savage_storm (savage_storm) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2007-10-10 18:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, serenus, severus, tybalt |
Babies, Babies, Babies!
Characters: Severus, Serenus, Tybalt, and the munchkins
Summary: A visit between brothers and cousins - my, how fast the little ones grow...
"Good boy! Look at you! Aren't you clever?" Tybalt laughed as he picked up a damp towel and wiped the smudge of cereal from Serafino's face. The baby grinned at him, thumping his gummy hands on the top of the high chair and making a happy burble that caused spatters of the cereal to fly everywhere, including all over Tybalt's shirt.
Meanwhile, in the highchair next to his twin, Etienne was staring solemnly into his own bowl of cereal, giving it a look of disgust so reminiscent of his Papa's twin brother that Tybalt had to laugh. While Serafino considered eating to be an indulgence of all his senses, especially touch, Etienne was far more reserved, not deigning to have anything to do with his food unless someone was lifting it to his mouth on a spoon. Serafino, on the other hand, often ended up wearing as much of the food as he ate, and he was completely happy in the process.
"It's good, Etienne, see?" Tybalt picked up the spoon from out of Etienne's bowl, lifting the bite to his elder son's lips slowly and carefully. Etienne frowned, pursing his lips and scowling, and Tybalt chuckled quietly. The cereal hadn't been the hit with Etienne that it had with Serafino, but fortunately, Etienne liked other things well enough. "Serenus, I think we'll have to get those ghastly peas out again. I have no idea why he turns up his nose at cereal but will eat those horrible mushy things!"
Serenus chuckled as he went to fetch a bowl of smushed peas and warmed them with a tap of his wand before carrying them to Etienne's high chair. He placed the bowl in front of Etienne, who immediately lit up, and he bent to drop a kiss on top of Tybalt's head. "Probably because he takes after his eldest uncle," he said, amused by yet another similarity between Etienne and Severus emerging. "I ought to get some pea soup from the Leaky Cauldron one day and see if he likes it. I'd bet a hundred galleons he would eat every bite."
"I'd not take that bet, because I suspect you're right," Tybalt replied, shaking his head with amusement. He looked up at Serenus, reaching up to curl a hand behind Serenus' neck and steal a more satisfactory kiss from his husband's lips. Then he chuckled, rubbing his nose against Serenus', mindless of the cereal he was smearing between them in the process.
"GAHLA!" Etienne said, thumping his own fists on his highchair tray to get his father's attention. Tybalt chuckled again, releasing Serenus and picking up another spoon so that he could dish up the peas into Etienne's open mouth.
"They remind me of baby birds sometimes," Tybalt said, smiling indulgently as he fed one son with each hand. "I'm glad we only have two, though. Could you imagine trying to do six at the same time?"
"Oh, Merlin, I don't even want to think about it." Serenus gave a mock shudder as he wiped cereal off his nose before it could dry and stick there, and then he reached to take one of the spoons from Tybalt's hand. "Here, I can take over for one of them now. Do you want the clean one or the messy one?" He smiled playfully. "I don't have a preference. After all, I'm accustomed to getting messy with both the boys and their daddy - albeit in very different ways."
"Here, you take the clean one, since I'm already splattered," Tybalt replied, relinquishing Etienne's spoon. He moved his chair over more directly in front of Serafino's high chair, making room for Serenus. He turned his head to leer at Serenus playfully. "And in gratitude, perhaps you and I can both get messy later in the good, fun, completely adult way."
Serenus pulled up a chair in front of Etienne's highchair and sat down, leaning over to shoulder Tybalt affectionately. "That sounds like my idea of fun."
"BAH!" Etienne scowled at him, and he tried to look contrite as he spooned up some peas and offered them to Etienne, who ate them with finicky precision. He continued offering spoonfuls of peas until Etienne turned his head away at last, and Serenus looked down into the bowl to find Etienne had made quite an inroad on that serving, which meant he must be full rather than turning up his nose at the peas themselves.
"Looks like his highness has had enough." Serenus glanced over at Serafino, his eyes widening at the sheer amount of goop Serafino had managed to smear in places Serenus hadn't even thought he could reach yet. "Good lord. Did any cereal actually make it into his stomach?"
