Sukuna blinked slowly, as she reminded him again of a bitter truth. His daughter found you scarier than him… Nothing humbled a person like fatherhood it would seem.

“Why do you need me to wake her?”

“She’s scary.” Mouse pressed her lips at him in a brave display of annoyance. “I says that.”

“I mean what reason do you have to need her awake?”

“I has a plan. Needs her awake. Oh! I needs Urau-rau too!” She made an ‘oh’ face and clambered off of him and began heading towards the bedroom door. She paused to look at him over her shoulder. She gave him a look like one would give a comrade on a battlefield and left him with words of encouragement for his task ahead. “Be careful, Papa. You got this!”

“Alright, Mouse. You’ve got Uraume and me here. You put Papa on Monkey duty and banned him from half of the house. What’s up?” You asked, leaning a hip against a kitchen counter. 

Uraume stood a few feet away, glowering at the toddler standing in front of you both with her hands on her hips and a triumphant look on her face. Tuna sat beside her, staring up at her as if waiting to be assigned a task.

Uraume huffed in vexation. “This had better be important.”

“It is!” Mouse said indignantly.

“We’re listening,” you encouraged her to start speaking before Uraume made her into breakfast.

“Don’t you know what today is?” Mouse asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

“Obviously not.” Uraume’s patience was exceptionally thin when they were tired and Mouse already had that thread on the verge of breaking. 

“It’s Papa’s birthday!” The look on her face as she glared up at the two of you was pure disappointment. 

You and Uraume look at each other with eyes wide and jaws slightly ajar. Well, shit. Mouse was correct. It was in fact Sukuna’s birthday. 

“Good job, Mouse! That would have been very important to not remember” You smiled at your daughter and reached out to pet her head. 

Sukuna generally did not celebrate his birthday. Half of the time he did not even remember it himself. Which had been fine when it was just the grown ups. But now you had a child and she was old enough to remember having a party on her own birthday. There was no way Mouse was going to settle for anything less for her Papa. 

Uraume looked at you. “Lord Sukuna does not celebrate his birthday.”

“Well… Now he going to! And next year! And next year! And a lot of next years!!” Mouse had one hand on her hip and another in the air, moving as she spoke. Her tone came across if she was making a royal decree. The Tiny Tyrant was trying very hard to leave no room for argument. She is just like her father.

“Lets just worry about this one right now,” you smiled at her.

“How did she even know it was his birthday?” Uraume asked.

“She must have heard him mention it to me the other day. The only thing I can think of is she counted it down? She’s really good at counting,” you answered, feeling fairly confident that was the answer. 

“Right! Okay! I gots a plan!” Mouse ran over to a counter across from you, grabbed a sheet of paper off the counter and came back to her same place. “Mama? Urau-rau? You ready, please and thank you? ”

“I will hear your proposal but I make no promises that I will go along with it,” Uraume crossed their arms across their chest and waited to hear what Mouse had to say.

She gave an angry pout in Uraume’s position before she began to read off the paper in front of her. She had a list of foods she wanted to make for her Papa. You had to give her credit, it was really well thought out. 

But there was one thing that had been bothering you. You held out a hand towards your daughter. “May I see your list?”

“I was going to ask the same thing,” Uraume muttered. They leaned in closer as you both examined the paper Mouse had been reading off of. 

You had been curious how your three year old would have written out a list and then been able to read it off. Sukuna worked with her regularly on learning reading and writing. Not only did he want his daughter to be educated, he wanted to instill in her from a young age a love of reading and learning. Because of this she was very advanced for her age.

Still… this was a bit above her abilities.  

Your eyes got wide when you saw that the words were there and they were correct. The kanji were very messy and a bit hard to read, but they were definitely right.

“I did good?” Mouse asked.

“You did very well, Mouse.” She preened at your praise.

“Who helped you with this?” Uruame’s voice was laden with suspicion. 

“Tuna!” Mouse grinned and leaned down to wrap her arms around your resident kitsune. She rubbed her face in his fur affectionately while he looked up at the two of you with what was clearly a smirk on his face. 

“How did Tuna help you?” You hated that your brain started questioning if Tuna was transforming without your knowledge. He was an old kitsune so not as mischievous as a young one, but he was still a kitsune. 

“Wanna see?” Mouse straightened up, her face beaming with excitement and her eyes bright.

“Yes.” Uraume did not even give you a chance to consider it before they replied. Honestly, you were intrigued too. 

“Okay! Stay right here, please and thank you!” 

Mouse and Tuna scurried off down the hall and returned shortly with one of the calligraphy sets and washi. You and Uraume watched in silence as Mouse got everything set up. She laid down on her belly and Tuna took up a spot on the opposite side of the washi. He pressed her nose affectionately to her forehead.

She grinned up at you as she reached up to pet his head affectionately. Her pink hair was messy from never having been combed this morning because she was too anxious to hold her conclave in the kitchen. She brushed her hair out of her face and resumed her position. “Okay, we ready! Watch us, please and thank you!”

“Go for it,” you answered with Uraume echoing with a sound of approval.

