MANGENI: A McPriceley Fic

"How about Belle?"

"No."

"Jasmine?"

"No."

"Aurora?"

"Kevin, do you just wanna name her Mulan?"

"Mulan McKinley-Price. It has a nice ring."

"You're such a dork, you know that?"

Even though it seemed like Kevin Price and Connor McKinley were having a fairly heated argument, the two were far from angry. In fact, they were bursting with happiness and eagerness as they swiftly prepared the meal for their dinner party that evening. The newly married couple had a big announcement that they were dying to share with their two best friends, Nabulungi Hatimbi and Arnold Cunningham.

"Ok, then," Kevin said while peeling the potatoes. "If you don't like any of my ideas, than what do you suggest?"

"Well," Connor responded, seasoning the outside of the roast beef, "how about something like Patti? Or Bernadette? Or Ethel?"

"Ethel? You mean like Ethel Merman? Why is it not ok to name her after a beautiful Disney princess but it's ok to name her after a dead musical theatre actress?"

"You have your Disney obsession, I have my musical theatre. Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes," Kevin responded, playfully messing up Connor's auburn hair. Connor looked at Kevin with a gleam in his eye.

"Two can play at that game," Connor said, reaching for Kevin's hair. Kevin backed away.

"Woah, now, what did I say about messing with the hair?"

"Ask me if I give a shit," Connor smirked, running his fingers through Kevin's hair, pulling him in for a long, passionate kiss.

"You're lucky you're so cute, otherwise I probably would have killed you," Kevin said pulling away. Suddenly, he winced his eyes slightly. "They're here."

"How can you tell? I didn't hear anything."

"I can smell Arnold's 'Cabbage Surprise' from here," he said, heading towards the door. Sure enough, there was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Hey, guys!" Kevin warmly greeted his friends, exchanging hugs with Nabulungi and Arnold.

"Here, Kevin," Arnold said, thrusting the pot of cabbage towards Kevin. "I made-"

"Cabbage Surprise," Kevin finished, reluctantly taking the pot. "Thanks, Arnold. Salad would have been nice, but this is close enough I guess."

Connor suddenly emerged from the kitchen. "I'm so glad you guys are here! We have a big announcement!"

"Connor," Kevin said, turning towards the kitchen. "I thought we were gonna wait until after dinner?"

"Oh, I know, but I can't wait that long. Let's tell them now."

"Big news?" Nabulungi asked, removing her coat. "What is it?"

Kevin smiled and turned to Nabulungi and Arnold. "We just found out this morning we got approved to adopt a baby girl from Uganda. It's official. We're gonna be parents."

It took a second for that information to resonate with the couple, but soon their faces brightened immensely, joyous tears filling Nabulungi's eyes. "You're adopting… from Uganda?"

"How could we not?" Connor said, linking onto Kevin's arm.

"Holy moly, we're gonna have a baby!" Arnold suddenly shouted out. The other three couldn't help but laugh.

Kevin and Connor finished preparing the meal, and the four sat down at the dining room table. They were too excited to eat very much, though.

"When do you pick her up?" Arnold asked.

"Whenever we're ready," Connor responded. "Once we finish putting together her room, we're gonna fly over and get her."

"What's her name?"

"They're letting us choose," Kevin said. "We can't seem to agree on anything."

"Kevin wants to name her after a Disney character."

"And Connor wants to name her after old musical theatre broads."

"They're not BROADS," Connor snapped. "They are handsome women."

"Exactly what I want my daughter to be," Kevin remarked sarcastically, "HANDSOME."

"How about Mangeni?" Nabulungi suddenly spoke up.

"What was that?" Connor asked.

"Mangeni. It's Ugandan. My mother's name, actually."

Kevin and Connor looked at each other.

"Mangeni McKinley-Price. That's really pretty," Kevin said.

"It's only a suggestion," Nabulungi continued, "but it really would mean a lot to me to keep my mother's spirit alive."

Kevin and Connor continued to stare at each other. Suddenly, both of their eyes began to glimmer. It was then they made a silent agreement. Connor turned to Nabulungi and smiled. "We love it, Nabu. After all, we want her to be proud her heritage. And the heritage of her godmother." Connor reached over and grabbed Nabulungi's hand. Nabulungi's cheeks flushed.

"You mean… you want me to be her godmother?"

"Of course!" Kevin exclaimed.

"And does that make me…" Arnold's voice trailed off.

Kevin laughed. "That's right, Arnold. You're gonna be a godfather."

"Wow!" Arnold beamed. "Just like in the movies!"

The four friends babbled on about baby plans for hours, until finally Nabulungi and Arnold said their goodbyes and headed home.

"Mangeni McKinley Price," Connor practically whispered as the couple cuddled on the couch later that evening. "Kevin, can you believe this is really happening?"

