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fruitcoops · 1 year

Note

Random Idea: would you write something about 5-6 year old Harry wandering off at a game against the snakes and playing with little Draco before anyone realizes then Lily finding them and not messing it up because just because their dads are huge rivals doesn’t mean the kids have to be??

Just an idea, if you can’t think of anything good no pressure at all!

-kj

This is such a lovely prompt, KJ <3 Character credit goes to @lumosinlove !

TW for temporarily lost child

Lily was calm. Lily was level-headed. Lily was not, under any circumstances, going to lose her shit.

“Harry? Harry, love, time’s up!”

Because losing her shit wouldn’t do any good. Losing one’s shit was reserved for people who could afford to do so, those who didn’t have a husband and brother-in-law that would tear the rink apart at the first sign of trouble for their five-year-old.

Oh, who was she kidding. The entire team would go ballistic.

Worst of all, Lily would have to admit she had lost her kid.

“I am a horrible mother,” she muttered, the clack of her boots in the empty hall speeding up to match her pulse. “I am a horrible, horrible mother and they never should have let me leave the hospital with that baby. Harry? Are you down here?”

Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she heard giggling. Lily’s heart seized and she wrenched open the nearest door—nothing. And the next, and the next, and the next, until her whole body itched with anxiety.

“I know you’re having fun, baby,” she called around the growing lump in her throat. “But we’re all done playing right now. All done. You did such a good job finding your hiding place. Can you show me where you are?”

I look like an idiot right now, talking to myself in an empty hall. The next three rooms were empty as well, lined with folding chairs. A conference room, a ballroom, a kitchen; not a soul in any of them. Lily picked up the pace.

He couldn’t have gone far. She only gave him ten seconds—ten seconds, sweetheart, are you ready?—to find somewhere to hunker down. The sound of his little feet on the crisp linoleum had made her smile with one hand over her eyes, counting slow enough for him to hear each number. The door had been closed. It was just them in the break room.

The door had been closed, and then it wasn’t.

“Harry?” Panic turned her mouth bitter and she swallowed hard, forcing it back. None of that, Evans. Save it for later. “Harry James, it’s time to go home.”

Oh, fuck, James was going to lose his mind. She loved him for his rationality in the face of danger but god only knew what would happen when their fucking baby was the one missing. Taken—

No. Not taken. Lily couldn’t bear the thought.

Her breaths came faster. The corners of her vision blurred. “Harry?” she tried again, voice cracking. “We’re all done playing, baby, come see me.”

Even if James managed to keep his even keel, Sirius wouldn’t. Loyal as a dog and twice as protective. Lily loved him like a brother but he would never forgive her if she let Harry go.

“I didn’t.” The words stuck in her mouth and she sniffled. She paused, tucking her arms around herself like a hug, her lungs fucking burned oh god—“I didn’t let him go, I didn’t, I didn’t, I—Harry, love?”

And again, she was left with a silent hall.

Lily exhaled. Pressed the heels of her hands to her stinging eyes. Sniffled once, twice, three times, forced down a thick sob. “This is not the time,” she said firmly, bringing her arms back down. The bright lights made her grimace. Think. “Alright. Locker room.”

She sent a silent prayer of thanks to James for showing her all the secret nooks for sneaky kisses as she followed winding paths through the rink. The crowd above made the ceiling rumble; there had hardly been ten minutes left in the third when Lily left the break room. The game would be over all too soon. Her watch said only five minutes had passed, but she refused to believe it had been less than a lifetime since she saw Harry in front of her.

The locker room, one of Harry’s favorite haunts (much to James’ delight), was well and truly empty. The kitchen was still locked as she had left it. Momentary terror gripped her when she saw the open maw of the tunnel, but logic won out. Even if Harry had wandered toward it, he would have been swept up by one of the security guards and safely deposited with someone who would find her.

“Lily?”

Lily nearly jumped out of her skin and whipped around with a half-gasped “fuck”.

Layla smiled, though she seemed confused. “You okay?”

