WORK - chp 13

Brace yourselves you guys; this is a triple POV chapter! I feel like I haven't really introduced Donovan all that much and I feel like playing around with his character.

I am so sorry for my absence. Life has been incredibly hard for me lately, but I promise to try and update every 2-3 weeks! ❤️

Omg also I met my partner a while back and EEEEE!!

I would love to hear suggestions as to what Charlie and Liam could do together!

You can continue to support me reach by commenting, voting, and sharing!

Hope you enjoy!

Q : what's your dream school / uni ?

A : i really want to get into Oxford or McGuill .

DONOVAN POV

He ran a heavy hand through his hair, sighing for the upteenth time as he paced around his office, the blinds drawn in front of the floor to ceiling windows, the only light being his laptop.

Had the curtains been open, the fading sunlight would have flooded the dark-themed office, illuminating the shiny alcohol bottles resting on one of his bookshelves. This was his only escape, and he couldn't be bothered to find anything else. It worked for his father so it should work for him too.

His head was tormented by a terrible migraine as he struggled to walk straight, the constant pounding in his head making him stagger and blink away the tears.

I'm a grown man, I shouldn't cry, he thought. That's how it had always been; men don't cry, men work. And that's exactly what he was doing. He had been in his office since 5 in the morning and it was now 9 PM. He always found things to do, his father's voice urging him on to continue working and working until he couldn't anymore.

He took this to heart. He worked until he couldn't and barely slept. He was running on coffee and 4 hours of sleep per day, sometimes even less. This really was not a life, but rather, a curse.

One he was stuck in everyday. Every. Single. Day. Without anyone to love.

He was all alone. And boy did he wish he could have someone to call his own. That was the one thing in life that brought him joy to think about. A person in his arms.

Realistically, and deep down, he knew it would be a boy, and not a girl. He was waiting for his father's disapproval and disappointment. He would say 'How could you do this?! You're going to tarnish the Ashford name! How could I have made such an incompetent and worthless son?'

He sighed once more and finally settled at his desk, though his leg now started to bounce anxiously as he continued to browse through his multiple tabs. He accidentally brought up his Instagram tab, looking at the picture with a frown.

The picture had a couple all cuddled up in blankets, a paci in the man's mouth as the woman hugged him close. They were all cozy and cuddled, their bodies hidden under a chunky blanket.

How he wished he could have this.

A little boy of his own, one who he would spoil to no ends. He had found himself someone once; they were perfect. But then, the perfect image cracked away.

His partner had spilled secrets to newspaper agencies and had used him for his money, then left him. He tried very hard to pick up the pieces of his heart and reputation.

A single tear slipped down his cheek as he recalled the memories. He had been so happy thinking he had found one he could call his own. His days were brighter, sunnier.

Ever since then, he had shut himself off to others. No one could hurt him if they didn't know him, right? And he could deal with his loneliness alone..

Right?

He swiftly returned to work, not wanting to dwell on this terrible life of his.

Maybe one day.

LIAM POV

He woke up abruptly, sitting up in his bed and looking around with wide eyes. It was early in the morning, the birds chirping loudly as the morning sun rose in the far distance.

"Oh damn-" Liam looked around in confusion, wondering why he had awoken so abruptly.

And that's when he heard it. The quiet sobs of his mom.

He hurried out of his bed, almost tripping and landing face first. He saved himself and hurried to slip his slippers on. He rushed down the stairs only to find his mother at the kitchen table, head in hands and quietly sobbing.

"Mama? What's wrong?" He gently approaches her and brings a chair close by, holding her hand in his and gently bringing it down. "It's okay, I'm here mum." His mom looked at him in appreciation, then leaned over and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"It's Mr. Ashford again." Liam's body tensed, a frown immediately finding its way into his face. "He called the restaurant and bought it out for the whole day. Mia decided to take the chance because there's a lot of money involved, but also because it could be a chance for us to prove that our establishment deserves to stay." Her body was shaking as sobs racked through, her grip on Liam tightening.

