A/N: Warning: Mina's being very Mina in this chapter.
I deided to post this so soon because I just got 150 reviews! Thanyou all - especially that lovely Guest who told me that they hated my story because it was slightly KiMa. Thank you so much for helping me get to 150 reviews! I'll be sure to throw in some extra KiMa for you, seeing as you love it so much x
(To all of you who don't review telling me they hate my story, you're lovely. It just really bothers me when people give mindless insults like that. I don't eexpect everything to be potivite - constructive criticism is great - but that was unneccessary. I love all of you cool guys.)
The morning after the Kishin equipment had been recovered and destroyed, Stitches woke up in the laboratory. After the madness stint, Marie had insisted on watching over Stitches for a night.
Stitches shuffled out into the living room where Marie was already awake.
"Morning, Mama." Stitches yawned. Marie turned around from where she was making coffee and smiled.
"Good morning, baby. How are you feeling?" Marie asked.
"Ah, I'm not too bad. You?" Stitches asked, sitting down on the purple couch and tucking her feet under her.
"I'm alright. Your father hasn't pulled up too well, though." Marie sighed.
"That's because he's old." Stitches said. Marie glanced at her daughter.
"We're older, yes, but we're not old." Marie said.
"You're a bit old." Stitches smirked. Marie sighed.
"Thanks, honey." Marie smirked, before walking into hers and Stein's bedroom with the cup of coffee. Eventually, Stein and Marie emerged.
"Morning, Papa." Stitches said.
"Morning." Stein replied, cracking his back in a cringe-worthy fashion and cranking his screw backwards until it clicked.
"Are you okay?" Stitches asked, turning to her father.
"I'll live. What about you?" Stein asked.
"I'm fine. Not too bad, considering." Stitches said. Stein nodded as Marie took a seat on the chair across from Stitches.
"Well, the threat didn't resurface overnight, which is a good thing. Shinigami-sama would have contacted us if it had." Marie said. Stein nodded.
"We're safe for a while, but we're cutting it close. We nearly lost a lot of experienced fighters in there." Stein said. Stitches pulled her knees close to her chest.
"We're going to be fine though… right?" Stitches asked, her voice laced with fear. Marie widened her eyes and walked over to Stitches, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder.
"Of course we are." Marie said, quietly.
"Shinigami-sama will keep it under control. We survived through Asura's reawakening, we'll be fine." Stein said.
"Okay." Stitches said, shakily. Stein sighed and knelt down in front of Stitches. Stitches sighed.
"What are you doing?" Stitches asked.
"Doctor stuff." Stein said, tilting Stitches' head up and examining something. He let her head down and looked into her eyes.
"You don't feel anything?" Stein asked. Stitches shook her head.
"I think we've got it all under control, personally." Stein said, standing up and sitting on the couch next to Stitches. He placed his arm around her and held her close to his chest, exhaling.
"What are you doing now?" Stitches asked.
"Dad stuff." Stein said, sighing and wrapping his other arm around his daughter.
"You scared the living daylights out of me." Stein said. Stitches sighed.
"I did what I had to, Papa." Stitches said.
"Doesn't mean I'm not going to worry… It's one of the few things I'm capable of." Stein said. Stitches nodded.
"I'm okay, Papa. I promise." Stitches replied.
"Are you okay, Stitches?" Joseph asked Stitches, who was laying on the couch. It was nearly ten at night.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm… I'm fine." Stitches said.
"No, you're not, Stitches, what is it?" Mina asked. Thomas looked over at the others and walked over to them. The four teens all sat up.
"I was talking to my parents about the reawakening of Asura, the demon god, back a while ago." Stitches said.
"Your parents… weren't they involved with that?" Joseph asked. Stitches nodded.
"And I just… with the battle we fought, we went to… seeing how close some people came to defeat there, it just got me thinking… how many people did Shibusen lose during Asura's reawakening?" Stitches asked.
"I don't know. I'm not sure." Thomas said.
"Most of my family, the people I love, were involved with it. What if they'd… what if they hadn't made it?" Stitches asked.
"Hey, don't talk like that. They did make it." Mina said.
"I know, I just… We could lose anyone. Classmates, teachers, friends, family… I need to help protect them." Stitches said.
"Well, you will. When you make Deathscythe, you can protect everyone." Mina said. Stitches sighed.
"I suppose." Stitches said.
"Asura… I don't remember anything, I a couple of months old when it ended. My sister remembers a little bit." Joseph said. Joseph rarely mentioned his sister. All they knew was she was a few years older than him and her name was Clarissa. Mina sighed.
"I don't know much. My parents weren't involved with Shibusen much anymore when it happened. Plus, I was born at the end of the debacle." Mina said.
"I wasn't born till a few months afterwards." Thomas said.
"Me… I was born about nine months after – oh, Death." Stitches said. When she said that, Mina giggled raucously.
"Ooh, defeat of the Demon God, romantic." Mina laughed, unable to hold in the laughter.
"Shut up." Stitches said, punching Mina in the arm.