“Mhmm.” Tears began crawling up her throat again and she forced a smile. “Just—yeah, just left my phone somewhere. Can’t find it.”

“Okay,” Layla said gently, though one look told Lily she didn’t buy a word of it. “Well, I’m here until the end of the game. Let’s look together.”

“That’s really nice of you,” Lily managed.

“Anytime. Let’s go get Harry and—”

Lily may as well have become a puddle on the skate-scuffed floor with how fast she dissolved into tears.

“Hey, hey, alright.” Layla caught her under the arms when her knees buckled, surprisingly strong for someone of her stature. “I’ve got you, it’s all going to be just fine. Is Harry not…with you?”

“We were p-playing hide and seek,” she sobbed. “ ‘s just hide ‘n seek, he didn’t like the crowd and I had to pee and we were in the break room and I closed the door I promise.”

“I know you did,” Layla soothed, squeezing her tight despite Lily’s trembling. “Let’s take some deep breaths together.”

Lily’s chest lurched on the first.

“That was a really good start. One more.”

It was easier to breathe when she wasn’t alone.

“Great job, Lily, that was perfect.”

Layla hugged a little like Remus, a little like James, and somehow better than both of them in that moment. She let Lily clutch the back of her zip-up sweater without protest, and when they finally parted (when Lily could fucking breathe again), she tucked the wild flyaways back with a reassuring smile.

“We’ve got this.”

Lily sniffed. “We’ve got this.”

“How long ago were you playing?”

“Seven minutes.”

Relief eased the faint tension around Layla’s eyes. “Then we’ve got nothing to worry about. I haven’t seen him go by my office, so he probably went the other way. Are you ready to start looking?”

Lily nodded, but went into one last hug like she hadn’t been held in weeks. It certainly felt like it.

“I didn’t know who to ask,” she admitted once they started walking, arm in arm, looking into every storage closet they passed. “It felt—god, I’m so stupid. I felt like I shouldn’t have to, y’know? He’s my kid. I should just…know.”

Layla tilted her head from side to side. “I’m glad you asked me, though.”

Lily squeezed her hand. “Me, too.”

“The good news is, he can’t have gone very far.”

“I dunno, he got James’ penchant for trouble.”

“Pots can’t make it past me on a good day,” Layla laughed. Her ease calmed the bubbling anxiety in Lily’s gut. “That kid might be quick, but he’s not making it past trained security. Where have you already looked?”

Lily gestured vaguely. “The other way, mostly. Just kind of…everything over there. He likes the locker room.”

“Does he?” Something thoughtful came over Layla’s face and she slowed for a moment. “Would he—and tell me to shut up if I’m wrong, here—do you think he’d try the other one?”

“The other—” Lily faltered. “Oh my god, you’re so right.”

“I don’t know if he’d know where it is,” Layla admitted as they hurried down the left fork. “But it can’t hurt to try, right?”

“No, he definitely knows,” Lily snorted humorlessly. “That kid’s had more rink tours than I have. The guys bring him everywhere. He’s started reading signs, if you can believe it.”

“For real?”

“If anyone asks, he got it from me.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second.”

Lily rounded the corner to the visitor’s locker room and slowed to a stop, her momentary second wind rushing out in one harsh burst. Gloves, helmets, emerald-and-silver jerseys…and no toddler. The only movement came from the screen in the far corner, showing the last minute of the game ticking down. Disappointment, worry, fear, guilt—it was all there, leaving her right back where she started. “I thought…”

Someone giggled down the hall and Lily was there in the blink of an eye, pushing an already-open door wide with her heart in her throat.

“H—oh.”

Narcissa Malfoy’s razor-sharp gaze softened with confusion. Her hands were on the shoulders of a little blond boy in a miniature Snakes jersey, holding him tight. “Mama,” he whined, wriggling free with a wary look at Lily. “I told you I wanna play.”

