Chapter 93: The Babysitter 3

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: The Babysitter 3

BZZZZT. BZZZZT.

The phone vibrated against the wooden floorboards, sending dull thumps through the rug. Felix frowned in his sleep, pulling the quilt up.

BZZZZT.

"...Five more minutes," he mumbled.

It kept buzzing. He cracked one eye open. The sunlight had moved all the way across the living room wall, and the wall clock showed that two whole hours had slipped by.

"...Well, so much for a quick nap."

Careful not to wake the little boy sleeping beside him, Felix reached out and snatched the phone.

*Sera*

He swiped the screen and held the phone close to his ear, keeping his voice down. "Hey, Sera. How’s your day going?"

A beat of silence hung on the line. "Felix. Someone came to my cell today."

The last bit of sleep vanished instantly. Felix sat up a little straighter, his eyes sharpening.

"Someone?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"An Association representative," she said, sounding bored. "He showed a badge and introduced himself, but I didn’t care enough to remember his name."

Felix’s eyes narrowed. "What did he want?"

"Information. He asked about your therapy sessions, how you train me, and how my behavior has changed since you took over my case." She paused.

"Then he started asking how often we talk outside the facility, if you ever ask for personal favors, and where my loyalties lie."

Felix went quiet. He looked down at Leo, who had rolled onto his side, cheek squished against the pillow with one thumb tucked near his mouth.

"What did you tell him?" Felix asked in a low voice.

A smug, satisfied hum came through the speaker. "Nothing."

Felix’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Let me guess. You just gave him that deadpan, icy stare the entire time."

"..."

Silence on the other end.

"He asked some questions, you stared at him like he was dirt on your shoe, and he started stammering and answering his own questions just to fill the silence."

"Fel..."

"And when that failed, he got annoyed."

A quiet laugh slipped through the speaker. "You know me too well."

"I do."

"I was actually polite."

"Of course you were, Sera."

"He was digging into your business," she added, her tone dropping colder. "That annoyed me."

"Ah. That explains it."

Felix leaned back against the edge of the sofa, thinking it through. The higher-ups had reasons to be curious. Before him, Seraphina hadn’t spoken a single word to anyone in seven years.

Liora was learning to control a forbidden Darkness element without losing her mind. And Vesper Cruz had actually agreed to talk instead of planning her next escape. The results were turning heads.

Curiosity from politicians had a habit of turning into trouble fast.

"Did he say why he was asking all that?"

"He claimed he was reviewing the program’s safety and effectiveness."

"Did he have paperwork from Director Voss?"

"He never mentioned Elena."

Felix’s voice went cool. "Did he try to make you demonstrate your power? Touch your suppression cuffs? Threaten you?"

"No. He stayed on his side of the glass. He was polite enough at first."

"Until?"

"Until he asked if you had developed feelings for me."

Felix rubbed his forehead, groaning softly.

"And whether I consider you my closest friend."

"I told him that wasn’t his business."

"Good answer."

"And I told him that if he wanted to investigate your methods, he should go ask you directly instead of bothering me in a locked room."

Her voice dropped an octave, losing its smugness. "He didn’t like that very much."

"I bet."

"He said the Association has a legal right to monitor every patient in its custody."

Felix considered that. "Technically, he’s right. It’s their facility, and they carry the liability if a patient snaps. But that doesn’t mean every low-level suit gets to run an interrogation without a warrant. If the board has questions, Elena is the direct link. She has my number."

"That’s what I figured."

"Did you notify anyone else?"

"Not yet. I wanted to tell you first."

"Good call. I’ll take care of it."

A short pause followed. Then, softly: "Are you angry?"

Felix watched the dust motes float through the sunlight. "Not angry yet. Just curious to see who sent him, and what kind of game they’re trying to play."

"Besides," Felix teased, "I doubt you would have told him anything even if he begged you to."

"Obviously not."

she said, her voice turning softer. "You should be proud of me."

"I am, Sera. Truly."

It came out naturally, without any teasing. For a second, the only sound was her quiet breathing on the line before she murmured, "...Thank you, Felix."

"Anytime."

