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It was another normal, perfectly mundane evening at Onychinus’ base, or so you had thought. You were returning home after a short three-day mission where, unsurprisingly, Sylus had also trailed along uninvited, watching over you from a distance until the inevitable danger struck.
Exiting his car, you sighed, feeling your muscles aching for a warm shower and your luxurious bed.
“Tired, kitten?” he asked, approaching your side. His arm wrapped around you, pulling you closer to him. Seeing your tired nod, he smiled sympathetically, remember the long hours of car chases and shootouts you both had endured before your mission ended successfully and you received permission to return home. He rubbed your arm gently as he spoke, “You’ve been working too hard lately. Go shower and rest. I’ll just take a quick look around the place—”
You hummed softly. “I want to see our daughter first,” you interrupted, adding, “I hope she’s been behaving for Luke and Kieran.”
“You know she always does.”
“…Does she?” you asked skeptically, glancing up at Sylus with a raised brow.
“Most of the time,” he amended with a smirk. “She’s only three. How much mischief could she get herself into in just three days?”
“Well—”
“Welcome back, bossman, boss lady!” you heard the immediate cheerful greeting from the twins the moment you stepped foot into the foyer.
You smiled at the warm welcome, and responded with equal enthusiasm.
“The little miss is playing in her bedroom,” Luke said.
“She has just finished her dinner an hour ago,” Kieran added, making a quick side-note, “Still refuses to eat banana.”
Both you and your husband smiled, giving an appreciative nod before you both headed in the direction to your daughter’s bedroom. As you approached her door, you both heard her sweet voice singing. At first, you were about to quip to your husband about how cute it was that she was singing to herself, but you paused, recognizing the song she was singing.
Sylus also paused, glancing down at you to check if you had heard what he did. Seeing the same startled expression on your face, you both quickened your pace, stopping just outside your daughter’s bedroom, her door already opened ajar.
Inside, you saw her dressed in her pink dino onesie while playing on top of her large canopy bed with her crow and dino plushies as she happily sang to herself, completely unaware that both of her parents were outside her bedroom.
“…ass… trigger…”
You looked at Sylus wide-eyed, and he shrugged half-heartedly.
“I didn’t teach her that,” he said almost defensively.
“Well, I didn’t either!” you exclaimed in a half-hushed tone. You lightly shoved his shoulder. “Do something!”
“Sweetie, what do you want me to do?” he asked flatly, but his eyes were twinkling, clearly amused that your earlier exhaustion was now completely forgotten, replaced by a state he almost wanted to describe as maternal hysteria.
“She can’t be singing that,” you said firmly.
“Well, go ahead.”
“Me?”
“You’re her mother.”
“And you’re her father!”
“Badass trigger… badass… with a gun…”
Sylus smiled, delighted by his daughter’s sweet lilt. He crossed his arms over his chest, and with crimson eyes peering down at you amused, he smirked, quipping calmly to your chagrin, “Sweetie, if it bothers you so much, you tell her she can’t sing that.”
You glared at him. “You’re a fucking prick.”
“Ah-ah, kitten. Language,” he chided lightly, pretending to be disappointed with you. His insufferable smirk made you want to strangle him with his own necklace, but you refrained from making your young daughter fatherless. Seeing your unamused scowl, Sylus was practically grinning at you now. He asked teasingly, “Perhaps she heard it from you?”
“Wha—I did not sing that stupid song around her!”
He frowned. “Me neither.”
“Bow down to the boss~!”
Immediately, Sylus clamped a hand over his mouth, nearly heaving with laughter at the sight of his three-year-old dino-daughter raising a crow and dino plushie up in the air as she sang loudly with her whole chest out.
Once composed, Sylus asked lowly, “Did you get all of that recorded, Mephisto?”
Surprised, and at the sound of wings flapping overhead, you looked up, seeing the familiar mechanical crow flying over to his owner, and landing on Sylus’ shoulder with a cheerful caw. Your husband smirked.
You eyed him suspiciously, asking, “What are you up to?”
