“Baekho, are you ready?” Baekhyun shouts as he checks everything again, just in case. He wouldn't want to forget something and possibly make his wife think he is an incompetent father.

“Daddy, Uncle Suho and Junhee are at the playground!” the four-year-old boy relays to his father as he stands with his face and palms pressed to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Can we go, too?”

Baekhyun sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. He pads over to where his son is, staring wistfully down at the playground. Baekhyun squats next to him. Baekho turns to his father with a hopeful look on his face. Baekhyun feels guilty that he has to say no.

“Baekho, Mommy is waiting for us in Japan.” The boy starts to frown and Baekhyun knows what is going to happen if he doesn't say the right thing. The boy’s eyes are already watering. “Don't you want to go to Disneyland?”

Baekhyun’s wife is in the neighbouring country for work. Since it is summer as well, the husband and wife thought that a trip to Japan might bond the family and bring them even closer though it is almost impossible.

“Disneyland?” Baekho’s eyes light up at the mention of the theme park. He completely turns and faces his father, immediately forgetting about the playground and his friend, Junhee.

Baekhyun smiles. “Yes,” he says. “If you want to go to Disneyland, we have to leave now or we will miss our flight.”

“Okay!”

Baekho runs to the entryway of the apartment and plops his bum on the floor to start wearing his shoes. Baekhyun can only smile in affection. He rolls their luggage to the door and wears his shoes before checking up on his son, who doesn't need his help anymore, unlike before when he was younger. Baekho stands up energetically finally, with his shoes securely fastened on his feet.

“Get your luggage too, Baekho,” Baekhyun gestures to the small suitcase that is only a little smaller than his son with a tip of his head.

The boy listens well. Baekhyun opens the door and lets him out first, wheeling his little suitcase behind him. Baekhyun takes a last look at the apartment after turning off the lights, making sure he has everything taken. When he is sure that nothing else is left, he shuts the door and locks up.

“Hold Daddy’s hand, Baekho,” Baekhyun instructs as they wait for the lift, holding out his hand.

His son places his small hand in Baekhyun’s palm. Baekhyun cannot help but smile at how little his hand is, and how tightly Baekho has a hold on him. He is too cute.

The lift arrives and they enter the box with their suitcases. Baekho is mumbling the numbers on the display as the elevator descends. Baekhyun listens to his son and watches the numbers decrease. When they reach the ground floor and leave the elevator, they spot a familiar trio.

“Sera! Vivi!” Baekho exclaims, breaking his father’s hold.

The trio stops as Baekho runs towards them. Baekhyun sighs internally. He really loves his son but sometimes he really wishes Baekho hadn't taken after him in terms of his sociability.

Sehun greets Baekhyun, who nods at him. The younger male glances at the suitcases. “Leaving for Japan today?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun nods. He sees Baekho and Sera squatting down to play with Vivi. He sighs. “Baekho,” he calls with warning in his voice. “Did you greet Uncle Sehun?”

“Uncle Sehun,” Baekho calls curtly, uncaringly.

Baekhyun can only sigh again as Sehun chuckles. Baekhyun shakes his head and turns to Sehun. “Going for a walk?”

“Yeah, Sera saw Junhee at the playground and she wanted to go,” he says, smiling softly at his daughter.

Baekhyun laughs and pats his arm. “It still amazes me to this day that you're a father.”

Sehun groans. “Hyung, you do know that I am a father for close to three years already?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun says, looking at him with a look that says What’s your point?. The youngest will always be the youngest, right?

Sehun can only sigh. “You know I’m the Wind Prince?” Baekhyun raises an eyebrow. “I’d watch out if I were you. I wouldn't want to die in a plane crash.”

Baekhyun scoffs out a laughter. “Very funny, Oh Sehun,” he pats his shoulder. “And don't forget that I can finish you off in an instant.” Sehun scowls at him, for a moment forgetting that Baekhyun has his own abilities that made him the Light Prince too. Baekhyun continues in a soft murmur, “Baekho can even help me with that too.”

Sehun’s eyes widen. He fixes his eyes on the kids, who are still blabbing nonsense to each other while playing with the dog. He finally notices the emblem of an eight-pointed star that used to belong to Baekhyun hanging around Baekho’s neck, glowing faintly with light, indicating the very first development of his power. Sehun goes closer to Baekhyun.

“When did Baekho start?”

Baekhyun frowns as he recalls when he first saw the pendant flickering with soft light. “Almost a week ago. He was taking a bath when my wife saw it start to glow.”

“Did anything happen?”

He shakes his head. “Not really. I haven't trained him yet and he's still young, so his powers shouldn't be uncontrollable yet.”

“You should train him as soon as you can,” Sehun warns.

“I know,” Baekhyun sighs as he watches the kids. “I just haven't had much time lately.” He sees Sera standing and turning to her father. “What about Sera?” he mumbles, noticing Sehun’s old necklace hanging around her neck. “Not yet?”

Sehun shakes his head. “She's still young. They usually start developing their powers at the age of four.”

Baekhyun knows. The conversation ends there when the kids run back to their fathers. Baekhyun ruffles his son’s hair while Sehun his daughter’s.

“Ready to go now, Baekho?” Baekhyun asks his son.

“Daddy, Sera wants Disneyland too!” Sera whines to her father.

“We’ll go when Mommy isn't feeling so sick, okay?” The girl shakes her head and starts crying, upset that her friend gets to go to Disneyland but not her. Sehun bends down and carries her up. He wipes her tears and kisses her chubby cheeks. “Daddy promises to bring you there when Mommy feels better. Okay?”

“No!!! With Baekho!” she wails.

Baekho hasn't thrown a fit in a while and hearing the young girl crying now gives Baekhyun a headache. He shoots Sehun a look, who shakes his head and gestures for him leave first with a tilt of his head. Baekhyun nods. Before he leaves, however, he moves forward and pats Sera’s head.

“Sera,” he coos. She ignores him and continues crying. “Sera, Uncle Baekhyun has something for you.”

At that, the girl’s cries subsides, interested in what Baekhyun has for her. Baekhyun smiles and holds his hand out in front of her. She watches in fascination as a small dot of light appears from nothing on his palm. Her lips part in fascination and her eyes are only on the growing ball of light. It is the size of a marble when Baekhyun takes his palm away.

“Wow,” Sera breathes.

“My wife doesn't know, hyung,” Sehun hisses in reminder.

Baekhyun immediately distinguishes the light and that snaps Sera back to reality. She giggles. “Again, again!”

Baekhyun chuckles and caresses her cheek with the back of his fingers. “When Uncle Baekhyun comes back, I’ll show you again, okay? Together with presents from Disneyland.” She pouts, her bottom lip jutting out. “Pinky promise,” he says, holding his last finger out to her.

She is still too young to control her fingers, so she holds out her forefinger. Baekhyun grins, wrapping his little finger around her forefinger anyway.

“Be a good girl in the meantime, okay?” She bobs her head excitedly. Baekhyun ruffles her hair and takes a step back. “See you in a week, Sehun,” he nods at the younger male before turning to his son. “Baekho, let's go. Say goodbye to Uncle Sehun and Sera.”

“Goodbye, Uncle Sehun,” Baekho waves. “Goodbye, Sera! Goodbye, Vivi!”

The two males chuckle at the boy. Baekhyun takes the handle of his suitcase, ready to go. He waves at the father and daughter one last time before wheeling his luggage towards the exit of the building. Baekho obediently follows after him, not forgetting his Ironman suitcase.

 

 

Baekhyun sits his son opposite him as he watches the boy munch on his fries. He can only smile fondly when Baekho takes his burger and widens his mouth. Baekhyun chuckles softly at the face Baekho is making, trying his best to stuff the burger into his small mouth. He eventually puts down the sandwich and whines to his father.

“Daddy, I can't.”

Baekhyun laughs and leans forward, taking the burger from his little hand. He squashes the burger between his palms to make it flatter. Then he passes it back to Baekho.

“Here.”

Baekho takes it and inspects it for a bit before trying to eat it, widening his mouth again. This time, his burger fits his small mouth, though barely. He takes a big bite out of it (or as big as his mouth can take). Baekhyun takes a fry from him, munching on it while watching his son eating. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the pendant resting on his little belly glowing a little brighter. He looks around anxiously, hoping no one saw that.

“Baekho, come here,” he calls out, trying not to let anxiety deep into his voice.

Baekho tilts his head slightly, looking at his father curiously, wondering why he wants him to go over to him when his mother and father have already started telling him he cannot sit on their laps anymore because he is becoming a Big Boy.

Baekhyun blinks at the pendant pulsing with soft light now before glancing warily around him. He gives his son a shaky smile and shifts his body to the side. He opens his arms out for Baekho.

“Come here, Baekho,” he tries again.

This time, Baekho listens. He climbs down the chair carefully and goes over to his father who scoops him up right away and sits him on his lap. Baekhyun holds up the pendant primly between his fingers and stares at it. He swallows and tucks it into Baekho’s shirt. He kisses his head as his son continues eating, unaware of what is happening.

“Baekho, Daddy has to teach you something,” Baekhyun murmurs softly, his head dipped lowly to be at eye level with his son.

“Like a teacher?” Baekho questions, cocking his head to the side.

“Yes, like a teacher,” Baekhyun goes along with it. He brushes the boy’s hair back. “Finish your food quickly, little one.”

Baekho bobs his head even as he lifts his burger up to Baekhyun’s face, offering him a bite. Despite the anxiety and worry for the development of his son, he can't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. Baekhyun thanks the boy and takes a small bite of the burger.

“Is it yummy, Daddy?” Baekho asks, watching his father’s expression.

Baekhyun caresses his cheek. As he chews and smiles at his son, he nods. “Better finish it or Daddy will eat it all,” he threatens playfully. The boy whines and takes a hurried bite of his burger. Baekhyun laughs and ruffles his hair. “Daddy’s just kidding. Slow down, Baekho.”

He listens, probably only because he cannot swallow any quicker. Baekhyun watches his son eat the burger, occasionally taking the fries that are somewhat untouched because of Baekho’s attention on the burger. When a quarter of the burger is left, Baekho holds it out to his father and shakes his head.

“What?” Baekhyun raises an eyebrow.

“I’m full,” he pouts.

Baekhyun sighs and takes the burger from him. He is already becoming a Leftover Bin for his son, something he has seen mortal fathers become for their children. The boy plays with Baekhyun’s fingers in the meantime while his father eats the rest of his burger. Unlike kids his age these days, he doesn't have an iPad or the like. Baekhyun and his wife are strong believers of not letting their son touch any electronic device until he is older. They just don't want to spoil his childhood like that.

After finishing the meal, Baekhyun carries his son, setting him on a hip, while his other arm holds the Ironman suitcase. They still have an hour until their boarding gate opens. Baekhyun’s steps are light but quick as he searches for a quiet room where he can be alone with his son. He eventually finds one, but it is a diaper changing room. He curses internally but enters the large cubicle anyway. He sits Baekho on the changing table and puts down the suitcase. Baekho stares at his father curiously.

“Baekho, remember Speck?” Baekhyun questions, facing his son, his hands on his little legs.

Baekho bobs his head happily. “When is he coming back?”

Speck was a ball of light Baekhyun made for Baekho when he got scared from a nightmare and wouldn't go to sleep. It was only when Speck snuggled with him under the covers that he would go to bed. Baekhyun wouldn't have had to take Speck away from Baekho if not for his wife’s parents coming to stay over for a week when the boy was three. They are mortal like their daughter, but unlike her, they do not know of the Ethereals. So Baekhyun had to lie to Baekho that Speck had to go back to his own home because his parents were worried.

Baekhyun can only give a preoccupied smile as he leans down closer to his son. “Do you want to call him back?” His son bobs his head excitedly. “Okay,” Baekhyun takes in a deep breath and kisses his forehead. “We’ll get Speck to return.”

“Yay!”

“But!” Baekhyun raises his voice slightly to gain his son’s attention from celebrating. Baekho slouches and pouts at his father. “I need you to do something for Daddy.”

