Visiting the Family [closed]

Liseran closed her eyes as she kissed in return and held Cheshire closer, trying to convey the same love. When they let go, Liseran smiled warmly and she nuzzled closer to her fiance.

"I guess it is high time we go to sleep," Liseran murmured. Her eyes widened a bit with realization. "Oh my, the karaoke...are you needed back? I'm sorry we kept you like this..."

"Forget about it," Cheshire murmured, holding his fiance tight. "There are plenty of people there to entertain Alice. Besides, I'm not one for parties anyway..."

"If you say so..." Liseran said as her eyes began to close. She smiled a bit and let out a content hum. "It's kind of nice...the three of us snuggled up like this..."

As if having heard Liseran, Bell mumbled and turned to stretch her arms over Cheshire more as well as come on contact with Liseran's own hands.

"Mama...Papa..." she mumbled.

Before Cheshire knew it, Liseran was deep asleep again. The flush on her face finally beginning to lessen, signifying the fever was dropping.

"I'm so happy..." Liseran mumbled.

Cheshire stared at Liseran's sleeping face, relieved to feel her temperature going back to normal. He continued to look at her until finally he drifted sleep himself, mumbling groggily, "I will make sure... that you are always happy..."

~~~~

A boat arrived at the Vale Docks at the same time the three began to drift to sleep. Standing at the bow, overlooking the city of Vale was a small boy wearing a student military outfit, his hand folded over the other behind his back as he stood with a perfect stiff posture. His off white hair shined in contrast to the dark color of his uniform and his cat ears remained erect and still as his posture.

"I wonder how big brother is doing..."

Morning arrived and Bell had left the bed to help with breakfast. The godmothers were busy in the kitchen and Cheshire would wake up to find himself alone with Liseran. She was still relatively warm but she at least looked rested.

"Morning, Papa!" Bell exclaimed as she entered the room with a breakfast trolley.

"Shh~" Cheshire shushed, placing a finger to his lips as he nodded towards Liseran. "Don't disturb your mother now..."

Bell smiled sheepishly and nodded. She stopped pushing the tray and touched Liseran's forehead.

"Warm..." Bell frowned. "Mama can't go to school today. Papa will you go to school?"

Cheshire cracked his jaw as he thought about it then looked back down at Liseran saying, "Nah. I can miss a day. Your mother is more important right now."

Bell smiled and leapt to hug Cheshire.

"Yey, Papa is staying," Bell said in a whispered yell. She hugged him closely before the door opened to show Merriweather plump in her blue workdress.

"Oh, good morning," she said. "How is Liseran?"

'Warm," Bell said. Merriweather frowned.

"Oh my..." she said. "Well, you two can eat breakfast in the kitchen. I think I need to give Lise a spongebath...Cheshire, will you be leaving? Vixen can drop you at Beacon."

Cheshire shook his head. "I can't concentrate on lectures if Liseran is ill anyway," Cheshire stated. "I stay here and help take care of Liseran. Or by least I can keep an eye on this little one in your place for a while."

Cheshire picked up Bell off the ground and held her like a toddler.

Merriweather looked at Cheshire incredulously.

"If you say so..." she said. She turned to Bell. "But Bell, just because your father is staying here on a school day doesn't mean you can do the same when you go to classes, understood?"

"Yes, Auntie," Bell smiled as she hugged Cheshire.

From the bed, Liseran groaned and began to stir in her sheets.

"What...what time is it...?" she murmured as she tried to sit up only to find out she had a hard time doing so. Before anyone could say anything, Liseran turned to the clock by the bedside and yelped.

"Oh, no! I'm going to be late!" she said jolting from bed. "I've already missed a week and I can't--"

"Hold on, deary!" Merriweather said stopping her midway. Liseran looked at her as if she didn't expect Merriweather to be in her room.

"Aunt Merriweather, I can't stay. I have to--Cheshire? What are you-"

Liseran looked at the three confused until Bell left Cheshire to hug her. "Mama, you're sick. Papa is staying to take care of you."

Liseran's eyes widened and shook her head. "But I'm not-"

Merriweather stuck a thermometer in her mouth before placing the back of her hand on Liseran's forehead. "You have a fever, Liseran. There is no way you are going to go to school today."

"Buh-"

"But nothing!" Merriweather said sharply as she took the thermometer. "100 degrees. That's not good at all! Cheshire, Bell, leave the room. I need to give Liseran her spongebath."

"But-"

"Mama, just listen to Aunty," Bell said as she led Cheshire along outside the door. Liseran gave a reluctant look before the door closed on them.

"Mama's stubborn..." Bell told Cheshire. Her eyes then went wide and she tried to reach for Cheshire's forehead. "Papa, are you sure you're not sick too? Let me check!"

"I don't get sick easily dear," Cheshire said. His face was a bit flushed for a moment at the thought of Liseran in a sponge bath but after a few calming breaths he was back to normal. "Now, while the godmothers take care of your mother, papa's going to get you ready for school. Do you eat there lunches or does mama make lunches for you?"

Bell shook her head. "I don't go to school until next week," she explained. "So I get to take care of Mama, too."

"Ah, there you two are," a familiat sweet husky voice called. Bell's face became excited as she moved towards the kitchen, Vixen standing at the doorway.

"Great grandma!" Bell said as she ran up to the youthful looking old woman. Vixen hugged her before turning up to Cheshire. "It seems you are staying on account of Liseran's illness. Worry not, she'll recover by tomorrow as long as she rests. Bell, why not help your Aunt Faun with the table? Cheshire and I need to talk."

Bell nodded.

"Yes, Grandmama!" And she disappeared into the next room. Vixen motioned for Cheshire to sit on the sofa as she took the armchair.

"There is something that happened on the ferry ride you need to explain to me," she said as she tapped her fingernails on the arm of her chair.

With a single sentence, the lady broke Cheshire's infamous poker face causing the faunus to become immediately flustered and fidgety, his eyes glancing around. "W-Well..." Cheshire murmured nervously, "I uh... I... I proposed..."

Vixen didn't even flinch.

"Yes, it seems so," she said. "Not that I do not trust you, but isn't it a little soon?"

"I-I know..." Cheshire murmured, looking off to the side. "Ideally I wanted to wait until we both graduated and I found steady work before I even thought about proposing but... Well I guess even I do things without thinking sometimes..."

Cheshire shrank in his seat, looking terribly embarrassed.

Vixen smiled and placed a hand on Cheshire's shoulder.

"Perhaps you did it without thinking, but like every other time your will and love pulled through for Liseran. You"ve done nothing but good for her and in all her years, she's never been happier
Back on the airship, I asked you if you would take care of her for the rest of your life and you said you would. This proves it."

Vixen stopped speaking for a moment. "Her parents...would have given you their blessing as I do now."

"Thank you..." Cheshire murmured, bowing his head slightly. "You... have no idea how much this means to me..."

"Just take care of her," Vixen said. "And worry not, I won't tell the three godmothers until you two are ready to."

A moment later, Bell and Flora came from the kitchen, the former's mouth messy with jam and crumbs.

"Time to eat, Papa, Grandmama," she beamed.

Cheshire was led to the kitchen table. A vase of fresh cut flowers were there and five places had been set. Bacon, eggs, pastries and bread were on dainty light green platters.

Everyone save for Liseran was eventually at the table to eat. Bell sat next to Cheshire, eating ravenously and messily.

"Lise is resting again," Merriweather said. "I think I wore her out a bit. You'd think she was a cat the wau she was trying to get away from the water."

"The poor thing," Faun said. "And we all have to go to the store soon to open up."

"I'll take care of Mama with Papa," Bell said as she drank milk, leaving a white mustache on her mouth.

"And while we're at it, I think I'm going to teach you how to eat like a lady," Cheshire added as he wiped Bell's mouth with a napkin. "No daughter of mine should be eating like that, got it?"

