If you haven't watched Cleo/Etho's perspective in Limited Life, this will make no sense.

—

There was a knock on the door.

A knock that she had been dreading.

"Why hello, darling." Etho said with a voice of silk, pulling out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. He was a well dressed man, a wearing a dark suit and fedora, his snowy white hair hidden underneath his hat. Cleo's pale face heated up with a light blush, though it might have been from the fact that she looked as though she was about to explode from anger. She snatched the flowers from her ex-husband, clutching them hard enough to turn her knuckles white. He smirked in a way that looked smug, as if he had won her back in some way, before strolling past the redhead.

Taking off his fedora, Etho ran his gloved hand through his snowy-white hair. "My, something smells good. Must be dinner." He said casually, placing his hat on the coat rack by the front door. Cleo walked past him, giving a slight hum without looking her former partner in the eyes. She walked over to a waste bin in the kitchen, dropping the bouquet in the trash.

"A little harsh, don't you think?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. His ex-wife stayed silent.

The pitter-patter of footsteps echoed through the house, Bdubs rushing down the stairs with a wide grin across his face. "Dad!" He exclaimed with a huge grin, an adorable gap between his front two teeth.

"Hey kiddo!" Etho laughed, bending down onto one knee with his arms open. Bdubs ran into his father's embrace, quickly being scooped up. "How's my favorite kid doing?"

"I lost a toof!" He said with a whistle as he spoke, giving a large smile to show off the missing tooth.

"Wowie, and you've gotten so big!"

"Uh-huh. And strong." Bdubs smiled proudly, his father rustling his hair with a laugh.

"Most definitely. Now, where's that brother of yours?" Etho asked as he set the young boy down, glancing around for his other child.

Scar was watching from the steps of the stairs, his feet tapping against the floor as he slowly walked down to meet his father. "Hi dad." The slightly older brother greeted rather nervously, clinging to the railing of the stairs.

"What are you doing over there? Come and give your dad a hug!"

"Etho." Cleo shot a glare at the father, "He doesn't owe you a hug."

"Oh please, he loves me. Isn't that right, Scat?"

"I-it's Scar—"

"Yeah, yeah." Etho waved his hand to dismiss the young child, walking over to his ex-wife in the kitchen. "My, this all looks so delicious. You're just as wonderful at cooking as I remember."

Cleo glanced over her shoulder, her eyes tired as she gave a warm smile to her children. "Boys, go and wash up please."

"Okay mom!" Scar smiled, grabbing his brothers hand before running off to the bathroom. Her smile quickly shifted into a frown, her eyes shooting an icy glare towards Etho.

"Don't act so friendly." She scoffed, turning back to the dinner over the stove. "You and I are over. The only reason you're here is to make Bdubs happy."

"Awe, come on." Etho cooed, wrapping his arms around the redhead from behind. "You miss me, don't you?"

"You better get your hands off me before I smack you with this pan." Cleo growled, causing her ex to pull away.

"Alright, alright. You're still as feisty as ever. I always liked that."

"Shut up before I make you leave, you—"

"Mom?" Bdubs tilted his head to the side, his eyes wide with innocence.

"Oh! Honey, I didn't see you there." She smiled, lifting Bdubs into her arms. "That was quick. You must be hungry. Hurry and help your brother wash and set the table, I need to talk to your father in the other room."

"Okay mom!" He said, his mother placing the young boy back onto the floor.

Once he left, the redhead shot an icy glare at her ex. Etho just smirked, walking into the dining room to wait for dinner. He sat down at the head of the table, Bdubs pushing his chair to sit right next to his father. "Are you gonna be here all night dad?" The young boy asked excitedly, bouncing up and down in his seat with the palms of his hands pressed against the table.

"Oh, we'll see what your mother says. But who knows, maybe she'll let you spend some time at my place." He said, his gaze shifting as his ex wife walked into the dining room. She carried two plates, Scar behind her with two more.

Creamy mashed potatoes alongside a thick steak, as well as grilled asparagus for dinner. Cleo set Etho's plate down, practically dropping it on the table while avoiding his gaze. Scar put his brother's plate on the table before walking over to his seat to set down his own dish. The redhead walked out of the room, disappearing for a few moments before reappearing with a tall glass of red wine.

"Mommy got her special juice." Bdubs snickered, while Scar kept his eyes glued to his plate.

Cleo practically flopped into her chair, right across from Etho. The table was long, though it still felt too close. She wanted her ex out of her house, out of her life. All he did was smirk while picking up a fork and a knife, before digging into the steak. "My, this steak is a bit overcooked." He commented, clearly just to piss his ex wife off. All she did was smile in response before taking a long sip of wine.

