"Sweetie, you can't go to the living room yet okay? I want you to wait in the kitchen. Can you do that for me?".
"Why?" her son asked curiously and slightly annoyed.
"Because mister Creed, the man you met last night, is sleeping in the living room. He's a friend and he's staying here for a little while to do some work".
Obviously it was a big lie. Especially the part where she told her son that mister Creed was a friend. He was anything but. He was a trespasser. And she had no idea about the work he did these days.
"But I wanna play with my Playstation mom!".
"I know sweetie but you can't wake mister Creed. So please stay in the kitchen for a little while. Please?".
"Okay" Liekos grumbled as he walked downstairs.
Ylva quickly entered the bathroom and started going about her business. Clean up the mess, get dressed, fix her hair and mascara, pack her work stuff. Within 20 minutes she was done and ready to fix them some breakfast. Victor could fix his own. Hopefully he was still asleep until Liekos was off to school.
"Honey what do you wa-".
Darn. Her son wasn't in the kitchen and she could hear sounds coming from the living room. Damn it. He had woken up the invader despite her telling him not to.
She quietly opened up the living room door and peeked inside. They were both sitting on the floor in front of the big television screen. Victor instantly smelled her presence and turned around, smirking at her. She narrowed her eyes, not liking how close her son was sitting to this predator.
"Yes!" Liekos suddenly yelled as he threw his hands in the air. Ylva cocked her brow and coughed.
"Mom!" her son cried out as he ran towards her "I beat mister Creed in a race game!".
His mom smiled and stroked his head. "Well done sweetie. But… I told you not to wake him up remember?".
"But he was-".
"I was already awake" Victor said as he got up and walked over to them.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course he just had to be awake when Liekos woke up. Then again, what was she going to do? Keep them separated as much as possible? It just wouldn't be fair. She had thought long and hard about the situation last night. And she still didn't know what to do.
She put an arm around her son's shoulder and guided him out of the room "Let's get you some breakfast to make you big and strong like me".
He watched her make the pancakes and put several other breakfast items on the table. She hesitated for a while… And then put a plate down in front of him anyway. Probably not wanting to show bad manners in front of the cub.
Liekos just couldn't get enough of Victor's attention and wanted to know everything about his mutation. He felt the connection, just like Victor did. And he knew that they were alike. He couldn't stop asking Victor questions "How sharp are your talons?" "When will I get claws like that?" "Make them grow, make them grow!" "Can I see your teeth?" "How fast are you?" "Can you climb trees?" "Teach me to run like you do!" "Can you break through stuff with your nails?".
Victor was greatly amused and answered all questions. Some within certain limits since Ylva was there and she would probably not appreciate him telling their son what his claws, teeth and strength were really good for. Like tearing of the flesh from peoples bones or bashing in skulls.
"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked Victor after putting several pancakes on the table for Liekos and herself.
"Do you have any-".
"Bacon and eggs?" she interrupted sharply "Yes".
He grinned. She remembered.
He watched her ass in the tight pencil skirt when she leaned forward to reach for the bacon and egss inside the fridge. He instantly wanted to grab her. It'd be her own fault for wearing a skirt like that. Luckily, his son quickly asked for his attention, wanting to know more about where he came from and where he grew up and telling him all about living in Vienna with his mother.
Ylva put the bacon and eggs in front of him. She rolled her eyes at his smug grin. As soon as Liekos was off to school, she would so start a fight with him. How dare he just enter her home and spend the night! And what for anyway? What on earth could he want from them?
He leaned back and drank some milk. Great, he was making himself right at home. Motherfucker.
He slowly cocked his head to one side when he smelt a wave of anger coming off her. She masked it well, not letting the cub know anything was wrong.
"Are you excited about the math selection today sweetie?" she asked her son in an attempt to draw his attention away from Victor.
"What math selection?" Victor asked.
"In my school, we have this competition today for a math team. I'm going to try out for the first time" Liekos explained.
"Then he gets to try out at sectionals, regionals and then nationals" Ylva added.
"Pfff, mom, we'll never make it that far".
"Of course you will" she encouraged him.
Victor wanted to know more about the competition and Liekos told him all about it. Until Ylva broke them up because the school bus would almost be there.
"I could take him to school" Victor offered.
Liekos eyes lit up "Oh mom, yes! Can he? Please!".
She bit her lip "Not today honey. The bus will be here any second so get your backpack".
The disappointment in the boy's eyes was clearly present. But he couldn't always have his way and to be quite frank: she didn't know anything about Victor's driving skills or if he would bring her son back at all. She might as well put him in the car with a complete stranger. No, it would not happen.
"Are you nervous baby?" she asked him when they were at the front door and he was ready to go.
He shuffled forward hesitantly and she leaned in to let him whisper in her ear.
