Pictures of You

No one had believed Tommy when he passed the bar exam, with an outstanding overall performance. Well, no one but Noh-Varr. Most people smirked at the joke of Tommy Shepherd applying himself going into law on the right side, let alone actually entering law school and becoming a lawyer.

Tommy had the smarts for it and in all honesty, he didn’t think he could have pulled through without Noh-Varr to ground him. After all, sitting in classes bored the hell out of him, but knowing he earned himself a reward (a weekend away with Noh-Varr, and the like) overloaded him with vigor to tackle anything down.

Now look at him. Tommy couldn’t help but smirk at how good he filled out a nice suit. True, at the beginning he earned shit, but it was enough to sustain the place they lived in, and then more than enough when Noh began selling his gadgets and whatever the hell it is he worked with at home.

The smirk grew into a shameless smile as his eyes landed on a photograph perched on his desk. Tommy never had expected he’d be the kind to put a picture up anywhere, but he did. It was him and Noh-Varr, the Kree carrying the speedster on his shoulders, Tommy's hands covering his eyes. He'd told the Kree to trust him and Noh...well he'd done so. Blindly, even. Tommy remembered Billy taking the picture, the very first time the four of them went on an ill-planned, but very relaxing vacation together. Noh-Varr had this wonderful, redeeming quality of looking amazing in swimwear and lengths of bared skin...

“Tommy?”

Tommy looked up, greeting his assistant and leaving the memories of the beach to be. The young girl had been one of his first clients a few months back, and her case had been his breakout. Not many lawyers went on the defense, and most of them had shitty jobs. Tommy however wouldn’t settle for anything trivial or mundane. Already he was becoming the lawyer at this law office to defend mutants and give them the chances he never had, plus the non-mutant cases of juveniles most overlooked or wrote off to go to jail.

Maybe Tommy would open his own practice in the next coming years.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Noh called. He said don’t grab food on the way home. He is making something.”

Tommy rolled his eyes and started packing up. “As if I can’t eat something on my way home and whatever it is he cooked.”

“He sounded serious.”

“He always sounds serious to you.”

She blushed, then stuck her tongue out at him like she had done those months ago. “Be nice.”

“Always. But then again, lawyers aren’t paid to be nice.” He flashed her a grin, bullied her to take the day off tomorrow, and parted ways with everyone else still working at this hour.

Of course Tommy didn’t take transit back, preferring the long run, suit and all.

By the time he got home, he had worked up a voracious appetite. He inhaled deeply as he stepped in, and released anxiety that came with his profession on the exhale. Home. It wasn’t home without a familiar alien still sticking around. They’d never had that talk about moving in together permanently. They just did it.

“Noh!” He called, peeling out of his jacket and loosening his tie. “You better had worked up a buffet because I didn’t eat one thing since, fuck, what time is it? Since...four hours ago.”

The years it took Tommy to become a lawyer had not been wasted by Noh-Varr. After establishing a sort of peace between himself and the Avengers, he was granted legal status on Earth, somewhat of a diplomatic position as he was responsible for any liaison with the Kree of any dimension. And he had done quite well, discussing and bargaining with Ronan the Accuser, who had become head of state after the Supreme Intelligence, for Earth’s ‘green code’ or rather, as an ally to the Kree Empire, never to be considered for terraforming or invasion. In turn, he’d even helped Teddy contact the Skrull and barter for a peace between the warring races.

It was quite the achievement to bathe him in glory and yet, Noh-Varr was still proud and happy to linger in the home he and Tommy earned themselves. It was no longer an apartment, though they did rent at the beginning of their life together. By now, they claimed a house as their home, one in the immediate area of Billy and Teddy’s. Noh-Varr had completely turned the basement into a tech lab and there was a spacecraft beneath the roof in case of emergency. A huge column ran through from the basement to the living room, a new, custom version of Plex floating there from time to time and managing the house. Which crawled with Kree tech and made Tony Stark stop by on a regular basis to oggle at it and make dubious offers to Noh, which the Kree declined without fail.

Now, Noh-Varr lived a far more sedate life, contenting himself with his science, experiments and technology. He also taught intergalactic diplomacy twice a week to the young heroes of the Excalibur program. He’d done his deceased former superiors proud, really.

But the best part of his life was sharing it with Tommy still. Every hurdle life threw at them had been tackled masterfully and Noh really believed that this was his home, where he would live out the rest of his days. Granted, he’d still make space trips, there was plenty of exploring to do on their shared holidays...

Tonight was all about being home on Earth though. He’d been cooking a while, with Plex droning the recipe instructions through the house alongside some terrific music.

“Four hours? I should be grateful you made it home at all.”

The Kree emerged from the kitchen. He’d grown a little taller, a little wider, face losing some roundness in favour of sharper cheekbones and a distinct, clean jawline. His hair was slicked back lightly, to keep out of his eyes and pots.

At the sight of Noh, Tommy resorted to his immature behavior and lunged at him, knowing full well the Kree would sweep him up and carry him anywhere Tommy saw fit. Of course all playfulness settled on the back burner as they shared a deep kiss, as was customary when one returned home--or a quick fuck against the wall if it had been an especially aggravating day.

“I almost didn’t,” Tommy said against Noh’s lips, by now accustomed to the music thumping through the ribs of their very own house. “Big case and all.”

He maintained his koala-like position and sniffed the air. “Mm. Smells promising. Did Plex make sure you kept it edible for a human?”

“You’re hardly what I’d call human,” Noh chuckled, arms already settled in position to carry his koala-boyfriend around their house. Their home. The kitchen was full of smells, wonderful odours of food that most definitely would please a human nose, palate and stomach. Clearly, the Kree had spent the better part of the afternoon on this meal. There was no occasion, no special announcement at all, Noh-Varr did things like this when he felt like them and Tommy never complained.

The speedster earned himself another kiss as he was deposited on the counter, even though he was tall enough to reach the floor easily by now.

“Though if it eases your feeble conscience, yes, everything is edible. And possibly tasty.”

“Shocking,” Tommy said, content with remaining a fixture on the counter as he watched Noh-Varr prove himself a formidable house-husband.

Not that Tommy considered the implication of that term. Their relationship functioned as is, without weeding out any oddities others might see in their dynamic, mostly the lack of, well, ‘I love yous’ and marriage. Then again, neither Tommy nor Noh-Varr seemed equipped with the kind of romance Teddy and Billy had long been inflicted with.

The two were newlyweds and going strong.

Yet there was a piece to this idyllic puzzle, misplaced and a nuisance to Tommy’s everyday thinking. They had a large home, Tommy and Noh rolled in good sums of money now, and they even shared a bank account for expenses while still maintaining separate finances as a security method. Tommy figured Noh must have hid some of his money in gadgets all over this place.

But the piece came after all that stuff, of sharing this warmth with kids that could use it. Somehow, Tommy didn’t get enough from sparing them ill fates.

He brushed the thought aside and fixed his expression, which had gone soft and distant.

“I’m going to shower. Movie night then?”

“I took all of the Tarantino movies I could find,” Noh-Varr and Tommy had long since discovered their shared love for abrupt violence and harsh comedy in films and the nights they spent on the couch grew numerous. It was beyond amazing that the two of them could do anything peacefully and without argument with each other, really.

“Go on, shower. We can watch and eat.”

There was something Noh-Varr should tell Tommy about. Something that occupied Plex entirely and kept his basement laboratory aglow with activity. The subject of questionable thought was in a tank, no bigger than a pair of fists and growing steadily. Really, Noh ought to terminate the life form. The experiment had run on for far too long and by now, he had to consider the entity’s will to live as something formidable.

But tonight, he would not worry about it. The life-form made from his and Tommy’s DNA was very stable, cell division at a Kree rate and Plex’ full attention on it at all times. What could go wrong?

“Hurry though. I haven’t eaten either.”

Tommy could hurry and he did, returning in sweats and a shirt that was more Noh-Varr’s than his. A fresh scent trailed after him and circled around Noh-Varr as the speedster hugged his boyfriend from behind.

“I think you need to hurry or you might miss out on,” he bit the exposed earlobe, “dessert.”

He snatched a few plates and rushed to the expansive living room already made up for their movie night.

“I think we should skip to dessert,” Noh followed, ladden with a few more plates and a bowl. Their night was pretty set on its way and if they ended up having sex on the couch, no one would complain. It was their fucking house after all.

They were way done with dinner, halfway through their second movie and cuddled into a tight heap of limbs and exposed skin together when Plex surged up in his column, four yellow eyes fixed to Noh-Varr and urgency in his deep, electronic voice.

“Noh-Varr, there is an emergency that requires your immediate attention. It concerns the-”

The life-form sprung to Noh’s mind within seconds and he shot up, unknotting himself from Tommy with mournful regret.

“Thank you, Plex, I will see for myself,” he looked down at a sleepy, confused speedster and smiled, though his eyes whirled with uncertainty, “I’ll be right back, alright?”

And with that, the Kree sprinted towards the stairs to his basement.

Tommy tolerated Plex, not quite warmed up to the presence that could, as shown tonight, erupt out of nowhere seemingly and derail what should have been their night in. At the urgency in his tone, Tommy’s daze paled and he was on alert, sitting up and watching Noh hurry out.

“The hell,” he grunted and scrubbed his face, yanking his limbs through a shirt and his sweats; he wouldn’t be caught dead pantsless for an emergency.

The basement was Noh’s territory, a sanctuary even that Tommy rarely tread into, and almost never without the alien at his hip. Curiosity banished his reluctance to climb down the steps into the stretch of Kree habitat.

“Noh?” he called, peering through gaps of machinery and technology he didn’t understand. He stepped around a corner, marveling at how massive the basement felt, and there he found his boyfriend.

And...what?

“Noh?” he said again, but he was looking at the tank serving as the apex of the room. A form floated within its contents. A...creature?

“A baby,” he whispered, because, that’s exactly what he thought he was seeing.

There was a fucking baby in the tank.

Noh-Varr was at a panel, fingers flying over keys and miles of alien scripture running over the massive screen in front of him. He barely heard Tommy come in, too busy with the beeping and warning signals of the machinery.

He cursed in his native tongue, then whirled as he heard Tommy’s voice. And saw what he was staring at. Fuck. This was not the way he wanted his boyfriend to find out about this. Actually, he didn’t want Tommy to find out about this full stop, but if he had to reveal what he’d been up to, this was not the setting he imagined.

“Tommy...this is not what you think. Actually, I have no idea what you’re thinking right now, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to tell me, but it has to wait,” he shouldered past Tommy to another console, flicking a few switches and then glancing back at the tank. The baby was aging, rapidly. She, and it was definitely a she, was growing right before Tommy’s eyes, leaving the realms of a fully developed fetus and entering infant size.

“Sir, recommend terminating the specimen, growth can no longer be regulated within tank two.” Plex advised from some corner.

“By Kree-Lar, what went wrong? The inhibitors should have slowed the particle acceleration by now. Alright, begin termination.”

Tommy gaped with his jaw unhinged, unable to throw accusations, to curse, nothing at Noh-Varr for this experiment. It was an experiment, wasn’t it? Surely not some fetus Noh-Varr snatched out from some woman’s uterus. Though, knowing the alien, anything was a frightening possibility.

A shudder passed through the speedster. He hardly felt Noh-Varr brush by him as he fiddled with gadgets and accepted Plex’s recommendation. Tommy could only gravitate toward the tank, press his hand to the glass.

The fetus grew before his very eyes. A baby, a little girl, developed in seconds where it should have taken nine months.

But it was not until her eyes opened that Tommy made a sound.

She was awake, this baby, his daughter. He knew it in her face, in some innate paternal instinct that mothers often spoke of. Without knowing it, Tommy felt it then.

Termination.

The word flashed red in his eyes. Not removing his hand from the glass, Tommy spun to face Noh-Varr.

“Don’t! Don’t you fucking dare, Noh-Varr. That’s our daughter in there.”