Kevin drew Connor in for a brief but passionate kiss. "I can't believe it. We're gonna be dads."

"A little girl of my own, calling me daddy…"

"Yeah… daddy… wait, isn't this gonna get confusing? Us both being daddy?"

Connor chuckled. "We'll figure that out eventually."

The two sat silent for a few minutes. Eventually, Connor spoke up again.

"I have to admit I'm a little worried."

"Why?"

"Well… you know, she's gonna grow up without a female influence. Won't that… I don't know… screw her up?"

Kevin thought it over. He didn't want to admit it, but sometimes he thought that maybe it was good for a child to have a motherly figure around. Still, he smiled. "Do you remember The Lion King?"

Connor laughed. "This from the man that makes me watch it every other week?"

"Well, we're kind of like Timon and Pumba, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after Mufasa died, they were kinda like his parents… two males… and Simba turned out pretty damn well, didn't he?"

Connor thought it over. "Wow, I never really thought of it that way. Cheesy, but it made me feel better." He pecked Kevin on the cheek. After a few minutes, he spoke again. "Which one am I?"

"Huh?"

"Am I Timon or Pumba?"

Kevin thought it over. He smirked, "Pumba. Because you're fat."

Connor slapped Kevin on the arm. "Asshole!"

Kevin couldn't help but hysterically laugh at his husband's misfortune. Connor, in spite of himself, couldn't resist either. The two sat there laughing, eventually ending it with a tender kiss. Kevin gently broke away.

"I wanna be daddy."

"What's that?"

"I want her to call me daddy. If that's ok with you."

Connor smiled. "Ok. Then what should I be?"

Kevin smiled back. "How about… papa? You're older anyway."

"I love it. Daddy and Papa. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Since they began the adoption process, Kevin and Connor had argued over how to decorate the spare bedroom they had in the house. Kevin of course wanted to adorn it with pictures from every Disney movie created (specifically the princesses if they were getting a girl). Connor, naturally, pushed a Broadway themed room, but finally backed down after realizing perhaps she would be too young to understand the concept of legitimate musical theatre. Connor caved and went along with the Disney theme.

"Straight?" Kevin asked, holding a shelf in place above the newly purchased pink crib.

Connor, not looking, smirked. "No, Kevin. Haven't been for a while."

"Not me, smartass. The shelf."

Connor laughed and spun around. "Yeah, hon. Looks good."

Kevin nailed the shelf in place. Connor walked closer.

"That doesn't look very sturdy. Think maybe you should try screwing it in instead?"

"No time for that. They'll be here any minute."

Today was the big day. Kevin and Connor were flying to Uganda to pick up their new daughter. Nabulungi was travelling with them to serve as a translator. It had been some time since their mission, so they had forgotten much of the language they had learned in mission training.

There was a knock at the door. Connor eagerly ran to answer it. It was Nabulungi and Arnold, each holding little toys in their hands.

"Hi, Connor. You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Come upstairs, though. We just finished Mangeni's room."

The three of them headed up the stairs and walked into the newly furnished bedroom. It was a pale pink color, with a picture of each of the Disney princesses scattered about the walls. Stuffed animals from a number of movies adorned the shelves as well. Kevin was just standing there, a look of pride and accomplishment on his face.

"It's adorable!" Nabulungi squealed. "She's gonna love it!"

"What's that you got?" Kevin asked, referring to the toys Nabulungi and Arnold were holding.

"Here, I want her to have this," Nabulungi said, presenting a small stuffed unicorn, lavender with a few dirty patches scattered about it. "My mother once told me of a place with waterfalls and unicorns flying. It was my favorite toy as a child, and it is one of the only things I had left of my mother. I want Mangeni to have it."

Tears had filled Connor and Kevin's eyes, as Connor took the stuffed toy from Nabulungi. "Are you sure you want her to have this?"

"Yes," Nabulungi said, smiling. "As long as I can come over and see her every once in a while."

"Of course, Nabu. Whenever you want." Kevin said, wrapping her in his arms and squeezing her tight.

"And I want her to have this," Arnold announced, presenting a Darth Vader action figure, still intact in its box. "It's a mint condition original Darth Vader action figure. I thought maybe she'd like it."

"Oh… well, thanks!" Kevin said, reluctantly taking the box. "Am I… allowed to open this?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Arnold replied very seriously.

"Ah… ok then." Kevin placed it on one of the higher shelves.

"Ok," Nabulungi said. "Shall we get going?"

The trip to Uganda was a long one. The most efficient way to get there was to fly from their home in New York (the couple originally moved there to get married, and stayed there for their love of musicals) to London, and take the connecting flight to Kampala. To get anywhere else, they had to ride of the nearly completely broken down buses that travel around.