There is a very long moment of silence. Baekhyun stares at Baekho, taking in his bright eyes, shaped just like his own. Then at his little pink mouth that he took after his mother. And finally at the little beauty mark just slightly above his upper lip, exactly a mirror image of Baekhyun’s mole. He is so much like Baekhyun that it sometimes makes him guilty and sad that he didn't take more after his mother. But other times, he gets jealous anyway when Baekho ignores him just because his mother is around. Moms are always number one before anyone else, aren't they?

“What is it, Daddy?” Baekho’s tentative voice brings Baekhyun back to reality.

He clears his throat and nods his head, ready for the start of it all, the start of his son’s life as a Light Guardian. Baekhyun speaks his instruction softly and slowly.

“I need you to close your eyes, Baekho, and imagine…”

 

 

Baekhyun holds his son’s hand as the plane starts gaining speed on the runway. Baekho is excited and scared at the same time, as seen from the way he eagerly looks out the window while gripping Baekhyun’s hand tightly with his tiny one. The moment the plane ascends, Baekho turns to his father, at the same time making excited noises that would be embarrassing if everyone else wasn't already fond of the boy. The passengers sitting around them turn to watch the child. Baekhyun doesn't even have to apologise because they are smiling at Baekho in adoration.

When the plane is high up enough and has stabilised, Baekhyun lifts the armrest between the both of them. There is two hours of flight time, which is just enough time for Baekho’s nap — if he is not too excited about flying for the first time. But no matter how enthusiastic a four-year-old can get about his first flight experience, it won't stop him from being a child and needing his afternoon naps. Baekhyun doesn't catch Baekho yawning as he fills in the immigration cards. Only when he is done with them and has tucked the pieces of papers in their passports, he turns to Baekho who is already nodding off, his little mouth open.

Baekhyun smiles fondly. He unbuckles Baekho’s seatbelt and makes the boy lie down with his head on the small pillow on Baekhyun’s lap that was brought on board in the Ironman suitcase. Baekho immediately snuggles up in a fetal position. It must be his fatherly instincts when Baekhyun places his hand on his son’s hip, almost protectively. He starts patting him, getting him to a peaceful sleep.

Baekhyun doesn't get to have off days very much, let alone an entire week of holiday just to travel with his family. Being the guardian of light on earth is a very tiring job, but he is glad that at least he isn't taking over his father’s position as the King of Light… yet. Taking naps is not what he is used to either, but that is exactly what Baekhyun is doing. His head is lolled to one side, his hand still on Baekho’s hip while the boy is still sleeping peacefully next to his father, his face now in Baekhyun’s shirt.

It is only when the air stewardess lightly taps on Baekhyun’s shoulder to announce the descend to Narita airport that Baekhyun finally wakes up from his nap. He is groggy with sleep, but he still manages to get Baekho to sit up. The boy is only a limp doll when Baekhyun buckles him up. Bringing the armrest back to place, Baekhyun hangs his arm over the armrest to Baekho’s seat, letting his son lean against his arm as he sleeps. Baekhyun shuts his eyes again.

He wakes up again when the plane has already landed and people are unbuckling their seatbelts. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and glances at his child, who is still sleeping. Baekhyun sits there in a daze, trying to wake himself up as he waits for everyone else to get off the plane. It takes almost 15 minutes but they are finally one of the few left. Carefully, he makes Baekho lie across his seat so he can stand and stretch. Then he reaches up to the overhead compartment and retrieves the Ironman suitcase. He sets it on the ground before picking Baekho up gently.

The boy instinctively wraps his arms around his father’s neck and rests his chubby cheek on his shoulder. Baekhyun takes a deep breath and bends down carefully to get the suitcase, hanging the metal handle on his other shoulder. He walks out of the plane like this. Like a father.

Because of how busy Baekhyun is with his work, he doesn’t have much time to spend with his son. His wife stays home to watch over Baekho in the day and by the time Baekhyun returns home from his day at work, it would already be dinner time. The Light King knows that family time is important, especially for his son, who calls home at least once a day to check up on his family. He gave Baekhyun a holiday not really because everything is “under control”, but because he knows his son wants to be the father that he, himself, wasn’t. Baekhyun wants to be there to watch his son grow up, to get close to him, to love him unconditionally. And that is what Baekhyun does. And Baekho doesn’t give him a hard time. Instead, he accepts Baekhyun even though he is not always there all the time. Baekho accepts his father for who he is and what he can offer.

Baekhyun makes it to the baggage carousel with little difficulty except for the prolonged wait at the immigration customs because of the sleeping boy. By the time the father and son are waiting for their luggage to arrive, Baekho awakes from his sleep. He moans softly and nuzzles his face into Baekhyun’s shoulder. The father glances down at the boy who is slowly gaining consciousness.

“Are you awake, Baekho?” Baekhyun coos softly. Baekho doesn’t reply, only keeps his cheek pasted to his shoulder. Baekhyun chuckles, his hair. “We’ve arrived in Japan. We’ll take the bus to go look for Mommy soon.” He feels the boy nodding his head, making him smile softly. “In the meantime, Daddy wants you to keep imagining that lamp post in your head, okay?”

“It’s still dark, Daddy,” Baekho mumbles, finally lifting his head.

His hair is messy and his eyes are droopy. He rubs the sleepiness away. Baekhyun leans forward to kiss his forehead. “Keep trying to make the light turn on,” he instructs. “Don’t give up, hmm?”

Baekho bobs his head and shuts his eyes tightly, this time not to sleep, but to imagine what his Daddy told him to. While Baekho does that, Baekhyun looks out for his luggage that contains his and Baekho’s things. It takes a long while until Baekhyun gets to retrieve his suitcase. He looks at Baekho, wondering if he is okay with walking. The boy has his face scrunched up in concentration and Baekhyun has to smile at that. Unfortunately, no matter how physically strong Baekhyun is, he cannot wheel regular- and baby- sized luggages and carry his son all at the same time. So he taps Baekho’s crinkled nose, who snaps his eyes wide. It shocks Baekhyun.

“The light was—” Here, Baekho opens and closes his hands, trying to express the flickering of the light in his lamp post.

“Really?” Baekhyun lights up at once. Baekho nods his head excitedly, beaming widely. “Great job, little one!” His father praises, giving him a big smooch on the cheek. “But Daddy needs you to start walking so we can get on the bus and look for Mommy, okay?” he tells him as he sets his feet on the ground.

Baekhyun ruffles his hair in affection. Baekho takes his Ironman suitcase and when he has his little hand in his father’s palm, they walk out of the arrival gate. With some difficulty, they get through the crowd of people waiting to pick up their family members or business associates. The father and son make their way to where the shuttle buses are. There is already a long line of people waiting to board, which means that they’ll probably only get on the second bus. So when they have joined the queue, Baekhyun parks his luggage aside and squats down to his son’s eye level. He pulls Baekho over to sit lightly on his thigh.

Baekho is observing the new environment while Baekhyun fishes the necklace out of his shirt. The pendant is glowing brighter now, an obvious indication that Baekho’s power is strengthening and developing. Baekhyun tucks the necklace safely back into Baekho’s shirt and kisses the side of his head, his hand rubbing the boy’s arm affectionately.

“Daddy,” Baekho calls.

Baekhyun smiles warmly at him, his hair. “Hmm?”

“Why are we in Japan?”

“Mm…” Baekhyun hums, trying to think of a simplified way to explain it to him. “Mommy has to talk to someone here. And we came because she needs a little bit of help. And after that, we can go to Disneyland.”

“We’re here to save Mommy like Ironman?” Baekho’s eyes are shining.

Baekhyun can only laugh. He kisses his forehead. “Something like that.”

There is a loud shutter sound from a smartphone, making Baekhyun look up with a frown. He faces two Korean girls, one with her phone out, the other just staring at Baekho with hearts as eyes.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” the girl with the phone apologises nervously, keeping her phone slowly. “It's just that your son is really cute.”

Baekhyun doesn't say anything, making it even more awkward. His face doesn't hold any expression. As an Ethereal, one can never be too wary or careful. But he knows that it is rude if he shows any sign of unfriendliness. He has to fight the urge to bring Baekho closer when the girl’s friend squats down too and waves at Baekho.

“Hello! What's your name?”

Baekhyun is proud of his son when Baekho glances at the girl before turning away and hugging his father, hiding his face in his neck. Baekhyun rubs his back.

“He's so shy,” the girl comments as she stands, laughing a little awkwardly.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun agrees. “He was taught to be wary of strangers.”

The two girls blink at his subtle hostility. They give a forced smile that is awkward. Baekhyun knows they're not going to disturb them anymore. So he pulls Baekho away from his body.

“Are you hungry, little one?” he asks, brushing his hair from his face when he sees that his fringe is starting to stick to his forehead at the summer heat.

Baekho shakes his head. Baekhyun nods but s the Ironman suitcase and searches for his water bottle. He takes it out and gives it to the boy while sliding back the lid so that the straw pops out.

“Drink some water,” he instructs as the boy takes the Ironman bottle in his small hands.

At that moment, his phone starts ringing, indicating a phone call. He keeps his eyes on his son as he gets his buzzing device. He tears his gaze away from Baekho and look at the caller ID. His lips automatically tilt up in a smile. He answers the call right away.

“Hello~” Baekhyun greets in Japanese.

His wife’s chuckle transmits through the receiver, making Baekhyun’s heart beat a little faster. “I assume you have arrived in Japan?”

“You have assumed correctly, my Princess,” he says with a grin. Anyone who sees Baekhyun right now would know that he is a lovesick husband who is very, very in love with his wife.

She giggles. The bus comes and Baekhyun stands, taking his suitcase. At the same time, his wife informs him, “So I met with Mr. Lee today, yeah?” He hums as he gestures to Baekho to get his suitcase too. While they follow the decreasing line until the current bus is full, she continues, “He said he won't change his mind unless the Light Prince comes to him personally.”

“Which I am doing,” Baekhyun grumbles when they're just three people away from the front of the line. The current bus loads up the baggages and drives off. “Did you tell them that my father has given me full authority to take over the teaching of Baekho?”

“Yes,” she sighs just as Baekho holds his water bottle out to Baekhyun. The father holds his phone to his ear with his shoulder as he listens to his wife speak and he takes the bottle, sliding the lid close and hanging the strap on his shoulder like a bag. “I told him that. And that there will also be teachers to homeschool him on subjects schools teach, but he still insisted on talking to you personally.” She groans in annoyance. “It's hard to gain some respect as a woman. And a mortal.”

Baekhyun doesn't like Mr. Lee already even though he has never seen the man before. All he knows from his father is that Mr. Lee is the man who is in charge of the relations between mortals and Ethereals. People or situations involving the two populations should go to him.

“Nobody disrespects my woman like that!” Baekhyun growls, half playful half truthful. He hears her giggling through the phone. “Seriously though. All I’m going to say to him is the same things you have already told him. What else is he expecting?”

She sighs. “I know...”

“If he accepts the proposal when I get there just because I am a man, I’ll—”

“Don't finish that sentence,” she says, amusement lacing her voice. “I don't want you doing something you regret because I know for sure he is going to accept it when it's coming from you.”

“Is that Mommy, Daddy?” Baekho asks. Baekhyun looks down to see him hugging his thigh.

“Yes,” he coos. “Do you want to talk to her?”

“Is that Baekho?” his wife chuckles as Baekho nods rapidly.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun tells her. “Hold on. He wants to speak to you.” She hums. He takes the phone away from his ear and holds it out to his son. “Say hi to Mommy.”

The boy takes the smartphone and presses it to his ear. “Hi Mommy,” he mumbles shyly. Baekhyun watches in adoration as he brushes his soft locks back. “Daddy and me are waiting for the bus to come,” he tells his mother. “Daddy says we are coming to save you.” Baekhyun laughs. He can't believe he told her that. “Mhmm,” Baekho nods even though she can't see him. “Yes, Mommy. I ate burger and fries. I slept on the plane too!” After a little while of listening to his mother, he says, “Okay! Bye bye!” Then he lifts the phone up to Baekhyun. “Mommy wants to talk to you, Daddy.”

“Am I in trouble?” Baekhyun fakes a scared look. He doesn't expect his son to actually ask his mother that question.

Baekhyun is speechless and amazed at his son when the boy says with a blank look after receiving a reply, “Mommy says you might be.”

The father takes the phone from his son and speaks into the receiver. “What trouble did I get myself into this time?” he jokes.

