(Planet Ixtal, Leo's POV)

Leo looked down at his family from the sky, his descent slow and gentle, as he deliberately restrained every instinct within him that urged speed or dominance, because more than anything else in this moment, he needed Amanda and the children to understand that he was no longer a threat to their lives.

He kept his aura compressed so tightly that not even a whisper of pressure escaped him, as the air parted around his body without turbulence, while the ground beneath him rose steadily closer with calm inevitability rather than force.

"Babe, I'm back…."

He muttered softly, the words intended more for himself than anyone else, as his eyes never left the small figures below.

*Shriek*

Amanda shrieked in joy the instant she saw him, her expression turning to one of pure elation as she did not wait a second longer and began running toward where he would land.

*Land*

*Tackle*

The moment his boots touched the ground, Amanda crashed into him with all the force of her relief, as she wrapped all four limbs around him without hesitation.

"Hahaha– I love you too"

Leo chuckled as he staggered half a step before catching her easily, his arms coming around her with instinctive care, as he held her tightly yet precisely, acutely aware of every point of contact, every shift of her weight, every heartbeat pounding against his chest, as he took extreme care to not hurt her by accident.

"Welcome back, love…."

Amanda murmured, her voice breaking as she buried her face against his shoulder, tears soaking into his clothes as weeks of fear, anger, and sleepless nights finally found release all at once.

*Huff–*

Leo exhaled slowly, his forehead resting against hers as he closed his eyes for just a moment and grounded himself in the warmth of her body, as he reassured himself that he was truly here and not lost to the void.

"I'm here," Leo said quietly, as his fingers tightened slightly against Amanda's back.

"And I can be around the kids now…."

He declared, as Amanda pulled back just enough to look at him, her hands cupping his face as she studied him carefully, as if searching for something she could not quite name.

Until the realization suddenly struck and her eyes widened.

"Your aura…."

Amanda said, disbelief flickering across her expression.

"It's gone… no, it's still there, but it's not hurting anymore. You finally learned how to control it?"

She asked, as Leo gave her a gentle, loving smile.

"I did," Leo replied, as his gaze drifted past her shoulder and towards the children.

Caleb stood frozen a short distance away, his small hands clenched nervously at his sides as he stared up at Leo with wide, uncertain eyes, while beside him, Mairon tilted his head back with open curiosity, squinting slightly as if trying to decide whether the man in front of him truly matched the image he carried in his heart….

"Hmmm,"

He muttered tapping his chin, as he deliberated Leo's identity for a while before suddenly pointing towards him.

"Look… Caleb, a flying man that looks like dada," Mairon said, his voice filled with innocent awe as Leo's chest tightened at his words.

'My own kids aren't even sure if I'm their dad…. How pathetic am I?'

He wondered, as Amanda followed his gaze and smiled through her tears as she gently turned toward the children.

"Come on over," Amanda nudged softly, holding out one hand toward them. "It's dada."

She encouraged, as the children hesitated at first, before eventually moving.

Caleb took a careful step forward, then stopped again, his eyes flicking between Leo and Amanda as though silently asking permission, while Mairon threw caution straight into the wind as he jumped straight into Leo's arms.

"YAY! DADA!"

Mairon yelped, as Leo barely had time to react before a small body collided with his chest, arms wrapping around his neck as laughter burst against his ear, as for the first time in his life, Leo felt what it meant to hold his child.

*Lub* *Dub* *Lub* *Dub*

His heart thudded against his ears as he froze.

'How soft and light…'

He thought, as slowly, reverently, he wrapped his arms around Mairon, holding him with a care so unnatural to his usual self that it almost felt like he was handling glass.

*Step*

*Step*

Caleb approached next.

Step by cautious step, until he reached Leo, as he lifted his arms halfway, feeling uncertain, as though he did not fully believe the hug was allowed, his small fingers curling inward as he hesitated at the last step.

However, unlike him, Leo knelt without hesitation and opened his embrace, lowering himself to Caleb's height so the boy would not feel swallowed by him, as he made his posture smaller and gentler than it had ever been in battle or command.

*Hug*

The moment both children were against him, Leo felt something inside him give way completely, as the weight of their small bodies settled into his arms, their warmth grounding him in a way no throne, no power, no victory ever had, as though the universe itself had narrowed to this single point of contact.

'They are so small, so soft, so weak… if I apply even a little bit of force they can die,' Leo thought as he became acutely aware of every breath they took, every fragile rise and fall of their chests, 'yet even though they are so fragile, holding them brings me so much joy.'

He realized as he felt the joy of parenthood for the first time ever.

"Caleb…. Mairon…. My kids!"

He muttered, as in that moment he swore that from this second onward, no matter what stood in his way, no matter what the universe demanded of him, he would protect them forever.

For with this single embrace, which was their first interaction ever, Leo understood how this was the moment every father spoke about in hushed, reverent tones.

Not the battles, not the conquests, not the victories written into history, but this single instant where the world narrowed to the weight of a child in one's arms, as something irreversible settled into the soul and quietly rewrote every priority that had ever existed.

Leo had heard others describe it before, men who claimed that the first time they held their newborns in sterile hospital rooms surrounded by white lights and beeping machines, something fundamental shifted inside them, as if the universe itself had leaned in and whispered that life would never again belong to them alone.

However, he had never understood it.

Not until now.

Not until he held Caleb and Mairon against his chest, feeling their uneven breathing against his neck and their small hands gripping his clothes with unconscious trust.

For it was at this moment that he felt that same invisible line being crossed, as though the man he had been a moment ago had been sealed behind him forever, and in his place there stood a father.

'These are my kids… my blood,' Leo thought as pride surged through him in a way that felt almost violent, as he softly ruffled their hair and noticed the tiny details that made them real, as Caleb's hair lay smooth just like his uncle Luke's while Mairon's curls mirrored his own, as though the universe itself had stamped his legacy into them without asking permission.

'These kids are the living proof of my love with Amanda,' Leo thought as he finally understood that they were not mere extensions of his strength, but the reason behind it, and in that realization something far more dangerous than ambition took root inside him, something quieter, deeper, and infinitely more unyielding, as he understood with terrifying clarity that the universe could take his throne, his power, even his life, but it would never be allowed to touch them.

Not his kids.

Not now.

Not ever.

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