The orphanage was not too far from where the boys had served their mission. In fact, there had been times when they did mission work at that very same orphanage. They already had a pretty well respected relationship with the workers, so getting approved was not as difficult as they were anticipating.

Kevin and Connor, along with Nabulungi, walked into the orphanage. They were numb with excitement, none of them really believing that the day had actually come when they would meet their daughter for the first time. A woman clad in traditional African garments approached them, beaming. She knew exactly who they were.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome! We are so glad that you have finally arrived!" she greeted in her native language. Nabulungi was hard at work translating the whole conversation.

"We are honored to be here," Connor said. "We are very eager to meet our daughter."

"What have you decided to name her?"

Kevin and Connor looked at each other. "Mangeni," Kevin responded.

The woman looked slightly puzzled, and then began to laugh. The two boys looked slightly confused. The woman spoke to them again.

"What is she saying?" Connor whispered to Nabulungi.

"She just thinks it's humorous you named her 'fish,'" she sheepishly said.

"Fish?" Kevin said. He looked at Connor, but the two smiled. "Oh well, it's still pretty."

The woman led the three friends to the playroom. There were at least 20 children, all sprawled on the floor, playing with an assortment of donated toys, some of which Connor and Kevin vaguely remember giving the children. Against the wall were a few crudely put together cribs. The woman walked to one that was sitting in the corner, reached in, and pulled out a sleeping baby. This was the first time the couple got to see their daughter in person.

Immediately, the two couldn't help themselves and began sobbing. The baby was one of the most beautiful things they had ever seen. Her skin was a creamy brown, much like Nabulungi's skin color. Slowly, she began to open her stunning brown eyes, glistening under the fluorescent lights in the room.

"We've heard great things about you, and we are sure that you two will give her a great home and a great life." The woman carried the baby over to the two boys, handing it to Connor. Connor cradled his daughter in his arms, tears still flooding from his eyes.

"She's gorgeous," he whimpered happily. "She's everything I could have asked for and more."

Kevin, teary-eyed as well, put a hand on Connor's shoulder, gazing down at the precious infant. "And she's ours. All ours."

"Connor!"

About a week had passed since the boys brought their new daughter back home to America. For the most part, she was generally very calm and easy going, but if anything even remotely upset her, you would think someone was trying to murder her. Her screams were, in a word, horrific.

Connor came trudging into Mangeni's bedroom. He was in his pajamas, his eyes barely open. "What is it?"

"I can't get her to stop crying. I've tried everything. Can you try?"

Connor took the baby from Kevin's arms. The minute he did, the baby stopped crying. In fact, she was so calm that within a minute she fell fast asleep. Kevin stared at Connor, absolutely stunned.

"How… how did you do that?"

"I'm not sure," Connor said, gently placing Mangeni back in her crib. "I guess she just likes me better," Connor joked.

He looked down at his sleeping angel, waiting for some sassy response from Kevin. He was shocked to hear silence. He looked up and saw something very peculiar. Kevin just stood there staring, tears forming in his eyes. Before Connor could say anything, Kevin stormed out of the room.

Connor's heart sank right to his stomach. He honestly didn't mean to hurt Kevin's feeling as bad as he had. He ran after him, but Kevin had already locked himself in the bathroom.

"Kevin," Connor said softly, standing outside the door. "I was only kidding. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Come out here."

Silence.

"Kevin?"

Silence. Connor was shocked at how personally Kevin took his innocent joke. Dejectedly, Connor returned to bed.

About an hour passed, and Connor suddenly jolted awake. He looked at the spot next to him in bed. It was still empty. Connor got up, wondering where Kevin had gone to. Connor wandered downstairs, and saw Kevin sitting on the couch. He was staring off into space. Connor slowly approached him.

"Kevin?"

Kevin didn't respond. He kept staring at nothing. Connor plopped down next to him on the couch.

"Kevin. Please. Say something."

Finally, Kevin turned his attention to Connor. Instead of speaking, however, his face scrunched up, tears flowing from his eyes. He collapsed into Connor, steadily sobbing. Connor instinctively hugged him tight.

"Kevin? Kevin, what's wrong?"

"She hates me."

"Who does?"

"Mangeni."

"She does NOT hate you! What gave you such an idea?"

Kevin pulled away. "You were right. She likes you better. It seems like every time I hold her, she's either confused as to who I am or she hysterically cries. And then you hold her and suddenly she's at peace. I just don't know what's the matter with me."

"There's NOTHING the matter with you, Kevin. We've only had her a week. She's getting used to the both of us. Once she gets to know us better, she's gonna love us even more than we love her. If that's even possible."

Kevin looked at Connor, a weak smile growing on his face. "She'll never love us more than we do."

