A/N: A "Three times Andy celebrates Father's Day" fic because duh.

Father's Day, 2024

It's really hard to stop Andy from celebrating Mother's Day the first time it passes. He buys a teddy bear for Jack to give her, even though he's a little over six months and only giggles at her when she thanks him and kisses her son on the cheek (which, of course, just makes him giggle more.) He got her flowers and wrote her a song, "April is a Hot Mom," and in the end she likes how it feels to be appreciated.

Even though it was just the three of them, quiet and together, April still had to stop him when he defined her as a four-letter acronym that brought stutters in her voice and colored heat in her face.

So, naturally, his first Father's Day is going to be a big deal. Even if he doesn't know it, April actually wants to make a big deal out of it. He gave her time, and love, and support through making her decisions, all of them it doesn't matter which she thinks of he was always there, so he deserves that day, too. She can't write a song or make him do anything other than coo at whatever she does, so April has to get creative.

Thankful that he's doing another quick studio performance gig, three hundred bucks just to record someone else's guitar tracks and leave is sorely needed before their renter's checks come in, April scurries around the house to prepare. With Jack in the crook of her arm, she posits a few ideas.

"We could get him a new guitar," she offers to Jack, who only blubbers incoherent baby-speak at her. "You're right, too expensive."

Again, only nonsense in reply. April laughs, looking down at him and his chubby cheeks, that little nose she swore was Andy's but he refused to believe it wasn't hers, and she tickles at his small tub of a belly with a fingertip. He squeals in her arms, laughing, and she can't help but respond in kind.

Something about babies is hilarious to her, but April isn't sure what it is. Maybe it's because he makes Andy smile so much and she anything that does that to him earns nothing but love from her. Plus, he is literally her son. Seeing him laugh sparks something weird in her, probably gross too but in a good way.

Still playing with his stomach, April doesn't realize that Andy's come home and walked into the house. Somehow, it all seemed to slip away in that second of just enjoying their time together. It's strange, most of the time it was her son and Andy or the three of them and April rarely had time to herself with him. Most of that was breastfeeding, something April tossed around and decided that a tiny human using her boobs for sustenance was creepy enough to be awesome, and apparently really healthy so win-win, but that definitely was a strange bonding experience April couldn't rightly explain to anyone. It just made her happy, and kept him fed.

"Hey babe," he walks over, sets his guitar case down, and kisses her temple, looking over her shoulder at Jack. "God, he's so fat!"

"I know," April tickled his belly with her finger again, brushing him with her nail with a featherlight touch. "He's so… not awful."

"You wanted to say adorable," Andy calls her out, and yeah he's kind-of right. "Aww-"

"No I didn't," April attempts to defend herself, but realizes that there's no reason to. Seriously, what would be the point? "Okay, you're right. He's super adorable."

"Ha! Knew it," he chuckles and rubs her shoulders once before perking up. "Oh, what's for dinner? Takeout? Want me to order a pizza-?"

"Happy Father's Day," April blurts out because, otherwise, she'd never say it. She's weak now, holding her son and fawning over him, and looking at this big goofball she decided to spend her life with on an impulsive, rash call over ten years before.

Just like that day, his face splits into a massive smile that threatens to blind her with its sheer bright positivity. "Oh my God, babe… is that really today?" he asks, looking at her with the same sort of joy that he had when she walked down the aisle. Thankfully, there are fewer tears this time around. "Wow, I really am a father aren't I? Huh. That's awesome."

"Yeah, and your son wants to give you his present... which is, um, not here," April lies boldfaced with a fake smile that he just smirks his way through. "Ugh, okay I didn't know what to get. I can't sing like you and make cute songs about how hot you are. This is a shitty Father's Day."

"Language, Ludgate," Andy says with a giggle, looking at Jack's wayward grasping. "Babe, he's hungry."

"I'm know. I can tell, babe," she says, defeated and turns to sit down on the chair in the living room. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

Andy follows and does his best not to stare when she opens her shirt. She's really had to tell him not to watch, like a creeper, one too many times. It's a wonder how they even have a kid, and he's fed and healthy and chubby, but April's not going to question it. Whatever the hell happens while she's at work happens.

"Why, babe?" he repeats.

"I dunno, you were super awesome for Mother's Day and I'm super not and I don't like that," April mumbles, looking down at Jack for a moment before returning to Andy. "It's not a big deal, we can go get you, like, a steak or something and call Ron and ask him how to make a steak, first of all."

"Babe, you know how to grill. Don't try and fool me," Andy laughs and crouches in front of them. "Besides, I've got an awesome present right here. I come home to it every day."

She expects him to pull out a brand new guitar he got at his gig or a little plushie dog that he thought was extra cute to give to Jack. Something humorous or goofy, and a little childish, to make it seem less like he's actually thinking this through. Then he doesn't say anything else, only leans up to kiss her for a second before breaking apart.

He always did have a weird way with words.

2026

"Jack, stop," April says over her shoulder, typing away the final few lines of a short writeup while her kids stay in her home office for the day. She props her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose, still disgusted she has to wear them. "Your sister isn't a toy."

