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After becoming a husband and father, Cyno discovered there were benefits to being a light sleeper.
The gentle tug on his arm woke him up almost immediately, and the quick glance he gave to the clock on his bedside table told him it was about two in the morning.
“P-Papa?”
Cyno turned his gaze to the little green haired girl who he had come to see as his own, and his heart began to crack in his chest. She was trembling, clutching her green, handmade cat doll, Cuilein-Anbar, tight. Tears fell out of her large magenta eyes and down her cheeks.
“Oh, baby,” Cyno said, very quickly on alert, worry gnawing at his heart. “What happened?”
“I’m s-sorry,” Collei whimpered, more tears fell down her cheeks.
“No apologies,” the white haired man sat up, his legs hanging over the edge of his shared bed (his toenails were painted a pretty purple, Collei and Tighnari had done it earlier that evening), “did you have a bad dream?”
She nodded.
Cyno held his arms out to her. He knew that she was comfortable with touch from him now, but still always made sure to get permission first
“Would you like a hug?”
Again, she nodded, and Cyno gathered her in his arms and held her against his chest before moving his legs back onto the mattress and leaning back against the headboard.
“Can I sleep in here with you and mama?” Collei asked softly, her face still pressed into Cyno’s chest.
“Of course you can, Collei-lily,” Cyno kissed the top of her head.
Next to them, Tighnari stirred.
“Collei?” He asked when his eyes focused on his husband and daughter, voice heavy with sleep, clearly confused from being woken up so suddenly. “What are you doing in here, little one?”
“She had a nightmare,” Cyno rubbed circles into her back with one hand and cradled the back of her head with the other. “I said she could stay here with us.”
Mentioning Collei’s bad dream seemed to wake Tighnari up more. He lifted up their comforter, inviting the green haired girl to lay between them. She crawled out of Cyno’s lap and curled up in the center of the bed. Tighnari wrapped his arms around her and Collei clung to him tightly, Cyno could still hear her soft whimpers and sniffling.
“It’s alright, my little sprout,” Tighnari soothed. Collei’s nightmares were not new to him, and he always knew how to comfort her, Cyno had learned how to by watching them. “You’re safe with me and papa. We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Collei reached her little hand back to Cyno.
“Do you want me to hold you too?”
A nod.
After they were situated, Collei seemed to have calmed down for the moment now that she was wrapped in both her parent’s arms.
“Would you like to talk about your dream, Collei? It could help you feel better.” Tighnari kissed her forehead. “Or do you just want to go back to sleep?”
“I-I’ll talk about it,” she took a deep breath, like her mama had instructed, but she also didn’t say anything else.
“Take your time, baby,” Cyno told her, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand. “Don’t force yourself to tell us.”
After a couple more deep breaths, which both Tighnari and Cyno did with her, Collei told them what her nightmare had been about.
“I had a dream that you and papa didn’t want me anymore…”
Cyno’s heart completely shattered. Ice flooded his veins.
The look on Tighnari’s face was equally heartbreaking.
“Collei,” the Valuka Shuna began, his voice trembling slightly, as if he were on the verge of tears. “That will never happen.”
“We will always want you, baby.” Cyno added on, squeezing her hand gently. “You’re ours, Collei. We love you so much.”
“It felt so real.” Collei said, a new wave of tears fell down her cheeks.
Tighnari grabbed both of her small hands and held them in his own. “Collei, my little sprout, my little one, my kit, there is nothing you could do or say that would make me not want you- make us not want you. You are the light of my life, my angel. Adopting you was the greatest decision I have ever made, and it is one that I will never regret.”
The green haired girl sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “You promise?”
Tighnari smiled at her, warm and comforting. “I promise.”
Cyno kissed the top of her head gently, and whispered softly. “I love being your papa.”
That got a tiny smile out of Collei, and she clung to the arm Cyno had around her.
“It’s late, my kit.” Tighnari said, cradling Collei’s face in his hand. “Are you ready to go back to sleep?”