Mouse instructed Tuna that they were going to write ‘I love you, Papa’ and were specific that it was to be written in a large size. You watched as Mouse carefully dipped the brush in the ink and brought it to the paper. Her tongue peaked out of her mouth on the side as she tried to concentrate. She got part way in on her own, which was impressive to you. But what blew your mind was what came next. 

Mouse paused her hand. “Tuna, I got stuck. Can you help me, please and thank you?”

The kitsune leaned his head down and used his nose to gently guide her hand to write it out. He did this each time she got stuck or did not know how to start. Every step of the way until it was finished. If Mouse started to get frustrated he would rest his nose against her forehead and ‘give a little ‘foof.’ It would make her smile and then she would give a nod and they would start again. 

You and Uraume glanced at each other, absolutely stunned. Never in a million years would you have thought that you would have a 5 tailed kitsune that was patiently teaching your daughter to write. And yet that was what was happening right before your eyes.

Mouse got to her knees and picked up the washi as Tuna moved to sit at her side. She held it up for you and Uraume to see. Both of them looked up at you with pride on their faces. “Ta da!”

Every single kanji was right. You were stunned and proud. Of both of them. You squatted down and pet both of their heads. “You guys did a great  job! What are you going to do with that, Mouse?”

She gave you a huge grin. “I’ll tell you! You ready to start the plan, please and thank you?”

Uraume looked at you and gave a disgusted sigh, but you could see the slight smile on their face. “I guess you have earned some cooperation.”

“What that mean? Co-bob…er-a-dee-don?”

“Not even close.” Uraume shook their head.

“Coperation,” you couldn’t hide the chuckle at Mouse’s attempt. “Good try. It means that Uraume is going to help us with your list.”

Mouse jumped up and down in excitement, spinning in a circle before taking a stance similar to one would before a fight, including putting up her fists up in front of her. “Please and thank you, let's go!! 

“Papa! Monkey! We ready!” Mouse called as she burst through the shoji door to the bedroom where Sukuna laid reading while Monkey laid in bed next to him happily playing with his newly discovered toes.

“Are we finally released from our imprisonment?” Sukuna arched his eyebrow, making no moves to get up. About an hour ago he and Monkey had their approved territory reduced to just the bedroom. He was annoyed and curious simultaneously. 

“Yup! Time to sit up, please and thank you!” Mouse ran to stand next to Sukuna’s side of the bed. She was unable to stand still so she did an excited little dance in place. She looked your way. “Mama, don’t forget you got to carry Monkey!”

“I won’t,” you chuckled, moving to pick your son up from the bed. 

All four of his eyes lit up when he saw your face. He began excitedly babbling and immediately reached for you. You made a silly face at him to watch him smile big and laugh. He was the image of his father with the exception being he only had 2 arms. (You would have loved him the same and thought he was just as beautiful with four arms.) 

The markings on his face were identical to his father’s with the exception of it being on both sides of his face and a mark across his nose. He had the same bands on his wrists and biceps, with light markings on his chest and back that were similar to his father’s. Sukuna had said the markings on his own chest and back darkened and widened with age, so only time would tell. 

“You ready, Monkey?” you asked as you scooped him up and held him against you. You kissed his head and gave him a little squeeze as you watched Mouse giving Sukuna a hard time. You had such a beautiful little family. Your heart fluttered at the thought.

“Okay, Papa! You gots to close your eyes - all of em! And then hold my hand. Please and thank you!” Mouse said as Sukuna finally stood to his full height. She pointed a finger up at him as she tilted her head back. “And nooooo peaking!”

“And if I don’t?” He challenged. 

“Please, Papa? Pretty, pretty please and thank you very, very much!” 

He was pretty sure her eyes could not get any bigger and her lip could not stick out any further. He could tell she was excited, and he knew they had been working at something all damn day . He had to admit he was intrigued. He gave a loud sigh. It was overly dramatic and filled with dejection. 

Mouse laughed at him and reached out her hand. For these two this was just business as usual. Sukuna closed his eyes, all four of them, and held out one of his hands. She looked at you with a big grin on her face. “Okay! Lets go! Don’t let go of my hand, okay, Papa?”

Don’t let go of my hand, okay, Papa? Those words and the sound of her sweet little voice saying them were now etched onto his heart and burned into his memory for the rest of his life. He gave a grunt. “Fine, fine. Lead the way.”

“Okay, Papa! Open your eyes!” Mouse directed as they came to a stop a short time later. 

Sukuna opened his eyes and blinked. And then blinked again. There was a feast fit for a king laid out in front of him. Deserts, sweets, snacks, fish, rice, fowl, meat… and he could see his favorite meal that Uraume made with a very different type of meat. 

You sat on the opposite side facing him with a smile on your face. Monkey was sitting in your lap facing him as well. Uraume knelt nearby with a small smile on their face but their head bent in respect as usual. 

Everything looked and smelled delicious. He now knew why they had been busy all day and his movements had been restricted. But there was still just one thing he didn’t understand. “What’s this about?”

Mouse wrapped her arms around his arm, hugging it, and gave him a smile so bright it could rival the sun itself. “You forgotted?”

“I forgot what?” His eye brow arched.

“Silly Papa!” She covered her mouth as she giggled. Once she had recovered she looked up at Sukuna, a grin still on her face. “Happy Birthday, Papa!”

