#darlingrimm

[dessarps-blog]

“Does it hurt?” // “You need to rest.” // “I want to feel it kick.” // “Can I feel the bump?” // “I think I’m pregnant.” // “The baby is yours.” // “We can try again.” // “I’m pregnant. What’s your excuse?”

“Does it hurt?” [Honiper]

Juniper was laying on her back in their bed, one hand resting almost uncomfortably on top of her stomach. She couldn’t seem to get comfortable no matter how she shifted, as was evident by Honor’s question. She wouldn’t stay still, and to have finally given up with just a hand on her stomach and a huff toward the ceiling, was concerning him. What if something was going wrong, after all? Juniper was young, as was he, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if something did go wrong already.

If anything, though, she just looked tired at his question, and when she turned her head toward him, he felt a bit foolish for asking in the first place. “It doesn’t hurt,” she offered softly. “It’s just uncomfortable. It’s weird, not being able to sleep on my stomach like I usually do.” That would make sense, of course. That there was a child inside her stomach meant she couldn’t lay any way that she wanted. And he knew as well as she did that she kept to her stomach normally when she fell asleep, even when she woke up differently.

It was still odd, in all honesty, that the bedroom they were in was now both of theirs, that the bed they were in was both of theirs. It was a shared space now, even though Juniper still had her own room, and it was clear to him that part of the discomfort for her laid in that as much as it laid in her inability to shift how she wanted to. Honor hoped she would adjust to that soon, that it wouldn’t make things even more difficult as time went on and they got older together. That the coming baby wouldn’t prove they didn’t work as well as they thought.

And so, in a soft show of affection, he shifted over closer to her to offer up his arm to prop her head up with. His other hand moved to rest on top of hers, and Juniper looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, though there was a hint of a grin there too. She was challenging him, as she always did, but she was accepting the affection at the same time. maybe it was making her a little more comfortable, he thought, even if she wasn’t saying as much for his sake. She was showing it, somewhat. “Can I do anything for you?”

“I’m okay,” she promised in return, shaking her head as she shifted to settle as best she could. “I’m gonna be a little uncomfortable no matter what, until I get used to this sleeping differently thing. Don’t worry so much.” She knew, of course, that the statement she gave at the end wouldn’t work. Honor worried no matter what she did, and it was part of why she loved him so much. He was always concerned for her. But she tried it nonetheless. “You should get some sleep, you have class in the morning.”

“You need to rest.” [Darlingrimm]

Alexis almost looked irritated at Selwyn’s statement. Of course, he couldn’t blame her. For a girl that was so active normally to be put on bed rest must have been killing her, even if she knew it was needed. She hadn’t been on bed rest the first time, after all, even though she had chosen for her own sake to stay home after she hit the two month mark, and look at what had happened. She was going to listen to the doctors, even if she didn’t especially want to at the moment, and Selwyn knew it.

But that didn’t make her less irritated about it, and as her arms crossed over her chest, he found a slight fond look crossing his face. There was the girl he had fallen so in love with, the strong spirit with too much energy in her to listen when anyone told her to relax and take it easy. She was still listening, of course, but she didn’t look happy about it anyway. “You know you have to relax,” he continued after a moment. “The doctors will lecture you if you don’t, and you’ve been doing stuff around the house all day.”

“I’ve barely done a thing,” she insisted, though he had known as soon as he walked in that she had been cleaning. The rooms were all vacuumed, the dishes all done, even the shelves were dusted, and Alexis hated dusting more than almost anything else, he knew. She had been pushing herself, and she knew it as well as he did. Which was why, when he gave her a challenging look, she looked away from him with the slightest hint of guilt on her face. “I couldn’t just stay in bed all day, now, could I?”

“You could,” he insisted. “Considering that’s what you’re supposed to be doing. You’re gonna push yourself too hard.” Of course, to do housework was hardly to push much, but he knew she had done more than she let on as well. The evidence that some things had been moved was in how clean the floors were, and he doubted she had gotten any of the stepping stools out to get to the higher shelves to dust. She had pushed, and she knew it as well as he did, even if she felt a little bad about it now.

