Taking Care of Reno: Advent Children
Chapter 17: The Homecoming
“Reno? Reno… can you hear me?”
“Hmph… Think you broke him.”
“Pathetic.”
“Rude… Help me with him, please. Elena, some water perhaps?”
Reno groaned as he struggled to make sense of the sudden flurry of activity surrounding him. When he at last opened his eyes, he found himself in one of the lobby’s comfortable leather chairs, with several familiar faces staring down at him in concern.
“… What happened?” he asked, still somewhat dazed. Rufus snorted in contempt.
“You fainted, you idiot. Some Turk…”
Someone placed a paper cup filled with water into his hand, and he absently took a sip… only to almost immediately choke as memory suddenly came flooding back.
“You’re pregnant?!” he sputtered, staring wide-eyed at Elena. Rude burst out laughing beside him, and even Tseng and Rufus began snickering loudly after a moment.
“Yeah…” she said with a smile as she nodded.
“You’re not fuckin’ with me… right?” the redhead inquired, which only made Rude laugh harder.
“I’m… pretty sure… that’s how she ended up… pregnant…” his partner managed, between gasps, which was enough to finally draw a real laugh from Tseng as well… though the Turk leader quickly regained his composure.
“It’s not a joke,” Elena replied, squeezing into the seat beside him, and wrapping her arms around her very shellshocked husband. “I went to see Dr. Ward right before we left for the crater to make an appointment with her. And… then I found out for sure a little later.”
“So… I’m… gonna be… a dad?”
Rufus rolled his eyes. “That is generally what one can infer when one’s wife is pregnant.”
Reno ignored him and leaned forward, capturing Elena’s lips with his. When he broke away, he was grinning widely.
“I’m gonna be a dad!” he repeated, and turned to look up at his fellow Turks, who were still hovering over him. “‘Lena’s gonna have a baby!”
His expression suddenly shifted to one of concern. “We gotta get stuff! Like a crib, ‘n bottles, ‘n toys, ‘n tiny little clothes, ‘n …”
“Perhaps we should get him home,” Tseng interjected, and smiled at Elena. “I believe Rude may have been correct in his earlier assessment. You broke him.”
“‘Lena?”
Elena gazed down at her husband, who was laying with his head on her lap, and smiled. She let her fingers glide tenderly through his hair, drawing a soft sigh from her lover.
“Yes?”
“How come ya didn’t tell me sooner? I mean… you had to’ve at least suspected for awhile if ya went to all the trouble of makin’ an appointment with the Doc.”
“I didn’t want you worried about it if it all turned out to be a false alarm,” she replied, and hesitated before adding, “And… maybe I was a little worried, too. We weren’t exactly planning this, after all. We’ve barely even talked about it until now. And you’ve never really said you wanted children.”
Reno looked up at her. “You thought I wouldn’t want it?” he asked, puzzled..
“A little.”
“… ‘Lena.”
“I know,” she said, still smiling. “Just me being paranoid. And a little terrified. I mean… you’ve got to be at least a little scared about being a father. Believe me, the idea of being a mother is just as scary.”
Reno lifted her hand and brought it to his lips, gently kissing each of the knuckles in turn.
“A little scared? ‘Lena, I’m scared shitless at the moment,” he snickered. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want this.”
He sat up and twisted around to face her, before pulling her into his lap. Elena leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing in content.
“I love you. And I’m going to love our baby. No matter how mind-numbingly terrifying the very idea is.”
Elena laughed. “And just what do you have to be terrified of? I’m the one who gets to spend the next nine months getting fat and swollen and grouchy.”
“Yeah… and I gotta survive the next nine months of you gettin’ fat and swollen and grouchy,” he teased, “… And then I gotta be a dad. Which is somethin’ I have absolutely no idea how to do.”
“I don’t know how to be a mom, either,” she pointed out.
“Yeah… but at least you remember havin’ one. I never even knew my dad, and I barely remember my mom. Tseng’s the closest thing I have to a parent… but unless we’re raisin’ this kid to be a Turk from birth, I’m not sure how much good that’s gonna do me.”
Elena kissed him and let her fingers twine into his hair.
“I guess we’ll just have to learn together, then.”
“Oh, for Ramuh’s sake… If this gets any more maudlin I’m going to vomit,” Rufus stated as he wandered into the front room.
The pair looked up from their position on the couch, apparently having forgotten they weren’t alone in the lodge.
“… Which would be extremely unfortunate, as Rude has requested I inform everyone that dinner is ready,” he continued. “I can only assume he meant you as well, even though you seem perfectly content feasting upon one another’s company.”
Reno snickered and stood up, helping Elena to her feet. “Yeah, yeah… we’re comin’.”
Rufus paused for a moment, still standing awkwardly in the doorway. He sighed.
“And… just in case I’ve given you the wrong idea… Congratulations. I am happy for the two of you. Should you need anything, please ask.”
“That mean you’ll be babysittin’ for us when we want a night out?” the redhead asked, grinning.