"I think so," Tybalt replied, cocking his head to one side as he considered the question. Serafino grinned at him, then put one food-covered hand in his mouth and slurped at it loudly. "Well, at least one bite, it looks like!"
Pulling his wand, Tybalt cast a cleaning charm on Serafino before standing and picking up the bowls from both trays. "I'll just go put these in the sink, then bath time, right? What time is Severus coming over? I don't want him to think we have no control over these little mites at all."
"I wouldn't worry about it." Serenus rose to his feet, smiling, and brushed a kiss to Tybalt's lips. "Severus has been through the same thing three times himself, and I highly doubt Cymbeline, Lysander, and Gaia have all been perfectly groomed, tidy, well-behaved little children all the time. He couldn't possibly see anything shocking here." He bent and scooped up Etienne, blowing a loud kiss against his soft, rosy cheek just to watch him scowl and squirm. "Anyway, we have a few more minutes. Enough for a bath, I think."
"You're right," Tybalt replied, returning the kiss with affection. He cross to the sink, placing the bowls inside, then returned, picking up Serafino and tickling him under the chin. "All right, mates, up to the bath it is. And with thanks to your Uncle Gaius for all the transfiguration work so that we can wash you both at the same time!"
Tybalt smiled at Serenus, gesturing him to head up the stairs first. "I'm glad they're staying awake longer now, instead of eating and sleeping all the time," he said. "Not that they weren't cute as little lumps, but they're both more fun now that they really seem to like playing with us. Isn't that right, Serafino? You like to play, don't you?"
In Tybalt's arms, Serafino laughed, recognizing his name, and then began to pat Tybalt's face with both hands. "Ouch! Of course, they're a bit more painful, too!" he added ruefully.
Etienne chose that moment to grab Serenus' ponytail and yank - hard - and Serenus echoed Tybalt's "ouch" before trying to pry his hair free from grasping little fingers. "Painful, yes, but I'm rather glad they aren't little lumps too," he said as he made his way up the stairs, headed to the boys' bathroom. "It's amazing how much more interest they're showing in the world! It seems like they're trying to absorb everything."
"Oh, yes," Tybalt replied with a nod. He stepped into the bathroom behind Serenus, making his way to one of the changing tables and laying Serafino on it. Serafino immediately began to squirm, trying to roll over onto his tummy so that he could creep away, but Tybalt held him firmly. "And I for one am very glad for all the protective charms we put on everything, otherwise our little inquisitors would have gotten themselves in a lot of trouble by now." He undressed Serafino swiftly, then scooped up the naked, squirming baby against his shoulder as he turned to start the water running into both baths.
Serenus paused and turned with Etienne in his arms so he could just watch Tybalt for a moment, struck by the domestic perfection of the sight of Tybalt with their son in his arms, and a smile that he knew Severus would call unbearably soppy bloomed on his lips. Reaching out with his free hand, he stroked Tybalt's cheek tenderly. "This is going to sound utterly mad, but you couldn't possibly imagine how turned on I am right now."
Eyes wide, Tybalt looked at Serenus in surprise. He knew that he had cereal splattered all over himself, in his hair and all over his shirt, and his hair was a mess from where he'd bundled it back in a messy ponytail to keep it from pulling little fingers. Then he smiled, his eyes full of love and tenderness, and stepped even closer so that he could press his lips to Serenus' in a slow, warm kiss.
"If you're mad, I love it," he said, cupping Serenus' cheek with the hand that wasn't anchoring Serafino to his shoulder. "Mmm... it's going to be hard to keep my hands off you after a comment like that, you know. Should we get hold of Severus and reschedule the play date? Or just let anticipation simmer until we're both driven crazy?"
Leaning against Tybalt's hand, Serenus laughed quietly, his dark eyes soft and glowing with love. "Anticipation won't kill us." Smiling, he nuzzled his cheek against Tybalt's hand. "It's mad, but true. I don't think I've ever seen anything sexier than you standing there with a naked baby in your arms, covered in cereal. It's just..." He shrugged and shook his head. "I can't explain it. It's just perfect, that's all."
