To yellow 14: That's pretty much what I was thinking!
To Butterfly: She does seem like the "tough love" hero… Chloe definitely goes on patrol (there are a couple with her already). I don't generally have 3 heroes for these, but I'll see what I can do!
Pablo had arrived in Paris just after breakfast in Peru, which had been lunchtime for Julia and Marco. Julia had immediately looked at him, handed him the knife, and told him to cut off the crusts of the toddler's sandwich before attacking her own with a vengeance. As Marco babbled about his most recent park outing, Pablo had looked to Lise for an explanation. She had simply shrugged and told him, "Morning sickness – most of the morning today."
"She doesn't let me keep any food down," Julia had grumbled, finishing her first sandwich and starting on the second. "And when I can finally eat, that's when your son starts begging for attention!" She hiccupped. "But Paola says it should be over soon."
After lunch, Lise had gone to the mall, leaving Pablo, Julia, and Marco to play together in the playroom under the watchful eyes of Mettli and Atsaa. Eventually, Julia had tired out and found a seat against the wall with Mettli, leaving Pablo and Atsaa to play with Marco. Pablo had taken out the Heroes of Paris action figures started acting out one of the fights from their training, with Marco pretending to be the villain. Pablo had sighed affectionately, watching Marco stomp through the "city" they had set up: this had been the first mission he and Julia had gone on together, when he had finally allowed her in. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the tender smile playing on Julia's face, watching them. Before they knew it, Lise had been back, and Marianne had brought a tray with dinner.
Their dinner/late lunch was a quiet affair, just the two of them with the Kwamis eating in the bedroom. Lise had taken Marco down to the main dining room to eat with the rest of the Mansion's guests to give them some privacy. Once they were finished, Pablo gave Julia a peck on the lips and placed his hand on her stomach. "This little muchacha is getting big!"
"Bigger every day," Julia agreed, resting her hand on top of his. She smiled softly, leaning into his kiss. "Though not so big yet – I could still go on patrol tonight."
He kissed her forehead. "That's not what Paola said," he reminded her, raising an eyebrow.
Julia folded her arms above her belly in an exaggerated pout. "The two of you are babying me far too much with this baby… I told Marinette, and I'll tell you, too: I have done this before, you know."
"I remember," he assured her, pulling her into a hug, pressing her cheek against his chest and resting his chin on her hair. Even now, after five years of being married to the incredible woman in his arms, he still couldn't believe how greatly he had been blessed. He had a family! The greatest thing he had lacked growing up was now his. Julia had given him a son, and now they had another one on the way! He tipped her chin up and gave her an earnest look. "You're so important to me, I just don't want to see you hurt – either of you. I'm happy to take the patrol for you. Besides, my body still thinks it's a little after noon, so it's not like I'm tired to start out!"
Her eyes turned sultry. "Hurry back then, so I can thank my brave warrior… and perhaps tire him out a little before bed…"
Mettli rolled her eyes in amusement as Atsaa flew over from the table to land on Pablo's shoulder. "You act like such teenagers," she scoffed. Turning to Atsaa, she added, "See if you can bring back any of our wayward pups."
"We'll try our best," Atsaa promised, just before the door closed.
Fifteen minutes later, Águila Altíssimo flew across the sky, his sharp eyes searching for the splash of royal blue that would indicate his partner's location. Banking sharply around a support leg of the Eiffel Tower, he caught sight of the enormous figure of Taureau Dechaine sitting on the edge of an apartment building overlooking the Champ de Mars.
"Buenas noches," he called, alighting on the roof next to him and taking a seat, his legs dangling off the side. At a thought his wings vanished away. "¿Cómo estás, Toro?" ["Good evening," "How are you, Bull?"]
Taureau Dechaine shrugged. "Así así." ["So-so"]
Águila Altíssimo frowned. "¿Qué pasa?" ["What's happening?"]
Taureau Dechaine switched to English. "Oh, I was just sitting here and thinking. Is Lupa not feeling well?"
