I woke up to a noise I was entirely unfamiliar with. At first, my mind didn't even register it. Sleepy as I was, I thought it was just Berwald talking in his sleep or something to that effect. But it continued, which Berwald never did. The most he'd say in his sleep would be a few mumbled words, maybe my name, and then he'd settle back in to peaceful sleep.
But this was persistent. And I eventually registered a soft shaking that accompanied the noise. Blearily, my eyes opened, world dark and choppy as I looked at it through my lashes and bangs. My eyes widened as the noise continued, and my mind put together that it was Lukas' voice making the noise.
My initial reaction, after that realization, was to flinch away. It was almost comical because of how delayed it was, but the first thought I always had when I saw Lukas was still 'Danger.' He had, after all, made several attempts to take away my life. How was I to be sure that he'd entirely given up on his mission? But then my eyes picked Emil out of the darkness. He was the one shaking my shoulder. That soothed my fears a bit, but then I had to wonder what they were up to.
I sat up, mind and heart now racing, and looked at them for an explanation. A glance at Berwald's alarm clock informed me that it was barely three in the morning, and I couldn't fathom what they wanted at such a strange hour.
"Wake him." Lukas urged, pointing at Berwald. I blinked, but eventually did as requested of me, gently patting his shoulder until he stirred. As if he could sense what time it was, he groaned, trying to close his eyes again. I shook him with a bit of insistence, and he finally sat up, realizing just as slowly as I had that we were not alone in the bedroom. His eyes narrowed in the direction of Lukas and Emil, and I handed him his glasses. The glare didn't go away though.
"What're ya doin' in here?" He asked gruffly, voice a bit gravelly from sleep. Emil flinched away, and I tried to show him it was alright with a small smile. Berwald took some getting used to, and Emil hadn't yet learned that Berwald was entirely made of mush on the inside. Lukas wasn't nearly as affected though, and he rolled his eyes.
"Sorry to have interrupted your sleep, but that egg you've been doting on? It's hatching soon." He announced. Again, it took us several seconds to process the information. But at almost the same time, both of us leapt up, gracelessly scrambling off the bed and rushing into the living room after fighting with the sheets and blankets.
I went immediately to the tank, but Berwald had the good sense to turn the light on, so I could actually see. Then he joined me, both of us leaning in close and holding our breath. Sure enough, a tapping noise could be heard, and my heart skipped a beat, my eyes flicking up excitedly to Berwald. He met my gaze, his expression unreadable with so many emotions.
Lukas followed behind much slower, supporting Emil who was fumbling with his new legs. They both had a seat on the couch, watching us watch the egg.
"The noise woke Emil." Lukas explained, settling himself in. "We figured you'd want to know."
I nodded, not taking my eyes off of the egg. Now that it was close to time for the creature inside to emerge, the milky color was giving way to transparency, and I could see the outline of the babe inside, struggling against the walls of its shell.
Berwald made a noise, looking at me with uncertainty.
"Should we… Help 'em?" He wondered. I shook my head quickly, smiling.
"No, they'll get out themselves. Mer babies always have. Just try to patient." I cooed. It was silly though, because I was just as anxious to have the creature out. How I wanted to hold the little thing.
Lukas sighed from the couch, getting up again and heading into the kitchen. After a few minutes, he returned with his arms full of drinks, passing them out to us. He'd apparently caught on that there would be no rest until the baby was free.
"So, do we get a story?" He wondered, blinking at us almost like he was bored. "It's been here since I first came, and I have yet to hear where you got a Mer egg in the first place." He pointed out.
Deciding it was going to be a little while, Berwald and I moved the tank to the coffee table, so we could sit and talk while still keeping an eye on it. Once we'd gotten everything set up, I began the story. I told of the Mer I'd found, of the condition she was in, of what she'd told me. Lukas' face had grown steadily more mortified, and when I finished, he hissed.
"You have the Prince's illegitimate child?" He demanded, looking at me as if I were the most ignorant creature on Earth. I frowned, nodding. "And you plan to raise it?" He inquired, voice almost a whisper, as if the wrong person might hear lest he talk too loud. Again, I nodded.
His face was incredulous, and he sat back with a deep sigh.
"Do you understand what you're doing?" He finally managed, voice calm once more.
