Hakim smiled beneath his mask, he knew what was going on. Behind him, Vigil chuckled to himself, a rumbling sound as the Titan shook his head. “I think you have a surprise waiting for you.”

“Perhaps. I believe I know what’s happening though.” He turned enough to nod gratefully at his guard. “Thank you for escorting me home.”

Vigil, of course, waved off the gratitude. “It’s my duty,” he said. “I’ll see you in the morning, Speaker.” With Hakim’s well wishes, the Titan walked down the hall, his large figure and decorated armor disappearing from sight.

Hakim entered the apartment quietly, removing his shoes with ease and placing them on the other side of Vencel’s shoes. The mask was taken off next, placed on a side table in case he had any late visitors and needed to conceal his identity quickly. He pulled his cowl down, not bothering to deal with the hair that stuck up in all directions, and tiptoed into the living room.

Thick, long legs were draped over the arm of the couch, though a foot was sliding off and threatening to land on the floor. A large blanket was thrown hastily over rest of the body, bunching up around the middle that let Hakim catch a glimpse of a dark purple stomach. He leaned over the back of the couch, a smile on his lips as he lifted up part of the blanket. Bright blue eyes peered up at him, three settling on the side of Nul’s face before closing and their mouth split open. “Welcome home.”

“It’s good to be home,” Hakim replied. A hand reached up to cup his cheek, and he turned his head, kissing the palm. “Is Ven with you?”

Null sighed deeply, let go of Hakim’s face, and pulled the blanket back even more. Vencel was laying on their other arm, curled up, pink hair surely tangled, and sleeping soundly. More than he had been the past few nights at least. Nightmares had been plaguing the child, and it pained Hakim to hear terrified whimpers next to his bed in the middle of the night. Hakim watched his the child sleep for a few moments, counting the rise and falls of the small chest. “Got him to sleep an hour ago,” Null said. “All those sleepless nights finally wore him out.”

The types of nightmares Vencel was having would tire anyone out. Dreams of the Void, of grasping hands threatening to drown him, a veiled creature who dogged his every step; those were not the dreams of a regular child. They weren’t monsters under the bed or in the closet, they were as real as the Darkness that threatened Humanity’s existence every day. Unlike the Darkness though, Vencel’s dreams couldn’t be driven off with the burning fire of a Dawnblade. It was frustrating for Hakim to watch as his child lost sleep for days at a time, but all he could do was be there for Vencel.

A few moments passed, then Hakim pushed himself away from the couch. “I’ll be back,” he told Null. He got a noncommittal wave as went to the master bedroom to change out of his robes and into a more comfortable set of clothes. When he walked back to the living room, he circled around the couch, and Null huffed softly.

“Planning on sleeping too?” Their mouth closed, allowing two eyes to appear on their face, this time where eyes were supposed to be. They gave Hakim a quick once over, glancing at his flannel pajama pants and off shoulder long sleeved shirt that covered his hands. The eyes went away, mouth opening once more as they pulled Hakim in top of them. Vencel was a welcome weight on their arm. Knowing where their child was eased any panic that could crop up. With Vencel tucked against their side, they could protect him.

The same for Hakim if they were going to be honest.

“Perhaps. Perhaps I just want to lay with you two,” Hakim said, adjusting his position to get more comfortable. His leg slid between Null’s, while the other was outside their thigh. One arm was placed on Null’s broad chest, and the other was thrown over their shoulder. He rested his head on the meat of Null’s chest, feeling the comforting buzz of static emanating from their skin, and sighed happily.

“Just for a few hours,” Null said. They pulled the blanket back over all three of them, leaving a hole to let cool air in. “The couch isn’t a good place to sleep.”

For the life of him, Hakim couldn’t help but laugh at the earnest look on Ven’s face. Wide eyes gazed up at him, glancing over to the windows for a second before returning to stare, and a smile that refused to leave the moment Ven looked out the window. Hakim scooped Ven into his arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek as they moved away from the windows and, by extension, the snow. “Soon, habibi, soon. First we have to get dressed, and then we can go see the snow.”

“Snow?” Ven pouted at him, and pointed at the windows again.

Hakim set Ven down on his bed, and laid his clothes out beside him. He clicked his tongue when Ven squirmed on the bed, a warning for him to stay still long enough for Hakim to help slip his pants on. They were baggy, liable to get caught on anything while Ven ran around, but they were insulated and would keep him from getting cold. He watched as Ven struggled to put his shirt on, only helping to push arms through the proper holes before his hands were slapped away. The jacket was the last piece. It had long coat tails, reminiscent of Hakim’s robes and he worried that Ven would slip on them, but the hood had fur on it, and besides that, it actually fit Ven. He shushed the soft whines of impatience as he clasped the jacket closed and tied the sash around Ven’s middle.

“Snow?” Ven asked, standing on top of the mattress.

