#cw babies

[willowser]

i love the idea of katsuki holding his chubby lil baby in his lap while they play with his hands 🥹

[izvmimi]

three for one - izuku x reader

cw: children mention. pregnancy mention. husband izuku, married female reader. reader wears a dress. a/n: a repost!

“I’ll be home in an hour. I can’t wait to see you.”

You smile ear to ear as you hang up, still savoring the sound of his voice, but in the immediate silence thereafter, the trepidation you’ve been feeling for the past month and a half resurfaces.

You let out a sigh as you set your cell phone onto the dinner table and return to the stove, turning pork cutlets that sizzle in oil and stirring a pot of soup. Rice steams in the cooker on the countertop, and the smell of Izuku’s favorite foods fill your home.

It smells heavenly, but you’re exhausted, and while the thought of the joy in his expression spurs you forth, you consider for a moment if you should have just aimed for takeout and an evening cuddling on the couch. The fact remains however that you haven’t seen your husband in two months and if you plan to give him life-changing news, you should probably do it over a home-cooked meal, even if he wouldn’t care either way. 

After all, you’ve been hiding the truth from him for months now, and you can’t possibly any longer.

Your belly turns a little, and you worry that you might throw up again before you see him. The table is set by now, and you clean up as much as you can of the kitchen, hoping that the sound of running water calms your nerves.

Before long, Izuku makes it home, right on time, and he’s a whirlwind of motion and joy - his bags go flying out of his hands, as he whisks you into his arm, nearly smothering you with an embrace.

“God, I missed you.”

He spins you as you reply the same, and you can’t help but laugh and squeeze silly tears from your eyes as you wrap your arms tighter around his neck. Your Izuku is back, safe, and you couldn’t be any more grateful. 

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” you say in a voice that’s thick with affection. Your lips meet quickly and don’t separate, engrossed in a dizzying kiss. Your hands run through his messy waves and once your lungs all scream for air, he buries his head into your neck, making a show of inhaling your scent.

“I missed you so much,” he repeats, kissing your cheek. “So much.”

More kisses pepper your skin, and you blink back a few tears, and nod somewhat embarrassed.  You’ve learned to be comfortable with his love language heavily reliant on touch. When he finally pulls back to look at you again, his smile is wide and innocent as usual, familiar and comforting.

Your Izuku, back for you. No scars, no injuries, you are thankful. 

Once he’s finally set you down completely, he begins to tell you excitedly about his adventure, but you don’t miss the gentle yet protective hold on your arms, and the careful once-over, where his eyes quickly scan your body for bruises and other injuries. It’s a habit he’s picked up over time that’s made it nearly impossible to hide your clumsiness from him (something that further reinforces the behavior). It makes you particularly nervous today however, given the circumstances.

Today you wear a baggy dress with an undershirt that covers your arms, the changes your body has undergone in his absence much less evident, but he can still see the anxiety that underlies the excitement in your eyes.

If he does notice, he doesn’t say anything immediately, opting again to kiss you on the forehead, and pet your hair gently.

“Were you good while I was gone?”

The warmth in your cheeks returns, and you nod but give him a playful punch on his shoulder anyway for the paternalistic remark. He grins, then changes the subject although he too is a bit nervous, your slightly muted behavior getting to him. His eyes glide over to the rest of your apartment finally, and then to the dinner table, lighting up immediately.

“Oh my God, that looks amazing.”

He moves over to the dinner table to peruse the wars; you follow him quickly, tension dissipating slightly with the discussion of food. 

“It better taste amazing too,” you joke, bumping himn on the hip. He takes the liberty to go one step forward and pat you on the ass before running off to the guest bathroom to wash his hands.

“Scrub beneath your fingernails!” you call after him, teasingly. You take the opportunity to wash your own hands in the kitchen sink again and consider what to do next.

How do you say this? Should  you wait and let him relax first? 

Surely it’s better if you say something before he puts two and two together? After all, the moment your clothes come off, he’ll notice.

Or perhaps he won’t. Perhaps he’ll just assume you’ve gained a few pounds and say nothing, kissing your belly softly as he’s prone to do. Perhaps it’ll be lovemaking as usual, and his usual sensitivity to your body and needs won’t be enough to notice.

But what if he does?

You were pregnant before he even left.

The days leading up to his trip had been hectic to say the least. Between the two of you preparing his departure, and the unnecessary safety precautions Izuku put in place for you for his absence, and your own work with the new Hero commission ramping up in urgency, you had barely registered that you’d missed one period and then another until you found yourself with a very positive pregnancy test.

