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The day already started with you wondering how you had accepted the idea of spending an entire day taking care of Dear Santa with Enjin by your side.
Bro had said he needed to go out for a few hours, leaving you with Dear for basically a day. Simple and peaceful thing, since he was just a child who was quiet most of the time, right? Well, his promise that it would be simple now sounded a little unrealistic.
The little boy with the pacifier, silent as ever, seemed to have his own agenda and had no intention of collaborating with anyone. It was as if he had his own secret reign and had decided to go against the already established order to begin his own.
“He’s easy-going, he doesn’t cry, he doesn’t talk… he’s too calm.” Enjin said, resting his hands behind his head, watching everything from the couch, with that calm arrogance he always had, as if he was completely in control.
You arched an eyebrow. You were in a battle with the younger child, keeping the candy out of his reach as he tried to climb your body. “Easy for those who are just going to observe, right?!”
He shrugged, smiling as he watched you try to stop the child from climbing over you. “I promise I’ll help, honey, but you seem to be doing so well without help.”
“Enjin, I swear to God if you don’t come help me I’m going to shove a whole pack of cigarettes up your ass!” You say, managing to shove the jar of candy into a cabinet where Dear couldn't reach it... That is, if he couldn't climb over you in time to jump into the cabinet.
"Okay, okay. Let's not use bad words in front of the child... Why don't we do it this way? A deal. If you behave, the whole jar of cookies is yours at the end of the day." This completely caught the child's attention, and he immediately stopped in his current position.
Dear reflected in silence, his legs resting on your thighs, one hand gripping your shirt and the other gripping your shoulder. Enjin and Dear stared at each other, and a tense atmosphere set in. You prayed internally that this would work.
“Hmph.” Is all the child says in response, letting go of you and falling back to the ground.
A sigh of relief leaves you and your whole body relaxes, falling backwards but being held by your boyfriend, who was looking at you with a smug smile. “Huh? I’m not going to thank you. I stayed like that for about 20 minutes before you decided you were going to help me.”
You look at him like it's obvious and elbow him. "Come ooonn!" He complains, smiling.
The hours passed and now the three of you were around the table, drawing together anything that came to mind.
You, of course, worked hard on your artwork, using different colored pencils to bring your creation to life.
“Dude,” you start to say. “We should do this more often, you know? I’m going to stick to it and do it every time I get back from a mission.”
The atmosphere was pleasant now. Just the three of you drawing together in silence, with no arguments or problems to solve. You mentally wonder if the members of Akuta would agree to put this idea into practice, if not you would do it alone.
“Heh, it’s definitely a lot more calming than missions...” Enjin says, concentrating on his drawing, putting the finishing touches on it before— “That’s it. I’ve finished my drawing.”
“Okay, I finished my drawing too! Dear?” You look at the boy, receiving a nod from him as he clutched the drawing to his chest. “When I say 3, we show the drawings together. 1, 2 and... 3!”
Everyone shows the drawings and... Oh my God.
You had drawn a vase of flowers. It was simple, but cute and pretty. You were completely proud of your work.
Dear had drawn you and Enjin. Absolutely adorable, and he silently longed for your approval.
Enjin... Well...
“Wow, honey! I loved your... Cave painting.” You say with an awkward smile, trying to understand what those drawn beings were, but when you saw a big Y you had a hunch. “Is that us? Team Akuta and Team Child?”
“Bingo. I drew all of us! I was going to put Tamsy and Delmon, but Delmon wouldn’t fit, so I gave up.” He explains with a proud smile.
“Aah, sure! Well... Hm- Dear! Your drawing is so beautiful! Is that me and Enjin?” You shift your focus to the child's drawing, giving him a surprised smile and a proud voice. (If you've ever spoken to younger children/babys, you know exactly what kind of voice and expression I'm talking about.)
The child holds up the drawing proudly, letting out a 'Hmph!' and nodding.
“I can't believe we had a natural born artist all this time and we didn't know.” Enjin says, looking at the drawing. There were several scribbles and the color of his hair invaded his face. The drawing had many... unique details. But that was what made it even more special.