Lily didn’t register the scrape of carpet on her knees until Harry was already in her arms, still holding two fistfuls of LEGOs while a cheerful flood of a story spilled out of him. She didn’t hear a single word of it.

He was warm and squirmy as always, tall as her hip when they were standing but just big enough to fit in her arms like this. She pressed her face to his hair and inhaled; soap-clean and still a little damp from his pre-game bath. Faintly, she knew she was shaking. She knew Narcissa and Layla and the other kid were probably watching. Lily brought her face up to kiss Harry’s forehead and bundled him right back in her arms to be hugged some more.

“…mama?” Harry sounded hesitant. She hummed, rubbing his back. “Did you hear?”

“Say it again, lovey.”

“I said I like hugs but I’m playing LEGOs right now, please.”

Her lungs felt too small. “We’re all done playing for today.”

“But mama—”

“Harry.” It took everything in her to separate and sit up properly, holding Harry at arms’ length. “We were playing hide and seek, remember?”

“…yeah.”

“And remember how I asked you to stay in the break room while I counted?”

His guilty look told her everything. “Yeah.”

Lily raised a brow, brushing a gentle thumb over his cheek. “I didn’t know where you went, baby. You scared me. Why did you leave?”

Harry scuffed his shoe on the floor. “Got bored.”

“Harry.”

“I wanted to see the other locker room ‘cause Daddy said it looked different than ours. Ms. Narcissa found me.”

“Thank you.” The worst part was, Lily could hardly blame him. If Harry got James’ general disregard for rules, he also got her own insatiable curiosity. Poor kid, she thought. Your teachers are going to have quite the time with you. “We’ll talk more when we get home. Can you introduce me to your friend?”

“I’m Draco,” the blond boy announced haughtily before Harry could answer, which seemed to take the wind out of his sails a bit. “I’ve been playing here all night. I built the volcano, see?”

“I do.” In truth, it was hard to tell one part of their LEGO mishmash from another, but it seemed to appease him. Narcissa was still watching her as if she thought Lily would start biting. With her hand resting protectively on Draco’s back and those careful, guarded eyes, it was only too easy to see the blood she shared with Sirius. They held themselves with the same straight-backed posture, a silent challenge to take another step closer to their ward.

Lily offered a small smile and inclined her head. Thank you for watching them both. Narcissa didn’t relax, but her pointed chin did dip for half a second.

Outside, the goal horn blared. Harry and Draco made identical faces of annoyance at the interruption, but Lily felt her stomach sink. She and Narcissa had a shared point of contact—the Snakes, on the other hand, did not. She didn’t care for them. She certainly didn’t want Harry around them. From the curl of Narcissa’s lip as the whoops of the Lions echoed down the far tunnel, the feeling was mirrored on her side.

Lily broke eye contact first and bent to Harry’s level. “Time to go, lovebug, Daddy misses you. Can you say bye to Draco?”

“Bye!” Harry chirped, pulling the other boy into a brief hug that seemed to surprise him before returning to Lily’s side. “See you next time!”

The look on Narcissa’s face told Lily a ‘next time’ was unlikely, but…but not impossible. Lily sent her a final nod as she ushered Harry into the hallway. Layla was already gone; she couldn’t help but be grateful for a brief moment of alone time with Harry.

“I like Ms. Narcissa,” Harry announced, hopscotching the gray and white tiles.

“Do you?”

“Yep. She was nice. She keeps LEGOs in her purse, didja know that?”

“I didn’t,” Lily admitted. “I’m not surprised, though.”

“How come you don’t keep LEGOs in your purse?”

“Because I don’t use purses. I lose them too fast.”

“Well, yeah, but what about your backpack?”

“I keep books, cards, snacks, and some other things in my backpack. I like feeling prepared.” And I’m thirty seconds from sticking a GPS on you.

Harry made a faint noise of agreement when they entered the main hall, pulling the sleeves of his too-big Potter jersey down over his hands. “D’you think Daddy will play LEGOs with me and Draco next time?”

