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abyssyby · 2 days ago

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fairies, goblins & crows

— too many cooks... scare children currently losing teeth.

ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ: OR the littles are in the middle of a milestone and all their caregivers are messing with them >< from this lovely ask from @fvckcare about them losing their first tooth that kinda snowballed into this hehe. enjoy! ❀-urs

important heads up for context of this story: kyros and lucian are (my headcanon) sylus's twin boys. around 6 years in this one! ᡣ𐭩

sylus & his family | sylus x reader | fluff, silly family dynamics, mentions of blood and teeth wiggling (just in case that makes any1 squeamish!), twin on twin violence (affectionate)

“Kyros, stop wiggling your tooth, your fingers are dirty.” you scold, tapping his forehead as you walk past him towards the stove.

“Mama, iths comin’ off!” he says, wiggling it instead with his tongue. He climbs the small step ladder to the sink to wash his hands.

“Shall we pull it out then?”

“No!” he exclaims, wet little hands slapping his mouth closed, soaking his cheeks. He shakes his head rapidly.

“Then stop wriggling, angel, and come eat your veggies.” you bid, turning to place the bowls of food on their spots on the table. Stir fry vegetables and a triangle of cinnamon toast for dessert (as they requested).

Just as you lift Kyros into his seat, Lucian walks in from the garage, wriggling his own loose tooth. Mephisto on his shoulder, neck turned curiously as he ogles at Lucian’s mouth.

“Fafa showed me nets!” he announces. “For the night fishies.”

You smile at him, gently guiding his hand down from his mouth and helping him sit too. “Is he taking you with him anytime soon?”

“Mhm, when I’m seven.” He nods happily, showing the number on his fingers. “I’m not there yet becaaause I’m still just—“ he knocks one down.” —six.”

Mephisto bends down a little more and brings his beak closer to Lucian’s mouth— wanting to help. Lucian gasps and slaps his mouth shut with both hands. Despite the bird’s good intentions (he’d do anything for the children) you reprimand him. You click your tongue, “Mephie, we’re not doing that.”

He squawks like he’s angry and flutters away.

You kiss the top of Lucian’s head. “Eat your food so you can be seven quicker, angel.”

You excuse yourself to the bathroom and the twins watch as you leave them to their snacks. Alone, they take a moment to silently show off their wriggling teeth. Kyros his left bottom front tooth, Lucian his right.

“Lucian, does it hurt?” Kyros asks, examining the way Lucian seems to be able to twist his a lot more than he can bend his. “Mine doesn’t hurt. Does- does yours hurt?”

Lucian shakes his head. “Mine doesn’t hurt. Mine just tickles. The under part scratches my tongue too.”

“Lucian, are you scared? Are you scared of—of your toof to have the blood?”

Lucian’s jaw drops, tongue halting its movements on his fragile tooth. “It’s going to blood?!”

“Lukey said so.” Kyros says thoughtfully. He gulps down the nerves he’s starting to feel, prickling his skin, building in his throat. “Lukey says there’s gonna be bloods and—and the toof goblins gonna come into the house to take us.”

“Toof goblins?!” Lucian is near tears. He clasps his hands together as if holding himself from wiggling the tooth further.

Kyros tries to backpedal at the sight of distress on his brother’s face. And to calm himself down too. “No, no! but— s’okay because papa would not let goblins in the house because goblins have dirty feet and no shoes. And we takes shoes off at the door so we have clean feet in the house, but goblins don’t have shoes.”

Lucian grimaces, letting all of that sink in. Somehow, that makes complete and perfect sense to him. He nods, fear subsiding at the idea of his father’s preferred state of foot hygiene indoors. “Papa doesn’t like dirty feet in the house.”

That seems to ease whatever apprehensions they have about the “tooth goblin” for now, enough to resume their meal. And despite their slow and careful bites on their carrots and baby corns—

Sylus is phasing away from the garage into the hall to localize the panicked screaming. You stumble out of the bedroom in your robe, hair dripping wet from the shower you’d just started and meet your husband’s wide eyes.

“Boys!” Sylus bellows, already running by your side into the dining room.

Kyros’s mouth is open wide as he wails in devastation. Lucian is pulling his own hair, screaming. Blood dribbles out both their mouths and pools into their bottom lips.

On each of their plates, sit a baby carrot and a baby corn— each with a single tooth protruding from them.

You sigh a breath of relief as you compose yourself. You’d definitely assumed the worst.

So did Sylus as he sighs through his nose before approaching the twins and bending down at the waist to wipe at their chins with his thumbs. “Alright, okay— shh.”