“I was just antsy,” she returned with a sigh. “I needed to make everything a little cleaner.” She was nesting. That was what that meant, and though they had been warned that stage was coming, he wished she would at least accept a little bit of help when it came to it. She was going to overwork herself at this rate. “I didn’t move the really heavy stuff, at least,” she continued after a moment. “Maybe we can do that this weekend. Or you can, if you really want to make me rest. I just need to make sure it’s all clean. Again.”

“I want to feel it kick.” [Montilda]

It felt amazing to hear Montague say that, in all honesty. Matilda had never thought she would hear him say those words, that she would have a reason to walk over and settle in his lap to let him feel their child kick. She had been so sure, after being turned, that the opportunity would never come. But the words were spoken, soft even as they were insistent, and she found herself beaming as she settled comfortably, careful not to knock his book off of the arm of the chair as he let it go to touch her.

There had been a time once, she remembered, when she hadn’t wanted children. There had been a time when neither of them did, in fact. She could remember it rather clearly. They had both been young, her no more than fourteen, him no more than eighteen. They were traveling to find out more about the world, to discover whatever information they could find together. Matilda had been following her husband as much as she was trying to find out things for herself, to learn what her gender prevented her from doing.

And then had come Samson, and the attack. Then had come her losing herself in blood lust, their turning, the change in them that had come so suddenly, neither of them were entirely able to figure out how to deal with it at first. Then had come the realization that neither of them would ever be able to have a child now, even if they had wanted it. They could have started a family before, ages before their lives were turned into eternal ones, and yet… Yet, they hadn’t wanted it. And then it was taken from them, ripped from their future grasps.

It was still amazing to them both that they could do this now, that they could feel this together. With her hand resting on top of her husband’s, Matilda looked down at her stomach and waited in silence until she finally felt the kick under their hands. It took a few minutes sometimes. Sometimes, their child was barely active at all, hardly moving. Other times, like today, all it took was a press, and in moments they would feel the movement together. It always drew a beaming smile to her face, even when uncomfortable.

“I still cannot believe this is ours,” Montague offered softly, and Matilda looked up at him with a nod of agreement. “I am so… excited.” Excited. That was a word she could rarely use to describe her husband, unless it came from some kind of informational book, but a word she loved the sound of with regard to him nonetheless. Excitement over their child. She felt it too, of course, quite poignantly. “I cannot wait for it to be born. I feel as though this is a girl, did you know that? And we should try to have a boy as well.”

“Can I feel the bump?” [Willis]

That Will asked before reaching out to do so of his own accord was, admittedly, a little bit of a surprise. Normally, he was physically affectionate without even pausing to doubt that Cris would want it. They were undoubtedly a physical couple, after all, and neither would generally refuse a touch from the other. Will had grown so used to that kind of affection that he rarely even asked to kiss him anymore, even when it was something like a kiss for luck before he ran out onto the field during a game.

He was being careful though, Cris knew, now that he was pregnant. He didn’t want to cause irritation, and Will had been even more careful than he had ever been when they were just dating – which really, was saying something, considering Will had always been so particular not to make Cris feel like he was pushing him into anything he didn’t want entirely. It was to the point that he didn’t touch his stomach now without asking, even though he had the clearest desire to do so nearly any time he saw him.

With a slight chuckle, Cris took one of Will’s hands and brought it over to rest on his slowly swelling stomach. He was still small yet, barely more than a slight bump showing his pregnancy even now, but he knew Will was excited even by that tiny bit. That his husband was so excited to have their child was, in all honesty, one of the things Cris loved most about him. It was adorable, in its own way, and he would enjoy the attention for all it was worth while it was there. Even if he was concerned a bit that it would fade when the child came.

“There’s barely anything to feel, you know,” he teased lightly, though he wouldn’t take that grin off of his husband’s face for anything. He loved the sight of it, even when it was an infuriating smirk instead of that loving grin. “Just wait. By the time I’m huge, you won’t want to feel it anymore, I bet.” Of course, he knew that wasn’t true. Will would want to feel the baby kick and remain his usual, affectionate self even when Cris just felt huge. He would tease, though. “Would you get the bump a package of yogurt from the fridge when you’re done?”

“I think I’m pregnant.” [Taywren]

Wren didn’t know why he wasn’t expecting that, in all honesty. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t been trying, after all. They had been trying for a child of their own since before they’d even adopted their first, but with all of the lack of success thus far, he had almost stopped thinking it was going to happen at all. It seemed fruitless, and he had come to the conclusion that one of them had something barring them from getting pregnant in the end. And so, the statement was a surprise over breakfast.

