Andre took a long breath as he eyed his son—the heir to his throne. “That’s called inflation, kiddo.”
“So everything just gets puffed up, huh~” Henry kept poking at his dad, clearly enjoying himself.
Mia reached over to soothe her husband, rubbing his chest. “Honey, we made this little rascal ourselves. No matter how much he tests our patience, he’s still the precious gift we must’ve begged heaven for in a past life.”
Henry snuggled into his mom’s arms. “So, did I light incense for this in my last life too?”
Mia grinned. “You probably saved the world, sweetheart.”
Henry piped up, “What did you save, Mom?”
“I saved the galaxy!” Mia declared.
“What about Daddy?”
Mia winked. “Your dad saved the whole universe. Otherwise, how could the two of us have ended up with such a treasure like you?”
Henry nodded solemnly, his voice soft and milky. “Makes sense~”
Andre closed his eyes, pretending to be long-suffering. “Henry, if you don’t go to sleep now, tomorrow Daddy’s only saving the galaxy, not the earth.”
Henry, ever the question machine: “But why, Daddy?”
Andre had a moment of self-reflection—why had he named this kid “Heaven’s Blessing” when he was born? Heaven’s Blessing, alright. Sent straight from above to drive him up the wall.
“Are you sleeping or not?” Andre asked, halfway between stern and amused.
“Daddy, you haven’t finished your story yet~” Henry protested.
The night wore on. Mia was fast asleep, but Henry was still wide-eyed, listening to his dad spin stories about “inflation.” He probably didn’t get the economics, but Andre’s made-up tales gave him a blurry idea.
Eventually, Henry’s breathing evened out. Andre, exhausted yet happy, tucked the blankets around his wife and son, pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, and finally let himself drift off.
Morning.
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