"It's family," Tybalt replied, tenderly stroking Serenus' cheek with his thumb. "I know the feeling. Sometimes when you're giving one of the boys a bottle or playing with them on the floor, I think that it's the most gorgeous sight in the world. And sexy, too, because it's you."
"Yes, exactly." Serenus turned his head and pressed a kiss to Tybalt's palm, pleased that Tybalt understood. "But I suppose if we are going to get these two presentable before Severus arrives, we had best get to work. I shudder to think what kind of scathing remarks my brother would have to make if he caught us mooning over each other," he added as he undressed Etienne and tested the water to make certain it wasn't too hot before lowering Etienne into the sink, where he promptly began to flail his arms and legs, sending water flying everywhere.
"Yes, getting snarked at by your brother is a strong enticement for getting on with the baths," Tybalt chuckled. In fact, he had no fear of Severus, not anymore; being shagged by his brother-in-law had gone a long way toward dispelling the last of Tybalt's boyhood awe of his former professor. Turning, he placed Serafino in the sink beside Etienne's, rolling his eyes as Serafino decided to join in the splashing game.
Picking up a washcloth, Tybalt passed it over to Serenus, then retrieved another so that he could work on Serafino. "I wonder if all babies get everything around them messy while they are getting clean? Or are our two just especially gifted in that regard?"
"Maybe it just seems worse because there are two of them and we're outnumbered." Serenus accepted the washcloth and lathered it up with gentle soap, beginning to wash Etienne thoroughly, although he didn't have quite as difficult a job as Tybalt. It didn't take long before Etienne was squeaky clean and sweet-smelling - and Serenus was soaked from the waist up. But Etienne was laughing and squealing over the splashing, and that was such a rare sight from the usually somber child that Serenus couldn't help but laugh along with him, not caring about his own dripping clothes.
Tybalt mirrored Serenus' actions, although he was hampered a bit by Serafino's flailing and splashing. It was difficult to hold on to the soapy, squirming baby, but Tybalt managed it, finally giving a sigh of relief as he rinsed the last of the soap away. "Outnumbered indeed," he agreed, groping for a towel before Serafino could squirm out of the sink. He smiled at the way Etienne was enjoying the bath, marveling at how alike the boys looked when they were both happy.
Lifting Serafino up, he wrapped the baby up firmly in the warm cloth. "There, clean for the next five minutes or so, wouldn't you say?" He grinned at Serenus. "We're lucky, you know that? I often feel like I'm the luckiest man on Earth."
Serenus retrieved a towel and bundled Etienne up as well in spite of the baby's protests over being taken out of the water, rubbed dry, and swaddled. He paused long enough to cast a drying charm on himself, and then, cradling Etienne against his chest, he turned to Tybalt and smiled a smile full of warmth and affection. "As do I. Every day." He leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss to Tybalt's lips, savoring the closeness and connection, and when he pulled back, it was with reluctance. "Shall we get them dressed? Severus will probably be here any minute."
Tybalt returned the kiss with a sigh, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose we need to get on with it," he said, giving Serenus a rueful smile. He hitched Serafino higher on his shoulder, then turned and walked toward the nursery. "We'll have to clean up after, though. I'm afraid if I put Serafino down for an instant, he'll be covered in food again."
There were changing tables in the nursery as well, and fortunately Ethelenda had laid out outfits close at hand, so that they didn't have to go digging for them. By now changing and dressing was old hat to both he and Serenus, although as the boys got older it always seemed that new challenges emerged. Tybalt had nearly dropped Etienne the first time the baby had rolled over unexpectedly, and for then on he was careful to do everything with one hand on whichever baby he was dealing with; despite the safety charms on the tables, Tybalt wasn't about to put it past either of the twins to suddenly decided to levitate away or something equally unexpected.
As he diapered Serafino, he glanced sidelong at Serenus, enjoying the sight of his husband absorbed in carrying for Etienne. It was true, there was something incredibly sexy about watching Serenus take care of their sons, something that spoke of a peace and fulfillment beyond anything else in the world. "I love you," Tybalt said suddenly, his eyes warm.
