Work Text:
Living as a father of five means he goes through this sleepless phase three times. Why three? Because his third, fourth, and fifth come in a pack of a triplet. Honestly, he didn’t mind the disturbance. He was never a deep sleeper, and waking up to take care of his children is something he likes to do. Although he would never say it out loud.
Besides, Athanasia can use the rest. Poor woman needs her beauty sleep. Ever since she became a mother, she used all her time to take care of her children, do her royal duties as an Empress, and be a wife. She needs more time for herself. He might be busy as Obelia’s King Consort and Black Tower Magician’s chief, but compared to her, his duties seem so easy. I’ll arrange a break day for her tomorrow morning.
Anyway, now he has to take care of one thing.
Lucia is crying. His newborn daughter, two months old. I fed her like, two hours ago! Someone got her mother’s appetite.
Wearing a simple shirt and pants, he steps out after making sure Athanasia snugly sleeping.
Since both Dianthony and Celine are down with a small fever, they slept in a different nursery. When Lucas approached Lucia’s room, he heard voices. Who?
“Shhh, sissy sleepy sleepy… Twinkle twinkle…”
“Sis did she drink her milk? You like milk don’t you baby?”
“Her name is not baby, Loveliss!”
Lucia cried louder. Her two sibling’s bickering isn’t pleasant to listen to. Lucas stared at them from the door.
Apparently, these two beats him into ‘calming’ down Lucia.
Claudia and Loveliss, or Lovell for short. His first and second born. Claudia will be five this year, and Loveliss just turned two last month. While he is happy to see the two care so much for their baby sister to be up and cater to her needs at three in the morning. They should be sleeping.
But he is proud of them for waking up and trying to soothe Lucia to sleep. The two were so attentive and cheerful all the way through Athanasia’s third pregnancy, and were looking forward to their new siblings. They fought over who should hold Lucia, Dian, and Celine first, who can read their bedtime stories (despite them still learning to read), and who gets to choose their outfit for the day.
They really love their baby siblings.
Claude had mentioned isn’t it too early for a new sibling for Lovell but well.
Let’s just say Lucas isn’t exactly fond of protections.
He teleports behind them and picks them up by the back of their shirt. “And what are my two brats doing at this hour?”
“Papa!” “Daddy!”
They jumped down from his hold and hugs his legs. Thank goodness Papa is here their eyes seem to say. We have no idea how to shut Lucia up, and Lucas sighs.
Lucas picks up Lucia and pats her back. Oh, it looks like she really is hungry…
“You babies should be sleeping, not loitering around here. If Mama finds out, she won’t be happy.”
Claudia pouts, bringing up a bottle of milk. Not only she looks so proud of herself, but she also smiled brightly. “Claudia is not a baby! Claudia is a big sister! Claudia will take care of sissy for Mama and Papa.”
“Lovell is a big brother chu… Lovell will rock baby to sleep.”
Nodding to himself, Lovell brought a dog plushie from his bedroom for his sister.
“Her name is Lucia, Loveliss. Not baby.” “But she is a baby?” “... Whatever.”
Claudia tugs on his pants as he sits down on the bed inside the nursery. She looks concerned as she brings up the bottle of milk again. “Papa should sleep. Claudia and Lovell will take care of Lucia for Papa and Mama. We have milk.”
Lovell nods and climbs to his side. Watching Lucia slowly calms down and reaches for her milk. Claudia tried to give her the milk again but Lucia rejects it, crying once again. Lucas took the milk and chuckles.
“You need to re-heat it, Claudia. That’s why Lucia won’t take the milk. Babies hate cold stuff. Unlike you two with ice cream.”
“Aaah! So that’s why!”
“... Picky baby. See if I’ll share my ice cream with you later.”
Claudia pinches her brother’s cheeks. Lovell pouts and Lucas smirks as he heats the bottle of milk with his magic and bottle-feeds Lucia. The baby lets out a small, happy coo and suckles on her food.
Like mother like daughter. This one loves to eat for sure.
“Can Claudia try? Claudia wants to feed sissy too, so Claudia can help Papa and Mama when Papa and Mama are sleeping or busy.”
“Lovell wants to try… the milk.”
Claudia smacks his nose. Lovell pulls on her hair. Lucas separates the two by placing them on his sides. Really, these two get along yet they bicker everyday… Was I like---
His eyes narrow. He can’t even interact with his siblings. His older brother feared and detested him, and his little brother was wary of him. Besides, both are long dead.
No matter, he has his own family to love and care now.
“Well, promise Papa you won’t drop her. Support her head, okay?”
Carefully, he placed Lucia on Claudia’s tiny arms. Slowly, making sure Claudia holds her properly, he lets go. Truthfully, he’s doubtful whether she can do it or not but he’ll at least let her try. Claudia looks like she saw a treasure, holding her sister so preciously in her arms.
“I can do it Papa! I can do it!”
“Shh, tone it down. Let her drink in peace.”
“Lovell wants to try the milk too…”
“You’ll get your turn once Mama wakes up. Big brothers have to be patient.”
Lovell relents and sits on his father’s lap as Claudia bottle feed her sister. Although it didn’t take long for her to get tired and hands Lucia back to Lucas. Lovell pouted when he has to surrender his place in daddy’s lap.
“Daddy, daddy.” He began. “Were we like sissy too?”
“Hmm?”
“Did you wake up in the middle of the night to feed us like this?”
Claudia rested her chin on his lap as Lovell asked. The two black haired children stared at their father curiously, Lucas looks down to the baby in his arms and smiled.
“Oh you two were a lot of trouble.”
Reminiscing to Athanasia’s first and second pregnancy, he grins to himself. He told them how ecstatic he was when he heard the news of Athanasia being pregnant with his child. How Claude nearly destroyed Emerald Palace in anger when their mother told him the news, that his daughter, was defiled by him, a black-hearted bastard.