“For being a smartass with your son,” she clucks her tongue before chuckling. “I think I’ll punish you with two kisses.”

“How is that a punishment?” he wonders just as the next bus comes. “If that is a punishment, I’m going to keep being a bad boy,” he drawls in a y voice.

“Byun Baekhyun!” she groans. He can almost hear her innermost desire to hit him right now and it only makes him laugh. She grumbles, “I’ll see you later. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

“Okay. Stay safe. Love you.”

“Love you more.”

 

 

Baekho is sitting by the window. The bus is filled with people and though Baekhyun feels like maybe he could just have Baekho sit on his lap so there would be a free seat, he doesn't want to do that. Not just for the comfort of his son but also because he has to keep training him.

“Baekho,” Baekhyun murmurs quietly, not wanting to attract attention to themselves. The boy turns his head to face his father. “How bright is your lamp post now?”

The boy tilts his head to the side, his eyes rolling up as he thinks about it. “Um, small!”

Baekhyun frowns. What the hell is small in terms of brightness? He shakes his head. He has to go about another method to get an accurate answer. He glances around, makes sure that the people around him are sleeping, and turns to face his son, blocking out any view of what they will do next, with his broad shoulders facing the couple who are sitting on the other side of the aisle. He holds out his palm in front of Baekho, who stares at it.

“Tell me how bright your lamp post is,” Baekhyun instructs, letting a small ball of light grow in his hand.

It takes a second for the light to grow just a centimeter in radius and in one second, Baekho exclaims, “Smaller!”

Baekhyun looks around in alarm. He apologises for the disruption when a man glances back at them. Then Baekhyun looks at the ball of light on his palm. Or rather, a marble of light. Any smaller, it would be the size of a bean. But maybe it might be a kidney bean. That's a big bean. Hopeful, Baekhyun shrinks the size of the light. But when Baekho stops him again, he sighs. It is the size of a green bean. He rubs his face.

“Okay, Baekho…” he starts, distinguishing the light entirely. “I need you to try harder, okay?”

“But why?” The boy whines. “It is really hard, Daddy.”

“I know, baby,” Baekhyun sighs, feeling bad as he Baekho’s hair. “But don't you want to do what Daddy did? Make Speck come back home?”

“Yes,” he grumbles.

“You will get to do really cool things too, if you try harder,” Baekhyun promises.

“Like what?”

“Like… Turning off the light switch even without your baby chair. Or getting somewhere really fast.”

“But Daddy,” Baekho is frowning. “You said running is bad. You said that I will get an Ouchie.”

Baekhyun sometimes doesn't know what to do with his son. He sometimes say the smartest and dumbest things.

“Yes, but that's not what Daddy meant,” Baekhyun explains hastily. He brushes that topic off hastily, “Anyway, point is: learning how to make that lamp post bright will protect you.” He is solemn and serious when he tells him gently, “Sometimes Mommy and Daddy can't always be around to take care of you. So Baekho has to take care of himself, do you understand?”

“Where are you and Mommy going?”

Baekhyun is mentally banging his head on a wall. He takes a deep breath. “Daddy and Mommy are not going anywhere,” he explains slowly. “We were talking hypothetically. If it happens.”

“What is… hippo tactic lee?”

Baekhyun purses his lips and stares at his son. “Yah, you're just trying to get yourself out of making that lamp post brighter, aren't you?” he guesses. When Baekho doesn't say anything else, Baekhyun sighs loudly. “Baekho, Daddy just wants you to be able to protect yourself. When Daddy was Baekho’s age, I had to try very, very hard to make my lamp post bright too. Now Baekho, you have to do the same too, okay?”

“Okay,” the boy answers with a pout.

Baekhyun caresses his cheek. “Daddy will help you a little, okay?” Baekho nods his head and looks up at him expectantly. Baekhyun takes out his necklace from under his shirt. “But first, you need to know that this is very important,” he tells the boy, holding the pendant to his eye level. “You have to keep it with you all the time, until you grow older.” He looks at his son seriously, hoping he knows just how important it is. “Do you understand, Baekho?”

The boy stares at the hardness of his father’s gaze, the tightness in his lips. He nods his head. Baekhyun is glad he understands, but he needs to make sure.

“Okay. Can you give it to Daddy?” The boy immediately nods his head. Baekhyun shakes his head in exasperation, eyebrows furrowed. “No, Baekho. You can't give it to Daddy. Not even Mommy. You have to keep it with you all the time. You can't lose it. And you can't show it to anyone so they won't take it from you. Okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“Can you lend me your necklace?” Baekhyun asks again. The boy shakes his head. “Just the pendant, then? Just for a while, Baekho?”

“No, Daddy, I can't.”

“Good boy,” Baekhyun pats his head, glad that he is finally listening. “Okay, now Daddy will help you with the lamp post. Come sit on my lap.” The boy immediately crawls to sit on his father’s thighs. Baekhyun holds him safe in his arms. “Close your eyes.” He dips his head to look at his son shutting his eyes. “Now think of the lamp post and try really, really hard to make it bright so Daddy can make his way to look for you.”

When Baekho focuses hard with his mouth and eyes clenched shut tightly, Baekhyun lightly holds the Light emblem in his palm. He tightens his fingers around it and closes his eyes as well. He uses the pendant as a physical connection to tap into his son’s powers that is still uncontrolled and raw. He leans his head down, his cheek touching Baekho’s hair.

“Try harder, baby, come on,” he whispers in encouragement.

Without the father and son knowing, the pendant glows brighter in Baekhyun’s palm as he channels some of his own energy into it, into his son. He cannot exactly “make his way” to his son’s lamp post, since it is imagined in Baekho’s head. But Baekhyun can feel the power slightly emanating off him. He smiles to himself.

“A little bit more, baby.”

Baekho is shaking slightly and he is sweating. Baekhyun kisses his head and that makes Baekho’s power strengthen even more. Baekhyun opens his eyes and looks into his palm where the pendant is glowing even brighter than before. He lets it go.

“Good job, Baekho,” he coos, cupping his chubby cheeks and kisses his nose. The boy flutters his eyes open. Baekhyun smiles at him proudly and the boy returns a toothy grin. “Now show me how bright your lamp post is.”

He does the same thing as before, growing a ball of light in his palm. The growth is slow this time and Baekhyun keeps his eyes on his son, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he is stopped with a little outburst of Stop!. He looks down at his hand and sees that the light is the size of a small fishball. That's at least better than a green bean.

“Good job, little one!” Baekhyun praises happily. “When it grows bigger, Daddy will teach you how to do more things with it.”

Baekho nods with a big smile on his face. Without even being aware of it, the bus has already reached the first destination. Almost half the passengers on the bus gets down. Baekhyun plays with his son during the journey from the first to second destination, which is the hotel they're staying at. Baekho is giggling and hiccuping with laughter. Baekhyun can't help the wide smile on his face. He is too cute. His laughter even sounds like bubbles.

Soon, the bus stops at the second destination. Baekhyun carries Baekho down the bus with him and while they wait for their luggage, Baekhyun gives his wife a call. She is excited that they're here and when they hang up the phone, she is already out of the hotel room, waiting for the lift to bring her down.

“Where's mommy?” Baekho asks in excitement as he strains his neck to look into the lobby of the hotel.

Distracted with taking their possessions, Baekhyun places the Ironman suitcase on the ground. “Baekho, take your suitcase.”

The boy listens well. He waits by the curb with his tiny luggage while Baekhyun carries the big suitcase up on the pavement. He holds his hand out to Baekho, who immediately takes it. They are almost at the door of the hotel when the glass door opens almost brutally.

“Baekho!”

“Mommy!”

The boy pulls his hand out of Baekhyun’s hold and leaves his Ironman suitcase there as he runs to his mother who catches him in her widespread arms. Baekhyun takes his son’s suitcase and hangs the metal handle on his shoulder. He pulls the actual luggage to the mother and son. His wife lifts her eyes to his when he stands in front of her. Baekhyun smiles softly, his eyes only holding love and affection.

“Hey,” she murmurs, a little bashfully.

“Hey,” he says back.

Even five years after marrying to him, he still manages to make her heart flutter at the simplest words. Just a hey and her heart still never gets used to reacting to the huskiness of his voice. Baekho finally lifts his head from his mother's neck so she can put him back down on the ground. He holds her hand tightly. Baekhyun moves closer to her, his hand on his wife’s waist as he leans forward to peck her on the lips.

“How was your alone time?” he wonders as he walks closely behind her through the door, following her into the hotel lobby.

“It was great until I had to go to bed the first night,” she grumbles. Baekhyun stares at her side profile when they're finally in the building. “I had no one to cuddle with and I had to turn on the light to sleep.”

Her husband snorts. She glares at him. “That's how we know you're married to the Light Prince,” he mutters. “You can't go to sleep without light.”

“More like your presence,” she mumbles, whining a little. “Two nights without you was deprivation.”

“Of what?”

“Of my handsome husband.”

Baekhyun grins at her answer. He rounds his arm around her waist when they're at the lift lobby, waiting for the elevator. He pulls her close and kisses her temple.

“You've gotten even sweeter, how is that possible?” he mumbles against her skin, making her giggle. He caresses her waist, patting lightly on her hip.

She turns her head to talk to him, his lips now on her forehead. Baekhyun puckers his lips more.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?” she murmurs.

“Right,” he mumbles against her skin just as the lift arrives.

Baekhyun lets go of her and the family of three file into the lift with the other stayers of the hotel. They get off on the 12th floor, the father and son following behind the woman to their room. The moment she opens the door, Baekho runs into the room, excited to be in a new environment. As for Baekhyun, he waits for the door to slam shut to indicate their isolation before he pulls his wife towards his body, his hands on either sides of her hips. She gasps, her eyes wide at his sudden action, her hands on his chest for balance.

“I missed you,” Baekhyun murmurs, his eyes flickering about her features, refreshing his memory of his favourite face. “So much.”

“Me, or the fact that I take care of Baekho?” she teases, her hands rubbing his chest.

Baekhyun hums and pretends to think. “Both?” She giggles and slaps his chest lightly. He chuckles. “I’m joking. Baekho was a good boy. Seeing you again was my motivation to get through my days.”

She makes a face. “Ew, you're kind of disgusting.”

“Wow, being sweet to my wife now is disgusting?” Baekhyun sighs and shakes his head. “It is a tough job being your husband.”

She laughs, sliding her hands up to his neck to hug him. Baekhyun can't help the smile that spreads on his lips at the sound of her laughter. He embraces her, burying his face in her hair, taking in her scent. He rubs her back with a warm hand, sliding his palm along her spine, down to her mound.

“Daddy, Daddy!”

The lady chuckles when Baekhyun sighs into her hair before parting from her. He turns to his son who has explored enough of the room and is now hugging his father’s leg. Baekhyun keeps a hand on his wife’s back while his other ruffles his son’s hair.

“Yes, baby?” Baekhyun asks. He slaps his wife’s when she turns to face her son while resting her head on his chest. She clucks his tongue at him.

“When are we going to Disneyland?”

“We’ll go the day after tomorrow,” Baekhyun promises, caressing his girl’s now. “We have somewhere to go today and tomorrow.”

“But I want to go now,” the boy whines.

“We can't. Disneyland is closed today,” the father lies. His wife tsks at him.

“Now, now, now!” Baekho cries.

Baekhyun lets go of his wife now. “Baekho!” he calls in a warning tone of voice. The boy doesn't listen and keeps crying and whining. “If you keep crying and being a naughty boy then Daddy won't bring you to Disneyland at all.”

The boy cries even harder at his words. His wife sighs. She squats down and holds onto Baekho’s shoulders gently.

“Daddy and Mommy are very excited to go to Disneyland too. We wish we could go today, but half the day is already gone, we can't do much,” she rationalises with him. Baekhyun crosses his arms and watches her. “And tonight we have to be somewhere. Until tomorrow afternoon. So we can only go the day after tomorrow. Daddy and Mommy are sad too but if we cry, we can't be let into Disneyland because we’re naughty.”

His cries subside then. His mother wipes his tears and kisses his forehead. The next thing he says is so unexpected that it makes Baekhyun laugh.

“I’m hungry, Mommy.”

 

 

“We’re staying the night there, yeah?” Baekhyun confirms as he chews on his food.

