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Nesta was not used to fighting on the same side of the battle as Cassian.
From the moment she laid eyes on him in her father’s estate, her mission had always been to rile him up and push his buttons. And oh, she’d been good at it. She had honed it into an art form. And when he’d started training her at the House of Wind, she’d tried to learn his weak spots over those first few months. Kicked and punched at him in the training ring as he egged her on. It became a dance of theirs, to taunt and sneer and jab even as they grew closer to one another.
Even now, after they’d been mated for a year, she found herself opposite of Cassian more often than not. They spent each morning training and sparring, their scowls turning into smirks. Their lovemaking always started as flirting and taunting each other until the other caved. Yes, she loved Cassian, and she loved having him as her adversary.
But when they found themselves staring down the most mischievous baby in all of Prythian, dropped off at their doorstep only moments ago, Nesta knew she was going to need Cassian by her side.
“It’s only for one night,” Rhys had said. “We will be back before Nyx even notices we’re gone.”
Nesta was wondering if Rhysand himself had been dropped on his head as a child. The moment Feyre and Rhys had kissed his little baby cheeks and flown off to the Summer Court, Nyx had started wailing. At a year old, he had never spent the night away from his parents. And it seemed he wasn’t excited about this new development.
She turned to face Cassian, who was holding Nyx at arms length with a terrified expression on his face. They had both spent countless hours at the River House with their nephew, but never alone. Feyre and Rhys had always been there to whisk the baby away as soon as the first cry escaped him. Elain or Mor was usually there to help entertain Nyx for hours on end. Now, it was up to Cassian and her to keep the little guy alive until morning.
Nyx continued to scream as he dangled in the air. Nesta rolled her eyes and took the baby from her mate. Nyx immediately stopped crying and stared up at her, his eyes wide. He reached out to put a chubby hand on her cheek and started babbling away. She smiled down at him, pleased with her victory.
“How did you do that?” She looked up to find Cassian’s expression the same as Nyx, eyes wide in wonder. She snorted as she took in their identical faces.
“He always behaves when I hold him. Feyre thinks we have a connection.”
Nesta wasn’t ready to admit that she agreed. From the moment she first held that baby in her arms, she felt a pull towards him, and she knew it had to do with what she’d been willing to give back to the Cauldron that day. Perhaps it was the Mother’s own way of acknowledging her sacrifice.
She shrugged. “Maybe this won’t be too bad. We just need to make it to bedtime.”
Nyx started wiggling in her arms and reaching towards the ground. Nesta hastily placed him at her feet before he could start fussing and watched as he stumbled between Cassian’s legs into the House behind him.
They followed the sound of Nyx’s babbling as it echoed down the hall. As soon as Nyx made his way into the sitting room, he paused abruptly, looking around the room.
There was a moment of complete silence. As she sucked in a breath, Nesta couldn’t help but feel like she was standing on a battlefield, waiting for her opponent to make his first move. She knew Cassian was holding his breath beside her, and even the living energy of the House seemed to halt.
All of a sudden, there was a cascade of commotion around them. The lights in the House started to flicker slightly and the air around them picked up speed as if they were outside on a windy day. The curtains began to ruffle and Nesta could feel the energy in the House, and she realized it was excited. Nyx’s high-pitched squeal pierced the air only a moment later and he took off toddling around the room again.
“Like calls to like.”
Nesta whipped her head around to Cassian, who was standing there with his mouth wide open. “What?”
“Like calls to like,” he repeated, taking a step into the room. “Whether you meant to or not, you Made the House when you first moved in here. And you Made our nephew the day he was born, too.” The House seemed to agree with Cassian’s words, the lights flickering one more time before returning to normal.
Nesta could practically feel the energy in the room intensify, making the hair on her arms stand up. It would make sense if the House recognized the child, both of them Made by Nesta’s own doing. And Nyx seemed just as excited to be there, talking gibberish as he ran around the room.
Cassian and Nesta plopped down onto armchairs, facing each other. Nesta leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees and she kept an eye on the baby roaming around. “We need to come up with a game plan.”
The Commander of the Night Court gave her one quick nod. “You’re right. We’ll play until dinner time, eat, and then send him to bed. We just gotta wear him out.”
Nesta shook her head at him. “We can't just send him to bed. He needs to be put to bed. You know, bath time, story time, bed time. And you’re on bath duty.”
“As long as you’re the one putting him to bed. If he needs a lullaby, I’m not the man for the job.”
Just as Nesta was about to strike that deal with Cassian, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Shrieking with laughter, Nyx was running past them stark naked, with his diaper in his hand. Cassian and Nesta shot out of their chairs and chased after him, entirely unprepared for the afternoon ahead of them.
As it turned out, Nyx was not exactly outnumbered by Cassian and Nesta. The House was quick to pledge its allegiance to the toddler, and they found themselves trying to stay one step ahead of their mischief for the rest of the day.
The House’s first order of business was to turn the floor into a trampoline, sending Nyx skyrocketing for the ceiling as soon as Cassian stumbled forward. A flustered Nesta only just managed to catch Nyx as he came crashing back down, endlessly amused. Until the House decided to give them their hardwood floors back, they sat on either side of Nyx and bounced him up in the air.
With the return of their floors also came an assortment of animals. A flock of flamingos stood proudly on one leg throughout the room, and Nyx tried to copy their one-legged stance until he toppled over. Hanging from the rafters were little bats, with their wings wrapped around themselves when they weren’t flying overhead. Nyx immediately started pointing at Cassian’s wings, waiting until he puffed out his chest and extended his wings as far as they’d go. Nyx gave a little show of his own, his brow furrowed in concentration until his own wings gave a little wiggle. Nesta wasn’t sure she’d ever heard Cassian laugh so hard.
