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“I missed you, baby!” Levi smiled softly as he held out his arms to his three-year-old daughter, Gabi, who had just gotten back from the park with Erwin.
“I missed you too, Dada!” she squealed, rushing into Levi’s arms.
Erwin closed the front door and started taking off his shoes, unable to help but grin as Levi picked up their daughter and spun her around. They’d found a surrogate mother to give them a daughter, and had been officially parents to Gabi since the day she was born. She had grown into a precious, adventurous, and independent little three-year-old, and was set to start 3K the next day, which Erwin was not so thrilled about.
Sure, he wanted Gabi to have the best of everything, and that included an education. He and Levi had spent months canvassing schools to make sure they could find the best one for their daughter. But Erwin was so used to spending all his days off work with his daughter; and he knew Levi was using to spending all day every day with Gabi while he was at work. If she was at school, she’d be spending less time with them. Gabi was just growing up so fast, and Erwin wasn’t sure he was ready for it.
Gabi shrieked excitedly as Levi spun her and then set her back on the ground, placing kisses on her forehead and taking her coat off as he asked, “Did you have a fun time at the park with your Papa?”
Gabi nodded, jumping around the foyer happily, “So much fun! Papa got me ice cream!”
Erwin nearly facepalmed as Levi shot him a small glare before smiling down at Gabi, “Oh he did, did he? And before dinner?”
“Baby, you were supposed to keep that a secret from Dada!” Erwin teased, knowing he could never really be angry with her.
He kneeled down and started helping her take her shoes off, and soon she was running out of the foyer towards her room on the first floor, where all her toys were located. Levi watched after her fondly before turning to Erwin with a small frown.
“You spoiled her dinner,” Levi scolded, “Now she’s not gonna want to eat any of it.”
Erwin shrugged a little, greeting Levi with a kiss, “Sorry, you try saying no to that adorable little face of hers.”
Levi rolled his eyes, “I do, every day. You’re just a pushover.”
Erwin chuckled, “Perhaps, but that’s why I’m her favorite.”
Levi shoved him playfully while scoffing at his words, “That’s not true. Well, we’ll see if she eats anything, and if not we’ll just put her in the bath and maybe she’ll want a snack later on.”
Erwin nodded in agreement with his husband before heading to Gabi’s room. The walls were painted a light purple, Gabi’s favorite color. She had a ton of toys, as Erwin was intent on spoiling her no matter how much Levi protested that she was going to ‘turn into a brat’, in his words.
“Gabi, sweetheart,” Erwin peered into her room, seeing her playing with her doctor’s kit; busy giving her teddy bear a check up.
She looked up at him with some worry, “Papa! Teddy’s sick!”
“Oh no!” Erwin feigned surprise, putting his hands to his cheeks and kneeling next to her, “Maybe Teddy needs to take some medicine and get some rest.”
Gabi nodded, taking out a fake bottle of medicine from her doctor’s kit and pretending to feed it to the bear before she placed it carefully under the covers of her bed. Erwin watched on, his heart practically melting as his daughter placed a gentle kiss to the bear’s head and tucked it in, just like he did with her every night.
“Are you hungry, honey?” Erwin asked, “Dada made some dinner. You want some?”
Gabi ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest and nodding, “Yeah. I’m hungy, Papa.”
Erwin chuckled softly and carried her back towards the kitchen, where Levi was busy plating her favorite food: mac n’ cheese. Erwin put her in her high chair and Levi gave her the plastic plate and fork filled with food. Gabi had just learned to eat on her own, and Erwin remembered how proud he’d been when she’d gotten the food all the way from her plate into her mouth without spilling anything.
Levi, of course, was relentless about mess. With a toddler in the house, everything was always getting messy, but somehow, Levi managed to keep the house entirely spotless. He would practically perch in his chair at dinnertime, just waiting for Gabi to drop something on the floor so he could clean it up.
Levi had made tortellini for himself and Erwin, and handed Erwin his plate. Erwin placed a kiss to the top of Levi’s head before sitting next to Gabi at the table, who always insisted her Papa sit right next to her. She was always obsessed with what he was doing. He could barely get work done from home, as she would sit next to him and beg to play on his laptop. He’d even bought Gabi her own kid-sized laptop that played songs when you pressed various buttons, and whenever he did work on his laptop, she would run to her bedroom and get hers, setting it up next to Erwin at the kitchen table and pretending like she was working too.
