Ariana was floored. She wasn"t expecting Cayden to be waiting for her at the barrier but to have all four boys?! She was left speechless. "Maybe because Lobo waits for you Cayden decided to do the same?" Edlyn whispered to Ariana. "Then Xander is here for you but why Icarus?" Ariana whispered back. "Good morning!" Lobo shouted as he extended his arms open. Ariana broke out into a cold sweat, she could already see an imaginary ears and tail, showing his antic.i.p.ation. She had no idea what to do and hesitated for a moment. Cayden pulled Lobo by the collar and tossed him back with a flick of his wrist. "Morning." He said with a gentle smile completely disregarding what happened just seconds before. Icarus started laughing his head off as he placed a hand on Cayden"s shoulder for support while Xander was focusing on someone else entirely. "Good morning." Xander said softly as he extended out his hand. Edlyn place her hand into his as she wished him a good morning in return. He then brought Edlyn"s hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Ariana"s eyes sparkled as she watched Xander and Edlyn. She wanted to squeal so badly but she knew she was going to ruin the moment.
"How come you haven"t said good morning to me yet? You have every morning for so long.... I"m feeling a little lonely." Lobo said pitifully as he suddenly appeared next to Ariana.
Ariana"s hair stood on end. She had no idea that Lobo had returned, let alone that he was right beside her. She could feel a cold glare drilling a hole into her back. She didn"t dare turn around. "G-g-g-g." Ariana stuttered as Lobo leaned in with wide, innocent eyes sparkling with antic.i.p.ation. Ariana"s cold sweat intensified, she didn"t know what to do. This was too much for one morning, Lobo never acted like this and she didn"t know how to handle it.
"My little sister is being so cute! Are you embarra.s.sed to say good morning to your big brother? That"s okay I"ll settle for a hug instead." Lobo said in a teasing tone just before he flashed his devilish smile.
Just as he opened his arms and pounced into the air Icarus was swapped out with Ariana. Cayden was holding Ariana in his arms as she watched Lobo cuddle up with Icarus. "So soft and warm." Lobo mumbled as he rubbed his scent. "You b.a.s.t.a.r.d it"s me!" Icarus shouted. Lobo froze mid face rub and slowly pulled his head back. He then looked at Cayden who decided to release Ariana from his hold and grab her hand instead.
He looked at Lobo with a smug smile just as he brought Ariana"s inner wrist to his lips and placed a small kiss. Lobo exploded in rage. "Hands off my sister! I haven"t forgiven you for being gone for so long!" Lobo shouted as he dug his nails into Icarus"s body.
"Where are you going?" Xander asked Edlyn, they were absorbed in their own world. "Bathhouse." Edlyn replied bashfully. Xander gently brushed a lock of Edlyn"s hair behind her ear as he smiled. "Can I walk you there?" He asked. Edlyn turned a bright red as she absentmindedly nodded her head in agreement. Xander held out his hand again and Edlyn took it. He turned and waited for Edlyn to take her first steps. Soon they started to walk away.
Ariana watched with mixed feelings. Edlyn had a wonderful encounter this morning while she was stuck babysitting three brats who were busy fighting and crying. Cayden was mocking Lobo for having s.n.a.t.c.hed mom"s attention. Lobo was throwing a tantrum and Icarus was crying because Lobo was hurting him. She wanted a beautiful encounter too. As she watched Edlyn and Xander get further and further away she snapped and turned to the three boys.
"Enough!" She shouted and the three stopped immediately. "All of you line up and kneel!" She ordered and the boys sat on their legs as they kneeled in front of Ariana. "Unbelievable! I am not some toy that you can use for your own amus.e.m.e.nt or tease one another with! I am a human being! I can"t deal with this much stress in the morning! Do you have any idea what time it is and thank the heavens it"s early because I would be mortified if we had an audience! I really want to go to the bathhouse and relax, not babysit some children! I am not in the mood to play mom with the three of you! Especially when -?!" Ariana scolded as she pointed her index finger to each boy but the excitement was too much for her.
Ariana arms slagged, Vasu tumbled downwards, her legs lost strength and Ariana started to fall sideways. Cayden quickly got up and caught Ariana mid fall. "What"s wrong?" He asked with worry all over his face. "Sorry. I didn"t sleep well last night." Ariana grumbled, Vasu floated back upwards, looking a little banged up. "Let"s get you back to bed." Cayden said softly. "If she goes to bed now she might not go to cla.s.s." Vasu explained. "He"s right. I already missed so much, I don"t want to lose my ranking. I have something I want and it"s too close to exams." Ariana explained.
"... So you want to go to the bathhouse then? Maybe having a good soak will wake you up?" Cayden asked with a sweet smile. "Yes that"s what I"m thinking." Ariana said with an excited nod. "It"ll make you more sleepy." Cayden said as he flicked Ariana"s forehead. "Shower instead then take a small nap. I"ll wake you up for breakfast and make sure you make it to cla.s.s on time." Cayden said with a small sigh.
Ariana rubbed her forehead and pouted. "You didn"t have to flick my forehead." Cayden laughed and it warmed her heart. She started to blush as she watched Cayden"s face light up. "But you"re so cute I can"t help but bully you." Cayden replied. A loud cough was heard and the two looked over. Ariana tried to push Cayden away but he had a firm grip on her, he refused to let her go.
"Be good kids. Just wait for mom and dad to come back. So sit there and reflect on your actions." Cayden said before he dragged Ariana away. "Who"s your child?!" Lobo shouted as he stood up.