CHAPTER XIII

The alarm rang. Dev turned it off and got up, and called Thierry whispering - "It's your turn to make breakfast" - before going to change his clothes. Thierry looked up and looked around asking himself - is it 6h30 already? He stayed there just sitting and staring at the wall for some minutes waiting for his brain to function. He then looked at his side table and took his vitamins, downing them with some water. Dev finished changing his clothes, wearing some work-out attire.

"I'm going to wake up the kids", he said.

"Okay".

Thierry changed into his work-out clothes too, and went down to make breakfast.

Dev knocked on the door to wake up the twins, but only Collin answered sitting on the bed, half-asleep.

"C'mon babes. It's time to wake up", he said, picking Killian up.

Collin promptly woke up and went to pick up his clothes that Dev separated last night. Killian just grabbed Dev's neck and stayed there, half-asleep. Dev took both to the bathroom for a quick bath. It was the only way to wake Killian up in the mornings, as he wasn't allowed coffee yet. When they arrived in the bathroom, Collin was already taking off his clothes and waiting for Dev to turn on the shower. Collin loved water and would take swimming lessons twice a week.

"Daddy, daddy!", he called Dev to turn on the shower, but he was occupied with one hand holding Killian and the other holding the boy's clothes.

"Wait a second, Olli. Let me put your brother down". He said and woke up Killian again. "Babe, you need to get up. Your brother is getting agitated".

"Five more minutes", he whispered.

"No more minutes. I'm going to put you down, and you will take off your clothes to shower".

"Alright", he said while pouting.

While Killian took off his clothes, Dev turned on the shower and helped Collin bathe. He wrapped the boy in a towel and helped him dry.

"Can you get dressed alone?" Dev asked.

"Yes, I'm a big boy", Collin answered.

"Okay. I'm gonna go help your brother".

He then proceeded to help Killian bathe. All the time, he seemed like he was about to fall asleep, but the water helped him wake. After he wrapped him in a towel and helped him dry, he asked the same thing.

"Can you get dressed alone?"

"Yep. I'm a big boy too".

"Yeah", Dev smiled. "You're both big boys".

Every time he saw them being independent or learning something new, he felt proud and wondered how much they would grow, what they would do next. It was always a feeling that time passed too quickly.

They went down and Thierry had some scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes and ham, and some peeled apples. The twins sat down in their highchairs in the kitchen's counter, where their food was already waiting for them. Dev went to the other side of the counter and hugged Thierry who was concentrating on finishing their plates.

"Your t-shirt is all wet", Thierry commented.

"It'll dry. Collin was splashing water around. And I don't want to change clothes twice".

"You're making me wet like that".

"You shouldn't say that in front of the kids".

"You know that's not what I mean".

Dev just smirked and let go of Thierry. The kids were making their usual mess, but, somehow, it was also less than they used to do.. Even in that aspect they were growing. When they finished, they brushed their teeth and prepared to go to kindergarten. The car would always get them in the mornings, and Dev would get them in the afternoon. When he was busy, the babysitter would get them.

"Bye bye, my sweeties", Thierry said as he got them to the car.

"Bye mommy, bye daddy", They answered.

After the kids left, they went to the gym in their own building. They tried to go at least three times a week, but many days their busy life wouldn't allow them. At this hour in the morning, there were few people there. While Thierry was doing his exercises, distracted with his earphones, a young omega woman came close to Dev.

"Hi". she said.

"Hi", Dev answered indifferently, going back to his exercises.

"I was seeing you here, and wondering if you need any help". She said, releasing her pheromones.

"No, thank you". He answered sharply, trying to drive her away. "And, please, it's not polite to release your pheromones in public".

"Honey", she said, touching his arm, "Those pheromones are only for you. No one else".

Dev tossed her aside and went away, but she followed. As he tried to do his exercises, she touched his leg and caressed the inside of his thigh, still releasing her pheromones.

"Love, do you want me to plead? I'm not the kind who runs after a man, but for someone like you I can open an exception". She laughed.

Dev took her hand away and held her wrist.

"Ma'am, I'm willing to ignore it and pretend this didn't happen. But if you keep doing this I will call security and report you for harassment. You don't want that".

When he said that, she laughed and grabbed his ass.

"Dear, my father and the owner are great friends. You can report as much as you want, that nothing will happen".

