The Maybank Zoo
Word Count: 941
Pairing: Dad!JJ
JJ Maybank never thought he’d see the day his daughter toddled inside with a toad in her hands. He never cared for the creatures, and you were absolutely terrified of them. So you couldn’t help but shriek when she came inside with a large frog cradled in her small hands.
“Daddy, look!” She beamed, pushing her hands up toward him.
“What do you have there, bug?”
“A froggie! Uncle B saw it on the boat: he’s hungry, daddy; we have ta’ feed him!”
“Yeah?” He smiled as he pushed her sweaty hair away from her forehead, and she nodded. “What does he eat? Should we get him… pizza?” The laugh his sweet girl let out made his heart squeeze as he tried to commit this moment to memory.
“Daddy! Froggies don’t eat pizza! You’re so silly!” She giggled as she placed the wriggling frog on the dining room table.
You let out a shiver as the small amphibian wiped its eyes clean. “Jesse James, get that frog off of my
table!”
“No mama! He’s so hungry,” Florence whined.
“You can feed him outside, bug. He doesn’t need to dirty my table,.” you frowned.
“He can’t eat outside, mama! Where is he supposed to sit?”
Yeah, mama, where is he supposed to sit?” JJ smirked as he nudged your arm with his elbow, eyebrows raised.
“On the floor, where he lives!”
C'mon, daddy, we have to find him some crickets!” She smiles and takes his hand before leading him back outside, leaving you alone with the slimy frog.
“Woah!” Florence gasped as John B hauled a huge fish into the boat.
“See that Flo-Flo?” He grins.
“Yup! He’s just so big—he’s huge! Daddy, he’s bigger than my hand!”
JJ can’t help but laugh at her comparison, considering almost everything is bigger than her tiny hand.
“I see that! You wanna name him?”
“Oh! I’m gonna name him Nemo!”
“Nah, this is my dinner, bug.” John B. clarified as he tossed the fish into the ice bucket.
Her face drops into one of absolute horror, turning to JJ.
“But he’s my friend, Uncle B. I named him! I was gonna take him home,” she frowned
and crossed her chubby little arms over her chest.
“What about the other two fish at home? Your two Nemos?”
“They need a friend!”
“Baby, this fish will eat your Nemos,” JJ explains.
Her eyes widen, and she turns to John B. “Eat him, Uncle B!”
As her uncles and dad continued to fish, Florence sat cross-legged with her cute little bucket hat as she named each and every worm in the bucket.
“An’ you’re Mrs. Stretch, ‘cause you’re so long!” She squealed to herself as she placed it to the side. She wiped her hands on her little shorts before she swiped her hand over her sweaty forehead. She stood and wobbled over to where Pope sat with a beer. As she plopped herself into his lap, she raised the hand still holding the fascinatingly large worm up for him to see.
“I named her Mrs. Stretch cause she’s huge! Uncle Pope she’s as long as my foot - yet another laughable comparison.
“I think she’s longer than that, babe! That’s a Whipworm,” he said as he let her place the creature in his hands.
“You playin’ with my bait, bug?” JJ teased.
“‘M not playing, daddy! I’m takin’ care of ‘em,” she said matter-of-factly.
The name bug dates back to Florence’s very first word. Sitting against JJ in the garden, Florence sat in your lap, facing away, as she admired all the new and interesting sights. An ant had crawled up her little leg, and instead of shrieking in horror like most babies would, she smiled, looked back at her parents, and pointed.
“What’s that, Flo?” JJ cooed.
She all but cackled at the insect that tickled her delicate skin as it walked.
“Is that a little bug, Flo-Flo?” You smiled and said, “Is it so funny, baby?”
“Bug!” She exclaimed.
Wha-?” You gasped.
“Did she? That’s her first word? Baby, she said her first word!”
“Oh my god! She said bug! Did you hear it, J?”
“What’s that, baby?” He asked as he took her tiny hand.
“Bug! Ba!” Florence squealed.
“Are you our little bug, huh, baby? Our sweet little bug?” You giggled as you held her up to litter kisses all over her cheeks.
Although you and JJ didn't care for the slimy creatures Florence loved to bring home, you couldn’t help but feel your heart melt at the absolute tenderness she showed each and every animal she found. How could you say no to her beautiful heart?