He is sitting opposite his wife while his son is on her other side. Under the table, Baekhyun has his legs stretched out to frame hers, trying to find some intimacy even though they're sitting opposite each other.

She nods. “Baekho will be with them for the night, they said they have to run some tests on him.”

“What?” Baekhyun frowns. “No. I don't want my son sleeping away from us.”

She sighs. “I know. I tried to make a compromise but they said they can’t let us into the room with them.”

“What kind of tests are they going to do anyway?”

“I don't know,” she mumbles.

Baekhyun sighs. He sees the frustration and fear in his wife’s eyes, emotions that he feels himself, though not visible. He reaches out and covers her hand with his.

“It's fine, baby. I’ll talk to them. Okay?”

She sighs and gives him a distracted smile. “Okay.”

 

 

That evening, the family of three takes the subway and then a cab to a remote area in the outskirts of the city to visit the Ethereals & Mortals Association. It is quiet and empty here. Baekhyun holds his wife’s hand tightly while he carries Baekho with his other arm. The boy is perfectly capable of walking but that would slow them down and Baekhyun doesn’t want them to be walking for too long in the dark. Besides, it is better safe than sorry.

“Daddy, what is this?”

Baekho is tickling Baekhyun’s ear, scratching at the spot where there is a pigment.

“That’s a mole,” the father answers.

“Is it dirty? It won’t come off.”

The woman giggles. Baekhyun sighs and glances at his son. “It’s a birthmark, Baekho. We’re born with it.”

“You have one too, see?” his wife adds, taking Baekho’s hand in her free one to point out the mark on the boy’s pinky.

He gasps. “Dirty!”

“It’s not dirty,” she laughs. “It’s just a mole. A very cute one.”

Baekhyun listens to his wife answer the boy’s curious questions patiently, something he doesn’t think he can do. They walk for a little bit more until they see a huge, dilapidated building. It is in such a remote area and the condition of the building is so rundown that it would not be a surprise to Baekhyun if adolescents come by to “hunt” for ghosts. But he notices a symbol on the wall of the building in spray paint. It may look like a common geometrical drawing but Baekhyun recognises it. It is the symbol of their planet. EXO planet.

The family of three get to the building and the moment they make it up the broken steps, the building becomes a perfectly well constructed building that looks way too regal to be in such a remote place on the outskirts of Tokyo.

In EXO planet, there are many superpowers that the inhabitants possess but there are only nine powerful ones that only Royals have. That is: ice, water, healing, light, thunder, fire, earth, teleportation, and wind. Being Royals mean that they’re also Guardians of the people of EXO. Since the downfall of their planet due to a neighbouring planet’s attack, the remaining inhabitants found a planet that had the same likeness in visuals and living conditions, and that is earth. It is easy for them to learn the language of the mortals. The first generation on earth couldn’t fit in very well but as generations went on and the people of EXO became more integrated in the earthly society, they started to intertwine with the mortals and blend in really well. That is why there is a need for the Ethereals & Mortals Association.

The power to bend light and transform the image of reality and virtuality comes from the people who possess the power of light. To protect the people of EXO, the Light King had put a Veil over this building so that only people with EXO blood in them can see through it. Baekhyun’s wife, who is a mortal, wouldn’t be able to see through it if not for her wedding ring that Baekhyun had personally gotten blessed and done by their Royal Priestess. Any other mortal without such an instrument would see the dilapidated building as it is and the people they meet inside would be shadows and silhouettes that they would then label as ghosts.

The moment Baekhyun and his family step into the threshold, the people on the first floor stop and turn to the doors, surprised since they hardly ever get guests. But when they see that it is the Light Prince and his family, they bow in reverence. A lady whom Baekhyun has never met before comes up to him and goes on to tell him that Advisor Lee is waiting for them in his office.

Baekho, for once, is quiet. He is probably afraid because of the new environment and the many people who are staring at them as they pass by. Baekhyun wears his fiercest look and slips his hand around his wife’s waist instead, pulling her close. The people working here are mostly First Gens and they are not very fond of mortals. He can feel their hostility towards his wife and he doesn’t want them to belittle her.

The three of them follow the lady to the lift and ride the elevator up to the fourth floor. The lady doesn’t get off with them but she directs them to Advisor Lee’s office. They follow her instructions until they are standing in front of the closed door that reads Advisor Lee. Baekhyun takes his hand away from his wife and knocks on the door. They don’t hear a voice telling them to come in, but instead, the door opens from the inside and a man in his 50’s is standing before them. He has a pair of black spectacles perched on his nose and the corners of his eyes have wrinkles that indicate how much laughter this man has in his life. He beams at the sight of the Light Prince.

“An honour to be graced by the presence of the Light Prince!” he exclaims, immediately inviting the family into his office though he doesn’t take a look at the woman with Baekhyun.

The Light Prince grunts. “I heard from my wife that you wanted me here personally to talk about the upbringing of our son.”

As Mr. Lee makes his way around his desk, his wife sits in one of the two leather chairs on the other side of the table. Baekhyun bends down and sits his son on her lap. She looks scared and apprehensive. Her husband gives her a swift kiss on the lips before taking his seat, pulling the chair closer to hers so that he can hold her clammy hand.

“Yes,” Mr. Lee finally answers when they have all settled down. “We need to run some check-ups on your son overnight, and tomorrow morning, we will do some written and practical tests that are of the knowledge of Ethereals and Mortals.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun nods. Mr. Lee seems surprised that he is agreeing so steadfastly. “But.” At that word, the advisor blows air out of his nostrils like he already knows that this is going to happen. “We want to be in the same room for the check-up and the tests.”

“Can’t do, Prince Baekhyun,” the man shakes his head. “Your presence will affect your son’s ability to perform.”

“That sounds applicable only for the Knowledge Test,” Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, the authority of the Light Prince coming off strong. “If so, I will leave him in the care of your scholars for a few hours. But I want my wife and I to be in the same room as my son during the overnight check-up.”

Baekhyun’s wife squeezes his hand. She rests her chin on Baekho’s head, hugging him to her body to ease his anxiety of being in such a strained atmosphere.

“Okay,” Advisor Lee nods his head and pushes his glasses up his nose, almost like he is nervous. “We can do that. But you will have to be in a different bed.”

Baekhyun glances at his wife, who nods. “Okay,” he agrees to that term. “And what will happen after the tests?”

“We will have the results by tomorrow evening and we will give you the verdict of whether he can be trained by you as a Guardian while attending earthly schools, or if he has to stay with us until he is fit to be a Guardian.”

“And how do you judge that?”

“Can’t tell you how, Prince Baekhyun. That would defeat the purpose of running the tests.”

Baekhyun stares at him with a clenched jaw. He wonders if the man opposite him can see the fire in his eyes. Unaffected by the harsh look directed at him, Mr. Lee’s lips slowly stretch into a cold and unfriendly smile.

 

 

“I hate Mr. Lee,” Baekhyun complains to his wife when they have put Baekho to bed and watched the doctors hook the boy up to several machines.

The woman sighs as she continues scrubbing his back. “I know… But this is something that all Half Bloods have to go through, right?”

“Yes, but still,” Baekhyun groans. “He doesn’t have to act like such a douchebag.”

She doesn’t say anything to that because she agrees with his comment. When she is done scrubbing his back, Baekhyun turns around and reciprocates the action, only he doesn’t scrub her back but instead gives her a massage. He brings her wet hair to the side, baring her neck for his fingers to work wonders.

“I’m glad I taught Baekho to start honing his powers,” he mumbles.

She turns her head to face him. “Really?”

He nods. “It’s not much, just the very basic, fundamental step. But I don’t think he is expected to know too much since he is only four.”

“Hopefully,” she mumbles.

Baekhyun releases a tight knot just behind her neck, making her moan in relief. He clucks his tongue.

“Why are you so tensed, baby?”

“Worried over my husband cheating on me,” she jokes. Baekhyun puts more force on massaging her, making her yelp in pain. He relents. She sighs and shakes her head. “I don’t know. I must have been stressed over all of this.”

“It’ll be over soon,” he promises, dropping a kiss on her nape.

She nods. She trusts her husband. The couple take ten more minutes to finish their shower. They dress in their bathrobes and nothing else, returning to their room where Baekho is soundly sleeping despite all the beeping machines. The doctors have given strict instructions for the parents not to come in contact with their son for the duration of his sleep. They are unhappy about it but they still heed that direction and head straight to their bed.

The both of them who had been sleeping alone for two nights in a row immediately snuggle up together, having missed each other. Baekhyun wraps his arm around her waist from behind and slips his hand under the placket of her bathrobe to cup her mound. She leans her head back and Baekhyun tucks her head under his chin. Their legs curl together in a spooning position.

“Good night, Baekhyun,” she whispers.

Baekhyun smooches her head. “Good night, baby.”

 

 

Baekhyun snaps his eyes open when he senses an intruder in the room. His wife is still sleeping on his bicep, curled into his body with her face in his neck, a side of her bathrobe now loose to show off her smooth shoulder. The sky is already light outside but Baekhyun still makes a ball of dim light to aid his sight. The outsider freezes and turns around to face the Light Prince like a deer caught in headlights. Baekhyun squints at him.

“I’m only here to take your son off the machines,” the doctor swears, holding up his hands as if surrendering to a policeman. “We have been reading the results overnight.”

“And how is he?” Baekhyun questions, trying not to be too loud so he doesn’t wake his wife.

“He’s fine, your Highness. He has more Ethereal blood than mortal blood in him. And his body temperature is a little high but it is constant — a true trait of a descendent of the Light. He is a little slow in his power developments but that is only temporary.”

Knowing that Baekho has more or less passed one of the two vital tests, Baekhyun hums and nods his head, letting the doctor do what he is meant to do. But he stays awake and keeps a close watch on him, making sure that he doesn’t do anything to his son. No one dares to mess with a Light Ethereal though. Because out of the nine most powerful abilities, light is definitely one of the more dangerous and it is a very lethal superpower. Baekhyun could kill anyone at the speed of light, literally. They wouldn’t even see it coming.

As he watches the doctor carefully strip his son of the electrode pads from his body, Baekhyun caresses his wife, smoothing his soft palm over her shoulder. She buries her face deeper into the crook of his neck, her fingers twitching. That is when Baekhyun realises that she has her hand under his bathrobe, her palm resting on his collarbone. He brings his hand down to cup her , pushing her body up slightly before resting his hand on her exposed thigh.

The doctor takes a long time to unhook the machines but when he finishes, he bows to the Light Prince and hurriedly wheels the machines away. The moment he is gone, Baekhyun makes the ball of light travel to hover over his son. He does a quick survey of Baekho’s sleeping form, just to ensure that he is fine. Then he diminishes the light and takes a deep breath before pulling the blanket up to cover his wife to her chin. He dips his head and presses his nose to her hair, taking in her natural scent as he goes back to sleep.

When Baekhyun awakes again, he finds himself alone on the bed. He has a mini panic attack until he hears his son’s voice talking to his mother.

“And— And Daddy helped make the light really bright for me!”

His wife still has her sleepy but extremely y morning voice when she chuckles. Baekhyun also hears utensils clinking against porcelain plates.

“Yeah? How bright is it now?”

“Can you help me?”

Baekhyun can imagine his wife shaking her head. She swallows her food and says, “Mommy doesn’t have the ability to do what you and Daddy can. My two boys are special.” He can hear her smile.

“Then we can wait for Daddy to wake up. Daddy can help me show you.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself? You’re a big boy, aren’t you?”

“But—”

“Try channelling that power of lighting up the lamp post to real life,” she encourages as she chews on something.

Baekhyun holds his breath as he stares up at the ceiling with alert senses. He can hear Baekho making a strained noise that he would sometimes make when he forces his poop out. Baekhyun can feel it happening before it actually happens. The lights in the chamber begin shining brighter and brighter.

“Baekho—”

The boy cannot hear his mother as he imagines the lamp post in his head come to life. Before the light bulbs shatter from overheating, Baekhyun shoots up to sit on the bed, snapping his fingers. The lights in the room turn off at once. Baekho snaps his eyes open while the woman is staring at her husband in shock. He only keeps his eyes on his son’s fearful ones.

