After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

A/N: Part two of family-themed filler. Plot resumes next chap~

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"Aww, it's okay, my babies…" she said, carrying them both, taking Meatball in Garan's arms as well. The kids obviously liked their mother more, and if Garan took one, then it'd just be another fight.

It was natural. Not only was she their mother, she was softer, and had the relaxing scent characteristic of wood users.

Harold scratched the back of his neck as he looked at the crying babies. "I'm sorry, they just bumped into each other…"

"It's okay," she said, "They're entering that energetic toddler stage…" she said. "We knew they'd be a handful."

Harold sighed and said his greetings, telling them the events (with Ansel) before heading back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, all three parents including Ansel, struggled to calm the babies.

Babies were odd in a way that when they heard other babies crying, they'd cry more intensely. It's natural, linked to their social instincts and how their brains respond to stimuli.

It didn't make it less stressful, of course.

She smooched their faces, and she kissed them so loudly there was a smooch sound. "There! Pain gone!"

They stopped crying, rounded eyes staring at her.

It was adorable but also heartbreaking.

Seeing the babies calm down, Garan smiled and placed a proud kiss on his wife's forehead before leaning down to give his children a show of affection as well.

He took the weights off his wife's arms and carried them with his arms, so now they were nestling in his arms. Their little feet dangled in the air, lightly swinging, and their eyes stared at their mother in front of them.

"Aww… my babies are the cutest," she swooned. She then recalled what Ansel said about how the fight started in the first place.

"You are brothers and sisters, you're supposed to love and support each other, y'know?"

They stared at her with those cute beady eyes, just listening to her voice.

"Someday, we'll be gone, and you'll have each other to depend on," she paused, touching both of their cheeks. "Mother hopes that you two would support each other so we don't have to worry so much, you know?"

The babies naturally did not understand the deeper meaning in her words, but they did feel her emotions. When she smiled, they did too.

"Now, hug," she said, pointing at the two of them. "Hug your brother/sister."

The babies blinked and then turned to each other. Soon, they stretched their little arms to the other and Garan helpfully assisted them.

"D'aww…"

The adults swooned at the cute sight, giving them a few bites of sweets as a reward for being adorable.

And so, the babies were well-behaved again, and hopefully would allow the adults to rest well tonight.

…

Sadly, the rest of the night would not be so peaceful either. After putting the babies to their cribs in the other room, the couple's room started to heat up.

Garan hovered over his flushed wife, his hands caressing her erogenous zones, while his lips traced over her face down to her neck.

Knock Knock Knock

Garan froze, while Althea flinched.

"Mwamwa?" a milky voice echoed from the other side. "Dow wocked?"

"Yeah, wocked."

"Mwamaaa!"

"MAMAAA!"

They could also hear Harold's voice, apparently not able to catch up to the kids as they ran to their room. Remaining in position, Garan's face buried on her neck.

They could hear Harold trying to calm them down with words like 'they're resting now' and 'let's go to your room'. He was probably about to head to bed when he heard the children, too.

Kind-hearted Harold, though they doubted he'd really be able to calm them down.

For some reason, the babies seemed determined to bother them tonight.

"MAMAAAA!" They could hear little Meatball, followed closely by their baby girl.

"MAMMMAAA! WEW AW YOUUU!"

"YE, MAMAAA! WEH AAAH YOOoo!"

Their vocabulary was limited, but they heard the phrase 'where are you' so often from adults (usually directed at them) that they adapted it too.

The couple sighed as they got up from their beds. The moment they opened the door, the two babies glomped on them, and the parents naturally carried them in.

Harold chuckled, having an idea (based on the ice on the door jamb) that they were interrupted…again.

"Don't be angry," he said with a smile. "You're going to miss them being like this when they become teenagers."

…

It took about 2 hours for the children to fall asleep. They were really energetic and story time was not enough.

They jumped around the bed (and on their dad) for a while, before they ended up playing with random toys in the cot until they finally felt sleepy.

"Sigh, they're starting to make trouble…" she mumbled. "I knew we shouldn't have given them those extra sweets…"

"We can manage," Garan said. "You were quite adventurous yourself."

At the time, she was very popular in the orphanage. The caretakers loved her because she was so cute. Even if she made trouble, she'd be quickly forgiven.

Things changed when the terrorist attack happened and only she had survived so miraculously. The superstitious old lady looked at her —a young child—as if she were the one who caused it.

Then his mind moved to the 'memories' before that, or rather, the dream. It felt vague and far away, but he thought about it from time to time.

He wasn't sure how true it was, and it was likely just a construct of his own mind. The memories of his childhood had always been vague, as if a cloud blocked his view.

He was reminded of the fog that separated the two of them back then, and crossing over his mind's fog also felt similarly difficult.

All he remembered was that he and Althea came from far away, with her being just a baby a year old in her swaddle. For some reason, he remembered that they were in danger for a long time. Somehow, they soon found themselves in an unfamiliar place, but at least the dangers they were used to were gone.

They struggled and lived since then, and now they were finally happy.

He was pulled back to the present when he felt his wife's finger poke his cheek. "What are you thinking?"

He shook his head, kissing her forehead.

"Nothing," he said. "Just that…I feel very fortunate."

Althea blinked. Although she knew and felt her husband's love, he was very rarely vocally sentimental.

She wondered what was going on…