@chiarucha @the-real-pink-ninja @caseyboltshadow Since I’ve already posted the Valentine’s one shot, how about an aftermath?
A Coldsweat Valentine’s…The Aftermath
I wake up before the sun has cleared the horizon and smile at her sleeping face beside me. Her hair is a mess and drool trickles from the corner of her mouth, but she’s beautiful just the same. Gently, so I don’t wake her, I brush some of her hair away from her face and give her a peck on the forehead.
A soft snore is her only response.
I carefully slide out of bed and shuffle to the bathroom, groaning at the aches in my joints. Once my bathroom trip is complete, I head towards the kitchen to whip up some breakfast before she wakes up. I stand in front of the open fridge, pondering what I should make.
I dunno…. Muffins sound kinda good. But I’m not the best at baking. …Sausage and hash browns with egg?
Before I can think too hard about what to cook, my phone begins singing the lyrics of “The Weekend Whip”, startling me with the volume. Muttering curses under my breath, because I’m around eighty percent positive I put my phone on silent last night, I hastily answer to prevent her from getting woken up.
“Hey, Dad! I was hoping you’d be up.”
I sigh with a smile and tuck my phone between my ear and shoulder as I start pulling things out of the fridge to begin cooking. “Hey, hijo. Eh, you know me. Old habits.”
“I know, I know. Fifty years of sunrise warmups screwed you up for life.”
“Fifty years?? It wasn’t fifty! More like…thirty-two.”
“Whatever you say, Dad,” he chuckles. “Hey, is Mom up yet?”
“Nah, she’s still asleep. I’m working on getting breakfast ready.” I wince as the pots and pans rattle while I’m trying to pull one out. “Why?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just figured you guys would want to know that we’re engaged.”
I about drop the pan on my foot in shock. “YOU GUYS ARE WHAT?? Since when??”
Yesterday? They’ve been engaged since yesterday? My son is gonna be a married man soon? First, a married man, and then…. Oh, First Master, I’m not ready for grandkids yet.
His voice pulls me out of my spiraling thoughts, and I set the pan on the stove with a shaking hand. “I’m…I’m here. So…you didn’t think about calling yesterday?”
“We did, but we wanted to celebrate together before telling everyone, y’know?”
A big grin starts stretching across my face. “Mhm…celebrating. I see….”
“Nothing like that, Dad!”
“I’m just picking,” I laugh, imagining his reddened cheeks and flustered expression. I’m fairly certain I hear Piper’s muffled laughter on his end, and I smirk as he claims ‘it’s not funny, Piper!’.
“Seriously though…congratulations, you two.” My heart swells with pride. “No other nindroid I’d rather call ‘daughter-in-law’.”
“Thank you, Señor Herrero,” Piper chimes in, her wide smile audible.
I’m not sure what’s shocked me worse, her calling me Señor like I’m an elderly gentleman or her perfect accent. “De…De nada,” I mumble automatically, still reeling from…everything, really.
“Well, we’ll let you go. We still need to call Piper’s parents and tell them the news.”
I bring my phone down from my ear, my entire body buzzing as everything replays in my mind. Aiden and Piper…getting married. Oh, First Spinjitzu Master.
I spin around and meet her bleary, confused gaze. Her hair’s even more wild than I’d previously thought, and she looks like she could be still half-asleep.
“What was all that noise?”
Shaking in excitement, I grasp her hands with a wide grin. “Our son just called. He’s gonna be getting married.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her snap awake faster in all the years we’ve been together. Her mouth hangs open for a minute while the news sets in her brain. “They’re…they’re getting married??”
I can only nod in confirmation, chuckles starting to build up at her shock.
“Oh, Aiden,” she sobs, melting into my arms. “My baby boy.”
My smile trembles as I hold her, a couple happy tears snaking down my cheeks. I’m so proud of him. So, so proud.
It’s admittedly earlier than usual for me to be handling repairs, but Lloyd had requested that I fix the gear system for the training course in time for morning classes. The repairs are simple, just a cracked gear that needs replacing, so they shouldn’t take too long. Or…they wouldn’t if I didn’t find a hoard of nuts stashed inside the mechanism. I sigh as I pry another nut shell out from between the gears.
I suppose I’ll have to inform Lloyd of our squirrel problem.
My audio sensors catch the ring of the monastery’s phone from inside, and I sigh again. Of course.
“Pixal! Could you answer that please?” I call out, hoping my volume reaches her.
“I’ve got it,” she calls back.
Satisfied that situation is handled, I return to my task of unclogging the gear systems. Some of these pieces are wedged in pretty tightly, and I frown as my slick metal fingers can’t get a solid grip on them.
I’m about to ask Pixal if she can get my gloves for me when her scream pierces the silence, so sudden it causes my power source to flicker off for a millisecond. Shaken, I stretch in an attempt to find her from in the training course.
Rapid footsteps approach the trench I’m stuck in before she leaps in beside me and engulfs me in a tight hug. She’s shaking terribly, and I automatically wrap my arms around her in comfort.
“Pixal? What is it? What’s wrong?”
She pulls away from me, her face glowing with the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. “Aiden proposed! Piper’s getting married!”
“You startled me! I thought something was seriously-” Her exact words suddenly register in my processor, and everything else falls away. I grip her shoulders tight. “Piper? Our Piper? MARRIED?”
Laughing, she nods and cups my face in her hands. “Yes. Our Piper.”
My energy output skyrockets, and I start climbing out of the training course, grinning like a madman. “EVERYONE! PIPER’S GETTING MARRIED!” I shout as I rush inside. I’ve never felt this excited in my entire existence.
Lloyd slips out of his room. “What? What’s going on?”
I grip his shoulders, my hands trembling. “Piper’s getting married, Lloyd! She’s getting married!” I’m not sure whether my body wants to dance or collapse, so I settle for pacing the hall.
“That certainly is exciting news,” Lloyd chuckles, following my movements. “We’ll have to celebrate.”
I pause in my pacing when Pixal catches up to me, and I welcome her loving hug with a choking sob. My little daughter’s getting married. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.
So close. I’m so close to beating Rye’s high score. I smirk as I hit a triple bonus. That’ll show him not to cheat using his powers.
“EVERYONE! PIPER’S GETTING MARRIED!”
Uncle Zane’s shout scares me, breaking my concentration and causing me to crash into a space rock. I scowl as the words ‘game over’ flash across the screen before exploding into pixels.
“Aw, man! It took me ages to get to that level!” I flop onto the couch with a moan. “I was so close!”
“Did you hear what Uncle Zane said?”
I snort and roll my eyes. Of course. My own twin sister, who’s been at my side since conception, would rather not acknowledge my superior gaming skills. Typical sisters.
“Something about Piper,” I grumble, sitting up to restart my game. Oh well. Eighteenth time’s a charm.
“He said Piper’s getting married,” Aura clarifies from her spot hung over the back of the couch.
I whip my head around. “She’s what?? You’re sure?”
“Pretty sure,” she says with a grimace, digging a finger into her ear.
A big grin splits my face as I settle into my seat, and I hold up my palm. “Pay up, sis. I told you it would take less than six months.”
“Fine, fine, you win.” Ten bucks gets slapped into my hand before she slips over the back of the couch to lay beside me. “But you and I both know I’m going to be maid of honor. Aiden would rather die than make you best man.”
My smile grows as the theme music plays before launching me into the first level. “We’ll see,” I drawl, schemes already forming in my head. “We shall see.”