Archive of Our Own

The door creaked open, a shadow looming across the floor as a figure stood in the doorframe. The crib sat on the other end of the room, the unsuspecting child asleep, unknowing the attack that was coming.

The figure crept forward, socked toes silent against the hardwood floors. He made it to the crib, leaning forward to reach in to– 

“Tickle attack!”

Charles tickled Mason, the baby laughing with shrill joy. He’d been awake for a while, Charles could tell. He’d already gotten out of the sleep sack Edwin had put him in before bed. Their little Houdini, as Niko liked to call him. They’d have to start locking the doors pretty soon, Charles thought absentmindedly as he picked up his son. “Good morning!” Charles pressed a loud kiss to Mason’s cheek.

“Ukie,” Mason whined, pointing to the crib.

Charles snatched the stuffed duckie, a gift from Mr. Fell, and held it up to Mason. “Here’s Duckie, little guy,” Charles cooed, making the duck move around in front of Mason. It always made the baby smile, and he reached out his little hands to hug the duckie to his chest. 

Charles brought him out of the nursery. “It’s a special day, ladla,” he told Mason as they walked into the kitchen. “You’re 1 year old today!” Mason stared up at him with the same smile. “Are you excited?”

He was still for a moment. “Hahaha,” he laughed. 

Charles laughed with him, kissing his forehead. “Wanna help me make breakfast?”

“Befis,” Mason parrotted. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Charles said, getting ingredients out of the cupboards. Setting Mason down in his counter chair, Charles got to work. He cracked a few eggs in the pan, whisking them until they were frothy. While that cooked, Charles started the coffee pot to brew a fresh pot, silently thanking his past self for remembering to clean it last night after dinner as he put the toast in the toaster. Once the coffee began brewing into the pot, Mason started crying.

“What is it, betu?” Charles walked back over to him. “Are you bored?” Mason continued crying. “God, you really are my son,” Charles murmured affectionately as he got the chopped mixed fruit out of the fridge. “Always gotta be doing something.” He pulled two bowls out of the cupboard and set them and the fruit down next to Mason.

The baby reached for the food. “Hold on a mo’,” Charles instructed. Mason paused, looking back up at Charles. “We gotta make sure your hands are clean first.” Charles wet a paper towel, wiping Mason’s hands off with soap and water. “Now we gotta dry them off,” Charles said, taking Mason’s arms and waving them in front of him. Mason giggled up at him. “Okay,” Charles said, clapping his hands together. He unlatched the lid to the fruit and put it to the side. “Can you put the fruit in the two bowls, buddy?” 

Mason reached into the container, taking a fistful and plopping it into the bowl. “Perfect,” Charles said. He mixed the eggs again, adding some seasoning he and Edwin found at the farmers market. Mason continued with his task, a few blueberries and such winding up on the floor, even more ending up in his mouth. Since they’d started Mason on solids, they’d also gotten into the habit of cutting their fruit really small so, if Mason did get into it, he wouldn’t choke. It was like a minced fruit salad. Charles scraped the eggs onto plates, and the toast popped out of the toaster. He snatched them up, hissing a little as his fingertips burned. He spread butter on one piece and jam on the other, setting them on the two plates. 

“We make a pretty good breakfast, betu,” Charles praised, picking up Mason and holding him up on his hip. “Should we wake up Dada?” Charles asked him.

“Ababa Dadada,” Mason babbled.

Charles laughed softly. “Yeah, I think so too.” Mason got more and more excited as Charles brought him to their bedroom and into the door. He loved climbing on their bed to wake them up in the morning. Whoever got Mason up always brought him into their room in the morning to wake the other up. Mason giggled louder as Charles deposited him on his side of the bed, the baby immediately crawling over to Edwin’s sleeping body. He was lying on his side, facing them, his hands resting in front of him, most likely searching for Charles. Mason crawled up to Edwin face, his little hands fisting his hair in and face against his in an attempt to eat Edwin’s nose. Charles snorted, covering his mouth as Edwin blinked awake. Mason cooed, his mouth still on Edwin’s nose. 

Edwin gently pried him off, Mason giggling as he went back. “That’s a new one,” Edwin groaned, his voice an octave deeper than usual. Charles tried not to think about what that did for him, instead focusing on the adorable sight of Mason falling against Edwin to hug him. Edwin smiled sleepily, sitting up and wrapping his arms around their son. “Good morning,” he murmured, kissing the top of his head, “and happy birthday, Mason.” Mason cooed happily, hand gripping the fabric of Edwin’s sleepshirt. Edwin looked up from him to greet Charles. “Good morning, my love.”

