A/N: Hello everyone! This is going to be a super fluffy set of shots about the domestic lives of Levi and Eren inspired by and dedicated to my two close friends. Hope you all enjoy! =)
Warning: So sugary sweet it'll rot your teeth.
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Snippet 1 – Welcomed Happiness
Levi woke up at nine a.m. sharp like he did every Saturday morning. He could never seem to sleep past that time on the weekends no matter how much he tried. After squinting his eyes bitterly at the alarm clock on his bedside table, he turned slightly in his warm bed and shifted closer to his husband in a final attempt to trick his body into going back to sleep. Eren, on the other hand, could sleep past noon if Levi let him, the younger male was sprawled on his back and as Levi rested his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes, Eren unconsciously wrapped an arm around the smaller man. However, both their eyes shoot open a few seconds later when they heard a light knock on their bedroom door.
Eren was the first to respond, "Come in," he said rather groggily but his tone was welcoming. He and Levi sat up in bed as soon as the door was shyly opened, with Eren's hand still draped over Levi's waist.
A small girl of about four years old slowly walked into the large room and a boy her same age, but slightly smaller, followed close behind her.
Eren smiled softly at the two small children entering their room and moved Levi and himself over to the right of the bed so the small boy and girl had room to climb up if they wished.
The young girl was the first to speak, "Uh, Papa's. Rei says he doesn't wanna meet any new people." Mei gestured to her smaller twin brother who was tightly grasping her pajama sleeve and avoiding eye contact with the two adults in front of him.
"And why is that?" asked Eren as he quickly lifted both small children unto his bed.
"Well," the little girl continued, "he says that he's scared they won't like him and that you and papa will get mad."
Levi chose this moment to interject in the conversation, "If any of those idiots don't like you brats, I'll kill them."
"Levi." Eren chastised as he saw how little Rei went pale. He smiled at the small boy to try and reassure him that no blood would be shed at tonight's welcome home dinner party for them, but it barely had any calming effect on the little boy.
"Isn't that illegal?" Mei asked, cocking her head to the side.
"It isn't if you don't get caught," Levi said in a deadpan, looking at the little girl seriously.
"Levi!" Eren reprimanded him again, this time giving him a small shove and an even glare before he turned to see the children's reactions.
"What?" His husband asked, smirking at his own dreadful advice, "It's the truth." He said back with a shrug.
Eren rolled his eyes, "Don't listen to him kids," he patted Rei's head to help calm his worried expression before continuing, "And don't worry about tonight. Only a few people will be here and they're very excited to meet you. I'm sure they'll love you guys, promise." Eren said reassuringly.
Rei and Mei nodded their heads but Rei's tiny features still looked troubled.
After Eren had retracted his hand from the small boy's head, Levi's replaced his and turned Rei's head to face him. "Hey brat," He began, ignoring the sharp look Eren gave him, "do you trust us?" he asked.
Rei looked puzzled for a moment and then nodded hesitantly while Mei looked curiously from her new dad, to her little brother and back again.
"And we'll be there with you two, so there's no need to worry, right? Because you trust us." He said evenly, meeting the young boy's anxious eyes.
Rei's large blue eyes widened as he looked at Levi's serious face and Eren's tender smile, in realization. He hastily shut his large eyes before tears could escape them and furiously nodded his head in reply.
Eren's fond smile only grew and he redirected it towards his husband. Levi gave Rei the closest thing he could to a smile and ruffled his dark hair before getting out of bed.
"I have to do some shopping before dinner tonight. Eren are you still making the appetizers and the dessert?"
"Yes, sir" Eren said, with a mock salute as the children giggled.
Now it was Levi's turn to role his eyes at his husband. "Get the kids ready while I'm gone, would you? I won't be long." He said, grabbing a fresh pair of cloths and heading to the bathroom.
"Will do." Eren said with a smile. "Want me to make you some coffee before you leave?" He asked.
Levi paused on his way to the bathroom and returned to the bed again with his cloths in hand and gave Eren a quick peck on the lips in gratitude. "That would be great, thanks," he said softly, paying no attention to the loud "EW!" they received from Mei and the light blush that graced Rei's chubby cheeks as he laughed at both them and his boisterous sister.
