By the time Ronin got home, the boy was sound asleep. Ronin considered trying to lay him down on the bed, but he had seemed rather partial to his nest, and he would probably be happier waking up in a familiar place, so Ronin tucked him in behind the couch.
The boy yawned wide and cuddled his sack to his chest, snuggling under the blanket Ronin tucked around him. The morning had worn him out, and he didn't look very inclined to wake up any time soon.
Glory had given Ronin a list of things she wanted the boy eating. They were all fairly normal foods. Lots of cattail, especially cattail pollen, which Ronin had never cared for, but hopefully the boy would like. Fresh fruit, although the wasn't much in season at the moment, and there wouldn't be anything in season once winter hit, so hopefully dried fruit would do. Nuts of all kinds, which should be simple enough if the way the child had taken to acorn mash was any indication.
Ronin had no idea how or when he would actually make it to the market to pick all of this up though. He couldn't imagine taking the child with him, not with the way strangers seemed to make him panic.
Actually, he had no idea what he was going to do about anything, and he thought Glory deciding he should take care of a child may have been a sign that she had finally been driven to insanity by one too many new recruits doing stupid things.
Someone knocked on the door and Ronin winced, checking to see if it had woken the boy. The child simply rolled over and resumed sucking his thumb. Ronin hurried to the door before another knock could come.
"Three days?" Finn said by way of greeting, "are you alright?"
"Shhh!" Ronin hissed, glancing over his shoulder, "he's sleeping."
"The kid is still here?" Finn dropped his voice, coming in when Ronin stepped back.
"Yes," Ronin rolled his eyes, "Glory and Tara have both gone crazy."
"That's nothing new," Finn shrugged and hung his sword on the weapons rack, "well, Tara isn't usually crazy, but Glory sort of always is. But why is he still with you?"
"They think he's attached to me, and it will upset him enough to make him sick if they try to put him with someone else," Ronin explained.
"Yeah, I can see that," Finn nodded.
"Finn," Ronin said in annoyance.
"Shhh," Finn echoed back at him with a smirk, "where is he anyway?"
"Behind the couch," Ronin motioned toward the boy's sleeping spot, "he made himself a nest."
Finn leaned over the back of the couch, peering down at the sleeping boy with a grin.
"They're always cuter when they're asleep," Finn said softly, turning around so he could sit on the couch, "so how long do you have him?"
"I don't know," Ronin slumped down in his chair, "until he puts on some weight, and Glory thinks he's healthy enough to handle the stress of being placed with someone else, or Nim finds his family. Which ever happens first."
"That could be a while," Finn said, "it takes forever to find people in the scrolls without an exact time and place, and he's not going to suddenly plump up no matter how much food you give him. You could have him for a month or two."
"I know," Ronin rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I have no idea what I'm going to do with him."
"You'll figure it out," Finn shrugged, "if you can figure out how to lead an entire army, you can figure out what to do with a six year old."
"I don't think those skill sets overlap," Ronin said doubtfully.
"Well, while you're figuring that out, I have to run your army," Finn stretched his legs out in front of him, "so is there anything that isn't business as usual for the next couple days?"
"Shouldn't be much," Ronin leaned back in his chair, "don't forget to check in with Dag about that new Leafman he was threatening to kick out. I think his name is Ilex. I haven't seen anything come across my desk since last week, but keep an eye on it."
"Dag's crazy newbie, got it," Finn snickered, "do I need to meet with Asa tomorrow afternoon?"
"Yeah, review the scouting reports for the bogs before you do," Ronin shook his head, "he's really pushing to hit up the cranberries, but I think it's too risky."
"I'll take a look," Finn nodded, "as long as I can actually find them in your office."
"You better hope I'm back in a few days, or you're going to have to go through everything on my desk and figure out if any of it is important," Ronin pointed out mildly.
"What are you going to do with him when you're back on duty?" Finn asked.