What if it wasn’t the right time? Your marriage was still fresh, you’d just settled into the groove of being young professionals who lived together full time, and Izuku was so damn busy all the time-

“Come eat, love,” he calls from the other room. Your hand goes reflexively to your lower belly. 

You have to tell him now or you’ll agonize over it. Now is the time.

—

“Is it good?” you ask , smiling as you watch him eat with gusto. It’s a silly question because he’s nearly cleared his already overloaded plate.

“Incredible,” he says between ravenous bites. They say watching someone you love eat fills you up, and it’s true. Your cup is full of love.

“You’d say that even if it were awful,” you point out.

“Yes,” he admits, “but I haven’t had to,” he teases. You narrow your eyes at him playfully and he does an air kiss, cheesy enough to make you blow air out of your nose. You pick at your own dinner, but manage only to get a few bites in, which he notices.

It grows quiet for a moment as you think, and you wonder again if now is really the time, but he beats you to breaking the ice.

“Babe, is everything all right?”

Your heart starts to pound. You glance up from your plate towards him and he watches you curiously and patiently, a fleck of rice still stuck to his bottom lip. You consider deflecting, telling him something else that is not really a lie, because his gentle gaze and furrowed eyebrows betraying concern distress you. 

You don’t want to add more to his plate, figuratively.

And yet…

You swallow hard.

“Everything’s fine,” you start, and he nods, “but I have something to tell you.”

Izuku looks slightly surprised by the necessary warning shot. You don’t usually extend him that courtesy, so it’s clear that whatever you’ll say next is serious.

You breathe out slowly through your nose. Izuku watches you again carefully as you steel yourself.

“So you know how we haven’t been trying, but we’ve been a little less careful recently?”

Izuku’s eyes widen, and in the split second where the realization sets in, you can see his cheeks flush deeply and his mouth drop open in an ‘o’.

He immediately jumps to his feet.

“You’re pregnant?” he exclaims.

You nod slowly, and he seems to genuinely bloom with excitement.

“You… fuck, I-I can’t believe this! This is so exciting… babe!”

His hands rest on your shoulders then glide to your cheeks where he squishes them before kissing you again, barely able to contain himself.

Then immediately he starts to pace, the muttering beginning as he figures out what’s going to happen next.

“Why didn’t you tell me immediately? I can’t believe we’re gonna have a little girl or a boy-”

This is the hard part.

You slowly and deliberately raise three fingers and he freezes. A second then two passes, and you blink and then he blinks and the two of you watch each other in silence.

He mirrors the action, raising three fingers to meet yours.

“Do you mean… three…”

“Yes.”

The blood seems to drain out of his face.

“Oh. I need to sit down.”

He means it. As he settles back down into his seat, he genuinely looks dizzy and you make some sort of distressed sound between laughing and crying while he’s rubbing his temples, trying to make sense of the loop you’ve thrown him for.

“So… we’re having triplets.”

He looks up from the fixed point he was staring at on the table then at you, and you nod slowly. The both of you take a good look at each other again, and you sigh.

“I know this is so much all at once,” you start, “I’m sorry I-”

“Why are you apologizing for getting pregnant?” he interrupts with a chuckle. You give him a surprised look, then consider it. It’s true. Why are you apologizing for pregnancy?

He reaches over to grab your hand and squeezes it.

“We’ll be fine,” he says, pulling you towards him. You move over to him and he makes space for you to sit in his lap. Your head rests against his chest, and his heart, despite all the news you’ve just dumped on to him, now beats steadily despite yours that races.

Izuku thinks again, pulling your hand to his lips and kisses it softly. You can see the gears turn as you watch his profile, planning, strategizing. In this moment, you realized you were being silly. 

“We’ll be fine,” he repeats. “We can handle anything.”

He turns to you, green eyes twinkling. “Right?”

You smile, genuinely, and it feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

“Right.”

Bonus:

“You would fucking have triplets after I have my second, wouldn’t you, asshole?!”

“Kacchan, this has nothing to do with you!”

“Like hell it doesn’t! How dare you compete with me?”

You and Bakugou’s wife give each other a look and both sip your tea in unison, in amusement.

[aastarions]

It's quiet when Zhongli first awakens, though silence no longer holds its once tranquil meaning.

No longer does he find comfort in the calm of the morning, taking in the sounds of birds chirping outside his bedroom window or the chatter of nearby passerbys.

He's quick on his feet, shuffling through his home with haste until he reaches the only door cracked ajar. With bated breath he eases it open, eyes immediately darting for the small crib that holds his entire universe within it.

Zhongli can't quite quell the grin that spreads along his lips at the sight of his baby girl sound asleep; it happens to be a rare sight.

More often than not the two of you are awoken like clockwork to the harsh cries of your little one, taking turns throughout the night and early morning to tend to her needs.

