Chapter Text
Keith remembers the circumstances that led to them adopting Daniella.
He'd been nervous, to say the least. Growing up shy and quiet, he hadn't exactly had the most of friends and the ones he did have weren't very long-lasting. That and the fact that he was an orphan who got swapped around from foster home to foster home was enough to put his heart on lockdown for most of his life.
It'd taken a lot of coaxing to get him out of the shell he used to hide behind and even now, he still keeps mostly to himself; it's sort of part of his character at this point but he knows how to let in those who care about him and has softened up a lot from the hard-edged, suspicious boy he used to be.
But having a child was a whole different ball park.
He didn't know if he could do it; be a parent, that is. He wasn't even sure what it meant to be a parent. Sure, he's had foster parents before but with them, he always felt the disconnect that would constantly remind him that he wasn't really a part of their family.
And so he'd told Lance his worries because, you know, communication is important in a relationship, and Lance had just smiled and hugged him and kissed his forehead and looked in his eyes.
You have a lot of love in your heart, Keith. You have a lot of love to give. I don't fully know how to be a father either, but having a kid isn't something you can practice for. It's a learning process.
And then he'd kissed his forehead again. He held him close and said they didn't have to have a kid though, not until Keith was entirely comfortable with the idea and Keith nearly cried because he couldn't believe the amount of love he held for this man.
He agreed though, obviously, and now their family includes little fourteen month old Daniella and he couldn't be happier. She brought a new dynamic to their relationship and it turns out parenthood is an absolute joy to experience.
Well, most of the time anyway.
Keith winces as a shrill scream cuts through the air and he looks up from the papers strewn over his desk. The cries are harsh and pitiful, the sound of a wailing baby, and they're coming from the direction of their bedroom. He sighs and pulls the glasses off his face, pushing back in his seat and standing up to leave his office. When he enters the room next door, he finds the tiny baby standing inside the crib and crying, occasionally gurgling out a whimpering 'Papa'. Keith sighs again. Of course she'd be looking for Lance; his husband was usually the one who was better at quieting her.
He hesitates when he nears her, her screams not ceasing in the slightest, and he reaches out to pat her hand lightly.
"Shh Daniella. Daddy's here," he says softly. Not surprisingly, she ignores him and wails into the crib railing. Her voice continues to reach new levels of high, cracking every now and then.
He frowns slightly and reaches over, picking her up under the armpits and laying her back down. Daniella kicks against him and stumbles back to her feet, still crying, so Keith tries to lay her down again. He leans against the crib railing and sighs when she only crawls back to her feet again, screaming twice as loud as before. As his hands reach for her armpits again, a part of him contemplates trying once more but he decides against it.
"Shh love, shh. It's okay," he says and kisses the top of her head, moving her closer to one end and kicking off his slippers.
Carefully, he steps over the railing and climbs in next to her, settling himself onto his back on one side of the small mattress. There isn't enough room for him, obviously, since it's a baby's crib, so he resorts to leaning his head against the railing, neck craning forward so he can see Daniella. Daniella watches his every move, cries slowing down in confusion and reaching out for him before he's even laid down comfortably.
She lays her head on his chest, still sobbing, and Keith hushes her again. He hugs her lightly as she continues to squirm and rubs comfortingly at her back.
"There there," he murmurs, and leans his head back against the padded crib. With a final hiccup of a cry, Daniella finally quiets down, lulled by the soft beating of Keith's heart.
Keith keeps a palm on her back and watches as her eyelids slowly slide shut, breaths evening out. A warm and content feeling blooms in his chest, satisfied that he'd managed to get their crying daughter to calm down.
He closes his eyes and lays there for a while, content to lightly pet her hair as she dozes off against his chest. That is, until he feels a strain at the back of his neck. It suddenly dawns on him that it'll be a while before she wakes up again, and any attempt on his part to rouse her will only end up in uncontrollable screaming.
Ah shit.
Keith sends a wary glance at her and purses his lip, considering how he should go about his situation.