That’s how you ended up with two cats, a Betta fish, a small minnow, and an endless amount of animal friends needing to spend the night. It’s all worth it to see the way she tucked her hands behind her back and leaned down to press a kiss to your eldest cat’s head as gently as possible. Before whispering goodnight wishes to him. She moved on to climb onto a dining chair to bid your other cat goodnight with a light pet. It was a routine, really; your cats were always first, then she would turn off the lights in the fish tank and smile at her scaly friends before moving onto whatever animal was seeking refuge in your home that night. She’d attempt to tuck the temporary Maybank in and whisper promises of good dreams and being returned home in the morning. You and JJ would watch on with full, proud hearts as she showed such care and respect to the animals in your home.
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JJ's got a little family and they're just having a day on the town. CWs:Mean old ladies, protective dad jj, mom reader, preschooler daughter, taking a pregnancy test, implied smut, I think he calls her momma once or twice, no grammar, I avoided y/n but I don't know if I did it well; let me know if I missed anything
Wc:3.9k
Well this was an incredibly self indulgent fic because the scenario was brewing in my lil noggin for at least two months and then I was like well it's doing no good in there and the only reason I even watched obx was for this man, and this man alone. And so here you go. I haven't read this since I wrote it I just wanted to post something before I start posting my long fic.
"Babe, are you even listening?" JJ finally caught his wife's attention from the ring on her left hand.
"Yes, but look." She held her hand up to let the diamond catch the light, sending rainbows flying across the ceiling of the car as she shifted it back and forth. "It's so shiny."
"I know, love." He took her hand and kissed her fingers. "That's why I picked it, but enough of that we have things to do! A list to check off! You ready Tiny?" He called to the back seat.
"Mhm, all ready," his 4 year old daughter, Iris, giggled from the back seat.
"Let's go then. I'll get her, you get a cart, ok?"
"Sounds good to me," JJ answered, then left on his assigned mission with a salute.
Iris laughed with her mom, "Daddy's so silly."
"Yes he is baby, you have no idea." She finally got all the clips undone just as JJ was bringing the cart over, so all she had to do was lift her up and into the cart.
"Weeeee," Iris cheered as she landed in the seat. "Again, again."
"We can do it again when we get back, we gotta get the stuff first, silly." JJ made a face at her while the three of them walked into the store.
He went through all the pockets in his shorts until he found the list. "Divide and conquer?" he suggested
"Absolutely not, I'm not leaving you two alone together and I'm definitely not letting you off on your own. Let's go." She led them down the produce aisle and took the list from JJ. "You got a pen?"
JJ handed her one and she crossed the first item off the list putting a bag of grapes in the cart. Iris made grabby hands towards it and she gave in, setting the bag in her lap.
***
Halfway down the list and a third of the way through the store JJ and Iris started tossing grapes in each other's mouths.
"You want one, baby?" He asked, offering her a grape while she scanned the shelves for the right brand of flour.
"No, I'm ok." She looked around like she was trying to remember something. "Ummm, I'm gonna go grab something. I forgot it when we were over there 'cause it's not on the list. I'll be right back. Don't eat them all!" She pecked JJ on the cheek before disappearing down the aisle.
Iris crossed her arms on the handle bar and laid her forehead on it, "I'm booored."
"Me too but we gotta stay here till your mama gets back, ok kid?" He copied her posture and tilted his head so he could look at her better. She had his hair and eyes but besides that she looked exactly like her mother.
"Fine," she groaned and he offered his fist out for her.
"Ready?" he asked and she nodded.
"Rock, paper, scissors," they both said at the same time. JJ put up scissors and she put up rocks. "Awww you got me, again?"
"Yeah." They played for a few more rounds until JJ saw his wife coming back down the aisle with her hands behind her back. She was walking quickly with her hair swishing behind her. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at what she could be rushing from. He worried something had happened in the 5 minutes she was away.
She threw the small boxes in the cart behind the other bags and nodded her head behind her at an old lady giving them dirty looks. "Don't say anything, just keep walking ok?" she whispered to him while trying to act natural. She wasn't quiet enough because Iris still heard and asked what was wrong. "Nothing baby, don't worry about it." She stroked her daughter's golden hair back from her face and kissed her forehead, taking control of the cart. JJ put a comforting hand on her back as they passed the old lady still giving them the stink eye.
She said something under her breath. "Excuse me?" JJ said defensively.
"I just think irresponsible children like you can't make responsible parents."
"And what makes you say that?" He put his hands on his hips and stared the old woman down.
"JJ please." She rubbed her thumb over Iris's hand.
"No, I'd like to know, what makes you think my wife and I are irresponsible parents?"
She squared up to him, "You're far too young, too young to be married. You don't know what real life is yet how can you raise a child?"