This is the first morning since she's arrived home - three and a half months ago - that she's slept through the entire night.

"How you seem to be growing up right before my very eyes, little dove," Zhongli hums over the infant, allowing the back of his finger to caress her soft, chubby cheeks, "I fear I am not quite ready to handle the ache in my chest that accompanies one's child aging."

"She's only going to be four months old soon, dear," Your voice drags his attention away from the baby, a power only you hold.

Zhongli watches as you wander over to the crib, curling your gentle fingers around his bicep once you're at his side as you further reassure him, "You don't have to worry about her leaving us any time soon."

"I know," He removes his arm from your hold, but only so that he can curl it around your back and press you close to his frame. "You're right, but I have been alive for thousands upon thousands of years. I fear that a mere few will pass far too quickly for my liking."

Before you can respond, disgruntled noises from the crib bring the both of your gazes to the now awake infant. She appears displeased at first glance, more than likely upset at being woken up by you and your husband's conversation. It's not until her eyes fully open that she sees the two of you and the biggest toothless grin stretches across her tiny lips. A squeak of sorts escapes her throat, chubby fingers curling up as through she's asking to be lifted from the confines of her bed.

Leaning over, you lift her into your embrace and tuck her underneath your chin, pressing a delicate kiss to the top of her head while murmuring a quiet good morning.

The way she rests her head on your chest has her facing Zhongli, babbling nonsensicals to her father who gazes at her with an infinite amount of love and adoration.

He reaches over and places a kiss on her head where you had only moments prior, following it up with a second to your cheek, murmuring out a, "thank you."

"For what?" You ask, puzzled at the sudden gratitude.

"It is only with you that I have ever felt so...human, with you that I am able to understand the love a man holds for his beloved, a father holds for his children. I once believed that the love I hold for Liyue could compare, but I have quickly learned my mistake- dear, are you crying?"

Shaking your head slowly as to not disturb the baby, you will the tears that accumulated in your lower lash line away and let out a quiet laugh, "No, no, it's okay. I'm okay. Let's go spend the morning in bed with this little one, hm?"

Zhongli grins once more as he follows you back through the narrow hallway, saying, "I would love nothing more."

[aleksa-sims]

RL Simself Story

CW: trauma

P. was finally done with his semesters abroad!🥳 A year passed, things seemed to be back to normal and yet, so much has changed for every single one of us. I was glad he was there. All the arguments & fights he and I had, were almost forgotten. What remained is our close friendship. And Philip saved Daniel’s life. He was always there for me and he was by my side when I thought D. would die. 😞Without P., I would never have survived that..... horrible night in the ER. I could not speak, was injured and afraid Daniel would not survive it. Yea, all this (still) went through my mind.....

However, last year, was tough for P. too. Suddenly he had a Baby he didn’t know about!! He had to take care of Annabelle alone. Isabella took off! Her parents are wealthy people. With their lawyers, they managed to take over full custody of Annabelle. But Ana & I, will help P. & Annabelle. I got an idea how Philip could get custody back. I mean, he had a good job, an apartment, and he didn’t have to go abroad. So why could or should  Isabella’s parents keep custody of his Baby? There was absolutely no reason, to keep a child away from his biological parent. 🤷‍♀️

Also Nico and Philip weren’t fighting anymore. N. told Philip that I am pregnant. But he broke up with me bcs he felt like, I didn’t want to divorce Daniel. Anyway. I was a little scared to stay there that night, bcs of Ana. She was completely wasted. She was talking a bunch of crap!!! 😒 Damien caught us giggling outside Nico’s front door.  He was in the bathroom where the window was slightly open. He could hear everything Ana and I were talking about.🤦‍♀️But at this point he didn’t mention it yet! He just opened the door for us. In the next part it gets even more awkward. Just saying Ana!! She hasn’t seen Nico again, since he and I were back together. So... it might get a little uncomfortable.😬

And I didn’t have a.... wet dream about Damien & Daniel. Not really! However, it was not hot or as Damien called it, wet! But honestly? This is no surprise. Just look at Damien! You’d think he and Daniel were twins. That’s probably why I had this dream? It just overwhelmed me.

Previous/Next

[shibaraki]

tags: AFAB reader (referred to as mama), mention of pregnancy + childbirth, biological baby, established relationship, ushijima is a certified girldad, fluffy fluff I wrote this drabble for my wife (bea)

Soft and warm, the flesh giving under the soft pressure like mochi. Ushijima’s thumb idles over the swell of her cheek, finding he is unable to part with her just yet, and the two watch each other with a similar tilt of curiosity. His little girl, barely a month old. Open mouthed, she turns her head into his touch with a quiet gurgle, instinctively searching for her mothers breast.