Levi sat down across from Erwin and sighed, “So how was work today?”
Erwin shrugged, “Same old, same old. Boring.”
Levi popped a piece of tortellini in his mouth and chewed it before asking, “You have tomorrow off, right?”
Erwin nodded, “Of course. It’s a big day tomorrow.”
Gabi had been paying attention to their conversation in between shoving forkfuls of mac n’ cheese into her mouth, and tilted her head curiously, “What’s tomorrow, Papa?”
Levi smiled, “Don’t you remember, baby? I told you; do you remember where you get to go tomorrow?”
Gabi paused in some thought before she exclaimed happily, “School!”
Levi praised, “Good job, baby! Yes, you’re going to school tomorrow. It’s your first day, are you excited?”
Gabi nodded eagerly, “Yes! Papa, I’m going to school!”
“I know, sweetie,” Erwin leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek, earning a giggle from Gabi, “I’m so happy for you. Dada and I are going to be there to drop you off.”
But Erwin was feeling wary. He knew it was going to be hard to drop his daughter off at her first day of school; to leave her in the care of others. He trusted the choice they’d made in schools, but what if Gabi wasn’t happy there? What if she hated school? Erwin just wanted to protect her, but he knew he had to let her go into the world, and couldn’t hold onto his baby forever.
After dinner, Erwin continued their usual routine: he bathed Gabi and read her a bedtime story while Levi cleaned up the kitchen. The closer it got to bedtime, the more Erwin wanted time to stop. He knew that bedtime meant the morning would come sooner than ever, and then he’d have to take Gabi to school.
Erwin climbed onto Gabi’s bed with the book she’d chosen out and pulled her into his lap, starting to read it to her. By the time the book was done, his daughter was asleep in his arms, clinging to his chest and breathing quietly. Levi stood in the doorway, gazing at the two of them with a look of admiration on his face. Erwin managed to untangle himself from the toddler and get her under her covers without waking her, tucking her in and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Levi came in and gave her a quick goodnight kiss as well before turning off the lights and walking out with Erwin.
The two of them headed back downstairs, spending a couple of hours cuddling on the couch and drinking wine as they watched a movie. Erwin was feeling anxious the more the time passed, and Levi was starting to notice.
“Why are you so quiet?” Levi wondered, “You’re acting strange.”
Erwin sighed, taking a sip of wine before setting it on the end table, “I’m just... I feel like an old man. My little Gabi is starting school tomorrow; it’s been three years already, and she’s getting so big.”
“For your information,” Levi poked Erwin’s stomach gently, “You are an old man. You were one long before we had Gabi, and you’re always going to be one.”
Erwin forced a small laugh at Levi’s joke, but he wasn’t really in the mood to laugh. He took another sip of wine before letting out a deep breath of frustration. Levi hugged him closer, trying to comfort him.
“It’s just scary to let her go,” Erwin explained, “To let strangers take care of her like that. And... And what if she hates it there? What if it’s too much for her?”
“Erwin, she’s three,” Levi chuckled, “All they do is arts and crafts at that age, she’ll be fine.”
Erwin nodded, but he didn’t feel better. He swallowed thickly, annoyed with himself for feeling so emotional. But Gabi was his little girl, and he loved her so much. He just wanted to make her happy, and didn’t want her to be traumatized by this school experience.
“Listen, Erwin,” Levi sat up, taking Erwin’s face into his hands, “Gabi’s a very social, independent kid. She loves making friends at the park, right? She’ll fit right in at school, and she’s going to love finger painting and learning new things every day. We can’t deprive her of an experience like that, right? She can’t stay locked up in this house forever.”
Erwin thought on what Levi was saying. His husband was, of course, completely right. Gabi was a very social kid. She had no trouble with other kids: she was good at sharing, and was very friendly. Whenever he took her to the park, she always ran up to other kids immediately and asked if they wanted to play. And she was going to learn plenty of new things at school; she’d always been a keen and quick learner. Erwin’s fears were beginning to subside as he took in Levi’s words. Gabi would be just fine, and he was a lot less worried now.
The two headed to bed after finishing up their movie, snuggling together under the covers. The next morning, Levi got up first. He usually got up very early, getting ready before making breakfast for Gabi and Erwin. Erwin would get up about an hour after Levi, going in to wake Gabi and get her ready for the day. He let Gabi choose out her outfits every day, and the kid had surprisingly good taste. Today, she’d chosen a pair of light jeans with a purple shirt that had dinosaurs on it.
