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some-cookie-crumbz · 5 years

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Kidge Parent HC Part 2.5

Previous Part Links:

Kidge Married Pre-Babies: [here]

Kidge w/ Babies Part 2.1: [here]

Kidge w/ Babies Part 2.2: [here]

Kidge w/ Babies Part 2.3: [here] *There’s a little angst in this one, FYI

Kidge w/ Babies Part 2.4: [here]

HEY LONG TIME NO RAMBLE SO SORRY ABOUT THAT!!! School and Work and blah, ya know how it goes! Let’s get into the fun stuff, though, shall we? :3c

I decided to break this one down by dynamics; specifically, I’ll start by talking generally about Keith and Pidge as parents, family dynamics/routines that are the same between all the kids, then their relationships with each of the kids, and then we’ll get into what, exactly, the kids are like themselves. I’ll be stopping off with information once we hit around the 12-13 age with each kid and will resume explaining things in the next part from there, as there will be one more part.

There will be one more part focusing on more on the kids in their later teens/ young adult/ adult years, so there will be some Kidge Grandparent stuff in there! Hopefully I can get that part out much sooner than it took me to get this part out, but I am going to warn that I want to try and get one update completed for each of my current fics before I start really focusing in on the next part, so there will be a bit of a wait.

Also, up until the point I explain how he got the nickname, I’ll be calling Newt by his actual name of Oliver. Just wanted to add that so there wasn’t any confusion as to why I shift names halfway through.

First little random side note that I wanted to mention!!!

Keith does pretty well about maintaining his workout routine, though he definitely skips days more often once Pidge first gets pregnant – wanting to make sure to look after her, make sure she isn’t overworking herself, etc. – and becoming a bit more sporadic as the kids are born. Normally he can sneak in a session while the kids are taking naps or otherwise occupied, though. Matt teases that his six-pack is more of a four-pack now. Additionally, he gets a bit more relaxed about shaving his face. He’ll let himself get a bit scruffier just because he’s more focused on Pidge and the kids and forgets he should probably do something with that scruffy nonsense cropping up.

He goes from being Fitness Keith into Rugged Dedicated Daddy Keef. Pidge loves him just the same because, as far as she’s concerned, he’s still the same romantic goof she fell for.

Having four babies also affects Pidge’s body physically a bit. She does pretty good about maintaining a healthy balance of foods during her pregnancies, but there’s always a bit of weight gain as a side effect, plus pushing a small human body from your own tends to do a bit of widening to the hips, giving her a sort of pear-shaped silhouette; and, she is admittedly a bit salty that her breasts don’t get too much more in the area of growth as a result. She also does a moderate job about working out between pregnancies once she’s healed, but she’s not particularly worried or stressed about having a little extra weight packed on. It’s not a particularly large amount that she gains and she carries it well, but she definitely has a little bit of pudge around the middle. Most of it, though, goes to her thighs.

Becoming a mom basically makes Pidge a bit more Thicc™. Keith is absolutely 100% okay with this and still sees Pidge as the most incredible woman he’s ever known.

Okay, back to the tooth-rotting sweetness! :3

This is just something I need to say outright; they have baby books for each of the kids that are overloaded with pictures of their first full year in the world, with little notes stating when they had their first smile/laugh/word/step/tooth. They also save the onesies that each baby was brought home in and keep them in little shadow boxes with other sentimental items as the kids get older because they’re incredibly sentimental about all of it.

Pidge’s office at the Garrison is covered in photos of her, Keith and the kids, and if you notice she’s in a pissy mood? Point to one of the pictures and ask her what the family was doing when that was taken. She’ll start excitedly regaling you with how amazing her kids and husband are. Likewise, Keith carries a little pocket-album of family photos on him practically everywhere. If you’re meeting him for the first time and need to break the ice? Ask him if he has any pictures of his family, which you’ve heard so much about. He will immediately decide you are Good People and tell you all about how great they are and how much he loves them.

Keith is by far the more protective parent in their duo. Part of this is because he's always wanted a family and wants to be a Good Dad™ but thinks he has to work harder at it because he didn’t have a healthy family environment to grow up in. His dad died when he was young and Krolia wasn't around during his younger years so he frets over not knowing how to be a Good Parent™. Pidge always reassures him that so long as he makes sure to let the kids know how much he loves them, he's gonna be an absolutely phenomenal dad. It helps a bit during her first pregnancy and once Amber's actually there, in his arms, he realizes that they're all gonna be just fine.

He promises each of the kids when he first gets to hold them that he's gonna always be there to love and protect them. Takes any chance he can to reiterate that to them, too.

Pidge tends to be a bit more relaxed in her approach, in that she’ll give the kids a bit more independence sooner than Keith thinks they should, but by some strange proxy she tends to be the disciplinarian more often. Mostly because, while Keith will dish out punishments and lectures when necessary, it's clear he feels way guiltier about it than she does. Pidge, meanwhile, does not take mutiny in the ranks of the Kogane home lightly despite the fact that she was the LITERALLY embodiment of mutiny in her teen years; and, to specify, the kids only get in trouble when they knowingly do things they’ve been told or taught not to. They’ll let the kids slide the first two or three times they make a mistake after they learn not to do something, but once it clearly becomes a matter of testing how much their parents will put up with, the hammer gets dropped.

Since I'm on the subject, sometimes they do disagree about how to parent the kids, but they take the time to talk and find compromises. It’ normally a matter of Keith being a hyper-cautious Mother Hen, but there are points where Pidge is giving the kids more credit in regards to maturity/ responsibility than they deserve. I’ll expound on that sentiment more once we get further down the line.

Also, regarding punishments, they agree to using timeouts and sending the kids to their rooms when they're little, and graduate to revoking privileges and grounding as they get older.

Also, they're both terrible about co-sleeping. Like, initially Pidge insists it's okay because it makes things easier for her. Newborns need to be fed every 2-3 hours for the first couple of weeks. It's just easier for her to be able to either unclasp her nursing tank top or tug her shirt up, let the baby latch on to her boobie, and then pass back out. Eventually the baby will get milk drunk and pass out, too. Once the babies can go longer without feeding, they start trying to get them settled in their bassinette so they get used to sleeping in a spot by themselves so the transition to the crib is easier. But then they'll get fussy and Keith and Pidge feel bad because the baby is clearly sad and lonely and wants love. So they'll get up and bring them into bed for sleepy snuggles with Mommy and Daddy.

They do eventually get the kids transitioned from co-sleeping to their cribs. In order from easiest to hardest, it goes as follows; Oliver - and the irony of that isn't lost on Mommy and Daddy -, Kaden, Amber and lastly Aria.

When the kids get scared at night, they'll still clamor into bed with them. Aria does it the most and Amber does it the least, while the boys fall into a middle ground where they’re about equal with each other. There have been a handful of instances where they end up with all four kids in bed with them – specifically during really bad storms - and Keith is always grateful he let Pidge talk him into ordering the special extra-large king-sized bed from the planet Hintinue because there is no way they’d be able to fit six people on a regular king comfortably.

Keith and Pidge are really affectionate parents. Like, if one of the Kidgelings’ wants some cuddles? They will get those cuddles, no questions asked, regardless of the circumstances. Mommy’s drafting up a new schematic for an alternate generator for the Garrison to use? Fuck the Garrison; Pidge will push her projects aside to scoop the needy tot up in her arms, pressing little kisses to their head and rubbing circles into their back. Daddy was getting ready to do his workout in the basement gym? Leg Day is on hold; Keith has a responsibility to snuggle up with whichever baby it is, tucking their head under his chin and chatting with them softly about this or that.

I’ve always imagined that the Holt’s are an incredibly close, affectionate family that just exudes love and acceptance, so for Pidge this is just natural. These are her babies and they deserve all the snuggles and smooches they could ever want or need. It’s her gosh darn responsibility and she is more than willing to take it on. I also think that this mentality from the Holt’s probably boggled Keith’s mind when he started dating Pidge and they just… Kinda took him in with open arms. Probably a bit of an adjustment period for him but he learned that he actually really admired and emulated how open the relationship within his wife’s extended family is.

For Keith, it’s a matter of wanting to give his kids what he didn’t really get. Like, I imagine that Ethan Kogane was a great dad, who always told and showed Keith how much he loved him, but he was also a single father with a young child he was trying to raise all alone. And he died when Keith was still pretty young. I know the series hasn’t said what age he was, but I always leaned towards Keith being about seven/eight when it happened. And, obviously, Krolia wasn’t around when he was young for him to have an affectionate, doting mother figure either. Also, I think Krolia is certainly a loving mother, but I think that she’s sometimes unsure of when physical displays are appropriate with Keith because of the time they spent apart.

I think that would help to explain some of Keith’s canon struggle in how to properly interact with other people, and why he is probably the Paladin who has had the least physical shows of affection with other characters, but the ones he’s had have been deeply significant to his character. This rationale is also why I choose to read/ interpret him as the kind of father that I do. Keith is definitely someone who loves the people around him but isn’t always sure how to express it though this doesn’t apply so much to Pidge herself because she has straight-up told him to shower her in affection whenever he wants because she’s gonna do the same. But with little kids? As someone who lives in a house with a three-and-a-half year old and a nine month old baby, I can assure you they love nothing more than attention and physical affection. Interacting with the kids, Keith doesn’t need to worry so much about his physical affection being unwanted.

They’re just really loving parents, you guys.

Until all four kids are officially in school, Keith is a stay-at-home Daddy, at Pidge's insistence. She makes a bit more than him and most of his work can still be done from the house. They agree they don't want their kids spending eight hours a day in a daycare program with a bunch of people they don’t know very well. Plus Pidge thinks it’ll be really good for Keith because, when they first have the conversation about it after Amber’s born, poor guy gets extremely uncomfortable and anxious over the idea of handing their precious little lady over to a stranger for an extended period of time.

They do, however, get the kids signed into a little pre-school program for the two years before they enter kindergarten. The program only goes for three hours in the morning so Pidge will drop them off and Keith does the pickup. They do it so the kids can get ahead academically, as well as to make sure they have good social skills. While they're at pre-school, Keith works on whatever work assignment he's been given and then works on it again while the kids nap.

He, Allura and Shay form a sort of gossipy housewives group where they occasionally meet up after picking the kids up to grab lunch and talk smack about the obnoxious parents they encounter. Pidge dubs them the Soccer Mom Squad. Lance offers to make them all matching t-shirts.

As a small bonus, while the kids are at home with Keith, he’ll do fun little arts and crafts projects with them. Finger-paints, ceramics, drawing, making bead animals, scrapbooking… You name it, he’s figured out how to and has done it with the kids at least once. He and Pidge save literally everything the kids make for them ever to keep on the desks at work, or on their desks at home, or just keeping them saved in containers to keep them safe and because they’re both ridiculously sentimental.

In regards to the Holidays, I’ve always liked the idea that Pidge’s maternal side of the family is of Jewish heritage, while Samuel’s family was a bit more agnostic and partook in Christmas based solely on the fact that they supported the main ideals Christmas was meant to represent; i.e. Being kind to your fellow man, spending meaningful time with your family, giving to those that have less, etc. I also like the idea that Keith’s father was not someone who aligned to a specific religion and more fell in line to Christmas based on the commercialism and to give a young Keith something to look forward to during the holiday season. As such, the Kidgelings celebrate Hanukkah with the Holt’s as well as Christmas with the whole family. Additionally, they’ll go partake in community events to help their fellow man.

While Keith and Pidge are both practical people, they still kiss any boo-boos the kids get after they clean and cover them. It's just Good Parenting 101.

Also, Keith and Pidge take turns packing lunches for the kids to take to school once they start. Each time they do, they’ll use a sharpie – in their respective color, of course – and leave little notes on the Ziploc baggies that they put one of their little snacks. It’s always well wishes, but sometimes they’ll add little bonus points if they know the kid has something big going on that day too. Things like “Knock’em dead in the soccer team tryouts!” and “You’re going to kill that math test this afternoon!” that are just little things but the kids seriously love that their parents do that for them.

Keith joins the PTA so that he can help out with funding events and always know what's going on with the kids' extracurricular activities. For the longest time, the PTA parents are convinced Keith's a widower, due to Pidge being MIA at a lot of the events. This normally happens due to situations such as other functions for one of the other kids coinciding with the one Keith's attending or one of the kids being sick and needing to stay home. The other PTA parents gossip over their thirst for Rugged Dedicated Daddy Keef, with the boldest of them actually going so far as to openly flirt with the oblivious doof.

They all realize they were wrong when, at the science fair, they see Keith, balancing a sleepy three year old Aria on one hip, holding the hand of a fiery little bombshell blonde who is arguing with the judges because "Excuse me my son LITERALLY reverse-engineered a piece of alien technology and then rebuilt it using Earth tech and you give him a participation ribbon? And give first place to the kid who lit a light bulb with a potato? Oh Heckle deckle naw!"