"Raising a child?" I guessed. He groaned.
"If that child ever learns that they have a claim to the throne, and decide to take it, it would throw the entire ocean into chaos!" He growled. "An illegitimate heir? And this will be his oldest! The scandal would be enough to start a war!" He exclaimed, talking with his hands. I was surprised, never having seen much emotion from Lukas at all. But I needed to defend myself.
"What was I to do? Leave the egg to die?" I questioned, managing to return the glare. Lukas stared at me a long time, biting his lips.
"That would have honestly been best." He finally admitted.
Anger flared up in my veins, but Berwald put a hand on my shoulder to ensure I wouldn't do anything stupid. I looked to him for assistance, but he merely rubbed a pattern into my arm.
"I would never." I finally breathed. "And the child is ours now. I cannot predict what they will do in the future, but for now, they will be raised as if we conceived them ourselves." I added curtly, crossing my arms over my chest.
Another stare down ensued, but Lukas finally gave, shaking his head and sighing with defeat.
"It's your choice. Just… Be careful." He warned. "I know how the royal family thinks, what they do. Don't underestimate their cruelty." He cautioned.
I nodded, a bit of fear finding its way to my heart, but I tried to forget it, returning my attention to the egg, which had been making quite a lot of noise while we were talking. Of course, as soon as I was paying attention again, it practically stopped altogether. Berwald pulled me to his chest, holding me while we watched with rapt attention, both of us resigned to wait the little thing out.
-.-.-+-.-.-
It wasn't until four thirty in the afternoon that anything significant happened. Lukas and Emil dozed off somewhere around five or six in the morning, though Berwald and I had downed enough coffee to keep us awake, albeit shaky. Even as hours passed with little or no progress, we both refused to let our eyes close for more than a split second.
When Emil and Lukas woke around noon, we called Mathias, who came over to fetch the blonde he was housing. But Lukas insisted on staying, so Mathias ended up hanging out too, after running out to get everyone something to eat, since Berwald had no intentions of cooking. We all munched, and Lukas explained what was happening to a very confused Mathias, who quickly lit up. Apparently he liked children.
Mathias had just convinced us that turning the television on would be a good idea when there was a loud cracking noise, and the remote was promptly dropped to the ground and forgotten as we all leaned in to see the progress. There was a sizeable split in the egg, and I held my breath as a few little fingers poked out, doing their best to pry away the rest of the shell.
It was dead silent except for the muffled sounds of the egg breaking away, not even Mathias dared utter a word. And then, when the little thing finally managed to get out, we all breathed a sigh of relief, a little shaky with excitement.
The babe sank to the bottom, but was making an effort to kick its tail, little mouth open with cries that came out sounding a bit strange because of the water. I smiled gleefully, reaching in my hand and letting it sink to the bottom of the water. It seemed to notice me, but was unable to actually swim to my hand, so I scooped it up instead, bringing it closer to me, but leaving it submerged. Berwald scooted closer too, watching it with curiosity.
"Um, is it a boy, or a girl?" He asked. I giggled, looking down at the little creature.
"A boy." I supplied. He wouldn't have been able to tell for a few years if I hadn't told him. The only way we can tell the difference before puberty is by the hormones that come out of the eggs into the water when the babies hatch. Seeing as the aquarium was small, the water was full of it, making it very easy for me to tell.
Berwald smiled softly, staring intently at the little guy in my hand. I laughed, coaxing him closer.
"Don't be so nervous. Babies are sturdy. You can hold him." I offered. He fidgeted, but carefully dipped his hand in too, and I easily deposited the baby into his hand. His eyes went wide as he looked down at him, and he chanced a glance at me.
"He's little." He pointed out. I giggled, nodding.
"He'll grow quickly." I promised. "Like I said, give him a month, and he'll be the size of a normal human baby."
We sort of just sat and took turns holding him and looking at him and being generally too happy for our own good, not even minding that the little thing was crying his head off until finally Lukas cleared his throat.
"Do you have a name picked out?" He wondered. I gaped, turning to Berwald with horror.
"Oh gosh, I forgot!" I cried, running my dry hand through my hair. Berwald shrugged, the motion gentle since he was currently having his turn holding the little creature.