Lily had to bite her lip to stifle a hoot of laughter at the thought of James Potter willingly sitting in a room with anyone even distantly related to the Snakes, let alone one of Sirius’ cousins, let alone a Malfoy. “He’s busy during the games,” she said instead. “But he would love to play with you at home.”

Where I can keep an eye on you, she added. They had already passed the labyrinth of halls she had wandered for the worst seven minutes of her life, but she kept close to Harry anyway. Seven minutes was too long to be away from him. Seven seconds was too long.

Harry stopped just outside the locker room, leaning against her legs to look up at her with big, pleading eyes. “Will you play LEGOs with us next time?”

There were a variety of reasons Lily could say no, could tell Harry to stay away from that team and everyone near it. Hell, she had a damn good reason to keep Harry away from anyone associated with Sirius’ parents. Narcissa’s guarded posture rose in her memory, unwarranted. Her crisp clothes, the abrupt black-and-white of her hair, the way her pale hand had been so gentle on Draco’s shoulder. The way Draco had held on to her coat the same way Harry hid behind her own around strangers.

“Sure, baby. We can do that.”

#lily potter #lily evans #layla #narcissa malfoy #harry potter #draco malfoy #james potter #sweater weather #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #lost child #lily centric #young harry

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fruitcoops · 2 years

Note

could you write some o knutzy angst? maybe leo having a nightmare or something with his past and the boys help him

A bit of angst with a happy ending and a very cute toddler. Cubs credit goes to @lumosinlove, but the man and his daughter are unnamed OCs <3

TW for child getting lost

“You were awesome tonight!” the little boy gushed, his Lions cap falling into his eyes.

“Thanks, buddy,” Finn laughed as he finished scribbling out his signature. “Maybe it’ll be you out there soon, eh?”

The kid’s face lit up like the Chrysler building. Talk about adorable, Finn thought, sharing a quick grin with the mother. “I’m gonna try! Mom signed me up for a summer camp an’ I think I’m gonna be a winger, too!”

“Best spot, little man!” Finn held his fist out for a bump, which was enthusiastically returned—the kid bounced on his toes and gripped the puck so tight his knuckles were white. More people flooded out of the rink and he straightened, shaking the mother’s hand before tapping the brim of the kid’s hat. “Alright, you’d better get a move on so traffic doesn’t get too bad. Drive safe.”

“What do you say?” the woman asked gently, turning her son back around when he went to scamper off.

A gap-toothed grin melted Finn’s heart. “Thank you, Harzy!”

“Any time,” he promised with a last wave goodbye. He watched them go until the crowd swallowed them up, bright jerseys smudging into a sea of red and gold that still made his heart pound. He had always thought hockey would be the best part of the NHL, but nothing compared to the rush of love from the fans.

A warm, broad hand brushed his lower back and he turned into Leo, already smiling. “Hey, you,” Leo hummed with a bump of their foreheads. His hair fell over his forehead in wet curls from the showers—he smelled clean, and looked sleepy already.

Finn sighed. “I want kids. Like, right now.”

“No.”

He whined in protest as Leo laughed, then wrapped an arm around him. “C’mon, they’re so cute and cuddly!”

“You told me last week that you didn’t want kids until we were all retired,” Leo reminded him with a playful pinch of Finn’s nose.

“That was a whole week ago!”

“How old was the walking baby fever this time?”

Finn scowled, but scuffed his foot against the carpet. He could feel Leo’s sweet, teasing gaze boring into him like he was getting ready for a slapshot. “Like, seven,” he admitted after a minute.

“Thought so.”

“He’s going to summer camp to be a winger.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And he said I did awesome.”

“I’m sure he did, honey.”

“I want one.”

Leo turned and took his face in both hands, giving it a little shake that had Finn biting back a smile. “I want one or two or three. But not before we’re home all year instead of five months.”

