ooc; Toss me a PM or catch me on chat so we can talk. Previous people whom I have talked to can jump right in~
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It had been months since Keirsta’s letter. While it hurt, Leo found himself growing in unexpected ways. No longer did he endlessly worry for others. Especially the children at the daycare. Or even his younger sister, who he allowed to go on her first mission. Although, from what she told him, it wasn’t the best one ever. But she still said that he had learned a lot. Which was enough for Leo. He learned to not always hover over the children, and give them room to grow. No matter how much he wanted to protect them all from getting bruises or cuts, he couldn’t take control of everything. Only God could.
It seemed God had a gift this night.
A lone, masculine figure stood outside the door to what he was told was the daycare. A hood was pulled over his hair, and a mobile cradle was held in his hands. The child inside was silent. The warm summer night air lulled the babe to sleep. A steady buzz from the street lights matched the rhythmic chirping of the crickets, creating a soothing song, made just to soothe the baby.
The man hesitated at the door, eyes looking down at his charge. For a long minute he stared down at the child. The babe’s hair was illuminated by the yellow porch light, his hair too yellow to be a trait passed down from Keirsta’s family. Must be his father’s. Slowly, the man rested the carrier on the doorstep. Out of his pocket, the man pulled a thick letter. Its contents were of great importance. He gave the white envelope a quick once over before laying it neatly on the child. For the longest time he stood over the babe, an unknown emotion flickering in his eyes.
Gently, he laid a kiss on the child’s head and backed away. Eyes landing on the door, the man knocked loudly, surely waking anyone inside. It was not certain that anyone was within, so he backed into the shadows, begging that no one was there. If no one came, he could leave with the child. Go back home and try and change his sister’s mind about leaving her son there.
It seemed Leo was still having trouble with sleeping. Even after all these days, rest avoided him. There would be days where he could fall right asleep with no issue, but wake up again two hours later. Not fully rested, but unable to continue sleeping. It felt like a curse. Then again, either while at class, working on his homework, or at the daycare, it pulled at him. Saying ‘this is the time to rest your eyes.’ Night is not for sleeping.
While at the daycare, it happened again. He had just finished changing Joanna’s diaper and placed her back in her crib when the wave of exhaustion hit him. Thinking he just needed to sit down, Leo took a seat on the rocking chair. Within a minute, he was out cold.
The others didn’t have the heart to wake him up from his sleep, and left them to sleep. For once, his slumber was restful.
A tired looking blond appeared in the door frame . His hair was disheveled, and bags stood out underneath his eyes. It seemed he noticed the child immediately, and he fell to his knees next the carrier, observing the resting child.
The man knew this blond was Leo. He met him once before. This meant that his job was done. With a small glance back, he continued to the edge of town to leave. Maybe Keirsta was right. It was better to have a family with people who actually wanted them.
‘Take care of my nephew, Leo.’
The letter was the first thing Leo noticed on the child. It was the same handwriting that liked to haunt him. They spelled his name out, the three letters standing out against the white paper. He wasn’t an idiot. Leo was able to piece it together quickly. Keirsta meant it when she said that she didn’t want to be a mother. She intended to leave the child with him. His child would grow up without a mother.
This child.
This child was his.
This child was his and Keirsta’s.
This child was unwanted by Keirsta.
A bitter look crossed his face.
”Your mother really wiped her hands clean of you, didn’t she?” Leo felt tears building in his eyes.
”It’s not right. You deserve better.” He could feel his breath hitch, and every second brought him closer to letting the tears spill over. Watery eyes glanced up into the shadows, as if expecting to see someone waiting. Was Keirsta the one to drop her child off? Or was she too scared to let go?
The babe began to coo, shifting in their blankets. Their head still to heavy for them to lift it on their own.
Better to get you inside, huh?” Leo whispered, rising to his full height and carrying the child inside. The light from outside peeked through the curtains, illuminating the floor with a thin line. It gave Leo just enough light to see without having to turn on the lights.There was even more light in the nursery , the translucent curtains letting the moonlight to illuminate the room. There were no babies in the daycare at the moment. Their parents all were home, and had checked them out earlier in the day. The room was silent besides the soft noises that the child was emitting.
Gently, Leo lowered the baby into the crib closest to the rocking chair, the one that Joanna had occupied earlier that day. Doing his best to keep quiet, he moved the chair right next to the crib. Slowly, he opened the envelope. It contained the letter to Leo, the baby’s birth certificate, and another smaller envelope that was titled; ‘Shepard’. His eyes narrowed, and the blond flipped back to the birth certificate.
State of Texas
This is to certify that Shepard Herman, weighing 7 lbs, 1 oz was born on the day of August 14th to Keirsta Chree and (There was a blank space). In the year of 2036.
”Shepard...” Leo whispered, putting down the birth certificate to watch his newborn son slowly fall back asleep in the crib. Tiny mittens poked out of the blanket he was swaddled in, the blankets slowly loosening around him. A sad smile settled on Leo’s lips.
He moved on to the letter; its contents were vague and relatively short. The other envelope was meant for Shepard when he turned eighteen. Or whenever Leo thought it would be best. The letter did not apologize, it did not wish them the best, it was quite curt and held very few details. Any normal person would have been bitter about the lack of emotion put into the letter. But Leo took his time to breathe and control his emotions.
The angel first focused on understanding why Keirsta had done this. While the letter said very little, the new father was able to piece things together. The first letter that he was given all those months ago held much more emotion than the one he held at that moment. It had stated how afraid she was to be a mother. She was certain she would mess up, much like her own mother had. Back then, Leo had not been certain what she meant by that. He assumed she would give the child up for adoption. Not this.
