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"You have your bag… you have your coat… oh let's get a quick photo," Weiss decided.
"Mom," Nebel whined.
"Just a quick photo. Come on, it's your first day of school. Let's commemorate," Ruby agreed. She pulled out her scroll. "Stand by the front door."
Nebel sighed and walked over to the front door. Ruby knelt and turned her scroll sideways for some photographs. Weiss beamed down at Nebel from behind Ruby. Nebel was all dressed up and ready for his first day of school. I folded my arms and hovered behind Ruby. Ruby started taking photos.
"Big smile!" She said.
Nebel met my eyes. 'Save me, dad,' his eyes said.
I shook my head. "Smile for your mothers Nebel. Let them fuss over you. It's not every day you have your first day at school."
He gave a half-hearted smile.
"Come on. We'll be here as long as it takes. Smile for us," Weiss chimed.
Nebel gave a wider smile that was just as fake. Ruby kept taking photos.
"Alright, get in there Cloud," Ruby encouraged.
"Me?" I wondered.
She looked up at me from where she knelt. "Photos with your son. I want some pictures of you both. Some with all of us. First you. Then Weiss. Then me."
I stepped around her and towards my son. I stood behind him and put one hand down on his shoulder. I gave a little smile for Ruby and she took a half dozen photos of me with my eldest son. I ruffled his hair which was done up and spiky like mine. So I didn't really mess it up. It was impossible to really mess up.
"I'm going to be late," Nebel complained.
"No You won't. Hush," Weiss demanded. "Now me."
I rotated back out and Weiss wrapped Nebel in a hug from behind. She beamed at Ruby. Ruby snapped a few photos and Weiss kissed Nebel's cheek all while smiling and looking at the camera.
"Okay, my turn." Ruby stood up from where she knelt and walked over to Nebel. Nebel looked up at her as she wrapped him up in a side hug.
She handed Weiss her scroll and Weiss started taking photos of Ruby and Nebel standing by the door. Nebel rocked on his heels impatiently.
"Come on mom," he whimpered.
"Okay. Okay, you're off with Weiss. Have a good day at school. Make lots of friends and good choices," Ruby kissed him on the nose.
Weiss spun her keys around in her hands. Nebel Followed Weiss out to the garage and Ruby walked up to where I was standing with my arms folded. I watched him go. I was rooted to the spot. "He'll do fine," Ruby mumbled and she wrapped me up in a hug. I put one arm on her waist and the other on the back of her neck and pulled her into my chest. "I know you worry. But he's a bright young boy."
"I'm not worried about his marks. I'm worried he'll be alone," I murmured.
"He's sociable. Come on. Let's wave him off."
We stepped outside and waved goodbye to Weiss and Nebel as the drove off the long road to the frontage. I waved to my son through the window of the car but he didn't wave back. He was stone cold. I sighed a little as I watched him go. There he went. Off on his great big adventure. It was the first day of the rest of his life. I could only hope and pray that he would do well. And I didn't mean for just schooling. He was bright like his birth mother. He'd do fine in terms of marks. But if he took after me then he was setting himself up for a world of pain and hurt. I was the sort to make a heaven of hell and a hell out of heaven.
"You're worried," Ruby picked up immediately. I wasn't exactly hiding what I felt. I was broadcasting with my aura.
"Of course I'm worried. Look at how I handled school. If he's anything like me he will get hurt. And there's nothing I can even do about it."
"I think it's sweet," Ruby kissed my nose. She breezed a hand through my hair. I grumbled a little.
"How do I pass on my little wisdom about not ignoring friends? I feel helpless."
"You've done well with raising him but sometimes we have to let our babies out of the nest. And they could get hurt. This is true. But it's a part of life. Don't tell me you thought you could keep him nestled away forever."
"Not forever… just a little longer. Longer than this. I didn't think… I didn't think I'd even be around to have to deal with this. I thought I'd be gone by now. I know. I'm not supposed to talk about when I have to leave."
"You can. With this, it's okay," Ruby disagreed. "You thought you'd have left by now?"
