A/N: The first of regular updates ❤️

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Cooking bacon wasn't exactly the worst alarm clock in the world, and it meant Leah was awake enough to remember the events of last night, which was really early this morning, and not regretting a thing.

The sex, the love, and everything in between, was making her smile to herself, and she buried her happiness into her pillow that smelled of her lover.

Steven wasn't next to her, so there was no naked body to cuddle, but that was because she could just about hear his voice in a muffled conversation with his daughter, and imagining that family dynamic over cooking breakfast was the encouragement Leah needed to get up.

She picked out some clothes from her suitcase, including fluffy socks, but instead of wearing her navy jumper that had since been folded, she picked the men's flannel draped across a re-taped cardboard box.

Steven clearly hadn't got around to unpacking every single thing in the apartment, but he was getting there with pictures and soft furnishings, and his bedroom wasn't dark and gloomy or even that messy.

Honestly, the taste he had was quite impressive for a man.

The flannel that had caught her eye was shrugged over her shoulders and the material was thick and soft. It was too big across the shoulders, and too long by the double roll of the sleeves she had to make, but it smelled of Steven when she dipped her nose to the collar, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Fully dressed, hair loosely tied at the back of head, and a quick trip to the bathroom, Leah made her appearance.

Steven had his back turned in front of the cooker, and a tea towel was slung over his shoulder. A floral patterned bandana was tied in his hair making it a fluffy, unbrushed mess, but his dark blue jeans, a pair she hadn't seen, and a dark heather grey hoodie with the sleeves slightly pushed up his arms made him look like a papa.

He really was too because his daughter was sitting at the table, cheek squashed on the surface, and playing with toy figures.

"Liv, do you want ketchup in your-" Steven turned around, tongs pinched in his hand, but his eyes had already landed on Leah and distracted his line of thought. "-sandwich..."

The hoodie he wore had a small super dry logo with orange highlights, something far too casual and normal for his rockstar reputation, but Leah liked it, and she liked how he was slowly breaking into a smile looking at her.

"Yes, pyease."

With Liv's oblivious response, Leah walked over, was impressed at the breakfast he was in the middle of making, and gently tugged on the tassels of his hoodie.

"Hi," Steven grinned, still holding the tongs in his hand.

From how her top teeth grazed her lip, Leah was smiling too, but she ignored the handsome face for a moment, and adjusted his bandana by flopping a few more of the shorter, curly strands of hair over the top.

It made a change being able to see both of his eyebrows and the faint fluff in the middle, and she smoothed her thumbs over the hairs outwards.

"G'morning," Leah said, happily tipping her head to the side.

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"I would...and preferably before the bacon burns."

Steven whipped his head around in a panic, and at such a speed, turned off the heat and pushed the pan onto a different ring.

"Dammit," he muttered, using the rubber tongs to pile the rashes to the edge of the pan.

They weren't that overdone. Just a bit charred at both ends.

"Daddyyy, want my bacon."

"Yeah, just a second," Steven tossed over his shoulder, but his voice was not quite as steady as it had been.

Having moved out of the way, Leah touched his arm when he added bacon to the buttered bread, and it seemed to make him relax and slow down his rushed sandwich making.

"I can do my own," she offered, aware of the impatient toddler behind them.

Steven wanted to protest, she could tell when his face fell in hurt, but he settled for squirting ketchup, and flipping the top layer of bread.

"Quit yer whining wee child. Nobody wants to hear that, nye."

It was a bit scuffed, particularly when he tried to say 'now' at the end, but Steven just turned Northern Irish for one reason or another, and Leah stole a glance over her shoulder from her own breakfast endeavours.

The sight of him cutting up the sandwich into bite size chunks, of which the first was eagerly picked up between little fingers, was adorable.

This was Steven's life as a father, to which Leah could only assume he had some help during the week when he was also frontman of an upcoming band.

His dedication was admirable, naturalism of the parent role refreshing, and she wanted to truly believe he was clean and sober this time. He certainly seemed like it, but looks could be deceiving as she had found out the hard way once before.

Putting a damper on her own mood, Leah finished her bacon sandwich and then made the same again, but held back on the sauce.

"Ketchup, Steven?"

"Oh uh, yeah. Yes please."

He met her eyes briefly, but was stolen away with the smiley face cup pushed into his arm, demanding a refill.

A slice down the middle of Leah's generously packed bread, was timed with a hand appearing low to her back.

"I wanted to make you one, and now you've just made me one," Steven said disappointedly, filling up Liv's cup with water.

Leah shrugged, sucking the sauce from the edge of her thumb.

"Well, I'd say it was a joint effort."

"Can I at least get you a drink?" he offered, returning to a happily munching Liv at the table. He placed a hand on her head so she gazed up at him.

"It's not even midday," Leah admonished, with a teasing smile.

Steven rolled his eyes.

"You know what I meant."

"Yeah, water's fine," she said, but never quite managed to grab her plate behind her. "Oh, where's my phone?"

On Steven's suggestive saunter towards her, he ghosted his hands on her hips, and went all smug with secretive intimacy.

"Where you left it," he whispered in her ear, reaching into a cupboard above.

Leah should've guessed, jerking away when cold fingertips made their way underneath her top, and went to retrieve her phone from behind the sofa.

