For the next couple of days they fell into a sort of routine. The kid, which Grometheus had nicknamed Tyke(due to how small she was compared to him), would wake up at about eight. He gave her breakfast after having changed her, he gave her something to play with, after breakfast, he put her back to bed. After that he'd have The Hunter watch over her while he'd go out on patrol of course he had the sack head keep his weapon out of the kid's reach to avoid any unfortunate accidents.
He'd also keep an eye out for people with brown hair or hazel eyes, or both. But unfortunate for him, no one like that wandered in. Only demon hunters and occasionally a bird or two. But he wasn't going to give up so easily; Grometheus was too stubborn for that.
After he got home, The little Tyke would be awake by then. She would make fussy noises, and at this point in time he'd either change her or give her dinner, or both. After that he'd read a book and by the time he was done she was fast asleep.
He'd probably be lying if he said the kid wasn't growing on him, but only a tiny bit. The kid wasn't too annoying, though she was a tiny bit clingy. She didn't throw many tantrums and actually usually just watches him read the book or play with some toys Grometheus got for her. She never really cried either, just got really fussy. But if she was gonna stay any longer, he might as well get a crib soon. He was getting a little upset that he couldn't sit in his favorite arm chair.
Although he was sure she wasn't sitting there all the time. He doesn't exactly knows what the Hunter does with her. And since she usually sleeps for an hour or two, and he's out for longer than that, who knows.
In the middle of a page turn, he suddenly heard the kid cry out. Last time he checked, she was fast asleep!
He turned back over to her, seeing her moving frantically in her sleep. Without much thought, he pulled her into his arms. Almost immediately, her cries settled down to tiny whimpers. Grometheus pulled himself onto his chair, placing his book in his lap. He sighed, cradling her as he began to read again. The Tyke moved again before opening her eyes, which were wet with tears.
"You alright, kid?" he asked after a moment of silence. She reached out with her hands, and for a moment he thought she'd pull on his head again. But she kept waving her arms around, babbling. Grometheus gave a weak smile, going to tuck the blanket more up to her chin. "Come on, go back to sleep. You aren't supposed to be up at this hour." He glanced at the clock; three am. He glanced back down.
He froze, watching as her tiny fingers clasped around his third finger. She went back to sleep after that.
"Damnit"
He gently started to pull away, but the Tyke's grip tightened considerably. Grometheus slouched in his chair, accepting this fate for now.
"At least she's asleep"
He relaxed further on his chair, and the only sounds were the flipping of pages and the clock chiming.
He didn't even realize he fell asleep until he woke up later that day. The book had flipped off his lap in the middle of his doze, the pages half crumpled against the floor.
Grometheus immediately got up, picking up the book and wiping off invisible dirt. He glared at the crumpled pages before making them straight and closing the book, grumbling.
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Kid?!" The book clattered to the floor again. Grometheus quickly stuck his head out of his tree home, looking frantically. The last thing he needed was a child on the loose in his forest!
...Especially with wild beasts and their aggressive nature with strangers…
Suddenly the franticness became more apparent as he ducked into a shadow.
"Did her parents just… take her or something?" the worry in his tone, which was rare for him, was very clear.
Giggling. He knew that giggling.
Grometheus glared, coming out of the shadow in front of the little girl. The Tyke was playing in some mud, a mischievous grin on her face. Grometheus facepalmed before bending down to her level.
"First you keep throwing your cup at my head, now you decide to play in the mud," He growled. The toddler just kept smiling, reaching out with her muddy hands. "Oh no, you aren't touching me with your dirty hands."
He picked her up, going into a line of shadow. After coming out of the other side, he went down his little pond around his home. Making sure the water wasn't terrible, he settled her down into it.
"Kid, you're lucky you aren't an adult," He huffs, taking off her diaper. She babbles, splashing her hands around in the water as he cleans her to the best of his ability. Soon she's clean, and he changes her after drying her off. He frowns, realizing he didn't have suitable clothes for her. "Well, at least the servants are out on their own patrol."
He knew they wouldn't let him live it down if they caught him sewing. And that is honestly the last thing he needed.
Picking her back up, he brought her back inside his home. He opened his closet after putting her back down on the red chair, pulling out a sewing kit and cloth. He usually used it for hats, but, he didn't want the kid to catch a cold.
This would definitely take a while.
Rejoice for you now have the opportunity to paint a mental image of Grometheus! Knitting an otter onesie for baby Luz like a grandma no less...
Anyways. Hope you guys enjoyed. After a few more chapters I may start writing longer ones when we eventually reach the teenage years of Luz!