Jay's own throat tightened, but he forced himself to remain functional. He needed to understand what was happening to this child's memories and why.
He shifted in his chair, leaning forward slightly to get closer to Luv's eye level. When he spoke, his voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Buddy, what was the last thing you remember? Before waking up here?"
Luv's small face scrunched up with concentration. His blue eyes went distant as he searched his memories, his small hands fidgeting with the hem of Jay's oversized t-shirt. Getting syrup on it.
When he spoke, his voice was small and uncertain, like recounting a nightmare he didn't fully understand.
"I remember... I was in a bad dream. A really, really bad dream." His voice wavered, becoming smaller. "Everything hurt. And it was dark and scary and I was alone and..."
His lower lip started to tremble. His small hands clenched into fists in the t-shirt fabric.
"I kept calling for Mom because I was scared and I wanted her to make it stop..."
Then something happened.
The air around Luv began to shimmer. Subtle at first, like heat waves rising from pavement. The light bent strangely around his small form, and for just a fraction of a second, Jay saw something terrifying. Reality itself seemed to ripple outward from the child in concentric waves, responding to his emotional distress.
Jay's null field flared instinctively, as a sphere of pure negation expanding from his position to encompass Luv before the kid could even blink. The reality distortion collapsed like a popped soap bubble before it could manifest fully enough for the child to notice.
Jay felt Domino's sharp intake of breath. Her eyes met his across the table, wide with understanding and relief. They'd both seen it and understood what almost happened.
But Luv noticed nothing. The moment passed so quickly and was suppressed so completely by Jay's power that the child's distress never peaked.
His expression brightened suddenly, transforming from fear to joy so quickly it gave both adults whiplash.
"And then Mom came!" Luv's voice rose with excitement, his small body practically bouncing in his seat as he turned to look at Domino with absolute adoration. "She found me in the dark and she held my hand and she made the bad dream go away! She said I was safe now and I didn't have to be scared anymore and then I woke up here and I was hungry!"
He threw himself at Domino without warning, small arms wrapping around her waist in a fierce hug that made her gasp. His syrup-sticky hands left marks on her tank top, but she didn't seem to care.
Domino's arms came up automatically, pulling the child close against her chest. Her eyes were streaming now, tears falling freely as she held Luv like he was the most precious thing in the universe.
Jay's suspicion crystallized into certainty.
The resurrection had affected Luv's memories. When Domino pulled his soul from the spiritual plane, something had imprinted. Her presence in that moment of transition, her voice promising safety, and her comfort during his most terrifying experience, all of it had become foundational to his new consciousness.
Jay swallowed hard against the emotion threatening to overwhelm him. This child, this innocent boy who'd been created by villains and nearly killed, had been given a second chance. A clean slate and a life free from whatever coding the Cabal had intended.
But he needed to be certain and to confirm one more thing.
Jay stood carefully, moving around the table to crouch beside Luv, still in Domino's embrace. He positioned himself at the child's eye level, his expression open and gentle despite the fear clenching his chest. His null field still hummed quietly, a protective buffer he wouldn't drop until he was certain the kid was stable.
"Hey buddy," he said softly, waiting until Luv's blue eyes focused on him. "Do you remember me?"
Luv pulled back from Domino slightly, wiping his nose with the back of one syrup-sticky hand. He turned to study Jay with intense concentration, tilting his head first one way, then the other. His small face scrunched up again as he searched his memories, looking for any familiarity.
He stared at Jay's face for a long moment. Then he reached out with one small hand, as if to touch Jay's cheek, but stopped halfway. His fingers curled back uncertainly.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity compressed into seconds, Luv spoke.
"No." The word came out with absolute certainty, no hesitation or doubt. "I don't remember you." His voice got smaller, almost apologetic. "I'm sorry."
Then he turned to look at Domino, his small hand tugging on her tank top to get her attention.
"Mommy, who is this guy?"
Domino's expression was complicated, a mix of heartbreak for Jay and fierce protective love for this child. She pulled Luv back against her chest, one hand moving to stroke his brown hair with infinite gentleness.
"It's okay, sweetie," she said, her voice shaking but determined to remain calm for Luv's sake. "This is... this is someone very important. Someone you should remember but..."
Jay raised a hand, stopping her mid-sentence. His smile was gentle despite the ache in his chest, understanding and acceptance mixing with determination to make this right.
"No need to worry about it, buddy," he said, his voice carrying warmth and reassurance. "Maybe you just slept a little too hard. It happens sometimes."
He laughed, the sound deliberately light to ease the tension building in the room.
Luv's expression relaxed slightly at Jay's easy acceptance, but his small brow remained furrowed with confusion and worry.
Jay's mind worked quickly, processing information and making decisions.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what came next.
"Buddy, do you remember your name?"
Luv's small face scrunched up with concentration again. His blue eyes went distant as he searched his memories, looking for that fundamental piece of identity.
