Work Text:
Tommy walked into… Chaos! Which wasn’t out of the norm for their family of 9. However, this chaos was not good; this chaos was not kind. This chaos came in the form of their five-year-old daughter screaming the words “I hate you, daddy.” To his husband as she cried.
Tommy let the door shut behind him and caught sight of Jax, Bennett, and Maverick all sitting in the living room.
“Alright, troops, give me the rundown,” Tommy asked the boys.
“Daddy asked Iris to clean up her room. She said she did, but when he went to check, she just shoved everything under the bed.” Jax started.
“He stwarted taking all the twoys she weft out away,” Maverick added.
“And Sissy got rwelly mad and was scweming at daddy.” Bennett finished.
Tommy nodded his head and sighed. Handing Jax the remote before leaving the room. “Something appropriate for your brothers, Jaxson,” Tommy said in warning.
“Yes, Papa,” Jax called back.
Tommy reached the top of the stairs just as Evan walked out of the 5-year-old's bedroom, just barely not slamming the door.
“She’s going to be the one, Tommy,” Evan said, and Tommy could see he was holding back his tears.
Tommy placed a gentle kiss on Evan’s cheek and walked into the room he had just walked out of. Stern parenting face in place. “Iris Ansley, is that how we talk to people? Especially your daddy?” Tommy asked the little girl who was hiccup crying on her bed, the room vacant of any toys.
“No-no-no, sir. P-p-p-papa, d-a-a-addy took my t-t-toys, and I don’t like th-th-that. H-h-he hurt my fe-fe-f-feelings” She said, and Tommy gently lowered himself to the edge of her bed.
“It’s okay to not like your punishment, Iris. It’s not okay to tell Daddy you hate him. Because daddy loves you very, very much and those words hurt daddy’s feelings.” Iris looked down, more sad tears running down her little cheeks.
“Now, I don’t like it when you cry. It makes me sad. But you will sit here and calm yourself down. And when you are ready, you will apologize to Daddy. Is that understood, young lady?” Tommy said and waited for her reply.
“Yes-yes, Papa.” Tommy nodded his head even though she wasn’t looking at him.
“Good.” Tommy stood from the bed, moved to the door, and walked out. Evan sat on the floor beside it, knees pulled to his chest, and Tommy reached his hand out for him to take.
“Come on, let’s take a minute,” Tommy said, pulled Evan up, and started moving with him to their room.
“I have so much to do, and no one is with the boys.” Tommy heard the avoidance already; Evan needed to take a minute, and Tommy knew that. Evan just didn’t want that minute.
“The boys are fine with the TV right now. I’m guessing that Evie, Lissy, and Viv are all at the Parker house right now, correct?” Tommy asked as he gently closed the door, and Evan nodded in response to his question. “Good, so you, my love, can take a minute too.”
Tommy watched the way Evan’s shoulders sagged as the fight left his body. “S-she said…” even if he could, Evan didn’t need to complete his sentence. Tommy just wrapped his arms around him tightly and held him close.
“I know, baby. But you listen to me closely, Evan. She didn’t mean it. She doesn’t hate you. She’s just upset, and she doesn’t know how to fully process what’s going on. She’s still learning. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. She loves you. And I’d be willing to bet that any minute now she’ll come tell you that herself.”
Tommy felt the collar of his shirt dampening. “It’s okay, baby. I got you. I promise she loves you.”
“N-none of them have ever said that before. I thought we had a while on that one.” Evan eventually muttered against Tommy’s neck.
“I know. Me too.”
“I know logically, she doesn’t mean it. But it still broke my heart all the same.”
“Yeah, I don’t doubt it did. Just goes to show how much you love her.” Before Tommy could say more, there was a small, timid knock on their door, and Tommy pulled back and wiped the tears from Evan’s cheeks.
“See, bet that’s her now.” Tommy smiled and turned toward their bedroom door.
“C-can I talk to daddy?” Iris’s little voice asked, and Tommy nodded and moved out of her way, letting her enter the bedroom. When she spotted Evan in the middle of the room, she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Tears spilling from her eyes as she spoke again.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I love you.” Tommy watched as Evan’s eyes filled with tears again, and he knelt down to wrap his arms around their daughter and held her tight.
“Thank you for apologizing. I love you too, Iris.” Evan pulled back, wiped her eyes, and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “When daddy asks you to do something, you need to do it correctly, and the first time. I don’t like what I had to do. I don’t like having to take your toys away. I know you like playing with them.”
“Okay,” Iris whispered.
“So, we are going to give it a few days. You can get them all back, but as punishment for not cleaning up when I asked, I am going to hold them for now. Okay? And it’s not because I don’t love you or I don’t want you to play with them.” Evan made sure to reiterate to her.
“Yes, sir.” Iris wrapped her arms around his neck again and hugged him tight.
“I am going to add on to that, for two days you aren’t able to go play with Lyra at Miss Parker's house for how you talked to Daddy, okay?” Tommy joined in.
Iris nodded her head, still resting against Evan’s shoulder. “Yes, sir. I’m really sorry, Daddy.” Iris cried.
“I know, baby, I accept your apology. And I love you. Always have, always will.” Evan told the little girl.
“I love you too, daddy.” Evan hugged her tight one last time before she pulled back and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and Evan smiled.
“I would like you to please go get washed up for dinner, it will be ready soon,” Evan said and stood up as she started walking out of the room.
“Yes, sir.” Iris stopped in front of Tommy and wrapped her arms around his waist as well, Tommy bringing his hand to pull her close. “I love you too, Papa. I am sorry for being mean to Daddy.” Iris said, looking up at Tommy.
“I know you are, kiddo. I love you. And thank you for apologizing.” Tommy smiled down at her, and she hugged him again. “Please go do as you were asked, okay?”
Iris nodded her head and walked out of their room. Tommy turned to Evan and smiled. “Baby, if there is one thing we know for certain, it won’t be like this for long. We just gotta ride the wave.”
Evan laughed a little and moved into Tommy’s open arms, pulling him in for a proper kiss.