#humon

Hugh let out a sigh the second the door to the mayor's mansion shut behind him. Finally able to transition from famous superhero/esteemed government leader to just a regular man, husband, and father. He looked over to Simon and saw the same sense of relief coupled with exhaustion that he knew covered his own face. 

“I am so happy to be home,” he told his husband, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead as they walked into their home. 

“Me too” 

Simon returned the embrace by wrapping his arm around Hugh’s waist. They had had a very long day at headquarters. The Sentinel for whom Hugh and the rest of the council had no warm feelings had captured Hawthorn, tortured, and killed her. A probable revenge killing by a prodigy who was most certainly letting his feelings get the best of him. Not to mention it didn’t exactly look good that he did this to a prodigy who the Renegades had tried and failed to catch.

“Stop thinking about work hun.” Simon’s words tore Hugh out of his thoughts and he glanced over to his smirking husband who was currently taking off his cape and hanging it in the closet that they kept meaning to convert into the pantry. They were both still in their superhero garb from work.

“How do you always know what I'm thinking?” Hugh asked somewhat rhetorically. Simon could always guess what was on his mind, and only shrugged and smiled at the question. 

Hugh walked over to the staircase that led to Adrian's bedroom in the basement. “Adrian we’re home” he yelled. He frowned when he got no response. He usually got at least an “okay” or a “hello” when he told Adrian they were home.

“You think he’s asleep?” he asked as his husband approached. Simon wrapped his arms around Hugh from behind him, pulling him into a hug. He looked ready to fall asleep himself as he rested his forehead against Hugh’s back.

“I doubt it. He’s been sleeping less and less.” his tone was laced with worry but when he spoke again Hugh could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “Maybe Insomnia’s rubbing off on him.”

Hugh pulled away from the embrace a little reluctantly and turned smiling while shaking his head at his husband. Simon had been suggesting that Nova and their son’s relationship would develop further than friendship since the trials. “Si he told us they were just friends.”

“And you believed him?” he replied incredulously. 

“Yes, because I trust our son,” Hugh said, his voice playful.

Simon shook his head. “Nooo way have you seen them together?”

“Okay. Maybe he likes her,” Hugh said unable to deny that. “but Nova’s not exactly what I would call an open book so we can’t be sure of anything.”

“Twenty bucks says they're dating,” Simon says smirking and seeming pretty confident about this bet. 

“Fine. I still think Adrian would tell us if something was going on.”

“Hun, he may be Adrian but he's still a teenage boy.”

Hugh shook his head smiling and remembering how they had hidden their relationship and snuck around when they were teenagers. “I'm going to go check on him. Maybe he's working on that mural he mentioned wanting to paint.” 

“Okay,” Simon said giving Hugh a quick kiss before heading back into the kitchen, probably to get a snack as neither of them had eaten dinner yet.

Hugh made his way down the stairs into the basement that was Adrian’s space. Hugh and Simon didn't go down there much as they wanted Adrian to have privacy, not to mention they never really had a reason to. 

Hugh saw a few things Adrian had added or changed since the last time he had been down there. Hugh was pretty proud of what a nice room Adrian had made this basement into.

He didn't see Adrian in his bed, or anywhere else in the room so he walked over to the door of what Adrian had referred to as his art studio and knocked. No answer. Maybe he had spent the night at Oscar’s? They didn't really mind if their son went out without telling them, he was 17 which was old enough to know how to stay out of trouble and they trusted him, but usually, he would message them if he was spending the night somewhere. A confused frown covered Hugh’s face and he began walking away from the door deciding that he would go upstairs and message Adrian asking where he was.

When he was about halfway across the room, he stopped. Adrian had been pretty distant lately and didn't tell them much when he had asked to paint the mural, leaving his dads pretty curious. 

Though Hugh felt a little guilty he was too curious not to at least take a peak at Adrian's progress. Hugh was always supportive and usually impressed by Adrian’s artistic endeavors, and he couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Hugh walked back over to the door and slowly pulled it open. His mouth opened slightly in amazement. Adrian had painted a jungle in what looked to be the ruins of a fallen city, and he had brought it to life, creating something absolutely beautiful, and amazing. If Hugh had been proud of Adrian’s nice room he didn't even know how to feel about this. 

Hugh looked around some more, still not daring to move from the safety of the doorway. There was a statue that he could only see the back of from this angle. There seemed to be a soft glow coming from the other side, and he wanted to see what it was, but he couldn’t risk messing up something that would give away his visit. 

As Hugh's gaze fell to the ground a surprised expression overtook his features. 

Nova Mclain sleeping soundly in the arms of his also sleeping son was just about the last thing he expected to see. A soft smile warmed his features at the sight. I guess she does have the ability to sleep he thought, remembering her saying she wasn’t sure she could if she wanted to at the trials. 

He saw that she was wearing a pair of what looked like noise-canceling headphones. Possibly what helped her sleep? Though with the way Nova and Adrian's arms were wrapped around each other and the content expression that he never thought he would see on her face, Hugh suspected the headphones didn’t have much to do with it at all.

He was planning to keep this peak into Adrian’s life a secret, but Hugh couldn’t not show this to his husband. Right?

Hugh walked back up the stairs and into the kitchen, his eyes falling on Simon who was just finishing a bowl of cereal. “Was he down there?”

“Yeah. And I think I owe you twenty bucks.”

A confused frown covered Simon's face “What.”

“Come on,” Hugh said holding out his hand. Simon took it still looking confused and let Hugh lead him into the basement and towards an open door.

When they got to the studio turned jungled Hugh watched the same awe and amazement he had felt dawn on Simon. After a few seconds, Hugh pointed to the sleeping teens and Simon’s expression turned from amazed to know. He smiled and shook his head looking back at his husband.

“Told you so,” Simon whispered. Hugh only smiled. They quietly shut the door and tiptoed out of the basement.

Later that night they were laying in bed after having showered and eaten.

“Hey,” Simon said. “I never got my twenty bucks.”

Hugh pretended to pat his pockets though he wasn’t actually wearing anything that had pockets. “Oh no,” he said with mock sheepishness. “I don’t have any cash on me. I guess I'll have to offer another form of payment.” He said suggestively.