Month 4
"Tiiiiifa! Where aaaare yooooou?!?" Reno called, in search of the disappeared Tifa. She had been with him all morning until he had mentioned that he had recieved a letter from the doctor, something to do with the word prenatal.
He was curious as to what it meant. Some kind of nose injury, perhaps?
"Tifa Wifa! Come out, babe! I didn't mean it, the letter was for me! I...broke my nose while on guard duty with Rude!" Reno tried again, but still with no reply. "Tifa, if you don't show yourself in 10 seconds, I'll get Yuffie onto you, no joke!"
He knew he was successful when he heard muffled footsteps. Then when the closet door opened, he was sure she had given in.
She was standing there, in cute winter pyjamas, white, with baby moogles imprinted on them, staring at her matching moogle slippers shyly. She looked so sweet and innocent with her brown hair tied up in a messy bun, that Reno couldn't resist the chance to kiss her and her growing baby bump.
With his hands tightly around her waist, he asked, "So what's this stuff about prenatals and what not?"
Tifa grimaced and lowered her brown eyes nervously. Mumbling, she replied, "It's a blood test..."
Reno just blinked. "...Yeah...and?"
She frowned. "A blood test."
He blinked again, the thought not phasing him in the slightest.
"A needle." She tried again, and groaned when she saw him blink repeatedly. "I hate needles. They're my biggest fear."
Finally realising, Reno grinned and began to kiss her lightly again, though this time on the neck. "Babe...That's the only thing I can't protect you from. Don't be scared. From what I've heard, they're no where near as bad as the birth process."
Tifa stared at him dully. "Was that meant to make me feel better?"
He shrugged. "It was aimed to be...Look, I'll take you to the doctor and stay with you the whole way, 'kay? Just don't panic or anything...we don't want the doctor to miss his target and hit me instead, do we?"
That made Tifa chuckle. "That wouldn't be so bad...I don't remember the last time you got checked out."
"Yesterday at work, actually. This blonde chick wouldn't stop..." Reno's aquamarine eyes glistened playfully as he took her by the hand and kissed it-just in case she got jealous.
Tifa sighed over-dramatically. "Fine...I'll go get changed and then we'll go get me a jab..."
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The doctor's room was silent-not a sound could be heard from the busy waiting room outside, and oddly enough, it worsened Tifa's fears. She was on edge, but thankful for the tight squeeze on the hand that Reno was offering. He shed the only light upon the situation, making jokes wherever possible between the serious questions the doctor was asking.
Then, when it finally came time for the blood test, Reno gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "How do you tell the difference between male chromosomes and female chromosomes?"
Tifa rolled her eyes in preparation for his lame answer. "I don't know Reno, how do you?"
A spark of mischief flashed in his eyes. "You pull down their genes."
"Aaah!" Tifa yelped, both at his answer and at the needle entering her shoulder. But to her own surprise, it only hurt like a pinch. "Huh. That's funny. I remember needles as being painful..."
Reno smirked, rather proud of himself for doing his duty so well. He saluted the doctor casually, and recieved a nod in reply.
Tifa eyed the two of them, rubbing her partly throbbing arm. "You..."
"Hey Tim, I need your advice." Reno said, placing his arm around Tifa's shoulders. "You know those B.O pills you gave me yesterday?"
The doctor, known as Tim, nodded quaintly. "Yes, I remember the like."
"They won't stay put. They keep falling out...Ooh, there goes one now." Reno continued, squirming in his seat as he felt a warm sensation fall down onto his stomach.
Both Tifa and Tim groaned, hanging their heads in shame. Either he was joking around, or he was an idiot, and knowing him, it was probably the latter. Not very good father material. Well, for entertaining purposes, it was a good trait, but Tifa wasn't too keen on having a child who couldn't count to ten. That made her fear the genetics her child would inherit. Hopefully they would be more of their mother's than their father's...
Month 5
Tifa lay on the couch, her hands tucked behind her head, and a book resting on her stomach. A stomach which happened to be hungry-starving even, in fact. But not for just any food. She was having cravings once again, cravings which both amused and disturbed her redheaded boyfriend. At first, she had asked for the norm, ice-cream with lots of chocolate topping. But then, over time, her cravings grew stronger and more odd, and they included foods such as ice-cream sandwiches-on proper bread, fruit salad mixed with chicken, and even bologneise with peanut butter. Each meal on her menu was enough to make Reno puke, yet to the pregnant brunette, the foods both sounded and tasted divine.
