After a few minutes of playful banter, the atmosphere slowly returned to silence.
Arthur remained there, his gaze fixed on the small figure asleep on the lounge chair.
The gentle rustling of leaves in the wind was the only sound that broke the stillness.
It was at that moment that Gwen arrived.
The gate creaked open, and a few seconds later she appeared at the backyard entrance, phone still in hand and a mildly curious expression on her face.
"Arthur and… Jean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the redhead.
Her eyes shifted from Arthur to the woman beside him, then back again, a spark of playful mischief glinting in them.
"And what exactly are you doing here, Jean?"
Jean turned slowly, her expression unchanging.
"Can't I visit a friend?" she replied in a neutral tone, crossing her arms.
Gwen let out a short laugh.
"Normally, no. Especially not if said friend happens to be a man, home alone… and taken."
The words dripped with irony, but the smile on her face was pure teasing amusement.
She took a few steps closer, ready to hug Arthur and throw another jab—until something caught her eye and froze her in place.
The lounge chair.
And the child sleeping upon it.
Gwen blinked, confused, and leaned forward slightly.
The little girl slept peacefully, her breathing soft and steady, tiny fists resting gently on her lap.
There was a fragile sweetness in the scene… but also something that made Gwen's heart race.
The face.
The girl's face.
She had delicate features—but unmistakably familiar ones. Unnervingly familiar.
The resemblance to Arthur was so strong it was like staring into a broken mirror between two timelines, two versions of the same soul.
The shape of her chin, the curve of her lips, the structure of her nose… everything about her screamed of an impossible connection.
But what truly left Gwen breathless was the color of her hair.
It wasn't blond like Arthur's.
It was red—vivid, fiery, glowing in the light as if each strand held a secret flame.
Red…? she thought, stunned.
Her eyes darted from the child to Jean, then to Arthur, slow and disbelieving.
Her mind scrambled to form an explanation.
Arthur, catching Gwen's look, raised his hands in surrender, his expression a mix of confusion and helplessness.
Not again… he sighed mentally.
"Don't look at me like that, Gwen. I have absolutely no idea what's going on here," Arthur said.
Then the girl stirred.
A small sigh escaped her lips, her delicate eyelashes fluttering.
Arthur stepped forward, while Gwen and Jean watched in silence.
The child's eyes opened slowly—clear, bright blue, innocent yet strangely familiar.
She blinked at the sky, confused, then turned her head toward Arthur.
She stared at him for a few seconds, trying to make sense of where she was.
Then, in a soft, sleepy voice, she asked:
"...Am I dreaming?"
Arthur couldn't find an answer.
The girl studied him a little longer before a gentle smile curved her lips.
And then she whispered something that made the world stop.
"Daddy…"
The word struck like thunder in everyone's mind.
Gwen and Jean were equally stunned, and Arthur simply… froze.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
"...What did you just say?" Arthur asked, still dazed.
But the girl only smiled again, her innocent blue eyes shimmering with a warmth he couldn't define.
"Daddy," she repeated—this time, even sweeter.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Gwen looked at Arthur, speechless.
Jean looked away, crossing her arms as if trying to hide the uncontrollable urge to laugh.
And Arthur…
He stood there, motionless, while a single question echoed endlessly in his mind:
He had considered the possibility before—but how on earth was this possible?
How and when did he have a daughter?
---xXx---
Okay…
Let me properly introduce myself.
My name is Saeko—that's the name Mom gave me.
She said it sounded beautiful and strong, a name worthy of a girl who carried both the blood and the pride of the Morgan and Gremory families.
I'm ten years old, and I live in Queens, in a big, loud, completely insane house—filled with beautiful, powerful, and above all, loving people.
They say chaos is inevitable when too many strong personalities live under one roof.
I'd say that, in our house, chaos became part of the family.
---xXx---
⚠ IMPORTANT WARNING – IF YOU KEEP READING FROM HERE, THERE'S NO TURNING BACK!
THE FOLLOWING SECTION CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS – PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
But if you're one of those fearless, dangerously curious people who face spoilers with a grin and think, "Eh, a little spoiler never killed anyone…"
Well then—take a deep breath and keep going.
Just don't say I didn't warn you later.
---xXx---
My main mom is a beautiful, mature woman with red hair just like mine, but honestly… calling her "main" doesn't mean much around here.
My dad somehow managed to marry a group of women so different from each other that even the multiverse probably held an emergency meeting to figure out how that happened.
Take Selina, for example.
She walks around the house like she owns it—which, to be fair, she kinda does.
She's always "borrowing" Dad's credit card, claiming it's "for style maintenance."
