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Steve smiles. The sun is drawing mellow pinks and oranges in the early morning sky and his tea smells great. And his husband is being extremely cute. The open floor plan of their living room and kitchen allows him to lean back on the counter while keeping a view of both the large windows on his left, and his beautiful family being… well, there's no words better than adorable here, really, no matter the look Sam gives him when he cloaks Steve grinning at them.
Steve shrugs.
"She'll be ok, you know that, and so does she," Steve takes a sip of his tea.
"First day is an important day. We're not freaking out, we're preparing, there's a difference," Sam gives him a glare Steve sees right through.
Nerves. Excitement. Anxiety. Pride.
"If you say so," Steve pipes as he finishes his mug, " mother hen ," he mutters playfully when he turns around to put said mug in the skin.
"I heard you Rogers."
"I'll have you know my name is Wilson ." Steve winks at Sam as he walks to them, around the couch and then sits on the edge of it, making come either motions at their daughter. "C'mere, lil bee,"
Sarah looks at Sam, then at Steve, seemingly at a loss of what to do when one of them has his hands around her midsection, keeping her upright, and the other is asking her to come to him, and it's all so far away, almost five steps!
"It's okay, baby, daddy won't let go, come here," Steve whispers, and Sam kisses her cheek to confirm.
It's easy to know when Sarah's made up her mind. She puts her round hands on top of Sam's fingers at her waist and gives a tiny nod before she starts lifting one foot, and then she's on. She toddles closer and closer, grinning at Steve and squeezing Sam's pointers with all she has as she finally makes it, and Steve helps her the rest of the way by swooping her off her feet into his lap.
"Bravo, baby, see what you did! You're such a big girl, walking around like this!"
And Sam adds onto it, extending their daughter's proud smile even more if such a thing was possible, "Such a big girl." He whispers against her belly.
It's almost time to go, and Steve can't help joining Sam in his shakiness at the prospect that they're going to be separated from their daughter for the first time. Granted, it's only half a day. But it will be thrice a week, until eventually, it's time for her to go to lose the 'pre' in preschool, and then she'll be gone all day, five times a week, and Steve doesn't even know why he's thinking about such a dreary prospect when she's right her in his lap. So he stops. And he catches Sam's eyes scanning over his face, no doubt also seeing right through him, and he reaches for the man's hands on Sarah's lap, squeezes.
That's when Sarah puts her own hand on top of theirs and they probably both melt very visibly - girl's had them wrapped around her little finger since day 1 after all.
"Ready, then?" Sam asks this time.
Steve looks into his baby's eyes, sees the great brown of his husband shining through a much smaller face, sees the smile of his husband, only, still peopled by five or six teeth tops, and he nuzzles Sarah's cheek before exhaling.
"Ready, baby?"
And Sarah claps her hand in glee and no matter what her doctors say, it doesn't matter that she doesn't use words to tell them, because she is ready. Ready to meet other children and play without them holding her safe against their chests. Ready to be a little girl in the middle of other little girls and boys. Ready to be their child, in someone else's care.
But just for three and a half hours. Then neither Sam nor Steve will be able to prevent the other from running back to the school to get her back. And if they hug her even longer than usual, and if their kisses are just a little harder than normal, it will just be their pride, and emotion at seeing her grow up, every day more that the last.