Work Text:
The sound of a baby screaming always triggered Vox.
Now, more than ever because he had one of his fucking own.
Don't get him wrong, he adored Vax with his whole heart, but still…
"Shut up!" Vel groaned from the couch, throwing a pillow at the bawling child. Val was talking to Vax softly in Spanish, hoping the child would just shut up and fucking eat for a minute.
"Vox, he wants you!" Val begged.
Vox shuddered, imagining sticky baby hands all over his clothes. "A-another day, Vax," he said.
Vax chose that exact moment to scream and throw a huge mush of baby food at Vox, who yelped but got hit anyway. "Dada!" Vax wailed, making grabby hands for him. Vox glanced at Val for help, but Val was giving him puppy eyes.
"Just get the damn child, Vox," Vel called.
Vox sighed, then took a step closer. Vax rocked in his high chair, screaming even louder. Holding his breath for courage, Vox plucked the child out of his high chair and held Vax to his chest, shushing him and rocking from side to side.
While Vax was babbling away, grabbing at Vox's suit jacket, smearing drool and baby food all over it, Val took the opportunity to shove food into his mouth.
"I hate everyone," Vox grumbled, promptly followed by Vax spitting on his screen. He gagged, pushing Vax away slightly.
"Dada!" Vax babbled, then started screaming again. Vox set him down on the floor gently and grabbed a paper towel to wipe the spit off his screem while Vax started chewing on his pant legs.
"Get your son, Val," Vox whined.
Val dove for Vax, but missed completely, hitting his head on a table instead. "Vax, baby!" Val cooed, grabbing for Vax again. Vax stuck out his tongue and crawled away. "He takes after you, Vox."
"Hey, Vax," Vox called, pausing, then searching through his memory bank for the stupid cartoon the kid always liked watching. As the goofy cartoon sound effects played, Vax paused and stared at his father's screen as if Vox used his hypnotising power on him instead of playing a cartoon.
Val scooped the remaining mush into Vax's mouth while he was still watching with his mouth hanging open, looking like how Vox did when he spent long hours jn the office. "Is he done?" Vox asked around the cartoon, before Val shoved the last mouthful into Vax's awaiting mouth and straightened.
Picking Vax up, Val said, "Uh-huh. I'm gonna go get him to sleep, you finish up your work stuff."
Vel picked that moment to step into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. She took a look at Vox and wrinkled her nose. "Change your clothes, V."
"Thanks a fat load, Vel," Vox said sarcastically, and removed his jacket. Vax started screaming again as Val hauled him out of the kitchen like a rabid animal.
Vox followed soon after, taking his own sweet time to change into his favourite shark onesie, matching with Vax's set, slightly regretting his decision to have a kid.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝𓆟
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Vox tried to keep his eyes open as he read a book aloud to Vax. His screen was on dark mode with Val snoring next to him.
"And they lived happily ever after," he finished monotonously, yawning.
Vax giggled and smacked the book with fat baby hands. "Again! Again!"
Vox groaned and blinked slowly, flipping the book to the start for the eighth time that night. He was getting tired of the stupid story about a rabbit getting its carrots.
"Rabbit was a rabbit," he said, the lines of the words blurring together as his eyes slid shut before he forced them open again.
"Cat was a cat!" Vax exclaimed as if he hadn't heard the same damn story on repeat for the past hour.
"Cat was cat," Vox repeated. "Rabbit and cat were best friends."
"No!" Vax protested, glaring at his father. "Cat and rabbit were best friends."
Vox sighed loudly. "It's the same thing, Vax."
"Cat is first," Vax pouted.
Vox yawned again and got whacked by four tiny hands. "No! I want story!" He glared at the child, then glanced back at the book again.
"One day, rabbit was…" He trailed off, head going limp before he got whacked again. "Rabbit's tired, Vax."
"No! Rabbit going with Cat!" Vax insisted, smacking the book again.
"Vaaaal," Vox whined, shaking his partner awake.
"Shutup, you're on nightshift," Val slurred. He shoved Vox lightly with an arm, then snuggled closer to his stomach using his three other arms.
"Oof!" Val grunted as Vax threw his full body weight on his stomach.
"Wake up, Papi! I wanna know about Rabbit and Cat!" Vax giggled, jumping up and down on Val.
Vox hummed dismissively, laying his head down on Val's back. Vax slapped both his parents awake. "Vax. No story, we're going to bed. I have work tomorrow."
Vax huffed, crossing his tiny arms. "Vax also has work! I want story!"
"Vaaaal," Vox whined again.
"That's your baby, Voxxy," Val said, smiling like an idiot in his sleep. Vax was smacking the sheets, on the verge of a full-blown temper tantrum neither Vox nor Val had the energy for.
It wasn't something he was proud of, what he did next. In both their defences, they were desperate, they were exhausted and they had work the next day. Besides, Vox did this on the daily.
Vox held Vax still for a second, then used his hypnosis on his own damn child. "Go to sleep, Vax. Don't wake up until either Val or I wake up."
Almoast instantly, the child went limp in his arms, his screen dimming as he fell into a semi-lucid state. Almost immediately, Vox fell asleep on top of Val and his crossed legs, still hugging his son.
Stupid three, they were, in the weirdest sleeping position that would ensure that all of them (at least Vox and Val) would be achy the whole entire day tomorrow.
Val pulled his partner closer, sighing contentedly as he felt the familiar synthetic skin beneath the fluffy plush material of his pjyamas.
"I love you, V," he whispered into the darkness.
Vox muttered something back, either love you too, Val or fuck you for contributing to half of Vax, before his screen went black, extinguishing the last source of light in the darkness.
Vax's screen still glowed softly in his semi-lucid state. Gently, Val prised the child from Vox's impossibly tight grip and hugged Vax to his own chest instead, rubbing soothing circles around his back the way he did for Vox when he couldn't sleep.
Like father like son, Vax was soon asleep.
Val stared at the both of them, feeling like he might actually burst with happiness. Sure, Vax was a tiring, energetic little bastard, but he was Val's little bastard. Val and Vox's.
He repositioned Vox so his TV was resting on the pillow instead of on his ass (no matter how much he enjoyed that position) and put Vax in between the both of them. "Papa, book," Vax muttered in his sleep.
"Shut the fuck up, Val," Vox muttered back, still fully asleep.
Val had to shove his fist into his mouth so he didn't burst out laughing and wake the both of them up again.
Check the cameras tomorrow, Val reminded himself. He was sure Vel would appreciate the footage, as well.
Still giggling slightly, Val pulled the blanket over both his partner and child, watching them sleep while practically glowing with happiness. Then, slowly, he inserted his arms around Vox's waist and around Vax gently.
Vox shifted slightly, then a clawed hand squeezed his gently. Val resisted the urge to wake him up and make up all the months of exhaustion because of their child to him, but he coudn't because his partner really looked exhausted, and making out in front of their childwasn't the best idea.
Instead, he pressed a gentle kiss to the edge of Vox's screen. "Good night, amor," he whispered, then closed his eyes as well.