so very dapper

[temporal_affairs]

The Joker is awfully domestic, in his way. He makes pretty clothes. Nathan's perfectly happy to be a clothes horse for his sartorially-inclined mate. Some of the clothes are distinctly feminine, and Nathan does not wear those, although the Joker could probably talk him into a kilt, even if that's not a Manx thing but only their neighbors.

Comments

[temporal_affairs]

"Fair enough."

"Um-num-um-num," Kerron says around the Joker's wrist, "raaaaa."

"God, that's cute," Nathan says.

[yourheartstrings]

"It iiiis."

She cuddles the baby and leans against Nathan for hugs.

[temporal_affairs]

She can have hugs. She can have all the hugs she wants.

[yourheartstrings]

Mmm.

[manofmyword]

Hugs.

[temporal_affairs]

"Wuh," says Kerron in mild surprise, and then he settles back down comfortably.

"...Would've expected that to throw him a little more," muses Nathan.

[manofmyword]

The Joker shrugs. "I'm still pretty much the same, right?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Maybe he'd be more weirded out if he nursed," shrugs Nathan. "I have no test cases to go on here."

"Amumumumum," Kerron says, still gnawing on his chewtoy.

"Why yes!" says Nathan. "That is your mum. Sort of." Pause. "What shall we have him calling us?"

[manofmyword]

He shrugs again. "I dunno. Got any preferences?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Maggie and Gianna have their kid calling them Mum and Mamma respectively," says Nathan, "if that's any useful guide. But you probably are going to spend a decent fraction of the time being more mummy-like than papa-like and maybe it'd be simpler to carry on with that regardless." He shrugs. "I can be Daddy."

[manofmyword]

"Okay," giggles the Joker, and he kisses the baby's forehead. "Your daddy is the cutest vampire in the world," he says brightly.

[temporal_affairs]

"Wrrrm," asserts Kerron, peering at the Joker like he's a kaleidoscope.

[manofmyword]

He makes a silly face.

[temporal_affairs]

"Eehee!" Kerron reaches out little arms to bat at the air in front of the Joker like it's full of butterflies.

"We could take him outside," Nathan proposes. "He won't sparkle, just sorta glow like he's an overedited ad for makeup, no particular security risk."

[manofmyword]

"Ooh, let's!"

[temporal_affairs]

Outside they go! Kerron is fascinated by everything, but most especially people; some of them he waves at the same way he was waving in the Joker's direction minutes ago. He babbles the entire way.

[manofmyword]

"I think," says the Joker, "that we have ourselves the cutest munchkin."

[temporal_affairs]

"I think so too!" Nathan agrees brightly. "Hear that, Kerron, you're the cutest, you win all cuteness contests forever."

"Awaaa," says Kerron.

[manofmyword]

The Joker hoists Kerron up and kisses his forehead again.

[temporal_affairs]

They are complimented six times on their baby by the time they finish their walk. (Nathan translates, on occasions when these compliments are not in English.)

[manofmyword]

"See? Cutest munchkin," he says, hugging Kerron. "And a buncha people you're never gonna see again think so too."

[temporal_affairs]

"Egaba lofta!"

[manofmyword]

He giggles.

[temporal_affairs]

Encouraged, Kerron babbles some more, although he is distracted by people every time they go by and waves at most of them. He gets waves back and finds this utterly hysterical.

Inside the capital compound again, they run into Alice and Jasper, who are sitting together looking out the window with Alice's head leaning on Jasper's shoulder. "Hallo, Alice, Jasper," Nathan says. "Look what we made!"

Alice looks and says "Awww!"

Jasper looks between the parents and says, "...Made?"

[manofmyword]

The Joker