100 Baby Daycare One-Shots

Cookie's Parentage

A small family of only three stood across the way from the daycare, the triple story building failing to loom over them. Two parents of different stature and a small child, who gazed up in wide-eyed wonder at the brightly colored walls and lush greenery edged out around it.

Loud screeches came from inside and her mother, Aporia, tilted her head. The small brown ears perched at the top of her head twitched, perking up to listen closer.

Inside, the two supposedly responsible people herded their charges up the stairs. Each kid held a small bag stamped with random paint animals that a few were already rummaging through, pulling out cups of yogurt and diving in.

The angelic woman, Bri, stood in the center of the front room and clapped her hands as the kids sat in small groups laid out in a circle around her. One boy was weaving through the groups and helping the youngest ones open up the yogurt cups and punch short plastic straws through the paperboard juice boxes.

A very young blue-clothed girl bounced to her feet and tugged on Bri's pant leg. She knelt down and she stood on her toes to speak in her ear, pointing at another girl in pink. Bri called out to the girl who stared across the room for a moment before throwing her yogurt at her other caretaker.

Aporia laid a hand on her daughter's calm shoulder, watching as chaos broke loose. The werewolf, Austin, ran from room to room to backyard to room. Disappearing through one window, past another, knocked into another by a small child. He went in circles, attempting escape from children that could just barely be seen at the foot of the glass.

"Are we sure they're fit to take care of Cookie?" Dione asked, eyebrows knitted together. The orange and black wings, akin to a butterfly's, sprouting from his back rapidly fluttered, beating against the still air. He crouched down next to Cookie and she immediately turned to look him in the eye. He gazed at her innocent and patient face for a moment before sighing sadly and tapping her nose with his finger. "Boop."

She didn't giggle or laugh, instead tilting her head, still with wide eyes. A moment passed before she tapped his right back. "Boop."

He looked up at Aporia. "I can't do this. We can watch her at home for one more year."

"We talked about this," she said, gently taking his arm and helped him to his feet. "She needs to make friends her own age." He groaned and she lightly bapped him on the arm. "And it'll be beneficial for some of those friends to be humans, mortals, all species."

Dione dramatically fell forward, resting his head on her shoulder. "But how can we be sure they can properly watch her?" His voice wavered as he spoke.

"Allow me to take care of that." She patted his head as if he were a pet and Cookie patted his leg in solidarity.

Mist glazed over Aporia's vision, a hazy fog replacing the town with a new scene in its place. The two daycare runners ran about a large home, two young kids interweaving and dodging through their paths. One of them, the shorter boy, easily scaled the back of a couch and crouched to pounce on the cushions. From behind, Bri grabbed hold of him around the waist and hugged him to her chest, a bright smile and twinkling eyes.

The boy shrieked in delight and laughed along with her. Sharp fangs glistened from both their mouths in the beaming light. A tired looking Austin came into the room, the other hybrid boy dangling under his arm like a sack of potatoes. He jostled him to hold him up higher, yelling something while the boy just continued to grin.

Bri glanced down at the son in her arms, them sharing mischievous looks before telling him something and letting go. He dashed across the room and leapt at Austin, who yelped before catching him with his free arm. He climbed up and flopped over his shoulder, waving at his mom underneath his dad's arm.

Austin rolled his eyes, carrying them both to the couch and throwing them on it. The fog returned and crept around the corners of the room, enveloping the family. It disappeared as swiftly as it came, leaving Aporia back in present time.

Dione ruffled their daughter's hair and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well? Are they suitable?"

She smiled softly. "Highly. Just the perfect caretakers for our little one."