In honor of this series turning ONE YEAR OLD, here is an extra little short to celebrate

Sukuna's First Birthday

15 years ago:

“When is your birthday?”

Sukuna paused eating his meat to look at the child he had taken in under the pretense of putting their ice curse to use.  “What type of question is that?”

The white haired 10 year old shrugged their shoulders. They had been filling the silence by asking him every single damn question they could think of. And some of them had been utterly ridiculous.

Still, he had humored the kid and answered all of them. Even the absurd ones. Though he did comment on the quality of some of these questions when he answered them.

“It’s just a normal question people ask each other," Uraume said with a shrug.

“I don’t know. Never knew and couldn’t care less,” Sukuna shrugged. 

“But everyone has a birthday,” Uraume screwed up their face.

“Well, not me,” he shrugged. “My mother abandoned me and I have fended for myself my whole life. I never had anyone to share that knowledge with me, and no one has ever asked.”

“How many Oshogatsu festivals have you seen?” Uraume asked. 

Sukuna made a tch sound and did some quick math in his head. “I would guess somewhere around 27? Why does it matter?”

“I just needed to know,” Uraume said, eyes tilting up as they organized thoughts in their head. 

Sukuna was reaching for another skewer of meat again when they spoke. “Ten'an Gannen rokugatsu jūgo-nichi. “ (06.15.857 CE)

“What is the significance of this date?” Sukuna snatched up the meat and took a bite. 

“You said you had seen approximately 27 Oshogatsu festivals. So I added 3 years to that since most people do not start to accrue formative memories until the age of 3. So that would be approximately 30 years ago,” Uraume explained their math. 

“Okay… and the month and day?”

“That is the Month and the Day that you took me in,” they averted their gaze, shyness setting in. 

It was an interesting choice of dates. The large man shrugged. Why not? He had no plans to celebrate it, but if it made the kid feel better, it was a small concession. 

Sukuna lifted one of his hands and moved it like he was waving something off. “Fine, fine. If that is what you wish, I will accept it.”

Uraume looked back at him and grinned from ear to ear before they lowered their head and hands to the ground. “You honor me, Lord Sukuna!”

Sukuna himself was not bothered by not having a birthday. But the fact that Uraume had been upset that he did not have one and then took actual, thoughtful care in choosing a date…

It caused an unknown feeling, and honestly uncomfortable, feeling like a warm flutter in his stomach. 

Sukuna shook his head and reached out a hand for another skewer of meat. He reasoned it was probably just some weird vagal response or indigestion and gave it no more thought. Instead he feasted on the delicious food that Uraume had made and continued answering stupid questions into the night. 

A few hours in and he had already decided that going forward he owed you a night of absolute pampering for every time he was away. As the minutes dragged by he decided he owed you for all the past trips he had gone on too… How did you do this for sometimes weeks at a time without any aid? 

Every time he got Mouse occupied, Monkey cried. Every time he got Monkey satisfied, Mouse was getting into something…

“Puts him to sleep,” she said, giving him a look that questioned his level of intelligence. 

“Well, Mama has certain… abilities that I do not,” Sukuna said as he tried again to get Monkey to take the bottle.

“Yup! He likes the boob. Papa got boobs, but them not food boobs.”

“I do not have boobs. I have pectoral muscles. But otherwise, your assessment is… accurate.” Once again, Sukuna was flabbergasted by the conversations he wound up engaging in.

Mouse puffed out her cheeks and pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes on her baby brother. She suddenly sat up with a big smile on her face. “Mmmm, Papa! I has an idea!”

Oh, he couldn’t wait to hear this. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

“I take a turn to try to make him go sleepy, now. Please and Thank you, Papa!”

Unless her idea was to smother her brother, she could not do worse than he was. Fuck it. “Alright. What do you need me to do?”

“Let's go to the bedroom, Papa!” Mouse got to her feet and did one of her little jumps, signaling her level of excitement. He hoped he did not regret this.

Sukuna stood with Monkey in his arms and followed Mouse to the master bedroom. She clambered up onto the bed and laid on her side. Mouse patted the bed next to her and gave him instructions. “Monkey needs to go here, please and thank you, Papa!” Mouse instructed.

He moved to kneel on the soft mattress and gently laid the baby down on his back next to his sister. “Alright, now what?”

“Papa do something else, please and thank you” she said, resting one hand on her brother’s stomach. 

“Do something else?” Mouse strikes again with her infamous audacity.

Tuna jumped up on the bed and made his way over to the two demon seeds laying in the middle of the giant bed. He moved to wiggle himself between Sukuna's knee and Monkey’s side so that the baby was sandwiched between a bossy toddler and a kitsune with a death wish. 

Mouse gave him a grin and the hand on Monkey’s stomach gave him a thumbs up. “I gots this, Papa! I the big sister, remember!”

To his surprise, Monkey was already starting to fuss less. He let out a dejected sigh and shrugged. “Fine. But you are not to pick him up and I am only giving you 5 minutes.”

“10 minutes.”

“7 minutes,” he countered.

“6 minutes!” she countered back.