"I did. I thought I'd have to leave part of the way through Nebel's pregnancy. I didn't think I'd be worried about him making friends beyond the abstract. I mean… I thought of what I'd leave behind. I thought about that much. But I didn't think I'd make it this far."
"And now that you have…?" Ruby pressed. She was still looking up at me with those bright grey eyes.
I looked away.
"Now that I have… now I don't really know how to handle myself. I'm in uncharted territory."
"But that's all of parenting. You've been in uncharted territory before."
"Not where my son could get hurt like this. Not when he could be… lonely. Like I was. What a terrible thing to be. Alone. I never want that for him."
"Nebel has his family too. He isn't alone like you were at Beacon."
"I suppose… you know family isn't the same as friends. A kid needs both."
"I like that you worry," Ruby mumbled. "I think it shows the way that you care. And you do care a lot."
I looked away. I wish I cared differently. Maybe if I was the sort of father who was emotionally distant I'd be free of this mess. Instead I was intertwined with all sorts of nasty feelings. And who needs that? But I wasn't that sort of father. I cared deeply for my son's well being and for his progress as a person. And maybe that sort of redeemed me. I was a bad person in a lot of respects but not in this. Maybe I should be a cold and distant father but that wasn't really my style. I liked ruffling my son's hair and pulling him close to me when he allowed it. High expectations were set up for him but also a great deal of support. I think that's the best way to raise a child. High performance, high affection. Maybe I was wrong and I was setting my son up for failure but it was what I saw in Ruby and she was a fantastic mother. It was in Weiss too and they both ran circles around me together. But at the end of the day I had to pick something and some way to motivate Nebel and high affection seemed to be it.
It still hurt me, though. It made me lay awake at night and worry about my son's future. And all my children really but with more going on in his life a great deal of concern was aimed at my eldest. And that was all I could really do. I could care a whole lot. I could put the time in and be there when he needed me. But I couldn't do more than that. No matter how hard I tried or wanted to. I also couldn't be his best friend though there was some desire in me for that. I wanted him to be able to share everything with me. But I just couldn't. I had to set limits on myself. And those limits hurt more than any other limit I had ever put on me. So now all I could do was watch and hope I hadn't set him up for failure with my affections. Maybe I should have been more distant as a parental figure and allowed his moms to be close to him. But it was too late for that now. And the way he admired me burned. He was starting to get a clearer picture of what I could do and that it wasn't really normal and he wanted to be like me. He wanted to be the kind of man I was. And that at once made my heart ache and beat faster. It made my head throb with worry. He wanted to be like me. He wanted all the heroics.
And all I could do was set him on the path I thought was best and guide him as best as I was able. I felt… so powerless at the same time I was incredibly potent. It was a disparate feeling.
"Wait a minute! Today is the first day of Beacon classes!" Ruby realized. "It's your birthday!"
"Didn't have a birth," I reminded her.
"You know what I mean. It's the day we decided to celebrate! I totally forgot! What with Nebel and all I totally spaced out."
"It's not a big deal," I denied.
"Shut up. This is serious," she shot back. "And I totally forgot! I'm so sorry."
"No problem. I should probably be going anyway," I returned. I had my responsibilities to the school to go and manage.
"We'll celebrate when you get home tonight, okay?" Ruby grabbed me by the hand.
"We don't have to," I shrugged. "Nebel is more important than my fake birthday."
She stamped her foot hard on the ground. "No. No! We'll do something. It's not just a stupid day. It matters."
"If you say so," I managed. "I need to go to work, Rubes. I'll be back tonight." Ruby pulled at her own hair by the fistful. "It's nothing to stress about. I pinkie promise."
"That's so you," Ruby mumbled. "It's as big of a deal as you are. And you are a very big deal to me."
"Nebel's first day at school is exciting. I don't blame you for losing track over what's basically a fake day to celebrate anyways. My son is more important."
"Oh! I wonder if Weiss forgot too! She's not usually the type but Nebel is distracting."
"It really doesn't matter sweetheart," I kept up. "We can celebrate in a week or a month or some other time. The day doesn't really matter."
