Chapter Text
Clock strikes at exactly 7 AM as a sweet melodious alarm rang inside the quaint apartment of Watanabe, today was his day off yet he promised that he would prepare his wife's breakfast before she heads for work and make sure their daughter, Lottie would be prepared to spend some time with her papa. His wife, Ariel works in the scientific research facility of NASA as it's head researcher while he works at his own restaurant close to their house. But today was all about spending time with their one and a half year old daughter especially with their scheduled Daddy and Me class. Brushing his teeth, and doing his morning rituals, he'd head towards the fridge and check what he should cook for the day. Soon he'd have all his ingredients out of the pantry and fridge and began doing his work.
Facing the stove as he cooks their breakfast, he smiles as he hears footsteps heading towards him until something warm envelops the his back, it was Ariel who probably woke up to a cold side, the side he uses. Flipping the pancakes in a fluid motion, he'd turn the stove off before removing her arms from his torso, he would face his wife and give her a peck on her forehead then a short love filled kiss, pulling away with a small smile on his face.
"Well you're up early dearest. Woke up cold?" he teasingly prodded his wife who started pouting.
"Says the guy who can't even turn the AC a bit higher. It was way too cold being alone in the room you know."
"I apologized, after I did my stuff, I checked on Lottie, our little star is still sleeping. Coffee or tea today?"
"Hmmm.. II had too much caffeine for the past week, so mind fixing me some green tea and green tea to go, beloved?"
"Of course, now we should wake Lottie up, you know how she hates cold pancakes. I made you a bento by the way, don't neglect your health else you'd be visiting your friend's office again for low blood sugar. We worry about you."
"Mmm Saki told me I can slowly fix that up by having snacks every once in a while. Don't worry too much okay? You and Lottie have a big day ahead. Call me when you guys get to the class area, I want to see her pretty dress and your matching outfit. You'll be the cutest papa and baby there after all."
"You flatter me too much, wish you could join us, you know how Lottie enjoys our family time. By the way me and Lottie are heading to the grocery store later, we're lacking a few ingredients plus I'm going to look for our dinner, any ideas what you want later?"
"I've been craving pasta for a while now, how does chicken alfredo sound to you? or do you want to make something more filling?"
"That sounds nice, but I need to buy some chicken then, the tenders and some breast for strips."
"Alright, wait.. isn't Morian going to be in the same class as you and Lottie? Say hi to him for me. It's rare for him to even be out an about with his twins on his day off, usually Saki would just let them sleep in or something."
"Not sure, he hasn't texted me since yesterday saying he's dying as usual."
"Pfft, he definitely will be, he has two kids to watch, if we're dying with just one kid, imagine two."
"Our Lottie is a sweet girl, they have Aika, but when her and her brother start arguing...well you know what happens.."
"Ah enough chit-chat, go back to cooking and I'll get our little star." Leaning upwards to peck her husband before leaving the kitchen to wake Lottie up from her bedroom.
Watanabe could only chuckle as he hears his wife's distinct wake up song from the hallway, going back to his cooking until a small voice rang with joyous laughter.
"Mwama!"
"Lottie~"
Plating the food, he was greeted by a smiling Lottie in the arms of Ariel, he would walk towards them with the plates and getting the green tea pot for his wife and his daughter's sippy cup filled with freshly squeezed mango juice.
"Morning little star, excited for today?"
"Ywes! Lwottie excwited to pway with pwapa the whowe dway!"
"Mhhm now eat up, you and mama are going to bath together and get you in your new dress that matches with papa."
The little girl excitedly stabs her pre-cut pancakes and chews onto it while humming. Her white hair was stuck on an untamed bed hair that made him laugh, times like these, he's thankful of surviving the war and retiring as general on the armed forces. He has a loving wife, a cute daughter and a perfect life to his standards.