Today was even worse. Out of the blue, Tifa had asked the television-watching Reno for some food.
"Reno?" Tifa asked, her voice unnaturally cheerful.
Reno, who was absorbed in a comedic episode of "The Simpsons", grunted in reply. Tifa smirked slyly, proud of herself for having the remote, and flicked the off button.
"Aw, man! I was watchin' that!" Reno complained, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation. An everyday Tifa was bad enough, but a pregnant, mood-changing Tifa was countless times worse.
"I know you were. That's why I turned it off." Tifa stuck her tongue out at him and continued with her request. "I want you to make me a roast."
Clicking his tongue thoughtfully, the Turk nodded and stood up to prepare.
But Tifa wasn't finished. "Not just any roast. I want you to make me a chocobo roast."
Reno stiffened, the hairs on his neck pricking up nervously. When Tifa wanted something, she would get it. Even something as bizarre as chocobo meat. He wasn't even sure you could buy the stuff. "Tifa...You're asking a bit much there..."
Tifa sat up, a stubborn glint in her strong brown eyes. "You're saying you won't do it for me?"
"Uh...No, but it's not easy to get your hands on chocobo meat. You can't buy the stuff, you have to raise your own, and even then, I doubt you'd get the guts to murder it." Reno admitted, awkwardly scratching his head.
Tifa wasn't going to give up. "Well then, if you're gonna do it for me, get a move on."
"But I-" Reno began.
"No buts! Are you Cloud, ex-Soldier, or are you Reno of the Turks!?" Tifa demanded, slamming her book onto the coffee table next to her. She was a woman to fear when she was in a mood like this, and Reno wasn't ready to deal with her.
Grimly, he replied, "Reno of the Turks..." before solemly walking out the door.
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"Where am I gonna get my hands on chocobo meat?" Reno mumbled, kicking a pebble across the garbage littered pavement path. There were shops everywhere, with the occasional apartment block popping up in the scenery. When Reno's gaze met the local butchery, he knew it was his cue to give it a try.
The shop was empty, and was lined with all kinds of meat, some strewn from the ceiling, others on display in the front window and in the cabinets. It seemed to give the room a red glow; wherever you looked, crimson blood and white fat was present. It blended well with Reno's hair, actually.
There was all kinds of meats-lamb, chicken, beef, wolf meat, steaks of unknown producers, but no chocobo. In a last attempt, Reno went to the front counter, in hope that the butcher kept some stored somewhere.
"Hey, you got any chocobo meat in this hellhole?" Reno asked casually, observing the meat racks behind the brute of a butcher.
The fat, scruffy man looked to be in his late 40's, and appeared to have not had a shower in quite some time-probably due to his long, foul looking dreadlocks that were hanging down to his waist.
"Do I look like the kinda guy who'd chop up those cute feathered birds?" His extremely overexaggerated, high pitched American accent made him sound like the leader of a mafia.
Not wanting to sound rude, Reno hesitated and gave his question a bit of thought. "Ah...yes."
"You're right there." The man sliced the rather monstrous, bloodied hatchet he was wielding into the wooden counter, leaving it sticking out sharply. He must have had extremely strong muscles to perform such an act-much stronger than Reno's, which was what frightened him.
"I'll tell you what. I'll give you as much chocobo meat as you can handle-if, you help me with the task."
The sickened redhead swallowed hard. He was a Turk, but he had a soft spot for the feathered creatures. "And...what would that involve?"
The butcher put his sausage sized finger in his ear in an attempt to clean it. Reno was surprised it actually fit. "The catching, the killing, the preparing, the chopping...nothin' major."
Reno winced as he watched the man pull his finger back out. It was coated in a thick layer of orange ear-wax, and his 'sausage' now looked more like a carrot.
"Uh...ya know what? I think I'll pass...Just gimme a kilo of something that tastes like chocobo."
The man grunted and scratched his dreadlocks, which had rather visible bugs crawling around inside. Reno was growing more nauseous by the second, and was very close to running for hell out of that shop.
