WH Ch 6

Faced with the children’s affection as they suddenly raised their voices over who loved him more, Benic had no choice but to burst into laughter. The fact that he had given birth to such lovely children with his own body felt so happy it was almost unbelievable.

“Right, Dad loves both Knox and Vail very much too.”

Happy days that no one could ever doubt. Benic naturally melted into this perfect family as a mate and a dad, surrounded by his beloved husband and lovely children. They were days without a single trace of wrongness. Until then, that was certainly how it was.

“There seems to be an issue in the mountains, so I think I’ll have to be away for a few days starting tomorrow, Benic.”

On an evening no different from any other, Benic—who was resting in Rampy’s arms as they wrapped up the day—raised his head with surprised eyes at the sudden words. Looking up, Rampy’s face was filled with a thoroughly annoyed expression.

“Why so suddenly? Is it something serious?”

“It’s not serious, just a nuisance.”

“What kind of nuisance?”

“A troublesome, minor thing that Benic doesn’t need to know about.”

Rampy didn’t tell him any specific details about what had happened, but Benic could vaguely feel that a problem in the mountain range was by no means a small matter.

And for good reason: ever since they came to live together in the village, Rampy had never been away from Benic’s side for more than a single day. No matter how long a task took, he always returned by evening and never left Benic’s side vacant for long. If someone like Rampy suddenly had to be away not just for a day, but for several days, it clearly had to be no ordinary problem.

While it was true he felt worried about Rampy, above all, an anxiety about having to spend the night alone without Rampy took precedence for Benic. However, seeing how obvious it was that the situation was severe enough for him to leave right tomorrow, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Rampy not to go. Hesitantly moving only his lips, Benic ultimately nodded his head glumly. It was a reluctant consent that bordered on resignation.

“Alright. The kids and I will be waiting for you, so travel safely.”

“Thank you, Benic. And I have one favor to ask before I leave.”

“What kind of favor?”

“While I’m not here, no matter what happens, do not let Knox and Vail into the bed where you sleep with me.”

Wondering what he was going to say, Benic let out an incredulous, dry laugh toward Rampy at the out-of-the-blue statement. This was because telling him not to let the kids into the bed sounded just like telling him not to bring another man into his bed.

“What do you mean, don’t let the kids into the bed?”

“I’m saying this because there’s a reason for it. Even if Knox and Vail say they want to sleep together, absolutely, no matter what happens, do not let them into the bed. You understand what I said, right?”

Rampy was speaking with a serious demeanor, as if letting the children into the bed were somehow a dangerous act, but Benic simply couldn’t take those words seriously.

It was none other than Rampy who had made Knox and Vail use separate rooms ever since they were newborn babies, making sure Benic wouldn’t fall asleep with the children even by mistake.

Knowing Rampy’s excessive possessiveness—unwilling to share him even with their own children—Benic felt no sense of strangeness at such a warning. He merely thought Rampy was feeling jealous of the kids.

“Yeah, alright. I’ll do as you say.”

He still couldn’t understand why making such a fuss over sleeping with the kids was such a dangerous thing, but Benic had no choice but to give the answer Rampy wanted. He didn’t want to needlessly weigh down Rampy’s heart when he had to leave home for several days.

“I’ll be back as fast as I can, so be careful, okay?”

“I said I got it.”

Unsure if he was still anxious even after hearing the answer, Rampy secured the desired response multiple times until he felt reassured before quietly leaving the village the next day, leaving Benic and the children behind.

Why he had to leave his spot for this long, or when he would return—Benic still knew nothing about Rampy. He simply waited with the children for Rampy to return. He couldn’t think of anything other than that.

Thus one day passed, two days passed, and three to four days passed. Nights that he had to spend alone without Rampy arrived every single day, and those nights were a continuation of a time far more unfamiliar and grueling than Benic had anticipated.

While it was true he felt lonely because Rampy—whom he always fell asleep with—wasn’t there, there was a separate problem that tormented Benic even more. It was because of the nightmares of the bugs that ceaselessly plagued his mind.

The bugs that bled and died at Rampy’s hands came to Benic’s dreams every night, screaming and wailing for him to save them. They were clearly just bugs; they had to be bugs. He couldn’t understand why he had to tremble with fear and guilt like this.

Whenever he barely woke from sleep as if escaping those horrific dreams, Benic, consumed by terror, was unable to fall back asleep and had to face the morning. Such nights continued for longer than expected.

As a life of staying up all night repeated itself, he frequently caught himself staring off blankly while taking care of the kids, and even during the day, he often found himself dozing off. There was no way the children wouldn’t notice.

“Benic, are you sleepy?”

Benic’s body flinched at the sound of Knox’s voice. Belatedly realizing that he had dozed off again, he raised his head, and at the spot his eyes landed, Knox and Vail were looking at Benic with worried eyes.

“Huh? No, I’m fine. Dad isn’t sleepy.”

He forced a smile, but his eyes were already heavy with sleepiness. Looking at Benic’s face, Knox and Vail stared at each other without a word. A brief glance—one Benic couldn’t even notice—passed between the two in an instant. The one who opened his mouth first was none other than Knox.

“Knox is sleepy though. I want to take a nap with Benic.”

“Vail wants to take a nap with Benic too!”

“What?”

Without needing to be prompted, the children stood up and began dragging Benic by the hand without hesitation. By the time Benic belatedly came to his senses, he had already entered the bedroom he shared with Rampy alongside the children.

“Knox, Vail. Dad doesn’t want to sleep. I’m fine.”

“I want to sleep together, Dad.”

“Dad, sleep with Vail. Okay?”

At the kids’ relentless nagging—even using the title “Dad,” which they rarely ever brought up usually—Benic ultimately had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed.

Yet strangely enough, the children who had been pestering him didn’t draw any closer once Benic actually sat on the bed. It felt as though an invisible line had been drawn between the bed and the children.

“Knox, Vail. What are you doing standing there? You said you wanted to sleep with Dad.”

“We’ll lie down if Dad holds us.”

“Hurry and hold us, Dad.”

Wondering why they weren’t coming closer, so that was the reason?

His doubt lasted only a moment before Benic let out a soft smile and reached out his arms to envelop the children in his embrace. There was no reason not to indulge his children’s cute spoiled behavior.

“Yeah, come here. Let’s sleep with Dad.”

Only then did the children promptly climb up onto the bed as if they had been waiting, lying down on the bed with Benic. The expressions on the children’s faces were so thoroughly excited that one would wonder if they had wanted to sleep together this badly all along.

Though he had repeatedly declined saying he was fine, Benic—who was in truth severely deprived of sleep—felt a sense of relief for the first time in a long while from the warmth of the children lying on either side of him. Added to the plush bed, he had no choice but to fall helplessly into sleep.

Rampy’s warning never to let the children into the bed came back to his mind late, but Benic’s consciousness had already succumbed to the spell of sleep.

After a duration neither short nor long had passed, confirming that Benic was fast asleep through his steady breathing, the children carefully raised their bodies so as not to wake him. Before anyone knew it, the children’s bodies had transformed into those of adults.