"I don't even know what I'm going to do with him now," Ronin groaned, "I don't even know what I need. I haven't had time to go through the stuff you sent over, and it wouldn't matter if I had, because I have no idea what else I would need."
"Huh," Finn pushed himself off the couch, "I actually don't know what mom put in there."
"You're mom packed those?" Ronin raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah," Finn sat on the floor, opening the nearest bag, "I dropped by their place last night after I talked to you. Eben is bigger than your little bird, and the triplets are still a lot smaller, so I figured she would have stuff she wasn't using that would be about the right size. Also that she would know what you needed. I put the jacket in though. I figured he would like it."
"Yeah, he does, thanks," Ronin joined him on the floor, "and thank your mother for me."
"I'll stop by their place again tonight when I get off," Finn nodded, "and I'll ask her if there's anything else she thinks you need."
There was a shifting from behind the couch, and Ronin leaned forward to see under it. The boy had crawled out of his nest and was peering out at them. When he saw Ronin looking and him, he yawned and crawled under the coffee table and into his lap.
"See, he likes you," Finn grinned at him.
The child blinked at him, then stretched and made himself comfortable on his back with his head resting on Ronin's arm. He reached into his sack and pulled out a half eaten bread roll, munching on it sleepily.
"Can you get a cup of blackberry juice for me?" Ronin asked, shifting the child into a more comfortable position, "Glory said he's a little on the dehydrated side."
Finn got up to go to the kitchen, and Ronin watched the boy eat in amusement.
"We should probably figure out how much of a mess you've made in that sack of yours," Ronin stroked the boy's hair, "and maybe get you a new one that we don't put jelly filled sweets in. What do you think about that?"
The boy chirped lazily at him and continued to chew.
"Here you go," Finn returned with a glass, "although I hope you realize how hard blackberry juice stains are to get out of things."
Ronin snorted and took the glass from him, offering it to the boy. The child looked at it sleepily, then tried to pull it down to himself instead of sitting up, almost spilling the juice on everything. Ronin manage to stop him before he could make too much of a mess, forcing him to sit up and lean back against him. He held the glass for the boy while he drank, then almost spilled it again when the child finished and flopped lazily back down across Ronin's lap without warning.
"He needs a sippy cup," Finn said, just barely containing his laughter.
"What the hell is a sippy cup?" Ronin asked, snatching up a towel from the stack Finn's mother had sent over and wiping off the boy's face.
"It's sort of the mid way point between a bottle and a cup. It has a lid so it doesn't spill quite as easily," Finn explained, "also, children learn and repeat profanity disproportionately to other words."
Ronin stared at him for a moment, then shook his head, "I am not the right person for this."
"Too late for that now," Finn pulled a fluffy blue caterpillar toy from one of the bags and held it out to the child.
The boy's eyes lit up, and he dropped his roll to reach for it with both hands. Finn put it in his arms, and he snuggled happily with it, rubbing his cheek against it. Ronin laughed fondly and brushed back the boy's matted hair.
"He still needs a haircut," Finn pointed out.
"I know," Ronin nodded, "but today has been rough enough. Maybe tomorrow we can try it."
Finn snorted, "he's already got you wrapped around his little finger."
Ronin gave him an un-amused look.
"Anything else you can think of that I should know for the next few days?" Finn asked, poking through another bag.
"No, everything else should be business as usual," Ronin picked up the roll and set it on the coffee table, "keep me posted if anything comes up. Glory wants to see the kid again day after tomorrow, and hopefully, I'll be back after that, at least for half days, although I'm hoping full."
The boy snatched back the roll and finished eating it, then reached into his bag, fishing out a second one, stuffed caterpillar still held in one arm.
"I have to figure out how to get to the market too," Ronin absently smoothed the boy's hair out of his face, "Glory has a whole list of things she wants him eating."
"Give it to me," Finn waved his hand dismissively, "I'll send a courier to do it. It looks like mom gave you plenty of clothes and bedding. I'll make sure I get a couple sippy cups tonight and ask if mom thinks you need anything else."
