Cracker was originally only supposed to come over maybe once a week at most but with his family now coming by his place to bother him about you as well, he was over much more often to escape them. It was almost like having a roommate but one that never stayed the night. He made it seem like he did at times though.

You woke up a little early this morning, very groggy after staying up entirely too long. After much convincing, you dragged yourself out from under the thick comforter on your bed and immediately shivered. The house wasn't too cold, but you kept the heat down enough that you grabbed for a sweater or blanket often. The first snow of the year had already come and promptly melted. You didn't like it's timing, feeling it was entirely too early as it was only the middle of October.

With your teeth chattering from the temperature change, you made your way to your walk in closet and pulled the first hoodie you grabbed over your head. You purposely bought ones that were too big so they'd cover more and sure enough, this one fell to your knees and went past your fingertips. From there, you stumbled into your favorite pair of yoga pants. They were stretchy and relaxed, there was nothing better.

Now that you were dressed, the cool temperature you left it inside wasn't so bad. Even if you weren't paying for rent or utilities, you acted like you did and didn't go overboard with the heating. It wasn't a small place after all, warming it all up would take more than you were comfortable having Cracker pay for.

You yawned as you stepped out of the room and went down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. It would've been nicer to stay in bed a bit longer but you never knew when Cracker would be over anymore and had given up on trying to know. You played it by ear and behaved accordingly. It wasn't like you had anyone else over anyway.

When you hit the landing, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit you and Cracker shuffled around on the kitchen, making himself a cup. A box of opened doughnuts sat on the counter, one of the sugary treats sitting neatly on a napkin beside it with a single bite missing from it.

"Mornin'." He greeted you, waving a spoon around before dipping it in his cup to mix the copious amount of creamer he just poured into it. "I brought breakfast. Did I wake you?"

"No." You joined him in the kitchen, not at all surprised he was already here, even if you wished he wasn't. "You were quiet actually."

It wasn't that you didn't want his company exactly, but you were feeling something different about him since your first outing with members of his family. The "fake" kiss he'd given you then stuck around and rattled you. You couldn't look at him the same anymore. Every time he smiled, your heart would try to leap out of your chest, his laughter practically melted you, each small touch done for show had you wishing it was more real. For some reason, you'd gone and started to feel something for him.

At first, you'd hoped it was nothing more than a physical attraction. And while you'd admit that was definitely a part of it, you enjoyed every part of him. His voice was music to your ears and his playfulness never grew old. Maybe you'd felt something for him before the kiss and it'd made you realize that. You weren't sure, the only thing you were positive about was that you wanted this to be real. The issue was, you didn't know if trying to make it real would be a good idea.

"Why're you here so early?" You asked as you made your own cup of coffee. Might as well have one since he made a whole pot.

"Getting tired of me are we?" He chuckled.

"No." You blushed. "Just curious. It's...8 in the morning, I didn't even know you got up this early."

"I usually don't but there were a couple things I wanted to bring up with you."

You immediately perked up and leaned against the fridge to face him, hands wrapped tightly around your mug to revel in the heat that seeped out of it.

"What's up?"

"First off, I wanna point out the holidays are coming up. The family is going to want you to show up to them as much as you can. Don't worry, it's not just you but literally all the other boyfriends, girlfriends, and whatnot."

"I figured that'd be the case. I can't remember the last time I had a good holiday so no complaints on my end."

He grimaced. "You say that now...."

"What else were you worrying about?" You rolled your eyes at him, sure that his family wouldn't be a problem.

You'd hung out with about half his siblings at this point and overall, they were pretty cool. Out of all of them, Peros and Katakuri made you the most nervous but that was more because you did work under them. If they were around, you couldn't ever really cut loose like you did with Cracker or his sisters.

"Hold on." He paused to sip his coffee, wincing when the scalding liquid hit his tongue. "We're still on the holidays topic. The first one you have to come to is Halloween. My mom's big on her sweets so for us, this is a big deal."

"Okay, Halloween's fun."

"Every year, anyone who can bake or make something sweet is basically required to bring something, that means you're going to have to make something."

You shrugged. "That's not an issue, I'm sure your brothers will be esctatic and there is a new peanut brittle recipe I wanted to try anyway."

He licked his lips at the tantalizing thought of the treats you'd make. "I'm so glad you're coming for this......Oh! Also, since it is Halloween, the kiddos like it when we all dress up so costumes are a must."

"And that's going to be an issue." You nibbled at your bottom lip thoughtfully. "It's a couple weeks away and I don't know who all is going to have costumes still...."

"Yeah the timing sucks but if you trust me, I can get you something." He grinned mischievously and any shred of trust you might have had for this disappeared.

"I'm not sure if I like that smile. I bet I can find my own costume." You giggled as his face dropped.

"You'll only find cheap stuff."

"As long as it's a costume, what's it matter?"