The butcher slammed a huge chunk of freshly wrapped meat onto the counter and cleaned his finger on his grubby grey, sweat soaked singlet. Reno wasn't sure if the food he was being given was edible-or at least, non-disease ridden. He didn't even bother asking what it was, for he knew the man would either reply with some strange name or just grunt. Instead, he took the package and hurried out the door, leaving 100 gil on the counter-not bothering to wait for the change.
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"Mmm, Reno, this is great! I didn't know chocobo tasted so nice!" Tifa commented, downing the plate of food before her so quickly that even Reno couldn't keep up.
The troubled redhead stared at her blankly. "You mean you've never eaten chocobo before?"
She shook her head, her long brown hair tossing as she did so. "Nope. But it sure is good!"
Reno blinked, hardly believing that he went through all the trouble just to get the meat. Not that it was hard, but facing such a murderous beast like the butcher was complaint worthy. "Well then why did you crave for it?"
Tifa shrugged in between a bite. "I don't know, Reno, ask mother nature."
Obviously Tifa had never tried wolf meat either.
Month 6
Thump. Thump-thump.
At first the sensation was weak, soft, and slow. But it grew stronger with each passing second.
Thump-thump-thump.
What is that...feeling? Is it a heartbeat? No, it's too strong to be that...
Thump-thump.
Could it be...?
"Reno." Tifa murmured her boyfriend's name as she slowly came out of her sleep. The thumping feeling was still there, as strong as ever, and it was coming from her belly.
"Reno?" She tried again, her eyelids fluttering open as she fully comprehended what was happening. "Reno, wake up, quick!"
"Nngh..." Reno mumbled, trying to ignore his name that was being called as to not let it affect his sleep.
"Reno! Hurry!" Tifa whispered sharply into his ear, an unexplainable feeling of joy rushing up from her toes. "The house is on fire!"
She didn't want to have to resort to such drastic measures, but the situation was just as important, to her. And it succeeded in awaking Reno.
"What!? Where!?! Call 911!" Reno sat up abruptly and looked around, scanning the room for any signs of danger. Tifa wasn't sure where he had got the number '911' from, but apart from the fact that he would be useless in an emergency situation, she didn't care.
"Reno, sweetie, it was just a bad dream. Now give me your hand, you have to feel this!" Tifa said in an attempt to soothe the distressed Turk.
He groaned. It was for reasons such as these that he wished he hadn't left his apartment. "You woke me up at 2 in the morning for nothing?"
Tifa frowned. He was ruining the moment. "It's 11 at night, actually, and it definitely isn't nothing!"
She took his hand and placed it upon her belly, the smile growing ever stronger by the moment. "Feel it?"
Reno blinked a couple of times, trying to register whether or not he could feel anything.
And then he felt it.
A tiny kick. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send a rush of excitement and love through his hand and up to his heart. It was one of the best feelings in the world, just to know his child was there, alive and well. And he was fully awake now.
"It's...incredible." Reno murmured, a joyful, proud smile creeping onto his lips. He didn't want to move his hand from that place any time soon.
Tifa's rosy-cheeked face looked so happy. She had been waiting this moment for a long time, and now that it had finally come, she didn't want it to end.
"She's well, just like the doctor said."
Reno nodded once, and they stayed in that position for the next 5 minutes, until the baby decided to take a rest. But Reno wasn't finished. He stroked her belly, softly trailing his fingertips in circles, the warmth of life flowing up his fingers.
Tifa giggled, much to her regret. Reno had his signature grin on his face, and she knew what she was in for.
"You're ticklish, are you?" Reno asked, not waiting for an answer before he led her into a gentle tickle fight.
The sound of her laughter was music to his ears. He had never, nor ever would, hear a sound so feminine and joyful in his life.
He traced his fingertips around her most sensitive areas, where he knew she couldn't hold back her chirrupy giggles. The sides of her ribs were most ticklish, and was therefore where he heard the most angelic sounds.
Tifa hadn't laughed so hard in years. Not since she was a child, with Cloud, and even then, she didn't think her laughter was so strong. It could have just been hormones, but she was having the time of her life.
Month 7
A high ponytailed, sweat band-clad Tifa was in the loungeroom doing squats, and Reno was having the time of his life.
He whistled at her, cheering her on in-between fits of laughter that was trying hard to be ignored by the brunette.
"Do this often?" Reno asked, a widespread grin on his face.