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” he murmurs, as she sounds out her immediate displeasure. A gentle smile pulls at the corner of his mouth when her tightly closed fist begins to wave in the air.

The growth undergone in just four short weeks has been incredible — and deeply emotional. Your midwife had informed him that not only would the newborn soon recognise familiar voices and start to talk more, but her eyes would begin to focus and wander.

“People tell me I’m not very adept at conversation,” he says, speaking with a soothing cadence, not wanting to startle her. “But I suppose you don’t mind, do you?”

She blinks up at him from the changing table, legs bending until her tiny body has curled into itself. And then, like a spring, she kicks him in the sternum.

He wraps his hand around her leg, lightly squeezing the chub around her thigh. She had been born a small baby, and still he has moments of hesitation while handling her. Before you, Ushijima knew intimately the importance of precision, but had not known much about delicacy. Not with himself, the ball in his palm, nor the people around him.

Now it is the back of his daughter's head that rests there. Ushijima Wakatoshi’s canon-powered striking hand, retired to an infant's cradle. The fulfillment is still there — his soul is full in a way he has never experienced. Beside the all encompassing love bloating in his chest, there is a flickering bulb of wonderment. An urge to call his own father and ask, “Did you feel this too, whenever you looked at me?”

“Shall we get you dressed?” he asks, bending to softly rub his nose to her temple. The delighted coo is all the answer he needs.

During your pregnancy, Ushijima spent most of his free time reading. You would sit beside him in bed, the room lit by the warm toned glow of his bedside lamp, and he would read the pages aloud while you lathered your growing stomach in cream.

Childbirth, child development, child rearing. All that knowledge was understood and absorbed, yet none of it could have prepared him for the emotion that came with parenthood. The birth of not only a new baby, but an entirely new world.

A world in which he apparently enjoyed picking out baby clothes. It quickly became his favourite part of the morning. While one hand rubs over her round belly, the other rummages through the dresser drawer until he finds what he is looking for — the mint floral romper.

Dotted across the fabric are mini prints of daisies and smiling bumble bees. The straps have pretty white buttons, as does the bottom to make for easy changing. Rubbing the fabric between his thumb and forefinger, Ushijima thinks it’s perfect.

He holds it up, flat to his chest and displaying it to his daughter. “What do you think?” and he smiles, tucking his chin to hold it in place as he reaches back for another clothing item. She squirms as he brings a white cotton shirt into view; the sleeves are long, with sweet little shoulder ruffles.

“Isn’t it pretty?” he continued, overlaying the two together into a cohesive outfit. Her happy babbling encourages him further, faintly giddy as he recalls the matching bow.

He starts with the shirt, widening the neck and gathering the fabric to slowly slip the back around her head, bringing the front down gently over her face. “There you are,” he says, brushing across her forehead. “Now let’s do the sleeves”.

Careful not to permanently stretch the fabric, Ushijima reaches into the sleeve to ease her little hands through. Next comes the romper. Brow pinched in concentration, he undoes each snap button at the bottom and lifts his daughters hips from the changing mat, sliding it down both legs as they kick, and then over her torso.

One by one, he pops the buttons back together and slips the romper straps over her arms and rests them behind the shoulder frills. “As I thought, it is much prettier on you,” he comments, rubbing along her tummy. “I wonder what mama will think”.

Spoken beneath the doorway, “Think about what?”

The sound of your voice warms him from the inside out, and he looks to find you leant against the doorframe, gaze tired and soft. Your daughter reacts similarly, her eyes immediately wandering in search of you.

“Look,” Ushijima moves to support the baby’s head, then cradling her to his chest. He turns, showing you the outfit. “Do you like it?”

You squint as you step forward, a knowing smile playing at the corner of your lips. He leans into your affections when you close the distance, and feels as you thumb over the bumblebee embroidered onto the breast pocket of his own t-shirt.

“Yes,” you breathe, placing a kiss to the crown of your daughter's crown before tilting your chin, asking for another. Ushijima gives, and between tender kisses you tell him, “I love it”.

[peachsayshi]

we don’t talk about dilf choso enough. just pictured him holding his teeny, tiny newborn son, kissing his head and smiling at him and now I am so beyond unwell.

[turtletaubwrites]

HI LOVE! Just wanted to check up on and see how you were doing my dear! Everything going alright love?💕

Hi, lovely!! Thank you for asking!