"You love me." Mina said.
"I've had enough of your emotional scarring today, thanks." Stitches said. Mina smirked and stood up, patting Stitches on the head.
"Come on, what could possibly be scarring about talking about your own conception?" Mina asked.
"Uh, let me think, oh, right, everything." Stitches said. Mina giggled.
"I really can't see what's wrong with the mental image of your parents, all hot, naked and sweaty…" Mina said.
"Oh, go to hell! That's disgusting!" Stitches exclaimed, standing up and chasing after Mina.
"Come on, it's perfectly natural!" Mina exclaimed, still ducking and weaving around the dinner table, away from Stitches.
"No, it's not!" Stitches called.
"You know, they're probably still doing it, now that you're not in the house." Mina replied. Stitches squeezed her eyes shut and growled.
"Shut up!" Stitches exclaimed loudly.
"Come on, the Doc got Mama Mjolnir pregnant on the first go. He's gotta be good." Mina's wicked smile grew further, so much so that she looked like a Cheshire cat.
"I don't want to hear another word!" Stitches exclaimed. Mina jumped over the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Oh, come on, if you go up to the lab early in the morning, half the time you get the Doc with a stupid smile on his face. It's an I just got laid smile, Stitches!" Mina giggled.
"Mina! Why would you say that?!" Stitches yelled, diving for Mina, fist outstretched. Mina caught her punch and smirked.
"You remember I'm your meister, right?" Mina asked.
"I'll kill you, one day." Stitches said. Mina smirked. The two then broke out into spontaneous laughter.
"I freakin' love you." Mina said, hugging Stitches.
"I love you when you're not being disgusting." Stitches said.
"So, not much of the time." Mina said. Stitches smirked and sat back down on the couch, flopping against Thomas. Thomas looked down at Stitches and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Come on. Let's leave them alone. Baby brother's got something to tell her." Mina leant over and whispered in Joseph's ear. He nodded and gave a tiny smile, walking into Mina's bedroom after her. Stitches looked up and sighed, leaning back against the blonde.
"I'm crashing in your room tonight." Stitches sighed, wrapping her arms around Thomas' waist. Thomas smirked and pulled Stitches gently around so she was sitting on his lap. She raised an eyebrow but did not complain.
"Mmhm." Thomas murmured, closing his eyes gently.
"What are you so happy about?" Stitches asked, softly. Thomas smiled, saying nothing for a while before breaking the silence.
"Nothing. You." Thomas grasped Stitches' hand and she laughed.
"You're such a softie." Stitches replied, raising an eyebrow. Thomas clicked his tongue and looked up at Stitches, dubiously.
"You are so your father's daughter, aren't you?" Thomas remarked. Stitches frowned.
"Did you miss Mina's whole conception rigmarole a few minutes ago?" she asked. Thomas smiled and kissed Stitches on the forehead.
"I'm going to go to bed, alright?" Stitches asked. Thomas stumbled ove his words, setting off alarm bells in Stitches' head.
"What is it?" Stitches asked. Thomas turned away.
"Nothing." he said, adamantly. Stitches crossed her arms and Thomas desperately tried to hide behind the blonde hair hanging over his face. Stitches smirked and ran at Thomas, jumping on the couch beside his and pinning him down.
"Tell me." she said, sharply.
"Let me sit up." he said, and she smiled and pulled him back to a sitting position with ease.
"Forgot how strong you were." he straightened his shirt and he took a deep breath.
Thomas was not one to mess about. He was a very definite person who, despite his shy exterior, knew what he wanted, and he knew that this was what he wanted. This was something that, if not reciprocated, would let him know that he needed to disengage. He swallowed dryly.
"Come on. I don't bite." she smiled, pushing her short, silver hair behind her ears. Thomas took a deep breath in and he took Stitches' hands. She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you dying? Please don't' tell me you're dying." she fretted. Thomas shook his head, but as he went to open his mouth again, Stitches began again.
"Okay. You owe someone money? You're moving away? You're-"
"Stitches. No." he couldn't help but smile at her fretful nature, and he tightened his grip on her hands.
"I…" he swallowed dryly, "Stitches, I … I love you."
Thomas blinked. Stitches blinked.
"Stitches?" Thomas asked, his eyes tinged with worry. Stitches smiled and she leant forward, pressing her lips against Thomas' gently.
Considering the stories she'd heard about her father's issues with the fateful four letter word, with the feelings bubbling up inside of her, Stitches proved conclusively that day that she took after her mother when it came to feelings.
"I love you too." she whispered.
A/N: Yay :)
Just to say, there's been a bit of a time-skip with the mission they went on, etc. Stitches and Thomas have been dating for just under a year at this point.
Factoid #12: Mina talks, rather candidly, about Stitches' conception in the chapter.
Stitches' birthday allows a basic timeline for the happenings in the story. For example, she was born in February, and at almost full term. As Mina stated, she was conceived after the defeat of the Demon God, meaning that the Demon God was defeated in May.
The more you know.