Beside him, little Leo stirred on the mat. Felix reached out with one hand, gently adjusting the quilt so the boy didn’t catch a draft. The soft rustle of the fabric carried through the phone mic.

"Felix?" Seraphina asked, her sharp ears catching it instantly.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing? Where are you?"

"In my living room. Babysitting."

Dead silence.

"...What?"

"Babysitting. Darius dropped his three-year-old off at my place for the weekend."

Another long silence, followed by pure disbelief: "Darius Kane? The Earth brawler?"

"Unless there’s another giant named Darius who likes ruining my quiet weekends, yes."

"Why would he leave a child with you?"

"He and his wife wanted to check out that new water park in Aurelia City."

Seraphina let out a laugh: short, surprised, and completely different from her usual cold demeanor. "You? Taking care of a toddler?"

"That’s the current mission, yes."

"I cannot picture you taking care of a baby."

"Neither could I, yet here we are."

"How is that going?"

Felix glanced around the room: two controllers tossed on the coffee table, a small blue toy truck resting near his foot, a butter stain on his shirt, and a chubby toddler snoring peacefully while holding onto his sleeve.

"...Well, nobody has set anything on fire, and we haven’t broken any bones. I’m calling it a massive win."

Seraphina chuckled softly.

"It’s actually been pretty fun."

"Did you feed him?"

"Yep. Scrambled eggs and toast. He insisted on sitting on my lap because his dad told him meals should be eaten together."

"That’s... actually very sweet."

"He’s a good kid," Felix smiled down at the messy brown hair.

"Did you play with him?"

"A solid two hours of racing."

"Did you let him win?"

Felix gasped with fake offense. "Sera! I would never insult the competitive spirit of gaming like that."

"Felix."

"...Okay, fine, I let him win a few."

"I knew it."

"He’s three years old! He kept steering straight into lakes and shouting that he was the champion. What was I supposed to do?"

Her laughter turned warm and light. "I wish I could have seen that."

Felix looked at the phone screen, realizing how easy and natural they sounded together now.

"Maybe someday you will," Felix said quietly.

The line went completely still for a moment. Then, in a small, gentle voice: "I would like that."

They chatted for a few more minutes about simple things: the water park crowds, the Association visitor, and the video game update that had sent Liora into a fury earlier.

Felix mentioned the long instruction manual Darius had left behind, complete with a bedtime story requirement, which made Seraphina laugh again.

"You can never say no when someone asks you for help," she pointed out softly.

Felix looked down at Leo’s small hand still gripping his sleeve. "...Maybe."

"Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"I’m glad you answered."

"Anytime, Sera. Call me whenever."

The call clicked off. Felix set the phone down on the carpet and leaned his head back, letting the quiet room wash over him.

A moment later, Leo shifted on the rug. The boy rubbed his eyes with two chubby fists, blinked through the bright sunlight, and looked up at Felix with sleepy curiosity.

"Unca Felix?"

"Hey there, buddy. Have a good nap?"

Leo yawned, showing tiny teeth, then pointed a finger toward the phone on the floor. "Who that?"

"Just a friend."

Leo tilted his head, thinking hard. "Girl friend?"

Felix choked on air. He froze, staring at the toddler. "...What did you just say?"

Leo pointed again, completely serious. "Pretty girl friend?"

Felix threw an arm over his eyes, groaning out loud. Darius. You teach your kid the weirdest things. I am charging you double for this.

"She’s just a good friend, Leo," Felix said, sitting up.

Leo stared for a second, then gave a firm nod, satisfied. "Okay."

He sat up on the mat, stretched his little arms, and pointed eagerly toward the TV screen.

"Unca Felix? Car game?"

Felix looked at the bright TV, then at the clock, and finally at the boy’s bouncing knees. He let out a big, dramatic sigh.

"Alright," Felix grinned, scooping the boy up off the floor and setting him onto the soft sofa cushions. "Race time. But this round, we are actually learning how to use the brakes."

"YAY!" Leo squealed, grabbing his controller with both hands.

Felix settled onto the couch beside him, grabbing the second controller.

Watching the little boy giggle and lean his whole body into the digital turn, Felix couldn’t stop smiling.

---