Parent!England x Fem!Reader: The Park

Chapter 11: Someone Else

[Slight TW for some yelling later on. I'll put !!!!! as a heads up]

You figured this would be a challenge as soon as the kids started fighting over who got to sit in the cart. Arthur seemed embarrassed by them.

"Michelle should sit in the because she's the smallest, Alfred can hang on the end of the cart, and Matthew can come over here to hold my hand," you said. They complied. 

"Can you watch the cart for a second, love?" You nodded, grabbing the bar while Arthur went off to find the right pasta noodles. Michelle was looking at the different logos on the spaghetti sauces with Matthew. 

"Look Mattie, that girl in the picture kinda looks like me!"

"You're right, she kinda does. Oh, and this old guy looks like Dad!" They giggled and you tried to stifle your own laughter. 

A woman pushing a cart stopped by yours, looking at the laughing children. She placed a hand over her heart. 

"Your little ones are so precious." You looked back to them before meeting her eyes.

"Thank you. But these aren't my kids." You laughed nervously as she gave you a weird look. You hoped that she wasn't about to call security as she hurried away.

Alfred tugged on your pant leg.

"(Y/n), can we go look at the toys now?"

"We just got here, your dad needs to get the food first." He pouted.

"But "(Y/nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn)." You sighed, ruffling his hair. 

"Maybe later, okay?" He groaned but nodded.

Arthur gave you a grateful smile before he put some noodles in the cart. He moved on to the produce section.

Alfred and Michelle were patting on the watermelons like drums. You were going to stop them, but Matthew had let go of your hand to run off to the local goods. Arthur seemed none the wiser. Immediately, you spun around to get Matthew before someone else did. 

"Mattie?" He disappeared into another aisle. "Matthew!" The next aisle held Matthew and an oddly familiar blonde in elegant clothing. Matthew seemed to know him, because he was hugging the man and talking excitedly. You approached awkwardly.

"(Y/n)! This is my Papa!" The man raised a brow coming up to kiss you on both cheeks. 

"(Y/n)? Bonjour, mademoiselle. You know my son?" Matthew jumped up, grabbing your hand. 

"This is my friend! She babysits us while Dad's at work. She's really nice." You extended your hand a bit awkwardly.

"Hello, Mr….?"

"Just call me Francis. Francis Bonnefoy." The realization hit you like a badly scheduled train. The French representative was Arthur's ex. You couldn't help but raise your eyebrows at Matthew in surprise. 

"There you are!" 

Before you could say anything else, Arthur skidded into the aisle with the other two kids. He and Francis locked eyes. Michelle and Alfred ran up to the Frenchman, leaving Arthur to stare in shock. You felt even more awkward than before, looking between the kids and the men. Arthur finally broke the silence. 

"When did you come into town?" Francis cleared his throat before speaking. 

"Just this morning. I came here to get some groceries, then I planned on coming over to yours to make dinner for the children." Arthur folded his arms.

"That doesn't explain why you're here."

"Well, if you must know, I came to see my son's baseball game tomorrow after missing my daughter's swim meet. I deserve time with the kids, too." Matthew looked up innocently. 

"We can all hang out together! (Y/n), Dad and Papa!" Your eyes widened and you began to stammer.

"N-no Mattie, I can't get in the way--" 

"(Y/n), it'll be fine. I suppose I can get along with *him* if the kids want him, and I'll have you to sort out the inevitable arguments." You sweatdropped like an and character. 

"I have to babysit two adult children as well?" you thought. The look on the children's faces commanded an answer. You nodded. 

"It can be...a sleepover," said Arthur, looking defeated and disgusted. The kids cheered. 

***

Francis prepared dinner for everyone and, you had to admit, it was great. The kids prevented any type of awkward silence at the table, but you still felt out of place nonetheless. Francis and Arthur occasionally glared at each other. You decided to say something instead of nervously fiddling with your napkin.

"So, Francis, you work at the Agency?"

"Oui. As if it wasn't obvious, I'm the French representative." You nodded, taking a thoughtful sip of juice. 

"Why don't you tell us about your game tomorrow, Alfred?" you asked. The boy smiled before taking a deep breath.

If the kids hadn't protested so much, you probably would have gone home right after dinner, but Matthew had latched onto your leg and refused to let you go. You watched the kids tell Francis about all the little after-school adventures you took them on.

Arthur made an effort to keep you as far away from Francis as possible. You couldn't really see why. The guy seemed nice enough. He looked at everything the kids showed him with great interest. You could really see the resemblance between him and Matthew, with the purple eyes and wavy blonde hair. That was sort of odd considering that the kids were adopted. Alfred was over the moon about Francis. It wasn't until Arthur suggested that you all got some rest before the game tomorrow that the boy calmed down a bit. 

The last hour before bedtime was spent building one of the kids' signature forts. Arthur and Francis left you and the kids to do your own thing, heading to Arthur's room. As you and the kids were draping sheets over the chairs, you were able to tell why they left. 

!!!!!!!!

"I TOLD YOU TO KEEP EVERYTHING PROFESSIONAL! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM US!" 

"THEY'RE MY KIDS TOO, ARTHUR! YOU CAN'T KEEP PUSHING ME AWAY!" 

!!!!!!

You resolved to do something before the kids noticed and got worried. You moved the lamp before starting a song.

"OOO! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" The kids immediately joined in.

"SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!" By the time the song was done, Arthur and Francis had returned to the living room. Arthur was red in the face, and the Frenchman didn't look as composed as before. The children, thankfully, took no notice of this, instead proudly showing off their handiwork. 

"I'm gonna get my stuff from my car," you said. Matthew had suggested that you always keep things you would need for a sleepover in your car, just in case. Smart kid.

You returned to the living room after putting on your onesie. Michelle waved you into the fort. You crawled inside, surveying the blankets and stuffed animals with approval.

"We did a great job." 

"(Y/n), come over here." Arthur patted the space beside him, next to Alfred.

"Uhhh, I'm not sure…" you hesitantly complied. Arthur whispered in your ear.

"Please just go with it, it's the only thing that will make Alfred happy." Heat rushed to your face. You nodded before pulling the blanket over your head. Alfred snuggled up to you. 

"Good night, everyone!"