Sternenstaub und Abendfeuer

53. Among Loves

Never ones to let Seonghwa wait, his husbands arrived a while later. They had gathered beforehand, making sure no one got left behind or still needed a breather. Only once satisfied that no one was hiding injuries to be with Seonghwa, they shuffled down the corridor. Seonghwa listened to the click of Wooyoung's talons and sat up. Aodhán rolled over his feet, playful with their bounce.

A mild knock, which Seonghwa could tell as Yeosang's, announced them.

"Come in," Seonghwa called, smiling already since he looked forward to seeing them. It had only been a day, but he yearned to share happiness with each other.

Yeosang peered his head inside and the others followed him like his trail of ducklings. Some sported fresh bandages and Wooyoung hopped on crutches, but their beaming grins matched Seonghwa's. They filtered into the room, and Yunho dashed over to lift Aodhán into his arms. His son giggled when they hugged.

"If it isn't my strongest son! I see you defended the castle well in our absence," Yunho praised boisterously, making the boy squeal when he blew a kiss on his cheek.

"He said his first word earlier," Seonghwa admitted, making them share a collective 'ohh.'

"Was it my name?" Wooyoung demanded to know, sinking into the corner of Seonghwa's bed while they chattered.

Stars twinkling on his cheeks, Seonghwa glanced away to the side.

"It was athair," he muttered, unable to contain his giddiness. Yeosang cooed.

"He must have missed you a lot," he hummed. With Jongho's help, Seonghwa stood from the bed. Hongjoong collected Morana and handed her to Mingi. He also got to hold Aodhán, checking on his magic while the baby gurgled at him with more affection than the sorcerer could handle.

They made their way to the bathroom together. Seonghwa's eyes searched the injury of San's wing, finding it well-patched.

"Will it heal?"

"Without issues. The elves have remarkable healers. How do you feel?"

Jongho also glanced at Seonghwa, needing the answer for his reassurance. When the elf's lips twitched into a crooked grin, they exhaled.

"All fine. The next child definitely has to wait, but my body will recover."

"Thank the earth," Yeosang huffed. Wooyoung nodded gravely, having lost enough attention to the two babies.

"I demand your favour," Hongjoong declared while he opened his shirt. Seonghwa slipped from his dress with San's help and undid the laces of Mingi's shirt for him while the tall demon held his daughter.

"How dare you try to control his wishes?" The seraph challenged the sorcerer. Yunho waded into the water with Aodhán, unbothered by the fight, as he taught his son how to float through the lukewarm pool. Once Wooyoung sank onto the bench, he sighed in bliss. The water pearled off his feathers, but his wound kept him from making a mess.

"We can narrow the next child down to two fathers, that's for sure," Yeosang chuckled. The rest of them joined into the water and Morana rested on a dip Jongho's shoulder formed. She slumbered in the healing hue of the moon, cosy in the warm air. San kept glancing at her, wanted to hold and coo at her features, but he held back as long as she was bewitched by sleep.

Seonghwa gathered up his hair and sunk onto the bench to rest his body. When Wooyoung cosied up to his side a moment later, they watched a soggy Yeosang play with Yunho and Aodhán. Hongjoong sat opposite of them, glaring daggers at San, who was mindful not to soak his bandages in the water.

"Don't have children with them if they act like this. I agree that Yunho and Mingi were the best choices," Wooyoung whispered to Seonghwa like a mischievous kobold. He hooked their arms around each other, tucking them together. Under Hongjoong's and San's intense stares, he shrivelled but was unafraid with the elf as his shield.