"Daniella," he says under his breath. No response. He tries again. "Daniella."
She shows no sign of a response and he deems her fast asleep. He looks up at the edges of the crib and reaches up for the tops of the railing, hesitantly pulling and shifting his body ever so slightly to roll out from under her. The movement, however, does not go unnoticed by Daniella and she immediately sits up. Keith freezes.
Oh shit oh shit oh shit–
But Daniella just looks dazed and immediately launches herself across his chest again, this time with force, and lands half of herself on top of Keith's body. He sighs and leans back against the mattress, watching as Daniella squirms a few more times before settling down again. He taps at the railing and looks around. His gaze lands on the dozing baby and he cranes his neck forward, trying to look past her. He looks back and forth between her and the empty space beside him several times, weighing pros and cons of what he's planning to do.
Should I do it?
He decides to do it.
Taking a deep breath, he reaches to pick her up again, or rather, he tries to pick her up again. The way she's thrown herself horizontally across his midsection proves a challenging angle for him to get a proper grip under his armpits.
Keith tries multiple combinations of tugging and nudging but Daniella adamantly keeps her head glued to his stomach, squirming away from his hold. He runs a hand down his face; he still has to finalize a few more slides for his lecture the next day but any thought of work is thrown to the back of his mind when he looks back down at his daughter's face. He'll just have to do it later.
He grips onto the crib railing again and determinedly hoists himself up. Daniella instantly sits up and looks at him with what Keith can only describe as betrayal; he can already see the tears forming. He hushes her and quickly readjusts himself, sliding further down the crib so he can lay his head properly on the mattress, shifting onto his side and allowing Daniella to wedge herself against him.
A soft smile makes its way to his face and he absentmindedly pets her hair before he, too, slowly dozes off.
When Lance returns home later that evening, the house is quiet. He stops by the doorway, straining to hear any hint of noise, but nothing reaches him. Cautiously, he pulls his shoes off and sets down bag. He makes his way upstairs and towards their bedroom and the instant he enters, he feels his heart melt in his chest.
He slowly walks over to the crib, as if sudden movements would ruin the setting and it would all turn out to merely be a mirage. But even when he's standing right next to his sleeping family, they don't vanish and he can't help himself when he leans down to peck Daniella on the cheek. He does the same for Keith, brushing back a few strands of hair from his face before dropping a kiss to his temple. Keiths eyes flutter open at the action and he looks around, confused until he sees Lance hovering over them.
"You're back," he says. Lance chuckles.
"Indeed I am," he says and raises an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing around his lips. "Tired?"
Keith blinks dazedly at him before looking down to the bundle in his arms.
"She wouldn't stop crying," he deadpans and Lance really has to fight the urge to laugh then, lest it waken Daniella.
"So you decided to fit your ass inside a baby's crib?"
Keith huffs and successfully manages to disentangle himself from their daughter, carefully climbing back out.
"At least it worked," he finally mumbles once he's standing.
Lance grins and wraps an arm around Keith's waist, pulling him close and kissing the side of his head. His grin widens when Keith wraps both arms around his abdomen and rests his head against his collarbone.
"She was so loud," Keith mutters with a sigh. "And I still haven't finished the slides for my lecture."
Lance pats his husband's hip comfortingly.
"You'll finish them. You always do."
Keith lifts his head off of his shoulder then and peers up at him. The fluttery feeling in his chest grows at the soft gaze in his eyes and he sighs contentedly when Keith leans up to press their lips together. It's a chaste kiss, but sweet and loving all the same. He brings up his free hand to cup Keith's cheek when he pulls away and brings their foreheads together.
"You did good, love," he says and he's proud, he really is. He knows how anxious Keith was about adopting because he'd never experienced having younger siblings or cousins to look after when he was growing up; he knows it was a bigger deal for Keith than it usually was for first-time parents to have a kid and he's unbelievably happy with how things turned out.
Keith smiles at him, flushing a little at the praise, and Lance absolutely melts.
"Thank you," he replies, "for everything."