"Well Scum—, I mean, Scar, how've you been? You haven't said much since I got here." Etho asked, the sound of utensils scraping against the glass plates filling the room with an awkward silence.

"Um, good." Scar answered rather awkwardly, struggling to cut his dinner. Bdubs had his steak on a fork, trying to bite off pieces rather than use the knife to cut through the meat.

Etho frowned. "You were much more talkative when you were younger." He said, staring down at his dinner to continue cutting through the overcooked steak.

"Maybe it's because you've been an absent father most of his life." Cleo muttered while drinking her wine, glaring at her ex from across the table. She set down her glass, glancing towards her younger son. "Here Bdubs, let me help you with that sweetie."

"No!" He frowned, setting his steak down on his dish before pushing the plate towards his father. "I want dad to cut it for me."

Etho's smug grin made Cleo want to puke, causing the redhead to pour herself a second glass of wine. Scar pushed his dinner plate towards his mother, looking up at her with wide eyes of innocence. "Can you cut my steak, mom?" He asked, causing Cleo to set down the bottle and smile for the first time in the night.

"Yes sweetie, of course." She cooed, using a steak knife and fork to slice the pieces into easier to chew pieces before handing the plate back to her child.

Etho stood up from his chair suddenly, using a napkin to wipe his lips. "Kids, would you excuse your mother and I for a few moments?" He asked, glancing towards his ex.

She grumbled, standing up from her chair as Etho dragged her into the kitchen and out of earshot of the kids. "Alright, what do you want?" She asked, arms crossed with a stern glare.

"C'mon Cleo," Her former husband said, arms opened. "Don't you just feel like this can work out? Us and the kids, a real family again."

He took her hand, clasping it. "We can go back to the way things were, hm? I'll even start buying that expensive wine you love, I know you can't afford it now."

She scoffed, pulling her hand away. "Like I'd ever remarry you, asshole."

"Darling, are you still mad at me? I mean, that was so long ago. I would have thought you moved on by now."

"Moved— moved on?!" She nearly screamed. If it weren't for her kids in the other room, she would have screamed until her throat was sore. "Etho, you cheated on me in our bedroom with three guys at once. I walked in on you with those guys! What if I were one of the kids?!"

"Calm down, you know I was just having a bit of fun." He said, rolling his eyes. "You'd like them, anyways. Tango, Impulse, Skizz, they're a lot of fun. Not just in bed."

"Ugh, you're so immature."

"Come on baby, who paid for this house you and the kids are living in? Who pays the bills?" He snapped, crossing his arms with a cold stare.

"The divorce settlement and child support payments." She sneered back.

Etho rolled his eyes. "Darling, I could buy you the most expensive diamonds you could ever ask for. I can get you a house on a lake with a full-time nanny to take care of the kids. You may have gotten the house in the divorce, but I actually had the money to afford the best lawyer money could buy. I may be paying child support, but it sure as hell isn't enough to pay for your needs too."

It was true, Etho had gotten a shark of a lawyer. One that was able to take everything she had. The house, custody over the kids, every single asset could have been his. He was being generous in the court, letting her keep the house. Etho wasn't just a wealthy man, he was filthy rich. He didn't need the house. The child support was pocket change to him.

Truthfully, it would be pocket change to most. The money wasn't a lot. Just enough to cover meals and food. Etho paid for the expenses of the house, taxes and repairs and such. Cleo didn't have much for herself. Even if she lived in a rather extravagant, beautiful house, she was rather poor. Sometimes Etho would send her gifts at random, possibly to try to win her back. She would take the pricy gifts and sell them, earning herself a bit of spending cash in the process.

Her ex leaned in close, bringing her back to the moment. "You could use a nice long spa weekend trip, don't you think? Come on, I'll be your personal bank. You and I get back together, I pay and take care of you. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a terrible idea." She growled, "Aren't you still living with those boyfriends of yours? Why the hell do you even want to be in my life?"

"What can I say? You've just always caught my eye. You're someone I couldn't charm, it was a nice challenge." Etho smirked with a wink.

Cleo crossed her arms, turning her back on her ex. "Let's just go and finish this dinner. Then you can keep being an absent father and you can stay out of my life."

"Hm. Fine." He said, walking back to the dining room. Cleo took a moment, leaning against the counter of the kitchen with a heavy sigh. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, she would need more than just a few glasses of wine to get through the rest of this night.

When she walked back into the dining room, Etho had a smirk on his face, as if he had done something. Bdubs was bouncing up and down in his seat, practically beaming with excitement. Scar on the other hand, looked like he was about to be sick.

"Mommy, mom! Guess what? Dad said I can come to his house for the week! Can I mom? Please?" The young boy asked, causing the redhead to grip her wineglass for support. If she tightened her hold anymore it would have shattered in her hand.