“Morning, babe,” Charles said softly. He leaned forward to meet Edwin for a kiss. “You hungry?” Charles asked. “Mason and I made breakfast.”

Edwin’s beary eyes cleared a bit. “God, yes.” He slowly got out of bed, mindful of the baby still clinging to him. The fabric of his pyjama pants swished against the floor as he followed Charles into the kitchen. Edwin set Mason in his high chair while Charles set out the eggs, toast, and fruit. “Did you sleep well, Mason?” Edwin asked the baby, like he was asking any other person. 

That was something Charles found endearing about Edwin: he didn’t do baby talk. When they brought the baby over to Niko and Crystal’s place, the girls’ voices went up to pitches only dogs should hear. Edwin didn’t do that. He spoke plainly to the baby, but anyone with ears could hear the fondness and love in his tone. 

“He wiggled out of the sleep sack again,” Charles said over his shoulder as he poured their coffee. “I have no idea how he does it.” He brought their mugs over, setting the black coffee in front of Edwin and his own at his plate before going to the fridge to get the milk and Mason’s plate: bits of eggs and fruit. 

“Perhaps he takes after his aunts and charms his way out.” Edwin remarked. Mason smiled innocently at him, a little bit of raspberry stuck on his face. Edwin wiped it away with his thumb. Mason curled away from Edwin, giggling at him. “Well, breakfast looks delicious. Thank you, Mason.” Turning to him, Edwin smiled at Charles. “And thank you, my darling.”

Charles winked at him over his coffee mug. Edwin blushed and picked up his fork, hiding his flushed grin in his eggs. The family ate their breakfast, Mason studying the bits of food on his plate while Charles and Edwin went over the plans for the day.

“Did Crystal say she and Niko were coming over or are we going to them?” Charles asked Edwin as he finished the last of his eggs.

“I’m not certain,” Edwin admitted, setting his half-empty mug down. At some point, Edwin’s left hand found Charles’ right one, threading their fingers together atop the tablecorner they were hugging. Charles mindlessly ran his thumb over Edwin’s hand. “I think they are coming here.”

“Is your sister coming?” Charles asked, gulping down the last of his coffee while Mason poked and prodded at his food. 

Edwin frowned. “I’m afraid not. In her letter last week, she told me there’s an outbreak of a particularly strong strand of canine influenza among the werewolf packs in Supernatural London. Evelyn was hired by the Occult Council to treat them, so she’s stuck in her infirmary for the next few weeks.”

“Shit,” Charles remarked. “That sucks.”

“Yes,” Edwin agreed. “I do believe we should be getting a visit from Socrates at some point today, though. She said something in her letter about sending something over to us.”

“Hmm.” Charles stood, taking his and Edwin’s empty plates. “Should I leave the window open, then?” he asked with a teasing grin. “It was kinda funny last time when he was pecking at the window.”

“I would refrain from antagonizing my sister’s familiar,” Edwin warned, but his smirk betrayed his amusement at the memory of the owl pecking at their window for a good 10 minutes last visit while Mason watched, laughing so hard his face turned red.

Charles rinsed their dishes while Edwin got Mason out of his high chair. “He didn’t eat much,” Edwin said, a hint of worry in his voice. Charles glanced at the high chair tray. There was a good amount of fruit still there, as well as a piece or two of egg.

“He did sneak some fruit while helping me with breakfast,” Charles told Edwin. “He’s probably just full. Looks like he ate most of the eggs though.”

“You’re probably right,” Edwin admitted, rubbing a hand over Mason’s belly while the baby leaned against his shoulder. “Evelyn did say he was in good health during his last appointment.”

“Yeah, he’s alright.” Charles pinched Mason’s cheek lightly, making the baby squirm a little in Edwin’s arms. “He’ll grow into an appetite soon, I’m sure.”

“I suspect it’ll be quite the appetite if he takes after his father,” Edwin teased.

“Oi! A growing boy’s gotta eat!”

“You’re 21, Charles.”

“I meant him, you numpty,” Charles huffed, smiling as Edwin carried Mason to the living room, a smirk over his shoulder and Mason throwing Charles a shit-eating grin over his other. Charles finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher a little later before following them into the living room. Mason was playing with some blocks while Edwin watched, his eyes going from the blocks to his son sitting upright on the floor. He’d been sitting up on his own for a while now, but the fear that he’d fall over never left.

