Timeless • A Kyle Kuzma Fanfiction

iii

astin

There's a knock on the front door and I'm entirely too eager to get away from the table.

"I'll get it!" I shout. Although I doubt any of the guys heard me over their shouting at the T.V.

"Hey sissy!"

"Aus?"

She passes me and goes straight to the kitchen.

"Blakey boo!"

Blake grins at her aunt, showing her  parfait.

"Close your mouth, Blake." I sigh sitting back in my seat.

"Scoot, scoot. Hey mama." Austin forces herself on the bench next to me and I roll my eyes.

"How are you, auntie Blake?"

"I'm good. How about you?" She answers, eyeing the yogurt filled spoon her grandmother held out for her.

They go back and forth and my heart melts every time Blake answers. I don't brag about it, but Blake is a lot smarter than the average two (nearly three) year old. She catches on to things very quickly- too quickly - and somehow it sticks in her ever growing brain. Like now, the fact she's having a conversation with Austin that's not about Peppa Big or the Bubble Guppies surprises me and everyone around us every time she does it.

"Astin? What are we doing today?"

"I don't know what you're doing, but I'm spending the day with my daughter."

She pouts and plucks me. "Come on Tinny!" She whines.

"What? I'm spending the day with my daughter, like I said. We'll probably go to CE.C."

I couldn't say it out because Blake knows the place all too well.

"Sounds good to me." Austin grins. I give her a look and sigh.

"What sounds good?" My dad asks, coming into the kitchen, some of the guys trailing after him.

Including Kyle.

"We're going to Chuck- CE.C with Blake today!"

"Okay, we're literally not." I huff.

What is it so bad I wanted to spend time with my daughter alone? She can see her aunts, uncles, and granddads whenever. It seems like I'm the person who barely gets to see her.

"Why can't we go?" I glare. My dad wasn't playing fair; he knew I couldn't say no to him.

"I have two shoots tomorrow and then interviews for the rest of the week, y'all. Can I have one day with my daughter? Who, I must remind, I haven't seen in two weeks." I finish indignantly.

They shake their heads and shrug anyways.

"She's here now; you'll have plenty of time with her," He stops for a moment. "After today." I groan and basically shove Austin out the seat. I wipe Blake's mouth and lift her from her seat, much to my mother's distaste but oh well. She'll get plenty of time to feed Blake, after tonight.

"Where you going?"

"To put Blake down for her n.a.p."

"Aw no, she doesn't need nap time right now!"

I snap my head to B and squint. And had it not been for Blake's immediate cries, I probably would've threw him the finger too. Asshole. He knows the N word is a trigger for Blake and yet he purposefully uses it against me. Asshole.

I sigh and lay her head on my shoulder while I lead her back up to my room. When I'd gotten pregnant, the room that had been attached to mine became a nursery and that it remained until I moved out and my parents redid it so it was fit for a girl her age and size.

"Okay, Blake you have to sleep." I mumble as she continues to cry.

She whines out my name and I sigh, tucking her in and turning off the ceiling light and pushing on her night light. I kiss her head and close the door as she gets even louder. I pause for a couple seconds in my room before going back downstairs where everyone had migrated to the family room.

"What time are we leaving?" B asks and I mentally kick everyone in here in the stomach.

"Around 4, maybe? I have to wake her up at two and we'll need to take showers." I finally give in. I guess one night couldn't hurt.

It was already nearing 12 and I needed to go get some things for the house since Blake is back.

"Uh, I'm going to go get some stuff for Blake. I'll be in like an hour? Hour and 30 minutes? If I need to, I'll shower at home before coming back here."

"Ooo, bring me back some-"

"No, bye y'all!" I interrupt, grabbing my keys and heading out the door.

"Astin?" I turn around to see Kyle coming out after me. I raise an eyebrow and place my hands on my hips.

"What are you doing?" He walks up to my Tesla and leans on it.

"Why are you coming with me?"

He shrugs. "We never finished our Q & A."

I pout at him and unlock the door. "If my dad curses you out, it's all on you."

He shrugs and gets in anyway. 

I pull out of their driveway and it isn't until we're on open road that I start the conversation again.

"It isn't fair that you get to ask me all the questions, you know." I glance at him from the corner of my eye to see him already looking at me.

"Shoot."

I wasn't expecting him to actually go for it so I actually have to think of something to ask.

"Where are you from?" I finally push out after a minute of thinking. You're so basic.

"Flint."

I glance at him full-on now. "Michigan?"

He nods, his jaw tightening.

"Oh...how's it there? With the water crisis and everything?"

He let's out a laugh that lacks all humor. "'How's it there?' Astin, how do you think it is?"

I feel my face heat up and mentally thank God for giving me my dark complexion.

"I don't know! I'm sorry? We donated money for the pipe repair, but we rarely get any updates on it..." I trail off, realizing how dumb I actually probably sounded. We donated money? A great big help in a city where you don't actually know where the money is going.

"At least you tried to do something."

A choking silence takes over the car because I'm at a loss of words.

"Kyle," I groan. "We can't even have a conversation without having an awkward silence and you expected us to be able to have breakfast together?"

His lips turn upwards before he lets out a chuckle.

"I guess you're right. Although you're the one who goes in with the deep stuff."

I turn into the market's parking lot and turn off the car before facing him.

"I do not."

"You do too."

"Okay, we've had like two conversations!"

"And who was the person who made it seem like we've had oh so many and they were all awkward?"

I groan again and open my door. "Get out loser, we're going shopping."