Love and Deepspace

You groan softly, tossing to the other side of the bed as you curl into a small ball. You feel your period cramps stab your already beaten up uterus, treating the poor organ like a test dummy that's being use to test airbags in cars. Your backs hurt, your stomach hurts, heck, if someone asks you to rate it from one to ten, you would a ten, perhaps even more.

For a moment, you flip back to your original position, facing your sleeping boyfriend, Valko. The cute shell-shaped lamp emits a light that softens his sharp features. His wolf ears down and his hand reaching out to the spot you were in minutes ago.

"Valko…" You call out softly, "my cramps hurt."

Valko's wolf ears perk up almost immediately. His rubs his eyes open and tucks your hair behind your ear, "Yeah?" He says groggily, "Is there anything you need?"

"I was wondering if you can make that hot chocolate recipe you were raving about," You answer and snuggle closer, "The one your cousin's husband makes."

"Which cousin's husband?" Valko teases, but already knows which one you are referring to, "The one we went to last week? When one of my nieces had a piano recital?" He gets up and carries you in his arms, making sure you're comfortable.

You hum and nuzzle against his chest, "Yeah, him. I saw that he gave you what he used to make them, what were they called again?" You mutter as he carries you out of the shared room and into the kitchen.

"Starts with T something…" You say, feeling Valko set you down gently on one of the chairs while he makes his way to the kitchen stove.

"You mean Tablea?" Valko answers, "That''s what we drank when we visited, babe."

You nod, "Yes that."

Valko grunts and opens the kitchen cabinet, grabbing a small pot, the tablea he got, and a wooden baton. You got up and stand beside him, your curiosity pique. "What is that?" You point to the baton.

"According to my cousin's husband, its called a batirol. Its use to froth the drink later," Valko answers, "But using a handheld electric whisk would do too, but he says this one makes better tsokolate, and if anything, I know you want this more."

You laugh. Valko kisses your forehead before turning on the stove and adding water to boil in the pot, using his own measurements just like almost everyone in his family. You lean against his shoulder, the comforting kicthen light with the aid of the moonlight provided a sense of tranquility as a comfortable silence beings to envelope you both. While you wait for the water to boil, you and Valko hold each other's hand or embrace, gently swinging from side to side as you both exchange sweet nothings that mean everything to the other.

"Pass me the tablea, love." Valko asks and you pass the roll to him.

"How much do you think we should add?" He asks.

"Maybe 4? 5?" You offer. Valko opens it and adds 4 tablets into the boiling pot. You look over to see the tablea dissolving into the water, your nose gets hit with the familiar smell of rich and pure chocolate. You take a whiff and sigh happily, glancing at Valko. "It smells really good." You comment, making him smile. You both left the tablea and water alone until it fully dissolved and starts to boil. Valko lowers the heat.

"Babe, pass me the batirol."

You nod again and hand him the batirol. He kisses you twice, thanking you. Placing it between his palms, he begins to rub vigoursly, causing a small mess. You and Valko laugh, "I'll clean that up later." He assures you before continuining. The swooshes and whooshes from the mixture, combined with the intensifying smell of chocolate seem to make Valko's tail and wolf ears appear. His tail sways from left to right rapidly. "I wanna try, you know, using the thing." You perk up, making Valko smile. He steps aside and lets go of the batirol. You place the batirol between your palms and begin to rub, starting slowly at first before picking up the pace. Valko looks on proudly, as if you were creating the world from your hands rather than just frothing the drink up.

"You're getting the hang out it, huh?" Valko smiles and grabs two mugs, the cute flower shaped ones you ordered online. "Can you give it a taste test? Check if its too sweet or not, and we'll add some sweetner."

Taking a spoon, you taste the chocolate goodness, your throat awakens with its soft warmth. "Needs a bit of sweetener. Something like milk or sugar would do."

Valko nods and grabs sugar from one of the cupboards. Following what Valko did, you added till you can hear yourself scream enough, and resumed stirring. When you take a second sip with your spoon, the bitterness seem to ease, blending in with the sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the chocolate well. Its comforting taste making your cramps go away even just for a moment. You turn the stove off and pour the warm tsokolate into each of the cups, making sure there is some extra remaining in the pot , just in case you or Valko want a second cup.

