Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

The TV in the living room was loud, playing some news about the ceremony three months ago. I was standing at the kitchen island with a mug of warm green tea in my hands. My favorite mug that had a pink rabbit on it.

I glanced at the trash can next to the island—all the coffee packages that Silas threw away. I couldn’t help but smile at his overprotective habit. No more coffee. At least I managed to get him to let me drink green tea.

Silas sat on the couch reading some self help book. The sound of the page flipping every few seconds, his eyes darting through the words at an impossible speed.

Another father caught in the web of parenting books.

Heat radiated through my chest at the sight of him trying so diligently. I took another sip of the tea.

This had been my life for the past month when my bump started to show: he refused to let me out of his sight, he carried all the groceries and moved the furniture around in the living room to make it a nursery. I was pampered and I loved it. But I did want to leave the house once in a while.

His hair was a bit messy and the book he held was about communication, so I cleared my throat to get his attention.

My husband glanced at me, a smile appeared on his handsome face. I pointed to the clock on the wall.

“It is time,” I said, my hand on my hip.

He raised an eyebrow, his hand marking the page in his book. He closed it.

The smell of the rain outside made me crave the thundering noise and the wet soil in my garden.

“Time for what? Another appointment with Ursula and Kat and Doctor Hemlia?” He asked, setting the book down on the table next to him.

I burst into laughter. There were many appointments with them. S-rank heal mage and S-rank life mage. My best friend was wrapped around my husbands finger for these visits; it was hilarious and terrifying at the same time.

“Absolutely not. They need to have their own lives too,” I said as I walked to the coat rack and put my rain coat on, along with my boots.

“Let’s go for a walk, maybe a cafe date or something like we used to when we were newlyweds,” I said.

Silas frowned but stood up. He grabbed his coat and walked up to me with a slow pace.

“It’s dangerous out there. It’s raining, the street is wet, you might slip and fall and what if you hit your head? Not to mention a cafe has people, people that could be sick,” he rambled, his violet eyes looked worried and his lips were a thin line.

It was very cute how he was thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong.

“Just use your magic if that happens,” I teased.

He went quiet. My husband refused to use space magic on me. No teleportation, no portals. He was afraid he might harm the twins and it was a completely irrational fear because he can literally teleport with his eyes closed.

He took my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist.

“You should be resting. The babies need their rest too, my love,” he said.

It was my turn to put my foot down. I shook his hand off.

“We’ve been joined at the hip for the past month. 24/7, and that’s lovely. But I need some fresh air and a hot cup of chocolate with you at the cafe. It has to be outside, like old times. Please?” I put on my best puppy eyes.

A sigh from his lips and he nodded.

Mana flowed out of his body as he scanned the entire city for possible dangers, the purple glow in his eyes growing brighter as he did it. Finally after thirty seconds he grabbed my hand again, intertwining our fingers.

“Okay let’s go then,” he said. His hand warm in mine.

I squealed and dragged him towards the door, grabbing our umbrellas. The air outside was cold, the sky grey with dark clouds that would not stop pouring down. I opened the umbrella and so did he, we were both huddled under the plastic.

Our hands remained connected. Droplets landed on my hand that was holding the umbrella and I could feel the wetness.

Then we walked together in the rain on the sidewalk. Cars passed by quickly, their engines roaring through the sound of water. I looked at my husband and his beautiful violet eyes were focused on everything around him. He looked like a bodyguard.

“Earth to Silas, you are here with me, your lovely wife,” I joked and poked his shoulder.

He laughed and squeezed my hand, bringing his gaze back to me. The sound of his laugh gave me butterflies.

The city was busy like always, the smell of the bakery wafting through the air. The aroma of fresh pastries and rain mixing together. Normal people still existed, walking on the streets with their own umbrellas even if the world had dungeons and hunters.

About half of the population didn’t awaken their mana. Those people made up the life of a city.

We turned a corner and finally arrived at the cafe. It was a cute shop, called Sweet Haven. It was a bit old, but the red brick walls and white curtains looked nice and welcoming. The sign was a cupcake with chocolate sauce dripping from it.

We entered the warm room and were immediately greeted by Martha, the owner. She was a bit older, in her 70s and she had grey hair with purple tips. A fan of Silas obviously.

“Welcome Mr. Vane and Mrs. Vane, always a pleasure to have you,” she said with a smile. Her hands moving fast as she prepared a table for us.

Following her to a table by the window, my husband pulled the chair out for me and I sat down. The metal legs of the chair squeaked on the floor as I placed my hands on the wooden table and the smell of sweet cinnamon filled the air, most likely from whatever she was baking in the back of the shop. The small details, the small imperfections like the uneven table and the wobbly chair made the place feel comfortable.

I loved this place.

Martha put a menu on the table in front of us and asked Silas what he wanted. My husband looked up at the older woman with his usual charming self.

“The usual,” he said with a smile. “My wife will have a hot chocolate, no milk please. Oh and an apple fritter and a cinnamon bun. Extra cinnamon. Thank you.”

Her eyes twinkled.

“Of course, you don’t need to thank me, Mr. Vane,” Martha replied and left with the menu to get the food ready.

The small cafe was empty, with the only other customer being an older man who sat by himself in the corner and read his book.

“Why don’t you tell her to call you Silas?” I asked. I was curious as to why he let people call him Mister Vane. Ever since the ceremony he had become more and more distant with the rest of the world and the world returned it in kind. Except for the few who still admired him for what he did.

He raised an eyebrow and leaned back in the chair. A casual stance that he perfected.

“I don’t care, love. Martha can call me whatever she wants to,” he shrugged.

I was about to say something when Martha returned with the tray. She placed the warm plates on the table, the smell of cinnamon intensified.

My mouth went dry.

“Anything else dear?” She asked me with a soft smile. I shook my head and so did Silas.

She nodded and walked back to the counter.

Then I grabbed the cinnamon bun and took a bite out of it, closing my eyes as I enjoyed the softness of the bread and the sweetness of the cinnamon. My husband was watching at me with an amused expression, not eating his food.

I opened one eye.

“Eat your food, you know I will steal it,” I said and grabbed one of the apple fritters, taking a bite out of that too.

“Mmhm~” I moaned in delight.

Silas shook his head with a smile and took a bite of his own cinnamon bun. It was good. The hot chocolate warmed me up from the inside.

This life of mine felt perfect. No magic, no dungeons or heroes and villains. Just me and Silas eating sweets in an old cafe while the rain poured outside. Behind Silas I saw a bird flying in the sky. Far away and high up. It was flying here despite the weather.

I pointed to it.

“Look honey, a bird!” I exclaimed.

Why did a bird make me so happy? It was just doing its thing and I had no idea why it made me feel so giddy.

Silas turned his head to see where I pointed. His expression shifted. It went from amusement to seriousness. A face I liked to call the dad mode. Which meant someone I also loved was near by.

A lightness filled my heart.

“Silas let her in,” I said.