An Extra Fly Cake
Summary: After a long day of working on some new products for Roland, Cedric is delighted when Sofia brings some treats and shares some intriguing information she's discovered.
Disclaimer: Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X. Everything else belongs to Craig Gerber.
A/N: Be prepared for fluff. And emotions. And Wormwood sniffling. That is all. Lol! :D
*Story*
Thunder rolled outside, the skies darkening as a storm rolled in. Of course, it wasn't surprising. It had looked like rain for a few days now, and they were due anyway. The old adage of 'April showers' hadn't happened much this year, so it was possible nature was making up for it with extra storms in May.
Despite the gloomy weather, Sofia was cheerful as usual as she carried a covered tray through the castle, a soft hum escaping her every now and then as she walked. She was clearly in a great mood, and it didn't appear that the little smile on her face was going away any time soon.
She took in a deep breath as she stopped at the crossing that led to Cedric's—their—tower… The rain mercilessly pelted the ground, a few drops splattering the princess's arms, though she didn't pay it any mind. In that single breath, she beheld the fragrance of the peonies and carnations that lined the outside of the stone cylindrical edifice, still so fragrant even in the storm. She and Cedric were eagerly awaiting the blooming of the hydrangeas, which would probably be any day now. They were mostly spring and summer flowers, naturally, so it was rather close to their time to return.
The darkness of the sky took her back to a specific evening several nights ago… A blush filled her cheeks as she remembered the rather surprising (but completely treasured) exchange she'd shared with Cedric…
"I wish it weren't so dark," Sofia had murmured absently as Cedric had guided her into a far more comfortable position, her head resting on one of the numerous pillows while his hands carefully tugged the loose pajama top away from her shoulders, allowing him access to trail little kisses across them. "O-Oh, Cedric…"
He had chuckled against her skin, pausing only momentarily to look at her with a fond expression, barely highlighted by a single flickering flame from a candle near their bed. "I don't mind the darkness," he admitted. "The only downside to it is that it keeps me from seeing your beauty." With his princess's skin warming against his own, likely as a reaction to his words, he had kissed her shoulder once more before whispering, "The upside is that I can use my…other senses…to 'see' you…"
A loud crash of thunder brought Sofia out of her thoughts, startling her as she reaffirmed her grip on the tray. Her cheeks were flushed even darker remembering that night. Since they'd been married, of course they'd shared…intimate moments with each other. But that night had been…so different. It was like a delicate composition of a love song, but with…kissing…and caresses… He treated her like—
"Like a princess," she giggled, smiling at the irony. She loved how gentle he was with her, and she'd returned the favor. They knew how to be in love; they'd had more than enough practice over the years, though most of the time their feelings had been obscured, even from themselves. They were still learning more about this new form of intimacy though, as well as how to express that side of their love. It was wonderful and lovely even, though still so new.
Clearing her mind, she braced herself before hurrying down the path from the castle to the tower, quickly opening the door and moving inside, closing it just as quickly as she caught her breath. "It had to be raining today…" With one free hand, she shook off her clothes once and smoothed down her braided hair, attempting to rid herself of all the rain droplets. It was somewhat fruitless, but soon enough, she decided to deal with it later. "We shouldn't wait any longer…" With an excited smile, she began making her way up the stairs.
The door was open when she arrived, as it appeared there had been a small backfire of a potion, which had smoked up the tower, evidenced by the lingering scent of scorched chemicals. She smiled as she saw Cedric sweeping up a fallen vial before discarding it in a receptacle. "You guys okay?" she asked.
"One of the vials fell," Tanya told her matter-of-factly. "It released a strong potion."
"I see. Or…smell…" She withdrew her wand and waved it, muttering a few words, nodding to herself as the room was cleared of the stench and thick residue of the potion itself. "There, that's better." She pocketed her wand before walking up to the worktable and settling the tray onto it. "Anyone hungry?"
"Starving," Cedric admitted, grinning sheepishly as she smirked at him before removing the cover to the tray, setting it aside. "I sort of…skipped breakfast. And lunch…"
"Oh, Cedric…" She nodded toward the tray, where six fly cakes sat. "Well, I brought some fly cakes for a snack. There's exactly one for each of us." She picked one up and passed it to Nana, who beamed at the beautiful treat in her hands before mercilessly munching on it. Sofia giggled as she passed the next fly cake to Tanya. "Nana, slow down! You'll get the hiccups if you eat too fast."
Nana grinned at her as she finished her treat, frosting coating her mouth as she looked rather proud of herself. No regrets...
Cedric took a fly cake for himself before frowning at the remaining ones. "I thought you said there was one for each of us."
"There is." She grabbed one for herself and then picked up another one, sliding it over to Wormwood, who blinked. "That one has natural berries and raven-friendly ingredients. I made it myself."
Wormwood seemed to be rather enamored by her thoughtful gesture. "Oh, well… Thank you, Princess." He used his talon to deftly remove the wrapper before happily eating his own treat. "Ooh, mm. This is good."