“It’s bleeding! There’s bloods!” Lucian’s voice breaks as he screams. He points at Kyros in terror, failing to notice his own bloody gums. Consequently spooking his brother more than necessary.

“Fafa! Fut it back! Fut it back!” Kyros begs, mouth open like a baby bird, handing him the baby carrot his tooth was sticking out of with trembling fingers. “Fease! Fease!”

It takes everything in Sylus to hold back his laughter in the face of their misery. He takes the table napkins you offer him to help with the clean up. “I can’t do that, Kyros.”

“No!” they cry. It doesn’t help that the napkins Sylus is using for their gums are now stacking up before them in a blossoming rose-red pile.

“Papa, did you know—“ Lucian hiccups. Tears now have made way down his cheeks too. “—if-if you lose too much bloods, you die, papa?”

Sylus snorts. “Yes, I’m aware.”

“I don’t want to die!”

Sylus scoffs in surprised amusement.

Kyros scowls, bapping Sylus’s shoulder. “Papa, don’t laugh. Is not funny!”

“Lucian,” Sylus sighs, his shoulders relaxing but his cheeks twitching into a repressed smile. “You’re going to be alright.”

He inspects the vegetables before his children— your dish— and his gaze falls on you. Too quiet, with an all-too pleased expression on your face as you wipe at Kyros’s wet cheeks.

“Sweetie…”

“Well, isn’t this what we wanted, boys?” you say enthusiastically, ignoring Sylus’s suspicious glare. “Now we’ll have a visitor tonight!”

Truth was, you couldn’t take another day of the children coming up to you and wriggling their teeth in your face. And with every offer to pull it out yourself declined, you’d taken matters into your own hands. Besides, you told them about the tooth fairy… right? They should be looking forward to that.

Kyros and Lucian give each other a look at the mention of a guest and then scream at the top of their lungs— inconsolable for the rest of the afternoon.

𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

You give them each a cold jelly pop to help stop the crying and put each tooth in old ring boxes so they can carry them around.

Sunset proved to be difficult for the pair, restless still, but unwilling to share why. Instead, Kyros asks Sylus to hold him as the sun dips from the horizon and Lucian climbs his cat-tree like perch on the window to watch the outer gate.

You frown from your spot on the couch. “What’s going on with you two?”

Kyros shudders. “Lucian is watching for the goblins.”

Sylus snorts. You click your tongue. “That’s not a very nice thing to call your brothers.”

“No, mama, the toof goblins!” Lucian clarifies, gooseflesh rising at the name. He slips down from his spot as the sky turns dark and the automatic lights turn on. He runs to your lap and snuggles himself between you and Sylus. “They gonna take us tonight.”

Sylus raises a brow, hackles rising slightly at the implication. “Take you?”

“Because our toofs are gone.” Kyros’s sniffles sadly, like he’s being forced to say goodbye. “The toof goblins doorbell rings when little boys lose their toofs and they— they come to take them to work and make stinky old shoes.”

Oh, he looks devastated. He looks ridiculously, hilariously devastated. And you should feel bad, you should feel more empathy for your angel as he goes through such a difficult process to weigh out what is fact and fiction. But you gasp, hand covering your mouth to hide the giggle.

Sylus is no better, struggling the same as you feel him grab hold of your fingers and squeeze tight.

“Who told you that, angel?”

Kyros’s eyes are glassy and reminiscent of black pearls in the dim light. “Lukey.”

Sylus purses his lips. “Did he now?”

“Will you miss us when we’re gone, mama?” Lucian’s bottom lip quivers at the question. “Will you call us in—in the stinky shoe shop?”

“Oh, my baby.” you pout, smoothing his hair down his head and curling your fingers over his round cheeks. “Of course I will.”

“Beloved.” Sylus chastises, although his shoulders shake and his chest rumbles as he denies himself a good laugh.

“Don’t let them take us, papa, pease! Pease!” Kyros shouts suddenly, pressing his face into Sylus’s chest. Clinging as if the goblins have already taken hold of his ankles and are dragging him away.

You and Sylus usually take turns messing with the twins, just so they know no matter how big or small a problem, they’ll have a parent on their side. So you’re surprised to see Sylus wince and pat Kyros’s back in sympathy and say, “I’ve never fought goblins before, I don’t know if I’ll win…”

“You will!” Kyros shrieks, demands into his chest, pressing himself closer. His voice breaks in defiance and desperation. “Papa, you are strong, you will win!”

