Outside Work We... •[TNN One-shots]•

Poison •|| WINTUMN + ARRI + CHRIS ||•

Prompt: Chris, Winter and Autumn's young son, thinks he got poisoned.

The Knight household was unusually calm on a Saturday afternoon. Winter and Autumn were upstairs folding laundry, enjoying a rare moment of peace while their children, Arri and Chris, kept themselves entertained downstairs.

Chris, five years old and full of energy, had just finished zooming his toy cars across the living room floor when he realized he was thirsty.

"Sissyyyy!!!" Chris called, dragging out her name. He looked up at his sister, who was scrolling through her phone on the couch. "I need water!"

Arri sighed but set her phone down. “Fine, give me a sec.” She went into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Without thinking much of it, she filled one of the infamous wedding anniversary cups— the ones with “You have just been poisoned” carved at the bottom— and brought it to him.

“Here you go, bugger,” she said, handing him the glass.

Chris grinned. “Tank you, Arri!”

He gulped down the water in one go, as dramatic as ever. Then, as he tipped the glass back to drink the last drops, his big blue eyes caught sight of the words at the bottom.

His smile vanished. He blinked at the glass, holding it up and staring at the carving.

It felt like his tiny world crumbled.

“ARRIIII!” he screamed, his voice shaking with panic. “I POISONED!”

Arri whipped around so fast she almost knocked over the couch. “What?”

Chris burst into loud, hiccupping sobs, clutching the empty glass like it was going to explode. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to explain, but his words were incoherent through his cries.

“I-I-I DRINK— POISON— GONNA DIIIIEEE!”

“Wait, what?!” Arri crouched down, grabbing his shoulders. “Chris, you’re fine! What are you talking about?”

But Chris wasn’t listening, too busy wailing at the top of his lungs.

Upstairs, Winter froze mid-fold, staring at the door. “Something’s wrong.”

Autumn frowned, dropping a towel. “That’s Chris crying. Let’s go.”

The couple hurried downstairs, their hearts racing. They found Chris sobbing in the middle of the living room while Arri looked utterly bewildered.

“What happened?” Autumn demanded, kneeling by Chris.

“I—I don’t know!” Arri stammered, throwing her hands up. “He was fine, then he started crying after drinking water. I have no idea why!”

“Chris, honey, what’s wrong?” Winter asked, crouching beside him.

Chris hiccupped, holding up the glass. “I DRANK IT, AN’ IT SAY I POISONED!”

There was a beat of silence before realization hit Winter like a truck. His eyes went wide, and he smacked his forehead. “Oh, no. Those cups.”

Autumn groaned, immediately catching on. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Chris stared at them, his face pale and tear-streaked. “It not funny! I GONNA DIE!”

“No, sweetheart, you’re not,” Autumn said quickly, pulling him into her arms. “You’re not poisoned. It’s just a silly joke on the cup.”

Chris sniffled, his voice shaky. “B-but it say it! Look!”

Winter took the glass, flipping it to show the bottom. “See this? It’s just words. Your Uncle Reece and Aunt Mia thought they were funny and gave these to us as a wedding present. It’s not real poison. You’re perfectly fine.”

Chris looked suspicious. “Why they do that?!”

“Because they think they’re comedians,” Autumn said, rolling her eyes.

Arri’s mouth fell open as the pieces clicked. “Ohhh, wait— those cups?!” She groaned, smacking her forehead. “I forgot about these! I didn’t realize that’s what was freaking him out!”

Chris sniffled again, his tiny fists rubbing his eyes. “So… I not gonna die?”

Winter smiled softly and ruffled his son’s curls. “No, buddy. You’re not going anywhere. You’re stuck with us for a long, long time.”

Chris tilted his head, processing that. “…Good. ‘Cause don’t wanna go nowhere.”

Autumn kissed the top of his head, relieved that he was finally calming down. “You’re not going anywhere, my love. And we’ll make sure not to use these cups anymore.”

“Yeah, those cups are banned now,” Arri added with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Chris wrinkled his nose. “Good. Dat cup’s mean.”

Winter chuckled, pulling Chris into his arms. “It’s not mean; it’s just misunderstood.”

“Mis-what?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

As the tension eased, Arri leaned against the counter, shaking her head. “I’m definitely bringing this up with Uncle Reece next time we see him.”

“And Aunt Mia,” Autumn added with a smirk. “They’ll get an earful.”

Chris nestled into Winter’s arms, finally smiling again. “I’m still not usin’ dat cup.”

“No one’s asking you to, buddy,” Winter said, holding him close.

The family shared a laugh, and the once-chaotic moment became just another story to treasure.