Gath was feeling ever so proud as they carried their baby up to the front door of their parents’ place. This was the first time baby Retvik had been allowed to leave the nursery, after the nurses there had checked them over and said they were healthy. Apparently they were very healthy and quite big for a baby.
The plan was to spend two more weeks at Lesii and Kazim’s place, with baby Retvik’s care being split between Gath and the nursery every two days, then, after that, they would return home to Phos, where they would continue the half-and-half care, with Gath looking after the baby 3-4 days a week and the other days being spent at the nursery at the end of the road.
Unfortunately, Relkir wasn’t as involved as they wished they could be. Gath, despite being middle-aged, was essentially retired, but Relkir was a General of a governmental Legion, which was why Relkir was heading back to Phos in a few days. Relkir had initially been a bit upset, but they soon perked up as it allowed them to get baby Retvik’s room ready. Gath had noticed that Relkir had been a bit off ever since the whole… incident at the big library, but considering how badly Relkir had gone Defensive Stance, combined with the responsibilities of being a dad now, Gath assumed it was just related to that.
Speaking of things being off, Litvir had been a bit off as well. As in, Gath couldn’t tell their mood. Litvir had also been following Gath as they walked back to the parents’ place. Gath was pretty sure that Litvir was spending the entirety of their free time near their little sibling’s side.
With a proud smile, Gath knocked on the door. They were holding baby Retvik in one hand and carrying a large bag of baby-related items, mostly cleaning wipes and food. The door opened up and Lesii was immediately there to greet them.
“Hello! My little grandkid! Welcome to your next step!”
Baby Retvik looked up at Lesii and gurgled, waving their arms a bit, before squirming and reaching for Litvir.
“Aw, they are scared…” Litvir muttered. “Do not be scared little sibling, they are your mama’s mama.”
The baby wasn’t convinced and curled up in Gath’s hand. Gath glanced at Litvir, shrugged then held baby Retvik close.
“Did you set up the cot in my room?” Gath asked.
“I did, yes!” Kazim smiled. “With all the stuff you requested! Relkir is also in there but they are fast asleep.”
“Indeed! Lesii also smiled. “I think the excitement and stress has worn poor Relkir out.”
“Wonderful…” Gath handed Kazim the bag of stuff, then lifted baby Retvik up and began showing them around. “Retvik, come on, baby, do you want to have a look around?”
Retvik squirmed some more.
“Mama, I think little Retvik wants to have a nap…” Litvir whispered. “They are overwhelmed.”
“Are you… like, communicating with the baby?” Lesii asked.
Litvir shook their head. “Retvik does not have adult thoughts yet. But I can tell how they are feeling. They feel a little scared right now because they have had a lot of things happen today.
“Understandable. The world is big and scary right now. But Retvik did seem to like looking at the sky!” Gath beamed. “They are a very well behaved little kid! Come along now, Retty, let me put you to bed and you can have a sleep, alright?”
Baby Retvik seemed to settle down. They waved at Litvir, blinked at Lesii and Kazim in confusion then snuggled up in Gath’s hand again, weakly grabbing Gath’s finger. Gath did as they said they would and took Retvik to their cot. There was only a very thin blanket and a soft, foamy base. Gath laid Retvik on the top of the blanket then gently covered up their tail but nothing else. They noticed that Retvik’s tail was rather long, but that thought quickly passed as they started stroking Retvik’s cehst. Retvik settled down properly and quickly fell asleep.
Luckily, Retvik was developed enough that they didn’t really need constant watching. That meant that Gath could leave the room for a bit, as long as they Gath looked up and found that Litvir was standing in the doorway.
“Kid, you do not need to watch Retvik all the time. When was the last time you took a proper break for yourself?”
Litvir hesitated, but didn’t say anything.
“Litvir, what is wrong?”
“I… I do not know.”
Gath looked Litvir up and down. “Are you stuck in one of your overprotective loops again?”
Litvir hesitated some more, then muttered a very quiet “yes”.
“How comes?”
“I will do anything to protect my little sibling…” Litvir eventually spoke. “I love them so much. They are so small and delicate and I can feel their emotions and I am scared for them and I cannot let them get hurt in any way.”
“I get that, Litvir, I really do. But you also need to understand that Retvik needs to learn and explore. And, unfortunately, one cannot learn without occasionally learning and experiencing bad things. They will sometimes be scared. They will sometimes be upset. We try to protect them from those bad things, but we will also be by their side to help them through being scared and things like that…”
Gath trailed off, then turned their attention to the bed. Relkir was dozing, snoring daintily.
“Relkir is scared too.”
“They are. I am scared a little. We all are. But that is normal. You though, Litvir, you need to take a break. Let me and Relkir be the parents. Let us be your parents.”
Litvir sighed. “I… I guess… Can I have a hug please?”
“Of course!”
Gath wrapped their arms around Litvir. They hugged for a bit before letting go.
“You feeling better now?”
“Yes.”
“Alright…” Gath set a timer on their wristband then turned back to Litvir. “Let us go downstairs and chat with mum and dad for a bit. When the timer goes off, we will come and check on Retvik together. Would you like that?”
“I would like that, yes…” Litvir weakly smiled.
Gath gave Litvir another hug, then led them out of the room. “You are a good kid, Litvir. Never let anyone tell you otherwise…”