Eren grabbed Mei and ruffled her hair as the little girl thrashed and giggled in her father's arms. Levi turned and once again headed to the bathroom to change and get ready for his day, but this time he had a faint smile pushing at the corners of his lips.
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"Are you sure everything's alright?" Levi asked, emphasizing the word 'sure' because he had asked the question three times already and every time Eren's answer had been less than satisfactory.
"Yes, I'm sure," Eren answered, exasperated with the endless questioning, and actually sounded convincing this time until Levi heard little Mei yelling, "Daddy Eren, Rei got mud in my hair", in the background. Levi could hear Eren putting a hand over the phone speaker as he attempted to conceal whatever disaster was transpiring in their home in his absence. Eren's voice was muffled but Levi could still make out his husband yelling, "Go to the bathroom Mei and take you brother with you, I'll be right there! Oh, and take off your shoes before going upstairs so you don't track mud all over the house!" on the other end of the line.
'He hasn't even BATHED them? And they're covered in MUD?' Levi thought angrily as a vein protruded slightly from his forehead. He did not want to re-mop the floors when he returned home and he certainly didn't have time to re-bathe the children if Eren managed to mess that up too.
The hand covering the receiver was removed and Eren could clearly be heard once again, "Don't worry Levi, everything's fine! They'll be dressed and ready by the time you get back, promise."
Levi scowled even though he knew Eren couldn't see it, "Fine my as-"
"Love you, bye!" Before he could finish his curse his loving husband hung up on him. As Levi's ear was met with the dial tone he brought the device into his line of vision and glared at it for a moment before putting it into his back pocket.
He scoffed softly and rolled his cart down the overly colorful cereal aisle at their local supermarket, dreading the mess he was sure to find at home.
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'Why the fuck do I always have to be right?' Levi thought as he glowered at every tiny muddy footprint on his once-clean, white tiled floors. His scowl was so deep even Eren did not dare speak.
Both children stood behind their scared green-eyed father and carefully watched their other dad glare at the muddied floor; Mei in interest and Rei in fear. The smaller of the two was the first to notice what had caused the silent range within their new parent. He hurriedly ran off into the kitchen and came back a few moments later with a rag–probably the only one his small stature allowed him to reach–and began to feverishly scrub at the mess he and his sister had made.
Levi's expression immediately changed, as well as Eren's. They both looked at the small boy astonished by both his ability to read the situation and the sincere effort he was putting in to make amends. While the new parents looked on in amazement the little girl behind Eren also darted into the kitchen and after a few thuds and the sound of the opening and closing of a door, Mei returned with a mop that was twice her size and bucket that was half her size.
"Papa Levi I wanna help Rei clean too, can you teach me how to use this?" The small girl asked, determination etched into her small features as she held up the mop with difficulty.
Eren squealed and gushed over how cute and responsible his kids were and Levi could have died right there from all the parental pride bubbling up inside him that he hadn't even known he possessed.
"Levi?" Eren's words pulled Levi out of his shocked state, "Are we going to clean this mess up as a family, or what?" he asked as he beamed up at his husband from his kneeling position by Mei.
"We promise we'll work hard to clean up so please don't be mad anymore, "Rei said softly as he looked down at the floor he was furiously scrubbing moments before.
Levi sighed. "Don't worry about it brat, if anyone was ever at fault here it was your dad over there, the captain of all brats," the short man gestured to his husband as Eren gave him a little pout in protest of the endearment.
Rei finally looked up from the floor and gave Levi a brilliant grin filled with childish innocence. And Levi admitted that at that moment his heart was stolen all over again.
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"Why were the kids covered in mud in the first place?" Levi asked, still a bit irritated about the mud fiasco and having to not only re-mop the floor and tidy the house but also to adjust the kid's clothing (and Eren's), fix poor Mei's horribly skewed half pony-tail, and change Rei's dirtied navy pants that didn't go well with the shirt and shoes Eren had picked for the little boy to wear in the first place.
