With Leila holding gingerly onto both Tommy's and my hand, we walk warily into the closet. I move out of the way the hoard of glittery and spiked clothing to reveal the small door.
"This is where you put it?" Tommy asks.
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"
"What if you were not here and I needed to get to it?"
"Then I suppose it would have died."
"Adam!"
"I'll be right back," I say, walking into my bedroom. I walk to the same familiar bedside table. I open the same familiar drawer as before, lifting the same familiar secret flap and retrieving the same familiar antique-looking key. I hold it tightly in my fist, walking back to the closet and leaning on my haunches in front of the small door. I type in the pass code, hovering in front of the door to keep Tommy from seeing it. It opens, revealing a mini-door keyhole. I shove the key in, turning it sharply and unlocking the door.
As I pull it open slowly. Purple light fills the space around the door. I touch the giant rock-solid object, and it glows under my hand. I smile, remembering the same tingling feeling as when Tommy and I were awaiting Leila's arrival, even though at the time I had no clue who or what she was.
I feel a tug, a sort of pull on my heart, my soul. I take a deep breath. I place another hand on the cocoon, marveling at the intense glow. It burns into my eyes, making me squint.
"I feel it, too," Tommy says, touching my waist. I smile.
"I like this feeling…"
"Me too…"
"Tommy… what if it doesn't survive?"
Tommy takes my hand for reassurance. I squeeze it lightly, taking a deep breath and pulling the cocoon-like object out of the small door as best as possible. I motion for Tommy to help me, and he takes half of the object in his arms, the other half cradled in mine.
"It'll be fine," he answers.
We manage to carry the cocoon to the bathroom, placing it carefully into the tub. I run to the kitchen and back in a flash.
"What did you go to get?" Tommy asks.
"You'll see, now move."
"Why? What do you have?"
"Just something."
"Adam, what is it?"
"Don't ask questions," I say, stabbing the cocoon with the giant knife.
"How the fuck did you acquire a samurai sword?" Tommy screams.
"Don't ask questions!" I yell.
"Adam! What the hell are you doing?" Tommy asks, pulling me away.
"Just trust me!" I yell, pulling out of his hold and pushing the sword in deeper. The cocoon cracks all over, breaking quicker than Leila's did. I pull the sword out, taking it to our closet and placing it on the highest shelf.
I run back to the bathroom, grabbing a few towels from the cabinet as Tommy rolls up his sleeves. The cocoon cracks further, pieces breaking off into the tub like an eggshell.
"Adam…" Tommy whispers. I rush to his side, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing his neck.
"Think of it this way," I say, "At least you don't have to suffer childbirth."
"Yeah, but I had to suffer every time we made love."
"Oh yeah…" Tommy laughs, turning around to kiss me. Leila walks in quietly, tugging on the leg of my pants. I break off of the kiss and look down, giving her my full attention.
"Daddy, I'm scared."
"Why, Glitterbaby?"
"What if it doesn't like me?"
"It will love you, Leila, just like we do," Tommy soothes. He plays with her blonde curls nonchalantly, bending down on his knees to reach to her level. She holds onto his face and kisses his mouth with her full lips. Tommy and I laugh. He picks her up and sits her on his hip.
The cocoon breaks more and more, and the familiar slime begins to ooze out. After about half an hour of waiting nervously, the cocoon finally breaks in half, revealing a glittery, slimy, lump of mess.
Tommy is quick to turn on the bath water, placing Leila back on the floor, pulling off the removable shower head and rinsing off the thing. I roll my sleeves up, too, pulling the lump out of its cocoon and tossing the cocoon aside. Tommy washes it off, trying to distinguish the gender or, more importantly, appendages. We hear coughing from the thing, washing off its face and seeing dark brown hair. Tommy's eyes widen.
"Finally something that resembles one of us!" I shout, moving the hair out of its face. I blink and hesitate, looking at its naked body. I look to Tommy, raising an eyebrow. Tommy turns to look at the creature as it moves its hair back to reveal its face.
"…Dominic?" he asks me, still looking at the boy. I smile.
"It's perfect…" Tommy smiles, touching a finger under my chin and pulling me forward.
"Just like Leila…" he whispers.
"Oh, Tommy! He can wear baby clothes made of leather and lace! How incredibly exciting!
"You are so silly," he says, kissing me.
"Oh god!" Tommy and I look to the little boy in the tub.
"Excuse me?" I ask.
"Are you seriously-? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. This is NOT happening!" he says.
"What?" Tommy asks.
"You're…"
"Your fathers," I finish. The boy crinkles his nose.
"You're… gay?"
"Yes?" we reply in unison.
"Oh my god!" The boy cringes back into the edge of the tub, trying to get as far away from us as possible.
"How do you think you came into this world?" I ask.
"By a man and a woman fucking!" he replies.
"Hey! Watch your language!" Tommy scolds.
"You say it!" the boy retorts.
"You do as we say, not as we do," Tommy says sternly.
"That's fucked up," the boy says.
"Dominic!" Tommy yells.
"So, that's who I am?" he asks. I nod. He snorts. I ignore him, grabbing him under his arms and pulling him out of the tub and drying him off with a towel. He squirms relentlessly.
"Nicky, please stay still," I beg.
"Why? So you can touch me and be all gay with me? No, get away from me you freaks!" Dominic runs out of the bathroom, towel still wrapped completely around him.
"Where's Leila?" Tommy asks after a second. We hesitate before exchanging a frantic glance. We scramble to get out of the bathroom and into the living room, stumbling over a few pieces of furniture on our way through. Tommy and I become worried when we hear argumentative shouting in the living room coming from Leila and Dominic.