~~~~

"He's not here?" a white haired boy was talking to a passing student at the dormitories. "Do you any idea where he can be?"

With a shake of a head as his reply, the boy bowed his thanks and walked away. "Where are you big brother..."

Bell frowned in apology and nodded. "Mama says that, too."

"Well, Bell, you can start by eating smaller pieces," Flora pointed out with a giggle.

"And making sure it goes inside your mouth," Merriweather added.

Bell nodded seriously before stabbing down hard at a piece of bacon and slurping it.

Merriweather sighed.

"The chivalry demon," Cheshire said plainly.

As everyone would start giving him weird looks, Cheshire would remain silent for a while as he neatly cuts a piece of egg and scoops it up with his fork. Slowly chewing the food, he finally swallows and starts to speak.

"The chivalry demon is a lengthy, pale monster who always wears a black suits and stands straight like a statue. He appears out of nowhere and always knows how to find what he wants. He's very strict when it comes to manners you see and hates seeing messy eaters and rude talkers. So whenever he sees a naughty person without good manners he will grab her--"

Cheshire suddenly turns bearing his fangs at Bell and making a scary face. "--and gobble her up and swallow her alive!"

The faunus sticks out both of his pinky fingers. "And he will do it with his pinkies out just because it's fancy!"

Bell's eyes got big and misty as her mouth began to quiver.

"Oh, Cheshire, you shouldn't scare her like that!" Flora scolded. "She's just a little-"

Vixen raised a hand to stop Flora as Bell looked at Cheshire and then took her knife to cut the bacon hastily and then taking it nimbly to eat it. She looked at Cheshire with watery eyes.

"Papa, I'm scared."

"Don't worry little one," Cheshire said, petting Bell's little head. "As long as you have good manners and be nice to others, the chivalry demon won't eat you."

Merriweather snickered only to be nudged by Faun. Bell smiled meekly and hugged Cheshire.

"I'll be good, Papa," she said. "I promise."

Breakfast went on without any trouble and soon the old women had tidied up and were ready to leave.

"You can warm up last night's roast for lunch," Flora told Cheshire. "And Bell needs to take her bath by nine. You can ask Liseran about her clothes. She's awake. Oh, and make sure Lise takes the pills on her morning tray. Sorry again about all this."

"I was the one who decided to help take care of Liseran," Cheshire stated, "I wanted to do this. I do not require any thanks ir apology for this. Now go on or else you'll be late to open."

Cheshire practically shooed them out, gesturing with his hands for them to go.

"I may not look it but I'm good with kittens- I mean kids," Cheshire said. "I can take care of Bell as well as Liseran while you're out. Don't worry."

The women were soon out of the house and Cheshire was left with Bell.

At the same time a door opened to show Liseran in her nightdress walking around with a flushed face.