I opened the door to a vision of utter despondency in Goblin King form. “What exactly is the matter, honey?”
Jareth’s head drooped over the three bassinets. “I. Am utterly. And completely exhausted.”
To my credit, my lips only twitched up slightly. “From living up to their expectations of you?”
His shoulders positively slumped. “How can something so tiny demand so much?”
“I know. It’s more than three times what Feanor needed. No one said infant triplets would be easy.“
His lip curled in a repressed snarl. “Especially when your own mother has terrified all the help away.”
“She said she was trying to help. It’s just that her expectations…” I shrugged.
“Are also exhausting to live up to. Yes, I’m intimately aware. I did grow up under the questionable shelter of her wing.”
I reached a hand over to rub between his shoulder blades. “At least they’re quiet now. They do look so angelic when they’re sleeping in their swaddles.”
“Thank all the powers that be for those swaddles. How long can they use them? Until they’re, what, twelve years old?”
“Mmm…more like twelve weeks.”
“What?”
“Basically until they start being able to roll over. Then it’s a suffocation hazard.”
“But if they’re not swaddled, how will they sleep?”
“You mean how will we sleep?”
“Precisely!”
“If we do the sleep cues right and we’re lucky like we were with Feanor, they’ll sleep without the swaddles.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “From your lips to the Fates’ desires.”
I patted his shoulder. “It’s positively cruel how the babies’ magic blocks your own ability to manipulate the flow of time in your own realm.”
“This never happened with Feanor.”
“The doctors said it’ll pass. But until then…”
“…we suffer.”
“But at least we’re suffering together.”
“How is it that you always find the silver lining?”
“Natural inclination and lots of practice. I’ve been married to you for years now.”
A ghost of a smile fluttered across his lips. “And thank all the powers that be for that.”
“You do say the sweetest things, honey.”
“Natural inclination and lots of practice, my love.”
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Drabble:
I opened the door to a vision of utter despondency in Goblin King form. “What exactly is the matter, honey?”
Jareth’s head drooped over the three bassinets. “I. Am utterly. And completely exhausted.”
To my credit, my lips only twitched up slightly. “From living up to their expectations of you?”
His shoulders positively slumped. “How can something so tiny demand so much?”
“I know. It’s more than three times what Feanor needed. No one said infant triplets would be easy.“
His lip curled in a repressed snarl. “Especially when your own mother has terrified all the help away.”
“She said she was trying to help. It’s just that her expectations…” I shrugged.
“Are also exhausting to live up to. Yes, I’m intimately aware. I did grow up under the questionable shelter of her wing.”
I reached a hand over to rub between his shoulder blades. “At least they’re quiet now. They do look so angelic when they’re sleeping in their swaddles.”
“Thank all the powers that be for those swaddles. How long can they use them? Until they’re, what, twelve years old?”
“Mmm…more like twelve weeks.”
“What?”
“Basically until they start being able to roll over. Then it’s a suffocation hazard.”
“But if they’re not swaddled, how will they sleep?”
“You mean how will we sleep?”
“Precisely!”
“If we do the sleep cues right and we’re lucky like we were with Feanor, they’ll sleep without the swaddles.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “From your lips to the Fates’ desires.”
I patted his shoulder. “It’s positively cruel how the babies’ magic blocks your own ability to manipulate the flow of time in your own realm.”
“This never happened with Feanor.”
“The doctors said it’ll pass. But until then…”
“…we suffer.”
“But at least we’re suffering together.”
“How is it that you always find the silver lining?”
“Natural inclination and lots of practice. I’ve been married to you for years now.”
A ghost of a smile fluttered across his lips. “And thank all the powers that be for that.”
“You do say the sweetest things, honey.”
“Natural inclination and lots of practice, my love.”