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“Ladies and gentlemen, the newest member of the Sons of Calydon! Welcome to the gang, Daphne Lorenz.” Caesar declared and held up a toddler. The small girl wore a biker jacket but it was several sizes too large for her. Lighter had to smile fondly as he watched his friends fawn over his daughter. Daphne was also happy to have her honorary aunts playing with her. On the other hand, Wise became pale when Caesar added: “We also bought her a crossbow to match the biker jacket.”
“Please, don’t give Daphne a weapon until she can properly hold one. She’s already a menace with a rubber spoon.” He warned them but that only appeared to encourage them more. Burnice set Daphne on the ground and then placed the toy arrows in front of her. Wise couldn’t bring himself to be angry that they ignored him as he watched his daughter laugh.
Daphne ignored the toy. She was more fascinated by the boar embroidered on the hem of her new coat. The animal reminded her of her grandfather, Big Daddy. She pushed herself onto her feet and walked to Lighter to show her father the cartoon animal. Since she was only a year old, her steps were unsteady and slow. She never took her eyes off the boar and Wise was worried that she would trip. Lighter must’ve noticed as well because he quickly knelt in front of her and lifted her into his arms.
“Pa! This grandpa.” Daphne patted the boar on her jacket and then she gripped his scarf in her tiny hands. She was surprisingly strong as she tried to tug the scarf from his neck and take it for herself. The red scarf was important to Lighter since Big Daddy gave it to him when the Sons of Calydon became his family. Now, he wrapped the scarf around his Daphne and the family he made with Wise.
Years ago, he never imagined that he would escape the guilt he felt when he lost his friends. He merely lived to repay his debt to them and the Sons of Calydon. A part of Lighter always knew that neither would want that from him. He simply needed a reason for why his friends died while he escaped death despite being their leader. Now, he would do anything to protect Wise and Daphne and make them smile.
“She looks exactly like you, Lighter. I should commission a scarf and sunglasses for her next.” Lucy stood beside them and adjusted the scarf so she wouldn’t be smothered. Daphne pouted, thinking that she intended to take the scarf from her. She gripped the fabric and bit the golden broach. Lucy had to laugh, “She may be city born but she certainly has the attitude to survive in the Outer Ring.”
“Daphne, you can’t eat Papa’s scarf.” Wise gently poked her fingers and coaxed her to let go of the scarf. He was worried that she would chip a tooth on the broach pinned to the scarf. He looked from Daphne to Lighter holding her. It was easy to see the resemblance between them because she inherited his dark hair and green eyes. Wise hoped that she would also grow up to be as strong and honourable as Lighter. But, no matter what path their daughter chose, he would support her.
“Daphne takes after me so our next kid will look like Wise. A kid with your eyes and my hair would also be cute. When’s your next heat? We can try to give Daphne a little brother or sister. You did say it would be good for Daphne to have siblings like Belle.” He shifted their daughter into one arm so he could cup Wise’s face with his free hand.
“I love you, Lighter, but you shouldn’t say things like that in front of our friends.” Even after years and having a child, Lighter continued to tease and flirt with him. Wise couldn’t deny that he was still able to make him flustered too.
“Since you want to be alone for that conversation, is that a ‘yes’ and you want to start right away? I have something to look forward to next week. Well, more than usual.” While Wise tried to smile at his teasing, it didn’t reach his eyes. There was a shadow of yearning that he couldn’t hide from Lighter. He was reminded that Lighter would be gone for a week helping the Sons of Calydon.
When they first started dating, they lived in different cities. The Sons of Calydon were important to Lighter and Wise could never ask him to leave them. The distance was difficult at times but Wise was more than willing to put in the extra effort to be with Lighter. He knew that Lighter felt the same. They would call each day and visit the other whenever they had an opportunity. No matter the challenges, Wise wouldn’t change a moment of their lives together.
Then, he learned that he was pregnant.
They decided to move into a house at the edge of New Eridu where they could raise their daughter. Their new home allowed Lighter to be with them and quickly drive to Blazewood if the Sons of Calydon needed him. Caesar would only assign him simple jobs such as patrolling Blazewood or training new recruits. She never told them the reason but Wise was grateful.
For Caesar to ask Lighter to join them on a week long commission, Wise knew that it must be dangerous. He trusted Lighter and his strength yet he couldn’t help worrying. Wise unconsciously held Daphne tighter against his chest. He had grown accustomed to having Lighter with him each night and he never expected to feel so greedy.
“Come back soon. We’ll miss you.”
“Finally asleep.” Wise groaned softly, careful not to wake Daphne. She had been fussier since Lighter left and it took longer for him to put her to sleep than usual. Luckily, his HDD system allowed him to work as a proxy from his home and care for his daughter. He cradled her against his shoulder as he organized his desk and skimmed through the commissions on Inter-knot.
He paused when he felt Daphne’s small hand pat his neck and clutched at his shirt. Thinking that she had woken, he tenderly rubbed her back to lull her back to sleep. Wise looked down at her and found that her eyes were closed. He realized that she was half asleep and searching for Lighter’s scarf as though it were her blanket. It was clear that she missed her father and he understood her feelings all too well.
