Reconciliation pt. 2

    McNair waited outside of the bedroom, sitting on a chair with his elbows rested on his knees. His chin was supported by his thumbs, his paws closed together as his tail swayed in distress. How long had it been since they went in there? He couldn't even check his pocket watch, it felt like torture. He didn’t know how late it was, but he could tell it couldn’t be earlier than midnight by the runeboo who was falling asleep on his feet, serving as a foot warmer. She never slept before that time.

    The only wyngro outside keeping him company was Poseidon, who remained dead quiet and serious through it all. Both males were equally worried, sharing that suffocating tension, but neither knew what to say, so the silence prevailed.

    McNair practically jumped out of his seat the moment he heard the door opening, startling the boo by his feet that ran away to find another sleeping spot. He quickly turned to meet with a nurse cleaning her hands with a cloth. The moment she saw him, a gentle smile spread across her lips.

    “You can come in now! All went well, she's just resting.” Her gentle voice spoke, and McNair didn't think twice.

    “Thank you so much.” He waited until she left the room, followed by another nurse who carried used towels in her basket. He would have taken them to the front door but his worries lied somewhere else.

    “I’ll accompany them to the main gate.” The blue male nodded at McNair, letting him be the first one to check on Hestia. He seemed surprised, feeling extremely grateful as he nodded back. The purple male quickly made his way inside the room, the oil lantern on the wall bathing it in soft golden light.

    He approached the bed frame, careful not to startle her. The male gently pushed the curtains out of the way to reveal a very tired woman, who held her egg close to her body, tears still present on her eyes.

    Despite being exhausted, the gray female reacted to his presence, what came as a surprise to him. A tender smile spread on the male’s lips, his big hand reaching over to a chair that was usually used on his desk. McNair sat beside her, his paw reaching her arm for a soft comfort squeeze.

    “Hi, Hestia.” He smiled in concern. “How are you feeling?”

    The grey female slowly opened her eyes, her vision still blurry but able to recognize the purple hue. She gave him a weak smile and replied with a raspy voice.

    “Scrambled…” She giggled tiredly.

    The purple male took a good moment staring at her blankly before he let out a laughter that held a mix of relief and playfulness. He shook his head in cheery disbelief.

    “Really now?” McNair said between chuckles. She responded with more weak giggles, and it felt like all his tension had been washed away.

    “I suppose that giving birth isn’t as... over-easy as you thought, hmm~?” He played along with her, smiling tenderly.

    Hestia giggled some more before she whimpered. “Heheh… Good one...” She stared at her egg, caressing it gently with her thumb.

    “It’s finally here… our egg…” She let out a soft sigh. McNair brought his soft paw to it, finally taking a good look.

    “... It is so beautiful…” He passed his fingers over the smooth oval surface, seeing all the little grey dots over the dark purple gradients. “Beautiful like the night sky…”

    “Though not as beautiful as the mother, like you told me you wanted that night...” She chuckled.

    The reference to what he said back then made a strong blush tint McNair’s cheeks. He didn’t expect that from her, at all. The man scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

    “... Heh. I suppose…” He smiled shyly. “Maybe my genes are just too strong.” He continued admiring the egg with small grey spots on it. “But hey, at least it got… some grey on it.” He stuck his tongue out, playful.

     “Like little stars…” she chuckled. “I can’t believe that the mix of a vampire and a witch could make a galaxy… heheh.” She stuck her tongue back at him and smiled. A short pause followed as they admired the egg they made.

    “... One down… Only one left…” She averted her eyes, looking kind of sad. McNair noticed the change in her tone, tilting his head slightly. He nudged her gently with a smile.

    “This one hasn’t even hatched yet and you’re already thinking of the next?” He said, playfully. “You are too hasty, miss. You have to focus on resting and eating to recover before even thinking about laying another.” His voice had a light scolding tone to it.

    “Alright…” she slowly turns her head and stares at her egg, licking her lips. “How about a giant omelette? Or... do you prefer scrambled egg?” She snorted, extending the corners of her lips to the limit, weakly trying not to laugh too loud.

    “Pffft…” McNair snorted and giggled. “Oh dear, what have I done… I turned you into a cannibal...”

    “It’s your fault for making such delicious jokes… Now I’m craving eggs...” she carefully held her baby closer to her chest. “But not this one… I kinda grew attached to it... like if it was a part of me...”

