[C] Daddy's Back

A large smile curled the man's lips.

"Yeah? Well, I say hello back. How's he been?" Aodh's gaze turned up to his brother who was also talking avidly on the phone to Zakhar and he motioned to the back of the café as he stood up. He'd still not found the courage to tell Coilean about Darragh.

He didn't know how Lean would react to it. Coilean was adamant about staying out of humans lives and Darragh was as good as human and probably would be for a great many years; possibly his entire life if he didnt turn.

"We can try, s'pose. Don't know if it'll work, though," he warned as he took a seat at one of the empty tables.

"Gotta be careful, though. Lean's around."

"He is understandably disappointed that you're not here, we had a special dinner planned and everything, here I'll put you on loudspeaker."

Aeker moved the phone back as he cuddled in against the boy, turning on video chat so that Aodh would be able to see and hear the both before handing the phone to Darragh.

"There you go sweety, say hello to Daddy."

He muttered to the boy, wiping the tears from Darragh's cheeks and fixing his hair a little, he didn't want Aodh feeling guilty.

"I'll bet. I feel like I've been kicked for it, too."

He felt shit for not being home. He had desperately wanted to curl up with his two favourite boys and spend the evening doing nothing but enjoying their company. It looked like that, unfortunately, wasn't going to be happening soon.

Darragh sat up a little as he grasped the phone, smiling a little as his father came into view.

"Hey there, little man," Aodh crooned. "You been a good boy for your mother?"

Aeker stroked the boy's head affectionately, kissing the top of it as he sat up and smiled, seeing Darragh even a little bit happier was a godsend.

"He has been a very good boy, helped me feed Mac after we got back from playing outside.

We had fun today didn't we sweetheart? Tell Daddy what you did at the park today."

He kept stroking the boy's hair gently as the two of them had a father, son moment.

The Lycan chuckled softly.

"If you're doing so well, I'll make sure you have to do all the chores from now on. How does that sound? You can feed Mac all the time and cook our dinners and do all the cleaning up."

The boy whined. "Nooooooooooooo. I don't want to do all the cleaning." He writhed in the Vampire's lap with a large pout on his lips.

The boy's gaze brightened at Aeker's prompting. "I played hide and seek with my friends And I won. I was the best hider," he exclaimed proudly.

"Aye? Bet I would win if we played hide and seek."

"Nu-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-uh."

"Uh-huh!" Aodh replied, sticking his tongue out childishly. "Mommy, tell Darragh who would win at playing hide and seek."

The Lycan smirked. "I played hide and seek when I gave mommy that ring he wears. I've had lots more years than you have to play it. I'm better."

Aeker chuckled while the two of them argued, Aodh might not have been able to make it home but it still made Darragh happy to talk to him and see him.

The vampire smiled, toying with the ring on his finger as he looked down at it fondly.

"Your Daddy was very sneaky when he gave this to me, I was running around for hours trying to find him."

It had been a beautiful journey.

"Darragh war besorgt, dass Sie nicht mehr nach Hause."

The Vampire muttered softly, pressing a soft kiss to the top of the boy's head. A child's logic was flawed but could make sense in their mind
________________
Darragh was worried that you didn't want to come home.

Darragh's attention turned down to the ring on his mother's finger as the Vampire began toying with it.

"Athair, if you won, why did mommy get a prize?"

Aodh gave a sappy little smile. "'Cause mommy won something other than the game. He won my heart."

The Lycan's eyebrows shot up. His son really thought that? That was... that was absolutely ridiculous. He pressed his lips together firmly to try and hold back a smile.

"Hey, Darragh."

The boy's attention turned up to the screen. "Yes, athair?"

"I can't wait to get home. The first thing I'm going to do is give you a nice big cuddle." The boy's little smile grew in size.

The Vampire's eyes warmed as Aodh gave a sappy smile, giving a small shake of his head as he chuckled.

"Aodh you old romantic."

Darragh and Aeker would probably be the only ones to ever see Aodh's more tender, romantic side, it didn't happen often but when it did Aodh could melt hearts.

Aeker stroked a hand through Darragh's hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Looks like Daddy misses you, just as much as you miss him."

The Lycan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

He didn't often admit to being a romantic. He could come out with all the sappy talk in the world and still not admit that he was at all romantic.

That was just how he was.

Darragh cuddled against Aeker, smiling brightly as he gazed at the image of his dad on the little screen.

"Promise you'll be back tomorrow, Athair?"

Aodh pursed his lips. "I can try, pup. We gotta tell old man weather to be nice for us tomorrow. Think you can do that? Wish real hard for old man weather to be nice for me tomorrow."

Aeker wrapped his arms around the boy, nuzzling in against him affectionately.

"You'll just have to put up with boring, old Mommy for the night."

He teased the boy, with a chuckle, Darragh had been very well behaved for him but they both wanted Aodh back desperately.

It was hard having the man away, even if only for a few days.

Darragh looked up at Aeker with wide eyes.

"You're not boring, mommy!"

Darragh was horrified at the very thought of Aeker being considered boring. The Vampire was a lot of fun. He always made things fun to do.

Aodh's gaze flickered up when he saw Coilean get up from the table and head towards the bathrooms. He gave an amused little hum. "I think little bro's conversations were a little too much for him. Means we can talk a little less hush hush now, though."

Aodh relaxed back in his chair, attention returning to the screen.

"Thank you, sweety."

Aeker replied with a chuckle, Darragh didn't quite grasp his sense of humor yet, but it would come with time.

"Glad to hear it, guessing he still doesn't know about a lot of things yet. It's a shame we can't be more open about all of this."

It was hard, they had to be careful when they took Darragh out to play encase he was seen by someone that wasn't meant to know, it was difficult hiding secrets in the coven.