For a long moment, he just stared at her with wide eyes, and Taylor wondered if he was upset to finally hear it. Had he not really wanted to have a child of their own with her? Was two too many for him already? With a hint of uncertainty on her face, she hazarded another statement. “Wren? Are you okay?” She was expecting a jubilant hug, a show of great excitement, when she told him. Not shocked staring at her. “You know, my period wasn’t coming, and I haven’t taken a test yet, but it’s been over a month since it was overdue…”

She was trying to explain herself, to get that look of shock to ease and a look of excitement to rise in its place. She wondered if Wren realized that was what she was doing, if he realized she was so concerned over his lack of response that she was babbling now. He had to, didn’t he? He had to realize she was scared he was going to be upset. He had to realize, when the initial shock wore off, that he had put a seed of doubt into her over whether he really wanted this or not. If he wanted her or not, despite the years of marriage.

When he finally did snap out of it, it was a couple of minutes of her babbling later, and she was finally met with the excited grin she had been waiting for. He didn’t even bother to push his plate aside as he leaned over the table to kiss her, three times, before he even spoke. “We’re having a baby,” he said, beaming now. “When can you take a test? Or should we just go to the doctor and have them tell us? Either way, I mean, I’ll definitely go with you or buy the test or whatever you need. Holy shit.”

The knot in her stomach finally untied, and Taylor was beaming back at him with a laugh at his hurried questions. “I called the doctors already, relax,” she returned. “We’re going in tomorrow morning to find out for sure. But I’m like, almost positive that’s what this is. Remember how I started getting sick randomly a couple weeks ago?” She gave him only a moment to recall it, and then grinned a little wider. “I’m almost positive that’s what it is. It feels like it took forever, doesn’t it?”

“The baby is yours.” [Jelise]

Jerome stared at Elise in silence when she spoke. He had assumed, of course, that when she started gaining weight, she was pregnant. How could he not? She was having sex, he knew, and she was still pretty enough yet that she could have been a model if he hadn’t gotten her hooked on the all too addictive substances he so loved to deal out to his partners and clients alike. It wasn’t as though she was old enough to start getting the drug-induced weight gain in such a quick fashion.

But of course, he hadn’t thought it would be his. How could it be? While he certainly didn’t believe in condoms, he had been so sure she was on birth control. Who would have sex with someone like him without some kind of protection, after all? No one with a true level of intelligence, surely. Jerome had assumed Elise would put that together, at least, and that she wouldn’t go as far as to risk her own health just for the sake of having good sex with him. That she wouldn’t try to trap him with an infant.

She was pregnant, though. And that child was his. Did she really have no other partners? He had been so sure she was going to be sleeping with someone else… It wasn’t as though he was exclusive, after all. How many of his clients did he hook up with just for the sake of giving a slightly discounted hit, after all? Elise was young, though. Young, and naive enough to think that he was in love with her. He wasn’t, not by any means, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Especially not with the look she was giving him.

Slowly, he let out a breath and leaned his elbows forward onto his knees. “How far along are you?” he questioned first, trying to determine it just from looking at her. Far enough to show – three or four months, maybe? – but not far enough that her parents could assume it was pregnancy just yet. They would probably know already, given they were fae and she probably showed like one of them, but maybe not. “What are you going to do about it? Are you planning on keeping it, then, or are you getting rid of it?”

Elise looked practically insulted by the second question, entirely ignoring his first with her disdain for the second. He wondered if she was just against abortion as a rule, or if maybe she had assumed he would make an assumption for them both. “I’m keeping it,” she insisted. “Don’t you want to have a baby with me? I thought you would be excited.” Was that a hint of hurt under her disdain? Jerome thought it might be, but he wasn’t sorry about it. She couldn’t blame him. “I don’t know how far I am, anyway. I need to go to a doctor.”

“We can try again.” [Julienne]

“I don’t think we should, Bear.” Etienne was trying to keep the upset out of his voice, trying to make it as distant a statement as he could. He didn’t want his husband to know that he was undoubtedly going to turn out crying as soon as he was left to himself in his studio. He didn’t want him to know that there was a set of paintings he’d been working on that displayed a growing family, a hopeful set that he had started on after the doctor confirmed the pregnancy. He didn’t want him to know that he was going to scrap that as soon as they stopped talking.