Suddenly, someone grabbed the hand that was grabbing his ass and held it strongly in the air.

"Well, honey, I'm a real friend of the owner and I know for a fact that he has no idea who you or your father are. And I also know that this place has cameras in every corner that registered every second that you harassed my husband. Which is a violation of the contract of habitation. So you better be ready to be expelled from this building". Thierry said as he dialed the security number. Fastly, the security arrived and dragged the girl away. Later they would come to know that the girl had been using the owner's name to harass many men and women in the building.

"Husband?", Dev asked, happy, and forgetting the misfortune completely.

"Well, someday. I'm just anticipating myself. I get a pass, because I'm really mad".

Dev smiled and held Thierry by his waist.

"Thank you, husband, for helping me. You are my hero, mr. Build Owner".

"If I could, I would have dragged her by her hair and tossed her on the street, and never let her step inside again". He said , his hands in a fist. He pushed Dev away a little to look him in the eyes. He put his hand on the red-haired man's face and looked at his ambar-green eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just a little annoyed. Don't worry about it".

"Are you sure? That woman was so..."

"Disgusting? Yes. But I know I have a wonderful husband by my side who would save me from even the most annoying pests". He smiled and pecked Thierry's lips. "So let's just finish our work out and get ready to work. And promise me that I won't see that repulsive vermin again".

"I promise". He kissed him back.

After gym, they went back to the apartment. The whole time, Dev smiled. He thought about how happy he was that Thierry stopped that woman, that he called him husband, that he would never see that woman again - at least not in this building. But he couldn't stop feeling dirty. It was as if every place she touched burned and gangrened, at the same time. When they arrived at the apartment, Thierry asked again if he was fine before going to take a shower and get dressed. He said he was okay, but he ran to the other bathroom to wash himself. He couldn't count how many times he washed, until he could forget the touch of that nasty entitled pest. A woman like that is no longer a woman, he thought, she is closer to a repulsive cockroach or a horsefly. After he finished, he went back to the room, only wrapped in his towel. When he got there, Thierry was getting dressed. As soon as he looked into Dev's eyes, he got close and hugged him as tight as he could.

"You'll get wet", Dev commented, a sad laugh. Thierry laughed too.

"It's okay. It'll dry". He hugged him tighter, and Dev hugged him back.

"Thank you", Dev whispered, his head on Thierry's shoulder, his mouth close to his ear.

"I love you", Thierry whispered back.

"Me too", Dev answered and let some tears water Thierry's shirt.

After this, the day kept going. Thierry went to his office, and Dev for a meeting with the screenwriters, Julienne Vangsness and Robert P. Gibson, and the head animator, Isabela Perez. They stayed for hours until lunch revising the script, and then discussing the animation techniques that would be needed for the optimal result. Dev tried to draft some scenes to show them what he was thoughting for the project. However, they haven't even decided if they would use a 3D style, or something more traditional. The directors couldn't agree if they wanted something homogeneous, with a simple style that would be the identity of the project, or create something more independent. Everything seemed like it was going well, but there were so many decisions missing that the work looked like slow-motion.

Many employees that were directly working on the pre-project of the movies - because this was still a pre-project or pre-production, since you couldn't call those many sketches and first drafts a project, could you? - were presently stationed in an empty floor of Ant. But the floor was small for the number of people, and many had to work from somewhere else. And the headquarters and all the studios were back in Illaney, so all decisions had to be sent back there, and all the samples had to be produced there and then sent back. Sometimes, it would take a long time, and the communication didn't work well.

God, this is giving me a headache. He thought as he revised the project after the others left. Thi, why did you have to be so ambitious then dump the whole thing on us? He looked at the clock. It was already over 13h (1 p.m.). Did Thi already have lunch? Is he going to have lunch or did he forget it again? I wish I had time to make him lunch. Maybe I could try it tonight. But then I won't have enough time to spend with the kids. Ah, let's get back to work. I still have too much to finish before the meetings that evening.