“I loved your drawing, Dear! So cute.” You say again with a smile, taking the drawing and placing it on the table, next to the other two. “I look so beautiful the way you drew it! I think we all drew really well in the end!”
The moment of peace was over and now another battle had been fought, but this time between Enjin and Dear.
You were just fixing the little boy's hair, he was quiet until then, remaining clinging to you. But as soon as Enjin started approaching, Dear's imaginary alert went off.
It didn't even take five minutes for Dear Santa to show who was really in charge. As soon as Enjin tried to snuggle into you, Dear wrapped you in a hug, clinging to you, fixing you with the most serious and challenging look he had ever seen. It was as if to say, 'Try to get close and see what happens.'
“Hey… no need to look like that, little tyrant.” Enjin said, trying to sound amused, but clearly intimidated.
You hugged him back, finding it absolutely adorable, smiling, and patted the little boy's head. "See? He just wants to be with me."
Dear Santa rolled his eyes, tugging on your hand to make sure you didn't move away. Enjin made a dramatic gesture of surrender, but the boy didn't make a peep, just stared at him intently, the pacifier bouncing slightly.
“Huh, so he already has a favorite, huh?” Enjin commented, half surprised, half amused.
The little boy, now more confident, nudged Enjin with his foot and made a low but clear warning sound. It was a fact: he wouldn't let Enjin get close for anything in the world.
You laughed, patting his back. “I don’t think he wants any other hug than mine.”
Enjin sighed, feigning frustration. “Okay, okay… I’m not going to fight him. But what’s with that look? It’s like he’s judging me for existing.”
Dear Santa just turned his head and fixed his eyes on Enjin again, keeping the pacifier firmly in his mouth, as if to clearly say, 'Don't you dare.'
And so the rest of the day passed, turning into a silent game of strategy:
You being the little boy's possession and having fun with the situation;
Dear Santa silently expelling Enjin's presence in a blatant manner;
Enjin trying to outwit the little boy's antics and the intensity of Dear's defiant gaze.
With every step Enjin took, Dear Santa would curl up closer to you, holding your hand or grabbing you, and you could feel the deep attachment he had for you. When Enjin tried to put his hand on his shoulder, Dear quickly pushed the blond man's hand away.
“Okay, okay… victory for the little tyrant,” Enjin said, surrendering, raising his hands.
“You don’t understand… he’s mine, only mine.” you murmured, smiling as you held him in your arms.
The afternoon passed in a sea of small games, hugs, laughter and challenging looks from the little boy. And even when you needed to get up to prepare something or rearrange the mess, he wouldn't let go of your hand or your leg, didn't allow anyone to get close, and you couldn't help but feel loved and needed in that moment.
Enjin continued to try, patiently and respectfully, to gain the little tyrant's trust, but it was clear that, that day, he was not a priority. And in a way, it was perfect. Because you and Dear Santa were, together, in a little bubble of affection, trust, and mischief.
Even though he was being prevented from approaching you, the scene was comforting. The woman of his life with a child clinging to her leg, walking back and forth. This made him imagine different scenarios of a peaceful life in an alternative future.
As the sun was setting and night was falling, the little boy finally relaxed, resting his head on her shoulder. You looked at Enjin and smiled, still a little frustrated but amused.
“Yeah… mission accomplished.” you said, stroking the little one’s hair.
Dear Santa just yawned, pacifier still in his mouth, and snuggled closer to you, and you knew that day would be remembered. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, sleep winning, and you let out a sigh of relief.
A short time later, Bro had arrived, thanking you and Enjin for taking care of Dear during this time.
You hand the child into Bro's arms, leaving him sleeping peacefully in the other man's embrace. "Yeah... He was good today. It was worth it."
Enjin puts his arm around your shoulder, staring at your tired face for a few seconds before speaking. “The kid can be quite rambunctious sometimes, but it was fun. It was a good time. I hope you both have a good night.”
You and Enjin soon head to your respective rooms.
It's safe to say that the drawings that had been on the table were now on the wall in Dear's room, right next to his bed. He slept peacefully that night and Bro couldn't have been happier.