Serenus glanced at Tybalt, surprised by the sudden declaration but pleased as well, and he smiled warmly. "I love you too, caro," he said softly. "More than I can possibly express."
"Oh, for God's sake. If I had known I was going to witness soppiness even worse than Remus is capable of, I would have stayed home." Severus' voice shattered their reverie, and Serenus glanced over at him, grinning unrepentantly.
"Hello, Severus. Why don't you come right in and make yourself at home?" he said, teasing gently, and he earned himself a withering glare in response.
Severus stood in the doorway with Gaia cradled against his chest; she was dressed in a pale green dress with her wispy hair tied in a top knot adorned with a ribbon the same color as her dress, but she wasn't wearing shoes. Stuffing her fist in her mouth, she peered curiously around and smiled, her eyes bright as she seemed to recognize her uncles, and Serenus waved at her, smiling back.
"No one was downstairs, so I thought I would come and see where you were," Severus replied. "I had no idea I was interrupting a sop fest."
"Alas, guilty as charged," Serenus replied mildly as he moved to kiss Severus and then Gaia on the cheek while Etienne stared at his cousin, seeming fascinated.
"There's plenty of soppiness to go around, if you're feeling deprived," Tybalt said, grinning at Severus playfully. "And for you too, Miss Gaia. Don't you look pretty!"
Picking up Serafino, who was now neatly dressed in dark blue overalls over a white shirt, he carried the baby over to Severus, turned so that Serafino could see his cousin. "Say hello, Serafino," Tybalt said, and Serafino responded with a loud burble.
"I get enough soppiness from Remus, thank you," Severus replied tartly. In his arms, Gaia seemed to turn shy, hiding her face against his chest but still peeking out at her two cousins and smiling as if she was being flirtatious with them, and she cooed softly, letting him know she wasn't really feeling shy or intimidated. She was just being coy.
"Well, you'll probably have to endure more," Serenus replied amiably as he held Etienne closer to Gaia. Etienne was dressed in overalls as well, only with a black shirt instead of a white one. It wasn't that difficult to tell them apart anymore, especially as their personalities grew more pronounced, but he thought a visual cue wouldn't go amiss. "We just finished up bath time, so assuming we can keep Serafino clean for longer than five minutes, we can go downstairs or take them to the cottage. Whichever you prefer."
"You little cutie," Tybalt said to Gaia, reaching out to stroke her soft cheek with a finger. He looked at Severus, blue eyes full of amusement. "She's going to be a little heartbreaker, just like her sister. I don't envy you and Remus; you're going to have to beat the boys off with a stick." He glanced at Serenus. "I suppose we might as well stay here, don't you? Unless Severus wants to head to the cottage."
"We renovated it to be a safe play space for the children," Severus said, giving a one-shouldered shrug. "We might as well test it while we have three curious trouble-makers who will invariably find any potential problems for us." Meanwhile, Gaia smiled widely at Tybalt, babbling happily at the caress of her cheek."
"Cottage it is, then." Serenus nodded and headed for the door, rubbing Etienne's back, and Etienne squirmed until he could peer over Serenus' shoulder as if to make certain the others were following along behind.
"Right," Tybalt replied, pausing to cast a cleaning and drying spell on himself before following down in Serenus' wake. They moved to the foyer, but bypassed the pram, since they could each carry one. Tybalt opened the door, then stepped out onto the porch and stood waiting for the others.
Severus swept out of the house with regal dignity, and Serenus followed along behind; both Gaia and Etienne squirmed until they could easily see where they were going, their eyes growing wider as they took in the sights around them with what seemed like utter fascination.
"It seems things are much better with you and Gaia lately," Serenus remarked as they walked along, glancing sidelong at Severus, his expression questioning. "You seem more like yourself today, too. Odd as it sounds, I've missed the snark. Does its return mean you've stopped taking that potion?"
"I have cut down on the dosage, yes," Severus replied. "I intend to wean myself off it over the next week or so. I feel it will no longer be necessary."
"I'm glad." Serenus smiled warmly at his brother. "I take it things are better with Cymbeline too, then?"