"Well…"Eren began, cautious of the knife currently in Levi's hand as they prepared dinner together, "After breakfast Mei and Rei wanted to go outside for a bit and I thought it would be fun, since it was such a beautiful day and all. While we were running around playing tag, Rei slipped in a small mud puddle and then one thing led to another and before I knew it we were making mud pies together." Eren laughed at the memory, oblivious to Levi's growing annoyance. "I completely lost track of time until you called from the supermarket, but you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun?" At the conclusion of his story Eren gave his husband a nervous grin and innocently scratched the back of his head.
Before Levi could voice the threats his un-amused gaze held, Mei came running into the kitchen.
"Daddy Eren, are you making the cake now?" the little girl yelled as she ran up to Eren, pulling lightly on the young man's pant leg.
"Not yet Mei, I told you I'd call you when I started didn't I?" He asked sweetly, giving the little girl at his leg his undivided attention as he crouched down to her level–silently thanking her for her interruption.
"Well, yeah but…" The little girl looked down, uncharacteristically shy, and fiddled with the blue cloth of Eren's pant leg.
Eren's expression softened considerably at the little brunette's downcast eyes and affectionately patted her on the head, "Hey Mei, do you think you can wait a little longer if I give you a treat to eat while you wait patiently?"
The four-year-old immediately lifted her head to meet Eren's gentle turquoise gaze, her own amber eyes shining brightly in excitement. She nodded her head vigorously in acceptance of Eren's offer and cheerfully asked, "What is it?"
Eren smiled at his daughter, "Wait one second and hold out your hand," he said as he stood from his kneeling position to retrieve a bag of chocolate chips from the counter. He turned back to the excited child who was eagerly holding out her hand as she watched Eren open the bag.
He grabbed a couple chips in his hand and carefully placed them in Mei's smaller one.
The little girl beamed, "Thank you Daddy Eren, I'll go wait with Rei for as long as it takes!" She said; that determination from earlier flaring up within her.
Eren chuckled, "You won't be waiting too long Mei, and share those with Rei too."
She sharply nodded her head in agreement and as she turned to leave the kitchen, one of the small chocolate chips dropped from her hand and landed on the kitchen floor.
Levi was about to bend down and dispose of the now dirtied treat when his husband beat him to it, "Five second rule," the younger man said as he picked the chip up, off the floor and popped it in his mouth.
If Levi had been drinking anything at that moment we would have turned and spit it in Eren's face from the disbelief. The shorter man was about to scold Eren about how filthy he was and what a horrible example he was setting for Mei, when the little girl once again spoke before he had the chance.
"What's the five second rule?" She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side like she usually did when she was confused or interested in something.
Apparently the years that he and Levi had spent together had not been enough to teach Eren when it was appropriate to keep his mouth shut.
He knelt down next to Mei again and said, "It's when you drop food on the floor and, if you can pick it up before five seconds pass, you can still eat it," he explained.
"Wow, that's so cool! So you don't have to throw it away if you're fast?" She asked, excitedly snatching imaginary snacks out of the air as fast as she could with her empty hand, practicing in case of future snack drops.
As Eren laughed at the hyper little girl he heard something snap from behind him. The brunet male froze and slowly turned to look at his husband, finally realizing his mistake, 'Oh, shit.'
Just like his patience, a mixing spoon lay broken in Levi's hand as he glared openly and venomously at his ignorant husband. If he hadn't already developed an aneurism from the days activates, he was sure to have one now.
"Oi, brat." He started, addressing Mei but his gaze hadn't left Eren just yet.
Mei momentarily stopped flailing her arm around and looked up at her other father when she realized he was calling for her attention.
When Mei finally looked in his direction, Levi turned to face her, "When food falls on the floor, it's dirty so you throw it away. Is that clear?" Levi asked the little girl, tone firm but not harsh.
Mei looked a little disappointed and opened her mouth to protest, "But Daddy Eren said-"
"Your 'Daddy Eren' is gonna get put in time-out for saying stupid things," he paused here, glared at Eren again and watched as the taller man flinched at his sharp stare, "now go play with the other brat until we start baking the cake." He stepped towards Mei, who still looked a bit crestfallen, and gave her a small bag that contained about a handful of chocolate chips, "Share these with your brother and don't eat any of the ones that fall on the floor, got it?" He asked flatly.