It was mid morning and she had messages to read, but she was more interested in sitting down at the table, taking half of the appetising sandwich in her hands, and appreciating that Steven had temporarily disappeared to get another chair so she could enjoy the first bite in peace.

She would have too, if a certain young girl opposite her wasn't observing her curiously.

"Why w'you with daddy?"

Leah blinked once, twice, three times, at Liv, stunned by her question where the honest answer could never be revealed to someone so young and innocent.

Ketchup spilled onto her finger in her embarrassingly long silence, and Leah put her food back down on her plate.

"I, uh-"

"Leah was cold, baby. Just needed a cuddle."

Of course Steven saved the day, returning with another chair, and shot her a suggestive wink when he sat down with his own plate of food in front of him.

Leah was not best impressed with herself, and felt embarrassed beyond belief that a two-year-old kid had sussed out her presence.

"Do you have plans for today?" she asked, because first, it was polite and two, she hadn't really thought this far of her visit, hook-up or not.

"Have you looked outside?" Steven answered back incredulously, once he'd finished chewing.

"No? Wh-"

"IT SNOWED!"

"That's right!" Steven shared his daughter's enthusiasm. "We are going sledding and you are coming with us."

"Do I have a say?"

"Nope."

Leah didn't know what to say, watching this crazy man shove the rest of his sandwich in his mouth. Scrunchy smile and all, she just found him too cute.

"You chickening out?"

Steven put his glass down, starting to make chicken noises. Accuracy was spot on, puffing out his cheeks, and he made Liv giggle as she bit some bacon between her teeth.

"No, I just don't have warm enough clothes," Leah reasoned, finishing a bite. "I bought a coat and gloves, but they were not made for winter over here."

"I've got loads of scarves and woolly hats- just help yourself."

She considered it, glancing between the casually sitting Steven with his arm on top of the chair, tongue concealed but poking around his mouth to rid clumps of bread, and then to Liv opposite her, who was slowly but surely making her way through her own breakfast.

"Fine," she agreed, beginning to smile. "As long as you finish that half in one bite."

Steven narrowed his eyes.

"That's a very strange request."

"I'm just curious," Leah responded nonchalantly, but was actually looking forward to the challenge she had spontaneously set.

"Can't eat all dat!" Liv exclaimed, pointing a finger at her father's plate.

"My darling girl, have you seen these lips? They were made to eat...bacon sandwiches."

It may have gone straight over his young daughter's head, but Leah knew exactly what he wanted to say. It was especially obvious when his face contorted with the big O, he jerked his hips up gently, and batted a hand at the invisible head between his legs.

With a glare, Leah kicked him under the table.

Steven leaned closer, and made sure she saw his blanked face.

"I'm getting you back for this," he said, in a low, sexy rasp.

Lust came and went, and it was back to normal.

Much to his daughter's claims, Steven folded the sandwich in half again, pulled a silly face when he lifted it up to eye level to inspect, and then stuffed it in his mouth in one go.

Leah hadn't reacted to his sensual comment, but their eyes had locked for a moment long enough to know he was dead serious. But, she couldn't get caught up on what he had in store for her, because she found herself breaking into a quiet laugh at the volume of food Steven had just packed into his now, straining mouth.

"Struggling there?" she teased.

Steven shook his head defiantly.

"See that Liv? Your dad is so silly."

Steven whined in protest and gestured to himself and the plate, or maybe it was the plate and his full mouth, but none of his muffled sounds and wide eyes were anywhere close to being deciphered.

"Silly daddy."

Nodding at the disappointed child looking at her father, Leah took a human sized bite out of her own sandwich. For that second of speech, Liv acted completely grown up as if she was sick and tired of him.

Steven folded his arms in a huff, continuing his gruelling chewing task.

Breakfast was finished, and Liv was allowed to go and watch tv that Steven put on for her, and Leah was waiting for her ex-boyfriend, who might be her boyfriend again, to return and hold her.

"Can I use your shower?" she asked, sliding her hands on his arms that automatically had her in an embrace.

Instead of being a normal person and answering, Steven took her wrist, led her to the bathroom, and pushed her against the wall outside of it.

Just having his hands on her body to hold her in place, and his face disappearing into her neck where he placed a single, lingering kiss, was one of her many weaknesses.

"You look good in my clothes," Steven mumbled, lifting both sides of the unbuttoned flannel. "And even better without them."

Leah managed to find her composure, denying the fingertips that wanted to sneak underneath her waistband.

"Did you leave it out on purpose? Because I don't remember seeing it last night."

She spoke too soon, and Steven's hands bracketed the wall either side of her head. She was forced to admire his attractive smirk that was both respectable with confidence and smug at the same time.

"That's because we were doing other things last night."

A sexy drag to his voice, Leah put a palm to his chest when he leaned forward.

"You left it out, didn't you?"

"...Maybe."

She ducked under his arm before he leaned in again.

"Wow, are you avoiding kissing me?"

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet, so yes I am," Leah said, disappearing into his bedroom.

She didn't wait for his response, but she imagined him shaking his head, probably twisting his tongue between his teeth and muttering something either rude, or very rude, and by the time she had collected her things for a shower, he was gone.

He never did answer her question, and for some reason that made Leah smile.

Steven in general made her smile, and she knew exactly why.

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