---
"Just watch him for three hours," Nova begged, holding out her chubby-cheeked two-year-old. "I have a dentist appointment, and my mom cancelled. Please?"
Aiden blinked. "But—"
Sion cut in: "Of course! Leave him with us!"
Aiden turned. "Wait, what?"
"It'll be fun," Sion said, grinning confidently. "How hard can babysitting be?"
Thirty minutes later, Sion was clinging to the top of the couch like a cat, Leo the dog was hiding under the table, and Aiden was desperately trying to stop the toddler from flushing Sion's phone down the toilet.
"Why is he so fast?" Sion yelled as the kid zoomed past again.
"He has the energy of a thousand suns," Aiden muttered, picking up a trail of crushed crackers.
Suddenly, silence.
"Where's the kid?" Sion asked.
They both froze.
"WHERE'S THE KID?!"
They found him in their bedroom, drawing on the walls. With toothpaste.
Aiden stared. "Sion."
"Yes."
"Why did you say yes to this?"
Sion shrugged. "He looked innocent!"
"You looked innocent when we met, and now look at our walls."
The toddler turned to them, holding up the toothpaste proudly. "Look! Pretty!"
Aiden blinked. "...Okay, that's kinda cute."
Then the kid hugged both of them suddenly and said, "Uncle Aiden! Uncle Shiny!"
Sion melted instantly. "He called me shiny."
"He meant Sion, you moron."
"I don't care. I'm keeping him."
"You're not keeping someone else's child."
---
By the time Nova returned, Sion had fallen asleep on the couch with the toddler on his chest, Leo at his feet, and Aiden sitting nearby with his head on Sion's shoulder.
Nova smiled. "They look like a family."
Aiden groaned. "Don't give him ideas."
Sion, eyes still closed, mumbled, "Let's make one."
"WHAT?!"
-