Your_dad is really YOUR dad

After dropping Natasha at home Ali wanted to go and check on the protagonist who's hospitalized with his right leg broken and a couple of other cuts and scratches here and there, but then the chubby girl pulled him in for a game, saying there was someone who was bullying her daily and she needed to teach him a lesson.

"Please, he's a bad guy who doesn't even go easy on me. He even laughs like an 'idiot' (whisper) after defeating me."

Seeing her pleading look and those hopeful eyes, Ali couldn't refuse and finally nodded his head.

Soon Ali took the controls and started playing, while Sia just sat there with headphones on, laughing and screaming at every hit.

"Hahaha take that sucker. You got boomed."

"Ahaha lost again, loser."

"Gonna cry , big guy. Hehehe do you want me to go easy on you."

"Hehehaha la La La loser."

..

After defeating the same guy for over a dozen times, Sia finally got bored and dozed off to sleep on the sofa. Still mumbling and laughing now and then in her sleep.

[Game over.]

[You win.]

After knocking out the opponent for one more time, Ali too stopped playing. Though even after all this screen time he wasn't bored at all, if anything there was a slight smile on his face. He glanced at Sia and then at the username of the guy whom he defeated. - 'Your_dad' and shook his head and opened the system panel which was beeping a lot.

Ignoring the messages about evil points he got for killing a guy and villain points he received for crippling the protagonist for a while and ruining his moment to shine, Ali focused his attention to the latest pings.

[You have crossed paths with a new protagonist.]

[As the system is in sleep mode, the corresponding details of the next protagonist and quest related to them cannot be issued.]

[System suggests the host to solve his first mission protagonist first before angering another favored son of heavens.]

Ali read everything and glanced at the sleeping kid near him, "This 'your-dad' is really YOUR dad huh." As he said those words he couldn't help but laugh out loud. "hahahaha fucking idiot."

"Hey, no cursing near my daughter."

A sudden shout broke Ali's thoughts and he turned around and saw her standing by the door.

"She's asleep so." Ali said, shrugging his shoulders.

Hearing that Natasha glanced at her daughter surprised that she could even fall asleep this early. "She must've been tired." She said before coming in and taking Sia to her bed and tucking her in.

"Yeah, you?"

"A little."

"You should take a break." Ali suggested as he remembered how he planned to propose this earlier. He wanted to give her a break once he was 'fully recovered' and can get his mom's permission to start working, but after what happened today, a break now, might be more needed.

"Don't worry about work or something for a couple of days, I'll handle it. Just stay at home , or something."

"What? No, Ali, look if it's about what happened today, I told you I'm fine." Natasha said while shaking her head, "And besides what'll I do at home, I'll just get bored all day."

"First of all, it's not about today. Like I haven't seen you take a break for forever now, so you earned it. And second, how can you get bored when you have an energetic talker like her to accompany you.

You know, spend some mother-daughter bonding time. I'm sure with your work and her school and tuition, it must've been hard, so ..."

"God, no." Ali was saying something when Natasha interrupted him "She'll eat my brain if I stop her school."

"But she's a good girl?"

"Oh yeah, that's just cause you don't see her daily. She's just acting good in front of you, I'm literally scared she might burn the house down when I leave for work." Natasha said with a chuckle. "Or empty the fridge."

"Well, then maybe you can bring her over to my place, there's a little girly living there who's also quite an actor and a sweet tooth." Ali said, placing his hand over the sleeping doll.

"Your sister?"

"N_no, a little one. Something 4 or 5 years old. I'm sure both girls would love the company and that way, it's not your house that burns, or empties." Ali replied.

"Who's she, some cousin?"

"Nah, just _ someone I found _somewhere."

Ali said and then sort of explained it a little.

After hearing everything Natasha shook her head and asked "Well, if she's as cute and smart as you say she is, then won't these two cause chaos together?"

"Ohh oo, yeah they might." Hearing the question Ali replied subconsciously and then both of them broke into laughter.

As they smiled heartily Ali's eyes froze for a moment seeing the scene of picturesque perfection in front of him.

'Damn, is it our halo messing with my brain, or are all the heroines really so good.' He couldn't help but mutter in his heart, seeing Natasha, who looked much more happy and beautiful than normal at this moment.

Like maybe it was cause she didn't have that workaholic aura or was wearing those tight fitting skirts, but in a loose gown and open hairs, but dang, was it magnetic.

'Ohh fuck fuck fuck, that's definitely the halo.' Ali cursed as he looked back and saw Natasha had stopped smiling some time and was now looking at him with a look that he hadn't seen before.

'stupid halo affecting my emotions' Ali said, pushing all the blame on his poor villain role, who's destined to like and lick the heroines.

After a few moments the awkward silence and the scene of staring at each other was broken as Sia pulled the blanket over her head and mumbled in her sleep.

"Mama, light."

Hearing the voice they both coughed and looked away, only now did he notice they were talking all this time while sitting on both sides of Sia's bed. Their laughter probably broke her sleep.

"We should go out." Ali said as he stood up and walked away slowly so as not to disturb her again.

Natasha wanted to follow him too, but then as if on cue, just as she placed her hand on bed to stand up, Sia turned around and grabbed it. Placing her head onto her palms and rubbing her face on it like wiping her drooling face on a pillow.

"Ehh" Natasha looked at her daughter's actions and didn't know what to say. She tried pulling her hand out slowly, but it seemed the little girl held it too tightly. So she just turned her face at Ali in confusion.

Ali just chuckled and shook his head, "Well, looks like you're needed here."

"I _should go anyway, it's _ getting kinda late." he said and turned around to leave.

Natasha looked at him leaving and couldn't help but speak up. "You can stay here."

But as soon as those words left her mouth, a wave of embarrassment hit her mind, which only increased several folds when she saw Ali tilting his face and looking at her in confusion.

"I_ I mean, if.. If you want to thennn…" She tried to say something to salvage her shame but only ended up stuttering four times in a four word sentence.

"Good night, Nat." Ali responded with a chuckle and replied while shaking his head. "I was serious about the invitation and your leaves, so you better not cheat." he said and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Watching him leave and hearing his words, Natasha sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

'Cheat huh, what was I thinking!!!' she said in her heart, as her eyes landed on the silver ring on her right hand's finger. A trace of sadness passed her eyes, but then looking at her daughter, she just sighed and closed her eyes.

It wasn't night time yet, the sun hadn't even fully set in the sky outside, but with everything that happened, the pair of mother and daughter both fell asleep holding each other.

… .

Ali on the other hand got out of the room and just stood there. His eyes coldly staring at the system notifications he received when he thought of agreeing to Nat's request about staying earlier.

[If you do that, forget about killing Kevin and get ready to die.]