"We'll think of something soon." He provided, kissing my temple and rubbing my back soothingly. It calmed me down considerably, and I nodded, sighing. Lukas rolled his eyes at our antics, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand.
Mathias was looking at the aquarium with curiosity, though he seemed hesitant to move from where he'd perched himself on the edge of the couch (much to Berwald's annoyance.) I beckoned him over gently, smiling.
"You can come see, you know?"
He blinked, but approached none the less, looking down at the little creature who had dozed off in Berwald's hand. His blue eyes were wide with wonder.
"This is really amazing." He breathed, squatting down to look through the tank instead. Emil too stumbled over, holding onto the furniture as he pulled himself closer, finally taking a seat on my other side, looking at the baby with piqued interest. I smiled, taking him from Berwald and then nodding towards the tank.
Emil seemed nervous, but he too plunged his hand in, holding it as still as he could manage while I transferred the stirring babe. He blinked at him, violet eyes a bit scared but also intrigued as he felt the weight on his palm.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when the little thing started suckling on his finger, but he relaxed when he realized there were no teeth to cause him injury. I smiled, glad that he seemed to be warming up to my new baby, but I quickly got antsy, which he picked up on, returning him to my hand.
Berwald continued rubbing my back, then leaned forward to speak into my ear.
"Should we keep 'im in the 'quarium?" He asked, looking at the tank doubtfully. But I nodded.
"Until he gets bigger, yes. He's too small for us to try and raise him out of water right now. I'd rather wait till he's bigger for prolonged exposure to air." I replied. Berwald nodded, petting my hair.
"We can get a kiddy pool when he ge's bigger." He suggested. I smiled, nodding. I was in something of a dreamy state, and would have liked nothing more than to hold my son for the rest of eternity. And I did, in fact, hold him for a few more hours as Mathias, Emil, and Lukas wound down and turned the television on, finding something to watch.
Emil was so preoccupied with stealing glances at the newest member of the family that he didn't even question the moving picture box, and he came over to hold him again after an hour or so. I took that opportunity to tell Berwald that it was probably about time for a feeding, and he rushed off to get some of the substitute stuff he'd bought a few weeks ago. He called it formula.
Apparently it had the same basic ingredients as a mother's milk, and we had to hope that mer and humans were similar in that matter. If not, we might have been in a bit of a tight spot.
He returned with a small bottle, and Mathias whistled.
"Where did you even find a bottle that tiny?" He wondered. Berwald rolled his eyes, handing it to me.
"Online. They make 'em for premature babies." He explained.
I carefully brought the baby to the surface, till he was only barely submerged, then guided the bottle to his mouth, waiting patiently while he figured it out and started suckling. With him taken care of, I was able to relax a bit, sitting on the table and watching him eat with a feeling of pure bliss washing over my mind.
Berwald sat next to me, watching as well, smiling fondly when a few little bubbles came up as the baby hiccupped. Lukas helped Emil over, who watched with rapt attention. I had been joking when I'd said that Emil could babysit, but it seemed that he was more than eager to be around the little guy, watching his every move with awe and interest. If I weren't so excited to do it myself, I might have let him feed the babe.
He actually finished the bottle and I pulled it away, handing it to Berwald who took it to the kitchen for a cleaning. That taken care of, I finally let him go, and watched him slowly sink into the water.
After a few minutes of struggling, he managed to move around on his own a bit, and I smiled gleefully.
"You're going to be rowdy, I can already tell." I cooed, crossing my arms against the table and watching him dreamily.
The night passed pretty much like that, Berwald and I spellbound by the little darling, Emil cautious but curious, and Lukas and Mathias keeping a respectful distance. Around eight, Mathias decided it was time for he and Lukas to leave, and the brothers exchanged a quick goodbye hug before the two left. Emil got settled on the couch, yawning.
I took that as our cue to vacate the living room so he could sleep, and I helped Berwald carry the aquarium into our room, that way we'd be able to keep an eye on the little creature inside during the night without having to keep Emil awake. Not like I'd let him out of my sight anyway.
Once everything was set up, we crawled into bed, still watching the napping baby closely. But eventually exhaustion won out, and we dozed off without so much as a word or a clue that our eyes had shut.