She sat down in her chair, taking a long sip of alcohol while Etho watched. With a sigh, she set down the glass. "Sure, honey." She said, defeated with eyes filled with sorrow. Bdubs jumped out of his chair with a gigantic grin on his face, running out of the room to head upstairs to pack his things.

"Smart choice." Etho chuckled, lifting up his wine glass. "You don't want me going back to the courts to get full custody, now do you?"

"No." She said, her gaze falling to the floor.

"Good." He said, rising from his seat while adjusting his tie. "Thank you for dinner, dear. I'll head up and help Bdubs pack. You're welcome to come too, Scar."

The older child looked towards his mother, her eyes saddened and tired, as if she had given up. "I'll stay here." He said to his father, who nodded before walking out of the dining room.

Cleo snatched the bottle of wine off of the dinner table, rising from her seat. "Mom? Where are you going?" Scar asked, still seated at the table, his green eyes wide with curiosity.

"Mommy needs some time alone, honey." She said, her back facing her child. "I'll see you in the morning. Get yourself ready for bed tonight."

She walked out of the room, taking a swig of alcohol as she left. Scar frowned, hearing her bedroom door slam and lock. Footsteps echoed down the stairs, Bdubs carrying a backpack full of clothes and toys. He and his brother made eye contact, the two staring at each other for a few moments. Etho came down the stairs after his son, placing a hand on his back. "Come on, the car is outside waiting for us."

"Bye bye Scar!" Bdubs said happily, following his dad out of the house, and leaving Scar alone at the dinner table.

—

Etho walked into his house, holding his son's hand as they entered the living room. There were three unfamiliar men hanging around on the couches, drinking alcohol and laughing with one another. Bdubs hid behind his father's leg, though Etho practically shoved him forward. "Boys, you remember me talking about my kid. This is Bdubs." He said, gesturing towards the young boy.

"Hey kid." The one with blonde hair said, taking a sip of his alcohol. "Your dad is pretty good in bed."

"What Tango means to say—" another man interrupted, wearing a black shirt with a yellow 'i' on the center. "—is that your dad is really good at building pillow forts."

"C'mon Impy, the kid probably knows about sex! He looks to be like, I dunno, nine?" A blue-eyed male said, wearing a suit with the sleeves ripped off.

"I'm four." Bdubs smiled innocently, glancing up at his father while tugging at his clothes. "Dad, what's sex?"

Etho laughed while ruffling his son's hair, though it sounded forced as he glared at Skizz and Tango. "We'll talk about that when you're older, come on, I'll show you your room."

He shot another glare at the three, taking his son by the hand before dragging him off. Impulse shook his head. "You two are idiots." He said, cracking open a new can of beer.

"Drunk idiots." Skizz corrected.

"Don't act like you don't love us." Tango smirked, "I mean, last night—"

"Oh my gosh." Impulse sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We are not talking about our 'adult activities' with a four year old in the house. You two are way too drunk."

"Hey, you're pretty drunk too!" The blonde slurred.

"I'm a reasonable drunk. I'm not 'explaining to kids what sex is' drunk!"

"I swear I'm going to kill you three." Etho snapped as he stormed into the living room alone.

"Where's the kid?" Skizz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In his room. I bought a crap ton of toys before he got here. That'll keep him entertained for a bit." Said the father, flopping down in an armchair with a sigh.

"Why did you even bring the brat here?" Tango asked, tossing an unopened can of alcohol to Etho. "I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with those kids."

"Eh. I like pissing Cleo off. And apparently Bdubs looks up to me, or something like that." He rolled his eyes, taking a swig of the beer.

"Revenge! I like it." Skizz smirked.

"How did family dinner go?" Impulse asked.

"Crappy, like I thought it would." Etho said with a laugh. "Cleo is probably in her bedroom drinking right now, ha!"

"Why do you even let her live there, man? Kick her to the curb!" Tango laughed, taking another swig of alcohol.

He shrugging, sipping his own drink. "Dunno. I'm rich man, I don't care about letting her live there."

"It feels like you're still hung up on her." Skizz frowned, the room going silent.

"So what if I am." Etho eventually said, drinking more of his beer.

"I'd be down to let her join in on the fun." Tango smirked, while Impulse let out a bothered sigh.

"You guys are so gross." He said, placing down his can of alcohol before standing up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Skizz asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm going to check on the kid to make sure he's alright." Impulse said, walking out of the living room.

He turned to head up the stairs at the front of the house, though he froze when he saw Bdubs. He had been sitting there, listening to the entire conversation. Tears were in his eyes, as he grabbed a stuffed horse before running back up to his bedroom and slamming the door. Impulse followed him up the stairs, knocking gently on the door. "Bdubs?" He asked, ear against the door.

