Dad!Rafayel takes the baby to the shore the second he can. You nearly scream when he all but tosses them in the water. You’re about to jump in after them when you see the little fish tail peak out of the waves.
Dad!Rafayel teaches the baby siren songs before they even know human words. The baby’s first word is in Lumerian. He makes sure they know the language as much as they know English.
Dad!Rafayel likes to finger paint with the baby. By the time they’re three, there’s more of their art on the walls of your home than his own.
Dad!Rafayel often takes the baby into the sea and just swims around with them. He holds their little blubbery body against his chest and lets the current take them far from land. Sometimes you come along on a rowboat. They remind you of otters floating on the water’s surface together.
Dad!Rafayel has entire sketchbooks of the baby. Every year he paints a new portrait of them. He sticks it in the same frame. By the time they’re an adult, you could pop open the frame and watch the baby slowly grow up through their portraits.
Dad!Rafayel hates how dramatic the baby is. He has no idea where they get it from. The first time they throw a toy car at his head because they’re not getting their way, he’s shocked. You immediately start laughing.
Dad!Rafayel enjoys taking baths with the baby. He spends half his day in the bath and now so do they. Your home has a huge tub and you often hear them giggling together under the mountain of bubbles.
Dad!Rafayel sees so much of you in the baby. So much of your drive, your ferocity, your zest for life in such a tiny package. When he sees you two together, he knows he’d drown the world if it meant keeping you both safe.