Work Text:
When Kristin came home she was expecting a few things. The first was a warm welcome from her beloved husband, the second was to see the house had changed in her absence and the third was her hoping for a nice warm meal to fill her up after having to stomach aeroplane food.
Not too much to expect, she’d been gone for months working on a project and Phil, her ever faithful husband, often found cool ways to change things up at home. Being a villainess took her away from the house often so he always wanted it to look fresh for when she was home.
Once she came home to the entire house having a repaint and all the furniture swapped out.
That one was a real surprise to see, her darling often did let himself get swept away in whatever had taken his interest. It was one of the only reasons she didn't freak out when she walked into an empty home.
Sure, Phil was always keenly aware of when she came into the house due to his avian hearing but it wasn't unusual for him to get trapped in ‘the zone’ and just live in his own little world for a bit.
She hummed and thunked all her bags down by the door alongside her shoes, content to try and seek her love out and retrieve him from whatever had taken his interest away. The house hasn't changed all that much since she was gone, just new wallpaper and a couple new trinkets he picked up from who knows where.
Checking through the downstairs only to be greeted by nothing caused a bloom of anxiety to bud in her chest. Was he forced to go out somewhere? Did he have to hide in the safehouse for a bit? It didn't make sense for him to be so… absent.
Walking up the stairs with a tad too much speed, she glanced around her through the hall. All that was up here was the nest, their offices and the bathroom. Not too much to check but with each empty room it only fed into her anxiety.
“Phil? You home dear?” she called out, eyes flicking through the office before she decided it was empty.
A rustle from the nest room was all the response she got. Her heart fluttered in her chest, unsure how to feel. On one hand Phil was probably just asleep after one of his all nighters, curled up contentedly in their nest.
On the other hand, what if it wasn't Phil? What if he was hurt? He wasn't responding to her calls and there was no way he didn't hear her, so was it a trap? Was the rustle him trying to send him a message?
Creeping over to the door, she gently cracked it open. Inside was what it always had been, blankets and pillows alike lining the floor and leading up to one massive pile which consisted of the nest.
Small parts of stained glass hung from the ceiling to catch the light from the windows, painting the room in the shades of the sunset she turned her back on to get through the door.
Faintly, she could make out a shape in the middle of the nest, a vaguely Phil-shaped lump of wings and blankets. With a hesitant hand she pushed the door further open and took a step inside.
The reaction was instant. The once stone still lump burst into action, Phil shot up to stare at the door, ebony wings mantled and eyed nothing but deep black pits. It stunned her for a moment. Why was he in his instincts? Had she really been gone that long?
She promised herself to put off her villainy for a couple months to make up for her absence. It wasn't worth it if it made her crow suffer enough to lapse into his head like this.
“Phil? Calm down it's only me” she tried to keep her voice even and her palms facing him to not rile him up even more “I’m not a threat, love.”
Dark eyes stared back at her for a while, flickering over her form before finally recognising her. It was like a switch was flicked. Instantly his threatening posture was dropped, the low rattle that left him was silenced in favour of letting out welcoming chirps and his wings settled back down on his back.
He still made no move to leave the nest, though. Strange but her darling crow had always been a bit lazy, content to merge into the nest for as long as he could before skulking out to eat or occupy himself with one of his own projects.
She laughed at how silly he could be, only trailing off when she spotted bloody clothes piled away in one of Phils ‘discard corners’. The little graveyard of blankets, clothes and pillows was hidden away in a dark corner for the crime of not being soft enough for the nest.
How had he managed to get so bloody? Did some snooping superhero try to break into their private little roost again? She quietly noted to go check one of their body dump sites for disturbed earth.
She hated when Phil had to get his hands dirty.
“I’m sorry I was gone so long” she began climbing into the nest “you know how heroes can be, the little worms find their way through any crack they can.”
It felt good to talk about her trip despite knowing her husband probably had no idea what she was talking about, the sympathetic coo never failed to bring a smile to her face. Even when he was out of his mind, he still attended to her.
Her heart never failed to flutter at his care.
It froze only a moment later when she spotted movement beside where Phil had curled up. Right there, in a mound of blankets were two babies curled around each other. Little wings fluttered on their backs, limbs stretching as they squirmed around into a more comfortable position.
They never had kids. They were never able to. Her heart ached at the reminder. Seeing her freeze seemed to be enough to shock her husband out of his instincts for a moment. Confused chirp cutting off midway through as his eyes returned to normal.
For a moment, they both stared at each other, situation dawning over her as she felt reality set in. Hands quickly clutched at her shoulders, Phil gaining a panicked look on his face as he rushed to explain himself. To explain why there were two babies in their nest when there had been zero when she left.