“Done!” Who was he to tell her she had short changed herself? An image popped into his mind of the look that you would shoot him when Mouse told you about this exact conversation over dinner tonight… Mouse was right. You were scary. “7 is bigger than 6, Mouse.”

“Then I wants 7 minutes, please and thank you,” she said before she began shushing softly at Monkey.

“7 minutes. And-”

“I no pick him up, promise, Papa.”

Sukuna leaned over to give both of his children gentle kisses on their foreheads and he was pulling away when Mouse said his name. He glanced down to see his daughter’s eyes suddenly starting to get heavy with tiredness as well. “What do you need, Mouse?”

“I need to kiss you too, Papa,” she gave him a tired but toothy grin. She rubbed her face against the soft pillow case and lifted her hand from her brother’s tummy to reach for him.

Sukuna felt his heart melt at the sight and leaned forward. He let Mouse pull his head down so she could place a gentle kiss on his nose. He smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead again, one of his hands reaching over to ruffle her hair. “Sleep sweet.”

Sukuna moved to open the shoji door to the back yard. He stepped outside to sit on the engawa and loaded his kiseru as he listened to Mouse quietly singing the song you sang to them every night at bed time. 

He took a long drag, letting the smoke fill his lungs and breathing the hazy mist out his belly mouth. 

He smirked as he remembered the first time he had done that in your presence. He had expected you to be at least mildly disgusted or slightly disturbed. He had expected to see that adorable look you got on your face when you were perturbed by his actions.

But oh no, not his precious one. Your eyes had lit up like fire works in the dark of night and you had immediately handed the kiseru back to him, demanding he do it again. And again. And he did. 

Sukuna would do anything to see you smile and laugh like you did that night. If it meant spending several moments behaving like some damn street performer doing cheap sleight of hand tricks for a few coins, then so be it. 

The same went for his daughter and his son. Anything to protect you guys. Anything to see you smile. 

He was unsure how long he had been lost in his thoughts when his name was called softly from the bed, calling his focus back to the present. He set his kiseru down and headed inside. Noting the quiet of the room he made sure to keep his footsteps light as he approached the bed. 

“Good job, Mouse,” Sukuna praised, seeing that Monkey and Tuna were both sound asleep beside her. 

“I can’t sleep though, Papa,” she said softly. Just like her brother had not long before, Mouse was now fighting her own nap. 

“And why not?” he asked, arching his brow.

“I need Papa cuddles, please and thank you, Papa,” she said, yawning. She moved the hand from Monkey’s belly to point directly behind her at his side of the bed. 

“And why should I?” Sukuna asked, two hands on his hips and two arms folded across his chest.

“Because Papa loves Mouse!” she said, matter of factly. Monkey started to stir and Mouse rubbed his belly, humming softly and whispering. “It okay, Monkey. Oneechan is right here. Oneechan always be right here. Papa be right here soon too.”

She really was your daughter through and through. 

“You are lucky that is true.” With a sigh he laid down next to her, wrapping one large arm across his children and even letting his fingers rest on Tuna’s back, giving the kitsune’s fir a few gentle strokes. “You did good too, Tuna.”

“Shshh, please and thank you, Papa. Don’t wake the Monkey.,” Mouse said in a whisper as she  fit her head under his chin like usual. In a sleepy voice she said, “Sleep sweet, Papa.”

He adjusted his head to kiss the top of her head before resting his chin on it again. “Sleep sweet, Mouse. Now stop talking.”

“Okay, Papa.”

“Language!” you hissed as you pinched your nose.

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?” Sukuna stared at you incredulously. If it was not Mouse blowing him away with her audacity it was the one from which she learned it having a turn.

“Is everything al- You’ve got to be kidding me.” Uraume stood slack jawed in the doorway, staring up at the impossible truth. 

Mouse’s curse technique had manifested. You were now dealing with a toddler who had the ability to manipulate gravity. You briefly wondered which kami your husband had ticked off this time as you watched him reach to pull her down into his arms and she began to try to run away.

Sukuna caught the back of her outfit with his hand and plucked her down, holding her still upside down by her foot as he turned to face you. “I guess we finally know how the fuck she moved that watermelon.”

You barked out a surprised laugh at his statement. You quickly covered your lips and tried to play it off as a cough. “I suppose you’re right. Hold her right, Sukuna.”

“If she can manipulate gravity, is there really a right or wrong way to hold her?” he cocked his head as he looked at her, hanging upside down without even a strand of hair out of place. 

“You know what I meant!” You glared at him, wishing you had the ability to explode heads.

He sighed and flipped her over in his arms, feeling her drop her technique when he sat her on his arm. He poked her cheek with one finger as she looked up at him smiling. “For how long have you known you could do that, brat?”

“I was today years old!” She answered, reaching up to poke his cheek in return. “I woked up in the air!”

Monkey began to fuss as he woke up, rolling onto his tummy and pressing up on his palms smiling. 

“Down please, Papa! I think Monkey gonna crawl this time!” Mouse said excitedly, kicking her legs gently in his arms. 

He was about to tell her not to get her hopes up, but he bit his tongue as he watched her walk closer to her little brother and squat down in front of him. Tuna yawned as he woke up and went to Mouse’s side, laying against her and purring as her tiny fingers began to pet its snow colored fur. 

