Chapter Text
Skeppy had just finished a recording with Bad when it happened. They stayed on call for another half an hour, discussing yet another divorce. It was all just fanservice, Zak had said countless times that they were nothing more than best friends and Darryl... Darryl always avoided the question pretending to be dumb.
They bid their goodbyes, Bad saying that he needs to walk Rat and Skeppy decides to go eat...
For once, he was not ordering out... since he decided to finish the Chinese he ordered yesterday. He should really learn how to cook.
It was quiet and peaceful so when his doorbell rang he literally jumped out of his skin.
“What the-“ he put down his food and skipped to the door, opening it ready to tell whoever was there that they had the wrong apartment. But there was no one there.
“Huh... must be someone pranking me. Oooh! I should pay someone to do that to Bad!” Zak giggled jumping up excitedly and started to close the door. That was when he heard a gentle cooing noise at his feet.
When Zak looked down his brain literally circuited. There was a basket with bundle of blankets in it, which was moving and making the weird noises.
That was a baby. Someone left a child at his doorstep.
Out of all people. Him. He was absolutely the worst possible choice! He had no idea how to take care of a baby! He could hardly take care of himself, how would he handle a baby?!
Before spiraled into panic even further he practically forced himself to calm down and slowly lifted the basket, carrying it inside.
“Okay, um...” he set it on the counter and peered inside as a pair of green eyes stared back at him. “Hi! I’m... Zak. I would ask you what’s your name but eh... I don’t think you can speak yet...”
They stared at each other and the child reached for him making Zak flinch. “Oh, um... hi... what do I- oh, no, no... please don’t cry, um... here!”
Zak could not watch as those green eyes filled with tears so in the next second a small hand was wrapping around his finger and the baby was laughing:
“Heh, yeah, that’s better isn’t?... I would not know what to do if you cried. Aww, you’re so pretty cute when you laugh.” Zak smiled, loving how the baby’s eyes sparkled when it giggled. “What’s your name? Oh, wait we already determined that you can’t speak... where did you come from?”
In reply the baby gurgled and put Zak’s thumb into its mouth. “... You’re hungry, aren’t you?... why do I keep talking to you, like you are going to reply? You’re a child! Okay, anyway.... food. What do you feed a baby?”
Zak sighed, carefully freed his hand and cringed when the baby started whining at the lost of contact.
“Shhh... wait a second. I’ll just check what I have that I can give you...” He opened the fridge and froze up. His mind went blank. What do babies eat? He could not cook well. What if he messes up? What if he hurts the baby? How does one even hold a baby? What if... the baby starts crying?
“Umm... so. I actually have no idea what to feed you. But!” He turned to the baby, shutting the fridge and making funny faces. “But I have a reliable source that I can call and ask for help! Just give me a second, darling!”
Zak leaned onto the counter giving one of his hands back to the child who happily held onto his fingers, putting one of them in its mouth and making small happy squeaky sounds. With the other he opened his phone trying to find a certain contact who would definitely help him.
“Yes, Geppy?” A cheerful voice rang through the speaker and Zak smiled in relief. “We spoke half an hour ago. Did you miss me?”
“What?! Bad!” The quiet giggles he got in return made him roll his eyes and smile wider. That in turn made the child smile and coo as well.
“I know you missed me! Anyway! What’s up?”
“I, um... okay I’ll just say it.” Zak took a deep breath, preparing himself for a lot of questions. “What do you feed a baby?”
There were a few beats of silence and then Bad spoke in the most suspicious voice ever:
“... Why do you need to know that...?”
“Okay, I know it just sounds suspicious but... there was a baby in a basket at my doorstep.” If Zak had any free hands he would have facepalmed at how stupid he sounded.
“Okay, yeah. Sure, Skeppy. A baby at your doorstep! Is that the best you could come up with today?” Hearing that his friend get annoyed scared Zak. He knew that Bad would never hang up on him, even if he’s angry but right now he needed Darryl to believe him.
“I’m not lying though! There really was a baby at my doorstep and-“
“Geppy, this is not a good troll, just so you know.”