“Kristin I can explain-”
“Explain what, Phil? That you stole someone else's babies??”
“I didn’t steal them, they were just… laying there. I couldn't just leave them!”
A whining chirp rose from the nest, the chicks clearly disturbed by their volume. They froze as they watched them resettle before continuing their argument in a stage whisper.
“Yes you could have, they have parents somewhere Phil, ones that are probably worried sick."
“They don't. Not anymore” his voice sounded too final, her eyes flicked to the bloody blankets. He caught her gaze but didn't deny it, a manic and unrepentant look entering his eye “I couldn’t let them live, they knew too much.”
“Phil please tell me you didn't kill the parents” she begged “they’re babies, they don’t deserve to go without them.”
“You don’t understand love, let me explain myself at least” his hands cupped her cheeks, something desperate in his voice “they had to go.”
She took a deep breath, reining in the panic thrumming through her chest as she steadier herself. Phils hands were her anchor, stopping her from drifting off and drowning under the waves of anxiety and guilt. He had an explanation. Something that'd make everything all better. He took her nodding as the sign it was to begin.
“It was an intel leak, nothing too high level, just names we couldn’t have exposed getting out too early” he sighed, combing his fingers through her hair as he held her close “I figured I could deal with it, no need to call you, especially when your trip was almost over. You would've been back in a day anyway, I just wanted to take some work off your plate.”
Her crow always was helpful like that, warning to ease her burdens at any cost.
“So I did the usual, I scoped them out and snuck into their apartment. It was quiet, their neighbours were out so no one would hear anything. It was a pretty average hit if I’m honest” he sighed “I didn't even know they were married until I saw the pictures on the wall. They fought, pretty vicious if I’m honest, used their talons as best they could. It still wasn't enough in the end.”
There was something soothing in the way he spoke about work, it reminded her of nights where they'd unwind together and tell each other about their days; both occupied with other tasks and going about their lives before they could finally reunite.
“I had just finished with the father when I heard some sounds from deeper in the apartment. Figured it might be a guest so I headed over to dispatch them as well” his voice became breathy “you can imagine my surprise when I saw those two instead of some horrified relative.”
“So you took them?”
“I had to. Couldn't just leave them there for dead” he murmured “by the time I got them home I was too in my instincts to call you or anything.”
“And then I found you?”
A little laugh escaped him “yeah. Then you found me.”
“What do we do?” she muttered “it's not like we can just return them to their parents anymore…”
Phil was quiet for a while. He didn't have to speak for her to know what he was thinking, though.
“No… Phil- we can't.”
“Can't we?” he asked, letting go of her face in favour to gesture towards the babies “you said it yourself it's not like they have anywhere else to go!”
“You can't be serious, love” she argued, barely remembering to keep her voice down “they don't have anywhere to go because you murdered both their parents!”
“Then it's only fair that we raise them instead!” he hissed “you can’t actually be suggesting we just throw this away!”
“You’ve stolen two babies, Phil” she deadpanned “they’ll have family looking for them!”
“So? They've been so sweet ever since I’ve taken them!” he argued “they’re perfect for us! We deserve to have this Kristin!”
“Phil we can't just-” her words were cut short at a tiny coo coming from where the nestlings were. The sound grabbed her attention like a gunshot, heart skipping at the sight of wide brown eyes staring up at her. The tiniest little hands stretched up at her, naive arms reaching out to signal to be held.
Her husband cooed, visibly melting at the sight of the one of the chicks wanting her attention.
“Look at him, darling” he fawned “he wants you to hold him, isn't that sweet?”
“He’s not ours Phil” she protested weakly “that isn't our baby, neither of them are!”
Sickness swelled in her stomach as confusion crossed the little one's face, clearly unsure as to why he wasn't being held. Little frustrated whines escaped him as he waved his arms more. It took Phils hands cupping her cheeks to pull her gaze from him.
“But they can be” his voice was so happy, so hopeful “this can be ours if only you let it! Don’t you see?”
“I- I don’t know Phil…” she worried her lip between her teeth, a nervous habit she gave up on kicking years ago. Her hands fidgeted as she looked everywhere but where the babies were.
“Just hold him, love. You’ll feel what I felt, I know you will” his hands clutched at hers, clasping around them “you’ll see what I killed for. You’ll understand, I know you will.”
A refusal sat on the edge of her tongue, a desperate want holding it back. She watched helplessly as the little one was scooped up in Phils arms, a grumpy chirp emerging from his brother at the motion.
She felt frozen as he leaned forwards, gently depositing the baby in her arms and shifting her hands so that he was fully supported.
