Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They say that quality time is the most common love language. Jack Miles really, really hoped that his two daughters weren’t part of that majority.

The steakhouse he works at is at its peak hour, dinner rush. He's been working practically nonstop since nine in the morning. The kitchen is hectic; the ticket rail is cluttered to hell and back. Jack works persistently at the busy grill station, ensuring the meat and vegetables he was taking care of spent just the right amount of time cooking. He presses a patty down on the hot surface, putting away the utensil and whisking the vegetables off the grill. The kitchen is hot, loud, and packed, but Jack does his best to not let that sway his job as a line cook. He prepares one of the plates with the vegetables he just grilled, weaving his way through the employees in the kitchen to drop it off at the kitchen line. The executive chef, Mason Wolfe, watches the kitchen with a keen eye, squinting. As Jack returns to his station, Mason trails behind him.

“There are FOURTEEN grill-related orders backed up. Get it together, Miles! You’re taking your sweet sweet time on a plate of grilled green beans of all things!” The chef glares at him and his station.

“Yes chef!” Jack focuses on his station, not meeting Wolfe’s eyes. He sets four patties to cook on the grill, turning around to plate a steak and veggies combo. Wolfe glares at him one more time before walking off to yell at one of the cooks working at the fry station. The sous chef, Amanda Moss, takes Wolfe’s place in supervising the grill station. Jack sees her out of the corner of his eye and ensures he hasn’t screwed up yet. An argument breaks out between two cooks a few stations over, and in the blink of an eye Moss is on top of the situation, telling off the two line cooks and getting them back to work. Jack swallows, muttering to himself as he flips the meat on the grill. It was only two more hours of this until he could go home and see his kids.

By the time 8 pm rolls around, Jack is thoroughly exhausted. He drags himself to his car, fumbling with his keys and sitting himself down in the driver's seat. As Jack pulls out of the parking lot, he calls his neighbor watching his eight-year-old and seven-year-old, waiting for her to pick up.

“Mmh... hello?” A familiar voice is on the other end of the line.

“Hey, Celeste. How are the girls?” Jack stifles a yawn, trying to hide the anxious undertone in his voice.

“Oh, one’s gone missing and the other set the house on fire.”

“Wh-”

“Relax, Jack. I picked ‘em up from elementary school at four-thirty as you asked. I also heated up the lasagna you left in the fridge for us, made ‘em have dinner with me, and let them watch cartoons for a bit until sending them off to brush their teeth and go to bed. Rachael’s asleep, but Sofia insisted on staying up until you came home.”

“Celeste, I can’t thank you enough- you’ve been an amazing help with the kids. I’ll be paying you soon once I get my paycheck.” Jack sighs in relief.

“Pshh, don’t worry too much about payment. I can’t lie, I miss working with children ever since I got my new job. I work from home now anyway, so it’s not really that much of a hassle to just bring my laptop to your house and make sure the girls aren’t doing anything stupid while I work.”

“Alright, good to hear. I’ll see you in ten.” Jack hangs up the phone, turning the radio up so he doesn’t doze off at the wheel. Even if he saw his daughters every morning dropping them off at school, it still wasn’t enough. Weekends were more precious than gold to him, it meant two days of (mostly) undisturbed time spent with his kids. And to Jack, his kids were more important than any duty he had at work.

“I’m home.” Jack opens the door, peering inside. Sofia looks up from her spot cuddled up next to Celeste, scrambling up.

“Papa!!” She calls out, running to him. Jack scoops her up into a hug, picking her up off the ground. She giggles in delight.

“Hey kiddo!” Jack smiles wide, a type of smile reserved for his kids. He squeezes Sofia tightly before setting her back on the floor. She trails behind him as he walks over to Celeste.

“Thanks for taking care of them. You said Rachael was asleep?”

“Yup. Anyways, I’m gonna head home for now. Sleep tight.” Celeste grabs her laptop bag, making her way over to the front door.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” She closes the door behind her, and Jack is left in the house with his family. He lets out a sigh, running a hand through his mess of hair. Sofia lets out a small yawn next to him, rubbing her eyes.

“Well, time for you to hit the hay, little sparrow.” Jack ruffles his daughter’s hair, chuckling. His little nickname for her derived from her likeness to the bird, being short and small compared to the rest.

“Okay!” Already in her frog pajamas, she runs up the stairs to where the bedrooms are. Jack follows her to the room that they share. Dolls and stuffed animals litter the floor of the room. He sighs, stepping around them and making a mental note to help clean their room later. Rachael sleeps in one of the twin beds in the corner, wrapped up in her favorite hotdog-patterned blanket she convinced Jack to get during a run to the store. He laughs softly at the sight, smiling. Jack leans over and presses a brief kiss to his daughter’s head, careful not to wake her.