His grin was soon replaced with a startled O when he felt a fierce boot-kick to the ass. He stumbled and fell to the ground next to Tifa, where an arrogant looking 18 year old stood above, her hands on her hips.
"Whaddya think you're doing putting Tifa off like that you dumbass son of a bitch!?" Yuffie exclaimed, her youthful face flushed with rage. "You try having a screaming maggot growing inside of you and then come back and complain!"
"What the hell gives you the right to say such crap!? Are you pregnant too or something!? Yeah, I'll bet you did it up the ass with Vincent last night!" Reno retorted, wincing in pain from the Wutai ninja's unexpected attack.
Yuffie's face darkened, and Reno regretted his words. "Oooh, I'll show you, bastard!!! Geddup and do 1000 sit-ups!"
Reno's face was struck with a mix of horror and fright. When Yuffie said something like that, she meant it. "But I-"
"NOW!" Yuffie wasn't open for discussion. "Me and Tifa are gonna go do some baby shopping, and you're gonna stay here and finish those sit-ups!"
She kicked the now hard-working redhead in the head-harder this time-before continuing with her speech. "And when I get back, I wanna see sweat stains on the floor, on your shirt, and on your head! And if I find out you got it all sweaty from other causes...there'll be trouble, 'Reno of the Turks'."
Neither Reno nor Tifa wanted to know how Yuffie had developed such an extensive vocabulary and knowledge of such things so quickly, in fear that Cid's name would be mentioned for all the wrong reasons.
Sighing, Tifa let her younger friend help her up before mouthing "Sorry" to her fallen boyfriend. Yuffie didn't seem to be in the greatest of moods today.
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Tifa was unwillingly and uncomplainingly being led by the hand by a strong-willed young Yuffie. She was fearing for the girl's safety, as 18 wasn't the best of years. For Yuffie, perhaps, as she was rather fond of bragging about her age and her rights to people, despite only growing up in age, not in mind, but for Tifa, she couldn't help but stress over what troubles the girl might get into.
And the fact that the Princess was holding a half-empty bottle of vodka in her hand didn't ease her worries.
"How's life as an 18 year old, Yuffie?" Tifa asked, half-fearing the answer.
Yuffie beamed. "Oh it's great! I've been to over 50 parties now, had a lifetime's worth of drinks, and have made out with at least 100 strangers!"
Tifa felt a wave of nausea overcome her. "You..."
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "I was joking, Tif'. I'm not an idiot. I've been to 10 parties, had a couple of drinks, and have made out with 10 strangers. Feel better now?"
The woman groaned. "...A little...I guess..."
She missed the days where Yuffie was just an innocent materia hunter.
"Oooh lookies! Here it is!" Yuffie exclaimed, practically dragging a helpless Tifa into a nearby baby store.
A soft lullaby was being played via the speakers, and the store walls were painted yellow by default, and the separate gender sections were naturally pink for girls and blue for boys. It was just your average baby store.
Tifa examined a nearby bassinette which had caught her eye. It was a soft shade of baby pink that was lined with white lace which fell halfway to the floor. She could easily imagine her baby sleeping in it, their eyes shut in sleep, with a tiny smile on their face, just at the fact that they were a part of the world.
Yuffie interrupted her daydream. "See, this is why it's important to find the sex of the baby beforehand. How hard do you want to make the shopping!? It's a girl's nightmare..."
Tifa smiled at the drama queen-or rather, princess. "Sorry, Yuffie. But I want it to be a surprise."
Her brown eyes lit up in disbelief. "A surprise!? Aw man! Your baby is gonna be so yellow it'll be a chocobo..."
Tifa knew an idea had formed in the ninja's mind when she saw the steely glint in her eyes.
"That's it! We'll dress your kid up chocobo style! Oh this is gonna be awesome! Chocobo wallpaper, chocobo matress, chocobo pj's, chocobo blankies..." Yuffie's voice trailed off in Tifa's mind as she considered it. Chocobo's seemed acceptable. Quite cute even. And to her satisfaction, this store had a whole section filled to the brim with chocobo designs.
Tifa had nightmares about chocobos overrunning her household that night.
Yuffie had cursed at the fact that she had to take back all the chocobo items that she had bought, and blamed it on Reno.
And Reno had ended up with a bad head concussion.
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Next chapter is the last chapter...Well, I'm pretty sure it'll be.
Hope you liked it ^^ And remember to review!
