Dean wiped the sweat off his forehead as he finally finished cleaning up the whirlwind mess Kikki had created. Toys were scattered across the floor like a battlefield, and it had taken a good hour to set everything back in place. Breathing heavily, Dean decided it was time to grab some fresh air, if only to save his sanity. "Alright, Alex can deal with Kikki for a while," he muttered to himself, striding toward Alex's room.
But the moment Dean pushed open the door, he froze in place, eyes wide as saucers. Alex was mid-change, standing by his closet, shirtless, his broad back and sculpted muscles on full display. Dean had never seen Alex like this—he had always assumed that a guy who spent so much time buried in work couldn't possibly have time to maintain a body like *that*.
Dean's throat felt suddenly dry, and he gulped loudly before he could stop himself. The sound was so comically exaggerated that even Alex looked up, smirking with raised eyebrows. "Something on your mind, Dean?" Alex asked, pulling on a fresh shirt but not quite buttoning it up yet. His grin was teasing, and his eyes gleamed with mischief.
Dean blinked rapidly, trying to get his thoughts straight. For a second, he had almost forgotten why he was there in the first place. "I, uh... I just came to... I mean, I'm going out for a bit!" he stammered, his face warming as he desperately avoided looking directly at Alex's chest.
Alex laughed softly, shaking his head as he buttoned up his shirt. "Well, actually, I was thinking of heading out too—for lunch. So why don't we all go together? Get Kikki ready, and we'll have a day out."
Dean, who had been trying to compose himself, suddenly beamed. He hadn't been out with Alex and Kikki for more than a month now, and the thought of spending a day away from the house was exciting. "You mean it?" he asked, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah," Alex said, adjusting the collar of his shirt in front of the mirror. "I think it'll do us all some good."
Dean practically sprinted out of the room, his energy levels suddenly sky-high. "Come on, Kikki! Time to go out!" Dean called, dashing into the living room where Kikki was on the floor, happily playing with his toy cars.
Kikki looked up, blinking in confusion as Dean almost scooped him up in his rush. "Fly, fly!" Kikki giggled as Dean swooped him through the air like an airplane, zooming back toward Alex's room at full speed. Kikki squealed in delight, his tiny hands raised in the air as if he were really flying. "Fly again!" he begged.
Dean chuckled but managed to focus enough to grab Kikki's change of clothes from the closet. His hands moved swiftly, pulling off Kikki's toy-covered T-shirt and changing him into a fresh, adorable little outfit. "Alright, buddy, let's make you handsome," Dean said with a grin, as he carefully combed Kikki's soft hair and applied a little cream to his chubby cheeks. Kikki giggled and wriggled, enjoying the attention. Dean couldn't help but laugh too—his energy matched Kikki's at that moment.
Alex, meanwhile, was watching the scene unfold from the mirror, an amused smile tugging at his lips. The way Dean was handling Kikki, like an expert, made Alex pause. For a split second, he thought, *Is this what it's like to have a wife?* The thought hit him out of nowhere, making him stop dead in his tracks, hand frozen in his hair as he looked at Dean and Kikki. The image of a perfect little family, with Dean acting like the doting mother, flashed through his mind, and he nearly chuckled at the ridiculousness of it.
But then, a darker thought followed—*Dean wants to leave.* He had mentioned it so many times. The idea of Dean being fed up, walking out of his life, gnawed at Alex's chest. Could he really let Dean go, like that? Could a good husband let his 'wife' leave? Alex mentally slapped himself. "What am I even thinking?" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. He wasn't Dean's husband—Dean didn't even like being here. Still, the thought wouldn't leave him.
"Alright, all done!" Dean exclaimed triumphantly, lifting Kikki up and doing another 'fly' motion, earning more giggles from the little boy.
"Whoa, Dean, you're really going all out today," Alex said, smiling as he finished fixing his hair and grabbed his wallet from the bedside table. "You look like you're enjoying this more than Kikki is."
Dean rolled his eyes playfully. "You wish. I'm just making sure this little rascal doesn't look like he's been through a tornado. You should've seen the mess he made earlier—it was like a war zone in there!"
Alex chuckled, walking over to them. He ruffled Kikki's hair before giving Dean a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "Maybe you *are* enjoying it, though. Look how happy you are."
Dean shook his head, but a small, fond smile tugged at his lips. He placed Kikki down, giving the little boy his tiny shoes. As Kikki busied himself with trying to put them on, Dean shot a glance at Alex. "You know, it's been a while since we've had a normal day out like this."
"Yeah... it has," Alex agreed quietly, his eyes softening as he looked at Dean. There was something comfortable about this moment, but also something... fragile. He didn't want it to break. "Let's make it a good one then."
Dean smirked and clapped his hands together. "Alright! Time to fly again, Kikki!" he exclaimed, sweeping Kikki up into his arms as the little boy squealed with joy.
Alex chuckled, shaking his head as he watched them. For the first time in a while, it felt like things were... right.