The Dark Kings Sons

Chapter 2. Itsy Bitsy Spiders.

Peace. Everything was full of peace. Absolute bliss, drifting off into the cool warmth of pure s-

"MUMMY!!! LUKAS' BEING MEAN TO ME!!!"

Dear lord, all I wanted was maybe an hour of sleep. Just an extra hour. Please, just let me slee-

"I'M NOT BEING MEAN, HE'S JUST A LITTLE BITCH!!!"

Alright, that's fucking it. No child of mine can be swearing this early in the morning, and certainly not whilst disturbing my sleep-in. Rolling out of bed, I throw open the door and clatter down the stairs, rubbing my face as I try to clear my head. My boys meet me in the hallway, each clutching something different, Luka an unopened bag of breadcrumbs and Silho a wok and a fish slice. Clearly they've been in the kitchen cupboards. I heave a long-suffering sigh.

Both boys- while being the absolute apples-of-my-eye- are often overly hyperactive and they get into more things than sand does after a long day at the beach. Case in point; the fact they've obviously been rummaging around in the kitchen. They've been this way since they gained motion- and unfortunately I don't ever see it easing off- I just see it increasing as the years go on. I mean- they're incredibly smart children (even though I may be biased), having figured out 13 different types of childlock mechanisms before they reached the age of 3. I can't bear to imagine what they be doing once they hit puberty.

"Luka Aeson Hanadi, what did I tell you about cussing and waking Mummy up? Hm?" I scold him, hands on hips. His bottom lip starts to wobble and his eyes fill with tears and I take a deep breath, groaning internally as he prepares to bawl his little heart out.
"Hey, hey, hey, there's no need for that. Calm down baby boy, I'm not mad anymore, Mummies' not mad anymore. Hey, it's alright. Come here, baby." I sink to my knees and the five-year-old throws himself into my arms, smushing his tiny face into my shoulder, and hiccuping erratically as he tries and fails to calm himself. His bag of breadcrumbs clobbers me in the head as he throws his arms around my neck and in all honesty, I'm not even conscious enough yet to notice it. Luka clings to me even tighter as I rise to my feet, Silho latching to my legs and dropping the fish slice unceremoniously, the metal blade clanging loudly on the wooden floors. The three of us stagger into the kitchen, and a gasp escapes me as I take in the chaos strewn across the small room, from one end to the other. Both Luka and Silho shift uncomfortably and Luka squirms in my arms, trying desperately to escape. Instead of letting him down, I set him on the countertop, scooping Silho up too and setting him beside his brother, crouching slightly as to be eye-to-eye with them.

"Silho. Luka. Why is everything in the pantry on the floor? Can one of you explain this to me?" I ask calmly, switching eyecontact between the two of them. Silho beams at me, honey eyes sparkling and nearly trips over his words in his excitement.

"We making you boatmeal, Mama!" He bounces in his seat and I have to take a moment, compose myself as a sudden surge of adoration floods me.

God, I love these boys. I'd die for them, but more importantly I lived for them. I won't lie and say I didn't think of ending it all, especially in the days after I escaped, but as soon as I booked that appointment and heard their heartbeats, I was in love. And it only grew from then.

"Well I appreciate the gesture, Bubs, but next time come and wake me up, alright? I don't want you hurting yourself on something you're not allowed to touch. There are sharp and hot things in a kitchen, you need me here if you're gunna use them." Both boys nod this time and I smile again, reaching towards them with open arms, allowing the boys to throw themselves at me and slide to the floor. Before I can set about tidying the kitchen, however, the home phone rings and Silho and Luka use this opportunity to run into the other room, giggling wildly. A long-suffering sigh exits my mouth and I lift the phone from its cradle, accepting the call and pressing it between my ear and shoulder, collecting a pile of spoons from the floor as I do.

"You know who you've called."

"Sophia? Its Domhnall. Domhnall from work."

Jesus Christ, this guy is as thick as pig shit. As if I know any other Domhnalls. It's not exactly the "John Smith" of Cairns.

"Hello, Domhnall from work. Why are you calling me at 6:53am on a Sunday? It's my contract-approved day off." I answer back, forcing the politeness into my voice. The man irritates the shit out of me, if you weren't already aware.

"I'm sorry, Sophia, but one of the associates made a mistake and we need you to come in and fix it. I wou-"

"What kind of mistake?" He sighs and I can hear his apprehension.

"One that could sink this company. He sent confidential reports to Pree & Nuhshellwas LTD, we need to do a complete overhaul and revamp regarding everything that those emails contained. We're talking changing it so much- Pree & Nuhshellwas has no idea we're talking the same thing." One finger tapping the countertop, the opposite foot tapping the laminated flooring and my lower lip securely between my teeth, I run through my options. Every time, however, I come to the same conclusion and I groan into the phoneline.

"You're making me cancel important plans, Domhnall, I want overtime and a half for this."

"Sophia, if you get here in half an hour, I'll get you anything you want." He crows, laughing and chuckling.

"Make it unlimited coffee and I'll be there in 25." Hanging up and returning the phone to its cradle, I groan a little and drag my hands through my hair, making it stick up more than usual. God, theres no way I can get a babysitter sorted in less than 25 minutes, the regular is out of town and our neighbour is at her granddaughters for the weekend. Shit shit shit shit shiiitttt. I have to take the boys with me.

"Oi, Little Spiders! C'mere for a second, will yah?" Two sets of racing feet sound out of the fake flooring and I bite my lip and grin as they skid into the kitchen, fetching up against the cabinetry.

"Mummy! We were playing spacemans!" Luka giggles, showing off his missing teeth.

"That's awesome, Spider! But for now, do you think you can go and get dressed really quick for me? I've gotta go to work for a few hours and you two have to come with."

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"Oh my God, Sophia, thank goodness you came in, I thought we were truly fu- oh dear lord, those are tiny humans." I look down, winking at the boys and turn my attention back to the gobsmacked Domhnall.

"Domhnall. Meet Luka, and Silho," I say, gesturing to either one in turn, "these are my sons. Say hi, kiddos." They wave adorably and I give the man a blinding smile, shrugging my shoulders mockingly.

"Sons. You have sons. Two of them. Oh." He whispers faintly, dazed and apparently very confused. He stares, mouth slightly open for a few moments longer then shakes his head and looks at me directly. "C'mon. There's a lot of work to do."

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