Who: Leon and Veronica What: Veronica lets Leon hold Liam for the first time When: Recently Where: Veronica's place Rating/warning: Low/none Status: Complete
Veronica’s life had changed so much over the past year. She was a mom. And not only in the giving birth to a kid thing. She was actually doing mom things. Setting up playdates. Buying way too many toys. Hell she was even going to mommy and me. Having a kid was a lot of work but Liam was worth it.
However, Veronica was in need of some adult company. So she invited Leon over. He needed to spend more time with his godson after all. Of course she had to bribe him with beer, but she didn’t mind. Hell it was an excuse for her to have on as well.
When the doorbell rang Backup rushed to the door barking at it. “Hush,” she told her dog as she made her way over leaving Liam to play at his activity center. Backup listened sitting down by the door as Veronica opened it. “Hey,” she greeted her friend already making her way back to Liam. “Beer’s in the fridge,” she called over her shoulder.
The house itself was a bit of a mess. Not quite the same level as Leon’s apartment. But there were still dishes Veronica hadn’t gotten to yet piled in the sink. Folded laundry on the kitchen table that had yet to be put away. And of course toys strewn about the floor.
Leon had been a little surprised by Veronica’s invite, but not too put out. A year ago, he probably would’ve shuddered about the thought of spending time with a mom and her baby. But, well, Leon had become accustomed to the idea lately. After all, he spent most of his free time with a seven-year-old now. And Liam was his godson. He was fond of the little fucker. Even if he’d wait to get up close and personal with him until the kid was a little older. Veronica had made it very clear to Leon that she had no intention of ever letting him hold him, and Leon wasn’t about to argue with her. Leon had never held a baby, and he didn’t intend to start until he had his own. Which, with dating another guy and having Chris to take care off, wasn’t seeming very likely. Leon wasn’t all that upset about it though.
He opened the fridge. “You want one too?” he asked, grabbing a beer.
“Do you even have to ask?” Veronica replied picking up Liam from the ground. She made her way over to the couch, letting Liam sit on her lap. Backup of course followed jumping up on the couch himself. “So what’s new, Orcot?” she asked as he made his way over. “How’s it going with your boyfriend?”
Yeah, it probably had been a stupid question. Leon grabbed Veronica a beer too, and headed over to the couch, twisting off the top for both of the beers. He sat down next to Veronica, and handed her the beer he’d grabbed for her. “It’s good,” Leon said, grinning. Better than okay, really. He’d had a lot of relationships before, but nothing where he’d felt like this. “I helped him pick out a car the other day. We’re going to fix it up together.”
“Damn,” Veronica commented taking a sip of her beer before setting it down on the coffee table. Backup, thrilled that Leon was sitting on the couch gave his face a big lick as Veronica continued. “That’s a big step.” Sharing a vehicle with someone. She couldn’t do it. She needed her own car. Hell even sharing this big ass house with Logan wasn’t always enough space. “Sounds like things are serious.”
“Ugh gross, Backup, you need to back up,” Leon said, placing his hands on the dog’s big chest and pushing him back, though without much force, not enough to actually hold the big, overeager mutt back, and Backup seemed to think that Leon pushing him was a fun game that involved Backup trying even harder to cover Leon’s face in slobber.
“Is it?” Leon asked, a little worried. “It’s his car. I just helped out with stuff. Not with the money, or the registration or anything, but I’ve still got old Betty, and she’s still running fine.” He frowned, and took a big gulp of his beer. “Actually, he might have said it was our car.” He had definitely said it was their car. Leon had been thinking a lot about that comment. “That doesn’t mean anything though, right? That’s just a thing couples say.” Right?
Liam let out what sounded like a giggle. Whether it was because of how Backup was licking Leon or just a noise the baby made Veronica had no idea. But it was pretty damn amusing. Still she wouldn’t leave Backup slobbering over Leon for too long. “Down,” she told Backup who complied, laying down at the foot of the couch with a small whine.
“Uh, Logan and I don’t say that. He definitely doesn’t refer to the jeep as our car.” And thank God for that. She wanted no part of that bright yellow thing. And she wasn’t about to share her Saturn Outlook either.
Leon used the collar of his shirt to wipe off his face. “Yeah, well, you and Logan aren’t exactly what I’d call typical,” Leon said, with a bit of a grin. It was true though. Logan and Veronica were both a little hot-tempered, and sometimes it was hard to figure out what made them such a good match. Just went to show that people were unpredictable.