"But we will celebrate. I demand it," Ruby narrowed her nostrils at me.
"Fine, fine. Sure. Whatever. I really need to go. I love you."
"I love you too, Cloud. I'll see you when you get home tonight. And after Nebel's first day."
I nodded. Weiss would be back but she didn't have to report to Beacon because there wouldn't be any classes today. She only did go every other day anyways even when classes were in session. So she could rest and relax at home and be fine. I knew she liked her days off and supporting Ruby around the house as she did. I had a few more responsibilities to Beacon which required that I be there to help out with initiation and watching the new students. Weiss didn't have any of that. So she helped rear the children.
And today was a big day. Weiss acted like she wasn't worried about Nebel but I could imagine her pacing around the house with anxiety about his big day. She tended to work herself up from time to time.
I walked outside and took off in flight to Beacon.
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Initiation days were tiring. Every year they were. Getting the freshmen set up and organized took time, effort, and energy. By the time I got home I was exhausted. But hey, at least I didn't have the night shift looking after the students this year. I just had the stress of the day to deal with. Which was more than enough as it turns out. I knew Glynda would be up late into the night dealing with all the paperwork and monitoring the students.
Not me though. I had children to get home to.
I landed back at my house easily enough. I adjusted my weapon on my back as I did.
I paced up to the entrance of the house and opened the door.
"Surprise!" Weiss was waiting there with balloons and party favors. My children swarmed in front of her.
"Sorprise!" Cherry mumbled.
I grinned and picked her up in my arms.
Weiss stepped forward and I kissed her on the cheek then the lips.
"Where's Ruby?" I asked.
"Making your cake," Weiss answered.
"This was sweet of you Weiss. I know Ruby forgot."
"Weiss forgot too!" Ruby called from the kitchen.
"I had all day to put at least something together for you." Weiss blushed a little.
"You forgot too? Say it isn't so."
"Oh shut up," Weiss smacked me on the chest and I got a quick taste of her aura. I kissed Cherry's cheek and set her down.
"So it's daddy's birthday?" Garnet wondered. "So weird. I know he must have one but it's weird to think about."
"And all this fuss over me this morning," Nebel grimaced. "You were happy to hide away. Weren't you dad?"
"Birthdays come and go but you only go off to school the first time once. It's important. Why what was wrong with letting your mothers fuss over you?"
"Hmm," Nebel growled. He ran a hand through his hair. "I find it suspicious is all."
"Well then be suspicious. How was school?"
"Long and boring," Nebel bemoaned. "Is it like that every day or just because it was my first day?"
"It can be like that. But not if you enjoy learning and the classes challenge you. Give it time to settle in. Then we can really complain," I answered. "I'm sure you will do well. Did you make new friends?"
"Maybe?" He answered. "It's hard to say so soon. There will be people I get along better with but that doesn't make them my friends."
"They can be. If you so choose. Just don't worry about converting the people you don't get along well with. Not everyone has to like you. That's the best lesson I can teach," I informed him.
"I can't wait until I get to go to school," Garnet chimed. "It sounds exciting!"
"We'll see if you can't keep that heat up," I managed.
"Yeah I think you say that now. But wait until your first day. With our moms fussing over you and making your hair exactly so."
"Who wouldn't want to play dress up?" Garnet fired back at Nebel.
"Me," Nebel managed.
"Well I do. And I won't let your negativity hold me down Nebel."
"When do we have school?" Citrone asked. He was referring to himself and his twin Cherry.
"Not for three more years," Weiss answered. "You still have plenty of time."
"Cake's done and dinner's ready!" Ruby shouted.
Carnal wobbled and got to her feet. Together we all made out way to the kitchen and dining room. Ruby set the table and the cake was chocolate and dinner was steaks.
I sat between my sons at the dinner table. The steaks and fresh vegetables were good and easy to cook so even Weiss and Ruby were able to pull it off. Cake was right up Ruby's ally and it was delicious rich chocolate.
I sighed. On the whole today had been a good day. Despite how busy it was and the worries I had about my eldest son.
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-WG