WLTGO one shots

Im breaking down

"Dad!!" Eleven year old Vesper says as she walks into his bedroom flinging open the door. "Can my friends come over today?"
Elliot jumps as he drops his tshirt he was about to put on. He turns to Vesper.
"How many?" He says, holding the tshirt over his chest.
"Like the whole football team?" Vesper says.

Elliot blinks.
"Vesper- that's twenty eight kids? For dinner or just to stay?" He stammers.
"Dinner." Vesper chirps.
Elliot's eye twitches. He couldn't say no.
"....okay fine, get them to send their parents numbers."
"Yay!" Vesper ran into her room and Elliot put his Tshirt on.
Elliot sighs and David appears in the doorway.
"You do have the option of saying no right?" David says. "You're too soft."
"Whatever." Elliot says. "If she wants friends over she can have friends over."
"Twenty eight of them?" David raises an eyebrow.

"Elliot, you have the willpower the deny her you know that right?" David says.
"Well she's a persuasive piece of shit so if I say no she'll find a way to make me say yes." Elliot says.
David sighs and Vesper appears in the door way again, holding her phone again.
"I have their numbers."

Elliot sighs.
"Alright, give me your phone."

_______________________________

"Elliot! Can we have nuggets!"
"I can't have nuggets."
"Ice cream!"
"Vesper you didn't tell me you had a SIGNED FOOTBALL!?"
"Can we play!?"
"YOU HAVE CHICKEN!?"
"Guys vesper has sheep in the field!"
"Yeah we can play!"
"I'll be goal!"
"Elliot!!!!"
"Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!"
Elliot shuts the kitchen door and collapses onto it, sighing and running his hands through his hair.
"Shit..."

"I told you this was a bad idea." David says, unloading the dishwasher. "I warned you."
"Oh haha." Elliot says sarcastically. "As long as she's happy-"
"-'then I'm happy'" David recited. "You need to be more tough to her honestly. Build a back bone."
Elliot huffs and takes some plates out the dishwasher. "I am- sometimes." He stammers. "Just not today."
"And not yesterday, and the day before, and the day before, and-"
"Alright, alright, I get it." Elliot glares. "Just- ugh whatever." He puts the plates in a drawer. "I just can't say no. It's mean."

David leans on the counter.
"If this was you I were dealing with at Thirteen, I would've bluntly said no and pulled the Court of Law card on you."
"Yeah well you're a qualified Lawyer." Elliot says. "And I'm a theatre kid that lives on a farm."
"Then pull the acting card and say no."
"There's a difference in acting and parenting."
"Whatever." David pulls a cup out the dishwasher. "Just grow a back bone."
Elliot rolls his eyes and slams the drawer shut.

Vesper opens the door.
"Dad can we have ice cream?"
Elliot looks at Vesper.
"Please?"
His eye twitches.
"Of course," he says "just give me a minute?"
Vesper walks out and Elliot turns to his father, an exasperated look on his face.
David raises his eyebrow.
"And yet you were warned."
"Shut up."

Several minutes later, the garden was filled with twenty eight ice cream filled kids, kicking footballs, running around or sitting and eating. It was exhausting. Elliot thought looking after one child was hard. He was so wrong.
He drops down onto the grass, running his hand through his hair.

"Hey dad." Vesper says, appearing next to him and making him jump. "You okay?"
"I'm okay... I think." He says. "What is it with you and just appearing?"
Vesper laughs and drops down next to him and licks her ice cream.
"Thanks for letting me have everyone over." She says. "It's a lot."
"Yeah." Elliot nods. "It is a lot. But as long as you're happy I'm happy."
Vesper smiles. Elliot puts his arm around her shoulder.
"You okay?" He asks.
"I'm tired." Vesper yawns.
"I'm not surprised. You've been running around the field for four hours." Elliot laughs.

Vesper licks her ice cream.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Would now be a bad time to ask for Olivia and Maxie to stay the night?"
Elliot groans.
"Have you asked their parents?"
"Yeah they said it's okay." Vesper nods.

Elliot sighs. He couldn't say no. He could - but didn't have to willpower too.
He nods.
"Fine. Just don't stay up late."

_______________________________

Vesper, Olivia and Maxie all sat at the table the next morning, eating cereal, as and exhausted Elliot walked down the stairs.
"Girls?" He asked. "How are you already up? It's seven in the morning?"
"We got up early." Vesper says. "Football outside again."

Elliot sits in the chair infront of them, next to Vesper.
"Just-.." he sighs. "Don't be too loud people will be sleeping still."
"We'll try." Vesper nods.

Parenting was rough. Elliot knew that from the start. And at this point, he felt like he was gonna just break down on the spot.