"Mom… what if I don't make it on the math team? What the other kids are better?".
She pulled the little boy into a hug and kissed his head "Then you have nothing to be ashamed of because you were brave enough to try. I'll be just as proud of you and there's always next year to try again" she took a step back and stroked his cheek "But that's not gonna happen cuz you are a little genius. You were ready to do this test two years ago but you were too young. You're special and smart and beautiful. Remember that" she said as she gently stroke his cheek and kissed his head "Now get on that bus, else there won't be any math competition".
He laughed and turned around to run out the door. Before leaving the porch he turned around and waved "Bye mister Creed, see you when I get back! We'll play more games!".
She closed the front door and sighed. Now they were alone again. And she was sure he wanted to pick up where they had left it the night before. Then again, she was itching to pick a fight with him for some reason. Well, not just some reason. The fact that he had just invaded their family life.
"How do you do all this?" he suddenly asked in a suspiciously calm voice.
"It's very simple" she almost snapped as she turned around to face him "I get up at 7. Take a shower. Wake Liekos at 7:30. I get ready, get him ready and fix us breakfast. The school bus arrives at 8:30 and his school starts at 9. Then I'm off to the theater for either rehearsal or to teach students at the academy. Some days I'm home when he arrives and some days Bridget is here. She also cleans up the place and babysits Liekos when necessary. Meaning: when I can't be home. She's a great help and Liekos likes her a lot".
"Ah yes, the older woman I saw leave this house" he grinned wickedly.
Ylva cocked her head to one side "Good to know you're stalking me".
"Actually, I just waited outside for you to come home. Very polite for my doing".
"Oh wow, you're a changed man Victor Creed" she spat sarcastically.
He chuckled "But that's not what I meant Ylva. How do you do this… mother thing you do?".
"What the hell are you talking about Victor?" she sighed as she rubbed her temples.
Fact was, he didn't understand how she could just do that. She wasn't at all like his own mother as far as he remembered. Ylva would actually touch her kid, stroke his cheek, pat his head, smile at him, kiss him, show him love and really take care of him. Like… the kid was more important than herself. And he didn't understand where she learned all that.
"You just seem to… do everything so... so naturally. Is there like a handbook for that stuff?".
For a minute she considered whether or not he was serious. But the way he was looking at her, showed that he was serious.
"There's no handbook, it just happens" she sighed and took a step forward "Listen, we need to talk. I wanna know what your plan is Victor. Because you can't stay here. You need to go".
He took a step closer and grinned down at her "I'm not going anywhere woman".
"But this is my house!" she cried out.
"THAT is my son!" he barked straight back at her.
She took in a deep breath and eyed him angrily "You were never supposed to find out Victor Creed… If you would've just left us alone!".
"YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO KEEP THAT FROM ME YLVA!".
"I HAD EVERY RIGHT!" she yelled back at him "YOU!... you… are the leader of the Brotherhood of mutants Victor!".
"Not anymore" he answered casually and shrugged his shoulders.
She swallowed and took a step back. Oops, she didn't know that he wasn't their leader anymore but it wouldn't make any difference.
"That doesn't change the fact that you were back then! You were a big part of a terrible crime organization Victor".
"And so you thought you could just keep something like this from me? Just hide my cub from me? Take away 10 years of seeing him grow up?".
"Yes! Because I do not wish for my son to be even remotely like you!".
He narrowed his eyes at her. It stung, what she said. But once again, he would not show it. And the reason it stung, was because he could understand her point of view. Of course she wouldn't wish for her son to follow in his father's footsteps. To be a cold blooded killer. And male ferals were more susceptible to killing than females.
"What's your plan Victor? Because you are not barging in here to ruin my life, again".
"I wanna get to know him Ylva. And I want him to know me. He's just as much my cub".
She sighed and rolled her eyes "And have you taken into consideration that he might not want any of this? He is perfectly content with the situation as it is Victor! He is happy, his childhood is wonderful and he's not struggling with anything. Have you ever thought about what will happen when you drop the bomb that you're his father?".
"Despite what you might think of me: yes, I have thought about that. And I came to the conclusion that he should have a choice in the first place. It is up to him if he wants to get to know me. But soon enough, he will start asking you why other cubs have a father and he doesn't. He's of that age Ylva. And then what are you gonna tell him hm? More lies? Also: if you send me away and years from now he wants to know who his dad is, he will find out that you lied to him. That his dad was here and you send him away. It's his choice Ylva. Not yours, not mine".
He left out the fact that she got them in this mess in the first place, by not contacting him when she knew she was carrying his cub.
"So what will you do if he doesn't like you? If he wants nothing to do with you?".
"Then I will leave" he spoke determinedly "If that's really what he wants".
"You will really leave? If it's in Liekos' best interest?".
He nodded "On my honor. I will do nothing to harm him. Not in any way".
