Devil Boy

Bao was fast approaching eleven months and already, he had been crawling and shuffling along their floors to reach other destinations. The expression adorning his face when he realised he had made it without the guidance of his parents was beautiful to witness. He seemed ever so pleased with his little self and as soon as he was comfortable in another room, he clapped his hands together and released a few squeals of joy. Not one of his parents could get enough of the delight that seemed ever-present on his face and each time, they couldn't help but smile in return. Their beautiful baby boy was growing up and was not allowing anything to stand in his way.

With one parent working a full day, the other would spend every waking moment with their infant, though he was more or less good as gold throughout those twenty four hours and never did give either one of them any trouble. Huo Da would often complain that their offspring had collected all of Jia Dia's qualities and none of his, but it was much better that way. Had he inherited any of his fathers genes, it would be very easy to spot, what with how very wicked the devil could be. There were a great many things to appreciate when it came to their child and they would sometimes sit for hours, admiring every last little thing about him, even those times when he was asleep.

“Jia Di, xiexie...” he spoke up suddenly, as they lounged on the sofa, staring out of an open window at the twinkling stars up above. “I never believed I would become a father.”

With this, she turned her full attention toward the one man she never thought she would love in a million years, and smiled. It was a warm smile, genuine and filled with adoration for him. Huo Da was well aware of her feelings for him and how strong they really were, but these little reminders every once in a while made his heart skip a beat. This was out of the ordinary for a man like himself; he seldom allowed his emotions to take control, but with Jia Di, he couldn't stop it. It seemed to flow naturally and every day, he found himself falling deeper and deeper in love.

“Wo ai ni, devil” she grinned, leaning over slightly to press a gentle kiss upon his cheek, at which point he snapped his head around and caught her lips with his own, surprising them both.

Their shared affection was soon interrupted by thunderous footsteps, breaking them apart as a small child came toddling into the room. Both parents turned their attention toward the little one who had managed, all by himself, to come visit his mother and father in the middle of the night. Bao stood there for a moment, though a little wobbly, before trying to climb up onto his mothers lap. Huo Da hoisted him up so that he was sitting atop her knees and facing them both, a daft little grin on his face as though he had achieved something no one else ever had before. And in a way, it was true; he had never done anything quite like that up until now and it stunned both Huo Da and Jia Di to silence. All they could do was stare at their baby boy with bright smiles, unaware of what was coming next — and soon, as they watched his every move.

“P..p..paa..PAPA!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he so often did, only this time, he lunged forward with his arms wide open, toward Huo Da.

Huo Da's eyes widened at the sudden outburst and they both realised then and there, their son had not yet spoken anything in full before. He was forever trying, but had not managed until now to be successful. Jia Di felt fresh, hot tears rushing down her cheeks as she rubbed her the babies back, as he in turn clung to his father, who was also crying tears of joy.

Ahmon smiled, though aware the kind nurse was unable to see him do so. It was comforting to know there was someone looking after his friend and that he was, indeed, in good hands. It was far more than he could ever do himself and so, he felt relieved. The fact that Ty had ended up in hospital was a nightmare, but at least there, he would be given the treatment he needed. “Shi.. I’ll drop in around twelve and see how he’s getting along. Xiexie; he really hasn’t been all that well lately and it’s a relief to know he’s under your care. Baibai.”

The few hours that followed, between the call and his journey to the hospital, were nothing but torment. He hoped that Tyler had come around by the time he got there — he would have hated to return well into the night, as he had exam preps set for tomorrow. After returning every book he had borrowed from the college library, he jumped the train and spent no more than fifteen to twenty minutes preparing a little speech. He had no idea what state his friend would be in, but he wanted to be sure nothing negative came out of his mouth. It was bound to either way - but he fought against that. His only emotion was worry; miserable over all that had gone wrong.