Chapter Text
There’s a knock on the front door right at six. You nearly fall as you run to the door.
“I wanna open–” You hear the yelling behind you, but much to their dismay you’ve beat them to it. The last thing you want is a lecture from your ex-husband about how dangerous it is to have one of the girls open the door.
You’re out of breath when you finally open the door, and he’s startled at just how fast you open it. Though that startled look wears down and curiosity takes over as he looks you up and down. He furrows his brows and asks, “Are you going out?”
“Hello to you too, Leon.” You force yourself to smile at him, ignoring the question that has left his lips. He wants to pry into your personal life and you know that nothing good comes from getting him involved in your personal matters.
“Hi. Are you going out?” he asks again, making you click your tongue. You look him up and down, seeing how he’s dressed the opposite of you. He wears a black t-shirt and jeans, something casual to deal with the girls, while you’re wearing a short red dress that while certainly beautiful, is hard to accomplish much with.
“You’re right on time.” You step to the side, letting him walk into the house to pick up the girls. Leon steps inside but before walking past you he looks you up and down again.
“Girls! Are you ready?!” he yells, and they come running to him, practically jumping on him to smother him with all their love. It takes almost all of his strength, but he manages to pick up both the five and six year old. “How are my sweethearts?”
“Can we get ice cream?” your eldest immediately asks, and you massage your temple, feeling an oncoming headache. They aren’t your problem for the night at least.
“Did you bother greeting him first, Diana?” you ask, walking past them to get their stuff for the weekend. While you certainly love your daughters, the faster pickup goes, the more freedom you get to have for the weekend. You have a tight schedule today at least, you need them to get going soon.
“Hi, daddy. Can we get ice cream?” She corrects herself, and you decide not to pay too much attention to it this time around. Leon is with them, he can take over the parenting.
“Not tonight, sweetheart,” he answers, earning a pouty face from both of his daughters. The youngest does still hold a bit of hope, with just enough begging, Leon is bound to give in.
“Please, daddy,” she begs, and Leon sighs. If only there was a way for him to turn off his hearing even if it’s just for five minutes. He knows their tactics, and he’s an idiot because he still falls for it every time.
“Anastasia, I said no.” His tone becomes stern, though it’s just a facade because with just the right amount of pressure, he’ll give in. He puts them down on the floor because while Leon is strong, carrying both girls at once can certainly be an arduous task.
“Okay, bedtime’s at–” you begin as you come back with all of the girls’ stuff, but you stop as you remember that Leon is also their parent. He doesn’t need you to detail everything out for him, he can figure anything out.
“Bedtime’s when?” He doesn’t dismiss the words so easily. He has them every weekend, and when he doesn’t he makes sure to spend a lot of time with them. At this rate he should know when bedtime is.
“Figure it out,” you say as you hand him their stuff. He ends up humming in response, putting their bags over his shoulders.
This is the part where you begin to say your goodbyes and you begin your weekend. Except things aren’t going to be so easy with Leon, not while he’s staring you down like a hawk.
“What are your plans tonight again?” He won’t leave until he gets an answer, and while you think of a lie to satisfy his curiosity, your daughters seem to have another plan for you.
“Mommy’s meeting with a friend,” your eldest chimes in, earning a glare from you. Leon furrows his brows, looking back and forth between you and Diana. You clench your jaw, trying to remain calm, knowing that getting upset at your daughter isn’t going to say anything– You should’ve just kept your mouth shut when they asked why you were wearing the pretty dress. Did you really expect your daughters to stay quiet?
“Friend?” he asks, and you nod in response, nearly looking down at the floor as if you were a teenager that’s been caught redhanded. You and Leon have been separated for a while, there’s nothing for you to be ashamed of, yet you’re embarrassed. Though you greet him with the prettiest dress you have on, he wasn’t supposed to figure it out.
“Mommy’s allowed to have friends, is she not? Is she just supposed to stay inside and– Oh would you look at the time! I think you have to get going.” You try to avert their attention, though it’s not going to work so easily on Leon. Still, your hand goes to his back and you begin to guide him to the door. You look back at your daughters and motion for them to follow. “C’mon girls, daddy is waiting for you.”
“Is this friend someone I know or–”
“Why don’t you go take the girls for ice cream? There’s a new ice cream parlor just around the block,” you cut him off with the one thing the girls can resist, and you know you’ve won when they both chime in agreement. Quickly it becomes too loud for Leon to hear his own thoughts, and a subtle smile appears on your face, knowing that you’ve won.
