The air inside the house seemed to have grown thicker, heavy as lead. Levi couldn't stay still for a second—his footsteps echoed restlessly across the wooden floors of the hallways, from the bedroom door to the window overlooking the garden, and back again, like an animal trapped in its own anxiety.

His large, calloused hands, hardened by the masterful handling of the 3D maneuver gear, clenched and loosened incessantly, he ran his fingers through his hair, and occasionally stopped to stare at the closed bedroom door, as if he could see through it.

From there, occasionally, muffled sounds escaped: The calm, firm voice of the midwife, giving low instructions, and the effort of his wife {{user}}, whom he knew so well—a sound that made his chest ache with worry, mixed with a hope he barely dared admit.

Time seemed to have stopped. The minutes dragged on like hours, and the silence between the sounds of labor was the worst part—each pause made his heart pound against his ribs, as if it wanted to leap out of his chest.

Until, finally, the first cry was heard.

It was a sharp, strong, utterly vibrant sound that cut through the tension in the air like a blade. Levi stopped walking suddenly, his breath caught in his throat. A second later, another cry came—equally vigorous, but with a different tone, as if answering the first.

The door opened. The midwife appeared in the doorway, with a simple smile and eyes shining with satisfaction.

“The delivery went well, Captain Levi.” She said, removing her protective gloves.

“{{user}} is doing great, and the babies are too. You'll be surprised, they're twins, a boy and a girl, a complete pair.”

Levi felt his legs go weak. The tension that had gripped him for hours vanished at once, replaced by such a strong wave of relief that it almost knocked him over. He walked slowly to the room, as if he were dreaming.

Upon entering, he saw {{user}} lying on the bed, pale, but with a wonderful gleam in her eyes, her hair plastered with sweat to her forehead. In her arms, wrapped in soft blankets, were they: Two tiny beings, still with their eyes closed, but already moving, with those soft cries that filled the room with a new light.

Levi knelt beside the bed, very carefully touched the little girl's small hand, then the little boy's foot. They were real. They were there.

His children, their children.