"Aw, our baby is so cute."
"What are you lookin' at, Hil?"
Hilary looked up to find Tyson peering over her shoulder, a delicate and curious smile set on his handsome face.
"The picture of our new baby from the ultrasound today," Hilary held the black and white print up towards her husband. "Isn't it adorable?"
"Of course it is," Tyson leaned down so his head was resting on Hilary's shoulders and his arms wrapped around her only slightly bloated belly. "Our babies are always adorable!"
"And it's so tiny!" Hilary giggled, taking another look at the picture. "Such an itty bitty little thing."
"Mommy!"
Hilary turned her eyes down, finding Vanessa running up to her with excited sparkles in her young eyes.
"What is it, sugar?" Hilary smiled sweetly at her child.
"I wanna' make cupcakes!" Vanessa beamed.
"Cupcakes?" Hilary asked.
"Please, Mommy?" Vanessa was making the cutest face she possibly could. "It'll be fun!"
"Sure," Hilary agreed to it, the child getting excited and running around the kitchen as she giggled.
Hilary knew she should be taking things easy, but making cupcakes really wasn't all that strenuous. Besides, bringing a new baby into the family was going to be a big change, especially for Vanessa. She wanted to make sure that her first knew she was still going to be loved and treated just the same she was now. Hilary didn't have any younger siblings, but she did have two older cousins, and she had long heard the stories about how jealous and upset they'd been when they learned she was going to be born. As a result, Hilary was going to go out of her way to make sure Vanessa never felt that way.
Standing up, Hilary walked over to the cabinets and opened them up, pulling out the cupcake pans.
"Okay, pumpkin," Tyson asked the excited girl, laughing softly as she jumped up and down next to his legs, "what flavor cupcakes should we make?"
Hilary smiled to herself. She was so happy that Tyson agreed with her belief in making the child feel the same as she always had. He had an older brother after all, but Tyson felt exactly the same as Hilary when it came to making sure their daughter were well adjusted to a new sibling. He had assured her he was going to help in any way possible, and so far he had made good on his promise.
"What do you say, Vanessa?" Tyson looked down at his daughter.
"I like vanilla," Vanessa answered softly, before her expression faltered into a confusion, and she frowned ''But I like chocolate too.''
Shrugging, Tyson pulled out two boxes of cupcake mix and decided, "Alright, we'll just make both!"
The girl grew more enthusiastic and hugged Tyson's legs, clearly loving the idea he had come up with. Sighing, Hilary looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her husband, which did not go unnoticed by him.
"What did I do?" He innocently asked.
"Really?" Hilary sighed. "Two different kinds of cupcakes?"
"How hard can it be?" Tyson scoffed, walking over to Hilary and putting the boxes down on the counter top.
"Well, you wouldn't know, since you can't cook anything," Hilary placed a hand on her hip as she leaned the rest of her body against the kitchen counter.
"Oh, yeah, okay," Tyson rolled his eyes. "That's why."
"Don't get sarcastic with me," Hilary gave Tyson a small slap on his bicep, which, not surprisingly, didn't hurt the man due to his strong muscles, "you can barely use the microwave."
Grinning mischievously, Tyson groaned and complained, "You know, you try to make popcorn once and the microwave gets a little overheated, and your wife won't let you forget it."
"A little overheated?" Hilary's jaw practically dropped. "Try burst into flames."
"Small flames," Tyson muttered sheepishly.
"Yeah, whatever you say, sweetie," Hilary gently pinched Tyson's cheek, cooing to him in a way that she had done to Vanessa when she was just a baby. Giggling, her voice returned to normal as she drawled sweetly, "why don't you just stick to decorating the cupcakes with Vanessa? That's much more at your skill level."
Growling, Tyson grabbed Hilary's wrist and pulled her hand away from his face, biting back, "I'm not a baby!"
"No, but you lack the ability to cook," Hilary sighed. "And now that you've gotten our daughter all excited about having chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, that's just more work for me."
"I'm going to help," Tyson separated the pans. "It can't be that hard!"
Groaning, Hilary turned around and pressed both of her palms against the counter, quietly begging, "Please don't help me…"
"Uh, uh, uh," Tyson clicked his tongue, lifting Hilary's head with his fingers. "I'm going to help. I should learn after all, right? You're not going to be able to run around the house too much over the next few months. I want to become much more sufficient!"
Hilary's static expression was soon replaced by one of displeasure, her eyes narrowing as she prompted, "Are you insinuating that I'm going to get too fat to move around?"