"Mom. You're gonna be okay. I promise." Liam pulled her close and gave her head a kiss, snuggling into her hair and holding her close.

"Lili? Ms. Greenlee?" Charlie's soft voice prompted Liam to lift his head away from his mom, a small smile appearing on his face, though there was obvious sadness. Charlie frowned and came over quietly, afraid to spook anyone. His mother had always forced him away when crying. "Can I help?"

Ms. Greenlee lifted her head away from Liam's chest and managed a small smile. "It's okay, darling. I'm okay."

Charlie really didn't seem convinced as he came forward and gave her another hug. His body was warm, really warm. He was like a dog snuggling up with its sad owner, making sure they were okay and giving them all the affection they needed.

He stopped hugging her after a few seconds before nodding to himself. Charlie left the kitchen table where the pair was situated and headed to the kitchen, grabbing two glasses and filling them up with water. He had seen Ms. Greenlee with a coffee, but he didn't know how to make it, so this was as close as he could get.

Gently setting the cup down on the table, he went over to the couch and plucked a blanket, then draped it over Liam's mother, smiling to himself and looking up at Liam for reassurance. There was nothing but admiration and love in his eyes as he processed what Charlie had just done for his mother. His small smile evolved into a breathtaking grin as he leaned to the side and gave Charlie a small peck on the forehead.

"Oh Charlie, you sweet boy." She leaned forward to take the mug with both hands, gently tipping it and drinking the water slowly. "Thank you both, so much. My beautiful boys." Her smile spread equally, just as Liam's had.

Charlie's heart leaped in his chest as he giggled and squirmed in his place, his arms flapping a little before he ran to Liam's chest and hugging him close. Liam didn't hesitate to hug him back, putting his face in Charlie's hair just as he had done with his mother.

Under his breath, Liam muttered words of affection such as 'perfect' and 'such an angel'. Charlie was a blushing mess, of course, and Liam's joy grew as he heard little giggles coming from Charlie.

Ms. Greenlee stood up, wiping away her stray tears with a look of determination crossing her face. "You know what? We're going to prove to that jerk that our restaurant is the best!"

Charlie and Liam both cheered, and Charlie quickly hugged them both before hurrying into the kitchen hoping to prepare a beautiful meal as Liam's mother always did.

"Oh don't worry, dear. I am more than happy to make you a nice lunch. Go go, shoo. I'm sure Liam would be more than happy to watch some morning cartoons with you!" Charlie beamed at the thought of cartoons and shyly trudged away before running onto the couch and covering himself with the blanket he had come to love.

Liam snuck into the kitchen and whispered a couple things to his mom, keeping his voice hush hush before slipping back towards the living room and plopping himself down on the couch. "Watcha feeling like watching today, Char Char? I think there's some Paw Patrol on this morning."

Liam reached for Charlie's hand and gently grasped it, his other hand maneuvering the remote to find the right channel. Once he found it, he grinned and scooched closer to Charlie, gently taking his cocoon of a boyfriend into his arms and snuggling him into his side. As the first episode came on, Charlie was squirming with excitement.

"Is this your first time watching morning cartoons?" He turned to Charlie who meekly nodded, a small frown overtaking his features. Liam's heart broke at the sight. Something he had taken for granted his whole life was something that his boyfriend could only have wished to experience.

Liam perked up as Killian came through the door, a small present box in his hand as he made his way towards them both.

"Hey boys!" He beamed and bent down to hug Liam, then gently put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, still unsure about Charlie's comfort with touch. Charlie giggled and then pointed to the TV, looking up at Killian with excitement.

"Dog!" Charlie's eyes lit up as the dogs started to save the city, his face scrunching cutely as he nodded along, cheering on the dogs when they did something heroic. Liam couldn't help but think that the real hero was his little boy. The one all cuddled up next to him, thumb near his mouth and whose head was snuggled deep into his arm.

Killian turned to the TV and gasped dramatically. "A dog! Oh and they're so brave!" Charlie nodded and giggled, then turned and paused once he saw the box in Killian's hand. Liam couldn't help but do the same, unsure as to why he was out so early and holding a small box.