There was a slow inhale, his breath wavering. This was what Keirsta wanted then. Wasn’t it? Maybe it was better than putting him up for adoption. Leo knew Keirsta was not blind. She knew that the baby would have people who would love him and take care of him. Especially one that would know about his powers. Leo paused and give the child a glance. Or, possible powers.
Gently, he placed the papers to the side and pulled himself closer to the sleeping child. The father just watched the baby sleep, every small noise lifting his spirits even farther.
Was he upset at how Keirsta handled the situation? Slightly. But did he understand her reasoning? Definitely. Leo would never give her a hard time for such a decision. The angel was just glad she delivered him to family instead of an orphanage. He could raise Shepard to be a loving person. A good person.
It was hard to imagine what the baby would have turned out like, all those months ago. It had seemed like a foreign concept. It didn’t feel like it was actually happening. Those few months that Leo had spent watching Keirsta’s bump grow, it slowly set in. Although, it had not actually
felt like reality until this moment. It felt surreal. He created this? This small human was part of him? How could his hands be this small?
Unknowingly, Leo was grinning like a dork, a bright smile on his face.
”That is the cutest nose and no one can tell me otherwise.” He whispered to himself, his eyes not moving from the child’s face.
The father found it tough to understand how much
love he already felt. Was it possible to love someone to much that their chest hurt? That he was about to physically explode from the sheer love that he felt? Leo didn’t want to be one of those parents that won’t let anyone hold the child but himself...but he felt overwhelmingly protective of the helpless child. This is what parents felt for their children.
This is true love. Gently, he rested his head against the crib. His hand hanging inside, gently stroking blond tufts of hair.
Shepard slept on, a long night getting to Rosebury. He had given his uncle a hard time on the flight there, and was just then catching up on his sleep. Despite the unfamiliar voice, the child easily slept. Dreaming of a blue sky, a cloud for the ground, and two siblings to keep him company.
Slowly, Leo felt his eyelids begin to droop. He didn’t want to sleep just yet, he wanted to stare at the perfect baby that would call him ‘Dad’.
”I should tell your aunt, huh?” He asked, a sleepy smile on his face. His hand found his phone without much effort, and opened the Esper app. The father didn’t bother to think too much. He pointed the camera towards the sleeping child and took a short
video to put in the message. Turning back away, Leo adjusted the brightness settings for the night, the bright light had made him flinch away. The video came with a message that said;
‘Hey Shepard, I’m dad!’
Satisfied with his message making skills, Leo tapped the send button and closed his phone, still leaning against the crib.
‘What a night.’ Blue eyes closed, ready for slumber to overtake him. Just before he fell asleep, he thought to himself;
’Who did I send that to?
Daylight fell through the windows. The warm light filled the nursery. The Saturday morning arrived like any other day. Over the mountains that protected the school and the city nearby. Warming the pavement and glittering across the surface of the lake. It was like any other day. Except for...
A piercing wail awoke the sleeping father, his eyes foggy with sleep. It seemed like he had gotten much more sleep than usual. Despite that, Leo still was startled by the sudden noise. Which was odd to Leo. Why had he fallen asleep in the daycare? Even then, there weren’t any infants supposed to be spending the night that day. What was going on? He slowly stood up, body aching.
”Why did I choose to sleep on the floor of all places?” He muttered to himself, arching his sore back.
The wails from the infant had died down as Leo stood up, resulting in minimal fussing. It was as if they were waiting. The father’s eyes dropped to the ground. There a carrier and papers lay strewn about. It was in that moment that he remembered what had happened late that night. Mouth agape, he turned to the crib that he had been sleeping against.
Teary blue eyes stared back at the older blond, face slightly reddened from the crying. It didn’t take long for the baby to resume his wailing. Even then, Leo did not move, his eyes still locked on the baby. In the dim light of the night, Leo couldn’t have seen Shepard very well. But now...Now he could make out everything about his son.
The infant was much smaller than Joanna had ever been. Yet, Shepard was still chubby as well. His eyes were somehow bluer than Leo’s own. Light blond hair spread out in all directions, the soft tuft barely visible against his light skin. Small feet and fingers were wrapped in footies and mittens, light blue in color. Shepard wore a white onsie, which didn’t look like it would keep him too warm. The blanket that he had originally been wrapped in had loosened during the night and was bunched to one side.
Gently, Leo bent over the railing to the crib. His careful fingers rearranged the blanket to wrap around the infant again. With that accomplished, Leo lifted his son out and into his arms. The wailing had not ceased to stop by then. It only gained volume.
”You must be hungry.” The father realized. The last time he could have been fed was late the past night. The angel strolled out of the room, humming in an attempt to soothe the baby.
Thankfully they were in a daycare, and were well equipped to take care of a baby. And usually, there were pre-made bottles in the fridge. Per his estimate, a bottle sat in the fridge. In a practiced ease, Leo began to warm the bottle for Shepard. One arm was taken with the duty of preparing the bottle and the other held the child to his chest. It seemed working there really had made Leo better prepared for being a father.
As soon as the bottle was ready, Leo took a seat at the rocking chair.
”Alright, time to eat.” He told the baby, lifting it to his mouth. There was a long moment where Shepard did not accept the bottle, his lips shut tightly. Although after a bit of coaxing, he began to eat. The hesitation had not gone unnoticed.
”Did your mother breast feed you? Or are you unsure who I am?” Leo watched him eat, a small smile made its way onto his face.
”Shepard, I’m your dad.”