"Yes." Severus fell silent for a few moments and turned his gaze to the ground ahead of him. "She tried to run away from home," he said in a low voice. "Fortunately, Regulus happened to come across her in Hogsmeade, and he brought her home. First, however, he had a little chat with her about sibling rivalry. I am still not certain exactly what he told her, but whatever it was, it helped."
Tybalt trailed along behind the twins, holding Serafino close. Unlike his twin and cousin, he had only glanced around briefly before snuggling down contentedly on Tybalt's shoulder, not caring so much where they were going so long as he was being taken along.
Listening to Severus' tale of Cymbeline's flight made his heart lurch. She could have gotten hurt or even worse, and as a parent, he knew that was a horror beyond imagining. He tightened his grip on Serafino with one hand, reaching out to touch Severus' shoulder with the other. "I'm so glad that she's safe! And that you and she are both doing better, of course. But how horrifying it must have been for you and Remus to realize she had run away."
"It was, yes," Severus replied, his voice quiet and deep, the gravity of his tone conveying far more than his simple words. "We hadn't even realized she was gone yet. It was - not something I ever wish to experience again."
Serenus reached out and clasped Severus' free hand, squeezing it tightly in a gesture of mute support. He knew how close Severus and Cymbeline were, and he knew how devastating it would have been to him if she had been harmed - or worse.
Severus drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. "But it is over now. It could have been far worse, and some good did come of it." He glanced at Serenus, his expression wry. "But now I owe Regulus a sumptuous meal and an excellent bottle of wine at the very least."
"Indeed!" Serenus smiled and squeezed his hand again before releasing it. "You should ask Gaius what he might like. One hedonist ought to be qualified to shop for another."
"Of course, then you'll probably have Gaius wanting to horn in on it," Tybalt said lightly, catching Serenus' attempt to help lighten the mood a bit. "I'm sure Regulus would enjoy anything, though. I've often thought he was terribly lonely, especially after what happened to him. But I don't know him well enough to feel comfortable inviting him over."
"I do," Serenus said slowly, and then he too smiled wryly. "Well, sort of. We have a somewhat rocky past, but he apologized, and I forgave him. But then I was a social hermit, and then there was you," he said, looking fondly at Tybalt, "and now the babies... I suppose I haven't done a very good job of holding up my end of the friendship."
"Nor have I," Severus said.
"Well, you have a jealous werewolf as an excuse. I don't," Serenus replied, teasing lightly. Severus definitely didn't need anything else to feel guilty about now that he was finally coming out of his post-partum depression.
"That is no longer an excuse," Severus said as he turned off to pass through the gate of Monkshood Cottage; walking up to the front door felt comfortingly familiar, even if the interior no longer looked as it did when he and Remus had lived there. "Remus has softened toward Regulus thanks to the rescue. I have less qualms over rebuilding our friendship now that Remus feels more tolerant of him."
"That's great," Tybalt said, smiling widely. "Maybe we could have him over, then, just for films or something. All of us, that is, Remus and Gaius, too. If he knows he's welcome by all of us, maybe he'd be comfortable socializing with us."
Entering the cottage, Tybalt made his way toward the parlor, which had been refurnished with child-friendly furniture and plenty of toys. The colors were bright and inviting, and Tybalt beamed as he looked around. "I love this place. It's so nice to have somewhere to take the children where we can let them play however they want, and we don't have to worry about them getting hurt or messing anything up."
"Gaius had a very clever idea," Severus said with grudging approval in his voice. There was a large rug in front of the hearth - bright blue and fuzzy, like it was the pelt of a long-haired, primary-colored animal straight out of a fairy tale - and Severus crossed the room to place Gaia on the rug, where she promptly began crawling around, laughing as the fuzz tickled her arms and legs.
Tybalt nodded. "That he did," he replied, carrying Serafino over to the pile of alphabet blocks. Serafino settled down, then glanced up to make certain that Tybalt wasn't going to go away. "All right, all right, I'm right here." He lowered himself to the floor, and Serafino beamed before picking up a block and starting to stack them.