Sylus can’t help the full belly laugh that escapes his lips as he circles his arms around Kyros. “Okay, I’ll try my best. Mama will help if I can’t handle the goblins.”

Kyros nods. “Mama will help.”

Lucian has clung onto your neck now too, and you can’t help but sprinkle his head with kisses. “Have I never told you about the tooth fairy?”

“There’s another one?!”

𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

“Kieran says they’re running a little late,” Sylus informs as he readies himself for bed. Stretching his aching muscles and stiff neck. Like clockwork, he crawls over the covers— using a gentle knuckle to knock your book out of the way— and he lays his head on your lap. He sighs, content, “Says there’s trouble with the negotiations.”

Your fingers find their spot in his hair, nails raking gently over his scalp. “Are they alright?”

“Not as bad as they will be when they get home.” Sylus shuts his eyes, rolling his shoulders as he settles on you. “Why would they scare the boys like that?”

You chuckle. “You tell me, you raised them.”

“They were like that when I got them, I don’t condone being the instigator of this.” he turns to his side and presses his face into your stomach. Muffled, he jabs, “And you encourage them…”

You tug his ear. “I do not!”

“Speaking of, care to explain the baby corn?” his one eye peeks up at you, a humorous glint in it as it pins you to your spot. Red eyes reflecting you caught red-handed.

Nose to the sky, your huff. Your hand comes up to shield your face from his vision. “Don’t know what you mean.”

He chuckles, buttery and warm, and intertwines his fingers with yours to bring down the barrier. “You know exactly what—“

And you cave so easily under his touch. “—it’s natural! it’s a natural tooth-removal—“

There is a sound. You both clock it at the same time as you freeze and hold your breaths.

He nearly knocks into your chin with the speed at which he sits up. His hand mindlessly cups your jaw in silent apology. But his mind is elsewhere, “What’s that?”

You’re sitting up as well. He’s first to move, hopping up and checking Mephisto’s feed on his phone. The bird was stationed in the kids’ room, as per their request.

It showed nothing out of the ordinary. Just two little lumps on the beds, fast asleep.

But there’s another clank in the house. So imperceptible only Sylus could hear it. His hackles rise, he bares his teeth. “Someone’s moving around.”

“Twins?”

“They’re across the city, they shouldn’t be back yet.”

You feel an irrational chill run down your spine. “Goblins?”

He gives you an amused glance. “Let’s hope not. I haven’t fought those yet.”

You gather your weapon, Sylus’s evol-vined hands rests at the ready on his sides as you descend the stairs quietly. Before you approach the hallway to the front door, there is a loud thunk! from the living area. you flinch and aim your weapon to the window— where Lucian’s perch has lost its bearings and toppled over.

You relax. Sylus glances around. “Good thing he wasn’t on it.”

Once the coast is clear from all rooms in the house, you return to your bedroom to find two little surprises beneath your sheets.

You hide your weapon. “Hello?”

“Hi, mama.” Kyros blinks, large eyes peeking out from the top of the blanket. Beside him, his brother is under the covers, close to dozing off, but waves weakly.

Sylus enters after you, equally startled at the shock of white hair peeking from his silk sheets. “Kyros.”

“Papa, I sleep here.” he says, then pets Lucian’s round tummy over the sheets. “And Cian sleep here.”

Sylus glances at you, but you’re already so taken by the two little babies in the middle of your big bed that he doesn’t even try to convince them to try and be brave in their own bedrooms. No, not when you’re diving into bed and gathering the sleeping Lucian in your arms.

“Alright,” he shrugs and does the same. Under the blanket, he curls his arm over Kyros’s middle, knowing his son appreciates the weight. “Where are your teeth?”

“Safe,” is all he says before cuddling up to Sylus’s side. Lucian had stirred awake just enough to wrap himself around you as well. Sylus doesn’t ask, just kisses the boy’s hair and holds him close.

“Are you here because of the goblins?” You ask, reaching over to brush Kyros’s cheek with your thumb.

Kyros nods his head. “I think—think we safe now.”

“Oh?”

“Cian and I made sure.” he nods to himself, mostly. “Mhm. Made sure.”

You and Sylus share a look. “Okay, baby.”

“Did mama tell you about the tooth fairy?” Sylus asks on your behalf. Again, since the first few times they were too spooked to even talk about it. Which only meant you either did and they fear her nonetheless or you didn’t.

Kyros nods. “Lady come to take the toof and leave a moneys.”

You perk up. “Doesn’t that sound exciting?”

But Kyros shakes his head. “Don’t want people in my room. ‘cept mama and papa. and big twins. and Mephie… oh, and Cian. and me.”

