A/N: Wrote this for the kink meme way back in April. The prompt was: A ridiculous domestic AU where Cyrus is a dad and his three kids are Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. I had to do it because the idea of Cyrus dealing with a teenager, a preteen, and a little kid was hilarious XD
Jupiter kept her head down as she walked past the kitchen. A quick glance let her know that her dad was busy making pasta, Saturn's favorite. Good, so he wasn't paying attention. Only a few more steps to the door and…
"Stop." She stood still at the sound of her father's voice. He didn't sound angry, but then again he never had any emotion to his voice. "Turn around, Jupiter."
Sighing, she did as she was told. "Hey dad."
"Where do you think you're going?" Cyrus asked.
"Out." She said, keeping an eye on the door. She had to get out of here soon if she wanted to make the concert in time.
"You're still grounded." He said, the slightest hint of a frown on his face.
She refused to make eye contact. "I told you, it wasn't my fault that that girl's Piplup was messing with my Stunky! She got what she had coming to her."
"Jupiter…" He came around from the kitchen to the hallway and stood right in front of her, commanding but not forceful.
Just then her younger siblings entered the room. Mars paid no attention to either of them, heading straight for the kitchen. Saturn looked back and forth between them and sighed. "Again?" He muttered under his breath. When Cyrus's eyes landed on him, he quickly went after Mars, who was already at the refrigerator door, probably looking for something sweet.
"I'm leaving dad." Jupiter said, turning around. She reached for the door, but instead of the handle, she found her father blocking her way. Man, he was fast.
"We're having dinner together, Jupiter." He said, his expression calm but hard. It was as close to mad as Jupiter had ever seen him.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "You can't tell me what to do!"
"I'm your father."
Jupiter opened her mouth, ready to retaliate when a loud crash sounded from the kitchen.
"Mars!"
"I didn't do it!"
Forgetting their current argument for a moment, the two of them hurried to the kitchen to see what Saturn and Mars had been up to.
It wasn't a pretty sight.
Saturn had a bunch of paper towels in his hands, so many that some were falling to the floor. The floor itself was covered in red sauce, making the scene look pretty gory. Mars had sauce in her hair and down her shirt, and was trying to scoop the sauce that was on the floor back into the bowl.
Jupiter had to bite her lip. Though she was still in a bad mood, she had to admit this was pretty hilarious. Saturn and Mars started talking at the same time, each trying to get their side of the story in first.
"One at a time." Cyrus said. He nodded to Saturn. "Tell me what happened."
"Mars dropped the sauce on the floor, dad!"
"You made me do it!" Mars said, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not-"
"Okay, okay, enough." Cyrus sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So it was dropped on the floor, it doesn't matter who did it. It was an accident, right?"
"Sure was dad!" Mars said, picking up the bowl and thrusting it towards him. "Here, I helped!"
"Thank you, Mars." Cyrus took it from her and placed it on the counter. "Let's get this cleaned up. Jupiter, grab the—"
She was already at the door again. This would be her only chance to get out of here. "I have to go now or I'll miss the concert!"
"You're going to miss family dinner." Cyrus furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Are you a member of this family or not?"
"I guess I'm not." She murmured. She made sure the door slammed behind her.
"…That's why I'm dad's favorite." Mars said to her brother, grabbing some paper towels from his hands.
"You are not!"
"Are too!"
/
Saturn woke up to the sounds of an argument.
He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock next to his bed. It was almost one in the morning. He sat up and yawned, listening to the voices.
"Keep your voice down, you'll wake up your siblings." He heard his dad say.
Jupiter didn't. "I don't care, let them hear it! They should know that their dad is a tyrant!"
Saturn shook his head. It had been this way ever since mom left. Jupiter had gotten really moody and defiant, and Mars now demanded attention from anybody and everybody, all the time. He wondered how his dad put up with it all.
"I don't see why I should be in trouble!"
He heard his father sigh. "Jupiter… just go to bed. I'll deal with you in the morning."
"Fine! But maybe I won't be here in the morning! What do you say to that?"
"Just go to bed and sleep on it."
Saturn heard his sister's angry footsteps going in the direction of her room. She didn't slam her door, which to him was a miracle. Maybe she was thinking about Mars, who shared the room with her. Once you woke up Mars, she wouldn't leave you alone until you got her back to sleep. And Mars did not go to sleep easily.
He was thinking about just forgetting everything and go back to sleep when his dad walked into his room. Cyrus sat down on the edge of his bed, shaking his head.
"Dad?" Saturn asked. He sat up properly, trying to see his father's face in the darkness. "What is it?"
"Am I really being a tyrant son?" Cyrus asked. He tilted his head back and let out a tired sigh.
"I don't think so." He said, shaking his head.
"Maybe Jupiter's right. I'm not exactly sure how to raise you three without your mother." He said.
Saturn felt confused. His dad was a great dad, with or without his mom. Why wouldn't he know how to raise them?
"I think you're doing great dad." He said. He thought a little and added, "You know how my big sister is."
Cyrus hummed in agreement. "That I do know. Thanks son."
"No problem, dad."
They sat there for a minute, just listening to the other one breathe. Finally, Cyrus broke the silence.
"I should let you get some sleep, shouldn't I?" He sat up and tucked the covers around Saturn. Though Saturn felt he was a little too old to be tucked in, he let his father do it this time. "Goodnight Saturn."