“Niko texted,” Edwin told him while Charles plopped onto the floor next to him. “She and Crystal are coming here.”

“Oh sweet,” Charles said. “Did she say when?”

Frantic knocking came from their door, making all three of them jump. Mason made a sour face and started crying. Charles immediately went to him, picking him up. “It’s alright, love,” he murmured.

Edwin opened the door, Niko bouncing excitedly on her feet and Crystal behind her. “You do realize you can simply come in? You have a key.” Edwin asked as he stepped aside to let the girls in. 

“Knocking’s polite,” Crystal said as Niko pulled Edwin into a hug. Edwin flipped her off, angling his finger so Mason couldn’t see, with a grin before hugging her as well. 

“Happy birthday, Mason!” Niko bounded over to Charles, who was still comforting Mason. “Oh, no! No crying on your birthday!” Niko rubbed a soothing hand over his arm.

“He’s alright,” Charles assured her. “He just got a little spooked by the knocking.”

Niko’s eyes widened. She turned to Crystal. “Crystal, knocking is now off limits.”

Edwin smiled at her fondly. “It’s not that serious, Niko. He just got startled.”

“Anything that makes my nephew cry is that serious,” Niko said firmly, turning back to the baby. “I promise I will never knock on a door in front of you ever again,” she said, staring into his eyes. Mason’s crying paused as he stared back at Niko, arms moving to reach for her. Charles transferred him to Niko’s arms, the girl immediately hugging him. 

“We didn’t expect you two until later,” Edwin said, walking back towards Charles.

“Oh no, we got plans,” Crystal said. “This little guy’s first birthday is gonna be a rager.” She waved a finger to the boys. “Both of you change into something presentable. We leave in 5 minutes.”

Their first stop was to the SEA LIFE London Aquarium. They had two hours to spend, the four of them deciding to each pick an attraction to spend a half an hour at. Charles chose the ocean tunnel, a fascinating sight for the 1 year old. The sealife swarmed above their heads, circling around the tunnel and into the space beyond. Charles held Mason up to look closely at a pod of turtles passing above them, the baby shrieking with joy. 

Crystal guided them to the Coral Kingdom, where clownfish were swimming about, flitting through the anemones like darts. The Seahorse Kingdom was close by, which was discovered to be a favorite of Mason’s. Edwin held Mason and pointed out the different seahorses, seadragons, and pipefish to the baby. “That one is a pipefish,” he explained, pointing to a long thin fish. “They eat plankton and hide from predators by disguising themselves as seagrass.” Mason babbled excitedly, hands reaching out to touch the animal through the glass. 

Edwin’s pick was the shipwreck. Sharks swarm around Easter Island heads and a replica of a shipwreck in the aquarium tank. They looked regal, calmly swimming past the plexiglass, seemingly ignorant of the wonder-filled eyes watching them. Niko pointed out a Bowmouth Guitarfish, which they discovered was a cross between a shark and a ray! Crystal got a bunch of pictures there, framing Charles and Edwin showing their son the different fish swimming by.

When it came time for Niko’s choice, she hurriedly brought them to a different section of the aquarium. The sign above them said “Rockpool Explorer”. It was a touch tank, aquarium staff set at a bunch of different tanks with shark eggs to touch. The staff member was very sweet, expertly explaining the different eggs to them and instructing them how to touch them so they didn’t accidentally damage the eggs. The eggs felt firm and leathery under Charles’ fingers, and he looked to where Niko was holding up an egg to Mason. He was surprisingly gentle with the egg, as if he understood it was something to be held with care. Charles was equal parts surprised and proud of him.

They stopped for a quick snack, Mason munching on the baby cereal Edwin packed before they left the flat. The girls then brought them to Kew Garden. “It’ll pass the time until lunch,” Niko told Charles and Edwin. “By then, Mason should be ready for a nap, right?”

“Yes,” Edwin confirmed. Crystal and Niko took the lead, the latter hoisting Mason up to see the blooming buds on all the trees. Charles and Edwin trailed behind them, content to watch their friends show their son around the garden and holding hands. “I’ve been thinking lately,” Edwin started, Charles swinging their joined hands between them. “It’s rather surreal, isn’t it? We’re celebrating our son’s first birthday today. This time last year, we simply found him lying on the ground in a garden much like this.”

Charles grinned. “Yeah. Honestly, as scared as I was, that was probably the best day of my life, in retrospect.”

