Noah can't remember ever meeting his Abuelo. His Dad has only ever talked to or about his grandparents on his mom's side.

("You were young, about three, when we went down to Miami for your Bisabuela's funeral. I don't think your Abuelo held or even talked to you," Johanna insists. "That's not your fault though, it's your Dad's.")

He adores his grandparents: they always send him big boxes of goodies at Christmas and on his birthday, talk to him on the phone to see how he's doing, and give him the biggest hugs and kisses when he arrives at their house in Chicago during his Dad's business trips to Los Angeles.

That doesn't change how sad Noah is about his estranged abuelo and abuela. Especially when his Dad probably misses them very much.

("Why?"

"Your Dad loves you more than anything, Noah. He's done everything he can to protect you from the people who could hurt you. It's just...he thought it should be from your Mum and his dad."

"Why?"

"Because they've hurt him.")

During the plane ride across the continent, Noah has his eight year old brain wrapped around itself contemplating how to get his Dad to talk to his abuelos.

("How?"

His Auntie Jo pulls her bottom lip snug between her teeth as her eyes rolls upwards. She only does this when she's trying to be delicate. Noah doesn't like it, he prefers his Aunt's honesty.

She sighs in defeat of her language skills. "Your Abuelo disowned your Dad because he couldn't be the son your Abuelo wanted. And your Mom left, breaking your Dad's heart ten times over." )

But he couldn't come up with a thing which caused him to inadvertently give himself a headache. Noah could feel tears well up in his eyes and his tummy start to hurt while they were rushing through Arrivals to get their luggage and to the car Caius had sent for them.

Arriving at his Mama and Caius' big house, with their beach for a backyard, his stomach ache subsides a bit, but his head still pounds vigorously. Noah hopes that clawing at the back of his skull will make some of it go away.

"Hey, buddy." His Dad's voice is calm, soothing even as it floats through the throbbing pain. "Wanna tell me where you're not feeling well?"

He didn't, though he knew he should.

"Is it just a headache? Or is something else bothering you?"

Noah finds identical green eyes upon opening his, soaked in tranquility. "How did you know that?"

His dad laughs softly beneath his breath. "Because I'm your Dad. I know everything about you. Plus, Auntie Jo said you were asking about Abuelo before we left."

Oh.

"I'm sorry you don't get to see him, or Abuela or Tia and Tio. I wish you could but," his Dad says so quietly Noah has to strain to hear him. Reaching his hand out and placing it onto his dad's, Noah finds a smile to give before climbing over his Dad's lap, through the car door, and into the house.

But you won't.

"Mama...can I ask you something?" Noah says from beside her on the couch in the living room where her feet tucked under her and a book is splayed in her hands.

"Of course, baby, anything," Cashmere answers, placing her book face down onto the side table.

"Do you know what Dad and Abuelo used to do together?" If there is anyone who's going to know something about his Dad - and not blab about it- it'll be his mom.

However, with her eyes wide downcast, she looks positively stumped. She's known his Dad for over ten years, they were friends before and friends now, why can't she think of anything? Didn't he ever talk about his family? Didn't she ever ask?

"He only told me once. God, I can't remember. I think they used to watch football games and go finishing together," his Mom speaks quietly, her fingers driving into her temple as if she's trying to extract the memory.

"That's no good! We already do that together - well except go fishing," He explains, getting tired that no one seems to know anything about the Odairs. He needs something unique. Something that'll make this father's day extra special; something that'll make his Dad remember something Abuelo.

"Though, I think - and this is a big possibility because I was delirious with pain during your birth - your Dad was telling me this story...about the time he went camping with his family. Him, his dad and your Uncle Sebastian caught fireflies.

God, I wanna say that the look on his face was absolutely euphoric. But that could have also been the look on his face when you were finally born. It was so long ago now, sweetie."

Noah scrambles up onto the sofa and places a big kiss on his mother's holo cheek before running out of the room. That's perfect!

"Oh wait, Mama, one last thing!"

The one thing Finnick has never had problems with in regards to Noah is sudden disappearances. Noah's been stuck to his side since birth, almost, to his chagrin. However, Finnick worked it out that it's better that Noah be overly attached than running off on his own possibly giving him a heart attack.

Since Cashmere and Annie have made permanent appearance in their lives, Noah's been a little more scarce. A little too scarce for Finnick's liking, he is only eight years old after all.

Thankfully, this has led to four extra pairs of watchful eyes on Noah. So, when the boy goes missing just around bed time in Cashmere's expansive house Finnick goes to her first. This is her property after all, she'll have better knowledge of where he could have run off to.

"Noah? Yeah, he was here about an hour ago. Thought he might have been with you by now. Why?" Cashmere looks up at Finnick with concern after he finds her in the living room reading.

