Sami had been quite happy to let Finn tire himself out playing with Jack for the rest of their babysitting tenure, the youngster sounded like he was having the time of his life as Finn roared and stomped around the apartment with him perched precariously on Finn's shoulders. Thankfully the floor appeared to be free of any discarded Lego pieces that might actually be the dinosaur's one true weakness…Sami really didn't want to explain to Jenny why they were heading back to the hospital...
That left Sami to pick up after the two boys, getting everything sorted for Jenny's arrival. Luckily there wasn't much to pack away in Jack's baby bag...Finn had been enough of a distraction for the toddler to make bringing out a lot of Jack's own toys unnecessary. For the most part all Sami had to pack away was the stuff they had taken for baby's day out; Jack's sunhat, the industrial strength sunscreen (Sami made sure to take a note of the brand as a reminder to pick some up for his own benefit) and the unused bibs (Sami had kept the dirty ones back to wash later, he'd give those back to Jenny afterwards).
All that was left to pack were the few toys Finn had excitedly dragged out from earlier (and had subsequently been left lying around when he got bored and moved on to a different toy). Finn's bitter disappointment at the lack of building blocks had almost been tempered by a Chewbacca plush toy (and Sami was under no illusions that Finn hadn't snuck off to order himself one off the internet at some point). Jack had barely relinquished control of his new dinosaur plush toy since Finn bought it, so Sami decided packing that away would probably be a premature move. There were a few other stuffed toys scattered around...Finn's Finn the Human toy lay haphazardly under the coffee table, and a lion and two stuffed giraffes stood tall on top of it.
Wait...'two'?
Sami frowned to himself as he picked up the two giraffes. One was definitely Jack's...he recalled Finn recklessly tossing the toy in his general direction earlier that day. The other...well, Finn had an extensive collection of giraffe memorabilia himself and was probably one of his (Sami was slightly amazed Jack hadn't gone straight for the giant giraffe that stood proudly by the recliner chair)...but, uh, which giraffe was Jack's and which was one of Finn's?
There was a sharp knock at the door before Sami could ask Finn if he could identify his giraffe from this small line-up. Sami briefly looked over at Finn as he came to a complete stop, looking over at the front door with a confused sounding "rarr?" which was swiftly followed by an indignant squeal of tiny proportions.
"Dun stop, 'inn!"
"Sorry!"
Sami could only chuckle lightly as Finn roared and resumed stomping around the apartment, leaving Sami to answer the door.
"Hi Jenny, come on in..." Sami stood aside to let Jenny into the apartment, closing the door behind her before drawing the tired-looking woman into a hug, "Finn said your dad's gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, he's gonna have to be more careful around stairs though..." Jenny's reply was cut off by another roar, "...okay, now that sounds more like an apartment with a child in it. What on earth...?"
"Oh, yeah, Jack seems to be going through a dinosaur phase. You've been warned," Sami grinned as he led Jenny further into the apartment, "And if he's anything like Finn, he might never leave it. Have a seat, will you? I'm nearly done packing all of Jack's stuff away. Want anything whilst you wait? Drink? Snack?"
"I'm fine, thanks Sami. Sounds like you've had your hands full today," Jenny managed a small smile as Sami nodded far-too-quickly in agreement, "Speaking of which...why are you carrying two stuffed giraffes around?"
"Oh! Yeah, I think one of these is Jack's but I'm not exactly sure which one it is?" Sami lifted the two giraffes up and down, as if weighing them up, "Finn has a large collection of stuffed giraffes himself, you see...any clue to the true owners of these particular two would be appreciated."
Jenny laughed softly, "Well...uh...oh! Either of them have a chewed-up looking tail?"
"Uh..." Sami quickly checked both giraffes, before raising the one in his right-hand up, "This one does, yes."
"Unless Finn has a habit of chewing on his toys, then that one's probably Jack's," Jenny replied with a chuckle, "He wouldn't use ordinary teething rings, so his stuffed toys bore the brunt of it."
"Good enough!" Sami grinned as he packed that giraffe into the baby bag, "Okay, I think that's everything except for the actual child. FINN! Jenny's here!"
