Chapter Text
The sound of chortling hung like bursting stars in the air and Finn took a moment to let it sink in. She smiled, a wide, childish thing as she watched Xan and Teag chase each other around the room. They flung their smelly socks at each other, as if they were catapults, and Finn wrinkled her nose fondly. "Lads, you've just had your baths. I don't want to be tucking stinky boys into bed."
Xan laughed hysterically at that, doubled over and gasping as his usually shy brother aimed and shot his sock. It flew through the air, until it landed, floppy and draped over his head. That set him off further, until Teag joined in and began to laugh. Soon enough, the laughter was so infectious that Finn couldn't help but giggle as she tried to wrangle the boys into their bedroom.
Both she and Yaz had intermittently taken turns in babysitting for Bel when her husband Vinder would come home. His work consisted of long haul flights and he often spent a long time away from home. But when he was home, Bel would take him out for a date. Though they'd been together for years, Finn noted that the married couple seemed in a perpetual honeymoon period. That made her smile again. and her thoughts drifted to Yaz who was no doubt just starting her night shift.
Finn sighed as she thought of her own partner, out on the streets of Sheffield on a Friday night. Yaz working through the night always worried her, but she knew her girlfriend could hold her own. The weight of the world often sat on the officer's shoulders, though, and working nights would make Yaz grumpy and sometimes a little withdrawn.
The blur of a hand waving in front of her face caught her attention, and she plastered on a smile. "Finn's daydreaming," Xan proclaimed. She rolled her eyes, caught red-handed.
To be fair to the boys, they'd both calmed down in their own time and were now peering at her curiously, having placed their socks carefully in the washing baskets.
"Right," Finn clapped her hands together, knowing she had their full attention. "Bath, check. Teeth brushed, check. Clothes put away, check." She looked at the seven year old who puffed his chest out proudly while his brother, a year younger, looked on with a grin on his face. "What's next?"
"You know that, Finn," Teag piped up boldly.
"Oh I do, do I?" Finn chuckled, huffing when he climbed into her lap. "Ooff, you're getting heavy."
"Oi," Teag giggled. It was his new favourite word, and he'd obviously learned it from Yaz which made Finn grin even wider. He pressed his head to her shoulder and sucked on his thumb. "Story," he murmured.
Finn asked, "What story should we have today?" She opened her arms for a very envious Xan who stood shuffling on his feet. He dashed into her right side, and Finn soaked up the moment as she hugged them both.
"Night Pirates," came the instant reply from both of them.
"Again?" Finn laughed. She peered at the boys, her mind quickly coming up with a plan. "How about you read it, Xan?" She looked down at him, and he quickly blushed.
"Me?"
"Sure, you know it off by heart and your reading is smashing."
He stared at her, unsure. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Finn chucked his chin. "I'm sure you'll be grand."
"You can do it," Teag chirped, enjoying being rocked in Finn's arms.
Xan preened, and hopped over to the bookshelf to find the well loved book, its edges worn. It was tradition for them to have the story read in Xan's bed, so he tottered over and gestured wildly for the other two to join him. Teag scrambled off of Finn's lap and bounced over to the bed, though his eyes looked sleepy and the cuddle seemed to have quietened him down exponentially.
Finn smiled as she settled down onto the floor next to the bed, watching with delight as the lads tucked themselves into bed, huddled together. Xan opened the book, starting from the beginning. The very beginning. Finn watched as he traced Umbreen's handwriting, then announced the name of the book and the author.
As he read, Finn's mind wandered, her thoughts on Yaz once more. She’d heard and read this book so many times before. She thought about Yaz's desire for adventure, her loneliness and the way she talked about her struggles growing up. She thought about how her eyes lit up when she saw her, and how her shoulders sunk with relief when she came home.
She thought about how different her life was, having found a family of her own and how Tom in the story was swept away from home, Finn was brought right home to her own space and her own love. Her eyes twinkled with tears as she listened to Xan reading, his arms gesturing grandly and his eyes expressive as anything.
She coughed back the tears that threatened to fall but the boys were none the wiser, caught up in their favourite story.
When the book ended, Finn took it from Xan and tucked it under her arm. Teag had curled up next to his brother and snuggled close, half asleep already. She shared a fond look with Xan who was trying not to giggle. "Teag, time for bed."
He nodded sleepily, but made no move to leave.
"He can sleep in my bed," Xan said softly. "He just snores a bit." Sure enough, Teag was already out like a light.
"That okay with you?" Finn laughed gently. He nodded with a smile. "Alright," she watched him shuffle down in bed. "Goodnight, Xan." She bent down to smooth a thumb over his forehead, smiling as he closed his eyes.
"Night, Finn."
As she turned, she heard him pipe up with a question she wasn't expecting, and though it shocked her, it warmed her to the core. Her face heated too, and she couldn't help the blush from colouring her cheeks. "Finn," Xan had whispered, "Are you going to get married to Yaz?"
Finn felt her heart race and looked down at the ring on her middle finger. She swallowed then nibbled her lip, her heart clenching so forcefully she forgot how to breathe. When her chest finally rose and fell, and she took in some air, she said "If Yaz wants that, then maybe." A smile graced her lips as she thought about it. "Maybe one day."
He grinned, seeming happy with that answer and wriggled under his duvet until he was comfy. Finn cleared her throat softly as she dimmed the lights until they were off and the night light plugged into the socket shone, a protective glow surrounding the room. "Sleep well, lads," Finn whispered and left the room.
The rest of her babysitting was spent daydreaming, half watching an old episode of Horizon, though her mind was closer to making her own personal discoveries, rather than those of science.