Anyway, none of you answered my question. How the hell do you not freak out about fatherhood???
Jag
You step into the shoes.
Fury
You fill the role.
Storm
And also the hole.
Rex
(hole emoji)
Hades
You guys are no help at all.
31
A LITTLE KICK
“Is this my baby bump,or did I just eat too much food?” Aaren said.
Next to him, Hades chuckled. “Either way, it’s just as beloved.”
He shuffled further down the bed and pressed his face to Aaren’s bare belly, kissing him all over. Aaren blushed. It had been several weeks since they’d gotten together; after all this time, Hades still looked at him with nothing short of warm desire.
“You’re really calm about all of this,” Aaren said. “I’m still kind of nervous about the baby.”
Hades huffed. “Iama little worried. Sometimes I panic. Just a bit.”
“But I don’t see it,” Aaren protested.
“That’s...” Hades hesitated. “I hide it, somewhat. You need an alpha who can be strong while you’re vulnerable.”
“But I want to be there for you too,” Aaren said. “It’s not fair that you help me when I panic, but I don’t get to helpyouwhen you panic.”
“Last I heard, alphas should be strong and fearless,” Hades said dryly. “Even if I’m nervous about fatherhood.”
“Oh, Hades.” Aaren tugged on Hades’ arms so he would come up for a hug. They cuddled together for a while, all bare skin pressed together. Hades relaxed against him. “I think we would be a little fucked if we were on our own, but we have friends with babies too. They’ll have answers if we get into trouble.”
Hades cracked a smile then. “Yeah. You’re right.” He kissed Aaren soft and sweet, then trailed kisses back down Aaren’s body, stopping when he reached Aaren’s belly again. “I think it won’t feel real until I’ve felt a kick, to be honest.”
“Same here.” There were various stages of this becoming real—the pregnancy tests, the morning sickness, the maybe-bump, but a kick would go really far in proving that their baby was real and fine. “It’ll be a while yet.”
Hades sighed. Then he pressed a kiss to Aaren’s belly. “Hey you, little one,” he rumbled, his voice vibrating through Aaren’s body. “This is your other dad. I don’t know if you can hear me yet, but I want you to know that we’re both looking forward to meeting you.”
Aaren’s heart swelled so much, it could burst.
He almost blurted,Marry me.
But that would be really weird, since Hades was the one with the house, the better-paying job, and the one who would provide protection.
Then again, it made sense for Aaren to ask, since he would be the one benefiting from all of the above.