Things over here are hectic, but good! I just became a triple auntie (I already have two nieces and I don't think that's how it works, but I don't care, lol). My best friend and his partner just had a lil one, so I've been on the auntie/best friend duty of bringing yummy non-hospital food, providing non-baby related conversations, and staring at a tiny human that I'm too nervous to hold 😅😅 (she's so LITTLE and the world has so many germs - I'm working on the ocd, and I did touch her chubby lil cheek today 🥰)

That, plus work is dumpster fire, but I'm ignoring that by trying to live in One Piece Land 😍😍😍

Lol, thank you, I hope you're having a wonderful day!

p.s. I've got one of your Luffy fics on my next tbr tab, I've been itching to read more 💜

[izvmimi]

cw: babies, children, ethical

your fave was previously in a relationship with someone else and it turns out they have embryos frozen during ivf that they never used. their ex now calls them to state that they plan on using the embryos. your fave now asks your opinion.

[fadedsweater]

WIP Wednesday

It is neither Wednesday nor anywhere near the date when I was tagged, but I was deep in Arlathan Exchange writing and was busy this past Wednesday. Thank you to @oxygenforthewicked and @crackinglamb for tagging me 💛💛💛

I'll tag (with no pressure to post on Wednesday or at all) @dreadfutures, @rosella-writes, @plisuu, @bluewren, and whoever else feels like participating. (Also I never know who to tag so apologies if I keep tagging you over and over gahajsjqhafa)

This not-Wednesday wip is a little solavellan kid fic thing I found in my notes app lol. It's from my modern Thedas with magic au (which is honestly more magic-tech than truly modern but there's still like TVs and stuff), and probably takes place sometime shortly after Athdhea, Dawn.

CW for postpartum health/ postpartum mental health talk and like, general baby talk.

"You don't think it's weird?" Eira said.

"I mean." Shara shrugged. "It's a little weird. So what?"

Eira felt like a mess of a creature. She was exhausted and hormonal and even as her body healed it seemed to find new ways to betray her.

Eira frowned and tapped her fingers on the table. Their lunch hadn't even arrived yet and already she felt antsy. She knew there was no logical reason to be antsy. Her baby was well taken care of and safe, and Eira didn't even plan on being away for long. Her family had stayed with them to help with the baby for weeks and weeks, and had taught Solas all they knew during that time. He was careful and devoted. He would be fine, she knew, by himself. In fact, he'd encouraged her to take some much needed time for herself away from the house and the baby. Yet she couldn't quite quell the little seed of worry and guilt that had rooted in her brain. "I actually think it's kind of cool. Like: here's the Lord of Nightmares and his....adorable little baby! That's cute! That's fun!" "He hates that title," Eira sighed. "Never say it in front of him if you don't want a lecture. Should I check in? He'd call if something -- " "It's been an hour," Shara said. "He's taken care of her for more than an hour before." "Yes, but I was in the house, still." Eira rubbed at her temple. "I know. I'm being neurotic, I know." "Eira," Shara said, her tone serious. "I've seen him take care of her. That man is so careful you'd think he was handling a bomb." "I know." Eira took a sip of water and watched the waitress set down their order. Shara thanked her with a polite smile. "Do you think we've doomed her to a lifetime of that? Being the daughter of the 'Lord of Nightmares'?" She made a face as she said it.

Shara looked at her. She reached across the table, over the food, and put her hand on Eira’s. "Don't do that to yourself. Seriously. Don't."

She thought of Solas, also exhausted, hurrying about their little house, changing diapers and making bottles and cleaning messes, humming old lullabies under his breath. For some reason the image was comforting.

"Nothing will happen," she said aloud, as if that made it more true. "If something was wrong he would call me right away. But nothing is wrong, because Adhlea is healthy and he is a good father."

"That's the spirit," Shara said. "Now eat." "I feel like my brain's been fried," Eira said darkly, taking a bite of her sandwich. It was delicious. Much better than the leftovers and hastily cooked meals she'd been persisting on. Better than the takeout, too, because she was eating it fresh, on a plate, at a table, and not in her underwear on the couch with a crying baby nearby. "I mean, it kind of has." Shara shrugged. "But it'll get better. I promise." "You're not a mom." "Sure," Shara said offhandedly. "But aunt Faya said all the same stuff you're saying, and she felt better later, too. And if it gets worse, or gets bad, or it doesn't get better, you can do what Midha did." Eira had no memory of what Midha did. She blinked. "She got some meds and it was okay. And we found her a nice Dalish therapist." "You sound like a commercial." "I was trying to be reassuring." "And I appreciate it," Eira said. "Do you think he was really confused by commercials when he woke up here? Like there's no way advertising existed thousands of years ago, right?" Eira tried and failed to hide a smile. "Do you just ask me all the terrible questions that you're too afraid to ask him?" "Not afraid," Shara said. "He's not scary. But like you said, he'll lecture. Or try to like, trap me in a philosophical debate." "Oh, he thrives on that."