"No," Tyson replied quickly, kissing Hilary on the lips before turning back to the baking materials before them. "So…what do we do first?"
Hilary rolled her eyes, but knew there would be no way to get Tyson away from the ingredients. Once Tyson put his mind to something, he wouldn't stop until he'd succeeded…or at least tried. "First you have to pour the cake mix into a bowl. Since we're making two different flavors of cupcakes, you have to use two separate bowls."
"No problem," Tyson's eyes sparkled. Looking down at Vanessa, Tyson smiled as he gently inquired, "Would you like to get me the bowls?"
"Sure!" Vanessa opened the cabinet doors, searching through the various pots and pans until she found two mixing bowls to hand off to her father.
"Wow, thanks baby!" Tyson beamed. "Great job." Placing the bowls on the counter, Tyson grinned at his wife and prompted, "now what?"
"You pour the mix into the bowls, vanilla in one and chocolate in the other," Hilary instructed. "I'll get the other ingredients. Don't touch anything else until I come back."
Twisting his mouth, Tyson bent down and gathered Vanessa into his arms, sitting her on top of the counter.
"You are gonna' help make the cupcakes," Tyson opened the boxes and handed one her: chocolate for himself, and vanilla for Vanessa. "You have to pour the powder into a bowl."
She did just that, Hilary smiling at them as she returned with the other necessary ingredients for the cupcakes. "Wow, my baby is so helpful!" Hilary giggled, putting down the eggs and water.
"I wanna' crack the eggs, Mommy!" Vanessa cried, holding her hands out.
"You have to be very, very careful when you do that," Hilary warned. "You can't get any eggshells in the bowl, because then the cupcakes will be crunchy. That's icky!"
"I'll be careful," Vanessa's eyes widened.
"How about Mommy helps you crack the eggs?" Hilary asked, holding a hand against the middle of her stomach. Tyson took notice of this and raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it.
"Okay," Vanessa sighed, not seeming thrilled with the idea.
Hilary's smile faltered for a second as she rubbed her hand across her very tiny bump, but it was quick to return, albeit not as strong as before. Picking up one of the eggs, she walked over to where Vanessa was and handed the egg to her, which she held carefully between her fingers.
"Good," Hilary nodded. She took the girl's wrists and moved her hands towards the bowl, very gently tapping the egg against the rim of the bowl. "This is how you want to crack it, okay? We don't want to hit it too hard, because then the egg will go everywhere and make a big mess."
"I don't like messes," Vanessa giggled, looking up at her mother.
"Oh, I know you don't," Hilary smirked. "Because you are part me, and me is definitely not in the mood to be cleaning one up."
Guiding Vanessa's hands, Hilary helped the young girl to tenderly crack the egg open, which excited her greatly.
"I did it, Mommy!" Vanessa cheered, looking up at Hilary with bright eyes and a wide smile.
"You sure did, sweetheart," Hilary let go of Vanessa's wrists and pressed both hands against her belly. She began to look a little flushed, and it was finally enough to evoke a question from Tyson.
"Hil, you doing okay?" Tyson blinked.
"Yeah, I'll be just…" Hilary trailed off and took a breath in, confusing Tyson even further. "You know what; can you just watch Vanessa for a second?"
Before Tyson could respond, Hilary walked swiftly away, just a pace or two below running.
"…sure," Tyson squeaked lamely.
Vanessa looked up at Tyson, a cross between confusion and concern plastered on her young face.
"Where did Mommy go, Daddy?" Vanessa inquired.
"I think the baby is making her tummy hurt again," Tyson smiled sympathetically at the young girl. "Mommy will be back in a few minutes, I'm sure."
"How come the baby hurts her tummy?" Vanessa frowned. "Does the baby hate her?"
"No, of course not," Tyson chuckled, stroking his daughter's locks. "It's not her fault; she's growing in there! And sometimes, that just makes Mommy's tummy hurt."
"Does Mommy get mad at the baby for doing that?" Vanessa really seemed to get the idea that there was resentment involved with morning sickness.
"Mommy could never be mad at the baby," Tyson smirked. "Just like you! She doesn't like getting sick, of course, but she knows that it's not the baby's choice for her to be getting sick."
Vanessa nodded, smiling at Tyson. She was happy to know that her Mommy wasn't going to come back in a bad mood, or be mad at the baby. Vanessa loved her little soon to arrive sibling, and she didn't want anyone to be mad at it.
Tyson turned his eyes back onto Vanessa, and nearly fell on the floor when he saw what the young girl was doing.