    “Hehe, not this one indeed. This one is mine.” McNair licked his lips, menacing. “If someone is going to eat it, that would be me~”

    Hestia blinked slowly. “No… You can’t eat my egg…” she lifted her trembling hand towards his nose in a failed attempt to grab it. “If you eat my baby… I will make my brother force you to eat bugs and dirt for five years…”

    McNair giggled, smiling in empathy at the grey female. She looked so weak... he took the hand on his nose and held it in his, petting the back it with his thumb.

    “... I think he would too be busy mauling me.” He snorted.

    “Hehe... Probably... But I doubt it, I think he is starting to like you…” McNair’s ears twitched in surprise at her statement. “Solstice and Blitz love you, so…” she gave him a  weak smile. “He wouldn't be able to hurt you.” She sighed, adjusting her head against the pillow so she could lay more comfortably. McNair looked at her incredulous, snorting.

    “Are you sure about that? I am technically responsible for you going through all this…” He gave her an apologetic smile, his fingers playing with her hand.

    She slowly shakes her head at his statement.

    “No... if someone is at fault... that would be me…” her golden gaze met his eyes. “If I wasn't so insecure, our brothers wouldn't have had all those fights... I'm sorry…” she turned her head to the other side so he couldn’t see her tears running down her cheek.

    “...” The purple male remained silent for awhile, not sure about what to say. He gently turned her head to him again, brushing her bangs out of her eyes as he smiled sadly.

    “It's alright, you don't have to apologize. Neither of us thought of the consequences… nor divergences.” McNair scratched the back of his head, ashamed of his miscalculation. Hestia shook her head as she frowned.

    “I… I don't want us to crumble your relationship with your brother...” her voice started to crack while the tears blurred her vision “I can only imagine how stressful this must be for both of you…”

    The woman sighed heavily in defeat. “I think it would be best for us to leave...”

    “Wait, please don't leave-! I-I mean…” McNair exclaimed the first part, his face flushed in embarrassment from his reaction. He cleaned his throat and turned her face gently towards him so she could look him in the eyes.

    “Our egg just arrived, and it's only our first child... I don't want us to be apart when it hatches, it's the most important moment.” His tone sounded sad, like pleading.

    She knew that. But the thought of making the situation even worse brought more tears running down her cheeks and forehead. “I want to stay, but…” she hesitated to respond, taking a small pause to choose the correct words.

    “I don't want to destroy the bond you have with Mingle…” she sobbed. “I'm just a stranger compared to what he is to you…”

    “I'm just a friend helping you be a father... he is your brother!” She stared at him with apologetic eyes.

    McNair eyed her in a moment of silence, followed by a sad snort.

    “Hestia, my relationship with Mingle is very different from your standards for brotherhood. Our bond is not what is at risk here - our good first experience as parents is.” The male frowned, flattening his ears. It was getting hard to think of a solution that didn’t include her departure.

    “... If only our siblings didn't bicker so much…” He sighed, mournful.

    The female went quiet all of a sudden, not knowing how to respond.

    What the pair didn’t know was that someone happened to pass by to check on the soon to be mother, accidentally overhearing their conversation.

    The blue quadrupedal stood near the door, completely frozen as their words echoed deep inside his mind. His eyes opened wide for a moment as they spoke, turning back to normal and quietly walking towards his room.

    McNair noticed he caused a sad awkward silence, quickly snapping out of it.

    “Ah..! I'm sorry, I…” The purple male petted her cheek and smiled. “You must rest now. This is a matter to be discussed at another time. Don't think on it too much now.” His hand moved to their egg, running over it gently. “Our child is here with us, that's what matters now.”

    Hestia nodded and slowly closed her eyes, her last tear drops fell as she finally relaxed to rest.

    McNair didn’t like to be the cause of all those tears. He felt so bad for putting her through all this... The male watched her beautiful countenance, now breathing peacefully under the sheets, his heart feeling light as a feather. She fell asleep incredibly fast… That’s how tired she was.

    Inching closer, he planted a gentle kiss on the top of her head. A kiss she wouldn’t remember.

    McNair gently moved her hands away from the egg, taking it in his arms so she could sleep more comfortably. He then walked over to the crib that resided next to his bed, the crib they installed together a few days prior to this whole ordeal for this exact purpose. He adjusted the pillows and gave it one last fatherly look before heading to the door, looking back at her one last time.

    “Goodnight, Hestia…” His magic glands glowed red, and with a wave of his paw, the lights were turned off.