He finished revising the documents, while waiting for some food he ordered. When he finished eating, it was already 2h15. He got ready for the meeting at 2h30. He was the last one to arrive, the room filled with directors, producers, screenwriters, animators and Cael. He was in front of everyone to present the main status of the project development. During the presentation he couldn't pay attention to what Cael was saying, but rather his mind was full of random thoughts. The kids have a better relationship with him now, he thought, should we introduce him more in his life? He has the right to be there... more than me. Does he still think I'm stealing his place? In a way I'm. But I don't want to be away from the kids. Maybe I should give him more space and time with them, to compensate for all the time I spend with them. But Thi wants to take things slow, he doesn't trust him yet. Dev was lost in his internal turmoil when someone woke him up with a question. He tried his best to answer, but he didn't know if the response was satisfactory. But he didn't care much either. He started to randomly take notes of the meeting to see if he could pay attention to it, but he would still get lost from time to time. After two hours, everyone said their goodbyes and went back to their normal work.

Dev already finished his meetings for the project and reviewing the documents, so he went to his office on the twentieth floor and started to read scripts that were submitted to InMotion, the streaming platform that Ant. created. Thousands of scripts were submitted every semester, and there was a team who filtered the most promising ones, and forwarded them to hundreds of agents, directors, screenwriters and producers working in collaboration with InMotion. They would select projects to invest in, or work on them, or refer them to Kino, the producing company associated with InMotion. Along with developing his own scripts, Dev would read dozens of submitted scripts every week - both at home and in the office. He many times preferred to work on the scripts from home, where he could look after the twins, than in the office.

"Hmm", he exclaimed while examining one of the submitted scripts. It was from an old woman from Yuezi. It explored the relationship of mother and daughter in a poor agricultural village in 1952. It dealt well with the historical, political and cultural aspects of the time, and it clearly showed some personal emotions of the author, but in a way that enriched the story. It had potential as a good movie, and even an award winning one. He wouldn't be the best fit for the director, but he knew a good director from Yuezi, who was a friend of his, and who had lots of interest in these stories. He put the script in his bag to take it home and re-read it, and set a reminder to call his friend tomorrow to see if she was interested. After that, he read superficially another script that didn't catch his attention. His phone rang, it was 18h. He grabbed his things to get the kids at the kindergarten at 17h30 (5h30 p.m.).

When he arrived at the kindergarten, the twins' teacher came to greet him. She was a blonde and short woman who always reminded him of a little squirrel.

"Mr. Deveraux!", she said with a smile. "The twins are waiting in the class. They are really happy because today we made them draw their families. You looked really handsome in the drawing".

As she said that, another teacher brought the twins, both holding papers.

"Daddy, daddy! Look at my drawing!", Collin said.

"No, look at mine first. Mine is prettier", Killian rushed, going close to Dev and giving his drawing first. Dev grabbed both of their drawings and looked at them. There was him, with the reddest hair he ever saw, Thierry, wearing a colorful suit - green in Collin's and pink in Killian's -, and the twins. Both draw the other smaller so they could appear taller.

"They are both really beautiful, kiddos. I love it a lot. And I'm sure your mommy will love it too. We could frame them when we arrive at home". He said, but he felt a pain in his heart that he couldn't identify why.

As he put the belt on the kids, looking at them sitting in their chairs, looking deeply at Killian's blue eyes, he understood why he felt something was wrong. As he drove back home, he decided to ask the kids.

"Babes, you know you have another dad besides me, right? Doesn't he deserve to get a drawing from you too?"

"No", Killian answered sharply.

"No", Collin agreed without much certainty, only to agree with his brother.

"Don't be like that. You know that he is also your father, and he would really love to have your drawing. Just because he gets his own drawing, doesn't mean that mine and your mommy's have less value. And it won't mean that you totally accepted him either. It will be just like when we went with him to ride a bike. You'll be giving him a chance to be your father and to be close to you, and let him feel recognized by you".

"Reconized?", Killian asked.

"Recognized. Is when someone feels seen by someone else. You like to play with him, don't you? And you have enjoyed the last times you stayed with him. So why not give him a drawing too?"

"I'll draw him!", Collin volunteered.

"I'll draw him too!", Killian offered not to lose to his brother.

"That's great", Dev smiled.

When he arrived home, he took both to their second bath of the day. Again, he got drenched, but had no option then let his clothes dry naturally as he watched over the kids.

"Let's get to drawing", he said as he got the pencils and paper and organized it on the living room table, so they could sit on the ground to draw.

"Draw!", the kids said, sitting down.