She doesn't actually have to be working, but at the same time there's an annoying officemate who won't stop bugging her and making gross goo-goo eyes at April's assistant. It's terribly annoying, and it is that time of year anyways.

Meanwhile, behind her, Jack is poking and prodding at his ten month old sister like she's the most mysterious thing he's ever laid eyes on. Which, to be fair, she probably is. The first day they brought Roberta back from the hospital, a bigger baby this time, he had no idea what was happening. In some ways it was like Champion seeing Jack for the first time - somewhere between potentially terrifying and heartwarming. They read him books about storks and multiple children and all those bedtime stories, and he liked hugging April's massive stomach, but he still looked a little wary of her.

Now he mostly pretends that she's a slowly growing playmate and when Andy picks her up first he usually cries out.

"Hey, buddy," April swivels in her chair, turning to look at him hovering over her stroller. "You wanna sit in mami's lap and watch cartoons?"

The second monitor on her desk is usually for paying constant attention to two different emails on the same screen, but she can deal with a little extra micromanagement onscreen if he'll stop poking his sister like a strange extraterrestrial. On second thought, that'd be pretty cool. Then again, that would either mean Andy is an alien or something weird happened while she was asleep and April is way less into that.

Jack stumbles over, somehow still not used to his stubby legs that she thinks are, to quote an old friend, literally the most adorable things on the planet. He crawls into her lap, with April's help, and she turns back around with some effort and, after some haranguing from him and a few moments of opening files, she puts on his favorite collection of Lady Spazoid cartoons. Neither of them thought anything of Jack watching cartoons "meant" for little girls, since it had just as many explosions and bright colors as whatever new run of Power Rangers or whatever that he was "supposed" to watch.

He calls out a few times loudly, but April gets her work done in relative calm. There aren't any worrying sounds from Roberta and it took all of Jack's infancy to get past minor worries that would drive her mad without fail if she wasn't paying absolute, undivided attention to him at all times.

April goes back to her screen, just glancing to the side for that one joke that only adults will get, the one with the stick and firecracker, and the door to her office bursts open.

"Daddy!" Jack screams and flies out of the chair as quickly as he got onto it.

"Hey, hey!" Andy crouches low to scoop Jack up in his arms, easily holding him and looking at April with a grin. "You want me to take over, babe?"

"Dude, it's your one day you don't have to watch them," April sighs, "and I kinda want to hang out with my kids. Y'know, you see 'em all the time. I, like, don't and I miss them."

"Oh, you got a trip soon?" he asks, crestfallen. April's begun to take up business trips that take her across the country to community outreach programs that look promising enough to get funding.

"Angela's talking about a week-long stay in Punks-of-whatever, Pennsylvania," April looks up at him, face even, watching him bite the inside of his cheek. "Thoughts?"

"About what?"

"The trip," she laughs. April knows what he thinks of them, and even if they do have two children and she's the clingier one, even Andy gets a little sad every now and again.

"Oh, dunno. You go on it, come back in a week. We hang out, kids miss you… all that," he says, carrying Jack in his forearms and spinning him around, making loud whirring noises with his mouth and giggling with his son. "Not much to think about."

April weighs the options in her head. On one hand, she's up for a promotion. On the other, she's literally so much better than every single person in the running that she could turn this down - and, really, it's a dry run that she could get done in an overnight if she bothered to drum up enough will to give a crap.

"Yeah, I miss my kids," April stands up, walking over to the crib in her home office. Reaching inside, she plays with the little hand that goes for her finger instantly despite closed eyes and another thumb in Roberta's mouth. "I've been gone for way too long. I just wanna hang out with you guys for as long as I can."

"Yeah?"

"Happy Father's Day," April declares, almost randomly, but this is really her present. Ever since Roberta, they've tightened some expenses and stuck to quite a few pizzas.

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna turn down the trip-"

"What, that's dumb," Andy exclaims, putting Jack down. His brow furrows in the middle, confusion clear on his face. "Babe, you said you're gonna get a promotion."

"Which I'm gonna get anyways, because I'm awesome at my job," she corrects him with a shrug and pulls away from Roberta for a moment to turn around. "Besides, work comes second. That's what Leslie always says."

"You're sure?" Andy asks again.

"Yeah, dude. I wanna listen to Jack call you dad and watch you clean up when Roberta craps everywhere and… I hate missing this stuff," April crosses her arms, still a little annoyed she missed Jack's first word. He quickly caught onto ma and mamábut they weren't his first words and, for some reason, that really bothers her. "I'm not quitting or anything. I just know that if anyone else gets this promotion someone's going to regret it. With fire, probably."

"You are so hot when you're creepy," he remarks, stepping forward but stopped by the weight around his leg. Looking down, laughing, April smirks.

"So yeah, happy Father's Day or whatever," she tries to brush it off and turns around to pick Roberta up and hold her, letting Andy take care of the vibrant, needy boy clamped onto his leg.

2033

The first time that Andy actually got his father's day was perfect.

It started, like usual, with the twins running into their bedroom at absurd-o'clock in the morning, two volatile four year olds exactly the same in their excitement, and bounding onto the bed to join them under the covers.