It wasn’t a question.

Noh’s fingers froze where they touched keys and he turned to Tommy in what felt like slow motion. Was the speedster that good at connecting the dots? Why would he call some floating baby their daughter, there was no sign anywhere that proved this child was the result of their combined DNA or anything.

But there was determination in Tommy’s face Noh dared not defy, strangely enough. His voice croaked a little as he spoke.

“Plex, cancel termination. Drain the tank.”

“Sir, its highly advisable the specimen not be taken from-”

“Just do it Plex!”

The living computer didn’t offer further argument, doing Noh’s bidding immediately. Noh-Varr watched the baby float down to the bottom, then sputter as the liquid left her lungs. And then, she cried. Loudly enough to hurt his ears and to stun him into a living statue.

Where Noh-Varr forgot how to orchestrate his body, Tommy was all animation, dashing upstairs for towels in the time it took for his heart to beat with such force he thought the neighborhood could hear it. The baby wailed, her discomfort too apparent.

Tommy acted on instincts that must have been dormant within him all along. With care unbecoming of him, he scooped up the baby, engulfing her in warm enough towels so that only her face and hands poked through.

“Shh,” he said, settling on the edge of some machinery, his entire world reformatting itself around this very alive, blinking, crying little girl.

He wiped her face lightly with the edge of the towel, then adjusted himself to the natural position of cradling an infant. He mastered it within seconds.

“She’s alive,” he said, more to himself. Her crying softened, then swapped itself for gurgling and general baby noises that shouldn’t have been as cute as they were. Her fingers clenched around one of his digits, and he let her stare up at him.

“It’s okay,” he told her. “I got you. I’m not letting go.”

Noh-Varr was a spectator trapped in the unmoving form of his body. Tommy was a complete natural, swaddling the child and cradling her as if he’d meant to be doing this for an entire lifetime.

It was downright astounding the child was alive, and no longer growing. The Kree stared and stared, only came back to life once the baby stopped wailing and made a far happier sound. He came over with wide eyes, trepidation and not a subtle hint of fear in his gaze as he looked down at the child.

“How...this isn’t possible. It shouldn’t be...Plex, scan.”

“All readings normal, sir, optimal temperature and oxygen level have slowed the cell division.”

Noh-Varr gave a highly unusual, semi-hysterical laugh. He had a lot of explaining to do, that was for sure.

“It’s a baby. It’s...alive. This was...not the plan.”

What nascent rage or general sense of betrayal Tommy might have had upon those eyes opening and seeing him paled under the feeling pulsing through him. It was new, ferocious, and the most powerful one yet. It was the kind that already convinced him he would give his life if it meant saving this girl’s.

“She’s beautiful,” he said in response, because she was.

Long ago Tommy resigned to adopting plenty of kids, offering them a home, and that was great. There were plenty of kids to help, and he still planned to, but now faced with an amalgamation of his and Noh’s being into one perfect specimen, his past expectations left him crippled in comparison.

The baby, his little girl, made a sound again, and Tommy had no time to extend his ire to his boyfriend. Later. Right now, he knew she needed something to sustain her.

“You’re going to the store,” he said, marching upstairs, not daring to speed off with this cargo in his arms. “You’re going to get a few things, and you’re going to get them fast. Get enough for a few days. We’ll work out the rest later.”

Noh-Varr could do little more than trudge up the stairs after his boyfriend and the...baby, resigned to fulfilling Tommy’s wishes because apparently, he had done something wrong. Even though his experiment was never supposed to end up like this. He’d planned to combine their DNA, see which abilities he could ‘weld’ together and test it in some growing tissue. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that this clump of cells could develop into a fully fledged lifeform. It shouldn’t have been possible.

And yet he was standing in one of the late night stores, arms full of baby supplies and getting the most curious looks from the clerk as he grunted and rung it all up.

When he returned to the house, discreet and as requested, quickly, Tommy was in the living room, the child still cradled in his arms and an expression on the speedster’s face that might just have stolen Noh’s breath away.

“I didn’t know which sizes or flavours, so I got everything,” he announced before disappearing into his basement once more, then returning with a large pitcher of...something. Green-ish white liquid sloshed into a washed bottle and Noh placed one of those baby-feeding tops onto it.

“Here. It’s better than any formula I saw. It should provide the specimen with the adequate nutrition for a Kree child her...biological age.”

Strangely enough, Noh’s absence hadn’t abandoned Tommy to a sensation of helplessness as he might have thought. Alone with the baby, his sole purpose gravitated toward her comfort. He spoke to her, soothed her white hair, stroked her cheek. He wanted to examine her body, confirm she was alright, but he wouldn’t until Noh returned with clothing suitable for her.

When Noh returned, then reappeared with a suspicious liquid, Tommy eyed him.

He nodded, accepting the bottle in one hand and guiding the rubber tip to the baby’s mouth. Hungrily she clasped on and suckled, her wide eyes on Tommy, and then drifting toward Noh as he came near her vision.

“We’re going to give her a bath. Then, we’ll put her in some clothes.” Tommy glanced at all the supplies, his heart tugging at all the flavors and sizes Noh-Varr got. What a sight it must have been.

Indulging in the image would have to wait.

“You need to wash some clothes. I want them clean for her when she gets out. Put,” he looked at the supplies and thought, “diapers, lotion, baby shampoo, and that little tub for her in the bathroom for me. Start the clothes first.”

His eyes met Noh’s, and he held them for a while.

“I’ll punch you later. She comes first now.”

Apparently, one mistake in his calculations demoted him into a cowering servant, because Tommy’s eyes would not accept anything but absolute servitude. The Kree found himself nodding, obeying and storing away baby supplies in the bathroom, before washing the clothes. By hand was faster than the machine.

This was not how he’d pictured his night going, buying and washing a tiny garment at three in the morning for an experiment gone wrong, wholly adopted by his boyfriend in an instant.

He supposed Tommy did have some sort of parental right, it was his genetic child after all. And Noh-Varr’s. He’d made them...a perfect, impossible offspring. Maybe this wasn’t a failure on his part after all. Tommy came in once he was done washing and the clothes ran through the dryer. Noh-Varr stood back and watched Tommy bathe the child, which seemed perfectly happy in the speedster’s grip.

She certainly had Tommy’s smile and enthusiasm for warm water. The Kree kept back, as if he was not permitted near the little life.

“You should...give her a name,” he muttered, eyes sneaking glances at his perfect genetic legacy.

Tommy’s smile didn’t wilt just because the bane of his tucked-away ire intruded on the moment. His daughter liked the bath, to his relief, and he thought he was doing a decent enough job wiping her clean, very mindful of her delicate skin. He understood the expression ‘baby soft’ now.

“Tickles, huh ?” he chuckled at her, working each toe until she squealed.

As he rinsed her body, he glanced at Noh and rolled his eyes. Hopeless as ever. It was kind of cute when squinted at.

“Come here,” he ordered. “You’re going to prop her up like this so I can wash her hair..”

He showed the proper hand alignment. “Hold her neck properly or I might be inclined to break yours. Their necks are the most sensitive and always need support.”

Where did he learn that? Probably from some book now archived in his mind.

The Kree hesitated, not sure he wanted to get involved in whatever was happening between Tommy and the child. It was something intense and light and full of tickles and smiles and he didn’t really understand it.

Though he did as Tommy asked, there was no inclination towards the child, no sudden parental epiphany or strong emotion.

“She is half Kree, you realize. Her body has my density. You could probably drop her from the roof and she’d be fine.”

Tommy stomped hard on Noh’s foot, though it hardly damaged the tissue. It did send the message of how to speak on behalf of their daughter. Rather, his daughter at the moment. Noh-Varr might as well have been handling a dog’s corpse.

Baby held, Tommy lathered his hands and ran them over her scalp. True, she might have been part Kree, but that didn’t mean he could bump her around. This was his child. Really his, his genes, his...just his.

“You made her,” he murmured as he washed her hair. “Our genes. You’re out of your mind.”

He clamped the questions down, reminding himself his feelings weren’t important now.

“Hold her steady,” he said, grabbing a plastic cup and soothing the water over her head, bracing one hand to avoid the soap spilling in her eyes. “Take her out. Then give her to me. I need to grab a towel.”

Noh almost rolled his eyes. Whatever came over Tommy certainly had a very firm hold of him, lent him power of undeniable authority and everything. What on Earth had this child triggered in the speedster? Why wasn’t it happening to Noh-Varr too?

He decided to let it remain a mystery for now as he handled the little girl, maybe not with the affection Tommy had, but with great care. The wet little thing wiggled in his hands and tiny arms were stretched out, fingers wiggling. Noh-Varr frowned, confused as to what the child wanted. When she didn’t get what she was somehow aiming for, which was the feel of Noh’s warm chest, preferably his skin, the baby’s smile faltered and a whine left her mouth.

“Tommy, I didn’t do anything,” the Kree called for his boyfriend, holding the child at arm’s length so he’d take it. That only upset the baby further.

Tommy turned in time to see a display that left him sighing.

“She’s your child, Noh-Varr. We two, the first she’s seen, expects us to protect her, keep her feeling good,” he explained, draping her in towels while Noh still held her awkwardly. Then, he gently nudged Noh’s arms into position to cradle her, let the baby cuddle up to his warm chest.

“Look, she’s already stopped crying.” Tommy felt himself melting at how she trusted Noh-Varr to not drop her off a roof. “She’s our daughter, Noh. Our baby. You are her protector, you’re God to her, and that’s a kind of trust that isn’t seen anywhere else.”

The Kree listened to Tommy’s words and the heartbeat of the small thing in his grasp. The concept of parenthood was one far removed from his society. Kree children grew up in education, raised by a community of approved mentors and tutors. He’d never bonded with those he’d first seen, nor did he have a special connection to his biological relatives.

But with the little girl curled up to his chest, displaying an infinite amount of trust from a being beyond logic, Noh-Varr began to understand that he’d brought a hell of a lot of extra responsibility into their laps, alongside an entirely new set of duties.

“You...you want to keep her?” He asked, watching Tommy though he already knew the answer. His boyfriend had taken to the child like wildfire to a dry bushland. “She was just an experimental tissue unit...I never meant for her to develop..I would have...asked your permission.”

“But you didn’t,” Tommy said, eyes narrowing. If Noh thought a flimsy excuse would let him duck away from punishment, the alien had a lesson to be learned yet.

His words smoothed over at the sight of their daughter, new and susceptible despite her Kree heritage. It didn’t hurt she was adorable. Once, Tommy read a theory about offspring being cute as a catalyst to entice interaction with them from their parents. It worked right now.

“She’s...we have a child, Noh,” Tommy said, as if he couldn’t emphasize it enough. “She has your genes in her. You created her, unwillingly, but that’s not the first time a kid got created by accident. If you think I’m going to...to abandon her to some shitty foster system or abort her, I’ll leave you. I mean it.”

That covered it. Anyone who questioned his devotion to this child had pain coming their way, and a lot of it. Noh-Varr was no exception, less so when his recklessness spit her out.

She was the best mistake the Kree could fabricate.

Tommy stepped closer, stroking her cheek, then glancing up. He couldn’t help it, driven by some force that fell on newly forged parents. Leaning in, he planted a chaste kiss to Noh’s mouth.

“Uni-Varr,” he said. “I won’t have you calling her ‘it’ or ‘genetic unit’ or some other heartless name. Uni-Varr. She’s your legacy, Noh.”

She was also sleeping curled against Noh’s chest, which didn’t make this distancing act any easier on the Kree. He looked down at Tommy and the way he stroked the little girl’s head and cheek, his touch infinitely tender and a glow in his eyes that Noh had never seen before. His speedster had dedicated himself to the baby in a matter of seconds and there was no escaping the role and responsibility that came with living legacies.