"Ooh! Did you put the kettle on? Ask her if she wants a proper cup of tea!" Finn's voice excitedly echoed around the apartment, the concept of an inside voice thrown aside whilst playing with Jack.
"'Proper'...?" Jenny tilted her head in confusion.
Sami shook his head, "He discovered a place that sells imported tea bags from England. I get the feeling he was looking for an excuse for a cuppa."
"I don't need an excuse for a cuppa tea," Finn smiled brightly as he stomped towards the couch, still partially in dinosaur mode whilst Jack continued to giggle madly on his shoulders, "Just being polite. Honest!"
"Oh..." Jenny didn't look any less confused for the explanation, "Sorry, I'm more of a latte kinda girl."
"Drat," Finn groaned, "I will inject some culture into this place if it's the last thing I do."
"Says the man bellowing dinosaur noises around the apartment," Sami chuckled, reaching up to remove Jack from Finn's shoulders whilst pointedly ignoring the huffy look on Finn's face, "Anyway Jenny, I believe this young man belongs to you?"
"Hello baby," Jenny smiled warmly as Sami handed Jack over to his mammy, "Sounds like you had a good day."
"Not a baby," Jack huffed, "'m a dino-taur."
Jenny frowned slightly, before looking back up at Sami, "I was warned."
"You were!" Sami agreed, moving over to retrieve Jack's new dinosaur toy from the coffee table, "Here you go Jack-o-saur. Rarr."
Sami was rewarded with another delighted squeal as Jack hugged the toy close to him once again.
"That's...new, isn't it?" Jenny asked, looking between Sami and a slightly sheepish looking Finn, "Finn...this your fault?"
"Well...yeah, guilty," Finn rubbed the back of his head, "He really wanted it, though..."
"You big softie," Jenny laughed warmly.
Finn put on the best mock-horrified face he could muster and aimed it directly at Jack, "No, I'm a big, scary dinosaur! Aren't I, Jack?"
Jack tilted his head, and if Finn didn't know any better he would have sworn Jack was about to shut him down with absolutely no mercy.
"...you a dino-softie!" Jack burst into tiny baby giggles as Finn's jaw dropped in shock.
"That's pretty accurate, actually," Sami agreed nonchalantly.
"Oi! NO!" Finn growled, puffing up his chest and standing on his tip-toes, "Big and scary!"
"A little bundle of lovely, more like," Sami grinned, draping his arm over Finn's shoulders.
"Well, I hope you didn't spoil him too much..." Jenny chided, and Finn immediately deflated...suddenly feeling like he was back in the headmasters' office at school for some reason, "Don't want Jack rejecting every other babysitter because you guys were too good to him."
"I promise today was just a one-off because we had the day off and wanted a fun day out," Sami interjected before Finn could start sputtering apologies, "Next time it'll be a more down-to-earth affair."
"Next time?" Jenny seemed surprised by the offer.
"Well, it'll probably be less asking us to babysit and more arranging a play date for our boys," Sami shrugged as Finn unashamedly nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I'll try and give a little more warning for next time, then," Jenny smiled as she moved to stand up, "For now, it's time to get things back to normal. Say goodbye, Jack."
"Buh-bye 'ami," Jack reached out his arms towards Sami for a hug.
"Later kiddo," Sami responded as he hugged Jack goodbye.
Jack pulled away and grinned over at Finn, "Bye, silly."
"Bye, trouble," Finn responded only half seriously, getting a farewell hug from Jack of his own.
"Here, I'll walk you out Jenny," Sami grabbed Jack's baby bag and hoisted it over his shoulder, "Finn can tidy up his toys for me coming back."
"Ha, ha," Finn rolled his eyes at Sami, before turning his attention back to Jenny, "Keep us updated on your dad? We're here if you need anything."
"Thanks Finn," Jenny nodded as Sami began to lead her towards the front door, "Really, thanks to both of you for today."
"Any time!" Finn cheered, waving goodbye to Jack and Jenny.
"I didn't realise Finn liked kids so much," Jenny remarked offhandedly to Sami as they left the apartment.
"Me neither," Sami admitted, a slight frown on his face, "…it's not something we've ever talked about, really."