Mei bobbed her head up and down in confirmation for the fourth time that day and clutched the bag of chocolate chips in her tiny left hand. "Got it Papa Levi. I'll make sure to tell Rei not to believe the five second rule either!" And with that, the energetic little girl ran out of the kitchen as quickly as she had run in.
Levi watched until she was in the living room and out of sight, before he turned his attention back to his idiot husband, "Now," he began to say as he watched Eren silently squirm under his gaze, "time to pay the price for your foolishness." Fearful turquoise met amused steal-blue and Levi gave his worried partner a smug smirk.
That is how Eren Jaeger ended up cutting ever single onion they needed for dinner that night, by himself. And Levi might have added a few extras, just to be on the safe side.
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One hour later and dinner was ready, the cake was baking in the oven and the newly formed family was lounging in their living room waiting for the arrival of their guests.
After they had convinced Rei that Eren's teary eyes weren't his fault (but an evil vegetable's), cake making had been a very fun, mess-controlled experience. Levi hovered like a watchful mother hawk as Eren helped Mei and Rei crack eggs and pour ingredients into the large glass bowl. He would move the bowl along with the clumsy hands of the children to minimize the possibility of things spilling, and clean up anything that didn't make it into the container, right away. However, Levi was sadly unsuccessful in stopping the frosting fight that ensued soon after. The fight, started by his wonderful husband, lead to another family clean-up, this time of the kitchen, and a third change of close for little Rei who was the victim of his sisters relentless frosting onslaught. After changing "brat 2" and cleaning "brat 1's" face and arms and redoing her hair for the second time, Levi made everyone leave the kitchen and sternly warned his family to not do anything that could cause a potential mess before their guests arrived.
After a few moments passed, as if on cue, the doorbell to their two-story home rang.
"I'll get it!" Exclaimed Mei and Eren in unison as they hopped off the couch and made their way towards the door.
As half his family went to answer the door, Levi decided to do a quick survey of the area before standing to greet the guest himself, 'Living room, check.' He looked over at Rei who was sitting quietly on the couch swinging his short legs, 'brat 2, check.' Next his attention turned towards the hallway leading into the dining area and kitchen, 'Corridor, check. Kitchen, check. Dining room, check.' Finally, his gaze moved towards the retreating figures of his fit husband and giddy daughter, 'Brat 1, check. Brat husband, che- NOT check, abort, abort mission!' Alarms went off in Levi's head but before he had a chance to stop Eren from opening the door with, 'God damn frosting, in his god damn hair,' his husband swung the door open excitedly to reveal Armin and Mikasa standing at the entrance.
Levi internally groaned, 'Well, fuck it.' There was nothing he could do about Eren's hair now so he left it up to the guests to either let his husband know or let him walk around like an idiot until he figured it out for himself. Knowing their friends, it would most likely be the latter.
He watched on as Eren smiled widely at his childhood friend and adoptive sister and cheerfully let them into their home.
The blond boy was smiling happily beside his stoic companion as they walked through the entrance and turned to speak to Eren and Mei at the door. Even though Mikasa looked as clam today as any other day, if you knew the girl you would be able to tell that her eyes were filled with nervous excitement as she was introduced to her new niece.
"Guys, this is Mei," Eren began the introductions between his extended family and his new family, "Mei, this is your Uncle Armin and your Aunt Mikasa. I've known them all my life and I'm sure you'll like them, go ahead and say hello." He urged his daughter as she stood close to his leg, having lost some of her earlier excitement to nerves.
The little girl shyly spoke to the two new adults in front of her, "Hello, it's nice to meet you."
Both Armin and Mikasa smiled warmly at her, "It's nice to finally meet you too, Mei," Armin spoke as Mikasa knelt down and presented the little girl with a caramel colored bear with a red ribbon. "This is for you, take good care of it, ok?" The raven-haired woman said, with a rare tenderness evident in her usually even voice. You could tell that Mikasa was almost as nervous as the little girl beside her.