Soon he was bidding farewell to his wife who drove off for work as he and Lottie entered his Mazda RX-8 off to the center where Daddy and Me classes are being held each month. Seeing the familiar Chevrolet Camaro on the parking, he would park beside it, turning the engine then heading out of the car to get Lottie and her car seat. Infront of him was Babylonia Center, a daycare center aimed for non-schooling children and their pre-schooling programs. He tickles his daughter who was laughing at his actions before they enter the building, the colorful walls of the center greeted them while children laughter echoed down the halls. Watanabe would try to spot the distinctive colored hair from the sea of fathers preparing for the Daddy and Me class. He'd spot Morian down the halls with the two baby carriers containing his twins.
"Well you're early today Morian. Kids woke you up huh?" a teasing lilt on his voice directed towards his friend.
"You could say that Watanabe, Aika and Lai entered our room and started jumping on the mattress, my wife had to shush them since it was like 5 AM and she came from a 2 AM shift." The aforementioned male standing up to greet Watanabe with a handshake and a smile on his refreshing face. The twins were acting up from their car seats, wanting to roam the area. With a sigh, Morian unbuckles them and let them waddle around, Lottie would watch the twins walk around her while she was still buckled. To her young mind, these were her friends, clapping her hands around, making the two male look at them with soft smiles.
"How's your wife, heard she got a lot of patients from my wife, she taking care of herself I hope. You guys haven't been visiting lately."
"She's fine, just tired, like really tired, yet she still finds time to play with the twins when she comes home early. Even cooking our meals, I really need to take some pointers from you."
"Or you can just order from the restaurant, I'll make sure it contains food the twins can enjoy. You suck at cooking Morian, let's face that fact."
"Shaddap Watanabe, I'm trying okay, it's hard given it' instinctual, not logical. How would I know somethings on the cookbook doesn't actually mean that way."
"Whatever professor, I'll have someone from the restaurant send you the meals later."
"Thanks, I owe you one. I'll pay them upfront when they deliver the food."
"Please no need, take it as a thank you gift, given your wife had been watching over Ariel's health. Just make sure you actually don't mess up the food preparations." a snicker coming from Watanabe was cut short as a middle-aged woman went out from the room they were heading inside, scanner in hand as the fathers and kids fell in-line to have their IDs scanned. Another person would collect the car seats and place them on locked cubby holes, only possible to be opened by the registered ID card. Picking Lottie up from her seat, Watanabe would hand it to the helper and had the ID on his neck scanned.
Entering the room, the two friends and their children would sit beside one another, a small chair in front of every dad, some having twin chairs, two chairs-in-one for those with twins. Morian had one for his twins. After the introductions of the dads and kids, the teachers introduced themselves, the usual pleasantries and a short educational video clip for the kids to enjoy. The class was starting. making Lottie face Watanabe with her dimpled smile. With his daughter so sweet, he could not help but send a smile down to her as well.
"Alright! All dads please guide your kids to the drawing station, the goal today is to draw a family portrait, in the most creative way and present it to everyone once the time is up. You all each have your own work stations with your own materials, we have more activities planned after this." the teacher said as the dads would start heading to their respective area. Nodding to Morian, Watanabe would help his daughter reach their station, Lottie on the built in chair, she'd ask Watanabe to hand her crayons, colored pencils and a few more coloring materials as she focused on her "work of art", he'd ruffle her hair whenever she looks at him then back at the paper. No doubt trying to draw him after seeing the tall stick figure with white hair and gray clothes. His wife was next, drawn on the other side with her familiar red hair. An hour passed and the bell rang to signal the end of the art section of the program, everyone ushered back to their seats as show and tell started, the kids presenting their masterpiece to the crowd. Some would cry, some would run back to their dad, but some would actually present their hard work.
Since it was by surnames, Morian's kids started first than Lottie. It was a pair presentation for the twins, one of the side held by Aika, one by Lei. As they presented themselves, Watanabe would look at his side, seeing Morian holding his phone towards his kids, he was apparently recording them with a proud smile on his face. They presented their family, from them, to Morian, to their mother, Sakimi, their uncle Murray, to their dogs and cats. Ending the presentation, they blew kiss to their father before bowing. Passing their work to the teacher to have it framed (yes framed, they pay for things like these in the fees) before running towards their father, each hugging one leg as the bombarded him with questions.
