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"Do we really have to do this?" Skye asks, staring up at the ceiling of the bedroom. "Can't we just keep them here and lock them in their rooms until they're thirty?"
Grant sighs from beside her, the mattress shifting under his body weight. "You know we have to, Skye."
She frowns deeply, turning her head toward him but staying on her back. "I know. But it doesn't mean that I have to like it. They're my babies, Grant, what else did you expect from me?"
He laughs quietly. "I know." He wraps an arm around her torso and pulls her closer. "If I could, I would keep them this little forever so you wouldn't have to watch them grow up."
"I know it's basically impossible for you to do that, but I appreciate the sentiment behind it."
"I'm glad you do." He leans forward to press a quick kiss to her lips. "How long do you think we have until they come barging in to wake us up?"
"Probably not long, unfortunately."
He sighs. "I figured as much."
There's a quick pounding on the door mere seconds later, followed by shouts of excitement that drift under through the cracks.
Grant sighs. "And there they are, right on schedule."
"Which one do you want?"
"I'll take Ava."
"Then I'll take Adian." She leans forward to kiss him and then tosses the covers off of her body and climbs out of the bed. She shuffles over to the door, smiling as she pulls it open to look down at her children. "And what do you two think you're doing?"
"Wakin' you and daddy," Ava tells her with a wide smile. "Me and Adian have kindergarten."
"I know you do. And we should probably get dressed and get breakfast, huh?"
"We want pancakes," Adian tells her as he holds his arms out to her and she leans down to lift him up. Always her cuddly boy.
She presses a kiss to his cheek. "I think that sounds doable."
"Daddy!" Ava shouts then, darting across the room and pulling herself up onto the bed. She leans over Grant's body and grins down at him. "Hi, Daddy."
"Hi, Ava-loo. Are you excited about your first day of kindergarten?"
"Yeah. Adian is too."
"That's certainly good to hear." He looks up at Skye and smiles. "Should we get breakfast started, or get them dressed first?"
"Breakfast. Even at this age there's always a risk that they get their clothes messy from breakfast."
"Right, of course. How could I have forgotten?" He gently tickles Ava's stomach and then tosses the covers off of his body and holds Ava over his shoulder as he stands from the bed. "Should we go get you some breakfast, Ava-loo?"
Ava nods. "Adian too."
"Oh, but of course," Skye pipes in, running a hand subconsciously up and down Adian's back as he leans into her. She's really gonna miss when they aren't this small anymore. "I'd say that the first ever day of school requires some special pancakes. What do you two think?"
Both twins cheer loudly, repeatedly shouting for pancakes as the family all make their way downstairs to the kitchen.
Skye's not entirely sure she's ready for the day ahead.
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Once breakfast is finished and everyone is dressed, it's time to leave for school. There isn't a bus stop anywhere near them, but considering they only live a few streets away from the school and the weather is still nice enough, they decide that walking will be good for all of them. Especially since it gives her and Grant a little more time with their kids before they're away from them for the majority of the day.
"Okay, you two, big smiles for me, please," Skye says to the twins as they stand in front of the door to the house. "This is going to your uncles and aunts."
Both twins grin widely, Ava hamming it up just a bit for the camera. Skye laughs quietly as she captures the moment, sending it in the group message she always has open for their friends back at SHIELD. Seeing as they can't come visit them all the time, they send as many pictures and videos as they can so their friends can still see Adian and Ava growing up.
First day of kindergarten!
Can't believe how fast the last five years have gone. Where did my little babies go?
"Mommy, can we go?" Ava asks impatiently, bouncing on her heels and holding tightly to the straps of her backpack.
Skye lets out a heavy sigh and slips her phone into her back pocket. "I guess so. Come on." She gestures with her head toward the sidewalk, both kids immediately jumping off the porch and darting across the lawn.
"You gonna be okay?" Grant asks her, stepping up next to her and resting a hand on her back, rubbing gently.
She nods. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Let's go before we end up making them late."
"Okay." He drops a kiss on the top of her head and then makes his way over to where the twins are, Max following closely behind him.
Skye takes another quick moment to herself, to gather herself together before she joins her family. She does a double-check of the house, making sure Captain is still inside and that the door is locked.
The walk to the school is filled with the twins talking excitedly about everything they want to do in their class and all the friends they want to make. It makes Skye smile, hearing how excited they are about it, but it also makes her heart break a little; they're not her little tiny babies anymore. They're growing up.
They arrive at the school and immediately the twins are eagerly trying to get inside the building, which is not surprising even in the slightest. They'd already met their teacher earlier in the month at a Back-To-School activity for all students, returning and new, so it's all they've been talking about since. Thankfully, they're in the same class, because Skye really doesn't know how she'd handle them being in separate classes at such a young age. Not when they're so used to being around each other all the time. Maybe in a couple of years they'll be able to handle it. But definitely not now.
