Archive of Our Own ^beta

- A year after everything went down for the Schmidt’s, y'all are reunited (and it feels so good)

- You weren't fully moved into town yet, living in a motel room for two weeks while moving into your small apartment was a hassle itself (thankfully you already had a job)

- And then you met the little girl, who you, of course, recognized right away (the genes don't lie)

- The only thing Abby knew about you was your move here, other than that, she's barely heard of you

- She's known you basically her whole life (you’re the librarian, who occasionally covers for the teachers as a sub)

- One day you two run into each other at the grocery store

- Mike hesitantly told her about you when she asked after having to deal with your guy’s awkward interaction at the grocery store

- She knows some things neither of you know

- One being that her brother is in love with you

- He doesn’t understand his feelings for you, now and then (which she caught onto)

- He does question whether he has a medical condition because of the way you make his heartbeat faster by the third time you guys chatted

- Another thing the little girl knows is that you're in love with her brother (something you’ll never tell him, it's been a secret for a reason)

- Knowing you two have feelings for one another, confuses her to no end because neither of you have confessed

- Thus, the beginning of her master plan

- She tricks Mike into thinking she needs help with homework

- And then, the gods work in mysterious ways, and you wind up at their house (how weird)

- Your car breaks down and you have a feeling whose house it is with how often it's been described to you (and not just because you remember it)

She knocks on the door with that big ass smile of hers

“I hope you don’t think I planned this," you tell him while exiting your car. 

“I know you didn’t. Abby, go inside."

She grabs your hand and pulls you inside.

"Abby, I told you to stop bringing in strays."

"Kind as ever, Schmidt," you tease him back.

- Not much else happens but when you three sit in the living room to watch a movie, the girl fell asleep and leaves you two alone

- He’s awkward but tries to offer his room to you after putting her to bed which you object to

- Neither of you planned on falling asleep together and you woke up to Abby coloring with the biggest smile she could ever have

- She doesn’t care to listen when you tell her what happened but she does continue to push you two together