It had only been a week, but to Vyan, it felt like a quiet tamorphosis—one that crept in gently, with tiny hands and sleepy giggles, sticky fingers and afternoon cuddles. There had been no exaggeration when he'd claid to be a fast learner with a good mory.
He truly was.
From diaper changes to mid-ltdown negotiations, from mastering bedti lullabies to knowing exactly how much ketchup Elian liked on his fries—Vyan had graduated with honors from the unspoken academy of childcare. That too, in just a week. And strangely enough, he took pride in it.
Who would've thought? The feared, fire-wielding Grand Duke of Ashstone—now an unofficial professional babysitter, snack distributor, pillow fort architect, and teddy bear repairman.
Iyana would be in for quite the surprise when she t him again. He had once feared he'd make a terrible father. He waa afraid of hurting what he couldn't understand.
But now, watching Amy's tiny body wobble as she toddled after a balloon or Elian's face light up when he nailed a joke, it made sothing inside him soften, then settle. He was going to be a good dad. He felt it, deep in his bones. And for once, he didn't doubt it.
Still… they were kids. They were by no ans easy.
They were unpredictable, creative, dangerously silent when plotting sothing suspicious.
Vyan had learned that no amount of confidence or preparation could shield him from the everyday chaos they carried like glitter. You cleaned it up, and sohow, it was back the next day.
And today? Today was no different.
It was a warm, lazy afternoon. Samantha had cooked lunch—sothing wholeso and filling, and after the plates were cleared and the kids fed, Vyan found himself sinking into the couch, the softness coaxing him into an unintentional nap.
Amy was toddling around, humming her incomprehensible tunes, while Elian was curled up on the carpet, eyes glued to the TV, watching a drama far too serious for a five-year-old.
When Vyan stirred awake after half an hour, blinking against the sunlight that filtered through the curtains, he felt… odd. His face tingled slightly, and as he sat up, Amy let out a squeal and scurried away. Elian? He looked suspiciously innocent.
It was only when Vyan caught a glimpse of his reflection in the dark TV screen that he realized what had happened—his entire face had been turned into a scribbled canvas. Thick mustache, swirly cheeks, even a crown doodled onto his forehead in glittery blue marker.
He blinked multiple tis in surprise. Then stared at Elian. The boy couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.
"I made you grow a mustache!" Elian declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
Vyan didn't get angry. No, not even mildly annoyed. He was more surprised—by the fact that he hadn't woken up.
Him. The man who used to sleep with one eye open, the one who flinched at the slightest creak in the floorboards. How had he not noticed a small child drawing on his face?
Perhaps… it ant sothing. Perhaps these kids didn't ring those warning bells within him… because they were them. Sweet and harmless.
He laughed—really laughed, head thrown back, chest warm with amusent.
Scooping Amy into one arm and ruffling Elian's hair with his other, he snapped a selfie (Yes, he was now functional with a phone) with the two mischievous artists, their grins wide with victory. He sent it to Adrian and Emma, just to let them know their kids were thriving and taking artistic liberties on his face.
Still chuckling, he padded to his bathroom to wash up. But just as his fingers t the cool water, a strange feeling tugged at his gut.
Another surprise? he wondered, lips quirking. Well. Whether it was pleasant or not, he was about to find out.
As Vyan stepped out of the room, his face washed clean of rogue doodles, he was t with the thunder of tiny feet rushing his way.
Elian ca barreling toward him, a black file clutched tightly in his hands and an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.
"Daddy's twins, there has been a mishap," Elian declared, breathless. "Daddy took my file. And Daddy's case file is right here."
Vyan raised an eyebrow, brushing a hand through his slightly damp hair. "Ha, there's no way. I'm sure. Adrian and your file getting mixed up? How is that even possib—"
He trailed off mid-sentence, taking the file Elian held out. Bold letters at the top of the cover read Adrian Evans. Vyan frowned.
"…Why would he mistake your file for his?"
"Because I use the spare files Daddy keeps in his study to store my drawings in," Elian responded as if it was obvious.
Vyan stared at the child, montarily speechless. Then, sighing deeply, he smacked a palm against his forehead. Of course. Of course the child who jumped into his daddy's arms every night he ca ho would idolize him to the point of duplicating his office supplies.
"Okay," Vyan exhaled, trying to rein in the mounting tension. "The file your daddy left behind, does it look important?"
