back on Eric as he stood up. “What do you think about Ali getting this kitten?”

    “I think Daddy needs to help us take care of the kitten. Don’t you agree, Sweetie?” Eric asked in such a sickly sweet way that it was all Ryan could do not to wipe that mocking smirk off his face.

    He should’ve known his lover would pull something like this.

    “Yeah!” Ali nearly jumped up and down. “Daddy too! Daddy too!”

    “Okay, okay!” Ryan nearly hollered, grinning broadly despite the trick that had just suckered him into adopting and taking care of a newborn kitten.

    Ali continued to hold her kitten close as her dads spoke to one of the representatives about adopting said feline. They filled out a reservation form, put in a small “good faith” deposit, and promised to visit the shelter the very next day to formally register and adopt the kitten.

    Naturally, their daughter was disappointed when she found out she couldn’t take the kitten home with her that night, but they assured her that they would go to the shelter to claim the kitten first thing tomorrow morning.

    And so, with one last cuddle and a gentle kiss to the kitten’s head, Ali reluctantly put him back into the little pen and waved a little sad good-bye.

    ---

    TBC

    A/N:
    I had to add the kitten in there. This is for AliGtr, after all. :D
     

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