A Half-Baked Life 4 (Tamberlane Webcomic, Human!SI)

Belfry was outrageously nervous. As much as John made it clear that things were going to be fine, the bat knew they were not.

Not with her mother still in a foul mood from the looks of it.

The bakery was bustling with activity despite the late hours, but while they arrived to find just enough space to squeeze inside, Belfry could tell that her mother was mind-deep into the shift, while her father was possibly preparing more food.

Out of anyone she could recognize on the spot, it was her sister that was the closest.

Albeit Briar was moving just as swiftly as their mother, the little deer was not truly angry at Belfry. Possibly annoyed, but that was how the girl reacted to many unpleasant developments nowadays.

"Briar."

Her call paused the deer, her green eyes widening slightly as she stopped just enough to avoid tripping and making a mess.

"B-Belfry?" Her wide gaze then shifted to John and she looked a bit irked. "I am a bit busy."

"We can wait," The older sibling assured, more than happy to delay the inevitable as she looked down to the snoring little girl that was in her arms.

Briar rolled her eyes, but Belfry was sure she had spotted a small smile as the deer went back to her chores. John helped her to a chair as he stood by the nearby corner while they waited for the shift to end. It would have been far more awkward if not for the sleeping Tamberlane.

The sight of her slumber was enough to cheer Belfry up as they patiently waited, and while she wasn't happy that the time to wait didn't go beyond twenty minutes as the bakery had to close and clients were already leaving, the bat felt a bit more 'braver' as it came down to facing the rest of her family.

Her mother, Tess, looked quite upset even now. Tired, but definitely upset. Her father was just tired and nothing else. He always had an easier time stomaching novelty and actually understand the full scope of things rather than jump to conclusions.

Briar was just being Briar at this point, so nothing wrong with that.

"Belfry... how are you?"

Mustering some air to her lungs, Belfry replied with a shaky smile. "Good."

"Any trouble with... it?"

"Her," John corrected automatically, and Tess' attention darted from her elder daughter to the young girl.

"...I am sorry for the mistake."

The apology felt dry, but John didn't seem to mind it as he merely nodded. "It's alright."

"So, you are the one that has been taking care of half of my daughter's chores as a parent," Belfry's father, Walter, pointed out with a calm voice. "What's your name?"

"John."

"Full name?"

"John Bukharin."

The older deer nodded at the replies, seemingly pleased by those.

"And what is your interest towards our daughter?" Tess jumped in, eyes narrowing at John.

Belfry's jaw dropped at hearing that abrupt question, even more with the surprised look that it gained from the male.

"Belfry and I are parenting little Tamberlane."

"And?"

"And we are friends," He argued carefully, something that hardly lessened the tension.

"In the eventuality of either you or Tamberlane gets sick, are you prepared for that sort of consequence?"

This time John appeared ready for the topic. "I had a conversation with Nora regarding specific medicines that we would be in need in case of common sicknesses. Although, I plan to also check for rarer meds that can be used in specific occasions."

"Food?" Walter inquired and John didn't waste a moment to answer that too.

"Mr. Oakewood and I have spent a few hours compiling a list of acceptable dishes and specific care. We can't eat some types of raw meat and we would need to cook it first."

The preparation showed by John baffled Belfry, but she had a feeling he had been worrying just as much as she had over this meeting. In fact, the preparation was something the bat could see John using as a 'calming factor' for his own concerns.

But of course, there will always be a small 'problem' that will make things go downhill really fast.

"So, you're not into Belfry or anything?" Briar asked, leading to a very interesting pause within the seemingly nice-turning conversation.

"We are friends-"

"Oakewood told me that you two shared a bed."

Belfry felt a hint of shame at that awkward admission, which caused her mother to... snort. And her father appeared surprised but also deeply amused.

"So, you two shared a bed," Tess remarked, a little smile creeping on the honey badger's face. "What else?"

"W-We just shared it to give some company to- to Tamberlane. Nothing else!"

"And then there's the fact that you were seen hugging just a while ago," Briar kept on blurting out things that were further shocking poor Belfry. "Like, I heard friends do that but-"

"I-I was just having a... a bit of a moment. I needed a-"

"Hug from a caring person," Her father interrupted, his smile growing a bit.

"Yes-"

"Who is also the father of your child."

Her jaw hit the floor. "Saying it like that is- is-" Belfry was outright speechless. What was going on anymore?

Then, much to her utter confusion, John started to laugh, causing the rest to also follow with that sort of reaction.

Her brain took a moment to understand what happened, but then... she frowned.

"Y-You were all doing it to tease me, weren't you?"

"More like both of you," Walter admitted with an amused grin. "Belfry, you are clearly focused on your child, which is honorable, but that will not stop others from thinking that you two are a couple."

"Which is why we should treat this with a hint of understanding on the other side, but also explain the proper situation."

More chuckles were shared, and while it wasn't an exhaustive discussion due to how little time they could all invest in it, Belfry and John left that first meeting with relieved looks. Despite all of her worst expectations, the reality of things went much better than she had predicted.

Belfry doubted her mother was outright convinced of her newest responsibility, but at least she could work on keeping things stable and let her own actions speak out and soothe any worry that could be lingering with the rest of the family.

But for now, she focused on being a good mother and...

Definitely not a wife. Her focus was on Tamberlane and her heart needed to stop being so silly!

AN

Next time... Tamberlane is enrolled in school and John finds a proper job. The issue is that this may also trigger some drama between him and Belfry. The reason? Jealousy.