"Bit early for that talk, isn't it?" Jenny nudged Sami gently, "You've only been together…what…not even half a year yet?"
"Feels like longer…" Sami smiled wistfully, "I'm probably worrying over nothing…but Finn seemed a bit out of sorts earlier, and I'm wondering if it is the kids thing? A 'don't know what you want till you have it' kinda thing?"
"That's something you'd have to ask him, I'm afraid," Jenny replied apologetically.
"I was afraid of that…" Sami sighed, "Oh well, something to look forward to…"
"Good luck with that," Jenny chuckled, coming to a stop outside her apartment door, "Thanks again, Sami. You're an angel."
Jack looked over at Sami, a confused look on his face, "No 'ings tho?"
"They're just very well hidden, Jack," Sami laughed as a look of understanding came over Jack's face.
As Sami closed the door behind him, he couldn't help but let out a little sigh of relief. They'd gotten through the whole babysitting experience with little-to-no fuss; Jack was still in one piece...Sami was still in one piece...and Finn...
Finn was currently sitting on their couch, rolling his neck and shoulders. Sami couldn't help but wince at a particularly loud crack, and Finn's subsequent grunt of discomfort had Sami rushing over immediately.
"You okay, Finn?" Sami felt the creeping of slight panic but managed to keep his voice level.
"Yeah, just feelin' really disjointed," Finn joked, "Carrying a two-year-old around is Hell on your shoulders."
Another wave of relief rolled over Sami, a small smile forming as he moved directly behind Finn, "Hmm...who was it that said something about 'tossing people twice our size around' earlier?"
"Shut uuuuuhhhhp..." Finn's retort trailed off as he felt Sami's hands on his shoulders, gently massaging the abused appendages, "...God, Sami you are unfairly good at that."
"I think you're exaggerating just a little bit," Sami chuckled, beginning to work on the knots in earnest.
Finn let his head drop slightly as Sami continued to work his magic, little gasps of relief escaping as Sami continued, "Well I think you're amazing. So there."
"Well, I guess I'll let you win this one," Sami sighed in mock-defeat, his hands gently caressing Finn's shoulders as he cheered for his mock-victory, "That feel better?"
"You always make me feel better, Sami," Finn tilted his head up towards Sami, a grateful smile on his face. He reached his hand up to cup Sami's cheek, "C'mere you..."
Sami offered absolutely no resistance, allowing Finn to gently guide him. The kiss was gentle, but brief...the awkward angle not allowing for much more than a hint of things to come later.
"Okay...mmm..." Sami smiled as Finn continued to try and kiss wherever he could reach, not even making a token attempt to pull away, "I'm gonna throw a light dinner for us together...something with actual healthy content."
"Kisses are healthy..." Finn murmured into the crook of Sami's neck between said healthy kisses.
"Not in the nutritional sense," Sami giggled as Finn kissed a particularly sensitive spot on his neck, "Okaaaay, you're trying to distract me..."
"Maaayyybe..." Finn smirked against Sami's skin, "...maybe I just wanna make out."
"I promise we can do all the making out you want..." Sami pulled away slightly, Finn trying his hardest to follow, "...after dinner."
Finn huffed, "That is the least favourable compromise I've ever been offered."
"Take it or leave it, mister," Sami pressed one last kiss to Finn's forehead as Finn reluctantly let Sami go, "Pick something on the television for us to ignore whilst we make out, then."
"You know, there's one constant in this modern world..." Finn motioned vaguely towards the television, which was currently showing infomercials, "All these channels..."
"...and nothing's on except for so bad they're good commercials," Sami concluded, placing a tray down on the coffee table, "Here we go...eat up."
Finn looked over at the tray of food Sami had brought through...a vegetable platter with a hummus dip. Finn eyed the carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and sliced peppers before turning to Sami with a salacious smirk, "Oooh, finger food eh? Sure that's a good idea, Sami?"
"You are incorrigible, Finn Bálor..." Sami replied, a huff of laughter escaping despite himself, "...though I'm glad you seem to be in a better mood now."
"Who wouldn't be in a good mood after a fun day like today?" Finn asked as he reached forward for a carrot stick, and scooping up a disproportionately large amount of hummus with it, "...did you have a good day, though?"