Collei hesitated, and started to fidget a little. “What if I have another bad dream?”
“Your papa and I will be here to chase them away, I promise.” Tighnari told her, kissing her nose.
“I-is it alright if I wake you up again?” She asked.
“It’s more than alright, Collei-lily.” Cyno told her. “We will be right here by your side, all night.”
“Sleep,” Tighnari said, giving her one more kiss, this one on her forehead. “Little sprouts need plenty of rest.”
Collei yawned, and Cyno could see that her eyes were growing heavy. “Can we have waffles for breakfast?”
Tighnari chuckled softly. “Sounds perfect.”
That got another sleepy smile out of Collei, and she leaned up to kiss Tighnari on the cheek. “Goodnight, mama.”
Then, she shifted so she was facing Cyno, who she also kissed on the cheek before curling up again, though this time she settled against Cyno’s chest, her back towards Tighnari.
“Goodnight, papa. I love you both.”
“We love you too, baby.” Cyno whispered.
It didn’t take long for Collei to fall back asleep, still tucked safely in Cyno and Tighnari’s arms. Tighnari had his tail curled around his daughter and husband, running his hand through Collei’s hair. He was looking at her with an expression of pure, unconditional love, and it made Cyno’s heart feel warm.
And that was when it hit Cyno.
Collei woke him up first, not Tighnari.
She wanted him.
He felt tears in the corner of his eyes.
“Cyno?” Tighnari asked, his voice soft as to not wake up their child. “Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah,” Cyno said, his voice equally soft, but he was smiling. “I’m great, Nari.”
“Then why are you crying, my love?”
“Nari,” Cyno said, blinking the tears out of his eyes. His gaze turned towards Collei’s sleeping form. “She came to me first. She’s never done that before.”
Understanding filled the fox-eared man’s gaze, and he smiled softly.
“She loves you a lot, you know.” Tighnari told him, brushing his thumb over Cyno’s cheekbone. “You’re a wonderful father, Cyno.”
Despite the kindness in his husband's eyes, and the sweetness of his voice, Cyno still felt self doubt deep within his heart.
One day, you’ll wake up and this life you hold so dearly will be gone, a cruel voice in the back of his mind told him. And you’ll be alone again…
Cyno’s mind flashed to him and Sethos clinging to each other as children in that tiny bed they shared, trembling in fear at the shouting and screaming, praying that they wouldn't upset them. Flinching at every noise that passed by their bedroom door….
“My biggest fear is failing you two, and losing all of this.” Cyno said softly, his heart twisted at the harshness of the negative thoughts flooding his mind. “I never want Collei to be scared of me, or feel like she can’t tell me something.”
Tighnari gave him a sympathetic look, his hand still resting on Cyno’s cheek. "Collei’s never been scared of you, Cy. You’re so kind and gentle with her, it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you. The fact that you worry about those things shows how much you care. You will never fail us.”
Cyno carded his hand through Collei’s hair, and the little girl sighed in her sleep.
“You’re not your parents, Cyno.” Tighnari leaned over carefully so as to not disturb Collei so he could kiss Cyno’s forehead.
“I will never let them hurt the two of you.”
“I know you won’t, and I won’t let them hurt you either.” Tighnari’s tail brushed against his side in affection. “I love you so much, Cyno.”
Cyno’s eyes water again, and Tighnari gently wiped the tears off his cheek. “I love you too, Tighnari.”
“We should get to sleep,” the Valuka Shuna said, pulling the soft comforter up over himself, Collei, and Cyno.
Cyno closed his eyes, and he felt his husband’s lips softly press against his forehead again.
“Goodnight, my love.” Tighnari whispered.
Cyno drifted off to sleep once more, still holding his daughter to his chest protectively.
And when the first rays of sunlight peaked through their curtains, Cyno was relieved to find that he, Tighnari, and Collei had slept through the rest of the night peacefully.