“I miss him too.” Three days had passed since Lighter left with the Sons of Calydon to help them with a delivery through a Hollow. They had only been able to send a few messages to each other due to the limited connection in the Hollow. He hoped that Lighter was safe. He leaned down and kissed her dark hair. Wise decided to leave his work for the morning and sleep early with Daphne.
He carried her down the hall and past her nursery. After Lighter left, he moved her crib into his room. He told himself that it was because he could care for her easier. The simple truth was that he missed Lighter and wanted their daughter near him. Wise had always prided himself on his independence after his parents died and the Helios Academy adopted him. Lighter was one of the few people he allowed himself to lean on and he hadn’t realized how much he needed that until now.
He slowly lowered Daphne into her crib and took a moment to simply watch over her. She slept with a peaceful expression and Wise wondered what she could be dreaming about. He never knew his parents so he promised himself to give her everything he didn’t have as a child.
Once he was certain that she was fast asleep, Wise went to his own bed. He went through the motions to change his clothes and prepare for bed. He collapsed on Lighter’s side of the bed and buried his face into his pillow. The fabric held his lingering scent. While it was easy for Wise to keep himself busy during the day, night was much different. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
After a moment as Wise was slowly drifting to sleep, he felt the bed dip beneath him. The motion made Lighter’s scent on the pillow lift into the air. Wise instinctively knew that it was something more. He rolled towards the warm body next to him and threw himself at them without opening his eyes. A familiar warmth and strong arms wrapped around him.
“This is a warm welcome. Someone must’ve missed me.” He already knew that it was Lighter yet hearing his voice still made Wise’s heart race. The omega side of him couldn’t help holding onto him tighter to keep him from leaving again. Lighter must’ve missed him as well because he teased his teeth over the mark on his neck. The touch sent tingles through him. “I thought you would be asleep by now and I could surprise you in the morning, Sweetie.”
Wise moved him Lighter only enough so he was able to cup his face and his eyes savoured the sight of him. He didn’t break his gaze as he slipped his hand under his jacket to feel whether he was injured. To his relief, he only felt his steady heartbeat and old scars. He had a million questions for Lighter but the only words that left him was a whisper: “I love you.”
“I’m home.” Lighter laid Wise back onto the bed and then leaned over him. He kissed him, long and deep. Neither knew which one was more desperate at that moment. Only a few days had passed yet Lighter kissed him as if they’ve been apart for years. He wanted to devour Wise. On the other hand, he also wanted to savor the taste of him and draw out each kiss and heated touch.
Lighter placed his hands on his hips and lifted his body to his. Wise followed him happily, wrapping his legs around him and threading his fingers through his hair. They were close enough for Lighter to feel how his body trembled beneath his and his breath came out in short gasps. He was dizzy from how Lighter overwhelmed his senses. Still, Wise wanted more. He dropped his hand from his hair to his shoulder and groaned in frustration when he felt his leather jacket.
“I got it.” Lighter broke their kiss to shrug off his jacket. He had to grin when Wise pouted at him. He laid his body over his again and brushed his hair from his turquoise eyes. “Before I left, I said we should give Daphne a little brother or sister. Want to start trying now?’
“Wait.” Wise stopped him. “We can’t wake Daphne.”
“You are pretty loud during sex.” For his comment, Wise playfully slapped his shoulder. It didn’t hurt and Lighter only chuckled in reply. He took Wise’s hand and kissed the ring on his finger. “This weekend? We can ask Caesar or Lucy to babysit her while we take a trip to Lumina Square. We’ll go on a date and book a hotel. They owe me three nights of babysitting after that commission.”
“Were there fewer Ethereals than the employer reported? Lucy said that it could take a week to clear the Hollow and recover his trucks.” Wise took off his leather jacket so he would be comfortable. Then, he gently pushed Lighter onto the mattress and settled himself in his arms. He rested his head on his shoulder and tilted his face up at him. As much as Wise liked his sunglasses, he was grateful that he wasn’t wearing them now. He could see his deep green eyes clearly.
“The job was easier than she was letting on. She actually said that she added more time because she thought I was out of practise. I don’t know whether to be offended or not.” Lighter chuckled and toyed with Wise’s hair. He found it strange that the comment made him happy instead of hurting his pride. It meant he found a peaceful life with Wise where he didn’t need to fight each day. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Sweetie.”
“You’re home and that’s all I care about. Though, I should warn you that Daphne might not be as understanding. She missed you so much that she wouldn’t let anyone but me hold her. Daphne even pulled at Big Daddy’s beard when he tried to feed her and he’s her favourite grandpa. She’s like her father and clings to the people important to her.”
“Are you sure she didn’t inherit that from you? The moment I came home, you pushed me onto the bed. Also, you once stole my bike to run over an Ethereal attacking Belle.”
“That was an emergency and I paid for the repairs. I’m certain that you would do the same for me and Daphne.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud sob. Daphne sat up in her crib and crawled to the bars to search for her parents. Wise started to stand but Lighter stopped him. He kissed his temple as he stood. “I’ll put her back to sleep. You must be exhausted taking care of her on your own.”
He nodded and laid back on their bed. Despite how tired Wise was earlier, he stayed awake and watched Lighter pick up their daughter. The simple sight warmed his heart and made him smile. He had always thought that Lighter would be a great father from how he cared for Eous. Wise underestimated how happy he would be to have Lighter and Daphne sleeping next to him.