– – –
“You said you’re a lawyer, right? What kind of law do you practice?” you ask, trying to keep conversation flowing during your first date. You can’t even remember the last time you went on a first date– You didn’t remember it being this tedious. Perhaps it’s because your date can’t keep a proper conversation flowing. Or maybe it’s because you’re not that comfortable with each other yet.
He begins to answer the question but the words don’t quite register in your mind because you see something from the corner of your eye. You hum in response, nodding as if you were actually listening to the string of words but instead you’re staring at a table in the corner. That hat looks… Oddly familiar.
“What do you do?” He gets your attention once again, but only for a minute. Your eyes quickly go back to that table in the corner, trying to decipher what bugs you about it. Your date clears his throat, making you look back at him.
“Oh, I do a lot,” you answer. And just as you’re about to give a couple more details, a familiar giggle catches your attention. Your eyes narrow as you try to figure out what goes on in the corner. You’re definitely making a bad impression, but that thought is the least of your concerns.
“Like what?” he replies, though he doesn’t get any sort of response. You stand up, putting your index finger up and giving him a sheepish smile.
“Will you excuse me for a second?” He doesn’t get the chance to answer before you’re out of his sight, walking to the table with a sense of authority. The closer you get, the madder you get as you put a face to the giggles.
You slam your hands on the table, loud enough to startle them but not loud enough to cause a scene. You glare at your ex-husband and your daughters, whispering in a threatening voice, “What are you three doing here?”
You take off the stupid hats on their heads, staring at them in disbelief.
“We were just grabbing dinner,” Leon claims, putting his hands up defensively, making the girls mimic him. You roll your eyes, knowing that the excuse would have been believable if they didn’t look so ridiculous.
Leon notes that murderous look in your eye, and he can’t help but be grateful about the fact that he’s in public. You would have his head on a silver platter if you didn’t have any witnesses.
“And you two.” You turn your attention to your daughters. You don’t even know what to say to them. You simply shake your head in disappointment.
You’re about to turn on your heel and walk away from them, back to your date, but you don’t want to walk away too fast. You look back at your ex-husband and put out your hand. “You’re paying for dinner, give me a card.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He sighs, pulling out his wallet to do just as you say.
“You three are in so much trouble,” you warn them before walking away, going back to your date.
You want to pretend like nothing has happened, but that’s impossible with your ex-husband and your daughters right around the corner.
– – –
“You three are–” You raise your voice as you enter your home, only to be promptly shushed by your ex-husband. He sits on your couch, looking through photo albums that you have of the girls. You click your tongue as you walk over to him. “How did you even get in here?”
He holds up your spare key. “Under the welcome mat? I thought I taught you better.”
“Why is your car in my driveway?” You cross your arms, staring down the man that makes himself a little too comfortable in your home. He doesn’t even look up at you.
“Wanted to make sure you got home safe. That guy looked funny.”
“You’re an asshole.” You roll your eyes, plopping down on the space next to him. You let out an exasperated sigh before asking, “So what? Are you spending the night here too?”
“You have a guest room,” he answers, fighting back a smirk because he knows that’s not where he’s sleeping tonight. “How was it? Considering you’re alone–”
“I don’t fuck on the first date,” you claim, making him scoff.
“You sure? That’s how we ended up with the first one,” he responds, making you hit his arm. It’s not a lie, but he isn’t supposed to mention it so casually.
“I’m not like that anymore and–” you sigh. “He’s an asshole. Certainly wasn’t too impressed when I told him my ex-husband and kids were spying on me.”
“We weren’t spying on you, we just happened to go to the same restaurant,” he argues, an excuse that even the most gullible person wouldn’t buy.
“You live forty minutes to an hour away from that place, Leon,” you reply, and he simply hums in response. He can make up any lie he wants, and he knows you won’t buy it. It’s not worth wasting his breath.
“Oh look, here’s the picture of Diana holding Anastasia for the first time,” he says, pointing at the picture that feels like eons ago. Your heart melts and you get pouty as you see your babies. “We make the cutest babies.”
“Don’t try to switch the subject.” You frown when you notice what he’s trying to do. For a moment he succeeded, but Leon should know better. You won’t let a grudge go easily.
“Can’t I make a simple observation?” He laughs, closing the photo album and putting it down on the coffee table. Frankly, the pages that were coming up were just of the girls fighting which is an act he gets to see every time he’s in their presence. Nothing special.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” You click your tongue before another sight leaves your lips. The night has been rough.