"I can't get him to wear shoes," Ronin said, "can you ask your mother if she has any ideas?"
"Sure," Finn shrugged, "maybe she'll have something he likes."
"Thank you," Ronin stopped the child from tipping the glass of juice off of the coffee table and onto himself, holding it for him so he could drink out of it, "tell your mother I owe her."
"Why is it that you owe her and not me?" Finn teased, standing up and stretching.
"I always owe you," Ronin snorted, "it doesn't even seem worth mentioning anymore."
Finn gave him a crooked grin, "good luck with your wild child."
"Thanks," Ronin said dryly, looking down at the boy sprawled across his lap.
Finn shut the door behind him, and Ronin stared down at the boy for a moment longer. The child looked back up at him sleepily, then yawned hugely and reached into his bag, pulling out an acorn dumpling and popping it in his mouth.
"How about an actual meal?" Ronin suggest, "something that isn't made of sugar and leftovers."
The boy blinked at him, watching him curiously, then chirped and snuggled down with his caterpillar, putting his thumb in his mouth and drifting back to sleep.
Ronin sat still for a few minutes, making sure the child was actually sleeping, then lifted him up and put him back in his nest and went to go make lunch.
Ronin was a little surprised to hear a knock on the door after dinner. A courier had stopped by with groceries mid-afternoon, and Ronin would have expected Finn to be over later, if he made it over at all.
The boy had been sitting on his foot and leaning against his leg while he did dishes, whistling like a chickadee and making his blue caterpillar crawl up and down the cupboard face. At the sound of the door, he scrambled up and ran to the couch, wiggling under it. The child had become quite attached to his nest, and every time he was startled, he went running for it.
When Ronin opened the door, Finn's mother was standing there.
"Hello Nora," Ronin greeted her, "come in."
"I hear you have a little guest," Nora smiled as she stepped inside.
"He made a break for his nest when he heard the door," Ronin glanced in the direction of the couch, and he could just see the blue caterpillar wiggling under it, "thank you for everything you sent over. It's really been a help."
"It's no problem. We weren't using it right now anyway," Nora quirked a smile at the caterpillar and moved towards the couch, "I left Finn to help his dad with the little ones and brought you sippy cups and booties."
She pulled a pair of green crocheted boots out of her bag. They had rows of leaf like ruffles around the ankle and three shiny buttons down the side. Nora set them on the ground in front of the couch, and a little hand shot out and snatched them, drawing them under it.
"Well, he likes them at least," Nora laughed and handed Ronin the bag, "sippy cups, another pair of pajamas, and a few more toys and picture books. You should be set for a while."
"Thank you for all of this," Ronin grinned as the blue caterpillar peeked out again, "I should be able to get down to the market in a couple days and get him his own things, then I can get all this back to you."
"He can keep it; we have plenty," Nora waved her hand dismissively.
"Can I give you anything for it?" Ronin asked, nudging the caterpillar with his toe.
There was a muffled giggle, and the caterpillar disappeared under the couch.
"Just keep bringing Finn home safely," Nora smiled, "and let me know if you need anything else."
"I will," Ronin nodded.
There was motion behind the couch, and they looked over to see the boy peering over the back of it. When he realized he had been spotted, he ducked back down.
Nora laughed, "when he's feeling a little more social let me know. I'll bring Eben or the triplets over to play, or he can come over and visit us. Also, he needs a haircut."
"I know," Ronin shook his head, "I think that will be an adventure for tomorrow."
After Nora left, the boy came out from under the couch, holding up the booties for Ronin to see. He had put them on his hands like mittens and seemed quite pleased with himself.
"How about we try those on your feet?" Ronin reached for the slippers.
The boy hugged them to his chest and scrambled back to his nest.
"Maybe after bath time then," Ronin shook his head and went back to washing dishes.
Ronin managed to convince the child to return his blankets by trading him for the futon mattress and fluffy down quilts that Nora had sent over. They would make a more comfortable bed for the boy, and Ronin wouldn't have to sleep on the couch again.