Mei quickly regained her lost spirits and gave Mikasa her brightest childish grin with a yell of, "Thank you Auntie Mikasa!"and moved to give her a quick hug with the arm not holding the bear. Mikasa was momentarily shocked but was urged back to reality by the same little girl tugging at her shirt sleeve, "Come with me Auntie Mikasa, I want you to meet my brother Rei, he's really shy but he's a nice kid, come on." Mikasa stood up and allowed herself to be pulled along by the energetic child. Before they were even two steps away Mei turned and called over her shoulder, "You too Uncle Armin, come meet Rei!" Eren and Armin looked at one another and shared a short laugh as they saw the anxious look on Mikasa's face. Both knew that their close friend hadn't been ready for Mei to be so enthusiastic about meeting her and was quite at a loss for what to say to the little girl now.
They both moved into the living room, following Mikasa and Mei.
Levi was now standing and grabbing Rei's hand by one of the living room couches, waiting for their guests to come in and see the other new addition to their family.
Mikasa looked up and gave a short nod and curt, "Levi," before turning her attention to the little boy gripping the shorter man's hand. Unlike his older sister, Rei seemed genuinely shy and very anxious about the newcomers. Her expression softened again.
"Rei, Rei!" Shouted Mei as she approached her younger brother, "This is Auntie Mikasa she's really pretty and really nice and look!" She exclaimed mid sentence as she let go of Mikasa's sleeve and held out her new teddy bear, "She even gave me a present!"
Rei looked up slowly, glancing from his sister and the bear, to Mikasa, and then finally looked up uneasily at Levi.
"Go on and say hello to your aunt, brat." He said, encouragingly.
Rei lightly nodded his head and looked up at Mikasa, "He-hello Auntie Mikasa…" he said so quietly Mikasa could barely hear him.
The dark-eyed woman pulled out another bear, this one a dark, chocolate brown with a blue bow, and presented it in front of her nephew. She spoke kindly, "It's very nice to meet you Rei. I have a present for you too, would you like it?"
The little boy finally looked Mikasa in the face long enough for her to see his clear blue eyes and small smile as he nodded his head and whispered a small, "Thank you," before he slowly took the bear out of her hands, while still grabbing on to one of Levi's hands, and hugged it close to his little chest.
She smiled at him as warmly as she could and said, "I hope you like it."
Mei was quick to fill the silence that followed Mikasa's statement, "And this is Uncle Armin, Rei!" She yelled, now grabbing Armin's hand as she tugged him over to her little brother, "His hairs longer than mine, isn't it pretty?"
Eren chuckled at the way his daughter's candor made Armin laugh nervously and then turned to his sister. He smiled brightly at her and she smiled back, but then her smile slightly fell. He looked at her, confused.
"What is it, Mikasa?" he asked.
She stepped closer to him before answering, "Why are your eyes so red, were you crying?"
Eren blinked, still confused, "Huh?"
Mikasa now looked unhappy, "Did that midget do something to you?" she asked.
From the little group in the living room they heard three giggles: Armin's, Rei's, and Mei's.
"Levi didn't-" Eren was about to defend his husband's honor when he finally realized that technically, his blood-shot eyes were Levi's fault.
Before Mikasa could continue prying, Levi cut in, "I can assure you Mikasa, it wasn't anything sever and it was well deserved."
Mikasa glared, Eren sighed. "Not in front of the kids, please. Mikasa, he really didn't do anything," Eren pleaded as he ran a hand over his face, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"I told you if you ever made Eren cry, I would personally deal with you." Mikasa said, fiercely.
Levi smirked suggestively, "It's not the first time I've made him cry."
Mikasa practically growled.
And this is how Eren once again drew the short straw in life. He sighed and went to work on stopping the argument between his sister and his husband.
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Half an hour later, Mikasa and Levi's bickering had finally ceased. However, this was not thanks to Eren's ardent efforts but rather, little Rei's.
When the argument started to get particularly heated Rei ran up and hugged Mikasa's leg sobbing into the material of the woman's jeans, crying, "Don't be mad at Papa Levi, he looks mean but he's really a nice person, please don't hurt him."
Mikasa's anger immediately dissipated and she earnestly apologized to the little boy for her actions as she whipped the tears from his chubby face. Levi also grudgingly apologized for worrying the little "brat" after Eren nudged him.
Things calmed down significantly after that incident and the family of four, plus their guests, sat in the living room waiting for the others to arrive.