They still thirst after him, but they are quieter about it. And some of them may even start thirsting after both the Kogane parents who are we to judge them? We'd all be just as bad let's be real.

Keith sings to all the kids when they're little and each of them has their own special song he only sings for them. He does, however, have one song that all four kids share, too. The songs - with links in the titles - are as follows:

All - Heart of Life cover by I Fight Dragons. Original version is by John Mayer but the chiptune cover is just Hella.

Amber - Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawk It's symbolic for reasons

Kaden – Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen

Oliver - You are the Moon by the Hush Sound

Aria - Into the Woods by Cilla Jane

Pidge loves to read to the kids. When they're super little, she goes with stuff like Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. As they get older, though, she does more lengthy books like the Warrior Cats series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Harry Potter Series. Keith will help with the dialogue for male characters while Pidge does the females and narration.

An added bit to the reading thing which I've made reference to in a fic before but wanted to take the time to further elaborate on here; Pidge develops little headbands for the kids to wear while she reads. It'll create the story in a small hologram and depict the events of the tale as the kids' see them. It focuses more the general ideas as they see it instead of the more minuscule, fine details. This is mostly because the kids views of certain things - fur pattern of a cat, color of a dress, etc - may differ and, thus, conflict.

They have a system for bedtime.

First, Pidge and Keith read to the kids before they start doing all the other stuff, all the kids gathered together in the living room with their parents. The kids get bathed every other night but two kids get bathed a night. Amber and Kaden take baths on the same nights, while Oliver and Aria take the same nights. Keith and Pidge take turns with who does what. If Keith bathes the kids, Pidge is responsible for getting them dressed and helping them brush their teeth, and vice versa. Pidge always tucks the kids into bed and turns their nightlight on for them before heading out of the room. Keith always sings to them when he comes in after to help them settle in further.

When the kids are still little beanie babies and in the bath, Pidge says the goofiest, cutest things to them.

*Pidge, gently rinsing Aria off.* “How do you feel now?” *Pauses for a whole second.* “Adorable.” *Said with a small, sassy head warble.*

*Aria giggles excitedly.*

*Pidge, grinning wide as she leans in closer to pick her up.* “And how do you look?” *Pauses for another whole second. “Super adorable!” *Said, again, with sassy head warble.*

*Aria squeals in delight.*

With Keith, he and the kids play elaborate games while they’re in the bath using their little toys. Like, they come up with entire backstories for it and probably spend way longer in the tub post-clean-up than necessary. One such instance involved Newt pretending to be Cthulhu and flooding half the bathroom with a splash and Keith’s pants with the splash he created. Pidge was a little bit displeased with this. Keith ended up having to clean the mess up with the wet pants still on.

So Homework!! They have a system for this too!!

The kids always do their homework at the kitchen table just to assure they it gets done and they don't goof off. They love their kids but they know what to expect from them. Keith helps them with History and English, Pidge takes Math and Science, and they alternate on Geography/ Social Studies/ Whatever the Hell they call it now. Since they also take turns on who makes dinner, they work the system as such: If Keith is making dinner, the kids work with Pidge on her respective subjects while he's cooking. After dinner, while Pidge does the dishes, Keith works on his respective subjects with them. And vice versa, obviously.

Most of the time, the kids will help out, too. They’ll help set the table and, depending on where they’re at with their homework, they’ll help with doing the dishes and putting away any leftovers.

The only night that homework isn't an immediate concern is Friday nights because weekend. Typically, though, the kids still fall in line with the schedule solely because they like having their weekend be stress free so they can go fuck shit up have a lot of fun.

They teach all the kids basic self-defense moves. Amber and Kaden are the only ones that take a vested interest in learning the art of fighting, though, so that becomes a way for those two to bond. Newt learns a decent amount for really dire situations but normally relies on his quick thinking in a fight. Aria doesn't remember jack from what she's taught because she never has a reason to use it. This is due to how she is a Too Smol Cinnamon Roll™ who would never want to fight anyone ever.

Additionally, over the weekend, they tend to do a variety of things from one-on-one kid stuff as well as family-centered things. Sunday nights are typically when they either watch a movie or play board games together.

Okay, now let's talk about the dynamics between each parent and the children individually!

Keith and Pidge each have something special that they only really do with each kid, one-on-one. This is because they want to make sure they know their kids and are close to them, so that way the kids know their parents are always there to support/help them, as well as to give them chances to open up to them if/ when they are facing struggles. It’s also because they want to make sure that the kids feel like they get equal care and attention from both their parents. I’m gonna start with Pidge, and go in birth order with each of the little Kidgelings.

Basically, Keith and Pidge are the kind of parents who, when they say they know what’s going on with their kids, they mean it. And not in the sense that they snoop or pry, but in an organic and respectful way that the kids feel comfortable coming to them about the mundane stuff as well as when a situation gets really challenging for them.

Pidge and Amber bond over B-Grade horror flicks. They love sitting and riffing on the effects, plot, characters, all of it. They’re favorites are Plan 9 from Outer Space, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and both of the Birdemic films. They make sure to get plenty of snacks and drinks before they start their little movie marathons. They go with Butterfingers, Reese’s, Red Vines, and a bowl of popcorn with, strange as it may seem, chocolate syrup drizzled on top. They go with Dr. Pepper – or Cherry Dr. Pepper when they’re feeling a little different – for their drink of choice and settle in for a Mother-Daughter riff fest.

Pidge and Kaden bond over building small soapbox carts together. Kaden joins a little hobby racing group for kids and they hold frequent charity racing events. The club has a rule, though, that the child participants can only participate with soapbox carts they make themselves; with the help of a parent/ guardian, of course. Pidge, given her knowledge in regards to constructing technology and devices, is the perfect partner to help her son. Pidge actually clears a little area in her garage workshop and buys him a toolkit for his use only. She always takes her time and lets him do a majority of the hard work, serving more as a guiding hand, and Kaden adores getting the chance to gain some firsthand knowledge from his Mom about stuff like this.

Pidge and Newt bond over classic video games, which is to be expected, I think. Newt is the one whose interests and hobbies – for the most part – fall in line with Pidge’s own so they have the most ground to build on. In specific, he’s really intrigued by old game systems and video games from way before he was born. Pidge, being an avid collector, has a wide array for him to get a firsthand experience with. She likes watching him get angry when he gets stuck on puzzles in games and then try to whine at her to tell him the answer. How well-behaved he’s been between their gaming sessions determines how quickly she relents in giving him hints or tips to help him figure things out.

Pidge and Aria end up bonding over, interestingly enough, doing yoga together! One day, when Aria is about six, they’re picking Kaden up from his karate class and notice a flier for a Mommy-Daughter yoga class that one of the dance instructor’s is aiming to start. Aria gets really excited about the idea and asks if they can go, which Pidge agrees to because she can’t say no to one of her babies getting excited about participating in things. They have a blast getting to go to their weekly yoga sessions to get a bit of a workout and spend some one-on-one time for a good while, but then the instructor moves away and the class is cancelled. After that, Pidge invests in some yoga DVDs for at home so they can still do their work out together, using that as a guide.

Sometimes, when Aria notices that he isn’t busy, she’ll invite Kaden to join her and Pidge with their yoga session, since it’s a good way to unwind.

Keith and Amber bond over the great outdoors. I’ve always really kind of loved how Pidge isn’t very interested in nature despite being the Green Paladin, while Keith feels more at ease in those environments. Amber tends to lean towards siding with Keith in this regard. She really likes it when Keith lets her help him with the gardening and other yard work tasks. She loves getting to go out, slip on some gloves, and help Keith with pulling weeds or putting in a new type of plant. Keith teaches her all that he knows about plants and wilderness survival – because, come one. The dude lived in a rundown shack in the middle of the desert for at least one year. Homeboy has to have some decent wilderness survival skills – such as teaching her how to tell what kind of berries are safe to eat, how to use moss on a tree to navigate better, how to start a fire without a lighter/matches, etc.

Keith and Kaden bond over old mecha shows and building models of the mechs they see. I’ve always believed that Keith was a huge fan of giant robot and super sentai shows growing up, so when Kaden starts taking an interest in those kinds of things, he’s eager to encourage and engage in them with him. They’ll power through a whole series of Gundam over the course of a night or two, select their favorite two or three robots, and Keith will look into ordering the model kits for them to construct together. They take turns on who reads off the instructions and who does the actual assembly. So far, their favorites have been the original Mobile Suit Gundam that started the whole franchise and Gundam Wing. Their favorite builds are RX-78-2 Gundam and XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe. This hobby is somewhat similar to what he does with Pidge mostly because Kaden likes doing tasks that keep his hands busy.

Keith and Oliver bond over wildlife and animals in general. Remember in the last part where I mentioned that Keith ends up taking Oliver with them on the morning walks because of what a Lil Shit™ he is to Aria? When Keith takes him along, he gives him a little checklist of wildlife common on the path they take and tells him to put a little checkmark next to the name of each one he sees. After this, Oliver becomes greatly fascinated with the habits and differences of the wilderness around their home. Due to Keith having those previously-mentioned wilderness survival skills, he actually knows a lot about the animals so he can answer most questions Oliver has for him. Sometimes they’ll go to wildlife exhibits and museums to further their knowledge, or just go dink around in the wilderness near their house. This led to a time where Oliver located a few Rough-skinned newts in a pond and, knowing very little about them, snatched two up and took them over to show Keith. Fun thing about this type of newt; they release a toxin to deter predators. Keith hastily helped him put them back and, on the way to a nearby public restroom to thoroughly wash his hands clean of the toxins, he explained this to his son. After this, Oliver declared newts his favorite animals and the family gave him his infamous nickname: Newt.

Additionally, because Amber and Newt have somewhat similar interests, Keith will sometimes take them with him for a little one-night camping trip.

Keith and Aria bond over music, obvious as that is. Keith knows how to play the guitar and piano and has a decent set of pipes on him. Plus, he loves getting to sing the kids lullabies, too. Aria’s always been soothed by music and as she grows, so does her passion for the subject. Keith teaches her the piano and will take her to see musicals when they come into the area. Pidge teasingly calls them their “Daddy-Daughter Dates” because of how they’ll go out for dinner either before or after depending on what time the show is. For days afterwards, they’ll randomly burst out into duets of whatever their favorite songs from the show were. Of the shows they’ve been able to see, they’ve liked Wicked, Chicago, and Phantom of the Opera the best. Keith may also have a soft spot in him for Mamma Mia!; Pidge has heard him humming Dancing Queen more times than he’d like her to acknowledge, and teases him about it when she catches him.

Okay, now why don’t we actually talk about the Kidgelings themselves, hm? I’ll be going in birth order again because it’s easier. I may, however, jump around a little bit in this since I’ll try to talk about the relationships between the siblings.

So little Miss Amber Rose Kogane!

Let’s start with some superficial, trivial fun facts; Amber’s favorite color is peach, just like her baby blanket, but she also really likes dark green hues. Her favorite animals are giraffes and deer. Her favorite foods are anything pasta-related, but she’s especially fond of five-cheese lasagna and chicken alfredo. Since Nanny Collie is a master at Italian dishes, she’ll happily make these for the kids when they’re over, and later teaches Amber the family recipe when she’s older. Her favorite desserts are anything mint-flavored, much like Keith. The two of them will often share bowls of mint chocolate chip ice cream together. Her favorite candies are Reese’s and Butterfinger bars. Since they’re the same as Pidge, she’ll often share them with her Momma.

Amber is a snarky, headstrong and confident little thing. She’s quick with a quip or jab at anyone who tries to antagonize her or her siblings. Also, she’s as stubborn as a mule. She will happily get into knock-down drag-out fights with other people – of both the physical and verbal variety – when she knows she’s right. And that, right there, is the big thing about her; Amber will fight tooth and nail when she knows that she is in the right.

Amber is often seen as being a bit arrogant by some of the other kids at school, but really it’s just that she’s confident, self-assured, and brave to the extent that it’s borderline suicidal. Guess which parent she gets that from. She’s learned something significant from both of her parents that have a huge hand in shaping her. From Pidge, she learns to be proud of what she’s good at while working hard at areas where she falls short. From Keith, she learns when to choose her battles, but also that when she chooses to pick the fight, she should see it through; regardless of if she wins or loses.

Her parents are firm with her that they don’t approve of fighting, but they’re also not naïve enough to think that conflict won’t happen sometimes. They were Paladins of Voltron fighting the Galra Empire. They know what it means to be placed in a situation where fighting back may be the only conflict-resolution that yields any kind of meaningful results. So, while they make sure that Amber understands that non-hostile approaches should always be her first approach, they do take the time to make sure that she has the necessary skills to take care of herself if/ when she needs to handle an escalated situation.

They teach all the kids this lesson, but Amber’s the one who tends to need to have a refresher on it most often because she just can’t stop herself sometimes. Amber Rose Kogane lives to fight.