"You've seen how extra my family is, especially the women. I can promise you, there's going to be a lot of specially made costumes and I'll get reamed if you show up in something from Walmart."

You burst into laughter at the sincerity in his voice and the way he looked at you pleadingly. Cracker was a confident man but he couldn't tolerate being nagged at by his sisters and would do anything in his power to avoid it.

"C'mon (Y/n), I'm serious, I need you to work with me here."

"Okay, okay. If you promise to find something family appropriate, you can pick my costume out."

He let out a sigh of relief. "I promise it'll be kid friendly. I know someone who can whip up something for the both of us in time for this."

"If you say so....what else did we need to talk about?"

"I think you'll like this." He let out a happy hum as he motioned you over and tapped away at his phone's screen. "I know I've been around bothering you often but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing something to get you out of our 'relationship' so we don't have to keep up with the charade."

That stung a little and your heart dropped when he pulled up a very popular dating app. Why did you think he wouldn't be actively looking for an actual partner?

"I decided to give the whole online dating thing a try and I think I've finally found someone interesting."

Cracker showed you a woman's profile and when it came to looks, you felt she had you beat. Long, wavy orange hair, a cute smile, a petite hourglass figure......but she was young, younger than you.

"Have you talked to her?" You asked.

"Yeah, she wants to go on a date later this week."

"Oh," You fought the urge to frown, noticing that Cracker actually heard the disappointed tone of your voice. "Well that's nice!"

Your quick recovery saved him from getting suspicious at least.

"Relax." He chuckled and gave you a playful wink. "We're still going to be friends if things work out, she won't take too much time from you."

Of course, the all too familiar flush of color invaded your features, you could feel it. "You're a grown man, I'm not worried about that. But what I am worried about is her age. She's practically still a baby."

"I'm a little unsure about that myself but age gaps don't bother me. I'm just hoping she's not childish."

"That's rich coming from you."

"Don't mix fun and childish." He snickered as he flicked your forehead, making you immediately pout.

"I'm not, trust me, you're a little immature at times."

"Says the girl who almost cried when a cake came out the oven the wrong texture."

"I worked too hard on it for it to be so dense!"

Cracker continued to tease you relentlessly to the point that his date easily slipped your mind. That was probably for the better, all of this wasn't real anyway, you just had to remember that.

----

He left after breakfast and getting your measurements for the costume, claiming he had other errands to run for the day. That worked for you as there were some shows you wanted to catch up on before work tomorrow. It was going well at first, you plopped into your usual spot on the chase, had your favorite show going while you sipped at the remainder of the morning's coffee. But when you remembered Cracker's upcoming date, your mood soured.

It was frustrating in so many ways. Some days, he still intimidated you and you working for his family was a mental hurdle. There was no reason for you to be crushing on your bosses younger brother. But he was always kind and the constant twinkle in his eyes never failed to lift your spirits. He was around and texted you more often than really any of your other friends. Not that you held your friends not being able to come over against them, you just wished they'd put as much effort staying in contact as you did.

It was just difficult suddenly catching feelings for an older, admitingly ruggedly handsome man. You could easily say he'd become a friend to you, and he had casually dropped the title around you as well, telling you he felt the same. With your position in his life, you'd been friendzoned. The hard part was figuring out what put you in that position for him. It wasn't your age if he was willing to go for someone even younger. He didn't seem to dislike your personality. Maybe it had to do with your appearance?

You frowned at the thought. No, it had to be something else, you were pretty.

A groan slipped past your lips. It was aggravating knowing he was going to see another woman while you'd continue to be hers or another woman's placeholder. It felt insulting somehow. Not like Cracker would know about it though.

A knock at the door jolted you from your thoughts. It was almost hesitant, quiet, like the person there was uncertain about having the right place.

It couldn't be Cracker, he would've waltzed right in. And it couldn't have been anyone in his family, his brother's would've been more confident and no one else knew where you lived. There was only one way to know for sure who it was. You paused the TV and got up as the person knocked again, this time a little more firmly.

"I'm coming, gimme a sec!" You hollered.

True to your word, you reached the door quickly and swung it open. You came face to face with a man, about a head taller than you. His (h/c) hair was maybe a shade lighter than yours and his eyes were an icy blue, but they lacked the firmness you though should accompany their color.

He was dressed well at least, a stark contrast to the wavering uncertainty in his expression. Clean, pressed blue jeans, a button up shirt, and a sports jacket over that. His shoes looked expensive, along with the glasses he pushed back up his nose.

"(Y/n)?" He posed your name like a question.

"Yes, sorry, do I know you?" Something about his appearance felt familiar but you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

"In a way I suppose. It's, unfortunately, been a very long time."

"I'm still not clear on this...."

"Let me start by apologizing. (Y/n), I left you and your mother alone at what had to be a very difficult time. I'm sorry for what I've done but I'm here to make amends."

And then it made sense. His features were somewhat similar to your own. He was your father, the one you thought you'd never see again. He was right at your doorstep.