“I’m sorry—”

“No, no, don’t be sorry, Baekho,” Baekhyun coos, quickly climbing down the bed to get to his crying son. “You were amazing! Daddy didn’t even teach you how to do that yet and you’ve already done it!” He cups his son’s face and wipes his tears with his thumbs. “You’re so smart, little one!”

“Really?” the boy sniffs.

Baekhyun nods. “Of course. Daddy had to take months to do what you did,” he confesses. “Daddy just had to turn off the lights because it was getting too bright for my eyes.”

Baekho is shy and embarrassed when he mumbles, “Did I wake Daddy up? Sorry…”

Baekhyun chuckles and shakes his head. “It’s okay.” He ruffles the boy’s hair and kisses his forehead. Then he turns and takes a look at the cart full of food. He looks up at his wife who is watching the father and son with a loving smile on her face. “Breakfast?”

She nods. “They came in with a feast for breakfast. Said Baekho needs energy for today’s test.”

Baekhyun quirks an eyebrow. He stands and carries his son to sit on his lap while he takes the seat the boy previously took. “Did they say how long the test would be?” She shakes her head. He sighs and looks down at his son munching on an apple slice. “Please do well, Baekho-yah. Daddy wants to be by your side when you grow up,” he murmurs softly into his soft hair before pressing his lips to his crown.

 

 

Baekhyun and his wife are sitting in a café in the building, waiting anxiously for Baekho to finish with his tests. No matter how old the Light Prince is, and no matter how powerful he already is, anxiety, worry, and stress do not make up a good combination for him. His superpower is frazzled and his wife (bless her) knows how he gets when he is anxious. She already knows what to do to help him ease that overflow of emotions and energy. (She's been through a Meet The Parents session a few months after Baekhyun and her started going out, and a childbirth, both times with Baekhyun acting twitchy and fidgety. She's basically an expert at calming Baekhyun down now.)

So as the lady sits there sipping on her hot chocolate, Baekhyun is biting on his bottom lip, his knees bouncing up and down, his eyes trained on her. Anyone who passes by can see locks of her hair lighting up, each tendril glowing at different intervals, making her look exactly like a Christmas tree. Not just that but there are strings of pure light sources wounded around her neck like a one-of-a-kind choker. She likes it, but it never lasts long enough before her husband changes it into a necklace, a bow tie, a lanyard, or something else altogether.

“How long has it been already?” Baekhyun mumbles under his breath, now biting on his thumb as he bends the light around his wife and changes her outfit every second.

“Only 45 minutes, Baekhyun,” the woman murmurs.

She sighs softly and sets her cup down. She is aware of the many changes her body is currently going through but she doesn't comment on it. It doesn't affect her in any way, so she doesn't mind it.

“You need to calm down, Baekhyun,” she says calmly.

He is agitated when he snaps, “You won't understand the pressure of the entire population of Ethereals hounding after you to be the best just because—”

He stops himself there, suddenly aware of where his frustration has taken him. The illusions and tricks of light he had been projecting on his wife immediately cease. He is sorry and terribly apologetic to her. He opens his mouth to apologise, but she only smiles gently at him and shakes her head.

“I get it,” she assures him. He doesn't doubt her and honestly, he is so glad that he chose her over the need to satisfy his people. “But no matter how tough things get, you have to remember that Baekho is your child, your son. No one’s going to take him away from you. And our baby boy definitely will not let anyone separate us.”

“You're saying he will do his best?” Baekhyun mumbles, sounding almost like a hopeful lost child.

She smiles reassuringly. His heart calms down a little at that. “Yes, that's exactly what I’m saying. Baekho’s a smart boy. He's the top in his class, you know.”

“No, I know,” Baekhyun bobs his head and swallows. “It's just… I haven't been teaching him much about being an Ethereal, it doesn't matter if he is top in his earthly classes.”

The woman stands from her seat opposite him and glances around to make sure that no one has their eyes on them before she walks over to Baekhyun, who stares up at her with unblinking eyes, looking very much like a puppy. She takes a seat on his lap and takes his face in her hands. Immediately, Baekhyun rounds his arms around her waist.

“He’ll do fine,” she promises. “He's lovable and cute. I’m sure the invigilators will love him.”

“I hope so too,” he mutters under his breath.

“Stop worrying too much about it,” she clucks her tongue. She pecks him on the lips and grins at him. “Now, can you make my hair purple? I have always wanted to try looking like Katy Perry.”

Baekhyun laughs at that. So for the next hour or so, he channels his anxiety into changing his wife’s hair colour, sometimes making her hair glow a little. Being so close to him, sitting on his lap like this, she manages to help Baekhyun feel better. He feels less anxious now.

But that only lasts for a while before the lights go out. Baekhyun and his wife stop fooling around. They look up curiously, suspiciously, only to see the lights on the entire floor have gone out. The workers, too, look surprised at that. A bad feeling wraps around Baekhyun’s heart and he feels the cardiovascular organ pumping hard. Without a second to waste, he tightens an arm around his girl’s waist and grabs her purse quickly before standing up. She gasps.

“Come on,” Baekhyun mumbles, slipping his hand into hers.

He is still holding onto her purse as he drags her out of the café with long strides, making the woman stumble behind him. She knows that something is wrong too though, so she quietly follows her husband. The elevators are still working, indicating that this is not an electricity trip. They take the lift to the level where Baekho’s test is being conducted and they notice that the lights are all off as well. It seems like the lights of the entire building have gone out.

There are two guards standing outside the door of where the test is being undertaken. They look confused at the black out but when they see Baekhyun and his wife, they straighten up and bar the door.

“Let me in, the boy in there is my son,” Baekhyun growls, eyes glinting angrily.

Just a few minutes ago, Baekhyun had been trying to keep his anxiety at bay. He had been acting like a scared and lost child. But now, he has turned the complete opposite. He is fierce and strong, like a protective lion trying to keep his cub out of harm’s way.

“I can’t do that without authority,” one of the guard answers steely.

Baekhyun keeps his eyes on them, glaring hard. He hopes to intimidate the guards but it's not very effective when the lady with a head of half pink and half blue hair behind him is darting her eyes anxiously between the door and her husband. Baekhyun has to rely on his last resort then. His eye twitches slightly when he takes the light away from the guards, making them go blind temporarily. They start flustering and shouting, fear of their sudden blindness flooding their bodies. In their panic, Baekhyun kicks the door open and bursts through the room with his wife. He doesn't need to find his son when he hears him first.

“Daddy!” he cries.

Baekhyun hears the little thudding footsteps of his son as he runs towards his parents. The father lets go off his wife’s hand and bends down quickly, just in time for Baekho to cling onto his neck. Baekhyun wraps his arm tightly around the boy’s body and stands up. His wife presses her body to her back, her heart pounding. Baekho is sobbing into Baekhyun’s shoulder.

With his powers, the Light Prince returns the light to the building. He faintly hears the guards still panicking behind him, so he shuts them up by returning their sight to them. Baekhyun then surveys the room. There is a single desk in the middle of the room where a pencil sits. In front of that desk, there is a long table where there are six empty chairs. At the corner of the room, there is a boxed room with two-way mirrors as walls. There are four people surrounding it, and two are midway between them and the Byun family. The six scholars — one of them being Advisor Lee — are staring at the Light Prince in shock.

“Prince Baekhyun—”

“I don't care if this is a protocol for Half Bloods,” Baekhyun says quietly, his voice still loud and thrumming with silent anger — the scariest kind of anger. “But my son — or any of my future children — is not coming back here.”

Advisor Lee is flustered when he quickly walks towards Baekhyun. “Prince Baekhyun, it was a mistake—”

Baekhyun barks out a humourless laughter. His wife goes closer to him, slightly afraid of his dark aura right now so she hopes to calm him down with her presence. It doesn't help at all.

“You've worked with countless of kids, Mr. Lee,” he scoffs. “You should know that they lose control of their powers when they're overwhelmed. I don't know what you did to him, but you better start praying that I don't find out or I will not spare your life.” Then he slides his dark, merciless eyes over the other five scholars. “Or any of yours,” he snarls.

The entire room is silent. Baekho is still crying and heaving. Baekhyun can feel the emblem that is pressed between his son and his body burning his skin. He reaches blindly behind for his wife, clumsily finding her hand. She takes her purse from him and he holds her free hand.

“I wish you luck in calling the Light King and letting him know how his grandson’s trial went,” Baekhyun growls under his breath before turning around and striding out of the room.

He is boiling with anger and his wife knows that, if not from how fast he is walking. It may look like they are walking, but looking at her environment, all she sees is white. They're travelling at the speed of light. Before she even gets to call out to Baekhyun, they're already back safely in the hotel, away from the association.

Baekhyun sits on the couch, his hand on the back of Baekho’s head, leaving his wife standing at the entrance with her shoes still on. He looks out the window with a clenched jaw. As quietly as she can, the girl slips off her shoes and pads over to the couch where her husband and son are. She sits on the side where her son is. Tentatively, she lifts her eyes to Baekhyun’s face. He is still staring out the window, not looking at her. His eyes are still blazing with anger.

“Baekhyun?” she whispers timidly. He doesn't answer her. She sighs and drops her eyes to her son, too afraid to try again. She doesn't think she has ever seen him this mad before.

“What.”

She snaps her gaze back up to her husband, who is now looking at her. He is trying very hard to let go of his anger for her. She keeps her eyes on him, not saying anything, simply calming him with her brown orbs. He feels his heart rate slowing, the adrenaline in his veins slowly wearing off. He swallows and shuts his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. He tilts his head so that he is burying his nose in Baekho’s hair, taking in his baby scent.

“Baekho,” he hears his wife coo, her voice close to his ear. When Baekhyun opens his eyes, he notices her face close to his as she tries to get Baekho to look at her. “Baekho, Mommy is going to be really sad if you don't look at me.” The boy sniffles but keeps his face pressed to Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Mommy’s going to start crying too.”

Never liking it when his mother cries, Baekho turns his face and rests his chubby cheek on his father’s shoulder. He looks at his mother with a pout on his lips, his eyelashes glistening with tears. Baekhyun watches his wife lean in to kiss her son’s forehead. She leaves her lips there, her hand on the back of his head, on top of Baekhyun’s. Her fingers massage the boy’s scalp comfortingly.

“Baekho was so strong, Mommy’s very proud of you,” she murmurs against his skin. She kisses him softly once more. “You did a very good job, baby.”

He sniffs in response. After a little longer, she pulls back and looks down at him with a soft gaze. He stares back at her with his big, puppy eyes that he inherited from Baekhyun. She cups his cheek and wipes the tear streaks on his face.

“Remember what Mommy always does when I am sad?”

“You eat ice cream,” he mumbles.

She grins at him. “That's right. Does Baekho want some ice cream now?”

He bobs his head, cheek squishing against Baekhyun’s shoulder. The woman smiles. Finally, she lifts her eyes to Baekhyun, who has been staring at her the entire time. He blinks at her, still unable to break out of that love spell that she has put him in since many years ago. “Let’s have ice cream,” she tells him, standing with her hand on his thigh, supporting herself up.

And like his feet were tied, Baekhyun follows after her, almost under compulsion. He hopes he never breaks out of this love spell.

 

 

That night is an early night for Baekho. He didn't have his nap during the day and on top of that, the events he had gone through were just too much for him. He is already sleeping when Baekhyun comes out of the bathroom while drying his hair with his towel. His wife is lying next to his son on the bed in her bathrobe, her head propped up by her hand as she watches the TV at the same time while patting Baekho lightly.

Baekhyun hangs his towel and climbs on the bed, crawling behind his wife. He kisses her cheek softly. Her eyes are still on the TV as she takes her hand away from Baekho to play with her husband’s damp locks. Baekhyun noses her jawline, making her tilt her head so he can line kisses along the side of her neck.

“I wonder what they did to Baekho,” he mumbles into her skin, his hand slipping into the placket of her robe to feel skin. “It's making me mad just thinking about it.”

“Then don't think about it,” she murmurs, quietly when his kisses become opened ones with slight .

That stops Baekhyun. He lifts his head and stares at her with a frown on his face. “How are you so calm about this? They were ill treating Baekho!”

“They weren't, Baekhyun,” she firmly says.

He can't believe she is actually on their side on this one. “How do you know that?” he counters.

“Because Baekho is not hurt.”