[aleksa-sims]

🌸🩵🌸

CW: drugs, pregnancy

The holidays were over and I had to go back to work. Today was my first day in the new office. New people, new challenges. That’s why I was so nervous. 😰I expected the worst. I always had bad luck with these annoying department changes. I only liked it in the social office, where I had nice work mates and also working with them and helping other people made me happy. And that’s exactly where I wanted to go back, after I finished the remaining 2 years of my training.

I was glad that I didn’t have to go back to that asylum, where I worked before. This was really one of the worst offices I’ve ever worked in.

Later that day, I will study with Dilek for our next big exam. That's what we planned but... well, let's see. N. accompanied me to my new office in the morning.  I was so scared that someone had to take me there. Not just because of my new job! What happend 6 months ago... started to torture me again. I guess that's bcs I stopped taking my antidepressants. I am pregnant. Every drug, every pill I take (in addition to that drug substitute) ..... can cause risks for my Baby. That’s what my Mom's gynecologist said to me. Her doctor did not examine me. He only briefly informed me about the options, if I don’t want a pregnancy. And he also made me an appointment for an abortion. I wanted that.😞This was 2 days ago, I wasn’t sure what to do? But yesterday my other doctor, Daniel’s doc, who prescribes me my drugs, told me I could keep my Baby. And this doctor, I could tell by his face, how happy he was for me, because I was so happy about that good news. He really enlightened and informed me well! Our conversation lasted almost 40 minutes. This doctor wanted to help me and my Baby. I could see and feel that. So for now, I decided to trust his opinion.

Nico tried to calm me down and encouraged me about my new job. I would have liked to take N. with me as support. I told him, if I had magic powers, I’d shrink him, so he could fit in my bag, to accompany me without anyone noticing anything. Like.... a tiny, hidden helper doing my job for me. 🤣 ... Nico said, "But you’re not alone! You actually have someone tiny with you." Aw, this was so cute. 🩵 ... Knowing that I wasn’t alone, really helped me that day. 

Previous/Next

[outoutdamnspark]

Promise

Prompt drabble for @bubblymilkgalaxy, who requested “  you don’t have to deal with this alone.  ” with their lovely OC, Sugi.

(Sadly, tumblr apparently friggen ate my post when I went to save it as a draft, so we’re doing this, instead. >_<)

--

(word count is 1,894?!)

This got much longer than I intended it to, but uhhhh. Considering how patient you’ve been and that you’ve been waiting over a week for this, I’m pretty okay with the length. 😅

Thank you so much for the ptompt, and thank you for letting me write your OC! (Sugi is the absolute sweetest, I love her~)

(CW: fluff and warm-fuzzy feelings. Ingo holds a baby.)

For added softness, here’s what I was listening to while I wrote~

===

It’s late when he arrives in Jubilife. 

The lanterns have already been lit, the streets bathed in their warm glow as the sun finishes setting; Ingo is thankful for their light as he takes the steps up to Galaxy Hall two at a time.

He makes his way inside, so focused on reaching his destination that he seems locked in a stupor, and he breezes down the corridor so swiftly that he very nearly doesn’t notice the woman standing firm in the doorway until he almost runs directly into her.

Ingo blinks. 

Miss Pesselle is barring his way.

Ingo feels his face beginning to burn with embarrassment. “I… I apologize, Ma’am,” he starts. He pauses to clear his throat, his voice dry and gravely from lack of recent use. 

But the medic arches a brow at him, holding his next stumbling words in place inside his mouth. 

“I’m going to have to ask you to slow down, Warden.” Her tone is stern, though not unkind, and she tilts her chin ever-so-slightly in a way that softens her expression. “I know you’re eager, and it’s incredibly sweet.” She nods behind her, into the room and its hidden occupant. “But please keep in mind the stress they’ve both just gone through?”

Ingo swallows thickly. He attempts to peer around Pesselle’s shoulder to see inside the room behind her, but she leans her weight to the side to obscure his line of sight.

Ingo curls his fingers against his palms to try and ground himself, wishing he had a way to shake out the excess nervous energy that wouldn’t come off as overly rude.

“Is she…? Did… Are they…?”

The medic huffs, shaking her head with a faint smile. “They’re both fine, Warden. I’d have told you if they weren’t.” 

Finally, finally, she steps aside, though she holds up a hand to stall him just long enough to say, “Farthest bed back, and remember, calm; she’s exhausted.” Pesselle drops her hand and nods once more, waving him on through. Ingo has just barely passed her when she murmurs, “Congratulations on the daughter, by the way.”

