Keirian nodded once and pinched the bridge of his nose under his silver-framed glasses. 

“You should go get cleaned up as well, as I can see you are also wearing Ryker dirt.”

Jasper chuckled and looked down at himself. He certainly was messy from the long day he had, and lying in the dewy grass earlier did not help. Add Ryker’s grime, and Jasper was filthy. There was no way he would want to upset his father further, as he had a feeling he knew exactly why he was in a bad mood that evening.

By the time Jasper was cleaned up and making his way to the kitchen, the sound of his dad and menace of a little brother squabbling was filling the entirety of their large home. Keirian rarely raised his voice, but the attitude of an eleven year old who hated bath time was getting the better of him. 

“Ryker! For god’s sake, why is there so much dirt in your hair?!”

Jasper covered his mouth to stifle his laughter before he found his way into the kitchen. The storm brewing in the kitchen was not as entertaining as the storm in the bathroom. There was a clear shift in the air as Jasper took a few steps closer to his much larger father who was kneeling in front of one of their ovens.

“Dad?” Jasper spoke quietly so as not to spook him. One of Kade’s favorite hobbies was cooking. More often than not, Kade would prepare all three daily meals for his husband and sons, and sometimes snacks in between. 

Kade was focused on the bread he had baking in the oven. It was the final piece of the feast he had prepared for his family. The feast may have been a distraction from the reason for his sour mood, but cooking usually brought him some sort of comfort. He heard Jasper behind him, but before he turned around to greet his son, he slowly pulled the bread from the oven and placed it on the counter.

He frowned as he watched the golden brown dough fall into itself. Jasper felt a slight tremor under his feet, one that gently shook the floor of their kitchen. Kade sighed and dumped the inedible bread into the garbage and ran one hand through his hair. He huffed before finally turning to face Jasper. 

“Those tremors have been happening all afternoon. Is that why the bread hasn’t been able to set?” Jasper asked out of genuine curiosity. Kade shrugged and wiped his hands on the bottom half of his apron. Jasper’s eyes tracked his father’s movements and noticed an apron that Jasper hadn’t seen in recent memory.

A small smile formed in the corner of Kade’s lips. 

“You wouldn’t remember giving me this, would you? It’s pretty old. Can’t you tell? It barely fits anymore.” Kade leaned against the counter behind him and folded his arms over his chest. Jasper let out a small laugh and narrowed in on the two tiny handprints that were less than perfect underneath some faded ink that looked like it had said something about being Lumen’s Best Dad.

“How old was I when you were given this as a gift?” Jasper felt some of the tension in the air dissipate. Kade recalled the day like it was yesterday.

“Probably a year old, maybe even younger. Your dad must have had a hell of a time trying to get you to sit still long enough to plop your tiny hands onto this apron. Gosh…” Kade trailed off and laughed to himself. When Kade arrived in Lumen with infant Jasper and the promise to raise him, he never expected to find himself falling in love and ultimately marrying the man who would run the entire city. 

Kade looked back up at Jasper and continued his thought. 

“It was a wedding gift from your dad from the two of you. He had never given me a gift before. Hell, I don’t think he had ever given anyone a gift before. When he told me you made it for me, he tried to convince me it was your idea. But you were an infant who had just learned to walk.” 

Just as Jasper was about to make a comment, a whirlwind of noise came from the other room. 

“Daddy! I’m all clean! Is dinner ready to eat?” Ryker yelled. Jasper laughed, and Kade rolled his eyes and began to gather up the completed dishes.

“Let me help you,” Jasper didn’t ask. Instead, he gathered the dishes his father could not carry and brought them to the dining room table right behind Kade.

Keirian stumbled out of the bathroom in a much more casual outfit as Ryker sprinted to the table with his little black cat, Mango, in his arms. 

“Jasper, do you mind pouring your exhausted father a glass of wine once you’ve set the table?” Keirian asked in a huff, pulling his long strawberry blonde hair back into a messy bun. His hair was generally in a neat ponytail, either at the side or the back of Keirian’s head. When the bun happened, Jasper and Ryker were aware that their father was truly exhausted. 

Kade placed the final dish onto the table and arched an eyebrow at his disheveled husband.

“Don’t look at me like that, Kade,” Keirian snapped. “And Ryker, no cats at the table. How many times have we told you?” 

Ryker pouted and released Mango from his grasp. Jasper reached for the wine bottle in the center of the table, and, amidst the chaos of his home, poured a very full glass of wine and handed it to his father.

As the family sat down together at the dinner table, Jasper made mention of the tremors he felt earlier. 

“Are we expecting an earthquake? That shouldn’t affect the way I need to pack for my Dragonguard quest, right?” 

Keirian stopped his glass right at his lips and side-eye glanced at Kade, whose shoulders had gone up around his ears. 

There was a brief moment of silence, minus the very clear chewing from Mango at Ryker’s feet. Ryker was notorious for sharing his meals with his cat, no matter how often his dads told him not to do so. He thought he was being sneaky, but nothing about Ryker was stealthy.

“Can we go one night without talking about the Dragonguard?” Kade gripped his fork tighter than necessary. Keirian sighed and finished his wine much quicker than he probably should have, but he knew what was coming. Jasper sighed and felt his heart sink a little in his chest. He had hoped that his dad found peace in the decision he made over a year ago.