He was a father now, just like Tommy said, and this little life in his arms was utterly dependent on him. The thoughts of maybe putting the girl back in the tank and discreetly disassembling her biological makeup were dispelled from his mind. He may not have a connection to ‘Uni-Varr’ right now, but he certainly had one with Tommy. Who would be furious with him if he continued to think of dodging this bullet.

“Uni-Varr...” Noh-Varr repeated the name, only now realizing just who’s name Tommy had given their baby. Now that did spark something in the Kree’s chest and he adjusted his hold on her so he could run a finger over Uni’s face, “Uni-Varr. Welcome to Earth, I’m sorry your conception was an accident...but...I think I’m glad you’re here. Your father certainly is. We are going to take good...the best care of you, I promise.”

The baby didn’t give him retort save for grasping at his finger much like she’d done with Thomas’ hand. Apparently, Uni was by far the most calm about this entire situation. She looked downright blissful cradled to Noh’s warm chest with Tommy in her line of sight and Noh’s finger tugged between her hands.

They made quite the picture in that moment. Tommy knew it by how warm and settled he felt, ire aside. With a gentle touch, he guided Noh to their room where Tommy made up a spot in the center for their newly welcomed daughter.

“We need to get a crib tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do, but I can do it from home, so we’ll find time to get one together” He patted the spot and took the stretch of the bed that was bordering the right side. “For now she’ll sleep here.”

Both sets of hands aided the half-asleep baby to a comfortable spot and there Tommy coaxed Noh’s hands to changing his daughter. It took some assessing but Tommy picked a pajama outfit that fitted her well enough, after having figured out the dreaded diaper and lotion that had to be soothed over her tiny body.

It felt forever when she was finally lying on her tummy, breathing in deeply, eyes shut.

Tommy couldn’t stop his smile as he lied down, propped on an elbow.

“Noh,” he finally said, looking at his boyfriend while rubbing Uni’s back. “Why did you...I mean, it’s one thing to experiment. It’s another thing to try and see if you could...make a child...from our DNA.”

Noh-Varr kind of wished for the baby to not be as easily settled as she was, simply so he could avoid exactly this line of inquiry. He hadn’t given it thought himself, didn’t want to be confronted with the terrible affliction of emotions and having to explain them to Tommy.

The Kree filled the left side, but his hand did not rest near the child. Only his eyes rested on her, silently assessing every breath analyzing the signs of her health and searching for any invisible flaw. Only to find none. She truly was his child in that aspect.

“I didn’t...try for a child...but it has crossed my mind, I will admit. I’ve observed you when you care for your brother’s children, and...well you always look like you might mourn the lack of your own. I simply...didn’t want to put you before the choice to have a child with...someone else or never have your own offspring and remain with me. It was never my intention to...well I was planning on...maybe asking you what you’d think of the possibility. She...Uni...was research for that.”

The Kree had the decency to flush red.

Tommy shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course that’s what Noh-Varr would do, tackling a problem himself with the use of his gadgets and Plex, hunched over his project in secrecy.

“I would never mourn not having a child of my own, Noh. I’m not selfish like that,” he whispered, scooting closer to Uni, offering her extra warmth from his body. “I wanted to adopt kids people overlooked, help them out. I still...plan to help those kinds of kids out as I am now, maybe open an organization. But being with you and not having our own kid, that never upset me.”

His eyes trailed down to Uni. “But when I saw her, I knew. The way she looked at me. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. Maybe I wouldn’t have mourned it, but seeing her here, alive, my daughter, created with the person I love, I can’t even explain the feeling.”

A sniff left him, damn his allergies (yes, he had them, though they were sporadic as in this moment), and he leaned down to peck Uni’s head, cradling her a little closer.

Noh-Varr paid close attention to the tone of Tommy’s words, trying to gauge how much ‘trouble’ he was still in. From the sniff and soft voice, he figured he was in the clear, as luck would have it. And then his mind did him the courtesy of reciting Tommy’s words slowly, one by one, repeating ‘person I love’ a couple of times for good measure.

It brought a smile to the Kree’s face and now he did curl closer, big enough to curve around Uni and reach the top of Tommy’s head and his toes.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore? Because...I think I would be very happy to have a child with you,” he kept Tommy’s love declaration closely tucked into his heart, “to have both...family and home with you.”

Tommy sniffed again, then cleared his throat as a measly cop-out for the sound. Though the way Noh-Varr curled around him, like some protective, massive cockroach, Tommy felt a sense of security and wholeness (for lack of a better term).

Settling back down so he looked up at the Kree, Tommy exhaled and brought him close for a sweet, quiet kiss.

“I should make you sleep on the couch,” he said, “but...having a child with you, I’d like that too, Noh.”

“Well, uh, wish granted,” Noh chuckled quietly, looking down at the sleeping baby. She was going to be a burden he wouldn’t mind carrying in the future and if she was anything like either or even both of them, she’d be a real devil to handle one day. But for now, her needs were simple. And they’d do a damn good job at raising her, failure was not acceptable.

“Your brother is going to have a heart attack. I can’t wait.”

*

As a matter of fact, the subject of informing Billy came up rather soon. The witch, now Sorcerer Supreme, frequently invited them over for dinner. Even though Tommy worked late most nights, Billy would render reality to suit his dinner plans. Besides, the twins, Sarah-Anelle (oh yeah, that was a mouthful) and Finn certainly loved uncle Tommy.

Noh-Varr had been alone with Uni for most of the day. He’d lost some of his weariness around her, especially once she’d begun moving her limbs in a manner that spoke more for a toddler of several years than a newborn. Her attempts to crawl were progress that embellished her natural perfection and fast development, which were pluspoints in her father’s eyes.

He’d even had Plex manufacture custom clothing, made of the same, armoured material he wore, for the child after finding information that some fabrics could rub a baby’s skin sore.

So the sight greeting Tommy upon his return in the evening was of Noh-Varr, tinkering with a crib that looked like a miniature spaceship (and probably was), with an eagerly giggling baby on his head, clinging to his hair with a strength in her grip betraying her inhuman genes.

Tommy’s energy renewed when he bounded up the steps to his porch. A long run home was no problem for a speedster, and it was worth it. Tommy enjoyed working with kids at the bad end of town, but he never wanted to raise a family there. Most people would require at least an hour to drive toward a nice, humble piece of property with a thick backyard that greeted the sun every morning.

During his day, he must have texted Noh-Varr thirty times to ensure Uni-Varr did well, that nothing was on fire, and the like. He had yet to admit he had a child, until every one of his superiors figured it out by the way he smiled or held himself. Was he really that obvious?

Now Tommy manhandled bags through the front door, gifts purchased by co workers (most knew of his relationship with the Kree diplomat) during their lunch break.

“Noh? Uni-baby,” he called, kicking the door shut before securing it with too many locks and codes Noh-Varr had installed.

He heard Uni’s giggling and his heart soared. Hurrying to the room, Tommy noted his boyfriend with their daughter secured to his head.

“Noh! You know I don’t like her doing that,” he said, dumping the bags and plucking his daughter with some force. “I don’t care if you have quick reflexes or she can fall off a roof and be fine, it makes me nervous when you’re tinkering with....what the hell are you tinkering?”

Bouncing Uni-Varr on one hip, Tommy studied the...spaceship crib?

He laughed. “You’re impossible!” And he sealed that with a kiss to Noh’s mouth and Uni’s head. “Was your father building you all sorts of things?” He tugged on her uniform. “God, you’re going to be just like your father, aren’t you?”

Uni-Varr giggled, as if understanding his dismay.

“Well, don’t tinker too much,” he went on. “We have to go to the witch’s tonight...I tried to get out of it.”

“He does live just down the road. I’m surprised he hasn’t smelled the ‘new baby vibe’ from the ten minutes away distance,” Noh-Varr finished, pressing a button on the finished crib and it folded itself into a neat stack, then withdrew into a panel in the wall. Almost the entire structure of the house was replaced with metal and piping and plexi-fibre structures...if need be, this entire place could be a fortress. So why should the crib be any different?

“And I was not tinkering. I was ensuring the crib was capable of full first aid, life support, filtering any toxins from air, fire-, heat-, and waterproof as well as being able to provide her with sufficient oxygen for ten solar days in case of water immersion or space travel...” again, the Kree did not think it odd to prepare for all eventualities, such as an attack on the house or in the night, though whoever wanted to get at them would have to supply an army to even get inside of the house.

Tommy sighed as Noh-Varr rambled on as if the apocalypse loomed tomorrow. A curious button near where the crib had been revealed the extent of Noh’s tinkering. Upon activation, a baby changing table manifested out of material hidden within the wall, along with a shelf supplied with baby needs.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you have her toys put through a daily processor that cleans, dries, and ensures no hazardous thread or button has come loose,” Tommy muttered, lowering Uni-Varr to be changed. A smile graced his lips though. Noh-Varr supplied a great life with his fiddling.

He was the perfect provider and protector.

“Go get ready,” he said, deciding to keep Uni-Varr in her Kree-like uniform. “We should get some kind of baby bag ready too. Diapers, formula, um...toys, all that. Not that Teddy and Billy won’t have it, but I know you complain about the Skrull smell.”

Tommy glanced over at Noh, revealing his smile. He couldn’t help his confession. “The crib’s great, Noh. Everything is.”

“Wait til you see her toys,” there was an eager light gleaming in Noh’s eyes. No matter how much Tommy tried, there was just never really an intense interest in Noh’s inventions and tech, even if it did make their life extremely comfortable and affordable. The Kree never blamed the speedster for it and he did sell his gadgets now and then, even provided some to the Excalibur program and to the Kree of this dimension, but it lacked the appeal he craved. Uni was way too young to understand anything, but Noh-Varr had found true delight in making her laugh and giggle today, especially once he figured out how much the baby liked colour-rich holograms accompanied with music. She really was his daughter. And for his daughter, he’d make anything she could imagine.

He left his tiny family for only a moment to change into something less Kree and more human, a loose shirt and some form-fitting jeans, returning to Tommy with a prepared bag full of supplies enough for three babies.

“We can go,” he looked at the girl in Tommy’s grip, indecisive whether he wanted to hold her or Tommy’s hand.

Tommy grinned and planted a loud smack of a kiss to Noh’s mouth.

“You’re going to spoil her rotten, I know it,” Tommy said. He may have lacked the knowledge and interest to truly appreciate Noh’s evolved gadgets, but he loved the way it had the Kree’s eyes sparkle or brow crease in concentration.

Not that Noh needed to know that.

“Come on,” he said, taking Noh’s hand. His heart had a moment at the look Noh gave his daughter, eager to carry her. “You’ll have to carry her back home when she’s pooped.”

*

Tommy had anticipated a dramatic reaction from Billy, as no other kind of reaction suited his personality. Yet, the extensive outcry and bulging eyes were downright laughable. A slew of incoherent babbling, sounds, gesticulating, and then Billy was all but overcome with allergies himself as he took Uni-Varr into his arms.

“Oh my God, Tommy, what the heck have you been up to,” he said, his voice more baby-talk than anything else. “Aren’t you a princess? You’re going to break everyone’s heart when you’re older, huh?”

Uni-Varr seemed to recognize something in Billy (she was incredibly intelligent for her premature age), and pawed at his face curiously.

Billy laughed and bounced her lightly, accustomed to the baby thing. His eyes landed on Noh and he offered a smirk. “Nice job, James Dean.”

“Shut up!” Tommy huffed and snatched both of his scurrying-in niece and nephew under an arm, enjoying in their shrieks of delight. “I didn’t get pregnant.”

“Are you sure?” Billy asked, narrowing an eye at Noh-Varr. “I heard Kree sperm can be quite the swimmer.”

Noh-Varr coughed, feeling flustered at the ridiculous suggestion as he stepped inside the house and deposited the baby bag before mildly snatching Uni back from Billy. Not that he didn’t trust the witch who had plenty of experience with infants, but there was something about letting someone else hold the daughter he had not quite grown used to that didn’t sit well with him.

Plus, it was his baby, he should be paying attention to her 89% of all time, right?

