Work Text:
It started when Elphelt saw him. Good morning, Mr. Ky, you're awake later than usual. Good morning, Mr. Ky—strangely enough, something about the formalities surprised him, still. He wasn’t her father. Ky wasn’t entirely sure what he was, if not that. For a week now, the Valentine sisters had stayed with them and Ky mused over his thoughts, the strange familial thread that connected him to these girls.
And so it started when Elphelt saw him that morning, shutting the bedroom door behind him. Dizzy’s absence was the first thing of note, her bathrobe slung over the back of a chair and the comfortable heat of shower steam still fresh in the air. This was all a surprise to Ky, a deadly mix of workaholic and natural early riser. It wasn't unusual for him to wake to Dizzy still fast asleep, her tail coiled around his calf. Gently, he would brush aside the hair from her face. That usual warm body, her cheek he longed to kiss. Both missing from the bedside.
As she passed by, Elphelt’s eyes traveled the length of his body. She was used to an aura of refinement, even in casual dress, and its absence did not go unnoticed.
"Good morning, Mr. Ky!" Elphelt waved. "Did you forget to tie your hair this morning?" She tilted her head at him.
Instinctually, Ky grabbed his wrist. There he found one of Dizzy’s ribbons, tied in a neat loop, but it works just as good as any other. Ky offered Elphelt a half-hearted wave of the hand, hurriedly gathering his hair into a neat ponytail.
"Your shirt. You forgot the buttons," came Ramlethal with a plate of crispy toast and scrambled eggs. "Good morning."
"Good morning you two. Who cooked that?"
"Sin."
In the interim, Sin was more interested in spending time with his mother than in Sol’s bounty hunts—and with his father too, for the pleasantries they had missed out on when Sin was a child. Having time for his family again, that was an adjustment for Ky. The first grasp of peace and quiet in a long time. How well would Sin adapt to that peace and quiet, Ky wondered.
Between the three of them, none were particularly interested in waking up early. Sin, least of all, he could damn well sleep just as much as he could eat. Even then, all three were up and at it before him.
"Sin did?"
"Yes! That reminds me, Mr. Ky, I'm surprised you slept through the smoke!"
The smoke? Just then, Ky spotted a few windows slid open. The faint scent of burnt toast lingered in the air. And he was planning on cooking breakfast too. So much for that.
What overcame him with tiredness, then? The usual paperwork seemed like a poor excuse. But the sluggishness in his body and the dreary eyes suggested otherwise. He shrugged and collects a newspaper for a rainy day, purposefully setting himself down within earshot of the living room. Rain droplets beat against the exterior windows. The halls of the Kiske Manor were quiet, for a morning moment, and somehow it was already December.
“Man, what a pain.”
Fittingly, it was Sin’s voice that interrupted the silence.
“Yes, well, you have to be patient for the moment, Sin. And you know I can't keep doing this forever,” Dizzy was serene as ever, though added a cutting edge to each words. Ky's eyes followed her fingers to the pair of scissors clasped between them.
One of their chairs from the dining hall was propped up, rocking unevenly on its back legs. Sin sat slouched over, slightly, with one leg resting on the chair and the other bouncing up and down. Ky watched intently as wisps of pale blond hair fall to the floor under Dizzy's fingers. Swift and delicate.
Though, to be fair, Ky could watch Dizzy do just about anything and he would be enamored.
“Sin, maybe you should consider growing it out instead,” Dizzy said.
Sin clicked his tongue. “What? No way! I don’t wanna look like—” his gaze lifted to meet Ky’s, the rest of the words trailing off unceremoniously.
“What was that now?" Ky said. "Don’t want to look like who?”
“Like a certain king I happen to know.” Sin rubbed the back of his neck. “Definitely not my style.”
An admission of guilt. Sin gave a slight laugh and Ky responded in kind. He twisted around in his seat, propping up one arm on the backrest. The newspaper folded in his lap and Ky reached over to ruffle Sin's hair with one hand.
"I honestly thought you were gonna come scold me about breakfast."
