Twilight of Shadows

Chapter 28: Dino's Impossible Christmas Wish

The Christmas season had arrived, and with it, the excitement that only a child could bring. The house was decorated with twinkling lights, the scent of cinnamon and pine filling the air. Jeonghan had spent hours in the kitchen preparing their holiday feast, and Mingyu had taken care of the last-minute decorations. Dino, now almost a year old, was at the center of all their holiday cheer, toddling around, trying to touch the ornaments hanging on the tree.

"Careful, Dino," Jeonghan warned, gently swatting his little hand away from a fragile bauble.

Dino gave him an innocent look, his wide eyes filled with wonder. "Mama, big tree!"

"Yes, it’s very big," Jeonghan chuckled, patting his son’s head. "But don’t touch, okay? We don’t want it falling down."

Mingyu walked in, carrying a stack of presents. "What’s all this talk about the tree?"

Dino looked up at his father, his face full of curiosity. "Dada, gift?"

Mingyu grinned, sitting down beside Dino. "Oh, you want your Christmas present? You’ll have to wait, little man. It's not time yet."

---

The Impossible Request

Later that evening, as they all sat together by the fireplace, Dino crawled into Mingyu’s lap, his small hands resting on his father’s chest as he looked up at him with shining eyes. "Dada…" Dino said slowly, his baby words somehow carrying a weight that made Mingyu pause.

"What is it, baby?" Mingyu asked, brushing Dino’s hair back from his forehead.

"I want..." Dino started, his voice tentative as if he wasn’t sure how to ask for something so big. "I want... fly."

Mingyu blinked, caught off guard by the request. "Fly? Like a bird?"

Dino nodded enthusiastically, his face lighting up with excitement. "Yes! Up in sky! Like... like big birds!" He stretched his little arms wide, mimicking the wings of an imaginary bird.

Jeonghan, who had been watching the scene, stifled a laugh. "Baby, flying isn’t really something we can do, you know."

Mingyu, still a little stunned, looked down at his son, his heart swelling. "Flying, huh?" he repeated, his voice soft.

"Yes, Dada!" Dino insisted, his hands grabbing at Mingyu’s shirt as if trying to make him understand. "Fly with Mama and Dada! Big wings! Up high!"

---

The Magic of Christmas

Mingyu exchanged a look with Jeonghan, both of them smiling fondly at Dino’s innocence and boundless imagination. For a moment, they were reminded of the magic of childhood—how even the most impossible dreams felt within reach.

"You know," Mingyu began, rubbing Dino’s back gently, "flying might be hard to do, but Christmas is a time for magic. And if you believe hard enough, anything is possible, right?"

Dino’s eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands. "Magic!" he shouted, nodding fervently.

Jeonghan chuckled. "It’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? We can’t exactly build wings for him."

Mingyu laughed, his exhaustion forgotten in the face of Dino’s pure joy. "Maybe not wings, but we can certainly give him something special." He glanced over at Jeonghan, a plan starting to form in his mind.

---

The Christmas Miracle

The next morning, as the house began to wake, Jeonghan and Mingyu were up early, preparing for Dino’s big day. It wasn’t going to be wings, but they had something else in mind—a surprise that would capture the magic of Christmas in a way that even Dino’s wish could appreciate.

Mingyu took Dino in his arms, lifting him up gently. "Guess what, Dino?" he said, his voice filled with excitement. "We’re going to fly today!"

Dino’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. "Fly?" he repeated, his little face glowing.

Jeonghan smiled, walking over to them with a large box in his hands. "We may not be able to fly like birds, but we can take a ride in a special way." He opened the box to reveal a small, child-sized toy airplane with a seat just big enough for Dino to sit in. It had soft wings and a cockpit, and the whole thing was decorated in bright, cheerful colors.

Dino’s face lit up. "Fly! Fly with Mama! Dada!"

Mingyu carefully placed Dino in the seat, buckling him in. "Ready for takeoff, Captain Dino?"

"Ready!" Dino giggled, gripping the toy plane’s controls.

Jeonghan stood beside them, his heart full. "It’s not the sky, but it’s a start," he said softly, watching as Dino “flew” around the living room, pushing the toy plane with his little hands.

Mingyu wrapped an arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders, watching their son with a proud smile. "Maybe one day, we’ll take him on a real plane," he murmured.

Jeonghan rested his head on Mingyu’s shoulder. "And maybe one day, he’ll believe in flying for real."

But for now, Dino was in his own little world, flying through the air on his Christmas miracle, the impossible wish turned into a gift of joy and love.