The slight hint of uncertainty from earlier hung on Finn's last few words, although he tried to cover it up by taking a comically sized bite of his hummus covered carrot stick. Sami pursed his lips, picking up some pepper slices and dipping them more delicately into the hummus, "I mean...it wasn't the day I was expecting to have...but after the initial shock dwindled a little, yeah. Yeah, today was a good day."
"That's a relief...I was worried about you after this morning..." Finn mused, before turning to look at Sami with an unguarded look of wonder, "...but you were really great!
"I wouldn't go that far," Sami shook his head, popping the pepper into his mouth.
"Sami, you literally made train noises when you fed Jack," Finn smiled crookedly, "You made sure he stayed tidy and worried over whether you'd rubbed enough sun-screen on him."
"I was really just calling it on the fly..." Sami shrugged.
"Well your instincts were on point," Finn nudged Sami gently with his shoulder, getting a small smile in return, "Really, it was amazing to witness. I thought I'd seen every side of you, but...I'm guessing not many people have gotten to see Papa Sami like I did today..."
Sami's little smile turned into a tiny frown as Finn suddenly trailed off, turning his head away from Sami slightly to stare off into the distance with a melancholy look on his face.
"...and part of me is scared I'll never get to see that side of you again."
"How do you mean?" Sami asked gently, sliding a little closer to Finn and getting no resistance when he wrapped his arm around Finn's shoulders to pull him back towards himself, "C'mon, talk to me here Finn...don't let us be that couple who're afraid to talk about their problems."
Finn sighed nervously, pursing his lips as he tried to articulate his thoughts. He took a moment to collect himself, seeking out comfort from his partner by resting his head on Sami's shoulder "...it's not really a problem...just me wanting something I might never be able to have."
"Then it's definitely something we need to talk about," Sami gave Finn's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, before moving his hand to the back of Finn's head to gently card his fingers through the short strands of hair. Finn's contented mewls of approval were a relief to hear, "Take your time. I'm right here for you, Finn."
"You always seem to have been..." Finn replied wistfully, "Really, you're so good to everybody you care about. Especially today with Jenny and Jack. You were so supportive and comforting to Jenny, helping to ease her worries by trying to cheer her up...and Ja...Jack..."
Sami raised and inquisitive eyebrow as Finn's voice broke slightly trying to say Jack's name. 'Guess that confirms my suspicions from earlier...' Finn's gaze had cast down to the floor, his brow creased in thought. Sami could only continue to gently massage the back of Finn's head, waiting patiently for him to resume.
"...you were perfect with him today," On paper that seemed like a compliment, but the tone Finn adopted suggested that it broke his heart to say the words out loud. It certainly didn't do Sami's heart any favours to hear Finn speak in such a down beat manner, "So patient and understanding...playful but stern when you had to be...like a natural, you were."
"I think you're underselling yourself a bit, Finn. I was just nervously guessing my way through the whole thing, but you took it all in your stride and loved every second of it...you made it look easy. I don't think I'd have managed on my own," Sami confessed, taking Finn's hand in his own, "We did a great job today. Together. The babysitting tag team champions of Florida."
Finn barked out a short laugh of disbelief, "Really, Sami?"
"I'd have said 'of the world,' but we've only babysat here so..." Sami shrugged, all the while trying not to giggle at Finn's expression, "...but I'm guessing the fact we did a good job isn't what's bothering you?"
"...s'part of it, kinda?" Finn had a soft smile on his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, "Watching the two of you interact...like you weren't expecting things to go well, and the look of awe on your face when it did...I wished I could see you like that for longer. Seeing you like that made somethin' go off in my head...like, 'YES! That's the person I want to raise a family with someday.' Even started daydreamin' about what it would be like if we were out with our own kids."
"Finn, wow..." Sami squeezed Finn's hand, wincing slightly as he gripped a little too hard, "That's..."
"I know, it's stupid," Finn sighed in resignation, "Had it in my head what the kids looked like and everything."
Sami bit his lip gently, wondering if he dared to ask the question on the tip of his tongue, "...what...what did they look like?"
"A little boy...with my hair and eyes," Finn murmured, "...and a little girl with curly red hair and honey brown eyes...like yours. Cutest things in the world..."