Seconds stretched into what felt like minutes. Luv's expression shifted from concentration to confusion to growing distress.
"I..." His voice came out small and scared. "I don't... I can't..."
His breath hitched and small shoulders started to shake.
Water filled his eyes, building at the corners before spilling over. His small hands clenched into fists against Domino's tank top, and his breathing hitched with the precursor to full crying.
Jay moved faster than he thought.
His hands coming up to gently cup the child's small face. His thumbs brushed away tears that continued to fall despite his efforts.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jay's voice was soft and soothing, carrying absolute certainty. "Don't cry, buddy. I know your name. Do you want me to tell you?"
Luv nodded frantically, his small body trembling with emotion he didn't understand. His blue eyes fixed on Jay with desperate hope. "Yes please," he whispered.
"Your name is Luv," Jay said clearly, letting each syllable carry weight and meaning. "That's what you're called. Luv."
The child's trembling began to slow as he processed the information. He repeated the name quietly, testing how it felt in his mouth.
"Luv," he whispered. "Luv. Luv." He said it a few more times, like he was trying to memorize it. "My name is Luv."
Then his small voice rose with a question that made both adults' hearts clench.
"Why is that my name?"
Jay and Domino exchanged a look across the small space. So much passed between them in that single glance: understanding, agreement, shared commitment to this child and his future. Love compressed into a moment of perfect unity.
They smiled at each other, and then both turned to Luv.
Domino spoke first, her voice thick with emotion but carrying absolute certainty. "Your name means you're proof of our love."
Jay continued seamlessly, his words flowing into hers like they'd rehearsed this moment despite never discussing it. "It means you're precious to us. That you're wanted and cherished."
Domino's hand moved to stroke Luv's hair again, her touch infinitely gentle. "It means no matter what happens, no matter what challenges come, you'll always have a home with us."
Jay's thumb traced across Luv's cheek, wiping away the last traces of tears and some syrup. "It means you're ours. Our son. Our family."
They'd finished each other's sentences naturally, creating a complete explanation that was greater than the sum of its parts. Speaking with one voice, making one promise, offering one certainty to this child who'd lost everything but found them in the darkness.
Luv's small face transformed.
The fear and confusion drained away, replaced by understanding that went deeper than words. His blue eyes brightened with joy that looked almost painful in its intensity. His trembling stopped completely as certainty settled over him like a warm blanket.
He looked at Domino, his expression carrying absolute trust. "You're my Mom."
Then he turned to Jay, and his small voice carried wonder mixed with hope. "Are you my Dad?"
Jay's breath caught in his throat.
The question was so simple, so innocent, carrying no weight of expectation or demand. Just a child seeking confirmation of what his heart already knew, looking for permission to claim this connection.
Jay's vision blurred as moisture built behind his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to maintain composure, but it was useless. Tears fell freely as he nodded, unable to speak around the emotion clogging his throat.
Finally, he managed to force words past the constriction.
"Yeah, buddy," his voice came out rough and broken but carrying absolute truth. "Yeah, I'm your Dad."
Luv's entire face lit up like someone had turned on a light from inside.
He threw himself at Jay without warning, small arms wrapping around his neck in a hug that carried all the force his five-year-old body could manage. Jay caught him automatically, pulling the child close against his chest, one hand cradling the back of Luv's head while the other supported his small body. Getting syrup all over himself in the process, but Jay didn't care.
"Dad!" Luv's voice was muffled against Jay's shoulder but carrying such pure joy that it made Jay's chest ache. "I have a Mom. Now, I also have a Dad!"
Domino stood from her chair, her own vision blurred with tears as she wrapped her arms around both of them. Creating a cocoon of warmth and safety and love around this child who'd survived death and found new life in their arms.
[Image Here]
They stayed like that for long minutes, three people forming a unit that was greater than the sum of its parts. A family built not from blood or fate but from choice and the deliberate decision to love despite every reason not to.
Eventually, Luv pulled back slightly. His small face was flushed from crying and excitement, blue eyes bright with happiness. He looked between Domino and Jay with an expression of such contentment that it made both adults' hearts clench.
"Can we have more breakfast?" he asked, his voice carrying the innocent certainty that food solved all problems. "Dad can make some more! And then can we go outside? I want to see where we live! Can we? Please?"
Jay and Domino laughed through their tears.
"Yeah, buddy," Jay said, his voice still rough but steadier now. "We can do all of that. But first, how about we prepare you a bath and get you some actual clothes instead of wearing my shirt like a dress?"
Luv looked down at himself, noticing for the first time how the oversized t-shirt hung on his small frame. And how much syrup he'd gotten on it. He giggled, the sound pure and filled with such uncomplicated joy that it made the entire cave seem brighter.
"Okay, Dad!"
And just like that, their new life began.
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