Elian nodded solemnly. "It does. It has today's date on it… and a case number on the front."
That got Vyan's full attention. He flipped open the file. Inside, neatly arranged, were pages of what looked like official docunts. Statents. Photos. Evidence tags. Definitely not the sort of thing you compile just to leave it behind at ho.
"Does Adrian have a court hearing today?" Vyan asked, scanning the contents quickly.
"Yep!" Elian chirped. "He wore his lucky watch today. He always wears it when he's going for a hearing."
"…How do you even notice that?"
"It's the one Mommy gifted him the day before he fought his first case. It's super old but Daddy takes really good care of it," Elian replied proudly, like it was common knowledge.
Suppressing a groan, Vyan muttered, "Of course he does." He sighed again and crouched slightly. "Do you know what ti his hearing is?"
Elian gave a helpless shrug. "No idea. Mommy probably knows."
With a nod, Vyan pulled out the phone he was slowly getting used to. Yes, besides taking photos, he could text, make calls, even find the flashlight function without accidentally opening the calculator. Progress, right?
He tapped Emma's na and waited. She picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, Your Grace," she said, her voice casual. "What's up? All good with the kids?"
"Yeah, all's well with the kids," Vyan replied, glancing at Elian, who was now inspecting his own toes. "Quick question: does Adrian have a hearing today?"
"Yep, he does. Why?"
"I think he accidentally took Elian's drawing file to court. I've got the real case file right here."
There was a pause. Then a long sigh from Emma's end. "Why am I not surprised? I told Elian not to use the sa black files as his dad, but nooo. 'I want to be just like Daddy!' That kid idolizes him way too much, I swear—"
"Okay, yeah, can we not spiral into a parenting rant right now?" Vyan interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let's deal with the crisis at hand first?"
"Right, right, sorry," Emma said quickly. "The hearing's at two."
Vyan's eyes darted to the clock on the wall. 1:10 p.m.
He was about to ask sothing else when Emma suddenly said, "Oh, hold up. Adrian's calling . He probably just realized. Gim a sec."
With that, the call disconnected.
A couple of minutes ticked by, just enough ti for the weight of the situation to settle in Vyan's mind when Emma's na lit up on his phone again. He swiped to answer.
"Yep," she said, not bothering with preamble. "It's as I suspected. Adrian realized he took the wrong file. He needs the real one ASAP."
Vyan exhaled sharply. "Okay… so, can you co pick it up?"
There was a pause, followed by Emma's apologetic sigh. "There won't be enough ti. If I drive ho now and then head to court, the hearing will've already started. It's too tight."
Vyan glanced at the black file in his hands, then up at the door. He hesitated only for a mont before offering, "Then… should I go? I could take an Uber."
A beat of surprised silence. Then ca Emma's amused voice, light with pride and disbelief. "Wow. Look at how fast you're growing up. You know what Uber is now?"
Vyan rolled his eyes, though his lips twitched at the corners. "So should I or not?"
"Yes, please," Emma said imdiately. "If it turns out Adrian walked into court with his five-year-old's stick-figure war saga, he's gonna be mortified."
Vyan muttered under his breath, "Honestly? I'd kinda like to see that."
Emma let out a laugh. " too. But let's not test the limits of his years-long dignity. He's gonna be grumpy enough as it is. Try to get there on ti, okay? And keep posted."
"Alright," Vyan replied, already moving to grab his coat. The call ended with a soft beep.
He turned to Elian, who was still pacing like a mini lawyer in training. "Okay, kid. I'm gonna take this file to your dad at the court."
Imdiately, Elian perked up. "Can I co too? Please? It's been forever since I went to the court."
Vyan raised an eyebrow. "Forever? You're five."
"Exactly!" Elian said, as if that proved his point.
Vyan let out a soft chuckle. "Alright, fine. We were planning to get ice cream later anyway. We'll just stop by on our way back."
As he was about to head toward his room to quickly change into a presentable shirt, he spotted Amy on the floor, her tiny hands guiding two toy cars through an imaginary racetrack.
She looked up when she noticed the movent, her wide eyes expectant.
Vyan paused, then sighed with a small smile and walked up to her. "And we definitely can't leave Amy behind. So…" He picked her up in his arms and ruffled her hair gently, and she giggled. "I guess it's a day out for all three of us."
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