"I'm sure they would be..." Sami pulled the unresisting Finn into a hug, "Finn, I am incredibly touched that you would think of me being such an important part of your future."
"You're not mad?" Finn's voice was muffled against Sami's shoulder, but that didn't totally hide the surprise behind it.
Sami placed a calming kiss on top of Finn's head before answering the question, "Mad? Finn, you've just told me you see us raising a family together one day! That's...okay, that's actually kind of scary, but still...you see a lovely future for us and that's...that's really wonderful and reassuring to me."
Sami could feel Finn frowning against him, "You didn't think I saw a future for us before?"
"Not to such a serious degree," Sami replied, trying to maintain a level tone despite his heart suddenly skipping several beats, "Like, I can imagine you thinking we'll be at WrestleMania together one day, either teaming together or wrestling each other...maybe getting a dog that neither of us can agree on a name on, so it ends up with a million nicknames instead. That kind of thing?"
Finn lifted his head up slowly, eyes glistening in the light, "That all sounds lovely."
"It's maybe a little too soon for us to be seriously considering all that..." Sami confessed, hoping he wasn't about to disappoint Finn too much, "One day...when we're settled a bit and know exactly what we'll be doing on the main roster, where we're going to be from day to day...we can talk about this again. It's not something we should ever rush into."
"Yeah...that makes sense," Finn agreed, leaning his head on Sami's shoulder again, "I was worried you'd start runnin' for the hills when I mentioned the kids thing…or that you would say you never want children."
"You can never say never, Finn, but I won't lie to you and say it's something I've seriously considered," Sami's hand returned to the back of Finn's head, rubbing soothing circles at the base, "When you're younger, you feel like society's got all these expectations of you...get a steady job, marry a nice girl, have the 2.5 kids...or whatever the statistic is these days. Then in high school I realised that I didn't necessarily have to do any of that and it was such a relief to me, made my lack of interest in girls and anything other than wrestling seem more normal. I could do my own thing, chase my own dreams. Wrestling became my baby...my friends in the business became my family...and I finally made it here."
"You did," Finn whispered.
"And now look what I have," Sami smiled warmly at Finn, "The job of my dreams and the unconditional love of an amazing person...two of those very three things I never really considered for myself before. Whatever happens in our future...whether it's kids, pets or picket fences...I'm sure it'll be incredible."
"So that's not a 'no,' then," Finn asked, seeking clarification, "Just a 'not yet?'"
"Exactly."
"Okay..." Finn smiled in relief, "That works...I don't think I'm ready to share you full time just yet anyway."
"Or your Lego," Sami grinned as Finn sidled up closer.
"Definitely not sharing my Lego any time soon," Finn concurred, a smirk on his face as he straddled Sami's lap.
"What'cha doin'?" Sami raised an eyebrow at Finn's sudden-but-not-unwelcome change of position.
"I was promised after-dinner making out," Finn pouted, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Sami's neck.
"You were! Let's do that!" Sami laughed as Finn began to edge closer towards him, "And if you're really lucky, I might even divulge some of my thoughts from earlier..."
"Thoughts...?" Finn paused as Sami pointedly looked down at Finn's t-shirt. It took a moment before the metaphorical light bulb went off above Finn's head, "Oh! The 'three Finn's and you' fantasy!"
"Yep..." Sami waggled his eyebrows, "Tell you what, you go get comfy in the bed...I'll clear up the food and be right through for make-out duty."
"That sounds like a plan," Finn's grin lit up the room, "And you better be ready to tell me all about that Finntasy of yours in excruciating detail."
Sami groaned as Finn subtly rolled his hips, before slinking away from Sami...not once breaking eye-contact, and Sami suddenly found himself feeling caught in some kind of trap, "I think I can manage that, yes."
"Looking forward to it," Finn growled playfully, and with one last caress to Sami's cheek he happily bounded off towards their bedroom.
Sami could only chuckle to himself as he began clearing up the remains of their dinner. Forget being ready for kids...sometimes he wasn't entirely sure he would ever be fully prepared for dealing with Finn Bálor.
'This is my crazy life now...I guess I can live with that.'