“Nothing,” he said, smiling. Seeing your skeptical expression, he explained calmly, “It’s just a little something to keep me entertained during one of those long flights.”
“Badass trigger…”
“You have to admit the song is catchy, and also… memorable,” Sylus said, taking your hand in his. He twirled you once before you landed in his embrace, your back pressed to his chest. He leaned down and kissed your cheek in comfort, adding softly so only you could hear, “And she is so adorable.”
You grumbled half-heartedly in agreement. Tilting your head back slightly, you peered up at your annoying husband, still pouting at him a little as you voiced your concern again: “But she can’t sing that.”
“You tell her then.”
You gaped and immediately pulled yourself out of his embrace, whirling around to point a firm finger at his chest. “You’re her father!”
Hearing your tone raised in irritation, Mephisto gave a startled squawk before he flew off the Onychinus leader’s shoulder, taking refuge on a higher plane away from the bickering spouses. He shuffled in place, and continued his surveillance from afar. Sylus, on the other hand, calmly glanced at the slender finger pressed to his chest. Smirking again, he grasped your wrist, yanking you back into his arms, and he responded cooly, “And you’re her mother.”
“Ugh.” You glared at him again. “Asshole. We’ll both tell her.”
“Very well.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Go ahead.”
“You go first.”
“Ladies first—”
“Cut the crap, Sylus!”
“…Sweetie, are you sure she didn’t hear that song from you?”
“Mommy? Daddy?”
Startled, you both looked down to see your toddler stumbling out of her bedroom in her dino onesie with a Smiley dino tucked under one arm. She looked up at you with wide-eyed confusion. “What are you doing out here?”
“Well, baby…” You glanced at Sylus nervously, your eyes pleading with him for help. He smiled sweetly at you, giving an understanding nod in your direction. You almost breathed out in relief.
Almost.
“Mommy has something to tell you, my little birdie,” Sylus said cheerfully, and he immediately used his Evol to disappear before you could even register what he had said.
Your eyes widened in shock, seeing in front of you the last remnants of energy dispersing as your brain finally caught up with the situation. Scowling, you silently cursed his name, promising a payback of a thousandfold the next time you saw your beloved husband.
“Mommy?” Your daughter tugged at your pants, and you quickly smiled at the little girl, bending down to gather her into your arms. Surprised, she dropped her plushie and her dino hood flopped, covering her face. Seeing your daughter struggling to fix her hood, you giggled and helped her. She smiled sheepishly and with two small hands, she held your face, keeping your sight locked on her. “What did you want to tell me, Mommy?”
“Oh…”
She tilted her head to the side, waiting with large curious eyes.
Suddenly, a thought popped into your head. A rather devious idea, actually. You smiled and offered the little girl your hand, asking formally, “Will you help Mommy mess with Daddy?”
Grinning, she let go of your face and grasped your bigger hand with both of her smaller ones, giving a firm shake as she happily exclaimed, “Yes!”
You kissed her cheek, nearly melting when she rested her head on your shoulder. You swayed around, looking up to see Mephisto was still present, watching the whole mother-daughter scene calmly. Motioning for the mechanical crow to come closer, Mephisto flew down, landing on top of your head.
“Mephie, you know where your owner is, right?”
Mephisto was quiet, giving only a reluctant affirmative caw when you tsked at him.
“My new earrings and necklace,” you offered, catching the greedy crow’s attention immediately. Smirking, you continued, “Lead the way.”
The crow took off down the hallway, heading to one of Sylus’ secret rooms.
You twirled around, bouncing your daughter on your hip to her excitement. Kissing her cheek again, you cheered, “Let’s go find Daddy~!”
She clapped her hands together and mimicked your cry, “Daddy~ Mommy and I are going to get you!”
You barely held back a laugh at your daughter’s fierce expression. With your toddler daughter in your arms, you took off at a brisk jog following after Mephisto as he guided you to where your dearly beloved husband was hiding.
Grinning to yourself, you were already formulating your ambush.
Three against one.
One mechanical crow.
One hunter.
And one little pink dino.
The odds were in your favor.
You’re a dead man, Sylus!