“Instead of considering the possibility of Tommy’s pregnancy, you should have invested in stronger cleaning materials. Everything in here smells twice as badly of Skrull than usual,” Noh-Varr’s wrinkled nose and slightly disgusted expression was mirrored perfectly by his child.

“See, even Uni-Varr can smell it.”

Cue in the explanation of her birth, a truncated version that omitted the near-abortion. It seemed to convey enough data for Billy’s prying nose, and he even stroked through Uni-Varr’s hair and pinched her cheek gently.

“Accident or not, she’s beautiful,” he said. “Finn! Don’t make that face, I saw you.”

Billy laughed and scooped up his shyest child, drawing him closer to Uni for a proper greeting.

“It smells just fine in here,” he said, taking Finn’s hand and waving at the baby.

Tommy rolled his eyes at the display and hoisted Sarah on his shoulders, ducking into the kitchen where Teddy had been a third party to the revelation.

“Noh says you stink.”

“Krees don’t smell that great to me either,” Teddy said, no bite to his words. Not that any bite would intimidate anyone with that apron he wore.

“Why do I feel like our life is some kind of sitcom?” Tommy asked, not needing to glance up to feel Sarah’s body transforming to mimic that of a Skrull.

Uni, after careful examination of her cousin and uncle, decided she wanted to get to her favourite perch, moving like a small caterpillar along Noh-Varr’s chest, then shoulder, clinging to his hair and moving with the determination and speed of a tiny koala as she reached the top of his head. Noh only sighed at Billy’s gawking.

“It’s ah...something she likes to do. High vantage point gives her the best place to scope out a new environment, naturally, she’d seek it out.”

He didn’t point out that he knew that this was absolutely galaxies away from human infantile behaviour.

Though his daughter was made of tougher stuff and covered in thin yet bulletproof armour, he lifted a hand to support her small frame, as reassurance to Tommy most of all.

“She has a lot of Kree in her,” he muttered and there was pride in his voice.

“Ah, guess we’ll have to watch out for stubbornness then,” Teddy said, peeking through the gap in the large kitchen to meet Noh’s eyes. In the face of their differences, and how different were a half-Skrull half-Kree and cockroach-Kree could be, the two had found balance long ago, capable of humoring the other without offense.

Teddy had that kind of skill though, at least Tommy thought so. How else could he have put up with the speedster for years when Billy and his twin blew up into arguments.

“She’s already stubborn,” Tommy said, lowering the Skrull’s daughter so she could prance around Noh-Varr, eager to play with the new baby. “But, she’s also super smart like her father. And me, of course.”

He rubbed Uni’s back, grateful for the hand Noh pressed against her as an assurance.

“But it’s good you have Noh around, right?” Billy asked, now taking his role as the host to offer refreshments and snacks. Finn helped, as much as he could at his size and age.

“Noh’s turning out to be a good house-husband,” Tommy agreed, grinning at his boyfriend. “I have to work most days with the case going on. I can only imagine the havoc Uni would cause if she had to attend the babysitting service at my work.”

“Are you crazy?” Billy frowned right at him. “If I’m not home, Teddy usually is. Unless he’s out doing some diplomatic business. We’ll watch her whenever you need. Not a problem. I’m not letting my niece wallow in some room with dirty toys and crappy television.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Noh retrieved his baby from his head, though she clung to a few strands of white with fierce determination, resulting in a few now ripped hairs in her tiny fists. Noh shook his head slightly at the display of...well, attitude.

“But it won’t be necessary. She is my...our responsibility and although Tommy’s career will keep him away, I certainly won’t tire of watching...our daughter.”

It was still a damn weird thing to say. Uni gave a little sputter, more of a burp mixed with a sneeze and then she looked utterly sullen, as if the sudden noise had displeased her so immensely she was considering crying her hardest.

At the pre-crying blubbering, Tommy flocked over his daughter, flustered and wishing he could nudge a button that would shut off the sound and turn her smile back on. Billy had to marvel at the sight, chuckling at how both parents showed signs of little experience, though Tommy seemed to catch on quickly.

“Oh, boy,” Tommy said, already rubbing Uni’s back as she clung to his chest, deciding whether or not she would start bawling. He kissed her cheek, bounced her, and gestured at the bags. “Get her a toy or something to distract her. Maybe some music.”

“Music?”

“Yeah, she already has tastes, if you can believe it.” Tommy jerked a thumb at Noh. “Guess why.”

Noh-Varr ignored the jibe in his direction and went for the bag, retrieving two objects. One was a small ball with curious indents that looked like they might contain tiny cameras for mice or something equally ridiculous. The other was a very small replica of his gauntlets, just one that he slipped over Uni’s arm. It was no longer than his pinkie finger, but it fit her perfectly and the red central display lit up.

“Lay her down a moment,” he instructed his boyfriend, eyes slightly twinkling with knowledge he had not shared, “this is her favourite so far.”

Once Uni was placed on the table, Noh-Varr put the ball beside her and stepped to the side to turn off the light.

Music filled the room soon enough, a soft guitar, a foreign rhythm, something far more mellow than the Kree’s norm and probably more appropriate for an infant, though the words mattered little. The ball clicked open and raised itself, floating just above Uni-Varr before exploding into a hologram, the ball itself transformed into a shining star, surrounded by thousands of little lights. It was a star map, that was certainly true, and it wasn’t the solar system Earth resided in. Noh-Varr smiled softly as he looked upon the tiny projection of Hala and her two rings as well as the beautiful red nebula of the Greater Magellanic Cloud.

And Uni-Varr did too, smiling and laughing, bringing her toes to her mouth in delight.

Admittedly, Tommy felt wary at dumping his daughter somewhere while a gadget would run amok around her. His trust in Noh-Varr banned the idea of her injury, and once he had plumped up the table to keep her comfortable, he did as was instructed.

Remained anchored at her side, Tommy gasped at the performance of lights, stars, and music. Even Finn and Sarah-Anelle gaped, delightful noises mingling in with Uni’s. They scrambled onto the chairs and watched the display too.

“Noh,” Tommy breathed, forgetting Billy and Teddy, “this is...amazing.”

Blindly his fingers found Noh’s and squeezed them. Maybe he leaned a little into Noh’s body as well, allowing himself a respite from a fatigue-promised day. With Noh at his side, their daughter would have anything and everything she’d ever need and want, and that earned the Kree a peck to his jaw.

And perhaps a whisper in his ear that went along the lines of, “I’ll have to wait until tonight to properly express my admiration and gratitude.”

Noh-Varr’s fingers held onto Tommy’s with steady affection. It was more than enough reward for his efforts to see his daughter rock around the table, fingers reaching out to touch the slowly spinning projections. They didn’t flicker at her touch, only brightened or spun faster, which delighted her all the more.

Noh-Varr let his arm linger around Tommy’s shoulder as he watched his daughter play with his home planet. He smiled and pressed an equally affectionate kiss to Tommy’s head.

“I should build her toys every day,” he muttered.

“Spoiled rotten,” Tommy affirmed, draped against Noh’s body.

This sight would scrub him clean of his fatigue and peel away the layers of disgust one caught in the kind of job he had where abuse in all its monstrosities confronted them. While raising a child promised an overload of work, Tommy concluded the small moments, which weren’t small at all, like this supplied all the energy he’d ever need to keep pressing.

Tugging on Noh’s hand, he drew closer to Uni, settling into a chair and watching her play. For once, he closed off his over-thinking mind, at least some of its corollaries so that he couldn’t feel or witness Billy watching him with what must have been a blissful face. Uni-Varr gave him that effect.

“I think she’s the best screw-up you’ve ever done, Noh.”

“I’m starting to think she’s my greatest success rather than a mistake,” Noh augmented, not sure which part of his tiny family to watch, his baby playing with stars or his love-stricken boyfriend watching her.

He didn’t care that Billy and Teddy could see right to their softened cores right now, the pair had their own children and they understood every emotion the two freshly baked fathers experienced right now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the hybrid lay arms around his husband, a stupid smile on his face.

*

For all his complaining, Tommy decided Teddy and Billy proved themselves as assets and less as fools in love who turned Tommy’s stomach inside out. Their assistance with Uni-Varr spared Tommy a burden he expected to endure the moment Uni’s eyes opened.

As great uncles, Billy and Teddy visited (or they visited them) at least four times a week, if only to drop off something or provide dinner for the spent Kree and his speedster boyfriend. Really though, Tommy knew the lovebirds were flummoxed by Uni and loved watching her develop mentally at a rate faster than other children. She also played well with her cousins, and who didn’t want a free show to kids with powers getting along?

Some days stressed Tommy out more than others, his speedster stamina and energy sustaining him where other dads would have crumbled in the corner. Uni delivered when it came to reflecting her fathers.

She was fast, like Tommy, as they learned when she sped off crawling all over the house--ceiling included. It was a blessing now that Noh’s affection with technology awarded their home enough cushion to prevent it from being torn apart by her curiosity.

Though Tommy insisted Noh had to constantly update things to ensure their daughter didn’t out-smart them. She would. But that didn’t mean Tommy couldn’t put it off.

So, when it was a lazy Sunday morning, the baby monitor relaying their daughter’s even breathing, Tommy sighed hard. God, he was tired, in all the right ways. He’d been up late on another project, and hardly had the vigor to keep up with spending time with his family. He had dozed off on the couch. Noh must have settled him in for bed.

Or Uni, he wouldn’t be surprised. She was stronger than him already at the age of three, though she acted closer to a five or six year old.

With a yawn, Tommy got up, dashing to the bathroom for a wash up, then deciding he was crazy for abandoning the bed. He dove back into the sheets where Noh-Varr continued resting.

He smiled. Noh-Varr slept like a baby, but his sex appeal didn’t wane just because he wasn’t conscious of it. Tommy nestled closer, watching him before kissing his chin, then jaw. Harmless touches that grew a little bolder.

With Uni-Varr and work, Tommy calculated the last time they had sex was...hell, a week ago? That was ridiculous given their daily endeavors since they were together. Then again, kids sucked the sex life right out of you.

Noh-Varr bore the brunt of the family work, now much more busy between his occupation and proofing the house against Uni’s continuous exploration. Plex was a great help, always able to keep an eye on the keen little girl and alerting Noh any time she was about to embark on something a little more dangerous out of sight. The Kree hardly had time to tinker anymore. He took his daughter with him to Excalibur, where she was the apple of everyone’s eye, a perfect little sweetheart in the public and a devil behind scenes. Noh-Varr’s bond with her had grown as strong as Tommy’s, though Uni seemed innately aware that he was the lesser pushover out of her two fathers. When Noh spoke sternly, she ceased all misbehaving and turned on the charm, which had the Kree melt even in the most dire of disasters.

Noh slept deeply still. The workload on his shoulders had him appreciate his well-deserved rest much more thoroughly than any time before, so he didn’t wake to the kisses to his face and neck, not yet. He did stir in his sleep though, giving a soft grunt of distant pleasure.

Tommy stifled his chuckle at the depth of Noh’s sleep. A broad back demanded some massaging and Tommy could oblige all morning. His hands squeezed, soothed, molded over muscle. All the while his tongue worked at Noh’s neck, then his mouth as he decided to see some hickeys spot the Kree’s neck.

“Noh,” he sang softly against his neck, one hand trailing down, slipping beneath shorts and gripping something delicately, stroking it to a gradual, stiff life.

Now that did wake the Kree, in a more than pleasant manner. His eyes fluttered open, only to be presented with Tommy’s fair head of hair and a beautiful little smile. Oh yes, he’d like his sundays to start like this all the time.

Tommy’s hand was wrapped quite firmly around him and he gave a stifled little moan, listening to the accelerated heartbeat of his boyfriend.

“Quite a handful you’ve got there, Tommy,” he muttered, all lazy smiles and growing heat.