He held onto Gabi’s tiny hand as they walked into the kitchen and ate the bacon and eggs that Levi had prepared. The three of them ate together, Gabi babbling excitedly about how eager she was to go to school. She was asking all kinds of questions: where is school? What do I do at school? Are other kids there too?
The three finished up their food and Erwin got up to put the plates away while Levi helped Gabi with her coat and shoes. Levi had bought her a sparkly, purple backpack that he was carrying at his side until they got to the school. Erwin slid on his own shoes and grabbed his keys, picking Gabi up and putting her on his hip as he walked outside towards the car. Levi trailed along behind them, locking up the house.
Erwin put Gabi in her car seat, strapping her in and getting in the driver’s seat as Levi got into the passenger’s side. Erwin started driving towards the school, listening to Gabi humming a song she’d probably learned from one of her shows. The school wasn’t far from their house, and Erwin pulled up to the building, parking in the front parking lot.
“We’re here!” Erwin exclaimed, listening to Gabi cheering behind him.
“Are you ready, baby?” Levi asked, turning around to look at her.
Erwin saw her through the rearview mirror, nodding and kicking her legs happily. Erwin chuckled softly and got out of the car, taking her out of her car seat and holding her close. She squirmed in his arms, trying to get down.
“Papa, I wanna walk!” she insisted.
“Okay, but you gotta hold my hand,” Erwin said, setting her down on the ground.
Gabi took his hand and started pulling him towards the building. Levi was smiling at them in amusement, the three of them entering the school and walking towards the 3K classroom. Erwin had thought that perhaps when they got here, Gabi might become a little more shy, or a little more nervous, but she was still as excited as she had been last night over dinner.
The teacher stood outside the classroom, instructing the parents that they could take off their kids’ coats and backpacks and hang them on the hooks outside the classroom. Levi put the purple backpack on the hook that read Gabi’s name, and Erwin helped her take off her coat, hanging it on the hook on top of the backpack.
Gabi was bouncing enthusiastically, looking around at the new place and taking it all in. Levi knelt in front of her, taking her little face into his hands and kissing her forehead, “Okay, baby. Papa and I will be back to pick you up in a few hours. You have fun at school, okay?”
Erwin had been a little worried Gabi might cry at the prospect of being left here without her parents, but the little girl simply nodded and threw her arms around Levi, hugging him tight and saying, “Goodbye, Dada!”
Once she pulled away from Levi, Erwin picked her up and hugged her close, “Have a good day, baby. Dada and I love you so, so much!”
Gabi giggled happily as he pressed kisses all over her face, “Papa! Stop it!”
Erwin laughed and set her on the ground, watching her rush to join the group of toddlers waiting outside the classroom with their teacher. Levi and Erwin watched her for a moment, and she waved at them, before they headed back to the car. The drive home was fairly silent between the two of them, as Erwin was trying to keep those thoughts in his head that this was a good thing; that Gabi was happy at school.
But he heard a loud sniffle as they pulled into their driveway, and looked over with wide eyes to see that Levi was completely a mess, tears streaming down his face as sobs shook his shoulders.
“Oh honey,” Erwin reached over and pulled Levi close, “Why are you crying, darling?”
Levi sobbed quietly, “I just... she’s growing up so fast and I... I didn’t think I’d be upset but I... I’m gonna miss her when she’s at school.”
“Aww,” Erwin cooed, kissing Levi’s head gently, “Shh, my love. It’ll be okay. It’s all a part of being a parent, right? Remember what you said to me yesterday: she’s going to be so happy there, and she’ll make tons of friends.”
Levi nodded into Erwin’s shoulder, still crying, “My little baby isn’t a baby anymore.”
Erwin rubbed Levi’s back soothingly, “Shh, sweetie. Don’t cry. It’s all going to be okay.”
Levi’s cries were soon reduced to sniffles, and he pulled away from Erwin after a few minutes, wiping his eyes and tutting, “Tch, so embarrassing. I didn’t think I would get this emotional.”
“It’s okay,” Erwin reassured him, “Now you know how I felt last night.”
Levi nodded, taking Erwin’s hand and squeezing it gently before leaning in to press a kiss to Erwin’s lips, “Our little girl is growing up, isn’t she?”
“She is,” Erwin agreed with a smile, pecking Levi’s lips sweetly.
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