Mouse pat the floor at her feet like she was training a dog. “Come on, Monkey! Come to Onee-chan!” 

Monkey made noise and rocked on his palms and knees, but did not try to move closer. Mouse waddled a little closer and tried again. They repeated this several times until Mouse was less than a meter away. 

He was about to tell her to call it when Monkey’s face pinched in concentration.

Your breath hitched and you wrapped your arms around one of his in excitement. “I think he’s gonna do it!” 

Monkey picked up his hand and stretched it out as far as he could before he smacked it on the ground. He did the same with the other hand, now in an almost downward dog position. He scooted his feet forward until he could push up on his hands again and gave Mouse a huge smile. 

He lifted both hands and stretched them out, though not as far as before. His chubby drool covered hands again landed on the ground with a thump, and he slid his knees forward again. You did an excited little jump and looked up at Sukuna with a huge smile.

“Him’s doing it! Him’s crawling! You see, you guys? Mama! Papa! Look over here, please and thank you!!” Mouse had stood up and was now jumping up and down waving her arms. 

“We saw it! But we’re watching again! You can do it, Monkey!” You cheered for your son, pumping a fist in the air at the same time Mouse squatted down and began puppy-calling her brother to her again. 

Monkey let out a high pitched happy noise and again did his smack and scoot maneuver, doing it back to back and picking up a little speed until he was close enough to reach for his big sister and have her pull him into her arms and then lap for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, rocking him and praising him.

“Good job, Monkey! Onee-chan is big proud! You made Onee-chan’s heart super happy!” Mouse looked up at you both with a cheesy grin.

You looked up at Sukuna with one that mirrored your daughters. You cocked your head when you saw the scowl on your husband’s face. “What?”

“I do not know why you are so excited about this, precious one.”

“What do you mean? Our son just crawled for the first time!” You gaped at him.

“Yes. On the same day our daughter walked on the ceiling for the first time.”

Your eyes got big as you took in the truth of the matter. You were in trouble. Double trouble. And Mouse proved this to be true with her next question.

“Mama! Papa! Now that Monkey can crawl on the floor, can I teach him how to crawl on the ceiling too, please and thank you?”

“Then sell him.” She said with a look of agony on her face.

“Not happening.” It was only day two with the new baby and already Sukuna was wondering if you should have decided to be one and done.

“Mouse,” you said her name, getting her attention as you tried to soothe the baby. “I know he’s loud-”

“And very stinky!” Mouse said, pinching her nose from where she sat perched on her father’s leg. She added a dramatic fanning of the air in front of her face.

“But he is just a baby. It’s only his second day on earth. Crying is the only way he can talk to us,” you tried to explain in a tired tone. 

Tired did not describe it. You were beyond exhausted. Your son, nicknamed Monkey yesterday by the same sister who wanted him annexed today, was fighting going down for a nap. 

You didn’t remember being this exhausted the first time around. Then again, Mouse had been easier to soothe and you hadn’t been simultaneously trying to wrangle and soothe a toddler who was used to having you and her father completely to herself.

Mouse pressed her lips together, a look of concentration coming over her face. She hummed in a tone you had never heard her make before as she stared down the baby still making noise in your arms. You took in her antics, trying to figure out what she was trying to do.

Sukuna arched his eyebrow at his little imp. “What are you doing, brat?”

“Shh, please and thank you, Papa. I tryin’ to understand him,” she said, leaning forward as far as Sukuna’s hand on her belly would let her go. 

You struggled not to laugh at just how serious her expression was. It warmed your heart that she had gone from trying to oust the baby to trying to understand him in a moment’s time. Maybe there is hope yet.  “What do you think he is saying?”

Mouse gave a hum before sitting back and looking up at you. “Him still hungry, Mama. Him saying give him a boob, please and thank you, Mama. Just give him a boob and he’ll go night night.” 

Sukuna choked on air, sputtering at her response. He was unable to stop his head from falling back against the headboard and the laughter from falling from his lips. You could almost swear you saw tears in his eyes as he wheezed at her wording. You narrowed your eyes, realizing he was going to be absolutely useless in this situation.

“Mouse, don’t say it like that,” you said, trying not to let your husband’s immature sense of humor rub off on you when you were trying to parent your daughter. Someone needed to act like a grown up but did it have to always be you?

“But… it not wrong, Mama,” she looked very confused. “Him hungry. You milk in you boobs. Him eat from you boobs. Him eats then him sleeps.”

“You are correct. But let's just call it feeding him, okay? No need to mention boobs when talking about eating, okay?” You said, not wanting to make a big deal out of it but also wanting to discourage the use of that phrase, no matter how accurate or amusing it was.

“Speak for yourself,” Sukuna bristled.

You ignored him and cupped Mouse’s cheek before you rearranged the baby and helped him latch. He immediately quieted down, nuzzling into your breast and resting his little hand on your chest. You kissed his head and looked at Mouse to see her giving you a smug look from the lap of her equally smug looking father.

“What’s with you two?” You asked, hand rubbing soothingly on Monkey’s back.

Mouse answered first, “Told you him was hungry.”

“It would seem you were not wrong, little Mouse. And what about you?” You asked your husband after giving Mouse a smile.

