Dazed Drabbles

Relax

Ship: JayDelia
Universe: Parent!AU
Smut: Nope

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"Babe!" Jayus whined, distress radiating off him in waves. The sobbing toddler clung to his knee and sniffled miserably, while her brother wailed from where he was, held in the father's arms. Cordelia swept into the living room, a gentle smile on her face.

"Come here, mon cher." The redhead hummed, gathering the younger child into her arms. "Did Isla bump into you again?" She kissed the top of his little black-haired head, rocking back and forth slightly. With Gabe out of his arms, Jayus was free to lean down and pick up Isla.

"Hey, baby girl," he cooed at the child, "you're okay." Isla only dived further into tears, her emerald eyes scrunched tightly shut. Cordelia smiled at her lover reassuringly, shifting so that she balanced Gabe with her hip and one arm, letting Jay pass over the four-year-old to her as well. Isla's crying subsided after a few minutes, replaced by hiccups. Gabe was passed out a few seconds afterwards.

Cordelia watched Jayus collapse against the couch, exhaling heavily. "Long night?" She murmured as she sat beside him, still cradling their children. He nodded, yawning. "Did you sleep well?" He glanced at her, and the redhead hummed in acknowledgement, bringing a smile to his face. "Then it was worth it."

"You're such a flirt." Cordelia tilted her head to the side so that Jayus could curl up at her side, resting his temple on her shoulder. "Feet off the pillow." She chided gently, and he grunted in response, moving his legs a bit. "Good. Now relax."

Her boyfriend- Jayus was never one for marriage, and Cordelia wasn't either, despite the fact that they'd been dating for nearly seven years- closed his eyes with a smile. Cordelia began humming something, and it eventually grew into a song.

"Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby... Back to the years of loo-li-lai-lay," Jayus loved her voice, "And I'll sing you to sleep, and I'll sing you tomorrow, bless you with love for the road that you go." She sang this every night for their children, but rarely for him.

"May you sail fast, to the far fields of fortune, with diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet. And may you need never to banish misfortune, may you find kindness in all that you meet...!" She inhaled, but it barely made a noise, "May there always be angels to watch over you; to guide you each step of the way! To guard you and keep you safe from all harm! Loo-li, loo-li-lai-lay!"

She was quiet for a while, and Jayus nearly slipped into sleep before she continued, but there were her words again, just barely stirring the fog clouding his mind.
"May you bring love, and may you bring happiness, be loved in return to the end of your days... Now fall off to sleep," Jayus was close to obeying, "I'm not meaning to keep you! I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li-lai-lay..."

"May there always be angels to watch over you; to guide you each step of the way! To guard you and keep you safe from all harm! Loo-li, loo-li-lai-lay!" His eyelids were getting heavier by the second. "Loo-li, loo-li-lai-lay..."

***

Jayus wasn't sure how long exactly he'd slept, but by now it was dark outside and the clock stated that it was a little bit past midnight. His girlfriend had vanished, as had the kids, but she was probably just putting them to bed. Sure enough, no sooner had he shifted into a sitting position than did Cordelia appear from around the stairwell.

"You're finally awake." She giggled, crossing the threshold and sitting next to him once more. "The kids are in bed now." He winked suggestively at her, bringing another round of delicate laughter from her lips, but it was all in jest- he was still too tired for any of that.

"C'mere, fireball." He slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. The redhead propped her legs up onto the couch and curled up, humming contently. "Are you hungry?" She blinked at him, and he shook his head, just snuggling her tighter.
"Nope. Let's just relax. We don't get many nights like this anymore."

"Mmh, you're right. Oh, by the way, I'm pretty sure the rest of the gang are stopping by this weekend." She sighed, not necessarily unhappily, just not looking forward to all the excitement. "I mean, yeah, I can't wait to see them, but you know Isla doesn't like Shon all that much, and Gabriel doesn't like anyone, regardless of their appearance. The last thing we need is them starting a fire or going invisible the whole time."

Jay chuckled at the thought of Isla cloaking herself with an illusion or Gabe lighting the couch on fire- again. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Just relax." He ran his fingers through her hair, and she smiled once again.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"I always am, shortcake." He hummed at her. She scoffed playfully. "Are not."
"Am too." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."
"I love you more."