"Kids, I'll go make dinner. You stay here, and if you need anything you just call me". He said going to the adjoined kitchen. While he cooked, he constantly looked over his shoulders to see how the kids were doing. Cooking was Dev's hobby and he knew everything from asian cuisine, mediterranean, caribbean, and many others. He loved to learn new food and cook for them. He enjoyed spending some time in the kitchen to relax, and forget all the unnerving stuff that composed his daily routine.

"Daddy, daddy", Collin came running with a paper in his hand.

"Don't run in the kitchen, Olli", He said stopping the boy. "You could get hurt, baby". He put the aubergine parmigiana in the oven and took Collin away from the kitchen. "Now you can talk, Olli. Never go into the kitchen without me or mommy saying so, okay?"

"Okay, daddy", he said, with a sad look.

"I'm just protecting you. No need to pout. Now show me your drawing".

"Ta-da!", he showed a drawing of a black-haired man with blue eyes.

"That's so beautiful, Olli".

"Thanks", he said bashfully.

"I'll finish dinner, you can draw whatever you want until dinner is ready".

"Can I draw a doggy?", the boy asked.

"Sure. Whatever you want".

"I want a doggy". He said and went back to the living room hopping.

After he left, he finished the preparations. While he waited for the aubergine, he went to look at what the kids were doing. When he arrived, both were drawing dogs, cats and other animals.

"Daddy, can we have a dog?", Killian asked, showing him a drawing of a dog.

"I want a doggy!", Collin exclaimed.

"You'd have to ask your mommy, boys. We can just decide to have a dog, it's a big responsibility".

"But I want a doggy!" Collin begged.

"An apartment is not the best place for a dog, kiddo. But maybe one day".

"I want it now!" Collin demanded.

"What do you want now?", Thierry asked, opening the door.

"Mommy", both the kids exclaimed and ran to Thierry that waited for them with open arms.

"Hello my babies, how was it at school?" He asked, holding them.

"It was really, really cool!". Collin said.

"Yeah. We drew mommy and daddy". Killian said. Collin went to get the drawings to show, and Dev helped him.

"Mommy, mommy. Look: it's you and daddy", Collin said showing his drawing. Dev gave Killian his drawing who held it to show.

"I look so beautiful in your drawings. I loved them both". Thierry said and hugged the kids again. He then went to Dev and kissed him lightly. "Hi, hubby".

"Hello, hubby", he said, keeping up with the play from that morning. He felt warm hearing that word from Thierry.

"I smell some amazing dinner".

"It's almost ready".

"That's good, because I'm famished". Thierry said smiling.

Thierry spent some time drawing with the kids, while Dev finished arranging the dinner. Dev looked at them - it was so good seeing Thierry spend some quality time with the kids, as he barely had any free time with them. He would normally arrive late and the kids would already be sleeping. And many times he had to travel during the weekends, so not even this time he had. That's why Dev always cooked dinner - so that even if they were apart, they could feel the warmth of home in a hot meal.

"Dinner is ready!", Dev called them.

"Dinner", the kids shouted and came running.

"Don't run, kids!", Thierry warned, and Dev laughed. "Why are you laughing?"

"I told Collin the same thing earlier tonight".

They sat down and ate. They all loved eating Dev's food, and Collin even claimed that it was the best food in the world. Luckily, the kids were learning well, and barely made any mess. Well, barely meant that Collin dirtied his shirt and his mouth was all red from the sauce. But Killian's clothes, for some miracle, were completely clean. Dev felt so proud. Those babies were barely out of diapers, but sometimes they looked like big kids. Six months ago, he was still changing them, while teaching them how to use the toilet. Well, he still had to change the sheets two or three days a week because some accident happened. Collin would just come to their bedroom and shout to him and Thierry that he peed in the bed and made them change. But Killian was always ashamed of it, and he didn't want his mommy to be disappointed in him; because of that, he would tip-toe until Dev's side of the bed without waking Thierry - although most of the times Thierry woke up, but pretended he didn't to respect his son's desires - and ask him to change his sheets because he had a little accident. Dev would follow him to his bedroom, tip-toeing all the way, and change his sheets. He promised not to tell Thierry, although most of the time he already knew.

After dinner, Dev and the kids went to brush their teeth and change their clothes - again -, while Thierry took a shower. He read a story for them to sleep while he waited for Thierry to come and tell him good-night. He didn't notice that Thierry was observing from the threshold, leaned on the door. When he noticed, he looked at Thierry and stopped reading.