Her tendency towards conflict ends up working well in her favor once she starts taking on extracurricular activities at school. She joins the soccer, volleyball, and track and field teams at school, as well as taking fencing classes and gymnastic courses outside of that. She always liked how good Keith was with a blade, but she finds the rapiers that fencers use to be a bit more suited to her, given that she’s a petite and zippy build. Engaging in somewhat competitive and physically draining hobbies helps to temper her out quite a bit as she gets older. She’s still a bit of an impulsive right-fighter, but she gets a lot better about assessing a situation before she starts in on the smug commentary.

In regards to her relationships with her siblings, she’s probably the closest with Kaden, but she does get along really well with Newt and Aria too. Well, except when Newt’s being an antagonistic lil’ shit; then she puts on her Big Sis Breeches and reminds him how the pecking order works. She and Kaden like to spare together in regards to both fisticuffs and practicing with blades; while being supervised by an adult, of course. Sometimes Newt will come into her room while she’s doing homework and just sit with her, working on some project of his own at the desk she never uses, music playing and the two of them just enjoying some quiet company. Amber and Aria have the least common ground, but the older Kogane definitely has a soft spot for her baby sister, listening to her prattle about the latest bit of gossip within her friend group and offering advice on how to hopefully diffuse the social situation.

Ironically enough, Amber’s really good at thinking of peaceful solutions to conflicts that don’t directly involve her. Not so good at the practicing what she preaches thing, though.

Amber takes her position as the oldest very seriously; though, sometimes, this leads to her butting heads with the others more than she should. Amber tends to be a bit of a nosy busybody, so if she thinks that something’s up with one of her siblings, she’s gonna shove her nose into their business. More times than not, though, once she knows what’s up, she’ll keep quiet and just kind of keep tabs on them. If she thinks they need her help, she’ll intervene. If she thinks it’s outside of her pay wage, she’ll drop subtle hints to Keith and Pidge that something is up. Typically they already noticed, but they appreciate her concern regardless.

While her abrasive attitude makes her a bit difficult to get along with, Amber does have a small group of friends; most of them being boys. The two she’s closest with are Alfor, the oldest of Lance and Allura’s kids, and Richter, Hunk and Shay’s son. Richter tries to be the voice of reason in their little gaggle but, sadly, tends to get ignored a lot when they’re really young. As they get older, though, Amber really values having him as her friend because he can help to keep her from picking needless fights. She and Alfie are kind of like frenemies and, because of this, the “legendary rivalry” between Keith and Lance lives again.

Only this time, the involved Kogane is an active and willing participant with just as much sass as her opponent.

Hunk’s heart goes out to his son, because he’s been there.

One time, when they were playing hide-and-seek at the park, Alfor accidentally broke Amber’s nose. For the game, they made up only three simple rules; you can’t move from your location once you hide, you can’t hide in any of the family cars, and you can’t hide in the bathroom. Amber was it and had found everyone except him.

“Okay, where could he be?” *Amber grumbling, hand son her hip, glaring around angrily.*

“I thought I saw him heading towards the bathroom!” *Patrick, another one of the kids in their rag-tag grade-schooler gang, chimed in.*

“Are you kidding me? Well, Prince of Dorktea just signed himself up as being it next since he broke the stinkin’ rules!” *Amber, furious, marching her way over to the bathrooms*

“But Amber, that’s are the boy’s restroom! You can’t go in there!” *Richter, fretful and reasonable as always.*

*Amber turns, walking backwards towards the little bathroom hut.* “Yeah, and he went in there specifically to try and cheat to win! If he thinks I’m gonna let him win, he’s got another thing coming!”

“Oh man, she’s gonna give it to him good!” *Curtis, another one of their friends, states with a laugh. He then starts jogging after her.* “Come on! We gotta see this!”

*Cue the small group of Richter, Patrick, Curtis, Kaden, and another kid in their group, Monty, pattering along with her. The other boys are all giggly and giddy because they think Amber and Alfor’s fights are funny. Richter has a Bad Feeling™.*

*Amber marches in and looks down at the bottom of the stalls, seeing a set of electric blue and black sneakers scuffing up the cement flooring in the second stall.* “Alfor, you big cheat! Get out here and take your turn being it!” *She begins pounding on the door to add emphasis to her point.*

*There’s a quiet shift and suddenly the shoes are gone.*

“I already saw your feet, dingus! Standing on the toilet isn’t gonna help you none!”

“Go away or I’m gonna tell your Mom and Dad you went into the boy’s room!”

*Cue all the other kids – sans Richter - letting out a scandalized ‘Oooohhhhh!’*

“Go ahead! I’ll just tell your Mom and Dad that you were cheating!”

*Cue another round of jeers from the Peanut Gallery.*

*Alfor suddenly throws the door open with way more force than necessary, causing it to fly full-force into Amber and knocking her flat on her back.* “Don’t you dare, you dirty-! Hey, where’d she-?” *He starts, then pauses when she isn’t there, and looks around. His eyes get really wide when he sees her as she rolls onto her side and starts to push herself upright.* “Uh, A-Amber, are you-?”

“You friggin’ jerk! What’d you do that for?” *Amber turns to face him, scowling and furious with a few tears prickling her eyes, not realizing that her nose is now gushing blood. She reaches up to wipe at her eyes then freezes when her fingers come back bloody. Slowly lifts her head to look at the other kids, who are now pale and aghast, then glares over at Alfor.* “I am so telling on you!”

*The other boys scatter immediately, darting off to avoid being included in the backlash that’ll most certainly come from the grown-ups. Kaden rushes over to Pidge, Keith, Allura and Lance, who are settled at a picnic table talking. Aria is napping in her stroller while Newt is on the swings with Krolia, who they all call Nana Olia. The little guy is shrieking and wailing like mad as he approaches, causing all the adults to go into Panic Mode. Pidge and Keith dart over, meeting him halfway, and Pidge scoops him up.*

“Kaden, baby, what’s wrong? What happened? What hurts?” *Pidge, trying to remain calm, but her tone just a bit urgent and frantic.*

*He’s way too distressed to understand but they at least manage to get “Amber” and “bad owie” out of it. Keith starts to look around for her, glancing over at the playground equipment and swings to see if she’s there, and then towards the little soccer field since sometimes Patrick will bring a ball and they’ll play out there.*

*And then, when his eyes swipe back towards the direction Kaden came from, Amber has trotted up, still scowling, blood having started to stain the front of her shirt, little arms crossed over her chest.* “Dad, Mom, Alfor is a stupid jerk who cheats and then he went and did this to me!” *She points at her still-steadily bleeding nose.*

Keith nearly has a heart attack. Pidge is absolutely livid. The McClain’s lay the law down something fierce with Alfie once he stops hiding in the bathroom.

This isn’t the last time that any of the Kidgelings get hurt pretty bad and Ho Boi does Amber give them another more severe bout of heart attacks about injuries in the future but it is the first time it happens and it freaks them both out something fierce.

Pretty early on into her pre-teen years, when all her classmates are starting to get past the concept of cooties and start to develop attractions to their peers, Amber reveals that she’s not attracted to boys. She is, though, attracted to other girls. She’d always sort of known because she never really thought any of her friends were cute but there were tons of girls in her classes that she thought were cute, she just never really thought much about it when she was younger. Keith and Pidge are both absolutely supportive and accepting of her sexuality, telling her that she’s their baby girl and they’d love her regardless of her sexual orientation. She also talks a lot about it with Uncle Shiro, since he’s openly gay and happily married at this point.

*Amber, shrugging off her backpack and flopping face down on the couch with a loud groan when she comes home from school.*

*Shiro perks up, pouring himself a cup of coffee since he was over visiting.* “Hey there, Ber-Ber. How was school?”

“Beatrice friggin’ Hollinger!” *She lifts her head just long enough to be heard shouting this before flopping back down.*

“Oh, she’s the cute red-head on the volleyball team with you, right?”

*Another long, drawn-out groan from Amber.*

“Come in here with me. I’ll make you a glass of chocolate milk and you can tell Uncle Shiro all about it, my poor Padawan.”

I’ll elaborate much more on these two in another post I’m planning to make *cough IhaveanaskthisfitsbetterinthatI’mstillpreparing cough* so look forward to more information about that there.

On to baby number two; Kaden Ethan Kogane!

So the fun trivial facts with the little guy! Kaden’s favorite colors are any shade of red and any shade of orange, kind of like the predominant hues of a sunrise. His favorite animals are moose, thanks to his dear friend Bob, and he also really loves fennec foxes. His favorite food is anything with meat and, additionally, he really likes artichokes. His favorite desserts are snicker doodle and gingerbread cookies; he loves things that have a bit of spice and kick to them. This is more something he gets from Pappy Sam, so whenever he goes over to visit them, Nanny Collie will make a little platter of cookies for them to share. His favorite candies are anything with dark chocolate, though he also really loves dark chocolate raisins. Keith is also fond of the chocolate raisins and the two will snack on them together.

Kaden may not be the oldest since Amber became an official member of the family roster, but that doesn’t really change much about him. He’s still a very noble little dude who will eagerly throw down for the greater good of those he cares about. He’s a bit more on the reserved side, his appearance not being the only thing that he got from Keith in this regard, but he’s also quick as a whip like his Momma. He, much like Amber, has also inherited the hot-headed tendencies of both their parents, and with him it’s also paired with a pretty short temper – which is quite a bit longer for members of his family - and is even quicker to launch into Fight Mode than his sister. He and Amber are similar in this vein, which is probably another reason why they’ve got such a close bond, but they are a bit different in how they go about it.

He is better than Amber about going for help to the proper authority, but when he does get pushed to his breaking point he hits a lot harder for a lot longer than Amber does. I’ve addressed it a handful of times before in at least two separate fics, but he doesn’t mess around when it comes to the safety of his siblings and friends. Additionally, because of what Kaden’s seen happen with Newt and Aria, he feels very strongly about bullies. While Amber will go to bat for her siblings and her close personal friends, Kaden tends to be a bit more of a vigilante of freedom for his peers in general. If he sees someone getting roughed up by a bully, he’ll square up with the bully and get them to step off.

He also, however, reminds the people being bullied that they need to make sure they speak out to the grown-ups about what’s going on. In some cases, where the bullied student has reached out to teachers but gotten no help, Kaden will teach them the strictly defensive techniques he knows so they can at least protect themselves when he isn’t around. Keith and Pidge don’t necessarily agree with his approach, but they also can’t say they’re angry that he’s trying to help other kids that need it.

As I’ve mentioned somewhere before, he’s the biggest cuddle bug of all the Kidgelings. All the kids like to get paid some attention and affection from their parents, sure, but Kaden? Getting snuggled is his jam. Even as he gets a little older and starts going to school, he’ll sometimes just walk over to Pidge and, without a word, just hold his arms out. She immediately pauses in whatever she’s doing to scoop him up for hug and, until he gets too big for it, she’ll just kind of carry him around like he’s a koala bear on a tree.

Much like Amber, Kaden ends up participating in a few sports teams as well. He joins the soccer – because he wants to be like his big sis – and baseball teams. Outside of that, he joins the little hobby racer group that I mentioned before, and signs up for martial arts classes. He really enjoys participating in the tournaments and getting to test his skills against equally skilled opponents.

As for his bonds with his siblings, as I mentioned, he and Amber are the closest due to their sparing and shared interest in sports. She’ll give him tips and tricks in regards to soccer techniques, showing him how to balance the ball on his head and such. He tends to be the Newt Wrangler as they grow older just because he likes trying to help with keeping things together and take some of the weight off of his parents. This, however, doesn’t mean that he and Newt don’t occasionally get into dumb shenanigans together, because they do; stealing Garrison ships, doing stupid Jackass-style stunts, etc. He and Aria get along pretty good and he’s rather protective of her. Sometimes when he’s working on homework he’ll go join her while she’s practicing her piano or cello because he likes the quiet background noise as he works, and sometimes he’ll know the song she’s trying to play and will hum along to help her figure out where she may be making a mistake in the tune.

Because of his position as a Pillar of Justice, Kaden has a ridiculous amount of admirers, but only a handful of really close personal friends. Part of this is because he really likes hanging out with Amber and the bigger kids she rolls with. Amber lets him because he can keep up with them and she’s a good big sis who likes to let her siblings be included. Outside of that, he also has six friends of his own that he’s close with that are in his own grade. His group and Amber’s eventually just kind of becomes a Frankenstein-like cluster of kids doing goofy stuff.

I’ll elaborate on this more in the next part, but I wanted to at least touch a bit on this relationship. Lance and Allura have a daughter about the same age as Kaden named Raya. The kids are more mutual acquaintances who look after one another because of their parents/ siblings being friends. This is because they have wildly different personalities/ interests/ and having skewed opinions of one another; Raya sees him as an impulsive reclusive meat-head and Kaden sees her as a loud-mouthed spoiled brat. Unlike Amber and Alfor, who have developed The Frenemiship for the Ages, they opt to just leave well enough alone and run in their opposing circles. The only times they interact is when they’re forced to, and even then the worst they do is a smack-talking session.