“Darryl. Please, I’m... I’m not lying or trolling. I promise. There was a child in a basket at my doorstep and I took it inside and it almost started crying but I calmed it and now it’s hungry and.... And I have no idea what to do...” his voice got smaller and smaller as he rambled on and on and the last phrase came out as a tiny: “...help?”
“Okay. First of all. Stop freaking out, Zak. Calm down, You’re gonna be fine, the child is gonna be fine. I’ll be there soon, alright?” Darryl’s voice was gentle and very cornered, Zak could hear him get up and start typing as he said that.
“You will?”
“Of course, I will. I can’t live you alone in a situation like this... I’m getting a ticket right now.”
“Oh god, thank you!” The relief was evident in Zak’s voice, but it quickly faltered as they baby made an upset noise sending Zak into another wave of panic. “Darryl, it’s upset! What do I do?!
“Always... Um, do you have milk?” It was is hard to help without actually being there but Darryl was really trying. At the same time he was buying the earliest flight to Zak’s place he could find... and a special ticket for Rat. He could not find a place for her to stay, plus he did not know how long he would be gone for. So the safest bet was to take care with.
“Yeah... do I heat it?” Zak put Darryl on speaker and started gently rocking the basket trying to calm the baby who was getting more and more upset.
“Yes. Heat it and check that it’s not too hot on your skin before you feed the baby.” Zak heard the older man walk around, probably starting to pack. God, he couldn’t be happier that Darryl was coming. He could not do this alone. “Technically you need a baby bottle. But you don’t have that so um... you can use a medicine cup or a shot glass.”
“Okay, got it!” Zak got up and got the milk out of the fridge, pouring it out into a small pot and putting it on the oven.
“Also, you keep calling the baby it. Is it a girl or a boy?”
“How would I know?! It can’t speak yet!” Zak exclaimed, hearing a very loud sigh in reply.
“You check, Zak. You check.” Darryl sounded tired and jokingly disappointed. He got it. In a situation like this it’s easy to forget the most basic things.
“Oh. Oh! Yeah, you’re right.” Zak burst out in embarrassed laughter and leaned over the baby moving the blankets. “Well, I have two news! So far there is no diaper change needed! And it’s a girl!”
“Great!” Darryl chuckled at how excited Zak got at the discovery. “Check the milk. Careful, don’t burn yourself.”
“It’s warm! Not hot enough to burn your mouth but warm enough to drink!” Before Darryl could answer the baby made a very upset screech so Zak poured the milk into the medicine cup and hurried over. “Right so... how do I do this?”
“Well, first you need to make sure she’s calm so... I suggest holding and rocking her?”
“You want me to hold a baby... by myself?” Zak put the cup with the milk down and hovered over the baby, not knowing how to hold her correctly. “Uh, Darl, I’m not sure... this is a good idea. I can hurt her.”
“Hey, hey, you’ll do great. Make sure to always support her head and neck and be very careful, okay?” Darryl’s voice was warm and comforting and Zak sighed in reply. It’s not like he had a choice. It’s either he holds her or she starves.
“Fine, but when you get here you are singing her to sleep.” Zak mumbled and looked at the baby. There were a few beats of silence as the two of them stared at each silently, a storm building up in those green eyes. But just as she started whining, about to start crying, Zak gently scooped her up. “Whoa... she’s so tiny. Hi there, baby girl...”
Darryl chuckles into the phone as the baby lets out a small huff and proceeds to kick Zak. “Oh, she’s sassy!” Zak laughed and gave her his hoodie string to hold on to as he walked around the room, trying to calm the baby. “Aw, Bad, she’s so cute...”
“She probably is. Just... be careful. You can’t get attached just yet.”
“Why not?” Zak frowned. If Bad was by his side he could very well...
“You don’t know if you will be allowed to keep her. Maybe her parents are looking for her, or she has relatives somewhere...”
“There was no note or anything.” Zak mumbled and sighed, knowing that Darryl was right. Still. She was so tiny and adorable and... “Oh, she calmed down! What’s next?”
