Nature's Blog

Several weeks have gone by since the arrival and birth of the newest member of Zero’s little family, Baby Iris. Having a second child with his best friend and partner X, it was like it opened the flood gates of Zero’s heart.

After having gone through the roughest baby fever with getting the baby nursery up and ready, it resulted his leg getting wrecked from his frantic movements.

As the result, X is doing the overtime work back at HQ while Zero gets to be the stay at home dad with the new baby and Hope.

As Hope woke up early for doing a bit of extra credit schoolwork while school is closed for a week. She overhears X getting up to get coffee.

She walks to the kitchen to greet him, “Morning daddy.” She spoke up given that she’s five years old, she speaks mature for her age.

X turns around as he sees the adorable small version of Zero greeting him with such cuteness. Immediately getting the pacifist blue reploid’s heart to melt instantly.

“Morning.” He greets, trying to hold back the thoughts in his head. The thoughts about not having to hold his second daughter since the day they got her.

Having spent the majority of his time being in a workload back in Maverick Hunters HQ. He never gotten around to even hold baby Iris.

“Daddy?” Hope can see through her father’s expression on his face. The same look that she’d seen Zero made back when she was a baby. “Is it about Iris?” she asks, following seeing his expression.

X seeing that she took note of his emotions, get him out of his head space. Wanting to raise her to be honest, he shows his honesty towards her. “Yeah, your sister had been taken care of by your father Zero since he damaged his leg. I never was able to hold her since she came to the world.”

Being a good kid, she listens to X began to ramble about how he wasn’t able to get off work early since the work has been from the mundane to dealing with Axl’s antics with ‘his chaotic choice to survey the city’. Hope as a five year old, listens on like a good kid that pays attention to her authorities in her life.

“Seems like you should ask dad if you can hold Iris for a moment. You know, just for a couple of minutes before you head back to work?” She offers her advice given that it took a good five minutes of X’s rambling for her to see that he’s done chatting.

Thinking about it, it is a good idea that his five year old came up with. “You know, you’re right.” He then checks on the time and sees that he has enough free time before he has to get to work.

“I should go check on your father and sister.” He says as he gently ruffles her blond hair as he finishes his cup of coffee.

“I’ll go with you daddy.” She replies back with giving him support and wanting to see her sister’s reaction to being held by X. Their more gentle and compassionate father that deeply loves her just as with her older sister and Zero their other father.

Upon entering Iris’s nursery, Zero has been right there twenty-four seven as though the crimson red reploid is ready to take care of her regardless of a bust up leg. He watches by the crib as to continue watching a sleeping Iris.

He continued to look at her fondly as he hears a knock on the door arches.

“Hey,” X whispers softly as to not waken the baby. Hope is on the other side of the door peeking so cutely as to see everyone in the nursery.

“Oh hey X, Hope.” He replies with a softer tone. As hope did a small innocent giggle to share the vibe that is around them.

X then approaches his love as he wanted to see Iris sleeping. Hope stays behind as to give them enough space for them for X to hold her baby sister.

Once Zero steps aside, X allows himself to gently and slowly pick up Iris, whom is sound sleep even when being held up by someone.

Upon finally having to hold iris, the feeling of the day when he once held Hope, It was such a warm and fuzzy experience.

Seeing her opening up, awaken from a seemingly nice dream, Iris sees for the first time she wakes up was a tearful, and soft smile on X’s face. “Good morning Iris.” X greets her with such love and compassion.

Upon seeing X, the little brown haired baby gave a confused look on her face. Like she doesn’t recognize X at all and doesn’t know what to even do in this moment.

To Iris, X looks like a complete stranger that isn’t her older sister or Zero. Causing her lips to quiver in a fearful response.

“Iris? It’s me your—

Iris immediately abrupt in a massive cry and screaming her little heart out.

Both Zero and X were taken aback by Iris crying her heart out at having X hold her.

The baby took a look around and seeing Zero nearby, caused her to quickly have her arms and hands out for Zero instead of X.

X is trying to keep Iris in his arms. Zero quickly rushes in to catch Iris before she unintentionally falls off onto X’s arms.

“Whoa there kid, I’m here.” Zero soothes Iris as he quickly swings his arms back and fourth. Trying to get Iris to calm down.

Upon seeing Iris going from freaking out to being calm once again from being in Zero’s arms, X felt hurt.

“Sis, that’s your other father X.” Hope spoke up trying to get her sister to know that the strange man is their other father.

“Okay fella, let’s try this again.” Zero responds following X’s attempt to hold their second daughter.

Upon finding out that her daddy Zero is taking her back over to this blue armored robot, Iris started crying. She’s begging for Zero to not let go of her, given that she doesn’t reconize X as her father at all due to how much he went to work.

Seeing this, X felt heartbroken. Having this critical feeling in his chest that his health bar tanked as the result of his second daughter being afraid of him. Being treated like he’s a stranger to him. Even when Zero backed off, seeing Iris clutch on to Zero like she meant it was getting to him.

“Iris.” Hope spoke up as the little five year old girl felt heartbroken for X. It gotten her to intervine as she went over to comfort him. “Daddy, don’t cry.” She tells him with such softness that she embraces one of his legs. Getting X to notice.

“Hope.” He looks directly down to their eldest daughter. Seeing her suddenly be concerned for him, warms his heart. Having a bit of assurance that at least he have a loving kid like Hope that inherited his compassion for others.

