DIL

Kai

I wake up to the sound of tiny feet thumping down the hall. It's too early for this, but the door bursts open, and there's Adrian. "Dada! Mama! I awake!" he says, bouncing on the bed, immediately tackling me in his usual fashion.

"Alright, alright, little man," I groan, my voice still thick with sleep.

I glance over at Paedyn, but she's got her face buried in the pillow, barely moving. "You're on your own for now," she mumbles. 

–

"Adrian, buddy, you can't have all the syrup before 9 AM."

Adrian looks up at her with wide, innocent eyes, holding up his plate. "But Mama, I'm growing. I need all the syrup."

She rolls her eyes but hands him more fruit instead. Adrian stuffs his face with strawberries. One of his mama's favourites. 

Later, after breakfast, we head out to the yard. Adrian's on his tricycle, his little legs working furiously to push him forward as I jog alongside him. Paedyn's walking beside us, sipping her coffee. 

"I swear, you two are going to give me grey hairs."

"You have silver hair," I remind her. She tips her head back and laughs. 

–

"Buddy, you wanna help me set the table?" I ask, trying to distract him from running into the stove, spilling all the hot liquid on himself. He turns to me, eyes wide with excitement, and then nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Dada! I help!" Adrian grabs a couple of plastic cups and starts placing them on the table, but it's mostly random. One cup's on the chair, another halfway across the room. 

"Good job, little man. We'll get there."

–

Adrian slides into the chair opposite me, already shoving food into his mouth like he hasn't eaten in days.

"Slow down, buddy," I tell him, trying to pull the plate back. "We've got time."

Adrian just looks at me, a piece of sandwich hanging from his mouth. "No time! Hungry!" he says, before going right back to stuffing his face.

I glance at Paedyn, and she shakes her head with a smile. "What have we created?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I think we've created a tiny version of you."

She shoots me a glare. "I can't believe you just said that." 

–

Paedyn's at the stove, stirring something that smells so good, and Adrian's underfoot, trying to sneak bits of food off the counter when Paedyn's not looking.

"Adrian, get your hands off that!" Paedyn says, catching him just in time. 

"I'm hungry," he says dramatically.

"We all are, buddy," I laugh, ruffling his hair. "But we gotta wait for dinner."

Adrian flops dramatically on the floor. "Noooo! I want it now!"

I glance at Paedyn. "Guess he's got the 'no patience' gene."

She laughs, shaking her head. "He definitely doesn't get that from me."

Paedyn sits down beside me, smiling softly at Adrian as he digs in. It's quiet, aside from the clinking of forks and Adrian's occasional "Yum!" as he devours his meal.

After dinner, Adrian's face is covered in crumbs.

"Alright, buddy," I say, standing up. "Time to get you ready for bed."

"Nooo!" Adrian whines, his little face pouting as he reaches for the leftover cake. "Not bedtime, Dada."

"Yep," I say with a grin. "Bath time, then bed."

Adrian's bottom lip juts out, and he clings to Paedyn's leg like a koala. "Mama, no bath."

"You've got no say in this one, little shadow," I say, picking him up. "It's happening." 

"You're gonna get me wet, buddy," I warn him, laughing as a splash of water lands on my shirt.

"Dada's wet!" Adrian giggles, looking absolutely pleased with himself.

After a quick bath and some bedtime stories, we finally tuck Adrian in. He's already half-asleep, his little hand clutching Paedyn's fingers.

I turn off the light, and we leave the room quietly, the door clicking shut behind us. Paedyn wraps her arm around me as we make our way back to the living room.

"Well, that's it for today," I say, letting out a long breath. "Another successful day with our little monster."

Paedyn laughs softly, resting her head on my shoulder. "Yeah. I wouldn't change a thing."

i posted in kai's pov bc i feel like ive mostly been writing in paedyn's pov. enjoy!