After rearranging his nest to his satisfaction, the boy put his new stuffed animals in and sat in the middle playing with them. He had insisted on wearing his jacket with the buckles over his pajamas after bath time, and Ronin hadn't been able to convince him to wear the booties on his feet. He was mostly wearing them on his hands and occasionally took them off to use as a hat for the stuffed frog and bee that were now sharing the nest with him and the blue caterpillar.
Ronin sprawled on the couch and read the harvest reports he had to review out loud, hoping the boy would find them as boring as he did and fall asleep. It was nearly half an hour before Ronin realized he wasn't hearing the little chirps and coos that had accompanied the boy's play. He glanced over the back of the couch and saw him snuggled with his stuffed animals, thumb in his mouth.
Finn was right; he was cute when he was asleep.
Ronin covered him with his blanket and watched him sleep for a moment, then decided it was time to call it a night himself. Hopefully, tomorrow would be a calmer day for both of them.
Ronin was a light sleeper; he always had been. So it was no surprise that the patter of little feet woke him. He opened his eyes to find the boy peering cautiously over the edge of his bed.
"Everything alright chickadee?" he asked, reaching out to nudge the sedum on his night stand, setting it to glowing.
The boy blinked and poked at the plant cautiously, making it flare brighter briefly. He jumped, clutching his caterpillar to himself. Ronin noticed he still had a bootie on one hand and the other tucked in his arm along with the toy. The child poked the plant again, this time harder, making all the stems glow brightly. He whistled excitedly and pointed to it, clearly impressed.
"I guess there aren't any sedums in the forest, especially not luminescent ones," Ronin chuckled.
The boy turned back to him, staring at him over the edge of the bed.
"What?" Ronin propped himself up on an elbow.
The child continued to stare a moment longer, then seemed to make up his mind. He scrambled up onto the bed, nearly tripping over the strap of his sack. Ronin caught him and pulled him up to sit beside him.
"Do you want to bunk with me tonight kiddo?" Ronin asked.
The boy looked around the room, then up at Ronin. He chirped, then yawned hugely.
"I'll take that as a yes," Ronin smiled down at him, stroking back his hair, "how about we take the sack off and set it next to you? Does that sound more comfortable?"
Ronin slid the strap over the boy's head, and the child made a whining sound, reaching for it, but before he could get too upset, Ronin set the bag next to the pillow. The child looked up at him uncertainly.
"I'll leave it right there, and you can get it when you wake up," Ronin reassured him.
The boy hesitated, then seemed to decide that was acceptable. He started digging in the blankets as if he were trying to burrow into them.
"Let's try this instead," Ronin lifted him up so he could pull back the blankets, then set him back down and pulled them over him.
The child wiggled his toes under the covers, then leaned over to poke at the sedum, which had started to dim. The vibration caused it to brighten, and the boy smiled happily and wiggled down under the blankets, laying on his side so he could look at it.
"Sleep well chickadee," Ronin smiled and laid back down.
Just as he was falling back to sleep the boy rolled over, snuggling against his side. Ronin cracked open an eye and grinned at the top of the child's head, draping an arm around the little body. The boy started to snore softly, and Ronin pressed a kiss to his hair before falling back to sleep.
"Well, you survived at least," Finn said when Ronin opened the door.
"Yes," Ronin nodded, "and we have learned that acorn mash is hard to get out of hair, cranberry juice stains, and slippers, apparently, go on our hands and not our feet."
Finn snickered, "all good things to know. Mom sent over a booster seat. She thought it might be helpful."
"He doesn't really sit still long enough for that, but maybe he'll use it," Ronin took it, setting it on the table, "tell your mother thank you."
Finn nodded, "where is he anyway?"
"Either behind the couch or under it," Ronin motioned in the direction of the living room.
"Behind it," Finn grinned, setting his sword on the weapon's rack.
The boy was peeking over the edge. He giggled when he realized Finn had seen him and ducked back down.