"Daddy, hurry up!" Ava whines as they all walk down the hallway toward the twins' classroom, being careful not to run into any other families.
"Calm down, Ava-loo," Grant tells her as he gently tugs her back from trying to break free and run to her classroom. "Your classroom isn't going anywhere, I promise."
"Mommy," Adians speaks up softly, getting Skye's attention as they reach the classroom. "Do I hafta go to school?"
"Of course you do, baby." Her brows furrow slightly and she drops down to a squat so she's at eye level with him. "Hey, I thought you were excited about going to school. It's all you and your sister have been talking about."
"But I don't wanna leave you, Mommy. Who's gonna eat lunch with you since Daddy goes to work?"
She smiles softly at her son, gently rubbing his back. "Oh, I'll be okay, Adian. I promise. I'll still have Captain at home to hang out with until you and your sister are done. So you just enjoy your first day of school, okay?"
Adian nods. "Okay. I love you, Mommy."
Skye smiles and presses a kiss to his cheek. "I love you too, baby."
"Hi there. I think I remember these two from the Back-To-School party."
"Not sure if that should be a good thing or a bad thing," Skye remarks with a smile as she stands back up. "I apologize in advance if they cause you ridiculous amounts of stress. Ava can be a bit of a handful. Adian's usually more docile, but he can get kind of crazy if he's with his sister."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine," the teacher says, a smile plastered on her face. "Adian, Ava, how would you two like to come inside and find your cubbies to put your backpacks in and then find your desks? Do you think you can remember where they are from the Back-To-School party?"
"I remember!" Ava shouts excitedly, bouncing a little on her feet. "Adian, do you remember?"
"I think so."
"Come on. I'll help you."
Skye gives her son an encouraging smile as she releases his hand, allowing his sister to take his hand and pull him into the classroom.
"Off they go," Grant remarks. "We should get going so I can get ready for work. I was only able to adjust my hours so much to be here for this."
Skye sighs and nods. "Yeah, alright. Come on. The sooner the day is over, the sooner my babies come back home."
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Letting out a heavy sigh, Skye falls onto the couch and closes her eyes. Once they'd gotten home from dropping the twins off, Grant had immediately gotten ready for work in record time and then left, leaving Skye to tidy up from the whirlwind of a morning. Now she finally has a chance to relax, though she's not entirely sure if she's going to be able to.
A quick nudge to her leg draws her attention toward the German Shepherd standing right against the front of the couch.
She smiles down at him. "Hey, Captain. Looks like it's just you and me today until the kids are done at school. That's going to take some adjusting, huh?"
Captain lets out a soft bark and then nuzzles against her leg again.
She reaches down to run her fingers through his fur. "Guess I could probably get some things done around the house that I don't usually have a chance to since the kids aren't here to keep me busy," she tells Captain. "But do I really want to do chores and housework when I have all this free time?" She sighs heavily. "I really should take advantage of my free time. There is always tomorrow, though. This kindergarten thing is a five-days-a-week thing."
The trilling of her cellphone pulls her attention away from her one-sided conversation with her dog. She smiles at the name on the caller id, immediately answering and leaning back as she holds the phone to her ear. "Hey, Em."
"Hey. How'd drop off go?"
Skye sighs. "It's barely been an hour and I'm already bored out of my mind."
"I'm sure you are. After five years of taking care of them every day, catering to their every need, it's gotta be weird to not have that."
"Well, I mean, I still have it in the mornings, and the evenings, and then on the weekends…"
"But you don't have it all day every day like you have before. It's a big change, you gotta get used to it."
"I don't want to get used to it. I want my babies at home with me."
Emily laughs. "I'm sure you'll change that tune very quickly the older they get."
"You don't have kids, you don't get it."
"No, but I've got cousins, and parents of my own who always said they were thrilled when summer was over and I could get back to school."
"Well, yeah, sure, when you were older. Mine are still babies."
Emily snorts. "Yeah, no, they're definitely babies anymore. And I'm pretty sure I've seen Ava demand you call her the exact opposite."
Skye groans. "Don't remind me. She's growing up too fast."
"Well, do you want to come over? We can drown your sorrows in wine and gossip for a few hours."
"I mean, I was planning on getting some work done around the house since I actually have a chance to do so…"
"And there's always tomorrow for that."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I'll be over in a minute."
"Great. See you soon."
"Yeah, bye."
Pulling the phone away from her ear, Skye ends the call and tosses the device aside. She lets out a breath and runs a hand down her face, taking another moment for herself to simply settle into this feeling. She really does miss her babies, but she can't deny that it'll be nice to be able to get things done everyday without constant interruptions. Maybe them going to school isn't all that bad.