A/N: Hey guys! So I'm here with a sequel for the Delicate Findings series. I plan on basically going more into depth of the stories from… Liesel and Harper's perspective as they've grown up. Normally Punklee fanfictions are associated with small children, and AJ and Punk adapting to parenthood, so I thought, why not have the kids grow up and build some sort of plot from that. Now obviously our favourite couple won't have aged, because they are too pure for that, LOL. So let's not imagine them all old and wrinkly. Hope you all enjoy! Oh and don't worry. This is just a first taster chapter. I will be continuing on with Loved Endlessly, but give this a read and review, let me know what you think.
"Oh, there it is." Punk grinned, plucking a strand of hair from his wife's hair as they stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He stood behind her, revealing the first silvery grey hair spotted in her head as she gasped.
"Oh my god." She said, taking the hair and looking at it, "Is this it? Once one comes, they all start growing. That's what Elise said." AJ said as Punk rolled his eyes.
"Don't listen to Elise." Punk said, "Here, find one on me, to make yourself feel better." He told her, leaning his head down as she looked with a grin.
"You're older than me, though. You're supposed to be getting grey hair." She said as he laughed sarcastically.
"Thanks very much." He said, feeling a small tug at a strand of his hair, straightening back up as AJ waved the half visible hair in front of him that was silvery grey, "Man, oh man." He sighed, "One down, thousands to go." He ran his hands through his hair, both of them suddenly jumping as they heard the front door bang shut, a collision of footsteps running up the stairs as they emerged into the hall.
"How was-"
"Shut up!" Jay, their fifteen year old son spat, walking into his room and slamming the door shut as Punk turned to AJ with a sigh.
"Nothing like the love from your only son." Punk smiled to his wife who just rolled her eyes.
"He really needs to cut that attitude out." AJ said with a small sense of anger, heading down the stairs as Punk followed, "I mean, I wasn't like that when I was fourteen." She said, "And neither were the girls."
"I was." Punk said, "In fact, I was worse." He said, heading into the kitchen with AJ who switched the kettle on.
"Well I don't care. He can't speak to us like that. Have you heard the foul things that come out his mouth when his friends are over."
"No, because I don't listen into his room from out in the hall." He raised his eyebrows as she scowled.
"I'm listening to see if he's in trouble or if he's doing things he shouldn't be." AJ told him.
"And is he?" Punk asked.
"No, but-"
"Well then leave him be. He's a teenager. He'll grow out of it." Punk told her.
"He's always been a mommy's boy. I feel like he doesn't even talk to me anymore." AJ sighed, leaning against the counter as Punk folded his arms.
"I highly doubt being his mom's best friend is gonna look cool." Punk laughed, "He isn't bad all the time. He just wants to be with his friends all the time." Punk shrugged.
"Stop sticking up for him." AJ shoved him playfully, "You're always meant to be on my side, Phil." She said as he laughed at her cute self.
"I am always on your side." He nodded, "But you gotta chill." He told her with a smile, wrapping his arms around her resisting body, pulling her in with a smug smile as she rolled her eyes, accepting the warm embrace nonetheless.
"Hey, dad can I borrow your car tonight?" Their oldest, and estimated maturest daughter walked into the kitchen. Liesel had grown up to be an extremely beautiful, confident, young girl who always liked to tell those around her, that she could handle it by herself. No mater how minor or major the situation. She was eighteen years of age, but in their eyes still just their four year old baby. Punk and AJ named her the maturest as she'd never gotten into any bother so far with any school, friends or boys… thankfully for Punk.
"Why?" Punk asked her, "Taking your brother and sister to the movies with your first pay cheque?" Punk smiled to her. She had recently gotten a job in a vet. She obviously didn't do any technical work, but she worked at the reception booking people in and answering the phone. Punk and AJ were both very proud of her.
"Yeah, as if." Liesel laughed, "I'm just going to a friends." She said casually.
"What friend?" Punk raised his eyebrows as AJ rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the kettle as she poured herself a coffee.
"Allison." Liesel said, "C'mon dad, I won't be late." She begged.
"It's just you and Allison?" He asked as Liesel nodded with a smile, "Alright, fine. Car keys are on the mantel in the living room." He told her as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, almost knocking him into this week.
It felt like just yesterday he was crouching down to lift her up for a hug. Now she was almost his height and moulding her pathway to adult life. It made him sad, but only for a few minutes, because then he thought about all the amazing times they had, as a family, the five of them, and how she was still his baby. They all were. Even Jay who liked to escape from a hug at any chance he got.
"Thank you." Liesel smiled, rushing away out of the kitchen and up stairs whilst Punk turned back to AJ.
"And where is-"
"Mom!" Harper yelled as she came through the front door, dumping her school bag down and storming through into the kitchen as AJ turned around to face her youngest daughter.
"What?" AJ said, "Did you have a good day at school?" She smiled.
Harper, just as beautiful as Liesel, however a little more mischievous, was turning seventeen soon. She had a great relationship with her parents, but somehow they were always grounding her or taking things from her.