“Goodnight you two. Come get me in my room if you need anything at all, okay?”

“Can you tuck me in?” Sofia sits patiently on her bed, looking up at him. Jack smiles, nodding.

“Course I will.” He picks up her favorite frog stuffed animal off the floor, snuggling it up in bed with her. She wiggles under the covers with the stuffed animal in hand, giggling. Her short brown hair sticks out from under the sheets.

“C’mon, I can’t tuck you in if you’re hiding from me.” Jack laughs as she emerges once again, grinning. He pulls the sheets up over her shoulders, fluffing the pillow up behind her. He tucks the sheets under the mattress, giving her a little goodnight kiss on the forehead. Sofia yawns, closing her eyes. Jack gets up, smiling.

“I love you, papa.” She murmurs between yawns.

“Love you too, little sparrow. Goodnight.” Jack switches on her nightlight, turning off the light of the fan. He closes the bedroom door behind him softly.

“Kids…” He murmurs to himself, yawning. Jack makes his way to his room, collapsing on his bed. He’s out like a light almost instantly, exhausted from the long day.

Jack wakes up to soft knocking on his bedroom door. He squints, adjusting his eyes, reaching over to turn his bedside lamp on. The clock resting on the nightstand next to the lamp reads one ‘o clock.

“Come in?” He props himself up on one arm, looking at the doorway. It opens slowly, and Rachael peeks her head in.

“Papa... I had a nightmare…” On one hand, Rachael clutches the hotdog blanket. It trails behind her as she walks in. Jack frowns, her face was clearly wet from crying.

“Oh, that’s not good! I’m so sorry, kiddo.” Jack pulls his sheet away, making room for his daughter to climb in next to him. She sniffles slightly, pulling the blanket with her as she gets up on the bed next to him.

“You want to talk about it?”

Rachael shakes her head, sniffling.

“Do you want to sleep here for the night?”

She nods, rubbing her eyes. Jack sighs, unfolding the hotdog blanket she brought with her. He puts the blanket over his daughter’s shoulders, wrapping her up in a burrito of sorts. Rachael yawns as she curls up next to him, shutting her eyes. Jack pets her hair softly, murmuring assurances that everything was okay. After a few minutes, her breathing finally evens, and Jack falls asleep with her.

Quite a few hours later, Jack is woken up yet again. Rachael wiggles out of his arms, already ready to start the day. The clock on his nightstand reads seven ‘o clock. He grumbles, lifting his head from the pillow. Rachael is reaching for the doorknob.

“Wait up, silly…” He rubs his eyes, throwing the sheets off him and joins his daughter at the door, opening it for her.

“I’ll go make you guys breakfast, go wake your sister up.” Jack ruffles Rachael’s hair, making his way down the stairs. He sighs, fishing a box of frozen waffles out of the freezer, loading them into the toaster to cook. After a few minutes, Sofia and Rachael run down the stairs in their pajamas, pulling out their chairs at the dining table. They seem to be in a deep conversation about whether they can convince Jack to get a pet. Sofia wants a frog, but Rachael wants a lizard. Jack listens to their argument in amusement as he prepares his own breakfast, hearing Sofia insist that frogs were the way to go because they were ‘awesome-er-est’.

“When you guys are grown-ups, you can get all the frogs and lizards you want. But for now, eat your waffles.” Jack brings the plastic plates to the table.

“Papa, why can’t we eat off of your shiny plates?” Sofia squints, gesturing to the ceramic one that he eats his omelet off of. She eats the waffle with her hands, not even bothering to use the plastic plate given to her.

“Because-” Jack opens his mouth to say something, but Sofia’s hand slips, knocking the plate off the table. It clatters on the ground.

“Because my shiny plates break when you do that.” Jack sighs, getting up and putting the plate back on the table. Sofia says something with her mouth full but doesn’t choose to elaborate.

“So are you guys packed and ready for school?” Jack asks, taking another bite of his omelet. Sofia nods, stuffing another piece of waffle into her mouth.

“I don’t want to do math class today. I don’t understand any of it.” Rachael grumbles.

“I can help you with math after school, I’ll try to come home earlier today,” Jack promises, smiling. Rachael’s eyes light up and she smiles back.

“Thanks!”