“Babe, it wasn’t… It was just bad luck. I don’t think we should try again immediately or anything, but…” Julien had been so hopeful. He was so ready for another child of his own, now that all of the kids were moved out of the house or starting their own lives. Etienne could feel the disappointment across the room, and it just made the ache in his own chest worse. “Just don’t cut out the possibility, yeah? It might go better next time. The doctor was as surprised as we are, that means it could still go well.”

They both knew it couldn’t, though. Or that it likely wouldn’t, as Etienne had heard the doctor say over the phone when he’d called in a panic over the bleeding. He hadn’t told Julien that part. It was easier not to tell him that, not to tell him that the doctors didn’t even think he should get pregnant again. He didn’t know for now that there wasn’t the kind of hope he held onto. They might adopt another child eventually, or Julien might be able to get pregnant and actually keep a child, but Etienne… He was too scared at the moment.

“We’ll see,” he finally offered with a slight shake of his head. Julien knew what that meant. Julien knew that shake meant Etienne wasn’t even really open to the possibility, that he was too upset at the loss to really consider trying again. And really, he couldn’t blame him. He didn’t even know if he wanted to risk it again, not with the way that Etienne was closing himself off already, tightening his arms over his chest to try and ease the way it seemed to hurt. It wouldn’t ease it, not for some time, he knew. But he was trying.

“Can I do anything?” It was a desperate kind of question. Julien was never sure if he could do much for Etienne, especially now. His husband was closing off, and Julien wouldn’t be able to break through soon. He watched quietly as Etienne seemed to think, and the ultimately shake his head and reach a hand up to fidget with the top of his wing. “I can go into the studio with you, if you don’t want to be alone. Would that help?” Another shake of his head, and Etienne just gave him a sad look. “I’m sorry,” he returned with a sigh. “I love you.”

“I’m pregnant. What’s your excuse?” [Charyan]

Charis’s comment was expected, of course. If she hadn’t sassed Ryan for calling her out on being pissy, she just wouldn’t be herself. He would be perhaps a little bit legitimately worried, if that was the case. That in and of itself was a rarity, really, and perhaps a sign that he actually did care about his wife and the fact that she was pregnant with his child. Not that he would admit that, of course. He would never admit to any kind of vulnerability, any kind of rawness that could be used against him. He didn’t believe he felt those things.

But Charis had been so tired lately, so closed off, that he wondered if something was actually wrong. Perhaps being pregnant had really messed her up, and she was turning into someone that wouldn’t be with someone like him. He wouldn’t blame her, admittedly. He wasn’t loving by any means, and in most cases, he hardly took care of her. He hardly took care of himself, in all honesty, let alone his wife. But he would hate himself a little more if that was actually the case. And so he’d poked, trying to draw a little bit of her out of herself again.

A grin turned up the corners of his lips at her retort, and he moved away from the counter in the kitchen to hold out a bowl of food to her. For once, it was something that had clearly taken a little bit of effort, something that didn’t even include some kind of meat that she wouldn’t be willing to eat. It was just a good meal, something he had clearly gone through some kind of work to get for her, let alone to have cooked it for her as well. It made her pause for a moment, surprised, before she reached a hand out to take it.

“I don’t need an excuse,” he finally said, moving to sit next to her on the couch and lounge back. She was starting to show now, to a point that just thinking she had eaten a little too much didn’t cover it anymore. That was his child in there, his pup if it came out as a werewolf. His boy, he was sure. It wouldn’t be a girl – something in him was positive, somehow, that it wouldn’t be. He couldn’t even say what it was, but something in him was sure. Maybe it was in how she smelled already. Who knew?

“You just don’t have one,” she retorted, though it wasn’t as barbed as the initial comment had been. It was a little softer, a little more open since he had clearly tried for her sake this time. Just a little bit, admittedly, but a little bit was more than nothing, and Ryan felt his grin turning up a little more. “Where did you even get the money for this? I didn’t see you taking jobs this week.” She only paused for a minute to see if he would answer before changing her mind. “Don’t tell me. I’m finally not feeling like shit, I don’t want to get nauseous again.”