Well, until one incident, in specific, where he, his friends, Newt and Aria are playing with a ball and it gets stuck up high in a big oak tree in the Kogane backyard. Raya’s over because Allura is visiting with Keith, but she’s just sitting on the back porch flipping through one of those pre-teen magazines.

*Kaden, staring up at the tree, where the ball is teetering on a limb that’s shaped like a really small wishbone.* “Really? Dude, Emmett, we told you not to kick it so hard!”

*Emmett, one of Kaden’s friends, holds both his hands up defensively.* “Hey, it’s not my fault! You know that I’m a straight beast when it comes to this kind of stuff!”

“Oh, is that what they call it?” *Clyde, another of the group, snorts lightly.*

“Come at me, scrub lord. I’m ripped.” *Emmett, dead serious, staring the other kid down.*

“I’ll go get the Frisbee from the front yard. We can play with that instead!” *Aria, trying to be helpful, before scampering off.*

*Newt points to the other side of the house.* “We could go get the ladder. I think Dad left it over there after he checked that loose panel on the roof.”

“Nah, I got this.” *Kaden says before starting to hoist himself up into the tree.*

“Dude, that thing is way up there. I don’t think you’ve ever climbed up that high before.” *Levi, another member of the group, adds.*

“Just means it’s a new accomplishment I can add to my list of achievements.”

*The other boys all cheer him on as he continues to climb up, making sure to grab the branches closest to where they connect to the tree, since that’s where they’re sturdiest. He makes it all the way up to where the ball is at and, with a quick pivot of his body, manages to grab it. He turns and holds it above his head as his friends cheer louder. It’s at this moment, though, that the branch that he was holding snaps and he goes plummeting to the ground below.*

*And when he hits, he hits hard. And there’s a very distinct snapping sound when he does.*

*The other boys crowd around him as he lays there, the wind knocked out of him and blinking to try and ground himself. They’re all talking super-fast and asking him way too many questions for him to think straight.*

“Back up, now! Give him space, you lug heads!” *He hadn’t even heard Raya approach until she was right there, but he kind of appreciates her. She kneels beside him and looks him over, then lets out a small hiss.* “Newt, go get your Dad. Tell him that Kaden’s arm is really hurt and he’s gonna need to go to the hospital.”

“W-What do you-!” *Newt starts to argue, then pales when he sees a sliver of white sticking out of his brother’s skin. He turns on his heels and tears off for the house.* “Dddddddaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddd!”

*Kaden moves to sit up and Raya helps him, keeping him from using his hurt arm to try and prop himself up. Meanwhile, his three friends are freaking out.* “Oh man! Oh geez! We’re gonna be in so much trouble!”

“Why would any of us get in trouble? Kaden was the one that went up there!”

“None of us tried to stop him, though!”

“Uh, speak for yourself! I totally tried to!”

“You’re so full of crap, Levi!”

*As they prattle on, the pain starts to register for Kaden and his eyes lock on his injury. His breathing starts to escalate and he looks ready to start freaking out.*

*Raya’s eye has started to twitch and she glares up at his friends.* “If you three want to do something helpful, then shut your mouths! You’re only making things worse!” *She watches the trio for a moment and then, upon them all falling silent, she turns her attention back to Kaden.* “Take deep, steady breathes, okay? Here, watch me and do as I do. In, nice and slow, and then out, nice and slow. In, out. In, out.” *She’s extremely soft and patient with him, taking the time to make him focus on her instead of his busted arm. She then briefly looks up at his friends.* “You can join in, too, if you want to calm down.”

*The other three do, picking up on the rhythm as well. She keeps this up until Keith comes running out, Newt and Allura not far behind. Keith is aghast and gently pulls Kaden to him, reassuring him that an ambulance is on the way, and carries him through the house to the front yard. Allura instructs the other boys to head back to their houses, and ushers Raya and the other Kidgelings inside so she can look over them. Thankfully, it isn’t a long wait for the ambulance and Keith and Kaden are ushered in. The EMT in the back carefully settles Kaden on the gurney they have and starts getting him all settled. She ends up having to reset the bone, and warns both he and Keith of how bad that’s gonna feel.*

*She lets out a small whistle once he’s settled back down a bit from having the bone reset.* “You did a pretty clean break on this, huh, buddy?” *She’s polite yet playful in her words.*

“I-Is that b-b-bad?” *Kaden sniffles, starting to get worried at her words.*

“Not at all! This typically means it’ll heal faster!” *She then carefully picks up a alcohol wipe and begins clearing off the blood and the cut.* “How’d this end up happening, if you don’t mind telling?”

“I-I was climbing a t-tree to get our ball back.”

“Oh yeah? What game were you playing?”

“Kickball.”

“That’s a really fun game! Is it one of your favorites?”

“Y-Yeah. I’m really good at it, too.”

*The EMT keeps him chatting the whole ride to the hospital, which helps him calm down a lot. This experience sticks with him for a long time afterwards.*

After he gets home with his cast, he thanks Raya for her help. She shrugs and tells him that it was the right thing to do. He decides not to press her or ask how she knew that’d help, and offers to let her be the first person to sign his cast. Excluding his Dad, since Keith signed it at the hospital once his heart palpitations settled down.

Now that we’ve got the older two down, let’s get down to the third musketeer, Oliver Maxwell Kogane, A.K.A. Newt! With his facts, I kind of jumped around a bit so it doesn’t quite follow the same structure I had for Amber and Kaden, but hopefully it’ll all still make sense!

I’m still going to start with the trivia nonsense, though. Newt’s favorite color is blues, regardless of the hue or shade of it. He just thinks it’s a super mellow, calming color. He doesn’t actually have any specific favorite animal, despite what he said when he found the newts. He loves all animals, though he does admittedly have a soft spot for canines and amphibians. His favorite foods are pizza and garlic bread, all day every day. His favorite desserts are banana cream pie and carrot cake. This is something he actually gets from Keith’s dad, which immediately endears Nana Olia to him and she’ll occasionally treat him to one of them. He’s not really fond of any specific candy bar and likes all of them pretty even; he does, however, adore having ants-on-a-log as a tasty treat. Pidge is always willing and able to make these for him and enjoy a few with him.

Newt is a smart little trouble maker who marches to the beat of his own drum, leaning towards being a bit more interested in more in-door hobbies like video games or reading for the most part. He’s incredibly curious, eager to learn and, once you get to know him, he can be a really caring little guy. He, however, doesn’t suffer fools gladly and he has a very forward approach to sharing his own opinion; this is not helped by the fact that he is A Notorious Shit Talker. He has very little grasp or regard for social graces or tact when it comes to correcting someone about something. This isn’t due to him not caring about other people’s feelings, though, but because he himself would rather people tell him honestly when he does something stupid. He probably gets this from watching his Momma break down some of the Garrison officials she works with when they try to correct or dismiss her.

In regards to his relationship with his siblings, he’s the textbook-definition of a little brother in regards to Amber and Kaden. They all get on well enough but sometimes Newt just has to go and poke the bear, just because his brother and sister get So Extra when they’re angry. He and Amber find more common ground through the camping trips with Keith, as they grow to admire and respect each other’s respective nature knowledge. He and Kaden play video games together, as well as the aforementioned Jackass-style shenanigans and other highly illegal typical boy-stuffs; these are normally ideas from Newt, modified by Kaden and his friends, and then put into action by the older boys while Newt stands off to the side and observes. He insists that this is for someone to see the science behind their stunts; he is a liar. As for his relationship with Aria, he remains a constant source of antagonistic behavior towards her up until the point they start going to school. He starts to back down and will actually humor her games more often than not, and sometimes he’ll let her play his video games with him. As they get older, though, they get much closer, but I’ll elaborate on that later.

The way he is perceived by his peers’ causes two assumptions about who he is to become prevalent among his classmates; that he’s either a total jerk, or a bratty know-it-all. The second interpretation is typically what leads to him getting bullied as often as he does, and the first is why people don’t normally speak out on his behalf; and, furthermore, the situations aren’t helped remotely by the fact that Newt has a mouth that tends to write a lot of checks his sorry tail can’t actually cash. Kaden and Amber are always willing and eager to stand up for him, but as he gets older, it starts to bother and really hurt Newt how none of his classmates are willing to do the same. Regardless of if they like him or not, they should be speaking out because what’s being done to him is wrong, right?

Hey, know who we haven’t talked about a lot? Resident Good Boi Cosmo!

Because of his issues in dealing with humans and his interest in wildlife, Newt actually ends up being really good with animals in general; especially Cosmo, who is his most favorite animal in the whole known universe. And, I mean, can you blame him? Cosmo is basically just a Pokémon brought to life! He’s ridiculously attached to the cosmic wolf, and the feeling seems to be mutual. 9 times out of 10, Cosmo’ll sleep in Newt’s room with him, and if Newt’s just chilling on the couch stooging out, he’ll jump up and plop his head in the kid’s lap from some ear-scritches.

One time, Newt proclaimed that Cosmo was his best friend because he liked Newt just the way he was and never got mad at him for saying something harsh. It broke Keith’s heart two-fold; on one hand, he was glad that his son cared so much about the family wolf, but on the other hand it hurt to know that the other kids weren’t willing to give him the chance to befriend them.

Because of his actually tender heart, Newt has a bad habit of finding abandoned animals and trying to bring them home. Keith and Pidge will typically keep the animal for a night or two before taking them to the local shelter where they can get proper treatment and a good home; in the case of wildlife like rabbits and such, they’ll take them to a nature preserve. Every time Newt begs them to let him keep the animals but for the longest time Pidge and Keith are concerned that he’s just too young for the responsibility that would come with a pet.

That changes shortly after his ninth birthday. Pidge notices that someone’s been sneaking out some of the leftovers at night. She also notices that one of the pails that she occasionally uses to drain fluids when she works on Keith’s bike – which he still occasionally uses – or some new engine block she herself is building, as well as some of the old tattered up towels she kept in case of a big spill, are also missing. She has an idea of who is doing it – as well as why – but it takes her an extra day or two after she pieces it together to catch him in the act. She spots him sneaking out the back door, into the backyard, and watches him carefully scale the fence, tossing his messenger bag over before doing so.

And, because she’s gonna get an answer, she follows after him.

*Newt creeps over to a large tree in the small forest area behind their house, tossing the flab back on his bag.* “I’m sorry I’m late. I know you don’t like to be left alone for very long. But I brought you some treats! I even got some leftover bones with some meat and gristle on’em for the steak we had last night!” *He kneels down and rummages through the bag, pulling out an aluminum foil bundle.*

*A quiet little whine is heard from whatever he’s talking to as he fishes a bone out and carefully offers it to it.*

“I also brought some stuff to try and get those ouchies you have a bit cleaner. I’m pretty sure hydrogen peroxide is safe for dogs. And, I mean, Neosporin should be fine, too, I think? I looked in to it and all the sources I found said that it’ll be good. I mean, not as good as the actual stuff that vets use, but at least this way maybe it’ll hurt a little less for now.”

*Pidge carefully creeps up behind him to get a better look at the dog in question. There, stretched out on the towels, is this mottled little mutt pup. Can’t be older than six, maybe seven, months, judging by how small it is. The little thing is mostly light grey but has little cloud-like splotches of tan-orange and white spots all over. In specific, she notices there are two tan-orange spots right above it’s big brown eyes. It’s left ear looks pretty ragged, with a good chunk taken out of it. The cut is too smooth to be an injury from another animal, though, which is a bit distressing. Additionally, there are some marks on its hind quarters and tail like it got clawed up by something. The pup lifts it’s head and stares at Pidge, letting out this quiet little rumble, trying to be threatening.*

*Newt cocks his head at the puppy.* “What’s wrong, buddy? Do you see something?” *He turns and then freezes when he sees her.* “Mom…”

“Hey, buddy. Wanna introduce me to your friend?” *She makes sure to be calm, betraying nothing, as she indicates the pooch with a tilt of her head.*

*He looks at her and then back at the pup, his shoulders slumping but still reaching out to lightly scratch behind the little guy’s good ear.* “You’re gonna call the shelter to take him, aren’t you?”

*Pidge watches him for a moment, shifting to kneel beside him. She slowly offers her hand to the pup, who sniffs before giving her fingers a timid lick. She smiles a bit. The little guy is highly apprehensive, and has seen a lot of awful things, but he clearly trusts and cares about Newt.* “Did you name him?”

“I like calling him Smog, because of how his spots look like puffs of smoke.” *Newt’s voice cracks a bit and his eyes get a little watery, already anticipating the heartache of letting him go.*

*Pidge takes a deep breath before pulling out her phone, dialing a number, and waiting as it rings. She reaches out and gently rubs between his shoulders with her free hand but he doesn’t relax at all, staying focused on his furry friend.*

“Hey. I was just about to call; where’d you go?” *Keith, sounding a bit confused.*

“Sorry, I just needed to check something out. You’re not busy right now, right?” *She hums, trying to keep the smile off her face as Newt jerks to attention at hearing his dad on the other end.*

“Nah, just finished verifying the budget Adwru sent me. Why?”