-.-.-+-.-.-
I woke up to muffled crying. The sound was still new to me and it filtered a little strangely through the water, but I was up in an instant, rushing over to see what my son needed. I was almost loathe to fetch him another bottle though, for his cry was nearly as cute as he was. It was one of his sounds, and I found I adored it to no end.
When I returned with a bottle, which I'd warmed like Berwald showed me, I found the man himself standing over the tank, fingers rubbing gently at the baby's cheek. I allowed myself a fond smile, leaning against Berwald's shoulder as I handed him the bottle.
With even more care than me, he lifted the little creature up, pressing the bottle to his crying mouth. It quickly silenced as his lips closed around the bottle, getting to work on draining it. I let out a deep sigh, lips still pulled up in happiness.
"If he keeps eating like that, we'll have a chubby child on our hands." I warned, giggling. Berwald smiled as well, sparing a moment to kiss my hair.
"Ah wouldn't mind." He promised, glasses slipping down his nose. With both of his hands needed to feed the baby, I pushed them back up for him.
"What should we name him?" I wondered, bringing it back up again now that we were alone. He hummed low and deep in his throat, eyes heading to the ceiling as he considered it.
"Ah hadn't given it much though'." He admitted, sighing. "Was too excited abou' getting' him out of the egg. "
I laughed softly, nodding.
"Me too. But we'll need something to call him at some point. Are there any names you really like?" I wondered. He went silent as he thought, so I started by giving some of mine. To be honest, they were just names that I remembered hearing on television.
"Um, Dimitri, Vaughn, Tiberius, Balthazar, uh..."
Berwald gave me a look, and I pouted.
"W-What?" I demanded, earning a shake of his head.
"What have ya been watchin'? And Ah forgot that you named yer fish Hanatamago. How abou' somethin' normal?" He ventured. I scowled, crossing my arms over my chest.
"I don't see what's wrong with those names." I grumbled. He only shook his head in exasperation.
"Try thinkin' of people ya know." He suggested, pulling the empty bottle out of the water and letting the still-nameless baby resume his nap towards the bottom of the tank. I huffed, but did as he said.
"Lukas, Matthew, Emil, Mathias, Eduard, Eli, Rod… Er… Gilbert, Ludwig, Feli, Antonio, Lovi…" I trailed. Berwald sighed, pulling me closer after drying his hands off.
"Okej, it'd be weird to name him after someone you're jus' friends with." He pointed out. I nodded, burying my face in his shoulder. "Maybe we coul' name him after a family member?" He suggested. "Wha' was your father's name?"
I frowned, burying myself further into his embrace.
"I don't know. I never knew my parents." I explained. Berwald stiffened, then hugged me tighter.
"Sorry." He breathed, but I shook my head.
"It's alright, you didn't know. What about yours?" I asked. He walked me over to the bed, and we sat down together, limbs still tangled.
"Mah father's name was Henrik." He supplied. "Bu' Ah never much liked mah father." He added, biting his lip. I sighed. Well, it looked like we'd be torn up over this for a while.
"Alright, I guess we'll have to think about it for a while. Let's get back to sleep for now." I suggested, pulling him up on the bed until he was lying next to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close as he hummed in agreement.
"Nothin' weird, Tino." He warned, closing his eyes and relaxing his muscles. I huffed again, but slid his glasses off and put them on the nightstand before letting myself follow him into slumber anyway. That argument could wait till morning.
A/N: As always, sorry for the wait guys! It's finals time for me, so it's tough to find time to work on all of my stuff. But we're toally in the homestretch now… I'd say one, MAYBE two more chapters. It depends on how much I put in the next one. So Joo, thanks for sticking this story out with me! It's been a fun story to work on, for sure.
Just a quick update: Frozen Heart is back in progress. Tora got very busy, so chapter three took a while, but I do believe we're back in action, and I just posted chapter 4 myself. You should check it out if you like frozen and have the time! It's a lot of fun to write.
If you like Shingeki no Kyojin, I just started posting a new JeanMarco story, called Take Me to the Riot. Punk!Jean is a fun Jean to write! So if you're into that, give it a read if you have the time.
Alright, I have three more stories I need to update, so off I go. Thank you, as always, for reading! If you have the time to spare, feedback is appreciated!
KuroRiya
九六りや