Ingo ducks his face, tugging the brim of his cap down to hide the new blush searing across his cheeks, and hurries further into the room. He focuses on the bed at the very back near the wall, still mostly hidden behind the privacy screen, and tries to ignore both Pesselle’s chuckling and his own pounding heart. 

‘Daughter…?’

(He knows he should feel guilty for the rush of warm fondness the thought brings to him, but finds he simply… can’t.)

Ingo slows his steps as he nears the bed, softening his footfalls. His hand trembles slightly as he places it on the edge of the privacy screen to help him round it; his breath steals as he steps inside. 

“...Oh.”

Miss Sugi looks up at the sound of his quiet exclamation. She looks tired, tousled, but otherwise alright. For a moment she seems mildly startled - then, softly, like a gentle dawn, a smile blooms across her face. “Mr. Ingo!”

Ingo releases the breath trapped in his lungs and slowly sinks into a waiting chair beside the bed. Relief pools like a tincture in his chest, bidding him to reach out and wrap an arm around his dear friend’s shoulders, pulling her into a careful hug. 

“Oh thank Sinnoh,” he breathes; “I was so worried.”

Sugi laughs as she hugs him back with one arm, the sound quiet and sweet as stream water. “Thank you,” she whispers against his temple. “For coming all this way.” She lets him cling to her for a few long moments before leaning back out of his hold to prop herself up against the bed pillows. 

“Of course, Miss Sugi.” He lets her pull away, sitting back in his chair so that he isn’t hovering over her. His lips tug upwards at the corners into a faint, fond smile. 

She returns it, and despite the exhaustion making its home in the shape of her, the warmth and gratitude are clear. 

Shifting her grip on the small, blanket-wrapped bundle nestled in the crook of her arm, Sugi holds it out towards him. “Would you like to hold her?” she asks, carefully tucking the edge of the blanket away from the baby’s face.

Ingo feels his heart flutter. His hands raise without his bidding, fingers twitching slightly as he holds himself back from something he hadn’t realized until this very moment that he (evidently) desperately wants. He swallows. “Are… are you certain?” He looks from the swaddled babe up to Sugi’s face, eyes wide and hopeful even through his trepidation.

Sugi just nods, a soft laugh trickling from her lips. 

Ingo’s hands tremble. He reaches for the precious passenger held securely in his companion’s arms - terrified and excited in equal measure, in a quiet sort of way that causes him to hesitate several times. He reaches, then pulls away, only to reach again, until his fear and gentle want break even, and Sugi takes matters into her own hands by reaching one out to catch at Ingo’s own. 

“Here,” she tells him, pressing the child into the bend of his elbow and maneuvering his arms until they’re curled just so. “Like this.” She slips her hands away, leaving Ingo to hold the most priceless treasure he’s ever been unworthy to hold. 

Warm.

The babe in his arms is warm and weighty and oh, so alive - even sound asleep, squirming unconsciously closer to where his heartbeat thumps against the inside of his chest. He stares down at it in disbelief, and feels something that had once been hollow inside him, for so long that he’d grown used to it, finally fill to the brim. 

“What’s her name?” he asks, surprised and yet not to hear the quaver in his voice.

(He does not see the way that Sugi watches them both - soft, proud, adoring, but also tinged with worry. Her eyes turn sad at the corners, and she dips her head to hide it from him lest he look back up.)

“...Nary,” she says at length.

Ingo doesn’t notice the pause before her answer, too preoccupied with brushing the back of one finger down the sleeping baby’s cheek. “Nary…” he repeats in wonder. When he lifts his gaze to Sugi, his eyes are wet with unshed tears. “Bravo, Miss Sugi.”

She smiles at him, though it’s strained, tight; this one, Ingo notices. 

“...Miss Sugi?”

Sugi sighs. Looking down at her newborn daughter in Ingo’s hands, she wrings her own in the bedsheets. It takes her a moment to speak, but Ingo is patient and waits for her to find her words.

“They think she’s yours. The… Everyone.”

Ingo blinks. This is not a particularly new development; he’s heard people refer to him and Sugi as husband and wife before, remembers how not ten minutes ago, Pesselle had congratulated him on the birth of “his” daughter. It has never really bothered him before, but thinking on it now, he realizes that perhaps his own ambivalence towards the misconception is not a shared sentiment. 

(And yet, he cannot deny the way the thought of fatherhood makes something deep in his heart seem to calm - like the sea settling after a storm, or the quietude of night as it falls.)

The warden purses his lips, natural frown turning further downward. “I…” He pauses, thinking of what to say. Taking a deep breath, he gently shifts little Nary in his hold, rocking her slowly to help himself ground. “It does not bother me,” he confesses. “And if it would help you both in any way, then I will happily play the role.” He risks a glance back up at his friend, trying to read her expression, but Sugi’s head is still tucked down.