Finn couldn’t argue with him, there. They had this discussion at least once a month; some cute baby Lion would come up, all happy and buzzed on the thrill of a game, and whichever one of them fell victim to those big puppy-dog eyes would be wheedling and sighing and future-planning until the other two wound them back down. It wasn’t reasonable to have kids so early. It wouldn’t be fair, either, to have all three parents in another state half the time.

But Jesus Christ, it was hard to look at Logan speaking French with a three-year-old or Leo with some little munchkin propped on his hip for a photo and not want to see that every day.

Leo left a chaste kiss on his cheek. “I know that look. You’re thinking about it.”

Finn huffed. “Yeah, I…”

“…Finn?”

The small shape by the vending machine moved again; a sparkly hair bow caught the light, and Fin’s heart dropped to his feet. He grabbed Leo by the arm. “Do you see that?”

“See what?”

“The kid.” He watched Leo’s expression change out of the corner of his eye—the search, then the recognition, then the concern. “Do you think they’re—”

“Lost,” Leo confirmed under his breath. “Definitely lost.”

“Shit,” Finn muttered, shouldering through the crowd as gently as he could. His pulse pounded in is ears. The people he loved so much had become an obstacle rather than a gift in the blink of an eye. “Excuse me, sorry, ‘scuse me—I’m sorry, one second—I can sign that in five minutes if you come find me by the door—”

Leo, blessed with long legs and a goalie’s tunnel vision, got there first. By the time Finn stumbled out of the crowd, he was already crouching down in front of the child. “You’re alright,” he was saying in a gentle voice. “We’re here to help.”

“Hey, kiddo,” Finn said with as much of a cheerful smile as he could muster despite the fear and distress painted all over big dark eyes. The poor thing couldn’t have been older than six. Scratchy carpet dug into his knees when he knelt. “What’s going on?”

The kid hiccupped, clutching her jersey with both hands. “Papa,” she mumbled, smudging a tear away with the too-long sleeve. “I—I lost my Papa.”

“Okay,” Leo soothed as another tear slipped down her red cheeks; Finn could hear the heartbreak in his voice. “We’re going to find him for you. I’m Leo, and this is my friend Finn. What’s your name?”

Her lower lip wobbled and she stepped back into the corner between the vending machine and the wall. “You don’t have to tell us,” Finn assured her as his heart fractured. “But it might help us find your dad. Do you remember the last time you saw him?”

She sniffled, then readjusted her hair bow and nodded. “The big door in the middle. There were lotsa people.”

Main entrance. “How long have you been here?”

More tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. “I—I don’t know, there were people, I just want my Papa!”

Leo shushed her softly; Finn felt their hands brush and gave him a light squeeze of comfort. “We’re going to find him, just like we promised. How about—how about I lift you up, so you can see better? Would that be okay?”

The girl looked between them for a moment, still clutching her jersey—Finn had to take a second when he noticed the 10 stamped on it—before she sniffled and held her arms out to Leo. “My Papa has red hair, like your friend’s.”

“Alright, pumpkin,” Leo said as he lifted her up.

Finn caught the moment he broke character, closing his eyes for just a second when she settled on his hip. I know, baby, he wanted to say. I don’t know what I’d do if it was our kid who got lost, either. “You were by the big doors?”

“Mhmm.”

Finn kept a careful eye out for red hair, but between the shimmering red and gold and sheer amount of people packed in for a Saturday night game, he may as well have been looking for a needle in a stack of needles. “Was your papa wearing a jersey?”

“Yeah.” They shared a look as she snuggled into Leo’s chest. His eyes were a little watery, and Finn scooted closer to rub his back with a featherlight kiss to his shoulder.

“Was it like yours?” Leo asked.

“Tremzy’s our favorite.”

“I think Tremzy’s everyone’s favorite,” Finn half-laughed. It would be easier to find a Tremblay jersey than a Black one, at least. Still, there was too much movement from that first wave to see much more than bumping and jostling. “What’s your papa’s name?”

“Um…” The little girl bit her lip, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt for a moment. A look of intense concentration furrowed her brow. “Mama calls him ‘sweetheart’, sometimes. Oh, and ‘Danny’. I think either of those would work.”