Edwin gasped, putting a dramatic hand to his chest. “Better than our wedding day?”

“Oi, shut it,” Charles pressed, knocking his shoulder against Edwin’s while the latter laughed. “Close second.”

“I must agree with you there,” Edwin relented. “Our lives did change infinitely for the better a year ago today, more so than the day we wed.”

Charles hummed appreciatively, looking down and squeezing Edwin’s hand. “Reckon that’s because the whole thing was redundant, yeah?” Edwin turned to him curiously. “I mean, we’d have stayed together for the rest of our lives, with or without a wedding. The whole thing was a celebration of what we already had.” He smiled up at Edwin through his lashes, seeing the glimmer of love reflected in his eyes. 

“I love you, Charles.”

Charles brought their hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to the knuckles of Edwin’s hand. “I love you too, Edwin.” His husband tucked himself closer to Charles, threading his arm into the crook of Charles’ elbow and letting his head fall against his shoulder. Charles chuckled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Edwin’s hair. 

Ahead of them, Niko bounced the baby in her arms. Mason was looking around, distress growing on his face, and he started crying. She stopped walking, turning to Charles and Edwin with a panicked look. “Sorry, Neeks,” Charles called, him and Edwin closing the distance between them. Charles held his arms out. “It’s alright, beta, come to Papa.” Mason reached out for Charles, Charles scooped him up, and Mason’s cries died down to sniffles.

“He gets like that sometimes,” Edwin explained to Niko. “He gets restless when we’re not holding him for a while. It’s gotten worse since we moved him to sleep in the nursery.” That was 4 months ago. Before then, he slept in their room in a bassinet so they could be close to him for feedings and changings. It went better than they expected, and then they made the horrible decision to start weaning him off of the bottles and dummies as soon as he started eating solids. Needless to say, they severely underrated how difficult that would be, and not only on Mason. “It’s been a long few months,” he told her.

Niko nodded understandingly. “Well, for what it’s worth,” she started, looking at where Charles was rocking Mason back and forth until he laughed, “Crystal and I think you guys are doing great. You both care so much about him. It’s been really cool watching you guys grow as parents.” Her words were so kind that Edwin wasn’t sure what to do with them, so he just smiled at her. She seemed to understand, and she smiled back.

They passed through the garden and made it to a small restaurant for lunch. They sat at the window, Mason sitting at the end next to Charles in one of the restaurant’s high chairs. They waited for their food to come out, passing the time catching up on everything going on in their lives.

“I just have to finish up with my final project, and then I’m done for the semester,” Crystal was saying. “I can’t wait for the next couple months off. I feel like I’ve been non-stop for the past 6 months.”

“We’re gonna go on a trip soon,” Niko added on. “We’re thinking about some places in America to stay at.”

“That’s brills! What places are you thinking?” Charles leaned back as their food was placed on the table.

“We’re between the Great Lakes and the Adirondacks.” Crystal dug into her salad. “They’re both in the Northeast, but we won’t have enough time to see both entirely before we have to come back to the UK.”

“The Adirondacks would be better to visit in the fall,” Edwin said, cutting into his chicken. “The crowds aren’t as big and the weather is more bearable than if you go in July to late August. That time of year would also be best to visit the Great Lakes.” He took a bite of his chicken, looking up to see all of them staring at him, except for Mason, who was occupied with his teething toys. “What?”

“How the hell do you just know that?” Crystal asked incredulously.

Edwin shrugged. “Evelyn was talking about the protected natural parks in America the last time I saw her. Apparently there’s a wealth of magical plants in those areas, which is why they’re federally protected. That’s not public knowledge, though, for obvious reasons.”

“I should’ve known the nerdiness ran in your family,” Crystal muttered as she shoveled a bite of lettuce into her mouth. Edwin raised a brow at her but said nothing. 

“What about you two?” Niko asked. “Any plans coming up?”

Charles paused mid-twirl of his fork in his pasta. “Not much, really. Just focusing on this little guy,” he said, lightly pinching Mason’s chubby arm between his thumb and forefinger.

“Bebubabauebuebua,” Mason said.

Charles nodded seriously. “You don’t say?” Mason’s shrill laugh made a few people turn their heads, all of them smiling at the adorable sight. 

“Really? Nothing new at work?” Crystal asked, raising a challenging brow to the boys.

