Eda massaged her temples, groaning in annoyance at the toddler and young demon arguing on the floor.
"King, why do you have to argue with the 2 year old?"
"She started it!" King yelled accusingly, pointing his paw towards Luz. Luz whined and stuck her tongue out at him. "She took my toy! I had it first!"
Eda shook her head, resting her face in her hand, before lifting her chin slightly upwards.
"She's two!"
"Yeah, too old to be acting like a baby!"
"She is a baby!"
"Nuh uh!" King crosses his arms, scoffing at Eda. "She is a toddler, you always say that."
"My Titan, King. Do you really gotta act like this?"
Suddenly, Lily walked into the room, toilet paper stuffed into both ears. Bags rested just under her eyes, indicating little to no sleep.
"Can they quiet down?" Lilith asked, motioning towards the still bickering pair.
"Trust me, I tried. I don't know what to do anymore."
Lilith snapped her head to the whiny demon and angry babbling toddler.
"Mine!" Luz whined, snatching the stuffed toy from King. King started to squeal, kicking his small legs.
"No, Luz! It's mine! Find your own!"
Luz opened her mouth and moved towards the demon, making him flinch back in fear, and making Lily swiftly grab the child.
"Luz, no biting!" Lily corrected, holding the child away from King. King laughed and blew raspberries at the girl.
"King, keep at it. I'll tell Lily to put her down."
With that, King squeaked and hid behind a bigger toy, peaking out slightly. Eda sighed, once again rubbing her temples.
"I don't know what to do. They just can't get along today."
Lilith laughed slightly, popping the toilet paper out of her ears. "Edalyn, that was an everyday thing for us. They're siblings, bound to fight once in a while."
"Yeah, well, its pretty annoying. Any ideas to make peace?"
Lilith glanced to the demon playing on the floor. She tapped Luz's head subconsciously, before handing her off to Eda.
"Actually, I have a few ideas."
-
"This? Really?"
"Do you have any better ideas?"
"Eh, not really," Eda stated with a shrug. "It's just so old school!" she finished.
"Aren't we old school?" Lilith asked with a snicker, earning a fist bump and a small 'totally' from her younger sister.
Lilith and Eda stared at the duo, who was stuck together in one singular shirt. Luz whined as she tried to escape the shirts' grasp, but to no avail. King only groaned in annoyance as he pushed away from the toddler.
"Just leave them like this for a while," Lilith said proudly. "They'll be fine."
Eda gulped as she stared at the young duo who wasn't getting along any better than they were before.
And as Eda suspected - they were not fine at all.
In fact, they may have gotten even worse than before.
Eda figured that part out when King punched Luz in the face - not lightly, but not hard enough to exactly hurt. Eda suspected that Luz crying was more for attention that anything.
Seeing this, Lilith decided it was time to take a different approach.
-
Luz cried and flailed about as she pulled away from Lilith's grasp, whom of which was making her hold hands with King - the very demon she didn't wanna hold hands with!
Fortunately for Luz, though, King didn't want to hold her hand either. Great, so the feelings were mutual.
Eda titled her head as Lilith kept knelt on the floor, forcing the two to hold hands.
"Soooo, you're just gonna do that the whole time?"
"I mean-"
Lilith was cut off by Hooty bumping into her, happily squeezing her and making her release her grip.
"Hoot! Guess what!" Hooty annoyingly asked. Lilith groaned at the bird tubes antics.
"Hooty, I was busy." Lilith answered, rolling her eyes and pushing the owl off. Hooty's bottom beak quivered as tear pricked his eyes.
"Fine! I'll just find a new best friend!" Hooty cried out, turning around and slamming the door. Lilith scoffed.
Meanwhile, Eda was trying to hold back a vicious King, who was attempting to pounce on the toddler. Luz grabbed at King's horns, yanking his head to the ground, making the demon yell out in both pain and anger.
"You stupid toddler!"
Eda gasped, pretty much dropping King. The fluffy demon hit the ground with a thud, rubbing his head. Luz, seemingly mimicking Eda, gasped as well, stopping what she was doing. Lilith looked at the trio with wide eyes, pointed ears unbelieving.
"King, did you just-"
"Y-yeah," King stuttered, trying to regain his confidence. "I - I did say that. Because it's true! She's always taking my stuff when she has her own, she's always grabbing and pulling my horns, she cries whenever I wanna do something by myself...!"
King paused, taking a breath, eyes gazing over the shocked faces of the people he loved most.
"I - I wish we never kept Luz in the first time!"