The three eventually finish their breakfast, getting up from the table. Jack loads the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, wiping down the counters as Sofia and Rachael get dressed and pack their backpacks in their room.

“Kiddos, we’re leaving in two minutes! Pack quickly! And don’t forget your homework!” Jack calls from the doorway. He’s in his work clothes already- a white dress shirt with the steakhouse’s logo on the breast pocket. Sofia and Rachael run down the stairs with their backpacks. They both put on their velcro shoes- Sofia deciding to bring her light-up sketchers for today. Jack grins, leading them out the door and locking the door behind him. Jack lifts Sofia into her booster seat, buckling her in. Rachael climbs into her seat and buckles herself. They pull out of the driveway, Sofia and Rachael talking once more about what pet they could compromise on. Jack sighs, smiling to himself. His daughters were the sole thing that could get him through the workday. 

Chapter Text

“99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer-”

“For the last time, sing about juice, not beer. Beer is for grown-ups. You’re six years old.” Jack cuts her off.

The drive to Ryan’s penthouse is long, and Sofia has taken to singing either ‘The Wheels On The Bus’ or ‘99 Bottles’ to pass the time.

“98 bottles of juice on the wall-” She continues.

“When do we get to see Uncle Ryan?” Rachael calls from the backseat.

“When we get there.”

“But when?”

“Just be patient, kiddo.”

The environment they drive through starts to transition into a dense network of buildings, indicating that they were nearing Ryan’s place. The man was loaded- he owned a penthouse smack dab in the middle of a city. And although the girls knew him as Uncle Ryan, Jack could only wish he was related to the millionaire. Their relationship started in high school and they kept in touch ever since- even after Ryan’s business took off. Every now and then he invites Jack and the girls over for dinner on the weekends, just so he can have some company other than his bodyguards. 

Yes, his personal bodyguards. The man was quite paranoid.

“17 bottles of juice on the wall, 17 bottles of juice! Take one down… Uhm… pass it around! 16 bottles of juice on the wall-”

“We’re here. You can stop singing now.” Jack lets out a sigh as he pulls into the apartment complex’s parking garage. He parks the car, getting out to unbuckle Sofia from the booster seat. Rachael takes care of herself, joining Jack’s side as he lifts Sofia onto his shoulders. 

“Ow- not the hair-” Jack grunts as Sofia stabilizes herself by grabbing onto his locks. She eventually lets go, leaning over and making woosh noises as she plays with her blue helicopter toy. Rachael holds Jack’s hand as he leads them inside the building.

“Can I help you with anything?” The condo receptionist calls from the counter. The lobby is clean and pristine, decorated with marble pillars and leather couches arranged neatly around a fireplace. He feels underdressed in his Hawaiian shirt and khakis.

“Hey, uh, I’m Jack Miles, and I’ve come to visit a friend of mine in the penthouse.”

“You’ve come to visit Mr. Ross?” She tilts her head, squinting.

“Uh, yeah.” He scratches the back of his head, forgetting that Ryan was treated like a celebrity around here. 

“Wait right here, please.” The receptionist turns to call Ryan, clearly not believing Jack. He lets out a sigh as the receptionist punches in his number.

“Hello, Mr. Ross? There’s a ‘Jack Miles’ requesting to meet with you. Of course, if you did not arrange for this meeting or don’t know this man I can get security to remove him from the-”

Ryan’s voice on the other end cuts her off.

“Oh, you know him! Of course! I’ll escort Mr. Miles personally to your suite! My mistake. He didn’t exactly give me the impression of a businessman that you typically meet up with-”

Ryan cuts her off once more.

“S-sorry, Mr. Ross.” The receptionist is hung up on, and she sets the phone down, getting up from her desk.

“So uh… Am I allowed to go now?” Jack raises an eyebrow.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Miles! P-Please, follow me!” She ducks her head, grabbing a key for the private elevator and continuing her apologetic rambling, “My apologies for not believing you at first, you see, Mr. Ross is fond of his privacy and safety and it is my number one job to ensure that for him as the receptionist of this building because he is responsible for my increase in salary and-”

“You sure talk a lot, Miss!” Rachael remarks, cutting her off.

“Rachael! Be nice!” Jack scolds her, despite his daughter voicing exactly what she was thinking.

“I apologize for rambling. I’m sure you’re a very busy person and can’t afford to be listening to me all day! Haha...” The receptionist goes quiet, leaving them in uncomfortable silence. The elevator starts to rise after she scans the key to give them penthouse access. The walls are clear, giving them a view of the city as they ascend. 