Tommy hummed in agreement, sneaking kisses down Noh’s neck, across his chest, bite on a nub, then traversed lower, nibbling and lapping at skin he hadn’t revelled in too long. He didn’t pause as his head went missing under the covers, a bump signaling where his exploring took him.

Not one for preambles, Tommy took Noh into his mouth, nails scratching lightly at thighs that never seemed to wither with age.

Those thighs also parted for Tommy quite easily and Noh gave a groan above, deciding this was his absolute favourite way of waking up in the morning. One hand found Tommy’s hair, running his fingers through the bright strands as he closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

“Whatever I did to deserve this, I hope I do it every day,” he commented, growing harder still in Tommy’s mouth.

Tommy chuckled, proud he could disassemble a Kree with his mouth alone. It was a notch to his pride belt each time he could unearth those sounds from Noh-Varr, let alone feel him writhing under his talents.

Despite his codename, Tommy dragged out the task at hand, occupying his hands as much as his mouth. At times he sped up and increased the pressure of his sucking, maybe tossing in a pity vibration sporadically. Other times, he lazed his pace, staying true to the atmosphere a Sunday morning stretched over the city.

Once he felt Noh-Varr nearing his climax, he dislodged with a pop and stuck his head out.

“I don’t think so,” he said, crawling up beside the flustered Kree. “I think you can think of a better way to come than in my mouth.”

Tommy grinned, his words still singing around them as his fingers danced up Noh’s chest.

Noh-Varr enjoyed every blissful moment he could get and Tommy offered him plenty. Both hands worked on destroying Tommy’s hair into a tousled mess and the Kree was panting harshly by the time Tommy’s mouth popped loose from his tingling flesh. A whine left Noh’s mouth and he looked down, saw the mischief dancing in his boyfriend’s eyes and it turned into a whinge.

“You’re worse when you’re patient, you know that, right?” he reached beneath the pillow, always a good storage place and in their case, the most convenient for lube.

“I could be kind or cruel right now...I think you should turn around, face down on this bed.”

Tommy replied with a cheeky look and rolled onto his tummy, hugging a pillow to his face.

“Mm, Kree’s do a lot of talking, don’t they?” he said, wiggling his hips beneath the blankets. “It’s a wonder how you managed to evolve with all the blah, blah, blah-ing your kind are prone to doing. Or maybe that’s mostly you. I guess a little pampering, the right buttons, and you’re as docile and impressionable as a newborn.”

Noh-Varr shuffled down so he was level with Tommy’s revealed hips and ever perfect ass, giving him a sharp bite right on his buttcheek for the rude comment.

“You better watch your tongue if you want to enjoy mine, Shepherd. Your wise-ass lawyer wit isn’t going to get you laid.” Noh was far more proficient in Earth slang after so many years of residing here. But despite his warning, he lowered his head, paying tribute to his speedster’s ass with leisure, fingers finding Tommy’s member and dancing over it before gripping it and indulging in a few strokes.

Tommy sighed, in a dream, stilling his movements as Noh-Varr returned the pampering and affection. He smiled at the threat, more amused at Noh’s acclimation than the warning itself. Despite his years on Earth, Noh seemed to always buffer away signs of adjustment, forever at a distance from the culture. At least he stood closer to it now than before.

“I’ll behave, warren,” Tommy purred, eyes drifting shut.

When it came to ass-appreciation, Noh-Varr held the highest title. What his hands could do, plus his tongue and mouth, well it was enough to have Tommy squirming and groaning and clawing at the sheets every time.

Today though he held back, pressing into the touches and humming or moaning each time Noh-Varr struck the perfect spot that could make his lower back arch.

“Fuck, it’s been too long,” he said, his holding back faltering each second. “I concede I was being an ass earlier if you’d be willing to just let me turn around and fuck me.”

Noh-Varr lifted his head, licking a long stripe up Tommy’s spine, nipping and kissing at his back and shoulder as he let loose a breathy chuckle.

“You wouldn’t even have to turn around for that, but I would prefer to see your face. I like watching you climax, especially in the morning.”

Noh still had ways to go on that whole romantic exchange thing, but he tried his best and Tommy never held it against him. The tube of lube was in his hand as Tommy turned around for him, his position between the speedster’s legs a familiar one he never tired of.

It wasn’t moonlight and roses, but better if Tommy had a say in it. Noh’s attempt to romanticize their relationship would have made others balk or roll their eyes, but it warmed Tommy up in the right places, especially now.

Having Noh looming between his thighs felt right. His spine tingled, his toes tickled, and his heart hammered.

Tommy held Noh’s shoulders and sealed their mouths to drown his groan upon the feel of Noh pressing up into him. It was his favorite part, the joining, whether it was hard and fast, or sensual and languid like now.

“Noh,” he sighed into his mouth, rubbing everywhere he could. His legs parted, calves brushing hips and thighs as they dipped into a slow rhythm.

Only Noh had this effect on him, not once had his previous partners sparked the delights surging through him now. Enraptured in the sensations and the sound of Noh’s breath against his mouth or ear made him oblivious to the creak of the door.

For Noh-Varr’s senses, usually so sharp and extraordinary, to be ensnared so entirely took a whole lot of work. Or for Tommy, no effort at all. It had been too long since they joined like this and it felt all the better for the long wait. The Kree sank into his boyfriend inch by inch, resting only a moment before beginning a deep, slow rhythm that tingled in all the right places, let him enjoy every bit of Tommy the speedster gave him.

“Hala,” he muttered, their mouths meeting for a languid kiss as his hips set to motion.

Who knew how long ago the door’s creak had occurred, or how long its cause lingered by the doorway, then stuck to the walls, and eventual ceiling.

“Daddy?”

Tommy’s blood dropped out of his body, leaving him cold and tense. He hadn’t imagined his daughter’s voice, and hoped the close proximity insinuated her awakening via the baby monitor.

A startled gasp he failed to swallow signaled the opposite; his daughter hung to the ceiling, rather glued herself to it, her nightgown bunched up as she tilted her head down at them, curiosity in her eyes. How much was the blanket covering?

Tommy shoved at Noh’s chest, not pushing him off, but warning him of the intrusion if his stark-still body hadn’t given it away.

“Your daughter,” he whispered, staring up, “is staring at us.”

Something was off, Noh got that the second Tommy’s body clenched uncomfortably tight around him. He gave a grunt, then a half-choked gasp as he heard the voice too. Now, he wasn’t of the persuasion that children shouldn’t know that their parents had sex, but he wasn’t much for actually letting the little girl see them go at it. With a flourish, he made sure the covers hid their joined bodies from sight, covering Tommy and himself up to the waist.

“Uni-Varr, what...are you doing?” he called, staring up at his daughter with his chest heaving and breath short.

“Daddy made noise, I wanted to see if he was okay,” the little girl peered down at her fathers with endless curiosity.

“He’s fine...I’m am procr-” the nudge from Tommy hit him sharply in the ribs. “Massaging him. You know your dad works so much all week, he gets tense.”

Tommy trailed after the excuse; it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Uni,” he said, effort pouring into ignoring the fact that Noh-Varr was still very much in him, “why don’t you, ah, go wash up for breakfast?”

He shifted slightly, feeling ridiculous that his daughter made him go pink.

“It doesn’t look like a massage,” she said, not moving an iota from her perch.

“It’s...a grown-up massage.”

Bad choice of words. Uni-Varr might have been a child, but she did not appreciate being treated as one so lightly. Her face scrunched up and she wrinkled her nose--the sign that she no longer considered the flimsy reason for their positions.

“Look,” Tommy tried, “go wash up. Do as you’re told. Then we can make any breakfast you want, okay?”

Uni may still be a child, but she knew when she was being bribed and bartered with and her parents were clearly lying. Defiance spread onto her little face and she crossed her arms, grinding her teeth and huffing.

“You said you wouldn’t lie to me if I asked you something, daddy,” oh and she had a sharp memory too at the most inconvenient of times, “father’s not giving you a massage, you’re facing the wrong way!”

Noh-Varr gave a chuckle, which quickly died in his throat at Tommy’s glare. Alright, he’d let his boyfriend struggle for long enough. He looked up at his daughter again, this time raising an eyebrow.

“Uni-Varr, don’t disobey your dad. It is bad manners to show disrespect to your parents, you know that.” his voice was firmer now and the little girl lost her pout, “Go wash up for breakfast. You can have coffee.”

“No, she can’t,” Tommy hissed, shoving again at Noh’s chest and ignoring the whine from above. “No coffee. Anything else that’s breakfast appropriate, yes.”

Uni-Varr unleashed a slew of grumbles and pouts only she understood as she scampered back down, her recalcitrant ways not sharpened enough to warrant her a protest. Yet, anyway. With a hop, she landed, looking deceivingly doll-like in the nightgown Tommy had her wear. It was cute, alright? If he had a daughter, he planned to dress her up as much as he could before she decided she preferred dresses with skulls on them or who knew what else.

“Great,” Tommy groaned as the door shut a little harder than necessary. “Now we have to explain to her about special grown-up hugs. This is your fault, you know. You didn’t realize giving her your DNA could have her being all sneaky and climbing the ceilings like that.”

Noh-Varr grunted and shifted his hips hard enough to make Tommy gasp and possibly shut up.

“I will not be terming it a special grown-up hug. That’s insulting to her intelligence. I’ll explain it to her, don’t worry about it.”

The real question was whether they would continue this, because even though Uni’s interruption did nothing good to his libido, it hadn’t turned him limp and unwilling.

Tommy had gasped, and shut up only to prevent the sound from flying off his tongue again. His nails bit into Noh’s shoulders and he glared up, clamping his muscles hard around the length still pressed deep inside.

“She’s too young,” he pressed on, “so don’t get into graphic,” a grunt, “detail?”

He squirmed when Noh-Varr seemed more preoccupied with resuming what they had been doing.

“Are you even listening to me, Noh-Varr?”

“Not really,” the Kree admitted, leaning down to press another kiss to the speedster’s mouth, growling as he found his rhythm again easily enough, not paying too much mind to their little interruption, “I’ll make it speedy.”

* Both of Uni-Varr’s fathers appeared a little later, freshly showered and still rumpled, but fully dressed and awake and not ‘hugging’.

Noh-Varr was in a stellar mood, sweeping his little girl up into his arms now that she was out of her nightgown and into her preferred, rumpled clothing. The bracelet Noh made for her as a baby was a fully fledged gauntlet by now, a constant companion to their child.

Tommy couldn’t sustain anger easily with Noh-Varr ever since their daughter had been spit out of the tank. Smiling, he followed him around instead, and kissed both of his loves a good morning before reaching for the hot chocolate.

“Here, dear,” Tommy said, adjusted to slipping out terms of endearment toward his daughter. She remained in Noh’s arms, accepting her morning drink, with marshmallows. “So, what do you want?”

“Chocolate blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage, oranges, and cinnamon waffles,” she said, slurping her drink and planting a milk-chocolately kiss to Noh’s cheek.

Her voracious appetite matched her father’s, but Tommy accepted the demand, fishing out ingredients. Two aprons hung at the ready, one that fit both him and Noh, and the other especially designed for her small size with the phrase ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ and ‘Father’s Little Princess’ scrawled on it.

“After you tell me what you were doing,” she said, her voice, which was all sounds of cute and fitting a three year old, speaking of mature things casually. “Like you promised,” she added, her cute frown directed at Noh.

Noh-Varr had to say, he did like Uni to play favourites now and then and she favoured his arms as a perch. There was just more of him than Tommy, simple physicalities. Plus, Tommy had a very good knack for breakfast foods and the copious amounts the three of them required.

“I did say I was going to explain it, didn’t I? Your tenacity is a good quality, Uni-Varr,” he sure loved saying her name, placing a return kiss on her little, wild head of white hair.

“You remember when you had Plex explain evolution to you, don’t you my little hala?” he began and Uni nodded, mug firm in hand and her beautiful turquoise eyes wide, “so you’re familiar with mammal reproduction?”