"Vanessa!" Tyson cried, grabbing his daughter's arm as a reflex. "What are you doing?"
The five year old looked up at Tyson, seemingly unaffected by the question. "I'm crackin' the rest of the eggs!"
Tyson's heart shot up into his throat. Peering into the bowl, all of Tyson's fears became reality when he saw the tiny pieces of white shell scattered on top of the cupcake mix.
"Vanessa…" Tyson held his head in his hands, "you should've waited for Mommy!"
"I did good, Daddy," Vanessa frowned. "I cracked three eggs, like Mommy said!"
"Yeah, but you got pieces of shell in the bowl," Tyson sighed.
As if things couldn't get any worse for Tyson, the sound of footsteps caused him even more panic than when he'd realized that Vanessa had been cracking the eggs on her own. Running over to the sink, Tyson began to wash his hands as quickly as possible, drying them off and running back over to the counter. As soon as he reached into the bowl to begin the task of removing the eggshell fragments, however, Hilary stepped into the room, the color returned to her face that was now displaying a fairly aggravated expression.
"Tyson, what in God' name are you doing?" Hilary shook her head.
"I…uh…I…" Tyson stammered. He didn't know how to respond. Hilary hated lying, but at the same time, the truth would get him cracked just like the eggs his daughter had decimated.
Growing frustrated, Hilary stomped forward and peeked into the bowl, where Tyson's fingers were just floating above the now dampened mix. Catching sight of the tiny white pieces, Hilary cocked an eyebrow and raised her head to stare at Tyson, a look of pure aggravation set in her deep auburn eyes.
"Really?" Hilary deadpanned.
"I didn't do it," Tyson defended himself. "Vanessa did it."
"Hey!" Vanessa cried.
"Oh, very nice Tyson, tattle on your five year old ," Hilary's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Great example of being a role model!"
"But I…I…oh, never mind," Tyson slapped his hand over his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," Vanessa apologized, a definitive frown set on her cute face.
"Oh, it's alright, sweetheart," Hilary hugged the girl against her. "Mommy will just pick the pieces of shell out…"
As Hilary went to work on removing the fragments of eggshell, Tyson leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Are you alright?"
Hilary rolled her eyes and turned her attention onto Tyson, hissing, "What do you think?"
"Was it morning sickness?" Tyson continued just as softly.
Hilary didn't respond for a few seconds, until she finally caved in and gave a small nod to confirm Tyson's inquiry.
"Poor angel," Tyson rubbed Hilary's back.
This is why it's so hard to stay mad at him, Hilary thought begrudgingly. She wanted so badly to ignore Tyson and be completely and undeniably furious at him. But she couldn't. He was far too sweet and loving…that had always been the problem. Hilary may have gotten mad at him frequently, but what people didn't understand was that this anger never lasted for long. It couldn't. Not when the object of your annoyance was someone as wonderful as Tyson.
It had always been this way, and it would continue to be this way.
Sighing, Hilary wrapped her left arm around Tyson's waist and pulled him in closer to her, so they were side by side. Smiling to himself, Tyson kissed the top of Hilary's head and reached his hand around to rub her growing belly. With his other hand, Tyson reached into the bowl, leading Hilary to turn her eyes up to the Beyblader once again.
"What are you doing?" Hilary asked slowly.
Tyson grinned into Hilary's brown hair, all but melting her heart. "I'm helping you," Tyson answered simply. "I'm becoming sufficient."
XXX
It took much longer than Hilary would have liked, but at long last, the cupcakes had been finished. All of the ingredients had been mixed, poured into the pans, and baked. While they cooked, Hilary took the opportunity to lie down across Tyson's lap and allow him to rub and caress her tiny baby bump. While Tyson did this, he watched Vanessa play with Tucker on the floor, laughing and having fun with one another. Having her, in Tyson's mind at least, had always been a blessing. It gave the Tucker an automatic playmate, so they were never lonely. And even though they fought sometimes, Tyson just loved it when they got along and played together. It was too cute for words.
"I like being a Dad," Tyson softly informed his wife.
Hilary rolled her eyes up to look and smile at Tyson. "I know you do."
"Thank you for giving me our babies," Tyson continued.
"You're welcome," Hilary's smile grew wider at this.
The timer for the oven sounded, alerting the young family that their cupcakes were done baking. Overcome with excitement, Vanessa jumped up and ran into the kitchen with Tucker trailing behind her, her happy squeals easily being heard from the family room.