Sylus boops his nose. “What if Mephie gets your tooth and gives you a gold coin? A tooth Mephie.”

Lucian giggles, startling you slightly as you’d thought he was asleep. But he heard. “I like toof Mephie. Mephie can put the toofs in his piles.”

“Yeah,” you nuzzle his sleepy cheek. “That’s fun, right? Doesn’t have to be goblins.”

“Goblins won’t be a problem anymore.” Kyros says again. Sure and confident.

Although he is impressed at the sudden surge of courage, Sylus’s brows knit together. “You’re awfully sure for someone who cried about them earlier.”

Lucian yawns. “Papa, we borrow the nets, okay? Thank you, papa.”

“What nets?” You frown, poking his cheek. But it’s a little too late— he’s drifted back into sleep. You look up at Sylus. “Sy, what nets?”

He shrugs, snuggling closer to Kyros who looks absolutel adorable with his half-lidded eyes and his nodding sleepy head. Happy that the little boy is warm and fits just perfectly in the space between his arms. Really, as long as he can keep his family within reach, he couldn’t care less about anything else. He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

Something itches, just doesn’t seem… done. But when you check your children’s fingers for any cuts or scrapes to find nothing, you shrug it off for now. Your instincts do not flare up despite the cryptic messages from your children and the noises from earlier. Maybe it’s the confidence of having Sylus around to not worry with you. Maybe it was the fact that you’re in the presence of peace in this moment and you want nothing more than to fall into it. Whatever it may be, you settle, cuddle up to your designated twin and fall asleep.

𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Luke groans at the tightness in his neck and shoulders, tugging painfully when he rolls his head. He swears something under his breath and walks the final few steps to the front door of the house.

Kieran follows, unclipping his mask and scanning his retinas so the door opens quietly for them. Leave boots by the door.

Shoeless feet drag across the carpet, knocking away spiked LEGOs left by the door. Odd, the littles always clean up after themselves now, but they couldn’t find it in themselves to care. Not when they’re exhausted and safe within their own home.

“Ouch!” Kieran winces as he steps over one. Luke snickers.

They push on, and then let their bodies deflate on the nearest leather couch. Luke feels the poke of a wooden peg on his side, and flinches. “Ow!”

He takes it and flicks it away. It knocks against the pulled apart remnants of Kieran’s cat-perch piled against the window, almost as if to board it up, illuminated by the moon. through the window. Luke blinks at it sleepily. Thinks the littles might have played a strange game today.

“Boss mama says the goobers lost their teeth.” Kieran announces, scrolling through unread texts on his phone.

Luke makes a tired yet enthusiastic sound. “Yeah? That’s nice.”

“Remember when you lost your tooth?”

Luke snorts. “You mean when you knocked it out of my head?”

Kieran smiles to himself at the memory. A necessary fight to ensure they’d live to see the next day. Make it look real, his brother had said, and so he punched his jaw hard enough to make his head fly back and knock him off his feet. The tooth falls to the ground in a single quiet trickle. He yowls at the pain that mirrors his Luke’s as their connection makes it shoot up his nerves too.

They both got necessary sedatives and a week’s bedrest from the experiments.

“Sorry about that.” his mouth curls. Now more fond than resentful of the memory at their age. “It did work though.”

“I’m just happy you felt it as much as I did, dweeb.” Luke says, getting up to stretch his back.

Kieran watches. “Going to…?”

“Check on the boys.” Luke says. Kicking away the strange trails of toys left on the ground. “Gonna leave a shoelace by their pillows to mess with them.”

Kieran groans. “The goblin thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Pushing it too far, maybe?”

Luke thinks. Remembers the terrified look on Kyros’s face, Lucian’s insistence on not being able to make shoes for the tooth goblins… “It’s enrichment. A canon event.”

Kieran shrugs. “If you say so.”

The little twins run hot like their papa so there is a noticeable drop in temperature when their brothers push open the nursery door. Masters of stealth, they’re able to creep up to each bed and maneuver around the sleeping lumps without waking them.

Or so they thought.

Luke slips his fingers under the pillow and grabs the small box— silently commending the packaging of the tooth. He doesn’t think when he pulls it out, and so it bursts into a blinding assault of cinnamon onto his face.

Luke yells, sneezes a million times over and falls back on his bottom. Kieran stands frozen as he watches the mechanical crow caw overhead and deploy a large net, draping his twin in sharp nylon—a cinnamon twist.

“Kiera—“ Luke screams, coughing profusely as he struggles in his net.