“Seat her in an up on your lap, and hold her, so she doesn’t fall. Place the edge of the cup to her lower lip.” Darryl sounded like he almost dropped something. He was currently packing his computer since he figured, he would stay with Zak for a while. “Don’t pour the milk into her mouth, rather tilt the cup so that milk touches her lip, and she can lap it up herself.... like a cat. Got it?”
“Uuuh... yep. Think so.” Zak carefully sat down, stabilising the girl on his lap. She was still holding onto his hoodie strings and staring intensely making Zak coo softly. “Aww, here you go, cutie...”
He heard Darryl chuckle at his high-pitched baby talk and was ready to tease him about the way the older man talked to his dog when the baby started to hungrily drink the milk and Zak’s breath got snatched away.
She was so... real. Maybe it was because Zak was never this close with a baby before, but something being able to hold a living child, to feed her and to have her trust you was... mesmerizing. And Zak soon realised that he did not want to let her go.
“Zak? Are you there? It’s been five minutes...?”
“Oh! Yeah, sorry!” Zak snapped out of his trance realizing that the baby had drank all of the milk and now was leaning onto him, her tiny hands holding onto his blue hoodie. “I got... distracted. She finished eating.”
“Great. Will you be able to handle changing diapers by yourself? Wait, do you even have one for her?”
“Yep! There’s a spare one in the basket!” Zak answered after glancing into the said object. The diaper was hidden under all the blankets, alone with a pretty silver rattle. “I think I’ll handle it. But can you buy all the baby stuff on your way here?”
“Of course I can!... at least we know we don’t need a crib.” Skeppy groaned at that not even noticing that he was subconsciously rocking the baby girl and patting her back softly.
“Dude, shut up! I have 5 of them!” Darryl laughed in reply and Zak smiled. They will see each other soon. They actually completed their promised and met up before the end of 2020. Now it was September 2021, Zak was 21 and Darryl was 26. Presumably he will have to spend his birthday with Zak. Which was actually great. “Anyway... when is your flight?”
“In 3 hours. I hope you don’t mind that I’m bringin Rat?”
“Of course not! I bet she and Rocco are gonna hit it off!” Zak giggled and the girl copied him smiling and pulling on his hoodie until he gave her his hand. “I’ll let you pack, Bad.”
“Alright. Call me if you need anything, literally anything, though. Okay?”
“So I can bother you if I’m hungry?” Zak smirked and started giggling like crazy.
“Geppy! You know what I mean!” Darryl started grumbling and scoffed softly. That muffin head. “You can finish yesterday’s takeout if your hungry.... and tomorrow I’ll feed you homemade food!”
“Homemade food, yes!” Zak cheered, laughing quietly not wanting to disturb the peaceful child. He didn’t eat homemade food since he visited his parents, which was at least two months ago... somewhere around his birthday. “See you soon, Bad. Love you!”
“Love you too, Geppy! Remember, don’t get too attached.” With that the older man hanged up and Zak was left alone with the baby.
“Well, uh... what do we do now?” Zak asked the baby cradling her tiny warm body in his arms. The girl stretched out her hand hands towards his face and Zak leaned in, allowing her small hands roam over his cheeks. “Aww, little princess...”
“Ah! Hair, honey, no!” Zak hissed, pressing closer close with one hand, making sure her head is resting on his elbow. With the other hand tried to pry the little fingers from his hair. “Darling, you’re hurting me. Come on... I’ll get you the Badboyhalo plush I got sent to my PO box.”
——
Half an hour later, they were in Zak’s room on the floor. Zak had laid out all the toy ducks he had got and now he and the baby girl were moving them across the floor. She could not crawl yet and it was mostly just Zak moving them around, chatting away a story he was coming up with right this moment... while the girl watched and munched on a top hat duck laughing sweetly.
“-And then the superhero duckie saved the duckie town and put away the criminal duckie to prison so, um...” Zak contemplated deciding how to story should go on, since he though children’s stories should have a good ending for everyone. At least the ones he came up with. “And the criminal duckie had stayed there until he understood that stealing toes was not good! While all the other duckies lived happily ever after!”