“Eh… Sorry X, I don’t get why Iris is this clingy with me.” Zero follows up, Laying back down on the pastel colored rocking chair that still has a price tag on the back. Thankfully that X doesn’t see that he may have ‘taken’ it back when he had an episode with his baby fever. “Normally Iris isn’t this introverted with people.” He follows up, rocking the baby back and foruth to get her to calm down.

X shoots back up to his partner, “It-It’s fine, I’m not that upset.” He adds following a crooked smile to hide the ounce of jealousy. Something that he personally doesn’t want Hope to see, and not want to give the wrong impressions.

Unknown to him, Hope and Zero can see right through X’s face. It was that obvious that the more freely human expressive reploid would have a difficult time trying to hide behind that weak expression of being alright.

Hope pouts her cheeks to know that her dad is hiding something, causing her to pat her hands on his leg to get him to say it already without speaking.

Zero couldn’t help but find this funny. Recalling back to when they first had Hope.

“Now you know how I felt when Hope wouldn’t let me hold her back then.” Zero choked back laughter following baby Iris calming down, but still clings onto Zero like a kitten seeking comfort.

Hope stops trying to get X’s attention as she hears this, tilts her head while clinging onto X as though she doesn’t recall what Zero is talking about.

“Well, that’s because you were rough with her the first time you hold her. No wonder she didn’t want to risk it with you.” X spoke out having his jealousy tone come out of his voice.

Funny enough, X mirrors the same pouting Hope did. Zero catches this and couldn’t hold back the laughter.

“Really X, that’s adorable.” He jokes, following X to turn his head to look away from him. Getting Hope to laugh too on the matter. Assuming that they are joking around from Baby Iris’s parental preference.

“Say, What are you two talking about?” Hope comments following overhearing them talking about when she was a baby. The only one that did not know.

As someone who showed up late, Axl chimes in, walking in just to check up on the family. Catching what Hope is asking, and overhearing briefly about what X and Zero were talking about, but didn’t see or hear Iris’s frightful response towards X.

“Oh yeah, Your dad Zero back then used to be really rough holding you back when you’re a baby. That was back when X was an overprotective little boop-bop.” He answers for Hope. Much to X to look at him rather annoyed that he would chime in and meantion that.

As he spoke, X quickly scoops up his five year old Hope like a puppy. He was about to say something but Zero butts in, “Hey I had to freaking beg for weeks for X to even let me hold her again.”

Hearing this, Hope was trying to piece everything together to get some form of context with the three adults talking to each other. Kind of feeling that she was glossed over in the conversation. Granted for her, she figures that it was probably due to them having to work double time with X and Axl, while Zero became the stay-at-home dad with a busted leg.

As she is able to slide through X’s arms as the three Maverick Hunters were discussing other things that had trailed off to something unrelated to Iris nor Hope, Hope went over to baby Iris to have a sister talk with her. “Don’t worry little sister, you’ll get use to our daddy X once you see him more.”

Heading forward towards the five years into the future. Baby Iris grew up to being a proper five year old girl that suddenly picks up a dress simular to what Zero’s girlfriend used to wear, but it was an upgraded, yet nostalgic fashion for small reploid children like Iris. She picks this given that it was the dress that Her father X picked out for her.

As she was able to wear this while spending more time with X, having gotten so use to seeing X now that Zero’s leg since got repaired back then and resumed back to work. She was so happy that she gotten this dress X got for her.

Both father and daughter get back from spendign the day at the mall, along with doing some cherity donations to the local orphanage to hand them toys for them to have.

They were about to head to Mavericks HQ when they see both Zero and the now ten year old Hope rough house in the middle of the lobby. Something that the two tend to do around the HQ as a way to have Hope be part of the Maverick Hunters, but is too young to do anything else other than be a part time intern or something that is less dangerous.

Both X and Iris just look at them as they have the same expression of sighing for their love ones.

Zero, seeing that X and Iris returned, notice the dress that Iris is wearing. Gotten him to think back to the past seeing his old love Iris.

He froze in place, while Hope continued to attempt to pin him back down with no luck.

“Engh!” Hope grunts trying to get him to go down, but wasn’t able to.

“Sis,” Iris spoke up, given that she’s reading the room with seeing Zero’s frozen state. “Think dad is done with the rough housing.”

Just as X was going to add something. Axl had just arrived with having some new guns to try out.

“Hey, good timing.” Axl chimes in with as much enthusiasm as he always have with his vibes. “You girls want to—

He then sees the sudden and immediate look upon Zero’s expression. The way that his head snaps towards him like a trigger, the eyes of a vicious daddy wolf that is ready to protect his babies.

“Oh the heck you are not going to be flipping!” Zero quickly drops his ten year old Hope to the ground on her two feet as he suddenly books it. “COME HERE!”

Axl seeing the immediate danger from this reploid that had increase his protectiveness level up to where Axl is in immediate danger from him.

Axl Takes off for his dear life. “Hold up! It wasn’t going to be anything you’re—

“CAN IT!!” Zero cuts him off as he chases Axl down like a maverick to his and X’s daughters.

Hope goes over to Iris and Hope, seeing that Zero has gone ‘full rage mode’ Hope backed off and goes over to X out of the need to be close to someone that can protect them.

X could not help but laugh, given the whole thing with now Zero has become the overprotective one in their family. Iris now a very mature five-year-old that is willing to take risks or knows that she has this gift to calm down Zero when he gets this angry and protective, goes and see if he can help Uncle Axl.