Bundle & Plant
Lucky, a jack of all trades, was reliable in an unreliable way. He got it done and was sure to face great difficulty doing so. Regardless, Lucky took on whatever duty was handed to him whether it meant he had to stand for hours or bolt to the other end of the city. It just so happened that on this particular day, he was bolting.
“Lucky! Hold on, Lucky!”
A woman’s voice halted his run. She was the youngest daughter of a family friend, several decades older than him with a tired smile on her face.
“Hi there, Mila. Can I help you?”
She nodded, patting her hands on her dress. “It’s good to see you too. In fact, I’m on the lookout for someone to help me this evening. No one else is available and my parents are visiting family on the other side of the mountain.”
“That’s wonderful,” he said. “It’s good to visit family.”
“Right?” Mila reached into her pocket and revealed a small handful of credits. “I also want to go out with my wife, but we have no one to take care of Milos while we’re gone.” She took Lucky’s hand and pushed the small pile in. “Please watch Milos this weekend, Ser and I will be in your debt!”
In a whirlwind, Lucky rejected the payment only to have it shoved in his hand again and pulled Mila’s house, pocket full of credits, and baby Milos cradled in his arms. At almost the same moment, Ser and Mila were packed up and out the door, waving goodbye, and blowing kisses to their son. All in an instant, Lucky was alone.
“Well, Milos,” Propping the baby up on his lap, he held his head watching as Milos’ big orange eyes stared at Lucky’s blues. They stared at each other for a short while until Lucky blew raspberries and the child burst into laughter, his gummy mouth open wide with high-pitched shrieks and giggles. So Luck and Milos played. He kneaded Milos’s face, pinching the fatty, purple cheeks, mimicking the faces he made. Lucky wasn't the most familiar with babies like this. Milos was very young and very small; still simple enough to play with the few toys his temporary guardian was entrusted with. “It’s just you and me for the next few days. Let’s get you something to eat.”
With Milos balanced on his hip, Lucky rummaged through the food supply and found a set of premade Milos-approved meals in little jars. “This is perfect, how thoughtful of them to prepare this. Doesn’t it look yummy, Milos?” Lucky shook the jar of indiscernible liquid.
Milos wasn’t at the age to talk yet, but he was obviously hungry. When Lucky went to stand up, he felt a tug at his clothes. When he looked down, Milos was hungrily grabbing at Lucky’s shirt, forcing his face onto his chest.
“Milos! No, Milos, you can’t do that!” Pulled from his shirt, Milos sobbed, wailing in the empty house like a siren. “Oh! I’m sorry, here, eat this instead please.”
Lucky took on the tedious task of feeding Milos by the finger-full as he seemed to reject any other utensil utilized. When he ate, the grip on Lucky’s finger strengthened, threatening to never let go, so when Milos was full, he and Lucky drifted off into a blissful sleep unseparated by finger.
—
Early the following day, Milos cried to be changed and fed. Only when all of this and a clothes change were done did Lucky take Milos home with him so he could change.
Olinar, delighted to see his son taking good care of their good friend’s son, gave him a bigger, softer blanket for him to swaddle the babe in. “Take him to the Gardens.” said his father. “The blooms are sparkling today.”
As told, Lucky bundled Milos in the blanket, hoisted him on his back, and headed for the Gardens to entertain the child and make use of his off-day. Their presence garnered greetings from locals and fellow Corsairs when they neared. They made faces at the baby, making sure he was laughing by the end of their interaction, and sent them off with good wishes.
Lucky cooed. “Milos, you’re so popular! And it’s a beautiful day; just feel that sun!” Lucky bounced for the babe as they ascended the garden steps. When they reached the top, Lucky took in how excellently the foliage gleamed in the light and decided to take a long way around, stopping to kneel beside every plant and flower for Milos to see and touch. Sometimes Milos grabbed a hold of the thick stalk of a plant, but for the most part, he fastened a fist into the purple hair on Lucky’s head, certain to be unmovable. In the midst of their fun poking at a Stuffed-Bell flower, a shadow loomed from behind them, blocking the light.
