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There was an eruption of screaming and crying.
Meta knight leapt from his bed ready for battle. He clutched the hilt of his sword tightly with the intent to swiftly cut down whatever threat lurked in the shadows of his bedroom. However, there was no threat to be found. That’s when he remembered the little “package” he had picked up not too long ago. With the jolt he felt before a fight now drained from his body, Meta tiredly made his way over to the crib he had set up in his room, where the source of the noise laid.
The babes face was scrunched up in distress. His chubby cheeks were cherry-red and his face wet with tears. The moment he saw Meta Knight he ceased his crying immediately and replaced it with a whining sound. Accompanying this were his stubby little arms shooting up towards Meta Knight in a wobbly manner as though reaching for him. Meta had quickly found out in the few days he had known the child that this was his way of communicating that he wanted to be held. Meta obliged, knowing that his disobedience of this order would lead to the child to resume his crying, and then nobody would be happy.
Dear Nova, here he was. the commander of a battleship and a warrior feared by many, taking orders from an infant. He had only had him for a little less than a week and already the little one had him wrapped around his finger.
Speaking of fingers, Meta with his free hand began to wiggle his fingers a couple inches away from the child's face. The baby was intrigued by this action and cooed in response as his eyes flicked to wherever Metas restless fingers traveled.
A part of him still wondered if taking the child in and deciding to raise him had been a good idea. Upon meeting him abandoned in a crater he knew this was no ordinary child. He was a child born of the stars, just like he himself had been. Star borns were an extremely rare occurrence and they tended to behold extraordinary powers. If the child were left at an orphanage it was very likely he would be sold off once his heritage was discovered. Meta couldn’t with good conscience possibly subject another star child to the fate so many of their kind had undergone, raised not as a child but instead as a weapon. He only had two options. The first was to leave him there ( impossible ) and allow destiny to decide his fate. The second was taking him in and raising the child himself.
Leaving the baby to the mercy of the elements was not as cruel as it may sound. Even in such a vulnerable state baby's star borns were known to quickly adapt to any environment around them as a defense mechanism. If he left it now there was a very good chance the baby would at least make it to childhood.
…Something stopped him from leaving the there baby that night.
Just the thought of doing so now caused Meta knights' grip on the bundle to tighten protectively. His wings sprouted from his back making himself appear bigger than he actually was. Before he could stop himself a hiss erupted from his mouth as though warding off an invisible enemy.
Realizing what he just happened, Meta immediately stopped hissing and converted his wings back into a cape. He must have grown more attached to the child than he had realized. He hadn’t given into his bat instincts like that in a very long time. Now here he was clutching the child and spitting at a memory of a bad decision he’d almost made.
This is when he noticed the baby’s cooing had stopped. Meta looked down and saw the baby staring at him with a stunned look before bursting into a fit of tears and terrified whimpers. The baby thought Meta was hissing at him and was now frightened.
“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for scaring you. Please forgive me, baby. It’s okay,” Meta knight comforted, keeping his voice low and soothing. He gently wiped the infant's tears with his finger and began peppering his chubby cheeks with kisses, leaving raspberries occasionally. His efforts in comforting the child were rewarded with a weak watery giggle once the baby realized he was in no danger.
When Meta pulled away the baby was staring at him intently. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was literally a baby Meta would have sworn it was scheming something. It seemed to cautiously reach its chubby hand. Meta took this as the baby’s way of offering forgiveness and extended his finger as an olive branch. The baby gripped the finger, brought it to his mouth, and bit down on it. Hard .
The baby didn’t exactly have teeth yet but what he did have were the tips of his milk teeth poking through his gums and damn, were they sharp! Meta sucked in a breath and endured the sting. He did not want to risk accidentally hurting, or god forbid, offending the child by ripping his finger out his mouth.
Eventually the star born seemed satisfied and loosened his bite. Meta took his finger away before the little one changed his mind, and inspected the wound. Just as he had thought, the child had managed to break skin, leaving behind two tiny pin pricks of blood. He sighed and looked down at baby who was patiently waiting for a response.
“I probably deserved that…” he said with a heatless glare. His gaze swiftly softened. “I can’t stay mad at you…you’re lucky you’re cute.”
The baby only babbled in response.