“I think—I think we’ll try ‘Danny’, first,” Leo said with a cough to hide his smile as Finn stifled his snort. “Hazry?”

“I’m going to be loud for a second, so you might want to cover your ears,” Finn informed her before cupping his hands around his mouth. “Danny!” he shouted, causing several people close to them to jump. “Is there a Danny in the crowd? If there is a Danny wearing a Tremblay jersey, please come to the vending machines immediately!”

The unending push toward the main doors halted for a few seconds—people turned left and right in clear confusion, their voices rising to a hum that made the little girl wince even with her hands over her ears. He saw more than one person look down at their jersey just to double-check the name and number.

Then there was a burst of movement near the double-doors leading into the rink and Finn saw a flash of red-blond hair pushing against the current. The tension in his chest released, bringing a long exhale out with it. “Does your papa wear glasses?” Leo asked, and the girl nodded without hesitation. “Okay, peaches, I think we found him.”

Finn met the man halfway, ushering people to the sides. “Are you—”

“I’m looking for my daughter,” he interrupted, breathing hard. His hands shook when he ran them through his hair. “She’s five years old, about this tall, has a big bow in her hair?”

“Oh, thank god,” Finn sighed, taking him by the shoulder. “This way. We found her about five minutes ago.”

“Where?” the man demanded.

“She was hiding by the vending machines—"

“Papa!” the little girl squealed the second she spotted them, squirming down from Leo’s arms to launch herself at her father. He silently knelt to catch her, his face crumpling as he held her close with one hand on her back and the other cradling her head with unbridled care. Finn couldn’t bring himself to watch; Leo startled a little when he wrapped an arm around him, blinking back tears that made his blue eyes bright.

“I’m not mad,” the man soothed, gathering his daughter up onto his hip as he stood and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Her high voice trailed off and she hid in his shoulder, visibly calming. “Accidents happen. I’m just glad you’re safe. Are you okay?”

She nodded, both arms wrapped around his neck. Finn didn’t realize how much he was waiting for that answer as well until she gave it.

He tried for a smile when the man turned. “Smart kid,” he managed, clearing his throat. “She—yeah, she stayed out of the crowd and knew all the stranger danger stuff.”

But the man didn’t answer right away—his dark eyes, a mirror of his daughters, lingered on them for a long moment before he looked away and kissed her forehead. “Did you say thank you, bug?”

She peeked out at them and offered a small, shy smile that made Finn want to wrap her up in a blanket and give her all the unicorns and cookies she wanted. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Leo said softly.

“Course, kiddo.” He bent to offer a fist bump, and from that angle, it was terribly easy to imagine a toddler tucked up against a Tremblay jersey that belonged to the man himself. It would happen someday—he’d come home from whatever he did after retirement to a family of their own, one or two or three kids plus his favorite people in the world. Her little hand nudged his own, and Finn had to take a deep breath when he straightened.

“Thank you,” her father said. “I’ve—there are no words. You’re good people.”

“We try,” Finn said weakly.

He looked at them for a moment longer, then nodded. He didn’t say another word as they headed back into the crowd, vanishing among the hundreds upon hundreds that had packed into the rink to start their weekend off right. Maybe it was past the kid’s bedtime. Maybe her mother waiting at home for them, oblivious to the harrowing experience they had just gone through. Maybe it was just the pair in a downtown apartment. Finn loved the fans, but he had never thought much about them outside the bleachers before.

Leo sniffed. “She was so tiny.”

“Oh my god, I know,” Finn breathed, turning away from the crowd. “And her little hair bow—”

“Her hair bow,” Leo said plaintively. “Fuck, I want one.”

“A hair bow?”

“A baby.”

Finn kissed his cheek, folding their hands together. “Later, sweetheart. We’ve got time."

#finn ohara #leo knut #ocs #sweater weather #vaincre #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #lost child #discussion of kids #logan tremblay

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