Once, she convinced Rachel—the goth sweetheart of the house—to help her crack open a safe… inside Dad's own room.
Rachel pretended not to care afterward but spent the rest of the week reading spellbooks titled "How to Keep Patience with Impulsive People."
Then there's Erza.
Whenever a fight breaks out between my brothers and sisters, she's the one who restores order.
The problem? Her idea of "restoring order" usually involves a sword the size of a car—and a few demolished walls.
But she's kind; she trains us and always brings me strawberry cake from Magnolia.
I only get nervous when she starts polishing her weapons while smiling.
Lucy is the calmest one… until she starts talking. She loves telling Fairy Tail stories.
Akeno always smiles softly—but everyone knows she's dangerous.
She has that gentle, sweet look… usually followed by thunder in the background.
Still, she's the one who helps me with my hair and always calls me her "little infernal princess."
Ah, and Asuna? She's like a second mom—always caring, always organizing everything, and constantly begging Dad to stop testing dangerous prototypes in the kitchen.
(Spoiler: he never does.)
And then there are the androids.
They don't talk much—but when they do, it's terrifyingly practical.
One day, I asked if they thought I had talent with swords.
A2 replied, "If you don't, we can install it."
I still don't know if she was joking or not.
But it doesn't stop there.
Barbara is the tactical genius of the house—always hacking systems and reconfiguring holograms just for fun.
She's somehow befriended Dad's A.I.
Zatanna loves doing literal magic at breakfast—and sometimes accidentally turns milk into juice.
Koneko… well, she pretends not to care about me, but she always leaves cookies on my desk when no one's looking.
I often catch her acting like a spoiled cat whenever she's near Dad.
Asia is the family's angel—always praying, always smiling, and always saving someone from Dad's explosive experiments.
Artoria is… complicated.
She acts like the leader, talking about honor, duty, and chivalry—but every time Dad brews her tea just right or serves her a bowl of rice, she smiles like a little girl. It's adorable.
They play chess sometimes… and she always loses, but pretends not to care. (She totally does.)
Gwen is like an older sister to me (even though she's been with Dad the longest).
She's funny, cool, and always trying to teach me how to play drums.
Her daughter with Dad—my little sister, Aurora—inherited her powers and loves pretending she's the next Spider-Woman.
Jean tries to meditate, but it never works when Selina and Akeno start arguing about who gets to sleep with Dad that night.
She always ends up joining the argument—and usually wins.
Diana tries to keep the peace. Tries.
But there was one time she and Artoria turned the backyard into a battlefield that looked like a holy war.
Ishtar is… well, Ishtar. Arrogant, gorgeous, and constantly saying Dad should "recognize her divine worth" more often.
Ritsuka is hilarious—mentally about my age—and loves showing me relics she "brought" from other eras.
I'm 99% sure she stole them from Dad's treasure vault.
Mash is like the perfect babysitter—sweet, gentle, and utterly incapable of saying "no" to me.
I use that power responsibly… most of the time.
For some reason, she calls everyone senpai—even Dad.
But you know what's even better? Dad's circle of friends.
Sakamoto drops by sometimes—I heard he's worked with Dad for ages.
He always brings tons of food and tries to teach Dad how to cook instant noodles.
Spoiler: it always ends in fire.
His daughter, Hana, is one of my best friends.
Then there's Uncle Tony.
He hates when I call him that—something about it making him sound old.
He often shows up just to argue with Dad about tech.
Once, he walked into the lab, saw one of Dad's robots, and said, "That breaks at least ten laws of physics."
Dad replied, "Eleven, if you press that button."
And, of course, I can't forget the guy who looks exactly like Dad.
No one knows how that's even possible—maybe a cosmic glitch, maybe pure destiny's sarcasm.
Dad never really explained it.
Whenever he visits, the two of them stare at each other like the mirror just came to life.
They argue over who's the "original" and, strangely enough, end up acting like brothers.
He always shows up unannounced with his assistant—a kind, elegant woman named Siduri—takes over the couch, opens an absurdly expensive wine, and says things like:
"It's a privilege to witness the daily life of mortals as audacious as you."
Dad just sighs, runs a hand down his face, and replies,
"Tone down the ego, will you?"
Sometimes he gets kicked out by one of my moms—but honestly, it's always fun when he's around.
And that's basically my life.
A home full of heroes, villains, a goddess, mages, androids, knights, and people who make absolutely no sense together.
But in the end… they're my family.
Chaotic, loud, impossible to understand—
But mine.
(End of Chapter)
A/N:
This was bizarre to write—and probably unnecessary to some—but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time, ever since the Spiderverse arc in MLS.
So please, don't judge me.
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."