"Oh, Nothing like that," Águila Altíssimo answered, also in English. "She is fine. She was going to insist on coming, but Paola said she should be cautious now – no more of the fighting, for the sake of the baby. And she is starting to show a little more."
"That is really exciting!" Taureau Dechaine grinned. "Congratulations, man!"
Águila Altíssimo puffed out his chest proudly. "I had thought it might be 'normal'," he confided. "That having a second child would be 'old hat' since we already went through it once already with Marco. But that is not the case at all. It is just as exciting to be expecting the second time as it was the first!" He sighed affectionately. "You never know how much it is possible to love until you have a child – and you never know how much you can love a woman until she is carrying your child."
"I can tell how much you love each other," commented Taureau Dechaine, humming in acknowledgement.
"Julia says you and Multiplice have both asked her about being a parent," Águila Altíssimo noted, raising an eyebrow. "She said you are unsure…"
"Huh?" Taureau Dechaine gave him a surprised look. "That's not it – not really. It's more like… what if one of us gets injured? What if one of us is killed? Being superheroes, there is no guarantee that that won't happen – we risk it every time we transform. And if it does happen, I don't want to leave my child fatherless…"
Águila Altíssimo hummed slowly. "That is always a consideration," he allowed. He swallowed hard – it had been less than a year ago that he lost two teammates and a miraculous, all in quick succession, a failure on his part. He had been the leader of the team, and he had let his teammates down. He blinked and turned back to Taureau Dechaine, who was looking at him expectantly. Águila Altíssimo let out a breath. "However, both of us have the benefit of being part of a team. My team has faced this in the past, and we provide for the families of our fallen. And knowing your Adrien and Marinette, I cannot imagine either of them leaving the family of a friend and teammate out in the cold, should the worst happen."
"That's true," Taureau Dechaine admitted. "And it is something we've talked about – Multiplice really wants to have kids. So do I for that matter. It's just–"
"Chico," Águila Altíssimo interrupted him gently, "You are allowing your fear to dictate. You never know what the future will hold. And you do not need to have all the answers to be a parent. But you do need commitment – to your wife and to your family."
"I know." He chuckled. "That isn't the problem."
Águila Altíssimo eyed him carefully. "You are – what? 18?" Taureau Dechaine nodded. Águila Altíssimo clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "You do not have to make these decisions now! Julia and I married fairly young, but that was after knowing each other for years before we started dating, and dating for years before we were married."
"We have been dating four years now," Taureau Dechaine pointed out. "Our last year of collège and all of lycée. And we knew each other for three years before then. After all of that, I cannot imagine sharing my life with anyone but her. I cannot imagine my life without her in it."
"But you are still anxious about this question?"
Taureau Dechaine nodded.
Águila Altíssimo squeezed his shoulder. "From what I have seen of you, I would not be worried, big man," he told him. "Your girl loves you. And I think you would make fine parents when the time is right – whenever that happens to be."
Taureau Dechaine let out a breath. "I hope you're right," he agreed. "I know you're right. But all of this seems so much more… immediate… than it did when we first started dating." He looked up at Águila Altíssimo. "We're going to be graduating in a few months – we'll be in University next year. Soon enough we'll be engaged and then married." He chuckled. "A whole lot different from picnicking under the Tower after collège exams."
Águila Altíssimo nodded. "It is a lot different to be adults in love than teenagers in love. It is a lot different to be adults with children than without. There will be a lot of changes. You will grow together. But from someone with experience, I can promise you that it is worth every minute." Allowing himself a small smile, he looked out over Paris, the city that Julia had adopted over the last year, the city where Marco had spent about a third of his young life, the city where he had made new friends outside of the small circle of the temple. Glancing over at his companion, he pushed off the room and spun around in midair, with a muttered, "Fly High," he sprouted wings and caught himself in midair, hovering in front of Taureau Dechaine. "Well," he told him, "Paris is not going to patrol itself. Shall we?"
Taureau Dechaine nodded and stood up. "Ready when you are!"