“How curious,” the voice and shadow shrank until they were right beside them. “Good afternoon.”
What were the odds of running into Uldren Sov again this week? Just a few days before, they met in almost the exact same place at night when Lucky was returning from a day shift and the prince from a Tangled Shore escapade. It was like the Garden cursed him to never attend the display alone. Lucky was about to return the greeting when he remembered the baby on his back and the awkward picture this painted.
“H-he’s not mine!” Lucky stammered.
Uldren laughed. “I never said he was.” With his help, Lucky and Milos rose from the ground, knees stained from the dirt and grass, and they walked toward the garden canopy. “It must be fate that I ran into you today. I was just looking for something to fill my time before those dreaded Crows came pecking at my feet.”
“Are you avoiding your own men?” Lucky moved Milos to the front and held him with his legs out like in a chair to see the way ahead.
“They have concocted a game in which they want me to perform as their villain and I will take no part in their antics.”
“Oh.” Lucky made a theatrical frown like he would for the child. “I thought you liked that kind of thing. Being a villain is right up your alley, don’t you think?” He poked and pinched at Milos’ cheeks and met with utter rejection. The baby nearly flung himself out of Lucky’s arms and would have succeeded if Uldren hadn’t been there to catch him much to Milos’ delight.
“I don’t fit the role of a white knight or a prince?”
Luck tried to apologize, but Uldren simply laughed and scooped the child out of his arms.
“You seem to have more fun being bad.”
Milos went straight to work biting at Uldren’s pointy nose and tugging on his hair. It was all such a cruel play, but it made him smile, so neither of them fought it. They walked to the garden canopy and sat outside with little Milos still playing with every feature on Uldren’s face as they talked.
“Bad? What about you skipping your duties to babysit?”
“My next assignment isn’t for another week, so I’m not missing out.”
“I see. It’s good to rest in spite of the grueling workload you set for yourself.”
“I wouldn’t call it grueling,” Lucky protested.
Uldren shook his head. “Then call it– oh.”
At that sound, the two looked down to see Milos grasping at Uldren’s chest plate, burrowing his face against the surface, slobbering mouth pursing like a fish.
“Oh, gods! I’m so sorry! He’s just hungry.” Lucky frantically peeled the Milos leech off of Uldren’s chest. Immediately, the wailing began and Luck searched his pockets in a frenzy for the food he brought, but Milos thrashed about and even smacked Luck in the face and neck.
“I don’t mind.” He murmured, trying to calm the both of them. Uldren overcame his astonishment in time to pull Milos back into his embrace, sucking face and all, allowing Lucky to retrieve the food and settle down his nerves. Whatever magic charm Uldren had, it worked wonders and the two were finally calm with Milos steadily eating off Lucky’s finger.
When they finished, Milos followed his trend of falling fast asleep in the hold of his guardian. When Uldren didn’t pass him back, Luck quickly cleaned up and apologized again.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Don’t be,” Uldren whispered back. Milos was sound asleep draped over his shoulder, body covered with the blanket, grasping a fist full of feathers attached to the prince’s pauldron. Even in daylight, it felt like it was time to turn in just watching the little one snore so soundly. “This is my first time holding a child this young.”
Lucky’s mouth dropped. “Are you playing with me?”
“Not at all. I entertain children with a consciousness, never near infants.”
“I feel as though you’re lying to look impressive. You have the makings of a professional handler here.”
A sly smirk spread on Uldren’s face and his eyebrow twitched up. “Are you impressed?”
Hook, line, and sinker. With a face like that, there was no way Lucky wasn’t smitten. “No,” he grumbled. “But if you want to take him off my hands, you can babysit him for the rest of the weekend.”
Uldren straightened in his seat. “Hey now…” But Lucky had already stood and was walking briskly away. Following suit, Uldren went after him, hissing. “Hey now!”