"Please, continue. I love hearing your voice reading for our children". Thierry said.

Our children. Dev thought. That sounded so good. That warmth that went through his whole body was back.

"Your voice is really sweet, it's really nice". Thierry said and hugged Dev. "C'mon, I want to hear what is going to happen, too".

Dev laughed and finished the story. After the story ended, Thierry tucked in the kids and told them good-night, kissing them in their forehead.

"Nighty mommy, nighty daddy", they said.

They turned off the lights and closed the door, and went to their bedroom hugging each other by the waist. It was such a delightful night, spending time together, eating together.

"The kids have grown so much", Dev said.

"Yeah... I felt that I've lost so much time", Thierry answered, gloomy.

"But remember there's so much to come, yet".

"I know. But they are getting so big".

"Yeah, they are".

"Remember last Tuesday with Dr. Ezra?".

Last Tuesday, they took the twins for their regular check-up. Both were already over 1,0 m tall (3 feet), and they were probably going to be as tall as Thierry or even taller. They were healthy and developing well, they were even developing faster than average. When they heard that, Thierry and Dev were really happy, and proud even, but they also had a bittersweet feeling that they were growing too fast.

They laid down on bed, Thierry's head on Dev's chest. Thierry could hear Dev's breathing and heartbeat.

"Last saturday, I took them to the pet fair".

"I remember. They had a fair in the park where you took them".

"Yes. The kids fell in love with an older dog".

"Elder dog? I thought they would prefer the puppies".

"Me too!", He laughed, "But they loved this small dog that had a white face. One lady called him a grandpa and they loved it. They would stay next to him playing and calling him grandpa, grandpa. They stayed there for almost an hour playing with the dog. Now, every time they can they ask me for a dog".

"So that's what they were asking for when I arrived?"

"Yes".

"Hmmm". Thierry was thinking. "The kids are a little young, but it's not completely a bad idea".

"You think so?". Dev asked, doubtfully.

"I always wanted a dog when I was young, but my mom was allergic and would get all itchy every time she was around one. But maybe a dog would be a good addition to our family".

There were those words again. Husband. Our kids. Our family. What did he really mean by those things? Dev pushed Thierry aside and looked at him.

"I love hearing you say all those things. Calling me hubby, talking about our family. But what are we? We said that we would deal with it, this relationship of ours, this situation we are in".

Thierry sat in front of him, Dev's legs between his, and held his hands, then kissed them.

"I want you in my life. As my partner, my lover, my confidant, my friend, my boyfriend. I want to build a family with you, to be by your side now and in the future. To share a home, and a life. Will you be mine?"

"I'm already yours", he said, kissing him. Thierry kissed him back sitting in his lap.

"I'll lock the door first", Thierry said lasciviously. With two small kids in the house, it was a good idea to always keep the door locked.

***

It was over midnight, Thierry was cuddling Dev, and get himself comfortable to sleep.

"I asked the kids to draw Cael and I was thinking of taking them tomorrow to meet him and give him the drawing. Meet at some coffe or something like it".

Thierry, still half-asleep, took a while to wake up and properly answer.

"Hum... I think it's a good idea. Just be careful for any paparazzi or something like that. I don't think there will be any. But just do it like usual".

Every time they met Cael, they were extremely careful, so they could have the minimum of privacy. Thierry was still scared that if someone found out their relation they could use it with bad intentions.

"I will. I promise". Dev said kissing Thi's forehead. "I also have to go home and pick some things I left there".

"Oh, yeah. You still have your apartment. I forget it sometimes".

"Yeah. I do".

"When was the last time you slept there? Or even stayed the day?"

"I don't know. I believe I slept there some weeks ago when I went to organize my books and lost track of the time". He said, not entirely sure.

"That was months ago. You already brought most of your books here". Thi laughed.

"Really?" He laughed. "I guess I barely go there".

Thierry tightened his hold on Dev and accommodate his head on his shoulder.

"You should just bring all your things here. You barely go there anyway".

"And move in together, for real?" He said, looking at Thierry who was almost pouting.

"Yeah. Wouldn't you like that?"

"It would be great. But my apartment has a warehouse where I keep some of my equipment. I can't bring it all here".