“That’s because we were there before they could do anything to him!”

She stares at his angry features, his fiery eyes glaring back at her. She is still calm when she answers him. “They were appointed by your father and the other kings to keep your kingdom safe, Baekhyun. No matter how much you don't like Mr. Lee, no matter how much of a douchebag he is, they will not hurt your son. Or any other child. They might have been too harsh on a four-year-old, but that's about it. I checked Baekho's body for bruises and markings while I was showering him too. He's untouched and perfectly fine.”

Baekhyun is quiet as he listens to her, biting down on his teeth. She keeps her eyes on him, waiting for him to get it. Even when they were dating, she had to be patient with him because of how irrational he can get sometimes.

“I hate that you're always so rational,” Baekhyun mumbles, just like the many times before this when she made him see things more clearly.

She smiles when he lies on the bed behind her. She lifts her head and he slips his arm under her head, letting her use his bicep as her pillow. His soft hand is now smoothing her stomach. They watch TV together, most of the time talking to each other in soft murmurs so as not to wake Baekho up. When they go to sleep, they end up in a spooning formation. Instead of wrapping his arm around her like he always does, he rests his hand on Baekho’s body instead. The family of three goes to sleep like this.

The next morning, Baekhyun wakes up to his son rubbing his cheek all over his face, nuzzling his father with love. Baekhyun moans sleepily, bringing his hand to rest on Baekho’s back. The boy continues rubbing his cheek on Baekhyun’s, his little hands grabbing on the plackets of his bathrobe. The man glances at the side and sees his wife still sleeping on his bicep, hugging the rest of his arm to her body, her pressing against the side of his hip.

“Daddy, are we going to Disneyland today?” the boy whispers, not wanting to rouse his mother from her slumber.

Baekhyun hums lowly, his voice as husky as morning. “Yes. But we’ll wait for Mommy to wake up, okay?” he answers in a quiet voice.

“Okay,” Baekho whispers back.

They spend the next few minutes in silence while Baekhyun slowly wakes up and clears the sleepy fog with his son still nuzzling his face on him. After almost five minutes, Baekho speaks.

“Daddy, I don’t want to go back to that place again.”

Baekhyun looks down at his son who is pouting, his chubby cheek squished against Baekhyun’s chest. The father flicks his finger on his puffy cheek lighlty, tickling him slightly. Baekho giggles. Baekhyun wears a soft smile.

“Why?” he asks.

He is extremely curious, but he doesn’t want Baekho to feel traumatised from thinking back to the event again. Baekho doesn’t answer for a long moment and when he does, his pout juts out even more.

“They were scary,” he mutters.

Baekhyun is expecting more, but he doesn’t say anything else.

“What did they do that was scary?”

“They don’t talk a lot.” The boy blinks at his father and says really innocently, “Daddy is scary when you are angry and don’t talk to Baekho.”

Baekhyun brushes his hair back distractedly. “And they were angry at you?”

He shakes his head. “They were just quiet.”

Baekhyun stares at his son. “And so you got so scared you short-circuited the entire building’s light system?” He wants to call him a Drama Queen but he knows that it is something the boy learnt from his father. He can't really say anything to that.

“No,” Baekho shakes his head again. “They were quiet for really, really long. When I went into the box, I heard them talk. But… but I couldn’t see them. And all of them talked together.”

“You mean at the same time?” Baekho bobs his head. “And you got scared because it sounded stressful and scary?” He bobs his head again. Baekhyun sighs. “You don’t have to go back,” he promises.

He knows that he might have been too rude and harsh on Advisor Lee and his colleagues, going into a rash conclusion that his son was being ill-treated when it wasn't the case. But he can’t really do anything about it now, right?

Just then, the woman next to him moves and turns over, facing the two males. Baekhyun glances down at her, watching as she takes in a deep breath and does a silent, morning stretch. The smile he wears is subconscious. She snuggles closer to him, her face in his armpit. She opens her eyes and is greeted by the sight of her son and her husband. She smiles.

“What have my two boys been doing while I was sleeping?” she murmurs in a sandy voice.

“We were waiting for you to get up, right Baekho?” Baekhyun pats the boy’s gently. He bobs his head. “We were waiting for you to wake up so we can go to Disneyland.”

“Yay, Disneyland!” Baekho exclaims, jumping up from Baekhyun’s chest, only to land on top of both his parents.

The two adults groan simultaneously. He keeps doing that and Baekhyun has to literally catch him and lift him up like a father dog grabbing his pup by the collar. Baekhyun gives his wife a quick peck before heading to the bathroom with his son.

He has only ever showered Baekho before, but never showering with him before. He had been too young before but now that the boy is capable of doing things on his own, this is the first time Baekhyun is taking a shower with him. Though his wife has already showered with the boy many times. Baekhyun gets home in time to watch them occasionally. While it used to be a nuisance for Baekhyun to shower a crying infant before, he is surprised that this shower time with his son is actually fun. He gets to play with his child, to give the job of scrubbing his back to the boy (he doesn’t do a very good job but it’s very cute hearing him grunting from using his strength).

Eventually, when Baekho is all wrinkly and pruny, his father scoops him up and brings him out of the shower stall, the both of them now fresh and clean. Baekhyun dries him with a towel. Before he is even done, Baekho runs out of the bathroom.

“Yah!” Baekhyun yells, surprised at his sudden escape.

He hears his wife giggling. He quickly wraps the towel around his hips and strides out of the bathroom where his son is now on the bed, giggling while his mother blows a raspberry on his belly button. The boy is too excited for Disneyland when he breaks out of her hold and runs to the luggage, looking for his clothes. Baekhyun catches his wife’s eye for a moment before she drops her gaze to his milky torso, drying at the sight of her husband’s god-like body glistening with water droplets. The way she is looking at him is too intense. The both of them feel similar thumps in their hearts. The male clears his throat and turns around, kneeling on the ground next to Baekho.

“You're messing up everything,” he mutters, pushing his son’s hands away.

Instead, he goes through the contents of the luggage and gets him a set of fresh clothes. He turns to Baekho and unfolds his underwear. The boy puts his little hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders and lifts a leg. Baekhyun wears his underwear for him.

“You can do the rest,” he says, giving him his clothes after he has worn his underwear.

Baekho sits on the carpet. He obediently wears his pants. Baekhyun is slightly surprised when he feels something fluffy press up against his back. His wife rests her cheek on his nape, her arms coming round his waist. He swallows when she starts slipping her hand under his towel. He catches her wrist and turns his head to give her a look from the corner of his eyes.

“Don't play with fire, Darling,” he warns lowly.

Her heart pounds. He is being y without even meaning to and that in itself is so attractive. But she knows he is right. So she sighs regretfully and keeps her hand away from his towel.

“Tonight when Baekho is asleep,” Baekhyun promises, twisting his body to face her.

He captures her lips in his. He cups her face in his hands, holding her there. He starts dropping many kisses on her lips, feeling a smile stretching on her lips.

“Okay,” she whispers, sounding so excited and happy that it makes Baekhyun smile.

He stops kissing her then, urging her to take a shower. She does and he keeps his eyes on her back, watching her enter the toilet. When she is finally out of sight, he lets out a contented sigh. He looks to the side, only to see his son popping his head into the collar of his shirt. He is wearing the back side of the shirt as the front. Baekhyun grins even as he reaches out to help correct the mistake. When he is done and Baekho is all dressed properly, the boy jumps on the bed and lies on his tummy, facing the lamp on the bedside table. Baekhyun turns away and starts dressing up himself.

He is only wearing his black shirt over his body when he hears a boyish giggle. Curious, he turns back to his son, only to gape in surprise. Baekho is playing with light. Not just any light. But his light. He is turning the light of the bedside lamp on and off without even touching it.

“Baekho…” Baekhyun breathes, standing up slowly. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Baekho stops and turns to his father with a wide smile on his face. “One of the noonas yesterday taught me!”

Baekhyun blinks. Noona? From the test that he had taken? The one that left him crying? He watches Baekho do what he had been doing. Still in a daze, Baekhyun gets his phone and dials for his father. It rings several times but it is eventually answered by the Light King.

“Baek—”

“Has Mr. Lee called to talk to you about Baekho’s trial yet?” Baekhyun asks anxiously.

“No,” his father answer slowly. “Why? Is there something I should know about?”

“No, no,” Baekhyun murmurs, feeling his heart lighten somewhat. “When he calls, just… just tell him that I said thank you. I never got to thank him yesterday…”

His father doesn't really need to know the details on why he hadn't done so. And though the Light King is suspicious, he agrees to it.

“Please tell him that the first thing when he calls,” Baekhyun requests.

“Alright,” his father consents. “How have you been enjoying your holiday?”

“It's going great,” Baekhyun answers. “We’re going to Disneyland today. I just hope Baekho doesn't mess with the lights from his excitement.”

“Has he finally taken possession of his power?” his father asks curiously, almost excitedly.

“Yeah…”

Baekhyun talks to his father for another ten minutes, about Baekho and his power, about Baekhyun’s wife, and finally about himself. During that time, his wife leaves the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around her body. Baekhyun is staring at her in admiration, observing her blankly as she searches for something appropriate to wear for a day in Disneyland. He is barely even listening to his father, already distracted and smitten by his wife’s body, especially when she drops her towel and starts wearing her clothes.

Finally, his father ends the conversation and Baekhyun distractedly mumbles a goodbye before throwing his phone to the bed. He strides over to the woman, winding his arms around her waist. She chuckles and tilts her head, receiving kisses on the side of her face, down to her neck.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he mumbles against her skin.

“Only like a million times,” she laughs.

“Well then,” he trails kisses up her neck to her ear. “Make that a million and one,” he murmurs, kissing the sweet spot behind her ear.

 

 

“Oh my god, Baekho, please stop running!”

His wife tears her hand away from Baekhyun for the nth time that day to start running after her son, who practically heads towards everything fascinating. It is fortunate that there are not many people at the amusement park but it is unfortunate that everything here is fascinating. Baekhyun can only watch in amusement when his wife catches Baekho and carries him back to Baekhyun. She looks exhausted. He wraps his arm around her waist and leans in to kiss her temple. His other hand is around Baekho, already carrying him out of her embrace. She murmurs a tired thanks when Baekhyun takes Baekho. She holds his hand again.

“There, Daddy!” Baekho exclaims, pointing excitedly at an ice cream cart.

“You're my son indeed,” Baekhyun mutters to himself when he sees where he's pointing at.

The three of them head towards the cart and Baekhyun buys ice cream for each of them. Baekho looks at his Mickey Mouse ice cream in awe while his father pays. Then they walk around the theme park with the boy guiding them, pointing to landmarks that he finds interesting.

They also get to sit on most rides that allow children. The two parents eventually get too tired to carry their son so they let him run about. Baekhyun makes a Pointer Light that hovers above Baekho to make it easier for them to keep track of where he is. He makes it invisible to mortal eyes, but he sometimes notices one or two tourists glancing up at the light following Baekho, indicating that they are of Ethereal blood. Baekhyun gets to enjoy the time with his wife as well, talking to her and joking around with her like he is on a date since Baekho is busy running around. The day at Disneyland is well spent despite how exhausted all three of them are when they get back to the hotel with a bunch of souvenirs and toys.

Baekho and his mother take a shower together but Baekhyun is too lazy to wait for them to come out for him to shower, so he joins them instead. His wife is surprised when he slips into the shower stall, but Baekho lights up right away. His mother only ever showers him, never really playing with him. But having showered with his father for the first time this morning, he has come to prefer showering with him. So the family of three take a long time to shower, though majority of the time is them playing and fooling around. And after that shower, Baekho figures that he prefers showering with his Daddy and Mommy together instead of showering with just one of them.

Once Baekho’s hair is blow dried, his mother immediately brings him to the bed where he doesn't even take five minutes to fall asleep. The toys that Baekho had been so excited to open before would just have to wait until their owner is awake in the morning.

The moment Baekhyun is sure that his son is in deep sleep, he grabs the ankles of his wife and drags her down the mattress. She giggles when her bathrobe rides up, exposing her lower region.

“Where shall we do it?”

Baekhyun crinkles his nose at her, biting on his bottom lip. Though the look on his face is playful and teasing, she cannot help but see him as hot and y.

“Um…” she stutters blankly.