Edwin and Charles glanced at each other. Edwin nodded wordlessly to Charles, a small encouraging smile on his face. Charles grimaced for a moment before relaxing, taking Edwin’s hand and turning to the girls. “It’s not official yet, but…I might be getting a full time position at the gym.”

Niko stifled a shriek with her hand. Crystal’s eyes bugged out of her head, a grin spreading on her face. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Charles said with a wide grin. “They’re starting up a new program, specifically to teach kids self-defense. They asked me if I’d be interested in running it.”

“That’s awesome, Charles!” Niko leaned forward. “So how is it gonna work? Are you gonna teach kids to punch and stuff like that?”

“No, not exactly. The whole point of the program is to teach kids how to stop fights without anyone getting hurt. We’re gonna teach them to block punches, where and how to deflect attacks, stuff like that. That’s just part of it, too. A majority of the curriculum is just building strength and endurance. Lots of regular P.E. stuff mixed in with the self-defense practices.” Charles squeezed Edwin’s hand before adding, “Most of the money we make from the program is going towards a charity, too. It’s called Refuge. It’s an NGO that helps victims of domestic violence.”

The girls’ eyes got misty. “Charles, that's amazing,” Niko said. 

“That is pretty awesome, Charles,” Crystal said, reaching across the table to squeeze Charles’ free hand. “I don’t get it, though. I thought the gym was slashing their budget?”

Charles grinned at Edwin, who smiled back and rolled his eyes. Crystal looked between the two of them. “What?”

“We’re almost certain Mr. Fell had something to do with that,” Edwin told her. “When we introduced him to  Mason, we explained our financial situation to him and asked if I could go on a short leave to get everything settled. A week later, the gym got a huge anonymous donation, I got a significant raise, and we received a message from Mr. Fell saying to take all the time we needed to get Mason settled.”

The girls gaped at him. “How the hell did he manage that?”

Edwin shook his head. “I have absolutely no idea. I came back after leave and all of the expensive tomes were still there. I know for a fact he doesn’t have the money to make such a large donation; he lives above the bookshop! I thought perhaps his husband had something to do with it, but he couldn’t have the money, either. I don’t think he even has a job.”

“Maybe he has some rich friends,” Crystal suggested.

“Perhaps,” Edwin said, shaking his head again. “It bothers me to say it, but we may never know.”

Niko grinned. “However it happened, it’s nothing short of a miracle.” Her eyes gleamed as she turned to Mason. “Just like this little guy.” Mason’s response was shoving the teething toy as far as he could into his mouth.

They parted outside of the restaurant, the girls saying they were going to get some things and be back at theirs for dinner tonight. Charles and Edwin waved goodbye as they walked away, hand in hand. They took the Tube back to their flat, Mason crying and fussing against Edwin’s shoulder as Charles unlocked their door. “He’s long due for a nap,” Edwin muttered, bouncing the baby up and down in an attempt to pacify him. 

“Want me to put him down?” Charles asked.

“No, I’ll do it. Thank you, darling.” Edwin brought Mason to the nursery, changed him into a comfortable onesie before turning the light off. He brought him over to the rocking armchair, a gift from Crystal. Edwin settled in, sitting on one leg and using the other to rock the chair back and forth. Mason didn’t notice, his stilted sobs not changing.

“Shhh,” Edwin whispered. He lifted a hand to hold Mason’s face, his thumb caressing a trail from his forehead to the tip of his nose. The sobs slowed to hiccups, and Mason grabbed Edwin’s hand to latch onto his thumb.

Edwin gently tugged his thumb out of Mason’s mouth, causing the baby to sob again. “I know, my dear, but you don’t need the dummies anymore. You need to start learning how to soothe yourself.” Mason continued to cry, and Edwin grimaced. Weaning Mason off of the bottles and dummies was harder than he and Charles thought it would be. It hurt to see Mason so upset, but they both knew it would be better for his health in the long run. Between the both of them, Edwin had a stronger resolution to not give into the baby’s cries. Charles wanted the same as Edwin for their son, but it killed him to hear Mason crying. This resulted in Edwin taking care of putting Mason down when he was especially fussy, like he was now.

Edwin glanced off to the side, where the lantern from their wedding was sitting on Mason’s dresser. The light emitted from the immortal plants made for a perfect nightlight. Edwin caught Mason staring at it more times than he could count, and it sparked an idea in him.