And with that, King let out a squeak as he was immediately lifted off the ground, being held by the scruff of his neck. He opened his eyes to see an angry Eda growling at him - staring deep into his soul with her motherly eyes.
"King! You're not supposed to talk like that! What in Titans name has gotten into you?"
King stayed silent as he watched Lilith pick Luz up,cradling her for a few seconds. Then, Lilith went out of view towards Luz's room.
"I-"
"You're in big trouble, King," Eda carried the dog-like-demon to a chair in a separate, dark room. "Stay. You stay here until I say." Eda finished as she sat the whimpering ball of fluff down.
"Eda-"
"I don't care. Don't wanna hear it. You don't say that to what has been your little sister for 2 years now."
King looked at the ground, lashing his tail as his pupils grew slightly.
And with that, Eda left. She went back to the living room where Lilith was sprawled on the couch, groaning.
"Long day, huh, sis?" Eda asked, sitting on the floor as to give Lilith more room. Lilith opened her closed eyes momentarily - only long enough to peak at Eda - before closing them once again.
"Yeah, for sure," Lilith said, trying to relax. "Put Luz in her crib, by the way. She needs to chill in there on her own for awhile."
"Yeah..." Eda sighed, earning a concerned glance from her sister.
"Uhm.... What's the matter?" Lilith asked, propping herself up on her elbows.
"I just... what if they never get along? Did you hear what King said? I feel like I have a teenager already. This is the first big fight they ever had! In 2 years!"
Lilith sighed, looking put the window. "Siblings bicker sometimes. It's normal. King is... different. I'm sure he didn't mean it. Anyway, Luz is too little to understand what he was even saying."
"But I don't want him in the habit of saying things like that." Eda reminded.
Lilith sighed, looking at the setting sun outside. "I know, Eda," she began, not once taking her eyes off the window. "I know."
-
King peaked over the side of the crib, eyeing the toddler curled up in the corner. She had the tips of her index finger and middle finger in her mouth, other arm wrapped tightly around a stuffed animal.
"Hey..." Luz whispered, hanging over the side, still peaking, but enough for Luz to see who it is. Her face instantly lit up at seeing the demon.
"King!" Luz said happily, dropping her toy and standing up on the side to get a better look at her best friend. King cocked his head to the side at her reaction.
"You aren't... upset?"
Luz babbled, before reaching for him. "King!"
Luz fell on the mattress, making bubbles with her own saliva, smiling and clapping.
King felt his hear grow as he climbed into the crib with her, perching himself in her lap and grabbing her face. "Of course you aren't... you're Luz," King reminded himself, enjoying the sound of Luz's pure giggles. "And I wished we never kept you... I hope you forgive me."
But Luz only hugged the demon - shocking him momentarily - before he quickly reciprocated it. Luz buried her face into the fluff around his collar, small hands gripping at the fur on his back. King relaxed as he hugged the kid he's grown to love oh so much - the kid he would never trade for anything - the kid that he adored the fact they kept. His kid. His Luz.
"Love," Luz babbled into his fur, making King instantly choke back tears. "Love you. Love King." Luz finished, shaking her head against his neck. King whined, not wanting to talk to avoid crying.
They sat there for awhile longer, before Luz tiredly laid herself down, tilting her head to the bedside table she couldn't reach. She whined and pointed to her pacifier on the surface. King took the hint and leaped out the crib, retrieving the paci and bringing it back to his kid.
Luz happily took it, putting it in her mouth and closing her eyes. King sat perched beside her for a few moments, before ultimately curling into her hip, tail wrapped safely around himself - and a bit of Luz - as he crept into a deep slumber.
-
"Can you go check on Luz?" Eda asked, scratching Owlbert's head as he chirped in delight. The owl hopped around happily, but Eda remained stoic.
"Sure," Lilith said, rising from her spot on the couch, before heading up the steps to Luz's room.
Eda sat in silence for a few long seconds, before lifting Owlbert to her shoulder. "Sooooo.... how's the weather?" Eda asked lovingly, giving the bird a treat. Owlbert rolled his eyes but took the treat with grace, flying to a lamp to perch himself on.
"Eda!" Lilith yell-whispered from her spot halfway down the steps.
"What??" Eda asked, obviously annoying.
"Come look." Lily motioned for Eda to follow. Eda, albeit skeptical, followed.
And when she touched the top of the stairs, and stood in Luz's doorway, who would've guessed that she'd she King and Luz peacefully cuddled up to one another, sound asleep and wondering dream land?