Connor smiled, tightly embracing Kevin in his arms. Suddenly, there came a loud crash from upstairs, followed by Mangeni's distinct horrific shrieking, even more gruesome than normal. The boys looked at each other with a horrified look and shot up from the couch, barreling up the stairs. They ran into the room. The shelf above the crib was no longer in place. Instead, it was sitting in the crib adjacent to Mangeni. Then, Connor was the first to notice the small gash on her forehead, blood gushing from it.

"KEVIN, GET A TOWEL."

Kevin was pale, feeling numb all over.

"NOW, KEVIN!"

Kevin snapped out of his funk as best as possible, and ran to the linen closet, pulling out a small white washcloth. He ran back to the room, handing it to Connor, who held it tightly against the wound.

"Start the car, we gotta get her to the hospital NOW."

As the two drove to the hospital, it seemed as if Kevin broke every traffic law in existence to get to the hospital as fast as possible. Thankfully, it was very late at night so there did not appear to be any cops on the road.

"I TOLD you to secure that shelf with screws," Connor snapped, cradling Mangeni in his arms as he worked to control her bleeding. Kevin was silent, focusing only on getting his daughter to safety.

The couple burst into the ER, where Mangeni was swiftly taken from Connor's arms and taken straight back to see the doctor. Connor and Kevin sat in the waiting room, stricken with a combination of worry and grief.

"This is all my fault," Kevin practically whispered finally.

Connor took a deep breath. "No. It's not. I'm sorry I yelled at you before, Kevin. It was just an accident."

"Our baby could be seriously hurt and it's all because of a stupid shelf." Kevin's eyes began to fill with tears again, Connor's cue to wrap a comforting arm around him.

"Kevin, I promise you it could have happened to anyone. The doctor is going to take good care of her. She's gonna be just fine. I'm sure of it."

As Connor was comforting his husband, an old man with an oxygen tank walked by the couple, stopping for a second to stare.

"What's his problem?" he asked.

"Our daughter had a little accident. We're just worried, that's all," Connor responded.

The man looked puzzled. "YOUR daughter? You two have a child?"

"Yes…" Connor was growing impatient.

"And she's hurt?"

"Yes."

The man began to walk away. "This is why fags shouldn't have families."

Connor grunted to himself. He was used to comments like that. Suddenly, Kevin shot up from his seat.

"Get back here, you fucking asshole," he hollered after the man. "Yeah, me and my HUSBAND are worried about OUR daughter. If you got a problem, take it up with me. I may be a FAGGOT but I'll KICK YOUR FUCKING ASS." The old man didn't even flinch.

"Kevin!" Connor snapped, pulling Kevin back into his seat. "Please. It's not worth it."

Kevin looked at Connor, tears now running down his face. "I'm just… so worried."

Kevin rested his head on Connor's shoulder. The two sat silent for quite a while, worrying if their daughter was going to be ok. Finally, a doctor in a white lab coat came out into the waiting room.

"Excuse me, are you Mangeni's parents?"

Kevin and Connor shot right up, approaching the doctor. "How is she?" Kevin anxiously asked. The doctor smiled.

"Well, she had a pretty nasty cut and she's gonna have a bump on her head for a while, but she's going to be just fine."

Kevin and Connor breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"She only needed a few stitches," the doctor continued. "Nothing serious at all. We also did a quick CAT scan of her brain and there's no damage whatsoever. She should have no complications."

"Thank you SO much, doctor. We really appreciate it."

"It's a good thing you brought her in, though. I can't tell you how many parents think they can just handle a cut like that on their own. You did the smart thing. You two are gonna be great parents. Just screw that shelf in a little better!" he playfully chided. The boys finally felt comfortable enough to chuckle a little.

"Can we take her home?" Connor asked.

"Well, it's very late. We thought maybe we'd just keep her until the morning so she can get a good night's sleep. We'd also like to observe her, just for precautionary measures."

"Can we see her at least?" Kevin asked.

"Of course," the doctor smiled, leading the boys to the nursery where Mangeni was fast asleep in a crib, a bandage placed over the wound.

"Just show yourselves out when you're done," the doctor said, leaving the boys alone with their daughter. They looked down at Mangeni. She was so peaceful, not a care in the world.

Mangeni slowly began to open her eyes. She gazed up at Kevin, and smiled. "Dad…dy," she softly spoke.

Kevin clasped a hand over his mouth. He couldn't believe it. They had only had her a week, and she had already said her first word. Better yet, she recognized Kevin.

"She… she does love me," Kevin beamed.

"And so do I," Connor said, wrapping his arms around Kevin from behind. Kevin spun around and drew Connor in for a loving and tender kiss.

"I couldn't ask for a more perfect family. I love you so much."

The two boys each softly kissed Mangeni goodnight and quietly exited the room, hand in hand. It was the beginning of a beautiful new life, they could tell.