Ficlet for pdxrain
"Hush little babies, don't say a word, Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird... an' if that mockingbird don't sing, Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring... an' if that diamond ring turns brass, Daddy's gonna buy you a lookin' glass..."
Victor never had been one for singing but he found himself now murmuring softly to the small, gurgling bundle in his arms, a pair of pudgy little hands reaching out to touch at his grubby coat as he purred and crooned. He couldn't help but notice that those tiny hands had the same webbed fingers as his partner - his wife, his lover, his mate. The quiet gurgle became a laugh and he smiled, gently chiding the quivering baby by gently stroking at its rosy cheek with a single claw.
"Don't give me that, Ariel," he growled, admonishing the babe for not sleeping. "You gotta get some shut-eye, else me an' your momma ain't never gonna get a good night's sleep. C'mon, now."
And, purring, he laid his daughter down in the cot which she shared with her brother, tucking the pair of them into a soft blanket - a blanket which he'd chosen himself from one of the craft stores in town, because the pattern had reminded him of some of the Cree blankets which had kept him warm as a child. He smiled and sighed, rubbing at his tired eyes with calloused hands as he continued to sing, lulling his precious babies into sleep.
"...an' if that looking glass gets broke, Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat... an' if that billy goat don't pull, Daddy's going to buy you a cart an' bull... an' if that cart an' bull turn over, Daddy's gonna buy you a dog called Rover..."
He sang because it calmed them, because it calmed him - and because he knew that Jessie, their mother, would never be able to sing a note to her own children for as long as she lived. The very nature of her mutation meant that her voice, when used in song, became a deadly weapon which could shatter eardrums and break down minds with even a few simple notes.
And so now he sang for her, and for himself, and for his family, for all of them.
"...an' if that goddamn dog don't bark, Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart... an' if that horse an' cart fall down, you'll still be the sweetest cubs in town... so hush little babies, don't you cry, your Momma loves you an' so do I..."