“Can you do me a favor, and make sure the back of the van is cleared out? We need to make a trip to Dr. Valencia and I want to make sure Smog is comfy.”

*Newt’s eyes get wide at the mention of the doctor, as he’s the vet they take Cosmo to.*

“Wait, Dr. Valencia? Smog?”

“I promise I’ll explain everything in a bit, but can you just make sure the van’s ready?”

“Need me to call Dr. Valencia, too?”

“No, I can get that. Thanks, babe.”

*The minute she hangs up Newt throws himself at her, hugging her and saying “Thank you” over and over. She smiles and gently kisses the top of his head, giving him a squeeze back. After he’s a bit calmer, she calls Dr. Valencia’s office and they agree to take them in once they get there. Smog doesn’t have any damage to his paws, so he can walk just fine, and he pads along beside Newt like a little duckling.*

“Now, Newt, I want you to understand that you’re gonna be responsible for him. You’ll need to train him, and feed him, and you’ll need to make sure that he doesn’t mess with his scrapes and stuff, okay? This is a big responsibility, but I think you’re ready for it.”

“I will! I’m gonna take really good care of Smog!” *He’s absolutely giddy, the happiest she’s seen him in a while. It’s clear that she’s just made his whole year and she can’t help but be incredibly glad. She likes it better when her kids are happy.*

She explains everything to Keith when they get home and, after taking a look at the little guy, he agrees that they can keep him; he does, however, state that in exchange for keeping him, Newt’s not allowed to beg them to keep any other injured animals he might find. In the end, turns out that Smog is, indeed, only six months old. The injuries on his flank and tail, Dr. Valencia surmises, are most likely from getting caught under a fence trying to get away from wherever he was before. He has to wear the Cone of Shame for a while, to avoid him biting at them as they heal, but Newt is attentive to looking after him, just like he promised.

Once he’s well enough, Newt starts working on training him, and he includes Cosmo in it. Cosmo had been mostly ambivalent to the other canine when he arrived but had been a bit stand-offish with how much attention Newt was lavishing the little pup with at first. Once Smog’s all clear, Newt makes sure to give them as equal amounts of attention as he possibly can, and he includes Cosmo in Smog’s training so that he doesn’t feel ignored. He’ll have Cosmo do a specific trick a couple times – and receive pets and treats for his good examples – and then try to get Smog to copy him. Training Smog takes some time, but Pidge and Keith are floored by how diligent and patient their son is with his new pet. When he said he was going to take good care of the pooch, he meant it.

Once he has Smog and Cosmo to look after, he starts to do a bit better about coming out of his shell and interacting with other people more. He takes both dogs with him to a nearby dog park on the weekends and, through this, he makes friends with some of the other doggy parents over their shared status as animal lovers; a few of which are actually in his class and allows them to finally see past their own preconceived notions about him. Keith thinks he might have had mild social anxiety due to his bullying that is quelled a bit by having a point to better branch out and forge friendships through.

Now, in regards to Newt’s social life, he’s always been included by Amber and Kaden’s friends, but he never really considered them his friends. He always just felt like they were his siblings’ friends and they were just humoring him. Additionally, he always did have one friend in Hunk and Shay’s daughter, Morganite, but this was another friendship that he always thought was kind of forced by their parents. In all actuality, Morganite actually really admires Newt’s intelligence and willingness to so openly speak his mind; while she isn’t as timid and easily-unnerved as her older brother, Richter, she is a much more docile sort.

As Newt’s social circle expands to friends of his own, independent of his siblings, he realizes that she really is a great friend and actually apologizes for ever thinking less. She happily accepts and the two just kinda fall into their usual routine of amicable silence with the occasional break for playful banter.

In regards to additional activities Newt ends up participating in, he joins the local scout troop for a whooping two days before realizing that there’s a lot more outside to the activities than research on animals. He’ll occasionally refer to himself as an ex-scout, which results in Kaden making teasing comments about how quickly he was dispatched. Aside from that, he ends up helping out at the local shelter as often as he can, joins the Yearbook Committee, and ends up on the Debate Club. The only problem with the Debate Club is how verbally vicious he gets when proving someone wrong; despite this, the school still lets him compete because he’s their star team member.

There’s this one kid, named Zane, on the other top team that he can’t stand, because the kid is so pompous and arrogant and thinks he’s unbeatable. One time, at a match against Zane and his team, he showed up wearing a shirt with writing in Galra on it. He proudly informed both Zane and the referee that it said, “Dear Zane, Your mother wishes she swallowed you.”

Pidge thinks it’s hilarious. Keith gives not only him, but Nana Olia, a lecture about sportsmanship and respect. This is not the last time Keith has to direct this lecture at his youngest son.

That’s a wrap on him! Now let’s get on to the resident songbird, Aria Emma Kogane!

So, what kind of goofy trivia do we have on this girlie? She loves all colors but she specifically loves pastel hues of anything. Her favorite animals are tigers and bats, but she says that Muffin is her most favorite animal in the whole wide world. Her favorite foods are chicken wraps and pork chops. Her favorite dessert is rice crispy treats with chocolate drizzled on top. She shares this soft spot with Nanny Collie and loves getting to make them with her. Her favorite candies are Red Vines, which is something she actually has in common with Great Uncle Coran.

In regards to personality, Aria is an absolute heel-turn for the family. Where her siblings and parents are both vocal and strong personalities, she tends to air a bit more on the timid, modest side of things; at least when you first get to know her, anyway. Once she’s comfortable with you, or you ask her the right first question, she’ll be more than happy to talk your ears off. She inherits the excited rambling from the Holt side of the family, obviously. Additionally, she’s incredibly sociable and extremely transparent about her feelings. When she’s upset, everyone knows it and, depending on the severity of her distress, it can take quite a while to get her to cheer back up. Being the youngest, she tends to get a bit more coddled by not only their parents, but her siblings as well.

Excluding Newt, of course, but we’re gonna put a pin in that fact for now.

Her preference towards pacifism tends to make her a target for bullies, for the opposite reasoning as with Newt. The kids that go after Aria do so because they expect no retaliation; and, if they choose to bully her away from the watchful eyes of any of her siblings, they’ll typically get away with it. She really hates conflict and violence, and she dislikes making any of her siblings upset. She knows that telling them about what’s going on with her will only make them mad and lead to big fights between them and her bullies, so she typically tries to keep her mouth shut. Despite being bullied every so often, Aria gets along with most of the kids she goes to school with. Most of her bullies are bigger kids looking for easy targets, so she’s able to find solidarity and companionship with some of the other younger kids that get the same treatment.

As she gets older, her opinion and approach to conflict changes a bit, but that’ll be something else to remember for later times.

She’s an incredibly creative kid, with a vast imagination and a deep passion for the finer nuances of playing dress-up. She’ll create intricate, elaborate backstories for all her stuffed animals before the start of every play session and, as implied before, she takes it very seriously. Whenever a member of the family gets roped into playing with her, she’ll give them the full run down of all the specifics behind the inner workings of the stories she has crafted into one another. It’s a little exasperating, but her family also finds it incredibly endearing. Her favorite game to play is Detective Fairy Princess Aria, working as a magical detective with the help of her faithful dinosaur partner, Deputy Muffin.

Aria, much like the rest of the family, has quite a lot of smarts that she makes use of in the most bizarre of instances. One time, she used two devices Pidge invented – one being a device that magnified the gravitational pull of whatever it was attached to, and a small gun that fired a spider web-esque material – to trap Newt under a spare laundry bin and stick Kaden to the ceiling during a game of play-pretend. Her brothers were absolutely gob smacked. Her parents and sister were rather impressed. Additionally, she has perfect pitch and can much more easily adjust her own singing to match, as well as being very skilled at picking up new languages as she gets older. Before the age of twelve, she’s well-versed in French and Italian, dabbles in a little bit of Galran, and really wants to start learning Spanish.

In regards to her musical prowess, she learns how to play piano from Keith, as well as taking an interest in the cello. Due to her having perfect pitch, she learns how to tune her instrument by ear pretty quickly so she can practice much easier at home. She loves taking the time to tinker with the tuning and correct the sound of her cello, then losing herself in practicing her sheet music. She also likes to practice her pieces for the choir as well.

In regards to extra-curricular activities, Aria ends up going into orchestra and choir, as predictable as those are. She also, however, ends up joining the drama club and cheer-leading squad once she gets to middle school. Participating in these helps get her out of her shell, making her more confident, and makes her significantly more outgoing. She ends up being in the top-ranking choir the school has and auditions for any solo that she can so she can test her skills. She also enjoys participating in the drama club productions, but she tends to audition more for secondary roles just because she’s a little less confident in her acting chops compared to her singing pipes; she will, however, audition for the lead in the cases of them doing a musical.

So, her relationship with her siblings! I know I’ve already talked about it with all the other kids, but I want to keep talking about it here because, as I’ve already established, I have no self-control. She goes to Amber a lot for advice about her friends and such as she gets older and, in her younger years, Amber will occasionally indulge in her elaborate games of pretend. Aria and Kaden have an incredibly close bond, with the two of them able to enjoy one another’s companionable silence. Once she starts getting more interested in her drama club activities, he’ll also help her most often with her line-reads. She and Newt have a strange relationship up until two specific points; Newt starting to develop more friendships due to his having both Cosmo and Smog, and Aria becoming more self-confident due to her musical performances.

The triggering event for their dynamics chance occurs during a weekend where the kids are left home alone while Keith and Pidge are out of town for their wedding anniversary. They leave Amber in charge as a test, since the kids have been insisting that they can handle themselves without the need of a babysitter. The kids are 17, 14, 12 and 10 respectively. From the moment they’re gone, however, Kaden and Newt take to being absolutely terrorists. They refuse to listen to any of the rules in place, or take Amber seriously when she tries to rein them in. This all comes to a head Sunday morning when, after the two tearing up the house with their friends all weekend and throwing a huge party with said friends, they refuse to help with cleaning when Amber wants to get started.

Some nasty things are said because, while they’re all close, they are still siblings and that’s just something that occasionally happens. Newt is particularly awful in the snide comments he makes, going out of his way to undermine Amber.

Amber, who had been struggling to maintain composure throughout the weekend between upcoming exams and other obligations which we’ll get into in the next part, ends up having a breakdown and locks herself in her room. This is the point where Aria breaks and steps in, taking charge and showing she has more of that Kogane-Holt spirit.

*Aria watches Amber disappear upstairs, a trash bag in one hand, then turns and glares at the boys.* “What is wrong with you two?”

*Kaden blinks then turns and heads towards the kitchen.* “Oh, calm down. We’ll clean up after breakfast.”

“Yeah. I need some cereal before I do anything to help out pwecious wittle Ber-Ber.” *Newt agrees, cupping his hands beside his cheek and batting his eyelashes as he speaks.*

*Kaden snorts a bit as he gets two bowls down.* “You’re acting like we have no intention of making sure that Mom and Dad come back to an intact house. If we don’t, they’ll never let us go sitter-free again for a weekend.”

“And they still aren’t going to. I’m telling them about all of this.” *Aria gestures to the scattered bits of junk food, spilled drinks and other such mess in the living room.*

*Kaden and Newt exchange glances before they start busting up laughing.* “Yeah, right! You won’t do anything!” *Newt’s sneering when he says this, leaning a bit closer to her.*

*Aria’s eyes suddenly spark with a new fire, blazing as she glares at him more ferociously. Instead of saying anything, she turns on her heels and disappears upstairs as well. The boys think that things are totally fine and have themselves a celebratory bowl of cereal. Meanwhile, Ari is making a very important call.*

*Keith perks up in the driver’s seat when Pidge’s phone starts chiming with the lyric-less version of The Cell Block Tango.* “Huh. Wasn’t expecting to hear from Ari so early.” *Pidge comments before accepting the call.* “Hey there, sweet pea. What’s up?”

“Mommy? I-I don’t want to bother you when you’re not home yet, but I didn’t know what else to do.” *Ari lays it on thick, adding sniffles and faked hiccups as if she’s crying. In actually she’s just sitting on the edge of her bed, kicking her feet lightly in the air.*

*Pidge sits a bit more upright immediately, adjusting the strap of her seatbelt.* “No, it’s okay. What’s going on? Are you and the others okay?” *Keith perks up and looks over, mouthing a quick ‘What’s going on?’ Pidge holds one finger up at him as she waits for Ari to elaborate.*

“W-Well, it’s Kaden and Newt. They threw a party last night while Amber was at a study session with some of her classmates. I told them not to, but they wouldn’t listen! They made a huge mess of the place, too! And then, this morning, they said awful things to Amber when she told them they needed to get it cleaned up before you two got home! Amber’s really upset in her room and they’re just laughing about it! I know I should have called Nana Olia or Nanny and Pappy but I just-!”