"Daddy, wake up!" Victoria smacks his cheeks lightly, her little hands barely registering on his face until she gets into it and taps him over and over. "Wake up!"

"Agh, honey…" Andy reaches out for April blindly but, when he looks over with the weight still on his chest, he sees Lucy and April have snuggled together almost automatically and they're curled up, poking each other's noses with short giggles. "Crap, they got you too. No, I can't escape… the clutches of the evil twins-"

"No, I'm not evil!" she laughs from his chest and, reacting, Andy grabs her by the belly and sets her over next to him. She stretches and continues attacking his side with short jabs of her fingers.

April looks over Lucy and at them, Andy giggling at Victoria's attacks. "Daddy's ticklish," April tells them, smiling a wicked a grin at him. "Get him, girls!"

"You betrayed me!" Andy says quietly before both of them are going for him and Andy just gives in. They're laughing tiny little things, titters of joy, and he's playing along because that is the sweetest sound in the universe.

Well, that and April's laugh which she, of course, has plenty of to give at the sight in their bed. She sits up, back against the headboard and chuckles every time one of them jumps across him to flop onto their bed and back to brutalizing him with tickles. Eventually, she moves and Andy watches her, out of the corner of his eye, slowly approach Victoria still perched at his arm.

Striking in an instant, April grabs the little girl's chubby sides and the squeal the fires out of her is so worth it and, before anyone can do anything about it, it's an all-out tickle war and the four of them are a mess of giggling, sensitive sides, and messed-up sheets.

"Hey dad!" Robbie's voice interrupts, the eight year old bursting into the room with as much subtlety as usually followed her steps.

"Why do all my kids-" Andy pounces on Lucy, sitting up and lifting her onto his lap to sit and calm down for a moment. "Get up before me?"

"It's Father's Day!" she puffs her chest out and says with excitement, and when Andy looks over she has a plate in her hands.

"What's that?"

"Breakfast," April says, watching the other twin bounce on the bed a few times before settling in to lying down by her legs. "Duh."

"Yeah, dad. Duh," Robbie shrugs and sets the plate of badly burned toast and messy, fried egg on his side of the bed on the nightstand. "Sorry, it's-"

"Awesome," Andy mods, taking a bite of the crumbly, bitter toast. He gulps, trying to get it down. "Yeah... it's g-good!"

Robbie pumps her fist in the air, and April gets a strange sense of déjà vu from that gesture, before turning around.

"Did your ma teach you how to do that?" Andy asks, cradling his daughter against his chest.

"Nah, she taught Jack yesterday," Robbie claims.

"That's why it's gross," Lucy whispers to Andy.

"Hey, don't be mean to Jack… where's your sister, bear?" Andy perks up and asks, curious where Sam, their five year old, could be. Really, there was one rather obvious option.

"Coloring on her bed," Robbie answers before sprinting off towards the kitchen again.

"Babe, did you teach Jack how to cook?" Andy looks over at April.

"He wanted to and, y'know, I never get to hang out with him," April runs her fingers through Victoria's long black hair, squinting and staring. "I dunno. I wanted to do something nice for-"

"It's the best," Andy says before taking a bite of disgusting toast and putting it down. He kisses Lucy's cheek, spreading flecks of crumb on her face. She just laughs in his arms. "I love you guys so much."

"Love you too, dad," the kids say quietly and, then, Lucy turns to look at April. "Say you love dad, mamá!"

"Of course I love your papá," April replies, smirking at him. She's tried to get them to speak Spanish, and they could speak in a broken, mixed version of the language. "He's the best. Happy Father's Day, babe."

She leans forward, across two kids, and kisses him, chaste, on the lips. Which, of course, elicits a round of disgusted cries from their children cuddled between them.

To Andy, though, this is it. It's everything. He could go back to work, yeah, or find a new job somewhere selling coffee or something dumb like that, and maybe even get Johnny Karate started back up again. Then again, he could spend every single day with his kids. Getting them up in the morning, dealing with all the grouchiness a nine year old boy can be and all that entails, playing with his kids when they were infants and toddlers until they could walk and that meant he could chase them around the house until everyone was tired. He could play them children's songs, and the occasional Dave Matthews tune just to really ingrain it into their heads, and read them stories at bedtime with April taking care of the others since they quickly grew bored of her "knight in shining armor" tales and wanted Andy's ridiculous ventures into candied dinosaurs saving the world, and all the chubby, red-faced dwarves and cool woodland creatures that lived in it, with the power of love.

Andy could give all of that up, yeah, and their life would be fine. They'd need to find someone to take care of the littler ones while they were both gone at work, and that would be okay too. Then again, that would be okay.

What's great is lying in bed with his daughters and his wife, starting up another skirmish in the long-fought tickle war on bellies and feet. He could eat a terrible breakfast his son cooked for him, and watch Sam color in some stars for a while later on, and he could kiss April and tell her that she's the best and that he loves her, and take it all in with more than a few tears in his eyes because, really, his life is perfect. His kids, his wife, and just… everything. It's perfect.

So, no, he won't be giving this up any time soon. Family is everything, and his family just as much. They were his everything now.