Kieran is speechless. Quick eyes scanning the situation, the trap, the makeshift ring box bomb. He’s impressed. “Oh, wow.”

They hear the footsteps coming before the door bursts open. Two silhouettes, proud and menacing stand against the light of the hallway.

“Got you, goblins! Got you!” Kyros cheers.

Lucian deploys a finger. “Papa! They gots dirty feet— Whack them!”

“No!” Luke and Kieran chorus in alarm.

“It’s ugh—s—“ Luke coughs. The lights come on, and Sylus squints at his eldest. You peek over his shoulder, sleep mused hair and bleary eyes trying to make sense of the shapes in your sons’ bedroom.

“Lukey? That’s for the goblins.” Kyros frowns, coming in to help him out the net. Sylus overtakes him with long strides, just that little bit to grab onto the sharp nylon himself.

“I got it, Kyros.” he grumbles, lifting the tangled net off Luke, who gives him a bashful look. Sylus blinks at him sleepily, “You did this to yourself.”

“I know.”

Unscathed, Kieran picks Lucian up and presses on his cheek. “Let me see that gap.”

Lucian shows him the space where his tooth was. Kieran grins and squeezes his cheek. “Keewan, did you see the goblins? Did they come?”

Kieran tilts his head, glances at his poor twin and nods. “Yeah, they were here. Luke and I told them to back off. Poor Luke just stumbled into your trap— nice job by the way.”

Lucian smiles proudly. “Papa show me the night fishie nets.”

“So no more goblins?” Kyros asks, helping Luke up from the floor.

“No more.” Luke sneezes, painfully playing along. Kyros launches himself into his arms. “Oof!”

“I knew they weren’t gonna take us!” he sighs in relief. Thanking the older twins for defending them, apologizing to Luke for getting caught in the trap. All the while, you give tired glares to your first set or twins over grateful heads.

“Look.” Sylus calls, lifting Lucian’s pillow up and revealing a gold coin. “Someone else came to take your teeth.”

“Ahh!” Lucian scrambles off of Kieran and launches himself on his bed, grabbing the coin from where it rests. Engraved on the gold circle are the words: Shiny Tooth Coin (1). “A treasure!”

But Kyros is thoughtful, eyeing the bird on his perch in the room. His red eye glints as if he’d winked and Kyros smiles to himself, clutching his new prize to his chest. “Toof Mephie.”

𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 𓇢𓆸 ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Later, you tuck your boys back under your covers (theirs are a mess), and nudge Sylus’s shoulder. He smiles at you fondly, knowing exactly what you’re about to bring up. “Hm?”

“Golden engraved tooth currency?” you say, incredulous. You turn on your heel to face him fully. An accusatory finger poking at his sternum. “You wanted those teeth out as much as I did.”

He doesn’t try to hide the grin that curls his lips. His hands travel down your arm to cradle your elbow, which he uses to tug you closer to him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hmph,” eyes roll at the proximity. cheeks flare at the look in his eye. “Tell me your plan.”

He scoffs. “The plan you sabotaged with your vegetables?”

“Ohh, so you’re jealous my plan worked and yours got scrapped.”

“Not jealous, beloved,” he says, although the bitter denial in his tone is music to your ears. “Especially when yours was luck.”

“Which you have zero of.” You tease. He dodges the fingers that come up to pinch his cheeks, but your persistence catches him anyway. “Tell me.”

“I show them my first tooth coins and get them to want their own so bad that they just ask me to pull their tooth out.” He says plainly. A full psychological heist dedicated just for his sons, with 13 steps in total that would have taken up to 3 days.

“That’s cruel.”

“That’s encouragement.” He defends.

“You were going to brainwash our children," you point out. though you think it's adorable that he's gone through this whole process to keep the milestone from being traumatic for the twins.

Unlike you, who— “You weaponized baby corn.”

You shake your head. “That’s natural.”

He laughs, genuine and hearty, as he pulls you into his chest. His lips meet the top of your head and he smiles. “It was for the greater good.”

And you nod. “To save us all from the wriggling.”

He agrees and then rests his cheek on your head. You hover over your children and bask in the silence of your usually chaotic lives. Both little boys sleep peacefully, heads knocked together, small fists gripping tightly onto their crow-gifted trinkets.

Peace washes over you as the smoke clears from the chaotic battlefield this day has been. Comfort comes in the form of your husband's caress, and you murmur against his chest, “One down.”

He sighs, heavy but loving. “Nineteen to go.”

✧˚ ⋆｡ read more with the little twins here || more sylus thoughts ✧˚ ⋆｡

thank you for reading!

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