"Go away!" The young boy sobbed, though Impulse twisted the handle of the door and walked in. He was curled up in a ball, sobbing in bed while clutching the horse close to his chest.

Impulse sat down on the edge of the bed, silent. "Dad doesn't like me." He sobbed, "He doesn't like mom or Scar! Dad is mean! He's a meanie!"

"I know, Buddy. He's just...confused."

Bdubs cried into his pillow, while Impulse sat and thought for a couple minutes. He stood up and walked out of the bedroom, leaving for about ten minutes. The child cried to himself for a while, no one caring enough to check on him. After a little bit, Impulse came back with a few suitcases full of his things. "Come on, bud." He said, "Let's pack up these toys."

"W-...what?" Bdubs sniffed, holding his horse plush to his chest.

"I'm gonna take you back home to your mom, okay?" Impulse said, the young boy's eyes lighting up.

"Rweally?" He asked with another sniffle, Impulse smiling as he nodded.

"Yep. Come on, I'll help you pack."

Impulse packed up all of the young child's toys, clothes, coloring books, and everything else that Etho had bought for his son. He carried the suitcases down the stairs, with Bdubs following close behind, their feet pattering against the wooden flooring. Impulse peaked into the living room, his partner's passed out with empty cans of beer scattered around their feet. He frowned, grabbing the car keys off of the table besides the front door.

"Come on little buddy, let's get you home."

—

Cleo answered the knock on the door, dressed in old sweatpants and a dirty hoodie. Scar was sitting at the dinner table still, though he was drawing in a coloring book, crayons and markers scattered around the table. Her eyes lit up in surprise as she opened the door, Bdubs rushing inside and hugging his mother's leg.

"Mom!" He smiled up at her.

"B-Bdubs? How did you—?!"

"Sorry, I took him home." Impulse said as he walked up the steps of the house, carrying a couple of suitcases with him. "I-I'm sorry, I probably should have called, but—"

"Nono, it's okay." Cleo assured him, "Thank you. I don't think Etho really wanted him there." She said, making sure to cover her son's ears as she spoke.

"Y-yeah, I didn't want to have Bdubs in that environment. Etho isn't the most mature person..."

Cleo stared at him for a moment. "Do I...know you? You look oddly familiar."

"I...um...you caught Etho in bed with three other guys and uh, I was one of them. I-I didn't know he was married, I swear! I would have never done that if I had known."

"Hm." She hummed, bending down to see her son. "Bdubs, why don't you go see your brother in the dining room?"

"Okay mom!" He smiled, running off to find his older brother. As he left the room, Cleo's face turned into a frown.

She looked at Impulse, her gaze cold. "Have you still been dating him?" She asked, her voice stern.

Slowly, Impulse nodded. "He's, uh—, h-hard to break up with." He said, blushing. "And...I didn't want to lose Tango and Skizz. We've been together for years now. And even though Etho is the newest member of our couple...I think they would choose him over me."

"Etho...is charming. He's hard to say no to." Cleo admitted.

He sighed. "Yeah. I didn't want to make them choose between him and me. And while I liked Etho, I never liked how he cheated and lied. So I just...stayed with them, I guess."

The two stared at the floor, silence taking over their conversations. After a few awkward moments, Impulse cleared his throat. "Well, uh, t-these are for your kids." He said, handing over a suitcase.

Cleo raised an eyebrow, looking down at the bag then up at Impulse. "What is all this?"

"Oh, well, Etho bought a lot of toys for Bdubs, so I packed them up and brought them along. It's not like he'll need them."

"And what about those?" She asked, pointing out the two suitcases that were sitting by Impulse's feet.

"Um, those are...my things. I packed up what I could and...and well, I left." He admitted, rather embarrassed as he spoke. "I'm...going to stay with my parents until I can set up a new place to stay. They live out of town, so I have a bit of driving to do, heh."

Cleo looked over her shoulder towards the kids, then back at Impulse. "Why don't you stay here?" She offered with a smile.

"Oh, nono, I couldn't—"

"It's okay, we have a spare room that you can stay in. It's the least I could do to thank you for helping Bdubs."

"I wouldn't want to make things awkward, a-after what I did—"

"Please, if anyone is at fault here, it's Etho." She laughed, her red hair slightly falling in her face. "Come on in, I have leftovers from dinner."

He blushed slightly, but he reluctantly nodded. "O-okay, thank you. I'm Impulse."

"Cleo. I'll get you a glass of wine." She said, though Impulse shook his head with a laugh.

"No thanks, I uh, think I'm done with alcohol for a while."

"Suit yourself. I'll show you to your room."

Impulse smiled, slightly blushing as he picked up his bags and followed Cleo inside.