The girl laughed, clearly not understanding a thing but still happy. She made soft bubble noises and reached for Zak’s hand letting go of the top hat duck. Zak, of course, complied and gave her his hand, smiling as small fingers curled up around one of his.
“You’re so tiny... I can’t believe how tiny and fragile you are...” He mumbled running his free hand through his hair. “Anyways. I can’t wait for Bad to get here. I haven’t seen him since last year, and I miss his huuu- cooking. I miss his cooking.”
They fell silent the girl just holding onto him and Zak staring at her. He had these thoughts... which as Bad said were dangerous to have right now.
“Okay. It’s... actually very late so, how about we take a bath, change your diaper and go nap?” Zak sang lifting the girl up and heading to the bathroom.
While his little guest waited in the basket, he filled the bathtub, with warm water instead of money this time, and placed the top hat duck that she liked so much into the water.
Taking the diaper off was easy, Zak gagged only once and threw it away and cleaned her with wipes. He also thought that he should get used to this only once too... okay maybe more than once.
She clearly was scared of water at first and started crying. And Zak was not sure what to do once again. He paced around the bathroom rocking the crying child and then sweet talked his way into lowering her into the warm water. That was more for him than for her, since she clearly did not understand and was getting anxious because of her crying.
The water distracted her for a bit, but she was still very upset. Zak sat on the floor next to the bathtub and held her steady in the water carefully pouring water on her head while making sure doesn’t swallow any of the bath water. This was hard. He really needed Darryl here soon.
The bath lasted 10 minutes at most and after that the girl was wrapped in a fluffy towel, and seemed a little bit happier. That was until they had to put the clean diaper on. She started kicking and screaming and Zak teared up because, god, this was hard. And Bad was flying right now, so he could call him!
“Oh, come on. Please, please, please let me...” Zak breathed in sharply finally putting on the diaper and getting one of the blankets from the basket to keep her warm. “Finally. I’m sorry, um... here! Look!”
He placed the girl in a small pillow next he made and grabbed the rattle that he found in the basket. It was a silver, ornamented angel that sang in the softest bell ringing ever. It looked quite antique and made Zak wonder where it actually came from.
“It’s your rattle... I’m.. uh... do you want it... maybe?” Zak shook the rattle in front of the girl face. Once again he had no idea what to do. He was tired and a bit scared, and she just kept crying and crying and-
Oh.
When did she stop? The only one crying was now Zak.
“Oh, um... is this... better?” He shook the rattle again and her eyes followed the toy, as she started reaching for it. And Zak gave her the toy, wiping his eyes. “You’re quite the storm aren’t you?... both the storm and very much so the sunshine...”
Zak fell silent watching the girl play with the rattle. Darryl told him not to but...
“I think I have the perfect name for you...”
———
This was by far the most bizarre situation Darryl has ever been in. He didn’t believe Zak at first, because... a baby on his doorstep. Really? That only happens in movies.
But then, Zak sounded so scared and panicked... and Darryl knew his best friend. He could not leave that muffinhead alone in which a state, so he got the earliest flight. Payed extra for Rat and took off!
He was really worried but also happy he will finally get to see his best friend again. Rat was mostly behaving, yapping only a few times but Darryl calmed her down.
One last thing...
Darryl first got an Uber to the shops, or more specifically to Walmart, to get all the baby things needed. Diapers, formula, bottle, a pacifier. He had babysat and worked with little kids before so shopping was pretty easy... he also bought her one soft baby suit, that was practical... and a muffin hat. They have to go to the police today so it’s better to have a well-dressed child!
He also bought a lot of food since he knew that a mouse hanged itself in Zak’s fridge. The only food that you could find in there was left over take out and if you’re lucky, some milk or juice. So Darryl bought dough, eggs, everything to make a chicken soup and steak with potatoes for dinner. He could make jacket potato and fry or steam some steak...