“I can’t say mine because it involves saying a word I cannot say with another word,” he smirked shamelessly at you.

Mouse looked from him to you and then decided that since she had translated for her brother, she should also translate for her father. “Mama, him means sayin’ boobs.”

“Thanks Mouse,” you groaned. 

He should have figured. “What do you want, Mouse?”

She finished shoving the heavy door open enough she could squeeze in. He watched as she made her way across the room and up to his throne of bones. With expert ease she made her way up the stairs to stand at his feet.

“Papa, up. Please and thank you,” she said, stretching her arms up.

“You know you are not supposed to be in here,” he narrowed his eyes on her, unmoving.

“But I need Papa…” she pouted.

“Why do you need me? You have your mother. Hell, you have Uraume somewhere around here too,” he scoffed.

Mouse rested one hand on his knee and then lifted the other to show him a pretty deep cut on the palm of her tiny little hand. “Need Papa to kiss it, fix it.”

He used one hand to pick her up by the back of her clothing and set her on his lap, keeping that hand behind her to keep her stable. Another hand cupped the back of her head, thumb rubbing in a gentle pattern. He used a third hand to hold hers and take a look.

“How the hell did you do that?” he muttered, using his RCT to heal her hand. “There you go. It’s fixed.”

“No, it’s not,” she shook her head glancing at her palm and then at him expectantly.

“What the hell do you mean it’s not fixed?”

“Papa didn’t finish,” she said, moving the hand to hold it in front of his face as if she were presenting evidence. “Seeeeee.”

“Mouse, I see nothing. Literally nothing. It’s been healed.”

“But…”

“But what?”

“But… papa didn’t kiss it fix it…” she pouted up at him.

Kiss it fix it… He was so grateful you had taught your daughter that a kiss healed wounds and had somehow convinced him to play along. He let out a sigh and moved her hand to his mouth “Muah. There. Happy?”

“Yes. Please and thank you, Papa,” she said with a smile before moving to lean into him.

He gave in instantly, wrapping arms around her and holding her impossibly small frame in his arms. Careful like she was made of glass. “Now what do you want, Mouse?”

“Just Papa,” she said softly, a sleepy note to her voice. 

He smiled down at her gently, “Fine. You may stay.”

A short time later you came into the throne room full of concern, slightly frantic and looking for Mouse. You had found broken glass and were concerned about her well being while trying to locate her. All you had done was go to the bathroom and the little convict had once again made an escape and left destruction in her wake. But this time there had been blood.

You let out a sigh of relief when you saw her in his arms. You knew without a shadow of a doubt that if she had any injuries, Sukuna would have used RCT to heal them. When it came to Mouse, he talked tough but he was a damn good Papa.

Your heart swelled with love as you took in the scene. You couldn’t stop the small smile that spread across your face. You touched your fingertips to your mouth to stifle the happy chuckle you let slip. Sukuna was sound asleep on his big scary throne of bones with Mouse, in her little pink outfit with her little pink pigtails, equally sound asleep in his arms. 

You were about to turn back out of the room when Sukuna opened one of his eyes and focused it on you. Seeing it was you, he blinked awake. He carefully stood and descended his throne to come to you with Mouse still sound asleep, cradled in his arms. 

You were confused as he grabbed your hand and started walking. “Sukuna, where are we going?”

“Our room of course.”

“Why?” you asked.

“Because it is nap time, quite obviously.”

“You two looked comfortable where you were,” you commented. He napped in that thing all the damn time and it would not have been the first time Mouse joined him.

“We were,” he said, using one hand to push open your bedroom door, gesturing for you to enter first before closing the door softly behind him. 

“Then why relocate and risk waking her?” you asked as you stood next to him and watched him very carefully lay her down on the bed before he turned towards you. 

“For one very simple fact,” he said, pulling you close and tilting your head up to press several gentle kisses to your lips. “You don’t like sleeping on my throne.”

“I don't,” you agreed.

“Then isn’t it obvious?” he chuckled.

“Papa? Mama?” Mouse stirred from the bed, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

“We’re right here, little one,” you said with reassurance, crawling onto the over sized bed to reach your daughter’s side. 

Sukuna saw the decent sized watermelon sitting in the grass a short distance away. He glanced down at her and asked why she had not done what should obviously have been her first choice before trying to unleash shrine. “Why didn’t you just ask Uraume or your mother?”

“No! Papa! Uhm… they no know…” she scratched her little pink head as she looked up at him.

His daughter may be a thief but at least she did not lie. He smirked down at her, “They told you to wait until after dinner, didn’t they?”

“Yes… but  starving Papa. I no have a tummy mouth but my tummy is empty and hungry, Papa!” She looked up at him with big huge pleading eyes.

Sukuna sighed before kneeling down on one knee. He reached out a hand and gripped her arm, pulling her closer with a gentle but firm tug. He tapped the tip of her little turned up nose when she looked up at him. Time to set her straight. Better do it while she was still young.

He kissed her forehead and turned her around so she was in front of him facing the watermelon. “Since the watermelon is only 1 thing and it has a small circumference-”

“Whats a cir-cub-prince?”

