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Raine was awoken from their sleep by the sound of whispering and sobs. Looking up they saw Luz by the edge of their and Eda’s nest. She was holding herself by the arms and the next thing they knew the young girl had practically crashed on top of Eda.
It was a difficult night then, they noted. There were many tough nights at the owl house. Many nights of crying and comfort, whether the one who needed comfort was them, Eda, King, or Luz when she was staying at the owl house. And just like every other night, the sound of tiny footsteps followed Luz. It didn’t take long for King to enter the room. Whenever one child came to seek comfort from their mother the other child wasn't far behind.
Holding his paw nervously, King stared at his sister and mother, obviously noticing his big sister's distress. He seemed to be thinking deeply about his next course of action. And after a minute he finally moved, walking up to the nest and…
Wait…
Laid on top of Raine?
He decided to lay on top of Raine? Not squeeze himself into Eda and Luz’s embrace. Not sleep close by their sides. No, he came to rest on Raine. The little demon had walked on top of them and circled a few times before making himself comfortable on top of their chest.
Raine had felt their breathing stop for a second. This had never happened before.
Of course, Raine had spent time with the two kids. They had been living with them for the past month after all. But not wanting to step over a line or breach their boundaries, Raine had let the kids approach them. Luz had asked them to help her figure out a way to do bard magic with her palisman. And King would occasionally ask Raine to play games with him. Raine even helped Eda keep King’s little paws away from the snack cupboard. Although something that had never happened before was the kids seeking comfort from them, especially when it was bedtime. They always turned to Eda and that made sense as she was their mother.
But now a little kid was laying on top of them, and that little kid had already fallen back asleep. One of the most vulnerable moments one could find themselves in is when they’re asleep and King had decided that he trusted Raine enough to make them his sleeping mattress for the night.
Raine felt something in their chest. A warm fuzzy feeling. They knew they would do anything to protect the child on their chest and the other kid beside them that was snuggled into the embrace of her mother.
Was this parental feeling? They had felt a sort of protectiveness and responsibility over their bats but Amber, Katya, and Derwin had all been adults when Raine had mentored them. And while they spend a lot of time together planning the demise and downfall of Belos, the three of them were adults and had their own homes to return to at the end of the day.
This was different. King and Luz were kids, they were Eda’s kids. And they all lived together now.
The conversation of kids has come up in their past, with the woman laying beside them. Due to the curse, Eda wasn’t sure if she could have kids or if she even wanted them. That was one of the few things Raine had gotten out of her about her curse. After they had broken up Raine hadn’t brought up the conversation with anyone else because they simply didn’t want to have it with anyone else. Decades later they were sleeping in Eda’s nest and had two kids around them.
They did think they were pretty good with kids, even when they themselves was a child. When money became tight Raine started babysitting the younger neighborhood kids to get an extra penny and help their moms out. And they came to like babysitting. Later in life, they become a teacher, and being good with kids kinda came with the job description. But a teacher was still a teacher, not a parent.
They brought their hand to King’s soft fur and began petting him. The little demon while asleep cuddled even closer to Raine and they felt their heart almost burst with love.
“Parental stuff huh?”
Raine turned their head to look at their girlfriend. Luz had fallen asleep and Eda’s one hand was stroking Luz’s hair in a similar way theirs did King’s fur. Looking at them, Eda gave them a soft smile.
“Yeah,” they only said, smiling. They didn’t say anything else so as not to disturb the now two sleeping children.
They continued to pet King and it wasn't long after that sleep overtook them again. They felt a sense of calm with the added weight on their chest and their sleep for the night was one of the most peaceful they had had in a while.