Finally, he got out of the Uber carrying his language, Rat’s carrier and all the things he got to Zak’s apartment door.
Last time Zak visited him, but Darryl vaguely knew where to go. Thankfully he did not get lost.
Instead of ringing the door bell, he knocked and when he got no answer, he called Zak instead.
“...Bad?” Darryl hummed softly and frowned at how sleepy and tired Zak sounded. The younger did not see to realise what was going on yet.
“I’m here, Skeppy.” Instead of an answer a phone was thrown down, hopefully on the bed and Darryl chuckled as he heard footsteps running towards the door.
The next thing he knew, that door swing open and Zak was hanging on him, rambling on like crazy:
“Oh, god! Thank you for coming! I love you! This is so hard, but she is so tiny and cute and-“
“Hey, hey, hey... slow down.” Darryl hugged back but then let go putting his hands on Zak’s shoulder and carefully watching his face. “I’m here. You did so well on your own. But I’m here now. It’s gonna be okay.”
“...yeah. Yeah, you’re here.” Zak repeated quietly, staying in Darryl’s embrace for a minute. “Um, come on in. Let me help you...”
Zak snatched Rat’s carrier letting the dog out while Darryl carried the things inside and put all the food in the fridge.
“So... can I meet the reason of my presence?” Darryl joked leaning back on the kitchen counter and smiling at Zak softly.
“Oh! Yeah! Of course! Let me go, get her!” Zak exclaimed and ran off to get the girl, while Darryl looked around. The kitchen was simple but clean. Bad wanted to believe it was because Zak managed to be responsible, but he knew it was really because Skeppy did not use it much. “Here she is! Her name is Autumn!”
Zak returned showing off the sleepy girl in his arms.
“You left her alone- Zak, you're not supposed to do that! Aww! Isn’t she the most adorable- wait what?!” Darryl started to coo over the beautiful child, but then he processed what Zak said. “You named her...?”
“Yes! Her name is Autumn!” Zak giggled and stroked the girl’s black curls. They were fluffy or long but they were there.
“Zak, she is gorgeous but... “
“I know, I know. Not to get attached but... um...” Darryl sighed, he knew what Zak was going to say. He did not necessarily think it was a bad idea but it was better to think things through properly first.
“Yes?”
“I think I want to keep her.” Zak mumbled and looked up expecting to see disappointment in Darryl’s face. But Darryl was just silently watching him with warmth and adoration and not even an ounce of disappointment. “I just think that... if someone left her. With that expensive rattle and cashmere blankets, then they definitely don’t want her. Maybe it was a teenage pregnancy or her family died or something else but... all I know is that she needs me... she needs us.”
“I understand.” He sighed and put his hand on Zak’s shoulder leaning to the baby. Autumn suddenly got shy and hid her face in Zak’s T-shirt making Darryl giggle. “Listen, we can go to the police today and sort everything out, but um... You don’t think ahead in years or months: you think about this hour, and maybe the next. Anything else is speculation. We live with the decisions we make, Zak. That’s what bravery is. Standing by the consequences of your mistakes. And you are one of the bravest people, I know.”
Darryl blushed darkly, glancing away. He might have said a bit too much and now Zak was staring at him in complete awe and shock.
He couldn’t help it. Zak looked so soft, holding Autumn. So soft and sleepy, with his hair all messed up and eyes glowing with determination to keep the child. He was freaking out for nothing, of course, he had a few things to learn but from what he could see, he had great parental instincts.
“Anyway, what I am trying to say is... is what you want, I’ll stand by you, no matter what.”
Zak was completely speechless. He did not expect... that.
“I’m so lucky that I have you in my life, Darryl.” Zak mumbled, leaning on Darryl fully. “I’m sure you’ll love her too.”
Zak snickered seeing as Darryl opened his mouth to interrupt, but he didn’t let him continuing on:
“Can we go now? I want to get this over with...”
Darryl chuckled quietly and nodded, taking out formula and a baby bottle and preparing some food for Autumn for later.
“Yeah. Let’s go. We can figure this out along the way.”