The three year old in his grip recited a rather scientific explanation of a mammal mating, including the latin names for every body part involved.

“Very good. Now, I know we haven’t covered much of human evolution yet, but the procreation works the same way. Except humans share something with Kree in the aspects of reproduction. Do you know what that is?”

Uni-Varr frowned, pouted as she racked her brain, before giving Noh an answer.

“Penii?”

The Kree chuckled, watching Tommy from the corner of his eye, sure to witness a sputter from the speedster.

“Well, that too, but my point was the recreational use of the process. They call it sex, you know.”

“Six?”

“Sex.”

“Sex.” she repeated.

Kids and sex did not mingle with Tommy Shepherd, the two like forces that repelled one another and kept them at opposite ends of the world. Already he and Noh-Varr got into small, handfuls of bickering about Uni’s education and exposure to knowledge.

Early into her growth, both fathers recognized her skills surpassed a human child’s. She would not benefit from daycare nor average schooling. Noh-Varr insisted she earn her training at home, what with Plex and Noh serving as a suitable librarian and cornucopia of information.

Maybe that’s why Uni didn’t dare to pushover her father as much as her daddy. Father equated to instructor while Daddy showed his soft spots too easily.

Still, Tommy had difficulty seeing her as anything but his little girl and thus barring her away from all the ickiness and badness that society would inflict on her. Yet knowledge was power. He knew that and had remedied plenty of programs with his superiors on that foundation to unite mutant and non-mutant. The same applied to guiding youths off a path that ended with them either dead, in prison, or both.

With a sigh, Tommy interjected, not liking how graphic this was pledging to be.

“Grown-ups not only use sex for...procreating, but also for enjoyment. That’s all. It’s something kids, most kids,” he amended, “can’t understand, and some people,” Tommy glared at Noh,” believe they shouldn’t, not just yet. But now you know and your daddy would appreciate it if the matter is dropped.”

He assured his daughter the sharp tone did not aim itself at her by pecking her temple. “You’re the smartest girl around, you know. Finish up your drink and help daddy get the mixing ready, yeah?” At Noh, he slipped in, “A smart girl who needs to interact with others at her level.”

Noh-Varr raised his eyebrow at Tommy’s words. He didn’t much like the suggestion of his daughter having to go to any kind of education establishment humans came up with. Not to mention the fact she was probably so far beyond her age range’s level she’d be bored for the next five years of school.

“A smart girl who is much, much further along in her studies than anyone at her age,” he shifted his daughter so she could climb on the counter and help Tommy mix together the ingredients of her breakfast. Noh traded holding onto Uni for a mug of thick, black coffee that was more sludge thanks to the sugar he added.

“She would have to go to highschool in order to learn something she doesn’t already know, Tommy.”

Around a grunt, Tommy assisted his daughter in preparing the pancake mix. Over his shoulder he shot Noh an ‘I’m not an idiot, you idiot’ look before elaborating with a topic he lacked tact to bring up delicately.

“I know you don’t like this, but Xavier’s school may be a good choice for her. David says there’s a branch specializing in both mutants and nonmutants with high accelerations of mental development. I think it’d be good for our princess,” he stroked her hair and earned himself a grin.

While Uni mixed, Tommy held her waist and watched Noh. “It’s important for her to interact with people. Mutants. Nonmutants. You can’t keep her cooped up forever teaching her your way.”

Tommy’s words earned him a sneer and a severe look of displeasure. Noh-Varr might have a better attitude towards humans now than before, but that didn’t make him any kind of keen on this proposition.

“And have her conscripted to the mutant regime? I beg to differ, Tommy. She is only three, technically. We can still keep her at home. My education is much more formidable than any school on Earth.”

He really didn’t think the factor of socialising counted as a heavy attribute of raising his child.

“It’s not about the education alone,” Tommy said, tone more clipped. “Yes, you have a formidable education for our daughter, but you are crippled when it comes to socialization. She needs to know how to interact with others, that aren’t just her cousins.”

Tommy placed a firm hand on his waist and faced Noh fully, his pose encouraging Noh to argue him on this.

“We’re going tomorrow to at least check out the school.”

“Tomorrow? That soon?” Noh-Varr looked uncomfortable, gaze flitting back to Uni and then settling on Tommy’s determined expression. He didn’t want to expose their daughter to the public and Xavier’s institute counted as such.

“Only looking. Not enrolling. You realize she can’t live at home and go to the institute, right?”

“The hell she can’t,” Tommy said, a smirk popping up. “You’re forgetting who is becoming the top lawyer in juvenile cases with a specialty in mutants. I want her to at least see others like her, Noh. I want her exposed.”

He pecked Uni’s face, earning himself a whine as it deterred her concentration. “Besides, who is going to mess with her when her father is this big, mean-looking Kree?”

Again, Noh-Varr shifted uncomfortably, especially once Tommy mentioned his race. That was just the problem. But he wasn’t ready to tell his boyfriend exactly what made him want for Uni’s existence to be a largely kept secret.

“Mean-looking?” he asked softly, shaking his head.

“Of course,” Tommy said, stepping aside to tug Noh closer, which allowed for nuzzling and some other sappy gestures that the lawyer rarely indulged in. “No one’s going to mess with her at your looks and my history with law. Well, and your general history.”

He chuckled and hugged Noh around the waist. “I know you rather keep her here, but it’d be good for her. We don’t have to commit. We’ll...talk about it later if we consider it. Alright?” He planted a kiss to Noh’s mouth. “So don’t freak out.”

“I’m not freaking out,” the Kree muttered, indulging himself in a nuzzle and another sip of coffee, before turning his attention back to Uni, who was making grossed out noises at the affection displayed by her fathers.

“We’re going to be careful. Take it easy.”

It was a lie, because he knew something was bound to happen. Something he’d rather keep Tommy in the dark about.

*

As it turned out, Noh-Varr needn’t have worried about the school. Uni found it much to her liking to play with mutants and other very extraordinary kids and decided eventually, she would attend classes here when she was about seven. Her level of intelligence and knowledge would throw her in with kids almost double her age, but the little Kree-mutant hybrid wasn’t phased by that at all.

Unlike her jittery fathers, Uni mastered her first day and every one ever since.

She’d been going to the school for about three years now, and couldn’t be happier about it. Noh-Varr still taught her at home, but restricted his teachings to things the institute would never delve into. Kree history, culture, technology and philosophy. He missed having his little girl at home with him all day, though it did give him more free room to return to his duties at the Excalibur Academy and his work with the Avengers.

All the more time to spend missing his family. But it was the best part of the day when he heard the sound of supersonic feet arriving on the porch, Tommy and Uni tumbling into the house whining for food he’d already prepared. It was a good life to lead, he decided, and he wouldn’t trade it for the all the universe’s powers.

Of course, it was doomed not to last.

Uni’s tenth birthday had passed just a couple of days ago and the summer vacation loomed in front of them. This time, they’d be off to visit the Inhumans on the Moon, then a lengthy stay in Europe so Uni could use some of her eight fluent languages and revel in conversation with different humans. It was a perfectly planned holiday and he and Tommy would even have the chance for some alone time. Sorely needed alone time.

Tommy was working late tonight, but Uni-Varr was already home, playing with her cousins in the expansive yard behind her home. Noh-Varr was tapping away on a tablet, a mug of coffee beside him as he watched his daughter outrun the little quarter skrulls. It was a tranquil scene indeed.

Right before Plex announced the unknown visitors, Noh-Varr heard them. The thrusters blazed as the ship descended, mere meters from where the children were now stunned in place.

“Uni-Varr, Finnley, Sarah-Anelle, get inside the house. Now.”

Noh-Varr commanded, the kids immediately scampering to obey, though all three faces peeked out from behind the door.

It was a Kree ship, but that didn’t help Noh-Varr relax. He would have known, or been informed of any scheduled visits to Earth, he was the ambassador for his race more or less and yet, he doubted the soldiers that disembarked the ship were anything but hostile minded. Their expressions were easy enough to read. “State your rank and purpose here,” he barked at the male that looked to be the commander of the small landing party.

“Captain of the third diplomatic schooner Splendour, Tre-Raal. Emissary Noh-Varr?”

“Of course,” Noh bit back the insult ‘you ingrate’, the younger male was clearly here on an officially sanctioned mission, no need to be unkind.

“You are hereby ordered to hand over the research, equipment and results of your illegal genom experimentation. Immediately.”

Noh-Varr’s eyes widened, flitted to the children behind him, and he stepped forward on the porch, crossing his arms and scowling.

“On what authority do you presume to give me orders?”

This would not end well.

Tommy sensed his world was in the process of being torn from its roots and planted upside down. His gut told him something dared to disturb his relatively peaceful home life, and he bolted earlier from work to find proof of his fermenting malaise.

He could see the ship before he bursted through his front door and tore through into the back where he heard the remnants of what was last said.

Hand over? Research? Tommy heard Uni’s concerned sound, and he was at the doorway, the kids huddled around his legs.

“What the hell is this?” He shouted, his voice a nice boom that had come with throwing lies into the open in a courtroom. He didn’t have to wait for an answer to know what was going on. “You will violate at least four laws if you dare touch my daughter.”

And just because his smart-mouth never did get tamed, he said in a voice so low it dripped with his intent. “Go on. Try it.” But his eyes flicked to Noh, a flash of alarm and desperation shared with his boyfriend.

Noh-Varr was not quite as mouthy towards his own people as his partner, though he was very reassured by the fact Tommy was already home and able to care for the huddled children, spooked by the sudden arrival of the stern-faced aliens. Even Uni, usually a daring and brave little soul, preferred to cling to Tommy’s pants.

“Tommy, take Sarah and Finn home...and take Uni too. I’ll deal with this,” he gestured to the less than pleased looking Kree, but no one made a move to threaten the family further. The commander was waving an ominous little projection though and Noh-Varr had never looked so serious.

“Stay with your brother, alright?”

Tommy, the old version of himself, would have glued himself to Noh’s hip and planted a few punches himself to wipe that frown of the other Kree’s face. Now a daughter and a nephew and niece tugged on his arms and pants, eager to obey Noh’s words.

“Take care of them,” Tommy said, voice shaky. He hardly said ‘I love you’, maybe never had, but the message bypassed his lack of verbalization.

Swallowing, he scooped Uni into his arms, grabbed Finn’s hand while Sarah clung to the hem of his jacket, and escorted all three bundles to Billy’s home.

Noh-Varr did not speak until the tiny trio and Tommy were well out of sight. Then he turned and exchanged with his kin in fast Kree, took in every word of the accusations laid against him on the hologram and endured the lengthy summons to Hala’s courts. There was no way he could refuse the Kree high council this time. Ronan seldom called upon him and his trials were nothing but fair, but Noh knew he had clearly violated the Kree laws about unsanctioned altering of Kree DNA. Even augmented specimens from parallel dimensions did not escape Hala’s jurisdiction. Kree were merciless equalists in the eyes of their laws.

Which meant the only thing he could barter for was the matter of taking Uni to outer space as the results of his experiment.

It felt like hours, but the debate lasted only forty minutes. The agreement wasn’t ideal, not by a longshot, but considering that the Kree had let Noh-Varr enjoy ten years with his family should make up more than enough of it.

Nor were the Kree a sentimental race. A lengthy goodbye would not be granted to him, only a mere phone-call.

Noh-Varr stood in the holding bay of the ship, dialling Tommy’s cell-phone with the heaviest heart he’d ever had.

Tommy, miles away it seemed like, jolted from his spot on the couch as his phone rang. Ignoring the deep frowns from Billy at how disheveled the speedster painted a picture of, Tommy fiddled for his phone, hand looped around Uni as she hugged his waist.

“It’s Noh,” he said, recognizing the ringtone.

Heart falling into his feet, Tommy answered.

“What’s the damage,” he whispered, gently guiding Uni into Billy’s arms.