Her heart almost wanted to burst as their eyes met again, he looked so small in her arms, far too delicate for someone as dangerous as her to hold. Distantly she felt her arms tighten around him, too trapped in chestnut eyes to care.
Little wings fluffed and flapped below him as he squirmed, snuggling deeper into her as he got comfortable. She felt her breath hitch when he let out a satisfied coo, little hands gripping onto her sleeves as he settled down to sleep.
Tears budded in the corner of her eyes at the action, behaviour so similar to Phil that for a moment she could convince herself that this was their child. His brown curls resembled her own, only a few shades lighter. She could almost spot little resemblances to Phil in his face too, his cheekbones and nose hidden away under baby fat and youth.
She could feel the tears flowing down her face, want burning so deep in her chest that it ached.
They’d wanted children of their own for so long, she’d grieved alongside her crow when they learned it was impossible. Dreams of little feet pattering around their home, of children's birthday parties and schooldays and first steps all dashed within a single doctor's appointment.
It felt uniquely cruel for fate to dangle this in front of her.
Tears only flowed more as she felt her husband's wing wrap around her, arms pulling her and the most precious thing she’d ever held into his arms to comfort her. She cried into his shoulder, sobs wracking through her as she tried desperately to hold still so that the chick wouldn't be jostled.
“Let us have this Kristin” Phils voice sounded shaky too, a desperate plea clinging to each word “you want this as much as I do, I know you do. Let us have the family we were owed, my love.”
Her heart ached more at his words, feeling as if it may explode in her chest. Torn between the warmth and love she felt for the little one and the desperate ache to be able to keep this, she couldn’t do anything more than cry.
She wanted this, by the gods she did, would it really be so wrong to accept it? They’d already lost their parents, it would almost be cruel to send them into the system. Her mind carefully avoided how they lost their parents, feeling as thought she’d cry even more if she allowed herself to focus on it.
Phil shook as he cried too, desperately holding her close to him before hovering his hand near the baby, hesitant to touch. As if on queue the little one opened his perfect little eyes, blinking blearily up at them as he reached his hand out to hold onto one of her husband's fingers.
Breath stuttered in her chest as the tiny hand gripped onto his index finger, little fist barely able to wrap around it. Her mind just wasn't able to wrap around how small he was. The world was so big and it’d be just so easy for other adults, ones even crueler than them, to hurt him.
The thought of other adults having this, of looking down at this perfect bundle of joy and not knowing how valuable he truly was, made her impossibly angry.
Why should others, people who hadn’t grieved like her and Phil had to, be able to squander this? The foster system would pass him around, possibly separate him from his twin, and dump him with a family who couldn't give him a good start in life.
They had the money, the connections, the half renovated baby rooms, all of it. These boys could be given the best start possible, one with connections and love and care, one with hot meals and warm beds.
One with parents desperate to love them.
The fates deprived them of the family they were fated for, why should they let the very same fates damn these children to a system that won't love them? It could be that the fates meant for them to have this instead, to let them suffer and grow together before giving them two little ones to take care of.
A pitiful, wet laugh hiccups itself out of her when she remembers that twins skip a generation in her family. She was an only child. The ones she was meant to have with Phil would have been due for it.
They stayed there for a while, curled up together and crying as they fawned over the sleepy little nestling in her arms. Every time she thought she was done crying he’d reach out to her or Phil and more tears would slip down her face.
It was only broken when a very angry sounding chirp emerged from the mini nest Phil had built. They both looked over and were greeted by a scowling nestling looking over at them. As soon as he noticed more eyes were on him, he let out a frustrated whine, batting his arms around in a demand to be picked up.
“Someone isn’t happy the spotlight isn't on him” she joked, voice still wet with her tears “might be a problem in the future…”
Phil froze for a moment, slowly turning to her as he held the other twin in his arms. “In the future?”
“Yeah… in the future.”
A tentative hope flickered behind his eyes, still wet with tears as he absently distracted the baby in his arms with his fingers.
“In our future?”
They stared at each other for a moment, her heart feeling tight in her chest as she glanced between him and the twins in their arms. She felt like she’d cry all over again as she spoke.
“...yeah” she sniffed, still fighting back tears “our future.”
Her heart fluttered as she watched him smile, the sheer amount of joy in it reminding her of their proposal, of when he said yes in that isolated garden where they had their first date.
It reminded her of new beginnings.
It felt like one.
She couldn't help but be excited for what was to come. The sleepless nights, the endless messes, the shopping for supplies, everything. It could finally be hers, be theirs, after so many years of waiting. The good, the bad and the ugly of parenting was finally theirs to experience. They could finally have the family they'd been waiting for.
As she looked over her husband and their two new babies, she couldn't help but feel that the wait was worth it.