[dessarps-blog]

“Did you just say you’re pregnant?” // “The doctor said this might help with the morning sickness…” // “You mean I’m going to be a father?” // “I really like this color for the nursery, what do you think?” // “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?” // “I can’t believe we’re finally going to have a baby.” //

“Did you just say you’re pregnant?” (Devmond)

“Did I stutter?” The tone in her voice was obvious irritation, but there was something there that he didn’t recognize. Something about it wasn’t her usual, brash, overly confident manner. Something wasn’t the same as the girl he had taken to bed before, the girl he spoke to so freely on set. Something in Cadence’s tone was off, and Thomas didn’t know if he was just searching for that, searching for some kind of tremor, or if he really heard it. He couldn’t believe he was imagining it, though.

Cadence still looked irritated, though, and she didn’t let him speak after his moment of shock, instead continuing. “I’m going to get rid of it, so don’t worry about it. I’m just informing you so that you know, in case someone gets pictures of me going into or out of the clinic or something. I already have an appointment in place, I just have to go to it over the weekend, and I should be able to avoid being seen. But if I can’t, you know your little wife is going to know what’s going on.”

Thomas wasn’t sure why he wasn’t expecting that. Cadence didn’t love him, and he knew it. As much as it stung to admit, even to himself, she had never loved him. She enjoyed the sex, certainly, but there would be no romance lost between them when the appointment was complete. The thought that she could so easily get rid of their child, though, and that she would do so with no hesitation… It certainly stung, and the knowledge that he couldn’t rightly stop her just made it that much worse.

Sylvie would lose it if she knew. Not in anger, of course. She would do nothing but cry for weeks, and he would never be able to forgive himself for hurting her that way. If she found out about the affair in the first place, that would be bad enough, but to have living proof of it that Thomas wouldn’t even be able to keep himself from seeing… Well. It would just hurt her even more, and he could feel the guilt welling up in his throat already. He could taste it in the back of his mouth with copper clarity.

Still, he couldn’t help himself from saying what he did. The quiet, “I wish you wouldn’t,” was past his lips before he could stop it, and he was surprised to see Cadence stop in her steps, to see her turn slightly toward him for a moment, as though considering his words. When she spoke in return, it was quiet. “I’ll be off the Island for a few months after the appointment. I leave for my movie in the States on Sunday. Don’t wait up to hear anything back. I’ll take care of it.”

“The doctor said this might help with the morning sickness…” (Pyrien)

Pyxis didn’t know if he believed that. The way his stomach was churning, he was positive he would never be able to eat again. It was like an awful flu, the kind of flu that put you into the hospital for an afternoon with dehydration by the time you passed the second day, and he didn’t think he was ever going to get past it. Something in him had thought at first that something was wrong with the baby. He had been convinced of that, as a matter of fact, and had almost made Laurien take him to the doctor.

It was Laurien’s luck, really, that had him agree to just calling the office to see if they had any suggestions. Holding his hand out, Pyxis took the dissolving tablet from his husband’s hand, popping it into his mouth before he moved back to lean against the tub again. It was easy enough from here to just lean forward and throw up again, and as long as he didn’t smell the coffee in the kitchen, the coffee that he so loved in the morning, he seemed to be alright. For the moment, at least.

“I swear to god, if it’s always this bad, I’m just going to die,” he muttered dramatically, looking up as Laurien moved to sit down next to him. “I’m just going to die, Laurien. This is awful.” Of course, the fault for that didn’t lay with Laurien. Neither of them could have known his morning sickness would be this awful. Pyxis’s first pregnancy had gone so smoothly, and that the second one was going so awfully – at least in the sense of his sickness – was a shock to them and their doctor alike.

Laurien gave a slight chuckle, though, and carded a hand through Pyxis’s hair when he settled. “You’re not going to die,” he returned, though his laugh earned him a half-hearted glare from the brunet. “You’ll be fine in an hour. Once the morning sickness passes, it’ll be fine.” Of course, that was assuming Pyxis didn’t get his mother’s penchant for evening sickness as well. But Laurien wasn’t going to bring that up now. Fatimah had come so easily, surely this child would be easier when he adjusted to his nausea.