"Who's that for?" Killian turned to Liam and presented him the box.

"Happy birthday bud."

Liam gently took the box and looked towards Charlie who was mirroring his curiosity. "I already had my birthday? And I got a bunch of presents from you guys!"

"Well you deserve this. Connor chipped in a little."

With one last glance towards Charlie, he gently undid the beautiful ribbon around the box before opening it, his eyes widening and a beautiful smile overtaking his face. Charlie gasped and looked up at Liam.

"Oh my god- it's- it's so beautiful!" Liam lifted out the sunshine paci he had seen with Amelia, moving it around as he stared at it in awe. "I need to call Connor, oh my- oh my gosh wha-" Liam smiled hugely and then turned to Charlie who hesitantly took the paci, looking at it with equal amazement.

"So prittyyyy. Like Lili!" Charlie looked up at Liam and giggled, then kissed all over his cheek before hugging him close, taking care to put the paci back in the box so it wouldn't get damaged. "Say fank you Killian!"

Liam turned to Charlie and chuckled before standing up (after making sure his cocoon was comfy) and throwing himself in Killian's arms. "Thank you thank you thank you!" He hurried back up to his room to call Connor, no doubt about to curse him out affectionately for getting him such a beautiful gift.

CHARLIE POV

Killian gently sat down and turned to Charlie, a small smile playing on his lips. "I got you something too, bud. Wanna see it?"

Charlie tilted his head before slowly nodding, unsure as to what Killian could have gotten him. He already had everything he wanted! A beautiful boyfriend, a caring mother figure, a very nice brother figure, and even a place to sleep and eat!

"Alright." Killian got up from the couch before going over to a bag he had set on the floor, picking it up and making his way back to Charlie. "You can tell me if you don't like it and I'll return it, okay? I won't be mad or upset."

Charlie nodded and slowly started smiling hugely as he took the bag. "Firs gift!" Killian frowned a little while Charlie seemed absolutely ecstatic. He opened the bag and gasped, pulling out a beautiful orange, blue and yellow hoodie equipped with little dinosaur spikes along the hood and back. "Oh mi gosh oh oh-!" He squirmed around before launching himself in Killian's arms, silently whispering a million 'thank yous' before holding the hoodie close, running his hand along the soft material before bringing it up to his face and cuddling it. "'S perfect."

Liam came down with a huge smile, then looked up and blinked in confusion. "Heyyy what did I miss?" He fake pouted and came over, his grin returning as he saw the hoodie that Killian had gotten. "That's too cute. Charlie go go, I wanna see you in it." He gently held Charlie's face in his hands before kissing his button nose."

"Oki Lili!" Charlie hurried out of his cocoon, almost tripping and falling off the couch due to his blanket. He avoided doing so and hurried to the guest room, closing the door and trying on the hoodie.

Never in his life had he loved a piece of clothing so much. He hurried to his bag and pulled out Rexy, holding it in his arms and looking at himself in the mirror.

He looked adorable. Like, seriously adorable.

He hurried out of the room, jumping up and down as he looked at Killian and Liam who were casually chatting. Both of their gazes turned to him and while Killian smiled with a thumbs up, Liam looked absolutely awestriken. "My beautiful baby.."

Liam gently made his way over to Charlie and hugged him tight, sniffling a little from pure joy.

"Why Lili cryin'?" Charlie looked up in slight confusion only to return the huge smile that Liam was sporting.

"I'm crying happy tears! Because I have such a beautiful, perfect boy in front of me. So cute, so adorable- so squishy." Liam started squishing Charlie's cheeks, smiling so bright as he took in his adorable boy.

Charlie giggled and let Liam massage his cheeks, looking over at Killian with a huge smile. "Fank yu Killian!" His words were a little slurred due to the obscene cheek squishing.

"Well you're so welcome." Killian smiled once more before making his way up to his room.

As he looked back into Liam's eyes, all he could see was his happy future with his new family.

WC : 2430