“Oh, sweetheart, no. It’s okay. You did the right thing calling us. We’ll deal with your brothers. For now, you just check on your sister and make sure she’s doing alright, okay? Dad and I will be home in less than two hours, judging the traffic, so you two just stay out of the way until we get there, okay?” *Pidge speaks in a soft and reassuring tone. She looks over at Keith, holds up her middle and index fingers – they’ve developed a code using their fingers, sans thumbs, to signify which kids they’re referencing – and then makes a slit throat gesture. Keith lets out a small swear, knowing this means the boys are in trouble. He’d been hoping the kids would behave themselves while they were gone.

“Thank you, Mommy. I love you both.”

“Love you too, Ari. We’ll see you soon.” *The minute they’re off the phone, Ari darts to the basement to put the next part of her plan in motion. Meanwhile, Pidge loads up her phone and sends a request to Kaden for a video call.*

*The boys see the phone lighting up, see who is calling, and immediately start losing their shit. They know that they probably shouldn’t answer it, because they’re thinking that Pidge tried calling Amber first and didn’t get an answer, which means they’re already going to be on high alert. But if they don’t answer the call, then they’re gonna get in even worse trouble for not answering and making their parents worry even more.*

*Newt is the one that bites the bullet and answers, making sure to turn the phone so that Pidge can only see the boys.*

“Hey, Mom. S’up?” *He asks, plastering on a tense smile.*

*Pidge, meanwhile, has a much better fake smile on her face.* “Not much, sweetie, just doing a check-in. How have things been this weekend at the house?”

“Oh, they’ve been – you know – uh, great! Absolutely great!” *He’s trying so hard to sound normal.*

“Oh yeah?”

“Totally! We know how to behave when you guys aren’t around, you know!” *Kaden chimes in, sounding only slightly less terrified than his brother.*

“Good, good. Been making sure to keep up on your chores?” *Pidge’s smile twitches at the corner, the only sign the boys get that reveals what’s actually going on.*

*The boys briefly exchange glances, because they know what this means. Kaden and Newt Kogane realize, in this moment, that they have made a grievous error in judgment.*

*Pidge makes them pan the camera over to how the kitchen and living room work, leading to her tearing them each a new one. She makes it clear they’re both grounded for two weeks from the television, the gaming consoles, and having free time on the computer; one week for being so disrespectful to their sister, and the other for the mess they have. She makes sure to let them know that they’ll get a third week tacked on if they come home and the house is still a pit.*

*The minute they get off the call, two sets of rubber cleaning gloves are tossed at them. They turn to see Ari leaning in the doorway, looking smugly satisfied as she examines the chipping green nail polish on her hand, five differently colored little drones floating beside her.* “Well, boys, sounds like you two should get to work. And don’t worry; the Rover Squad will be here to help keep you motivated.” *She says, her tone sugar and sweet and so devious it’s unnerving. The Rover Squad have been given the command to make sure they keep working until every spot of the house is immaculate and, if they stop, they’ll start blaring an ear-splitting noise until they start working again.*

While they get to work, she makes some waffles for herself and Amber, then takes the plates upstairs and joins her older sister in her room. They have breakfast, occasionally snorting at the sound of blaring alarms downstairs, and, once they’re done eating, Amber repaints Aria’s nails for her.

This reminds Kaden and Newt to not underestimate their baby sister. Despite being on the receiving end of her wrath, Newt realizes how clever his sister is, causing him to have further respect for her, and this is the point where his attitude towards her starts to shift.

Unlike her siblings, Aria is by far the most sociable of all the Kidgelings. She starts out befriending other kids that are bullied, but as she and the kids get older, she just ends up being the kind of person that others gravitate towards. It’s mostly because Aria’ is just so genuinely kind and sweet. She’s a charming little kid with plenty of admirers, both male and female. She has a couple of friends that she’s significantly closer to than others, naturally, but she does her best to be polite and respectful to everyone she meets.

In specific, she gets is really close to Raya and Coriander, two of Lance and Allura’s daughters, as well as Morganite, her older cousin Hikari, the daughter of Shiro and Matt. With Raya and Coriander, they bond over the typical “girly” hobbies, such as fashion and make-up and such. With Raya, she bonds over both fashion advice as well as Raya helping her with her cheerleading moves. Raya is the head cheerleader of the older girls’ squad and she’s always eager to help teach Ari higher level steps and moves to help her with her auditions for the next rank up. With Cori, it’s always fashion advice and helping her to determine what’s in and what isn’t. As they get older, Cori also helps her with doing her hair and make-up for her performances. Morganite is really skilled at making jewelry and other such accessories, which is something she helps to teach Ari to do as well. Hikari is a huge shutterbug, who loves taking pictures, recording videos and also does art/animation in her free time. She’ll always record Ari’s performances and, when she does animations, Ari will help her with voice acting/ composing original scores for her animated shorts.

That’s all for now! Keep an eye out for the continuation of this, and thank you so much for taking the time to give this a read! x3

#crumbles grumbles #Keidge #Kidge #Peith #Kidgemas #half baked headcanons #There are probably a ton of typos in this but meh #I wanted this done tonight so I'll just edit it tomorrow

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writingismyhappytime · 7 years

Text

Dauntless: Daddy Dearest (Part 9)

Eric x OC

Warnings: Language, Violence, Angst, Smut

"There we go," I grunted, setting Kai's carrier on top of the counter as I entered the daycare. "He's all yours for the day."

"Alright." Trevor reached for Kai, who now had the art of spit bubbles down pat. I reached forward, popping it for him and making him scrunch his nose. I chuckled; I wondered if I did those as a kid.

Considering I was in a different faction, I hadn't seen my old family in a decade almost. I didn't miss them, I didn't miss leaving Erudite at all. Did they know I had a kid now, my own family? Did they realize they were grandparents?

Honestly, did it even matter?

I doubted I would recognize them now anyway.

~~~~~~

Camille was ignoring me.

Flat out, cold shoulder, pretending I didn't exist type of ignoring me. She used to do this a lot in the beginning of our relationship, especially when she was trying to pretend that we weren't doing anything in our off hours.

Which we were.

A lot.

I frowned at her across the training area, crossing my arms along my chest. She was barking something at one of the female initiates, something about how lousy their form was, before forcibly straightening them; she wasn't acting any different with these kids now that she had her own, she was still just as harsh --- her mothering instincts made no difference in her job.

I had to be proud of her there, she was an excellent soldier.

"Keep your head up, don't look at your feet when someone is approaching you," I snapped at the boy in front of me on the mats, sparring with someone else. "You face them head on, don't cower. Raise your arms!"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose at such idiocy; how did these kids expect to get in this faction when they knew nothing of fighting? I supposed, considering it was only the second day, I shouldn't be so judgemental, but I'd only gotten two hours of sleep last night thanks to Camille aggravating Kai.

The bitch.

I had no idea what her sudden problem was, why she suddenly wanted to know if I was dumb enough to have a second kid --- obviously not right now, one was more then enough!

My eyes caught on one of the new transfers, the candor who had been brazen enough to make a smart comment about Camille. I narrowed my eyes at him where he stood across the blue mat, talking to one of the former Erudites.

Heh.

I cracked my knuckles thoughtfully, shifting restlessly. I hadn't had a good fight in a month now, even dealing with those factionless hadn't been enough to settle me down.

I was getting frustrated, with Camille, with not having sex and not getting any sleep --- I would never have tolerated this from anyone else.

I cut my eyes across the room, seeing her demonstrating a move, how quick and easy her movements were. She knew how to fight, she had scars from using those very same moves --- Camille was excellent.

Just a goddamn bitch.

"You," I barked, glowering at the candor, seeing him jump as I singled him out. "On the mat, now."

There was a soft murmur before the candor moved, rolling his shoulders as he stepped onto the blue mat before him. He was rather large, about a head shorter then me, dark skinned with a shaved head.

I was going to teach him a few things.

"You kids better learn this quick," I said, seeing him shift uneasily as I stepped up near him, cracking my knuckles again. "You show us trainers respect, you watch your mouth, because there's always consequences."

"Eric," Fours voice was suddenly wary, and I saw him out of the corner of my eye, stepping away from the punching bags. Nosy fucking stiff --- why'd he always have to interfere?

"I'm just gonna show them some moves," I shrugged my shoulders, grinning as I looked at the Candor. "Some of them need to learn the hard way. You all know the rules, the only way out of a fight is to go down. We don't accept begging or pleading, and if you can't handle it, I suggest you get out now."

I meant every word.

We didn't accept the weak.

~~~~~~~

"What the fuck were you thinking, beating up that transfer like that?" Camille snarled as we stepped into the apartment, setting Kai down carefully on the table. "You nearly broke his arm!"

"Teach him for being a disrespectful little bitch!" I retorted. "And so you're talking to me now?"

She glared at me, her hands going to her hips as she squared off with me. She never backed down, and I usually loved that about her --- not so much when it was against me.

"You were being an asshole and you know it! You know better!"

"Oh, so you're scolding me?" I scoffed. "You?"

"Yes. Me. There was uncalled for and you went too far! I get it, you like it when they're afraid of you, but ---."

"It had nothing to do with that. I was setting an example."

"Of what exactly!?" She demanded, her voice rising slightly. I glanced at Kai warily, but the loaf continued to snooze, worn out from his long day. I cut my eyes back to her darker ones, bristling.

If she wanted to fucking fight tonight, I'd give it to her. She could take care of Kai when he started screaming, I was done with her pitching fits and leaving me to clean up the mess!

"Not to fucking say disrespectful shit to you!" I hissed, clenching my fists. "I'm not going to let anyone think they can bad mouth you!"

"You've said worse shit to me!"

"Yeah, but that's me --- no one else can! You're my woman, we got a kid together --- no one's going to think they can say anything to you!"

"Or you'll beat them until they're black and blue? Are you really going back to that, Eric!?"

"Going back to what?" I scoffed, crossing my arms. I was three steps inside the door, I hadn't even taken my jacket off, and already we were on the verge of screaming; it's like old times all over again.

"Being a complete fucking jerk! Trying to make everyone think you're this cruel person that you're not at all!"

"I think that's exactly who I am."

"Not anymore," she said firmly, glaring at me. "You got better, especially since we had Kai." She gestured at the baby. "You can't say you're the same arrogant, egotistical person you were before we got together."

"oh, so you're thinking you changed me or something?" I seethed, narrowing my eyes at her. "I'm exactly the same as before, but with you being pregnant and then having the loaf --- it's not like I've had time to focus on anything else! Why the fuck do you think Max sent me out on that op, huh? He thinks I'm slipping! If I don't ---."

"So you're trying to prove something to Max? Beating up a new transfer is going to do that?"

"If I don't prove I'm still capable of holding my own and demanding fear, do you know what he's going to do?"

"It's not like he'll get rid of you, Eric, you're ---."

"Everyone is expendable, Camille," I snapped, abruptly tired of hearing her voice. I didn't want to be here, I wanted out, I wanted somewhere I could have some peace! Being here with her was driving me insane! "We've both done sketchy shit, and as long as we're loyal we're fine, but Max thinks I'm slipping!"

"So you think he'll do something to you?" She sounded incredulous, her hand going to Kai protectively. I never told her about what Mel told me during the op, I didn't want to scare her.

"I've done a lot more then you ever thought about, I know more shit about how Dauntless works then anyone. If I don't start getting back to before, he's gonna try something he'll regret."

"Eric ---."

"So you know what, Camille? I'm fucking trying, alright? I'm staying up with that goddamn baby, I'm trying to fucking prove to Max that he can't off me that easily, that the two of you aren't a fucking problem!" I saw Kai stir as my voice rose, but it didn't stop me from yelling at this oblivious, frigid woman! "So why don't you fucking lay off me for once!? If you hadn't gotten pregnant, none of this would even be a problem!"

"Oh, of course, always blame someone else!" She snarled, taking a threatening step towards me. "That's what you're best at doing! We talked about it, it's both our faults, not just Mine! Jesus, Eric! Why didn't you tell me ---?"

"Yes, stress out the pregnant lady," I waved her off, taking a step back. "That's what I'll do. Make her fear for the life of her newborn child. Good plan."

"You're supposed to tell me stuff like this!"

"When? When you're screaming at me for no goddamn reason? Pitching fits that don't make sense?"

"Like you're any better!"

"I've been putting up with your erratic bullshit for almost a year! We haven't even fucked in ages!"

She inhaled sharply, her eyes flaring.

Yeah, I finally said it. I was through with this! I wanted to fuck, and if Camille would just talk to me about it instead of bursting into tears or ignoring me, we could figure all of it out!

But no!

I was trying my damnedest to be good to her and that kid, but she was driving me insane! The screaming, the bitching, I couldn't take it anymore! She had no fucking idea how much she and Kai consumed my life, how I worried about them, about Max trying something --- she didn't fucking know anything!