“WOAH!” Sofia scrambles off Jack’s shoulders, pressing her face to the glass. She wasn’t afraid of heights- a stark opposite of her sister, which clung to Jack in fear. Even though they had ridden this exact elevator multiple times, it never got old for Sofia and it never got less terrifying for Rachael.

“Enjoy your stay, Mr. Miles.” The receptionist dips her head once more as the elevator dings, opening up to the foyer. They step out and the elevator closes behind them. A bodyguard stands next to the elevator door with a perfectly upright posture, noting their entrance. She murmurs something into her earpiece, and multiple bodyguards’ fingers go up to their earpieces as well.

“Jack, my buddy!” Ryan calls from the second floor, descending down the elegant staircase. His polished dress shoes click against the marble floor, stopping for a moment as a bodyguard removes his coat for him. Ryan gives his bodyguards a hand signal, and almost instantly they disperse.

“Hey!” Jack waves, almost tripping over his kids as they run to greet him.

“Uncle Ryan!” The two shriek, crashing into him for a hug.

“Woah- hey Sofia! Hey Rachael!” Ryan hugs the girls back, laughing, “Glad to see you two are doing well.” Jack approaches him, shaking his hand.

“Nice to see you too, Jack.” Ryan grins, “Glad you brought the kids. Really livens things up around here, ya know?”

“My house is never quiet, believe me.” Jack snorts as the girls start to explore his penthouse.

“Oscar, could you be a dear and watch the girls while we chat?” Ryan turns to a stocky bodyguard that watches them from the second floor, a good head taller than Jack, “Just make sure they don’t get into any trouble or hurt themselves.” Oscar nods wordlessly, descending the marble steps and joining the kids.

“Uh, you sure he’ll be able to handle them?” Jack raises an eyebrow.

“It’s not gonna be a repeat of Denise, I promise you.” Ryan laughs, referencing the time he assigned one of his bodyguards, Denise, to watch the girls. She had absolutely no experience with kids, so antics ensued. 

“Probably not, seeing as they’re already warming up to him..” Jack snorts as he watches Sofia immediately request to go up on Oscar’s shoulders. He obliges, gently hoisting her up as she giggles in excitement. 

“Can I get you something to drink?” Ryan offers.

“I’ll take a margarita, thanks.” Jack follows him to the kitchen, watching him prepare two glasses.

“So how’s the business going?” Jack asks, leaning against the wall.

“It’s doing well, actually! We’ve recently invested in this start-up called Phoenix; they’re an insurance company that specializes in fire damage.”

“Ironic name.”

“Right? But I’m sure they’ll do well. Anyways, I talk too much business with my clients already. How about you, Jack? How’s the family life going?”

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but I couldn’t wish for anything else, man. I’m still learning, but I hope I’m doing the best for them.”

“I’m sure you’re a great father, Jack. Don’t stress about it too much.” Ryan finishes making their drinks, and they head out to the balcony. The sun is sinking below the horizon, and the wind whips at their hair as they stand outside.

“I can’t help it sometimes.” He scratches the back of his head, sighing, “You know the stigma around people like me.”

“What stigma?” Ryan cocks an eyebrow.

“A good example is everyone on those parenting Facebook groups. They’re all rude as hell, man. They automatically assume I’m a terrible dad cause one, the girls were adopted, and two, I don’t have a partner.” He lets out a frustrated huff, taking sips of his drink.

“That’s just their problem, isn’t it? If some middle-aged wine mom that gets drunk around her kids wants to give you shit for having a family that isn’t traditional, then so be it.” Ryan looks over at him.

“Yeah, but it extends to real life, too. Do you know how many times someone has said ‘Oh, so Mom’s at home, huh?’ to me when I’m taking the girls anywhere? It’s awful. I didn’t go through a year of paperwork hell just for normal families to not recognize mine as one.”

“You’re a normal family, Jack.” Ryan pats his shoulder reassuringly, “Adopted or not, you’re giving them a better life and that’s what matters. Don’t let those people get to you, got it?”

“You’re right. Sorry.” He lifts the glass to his lips, taking another sip.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Jack,” Ryan laughs, “I can totally understand where you’re coming from, and I don’t even have kids. I’ve been with you every step of this process, and I can tell the girls are a lot more lively than when I first saw them.”

“Yeah…”

The two continue their conversation on the balcony until they empty their glasses, heading inside. The smell of meat on a skillet makes Jack drool.

“Caroline already started on dinner while we were outside. Say, what are you making tonight, Caroline?” Ryan calls from the living room where they sit.

