Cecilia - Eight months old
Wilhelm - Seven months old
Aaliyah - Seven months old
Réka - Nine months

Aili was toddling around, the sun playing on her light blond locks of hair that had gone from the soft blonde coloring of her mother and had tinted light like her father's instead. Her large mismatched eyes took in everything around her as she toddled and ran to the living room squealing with joy when she tried throwing herself on the couch and then gave up when it tired her out. She toddled into the kitchen, Finland cooking some soup for lunch for himself as Sweden was at work per usual, and her own little bowl was out.

Finland looked down at his daughter and smiled at her. "Moi moi, darling~ Are you hungry? Mama is finishing up cooking and I'll get you all situated in just a few moments~" She stared up then lifted her small arms whining as she wobbled while bouncing up on her toes and Finland smiled leaning down picking her up. "Alright, I'll hold you~" He rubbed his cheek against her silky hair and she closed her eyes leaning into his cheek rubbing like a cat and he giggled.

She then pulled back and pulled on his cheeks, giggling happily, sounding just like Finland and stretched his face. She seemed to enjoy this with her one year old amusement being nearly anything that looked funny or felt strange. She looked at the ground after a moment and pointed when she was put down. Finland smiled when he watched his daughter run to the living room cutely, the ends of her dress swishing and her hair bouncing lightly, he felt warmth filling his chest.

Lately they, meaning him and Sweden, were waiting for Aili's first words and it was an eager event. They'd had Helena over, babbling for Mama or Daddy, food, fork and toy, the vocabulary now large for the one year old, though she normally liked saying Mama and Daddy followed by food which was just precious. Finland loved his granddaughter with a fierce edge and that's what he thought of her - his granddaughter.

At first Finland and Sweden worried that Aili was behind even if she matured into the body of a one year old after just nine months but the doctor assured them that, even though she matured so quick, her vocabulary would be catching up just as fast and everything was just fine. Her motor functions, head functions and just bodily functions were in perfect condition but she never spoke, not yet, just pointed at what she wanted or she'd start shrieking and crying when no one noticed. It concerned Finland and the doctor did assure him that because he was Aili's mother, came from his body, that he'd have more anxieties and it was perfectly natural and that Aili was going to speak any day now and it'd be a moment they never expected.

Finland just imagined it was because Sweden, being a very quiet person for the longest time, one who barely spoke, that his daughter would be the same way but it still gripped him with it, his heart pounding out of nowhere, hands sweaty and stomach threatening to revolt all food and he'd have to distract himself but the anxiety still found him. Uncertainties that his daughter wasn't fine, that she was delayed, that something was wrong, but Sweden helped him combat by keeping him "busy" when Aili was napping or sleeping.

He just needed to keep in mind that his baby was okay. He took a deep breath, his chest suddenly tight and the anxiety flooding like a slow water rising and he swallowed thickly closing his eyes. He stirred the soup and tried to calm down but being the mother he was he just couldn't and it beat at him until he noticed his hand lightly shaking. That is until he heard light padding feet behind him and running up to his leg, feeling her tiny hand gripping onto his pant legs staring up at him, her left eye the green-blue of her father that seemed to grow a little darker each time he looked at it, her right eye the bright violet of his own that seemed to darken just a touch but not by much.

They still matched, in darkness, but that hadn't changed like some doctors thought they would. That her left eye would eventually balance out and turn violet or her right eye balance out and turn green-blue. Finland himself would feel upset if they every changed, it was like seeing two pieces of him and his husband together in their baby. He turned his attention back to the soup, stirring so it wouldn't burn or something of the sort when Aili began tugging on his pants. He realized he needed to add a few carrots and shifted to the cutting board, to the already peeled carrots, and started chopping when Aili started tugging on his pants again. He looked down at her face, stopping from chopping, her face frustrated.

"I can't pick you up just yet, darling, Mama has to chop these up for the soup." Finland said in response to her frustration and turned his attention back to the two carrots, one half chopped the other still intact, and finished up chopping the current carrot, cut up the other one and got half way before Aili wailed wordlessly with her frustration, her eyes tight with it."I'm sorry, darling! Let Mama get this in the pot and I'll pick you up in one second!"

Aili's face was contorted with her frustration, tears beginning to well in her eyes for no real reason other than herself. Finland grimaced softly when he put the knife in the sink and threw ends of said carrots into the sink to throw away and was sliding the chunks of carrots into the soup carefully. Aili was so frustrated at Finland that she stomped a foot and when Finland turned the water on and running the cutting board under it to clean it quick was when Aili's frustration burst out and she shrieked loud but like every other episode Finland sighed and continued rinsing the board off in a few seconds, turned the water off.

Let alone to Finland's knowledge, Aili's mouth was opening and closing rapidly, every odd minutes like she was trying to choose what to say and stomped her bare foot before taking a deep breath and turned those shrieks into something. "Mama! " She screamed out finally with those frustrated tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared up at her mother who dropped the cutting board and whirled around looking down at his daughter who's frustrated melted away.

Finland gaped at his daughter for a few minutes who had more tears falling on her cheeks, red from pouting or frustration, he didn't know but he heard her whimper. "Did you just-"

She held her hands up and bounced on her toes whimpering and whining now with tears rolling down her cheeks and did it again. "Mama!" She whimpered until Finland bent down and picked her up and held her face against his shoulder, which she rubbed her wet cheek against. Sure, he hated she was crying but his anxiety? It all felt pointless. His daughter talked! She just talked! She just-

Oh. My. God. His mind seemed to freeze for a moment as he held the tiny girl a tiny bit tighter. His daughter just spoke!

