Two Mornings: The Cold War of Parenting
āāā§ā ą¼¶ Enjoy the read, LilyButterfly ą¼¶ āā§āā
You and Satoru have been enemies since kindergarten, always hating each other. You once thought you could get rid of him one day, but instead you were forced to marry him, and now you even have a baby together.
One very early morning, around 2 a.m., you were fast asleep. Suddenly, the baby started crying, but you were too tired to hear it. Suddenly, Satoru jumps into bed, startling you awake.
āWake up, you lazybones! Our babyās hungry!ā he shouts. He hadnāt been sleeping; heād probably just
āSeriously, Satoru⦠shut your mouth or Iāll really get rid of you this time,ā I mutter hoarsely, my face still buried in the pillow.
It felt like Iād only closed my eyes for five minutes after a day of housework, and now this āDemon Kingā was jumping on the bed as if it were a playground, not the sacred 2:05 AM. I could feel the bed shaking violently because of his antics.
I turned over with great effort, squinting at his silhouette, which looked far too fresh for someone who hadnāt slept.
āYou're already awake,ā I said, kicking his leg from under the covers. āWhy don't you just take care of it? Just use the bottle in the warmer. Besides, didn't you say you were āthe strongestā? Do you really have to wake up the whole neighborhood just to take care of one hungry baby?ā
Satoru smirkedāI could feel it even in the darkāand he deliberately sat closer, snatching my spare pillow.
āOh, I am the strongest, but I donāt have the āfacilitiesā to breastfeed, Honey,ā he teased in a feigned innocent tone that made me want to punch him. āCome on, wake up! If he keeps crying, Iāll start singing to calm him down, and you know how terrible my voice is. Take your pick: get up now or listen to my death-defying concert?ā
I growled low, a sound more like a predatorās threat than a human waking up. With the last of my strength, I snatched the pillow from under my head and slammed it right into Satoruās smug, grinning face.
Ouch!
āOuch! That was rough, wasn't it?ā he exclaimed, though he chuckled as he caught the pillow with ease.
āShut up, Satoru! Your voice is louder than a babyās cry,ā I whispered sharply as I tried to sit up. My hair was a mess, and my eyes felt glued shut from sheer exhaustion. I glanced toward the crib in the corner of the room where the little cries were growing louder.
I pulled back the blanket and stood up with unsteady steps. As I passed Satoru, who was still sitting casually on the edge of the bed, I deliberately elbowed his arm hard.
āListen up, āStrongest Wizard.ā If I come back to the bed and you havenāt prepared warm water to change the diaper, Iāll make sure your breakfast tomorrow morning is stale cereal,ā I threatened as I walked toward the crib.
Satoru just leaned on his elbow, watching me with that playful look that always made me want to throw something at him. āYouāre so mean. But honestly, you look even more āattractiveā when youāre ranting like this right after waking up.ā
I sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, ignoring Satoru, who was still acting annoyingly on the bed. As soon as our baby started nursing, a peaceful silence slowly enveloped the room again. The rhythmic sound of his little suckling was the only thing that soothed my nerves, which were frayed from lack of sleep. But of course, Satoru wouldnāt let this moment pass without a disturbance.
He rose from the bed with light, almost silent steps and walked over. Instead of disturbing me, he crouched down beside my chair. His large hand reached out, gently brushing away the strands of hair covering my face, then moved to touch the tiny fingers of our baby, who was clutching my shirt.
āLook at him,ā Satoru whispered, his voice suddenly softening and losing its usual mocking tone. āSo greedyājust like you when youāre hungry.ā
I shot him a sharp glance, wanting to retort, but seeing the sparkle in his eyes as he gazed at the little one made my anger subside a bit. Even though weāre sworn enemies, thereās one thing I canāt deny: he really is a (strangely) very caring father.
āStop staring at me like that, Satoru,ā I muttered softly so as not to startle the baby. āGo on, get some warm water or something. Donāt just sit here like a statue.ā
Satoru chuckled softly, his head resting on the arm of my rocking chair, looking up at both of us from below. āJust a minute. This view is way more interesting than a bottle of milk or a dirty diaper, you know.ā
I let out a long sigh, closing my eyes for a moment as I felt the stiffness spreading from my neck to my shoulder blades. The 2 oāclock breastfeeding position really tests oneās physical endurance.
āSatoru,ā I called softly, my voice still a little hoarse. āIf you really don't want to move from there, at least be useful. My shoulder feels like it's about to fall off.ā
Satoru raised an eyebrow, his mischievous grin reappearing. āOh? So my arch-enemy is finally admitting she needs my help?ā
āDonāt say another word or Iāll kick you out the window,ā I threatened without opening my eyes.