“Chicken Alfredo, Mr. Ross.” Comes the reply from the kitchen.

“Wonderful!”

“For a bodyguard, she’s an amazing cook.” Jack laughs, “I’m surprised she can do all that without getting her suit stained, too.”

“She’s a jack of all trades, that’s for sure.” Ryan pauses, looking at the second floor, “Ah, here come the girls.”

The kids bolt down the stairs, closely followed by Oscar. Sofia almost falls as she runs, but he swoops in to steady her before continuing. 

“I’m hungry!” She joins them on the couch, and Rachael insists on going on the bodyguard’s shoulders again. Oscar lets her on and sits down neatly next to Ryan.

“You two had fun?”

“Yep!” Rachael replies.

“Can we eat now?” Sofia adds.

“Dinner’s almost ready, don’t worry.” Ryan laughs, crossing his legs. They wait in the living room for a little while, exchanging friendly conversation as dinner is finished up. 

“Dinner is served, Mr. Ross.” Caroline steps out of the kitchen, notifying them, “A more palatable food has been served for the little ones.”

Caroline leads them to the dining room, where the table has been set neatly with plates of chicken alfredo for Ryan and Jack, and chicken nuggets with steamed broccoli for the kids. He pulls out his seat, stomach growling.

“Bon appetit.” They dig into the pasta.

“Caroline, this is delicious. You really outdid yourself.” Jack compliments her with his mouth full.

“Thank you.” She smiles, folding her hands. After a few minutes of eating, Oscar enters the room.

“Mr. Miles, do you need any help getting your child to eat, by any chance?” Oscar finally speaks- his voice is quite deep and guttural. He gestures to Sofia’s untouched pile of broccoli. Jack laughs.

“You can try, I haven’t been very successful myself.” Jack continues eating his pasta, curious about how Oscar would attempt to do so.

He pulls out a chair next to her, and like magic, his demeanor entirely changes.

“You don’t want to eat your broccoli, huh?” Oscar leans down to her level, laughing softly.

“No! Broccoli is gross!” Comes her stubborn reply.

“Well… your sister ate all of her veggies. She’s eaten a lot more than you! You don’t want your big sis to win at the competition of eating all her veggies, don’t you?” He raises an eyebrow at her, and she starts eyeing her plate.

“And if you finish your plate, I’ll give you another ride on my shoulders after.”

She suddenly starts eating, and Oscar looks up at Jack with a grin. 

“Beat me there, Oscar.” He laughs.

“Hey Caroline, do you mind getting Jack and me some champagne?” Ryan looks up after their plates are collected, motioning to her. 

“Not at all, Mr. Ross. It’ll be right out.” She ducks inside the kitchen, and the two are left alone at the table- Oscar long since left with the kids to go watch a movie. After a moment, Caroline returns from the kitchen with a chilled bottle of champagne in her hand, setting it down gently on the table.

“Thanks again for inviting us over, Ryan.” Jack mentions as he pours his friend a glass, “The views up here are really unbeatable, too.”

“No problem.” Ryan lifts the glass to his lips, taking a sip, “Remember, I’m always here for you and the girls. If something comes up, you can always come to me for help.”

“I’m not gonna ask you for money, Ryan. You know I’m not like that.” Jack raises an eyebrow, huffing as he drinks his champagne.

“I know you aren’t. But just in case, okay? I love the girls as much as you do.”

The room goes silent.

“I’ll make sure it won’t come to that, Ryan.” Jack murmurs.

“I see. Sorry for bringing that up. I just mean to help.”

“I know, I know.” Jack mutters, sipping his drink, “It’s late. I think it’s time for me to go home.”

“I understand.” 

They finish their glasses, getting up. They make their way to Ryan’s TV room, where Oscar has a kid in each arm- with Rachael snoozing away. He looks up at them, motioning to keep quiet.

“Fell asleep, huh?” Jack whispers, and Oscar nods. He gently picks Rachael up, careful not to wake her. Sofia gets up, trailing behind him as she yawns. Ryan follows them as they leave for the elevator.

“Got the key?” Jack asks, and Ryan nods as he scans a chip to call the elevator. After a minute or so, the doors open up for them and they step inside.

“See you later, Jack.” Ryan smiles.

“Bye Uncle Ryan!” Sofia whispers.

“G’bye, Ryan,” Jack says his goodbyes, and then the elevator doors close. Sofia breaks the short-lived silence once again as they descend.

“What did you and Uncle Ryan talk about?” She asks.

“Nothing important, little sparrow. Nothing important.”