Title: Wink Nudge

Setting: Crystal Tokyo


They watched the news feed from their bed, the same way they did every night: laying down together, with Minako's head leaning against Kunzite's chest, feeding Dante one last time before putting him down, when the story broke about a popular thespian in the fledgling film industry publicly announcing the name of her first child: London Chaise, after the city and piece of furniture he was conceived in and on, respectively.

"What?" Minako snorted. "She can't be serious."

He shifted around underneath her to put his hand behind his head. "How gauche."

"Goddess, could you imagine if we did that to Erie?" she wondered aloud. "His name would be 'Serenity's Music Room'!"

He gave her a sideways glance, his eyes smiling. "More specifically, 'Piano Bench'."

Her giggle startled Dante; she stroked his back to get him sucking again. "You've got the photographic memory. What about Andy?"

"Huh. He would be 'Picnic Blanket on Ground with Erie Sleeping Three Feet Away'."

She groaned. "You're right. Let's not have either of them ever discover that little gem or they'll both be in therapy for the rest of their lives."

"Should we tell Cherie that she could have been 'Kitchen Floor'?"

Dante was slowing down, so Minako reached down and gently broke the suction, and switched him to her other breast. "You mean 'My Father Had Too Much Scotch'."

He nudged her. "Don't play innocent. She could easily be 'Mother Was Insanely Hormonal and Didn't Want to Bother Ascending Stairs'." He crossed his legs and stretched out, yawning. "I even remember what you said. 'I don't care if I get pregnant; just do me on the kitchen floor!'."

She tried to put her best innocent face on, but he nudged her in the side anyway. Dante whined as his source of food began shaking as his mother started laughing again. "You could have refused, you know."

"How could I refuse you when you were tearing my pants off?" She shrugged, trying to play coy. "Plus you're right, I had too much scotch."

She raised an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see. "Lucky for Cherie her father was just drunk enough that he could still…perform."

"Lucky for Cherie that her mother was pulling off her clothes in the kitchen and her brothers were asleep upstairs."

"So really she could be 'Too Much Alcohol and Mother Was Open to Idea of Third Child'."

"Open? When you were throwing up in the bathroom two months later, you yelled at me for getting you pregnant when we already had Irish twins."

She glanced down to check on Dante. "Sorry about that, love. Marcus?"

"Marcus…Marcus," he thought aloud.

She snapped her fingers. "Marcus was at the Global Agriculture Summit. The one in Switzerland, during a break."

"Ah," he remembered. "So what? 'Thirty Minute Break Between Meetings?"

"Or 'Stateroom Quickie'. Whatever causes the most mental damage."

"I don't think anything can beat 'Picnic Blanket' for the most mental damage right now."

"I'm not so sure. What about Felix?"

"Uh, easy one. 'Shower'. That's the only privacy we had back then."

"Hmm. Kind of fitting that he was born in the bathtub, then." She sat up, dislodged the baby from her breast, and started rubbing his back to burp him as she leaned against the headboard. "Full circle."

"Full circle would be if he died on the toilet."

She kicked at him, her foot connecting with the side of his ribcage. "Our son is not going to die on the toilet! And even if he does, by that time we won't be around to know."

"I hope so." He yawned again, rubbing his hands over his face. The news feed went dark as he turned the screen off. "Is he almost finished?"

"Almost." She checked his diaper: still dry. Good. "Dante, baby. Aren't you glad we didn't name you something stupid? Hm, baby?" He lazily spit up on the burp cloth draped over her shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes." She mopped off his mouth and laid him gently face down on Kunzite's bare chest. "Say goodnight to Daddy."

He reached over and cupped the tiny body with his hand. "Goodnight, uh, 'Bed'." He opened his eyes. "That's really all there is to this one, huh? Not very exciting."

Minako grinned, stretching her arms over her head, and gave him one of her old Sailor V winks, the one that crinkled her face into a snap of amusement and mischief. "I beg to differ." She leaned over and kissed Dante's head. "Goodnight, 'Doggystyle'."