"And you know all this after what? Following my wife for however many aisles?!" Iris took the phone with her favorite game offered to her, her mother knowing JJ wouldn't let up once he started.
"From the way she looked at the ! I knew she was unfit just after one look!" JJ looked back at his wife with a look of surprised confusion. She only replied with a shrug and nodded from Iris to the end of the aisle. He nodded yes back and she took the cart back up the aisle, not wanting to involve her daughter in this argument. She stopped a quarter of the way up when the man that was with the old woman before walked down to where she and JJ were arguing. "Just look at that outfit what kind of mother would walk around like that?!" The 'unfit' mother in question looked at her outfit, cutoff shorts of a reasonable length and one of JJ's faded old shirts cut into a crop top, and cocked an eyebrow. Not her most fashionable look but she just thought she was going to the grocery store with her family, not being ambushed by an impromptu episode of What Not to Wear. "Then I come here and find her already with a child. And you? So disrespectful!"
The man walked past their cart and nodded to Iris and her mother, before stopping in front of the woman and JJ. He was taller than JJ and much bigger. Despite his overbearing stature he put a hand on the woman's arm and sternly said, "Let's go, leave this nice family alone."
"No! I was just doing my shopping when I saw this- this hussy walk past." JJ's nostrils flared once and he dug his nails into his palms. The other man put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her right there.
"What is wrong with you? What have these people ever done to you to speak to her that way?"
She sputtered for an answer and JJ just shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. Never speak to any one like that again, especially my wife." He turned back to his family and he took his wife's hand. "Let's go momma."
She blushed hard, "What did I say about calling me that when we're out?" she said with a glare.
"Nothing? I always call you that when Tiny's around." He shrugged, not knowing what she was referring to.
"Not that, you know how I feel when you call me your wife."
He finally understood her message. "Oh, but you are my wife, I just want everyone to know it." He kissed her jaw before turning to the freezers filled with ice cream. He noticed she went right for the ice cream she ate nonstop just under five years ago. "Hm, haven't had that one in a while." She shrugged with a nod. "You needa tell me something?"
She looked at him and he half expected her to look like a deer in headlights but she just calmly smiled. "When we get home."
"She's getting tired, why don't you take her to the car and I'll finish here?" She handed the empty bag of grapes to the cashier and quickly explained they ate them all but she's not going to leave without paying. There was still a bit in the cart, including the second bag of grapes.
"Are you sure? We can stay and help."
"Jay, she's falling asleep. I'll be fine, you go ahead."
"I don't know, that cart looks pretty heavy." He put his hands in his pockets and rocked up on his feet. Her only answer was to raise her eyebrows.
"You're a mess," She kissed Iris's head, "You're gonna go to the car with daddy, baby ok?"
Iris nodded a little and when JJ picked her up she whispered the tiredest little "weeee" she could muster.
She and the cashier both smiled at the little girl half way asleep in her father's arms.
He put her down in her car seat then went to the trunk to look for a blanket when he heard a painfully nasal voice behind him. He tried his best to ignore it and give Iris her blanket even though a part of him was just itching to ask her who she thinks she is that she can speak to his wife that way. He brushed Iris's hair out of her face and made sure her blanket was tucked in. He shut the door and walked just ahead of the car to see if his wife made it out of the store yet.
2 seconds later she stepped out with the cart full of brown paper bags. He watched her look both ways, and the way her hair moved with her long strides and the soft breeze. He was too focused on her to notice the old woman make her way over and intercept the cart on his way over to her.
"My son finally left so I can say whatever I want now! You aren't fit to be a mother at your age! Look at what you're feeding your poor daughter! You children don't understand how to properly raise children. Letting her pick out everything she wants, shoving the phone in her face as soon as it gets too hard. I bet you're some of those "gentle parents" too, aren't you?" The young woman just looked bored out of her mind, which looking back probably only encouraged the old woman.
JJ was worried he'd have to intervene but he didn't want to leave their daughter alone in the car, so he stood at the car but out far enough so he could watch. He knew how she gets with confrontation like this, especially with getting yelled at and strangers. But she held her own.
"Is that all, I'd really like to just get home with my family if you don't mind." She kept eye contact and spoke calmly. "I honestly don't know what you think gives you the right to yell at me and my husband, especially right in front of our daughter, when you've only see us do what? Make her a respectful, happy kid? Buy some lube? Swear? Fuckin' Christ lady leave me and my family alone." The old woman was obviously shell shocked so she just pushed the cart right past and started loading the trunk with JJ's help.