"Maybe in the summer, we can put a small pool out in the yard," Tybalt continued, looking between Severus and Serenus. "I bet they'd love to be able to splash and play."
"I like that idea," Serenus said, smiling with approval at Tybalt. "I think they would love it, and it wouldn't be bad for us either." He placed Etienne on the floor near Serafino and sat down, scooting close to Tybalt as he watched the two babies play with the blocks. Etienne picked one up and began to gum it, and Serenus wondered if he had another tooth coming in.
"I can attest having a pool is quite nice for adults as well," Severus said archly as he settled on the floor beside the bright, furry rug. Gaia had caught sight of the blocks and was crawling as fast as her plump little arms and legs would carry her to them, and Severus watched her progress, waiting to see how well the three of them would share together. "After you told us about the jacuzzi-pool in Bermuda, Remus had something similar installed for us. The children don't know about it yet - it is hidden in the master suite - but I believe it is safe to say we would be willing to share with anyone who is not still in diapers and speaking in incomplete sentences."
"Really?" Tybalt's eyes widened. "A hidden pool? That's fantastic! How big is it? Can you actually swim, or is it more like a hot tub?"
As Gaia approached, Serafino looked over at her, grinning and showing off his two teeth. He held out a block toward his cousin. "BAH! Nnnnaba!" Which obviously was baby Snapanese for "Here's one for you, too!"
Gaia maneuvered until she was sitting on her diapered bum, and she reached out with both hands to take the block, beaming at him - and she promptly hurled it at the stacks, shrieking with glee.
"Caro, you forgot to ask the most important question," Serenus said, keeping one eye on the babies in case a squabble broke out over the toppled stacks. "Which is, is skinny-dipping allowed?"
Severus gave a little snort at that, and Serenus grinned unrepentantly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, skinny-dipping is not only allowed, but encouraged," he shot back. "As for swimming, it isn't big enough to swim laps by any means, but it is bigger than a hot tub, and it has various features that make the experience... interesting," he said, his voice taking on a sultry note.
Tybalt looked at Severus, blinking in surprise, then turned to Serenus with an evil grin. He slipped an arm around Serenus' waist and leaned close. "Well, I don't think we can resist an invitation like that, now can we?" he asked, his voice a soft growl. "Skinny dipping and interesting things? It sounds like a hedonist's dream!"
"Most definitely," Serenus agreed, resting his hand on Tybalt's thigh and squeezing gently. He leaned over and nuzzled Tybalt's cheek affectionately. "I like the idea of being wet and naked with all of you."
Etienne scowled as he watched the stack of blocks tumble, but he gamely reached for the nearest block and began anew. Gaia watched, and then she too began to stack the blocks, apparently deciding she wanted to join the game rather than disrupt it.
"As do I," Tybalt agreed, laying his hand over Serenus'. He turned to give Severus a coy glance. "Well, it seems we're in agreement, Severus. If Remus doesn't mind, I think we'd be amenable to accepting any invitation you'd like to issue."
Serafino began to stack blocks again as well, but he kept shooting Gaia suspicious looks, as though waiting for her to knock them over again.
"I doubt Remus will mind in the least," Severus replied, smirking slightly. "He enjoyed our last interlude, as did I. Neither of us would be adverse to a repeat experience."
"I enjoyed it too." Serenus glanced at Tybalt again, banked heat in his eyes as he remembered watching Tybalt bent over the arm of the sofa as Severus took him, remembered the feel of Remus in his lap, bound and eager. "I think water would certainly make things interesting, and I will be happy to accept any invitations whenever you care to extend them."
"Then I will discuss the matter with Remus, and we will see what we can arrange," Severus replied, an undercurrent of a pleased purr in his voice.
Gaia noticed Serafino watching her, and she beamed at him, letting loose a stream of happy babbling as she continued stacking blocks. Etienne glanced around as if looking for something else to catch his interest, and when he spotted a large stuffed bear, he rolled onto his hands and knees and began crawling toward it, pouncing on it once he reached it as if it were elusive prey he had successfully stalked.