Nesta then asked the House to play music for Nyx, and he was quick to pull himself up and start shaking his butt to the beat. The House seemed pleased with itself, turning up the volume as Cassian and Nesta started to dance with him. Nesta almost laughed herself hoarse when she saw Nyx looking up at Cassian and copying his dance moves. Or, she realized, perhaps Cassian was copying Nyx’s moves - it was impossible to tell.
As the sun started to set, Nesta scooped up Nyx and brought him to the kitchen. The House had found a seat tall enough for a baby, accommodated with a little tray table piled high with mashed foods. Nyx started clapping and smacking his lips as soon as Nesta plopped him into the high chair.
Nesta and Cassian sat down on either side of Nyx, grateful for a moment’s rest.
“You know, I never envied Azriel’s shadows until today,” Cassian mused as he shoveled food into his mouth. “It’s like a built-in toy for babies. Never has to worry about running out of entertainment.”
It was true. Azriel had been so nervous to hold Nyx for the first time, never having let his shadows so close to a child before. It had been all of a few minutes before the shadows were swirling around Nyx’s chubby little legs and feet, tickling him until he was shrieking with laughter in Azriel’s arms. Ever since, Azriel was first in line for babysitting duty.
As Nesta opened her mouth to reply, she felt something cold and sticky slam into the side of her face. She reeled back as she heard Cassian’s fork drop onto his plate with a clang. She turned her head slowly to look at Nyx, whose mouth formed an o as he watched his dinner coast down the side of his aunt’s face. He let out a little giggle.
At that small noise, Cassian burst out laughing, and Nyx appeared satisfied with himself. More food magically appeared on his high table, and Nesta cursed the House for aiding and abetting this little terror.
Cassian took a deep breath and steeled himself for battle. The siphons on his hands glowed, sensing his anticipation. “You can do this,” he muttered to himself. “It’s one bath. You can handle this.” He briefly contemplated putting on his fighting leathers.
Cassian waited for the bathtub to fill with water as he helped Nyx wiggle out of his food-covered clothes. Once Cassian was sure the water wasn’t too hot, dipping his own wings in to test the temperature, he stuck Nyx in the tub and looked around for some soap. Gods knew this kid would need extra soap.
By the time he turned back around, the House had managed to already fill the bathtub with a ridiculous amount of bubbles. Every time Nyx’s little fists splashed in the water, the House doubled the amount of bubbles in the tub.
“No no no no, please,” Cassian moaned. “Enough with the bubbles. I’m begging.”
Nesta appeared in the doorway, having finished cleaning up from dinner. The House chose this exact moment to give Cassian a long, fluffy beard made out of bubbles, much to Nesta’s delight. He turned back to show Nyx, who was rapidly disappearing under the growing pile of bubbles. Nyx gave one small giggle before Nesta fished him out, declaring bath time over.
Nesta couldn’t deny that she was ready for bedtime. Nyx, having finally worn himself down, was curled up against her side as she rocked him in his chair. The House had left them a small light and a pile of books to read. Nesta flipped through the selection as Nyx rubbed his eyes, yawning as he nuzzled into her neck. He lasted all of two pages before his eyes became too heavy and he let out a tiny snore.
Sneaking quietly out of the makeshift nursery, Nesta walked into her bedroom to find Cassian passed out on top of the covers, lights still on. Groaning, Nesta shut the lights off and climbed into bed beside him in defeat.
Cassian woke up before his mate, still in his clothes from yesterday. He hadn’t even managed to get his shoes off before sleep overtook him. He stretched and stumbled down the hallway, reaching the room the House had prepared for Nyx.
“NESTA. WAKE UP. NOW.”
Cassian was frozen in place as Nesta came rushing out of their bedroom with one eye open and a tangled mess of hair atop her head. When she peered around him to look in the bedroom, wondering what Nyx could possibly have gotten himself into, her eyes focused on his crib.
His empty crib.
Nesta immediately began barking out orders. “You go left, I go right. Check behind all the furniture. Check inside all of the furniture. That kid could be anywhere, and Rhys and Feyre will be here any minute.”
Cassian and Nesta scrambled down the hallway, preparing to divide and conquer. The House was still a mess from yesterday’s mischief, and it made searching for Nyx more difficult. Every time Nesta heard a giggle up ahead, the sound was gone by the time she reached the room. She was too frazzled to figure out how he was moving so fast. They both heard a loud crash, drawing them back to the center of the House. Just as Nesta and Cassian narrowly avoided colliding in the entryway, there was a knock at the front door.
“Shit.”
“You tell him, he’s your brother.”
“Absolutely not. Feyre is going to freak out that we lost her kid. You tell them.”
Before they could finish bickering, Rhys strolled through the front door with Feyre close on his heels. They took in the sight of Nesta and Cassian, wide-eyed and disheveled and frantic. Before Rhys could come to any conclusions, they heard a peal of laughter fast approaching. Everyone turned just as Nyx came flying down the hallway, his little wings flapping as fast as they could go, and barreled right into Feyre’s outstretched arms.
Everyone stood there with mouths wide open. The House had apparently managed to get Nyx up in the air with a little extra wind and gave him flying lessons all morning. Rhys and Feyre cooed over their son, praising him for his first flight, and said their goodbyes.
Nesta and Cassian waved to them from the doorway, and Nyx waved his chubby little hand back at them. As soon as they were out of sight, Cassian slammed the door and Nesta slumped to the ground in exhaustion.
They took one look at each other before declaring in unison, “never again.”