“… I rescind the offer,” the President immediately deadpanned, and turned, walking back towards the hallway. Elena giggled and followed, pulling her husband along behind her.
As they stepped into the surprisingly dark dining room, Reno couldn’t help but feel as though he were being watched. Apparently Elena had the same impression, because he felt her suddenly tense. The suspense didn’t last long, however.
“SURPRISE!” several voices chorused, and the lights overhead flicked on, revealing not only dinner, but a large cake in the center of the table. Reno took an instinctive step back, but then laughed as he realized what was going on.
“I told you so!” someone shouted from behind him, and the redhead turned to find Lira grinning from ear to ear, Cole balanced somewhat precariously on her hip as the toddler stretched his arms out towards the cake that was far out of his reach.
“Shiva help me, I hope the little one takes after Elena and not his or her troublemaker of a father…” Dr. Ward added, smiling warmly. “And I thought I told yeh ta put some ice on that nose! It’s most definitely broken and yer not going ta be happy if it swells.”
“Geez… Can’t even catch a break at my own party…” the redhead said in mock annoyance.
“It’s not exactly a proper baby shower,” Tseng said, ushering the couple over to the table and pressing them into their seats, “… but given the short notice, I think we did fairly well.”
“So? What are you namin’ her?” Lira demanded. Reno rolled his eyes.
“For fuck’s sake, Lira… I just found out… what… three hours ago? We haven’t started talkin’ about names yet.” Rude set plates in front of the happy couple as the others joined them at the table. The redhead suddenly looked up at her again, a curious expression on his face. “And just what makes ya think it’s gonna be a girl, anyway?”
“Because I decided a long time ago that if your first didn’t turn out to be twins – which I’m still hoping for, by the way – it was going to be a girl,” she stated matter-of-factly, drawing several snickers from around the table.
Reno shook his head, chuckling. “Sure, Lira… whatever you say.”
“I’ve always been partial to name Aiko,” Tseng said, a joking tone to his voice. Rufus quickly shook his head.
“Aiko Donovan? It’s a bit of an odd combination, don’t you think? Personally, I like Sarah.”
“I quite like Esme… or Fiona,” Dr. Ward was quick to volunteer.
Lira giggled softly and took a bite of her dinner roll. “You could name her after your best friend…” she hinted.
“… Yeah… I’m not so sure ‘Rude’ would be the best name for a girl,” the redhead countered, with a smirk. Lira stuck her tongue out at him, and Rude himself snickered beside her.
“I think we have plenty of time to come up with a good name,” Elena laughed. “Right now, though… the pregnant lady wants some of that cake.”
Reno leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, grinning. “Heh… Sorry, but you know Rude’s rule, ‘Lena. No dessert ’til ya finish your dinner. Right partner?”
Rude chuckled and moved toward the dessert. He cut a huge slice from it and dutifully brought it over to her… much to the redhead’s shock. In response, he simply shrugged.
“If the pregnant lady wants cake, the pregnant lady gets cake.”
Elena curled up in Reno’s arms, listening to the sound of him breathing softly in the darkness. She’d missed this so much. Being apart had been torture, and she was so grateful to have him back. She trailed her fingers along the bare skin of his shoulder and smiled.
“Can’t sleep?” his voice asked quietly, and her smile widened.
“More like I don’t want to sleep,” she replied, nuzzling his chest. “I’ve missed you.”
Reno’s arms tightened around her, pulling her protectively against his body. “I missed you more,” he whispered.
“Oh?” she said, teasingly, “Is that why you fell asleep almost as soon as we were in bed instead of ravishing me for hours?”
She heard a faint groan from her husband and felt his lips begin to leave a trail of tender kisses along her neck.
“… You have no idea how much I want to do just that,” he purred against her skin, and she shuddered in pleasure.
“So what’s stopping you?” she asked, coyly. He paused, pulling away slightly.
“… I… er… C-can we?” he asked, “I mean, do you want to? ‘Cause I don’t want you feelin’ like you have to just ’cause I want to…”
Her brow furrowed, puzzled. “Why in Shiva’s name would you think I wouldn’t want you to make love to me?”
“… Well… ’cause. You’re pregnant, and all. I kinda just figured you wouldn’t be in the mood for… ya know… awhile.”
Elena snorted softly. “Not likely. Dr. Ward says the pregnancy hormones will probably have me in the mood more often, pretty soon.”
Reno was silent for a moment, and even in the darkness, Elena could almost see him processing that bit of information. Suddenly, he rolled over, pinning her firmly against the mattress.
“… Wanna try for twins?” he asked, an eager note in the question, and now she could see the wide grin on his face in the bit of moonlight that had found its way past the curtains. She smiled.
“I… don’t think that’s how it works, Reno…” she replied, giggling. The redhead laid claim to her lips, a bruising kiss filled with intense desire. When he finally let her come up for air, she was a little light-headed.
“Wanna try anyway?”
~end chapter 17~
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