Moxxie held his head up against Millie's pregnant belly as she sat on their bed, hoping to feel a kick up against his cheek. Millie was in the late stages of her pregnancy, and the couple couldn't be any more excited for their babies to come out. "Hey there, little ones." Moxxie said. "It's your daddy." Millie had lifted her shirt so Moxxie could have direct contact with her belly, so feeling his cheek press up against her felt incredibly nice.
Eventually, Moxxie felt a bump on her belly come and go, and when he did, he pulled back with a smile on his face. "Oh wow, I felt that one!" Moxxie said.
"Looks like they're happy to see their daddy." Millie said.
"Well, don't worry, kids. You'll soon be out of there and into the world of Hell."
As Moxxie was talking to Millie's stomach, she couldn't help but think back to the last 8 months of her pregnancy. At first, she was worried that it would hinder her job, but to her surprise it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Martha's concoctions and the mental exercises she taught her kept Millie's mood swings in check, while Moxxie lowered her crazy libido by having sex with her every two days. Because of these, as well as being a Wrathian imp, it was almost as if nothing had changed in her performance.
Of course, there were some difficulties. With a belly like hers, it made her less agile and sometimes got in the way when she needed to look down for something. But the worst part was how this affected her mentally. Much like her second day on the job, she was much more cautious than usual, worrying about hurting the babies inside of her. Before, she could shake off injuries with little problem, but now if there was so much as a scratch on her, it filled her with dread. In fact, Millie had just remembered a recent job they did where a man made a slash at her and almost stabbed her stomach, shaking her up a bit. Just thinking about it made Millie frown, which Moxxie soon noticed.
"Are you ok, sweetie?" Moxxie asked.
Millie came clean with what happened on that mission and how it made her feel.
Moxxie gave her a smile. "I know you're worried, Millie, but you're way too much of a professional for that to happen. Besides…" Moxxie went to his dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a book titled So You're Pregante, Now What?Before he sat down next to his wife. Millie rolled her eyes as she giggled, for this wasn't the first time he pulled out the baby book to reassure her. He's probably read it more than she did.
Moxxie opened up a passage and read it out loud. "According to this, much like with grown up imps, imp babies outside and inside the womb can quickly heal from any injury received. While it's still best to avoid major injuries, your baby should be safe from something like a stab wound or even a bullet wound."
Millie couldn't help but beam at Moxxie, thankful for him reassuring her. His eyes widened as kept on reading the book. "Oh, I… forgot about this one. 'Imps and hellhound children have a higher chance of catching Hellpox than other types of demons.' B-but that's ok, we'll get them vaccinated as soon as they're able to, assuming there's no side effects of the… ugh, what am I saying?"
Moxxie got up from the bed, walking back and forth in a line. "Oh Satan, we're also going to have to think about school. Maybe Stolas could set us up with the schools nobles go to? No, they'd probably be bullied for being imps."
"Moxxie?" Millie said as she noticed her husband worry.
"We haven't even named the kids yet." Moxxie continued on like she never said anything.
"Moxxie." Millie said again.
"But what if our kids have a special condition, like their legs don't work? I'd still love them to pieces but-"
"Moxxie!"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Are youok?"
Moxxie sighed, "... I don't know."
Millie patted on the side of the bed next to her, inviting Moxxie to lay down with her, which he immediately accepted. He fell onto the bed on his back with Millie laying down next to him and hugging his arm.
"I'm happy for these kids, I really am. But the more I realize that I'm going to be a Dad, the more… scary everything seems to be. Like… at any moment something can go horribly wrong. It's usually not this bad, but sometimes it gives me the most anxiety."
"Why didn't ya tell me, Mox?"
"Because you're the one giving birth to our kids. As a man, I can't even imagine what you're going through, even with all the stuff from Martha. I didn't want to add onto that with my own problems."
"Now that sounds familiar."
Moxxie giggled, "Believe me, the irony isn't lost on me. Feels like yesterday when we were on that roof and I said all those things to reassure you. And I want you to know that I still think all that, but like I said, the uncertainty is stronger some days more than others."
"Then I'll say it back to you. You're right, there are some feelings that you'll probably never understand, but the thoughts you're thinking about right now, I think about them too. It ain't as bad as it used to be, but it creeps up on me once or twice. But I know that no matter what happens, as long as I've got you, we're gonna be ok, and these babies are gonna love us."
Moxxie couldn't help but gleam at his wife. "Thank you, honey."
"And you already know how not to be a pa from Smithson. Plus, ya got yer real parents to go off on." Millie eyed the picture on Moxxie's dresser, which was of kid Moxxie with Jessie and Amanda.
"You're right." Moxxie said as he looked at the picture. "Though, it's moments like these where I wish they were still alive so I could ask for advice."
Millie cupped Moxxie's cheek, making him face her. "They'd say that they're proud of you and that you're gonna be the best pa these babies had ever had."
Moxxie smiled again, thankful that he had someone like her in his life. He leaned in to kiss his wife on the lips, which she eagerly returned. When their lips connected, it was as if all the worries from both of them had washed away, replaced with pure happiness from being with one another and excitement for their children. As they pulled away, Millie turned her back to him so that he could wrap his arms around and above her pregnant belly, giving her the biggest hug he could muster as he nuzzled his face against her neck. With their tails intertwined, Moxxie was practically wrapped around Millie from head to hoof, and it was the best feeling in the world for both of them.
"We're gonna be great parents, Mox" Millie said.
"I know, but it feels nice to be reminded." Moxxie said. Millie turned to Moxxie and continued their kiss from before, now with even more confidence about the future.