Soon it was Lottie's turn, his little girl would walk to the front without a single hitch, preparing to do the same thing as Morian, he had his phone ready and smiled at his daughter.
"Hwi! Iwm Lwottie. I'wll pwesent mwa fwamily pwo--pwotwait. Twis is pwapa, my mwama, and twis mwe, Lwottie. We live iwn a bwig house called apwatment, we hwave no pwets, mwama swaid we'll gwet wone when am wolder. Mwa pwapa works as a cwef, my mwama an astro...not? Lwottie lwoves hwer pwarents and thwey lwove Lwottie. I wnat two be wan astro...not too swomeday! Thwank wo!" by then silent tears were already pouring from Watanabe's eyes, his baby loves him and his wife, even telling it in front of other people. After Lottie presented, she'd hand her work to the same helper and walked towards Watanabe. Seeing her papa crying made her pull a small handkerchief, patting his cheek as he pulls her to his arms for a hug.
Time passes by and more tears were shed by Watanabe and a phone full of cute moments from his daughter to share to his wife. By the end of class, there were more helpers giving the items they did in class, all packed well and secured in bags. They made clay sculptures as a father-daughter and did a hand print painting with a space left for his wife, a container of paint with the color of Lottie's choosing and a spare frame for it. Claiming the car seat from the helper upfront, he bid his goodbye to Morian who had his kids bickering once again on who sits beside their father, he buckles Lottie to her seat and opened the trunk of his car to put the items inside before closing it and putting Lottie to her usual spot. A classical tune fills the air as they drive to the nearest grocery store.
Sitting Lottie on the child seat, they would look at each isle, getting more of this and that as they pass by, Watanabe would also eye some fresh fatty tuna being cut on the fish section and a few fresh caviar. Lottie would ask for some juice and a pack of biscuits and a bar of chocolate, with Watanabe buying his wife's favorite chocolates and snacks. While on the counter Watanabe carried his daughter in his arms, the lady before him would look at him suggestively, but with no choice Watanabe continued on, seeing the display, Lottie would use both her hands to slap her father's cheeks, getting his attention and the other customer's attention, yet he says nothing, so with another round of slap, Watanabe sighed and put her back to her seat. When it was his time to pay, he pulls his card and tapped it on the scanner. With a beep on the machine and his phone, he pushes the cart to the parking lot, not talking to Lottie at all. With the drive making the little baby sleep, they would arrive at their apartment complex, Watanabe would gently bring her out of her car seat and softly locking his car, not wanting to wake his daughter up. He knew that tendency already, she wanted him to look at her and not on someone else, a trait she got from her mother for sure. Entering the elevator and his apartment's number, he would be directed to their place, opening Lottie's room and placing her down gently, before kissing her forehead. He would go back down to retrieve her things from his car, but not without locking the front door.
When his wife arrived he would relay the story to which she would guffaw when it reached to the part where their daughter slapped him. Truly like mother, like daughter. He was already cooking dinner by then.
"Man our daughter really wanted you to stop looking at other women, she knows her dad is a lady-magnet. That's my baby."
"Just what have you been teaching our daughter..."
The door opened from Lottie's room, the young girl heard her mother's laugh and woke up, running towards her mom with a smile on her face.
"Mwama! I swlapped pwapa fwor lwookwing at owther lwadies."
"Sweetheart, that's bad, it's bad to slap papa for something so trivial, nor is it funny-"
"Bwut mwama lwaughed..."
"Don't copy your mama."
"Papa's right baby, it's a bad habit, promise us you won't do it again."
"Bwut Pwoi swaid it workws... hwe swaid hwe dwoes it two his pwapa."
"Well then Poi is bad, you should not do what he does. Now say sorry to papa."
"Lwottie sworry pwapa... wown't dwo wit agwain."
"Now let's prank papa next time."
"Ywes!"
Watanabe could only shake his head with a smile on his face before leaving his spot on the kitchen, enveloping his wife and daughter in a hug, truly this is the perfect life for someone like him.
"This truly is my Eden."