“Mason,” he called. The baby opened his eyes. Edwin raised a hand and muttered a few words in Latin. From his hand floated little balls of light, glowing and flitting around the room like fireflies. Mason’s sobs subsided, his eyes trailing across the ceiling where the lights idly floated like stars. Edwin moved his hand around, an array of colors glowing from the lights. They twisted and turned above their heads, a few coming down to dance around Mason’s head. The baby cooed delightfully, his hand reaching for the light.

“There’s a whole world of magic, my son,” Edwin told him. “There are things that I never thought to be possible that I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes. Wonderful things.” He looked down at the baby in his arms. “Of everything I’ve seen in my years on Earth, you are the most wonderful thing I have been blessed with.” He brought Mason up to hold him to his chest, his head resting against Edwin’s shoulder. “I cannot believe I get to bring you up in this world with the man I love. It’s a blessing that I…” He turned his face into Mason’s curls. “It’s something I always thought was too good for me to have.” He looked down to see Mason’s eyes fluttering shut. “I’ve never been happier to be wrong.” Edwin pressed a long kiss to the top of his son’s head, rocking him to sleep until the lights faded away. Slowly, he stood to transfer Mason to his crib. He fussed a little but continued to doze as Edwin softly shushed him. He laid Mason down on his back, brushing a stray curl away from his forehead before backing away. 

Edwin gently shut the door to the nursery, finding Charles in the living room cleaning up Mason’s blocks from this morning. He toed the bin in the corner with the other toys and stretched his arms above his head. Edwin snuck behind him and wrapped his arms around Charles’ waist, resting his face between his shoulder blades. Charles huffed a laugh, lowering his arms to rest his hands against Edwin’s. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Edwin murmured. Charles turned in his arms, draping his arms around Edwin’s shoulders. Edwin kissed him softly on the lips. Charles matched his pace, his hands closing around Edwin’s face in a gentle hold. Edwin’s hands slipped under Charles’ shirt, fingertips brushing the soft skin underneath. Charles moaned, leaning into the touch and slipping his hands into Edwin’s hair. 

“When are the girls coming over?” Edwin whispered against Charles’ lips.

“Not for another couple hours,” Charles answered. He tugged at his hair. “Plenty of time,” he breathed into his ear, his lips dragging down to his neck. Edwin bit back a moan. 

SMACK!

They jumped, heads jerking to the window. Socrates was on their balcony, shakily coming to his talons after smacking into their closed window. 

“You’ve got to be joking,” Charles muttered angrily. “Why are we always getting cockblocked by things breaking into our house?”

Edwin lowered his hands where they held his heart from the fright. “Is it always?” he asked, laughing a little at the ridiculousness of the situation. “It’s only the second time to my knowledge.”

“Yeah, but it’s weird that it happened twice, innit?” Charles slid the door open, the owl hopping inside their flat. “Can we help you?”

“I am here at the behest of Evelyn,” the owl responded. “She did inform me that you were expecting me. My appearance should come as no surprise.”

“We were…distracted,” Edwin responded. “What do you bring from my sister?”

Socrates hopped up onto the coffee table. Puffing out his chest, he revealed a little coin purse. “Her gifts are here.” Charles reached for the purse, unclipping it from around the owl’s neck. “She sends her love and extends an invitation for your family to join hers in a fortnight for dinner.”

“That sounds lovely,” Edwin accepted. “We will be there.”

“Excellent.” Socrates fluttered his wings before hopping off the table and to the open balcony door. “Good day, gentlemen.” With that, he flew off into the early afternoon.

“Bit of an odd chap,” Charles remarked, opening the coin purse and sticking his whole arm inside. It was enchanted like his backpack was, an immediate bonding point for Evelyn and Charles upon their first meeting. He pulled out a few things: a bag of homemade chocolates, a couple of seedlings in tiny ceramic pots, a new batch of wooden baby toys, and baked goods in a basket. The final item was a letter addressed to Mason. “How does she have time to make all this?” Charles asked, admiring the detail carved into the wooden toys.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Edwin told him, picking up the food to bring it to the kitchen. Charles relocated the seedlings to the window sill, leaving the toys and letter on the coffee table. 

Edwin returned to the living room, Charles turning to meet him. He smirked, his hands reaching to tug on Edwin’s hips. “Now, where were we?”

“I do believe we were in the middle of something,” Edwin mused, mischief glinting in his eyes. “However, I cannot seem to recall what it was.”

“I can think of a few things that’ll jog your memory,” Charles teased, pulling Edwin towards their bedroom by his belt.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Oh, I’ll do more than tell, baby.”

