#aeonweek

Ada was seated on the sofa, watching her son play in his playpen when Leon came home. She rose and beamed a smile at her husband as he got pounced on by Ebony. “Welcome back, handsome. Arthur's been a happy boy.”

Their one year old perked up at the sight of his father and waved his stuffed lion at him. “Daddy!” 

“Hi Arthur,” Leon gave his son a warm grin, seeing his family at the end of the day always lifted his spirits. He walked over to them and knelt down to gently pat the little boy’s head. “Let me wash up first and I will come play with you.”

Leon leaned over to give his wife a quick kiss and Ada lightly squeezed his arm when he pulled away, “I'll heat up some food for you in the meantime.” 

As the blonde entered the bedroom, a ginger cat trotted in, rubbing Leon’s legs in greeting. “Hey, Cobalt.” He reached down to give his pet some scritches on its chin and the feline purred loudly in response before jumping up on the bed, curling up on the blanket to wash his paws. 

Leon swiftly undressed, throwing his clothes in the laundry hamper, and got in the bathroom for a quick, hot shower. He felt pretty sweaty and grimey after demonstrating fighting techniques to his recruits. It felt good to get himself nice and squeaky clean again.

Meanwhile, Ada affectionately ruffled Arthur’s blonde hair and kissed his forehead. “You can keep playing. Mommy and Daddy will be back soon.” She grabbed the baby monitor and headed into the kitchen. 

Arthur merely cooed in response and waddled over to his toys that made animal sounds, entertaining himself while he waited for his parents. His favourite was the cat as it reminded him of Cobalt and Ebony who frequently rested in the playpen with him. He pressed the button in the middle of the cat’s tummy and it let out a ‘meow’. Arthur laughed and proceeded to press the rest of the animals in rapid succession, the cacophony of creature noises filled the room soon after.

Ada’s smile could only grow wider as she observed her son through the monitor. The child-like wonder he possessed as he discovered new things everyday through his bright brown eyes made her see things from a whole new perspective. Oftentimes, she found herself just watching her son experience the world on his own terms. 

Upstairs, Leon turned off the water and dried himself off with a towel before returning to the bedroom. That was when he noticed Ebony and Cobalt cuddling and grooming each other on the bed. He was glad both cats got along. The blonde put on some fresh clothes and headed back into the living room. Seeing Arthur playing alone, Leon went over to his son and picked him up. Little Arthur let out a small giggle as he grabbed his father’s shirt. 

“Hey buddy,” Leon cooed. He sniffed Arthur's soft baby hair, gave him a kiss on his cheek, and nuzzled him. However, instead of the usual laughter, Arthur let out a small whine of discomfort. 

“Huh, what is it?” Leon looked at Arthur's face and saw that his son was frowning uncomfortably. How was it that he could look so adorable and sad at the same time? 

“Oh, are you hungry?” He asked, glancing at the clock on the mantle and remembering the feeding schedule that Ada had set up. Arthur would have been fed an hour ago and shouldn’t be hungry so soon… 

The blonde also sniffed the air. “I don't think you need a diaper change... What's wrong huh?” Leon brought his son close to nuzzle him again, but when his face touched Arthur's cheek, the baby shrieked even louder. “Whoa, what's gotten into you?” 

“Everything okay in there?” Ada called out from the kitchen where she was stirring a pot of pasta on the stove. She was listening to Leon talk to Arthur on the baby monitor when she heard her son whimper.

Arthur stuck his little hands out and pressed it against his father's chin. “No!” The little boy cried out.

Leon felt a pang in his heart as his son rejected him, surprised by how forceful his small hands were. “I don't know, Arthur doesn't like me all of a sudden…”

“No, no, no!” Little Arthur repeated and slapped his tiny palms against Leon's skin.

“Alright alright, I'll give you to Mama,” Leon patted Arthur’s back soothingly and headed into the kitchen to hand their son to his wife. “He was fine just a minute ago when I picked him up.”

Ada raised an eyebrow as she took Arthur into her arms and she gestured to her husband to look after the pasta on the stove.

“That's odd. Do you remember what you were doing when he cried out? I'm carrying him just fine.” She rubbed her son’s back and kissed his cheek to comfort him. Arthur was bracing himself for discomfort again but relaxed when his mother's smooth skin brushed up against his.

Leon sighed and went to tend to the stove, giving the pasta a few more stirs. “I was just nuzzling him. I've done that plenty of times before.” He looked over to his wife and son and was glad to see Arthur feeling better, yet still disappointed in himself that he made his baby cry.

Ada glanced at her husband and felt his sadness. She would do anything to make things right. It was then she noticed the five o'clock shadow on his face. “I see why he cried when you nuzzled him…” She reached out and fingered his stubble. “He probably found this rough and wasn’t comfortable with it.”

A small smirk appeared on her lips and she kissed his cheek. “I still find you ruggedly good looking though.”

Leon blinked when his spouse stroked his jawline, and he realised his face was covered in short, stiff hair. “Oh. Ohh…” He rubbed his chin and felt how coarse it was, like sandpaper. “I'm sorry Arthur. I guess I forgot to shave.” 

Arthur was fast asleep this morning and did not stir after Leon gave him a goodbye kiss on the temple when he left for work. Leon could not have known then. 

The blonde gently stroked Arthur's hair, which the little boy did appreciate. “I'll go remove it right now, while my face's still a little damp.” Leon went back upstairs once more. 

Ada turned off the fire on the stove and placed the lid on so Cobalt won't mess with it. With her son in her arms, she followed Leon all the way to the bedroom, knowing how much he wanted to nuzzle Arthur after he got done shaving.

Leon was already in the bathroom, gliding the razor over his cheeks and jawline until his face was nice and smooth. Their little boy watched with curiosity as the tiny hairs on his daddy's face disappeared.

He cleaned the razor, wiped down the sink, and towel dried his face before turning to see his beautiful Ada with their cherubic Arthur.

“Ok, let's try this again,” Leon said as he leaned over to his son. He gently pressed his cheek against Arthur's, and their baby chuckled happily that papa’s face was now nice and smooth. “There now, all better isn’t it?”

Arthur kept giggling and his tiny fingers reached out to touch Leon's strong jawline. “Here, you can hold him to your heart's content,” Ada said and handed their son into her husband's loving arms before heading downstairs to finish prepping Leon’s dinner.

“Hey Arthur…” Leon whispered as he nuzzled his son without protest. Arthur gurgled happily at his father, rubbing his chubby cheek back against him. Leon responded by bouncing him lightly in his arms and the sound of happy coos filled the bathroom. Cobalt let out a little chirp followed by Ebony who mewed at them and Leon brought his son to their cats, sharing their joy with the creatures.  

“Food's ready, lao gong,” Ada called out after she was done ladling the pasta into one bowl since she already had her dinner. Leon had insisted that she eat first as training could end at unpredictable hours. They could still spend time at the dining table while he ate. 

“We'll be right down, lao po.” Leon replied and carried his son down to the kitchen, placing him down in the high chair by the dining table. “It smells good, dear. I could really go for a hearty meal after all the training today.”

Ada laid out glasses of water and took a seat beside her husband, feeling pleased when he complimented her cooking.