"Here try it," You offer the light green flower-shaped cup to him while you claim the pink one for yourself. Valko kisses you again before taking a sip from his cup. His tail swings more excitedly as his wolf ears perk up. "How is it?"

"Better than his," Valko laughs and takes a second sip, "But don't tell him."

You take a sip of yours and smile back at him, "Yeah, it tastes good. I think I can have these forever."

"Then we'll continue making it, forever and ever."

𐙚˙⋆.˚ caleb! ꒰੭

have a trip, they said.

it'll be fun, they said.

and, sure enough, the four of you boarded a plane, ready to explore the world for a few days.

it was a twelve-hour flight, so you were packed with toys, activity books, and plushies to keep the twins entertained.

you knew how annoying kids could be for… certain passengers, and the last thing you wanted was for your precious babies to get in trouble.

caleb placed the luggage in the overhead compartment, all while you settled your two-year-olds into their seats.

the twins said hello to every passenger who walked down the aisle before happily playing with their toys.

when most of the passengers were seated, you decided to go to the bathroom for just a few seconds to grab some toilet paper in case your twins made a mess.

caleb, on the other hand, turned to an older lady who was struggling with her luggage, and with an easy smile, he helped her.

“oh, you're such a sweetheart, dearie,” she sweetly said, patting his strong arm.

“no problem, ma'am,” he grinned back, turning around to sit down.

…

where were the twins?

caleb's eyes darted around frantically, and when you came back from the bathroom, your question made things even worse.

“lebbie? where are our babies?”

panic followed.

both of you looked around like crazy, hearts thumping.

this couldn't be happening, this couldn't—

“ladies and gentlemen, this is captain dianne chester. welcome aboard highland airlines, flight 1306…”

the flight attendants walked down the aisle, checking everyone's seats and seatbelts. when they saw you both standing, they politely told you to sit down.

before you could explain what was going on, the voice on the intercom shifted.

“oh, it appears we have two enthusiastic little ones who want to help with the announcement,” the captain said, her voice surprised but warm.

“hiiii!” one tiny voice echoed across the entire plane. “hi dada! hi mommy!”

“dada is a piwot too!” another voice chimed in. “he… fwies… big pwanes!”

you clutched your chest and closed your eyes in both relief and dread.

your twins would kill you.

caleb quickly told the flight attendant those were his kids, and they let both of you go to the cockpit immediately.

the twins were all over the captain, each one sitting on one of her thighs while holding the radio.

“the sky is pwetty like mommy!” one of them yelled, and the entire plane chuckled.

the captain smiled and turned to caleb once he entered.

the twins clapped excitedly.

“dada, dada!”

“we're— we're so sorry, captain. these little rascals are mine,” he mumbled, now looking at his kids. “miss, mister. apologize.”

the twins shared a glance before looking at captain chester with sweet grins.

“sowwy!”

as the captain handed them over to caleb, she looked at you with a playful expression.

“you have quite the pair here. they're enchanting, truly.”

you apologized profusely and followed caleb down the aisle, noticing the back of his neck had turned red.

he was embarrassed.

everyone on the plane was now staring at your little, chaotic family.

some of the passengers were smiling, some were giggling, some were just curious.

you sat by the window, placed the two babies beside you, and caleb sat by the aisle, making sure the little gremlins were securely buckled in.

they quickly got distracted with their toys, and you shared exhausted looks.

the happiness turned into panic, the panic into embarrassment, and the embarrassment into relief.

the flight hadn't even started, and the twins had already made their first mess.

you had nine hours left, enough caffeine in your system, and a husband who'd use his evol just to keep his babies glued to their seats if necessary.~

𐙚˙⋆.˚ rafayel! ꒰੭

rafayel had to go to the mall to do some shopping, so he brought you and your three-year-old as well.

most of the time, your baby girl would be calm and simply point at the cute plushies or the shiny things displayed in the stores. sometimes, though, she'd like to run around and chase other little kids, but other than that, she was a very well-behaved princess.

however, she had a tiny little flaw.

whenever the attention wasn't on her, chaos ensued, and you knew for a fact she got that from her dada.

rafayel called you over just to check the price of an adorable pair of rain boots for your daughter, and you swore she was hugging your leg… until both of you turned around to measure her feet, and she was nowhere to be seen.

naturally, your first reaction was to panic, and rafayel's reaction was to think of the worst, most fatal, and heart-wrenching scenarios known to man.

