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Hector was smiling like an idiot.
He and the rest of the team were taking a quick coffee break in a nearby caffe to where their workplace was located, and they seated themselves at their normal table whilst they sipped on coffee and Paris bought himself a chocolate muffin using Hector’s money, of course, but it didn’t mean much to him today.
And how could it? Not when his son had spoken his first ever words.
It was a strange morning. He and Andromache were tangled in each-others limbs and Hector woke to her snoring, and found her drool on his chest. He didn’t mind it because it meant that she was having a particularly good dream, and since she doesn’t sleep often in the night, he finds this lovely.
He kisses the top of her head and tangles his finger with one of her curly strands of hair, before carefully removing himself from under her and moving the comforter to her shoulders. He gave her one last kiss on her temple and was careful with his steps so that she wouldn’t wake by the creaking of their house, and when he left the room, he was in a particularly good mood.
He walked over to where Astyanax slept in the room just next to theirs and he heard some blubbering from the other side of the door. He was in the process of forming his words now and so whenever they were doing particularly anything he would point and make a strange sound with his mouth. And Andromache would giggle and say what it was to him, to which he only continued in a language that none of them could speak.
And so it was to his absolute delight when he opened the door and his son tightened his fingers around the wooden bars of his crib and spoke the words that would soften his heart and send him to the moon and the stars and all of the planets in the night sky in turn.
“Dada,” was all he said.
And Hector embraced him in his arms and lifted him to the sky and turned around, turned this way and that, kissed him a hundred times, and he laughed so hard that tears started to come out of his eyes. Though this all happened to wake Andromache, who stumbled into the room and rubbed her eyes, and found Hector crying and their boy staring back at her completely blankly.
Hector embraced her and kissed her temple and told her of what had happened and she began to freak out too, and tried to coax him into saying it again but he didn’t because he didn’t understand a thing of what they were telling him, so Andromache is yet to hear him say his first word.
And it was dad. It was him. His little light knows him, recognises him as his father and knows that of him. And he’s Hector’s son and he’s so absolutely infatuated with him that thinking about him makes him so unbelievably happy. He thinks about all of this and misses something his brother Helenus tells him.
”You alright?” He asks Hector. “You seem a little out of it today.”
”He’s not,” Paris said, chewing on his muffin. “Astyanax said his first word.”
”What? And nobody told me?!” Helenus looked between his brothers and then looked towards Hector. “What did he say?”
”Dada.” Hector smiles wider, if that’s even possible.
Helenus congratulates him and Paris only shrugs and continues to eat his muffin, when the coffee shop bell rings and Paris’ jaw drops. Hector doesn’t mind much about who’s there because he’s so unbelievably happy and Paris is always making strange comments about the woman in their work force and whatnot. But this catches Helenus eye, who cares more for all this than him, and he laughs when he sees who it is.
“Hah, cat got your tongue?”
”Shut up!” Paris said and lifted his chin, and then brushed his jacket and stood up and out of his seat. “Hey! Helen!”
They turned around and Hector heard her presumably walking towards them. He watched Helen envelop Paris in a hug and she waved at the two of them in a greeting.
”Hey!” She grins at the two of them, and smiles just a bit wider when she sees that he’s smiling just as wide. Somebody calls her name and she excuses herself for just a moment and then returns later with Penelope and a pushchair.
Penelope greets them all and she finds Hector staring down at Telemachus, which just makes him smile wider when he imagines his boy getting a bit older, and he imagines him speaking and reaching for him. He imagines them going on walks and playing catch and helping him with homework and he imagines so many things that start with the fumblings of language learning.
“Hows Andromache?” Penelope asks him kindly and Hector sees the stars in her eyes. He smiles back at her.
”She’s well.”
“And Astyanax?”
Hector grins, “He’s well too. He just said his first word today.”
Her face drops into one of shock and then the tips of her lips raise into a smile, “No way! What did he say?”
”Dad.”
Penelope laughs and pats his shoulder, “I’m so happy for you.”
He laughs, “Me and Andy were waiting to see what he would say first. She was dead set on making sure he said mom first, but I came out victorious in the end.”
Penelope laughed at this story, “Me and Odysseus were the same story. Except one day I found him whispering to him, and turns out he was just trying to coax him into saying mama. And after all that, guess what happened?”
”What?”
”He said dada first!”
Hector laughs.
He wonders if Andromache did the same for him. It sounds like it’s something she would have done.
”No.”
”Yes! I wanted to be mad but he was so happy and I couldn’t, you know?” Penelope grins and Hector watches as she remembers it all in her head. She looks back down to her sleeping baby.
”One day they’re going to be the best of friends,” Penelope smiles.
“Yeah.”
Penelope and Andromache were good friends growing up and having their children be friends too seemed like something from a movie. But they met up often enough as it was and Hector hopes that they’ll be the best of friends for their sakes. And it will be nice for his boy to have a friend.
They chat for a bit more and then Penelope sighs, “We have to go now. Give my regards to Andromache, yes?”
”Of-course.”
Hector squeezes her hand and then she collects Helen and pulls her away from Paris and his messy hands and Helenus laughter, and they push themselves out of the door and leave the establishment.
Paris let out a satisfied sigh and watched them through the windows, “Isn’t she divine?”
”I thought she was dating Menelaus.”
Paris rolled his eyes, “Why must you ruin everything?”
”Sorry! Just letting you.”
”And no, she isn’t. Menelaus just likes her so he makes a fool of himself.”
Paris smiles at the thought of her and Hector smiles at the thought of his boy, currently staying with his mother at home, keeping her company as she made lunch for herself.