The Assassin's Crown

Part 21

"DADS, that story was boring!" a small blonde boy, with tan skin and green eyes, wriggles around the couch and dramatically flops over two men's laps.

"Well Jojo, that's just how it went. No lies to it." A pale man with salt and pepper hair rubs the child's hair soothingly.

"Yeah well I don't like it! No epic battles, no happily ever after. Boring!" He continues to pout as a much taller man with tan skin and blonde hair rocks a small baby next to him.

"Well, I know it's hard to listen to a story after Grandpa Joe died kiddo, but this was true." The man adjusts himself and tucks the ranting 4 year old into his bed. "You should know, he did live it."

Pouting the small child shrinks more into the smaller of the two men. This was a usual for them, Joe wanted a bedtime story, and the two men would tell tales from all over the world. Tonight was different, he wanted a story, a real story.

"But dad! Gramps always told me about romance and such, but he wouldn't forget about the fights!."

"I know little dove, tomorrow how about you tell gramps a story when we got to visit him, hows that sound buddy?" the taller father of the young children asks.

"Fineeeeee." Joe lengthens his words before producing a yawn, announcing he is tired.

"Goodnight little dove. We love you." the older man rubs his head before standing and adjusting the sheets from his side.

"Goodnight dad." The small child leans into his other father as the oldest of the four heads out of the room.

The blonde man quietly walked along a hallway into a small room, the old office now nursery published calming grey walls with a looming bookshelf covered in stuffed toys and story books. A small desk sat in the corner with a small chair across from it and canyons scattered to its surface. A small crib sat plush into the corner across from the small chair with a small night light that softly circled the room with cold lights.

"Come on princess, let's get some sleep." The tall man rocks his sleeping daughter as he lowers her into the crib.

" How's it looking over there old man?" the tall man's husband calls softly from behind them at the doorway. Smiling, the older man turns to him after setting the small babe down in her crib.

"Says the dork with grey hairs at thirty-five." The older man walks over to his husband leaning against the wall while the smaller leans into the door frame arms crossed.

"Says the forty year old with a dying complex. Did you have to tell our son about how you died, in extreme detail, or about how we did the deed, he's four Aerlic." the smaller man gives him a face of a knowing smirk.

"Ok mr. I have dementia and it's magically cured, but oh no, let's lie to our son about how we both got reset to ages 30 and 35 miraculously, but our wedding rings. Sorry sireno, but checkmate." Aerlic kisses his forehead.

"In my defense our son didn't need the details of our night in the woods."Sireno hits his shoulder slightly. Both men smile as they playfully argue with each other. They have years left to leave, and this time they won't let it be ruined. The two men walk arm in arm to their room to start a new day together in their small home in the forest.