"He must remember you," Ronin quipped, "he growled at the last messenger that came to the door."
"He's doing a good job guarding his nest," Finn came into the living room and leaned over the back of the couch.
The child giggled again and wiggled under the couch, reaching a hand back out to snag a stuffed bumble bee and pull it under with him.
"You want to try giving him a hair cut?" Finn asked, "he seems to be in a better mood than yesterday."
"I don't know," Ronin tickled at a bare foot with his toe, and it was pulled under the couch with a squeal, "he's pretty squirmy."
"It can't be comfortable having all those mats," Finn pointed out, "if you distract him, I can cut it."
Ronin gave him a doubtful look.
"Acorn mash comes out of mat free hair much more easily," Finn reached down to wiggle the caterpillar tail sticking out from under the couch.
It was quickly snatched back.
"Fine," Ronin relented, "just don't cut him."
"Nope," Finn grinned, "I'll be carefully. Do you have a pair of scissors?"
"In the bathroom," Ronin nodded, "you get those; I'll try to get him out from under the couch."
By the time Finn came back, Ronin was sitting on the living room floor with the boy on his lap. The child was facing him, chirping and whistling as if he were trying to tell Ronin a story and illustrate it with his stuffed caterpillar, which was crawling up Ronin's shoulder. He was wearing a green bootie on one hand, and Finn snickered.
The child jumped and pressed close to Ronin, looking up at Finn uncertainly.
"Remember me?" Finn crouched down in front of them.
The boy peered up at him, caterpillar hugged to his chest. Then he smiled shyly and pointed to the buckle on Finn's armor.
"Yep," Finn grinned, "you remember me. Ronin do you have any sweets?"
"I think he's put everything I have in his bag at this point," Ronin shook his head.
"I thinkā¦" Finn dug into the pouch on his belt, then immerged with a sucker, "birch sucker."
He held it out to the boy, who took it cautiously and sniffed at it, then tried to lick the wax paper wrapper. He made a face and Ronin chuckled, taking it from him and unwrapping it. He gave it back to the child, who tried licking it again, then tried to bite it. It didn't work quite as he expected, and he gave the hard candy a confused look.
"Try licking it buddy," Ronin took a quick lick to show him.
The boy imitated him, then grinned and did it again.
"Try and keep him distracted," Finn settled on his knees and reached up to ruffle the boy's tangled hair.
The boy twisted to give him a suspicious look.
"I'm just going to do that," Finn did it again, then tweaked the child's nose, making him giggle, "you just worry about your candy."
Ronin picked up the caterpillar, brushing it against the boy's cheek. The child turned back to him, sticking the sucker in his mouth so he could grab the toy with his un-covered hand. Realizing he needed both hands, he held the one with the bootie out to Ronin expectantly. Ronin pulled it off and set it on the ground beside them.
"That would work much better on your feet," Ronin told him.
The boy pulled the sucker out of his mouth and whistled, then offered it to Ronin. Ronin popped it in his mouth quickly, then out, and the boy smiled happily and went back to sucking on it.
"He must really like you if he's sharing his sweets," Finn continued to fiddle with the boy's tangled hair.
While Ronin distracted the boy with toys and sharing his candy, Finn took his time picking through the mats. For a while the child looked back at him every time he felt him touch it, but eventually, he got used to it and stopped turning away from Ronin, instead returning to his game of making the caterpillar crawl all over the general.
"I'm going to have to cut it as short as yours," Finn said, finally picking up the scissors.
"I don't think he'll care," Ronin leaned forward to nuzzle his nose against the boy's making him laugh and grab Ronin's face with sticky hands.
Finn smirked and started cutting. He worked quickly, pausing whenever the boy moved to reach for something new. He got all the mats and tangles off, then had to stop because the child realized he had done something and turned to look at him. He saw the hair on the floor and frowned at it, reaching up to touch his head. He rubbed his hands over it, then brought his other hand up to rub both hands over the much shortened hair. He didn't seem able to decide what he thought of the change.