“How was your date though? Did you enjoy yourself?” Leon asks, noticing just how annoyed you look. He could’ve told you at first glance that the date wouldn’t have ended well, the guy looked like a total douchebag. Although that’s what Leon thinks of every person that’s within your proximity.
The last thing you want is to talk to your ex-husband about the date that he attempted to spy on. You don’t really want to share any of the grimy details with him, but you have no one else to talk to. And you need to complain. “I’m never talking to a man again.”
“That bad?” he replies and you hum in response. “I could gather he was an asshole the moment I saw him.”
“You made the situation worse,” you point out, and he frowns. Before he can even begin to defend himself, you say, “Having to explain what you did to him was awkward.”
“I would’ve laughed,” he argues, and you scoff. It’s easy to paint yourself as a saint when you’re not in that situation.
“You would’ve been pissed,” you say, and he doesn’t dare contradict you.
You take off your heels, slowly settling into the home. You’re sinking into the couch, though you can’t get too comfortable with the dress you have on. It fits you perfectly but it’s hard to breathe in when you sit down.
“You need help with the dress? It looks uncomfortable,” he offers, and you shake your head. You’re quite sure you can reach to your back and take it off– You don’t need his help for anything. “Suit yourself.”
“The food was awful too,” you share, and he chuckles.
“Tell me about it,” he hums.
“Go run me a bath,” you order, deciding that if he wants to make himself comfortable in your home, he might as well be useful. He stands up, following your orders blindly. A subtle smile appears on your face, and you can’t help but feel slightly happy at the fact that he’s here to do whatever you wish after your date.
You stand up and walk to the kitchen to get yourself a treat while you wait for your bath. Your eyes are searching the fridge for something that your daughters haven’t already devoured, when buzzing from the couch catches your attention. Your ears perk up, and you close the fridge. Your sweet tooth dies down for a moment, curiosity getting the best of you.
You quickly realize it’s nothing, it’s simply Leon’s phone on your couch– Who’s calling him at this hour?
“Leon, your phone–” You raise your voice just enough to say that you’ve made the attempt, but not loud enough for him to actually hear. You look down at the phone, and shrug. “Since he’s not here to pick up the phone.”
You grab the phone, and furrow your brows at the contact name… Why is a woman calling him? Your breath gets caught up in your chest and you stare at the phone completely dumbfounded. For a moment your thumb acts on its own, and you’re so dangerously close to swiping right and picking up the phone. But luckily, his voice snaps you out of the trance you find yourself in.
“Hey, your bath is ready will you–”
You throw the phone back on the couch and you run as if you were attempting to escape something. Leon is walking out of the bathroom but you drag his hand and bring him back inside. His body doesn’t even attempt to fight back, blindly trusting you.
“What’s up with you?” he asks, looking at the mirror and noticing the smirk on your face. You smirk but there’s a certain spark in your eyes. You look furious, as if he had done something– Other than crashing your date with your daughters.
“Will you help me take off my dress, Leon? It’s really hard to reach back there.” You put on that sickening sweet voice which you always use to get something you want. He almost laughs, unsure of why you use it because he knows that what you want is something he’s willing to offer with no complaints.
“Of course, sweetheart,” he answers, hands going to your back and dragging down the zipper of your dress. His cheeks burn when he sees the cute little set that you’ve decided to wear tonight– You were definitely planning on getting lucky tonight, it’s such a shame that your date turned out to be an asshole. Shame for the other dude, Leon is licking his lips and enjoying the view.
“Your eyes are going to pop out of your head,” you comment as you finish taking off the dress, throwing it on top of the sink. You turn to face him, getting a good look at him. “Have you gone on any dates, Leon?”
“Why do you ask?” he asks, not able to look past your chest. It’s the worst time to have a serious conversation. He gulps when he notices reach behind your back to undo your bra.
“No reason.” You shake your head. He watches you unclasp your bra, his breath hitching as he waits in anticipation.
“You know I can help you–” he offers when you take off your bra. All the blood rushes to his dick and it takes everything in him to remain composed. His eyes are glued to your breasts as if it was his first time seeing them.
When he steps toward you, you put your hand on his chest and stop him in his tracks.
“Who’s Ada?” you ask, and he frowns.
“Nobody,” he claims. You smile at him before pushing him away.
“Turn around and go to bed then,” you answer.
“Babe you know–” he begins but you don’t give him a chance to sweet talk himself into joining your bath.
“Bed. Now,” you cut him off.
“Yes, ma’am.” He relinquishes, courtly nodding before turning around and leaving you to bathe alone. Perhaps next time he should plan past the crashing your date part of the night, but in his books this is a partial win.