second try [sxf x child! reader]

⋆ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʟɪꜰᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛꜱ ɴᴏᴡ ⋆

"Right, listen you two," the man- who was called Loid Forger- said slowly as if to make sure every word he said was processed by them. "You've always known me and I've always been your father, got that? You will address me as father from now on and if anyone asks you if you've been my son or daughter your whole life, you will say yes."

"Papa!" Anya announced. 

Loid managed a smile. "That works, I guess. What about you Akira?"

"Father," Akira mumbled quietly.

Loid rubbed his head with the back of his hand, "You really don't act like a five year old."

Akira shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, barely paying attention to his new father. "Sure."

"Well," Loid looked down at them, "might as well get some food for tonight..."

"Peanuts!" Anya said quickly, elbowing Akira.

Again? Akira thought, trying to be as sarcastic as he could while thinking. You don't even know if he'll get you any. From my experience with adults-

Loid nodded, "Peanuts? That's fine. There's a small market that we can check out just a block from here. Anything you want, Akira?"

"No," Akira said, a little sharply. "Nothing."

"See?" Anya whispered as they started walking after Loid. "It's fine! Just gotta trust the process!"

Akira shook his head, "Never trust adults. I know more than you, Anya, and you know it."

"I know just as much as you," Anya retorted, "I can read your-"

Akira leapt forward and clamped his hand over her mouth, glowering. "Shh! Be careful with what you say!"

"Got a problem?" Loid turned around, studying the scene with his glittering eyes. It must've looked weird from his perspective. 

"No," Akira stepped away from Anya, still glaring at her. 

"We're fine, papa!" Anya agreed, her head bobbing up and down. The cones on her head made a shuffling sound. 

Loid turned back around and stared walking again, tipping his green hat forwards. 

"Anya, if you let anyone know about what you can do-" Akira hissed under his breath.

Anya paused, resting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. "You don't need to worry, I got this."

Their apartment turned out to be pretty nice, an absolute improvement from the dusty and barely kept together orphanage they'd been in just a few hours before. 

Anya ran around, exploring the place immediately. "Woah, Akira! Look! There's a bathtub!"

Akira collapsed on the couch in the center of the room with a groan. "Great."

"Speaking of which," Loid closed the door, locking it behind him, "you should take a bath right about now."

Akira rolled his shoulders. "I'll go after Anya."

A few moments later, the sound of the water running echoed through the apartment. Akira looked down at the book that'd he brought with him in a small black leather backpack which was one of the only usable things in the orphanage that Takahiro had let him take.

"So, Akira," Loid said from the kitchen. "How much do you know?"

Akira frowned, "Like reading, math, science?"

"Yeah," followed by the sound of a knife chopping onto a wooden board.

"More than Anya," Akira decided. "A lot more."

A pause. 

Loid emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on the apron he'd put on while Akira wasn't watching. "Read a lot, huh?"

"Yeah," Akira avoided eye-contact as he started towards the bathroom which Anya was emerging from, hair still wet and dripping.

The next morning, Akira woke to the sound of scuffling. Immediately alert, he rushed out of bed in the teddy bear PJ's that Loid had bought for him yesterday. Anya was scrambling across the ground, grunting and huffing as she pushed on the door. Loid's face was barely visible in the small crack that kept the door open.

"Ah, Akira," he said, sounding relieved. "I'm going out for my job for a little while. Stay inside... safely, okay?"

Akira shrugged, "Sure."

Where would I go anyway? He thought.

The door closed and Anya collapsed against the door, groaning. "Akira! You should've let me go out with him."

"Not by yourself," Akira said firmly. "And I wasn't going to go with him. I'm planning on just letting my brain think today."

Anya rolled her elegant, green eyes. "Think? Come on, you can't be serious. Who wants to sit and think on a day like this!?"

"It's just a normal day," Akira said flatly, resting himself on the couch and pulling out his book from his backpack which was slouching against the sofa arm.

"Auuughhh!" Anya ran over to him, pouncing onto the couch. "You're so boring, Akira!"

Akira stiffened, "Am not! You are!"

They were bickering so loudly they didn't notice the creak of the door and the slow padding of footsteps approaching until it was too late.