Chapter Text
Gricko, Twig, and Frost are out somewhere in the woods, leaving Kremy and Gideon in charge of their little ones for some unfathomable reason. It's only been about a year since the triplets were born but Gricko was impatient to go on an adventure, even just a little one with Frost and Twig. And between his begging and Gideon's "are-you-really-gonna-be-an-asshole-right-now" look, Kremy caved.
The three taboblins are in a very large playpen, crawling around and pulling tails- if the yowls and crying was anything to go by. Kremy glances up from the stove to his husband, sitting in the middle of the playpen, looking both thrilled and terrified. Little Glorbo was standing, wobbling side to side and tugging Gid's beard, while Gideon tried and failed to seperate Frosty Jr and Dawn with the hand not stabilizing Glorbo. Dawn yanks Jr's tail again, little green hands determined to pull the fluffy appendage off. Grabbing her by the scruff of her neck, Gideon holds her up to eye level. "What're you pickin' on yer little brother for?? You got plenty of toys!"
The door slams open, and Gideon jerks the kittens to his chest protectively. The intruder, as it turns out by the green blurr sobbing through the kitchen, was in fact Gricko! The goblin ignores his children's babbles of Papa to sprint to Kremy, thrusting a half dead gatorfolk hatchling into his hands. "KREMY I GAVE THEM BANANAYAS BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO THEIR PARENTS ARE DEAD I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT REPTILES!!!!!"
Kremy freezes a moment, he can hear Gid set the kittens down and hurry to his side, but he can't focus beyond the tiny cold body in his arms. "She needs to be warm you idiot-"
Kremy's lecture is cut short, Gideon plucking the baby up and cradling it to his chest as he raises his temperature. The sight of his husband holding a baby does weird things to Kremy. They weren't as lucky as Frost and Gricko to breed on their own, and he'd given up on the idea of them having a family. But the way Gideon smiles at the hatchling pulls on his heart strings. "She looks just like you Kremy." The genasi's voice is soft, awed, as the hatchling moves finally. She nuzzles into the open v of Gid's shirt, pressing her snout between his pecs.
"We don't have time for another baby around here. What with Grickos pack and all." Kremy sounds irritated, but he turns to the stove and starts making grits, pulling out a small bowl and a little spoon. When he was still small his Ma had made this for him, and just seeing that baby made him feel like he had to do her proud and make it himself. Still trying to look annoyed he shoots a look over his shoulder at his husband. "Well don't just stand there, look for blankets."
Glancing back to the others, Kremy sees the slowly calming down Gricko laying against Hootsie as his babies squabble for attention. Frost's tail twitches, he's pretending to be very invested in the hooting sounds Hootsie is making, but both of them are watching Dawn clumsily pounce on and grab at the end of Frost's tail. Glorbo pushes Frosty Jr and Gricko scoops both babies up with a frown. "Hey, why don't you guys play nice?? There's enough Papa Gricko to go around!"
The lizardfolk looks away, chest tight with conflicting emotions as Gricko peppers his sons with kisses. His eyes dart to Gideon, and he spills the grits as he attempts to pour some into the small bowl. Gideon's face was shining with pure love, directed at the baby on his chest. Gid had grabbed one of the kittens blankets, and wrapped the baby up clumsily. "G-" Kremy clears his throat, "Gricko? What happened to her family?"
Looking up from his kids, the goblin's face tenses. "We was passing through the swamp when we smelled smoke. There was a camp and we only found two survivors... It- it was a gator lady, holding this baby. She said they was attacked by some bandits, and she- she-" Gricko fumbles to cover his kids ears and Frost projects into their minds to finish for him.
"She managed to keep this one safe, but the elements were getting to them both. Between the cold and the wounds she didn't stand a chance. She died moments after making sure we had the baby. From what we saw, it was a massacre. I don't think these "bandits" were after valuables so much as they enjoyed hurting innocents. "
Turning away from the others, Gricko attempts to distract himself. He combs his fingers through Glorbo's hair, teasing his whiskers with his thumb. The large goblinoid screeches happily, and Frost quietly gets up. Leaving Gricko to play with the babies, he approaches Kremy. His paw lands on Kremy's shoulder and he lowers his voice, "I want to take Gid to hunt down those mother fuckers. You- you would not believe the pain they inflicted on those poor folk." His eyes land on Kremy's shaking hands, and he squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. "I know you and Gideon have been hoping to start your own family. You're going to do great."
Swatting at Frost, Kremy finally picks up the small bowl and makes his way over to Gideon. "Shut UP, Frost." Snapping at Gid, Kremy sets the bowl down and reaches for the baby. His body language screams irritation, but Gideon knows his husband. The tremor in his hands and the tightness of his expression spoke volumes. Leaning in, Gideon presses the bundle from his chest to Kremy's, holding on a moment to make sure Kremy wasn't going to change his mind. The conman brushes the blanket back from the hatchlings face, carressing a claw down her maw. "Well, hello there.. You- you can call me Kremy. What's your name, kid?"
The baby squirms, face pinching at the lack of Gideon's warmth. She peeks up at him, eyes opening to show little yellow irises. Her tiny mouth opens, and she wriggles her head around in frustration until his finger is in front of her. And then she bites him.
"OW! Little bitey fucker it is!" Kremy jerks his hand back, holding the baby out like she was gonna try to attack him again. "Gid, maybe you should-"
Chuckling, Gideon takes the baby and holds her back to his chest. "Hey little missy, don't listen t' yer old man, we aren't namin' ya that. Now, I have a feeling that someone is hungry!" He tickles her belly with a fingertip, grinning as she squeals and kicks her little feet. "Ooh looks like he made you grits! Nice and soft for your little teeth!" She bares her teeth at him, snapping them to show how sharp they are. "Don't you back sass me!" Tickling her again, Gideon looks up at Kremy. His husband's usual facade is gone and the bare emotions on his face show through. Reaching for Kremy's hand, he tries to find a way to ease the fear and anxiety in his face. "Babe.. are you okay?"
With a shake of his head, Kremy's face morphs to a put out frown and he squeezes Gid's hand. " 'm fine. Just thinking of all the work this is gonna cause me."
Gid can tell he's lying, so he looks down to the baby and rolls his eyes. "Uh huh, grits Kremy?" He wiggles his fingers at him blindly, and Kremy passes his a spoonful of grits. The genasi jumps when Kremy grabs his arm to stop him from putting the bite into the babies open mouth.
"Sit her up first! You don't want her to choke!" Kremy sees the smug 'I-knew-it' look on his face and huffs, standing abruptly. "I just don't wanna have to fix it if you hurt her."
Humming a sarcastic mmhm, Gideon sit's the tyke up on his lap and supports her shaky back as he offers the spoon again. Kremy can hear him cheering the baby on, and the noises of a happily eating baby. After a moment of silence, looking down at the counter he's pretending to wipe, Kremy speaks. "...Cecelia..."
"Huh?" Gideon looks up, everyone's attention drawn by the unexpected name.
"We...well, we could call her Ceceilia."
"Cecelia Coal-LeCroux?" Gideon peers down at the baby, grinning as her little clawed hands tangle in his beard. "I think that's just perfect..."