Dizzy cut in. "Don't worry about it, dear. I already told Sin to soak the pan in water." Her eyes stayed focused on the scissors.
"I can appreciate that you tried, Sin," he smiled. "But maybe ask for help next time."
"El said I would do great! And it went pretty good, well, for the most part."
Most likely, there wasn't anything from the leftover Valentine programming that taught the girls how to cook eggs. Tough luck.
Ky perked up to the sound of the scissors placed on their glass-top coffee table. A teacup left rings of condensation on the surface. Dizzy reached behind herself to grab a broom and Sin bolted out of his seat. Dramatically, he shook his head like a wet dog.
"Now that's better," Sin smirked as he ran his hands through his hair.
As she was sweeping, Ky grabbed the end of Dizzy's tail. She turned and looked down at him, as her eyes soften and lips purse.
“You want me to cut your hair too, dear?”
Ky twirled a bit of hair in between his fingers. His other hand lingered over the tip of Dizzy’s tail, gently rubbing. “If you're not too busy, yes.”
“Too busy for you?” Dizzy leaned down to give Ky a peck on the cheek. "Of course not."
To that, Ky’s face flushed pink. “Ah, that’s—” his words came out as an awkward fumble. “It hasn’t been that long since the incident with Ariels, is all. You deserve to relax for a bit.”
The look Dizzy gave him was one he was all too familiar with, coupled with a stern-looking hand on her hip. 'Relax' was a funny word coming from Ky's lips and Ky knew that. Such a word he offered to others, but rarely extended himself the same courtesy. The High King of Illyria, ever busy, ever occupied, ever needed with something other than his own enjoyment.
“I'm already relaxing,” she said. “I consider spending time with you and Sin to be part of the relaxation.”
And you would do good to relax a bit more too, her eyes whispered to him.
"Of course, dear. Thank you."
Ky circled over to Dizzy, kissing her forehead. His body held close to hers, resting his hands on Dizzy's hips. His eyes closed, though not before Ky could catch a glimpse of Dizzy’s bright eyes, and his lips pressed against hers. The sweet scent of a faint perfume, or the smell of shampoo. One hand sheepishly rose, fingers running through Dizzy's hair.
Then, a loud snip comes close to his ear. And his head started to feel lighter than before. His eyes jolted open and Ky stumbled back a few paces. A yellow ribbon floated to the ground, right in front of his feet.
Looking up, Ky watched as Dizzy snipped the pair of scissors a few times, waving them back and force in front of her face.
"Dizzy," he paused. "You caught me off guard, it seems."
The softness of her laugh teased more blush out of him. Dizzy ran her fingers through Ky's hair. On instinct, his hands drifted behind his head, grasping at the bit of void space where his ponytail once was. He dragged one foot over the ground, catching some blond hairs underneath his heel, smattered like a stain.
Dizzy’s thumb pressed over his lips, giving him an uncharacteristically coy smile. “You aren’t the only one in this household with sneaky tactics up your sleeve, darling.”
One of Ky’s hands wavered by her lower back, sweeping Dizzy even closer to him. She nearly dropped the scissors in surprise, laughing, and intertwined her fingers with his. The two twirled around in circles, a makeshift ballroom dance.
“Sit down, dear, or else I’ll never clean up this mess on your head.”
“Just after I kiss you one more time.”
(Since then, Sin had swiftly retreated to the dining table. As always, Sin was left to watch in mild annoyance as his mother and father flirt with each other. He tried to heed Elphelt's words. And she was always right, it is heartwarming how much they love each other. But that doesn't change the fact that they can be rather embarrassing at times. No amount of ‘forbidden true love’ could.)
He was left so easily enthralled by his wife that Ky neglected to notice Elphelt and Ramlethal watching—with Sin rocking back and forth on his heels behind Ramlethal’s chair—at a distance from their grand dining table. Elphelt leaned over and whispered something in Ramlethal’s ear. Then, the two shared a glance and giggle, with Elphelt pulling Sin down to share the whisper along. Another glance, another giggle, as the storm clouds cleared outside and light poured in through the dining room window.
But Ky, for his part, was just glad he couldn't hear them.