“but— she was here just seconds ago, i swear!” you whimpered, looking around with your heart in your throat and your skin going cold.

rafayel moved like a madman, eyes darting around every corner, every suspicious person, and then, just then, a familiar and sweet voice echoed just a few meters away, attracting a crowd of people holding up their phones.

there she was, next to a fountain where some people were singing for money.

one of the singers was holding the microphone to her lips, all while she looked around with delight.

“i'm a wittle fishy! i can swim!” she chirped, beaming at the tiny crowd. “here is my taiw! here is my fin!”

rafayel stopped dead in his tracks, not knowing whether to cry out of relief or pull her away from the strangers.

she then threw her arms out dramatically, nearly stumbling over her own little shoes.

“when i wanna have fun wif my fwiends,” she sang at the top of her little lungs, “i wiggle my taiw and dive wight in!”

the people clapped and recorded with huge smiles, and she clumsily picked up the turned-over hat the singers used to collect tips.

much to your surprise, she walked by, shaking the hat with a huge grin and thanking whoever tossed a coin or a bill into it.

the singers were, of course, delighted with the amount of support.

you, on the other hand, quickly pushed through the crowd and picked her up in your shaky arms, returning the hat full of money almost immediately.

“my goodness, we're so sorry!” you blurted out, pulling your giggly daughter close.

rafayel too stepped closer, hugging his baby girl just to make sure she wasn't a fragment of his imagination.

he kissed her temple over and over, sighing shakily.

“oh, princess… that was absolutely marvelous, but please,” he took a deep breath. “please, my sweet girl, don't scare mama and dada like that ever again.”

you nuzzled her head and grounded yourself, trying to soothe your racing heart.

she squealed and clapped her hands, proud of her antics, totally unaware of the stress and panic she had caused by being a little charmer.

“i am a wittle fishy, i can swiiiiim!” she sang again in your arms, waving goodbye to the happy singers. “here is my taiw and here is my fin! lalalalalala, lalala!”

they waved back and cooed, all while rafayel's hand found your lower back to guide you back to the rain boots you were looking at earlier, both of you sharing relieved glances.

“i think this… little fishy needs a leash,” he whispered.

“urgently,” you breathed out, arms rocking the energetic toddler. “she's just like her dada.”

and that he could never disagree with.~

𐙚˙⋆.˚ sylus! ꒰੭

sylus hosted a small reunion with some associates of his.

there was wine, expensive appetizers, and some gentlemen playing poker.

the twins offered to take care of your baby girl, and while you knew that always ended in trouble, you agreed at their insistence.

sylus and you chatted with the guests, escaping to the kitchen from time to time to gossip about some of them and to sneakily kiss since, apparently, you couldn't be away from each other.

when sylus backed away, one hand gently cradling your cheek, some sort of hushed discussion erupted outside.

you could hear confused murmurs, awkward coughs, and a softer voice trying to redirect whoever was causing the disruption.

when both of you went out to investigate what was going on, your breath hitched.

there she was, at the head of the table where her papa usually sat, with a bunch of chocolate coins replacing the colorful poker chips, and her sticky hands clutching some cards.

she looked serious, despite having her favorite binky, a kitten onesie, and her little crow slippers on; the ones the twins got for her.

…right.

the twins.

where the hell were they?

you looked around the room and found them peeking from the hallway entrance, their body language just as anxious as yours, if not more so.

you narrowed your eyes, ready to lecture them, but before you could even approach, sylus softly grabbed your waist and kept you in place, his head tilting to the side with amusement and… curiosity.

her tiny legs dangled from the chair, and she looked down at her cards, without understanding a thing, of course.

then, she pushed some coins to the center of the table, staring at the men with those huge, crimson eyes.

they all exchanged glances, unsure how to proceed.

one of them was ready to leave given how ridiculous everything was, but it seemed he remembered at the last minute it was sylus' little dove he'd be disrespecting, so he didn't move.

you too wished to grab your daughter and remove her from the situation.

one, she was clearly interrupting, and two, you didn't want your baby girl to… gamble from such an early age.

what kind of parent would that make you?