Noh-Varr relished in hearing Tommy’s voice pressed so close to his ear. He knew he probably wouldn’t again for a very long time.

“Tommy...” he began, not sure of what exactly to tell the speedster so that he wouldn’t come charging after him like a fool. Noh-Varr had taken ten minutes to shut down most of his lab at the house and locking down all dangerous technology and the spacecraft in the attic before boarding the Kree ship.

“It’s ok...they’re not going to take Uni-Varr. But I have to go to Hala and answer to the high court for this...I...don’t know how long I will be gone,” he paused again, not sure if he could lend strength to his voice. He knew Tommy would understand the implication, but he still wanted to clarify, “DNA alteration is a heavy crime in Kree law, Tommy. I doubt my position will grant me much leverage.” That was enough, it was all he knew, and yet, he wanted to tell Tommy so much more. The ship was already lifting, close to leaving the atmosphere.

“Take care of Uni for me...”

He should have said it then, but the words were frozen in his throat.

No.

Tommy stared off light years away, a tremble taking him. The phone slipped between his fingers, thumping to the ground after he had already dashed out and barrelled into his home, zipped right for his target, and tackled him into an embrace.

At least, that had been the intention.

Cold, solid, invisible mass slammed him out of his plans. Pain exploded in his face and his body crumpled to the ground, for a moment it took for his heart to thump one beat of no. He pounded on the forcefield, screaming as if he were being murdered. Might as well had been.

The Kree would not allow him the decency to say good-bye, not that Tommy had plans for that. They wouldn’t take Noh-Varr, they couldn’t.

“Noh-Varr!” He shrieked with all his vigor, fists slamming, slapping, never to dent what barricaded him from his love.

His love.

The ship hummed, rising, a shadow pressing over him. Noh-Varr was on it. He knew it.

The shield would not lower.

“No,” he whispered, staring up at the device peeling off Earth. It was leaving, his heart torn out with it and dangling behind it. Tommy felt it in his chest, his stomach, his very skin felt foreign and filthy.

The ship was gone.

As was Noh-Varr.

Weeks and months passed the house and family by without ever being marked on the calendar.

“Uni! Get in here, and don’t try to sneak out the back. You know I’ll catch you before you could.”

Tommy’s shout bounced through the home that never quite felt like home for the last two years. His eyes remained fixated on a document, which they ticked over once Uni dragged herself into view. Fast as she was, when Tommy’s tone darkened, her languid state played itself out, if only to irritate him.

Today’s look was rather punk-ish. Tommy missed seeing her in those little gowns.

“Yes, Daddy?” she said, smiling.

“Don’t try that with me. What’s this?” He held out the paper.

“My report. I got stunningly high grades.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he said curtly, then added, “but yes, that’s..good. I mean the note about you being caught in a fight?”

She shrugged and tugged on a strand of hair.

“Uni, this isn’t like you. This is the third notice-”

“You don’t know what I’m like,” she said, looking away.

“I’m your dad. Of course I know what you’re like!”

It was just another argument between the two, her defiance and Tommy’s fatigue parting ways minutes into the bickering.

Two years.

It’d been like that since Noh-Varr left, abandoned them, really. Being a single parent wore Tommy’s light down. He lacked the tools to properly teach Uni the way Noh had with Plex, and relied mostly on Xavier’s school for that, along with Billy’s assistance when he was out on a case.

God, Tommy had tried hard. He did well, overall, but their puzzle had been torn apart, and he didn’t have all the pieces to make it whole again.

“Uni,” he said, looming over the counter as if it was the only thing keeping him upright, “I know you’re going through a rough time-”

“You don’t know shit.”

“Watch your mouth around me!”

He narrowed his eyes, and they instantly softened at her expression. With a sigh too big for him, Tommy went over and hugged her, despite her grunt of hormonal protest.

“I’m trying,” he whispered against her hair. “I know. I do know, Uni. Damn it, you know how much I know. He knows it too, he...he...”

“Isn’t coming back,” she offered.

Tommy shut his eyes, pinched back the burn behind them. “He loves you more than anything, Uni.”

Something in his voice must have struck something because she relaxed in his grip, almost leaning into his waist. She made another grunt that might have been a hidden sniffle.

“Then he should have known not to leave!” She said it with such bite it twisted Tommy’s stomach around.

A gust of self-made wind and she was gone, tearing out the door and into the world that would never return her father. Tommy stared after her, collapsing against the wall and sliding down to the carpet. Just a moment, that’s all he needed. But Uni? How much time, space, could he afford her?

Maybe he was just fucking things all up without knowing it.

Tommy scrubbed his face, ran a hand through his hair, and immediately regretted taking a respite. A break meant thinking, and the way his mind worked, it charted perilous courses, ones with a Kree smiling, dancing, head bobbing stupidly to a song, warm nights on the couch, lazy mornings, the three of them at the movies for the first time, at the beach, in Spain.

A sound surprised Tommy. He recognized it as a choked sob.

“Fuck,” he said, pressing his hands to his eyes, “Noh-Varr. Fuck. Fuck you. Fuck your fucking self, your fucking...”

No, he told himself. He hadn’t cried. He wouldn’t. Noh needed him to be strong, to keep their family together. He was going to be back. One day.

Tommy skirted the voice that told him to stop the fantasy, that he was too weak to sustain it for him and Uni, who had already written off her father’s absence.

A chime. Tommy tensed and fished out his phone, confirming his suspicions. The mutant boy he was defending attempted suicide. Fuck. At least he had the foresight to put the kid on watch.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Tommy rubbed his face again, then again, then bit on his hand to stop himself from screaming.

One day at a time. Just like old times.

Right?

Tommy got up gradually, slipped on his jacket, and texted Uni how much he loved her and that he’d have dinner brought by seven.

Right.

By seven twenty, there was still no sign of Uni anywhere within the house. It wasn’t because the girl was out, living a rebellious life at the tender age of twelve, but rather because she was cooped up in a place Tommy hadn’t set foot in for the entire two years his boyfriend was gone.

Uni curled up a little further into the silent lab, only the floating, frozen grimace of Plex in hibernation as company. Noh-Varr had truly childproofed everything the house had to offer, which meant shutting most of it down. The garbage disposal still reassembled the atoms of every scrap offered to it into usable fertilizer (after Tommy refused to have it produce food) and the plumbing and electricity were still provided by the house itself, but all the gadgets, the panels in the walls, the spacecraft in the attic and even Plex were gone, shut down, hibernating, never to be woken from their sleep by anyone but their maker. No matter how hard Uni-Varr tried, and that she did, at least twice a week, she couldn’t bypass her father’s safety grid.

So here she sat, squeezed into a corner, one she remembered was once filled with her father’s workbench and a myriad of interesting little pieces he forged into the most bizarre and fantastic toys for her. She held each and every one of them dear. The literal dreamcatcher, that replayed nighttime ‘adventures’ in a small hologram or projected it against a wall to be watched like a movie. Or the tiny hovercraft skateboard, the one she’d demanded after Tommy had foolishly shown her all parts of Back to the Future. Or even the tiny robot raptor, the one that behaved just like a real dinosaur just shrunk to a perfectly pet-qualifying size...Whatever she dreamed up, her father would make. It was a kid’s dream, right?

But she sat here clutching a gauntlet, smoother and with less features than a real nega-band, listening to the soft tune it exuded and staring at the projected stars. Tears were in her eyes, tears she refused to show to her dad or anyone else. She hated Noh-Varr for leaving, didn’t understand why he was gone or why he wouldn’t come back. She was his daughter, and as her remaining parent always claimed, she was the most important person in the universe to Tommy Shepherd and Noh-Varr. So what could possibly be keeping her father away for so long? Had he abandoned his family? Had he found himself something new, something more interesting to live for and with? Was he even still alive?

None of the questions could be answered and every day that Uni-Varr spent without knowing made her grief worse. And through her grief, her anger. She knew it wasn’t Tommy’s fault that her father was no longer with them and yet she blamed him too, for not fetching the moon, or in this case, Kree, for his little girl.

It wasn’t fair on Tommy, but it wasn’t fair on Uni either. She could see it in the slump of her dad’s shoulders, in the way he lost focus sometime and just stared at his bed or the couch or the stairs to the basement. She could hear him stifle sobs at night.

“I hate you, father.” she whispered to the projected stars, voice breaking under the strain of tears.

Tommy knew where his daughter hid at the hour as the dinner grew cold on the family dinner table that was no longer a family dinner table. For a while he stared at the steam curling off from the plates. Out of habit he made enough for six people, two meals for each person.

Tommy got up when the steam stopped curling and waited at the top of the stairs leading to the room his heart could not endure.

“Uni,” he said, calling her out. She wouldn’t come out.

His daughter was down there. Fear paled beneath his parental duties and love for the precious ‘mistake’. Swallowing the lump that must have been his heart, Tommy slowly descended the steps. He held onto the wall as his eyes scanned familiar corners and gadgets.

Plex hibernated. Tommy tore his eyes away, spotted his daughter scrubbing at her face and glowering at his intrusion.

Without a word, Tommy heaved his body over, settling beside her and looping one arm around their daughter. Protest or not, he leaned against her, kissing her temple, a shuddering sigh escaping him. Then, a sniffle.

“The first time I met your father, he was under mind control,” he said, because speaking kept the crying at bay, and just like that, he divulged all the information he had never imparted to her.

He talked about Noh’s mind control, his time in the Cube, how they reunited later and nearly tore each other’s throats out. He spoke of how stupid he felt for feeling abandoned when Noh-Varr left that first time, a pain so miniscule compared to the one yawning inside him, growing bigger each day. A few chuckles punctuated stories of how Noh-Varr made them breakfast and ate the eggshells, how sweet he was to Tommy while he’d frightened others away. An entire history of lovers, conveyed to the spawn of that love.

“I was so angry with him,” he went on, not realizing how much he’d been rambling, “for trying to make something without telling me. What if it grew? I wanted to know. I wanted...to see all of you. He didn’t realize how much you were beyond his control,” Tommy laughed, another sniff working its way around it, “and I was glad for it. I knew you were mine when your eyes opened. You should have seen your father try to bathe you, talking about how you could be thrown off roofs and be fine.”

He squeezed her closer, anchoring his sensibility.

“I never thought I’d fall in love, Uni, I mean that. I was stubborn, sociopathic, troublesome, and yet I wanted so hard to be a good superhero. Then, of all things, a cockroach Kree took my heart. I never told him...that I love him.” He kissed her temple again as if in apology. “But there’s one thing I know, Uni...He...nothing would keep him from you. Me, I don’t know. But you? You’re his daughter, his...most precious bundle. If there was a way, he’d find it. I know it.”

“Then where is he now?” came the quiet reply, Uni-Varr cuddled against her dad’s shoulder and clutching the primitive gauntlet on her arm. All the stories of how her parents met only made her want her father back harder, and the more his absence cut a gaping wound into the girl’s heart.

“If he would try so hard to come back, does that mean he can’t? What if he never comes back, dad ? Are you gonna fall in love with someone else? Is Plex gonna sleep forever?” the young Kree hybrid gave a sniff, then a choked sob, burrowing her head under Tommy’s arm and into his chest.

“I...I don’t...want him to come back. We can do fine without him. I don’t even miss him.”

Tommy’s lips twitched, a pathetic attempt at amusement at her words. They were the kind of words he got away with saying for years, and still tried to, though it proved harder when he had a daughter to put first.

“Some people fall in love again,” he told her, hugging her to his chest, eyes on Plex. “Not...I can’t. Not me.” Silence stretched out for a moment, interspersed with their sniveling or grunts. “I miss him too. A lot.”

He wouldn’t insult her intelligence and promise he’d be back. Maybe Noh-Varr wouldn’t, and Tommy’s heart would forever be missing half its piece, the other drifting wherever Noh-Varr was, perhaps dead even.