He noticed her shaky hands and unsteady breathing. "Hey, hey, hey, I got this, ok? You go wait with her inside ok?" He quickly wiped underneath her eyes and she nodded her head.
Once he finished and got into the drivers seat, she'd had a chance to calm down. "I'm so proud of you," when she finally looked at him he swiped the sparkles lining her water line away. "I love you, so much. Tiny loves you way more than I can even describe. You did so good baby, so good." He stroked the side of her head as he spoke and kissed her head, "You ready to go?"
She swallowed the shrinking lump in her throat, "Yeah," she breathed out with a nod.
***
They laughed the whole ride home but were careful not to wake Iris. JJ did whatever he could to brighten the mood and he wasn't sure if she was laughing at his dumb jokes to stroke his ego or fake-it-till-you-make-it, or she actually thought he was funny. Any way, it worked for him.
"Should I wake her up?" JJ asked.
"No, I'll just bring her in."
"No you will not!"
"What? Why?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Because, I have a sneaking suspicion at what your little..." he wiggled his finger in the air. "surprise is, and so, I will be taking care of everything you will let me take care of." He said with a pointed finger wagging at her.
"You're ridiculous," she laughed while getting the smallest two bags and walking up to unlock the door so JJ could bring Iris in.
"But I'm right!"
"Shhhhhh," she giggled while setting the bags on the counter. "Maybe, maybe not. We shall see, very soon."
"How soon?"
"How soon can you take care of all the groceries?"
"So fuckin' soon." He kissed the side of her head before speed walking Iris into her room and tucking her in. He made sure all the curtains were all the way shut before he ran down the hall and out to the car, taking as many bags as he could carry at a time. She thought he was like the Flash with how fast he put everything away. When he put the last bottle in the door of the refrigerator and rushed to stand right in front of her.
"Is it soon yet?" He was excited as a little puppy and she nodded while her lips were still on her water bottle. He pulled it away and put it on the counter.
"What the fuck Jay?!" She stared at him wide eyed and he just looked right at her before walking down the hall.
"Chop chop!"
"You're the worst," she mumbled under her breath while grabbing the three rectangular boxes off the counter.
***
She set the timer on her phone and they both sat with their backs against the bathtub. She lazily slung her head to face him, he did the same.
"I'm not even sure, I just think maybe."
He grabbed her hand and rested them on the small, soft rug. "Whatever it says, I'll be happy. It doesn't have to happen right now, there's loooads of time. No matter what it says, I won't be dissapointed, ok?" He kissed the back of her hand still connected to his and she nodded.
They sat like that for a few more minutes until the timer went off. "Ready?" he asked when he set her phone back down.
"Mhm, I'll flip one, you flip the other and we both flip the last?"
"Mhm." They counted down together "3,2,1" clack.
Two lines.
Two lines.
Pregnant.
They both stared at each other for a few moments before he lifted her in a tight hug. She kicked her feet behind herself before wrapping her legs around his waist. They stayed like that for a few more minutes, just being near each other, feeling each other, breathing each other in.
"I want ice cream," she said through a wet whisper into his neck.
"Allow me, m'darlin'." He carried her into the kitchen while she giggled the whole way. He sat her on the counter top while he got the ice cream out for her.
"You're not gonna let me do anythin, are you?"
"No, I will not. For the next 9-odd months you won't have to lift a finger."
"But what if I want to?"
"As long as it's less than Tiny."
Her face dropped as she stuck the spoon back in the ice cream. "I can't hold my baby?" She pouted.
"She's gonna have to be promoted from baby." He laughed.
"But she's my baby."
"You'll have a new baby."
"Why can't they both be my babies?" She laid down on the counter, holding the ice cream on her stomach, savoring the final few weeks of not having a mound in the way.
"Hmm, I don't see why not."
"Yayyy." She smiled around the spoon.
"When can we tell her?" He sat with his chin laying on his arms next to her head.
"I think after the first scan and all that, so she can have a picture."
"Yay," he cheered and held his tongue out so she would give him some ice cream.
He gagged and ran to the sink to spit it out the second the spoon touched his tongue. She just shrugged and licked it off herself.
"I forgot how disgusting that is. How can you eat that?"
"I can't, unless I'm pregnant." She sat up on her elbows and set the ice cream down next to her. "You remember I tried it after Tiny was born and we had some left over and I almost threw up. Fuckin' revolting. I don't even know."
***
2 weeks later
"Hey Tiny! Where you at?" JJ yelled through the Chateau.