Ingo presses on. “I say this with no expectations. You are very dear to me; I simply wish to be allowed to stay at your side.” He flicks his gaze back to the tiny girl pressed over his heart. “Both of you. If… if you will let me.”

He keeps his eyes on Nary - precious thing - and gives Sugi time unobserved to process his words. He is rewarded by the faint, watery sound of his friend inhaling through parted lips. 

“...They’ll talk,” she whispers. 

Ingo lifts his eyes slightly, just enough to watch Sugi’s hands twist the blanket into anxious knots. Slowly, he nods. “They will,” he agrees - because it’s true, the village seems to thrive on gossip at times. “But then again, they always do, about anyone that isn’t themselves.”

Sugi snorts in reply, though the sound is pained. “She doesn’t look like you.” She finally looks up from her hands, settling her gaze on Nary instead. 

It’s enough for Ingo to see her face. 

Adjusting his arms until he can safely free one of his hands, Ingo reaches out and places it over one of Sugi’s own, his lips tilting up at the corners in a tiny, genuine smile. “We will think of something.” He gives her hand a careful, timid squeeze.

But instead of his words comforting her, Sugi sucks in a shaky breath and shakes her head sadly. “I don’t want them whispering about you,” she admits, voice little more than a rasp. “You’ve been nothing but kind since we met - you don’t deserve–”

Ingo can already see where this is going, can see the worry mixing with her exhaustion, can see his friend beginning to spiral; he squeezes her hand again and shushes her quietly. “Miss Sugi,” he calls gently. He rubs his thumb across the backs of her fingers in a slow, soothing rhythm. “I am quite accustomed to being gossiped about. It is simply a product of my existence as a stranger to these lands.” He tries to stretch his smile into something reassuring, hopes it’s successful. “And regardless of time and familiarity, I am, at the root of it all, an outsider. People will think what they will of me, and I have long since accepted this as fact.”

The warden tilts his head further, ducking slightly, willing his friend to meet his eyes and see how sincere he is. “I am unbothered,” he repeats. His smile slips away, back into a frown. “But… I also understand that my own situation is much different than yours. If you would rather I stay aw–”

And now it’s Ingo’s turn to be interrupted. 

“No!” Sugi softly gasps, her own hand turning under Ingo’s and catching at it anxiously. Her head comes up from her chest and she stares at him with wide, misty eyes. “Please no. Please don’t leave.”

Slowly, so, so slowly, afraid to push too far and overstep, Ingo folds their hands together, palm to palm. He does not entwine their fingers; he does not know if that would be too informal. 

“You have my word, Miss Sugi.” With that same careful slowness, Ingo’s smile creeps back up at the corners of his mouth, honest and quiet. “I am not going anywhere.”

Sugi doesn’t answer him with words at first; instead, she clutches his hand tightly in a trembling grip and allows the tension to drain from her stiff and shaking shoulders.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Of course,” he whispers back. His smile grows infinitesimally wider.

“I’d never leave you to do this alone.”

Not much is said after that. Ingo sits at his friend’s bedside until she slips into much needed sleep, and cradles a daughter that is not his own but already loves as if she were.

[peachsayshi]

First time Dad Choso! who wouldn't want to put the baby down when you get home from the hospital (he totally when he got to hold them in his arms for the first time) and gets overwhelmed to the brink of tears when his baby is fussy or starts to cry because he thinks the baby crying means he is not being a good father.

we don't talk about dad!choso enough, and I feel like you're so right for this!

he does get really overwhelmed, and I'm thinking it is because he's never loved anything more in his life before. he's an anxious dad, but he tries so hard to do his best - and when his baby gets fussy he panics because he thinks he's the one doing something wrong :c you're there to reassure him otherwise, to help him through these moments, and he takes your advice every single time.

he's a great father because of this, because he listens and is willing to learn from his mistakes, and you love that your baby is so attached to him :c

dad!choso deserves all the love that this world can offer <3

jjk men as dads - what’s your fave hc? 

[awbarnes-no]

anya wants to be a mom. when she's out on a walk, she'll watch families enjoying their time together, and for a moment, will fantasize about the life that not only was taken from her parents, but the life she's pretty certain isn't meant for her. when it comes to having children, she wants to have a kid, she wants to make a life, something good instead of all the bad she's been forced to do. but she thinks she'd be a terrible mother. she doesn't think she could ever be soft enough ( oh if only she knew ) and would hate herself if someone ever came for that little baby. anya would be a great mother, but she's yet to believe that she can . . .