"If you can get his attention for a few more minutes, I can trim it even," Finn tickled the boy's tummy, and he giggled and squirmed, pressing into Ronin.
Ronin slid a hand into the boy's bag while he wasn't looking and pulled out a honey sunflower seed cracker. He offered it to the boy, who took it eagerly and crunched into it.
"Watch his ears," Ronin cautioned.
"I haven't cut off any of my brothers or sisters' ears yet," Finn gave him an amused look.
It didn't take Finn long to get the hair cut even. It ended up just as short as Ronin's, and Finn ruffled his hand through it, shaking out all the loose hairs.
"All done," Finn smiled when the boy looked back at him, "should be easier to wash anyway."
"Thank you," Ronin set the boy on his feet and got up.
The child crouched down and poked curiously at the piles of hair, then reached up to rub his short hair again.
"You're welcome," Finn chuckled, "it's good it's going to be easier to wash, since he's rubbing his sticky fingers in it."
"Yeah," Ronin picked the boy up, "let's get those cleaned up."
Ronin carried him to the bathroom to wash his hands and face, sitting him on the counter. The boy twisted and saw his own reflection in the mirror. He stared at it for a moment, then pointed excitedly, tugging on Ronin's sleeve.
Ronin knew he recognized his own reflection. He had made faces at himself and giggled like mad for nearly fifteen minutes the night before.
"Yep, that's you," Ronin steadied him before he could fall off the counter.
The boy chirped and hopped up to stand on the counter before Ronin could stop him. He pointed excitedly to Ronin's reflection, then to his own.
"And that's the two of us," Ronin sat him back down and picked up a wash cloth.
The boy whistled and reached up to rub Ronin's hair, then rubbed his own, a huge grin on his face.
"Yeah," Ronin laughed, catching the boy's hands to wipe them off, "they do look the same, don't they."
The child squirmed free of him, reaching up to rub Ronin's hair again. Ronin grinned and rubbed the child's head in return, then wiped his face clean.
"He likes being a mini you," Finn laughed from the doorway.
"I don't know if it's going to stay that short with all his squirming," Ronin tossed the wash cloth in the sink and lifted the boy off the counter, setting him on his feet.
As soon as he was on his feet, the child tugged on Ronin's shirt, demanding to be picked up. Ronin complied, holding the boy on his hip, and the child resumed running his hand over first Ronin's hair, then his own, cooing and chirping happily.
"I'm going to get you two matching outfits," Finn slumped with laughter against the doorframe.
"Finn," Ronin rolled his eyes.
The child whistled and kicked his feet, snuggling against Ronin's shoulder.
"Well, at least he's happy," Ronin kissed the top of the boy's head.
"Being a mini you makes him happy," Finn smirked.
"Don't you have my army to go run?" Ronin grumbled.
"Sadly, yes," Finn straightened, "I'll drop by tomorrow to see how you and your mini-self are doing."
"Good night Finn," Ronin said dryly.
The boy whistled cheerfully and waved as Finn went out the door.
"I do not need a mini-me," Ronin muttered, kissing the child on the cheek and setting him down.
The boy ran back to where he had left his caterpillar and picked it up, then raced back to Ronin, holding his arms up again.
"I was trying to do dishes," Ronin looked down at the boy.
The child continued to hold his arms up.
Ronin stared down at him for a moment longer, then relented, scooping him back up, "alright. Let's go see what books are in your toy bag. Maybe a story will put you to sleep."
Ronin sat down on the couch with the child in his lap, and the boy wiggled and squirmed until he was comfortable, then settled down to look at the pictures of the book Ronin had grabbed, occasionally reaching up to run his hand over Ronin's hair again and then his own.
Ronin decided he could live with a mini him for a while, as long as he could keep him from rubbing sticky things in his hair.
AN: Little Nod is happy to show off the toys Nora gave him over at little-nod dot tumblr dot com.