“Here? On the bed where our son is sleeping?” He widens his eyes at her. “You're so naughty, Darling.”

“Baekhyun,” she whines, pushing his chest lightly with the ball of her foot. “Not here.”

He chuckles and bends over her, tracing her face with the tip of his nose, letting his lips drag along her skin in suit. When he reaches the middle of her forehead, he stops there and starts dropping little kisses down the bridge of her nose to her philtrum and finally to her lips. She moans and yelps at the same time when Baekhyun swoops her up off the mattress. He makes his way over to the bathroom, now fully kissing her, their tongues dancing with each other. He shuts the door behind them, isolating themselves from their son for the evening.

Just for tonight, it is just the two of them again.

 

 

It is the fourth day of their holiday in Japan when Baekhyun receives a call. He frowns because everyone knows that he is on holiday and he made it clear to his friends not to bother him. He answers the call anyway, just in case it is something important.

“Prince Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow to no one in particular. His wife and his son are playing with the chinchilla in the Animal Cafe. Not wanting to worry his wife, he stands and excuses himself out of the confinements of where the animals are. The lady behind the cashier counter smiles amiably at him. He returns a short, distracted smile before turning away.

“Who is this on the phone?” he mutters into the receiver.

“This is Mr. Lee. From the Ethereals and Mortals Association.”

“Oh,” is all he can say to that.

Baekhyun is surprised to hear from him. They had parted on a bad note. It would even be a reach for him to hope that his son has passed the tests.

There is an awkward silence for a short moment before Mr. Lee clears his throat and speaks. “I’m… sorry about the other day. We didn’t mean to be too harsh on your son.”

“No, no,” Baekhyun sighs and massages the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have gone to conclusions and threaten you like how I did when I left. I’m really sorry about that.”

The man chuckles through the phone. “Well, it’s not the first time that I’ve received threats like that…” he mumbles, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything to that though because he knows that it is true. Mr. Lee coughs awkwardly. “Well, um, I actually called the Light King yesterday, wanting to apologise since I expected you to have told him about what happened… But he told me that you left a note for me, to thank me... May I just… ask what it was for?”

Baekhyun hesitates. He turns around and looks through the window on the door that separates him and his family. He sees Baekho with a ferret crawling up his back, the little boy giggling happily.

“Being the only son of my father, I am always working from morning to night everyday… I didn’t get to spend time with Baekho, much less teach him how to hone his powers even though it has already been a year since his power matured.” Baekhyun swallows, unsure of where he is going with this but he decides to just keep talking. “I only got to teach him while on the way to Japan. How to kindle the power that had been locked within him. That was all I got to teach him before he went for the test. But the morning after his trial, I found him playing with the light on the bedside lamp… without touching the light switch. And when I asked him, he said it was one of the noonas that taught him how to do that.”

Mr. Lee is quiet the entire time Baekhyun is speaking and the prince swears that he shouldn’t even be doing this. He is not obliged to tell the advisor everything. Yet he still does.

“I was so angry to have found my son crying that day that I couldn’t think clearly… Couldn’t judge fairly like how a preceding king should… I wanted to convey my apology to you and your team through my father too but I thought he might have asked about it. I didn’t want to put you in a tough position. You were only doing your job after all.”

There is a very long silence then, when Baekhyun finishes speaking. It was a long apology but Baekhyun thinks that the older man deserves it, having gotten such a rotten behaviour from the Light Prince himself. He expected Mr. Lee to comment on the apology, or at least accept it awkwardly. But instead, an unusual question is asked.

“Did you say that you only taught him how to tap into his power reservoir on the way from Korea to Japan?”

Confused by the lack of care towards the apology of a Royal, Baekhyun stumbles a little. “Uh, yes…”

There is another silence as Mr. Lee hums. A few seconds later, he clears his throat. “Thank you for the apology and your thoughtfulness,” he says respectfully. “I am sorry for what happened as well, and my team is reflecting on their actions.” Baekhyun knows that there is more to that, so he waits. The advisor takes a while before letting go of a big breath like he is finally coming to a conclusion. “I’m sorry for interrupting your holiday, Prince Baekhyun. I’ll call you again when you have returned to Korea.”

Baekhyun frowns. Did he say something wrong? But still, he answers, “O...kay?”

“Have fun with your family in Japan, Prince Baekhyun,” Mr. Lee greets pleasantly before hanging up the call.

Baekhyun takes the phone away from his ear and stares blankly at his phone. What was that? Some sort of confession on his part, while a mere prank call on Mr. Lee’s part? But that can’t be… It seemed like he had something important to tell the prince. Something that relates to his son.

Baekhyun doesn’t get to ponder very long on it, however, because his wife exits the Animal Room, walking towards him. He glances behind her, seeing his son sitting in a semicircle with other customers as they listen to a worker introduce the white owl on her arm. He flicks his eyes back to his wife.

“Something wrong?” she asks, standing in front of him.

He takes in her features; the curiosity and worry swirling in her brown irises; the slight, unconscious pout on her pink lips. The features that he thinks are still beautiful despite the concern written in them. Baekhyun pockets his phone and smiles at her. He shakes his head.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” he lies. “Let’s go back in.”

She narrows her eyes on him in suspicion, but he only smirks at her. She is still standing in the same spot when he brushes past her, slapping her just as his shoulder grazes her in passing.

“Baekhyun!” she whines, trailing after her husband who is laughing.

 

 

The rest of the holiday in Japan goes by smoothly. Baekhyun only hopes that Baekho would remember everything when he grows older. Because this is honestly Baekhyun’s favourite week since having Baekho. This was the only time he got to spend with his family and he enjoyed every second of it, even down to his son throwing a tantrum when he didn't want to leave an Ironman themed store.

But the seven days eventually passes and the family of three are now back in Korea. It is Monday and Baekhyun has to go back to work when he receives a call on the way to the Guardian Headquarters. He answers the call through the system in his car without even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Prince Baekhyun.”

“Oh, Mr. Lee.”

“Yes, how was your trip in Japan?”

Baekhyun frowns at the road. He is sure that Mr. Lee isn't calling just to make small talk with him. But still, he answers politely. “It was refreshing. Thank you for asking. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Actually…” The man on the other line hums. “I'm calling to tell you the results about your son’s progress.”

Baekhyun’s heart starts racing. “How is it?” he asks, hoping he doesn't sound as anxious as he feels.

“He's a little behind on his Ethereal knowledge,” the advisor starts. Baekhyun knows that. “But it's still not too difficult for him to learn if you start teaching him now. And he has a lot of… locked up power within him too.” Baekhyun feels a little guilty at this. He knows it is because he hasn't taught the boy to hone his powers only until recently. “We actually wanted to have him stay here for a month or so to become familiar with his power and strengthen it. But after I heard what you told me in our last phone call, we decided that he would probably improve better with you. Being able to tap into his power for the first time normally takes a lot more time than just a four-hour plane flight.”

Baekhyun doesn't even know that he had been holding his breath until he hears that verdict and a relieved sigh just comes rushing out of him.

“He can stay with you, but we will have to track his progress again in a few years. If that's okay with you, Prince Baekhyun,” he adds that last bit, like he is afraid that he might have offended the prince.

“That's fine,” Baekhyun breathes. “Thank you, Mr. Lee.”

“My pleasure. We will send you another letter in a few years’ time for a follow-up on Baekho’s progress.”

“Alright. Thanks again,” the prince says, still quite emotional about the results.

“Thank you too, Prince Baekhyun. Have a good day.”

Baekhyun hums and ends the call. The first thing he does is to call his wife. She answers the phone in a few rings.

“Did you forget something again?” She sighs in exasperation.

“No,” Baekhyun clucks his tongue. “I just got off a phone call with Mr. Lee.”

“Oh.” He can hear her shifting on the other end of the line. “What did he say?”

“He said Baekho can stay with us but he has to return for a follow-up on his progress.”

“That's great, Baekhyun!” she exclaims, obviously elated about the news.

“I know,” Baekhyun says back with equal enthusiasm. “I’m going to beg my father to let me start working from home, or something, this time.”

“Yeah, Baekho’s going to need you teaching him about his powers,” she agrees in encouragement.

Baekhyun hums just as he drives into the car park of the Light Guardian Headquarters. “I’ll talk to you when I get back home tonight, Darling. I’ve just gotten to work.”

“Oh, alright,” she answers, sounding like she is pouting. (She actually is.) “Enjoy work.”

Baekhyun snorts. He hears his wife giggling into the phone before he hums and says goodbye again. They end the call. Baekhyun parks his car easily and makes his way to his office which resides just next to his father’s on the highest floor of the Light building (there are nine buildings in total for their headquarters). The moment he reaches the top floor, the secretary greets him good morning. He nods at her before asking if her father is here. She tells him that he is. Baekhyun thanks her and proceeds to knock on his door for permission to enter. Eventually that response comes. Baekhyun opens the door and enters, bowing in respect to his father.

“Oh, Baekhyun-ah. What is it?”

Baekhyun takes a seat in front of his desk, facing his father. He is grinning when he says, “Baekho passed the test.”

“Really?” The older man grins back.

“Sort of,” Baekhyun nods. “I haven't taught him much in terms of his Ethereal knowledge so he's quite behind on that and his power developments…”

“Yeah, you don't get much time to spend with him, do you?” the grandfather mutters, sighing. “You know you can always bring him here… We have so many Ethereals that can teach him.”

Baekhyun is firm when he shakes his head. He could do a shortcut but he really doesn't want to. Being a father has no shortcuts and even if there is, Baekhyun wouldn't give up a potential bonding time with his son for anything else.

“I want to be the one who teaches him, Father.”

His father looks at him with an evaluating gaze. Baekhyun simply returns the stare. The king of Light eventually sighs and nods his head.

“You're asking me to let you work from home, aren't you?”

“Like the many times that I have asked before,” he mumbles. “Yes.”

“Okay.”

Even though that is the answer he wants to hear, Baekhyun gapes at him. After all, he has heard so many No’s and excuses from his father that when he has finally received a yes, he just cannot believe it.

“Okay?”

His father takes his mug and sips on his coffee. He nods his head. “Teach my grandson well, Baekhyun-ah. I was able to make you one of the best Light Guardians in history only because I entrusted you to the scholars working here. But I didn't get to bond or spent time with you. I regretted — and still regret — that.” He pauses, eyes glazed over like he is thinking back to his memories. A forlorn sigh leaves his mouth. “I think if I were to be given a chance to do it again, I would have taught you myself even if you would turn out to be an average Light Guardian.”

Baekhyun stares at his father, blinking at his honesty and confession. Being one of the kings of the EXO kingdom, Baekhyun’s father never shows much feelings or emotions, even to his family. He has to be seen as a tough man and that's how Baekhyun knows him as. But hearing this from him now, he realises that the Light King actually has feelings.

His father blinks and shakes his head. He looks at his son with a gentle smile. “I’m proud you knew not to give up about asking me.”

“You always taught me never to give up on what I want,” Baekhyun murmurs.

His father’s smile widens. “Yes. And I’m proud that you remember the only thing I taught you.”

“That's not the only thing,” Baekhyun frowns. “You taught me many other things too. Like how to be a gentleman. How to make Mother happy when she's mad at me. How to practice for my Guardian Entrance Exam. There are so many other things you taught me, Dad.”

His father can only give him a warm, fatherly smile. His eyes are not as hard or stern as they normally are.

“I’m happy to hear that, son.”

There is a pause here, the father and son just staring at each other, not sure of what else to say. They have never gone into such deep a talk before. His father takes in a deep breath and sets down his mug, glancing at the clock behind Baekhyun.

“We have to get ready for the council meeting,” he says. Then he glances at his son. “And since today’s your last day working in the office, make an announce to the staff that we’ll be having a company dinner tonight. My treat.”

“Father, I can't—”

“Next time when it is my turn to retire, it can be your treat. For now, let me be a father for my son.”

 

“Holy… Why is it so hot?” Baekhyun grumbles to himself as he lays on the ground after a long session of training with Baekho and the other kids.

Minseok snorts when most of the fathers fall to the ground, sweating and panting, while their kids still have the energy to run around and play. Well, at least there are only five children. The only ones with kids are Suho, Baekhyun, Jongin, and Sehun. While most of them have only one child, Jongin has twins that drive most of the adults crazy because of how cheeky they are. (It also doesn't help that they have the power of teleportation.)