“sy, we should—” you whispered, only to be interrupted when your husband walked behind your daughter, leaning against the back of her chair.

“gentlemen,” he gestured with both hands. “do proceed.”

your baby giggled behind her binky, little feet bouncing softly.

the men cleared their throats and picked up their cards, pushing some poker chips next to the golden coins.

it was already a challenge not to dismiss sylus' daughter, but to now have his dangerous presence looming over them like the papa bear he was?

the air grew thick with tension and fear.

you could only watch the chaos unfold, your tension turning into amusement.

she didn't even know how to read, but she was an amazing copycat, and she'd seen how they all played.

she slammed her cards on the table and yelled incoherently, standing up on the chair and pulling all of the chips and coins closer to her.

the gentlemen wanted to interrupt and stop her, but one arch of sylus' eyebrow was enough to freeze them in place.

she had won, fair and square… allegedly.

while your baby jumped on her feet, you walked up to sylus and nuzzled his shoulder.

“how are we going to pay these lovely gents?”

he shrugged softly, pulling you closer.

“they should've known the house always wins.”

you sighed heavily and returned your baby's smile once she looked at you.

you already knew she was going to be spoiled, but to have her papa approving of and encouraging everything and anything she did, no matter how wild and without any shame at all?

that'd become a chaos you needed to prepare for.~

𐙚˙⋆.˚ xavier! ꒰੭

for your baby's second birthday, you organized a full day at a beautiful camping spot with a fantastic view, child-friendly zones, and a picnic area.

xavier packed quite a lot of food, blankets, and toys, and drove all the way to the secluded forest.

upon your arrival, you spotted a lot of families with children, all of them having fun.

your toddler looked around with wide eyes, clinging to his father's neck.

it was always like this at first, until he loosened up and ended up running from side to side like an uncontrollable lightning bolt.

but as of right now, there were a lot of things going on, and you knew it would be best to place him near the picnic area, where most people were either eating or enjoying the warm sunshine.

xavier gently placed your baby boy down and laid out the pale lavender blanket with little stars over the soft grass. he then took the food containers out so that all of you could eat lunch.

“i'll go ask that family if they can lend us some napkins, i totally forgot to pack them,” you softly said, to which xavi nodded, focusing back on the paper cups and plates.

it really took a second for your son to disappear.

when you came back with a bunch of napkins and a smile on your face, xavier looked up at you, satisfied with his work.

you tilted your head slightly, your face falling.

“xavi, my love…” you whispered. “where's our baby?”

both of you silently stared at each other, and he looked at the empty space where your baby should've been.

“...fuck,” he whispered, quickly standing up, azure eyes studying every inch of the camping area.

you sighed heavily and set the napkins down, starting to call out your son's name.

“honey? honey! where are you?”

as panic began to rise in both of you, xavier sharply turned around when he heard some giggles and the unmistakable sound of his son's voice asking for more chicken wings.

the little rascal was comfortably sitting next to a large family, his greedy hands sticky and messy with bbq sauce.

he also had the nerve to peek inside the basket, his finger pointing at all the things he wanted.

anyone would assume he was a starving kid whose parents never fed him, and nothing could've been further from the truth.

when you saw the other family cooing and giggling over the boy's cuteness, you felt a wave of embarrassment wash over you.

you never ran faster in your life.

“hello! we're… we're his parents,” you breathed out, crouching down and picking up your baby. “my gosh, we're deeply sorry, ma'am. he is— he's like a little torpedo, and he has his father's appetite.”

almost as if on cue, xavier stepped behind the both of you, his hands carrying a container of stew and rice.

he handed it over like an offering, his gaze averted.

xavier wished the earth would swallow him whole and leave no trace.