"I'm home!" Sweden shouted idly like it was a habit as he took his coat off, the sun beginning to touch the horizon, three o'clock feeling much later than usual as he took his shoes off. He didn't hear much but whispering when little feet thumping to him got his attention and he hung up his coat only to turn to see Aili bouncing on her toes cutely. An action she was picking up to do more and more lately and it was just...so cute! He smiled softly. "Hello, Aili. Come to welcome me home?"

"Pappa!" She squealed then holding her hands up and began jumping on her toes cutely, her eyes wide and eager, her hands opening and closing as she giggled. Clearly in a better mood than he'd left her in this morning. "Pappa! Up! Up!"

Sweden walked past his daughter then who whined openly when he walked to the living room where Finland was just...beaming. He looked at Sweden who looked just as bewildered as he must have earlier when Aili walked in and began doing her little routine again. "Pappa! Up! Up! Pappa! Up!"

She did this until Sweden bent and picked her up holding her on his hip and brushing her little strands of light blonde hair away from her strangely sticky cheeks. He stared at Finland wide eyed then. "I know." Finland beamed when he stood up, clapping his hands excitedly."She's finally talking! All that anxiety feels stupid now! I'm so happy she's talking!"

"..." Sweden was struck silent when he looked at the little girl in his arms, her eyes staring back onto his with the intensity of a one year old. "I'm...shocked. I feel like I just missed a major milestone."

Finland seemed to understand before he started shaking his head and slid his arms around Sweden's waist softly. "It's okay! She only knows three words! Mama, Pappa and up! You'll help contribute to her vocabulary I'm sure of it! I just worry about being around Denmark, not going to lie, seeing as Norway called me up to say that Nikolai now calls someone an idiot if he doesn't get his way, which is strangely advanced for a one year old, but he no doubt learned it from Norway but he's learned another...bad word from Denmark."

"Oh yeah, we'll have to filter now, won't we?" Sweden remarked with a curious glint in his green-blue eyes that got Finland blinking then smiling softly. "I mean, we don't say those words rarely only if we're doing the do."

Finland snorted before he could help himself. "Doing the do. Is that what we'll call it from now on?"

"Possibly." Sweden had a little grin twitching at his lips that formed faintly and Finland smiled when Aili was sat down on the floor and she started playing with her colorful rings that made musical note sounds when placed in order and she laughed. "So, are we going to talk about how you took off to Norway's so suddenly a few days ago?"

Finland felt heat rush and burn in his cheeks at this and fidgeted softly. He then slid his arms from Sweden's waist to around his shoulders and felt Sweden's arms go around his waist instead and hug him lightly and slightly closer. "I'm sorry about that, Ber. I just...I didn't know what to do."

Sweden's stare was suddenly as powerful and intense as when Finland first took off with him from Denmark's and he swallowed nervously. "You didn't know what to do?" Sweden asked incredulously then with his brows pulling together tightly, a ripple in his normally smooth face.

"I know! I bugged you for a baby when Aili was still some months old, a baby herself, but when you asked me I panicked! Cause-Cause she was growing so much and I wanted another baby to have then! I was desperate and wanted one more than anything but I realized then, after a while, I wanted one so bad because...well what if we have the same bad luck? What if she's our only baby? I wanted to have another one as quickly as possible and that was wrong. But when you asked me so suddenly, when she was just learning how to walk, you took me off guard and I had to talk to Norway about it." Finland babbled helplessly looking at Sweden's chest then with that heat burning in his face and he couldn't bear bringing his eyes up to Sweden's strangely intense green-blue eyes now. "And-And he told me it's okay I don't want another baby right now and-"

Sweden lightly shook Finland making him stop and hug him so tight Finland could return the favor but with his strength he feared hurting his husband but hugged him back tight. "Finland," He twitched at the use of his national name. "say what you just said right in that sentence. About what Norway told you."

Finland thought then swallowed nervously again, despite his mouth being drier than a desert in that moment and looked up at Sweden. He took a minute then blew out a breath and spoke. "I don't want another baby." He stated slowly, hesitantly, when he jerked in surprise at the soft smile on Sweden's face then and the kiss pressed to his forehead. "Huh?"

"It's okay, Tino. We don't need to have another baby, I only asked how you would feel about another baby. I understand your decision." Sweden murmured against his hot forehead, the blush seeming to spread all over his face at this when Sweden smiled softly pulling back a bit."So, we focus on Aili. No more babies. For right now."

"So...some other time we can try? When she's, say, four or five?" Finland asked staring up at his husband who smiled softly still, the smile so soft Finland couldn't help but admire it and nearly gaped. That is until the kiss softly pressing on his lips paused him from doing any sort of action, his hands holding onto his shoulders at the suddenness of the kiss but it felt like it started as soon as it ended. He was pulling away too soon but Sweden still had that soft smile on his face.

"When she is older, if you feel like having another baby we can. But for now this is enough, you, me and Aili. Plus Peter and Erland, if you count them as our sons and their daughter, Helena." Sweden replied then stroked Finland's bangs from his hot forehead, the blush still as hot as it began and all the way to the hairline and he smiled a little more. "But how about a switch in bedroom positions tonight? To make you feel better?"

Finland jerked with a widening of his violet eyes, that stood out bright against the cherry red of his face. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak, only make high pitch squeaking noises that made Sweden strangely grin then pull away, Finland's arms still held open like Sweden was still there or he was put on pause. Sweden then bent down and picked up Aili who squealed and giggled holding on his shirt tightly, her mismatched eyes glowing happily when Sweden swung her onto his hip and he grinned at Finland who stared with wide eyes at his husband still.

"I'll go and make dinner~" And he turned on his heel, Aili giggling, while leaving behind the red faced Finland who seemed more shocked and frozen than anyone anticipated him ever being.