Pyxis groaned and tilted his head back against the closed shower doors, letting his eyes shut. “Whatever this was, it’s kind of weird. It tastes fruity. What the hell is this even?” he questioned, tilting his head toward Laurien when he rested a cool hand on his forehead. “This is that flight stuff, isn’t it. Drama-something. If I have to take this every morning, I hope you know it’ll probably start to make me sick too. Just from having it so much. This is gonna pass in like a month, right?”

“You mean I’m going to be a father?” (Farrasmus)

Erasmus sounded so surprised that Farrah gave a laugh at his question, nodding her approval. Of course, she couldn’t blame him for being surprised. She was surprised herself, as the doctor had been when she told her the results of her blood testing for the year. It wasn’t something either of them were trying for, or something either of them were particularly ready for, she was fairly certain. But maybe, just maybe, it was going to be a good thing anyway. If luck was with them.

“She had me set up an appointment for an early ultrasound, but she said that’s probably what my weight gain is,” she explained with a slight shrug, reaching out to take one of her husband’s hands. Things lately seemed to be so on the fence for them, so uncertain whether they were going to continue to work together as they got older, but it seemed like maybe, this could be a fresh breath for them. A thing to bond over again, to remind them of why they loved one another in the first place.

That was what Farrah was hoping, at least, as she watched Erasmus’s face pass through the same emotions she’d had when she’d first been told. There was the plain shock, that had started right with his question. There was the nervousness, and the worry, and the outright fear. Farrah’s had been over whether she would really be a good mother, over whether she was ready to have a child, whether she and Erasmus were going to last even after they had a child together. Whether their child would grow up in a split home.

And then, slowly but definitively, came the smile she had been waiting for. Erasmus didn’t look quite as beaming as she was, yet, but he was definitely happy, and he moved his free hand over to her stomach with a low laugh. “I’m going to be a father. You’re not kidding, right?” He could never be sure with his wife. Sometimes her social experiments for the sake of journalism went too far. But the smile on his face did suggest honesty, and he couldn’t help but be a little bit excited as well.

“When is the ultrasound? Will they give you a copy of it to take home?” he started, only moments after that initial question. He hadn’t even given Farrah time to answer, and she found herself letting out another soft laugh and a nod to indicate approval of the latter question. “We’ll have to start looking at houses. We need something bigger if we’re going to have a kid. This is almost too tiny for just us, let alone another person. And you’ll have to figure out when you can take off work.”

“I really like this color for the nursery, what do you think?” (Corchette)

Tyler was looking over a ledger for the bar when Laurent spoke up, and at first, he gave nothing but a noncommittal hum. He wasn’t really listening, his husband knew. Sometimes, when he was deep in work, Laurent would start testing just how much he was listening by saying more and more outrageous things. When he started just getting hums, he knew, it was Tyler being too distracted to notice what he was talking about. Not that he minded that, of course. It was just amusing.

And so, with a slight chuckle, he moved over to his husband and slowly slid the paint chart in front of his paperwork. “I only need you for like a minute,” he promised. “I’m gonna start painting the nursery today, I think. But I want your opinion on the color. I’m thinking about this one. Gender neutral, light, something that can work for either gender, or for multiples, if we should have that kind of luck. What do you think of it?” It was a nice, pale green, barely away from white and easy to make designs over.

“I have an idea for something pretty to do for a border too, something with rainbow colored wings. And I was starting to think about a mural, but I haven’t actually thought much on that yet. I only really paint dark stuff, you know? So doing something light like this, something kid friendly… it’s a little different. Definitely not what I’m usually working with. So I’m still working it out. I’m gonna ask Papa Etienne his opinion when I see him later this week to drop off gallery pieces, but yeah. This is my start.”

Tyler was still only half listening, Laurent knew. Whenever he went off into his art talk, Tyler would let him ramble on as much as he wanted to, and he did enjoy looking at the pieces when they were finished. It was something that he had been attracted to in the first place, after all. But when he got going into the technical side of things, it went right over his head, and Laurent would lose him in moments. He didn’t mind it, of course. It was just something he knew, something he had known since the beginning.

After a minute or so of staring at the patch Laurent was pointing to, Tyler finally lifted a hand and pointed to the one above it, one that was a little more green and less white. “I think this one would be nicer,” he offered, looking up at his husband with a slight grin. “I can barely tell that one is green. This one, or the blue one right next to it. If you did the blue, you could do like, clouds and flying things, since you’re doing wings for the border. I think.” He shrugged a shoulder, dismissing his own thought. “But I like yours too.”