"Daddy!" Iris yelled back, running into the kitchen to meet her parents. Sarah and John B watched her but they spent most of the time outside since most of the interior was being renovated before the wedding.
Sarah walked inside and made her way over to the other young woman, "Sooo? How was it? Any fun and exciting news?"
"It went very very well, but unfortunately I am sworn to secrecy at the moment. At the request of JJ, he wants to wait until we're all together to avoid any favoritism."
""Cause you don't want it to go like last time?"
"Exactly, what a disaster that was." She slapped a hand over her mouth at what she just admitted and pushed Sarah into the other room. She shut the door and held Sarah by her shoulders. "You cannot tell anyone. JJ will have a fit," she whisper yelled.
"You have my word," Sarah crossed her heart and they pinky promised. "If I can have yours that I get exclusive godmother rights."
"I can't promise anything yet but I will see what I can do."
"How's the forecast look though?"
"I will say, pretty good, but you didn't hear it from me. And you cannot tell John B. JJ has to or we'll have to keep having more until he finally gets the chance. And I personally would like to keep it at a solid 2 because I don't think I could handle being outnumbered by more mini JJs."
***
When they finally got home they sat Iris down at the kitchen table and they sat across from her.
"We have some news for you, Tiny," JJ started.
"A surprise?" She stood on her chair.
"Yes baby, a surprise. But you have to sit down to get it." Her mom said, soft at first but the second in her sweet mom voice. Gentle but laced with authority, like hidden vegetables.
JJ pulled out the row of ultrasound pictures and slid them across the table to her.
"What is it?"
"What do you think it is?" She asked while JJ just watched his daughter try to piece everything together.
"A bean...in a dark room. A bean x-ray?"
"That's actually pretty close, but it's not quite an x-ray. It's an ultrasound, and that's what the doctor used to look in my belly."
"Why?"
"To look at that."
"What's that then?" She pointed to the little blob in the center.
They both looked at JJ so he could answer. He was caught a little off guard but composed himself quickly. "Uh it's a baby, or well it will be soon, eventually."
"You're having a baby?" She looked at her mother who was beaming back at her.
"Yeah."
"Where?" Not a very specific question but she's known her daughter long enough to know what she means so she pointed to her lower abdomen.
"Here, and this is where you used to be."
"Can I touch?" She nodded and Iris came over and stood between her legs. She lifted her mother's shirt and put her hand on her stomach.
"A little lower baby," She moved her hand down to the right spot. "Right there." She looked from her daughter back to JJ who was almost crying. She took his hand while their daughter spoke to the baby.
"Hi baby," she used the same tone her mother used with her. "I'm Iris, you're inside momma right now, that's why it's so dark. You're a little bean." She giggled but her head whipped around at the sound of JJ's sniffle. "Bye baby, I have to go talk to daddy now." She kissed the spot where her hand was and climbed up JJ's chair to hug him properly.
She was only 4 but she knew better than to ask why he was crying, her mom explained it once. Sometimes people just cry, there doesn't have to be a reason, but sometimes they feel so much it just overflows. She explained it with a glass of water after Iris had a bad day and had to get picked up early. She sat her on the counter and got a glass from the cabinet, "Sometimes when we feel a lot of things, or a lot of one thing it's just too much and we cry to let it out." The water started spilling over the sides. "Then we feel better." She dumped out the extra and handed her the glass while whipping the glossy streaks off her blotchy face.
She was proud of her daughter and rubbed her back before clearing the table. When she finished she stood behind JJ and kissed the top of his head. "Let's go lay down baby."
"I'm not tired," he laughed while making fun of Iris a little.
"Then we'll watch a movie," She rubbed his shoulder and they all went into their room, the bed was big enough and Iris was small enough so they all fit comfortably. They turned on Iris's favorite movie and snuggled together with Iris laying on him and his wife's head on his chest, cuddled into his side. He had an arm around each of them and Iris dozed off quickly. He smiled down at both of them, so blissfully content at the life he built for himself he never even thought possible.
"My two best girls," he whispered and leaned down to kiss both of their heads.
"You're forgetting one." A voice groggily whispered into his chest.
"I thought you were sleeping and we don't know that yet."
"I was. And yes we do, it's definitely a girl. I feel it."
"You do?"
"You don't?" she asked cockily and he sat with it for a moment.
"I do," he whispered back and she giggled before burying herself deeper into him and the blankets.
"Goodnight, I love you, and our family, so much." She kissed him goodnight before adjusting the blankets over all three (four) of them.
"I love you, and Tiny, and Teeny Tiny, so much."
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