Midnight Cocoa #1
Part 1 Part 2
CW: mentioned death
Villain rummaged through the kitchen closet, cursing under his breath, when he still couldn't find the package of cereal, he had been so sure about still owning. He stilled, when he heard little footsteps approaching. A groan escaped him, before he could stop himself. "You should long be sleeping, brat", he growled, before glancing over his shoulder to where the toddler stood in the doorway.
The small boy was holding onto his plushy, rubbing his sleepy eyes with his other hand. "Nightmare...", he whispered, throwing Villain his very best puppy eyes.
Villain sighed heavily, closing the cabinet. Dear Lord, why me?! This is so not my job, he thought. "So, what do you want me to do about it, huh?"
The kid shrank back at the rough sound of his voice, seemingly thinking this whole thing over. The tiny hands clutched the plush cat, before he apparently worked up enough courage to proceed with his mission. "...milk."
"What was that?", the villain inquired with a raised eyebrow. This was getting on his nerves. He didn't have time for this. He needed to get back down to his lab to continue his work on the new machine he would use to blast Hero into oblivion tomorrow. The fact that it was already way past midnight didn't help to better his mood. He didn't want to pull another all-nighter right before his fight. The sooner he found a new home for the kid, the better. Less distractions that way. "Come on", he murmured, "full sentences!"
The child sniffled, valiantly blinking back some tears threatening to spill. "May I get a glass of warm milk, please?"
Villain blinked in surprise. That was the longest coherent sentence that boy had managed since he brought him here. He nodded approvingly. "That sounds doable", he said, checking the fridge for said beverage.
The kid padded over with bare feet, shivering in his pajamas.
Villain sighed, as he placed the milk on the kitchen counter. "You're gonna catch a cold like that, dumbass", he grumbled, before grabbing the kid and sitting him down on the dinner table in the middle of the giant kitchen. Were all three-year-olds that small?, he wondered. He felt the kid watch his every move as he operated the microwave, his eyes growing big with excitement, when Villain went the extra mile to put some cocoa powder in it. He just felt like it. It wasn't because he felt any sympathy with the snotnose. "Here you go", Villain stated, handing the warm mug to the child.
As the kid reached out for the hot cup, Villain noticed how small his hand still were. He probably can't even hold it on his own, he thought. So he held onto it, supporting it's weight, even while the boy was taking his first cautious sips.
The boy sighed with delight.
"Is it good?" Villain didn't know why he even cared to ask. It didn't matter after all. As soon as the kid was finished, he'd send him back to bed.
The kid nodded vigorously and took another sip, before his eyes darkened again. The shining wetness clouding his view was proof, that there were things even hot chocolate couldn't fix.
"Why are you looking so glum then?" Why do you even care?, Villain asked himself.
The boy's lips started trembling treacherously. "When is Daddy coming back to pick me up?", he asked.
Villain inhaled sharply. Henchman died in Hero's heist a few days ago. He wouldn't be coming back. As far as he knew, Henchman's wife had died shortly after their child had been born. The kid was an orphan now. It had been pure luck Villain had headed back to Henchman's apartment to get some documents his subordinate had been holding onto. Who knows if anyone would've even found the boy otherwise.
"Your dad ain't coming back, kid", Villain stated bluntly, more reflex than anything. He had never been any good with words.
"Why?", the kid whined, tears now finally spilling over. "I want my daddy back! Daddy..."
Villain put the mug down, before the boy could spill anything on his clothes. His carefully composed demeanor crumbled in second. He felt weirdly panicked, when he grabbed those tiny hands with his own. "Not that soon, I mean... um... He went on a mission. Uh...a very important mission. Far away", he lied. Lying was something he was good at. Very good even. He hoped it would do the trick. Please just stop crying!
The kid sobbed. "So he's...just at work?"
"Uh, yes", villain blurted. "A faraway business trip, you could say."
The boy calmed down a bit, frowning, as if he was considering the explanation. "So can I... stay with you until he gets back?"
Villain was taken aback. He didn't plan on keeping the kid around much longer. He knew his dad wouldn't come back after all. To be honest, he had already looked up some orphanages that might take him in.
The boy looked at him with pleading eyes, reluctantly grabbing his sleeve, as if he wanted to keep him from going away.
Villain sighed. "I guess you can stick around for now, if you behave yourself", he avoided the question. He lifted the kid back up onto his arm, the mug in his other hand. Balancing both weights carefully, he carried the kid upstairs into the guest room he had prepared in a hurry. Villain tucked the boy into the heavy blanket that laid discarded on the sofa. "I'll leave the cocoa on the couch table, yes?"
The kid nodded, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion and red from having cried again. "Can you sing me a lullaby?", he asked with an hopeful undertone.
Villain snorted involuntarily. "You're a greedy little fucker you know that?"
The kid giggled. "So...can you?"
Villain shook his head in disbelief. The audacity!
"Not in a million years, brat", he growled, but there was no edge to it. "Now sleep", he ordered, ruffling through the kid's already tousled hair, without knowing why.
There was a weird warmth building in his chest, that somehow scared him more than having to fight Hero tomorrow.
Next