𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂 ❶

𝟔𝟐. ✭ 𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐘 ✭

There's a soft tapping I feel on my shoulder that has me waking up out of a deep sleep. When I open my eyes I feel like I must be in a dream. Dani is across from me with a soft smile on her face as our son lies in between us. Our son rolls on his side toward me, thumb in his mouth, still soundly asleep.

Wait a minute. This isn't a dream.

"Dani?"

"Shh!" She puts an index finger to her lips. "Don't wake him." Her voice is barely more than a whisper. "I was going to get up and get myself ready before he woke up but then I started thinking about what you said about squishing him and well... yeah." I try not to laugh at that. I give her a silent nod and then jut my chin in the direction of the door, telling her to do her thing.

She makes quick work of getting out of bed, it's almost like she's done this before. Oh wait, she has with me. The million times we used to sneak in and out of each other's rooms previously has made her quite stealthy. One of which made the little human on the bed next to me. I look down at said soundly sleeping human.

I want to reach out and touch him like Dani had but my hands are double the size of hers. My hands are calloused and made for hurting people, not for caressing babies. No, hurting people was only out of necessity. I suppose that'd been the case but it'd become second nature over the years. I bring my left out in front of me and look it over. It's strange to think my hands will now be used to care for this little person.

He starts to move around on the bed and I automatically freeze. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. Regardless of keeping perfectly still a set of little blue eyes, my exact ones, slowly open. He gives out a little stretch, removing his thumb from his mouth as he does. There's a happy little grin on his face as he lets out a word that sounds pretty damn close to 'Dada'.

Welp. That sure as shit wasn't meant for me. Once his eyes secure on me he looks semi-startled. How does one talk to babies? I have no idea.

"Hey little dude." His features scrunch up and his lips pout. He looks around the room and I know he's looking for someone other than me. Once his sad gaze finds mine he lets out a loud wail of a cry. "Hey hey hey, it's alright." I go to sit up and pick him up in my arms but he's practically inconsolable. "I know you probably don't remember me but I'm your daddy. We met a few weeks back." I hold him away from me with, "oh come on you don't recognize me? You look just like me!" More loud cries that have me feeling at a complete loss. "It's okay, I've got you little dude."

And that's when I smell it.

"Oh God." I take two more sniffs of the air and gag. "Oh God no. What in the—" Another gag rips out of me. "I think I'm going to puke." The cries get louder and the smell gets stronger. I cough loudly trying to suppress the need to regurgitate. "DANIIIII!!!! GET IN HERE!!!!"

She flies into the room at near lightning speed with, "what is it?! What's wrong?!"

I contort my face into the most incredulous mask. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT'S WRONG?! YOU DON'T SMELL THAT?!"

"Are you serious? He just needs a diaper change." She deadpanned.

"I'm well aware of what he needs but I—" I gag and then cough again which sends her into a fit of laughter. "This is not even a little bit funny." She doesn't say anything else before exiting the room, leaving me with him. "Uh Dani, I'm not even kidding when I tell you this could get real exorcist in a second."

"Relax, I'm just grabbing a diaper, you big whimp."

"I resent that!" I suppress another gag. Once she's back I hand him off with, "oh thank God. How is that coming from him?"