“Ah Papa! You shouldn’t say that!” Lucas blinks, and tilts his head. Say what?
“Say that! Bastard! Lily said it’s a bad word!”
“You know, it was your Papa Claude who said that. Papa simply quotes him. Next time, tell Papa Claude not to say that to Papa.”
“Gasp! Papa Claude said a bad word!”
“Papa Claude is a baddie.”
“Totally.”
He grins as he imagined what Claude’s reaction will be. Probably he should strengthen his defenses soon…
And he tells them more. How bad Athanasia’s morning sickness is with Claudia. How she was bedridden for six months and all she wants to eat was sweets. She won’t accept any other food if it’s not sweets. How emotional she gets sometimes, and she cried when Lucas wanted to leave for work.
Athanasia’s pregnancy with Claudia was so emotional for both of them, no, for the whole castle.
Meanwhile, with Loveliss she was only bedridden for four months. She was active, not even needing his assistance most days. She eats more, more savory than sweet, but her cravings were ridiculous. Kimchi-vanilla ice cream? Chocolate pancakes with barbecue sauce, beefsteak with caramel topping and chocolate top.
And the eggplant with cheese and chili. In the middle of the night. And sushi. You can only get sushi in Japan from Athanasia’s old world. He had to travel dimensions, at two in the morning, for sushi. Or else Athanasia won’t let him sleep.
And Loveliss won’t stop crying sometimes. Both he and Athanasia were very sleep deprived.
Yet they never complained. They never once complained about their baby, about the pregnancy. Sure it was hard at times, especially with how emotional Athanasia is, and his own insecurities about being a father. He was never a father, nor he has a proper father figure. Claude? He is Athanasia’s dad and truthfully he never paid any attention to how to dad. No, he never even thought he would be a father all his life. Being with someone, having a family, seeing his mentor all those years ago and his despair makes him reluctant to have one.
But with Athanasia, he wishes for a family. To be happy together through thick and thin, taste the ups and downs of raising a child, and most importantly.
To never let his children taste the loneliness he felt as a child.
Claudia and Lovell listened to every word he said, it’s a story of them, told by their gentle and kind father. Their fun-loving father who would give them treats when Mama bans them to, who would bring them to festivals in secret and drag mommy into it, teach them wonderful things like magic for destroying a nation, their best father in the world.
They know they’re blessed with the most loving parents, nicest grandfather and godfather, gentlest nanny, and how they are surrounded by the kindest people.
“So you two, be nice to your sister okay? And your incoming siblings in the future. Because Papa is sure you will have more.”
“I want more brothers, Daddy.”
“Request on queue, little guy.”
Lucas tousled Lovell’s black hair, He noted how Lovell’s bangs mimic his own. If not for the eyes, Lovell would be a mini-Lucas.
Lucia finished her milk and cooed, her red crystal eyes shining in the dark and Claudia pokes her cheek. She smiled, and Lucas smiled back at his children. After burping her, he rests back against the bed and yawns.
“Aren’t you kids going to sleep? Papa will stay here for a bit longer.”
“Nope! We wanna sleep with Daddy and sissy.”
“Yes! Sing us to sleep, Papa!”
A secret between the three of them. Lucas would sing them to sleep whenever he tucks them in. As long as they don’t tell their Mama. Lucas sighs, but relents. Claudia snugly places herself on his stomach, Lucia on his chest, and Lovell on his bicep.
“Remember the promise, kids?”
“Don’t tell Mama!”
“Well here goes…”
On that day of beginnings, I had been bluffing
I stood on my tiptoes during that childish, fateful meeting.
We felt the same wind and laughed together.
Ah, when I look back on them, those days are so nostalgic.
I can still hear the sound of your footsteps.
Your voice reaches me no matter where I am, see?
I'm not alone anymore, there are two shadows.
I'll embrace that high, distant melody cherishingly.
His voice is sultry and gentle, lulling the three to sleep. With his free hand, he would rotate between petting Lovell, Claudia, and Lucia. They smiled in their sleep.
No matter where we go, there's nothing in our way.
Together our feet go on ahead, undaunted.
With my certain feelings, in the midst of the wind.
In my closed eyes, I sense your shapeless figure.
My unstoppable emotions leave behind footprints.
Here and now, our tracks are born.
I change these growing feelings into words.
And hold onto your warm hand forever,
And continue talking about,
My future with you.
Lucas saw how the three have fallen asleep and he too, falls asleep with them with a smile on his face.
Thank you for making me a father, you three.
“OH MY GOD!! I OVERSLEPT?!”
Athanasia woke up with a jolt and panic. She didn’t feed her babies for the whole night, didn’t even rotate with Lucas to care for them, and now the sun is high in the sky.
“Lucas? Lucas??”
He’s not there. Not sleeping next to her as usual. Did he wake up earlier to take care of the kids? Where are Lovell and Claudia? Usually, if she woke up late they would barge in and wake her up themselves.
It is super strange.
She runs to the nursery in her nightgown. When she opens the door, quietly, she smiled at the sight in front of her.
Lucas is asleep with their three angels, all curled up on him. He is snoring softly, one of his legs dangling under the bed. Lucia is asleep on his chest, also snoring. Lovell has one of his legs on Claudia’s stomach and snoring quietly. Claudia curls up on his side, holding his stomach like a bolster. Like how her mother slept.
So cute… She recorded the scene with her magic to transfer to a memorial stone later.
“No fair… I want to sleep with my husband and children too…”
So she sneaks on the bed and curls up with his palm as her pillow.
Feeling sleep overtakes her once again, she fell into slumber with her precious, precious family.