Chapter 23
[Location: MHA Universe]
[Time: 7:35 p.m.]
[First-person POV]
I stood in the doorway watching as Sora was sleeping on the couch with Fluffy by his side. I never like it when he is traveling to other worlds alone, but he always comes back home so happy with stories about his travels, and this new fantasy world really seems to have made him happy. But I still worry about him.
“Maria, my darling light in the night, what is worrying you so much?” said Robin in a sing, song, coming up from behind me and wrapping his arms around my neck in a hug.
“I am just worried for Leo, that’s all." I said, putting my head on his arm.
“But he always comes back home without even a scratch, and he got Fluffy to watch his back.”
“That's what’s worrying me. They get into all kinds of trouble together. Do you remember that time they wanted snacks and ate an entire can of cookies from the pantry?”
“You can’t really put eating all the cookies on the same level as when they go traveling to other worlds, darling.”
"Oh, and why not?”
“Do you remember when they went together and helped all Might with the Midoriya kid he is always hanging out with?”
"Ya, his mother called me afterwards and was so overjoyed that Leo took him with them to meet All Might. But-”
"No, but’s darling, he might be only 9, well, technically 10, but he is always doing his best and helping people. Do you think any other kid his age would have been so determined to help his friend get powers so he would also be accepted by the other kids?. We raised him right, and we have to trust him to come home to us safely, right?”
“I guess so…”
“Now why don’t we get them into bed?”
“Can… we take them to our bed tonight?”
“Oh? Are you that worried about them?”
“I… I just need to hold him close… Just for tonight…”
"Ahh, anything for you, Maria,” he said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
I watched as Robin picked up Fluffy and Sora, but Fluffy has always been a light sleeper and woke up when we started to move them.
“Are you taking Sora to bed?”
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“No, we are taking him to our bed. Can you pull out his All Might Onesie?” Fluffy jumped over to my arms and pulled out the onesie for me.
“You are always so cuddly with Sora when you want him to sleep in your bed.” Fluffy said it in a teasing tone.
“Of course he is my son, and I love him very much, harrumph” I heard Fluffy mumble, who says harrumph in real life, under his breath, but I pretended not to hear him as I gave him some scratches and watched him melt in my arms.
When we got to our room, I handed the onice over to Robin and continued giving scratches to Fluffy as I watched Robin change Sora's clothing. Afterwards, I put Fluffy beside Sora, and then we retired to the living room to watch some TV before bedtime.
“It’s always so quiet in the house after the kids go to bed,” I said to Robin.
“Ya, both of them are full of energy, and it’s when they get quiet that you really have to worry if he is just asleep or up to something.”
“Do you remember the time they turned their room into a ball pit?”
"Oh, I remember!” I said with a growl.
“You opened their door, and an avalanche of balls spilled out and down the stairs. It took us forever to collect them all,” Robin said with a teasing smile on his face.
“They should not have done that without asking.”
“And who was it that forgot to knock before barging into their room?” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“I was just worried when they got quiet.”
“You are such a worrywart, my darling princess.”
"Ah, don’t start to princess me the last time you tried that I got pregnant.”
"Oh, and was it not you who said you wanted another child?”
“I… I mean, I do, but”
“Maybe we can give Fluffy and Sora a little sister or brother.”
“What if they get as powerful a quirk as Sora? I don’t think I can take another kid who disappears into another world for a year… I still think of that lost year without him…”
“But he is back with us now, and you can cuddle him forever as he will always stay your little baby boy, even if he is 1000 years old, right?” He said with a wink.
“I guess…”
“And don’t forget, Fluffy has been keeping Sora safe for years and will continue to do so. Hmm, maybe Sora can create another companion for our next kid,” Robin said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“Ahh… he makes for such a good big brother." I said fantasizing about it.
“Do you remember when he was younger? He already loved fluffy stuff back then too. He still has that teddy bear that he used to cuddle with until Fluffy came along and took over that job. Do you remember what he used to call the teddy bear?” Robin asked me
“How can you not remember Mr. Fluffels, darling? He was very important to Sora for a long time. He would take him with him all the time when he was a kid.”
“Oh yeah, I remember you making sure he always had it with him.”
“Sora has always been such a well-behaved kid... when it suited him, of course... but when he was younger, he was never that hard to take care of, or at least not as a handful as the other mothers often told me their own kids were.”
“I remember the neighbors always complaining that the kid would wake them up all hours of the night, but Sora was such a nice kid back then and would sleep like a baby.” Robin said with a smile.
“I mean, it must be because I am such a great mother,” I told Robin in my most snootiest voice, making him chuckle.
"Ahh, of course, lady Maria, you are the most wonderful of mothers, and I must bow down to your holy wisdom,” he answered back in a pompous voice, and after we stopped laughing, he laid down his head on my lap.
“I always love these quiet moments I get to have with you,” he said, putting his hand on my cheek.
"Oh, stop flirting before I snog you to death.”
"Hmm, maybe you should,” he said in a playful tone.
And after a… productive makeout session, we retired to the bedroom. I changed into my nightwear and snuggled up to Sora and Fluffy, watching his peaceful face as he slept. I stroked his hair and thought about how fast time had flown by. If Sora were not stuck looking like a kid, he would already be so much taller, but he is still the perfect height to snuggle up with, I thought to myself as I pulled him even closer to myself. I saw Robin get a mischievous glint in his eye as he got into bed and cuddled up on the other side of Sora. I gave him a death glare, telling him that Sora was mine! With my eyes, he only stuck his tongue out at me.
Fluffy had woken up at some point and seen us fight over Sora, and I saw him give me a foxy grin as he shut his eyes and saw Sora change slightly; he now had long white hair. I looked at Fluffy for an explanation, and in a quiet tone, he whispered enough that we both could hear him.
“I turned Sora into a girl,” he said, snickering between the words.
“You can do that? Great work,” I whispered back, high-fiving Fluffy.
I pulled myself slightly closer to my daughter, and that’s how we fell asleep together, all snuggled up together as a family. Tonight I will be sleeping without any nightmares, as I will have my most important people in the world with me right here... in my heart.