“Not yet. I have to get dressed, too.” Though, he did dress as quickly as he could manage with the thick layers that weighed him down and the ornamental sash that rested on his stomach. The ends of his robes barely touched the floor, and the large, open sleeves were collected into a knot that kept the hemming from dragging on the ground. His cowl was the last thing he put on, and his mask was tucked into an inside pocket of his outer robe. Hakim matched the grin Ven was giving him, and, without wasting another second, he picked him up, propped him on his hip, and left the apartment as soon as shoes were put on.

—

Ven tugged on his hand again. The snow was enticing, sparkling in the morning sun, and piles were just out of Ven’s reaching fingers. Hakim knew that if he stopped for every pile of snow, it would be noon by the time that he reached the observatory. As much as he wanted to let Ven play, he had a job to do, and with Null away from the Tower for the time being, he had to juggle being a parent and being the Speaker equally. It was a challenge he never looked forward to, having to put his duties as Speaker before the simple wants of his child. There had been moments where he was tempted to spend the day with Ven, catching up on time lost to the long hours he kept, but responsibility kept him from doing just that.

Guilt made his skin crawl before he could shove the feeling away. His child only had so long, and he didn’t want remorse to dictate his reason.

Quick, pattering footsteps kept up with his strides, the small hand in his squeezing his fingers as they made it through the giant door of North Tower. A few Guardians hung about, Hunters wrapped up in their cloaks and Warlocks raising the collars of their robes while Titans sported knitted scarves around their necks. The Guardians bowed to Hakim, and some waved to Ven. Snow fell out of several hands, hitting the ground with a soft splat, letting Hakim know what he had just walked in on. He sighed softly to himself as Ven’s soft laughter reached his ears. A gentle nudge was sent to Vega, and the doors to the observatory opened, signaling his arrival to the Tower proper.

Ven tugged on his hand before they could cross the bridge to the observatory. “Snow?” He asked.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to deny Ven forever. They were outside, there were piles of snow pushed out of the way and salts were laid down to make walking easier. Guardians who prepared to get into a snowball fight right outside the observatory, and Hakim knew that there were more Guardians in the Courtyard doing causing mayhem with all the snow. Ven had been undeniably patient the entire morning, and it seemed to finally start wearing off. He was tugging at his sleeve, pouting, and gazing up at him with watery eyes, seconds away from hopping in place. Behind his mask, Hakim smiled. His duties could wait a moment longer. “Snow,” he agreed, holding down the laughter in his throat as Ven squealed.

The thick layers of his robes kept the chill out as he walked Ven over to a large pile of snow and knelt down in front of it. He pulled Ven in front of him, an arm wrapped around his middle to keep him from tumbling forward, and with the other grabbed a handful of packed snow. Immediately, Ven’s hands were on the snow, and Hakim was grateful for the gloves he managed to put on Ven before they reached the outside. The child grabbed a handful of snow from Hakim, and slowly started to turn it over in his hands, smoothing out the outside as much as he could.

Hakim made a guess. “A snowball?” Ven shook his head. “No? Then what are you making?”

“A snowman! Because, um, ‘cause Baba isn’t here for snow,” he explained, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Ven carefully put the ball he made on top of the pile, then took another handful from Hakim and repeating the process. The second ball was stacked on top of the first with Hakim’s help, and three eyes, two on the right side and one on the left, were drawn on the head. “And it looks like Baba.”

The small snowman was lumpy, one eye was too large, making the other too seem tiny by comparison, but Ven was proud of it. He was humming to himself, already making another snowman under Hakim’s watchful gaze. The second snowman was smaller than the first, and a third joined shortly after. Ven looked over his shoulder, up at the Speaker’s mask then back to the second snowman. He drew on the face carefully, stopping every so often to glance over at the mask on his father’s face until the design on it was drawn on the snowman. For the third snowman, a smiling face was drawn on it, the mouth wide and lopsided.

“It’s us!” Ven crowed.

Sure enough, Hakim could see the resemblance in the figures. Null’s was the biggest, he watched Ven scrawl his mask’s design into the face of the middle figure, and Ven’s was the smallest by far. He smiled to himself, and complemented Ven on his craftsmanship, wiping the excess snow off his glove before tucking the child against his side. With a gentle nudge across the bond, he asked Vega to take a picture; he wanted Null to see it when they returned from the Void. He wondered how long it would take for more of the simple, little snowmen to crop up around the Tower once more Guardians started trickling through North Tower. It would make for a decent game to tire Ven out at the very least, and Hakim tucked it away for later.

“Abbi? When is Baba coming home?” Ven asked quietly.

A beat of silence passed between parent and child, then Hakim scooped Ven up in his arms, standing up smoothly while holding Ven against his chest. “Sooner than you think,” he replied. He hoped that Null wouldn’t make him a liar. “It won’t be long.”

Ven’s hands were tucked between them, and he buried the tip of his nose into Hakim’s hood. “Promise?”