part 1
oh, help him, archons.
though, there's one facing him right now.
"this is my husband, nahida." you gestured at the man, observing how round your soon-to-be daughter's face was in this angle as she looks up at your husband. nahida has a mysterious smile on her lips, noticing that there's a scattered crumb on the sides of her mouth from eating the candied ajilenakh nut that you've prepared for her, you reach out for a handkerchief and wipe the mess.
alhaitham softened at the sight. you look too happy for him to crush your dreams mercilessly but he needed to. coaxing you just like when he needs to, "y/n, you can't adopt this child."
before you can retort, nahida beats you to it. "there's no one in sumeru that doesn't know the acting grand sage." she says politely. "i'm nahida." you beam at her display of intelligence. "aaww!! haitham, look how smart our nahida is!"
unable to hold the truth any longer, alhaitham exclaimed, "dear, nahida is lesser lord kusanali."
"…dear?" you appear to be unsurprised despite the revelation yet your smile remains but your eyes told him otherwise.
".. yes, dear?"
"the couch looks comfortable today, do you know that?"
later on, once you tuck in the dendro archon in your shared bedroom covering her with a warm blanket, she must have been drowsy as you rub her back soothingly while you catch up to what is happening to sumeru during lunchtime. then, you walk towards the living room where your husband is.
"did you know that she is lesser lord kusanali?" alhaitham closes the book in his lap and places it on the table. you're quiet until you sit down beside him and rest your head on his chest. his hand on your shoulder pressing you closer to him as you feel him kissing the crown of your head.
"she has the scent of dew drops, followed by a hint of comforting deep, fresh whiff and it's a pleasantly sweet smell on the nose." you told him. "she carries the scent of sumeru. how could i not know she is not this land's archon?"
your husband hummed.
"when i saw her, i feel a strong pull to take care of the young god before me. she triggered my maternal instinct." you chuckled. "throughout the way home, i've observed that she didn't receive any affection at all. i guess she feels strange about it but she never tried to resist me." you recall how nahida accepts your attack of kisses as she giggles like a child.
after a moment of silence, you speak again. "haitham." the man beside you replied a small yes?, "we should adopt her."
"no." alhaitham firmly said.
you clicked your tongue. "tsk, here i thought i can lure you."