“Circumference. Its how big a circle needs to be. Notice how the watermelon is not very big?” she nodded. “That means it would be better to use a single slashing attack. Now, Do you want slices or chunks?”

“Chunks, please and thank you, Papa!” she said in a tone of victory, cheering her little hands up.

“Alright. Then this is what you want to use. Dismantle!” he moved his hand and the watermelon fell apart into perfect cubes.

“Thank you, Papa!!” Mouse bolted from his arms towards the juicy pile of green and pink contraband. She jumped up and down, squealing with delight before leaning down to grab a piece in either hand and come running towards him. She held up a piece to him. “You have some too, Papa!”

And wouldn’t luck have it that the moment he sunk his teeth in he heard your voice from behind. He didn’t have to look to know your hands were on your hips and your face was pinched in frustration. “What do you two think you are doing? You’re going to ruin your appetites!”

“Uh-oh, Papa!” Mouse said in a loud whisper to him. “She got her stink face on. We in big trouble.”

If you had heard her words or seen his face when she said it, he knew they would both be did. Even if not a single word she spoke was a lie. It was the perfect description for it. “Go get a piece for Mama. I’ll try to smooth it over.”

“Okay, Papa!” she nodded and took off running while he stood to face you. “I came outside to find her trying to use Malevolent Shrine to cut the watermelon she admittedly stole. But don’t worry precious one, I have corrected the error of her ways.”

“Here, mama!” Mouse said as she came running back, holding up a piece for you and eating a fresh new piece in her other hand.

“Oh you did?” You asked him, taking the watermelon from Mouse. You looked down at her and brushed bach hair from her eyes with your fingers. “So Papa already talked to you about how stealing is bad?”

“Nope! Papa taught me that to make little chunks you need to use dibanedele not Ma-leb-pu-tent shine. Because of the cir-cub-prince of a watermelon,” she explained as she held onto your robes with her sticky free hand.

You glared at Sukuna who just shrugged his shoulders. “I told you I corrected her on the error of her ways.”

“Papa is the best Papa!” Mouse laughed happily, blissfully unaware that you were conjuring the image of squashing her father’s head over and over and over again in your mind. She ran off to get more melon. 

“That’s your version of correcting the error of her ways?” you grumbled as he smirked. You shook your head, a small smile tugging at one corner of your lips. “I should have known before I even asked.”

“Mama, Papa! Come have more with me, please and thank you!” Mouse called, gesturing with her hands for you to join her.

You once again found yourself adopting the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ mentality with a sigh. You grabbed one of his hands and gave it a tug,  “Come on, we better go help her. There’s too much evidence there for her to eat all of it by herself and Uraume will be looking for that watermelon soon.”

“You want to teach her to eat the evidence of her crimes but I got the stink face merely for correcting which technique she needed for that situation?” he arched an eyebrow at you. 

Your eyes narrowed on his face. “Excuse me? Stink face?”

“Don’t be mad, precious one, it describes it accurately.”

You laughed and let him pull you in for a kiss. You cupped his face with your hands, letting him kiss you softly several times before you pulled back. “I supposed my having a stink face pairs well with your being a stinky head.”

“Ouch,” he said, screwing up his face and letting you go.

Sukuna rubbed her back with one hand and brushed fingers through her pink hair. He contemplated his words. You were far better at dealing with what you ridiculously referred to as ‘big feelings’ and being the comforting parent than he was, yet Mouse had chosen to come to him. He would give it a shot and if need be, he would teleport them to wherever you were, shove her into your arms and tag you in. “Was there something that caused you to feel this… distress?”

One of her hands fiddled with the material of his haori and her gaze turned downcast. “I no want Papa to be mad.”

Sukuna cocked his head slightly at her words. “I won’t be mad.”

“Promise?”

“Yes…” he waited.

“I… I thinking about the baby,” she said, still not meeting his gaze.

“What about the baby?” Sukuna couldn’t imagine what about the coming sibling would make his daughter sad.

“What if you like it better?” Her voice was a broken whisper and he could see little tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Mouse. Look at me,” he said firmly, turning her chin up. He waited until she did as he said before continuing. “That is not something you should be concerned about.”

“But you might…” she tried to blink back the tears leaking down her chubby cheeks. “And then you might not play with me…”

Sukuna may struggle with the softer side of parenting but his actions and words came naturally in this moment, “Foolish child. You are my little Mouse. No one could replace you.”

She gave him a small smile and sniffled. “Papa promise?”

“I promise. We will still play even when your sibling is born. Now enough with the tears, alright?” he said, brushing them off her face in a gentle way that still sometimes surprised him that he was capable of.

“Okay, Papa,” she nodded, sniffling as she worked to calm herself. She grabbed his face as he started to pull back and pulled him forward with a hand on either side of his face to place a kiss on his nose. 

He chuckled softly and ruffled her hair before he relaxed back into his throne, still holding Mouse in his arms. He looked down at her and gave her a stern look. “Now that this matter has been settled. Do you have any other needs of the King of curses, since you dared to enter my throne room?”

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, “Yes!”

“And what would that be?”

“We needs to do seashell time, please and thank you, Papa!” She said in an excited tone.

