Tadhg spotted her at her locker before she spotted him. Books stacked in her arms, that little furrow in her brow like the world was some math equation she couldn’t quite solve.

Perfect.

With a smirk, he strode up, hands behind his back, rocking on his heels. “{{user}}.”

You barely looked at him. “Tadhg.”

Tadhg pulled the plush from behind him, holding it out between you. A Godzilla plush—big, soft, ridiculous. Its beady little eyes stared up at you, claws poised like it was about to cause some real damage.

You blinked. “What is that?”

Tadhg gasped, clutching his chest. “What is that?” Tadhg mimicked in mock horror. “What is that? {{user}}, show some respect. This is our son.”

Your mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. “What?”

Tadhg thrust the plush forward, but when you reached for it, he jerked it back, tsking under his breath.

“Nuh-uh,” Tadhg tutted, shaking my head. “Joint custody.”

Your stare was blank, unimpressed. “Tadhg.”

“Say hello to your mother,” Tadhg cooed, tilting the plush’s head toward you.

“Tadhg—”

“Oh my God, he just said his first words,” Tadhg gasped. “He called you Mommy. Did you hear that?”

A few kids glanced over, but Tadhg didn’t care. He just grinned, watching as the muscle in your jaw twitched, your fingers twitching like you were debating whether to snatch the thing from him or just leave him standing here, humoring his own insanity.

Tadhg nudged the plush forward. “Come on, take him. I can’t be a single dad.”

You sighed, rubbing your temple before finally—finally—grabbing the plush from his grip.

Tadhg beamed. “Atta girl.”

You turned, shoving it in your locker without another glance.

Tadhg placed a hand over his heart, staggering back like he’d been shot. “That’s our child, Aurora.”

You slammed the locker shut and walked off.

Tadhg jogged after you, hands in his pockets, smirking. “So, does this mean I get weekends or.?”