Relative Pains
They stared at Neru's stomach together.
"One month..." She whispered, smoothing her hand over the surface in awe, the other holding her shirt up, "...how do we miss this sort of thing, really?" She sighed, lips forming a bemused grin.
"You don't look much different on the outside, is how." Dell runs a hand through his hair and props his elbow on the couch Neru is seated on. He can't take his eyes off her stomach. Neru notices his prolonged stare, perhaps the bit of inexorable curiosity in his expression and her smile widens.
"Here," she whispers, and takes his hand in hers, pulling it to the exposed skin.
He can tell by the way her fingers cradle his against her that she will be a wonderful mother. It surprises him that he somehow is not surprised.
Her soft skin feels so good under his coarse fingertips, the way it always has.
"Will you still love me when I get fat and hormonal and bitchy?" Neru asks suddenly.
He laughs perhaps the hardest he's ever laughed in his life. He sees how he has just scared the everliving shit out of Neru-it's not exactly a common event for him, this laughing business-and her face makes him laugh harder. "That's what you're worried about?"
"H-Hey I didn't say that. Just asking a question. Which I expect you to answer, by the way." She prods her foot into his stomach hard. "Oh no you don't-" She blurts as he opens his mouth, about to respond with something slick, no doubt, "-you can't complain to me about getting kicked in the stomach for about...eight more months."
"Fair enough." He'll let her have that one, if only for what he's about to say to her. "But to answer your question...yes." He smirked. "Even when you get fat."
They share a look for a moment, and then Neru gets it.
And kicks him again.
...
"Daddy!"
He'd been called a lot of things in the past, and he'd been a father for two years, but somehow, he'd never get used to getting called that.
"Yes-?" She deposits herself in his lap by way up launching herself as high off her heels as she can and falling back with all her force into his solarplexus, "...-careful honey-" Dell chokes, wincing through his teeth. "What do you need?" She pats at her head with a tiny, grubby little hand and bounces expectantly. "Your hair again? Maybe if you didn't jump around like a little monkey everywhere it wouldn't fall down so much." He knows it's no use telling her, if she's anything like her mother.
And she is definitely like her mother.
She turns her neck to look at him, shoulders going up to her ears with the most infectious smile humanly possible. "Daddy hurry up."
In one ear and out the other. He can't bring himself to mind when her "r"'s still sound like "w"'s though.
"Piggies or ponies?"
"Pony!"
Like mommy, of course. Why did he even continue to ask? She definitely had her mother's hair. The soft bundle of strands was long for her age, even though it scarcely formed a fat feather of a ponytail, and the same color.
"Daddy look-" She fists her hand into the pocket of her sundress, pulling out a dirty, wriggly worm, "-I got this for you! I already gave one to mommy."
He pulled his face back with a grimace. "Oh I bet she was very happy."
"No, no actually, actually-" She stammered as Dell carried her to the door and set her down, opening it.
"Here, give it to me-"
"Her name is Mrs. Worm. But daddy-"
"Give me Mrs. Worm then. I'm sure she likes being in the grass." She pouted for a second before handing Mrs. Worm to Dell. He set it free and sat on the porch, his daughter quickly following suit.
"Mommy's gonna get cranky when she sees your dress, princess."
"Daddy!" Her cheeks puff up impossibly big, impossibly adorable. "I was talking!"
Because when she talks, he listens. That's how it is.
"Go on then, out with it."
She grins with all her teeth. "Actually, I gave mommy Mr. Worm, but-" She paused for dramatic effect, as if this were a profound secret of the universe that she was so kindly bequeathing to him, "-it's a surprise! She hasn't found him yet-"
A horrified scream pierced the summer air, no doubt filling every room of their house.
"Oh no," Dell smiled, pressing his lips to her forehead, above her bewildered eyes, "something tells me she has."
A/N: There's definitely more on the way. I think it might reach about two or three sections, whichever best encompasses all I want to go over. XD Dell as a daddy is such incredible fun to write. I can't wait to get into Neru's stuff as a mommy next chapter, ahaha~. I'm still alive and still working on my other fics by the way, OTL I feel so guilty not working on them for so long but I swear I'll get something else done soon too! Thanks so much for reading, please review if you feel so inclined~.