Aodh sighed.

"I know. I just don't know if he'll lash out or not and I don't want to risk Darragh. He's human. Coilean could kill him going deaf and blind without even trying."

Aodh was shit scared of letting Coilean know about Darragh. He wanted to be completely ready for anything when he finally let his brother know about his son.

"It's difficult keeping stuff as big as this from him. Especially with the two of them so close all the time."

Darragh gave a little yawn as he nuzzled closer to Aeker.

"I would never allow that to happen."

Aeker muttered, his hand stroking through Darragh's hair softly.

He wasn't a violent man, he tried to find a peaceful way to solve any issue but if someone tried to lay a hand on Darragh with ill intent he would slaughter them where they stood.

That included Coilean, it didn't matter if the Lycan was older and stronger than him, he would risk his own life before allowing the boy to be harmed.

"It doesn't matter if he can't change, Darragh is still half Lycan, he is your son after all."

And it was that exact reason that if Darragh did prove to be mortal that they couldn't do anything about it, the boy had Lycan in him, even if they wanted to, it could prove impossible to change him into either a turned lycan or a vampire.

"We should arrange a time to talk it over with Alek and Belial." The last name made him wince almost visibly.

But it was what they'd have to do.

Out of everyone that knew Coilean, Belial could probably get him to behave well enough to not lash out too bad if he ever met Darragh.

Just the idea that Aodh had considered Belial meant that he was dead serious about keeping Darragh safe when it happened. Aodh wouldn't ever go to Belial unless it was necessary.

The Lycan smiled softly. "Someone's a little tired," he crooned. His son looked adorable curled up against Aeker's chest half asleep like that.

"Sweet dreams, Darragh."

"As much as I dislike the idea of having Darragh around someone like Belial, Aleksandr seems to know him well enough. If he thinks it is a good idea then I would strongly consider it."

Coilean was unpredictable, there was no telling how he would react.

Aeker smiled as he looked down at the boy, stroking his back softly as he started to fall asleep.

"He has had a long day, plus you know he gets tired after getting emotional."

When ever the boy was upset and crying, when he eventually calmed down, he normally fell sleep.

"I can't wait to have you home, love, it's not been the same without you here."

"We'll have to talk to them about it soon. We'll go over it properly when I get home."

Aodh nodded, his soft silver gaze falling on his pup again.

"Poor kid has to go through so much. I wish I could give him a normal life instead of this." He wanted the kid to grow up happy and normal like any other kid his age. Poor thing was being dragged through the wringer.

"I can't wait to be home, either. Russia is feral. Even worse than those mountains yo used to live on. Not a great place to be. Hated every moment of being back there again."

"I know it's hard now Aodh, but it will get better, once this mess is sorted out we can enroll him in school, he can have the life you want for him.

I'll get my silver and we will be like any other family, if not slightly more dysfunctional.

However, until then, he is happy, he is healthy, he has people around him who love him and will protect him, you don't need to feel so guilty."

Aeker replied, they weren't a normal family, but that didn't mean they were worse.

"I just want to give him everything a normal boy his age should have and I can't. It's fucking frustrating."

He wanted Darragh to have it all. A happy human mother and father. Another sibling to play with. A cute house with a little picket fence.

He couldn't give Darragh much of that and it made him both sad and angry.

The Lycan shook his head and gave another sigh.

"I love you so fucking much Aeker Rozen." In this rough patch the only things he was certain of were that he loved Aeker and Darragh more than life itself.

"I love you too, Aodh O'Ceallaigh, I love you both more than anything in this world."

Aeker had accepted Darragh as his own rapidly, the two of them clicked quickly and had bonded.

"He isn't normal Aodh, and neither are we, we can't give him a 'normal life' it is entirely impossible.

However I will tell you this, and you will listen to me for once in your life. We can give him something so much better than normal, this boy will never want for anything, he will never have to doubt whether or not his parents care about him. We can give him so much more than anyone else so don't you ever doubt whether we are doing the right thing for him, don't doubt yourself as a father because this boy loves you more than you know and I know that he doesn't want anything else than to be able to see you everyday."

He was as close to normal as one could get in the supernatural world. Apart from his heightened sense of smell, he was human.

Aodh's attention was piqued when Aeker told him to listen for once in his life. Aeker very rarely asserted himself like that. It was a little shock to Aodh to hear the Vampire sound so serious.

He gave a little smile when Aeker was done.

The Vampire was right. Even if they couldn't give him normal, they could give him the best family they could. A loving and safe family.

"You're amazing, you know that? Absolutely fucking amazing."

"Oh please, I know."

Aeker replied with a grin as he flicked his hair over his shoulder sassily with a chuckle.

Some of Aodh's 'humble' nature had rubbed off of him.

"Don't ever doubt yourself Aodh, otherwise I'll tell Darragh, and you know he will give you a severe scolding for it."

Aodh laughed, shaking his head with a grin.

Aeker was the best damned thing that had ever happened to Aodh. Without Aeker Aodh didn't know where he'd be right now.

"Darragh would never let me live it down."

The Lycan smiled at the thought of his tiny son trying to strike the fear of god into him.

"I cant wait for tomorrow."

"I know, so I think it's a pretty good thing to threaten you with."

Darragh would be very upset with Aodh if he found out that the man had been doubting whether or not he was a good father for the boy.

"Neither can I."

He murmured, stroking a hand through Darragh's hair as he slept.

"Hurry home tomorrow if you can."

"I'll try."

All he wanted was to get home and lay in the arms of his two favourite people.

The Lycan ave Aeker a soft smile.

"I'm going to go. I have to find us a hotel for the night. I'll see you and the little man tomorrow, come rain or shine."

He didn't care what he had to do, he'd get home tomorrow.