The sky outside had already begun to darken by the ti they gathered their things and prepared to leave. Katherine helped Maya zip up her little hoodie while Nathan stood by the door, swinging his small backpack lazily.
But before they could all head out together, Felix suddenly cleared his throat. "I won’t be going back with you."
Katherine looked up, surprised. "Is sothing wrong?"
Felix offered a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Nothing urgent. I just have sothing I need to handle before the end of the day. Shouldn’t take long."
Maya’s lips puckered into a pout. "You’re not coming?"
Nathan frowned. "But we wanted to show you our new dinosaur sticker book."
Felix crouched down to their level, his expression softening. He gently brushed Maya’s hair away from her face. "I know, and I’m really looking forward to that. I promise I’ll make it up to you. Maybe I’ll even bring snacks next ti."
That seed to cheer them up a little. Maya nodded solemnly. "Okay... but only if it’s the strawberry cookies."
Felix chuckled. "Deal."
With promises exchanged and hugs given, they parted ways at the building entrance. Katherine gave Felix one last glance over her shoulder. He lifted a hand in a small wave, watching them until they disappeared through the doors.
By the ti they reached their apartnt, the quiet comfort of ho was welco. Katherine ushered the twins inside, reminding them to change into their pajamas and wash up.
The twins were quick to finish their showers, their laughter echoing down the hallway. Katherine, now in her cotton loungewear, padded barefoot across the wooden floor, toweling her hair dry.
A knock on the door ca not long after.
Nathan peeked out of the hallway. "I’ll get it!"
He scurried to the front door and opened it, revealing Leonard in a casual charcoal grey sweater and black slacks. His expression relaxed when he saw the boy.
"Hey, champ."
Nathan lit up. "Uncle Leo!"
"Is it okay if I co in?"
"Yeah! Co inside!"
Leonard stepped in, setting a small paper bag on the cabinet by the entrance. "Brought so almond croissants. Thought you might like them."
Katherine erged from the hallway just as Leonard settled on the couch. "You didn’t have to-"
He smiled faintly. "I wanted to."
Maya and Nathan climbed onto the couch beside him, each curling up against his sides with familiar comfort. Leonard wrapped an arm around both of them instinctively.
"So," he said, glancing between them, "how was your day at school?"
Nathan shrugged, his tone casual. "I got into a little incident."
Leonard’s brows furrowed. "Incident?" He straightened slightly, shifting his attention fully to the boy. "What kind of incident? Are you hurt?"
Katherine stepped out from the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel. "He’s fine. The school called earlier." She shot Nathan a look, half-exasperated, half-resigned. "Turns out our little gentleman pulled another student’s hair... and pushed him."
Leonard blinked. "He what?"
Nathan didn’t look the least bit remorseful. He sat upright now, his small fists balled in his lap. "He started it," he said firmly.
Leonard’s eyes narrowed. "Nathan—"
"He mocked Maya," Nathan said, voice flat but steady. "Said she was stupid for falling in the pool at Julio’s party. He pulled her hair. So I pulled his."
Maya, who had been quiet, leaned her head against Leonard’s arm and nodded solemnly. "Anton is anie. He said I looked like a wet mop."
Leonard’s jaw clenched.
Katherine saw it clearly, the change in his expression. The way his gaze darkened, not at Nathan, but at the thought of anyone hurting Maya. Protective fury simred just beneath his calm surface.
"I see," Leonard finally said, his tone carefully even. "And did you tell the teacher what he said?"
Nathan gave a small shrug. "Didn’t need to. He cried when I pushed him."
Katherine sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We talked about this. I told him violence isn’t the answer, but-"
Leonard held up a hand gently. "I agree. But," he looked down at Nathan, voice softer, "I also understand why you did it. It’s not easy watching soone hurt your sister."
Nathan looked up, uncertain. "So... am I in trouble?"
Leonard paused. "No." He gave a small smile, ruffling Nathan’s hair. "But next ti, tell a teacher first. Got it?"
Nathan gave a hesitant nod. "Okay."
Katherine crossed her arms, eyeing both of them. "That better not be an excuse for you to beco a little vigilante."
Leonard chuckled softly. "Just teaching him how to pick his battles."
But the storm still lingered behind his eyes. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Katherine, how quickly his expression had shifted the mont Maya was ntioned.
And how fiercely he cared.
Katherine’s voice ca gently, as she returned with warm mugs of chamomile tea. "It’s been handled so don’t worry. Felix and I talked to the teacher."
"Felix was there?" Leonard’s eyes flicked to her.
"Yeah," Maya answered before she could. "He and Mommy picked us up together. Uncle Felix got really mad when Nathan told him what happened."
Nathan shifted a little against Leonard’s side. "But he wasn’t mad at ," he said quietly, looking down at his knees. "Uncle Felix got mad at Anton."
Leonard’s expression softened for a beat, then he looked to Katherine again. She returned his gaze calmly as she handed him one of the mugs.
"Thanks," he murmured. "I’m glad the kids had soone else there too."
Katherine nodded, folding herself into the armchair across from the couch. The warmth of the mug seeped into her hands, grounding her.
"They handled it well," she said. "But it’s not the kind of thing you want them to go through."
He looked up at her, his gaze lingering for a heartbeat too long. Then he seed to rember sothing and leaned back slightly, arm still loosely around Maya’s shoulder.
"Hey," he said, his voice a little lighter. "I was going to ask... Are you all free this Saturday?"
Katherine tilted her head. "Why? Sothing planned?"
Leonard hesitated, his fingers brushing Maya’s curls absentmindedly.
"It’s my father’s death anniversary."
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