Project Motherhood: Valentine

Chapter 5

The morning came, and with it, Valentine's obligations. She sat up in bed and stretched with a yawn, then looked over at her children with a smile. They were all so cute when they were sleeping, it was almost a shame to wake them. She knew Robo would wake up in a few minutes thanks to her programming, but she didn't want to give Crona a rude awakening as she tried to wake up Fukua. The Nurse thought it over, then slowly wormed Crona out of Fukua's arms, gently rubbing his cheek with her thumb to stir him. Crona yawned and slowly began to stir in her arms, looking around in confusion. "Mama?" He mumbled, then looked up and let a small smile form. "Mama..."

Valentine smiled and held her son close. "Yes, sweetie, mama's here. Did you sleep good with your big sister?" He nodded in her embrace and she kissed his forehead gently. "Good... Now let's wake her up so she can start her day." Robo walked up and looked to Valentine, the look in her eyes conveying a message. Valentine sighed and adjusted Crona so his head was against her chest and she could cover her ears. Fukua screamed in shock as an air horn went off next to her, ripping her from the world of sleep.

"Good morning, sister." Robo remarked.

Fukua scowled angrily at her sister and flipped her off. "Don't do stuff like that while I'm...holding...Crona..." Looking over, she saw her mother now had Crona, which caused her to sigh softly in defeat. "I hate you." She muttered, looking at the robot.

"I love you too sister."

"That's not what I said!"

"No, but I meant it." Robo replied with a smile, seeming infuriatingly smug yet approachable and friendly at the same time. Valentine sighed, knowing there really wasn't much she could do about her daughters' relationship. They cared for one another... but they were also sisters, she had to expect this. She just prayed that their positive interactions would outweigh their negative ones down the line. She didn't want to deal with the headache of having two daughters that did nothing but fight day in and day out. She looked down and patted Crona's back, helping the little boy stir from his sleep, earning a yawn from the sleepy boy as he looked around.

"Morning..." He yawned.

"Good morning, love." Valentine smiled, kissing the top of her son's head. He let out a soft coo of happiness at her affection. He was still getting used to waking up and feeling safe and loved, there was still part of his mind that was acting up.

"Let it go, kid." Ragnarok remarked, getting Crona's attention. "She's gone, you're safe. We're not gonna wake up on a table again, okay? That's behind you, you don't need to be afraid of it anymore."

"Yeah..." Crona mumbled, looking down. It was so weird to think that his life was suddenly so much better than the living nightmare it had been all his life... But he was so glad that it was his new reality. Valentine looked down at Crona, genuinely surprised by Ragnarok's... kindness. She knew him to be abrasive, but she was surprised to see his "softer" side. She smiled slightly and rested Crona against her chest.

"Well, let's get something to eat. We'll be off to work soon." Valentine nodded down at her son. Knowing he'd need to change, but she wanted to keep him in his little onesie for now. Everyone nodded, and Robo Fortune set forth to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family. She settled for a simple meal of fried eggs on toast because there were places they had to be. Crona looked around the room that once belonged to his mom, but now belong to... his mom. Okay, maybe that sounded better in his head, but he took everything in once again, thinking about how happy he was to finally be free, to be loved. It was more than he could've ever expected for his existence.

Yet something still felt off. Like something wasn't real, or that he still hurt, he was still scared, he didn't get it... "Again, just take it slow, Crona." Ragnarok remarked from within his hosts' body. "We aren't gonna walk away as if nothing happened. Just don't blame yourself for what happened, also, say something if you need to, it's the easiest way for her to get the message."