"Well, he's not with me. What if someone came into the house and took him? " Finnick pases the room. "He's your son, too! How could you be so irresponsible?!"

"First of all, calm yourself, Odair. I am sure he's fine. We would have known if he wasn't, there is security all over the property. Second..."

"He's only a boy, what if he's hurt, alone, and scared?! "

"Second," Cashmere fumes with impatience. "He might still be in the backyard by the beach with Caius."

Lifting herself onto her bare toes, Cashmere floats towards Finnick with a scowl plastered onto her face. She gives him a look, complete with a raised brow and sarcastic eyes, before swaying past him and into the hall.

"I am not who I used to be, Finnick," she says as softly as the pads of her feets against the cherrywood floors. "I would never leave our boy. Not again."

Finnick follows silently on her haunches as she guides them through the twists and turns of her home, until the enter the family room and push through the french doors revealing a wide balcony facing onto grass, a strip of sand and the vast ocean. Standing along border between sand and beach are Noah and Caius, with their backs to the house.

It's late, with the moon rising and the tide threatening to ebb violently over their feet. Yet, he watches on with equal amounts of fear and wonder as his boy fails his arms, animated, while speaking with his stiff stepfather.

"When you agreed to start letting him stay with us, I was worried that Noah and Caius wouldn't get along. I thought he might blame Caius for my leaving," Cashmere's words blend seamlessly with the wind that tangles her hair around her face.

"He's not like that."

Those cobalt eyes of hers flicker over to him through the sheet of platinum blonde, deep and dark. "No, but you are."

Finnick side steps and bounds down the spiral staircase from the balcony to the backyard without gracing Cashmere with response. He didn't want to do this now, not with their son barely five feet away.

"Daddy," Noah shouts upon hearing Finnick's feet shuffle through the sand. "You weren't supposed to come yet! I told Mama to keep you waiting until I caught some!"

"Caught some what?" But Finnick started to put two and two together upon spotting the small net and flashlight in his son's hands.

"Fireflies! Mama told me you went and caught some with Abuelo. So I wanted to catch some for you, but it needed to be a surprise so I needed Caius to come with me. But, I haven't caught any, yet! So, go back inside."

"Noah, I told you, fireflies don't-" but Caius is cut short by the boy being picked up and squeezed by his father. So tight, that Noah squirms to relinquish himself from his Dad's grip.

"I couldn't have asked for a better son if I wanted to," Finnick mumbles into the boy's hair before loosening his grip. "Thank you."

Noah frowns. "But I didn't do anything. There aren't any stupid fireflies!"

"Hey, watch your mouth there young man," his Mom reprimands as she too joins them by the damp sand, reaching out to run her fingers through the boy's salt soaked hair.

"But Mama, they are stup-" Noah squeaks between a yawn, his head falling onto his Dad's broad shoulder involuntarily.

"Shh, baby, we'll talk about it in the morning." Cashmere can't help but to place a short kiss to his still chubby cheeks. "How about Daddy takes you to bed. Maybe you and Caius can try again tomorrow?"

Noah's head bobs in a nod as he hides his face in the crook of Finnick's neck. The gentle bounce of his Dad's steps has the boy asleep before they even reach the french doors leading back into the house. When their guests are beyond the doors, Caius turns Cashmere without disrupting the din of their private beach and grasps hold of her. His arms wind tightly as he takes in her natural scent mixed with the ocean air. Never has he been more grateful than now is to be her husband and the father of their twins.

Noah wakes briefly from the the jostling of clothes and bedsheets being turned down in Marvel's bedroom,Cashmere suggested her boys try bonding. "Daddy?"

"Yes, buddy?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't catch any fireflies for you and Abuelo." The boy rubs his eyes with one hand and cuddles up with his teddy bear with the other.

"That's okay."

"I'm sorry Abuelo hurt you." A beat. "An' Mama too." Finding his Dad's fingers in his hair, Noah reaches to grasp onto the wrist. "An' I won't hurt you, promise. I'll tell Annie not to hurt you, too."

His Dad's laugh sounds garbled, so when Noah looks over to see the prickling shine in his Dad's eyes he reaches out to pull the man closer to him. "Daddy, are you crying? I didn't mean to make you sad."

"No no, I'm not sad." Finnick touches a kiss to his boy's forehead as he wraps his arms around his pint size body. Still so very small, he can't help but wish Noah will stay this way forever. "I'm happy, very happy. Thank you for just being you."

"I still don't ge-" Noah let out a yawn. Curling into his Dad's side, his fingers staying firmly grasped around his Dad, Noah finds himself falling back to sleep to the soothing strokes of hands through his hair.

Maybe it's okay that he never met his abuelo, or that his Dad never talks about him. Maybe it doesn't matter as long as they have each other.