There was something incredibly satisfying about the entire situation. Something very unsatisfying too, but that was probably only going to be better for the waiting. "Whoa, the sky? That's pretty tall." Cafas laughed, narrowly dodging a small hand headed right for his eye. He couldn't dodge the power of Maya's pout though. He'd have done almost anything to return a smile to her face. Luckily, Ro saved him the trouble.

>>"Mom. You face is going to get stuck that way."

She'll get wrinkles, too.

>>"You should be asleep."

Me too.

>>"I am!"

It spoke to how far Cafas had come as an authority figure that he didn't laugh. Laughing would just encourage Rowan, and Cafas wasn't going to be the one that encouraged the boy to get smart with his mother. Especially not when his mother's eyes told him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him to herself again.

Okay gotta play this right. Earn myself some more brownie points.

"Come on you," Cafas scooped up his step-son and pulled himself to his feet, "You can have some apple and cheese slices but then you gotta go back to bed. You gotta get enough sleep so you can keep growing." The X-man offered his other hand to help Maya to her feet as a cheap excuse for physical contact.

"No! I slept lots. I'm not sleepy now." Rowan clung to Cafas hard, his tiny fake snores cutting off quickly as he realised which way the wind was blowing. Cafas gave the too-close-to-focus-on boy a brief serious look that quickly softened into a small gentle smile. "I promise I'll be here tomorrow and we can go get ice cream, but you gotta be good and sleep for me now, okay?" He'd check with Maya later if ice-cream was fine. Actually, he probably wouldn't remember once they were alone. Again, it was in the eyes.

How he disentangled himself from her legs while juggling a squirmy puppy kid and standing up was nothing short of magical.

She took his hand and took the opportunity to get her feet underneath her before she let go. "I'll get the snack. You kids head upstairs." Maya pat Cafas on the backside and puttered over to the kitchen.

It was a nice backside...

"Hey."

Maya nearly jumped out of her skin when she was greeted by the headmaster.

"I was hoping you were in here. I sent your shift relief up to the roof already. You get some rest now!"

He made his jolly way through to start cooking breakfast.

She collected the slices of apple and cheese along with a cup for water and went to Rowan's room to see if Cafas had talked Rowan into sleeping or if she was going to have to let Cafas pass out while she kept Rowan occupied until school started.

Rowan was pouting, but he nodded, and that's about all Cafas could really ask for. Actually sleeping was just a whole other matter. He either would or he wouldn't, but for now there was no tantrum. Cafas really hoped he would though, he could go for some ice cream despite the snow.

>>"I'll get the snack. You kids head upstairs."

"Yes Ma'am." Cafas jumped minutely at Maya's patting, and he shot her a smile that almost begged her to be quick in the kitchen. Rowan waved to his mother cheerily, oblivious of what he was interrupting. They quickly lost sight of Maya as the pink haired dad, a word which still made his heart feel all melty thinking about it again, carried Ro upstairs and bedward. DJ Roomba trundled by playing "Too sexy" quietly to itself. Someone had removed Cafas' improvements while he'd been away. Ridiculous. A roomba needed to defend himself.

Ruddy's up.

"Can I watch a video before sleep?"

"No buddy, not tonight." Cafas managed to yawn as Rowan dozed on his shoulder, or at least faked it convincingly. Without the constant sexual tension he found the day of travel and nursing injuries was catching up with him. His eyes were growing heavy again, and what little fuel the tea had provided was spent.

"Why?"

Cafas pushed the door to Rowan's room open and fixed Rowan a firm look. "Because it's too early to be using screens." Lame excuse, but he was sticking with it. The metal manipulator deposited Rowan on his bed and sat down on the mattress himself. "Now, mom will be here with your snack soon, so how about I read you a book?" Cafas found the book on the nightstand and opened it to the bookmark. "Oh, Mom and Grandpa reading to you too huh?" The big mutant pulled Rowan back onto the bed properly, settling in himself, a pillow between his back and the wall. Rowan snuggled up next to him and Cafas smiled, not noticing he'd stopped seeing the room.

Rowan just kept snuggling as Cafas snored quietly.

"Shhh. Mom. He's sleeping."

It was laughable how loudly Rowan whispered about being quiet. All Maya had done was show up in the doorway and watch as Rowan struggled to lift Cafas' arm so that it would rest along the young mutant's shoulders.

"Did you still want your snack?" She whispered much more quietly. Poor Cafas had come all the way from LA after a day's work and then run a patrol shift just so he could spend some time with her.

The puppy mutant hesitated. Maya took that as a yes. "I'll bring it to you. Don't get any crumbs on dad, okay?" Dad. She'd felt his cheeks form the most endearing smile. He was more of a dad than Sebastian had ever been. There was part of her that would miss her first husband, and part of her that would never ever forgive him. A boy needed his father.

She'd been lucky to find someone who was as enamored with Rowan as she was.

Balancing on what little mattress was left, Maya passed over the bits of apple and cheese. She considered her options. She couldn't really fit here too. She couldn't lift him, but she could ghost him. She could wake him, but that would be a worst-case option. He was clearly exhausted.

Once her hands were free, Maya wiped them on her pants to be sure they were warm enough before she brushed some of his unruly hair back. If she still kept her hair short, people would probably tease them for matching. Hadn't she had that length for a while? Or shorter?

"Do you think Cafas likes being called dad?"

Maya helped Rowan ease Cafas out of his hunched up sort-of sitting position and found that there was room for the three of them after all so long as the two Swifts took one pectoral each as their pillow.

"Did you see his face when you said it?"

Ro shook his head against Cafas, noisily munching through his snack. Maya checked, but just couldn't tell if Cafas had managed to actually sleep through all the moving and whispering or not.

"He loved it because he loves you." She booped Rowan's nose from across Cafas.

"And you." He protested and booped back. Maya couldn't argue.

"Yeah. He loves me too."