The girls came by three hours later, finding Edwin and Charles sprawled on the floor with Mason. He’d woken up from his nap hungry after two hours, so Charles fed him some pureed spinach. How he liked the foul mush was beyond Charles, but it was a vegetable, so he wouldn’t question it. After his lunch, Edwin and Charles tried to get him to walk. He’d gotten good at crawling around, and he was able to pull himself up to stand against furniture. Mason made like he was going to start walking while holding onto the table before falling on his bum and crawling to where he wanted to go. It was worrying Edwin. They were about halfway through the window of when babies should start walking, and Mason hadn’t made any progress in a few weeks. Evelyn didn’t seem too worried, though. “Every child develops at a different pace,” she’d told him at their last check-up. “He’s making good progress, brother. I would keep encouraging him to walk, and we shall see what he does from there.”

It became part of their daily routine now, after his midday nap. Charles would help Mason stand, keeping his hands on the couch while directing him to cruise toward Edwin, who knelt at the other end of the couch. They hadn’t had any luck yet. They did this until Mason got tired of it, then they went on to play with toys. That’s how Crystal and Niko found them, Charles stacking up the new blocks from Evelyn and Mason knocking them down with maniacal laughter. Edwin sat behind Mason, brushing his curls back with one hand and writing in his notebook with the other. 

Dinner was cooking in the oven, Edwin timing it so it would be done by the time the girls got over to theirs. Niko helped him set up, putting the desserts she bought in the fridge while Edwin strained the pasta and mixed the sauce. The oven timer dinged, and Edwin took out the chicken cutlets he’d roasted. He and Niko plated the food, Charles and Crystal bringing Mason over to eat. The five of them sat at their kitchen table, laughing and talking away. Crystal remarked how good the food tasted, and Charles boasted loudly that Edwin was the better cook out of the two of them. Edwin blushed into his wineglass, instead focusing on where Mason was munching on his bits of chicken and pasta. The baby seemed to agree with Crystal’s sentiment, shoveling the food into his mouth with abandon.

Cleaning up was easy, Edwin and Niko throwing everything in the dishwasher and running it with the dishes from the day before joining their respective partners in the living room to rest and digest before dessert.

Crystal was holding a bag on her lap. “We got some stuff for the little guy,” she announced. She opened the bag, taking out at least a dozen full outfits for Mason. They ranged in sizes, from 18 months to the smaller kids sizes. “You keep saying that he’s growing like a weed,” Crystal explained. “Who knows? He might start wearing the toddler clothes in a few months.”

“Don’t even speak that into existence,” Charles pouted, holding Mason a little closer. “He’s getting so big,” he said mournfully. 

Edwin kept his mouth shut, only because if he started talking about how much he missed the little baby they had from a year ago, he knew he’d start crying. He didn’t wish to subject such a sight to the girls. He settled his hand in Mason’s hair, playing with the locks in lieu of an answer. Charles seemed to know anyway, squeezing him by the waist where his arm was wrapped around him. 

Niko got up to get the desserts; cupcakes from a local bakery she loved. Mason shoved his face into the cupcake, getting frosting up his nose. Crystal tried not to laugh while Charles squeezed the frosting out. Edwin got up to get a wet paper towel to wipe his face with. He was wetting it under the tap when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Niko next to him. “You okay?” she asked. Edwin couldn’t help but smile. She could almost read him as well as Charles. 

Getting as much frosting out of his nose as he could, Charles let Mason down on the floor. “Go to Dada,” he urged, Mason shambling on his hands and knees towards the two in the kitchen. Charles watched him some before returning to his conversation with Crystal about her project.

“Just reflecting,” Edwin admitted to Niko. “I can’t believe he’s one already.” He wrung out the paper towel where it got too wet. “I love him so much,” he sighed, “and I want him to stay this little forever. Is that normal?”

Niko laughed a little. “It’s totally normal.” She hugged him tightly on his side. “You and Charles are great dads. He’s a perfect kid.”

Edwin bumped his head against hers lightly, his way of saying ‘thank you’. He turned, wet napkin in hand, and froze. 

Mason had pulled himself up using the chair and was wobbling on his legs a few feet in front of him. His face was covered in chocolate frosting, his hands dirty with cake, and he looked like he was going to take a step towards Edwin. Niko’s hands leapt to her mouth, eyes wide as Edwin stood still as a statue, waiting to see what Mason would do.