The others who are not yet ready for kids or are still bachelors sometimes join the fathers on their training sessions. And today is actually one of those good days where all nine princes of EXO are able to come together for a reunion.

Minseok makes the air around them cooler while Sehun makes a small breeze that eases all of them from the summer heat. Baekhyun grunts when his son runs to him, dropping on top of his body.

Now that the boy is six years old, he has gotten quite big. It still baffles and saddens Baekhyun all at the same time whenever he watches Baekho be a good boy to his younger friends. He has grown up so much now to be so sensible. Baekhyun is glad that he had been there the entire time, watching and teaching him to be the best person and Guardian he can be.

“Baekho, where's your Mommy?” Jongdae asks the boy, standing over the father and son, blocking out the shining rays of sun.

Baekhyun and Baekho squint up at the Lightning Prince. Jongdae can't help but shudder a little. He wonders if his child in the future would ever look so much like him just like how Baekhyun and Baekho do.

“Yeah,” Chanyeol mutters from next to them. They glance to him to see him sitting up with water dripping down his chin as he glugs down the refreshment. He hydrates himself and caps his bottle. “Doesn't she always come to your trainings?”

“She knew you'd be here so she didn't want to come!” Sehun shouted from somewhere from the front. Chanyeol glares in the direction of the youngest prince. “No one likes a flirt, Chanyeol hyung. Especially a happily married woman.”

Jongdae and Kyungsoo snort at that. Chanyeol growls and makes the air around them just a little hotter and unbearable. Baekhyun is glad he shut his mouth.

“Mommy said she will come later!” Baekho finally answers.

He tries to make the sun shine a little less bright but his power still has not been fully unlocked. Baekhyun helps him instead, holding out his hand at the sky and making a pinching gesture with his fingers. Like the dimming of a cell phone screen, the sunlight shines a little lesser, making it a little less glaring. The other adults are relieved at the fading glare of the sunshine.

“She has to be at the shop today,” Baekhyun explains. “Someone ordered 40 bouquets of flowers so she needs to be there to supervise.”

“Ah…” Jongdae nods his head. “Is Irene noona coming later too then?” He turns to Minseok.

The oldest male shrugs. Jongdae walks over to him, waiting for the response from the husband of the said woman. Baekhyun looks down when his son places a hand on his chest, gaining his attention. The boy pushes against his father’s body to sit up. Baekhyun rests his arm on the ground around Baekho's waist.

“Baekho,” Baekhyun calls his six-year-old son. He turns to face him. “Mommy’s birthday is coming up soon. What do you think we should do for her?”

The little boy hums and looks upwards, his forefinger tapping on his chin. Baekhyun glances at Jongdae, who is still talking to Minseok about his wife who is coming later together with Baekhyun’s wife after they’re both done with work at the flower shop they're manning.

“Since Mommy likes flowers…” Baekho starts, making Baekhyun turn to him. “Let’s make her a flower!”

Baekhyun frowns slightly. “Make…?”

The boy bobs his head excitedly. “A flower made up of light!”

 

 

“What about this one?” Baekho shakes his head. Baekhyun hovers his mouse over a picture of a rose. “This?”

“Hmm… No.”

It is always amusing for Baekhyun seeing how serious Baekho can be sometimes. He is only six, yet he knows exactly what he wants.

“Why don’t we just make up a new flower for Mommy?” Baekhyun eventually suggests.

The boy lights up. He likes that idea. “Okay!”

“A special kind of flower that represents her.”

So the two of them go to work with Baekhyun playing with Photoshop, merging several images of flowers together to make a perfect picture of a flower. It takes a really long time (because Baekhyun doesn't actually know how to use Photoshop) but two hours and many snacks later, they finally get there. It is a perfect blend of a cherry blossom and a hibiscus. Baekho is excited to start on making the flower, but Baekhyun feels the need to get him ready for it.

“It’s going to be really hard, Baekho…” Baekhyun tells his son seriously. The boy doesn’t take it to heart, about to run away to his training room. But Baekhyun catches him and holds his shoulders tightly. “Baekho, you have only been training through other sources,” Baekhyun says. “What we are going to do now will start from nothing. And to make something out of nothing is going to be really tough. Do you understand?”

Baekho finally sees the severity of this. His face shows fear. “Is it going to be really, really hard?”

Baekhyun nods. He doesn’t want to sugar coat it for him. “Daddy will do most of the work but I want you to try your best to make the flower too, okay? It will really help with your training, and I want the flower to have a part of you too.”

The boy nods his head firmly, resolutely, like a soldier ready to fight for his country. Baekhyun stares at his son for a moment. Then he smiles softly and leans in to kiss his forehead. He stands and together, the both of them walk to Baekho’s training room where it is bare of furniture. The father closes and locks the door after he flips the sign outside the door to Training in progress, just in case his wife returns home. He joins Baekho in the middle of the room and sits opposite him on the ground.

Baekhyun slowly goes through the steps of making the flower come to life, making sure that Baekho understands everything. It is complicated, but Baekhyun promises him that he will make it as easy as possible for him. When it is time to start, Baekhyun makes Baekho watch first, to learn from him.

So the boy watches his father close his eyes like he is in meditation. Baekho observes his daddy’s eyes moving behind his eyelids before a soft glowing line of light appears in thin air. He is in awe. His eyes are fixed on the line, watching it grow brighter and thicker. He doesn’t notice the sweat forming on Baekhyun’s forehead. As time passes, Baekho eventually makes out the 3D stem of a flower. Baekhyun opens his eyes slowly.

“Baekho, try it,” he murmurs softly.

Baekho swallows and nods. The both of them are staring at the floating stem of light in the air. Baekho has to lift his finger to draw out the shape of a petal whereas Baekhyun easily makes one. Three petals from Baekhyun and none from Baekho no matter how hard he tries, the boy eventually gives up. Baekhyun frowns at his son’s dejected and devastated look.

“Come sit on Daddy’s lap,” he beckons.

Baekho is still pouting when he stands up and walks over to plop himself on Baekhyun’s lap. The father has an arm around Baekho’s stomach while his other hand holds the boy’s hand. He dips his head so that his lips are on Baekho’s ear.

“I want you to think really hard to make the petal real while you draw it, Baekho,” he whispers. “Daddy will help you.”

So Baekho clenches his jaw and channels all his energy into the making of one petal. He is even shaking a little. Baekhyun lets his own energy flow into his son. The both of them see a very faint outline of a petal. Baekhyun keeps encouraging his son, slowly cutting off the energy transfer. The boy is still able to make the petal without help, now so much easier than before and with a brighter outline. Baekhyun only helps change it from a two-dimensional drawing to a three-dimensional petal.

It takes them almost three hours but the end product is beautiful and radiant. It is really the perfect representation of the beautiful woman that is Baekhyun’s wife and Baekho’s mother. Out of the 32 petals that represent her age, three of them are by Baekho. Baekhyun makes them glow brighter than any of the other petals.

They are lucky that even though it is almost evening, the woman has yet to come home from the flower shop. So Baekhyun leaves the room and goes to get a glass jar to keep the flower while Baekho holds the flower in splendor. They eventually keep it in the bell jar, making the flower of light float in the vacuum space just like the rose in Beauty and the Beast. Only in this version, the flower is healthy and beautiful, always growing with a petal every year instead of falling.

They hide it from the woman, keeping it in the training room where she almost never goes to. Besides, her birthday is tomorrow, they would only need to hide it for the night. And that night, when it is Baekho’s bedtime, Baekhyun insists on putting him to bed. His wife doesn’t find it suspicious, simply kissing her son on the head as a good night kiss before returning to the master bedroom.

Baekhyun sits on Baekho’s bed and tucks him in. When the boy is snuggly under the blanket, he looks up at his father, who is smiling softly at him, brushing his hair back affectionately.

“You did very well today, Baekho,” he praises. “Daddy couldn’t have done it without you.”

Baekho shakes his head. “You helped me, Daddy.”

“I only helped you once. The other times were all you.”

Baekho stares at him. “Really?” he whispers.

Baekhyun smiles wider. He bends down and gives him a long kiss on the forehead. “Really,” he whispers back. “You’ve gotten so much stronger now, you know. Daddy’s very proud of you.” The boy blushes, making him chuckle. “Good night, my baby boy.”

“Good night, Daddy,” Baekho mumbles. “I love you.”

“Daddy loves you too.”

 

 

The next morning, Baekhyun wakes up to his son bursting into the room and jumping on the bed, singing Happy Birthday to his wife. The woman chuckles. Baekhyun groans softly, rubbing his face. He suddenly realises that he is top , which makes him a little anxious. He doesn’t want his son’s childhood to be ruined so early. But when he looks under the blanket, he is lucky that they remembered to redress themselves after the “birthday present” Baekhyun gave his wife at midnight last night.

“We have a present for you, Mommy!”

“We?” She raises an eyebrow, glancing between her son and her husband. “What is it? Your dirty laundry?”

Baekhyun snorts, slapping the back of her thigh lightly. Baekho is confused but he shakes his head. He looks at his dad for permission, who nods his head. The boy grins and gets down the bed, his little feet slapping on the wooden floorboards as he goes to get the glass jar.

“Be careful, Baekho!” Baekhyun shouts in remembrance.

He hears the boy’s footsteps slow down. He turns to his wife, who is still staring at him, trying to figure him out. Baekhyun pecks her on the lips.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “Again.”

Baekhyun chuckles softly. Baekho eventually returns with the huge glass jar in his arms. The moment he enters the room, the woman lying next to Baekhyun sits up slowly, eyes wide on the glowing flower floating in the jar.

“What…” she breathes in amazement, speechless at the sight of her birthday present.

Baekhyun gets up and helps his son up the bed carefully with the glass jar still in his little arms. The boy crawls to his mother’s lap and sits in front of her. He s the jar out to her.

“Happy birthday, Mommy!”

Baekhyun grins. “Happy birthday, Mommy!” he repeats.

She is still gaping at the flower. She is a florist, meaning she has worked with many flowers and she is familiar with a wide array of them. Yet the flower in the jar is nothing like she has ever seen, apart from the fact that it is made of light, and light only. It is beautiful.

“What flower is that?” she eventually asks, tearing her gaze away from the gift to look at Baekhyun.

He thinks about it. “It’s your flower,” he eventually says. “We made it specially for you. And we’ll name it after you.”

She turns back to the flower again. Then she looks over the bell jar to gaze at her son, who is still smiling at her. She feels tears welling up at her eyes.

“Did you make it too, Baekho?” He bobs his head excitedly. “You made this for Mommy?”

The boy nods. Baekhyun feels the need to point out when he tells her, “The three petals that are shining the brightest are by Baekho. He made them all by himself.”

A tear finally drops on her cheek. “Really?”

Baekho’s smile widens as he nods rapidly. She sniffles and takes the jar from her son. Her other hand wraps around him and pulls him in for a tight hug. She is crying now. Baekho clings onto her neck like a koala bear, hugging her back tightly. She tilts her head to look at Baekhyun, who is watching them. She stretches her hand back to carefully place the jar on her pillow before pulling Baekhyun in for a hug as well. He kisses his wife’s head as he embraces his family in his strong arms, making them feel safe and loved.

When Baekhyun first became a Light Guardian, he swore to keep his kingdom safe. But now, he is not just a Light Guardian of EXO, but also the guardian of his family. For now, and for the many light years to come.

 

 

---

Author’s note:

Sorry for the long wait, you guys... This was only supposed to be up after the publish of the magazine. But it was taking too long… The magazine was supposed to be summer edition but even 7 days to Halloween, it’s still not yet up… So I’ve talked to the editor-in-chief and got permission to upload my one shot first. I simply cannot wait anymore. I needed this to be completed, because I know that I have already finished it.

I hope this story makes up for the long awaited time though. I really enjoyed writing this and seeing how Baekho grew, and how doting Baekhyun was as a father. Even the side story with him and his wife was so cute… and y… So I hope I at least made up for the lateness. Please tell me what you guys thought of this, since it’s my first time writing something like that - focusing on something other than romance/fluff. And please don’t forget to upvote if you think Light Years deserves it!

xoxo