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?” (Pleione & Atlas)

Pleione was still staring at herself in the mirror, trying to decide if she looked pregnant or not, when Atlas’s voice sounded from her door, making her jump and move away from the betraying surface. It was getting hard to hide now. She had to get rid of this soon, or she was going to disappoint her parents. She didn’t even want to tell them who the father was. It was a teacher, after all, and she couldn’t risk getting him fired. Not when it was her own fault she had gotten pregnant in the first place.

With a frown, she glanced toward the open hall, and then moved both hands, one moving Atlas further into the room and the other pushing the door shut and locked. She didn’t need any of her other siblings coming around now, or her cousins for that matter, and hearing whatever conversation they were about to have. She wasn’t sure she wanted to tell Atlas the truth, after all, but she had helped the other girl with her makeup and gotten her outfit better the week before… Maybe she could trust her.

But a maybe wasn’t good enough. Turning back toward the mirror, she started adjusting her shirt with silent concealing charms, making sure it hid from all angles. “I’m not pregnant,” she insisted quietly. “I’m just gaining weight or something. I don’t know what’s happening. I just don’t want to look fat when I’m going out with my friends tonight.” It almost sounded like a good lie. Almost, if it weren’t all centered in her lower belly, and if Pleione weren’t one of the more active children in the house.

Which, she knew, was why Atlas scoffed, even as she sat on the edge of her sister’s bed. “You’re not lying well,” she returned, intentionally sounding as mocking as possible. She didn’t always like Pleione, and she was sure they would never be friends, but if Pleione knew her secret, she was certainly going to have one of her own to hold over her sister. Even if it was only going to last for a short time, as it seemed she was going to be rid of what she likely thought of as a problem soon. “You didn’t answer me.”

Another frown was sent in her sister’s direction, and Pleione took a long moment before she turned back toward her. The concealing charms had done their job, at least. It was impossible to tell, even when she was walking, that there was any baby bump there at all. “I don’t know, no. And I’m not going to. By next weekend, it won’t be a problem. And that means mom and dad are never going to know it was even a question either, right?” The look was a warning, but in her eyes, Atlas could see the plea. “They don’t need to.”

“I can’t believe we’re finally going to have a baby.” (Darlingrimm)

The surprise, almost awe, in Selwyn’s voice was enough to make the smile spread back across Alexis’s face as she shifted over, settling in with her head against his chest now. It was something they had given up on, something they had tried for but failed at so many times already. Alexis had started to think something was wrong with one of them, and had considered going in for testing, until she finally got that little pink plus sign. The positive proof that she was, in fact, bearing his child.

With a soft sigh, a happy one, she hummed her agreement. “It seems like it took forever. I can’t believe I’m finally pregnant. I was starting to think it would never happen.” She glanced down briefly, when one of his hands moved from her side to rest on top of her stomach, and smiled a little wider at the sight. It was such an easy affection, but they had been trying for so long already, and to finally get the result they so desperately wanted… Well, could anyone blame her being excited?

Selwyn tilted his head up and pressed a kiss against her forehead before settling back again, letting his eyes close. “We’ll get a nursery set up once you’re past month three,” he offered. “Did the doctor say when she could get you in? You told me earlier, but I was a little too distracted to actually absorb the information.” He gave a slight, embarrassed laugh at that, shaking his head at himself. So distracted by the positive news that he hadn’t listened to the important bits that came afterward.

“Mm, day after tomorrow. She pushed me in early to make sure the test was right, and to get an initial ultrasound. If you come with me, she said we can hear the baby’s heartbeat.” Alexis was most excited about that, in all honesty. Hearing the heartbeat of the tiny, living thing inside of her, the thing that was soon going to be a baby, if things went properly. She was beyond ready to hear that already, and to get the confirmation that their child was, in fact, going to be coming sometime soon.

Of course, that didn’t explain the small knot in the pit of her stomach. The small voice inside her that warned that something could still go wrong wouldn’t be so easily silenced, after all. She wouldn’t succumb to it now, though. Now was the time for excitement, and she let it drop away with a shift up to press a kiss against Selwyn’s lips. “Do you think we can get Hal to paint some nice scripture on one of the walls of the nursery or something? For good luck and all that jazz.”