"When can I get my phone back?" She asked, "C'mon I've went a full school week without it." She sighed, "I need it back."
"You don't need it back. You want it back." Punk added as Harper scowled up at him.
"I didn't even deserve it taken off me." She groaned with frustration, "Tons of kids don't do their homework."
"Well I don't want you to be amongst those tons of kids, Harper." AJ said, "You get it back on Monday." She said as Harper rolled her eyes.
"Mom, please." Harper begged as Punk rolled his eyes, opening the kitchen drawer where the teens phone was and handing it to her as she snatched it quickly as AJ tutted, "Oh my god, thank you so much." Harper smiled, "Thank you thank you." She gushed, running away as AJ folded her arms, looking up at Punk with anger.
"Will you ever put your foot down with her?" AJ said, "She plays you like a fool." She chuckled lightly.
"I don't mind. I'm a sucker for her brown eyes." He shrugged, "And what's she gonna do? It's a phone."
"Well I don't want them walking all over us." She said.
"Oh, c'mon grandma, let's get you your TV shows on and your feet up." He joked, wrapping his arm around her as she held her mug of coffee carefully.
"Phillip Brooks, don't you dare call me grandma again." She said as he laughed, heading on into the living room with her for some peace and quiet, that would probably only last a few minutes no doubt.
The house was eventually quiet, which was nothing out of the ordinary for a Friday night. Having teen children meant more time to themselves again. More time to rely on them to look out for one another, and remind themselves why they had children in the first place. There was no feeding from bottles, changing diapers, running around after them anymore. They were young adults now.
Jay was upstairs in his room, having not came out since coming home from school. Harper had gone off to a friends house to stay over and Liesel had left to go to her friends house, with her father's car which he one hundred percent trusted her with.
"Hey, Jay." AJ knocked at her son's door, standing outside for a few minutes, but heading on in once realising he would not respond.
"Mom, what you doing? Get out of my room." Jay said, lying on his head bed, game console remote in hand as he paused hi game, looking over at his mom who folded her arms.
"You and me need to have a serious conversation, young man." She walked over to him, passing the messy room with distress and sitting down.
"Can't you talk to me later?" He asked her.
"No. Now." AJ said, "What's been going on with you recently? Why are you being so distant?" She asked, "And the way you talk to me and your father… it's not ok." She said, "What is it? Is it school? Your friends? Your sisters? A girl-"
"No, mom." Jay sighed, sitting up, "I just wanna be by myself, or with my friends. Stop worrying about me." He rolled his eyes.
"That's like telling water not to be wet." AJ said, "Isn't going to happen."
"Well can you at least try. If something was up I'd come to you." He told her, "I'm sorry for being cheeky. I'm just used to talking to my friends like that." He admitted, being old and wise enough to know when he had crossed a line, especially with his parents, who he did get on with. Especially his dad. Being the only son, he and his dad could escape to Cubs games or Blackhawks matches every now and then. And of course he had a great relationship with his mom also. He was just at an age where he didn't want to be bothered by them.
"Ok. Well in future think before you snap at us." She said, "You're still my baby. I just worry about you." She said, "Can I give you a kiss?" She asked with a smile as he shook his head.
"No-"
But she already quickly cupped his cheeks and planted a loud kiss on his cheeks, turning him red and angry.
"Ok, get out now." He wiped his cheek, "Please." He remembered as AJ chuckled.
"Ok, alright. I'm going." She said, "You're dad's gone out for pizza. He won't be long. Come down and get some, yeah?" She said as he nodded, turning back to his game as she smiled.
She guessed she was just a bigger worrier than Punk when it came to the kids. She didn't really understand phases. She thought there was a reason behind her sons strange nature as of late, but Punk was right, he was just being a typical teenage boy, declining kisses from his mom and forever wanting to be with his friends or playing his x-box. One of the two. But as long as she knew he was safe, she was quite content with him doing whatever it was he was happy doing.
"Does your dad just give you anything you ask?"
"No." Liesel tutted, "I'm not some spoiled brat, alright." She said, turning to her friend Allison in the car as they were parked outside a house, "So whose party is this?" Liesel asked.
"Oh, I don't know." Allison shrugged as Liesel turned to her with confusion.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Liesel shook her head.
"Well it's what everyone does, isn't it? Just show up at parties and look for some cute boys." She shrugged.
"No… I don't think people do, do that." Liesel said, "I thought you said it was a friend of your cousins." She said.
"Well it is, but I don't know her. She doesn't even go to our school." Allison said as Liesel sighed, running her hands through her hair.
"Are you kidding me, Allison? You know how my mom and dad are about-"
"Who cares about your mom and dad? They aren't here, are they? You've been living under a rock for the past year with your head in your books. It's time to get you out there."
"Well I want to pass my last year of high school, thank you very much. And I've just got a job, so there's that… look, I have not been living under a rock." She said, not wanting to be made out as some robotic, nerd. She wasn't. In fact, she had been approached by multiple boys before, but she had turned them down out of being uninterested in them.
"Oh, you have, Liesel." Allison laughed, "C'mon let's go."