#valkyrianflame

“Yeah, yeah, they were! But I don’t think the fish we had for dinner tonight were Beeboop’s,” Takeru couldn’t help but imitate the word before laughing at Hiko’s over dramatic gasp, “His were made of metal, so I don’t think they would’ve tasted that good anyway.”

His bouncing would earn Hiko a hair ruffle though, if only to keep the smaller of the two seated and not flopping off the end of his bed like the fish he was trying to describe. Story time was supposed to be a way to get Hiko to sleep; not jumping around the room!

“C’mon, something like this doesn’t make you spin. It’s for putting things together.” 

Like small models, parts on Kaizo, and pieces to his ‘roads’ he had all but laying everywhere in the room Hiko was visiting, but his parents hadn’t just given him his own drill. Yuga’s room was lined with as many tools as it was projects he always seemed to be working on. This small, battery powered drill was just the tool Hiko had walked in on him using.

Was Tsukiya so tired that he was hallucinating now? Because he could’ve sworn he saw a teeny tiny Takeru over there. In fact, this little child looked so much like said acquaintance that he couldn’t help but mutter his name, puzzled.

There was a great crack!

Claws that just moments ago had rended flesh tore through thin air. The body dropped like a stone, weighed down by armor and spines and sawblades, until Hydranoid’s wings caught his weight, and he began to glide. 

What... What was this place? Where was Alice? And... Had Interspace always had so many tower blocks? And floating islands? And... Surfboards?

He landed as gently as possible for a creature his size - his weight striking the floor still caused tremors, but at least nothing collapsed. And then, locating the friendliest possible local, Hydranoid put on the politest demeanour that he could muster, and spoke: 

“Excuse us, young man, 

                                    But could you tell us,                         

“Monsters...?”

The question would catch him off guard as much as the sudden weight against his leg would. He’d thought Sumi had long since been asleep; he’d even made sure to tuck her in and snuggle her favorite plush bunny as close to her as he could manage, but something had her spooked.

“I might,” Takeru eventually grinned before tugging Sumi up to settle the smaller against his hip, “Monsters are scared of fires, remember? But before we go fight the monsters, there’s something you’ll need first-”

The model of Heatleo might not have been perfect and the bracelet of fiery flowers was obviously handmade and not something that would’ve lasted through wearing everyday like something store bought—but the second he was presented with both presents, Takeru’s eyes all but lit up.

“Hey, you both made these yourselves, didn’t you? Because they’re amazing!” Takeru was quick to praise, but even quicker to wrap both kids up in a tight hug, “Probably way more amazing than what I ended up getting you-”

The day had been long and more than exhausting, Mako decided, yet no matter how much her body demanded rest, she simply couldn’t. She was allowed to, she knew, and even encouraged to, but with Takeru out of the room to get Kiku and the peace and quiet, and...

She’d admit, the slight shift against her chest did wonders in lodging every emotion in the world in her throat, a tilt of her head allowing her to brush the tiniest of kisses to the top of her newborn son’s head.He was so small - Smaller than she’d imagined, though they’d said he was healthy and average in every way - Bah. Average was a lie, especially in her opinion. He was anything but average, no matter how terrified she was of the new turn her life had taken. He was beautiful, special, unique... She could have named off hundreds of things in that moment had she not been overtired, settling instead for one more kiss before her head tilted back against her pillow.

“Is that-?”

She was too exhausted to laugh at Kiku’s tone a moment later, no matter how much she understood her best friend’s wonder and awe. “Mmm... He’s healthy.” And was that her voice? She could barely recognize it, rough and raw alongside her throat; just how much screaming and crying had she done, anyway? she could barely remember, though Mako suspected it’d come back to her later, casting her partners a soft smile at their slow approach to her bedside. “C’mon, you two... It’s all right. We’re just a bit tired.”

Kiku’s laugh was one of relief, and Mako could see her shoulders slump seconds after Takeru’s, chairs forgotten in favor of leaning over the bed for a slightly closer look. “He’s so small,” Kiku breathed, reaching out to brush a shaky finger over the baby’s cheek as lightly as she could manage. “I knew he would be, but he’s... It’s... A-Ah. Did you name him what I think you did?”

For a moment, it was all Mako could do to meet Takeru’s gaze, his tired grin echoing her own soft smile.

Opinions on a pair of cubs!

“Thoughts on... Sumi?” She hadn’t expected that question out of this, but there wouldn’t be any harm in it, she supposed, shoulder shrugging alongside a light laugh. “She’s just like Kiku, you know? I don’t think there’s been a time where one of us has been in a bad mood and Sumi hasn’t known - Or gone out of her way to try and make us feel better, too. I remember having a rough day at school and all I wanted to do was lay on the couch and cry until dinnertime... She didn’t say a word or make a sound - I just looked up and found that bunny of hers peeking over the couch with its ears tugged down to droop in plush toy concern. I don’t know how she knows these things, but Sumi is...”

Mako paused; how did she even begin to put her feelings for Sumi into words...? “She’s special. Hiko calls her a firefly and I don’t think he’s wrong in any form... Sumi is the tiny light in the dark that guides us back home. I worry about her and what keeps her so quiet a lot of the time, but that girl... She’s strong and brilliant. I love our little firefly, so much more than I can ever say. Sumi’s young, and powerful - We could all learn a lot from her, I think.”