"Don't you go and open that oven door!" Hilary warned, sitting up and getting to her feet in order to make her way to the kitchen. "I don't need to be tending to any burns today."
At this, Tyson chuckled and followed behind his wife, eager to see how their treats had turned out. He watched as Hilary gently keeping Vanessa away from the hot appliance, assuring them that she'd be able to see the cupcakes once her mother got them out of the oven. Once the pans were safely removed, Hilary left them on the kitchen table to cool, laughing to herself as she watched Vanessa scramble onto the chairs in order to get a glimpse at the freshly baked indulgences.
"They look so tasty, Mommy!" Vanessa squealed. "Can we decorate 'em now?"
"Not yet, they're still very hot," Hilary shook her head. "But we can start to pick out what you want to decorate them with! What do you guys think would taste good on the cupcakes?"
"Frosting!" Vanessa called.
"That one is pretty obvious," Tyson agreed. "We have some in the fridge. I'll go get it."
"What about sprinkles?" Vanessa asked.
"I like sprinkles on cupcakes," Hilary nodded. "I think that would be perfect! We should have some…"
Hilary walked over to the higher cabinets, opening the door and scouring through the various containers that had been stored within the cupboard. Beaming, Hilary found the plastic bottle filled with colorful sprinkles, taking it into her hands and bringing it over to the table.
"Here are the sprinkles!" Hilary announced, smiling as the girl got thrilled and began to pick out her favorite colors in the candy.
"Wow, look at all the frosting we have!" Tyson laughed, placing three containers down on the table. "There's chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry! And you can decorate them however you want!"
"You and Mommy have to help, Daddy," Vanessa smiled at the blue raven haired man.
"Huh?" Tyson was surprised by this. "Us?" He pointed between Hilary and himself.
"Uh huh!" Vanessa nodded.
''I can't decorate all these cupcakes by myself!" Vanessa laughed at the idea.
Once Hilary deemed the cupcakes cool enough to touch, Vanessa took over the pan of chocolate cupcakes, while Tyson commandeered the pan of vanilla.
"What kind of cupcake do you want, Mommy?" Vanessa asked.
"Well…I like vanilla cupcakes the best," Hilary smiled.
Vanessa took one of the cupcakes out of her pan and handed it to Hilary, who thanked the girl for giving it to her. Looking up at Tyson, Vanessa smiled and prompted, "what do you want, Daddy?"
"I'm the opposite of Mommy," Tyson smirked. "My favorite cupcakes are chocolate."
"Yay!" Vanessa clapped her hands together and gave her father a vanilla cupcake. "You're like me, Daddy."
"Yep!" Tyson agreed. ''I got some of me in you too.''
After they all had frosted their cupcakes, it was time to decorate the small treats with the colorful sprinkles. After Hilary had showered them onto her own cupcake, Tyson took the bottle and poured some sprinkles onto his own cupcake. Observing the colorful little candies, Tyson chuckled quietly to himself and plucked one with his fingers, observing it for a quiet moment.
"What are you doing?" Hilary blinked.
Tyson held the sprinkle in front of Hilary's face. He had picked a green one, knowing that was Hilary's favorite color.
"Look at how tiny it is," Tyson marveled.
"Well, yeah, it's a sprinkle," Hilary laughed just once. "Sprinkles are tiny."
"Tiny things are cute," Tyson commented, his eyes twinkling at the observation.
"Like our baby?" Hilary showed off a playful smirk. Suddenly, her words hit her like a train. Tiny…just like the little baby growing inside of her. Her sweet little miracle. It was just like a… "Sprinkle."
"Huh?" Tyson glanced back up at Hilary. "What did you say, Hil?"
"Sprinkle," Hilary held onto her belly. "This is our sprinkle."
Tyson raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."
"Our baby is just like a sprinkle," Hilary giggled. "Tiny and sweet."
"Oh, I get it," Tyson smirked. "You're going to nickname our baby "sprinkle" now, aren't you?"
"I think it's a very cute nickname," Hilary rubbed her belly. "Sprinkle." She pulled out the sonogram image of her unborn baby, holding it next to the cupcake that was covered in colorful sprinkles.
"I think it's cute," Tyson agreed, taking a bite out of his cupcake. "Nice work, Hil!"
"Thanks," Hilary giggled. "I didn't know I was so good at coming up with nicknames!"
"Oh…" Tyson looked away awkwardly.
"What?" Hilary searched Tyson's face for a hint of why he was acting so sheepish.
"I was actually complimenting you on these cupcakes…they're really good."