"Humm..." Thierry murmured and held Dev even firmer. "Maybe we should move. So we could have a dog, and your equipment, and a yard for the kids... They are growing so fast, they will need a yard. And maybe even an office for me. I could work from home some days a week. It's not like I can't sign things digitally. I'll have more time with the boys. And with you", He said kissing Dev on the lips. From the moment he noticed his real feelings toward Dev. That he didn't only want him around, but he wanted a life with him, a future with him. A family. "That could be our family's new home. That truly belongs to all of us. Where no filthy woman could bother us. Where we could feel safe, and comfortable. Our home. What do you think?"

"I'd love it" He kissed him back. "I'd love to be a family with you, and have our own family house, with a kids and a dog". He kissed him all over his face, after every word.

"Stop that", Thi said laughing.

"Why?", Dev asked, still kissing him.

"Because you're making me horny, and we have to work early tomorrow", Thierry held Dev's head to stop him from kissing.

"I think we can go for a quickie". Dev said, his cheeks squeezed by Thierry's hand.

"Ah..." Thi sighed, "Why do you have to be so cute and sexy?"

"You're the only one that thinks I'm cute", Dev said, getting out of Thi's grip and nibbling his ear.

"Ahhn", Thi moaned as Dev nibbled his ears.

"Can I continue?", Dev asked giving time for Thi to compose himself.

"I think I can compromise some hours of sleep". Thi laughed and kissed Dev's neck, leaving a mark.

"You really like telling people I'm yours".

"Yeah, you're mine and mine only".

Dev also kissed Thi's neck, then went to his collarbone and bit it slightly, licking the bite after. Meanwhile, his hands played with Thi's nipple. While breastfeeding, Thi's chest swelled a lot, and even now it hasn't completely returned to how they were before. And Dev thought that was extremely sexy. Dev sucked those beautiful pink nipples while Thi moaned. He remembered again about how when Thi got mastitis he would stay a long time sucking his nipples to relieve his pain, but somehow it always led to something else and the pain turned into pleasure. He went down and kissed his stretch marks and his c-section mark. More than pleasure, those actions brought happiness, comfort and acceptance to Thierry, who still felt embarrassed of all them. As someone who transmigrated from another reality, and lived decades in a world where man couldn't give birth, to face all the changes that it brought to his body, and even the idea of giving birth were senseless. If he hadn't found solace in his best friend, now turned boyfriend, he didn't know how he would have done that. And although he didn't share it directly with Dev, Thierry knew that he understood. For his movements, his care, his love.

Between a moan and another, as Dev explored his body, Thi uttered.

"I love you so much". He paused and moaned again. "Soooo much".

Dev stopped for a second and opened his mouth just to say:

"I love you too".

***

As he served their breakfast, Dev looked at Thierry who had just changed his clothes for work and was caressing Collin's blond hair. They have already called the daycare to tell them that Collin and Killian would arrive late today, and Dev sent Cael a message to meet at a coffeehouse five blocks from the building, before work.

"Thi, about what we talked about last night. Do you really want to do it?"

"If you agree with it, I'll look into it today. I think it's the best decision for our family. And money is not a problem".

"I have a friend who is a real estate agent, I can ask him for help. And I wish we could share the price equally".

"I think it's fair".

The kids just kept eating, ignoring the adults' conversation. When they finished, Dev put everything in the dishwasher and went to wash and change while Thi took care of the kids. When they were all ready, Thi left for work and Dev got the twins' stuff to take them to the car. He made sure to get the drawings, that he plastified so that it wouldn't get wet or tear.

"Are you ready kids?"

"Yeah!" They both exclaimed.

"Let's go then".

They arrived early in the coffeehouse. Dev asked for a double espresso, and two smoothies for the kids. Five minutes later, Cael arrived. Collin promptly greeted him, and almost fell off his chair doing it. Killian was more shy, and just said hello and nodded his head.

"Hello, good morning". Cael said and put down his briefcase.

"Good morning". Dev greeted him back. "If you want to order something. We have time, and Antoine won't criticize you for arriving a little late".

"Thank you, I really need a coffee".

While he ordered, Dev got the drawings and gave it to the twins, who got out of their chairs and held the drawings tightly. Dev saw that Killian was a little uncomfortable, but he pet the boy's head and whispered to him:

"Everything is alright. I promise he will really like your gift".