While he was relieved her mood had improved he was unsure just what she was asking of him. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

Mouse gave him a big smile as she pulled out a small silk drawstring bag from seemingly nowhere. She opened the bag carefully and produced a small round topped disc made of shell and beamed at him  “See! Seashell game! I even got it with me!”

He knew what it was the moment he laid eyes on the bag. She had been carrying those damn things around since he brought them home from his last journey. She called them her treasures. 

Sukuna gave a derisive snort and stood with Mouse in his arms. He descended the throne and sat her down on the floor at its base. He took a seat across from her and motioned for her to give him the bag in her hand. Mouse knelt down across from him and handed him the pouch.

He opened the bag and dumped the contents out on the ground, turning the pieces upright as he spoke. “The game is called Ohajiki, not ‘the seashell game.’” 

“Got it!” she beamed. “You go first, Papa!”

Sukuna drew an imaginary line between two pieces and flicked one gently, knocking it into another with ease. He picked up the piece in his hand. He gestured to her for her to take a turn.

She observed the stones and mimicked his motions, laughing happily as she picked up the piece she had successfully thumped.  She met his gaze and said, “Thank you Papa.”

“For what Mouse?” he asked, finishing another turn.

He watched with pride as she strategized her next move, a finger pressed to her lips in concentration. The juxtaposition of his throne of bones being the backdrop for his pink haired, pigtailed daughter and her spread of shining seashells made him chuckle to himself. 

Mouse gave him a wide toothy grin that lit up her eyes. The joy on her face brought a smile to his own lips as well. She answered in a cheerful voice as she leaned forward to take another turn. “For giving me a happy.”

“There is no saying no to another baby,” you chuckled. “Mama already has another baby in her belly.”

Mouse turned quickly to Sukuna and asked in a loud whisper, “Mama ate a baby?” 

“No. Mama did not eat the baby,” Sukuna grinned, leaning forward to hover over his daughter so she had to turn her face up to look at him. “But I’m awfully hungry and I know a toddler that’s just about big enough to make dumplings out of.”

She grinned and giggled at him. “No eat me, Papa! Please and thank you, Papa!” 

“No one is eating anyone,” you sighed, rubbing the bridge of you nose. With a cannibal for a husband you should not have been surprised by your daughter’s question, nor how her father responded. 

“How’d baby get in there?” Mouse asked innocently. 

“That one is all you,” Sukuna said quickly.

You rolled your eyes at your husband. “Well, that’s where they grow. Mama and Papa made a wish and the universe made it come true.”

“Why you wish for a baby in you belly? I’d wish for dango in my belly,” Mouse answered, always thinking with her stomach. Just like her Papa. 

“Master Sukuna, I have brought afternoon tea,” Uraume said, entering the room and kneeling down with a tray.

“Urau-rau. You happy about the baby?” Mouse asked.

“I’ll hold out judgement until we see how well it behaves,” Uraume answered in typical Uraume fashion.

“No be worried, Urau-rau. I’ll teach it to be good like me!” Mouse said happily, reaching for one of the So cookies on the tray with the tea.

“That’s exactly what I am worried about,” Uraume muttered, pouring the tea.

Sukuna laughed and reached out a hand to ruffle Mouse’s hair. She looked up at him and gave him a big grin with crumbs all over her face. He wiped them off gently with his thumb. “You’ll be a great older sister, Mouse.”

“I know,” she smiled. She then shoved her half eaten cracker at his belly mouth and loudly said, “Now say ‘ahhhh’ Papa!”

Sukuna sighed, rolling his eyes. He moved a hand to link with yours and gave you a wink before lolling open his belly mouth and with it doing an exaggerated, “Ahhhhhh.”

Mouse laughed loudly as he ate the other half of the So from her hand and quickly grabbed another. “Again, please and thank you, Papa! Again!”

“You started it,” you laughed as he gave you a look of annoyance over the enthusiastic toddlers head.

“And I’m gonna finish it too,” he said loudly. He snatched Mouse up into his arms, flopping onto his back and holding her up in the air over him. 

Mouse let out a loud laugh, clutching the cookie in her hand as she dangled over her father. “Put me down, Papa! I gonna drop my So!”

He sighed and brought her down so she laid on his chest. She moved up to rest her head under his chin as she had done her whole life, sighing happily. With the cookie still clasped in her tiny hand she looked at you with eyes suddenly ready for a nap. “Papa?”

“Yes?” he asked, rubbing her back.

“Even with baby… I still be Papa’s girl?”

“You will always be Papa’s girl. Nothing and no one could ever change that. Foolish child,” he said with no bite to his words. He kissed the top of her head.

“Okay. Then we can keep baby.” she smiled. “I’ll be a big good sister. I promise.”

“You will be, Mouse,” you smiled, taking the cookie from her hand. Nothing put her to sleep faster than being in her father’s arms. It was a sight you loved to see. “You’ll be a great big sister. I just know it.”

“Papa?” Mouse said sleepily, reaching up a hand to play with his ear, a silly little thing she had done most of her life for comfort.

“Yes Mouse?” he asked, eyes closed, enjoying the peaceful serenity of this moment in time.

“You no eat the baby. Okay?”

He shook his head, and grinned. “I make no promises.”