Caught and Released

Day In

Daniel woke to sunlight pouring through the window and an amazing smell he assumed was coming from the kitchen. He stretched, looking around the room now that there was more light. It was a cozy room, the walls a soft purple. Cartoon stars decorated the soft blue furniture. There were even star shaped pillows among the usual circles and rectangles. The bed he was on had wooden railings instead of a mesh screen and a set of stairs by his feet. He decided to climb off of the bed and look around the room. The door handle was just a bit out of reach, so he wasn't leaving until Amarvus got here. He found pillows, blankets, toys, and games. He was in the middle of throwing a ball into the air when Amarvus walked in.

"Well, look who is already up. Did you sleep well, Daniel?"

"Yeah, great. How about you?"

"I slept well, thank you. Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"Come on then. Breakfast is almost ready." Amarvus held the door open as Daniel walked past. They walked to the kitchen, where Punthia was at the counter. She turned around at the sound of footsteps.

"Oh, good morning Daniel. The kids are not up yet, so we have a few minutes of quiet time. Go ahead and take a seat, I will have your breakfast ready in a second." Amarvus helped him up to the chair.

"Thank you. It smells amazing."

Punthia smiled at that. "Thank you, sweetie. Amarvus, get over here and get Daniel his breakfast."

"Alright! I am coming!" He started collecting plates and placed one in front of Daniel. "I had better wake up the kids. You start eating before it gets cold." Daniel was given what looked like green pancakes. They tasted great, and he was halfway done by the time Amarvus came back with Oormila and Kangi close behind.

"Hi Daniel!"

"Did you sleep ok?"

"Hi, yes I slept well. Thank you."

"Yay!"

"Do you wanna play after breakfast?"

Punthia called from the stove. "Kids, let him finish breakfast. You can ask him after, ok?"

"Ok, Mom"

"Good, now have a seat and I will get you yours."

"Yay!!" They sat down and started eating the second it was put in front of them. Amarvus and Punthia sat down with their plates. The kids finished first, with Daniel close behind.

"So, do you wanna play?" Oormila asked, both kids staring at him expectantly.

"Uh, I guess. What do you want to do?"

"We could play outside. There is a trampoline in the backyard."

"Oh yeah! Uncle Marvus, can we use the trampoline? Please!!"

"Let me finish breakfast, then I will go out with you. Is that what you want to do Daniel?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun."

"Yay!!!" The kids stared at Amarvus as he ate, bouncing In their seats. He finally finished, and they stood up and tried dragging him towards the door.

"Wait, put your dishes in the sink. Then we can go." They grabbed their plates and rushed towards the sink. Amarvus took Daniel's plate as well as his own and placed them in the sink. "May I get you out of your seat?"

"Yep." Once Daniel was on the floor, he followed the kids to the door and down the stairs. The backyard was a good size, with red grass like plants and a trampoline built into the ground. The kids rushed over to it and started jumping.

"Come on Daniel! It is really fun!"

"Yeah! Come and try!"

"Ok." Daniel walked over and jumped on. It's been a while since he's been on one of these things. They jumped for a while, Amarvus watching them from a bench. They eventually grew tired and decided to take a break. They had played for longer than they thought, Amarvus saying that it was time for lunch. They headed back inside and Amarvus and Punthia started to make lunch.

"Alright, here you go darlings." They passed the lunches around the table. They sat down and began to eat.

"So, Daniel." Punthia spoke up. "What does your home look like?"

"Um, green plants. Lots of water." Daniel tried to think of more. "It has one moon, and it's the third closest planet from our sun."

"That sounds lovely." They continued to talk, Daniel talking about his home and Amarvus's family talking about theirs. They were soon finished with dinner and Daniel let out a yawn.

"I think it is time for a nap. Come here darling, I will take you to bed." Amarvus picked him up and brought him to his room. "Try and get some sleep dear, I will check on you in a little while."

"Wait, can you stay? Just for a bit." Amarvus smiled and kneeled in front of the bed, bringing a hand to Daniel's hair.

"Would you like me to talk to you until you doze off?"

"Yes please." Daniel snuggled further into the pillow. "Your family is nice."

"Thank you, dear. I will be sure to tell them." He continued to play with his hair. "I can tell they like you as well." Amarvus kept talking nonsense to Daniel until he nodded off.

After the nap, the rest of the day consisted mostly of cuddles. Punthia once asked if she could hold Daniel, which he was glad he agreed to. She was a natural when it came to cuddling, occasionally giving Daniel forehead kisses, which he didn't mind. They had dinner, then Daniel had a bath, and was soon being put to bed.

"Goodnight, Daniel. Sleep well." Amarvus paused for a moment, then decided to ask him, "May I kiss you? Just on your head." Daniel nodded, and was given a small kiss in his hair. "Goodnight, love." And with that, Amarvus left the room with a smile on his face, heading to bed himself.

A/N Hey! Thank you for reading! I'd love to know what you guys think so far.