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"Hammy! Hammy, stop doing your boring stuff and come here! You have to see this!"
Hamish sighed and looked up from the paperwork on his "desk" (really a rotten wooden plank laid over two rickety barrels) to give Marrow's back a long-suffering look. "I wouldn't be doing this 'boring stuff' if you would stop pissing off the Adventurers' Guild! We already have the city guard and the holy knights on our tails! We don't need the only competent people in Axis angry at us too!"
Marrow chuckled and looked over his shoulder at his partner. "Aw relax, lovie! We'll just bribe them with some of the loot from our last raid! That'll smooth things over! Now come over here, this is important!"
Hamish sighed and reluctantly stood up, padding across their small room to sit down next to Marrow on the pile of furs that served as their bed. Marrow had his infant son sat in his lap. The cub was actually awake for once, and Hamish couldn't quite stop the small smile that tugged at the corners of his muzzle. The first several months of little Cole's life had been a rather hectic affair of frequent visits to various healers and long sleepless nights not knowing if the boy would survive until morning. Marrow and Hamish hadn't been on a raid together ever since they got the sickly little thing, too worried to even leave him in the care of one of their crew. It had only been fairly recently that little Cole had recovered from his illness, and it still warmed Hamish's heart to see the boy awake and thriving.
"Well?" Hamish asked teasingly "What's so important that you had to interrupt my paperwork?"
"This!" Marrow gave the cub in his lap a very gentle shake "Do it again, kiddo! Go on!"
Naturally, the cub just gave his father an oblivious smile.
Hamish rolled his eyes "Marrow, he's a baby. You have to-"
"Pa Pa!"
Hamish blinked at little Cole. Marrow beamed at him, his glass eye twinkling in the candlelight. "See that! He called me 'Papa!' My little boy's already speaking like a pro!"
Hamish couldn't quite help smiling at Marrow's enthusiasm, even as he teased "Yes hon, I'm sure soon all of Axis will be enthralled by the oratory skills of an infant able to say 'papa.'"
"Oh, let me have my fun, Hammy!" Marrow pouted, tickling Cole's sides and making the cub giggle "It's his first word! You've got to cherish these little moments before they're gone!"
Hamish smiled and gave Cole a scratch behind the ears. "I know, I know, I'm just teasing. I'm happy for you, really. Your son's quite the quick learner."
Marrow's ears flattened, and he gave Hamish a worried look. "He's your son too, ya know."
Hamish scolded himself for his poor choice of words. Looking at Cole, Hamish pet the boy between his tiny ears as he said "I know, hon. I'm just worried that... what if he doesn't see it that way?"
Marrow shook his head "Aw, don't be silly, lovie! He already adores you! See?"
Cole's eyes had fallen shut and he was leaning into Hamish's touch, a content smile on his muzzle. All that told Hamish was that little Cole enjoyed getting petted. No doubt the boy would have the same reaction to anyone doing this. Still, Hamish refrained from voicing his thoughts. He knew Marrow meant well, it was just his own insecurities that wouldn't let him fully believe it. He knew it was stupid, yet he couldn't do anything about it.
Giving Marrow a quick kiss on the cheek, Hamish said "I should get back to the paperwork." He gave Cole one last scratch behind the ears before standing up. Little Cole's eyes opened wide at the loss of Hamish's touch and Hamish had too squash down the guilt squirming in his chest as he turned back towards the desk. He had to get this paperwork done.
He hadn't even taken a step forward when a tiny little voice cried out "Pa Pa!"
Before he could stop himself, Hamish turned back around to see little Cole squirming against Marrow's grip, tiny paws reaching out in the spotted hyena's direction needily. It looked like the boy was on the verge of tears. Not wanting to see the little guy start crying, Hamish quickly returned to the bed and started petting Cole's head once more.
Marrow burst out laughing "Well shit! I don't think Cole here wants you to go!"
"Don't swear in front of the baby, Marrow!" Hamish scolded with a quick glare.
Marrow shrugged "Why? He's gonna learn those words eventually! No reason not to teach him off the bat!"
Hamish rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to Cole. Now that Hamish was back and petting him, the cub had become content once more. Hamish's heart ached at the sight. He'd never get the paperwork done if he had stay here and pay attention to Cole. But... Cole had called him "papa" too. He probably didn't even realize what the word meant and had only said it because that's what had gotten Hamish to pet him in the first place. Yes, that was logical... but Hamish didn't want that to be the reason did he?
Dammit. How could such a small creature have such a strong hold on his heart?
Suddenly, Marrow picked Cole up and, before Hamish could protest, had shoved the little cub into the spotted hyena's arms. "Tell you what, why don't I do the paperwork while you spend some time with our little man?"
Hamish blinked wide-eyed at the boy in his arms. He'd expected Cole to protest the loss of his father's touch, but the cub just snuggled up against Hamish's chest, tiny paws gripping tufts of his fur. He felt a warmth blooming in his chest he didn't quite know how to process.
"Lovie? Are you crying?"
Marrow's voice seemed far away, and it took Hamish a moment to even realize his partner had spoken. "No..." he lied, blinking as tears he hadn't even realized were forming glided down his cheeks.
Marrow chuckled and pressed a tender kiss to the top of Hamish's head. "I told ya he liked ya..." he whispered kindly before standing up and walking over to the desk.
Hamish's gaze hadn't left Cole the entire time, as if he was scared the boy would vanish in a puff of smoke if he so much as looked away for a second. He continued to pet the cub, now stroking up and down his back. Cole's eyes slowly drooped shut and his breathing slowed as he slipped into a light nap. Hamish's heart was filled to bursting with warmth as he sat there, quietly listening to Marrow working at the desk and Cole's even breathing. I felt strange, how domestic it all was. A few years ago, Hamish could have never imagined himself in a situation like this, and yet here he was, cradling a baby in his arms while his partner —or dare he even think it, husband— quietly worked nearby. It was almost absurd really, he and Marrow weren't even married, yet the stubborn hyena wanted Hamish in his son's life all the same.
He was terrified what it would do to him if he ever lost this happiness.
Hamish hadn't even realized how long he'd just sat there, rocking Cole back and forth, until he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind. "It's late..." Marrow whispered in his ear. "We should put the kid to bed and get some rest ourselves."
Hamish blinked and looked over his shoulder at Marrow "Did you finish the paperwork?"
Marrow's ears flattened "Eh... we can do that tomorrow."
Hamish narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to scold his lazy partner, only for a yawn to come out instead. Blinking sheepishly, Hamish looked down at the slumbering cub in his arms and sighed. "Alright."
Careful not to disturb Cole's slumber, Hamish and Marrow gently laid the hyena cub down in the makeshift crib near their bed. After holding onto Cole for several hours, Hamish almost didn't want to let go and he lingered over the crib, gazing fondly down at the cub. Marrow eventually pulled him away with a warm chuckle and a kiss on his cheek, and the two of them climbed beneath the furs on the bed. Marrow wrapped his strong arms around Hamish and pulled the smaller hyena close against his chest. Hamish's eyes drooped shut as he nuzzled against the fluff of Marrow's neck, the familiar warmth lulling him into a deep sleep.
Tomorrow would bring its own trials. Their future was far from certain, Hamish knew that more than anything. And yet... in this moment, embraced by the love of his life while their son peacefully slept nearby, Hamish couldn't help but wish that this would never end.