“we apologize.”

thankfully, the family members were kind enough to laugh about it and accept the food before you three went back to your abandoned lavender blanket.

your son licked his hands earnestly, enjoying the remnants of the food; completely proud and satisfied with himself.

meanwhile, xavier and you moved quietly, as if scared to draw any more attention.

the baby ate just fine, as if he hadn't just eaten at least three chicken wings before you came.

well, now you knew your baby was social and charming enough to make friends without even trying, which was a relief.

but that also meant you'd have to deal with two insatiable boys who moved fast as lightning, made no noise, and ate as if there were no tomorrow…

you'd need more than just good luck.~

𐙚˙⋆.˚ zayne! ꒰੭

it was a cold day, and staying inside sounded cozy enough…

until zayne started to crave something sweet.

in his defense, dessert was always needed after lunch, and since your little boy agreed with everything his papa said, you all got your coats on and went to a bakery downtown.

zayne intertwined his hand with yours, while your little boy ran to the glass display cases filled with delicious and colorful pastries.

your husband and you took some time to choose, mostly because zayne couldn't decide whether to buy something creamy and sweet or something tangy and fresh.

“the lemon posset does look appetizing, but such fresh flavors are best during summertime,” he commented, his gaze travelling to the rest of the desserts. “and the sticky toffee pudding would be ideal, if the portion were bigger…”

ah, choices, choices.

so hard to decide.

as you comforted your indecisive hubby, your little boy sneaked his way into the kitchen, wanting to find out if they had any hidden secret pastries inside.

“why don't we buy both? i'll also get the toffee pudding and give you half of it,” you offered, and his hazel eyes lit up almost immediately.

“very well,” he nodded, lips finding your forehead.

he was like a kid in a candy store.

…

speaking of which, where was your son?

you softly turned back and noticed he wasn't looking around anymore, but since you hadn't heard the main door open again, you knew he had to be somewhere inside.

“pumpkin?” you softly called out, making zayne straighten up, immediately attentive to his surroundings.

he too looked around, calmly, but slightly unnerved by the sudden disappearance.

but, as he would say, panicking wouldn't solve anything.

“muffin? where are you, sweetie?”

just then, the cashier lady muffled a soft giggle and pointed inside the kitchen, making both you and zayne frown.

with hesitant steps, you went inside, only to freeze in the doorway.

your toddler was sitting on a counter, chubby cheeks stained with chocolate, hands holding what seemed like half a muffin.

an older lady gently offered him a cookie, waiting for his reaction, and when he put his little thumb up, she smiled.

“ah, so it is a good batch, then! thank you, dearie.”

“mama likes sprinkles… i like sprinkles too, but… but chocolate chips are better,” he rambled with a lisp, legs swinging rhythmically. “papa says… papa says cookies are bad at night… but he eats them sometimes.”

he talked, and talked, asking questions with no answers, taking shallow breaths before each sentence, and furrowing his little brows as if discussing something revolutionary.

“do you know my papa is afraid of carrots?” he whispered, to which the older lady only smiled, continuing to work with amusement.

zayne cleared his throat, and you covered your face with both hands so as not to laugh at how ridiculous and embarrassing this was.

your son squeaked and jumped off the counter, running to his dad.

“papa, papa! i found secret cookies!” he urged, pointing at the current batch the lady was taking out of the oven.

zayne's ears were cherry red, but not as red as his cheeks.

he picked up his son and kept him a few inches away to avoid getting chocolate or muffin crumbs on his pristine coat.

you smiled sheepishly and approached the lady, your apologetic expression sincere.

“we're so sorry, ma'am, we will pay for everything he's eaten,” you offered, and zayne nodded earnestly.

“we… we will. we are deeply sorry,” he quietly said, his voice strained.

the lady laughed and handed your messy boy a bag of cookies, her smile warmer and sweeter than any dessert on display.

“nonsense! it's been a while since we've had an expert taste tester 'round here.”

your baby boy grinned, and you once again apologized, guiding your husband outside.

he paid way more than necessary for the two pastries he wanted and the mess your son had caused, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

deep down, zayne knew he couldn't be too harsh on his baby. after all, if he were as small, chubby, and cute as his son, he would've taken the opportunity to get sweets from an older lady as well.

maybe he could learn how to be as straightforward and decisive as his little one, especially when it came to his beloved sweets.

but for now, he'd have to give him a bath, a long, boring lecture, and take away the bag of cookies.

they were bad at night… for kids, anyway.~