"I can't handle this right now," I muttered, jerking the door open.

"Eric ---."

I slammed it behind me, closing my eyes in satisfaction as Kai immediately began to scream.

Sweet revenge.

~~~~~~

I sat down at the bar, draining the bottle in front of me. I sighed, relaxing back into my chair, brooding.

It honestly felt nice to be by myself for once, to not have a baby wailing in my ear or my girlfriend screaming/crying.

The alcohol didn't even burn on its way down.

"Haven't seen you here in a while."

I glanced up, seeing white dreads before Mel sat down in front of me, smirking. She eyed me warily, lifting her glass to her lips.

"You look pissy." She commented.

"Just my face."

"Mmm. You finally have it playing daddy?" She snorted, propping her chin on her hand. "Ready to stop pretending?"

"I'm not pretending."

"We both know better. You're only hanging around ---."

"Do you have anything better to do?" I sighed. "You jealous or something?"

"Just miss fucking you is all. Doesn't seem like you're getting any from Camille."

I rolled my eyes. Mel liked to assume, and she would use every rumor and jab she possibly could to get under my skin, didn't matter if it was true or not. I was beyond the point of letting anything she said bother me.

Mel pouted when she didn't get to me. "Saw that new transfer walking around, you really did a number on him."

"Yeah."

"You need to set examples, you've been slacking with the new generations. They won't give you the proper amount of fear if you don't bust some heads."

I just looked at her, slowly raising my bottle to my lips. I was already on my second, and it was starting to get late. Really, I didn't want to go back to the apartment, I didn't want to see Camille. I couldn't stand the thought of it.

Not right now.

She had no idea what was going on, I'd kept her in the dark. But I couldn't anymore, I was past the point of giving a fuck. I almost wished there was an op I could go on to get away from her, to put some space between us.

I'd never wanted to be away from her like this before.

I sighed, sinking a little lower in my seat. Camille would take care of Kai tonight, she's his mother and she's been doing it for this long.

I wasn't worried at all.

I finished off my bottle, raising my hand and gesturing for another one. Mel just sat across from me, nursing her own, and for a few minutes, it actually felt normal.

This is what we used to do, before Camille, before Kai. After a day and doing bullshit for Dauntless, we'd unwind at the bar, let the day go, maybe fuck if we weren't too wasted.

Oddly though, I didn't miss all of it. I wasn't miserable or bored anymore, I didn't have to go out on missions, I was always pretty much busy now. Kai was a handful in his self, much more stressful then any op.

"So you not going home tonight? That's your fourth bottle. Won't be able to make it up the bridge to the pretty apartments if you keep going," Mel said after a moment, gesturing with her drink.

Maybe I didn't want too.

I didn't say that to her, I didn't see a point. She didn't need to get involved in my personal life, not where she could get between me and Camille. That's where a lot of people go wrong.

I didn't respond, just looked at her.

"Fuck, fine, be a sour puss." She rolled her black eyes at me. "You can crash at my place, then, I got that spare room. Unless you want to share with me anyway."

"No thanks."

But a night where I could get some sleep again would be nice.

~~~~~~

Camille's livid, I could tell the moment I stepped into the training area. She stood over with Four, talking softly as the initiates finally made their way into the room; they're tired, we've been running them hard trying to get them prepped. Camille had them today for gun practice, I was only here for the morning workout.

I stretched my arms above my head, slowly approaching the mats. I'd gotten a whole nights sleep for once, one not interrupted by Camille shuffling or Kai shrieking.

I'd missed it though.

Camille sent me a horrid look across the room, one letting me know real quick I was in some deep shit tonight. She couldn't exactly be pissed at me when she was the one who started the fighting first!

Hell, I was doing my best here! I wasn't getting fucked, I was hardly getting any affection from her, she yelled at me more often then she did anything else! Excuse me for needing some peace and getting away for a little bit!

I pretended not to even see her, instead glancing around at my initiates. I wasn't in as pissy of a mood today, so I wasn't going to run them as ragged as usual. Getting some rest makes a big difference in one's attitude.

I spied the Candor, smirking as I saw his black and blue appearance. He'd taken the beating yesterday pretty well, I was impressed. He could take a hit like a Dauntless, so he might stand a chance after all. I was curious to see how he did in marksmanship --- if he could shoot a gun, and throw a knife, I could just about overlook his snide comment about Camille when he first got here.

Just about.

"Jamison," I snapped, and the Candor immediately jumped, his head twisting to stare at me. For a moment, I think he was almost afraid, and that made me even smugger. Little bitch should be afraid. "Here, now."

The Candor cringed, and then slowly shuffled over to where I stood. I saw his friends exchange looks, and I wondered vaguely if he even knew why I'd singled him out.

Maybe I should make it obvious.

"You did well yesterday," I said after a moment, when he was close enough that he could hear. "You took your beating pretty good, just like a Dauntless should." I'm impressed he didn't bail out to be factionless.

He sent me a wary look, then nodded. "Thanks...?"

"If you do well in marksmanship and strategy, you could go up for leadership," I continued, seeing the rest of the initiates muttering to themselves, huddling at the ends of the blue mats. "Leadership is better then any other job you can get, so aim for that. As long as you learn to keep your fucking mouth shut when it comes to my girlfriend, we won't have anymore problems." My hand clamped on his shoulder, making him flinch. "Sound good?"

"Y-yes, sir. I, I didn't know she was ---."

"Well, now you do. Doesn't matter if she wasn't, though. She's your superior, you don't make comments like that towards any female, understand? It won't be tolerated, least of all by me. Got it?"

"Yes."

Good, as long as he did.

~~~~~

"So, they're doing well." Four said as he stood with Camille, both of them a few feet from me as we watch the initiates throw knives at the wooden boards across the room. "Some of them are improving fairly quickly."

"Looks like it. Although Tomsen looks ready to fall over."

"He hurt himself in the war game last night, he's sore. Still hitting the target at least."

"Mmm. What did he do?"

"Fell off the side of the Ferris Wheel, lost his grip."

"You didn't climb up after him?"

"Uh... no."

"Well, if his arm doesn't get better, he's going to fall behind." Camille said with a shrug, her voice as ruthless as usual. She's still pissed at me, she's not spoke one word to me the entire day. It's about time for us to finish and the initiates to go to dinner, which meant I would be heading to pick up Kai, and then have to go home to that apartment.

I wasn't sure I wanted too.

I didn't want to stay with Mel again, I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea. We were friends, at least, I thought I could consider her something like that since we weren't fucking anymore. Well, she was as close to a friend as I had, anyway.

"Do you two have this?" Four asked after a second, and my eyes finally flicked over. "I have some stuff to do in intelligence, I don't have time for the rest of the day."

"Go ahead, we'll let them finish up and we'll send them to dinner." Camille said after a moment, shrugging her shoulders.

"Good."

Shit.

He was leaving me alone with her vindictive ass.

I stared straight ahead, measuring the initiates as they threw their knives. They weren't the worst group I've ever seen, but I still wasn't that impressed. In fact, it was kind of disappointing to see.

"Can we talk now?"

I glanced at Camille as she stepped to my side, tightening my crossed arms.

"We don't have anything to talk about," I muttered stubbornly, refusing to look at her. She'd pissed me off, she had no idea what I was going through right now, and she didn't fucking care! I hoped Kai screamed the entire night and she didn't get any rest for once. See how much she liked it when I wasn't there to get up constantly throughout the night and deal with him.

"Don't be a fucker, Eric. I'm serious."

I sighed, glancing at her. "What then?"

"Where did you go last night? You never came back."

"Didn't think you noticed."

"I always notice when you're not home, Eric."

Ugh. I hated it when she said shit like that, it made me think she wasn't that much of a bitch. I didn't respond, just continued to sulk. I was pissed at her, I had a lot of stuff on my plate, and I couldn't handle her bucking up on me too.

In fact, I'd appreciate it if she would just fuck me and we could start having things going back to normal.

"Look, you should have told me about... that other stuff," she said after a moment, standing too close to me. I could smell her shampoo, the soft scent that I liked too much. "You gotta tell me shit like that, Eric, no matter what's going on. You don't have to handle that by yourself. We're together for a reason."

"You were pregnant, already freaking out. I didn't want to make it worse." I muttered, my eyes flicking to her dark hair. "We had enough going on."

"Doesn't matter, I still should know. How else can I protect Kai?"

"You won't ever have too, I won't let it get that bad."

"Sometimes you can't help it. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone, Eric. You're where you are for a reason."

She just... didn't understand. I had to do what I had to do, I had to follow orders, and I had to do stuff that she wouldn't so Max didn't think I was expendable. I would be alright if he would just get rid of me, but I wouldn't tolerate him doing anything that would threaten my family. I would follow him for now, but if it came down to it, I would turn on him and take his place the first chance I got.

I'll always protect my family.

"You have to know Dauntless isn't perfect, Camille." I murmured after a moment, keeping my voice soft. "You know that I do stuff you wouldn't agree with."

"I know," she said simply, turning to gaze up at me. "I get it. I don't ask about it, I don't want to know. You do what you have too, but you don't seclude yourself from me, okay? We have a kid, we can't act like this anymore."

"I know," I said, resigned. "But I don't know what else to do. I don't want to fight, Camille."

"I don't either. Are you coming home tonight?"

"Yeah." I didn't want to be away from them again.

"Good. Then we can talk."

Because I was so looking forward to that.

~~~~~~~~

I liked Camille's version of talking.

I grasped Camille by her shapely hips, pulling her body flat against mine as I let my hands slide down the curve of her ass. Her hands are tight on my shoulders, and she's giving me soft kisses, the ones I've found I craved. I'm not quite sure how our talking ended up this way, but I wasn't going to question it.

Her fingers brushed the back of my neck, causing shivers to race across my skin as I held her tighter, needing to feel her supple body against my own. Fuck, just the thought of her naked and beneath me makes me hard, and I knew she could feel it.

I wanted to fuck tonight, I was going out of my mind! I didn't want to cheat on her, I cared about her, I loved her, but if I didn't get some kind of relief soon I was going to combust. I deepened the kiss, her fingers rising to clench in my hair, keeping my lips against hers. She kissed me back like old times, full of hunger and passion, her chest arching into mine.

I took a step back, drawing her with me closer to our bed. Her fingers were already at my waist, pulling my t shirt over my head, her eyes skimming my chest. She bit her lip as she looked at me, cold fingers slowly moving down my skin. I held perfectly still, watching her; I was fit, I never slacked in my training, and I knew I looked good. I had scars, sure, but so did she, we were soldiers.

"Eric," she murmured, her dark eyes finally rising to mine. She hesitated, then tugged on my belt, as if making up her mind. I couldn't help but feel relief, watching as her nimble fingers opened my jeans, working them down my hips. I took a hasty second to jerk them off, kicking out of my boots, trying to be as quick as possible in case she changed her mind.

She raised her brows at me, but didn't comment; she had to know I was dying to fuck!

I reached for her, shamelessly capturing her lips in another heady kiss, burying my fingers in her hair. My tongue delved to meet hers, and I was praying that Kai didn't start screaming, interrupting the only time I might have with Camille.

She sighed against my lips, and didn't stop me from pulling on her shirt, moving it over her head, long hair spilling down over her shoulders. My eyes flicked down her chest, and I licked my lips as I leaned forward. I curled my hands around her hips, my lips descending along her neck, her head tilting to give me more access.

I let my fingers caress her sides, not wanting to rush, but also incredibly impatient. I wasn't an asshole, I knew having a baby messed with her body, that she was having a hard time adjusting. I'd been as patient as I could possibly stand, but she had to give me something in return. All the fighting, all the sleepless nights and cutting remarks --- from her, I could only take so much.

I sucked hard on her neck in just the right spot, and she shivered in my arms, just like I knew she would. I tugged at the clasp to her bra, easily having it open, straps falling off of her shoulders. I nibbled at her throat, lowering my hands to her hips once more, letting my hands roam and squeeze that great fucking ass of hers. God it felt good in my hands, being able to touch her, feel her body once more. I felt her fingers flex against my nape, her breath hot and growing quicker against my ear as I set to work on removing her jeans.

I turned us around, putting her back to the bed, hooking my thumbs in the hem of her jeans and drawing them down in one swift movement --- I wasn't wasting any time. I helped her out of her boots, and then urged her back onto the bed.

She shuffled, but I didn't let her get far, my hands on her hips. She flushed under my gaze as it swept over the body I was so familiar with. Her breasts were a little bigger, but still perfect, perky and just waiting for my mouth to be on them. My eyes flicked hungrily back to hers, my cock suddenly throbbing in my boxers, straining against the thin material as I crawled over her, kissing her forcefully with a groan.

Fuck, I needed this.