She nodded slowly and sighed "Fine. But know this: this is my house. Here you abide by my rules so none of this 'yes mister Creed, no mister Creed' bullshit. In this house, I am not your submissive or servant or whatever you thought I used to be".
He purred at the memories "Mmmm c'mon Ylva, not even when he's off to bed? Cuz I seem to remember…" he moved closer to her and let a finger trail up her arm "That you used to like it when I treated you like that" he smirked at her flushed cheeks.
She ignored it and continued to sum up the rules.
"No cursing, no yelling, no fighting in front of him and if you ever get angry and lay as much as one finger on him, I will decapitate you faster than lightning. And more importantly: do NOT, ever, undermine MY authority" she added firmly.
He shrugged "This is gonna be easy. As we both know I am a very lay back kinda guy. So when do we tell him?" he asked more seriously.
"Just… give him a few days. See how he acts around you and then we'll find a way to tell him. I have no idea how to do this but just don't drop it on him, okay?".
"No" he said determinedly "We will tell him when he comes back from school".
She was instantly frustrated again "Are you gonna fight me on every fucking thing Victor?! I am his mother and I know what's best for him. You can't just drop this on him-".
"Do you ever shut the fuck up and listen?" he growled angrily, but his scent and features changed quickly "You used to be a real good listener remember? Real obedient and willing" he winked.
"We can tell him when I say so" she snapped.
"Ylva" he mused as he moved even closer and got into her personal space "There won't ever be a right time to drop this on him. I'm here now and it'll be weird when suddenly after a week we tell him I'm his dad. He's gonna blame you for that".
She clenched her teeth together and thought about his words. The fact that he made sense, angered her. It would be bloody weird for her son to spend time with their new guest, then take a liking to him and then finally tell him 'Hey son, this is actually your dad, how about that?'. She sighed and shook her head absently.
"Fine" she spoke decisively "We'll tell him after dinner".
He slowly reached for her face and lifted her chin to make her look at him "What are you afraid of Ylva?".
She violently pulled away from him "You are not a stable factor Victor Creed!".
He scoffed "I'm not a what?".
"Stable factor" she repeated.
He growled "Yeah I heard you the first time. What the fuck are you trying to say?".
She sighed agitatedly "You come in here… you think you can take over… you decide to stay. But for how long? Because you cannot just… And then leave him. If he grows an attachment, if he likes you- ".
"Are you asking me to stay?" he asked bemusedly.
"No! I am saying that you cannot make him grow an attachment to you if you're thinking about leaving him. If you decide you want to be a part of his life, you cannot just make him care about you and then walk away from him once you've had your fun. It will rip his little heart out!".
He smirked and moved in on her, backing her against the wall as his warm body pressed into her.
"Now that's rich coming from you" he breathed down her neck "The mother of my cub, who let me fuck her all night long and then walked out, leaving a note saying 'it's been fun'".
He gripped her chin again and forced her to look up at him "Remember little wolf?" he asked daringly as he growled at her.
She had no idea what that note had done to him. How he tore the place apart when he found out. He wanted to look for her instantly, drag her back by her hair. Force her to stay. Tie her down if necessary. But his pride and his brother kept him from doing so. He marked her, she was his choice. But she had not marked him that night. So if she rejected him, she could die for all he cared. Or at least, that's what he told himself back then. By the time he did start looking for her, it was too late. She had moved and he couldn't find her anywhere. After many years of searching, he had given up. Jimmy convinced him she didn't want to be found.
"Yes, I remember" she answered slightly embarrassed.
"So where do I get to spend the upcoming time?" he asked mischievously.
"What do you mean Victor?".
"At night… where do I stay? Should I come warm your bed?".
She stared at him with pure hatred for a while. He better stop taunting her… This would NOT be like 10 years ago. This was her house. He would live by her rules.
"No. You may sleep on the couch. And if you have a problem with that, get a hotel room. The nearest accommodation is about 10 miles from here so I suggest you live by my rules from now on. Also, I will not make you breakfast every morning. I did it this time because Liekos was there and I didn't want to be rude. But you know where the fridge it so you can make it yourself".
"Suits me just fine" he said as he trailed her cheek with one of his talons.
She pursed her lips, pushed him away from her personal space and reached inside her purse "Here's an extra key to the house. I need to get to work".
Before she could exit the house, he grabbed her arm and pulled her flush against him. His other arms roaming down her hips.
"Let me know when you change your mind about my accommodation. I'll gladly warm your bed, it's where I belong" he mused too close to her lips as he squeezed her behind "It must've been a long time for you Ylva".
She was dazzled for a moment and blinked at him. The nerve of this man…
Her cheeks felt hot and she quickly turned around to exit the house. He managed to swat her butt before she closed the door behind her.
He smirked at the door "Give it a week" he whispered.