Armin had just started reading one of the books he had bought for the kids, "The Little Titan Adventures," when the door bell rang announcing their final two guests had arrived.
Mei's eyes lit up, "Papa Levi's friends are here!"
Levi outwardly cringed as he announced he'd answer the door, and stood from his seat.
Since Eren had insisted they start small on the introductions by only inviting two close friends each, excluding Mr. and Mrs. Jaeger who met their new grandchildren only a few days after the adoption, Levi was forced to invite the only two people who qualified as "close friends" to him. He begrudgingly opened the door on the third chime of the doorbell, sporting a rather deep scowl for the impatience of the woman he knew was behind the door.
Hanji Zoe and Erwin Smith, Levi's co-workers and oldest friends, stood at the door. The bespectacled woman was carrying two bags, one green and one yellow, while Erwin held two wrapped boxes.
Levi's scowl only deepened as he spoke, "Hey fuckers, this ain't a birthday party."
Neither Hanji's crazy grin, nor Erwin's neutral smile, fell at Levi's harsh statement.
"Hello to you too," Erwin answered back.
"Where are the little kiddies? Aunt Hanji wants to start her educational spoiling as soon as possible, I even bought them matching top of the line chemistry kits! Man I wish I had stuff like this when I was a kid, they'll love it I just know it!" The eccentric brunette woman yelled as she threw her arms in the air upon entering the home.
He suppressed a sigh as he followed his "friends", which he technically had never invited in, into the living room where everyone else was waiting.
As usual, Hanji was not subtle in announcing her arrival, "Hello, Hello small humans, Aunt Hanji is here and she has awesome presents for her cute little niece and nephew! Come, you little dizygotic creatures."
Rei moved closer to Armin on the couch and Mei gave Hanji one of her little head tilts, but when Erwin came up smiling and set his presents next to Hanji's the little boy and girl needed little more convincing to get out of their seats and greet the new strangers.
"Well, this turned out pretty great." Eren said as Levi finally took the seat next to him on the couch.
A quick, "Hmm," was all Levi gave his husband in response, but it was enough. They watched as Mei and Rei played with their new gifts. Erwin had given them each a 'Fucking Nintendo 3Ds,' as Levi had said in an astonished whisper when Mei ripped the wrapping off her new gaming device. Rei scampered over to Armin with the Jr. Chemistry kit Hanji had given them which, thank God, didn't contained any dangerous chemicals but basic ingredients to make goop and gummy candies. He was still clutching the bear Mikasa had given him in one of his tiny arms. Beside them, Mei and Hanji were hitting it off, the two hyper-active females seemed to be trying to outdo the other's excitement and it was definitely a sight to behold.
He felt Eren's hand on his, "They look happy, don't they?"
Levi turned to look at the messy-haired brunet by his side and let a small smile slip. The idiot wasn't looking at him. His turquoise gaze was focused on the kids and their friends playing in the living room. His face was set in a contented smile that was reflected in his eyes and the dried frosting on the back of his head enhanced the moment rather than ruined it.
Levi's smile turned into a smirk as he reached out to try and remove some of the sugary substance from Eren's hair, "You sure look happy for an idiot with frosting in his hair, but I suppose ignorance is bliss."
Eren rolled his eyes but couldn't help the light blush that spread on his face, "Thanks for telling me earlier," he replied.
"Brats should make sure not to get this stuff in their hair in the first place," he said as he continued to fiddle with Eren's hair, "Besides, you didn't ask."
"Oh, okay. I'll make sure to add that to the list of things to ask you before company comes over."
"Brats shouldn't be cheeky unless they wanna cut onions until they're 50," Levi replied in a monotone in response to Eren's boldness.
"But aren't you happy with this brat?" Eren asked with a playful grin, so reminiscent of the earlier years of their relationship. And to think, now they had a family together.
Before Eren could add anything more, Levi captured his lips.
The increasingly familiar chorus of, "Ew," was amplified by the addition of Hanji's voice as the two men became aware of their small audience. However, the corners of Levi's lips turned up and he did not pull away.
Yes, this was what you would call, happiness.
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A/N: That turned out so much fluffier than I imagined. XD Hope you all liked it! Next chapter will be the adoption.