I slid my hands up her smooth sides, stretching my fingers along her stomach before I reached her breasts, remembering last minute that they were probably sensitive. I caressed them easily, grazing my thumbs over her stiffening peaks. I wanted to kiss, suck, taste every inch of her body, to have my tongue run through every curve and dip. I wanted to remind her of what she's been missing out on, on only what I could do to her, make her feel. My mouth watered just at the thought of tasting her again.

I kissed her only for a second more before I left her lips, my mouth finding her jaw, her throat, slowly working it's way lower. I felt her tense slightly as my tongue flicked against her breasts, but I gave them only the lightest of nuzzles before I moved lower. I clasped her hips as I kissed her scarred stomach, noticing the ugly red line from where her brother stabbed her, the spot where she'd gotten shot saving my ass, and all the little white lines from where she carried our child.

Her body and her scars told a story of her life, and I wouldn't have her look any other way. We had memories together, and I didn't want her to be self-conscious. I loved her for her, not for what she looked like.

I glanced up as I slipped off the bed, falling down to my knees between her lovely thighs. She blinked, pushing up onto her elbows slightly, her teeth digging into that plump lower lip.

"Eric ---."

"I want to taste you," I murmured, curling her thighs over my shoulders, licking my lips as I felt the heat from her skin. My voice was low, husky, and I saw her shiver. She didn't tell me no, so I eagerly nudged her thighs wider, burying my face in the heaven waiting for me. She let out a long sigh as my tongue rolled forward over her clit, and I was pleased to find she was wet --- she had to be wanting this as much as me!

Her hands found their way into my hair, and she finally gave the softest of moans.

My blood boiled just at the sound, one I'd been denied for so long. Her heat teased my tongue as I let it dip between her folds, my hands shifting to hold her at a better angle. I let my arm clamp across her hips, my thumb creeping down to press against her clit.

"Fuck," Camille exhaled after a moment, shuddering against my mouth. Mmm, she tasted just the same, just as good. I kept a firm pressure on her clit, letting my tongue lap against her entrance, drinking in the taste of her, knowing it was just for me. "Eric!"

The sound of my name made me groan, and the tight way she said it, the way her thighs tried to flex --- fuck, I could only imagine how good she would feel around my cock. I pressed my tongue more firmly, grasping her bare thigh and keeping it angled higher, giving me more room. I let my lips rise, sealing them firmly around her clit and sucking hard enough to make her back immediately arch off the bed with a breathless gasp.

My cock pulsed at the sound, and I had to shift my hips, finding my boxers growing steadily uncomfortable. I saw her squeeze her eyes shut, her hands rising to press against her mouth as I lapped and sucked at her clit, her desire covering my lips and chin.

Heh, I knew I was good at this.

She whined softly, muffled from behind her hand as she tried to stay quiet. Yeah, too loud and we'd wake the loaf, and neither of us wanted that. I'd have to catch her sometime during the day then, get her on the roof where I could really make her scream again. I'd loved making her cum so hard she lost control of herself, that she cried out so loud the neighbors could hear.

Her back arched off the bed, those perfect breasts rising and falling as she panted behind her fingers. Her hips squirmed desperately against my hold, and I nearly smirked, teasing her swollen clit with my tongue. Her eyes squeezed shut as I sucked on it, my fingers creeping to her core.

I slowly eased one inside her damp folds, groaning as I felt how tight she was, how her body clenched. I didn't want to go too fast, her hips already bucking as I slipped a second finger with the first, pumping them inside of her. Her desire coated them, making it easy for me to keep up a rhythm, her breath catching.

She was going to cum, I could tell it by how her muscles squeezed, how her body tensed as she tried not too. She was always so stubborn, trying to hold out on me, make me really work to give her pleasure. I didn't let her win, I was too intent tonight, needing her to cum. There was no doubt in my mind I wouldn't last long as soon as I was buried inside of her, it had been too long for me, so I wanted to give her all the pleasure I could now.

"Fuck, Eric," she suddenly gasped, and I smirked, feeling her body go taut just as I shoved her over the edge. She came against my mouth, my tongue greedily tasting her pleasure, fingers clenching tight on her thighs to hold them open; I didn't mean to bruise her, but I probably did.

I groaned against her hot core, giving it one last lick before I raised my head. My cock was so hard, throbbing heavily, and I knew my boxers were growing slick. It had been way too long since I fucked, and it was taking every ounce of my self-control to make sure I was easy, that I didn't hurt her.

I pressed a kiss against her trembling thighs before I rose, discarding my boxers and crawling over my woman. Her hands lifted from her face as she felt my body on hers, her lips parted as she tried to catch her breath. Her dilated eyes found mine seconds before her fingers clenched against my nape, drawing my mouth to hers.

I knew she could taste herself on my tongue, and I kissed her hard as I pressed my bare body down into hers. I craved her like a madman, addicted to the feel of her, the scent of her. I needed to feel the hot squeeze of her tight body around my throbbing cock, to pump myself inside of her until there was nothing left. I squeezed her full breasts, massaging them as I rubbed my cock against her glistening folds, letting her feel how badly I wanted her, my teeth pulling on her lower lip.

"I need you," I groaned against her soft lips, my mind on nothing more but being inside her heat, fucking her in all sorts of positions. She just kissed me, her legs parting wider, inviting me. I shuddered, grinding my body into hers, loving the friction, how her bare skin felt against my own.

Her nails trailed down my sides, and I tensed as they met my hips, bringing them down hard into her cunt until I nearly came right then.

"Fuck!" I hissed as she squirmed against me, her hand suddenly between our bodies, curling along my shaft and giving me a few good strokes.

"No," I hastily grabbed her wrist, seeing her eyes flash up to mine in surprise. As much as I loved the thought of her mouth around my cock, I wouldn't be able to withstand it. "I want this to last," I murmured, flushing slightly. "And if you touch me it won't."

The bitch smirked at me; Camille didn't know it, but she had more control over me then I'd admit, especially when it came to our fucking. She had a cunt like an angel, and honestly I wasn't that surprised I got her pregnant, I couldn't resist the feel of her around me.

I kissed her without another word, settling in between her thighs when her hand moved to curl around my shoulder. I grasped one of her thighs, pulling it higher, making room for my hips.

"Mmm --- Eric, w--- wait." She suddenly pressed hard against my shoulders, my mouth freezing against hers.

Oh no.

Please don't.

Not when I'm so fucking close!

"What?" I asked, my chest moving heavily; I was going to have a heart attack if she told me to stop, I wouldn't be able to survive the disappointment.

"Do you have a condom?"

"What?" I stared down at her blankly, wondering what the fuck we'd need one of those for. "No."

"Eric." She frowned up at me. "I'm not on birth control."

Yeah, like that bullshit made a difference; she was on it when I got her pregnant.

"So?"

"So --- for fuck's sake, Eric, I don't want another baby!" Her nails dug into my shoulders, and my brows furrowed as I look down at her. Didn't we just have a fight about that the other night?

"Well, I'll be careful then," I mumbled, kissing along her jaw and hoping to distract her.

"You're never careful!"

"I won't cum inside, I swear," I added, at the point I would say anything if she'd just let me fuck her already. "I'll pull out, don't worry."

I shifted my hips, the head of my cock parting her lips, just enough to tease her. I needed to fuck her, now, I couldn't take another minute of it! She grumbled something I didn't quite catch, I was sure she called me some sort of bastard, but her legs curled around my hips.

I groaned, my eyes closing as I pushed my cock inside her hot, tight body, her soft walls pulling me deeper as I let my hips sink flush with hers.

She inhaled sharply, fuck she was so tight, I hadn't expected that! I pressed my lips against her shoulder, trying to hold still, to give her time to adjust.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so good," I breathed in her ear, her slick body clenching around me. "You're so goddamn tight."

I shifted, feeling her fingers flex against my shoulders. I started moving, slowly at first, thrusting into her long and as easily as I could, swallowing hard against the need to pound into her. I wasn't going to last long, I didn't doubt that for one second, but I wanted it to still feel good for her too.

Camille groaned, her fingers tracing down my spine as I pressed into her, grinding my hips into hers until I saw her eyes squeeze shut. I kissed her, my pulse quickening as I filled her over and over, our panting breathes filling the air; I wasn't sure what was more torturous: trying to be quiet or trying not to fuck to hard!

She hugged me so tightly, purposefully squeezing me when I thrust deep, making it nearly impossible for me to want to leave her warmth.

"Camille," I groaned, moving my hips faster when she began to meet them. I clenched my hands in the sheets on either side of her, holding myself up, sweat starting to build on my skin. I rocked my hips, nearly pulling all the way out of her before driving forward, loving the way her breasts moved with the force of me fucking her. Her nails dug into my hips, cutting into my skin as they raked their way back to my shoulders, no doubt leaving red marks.

That's my girl.

I leaned down, hungrily catching her lips with mine. The sound of our fucking, of our panting breaths and her ridiculously hot moans filled my ears. I fucked her harder, driving as deep as I possibly could, her body so wet each thrust was easy --- the fact she was enjoying this, that she was urging me to be rougher, to fuck her like I used too, that's what drove me crazy the most.

I'd missed this.

This closeness with her, the silent acknowledgement of how good we made the other feel. I liked when she was rough with me, dragging me by my hair to kiss her, clawing at me when I wasn't doing what she wanted. We were perfect in bed together, our body's built just for the others --- perfect heights, perfect builds, perfect everything.

Camille was home to me, her body was where I always wanted to be and never leave. When I was with her like this, I could block out the rest of the world and the problems waiting for me there, I could focus on worshiping her and telling her that I loved her over and over.

She bit at my lower lip, rocking her hips against mine until I was moaning into her, the throbbing, painful pressure in my cock starting to reach a peak. I slipped my arm beneath her back, lifting her off the sheets, suddenly intent that she would cum before I would. Her near shriek as I fucked her as deep as I could was muffled by my lips, and I knew I'd hit just the right spot with this angle. Her breasts were pressed hard into my chest, and I bit and nipped at her neck, relentlessly driving myself into her over and over.

I reached between us, catching her clit and making her whole body shudder beneath me. I chuckled breathlessly as I pressed firmly, stroking in short, fast circles until she was so tight around my cock I could barely move, her arms clenched around my shoulders as she whimpered helplessly.

"That's right, cum with my cock inside you," I moaned, my fingers becoming slick the more I touched her. My skin was prickling, burning with heat, and the second Camille came around me I knew I was a dead man. She clenched around me, her tight body milking my cock for my seed as she cried out, pressing her face hard against my teeth, her teeth digging into my flesh as she tried not to be loud.

Her entire body shook against me, and I couldn't hold back any longer. I groaned as I came, my hips jerking against hers as I throbbed, mind going blessedly blank for several seconds. Pleasure surged through me for the first time in months as I emptied myself into her tight cunt, relief rushing through my body as I went limp over her, panting for breath.

Finally.

I relaxed with a sigh, curling her body close to mine, letting my head rest against her shoulder as we both tried to catch our breath. I felt her fingers brush gently through my damp hair, and I ignored the stinging of my skin from where she'd bit me. I knew I was good in bed, although tonight admittedly wasn't one of my better moments, but hey, it had been a long time!

"I love you," I said after a moment, nuzzling her cheek with mine. I meant it, and I felt like I hadn't told her enough lately.

"I love you too," she murmured, her arms tightening around me. I stayed for a few moments longer, not wanting to move, to just enjoy the feel of her around me, making me feel safe and content.

Well, for a few seconds anyway.

"Eric!" She suddenly hissed, and I sighed.

Welp, there went the good feelings.

"Hmm?"

"You fucking --- goddamit, Eric! I fucking told you not to cum inside!" She smacked my shoulder hard enough to sting, and I was glad she couldn't see me roll my eyes. "What if I get pregnant again, you moron!?"

"Then you do," I mumbled, reluctantly propping myself over her, gazing down at her and her just-fucked hair. "We'll have another one, and another, and another," I smirked, teasing her lips with mine. "Because you feel too fucking good not to cum inside."

She flushed, scowling up at me.

"Just take a pill, you'll be fine," I sighed, seeing she wasn't going to get over it easily. "We'll be more prepared tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Mmmhmm." I kissed her nose, and nibbled my way across her jaw, feeling her hips finally shift. I'd probably just majorly fucked up if I did get her pregnant again, but I'd deal with the consequences. I wouldn't mind a family with Camille, not even a big one, because it was with her. I'd love her through every mind-fucking pregnancy, although I didn't really want another one, if I was being honest.

Maybe in a few years, if even that.

Right now, I mean, since I'd already cum inside....

"Eric, you can't be serious," she huffed as I bit her throat, and I chuckled.

"I haven't got to fuck you in months, I've a lot of backtracking to do," I breathed in her ear as I reluctantly pulled out of her, seeing her wince out of the corner of my eye. "Kai's the only one going to get any sleep tonight."

She rolled her eyes, her cold hands rising to cup my face.

"I don't know what to do with you," she murmured, and I smirked, knowing the answer.

"Just fuck me again and I'm good."

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