Veronica was damn proud she and Logan weren’t like a typical couple. She would hate to be mushy and shit. But even with Veronica not being in the most typical relationship, it still sounded like Leon and Alex had gotten serious pretty fast. Veronica knew better than to press it. Leon already seemed uncomfortable enough talking about it. Besides, she heard the dryer go off and she still had so many more loads of laundry to do. “Here,” Veronica said handing Liam over to Leon before jumping up to go tend to the laundry.
Leon wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened. One minute he was fighting off the big slobbery dog and talking about relationships with Veronica (which… okay, that was a little weird too), and now he had a baby in his lap. And Veronica was leaving the room. “Wait!” he called a little desperately, and then stared at Liam, who stared back at him. And then punched him in the nose.
Veronica was gone for a few minutes. Taking clothes out of the dryer, putting the load from the washer in the dryer amd then putting another load in the washer. She had so much damn laundry. She didn’t know it was even possible to have that much. Bringing the basket full of clean, dry, clothes back into the living room. Folding laundry while she left Liam on Leon’s lap. It hadn’t even occurred to her how strict she had first been when Liam was born. That she hadn’t let Leon hold him yet. “So,” Veronica continued not even phased by Leon’s reaction to holding Liam. “Any other big purchases you forgot to mention?”
“I didn’t make any big purchases,” Leon said, not taking his eyes off the baby in his lap, as if by doing so he’d somehow break it. “That was all Al-argh,” he pulled his head back to that Liam’s fingers were no longer in his mouth, but the baby reached for his face again. There was something very wrong with this child.
“Ah, right,” Veronica commented continuing with her laundry. However the fact that Leon’s sentence was cut off caused Veronica to look up, suppressing a laugh at Liam’s hands in Leon’s mouth. But he seemed to be dealing with it so right back to laundry she went. “Did Alex make any more big purchases then?” she questioned. However before Leon could answer Liam started to cry. Glancing at the time Veronica realized it was just about time for him to eat, and of course he was crying right on cue. Wordlessly she walked over to the fridge getting out a bottle and popping it in the microwave.
Oh god, and now he was crying. What the hell was Leon supposed to do? He shot a panicked look at Veronica, but she seemed to miss it, looking instead at the clock and then heading to the fridge. What did people do with screaming babies? He started to bounce Liam on his knee, and then abruptly stopped. Was bouncing a baby on his knee considered shaking it? At what age could babies be bounced on someone’s knee without dying?
He sat stock still, holding Liam up on his knee at arm’s length. “Uh, not that I know about,” Leon said after a moment. “How am I supposed to make him shut up?”
Veronica tested the bottle on her wrist frowning at Leon. “Is that any way to talk about your god son?” She questioned bringing the bottle over. “Here,” she added handing him the bottle. “He’s hungry.”
“He doesn’t get special treatment because he’s a baby,” Leon muttered. He stared at the bottle in his head for a moment, and then looked at Veronica, clearly confused. “The hell am I supposed to do with this? Isn’t feeding him your job?” He wondered if he was supposed to lay Liam down or something, or if he could just shove it in his mouth while the kid was sitting there?
“You can feed him too,” Veronica replied. Yes, she was the mom. But he was done sucking on her breasts for nourishment. Other people were perfectly capable of feeding him. Leon included. “He needs to be horizontal but prop his head up before you give him the bottle,” Veronica instructed keeping a close eye on Leon this time. Laundry could wait.
Leon frowned in concentration as he carefully, if not awkwardly laid Liam down along his forearm, the baby’s head propped up by his bicep. He still didn’t understand why Veronica couldn’t do this. Just because he was Liam’s godfather didn’t mean that he should be expected to do this kind of shit. He’d draw the line if Liam needed his diaper change. Veronica hadn’t even let him hold him before today.
He put the bottle in the screaming child’s mouth, wondering how the hell he would know when he was done. What if he messed up and somehow ended up strangling the kid with the nub of the bottle, or drowned him in milk somehow? It would be Veronica’s own fault for making him do this. But Liam instantly quieted, started sucking, and lifted his chubby little hands to help Leon support the bottle, and Leon’s heart, and face, melted.
Veronica couldn’t help but smile as she watched the expression on Leon’s face change. She knew he could do this and now that she was loosening the reins a bit it was time for Leon to step up. After all if for some reason she, Logan, and her dad died then Leon wouldn’t be raising him. “You got it,” Veronica said before getting back to her laundry.