Uni wiped her nose, she didn’t much like this whole crying and snot business, but when they were down here, so vividly reminded of who exactly was missing from their family puzzle, it was hard not to. She couldn’t imagine her dad bringing home a woman or man she’d have to accept as her stand-in parent. No one could replace the stern-faced Kree she loved so much.

“Isn’t there like, someone you can call? Maybe uncle Teddy? He’s a Skrull and Kree. Or maybe uncle Billy, can’t he just bring him back? He’s magic, he can do anything!”

“I’ve...done what I could,” Tommy said, leaning his head back. It felt too heavy to keep up on his own. He rubbed his daughter’s back and arm to assuage what tension he could. “We just...wait now, do the best we can. He wouldn’t want us...all miserable like this.”

Yet he didn’t make the move to get up, not yet. Just a few moments of being with his daughter. If he could see Noh-Varr in her, that would suffice, for now at least. Tommy heard of people who had died unexplained deaths, and now he didn’t doubt to believe those that had died with a broken heart.

“Come on,” he said, inhaling deeply as he stood, tugging Uni up. “We’re going out. Just us two. I know it’s late, but I’ll take us to the beach. For a while. You always loved the beach, and we can...walk around. Maybe stay up all night wandering around.”

*

Despite Tommy’s hopes and wishes and Uni’s growing desperation, there was no sign or message from Noh-Varr. Not for another two, long years.

It was a late December evening when the ladden snow clouds, thick and grey in the sky, parted for a vessel of extraterrestrial origin. The Kree ship was much smaller than the one that had come to take Noh-Varr away, and it didn’t land in the family’s backyard either. Instead, it touched down at a more official location, the Avengers’ tower.

Noh-Varr could barely make the proper exchanges and settle up with the Kree who ’d brought him back, a courtesy he owed to Ronan. His stay in Hala’s prisons had been long. Four long years without his family and now his heart was pounding to lay sight on them again.

It wasn’t a glorious ceremony or a pompous affair. After everything was said and done and the ship took off once more, Noh-Varr shrugged on a borrowed coat and slipped outside. It was snowing, the streets were lined thickly with people out for christmas shopping. Earth still smelled like home.

He didn’t race home, plodded through the snow with a mind as heavy as the sky. It was dark by the time he climbed up the steps of his home and he still didn’t know what to say.

He could have easily slipped into the house without announcement, but he did no such thing. Noh-Varr’s hand trembled a moment and he cursed himself for feeling anxious, then he rang the doorbell.

While the Kree had been treading home, Tommy had been bustling around, going over lists and spouting orders to his daughter, still ever the rambunctious girl who seemed to have grown harder with each year her father missed her birthday.

“Okay, I need two sets of pajamas for each bag,” he called out, studying all the objects he had yet to fill.

“I already did that! God, you don’t ever listen.”

“Not now, Uni. I got to get these out by tonight,” Tommy said, hoping an argument could delay itself until after he got home. As it was, the kids he looked after at his program required a lot of necessities and he wanted the bags to be brimming with goodies.

Christmas, for all its family emphasis, left the Shepherd-Varr family colder than most. Tommy was grateful for his busy life as a lawyer and co-founder of an organization that looked after neglected kids, mutant or not. Without it, he thought he might go mad knowing Noh-Varr could not watch the silly movies Tommy enjoyed watching during the holiday season.

“Dad, the door!”

“What?” Tommy barked, peering back.

“The door!”

The door? Tommy lowered his items and shushed his daughter, skin prickling. Even with a secured home, when someone knocked on the door, it wasn’t rare for the speedster to poise himself for flight; he always expected the Kree to come and snatch Uni away.

Something differed when he approached it this time though. A sensation in his hand told him to open the door instead of check through the hole. He fell to impulse, undid all the locks, and cracked the door open.

Tommy’s half-heart stopped, then skyrocketed.

“Noh,” he whispered, and then a blur preceded a sharp cry before he felt more than saw the blur of his daughter catapult herself from the hallway, latching onto Noh and never intending to let go.

It seemed she proved to have been all talk about what she thought of her father, an overwhelming urge to have him back having thrown her forward so she hugged the life out of the idiot Kree that had left them for so long.

Tommy though, lingered, rooted to his spot and stuck in the past.

“You’re back,” was all he could say in a low breath.

Noh-Varr couldn’t quite describe the emotion he felt upon laying eyes on Tommy. He looked...so tired. Amazing how he could still send the Kree’s heart into a rollercoaster pace of beating, even when looking so ragged he might collapse any moment.

And then, something launched itself at him and Noh had no time for words to Tommy, because his daughter was clinging to him bodily, cursing and sobbing and smiling against his chest. Noh-Varr did not hesitate to cradle her close. His legacy, his little girl, the very reason he gave himself to the Kree’s jurisdiction so she might be spared a trip to Hala under the worst of circumstances.

“Uni-Varr...” he whispered and though his voice was rough, it was full of tender affection for his princess. He crushed her closer, buried his face in her unruly mop of white hair and took a shuddering breath. His heart was whole once more.

Finally, he looked up again, at his love and partner, who still stood by the door and looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

“I’m home,” he breathed, shifting Uni to an one armed embrace and beckoning for Tommy to fill the vacated space against his chest, “I’m finally home.”

A sound similar to Uni’s severed sobbing fell out of Tommy. Four years of this, and his body, mind, soul could bear no more. Tommy collapsed against Noh, hugging him and their daughter, breathing their scents as it mingled to make a familiar, family odor that could smooth over his worst days.

“Noh,” he said, sobbed, clinging to him. “You fucking fucker of all the fucking things to do. You’re making me curse in front of our daughter! Our daughter! Look at her you fucking idiot, look how she grew, how much she loves you.”

The rest stumbled out between broken breaths and cries, Tommy’s heart piecing itself back together in a painful process that had more sweetness than bitterness.

They fixated themselves that way, even as the snow drifted down and sprinkled over them. Tommy finally spent enough of his misery on Noh’s borrowed coat so he could pull back and tug him in; Uni-Varr remained hooked around Noh, her legs around his waist so she wouldn’t be torn from her father again.

“We’re, uh,” Tommy wiped his eyes with his free hand as he guided Noh inside, “just getting presents ready for the...the kids. I uh... run a program now on the side,” he said, sighing heavily. Noh-Varr had missed so much.

Seeing his face, Tommy didn’t doubt Noh did what he could to come home sooner than later. With a delighted sound, Tommy seized his love’s mouth in a kiss, worth four years of absence.

Uni didn’t even give a squawk of disgust at the display of her two fathers, she was clinging to Noh and cushioned her head on his shoulder, breathing in his presence and turning ten years old again, when her father was god and the world to her.

Noh-Varr didn’t know if a single kiss could make up for his years away, but they could damn well try. His hand cradled Tommy’s head and everything he never said, he poured into this kiss. It felt like half an eternity before they broke apart, foreheads bumping together.

“I’ve missed a lot, I know,” he shifted Uni slightly so he could press a kiss to the top of her head. Four or fourteen, she was light as a feather to him.

“But it’s over now. I’m home, and I will not have to leave again. Nor will any Kree ever demand to take Uni-Varr.” he made certain of that.

As Tommy’s mouth opened to answer, he had to get the words, frozen in his throat for four years, out into the open.

“I love you, both of you. I’ve missed you so much, every day,” it was rare for the stoic Kree to say as much, but his voice was wavering with the effort, “and I did what I had to, for you, Uni.”

The girl gave an indignant sniff, not happy with the explanation, but still too exalted by her father’s return to give him crap just yet.

“You’re a big butt, father, making dad worry so much. I had to take care of him you know.”

“Did you?” Noh smiled, his eyes wandering back to Tommy, “Well thank you Uni-Varr.”

“You’re welcome, Noh-Varr,” she stuck her tongue out for an instant, then hugged his neck once more.

A breeze could have blown Tommy over by the force of Noh’s words. Good thing his hand clung to the Kree’s arm, and his heart, shriveled before, now swelled at the sight of daughter and father reunited.

“I love you too, you moron,” he said, cupping Noh’s hand with his free hand. “Thank you. For...protecting her.”

Another kiss, another hug, and he laughed, scrubbing his eyes once more.

“Go on. Sit down with Uni. I’ll bring you something proper to eat. No doubt they served you crap up there,” he said, offering another kiss, this time to Noh’s hand. “Uni has much to fill you in while she was taking care of her daddy.”

It was the best evening any of them had had in four years. Noh-Varr ate and ate, everything Tommy produced from the kitchen and the scraps and waste too as Uni went on and on to explain what exactly everyone had done in the past four years. Of course, she skipped out on the many days both she and Tommy had done nothing but argue and fight, or the nights she cried herself to sleep in Tommy’s bed, a whimpering little mess clinging to the only parent she thought she had left.

The Kree didn’t talk about his time away, much more interested in everything his family experienced during his absence. Uni talked so much even her boundless energy ran out. It was well past three in the morning when she finally conceded to going to bed, but only once Noh-Varr re-activated the house and Plex and sat at her bedside for another hour, just to make sure he was really there.

Noh-Varr only left once Uni was well and truly asleep, tucked in and expression peaceful. He closed the door gently after one last, long peek at his daughter.

“She’s grown so much...” he knew Tommy would still be awake and right there, waiting for him.

Tommy refused to let this be a dream. Even now, as Noh stood vigil over his daughter and shut her door gently, Tommy vowed to hunt down any and all gods that would turn this into a delusion.

Touching Noh-Varr affirmed he had returned. Tommy squeezed his arm and sank into him, guiding him back to a room that would no longer feel stale.

“It’s been hard,” Tommy said, quietly, sitting them both on the edge of the bed. He stroked through Noh’s hair, moved over the lines on his face, born from what strife he confronted back with the Kree.

“You’re home. That’s what matters,” he said, knowing it was unlike him, but he said so anyway.

He draped himself over Noh, kissing his jaw, his chin, his temple, coaxing away any ill thoughts Noh had over his time being stuck away from his family. Noh-Varr had always been the one to quell the family’s tension, home with a meal and arms when Tommy got home. Now, Tommy intended to return the gesture, lying the alien down so he could nuzzle his neck and stroke his sides.

“Fuck, Noh,” he said against his skin, “I was sure you’d be gone for good. I thought it was going to be...like that day when you first left.” He pulled back, hands still stroking, so he could watch Noh’s eyes. “Not once since you left. I haven’t...been with anyone. At all. It was you or nothing.”

After such a long time of only dwelling in memories of Tommy, feeling his touch and hearing his voice was almost overwhelming and Noh revelled in the human he’d fallen for so hard. Every kiss bloomed more warmth in him, filling him with such completion he never thought possible.

His hands smoothed over Tommy’s face, then his shoulders, arms and sides.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you, you know,” there was nothing but soft gratitude and admiration in his gaze, “I wasn’t sure I would make it back. Kree court is a very harsh place to be. So are the prisons. But not a day passed when I didn’t think of you. You gave me strength, you know? You are my home, my heart, my everything, Tommy.” Of course, their daughter too held a third of the Kree’s being, but Tommy took the entire two thirds all to himself.

Tommy pressed into each touch, kissing the hand when it graced over his face. He should have been grateful, far more than he had been. At least he had life to lie to him, to occupy his time. Noh-Varr had too much time, trapped in a prison with no one to pretend like it would get better.

“I think I know,” Tommy said, then smirked faintly, eyes still raw from tears. “Years of prison and you’re still romantic.”

He settled right into Noh’s chest, inhaling his scent and threading their legs together.

“Thank you...for coming home. I think you’re rubbing off on me with that romantic crap,” he muttered, smiling widely into Noh’s neck.

“You don’t have to thank me for that, idiot,” Noh-Varr wrapped his arms tighter, didn’t want to separate from Tommy even more iota than he had to. They didn’t need to have sex right now, with their hearts so raw and intertwining slowly, like delicate vines that could only blossom once united. This was enough.

They fell asleep, just like that, without even taking off their clothes, wrapped in each other’s embrace and curled together on the bed.