He shuffled his left foot forward, pausing before his right foot followed. Niko grabbed his arm. Edwin knelt down and held out his hands. “Charles,” he whispered loudly. His husband looked over and shot to his feet. Crystal was right behind him, miming Niko’s reaction as Mason took another set towards Edwin.

“Oh my god,” Charles choked out, hands wringing in his hair. Edwin held his hands out a little further, Mason just a few steps away. He took another step, stumbling before catching himself. Charles was behind him in a second, primed to catch him if Mason fell. Mason shuffled forward, little hands in front of him, taking step after step until he latched onto Edwin’s fingers. Niko cheered and applauded as Edwin picked Mason up, Charles rising with him. They held their son between them as Crystal cheered for Mason. 

“You did it, ladla!” Charles kissed his head as a proud grin grew on Edwin’s face, Mason giggling at all the fanfare.

“Oh my god,” Crystal breathed. Tears were filling her eyes. Niko snickered at her girlfriend, Crystal waving her away halfheartedly but accepting the hug Niko offered her. 

“You alright, Crys?” Charles asked, his own voice a little wobbly.

Sniffling, Crystal shook her head. “I’m fine. Promise. Just happy.”

Charles had the biggest smile on his face, and he turned back to his husband and son. Edwin was hugging Mason close, the wet cloth forgotten, frosting smeared on his jumper and face, Mason smiling tiredly against his neck, and Edwin’s own tears dewing his eyes. “You and us both,” Charles told her, leaning his head in to rest against Edwin’s.

The girls left a little after, both citing the need for sleep before starting the new week. They were 90% certain it was an excuse to leave them their family time before they ended the day.

They were back in their bedroom, Charles laying on his side with Mason stretching out in his new sleepsack, courtesy of Crystal. One hand rested on his belly, rising and falling with the baby’s breath, while the other propped up his slowly sinking head. Edwin was sitting up against the headboard, as proper as ever, reading from one of Mason’s children's books.

It was a little funny for Charles, so used to Edwin reading sophisticated words and long prose, to hear Edwin talk in rhyming couplets and simple phrases. Content aside, his voice lulled the two boys into a relaxed state, and it wasn’t long until Mason was sleeping in the space between them.

“Can we keep him in here tonight?” Charles asked Edwin in a small voice. Edwin turned his head, looking at Charles with curiosity. His eyes were locked onto Mason’s sleeping form, his thumb rubbing back and forth over Mason’s chest. “We could get the bassinet back out,” he continued. “Be like it was back then, yeah?” His eyes drifted up to Edwin, hope and a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“He is supposed to be in his own space,” Edwin started, and the hope in Charles’ eyes dimmed. “But I think one night won’t hurt,” he finished, a sad smile on his face. Charles beamed, leaning over Mason to kiss Edwin’s shoulder before sliding off the bed to get the bassinet from the cupboard. Edwin gently picked up Mason, careful not to jostle him as Charles set the bassinet up close to their bed. Edwin lowered Mason in, blessedly still asleep. The boys got themselves settled, Edwin resting on his side facing Mason with Charles flush against his back. “He’s growing too fast,” Edwin said into the dark, his hand lingering on the bassinet.

“I know,” Charles said. He nuzzled his nose behind Edwin’s ear. “I don’t want him to grow up yet.” 

“Me neither,” Edwin admitted. He nudged his finger into Mason’s hand, the baby reflexively holding it. “I’m so bloody proud of him, though.”

Charles sighed softly behind him. “I am, too. I can’t believe he’s ours.” He sounded like he wanted to say more. Edwin waited patiently, his other hand holding Charles. “I feel guilty,” he finally said. “Like, I’m proud of him for growing and learning new things, but…there’s a huge part of me that wants him to stay this little forever. But that feels so selfish because I think I should just feel proud. Does that make sense?” His voice got smaller and smaller as he went on until he was just breathing his words, Edwin only hearing them because they were so close.

Edwin lifted his hand, kissing the back of it and settling them on his chest. “It makes perfect sense,” he whispered. “I feel the same exact way.” He squeezed their hands. “Thank you, Charles.”

He heard Charles lift his head. “For what, love?”

“For doing this with me,” Edwin responded. “I couldn’t raise Mason without you.”

Charles kissed the back of his head. “You’re worth it, Eds.” Charles rested his head against Edwin’s, both of them staring at the sleeping baby in front of them. “You both are.”

Sleep claimed them like that, a little family, in a small flat, in a world all their own.