"Night dad." He said. He let his eyelids droop and sleep came easily.
/
Mars frowned down at her breakfast. "I don't like oatmeal."
"I know you don't Mars, but could you please eat it anyway?" Cyrus asked, patting down his pockets for his keys.
"How come Jupiter and Saturn didn't have to eat it?" Mars asked, reminding her father that her siblings ran out with a granola bar and not much else.
"Because they were late for school and didn't have time to sit down for breakfast." He said, finally finding his keys in his back pocket. "And they aren't the ones who need a ride to school."
Mars pouted and stirred her oatmeal. She brought a spoonful to her mouth and chewed disdainfully. Cyrus sighed and went for the sugar bowl. Mars perked up instantly and watched as he grabbed the teaspoon.
"Only a little bit, okay Mars?" Cyrus said, putting two small spoonfuls into her oatmeal. "Make sure to stir it in."
Mars nodded eagerly. She had no trouble finishing her breakfast now, even licking her bowl clean.
She held his hand as they walked towards the car. She felt a little bit of pride in that, because she was the only one in the family who could do that. Jupiter and Saturn were too old, but she wasn't. Cyrus buckled her into her booster seat and started the car. Mars got her own special seat too, unlike her siblings.
They drove down the familiar streets, and Mars listed the places she recognized. "That's the laundry mat, and there's the grocery store, and look! That's the park! Do you see it dad?"
"I see it." Cyrus said, keeping his eyes on the road. "And right ahead of us is your school."
"Oh, there." Mars started pouting again.
Cyrus noticed her expression in the rearview mirror. "Something wrong, Mars?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't like it there."
"Why not?" He asked, pulling into the school's parking lot. Mars didn't say anything, which was unusual for her. Usually when something was bothering Mars, she wouldn't stop talking about it until she felt you knew exactly what it was that upset her. "Mars?"
Mars started fiddling with her buckle, so Cyrus got out of the car and came around to help her. He unbuckled her from her seat, and walked her inside.
Her class was on the far end of the hall. Mars walked slowly, wanting to get there as late as possible. Cyrus practically had to drag her down the hallway. The closer they got to the door, the more Mars dragged her feet.
He reached for the door. "Come on, Mars, you're already late." The door opened before Cyrus had his hand on the doorknob.
"Good morning you two!" A very pretty blonde woman stood in front of them, a sunny smile on her face. She knelt down in front of Mars. "Hey Mars, we were starting to miss you in here!"
"Hey Miss Cynthia…" Mars muttered, glaring at the floor.
Miss Cynthia straightened up and held her hand out to Cyrus. "Hello, I'm the new kindergarten teacher. We've met before, haven't we Mr. Solei?"
"Yes, at the parent-teacher conference last week." Cyrus took her hand and shook it. "Hello again."
"It's very nice to see you again!" She said. They'd stopped shaking, but she hadn't let go of his hand yet. "I have to say that Mars is one of my favorite students."
"Really?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughter. Mars was staring at their hands and frowning.
"Yes, she's quite the precocious child." Cynthia smiled down at her. Mars immediately cast her eyes down. "She gets along very well with the Pokémon we bring into the class. Isn't that right Mars?"
"I like the Glameow from yesterday." Mars said, still sulking.
"Well guess what?" Cynthia said, finally letting go of Cyrus's hand to tossle Mars's red hair. "She's back again today!"
The scowl left her face quickly. "Can I go see her?"
She laughed. "Of course you can."
Mars glanced between the two of them. "I wanna to say goodbye to my dad first."
Cynthia nodded and winked. "Guess I'll catch you later, Cyrus."
"Y-Yes." Cyrus said, waving awkwardly. He turned to his daughter and crouched down. "See you after school."
"Bye dad." She said, hugging him goodbye. As he was straightening up, Mars grabbed hold of his hand. "I don't like it here because of Miss Cynthia. She looks at you weird."
Cyrus blinked. Oh. "Hey, you're the most important girl in my life, okay Mars?"
"More than Jupiter?" She asked, smiling a little.
"About the same." He said. Mars smiled wider and let him go, waving goodbye before going off to see the Glameow.
/
"Dad, I don't like crusts on my sandwich!" Mars whined, looking at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on her plate Cyrus had just put in front of her.
"Here, I'll cut them off." Jupiter said, taking her plate.
"Thank you, Jupiter." Cyrus said, currently busy with making one for Saturn.
"No problem." She said, eating the crusts as she cut them off. She put the knife in the sink before placing the crust-less sandwich back in front of her sister. Mars bit into it with no more complaints.
"Here's yours, Saturn." Cyrus said.
"Thanks dad." He said, biting into his sandwich. He'd gotten over having the crusts off a long time ago. Around the time Cyrus's wife left.
Maybe he'd felt that he had to grow up then.
"You want me to make you one too, Jupiter?" Cyrus asked, motioning over to the ingredients still on the counter.
Jupiter blinked. "You'd make me one?"
"Why wouldn't I?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm your father."
Jupiter bit the inside of her cheek, thinking. Cyrus knew she'd probably eaten something before she got home. She always did that, so she wouldn't have to sit with them. So her next words surprised him.
"Sure. I love your PB and J's dad." She said, smiling at him.
He smiled back. "Okay then, no crusts?"
Jupiter laughed, loud and almost carefree. "Why not?"