"Huh." Serenus watched, his eyebrows climbing. "I wonder if werewolf traits can transfer indirectly. Otherwise, I'm going to have to wonder what Remus has been teaching our children when we aren't looking."
Tybalt laughed at Etienne's antics, but shook his head. "No, I think that's just pure victorious male behavior," he said. Leaning close to Serenus, he growled softly in his ear. "I think that pouncing sounds good, though. It will tide us over until we get that lovely invitation from our pool-owning family."
A little shiver ran down Serenus' spine at that, and he leaned closer, a small, secretive smile curving his lips as he turned just enough so they could nuzzle noses. "Pouncing sounds very good," he murmured.
Severus rolled his eyes. "Should I leave or get a bucket of ice water?"
"You could be in the middle," Tybalt offered generously, giving Serenus a wink. "Of course, we'll have to wait until the babies decide it's nap time."
Serenus laughed, his eyes sparkling with mirth and mischief as he watched Severus, waiting to see how his twin would respond to that blatant invitation; he wasn't certain how Severus would react, especially since Remus wasn't present, but all the same, he wasn't entirely surprised when Severus gave a terse nod.
"Very well, then," Severus said, tipping his chin up haughtily with the air of one conferring a great favor. "I will be in the middle once the babies are taking a nap."
Tybalt was surprised at Severus' reaction, but he only grinned in reply. "Great!" he said, turning his head to give Serenus a lingering kiss, then he looked at the babies, who were playing happily. "Alas, they show no signs of slowing down, do they? It's perversity of the universe; now that we have plans, they're going to stay up for the next week!"
"Oh, of course!" Serenus chuckled, watching Gaia and Serafino still playing with the blocks with no sign of flagging energy while Etienne gnawed on his conquered teddy bear. "But I'm sure they'll wear out eventually. It just remains to be seen if they wear out before or after we do."
"There is still a grown-up bed upstairs," Severus pointed out. "Perfectly good for napping in, should they outlast us."
"Ah, that's brilliant!" Tybalt said, laughing loudly. Serafino turned toward him, holding a block, and laughed as well. "Prepared for every contingency, we are."
Etienne looked up from his bear, scowling, and rolled up onto his diapered bum with a squelching sound. "Oy, I know what that sound means," Tybalt said, sighing and rising to his feet. "I'll just go change him, shall I?" He looked between Severus and Serenus with a wicked grin. "Feel free to start without me."
"We may start the cuddling," Serenus replied, scooting closer to Severus, "but we'll save the fun stuff until you get back." He glanced at Gaia and Serafino, who were bright-eyed and showing no signs of weariness. "Or we'll all end up collapsing as soon as they do."
"At the rate things are going, I will put my galleons on the latter," Severus said, leaning against Serenus a little, but not wanting to put on any overt displays in front of the children. It was one thing for him, Serenus, and Gaius to indulge in non-platonic affection; they hadn't grown up together. But he didn't think it would be a good idea for their children to go out into the world and snog each other in front of the general public, where such behavior would not be well-received.
Leaning over, Tybalt picked it up Etienne, holding him carefully under the arms. "So would I," he said, as Etienne scowled and began to fuss, dissatisfied with the state of his nappy. He glanced over at Severus and Serenus, smiling at the sight of them leaning against each other. "Well, maybe it's best to wait for Remus anyway; I'd hate for him to be upset at us for leaving him out of the fun. Ah, well, I'll be back soon." With that he turned for the stairs, the sound of Etienne's howls of outrage following after.
Serenus slid his arm around Severus' waist and rested his head briefly on Severus' shoulder as he waved "bye-bye" to Tybalt and Etienne. "Would Remus be upset?" he asked, giving Severus a curious look.
"Probably not." Severus watched the remaining two babies, amused by their absorption in the blocks. "But he would want blow by blow details, and on the whole, it's easier to let him participate than try to remember the details to recount later. Besides," he added, stifling a yawn, "I feel more inclined to having a nap."
"Sounds good to me." Serenus smiled and gave Severus a little squeeze. "As long as I get to spend time with my favorite people, I'm satisfied."
"As am I," Severus said - but softly, so softly that he could deny it later, in case any accusations of soppiness arose.