He chuckled, but strangely, he didnāt argue anymore. Satoru stood up and moved behind the rocking chair. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body as he leaned over. Then, his large handsāthe ones usually used to shatter cursesālanded on my shoulders.
His touch wasnāt as rough as Iād expected. With just the right amount of pressure, his fingers began massaging the stiff spots on my shoulders. Damn, he knew exactly where the soreness was.
āFeels good, doesnāt it?ā he whispered right next to my ear; the warmth of his breath sent a shiver down my spine. āOnly āThe Strongestā has massage techniques like this. You should be gratefulāthere are plenty of people out there whoād pay a fortune for this.ā
āNoisy...ā I muttered, but I couldnāt help but rest my head deeper as his massage moved down toward my spine. āKeep massaging and stop showing off, Satoru.ā
I gently untangled the little one, who was now fast asleep, his breathing steady and calm. Carefully, I turned my head slightly toward Satoru, who was still busy massaging my shoulders.
āSatoru, thatās enough,ā I whispered, holding his arm to make him stop. āHeās asleep. Now itās my turn to rest. Put him back in his cribāgently, if you donāt want him to wake up and cry again.ā
Satoru snorted softly, but he didnāt argue. He stepped forward and reached out his large hand to take the baby from my embrace. I felt a moment of uneaseāremembering how clumsy he usually wasābut it turned out he did it very gently, as if he were holding the most precious (and most fragile) treasure in the world.
āLeave it to the expert,ā he whispered in his usual arrogant tone, though his movements were very careful.
I stood there, my legs still a little wobbly, watching from behind as the tall man bent over the crib. The dim glow of the nightlight made his shadow look enormous, casting over the tiny bed.
āDone,ā he said after a few tense seconds. He turned toward me with his hands on his hips, looking incredibly proud of himself as if heād just won a major battle. āDidnāt wake up at all. Iām a natural at being a dad, right?ā
I rolled my eyes, walking past him toward the bed that felt so inviting. āYeah, yeah, whatever. Now move overāI want to sleep before the sun comes up.ā
As soon as I lay down on the soft mattress, I felt Satoru crawl up to the other side of the bed. He pulled the blanket over both of us, then without warning, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
āWhat are you doing? Let go, Satoru,ā I grumbled, though I was too tired to really fight back.
āIt's cold,ā he mumbled, his voice sounding sleepy. āBesides, we already have a child. Stop acting like weāre still kindergarten enemies fighting over toys.ā
I sighed in resignation, letting my body sink into the warmth of the bed and the embrace of his strong arms wrapped around my waist. Honestly, my drowsiness was far stronger than my ego right now. But still, letting Satoru win so easily without a fight wasnāt the style of a proper āarch-enemy.ā
Just as he began breathing steadily against the hollow of my neckāthinking Iād completely surrendered to his embraceāI mustered the last of my strength in my right elbow.
Bugh!
āOuch!āā Satoru groaned, his voice choked as Iād just elbowed his ribs with deadly precision.
āThatās for waking me up by jumping onto the bed earlier,ā I whispered sharply without turning my head. āDonāt think just because we have a baby now, Iāll be sweet to you, Satoru.ā
He winced, his hand rubbing the ribs Iād struck with my early-morning attack, but strangely, he tightened his embrace instead. He even gave a small laugh, his deep, hoarse voiceāhoarse from sleepinessāechoing right against my back.
āStill as fierce as ever... but I like it,ā she murmured, her voice slowly fading as she drifted off to sleep. āGood night, my beloved enemy.ā
I didnāt reply. I closed my eyes, feeling her steady heartbeat against my back and the silence of the room finally returning to normal. Just for tonightāand tonight aloneāIāll let my greatest enemy be my personal pillow.
The morning sunlight began peeking through the bedroom curtains, but it wasnāt an alarm or birdsong that woke you. Instead, it was a strange āPLOPā sound, followed by a very familiar panicked murmur.
āOh no⦠no, no, donāt go there! Stay right where you are, kid!ā
You struggle to open your eyes, only to find the side of the bed next to you empty.
Your gaze shifts toward the crib, where Satoru is crouching in a very strange position. Heās holding our babyās legs in the air with one hand, while the other holds a clean diaper as if it were a secret weapon he doesnāt know how to use.
Satoruās usually arrogant face now looks pale. Thereās a small yellow stain on the hem of his expensive shirt.
āSatoru?ā your voice is hoarse, still half-asleep.
He turned his head with jerky movements, his white hair sticking out in all directions. āHoney! Great, youāre awake! Quick, get me some wet wipes! Your little army just launched a massive chemical attack, and I... I donāt think my powers are any use against this!ā
Instead of crying, your baby was laughing merrily while kicking his diaper-free legs, completely oblivious to the fact that his father was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
āāā§ā ą¼¶ The end ą¼¶ āā§āā