"Okay, daddy".

Cael came back and saw the kids no longer in the chairs and asked himself if they were leaving. Dev just said the kids wanted to see him, he didn't know why.

"Are you already leaving?", he asked, sadly.

"No, no". Dev said rashly. "The kids just wanted to give you a gift".

Collin was the first to give him the drawing.

"Here", he exclaimed happily.

"Thank you". Cael said with a bright smile. It was the first gift he received from his son.

When he saw what it was, tears came to Cael's eyes. His son had drawn him. He was so happy.

"Killian, go ahead", Dev whispered and gave him a little push of incentive.

"Heie", he said, in a baby voice, his shyness taking over.

"Thank you, it's really beautiful". He said looking at it. "I never saw myself so beautiful"

"Eally", Killian asked, still with his baby talk.

Cael kneeled to be close to his son.

"Yes. These two drawings are the most precious things I've ever seen".

"Thank you, uncle".

It was still sad to be called uncle, but it was better than being rejected by the kids. Baby steps, he thought.

"They had to make a drawing of their family at school, and they decided to make another one to give you at home". Dev omitted that the idea was originally his, because he knew Cael would feel better this way.

When he heard that his drawing originated from a family assignment for school, his lights shone. It meant that, somehow, on a level, his sons were starting to think of him as family.

"Kids, don't you want some sweets? Uncle will pay. If it won't ruin your appetite". Cael said looking at Dev. He just nodded in agreement.

"I want an apple pie!", Collin exclaimed.

"I want a strawberry smoothie". Killian said, in a low voice. He didn't like sweets much, but he loved smoothies.

"Okay. I'll get it".

As Cael was away, Dev put the kids back in the chair and talked to them.

"Kids, you can't keep calling him uncle. I know you're not comfortable right now, but he is your dad. It would be really nice if he could hear you calling him that". He whispered to them, closely.

"But you are our only daddy. I don't want anyone else to be my daddy". Collin said, pouting. Also pouting, Killian nodded in agreement.

"You don't need to call him daddy. You can call him papa, baba, dad, father. Whatever you want. Just try and do it once. When he comes back with the sweets, say 'Thank you, papa', or 'Thank you, father', what you feel comfortable with".

"I'll try daddy", Collin said, but Killian only stayed in silence. Dev looked at Killian, and saw the distress in the kid's face. He could only think, this will take some time, but it must be all at the kid's pace.

Cael soon came back with the pie and the smoothie. He put the pie in front of Collin and was surprised when the boy said.

"Thank you, father".

Cael smiled, but he was about to melt, so happy he was. There were two good surprises that day. He gave Killian the smoothie, hopeful.

"Thank you", the boy said, and looked at his smoothie with a gloomy face.

Cael felt a little disappointed, but he decided to wait for the boy's time. Things were complicated for them that were adults, imagine for a kid. Still, he saw progress in it.

After the kids finished eating, Cael went to work.

"Kids, do you want to go with daddy to his apartment or go to daycare?" Dev asked before they left. His apartment was on the way to the daycare, so he could go to the apartment first and to the daycare after. But only if the kids wanted it.

"I want to go with daddy!". Collin shouted.

"I want to go with daddy too", said Killian, hugging his leg, and then opening his arms to be carried. Dev picked him up and hugged him. Killian was terrible with strangers, and this situation has been really stressful to him.

"Come here baby" Dev held him tightly. "Let's go kids".

He put them in the car and went to the apartment. Things were clean, because he hired a lady that went every week to clean things. But, different from Thi's apartment, it was not baby-proofed.

"Kids, stay close as I gather my things".

"Okay, daddy".

While he walked around, he thought that he would soon say goodbye to this place. Maybe he has already said goodbye, as, although these things were his, he didn't feel at home in this place. He would rarely come here. While he waited in the coffeehouse, his friend answered his message with a list of houses that fulfilled the requisites that he and Thierry had. Some of them he really liked, and had already sent them to Thi. Thierry promised to find some time on his schedule to go visit houses with him. It was happening. Dev thought. It's really happening. Our life is finally becoming ours. Together. He smiled.

He quickly gathered his things and put them in a box. Then, he called the kids and hurried them to go to the car. They still had to go to the daycare, and he had to go to work. And just like that, his day kept going.