The sorcerer took a bite of his own fly cake as he eyed the single remaining fly cake on the tray. He side-glanced Sofia, who seemed none the wiser, before finishing up the treat. When he was done, he hummed curiously. "If there is one for each of us, then whose is that?"
Sofia smiled and shrugged before simply responding, "Our baby's."
"Oh, right, right. Of c—" Cedric paused mid-sentence as he noticed the mischievous yet endearing expression on his princess's face. "O-Our… Our what?"
"A baby?" Tanya asked in awe. "Mama, you are…"
Cedric's breath caught in his throat as Sofia grasped his hands, placing one over her stomach. "Y-You're pregnant?"
"Pregnant?" Wormwood was astonished, though that didn't stop him from eating every last morsel of his fly cake. When he finished, he stared at the couple in awe. Sofia, pregnant. It… It didn't sound…real. It was surreal. He'd only ever known her as a pesky princess, vying for his master's attention. Now he saw her more like a friend, and someone who not only had his master's attention, but his heart as well. He'd come to adore Nana, and even Tanya was growing on him. And now, a new little one… He stared ahead, practically frozen in place, the realization not quite hitting him just yet.
"I was feeling kind of strange the last several days," she told him. "A little off, you know? You weren't here the other day when it got really bad, since you and Dad had to go to that meeting, so Amber summoned a medic. And he told me the news…"
"Oh, Sofia!" He sighed, smiling warmly at her, his hand absently stroking the fabric of her dress, housing their… "N-Not that I don't trust the medic, but I want to know for certain… For myself…" He kept one hand on her stomach and retrieved his wand from his robe, hovering over the same place. It took a few moments, but eventually, his magic began glowing a soft lavender. "…We…" He replaced his wand as he stared at the princess before him, tears welling in his eyes. "W-We're having a baby…"
"Oh, Cedric…" She giggled, wrapping him in a loving hug. "We're having a baby…"
"We're having a baby!" Wormwood finally blubbered in a rather embarrassing display of emotions, made only more comical by the fact that Nana was now hugging him and gently patting his head to calm him down.
Cedric wiped his own tears, struggling with the internal battle to either chide the raven for being so dramatic, intentionally highlight his strange behavior, or comfort him. He settled with something simple. "Technically, Wormy, Sofia is having…our baby…" He looked back at the princess, the smile still lingering on her lips, a sense of peace and sheer elation washing over both of them. He reached out to take her hands, pressing his forehead to hers. "O-Our baby… Our baby…"
Sofia giggled, releasing his hands to hug him. "No matter how many times you say it out loud, it still doesn't seem real… But it is, Cedric…" She leaned back, beaming up at him. "It is…"
He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and then to her lips. "I love you, Sofia…"
She smiled as she hugged him, more than thrilled to be joined by Nana and Tanya getting in on the affection as well. "I love you too, Cedric. I love all of you." She cast her smile toward Wormwood, who was sitting on the tower floor, just looking both flabbergasted and awestruck. "Even you, Wormwood."
Wormwood laughed incredulously. "Two miracles in one day: I found out we're pregnant—"
"Wormwood, stop that," Cedric chided, though he couldn't help the small, amused smirk that appeared on his face.
"—And now, Sofia says she loves me. I wasn't expecting a new baby and a love confession all in one day!" Seeing the baffled looks on the family's faces, he grinned. "I'm just kidding. I do that sometimes, you know."
"I prefer your dark sarcasm to lighthearted joking," Tanya deadpanned, smirking as he grinned. "Besides, I do not think Nina would like to hear of you 'flirting' with Mama. I honestly believe having your own offspring made you softer, and it is honestly a little concerning sometimes."
Wormwood smiled sheepishly.
"A baby," Cedric mumbled again, resting his head on top of Sofia's. "…We have a lot of planning to do…"
"I know…" She smiled up at him. "And we still have to tell everyone…"
"We'll get to that soon, I assure you. But for now…" He smirked as he released her, picking up the solitary fly cake remaining on the tray. "We have this extra fly cake…"
"Our baby needs extra food," Sofia surmised, laughing at her husband's bemused reaction. "What? I saw Amber during her pregnancy with Alamea. Babies need a lot of food."
"Sweets?"
"Maybe it will make the baby extra sweet," Tanya giggled, smiling as Nana nodded happily.
"Oh, I don't know, Tanya…" Cedric brushed the fly cake against Sofia's lips, smiling mischievously as he noticed the frosting that had been left behind. "Your Mama is very sweet as it is, so I'm sure the little one will be plenty sweet anyway." He captured Sofia's lips with his, stifling a laugh as she gasped in mild surprise.
Wormwood shook his head as he alighted onto Tanya's shoulder. "Gee, I can't imagine why she's pregnant so soon after marriage…" He smirked as he flew up, dodging the fly cake that had nearly hit his head. "Temper, temper! Must set a good example for the baby!"
Sofia rolled her eyes before smiling up at Cedric. "Are you happy?"
He returned the smile, tugging at her braid playfully. "With you? Always. And now knowing we have a baby coming… I'm over the moon, my love…" He hummed softly as she hugged him, and he swiftly returned the hug. "More than you know…"
The end