Chapter Text
“Tryin’? Tryin’ what?”
Finral also looked confused for a moment, before realizing what his comrade was implying.
Vanessa spoke again. “Like…trying to have some little Yamis.”
“Oh man, I hope they’re not little Yamis,” Finral replied. “Let’s pray they have Charlotte’s personality. But…maybe a bit less awkward…”
“Hey! She’s not that—well, yeah…” Yami went to defend his beloved fiancée but couldn’t argue that they were totally wrong. She was always a bit awkward and he loved her for it. “Uh, but anyway. I mean, we’re not not tryin’. But we’re not… Oh. OH.”
“You see where I’m going with this?” Vanessa asked.
Yami was stunned. “So, you think she’s…”
“Yes.”
Yami sat still and stared off into space for a moment, as if his brain had completely stopped operating. He now understood exactly why Charlotte was acting the way she was yesterday evening. She had made the same discovery and had the same reaction he was now experiencing.
After a moment, he stood up. “I have to go. To, to, talk to her about—”
“Go, Pops!” Vanessa cheered with a smile.
“But wait!” Finral called out. “Didn’t you want to bring her some food? A conversation like this is best on a happy stomach, right?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s a good point,” Yami replied. “Oh also. If you tell anyone about this, nobody will ever find your bodies. Or the bodies of the people you told. So you’ll be even more guilty since they also died ‘cause of you.”
“Uh, don’t worry about it, sir! We would never!” Finral squeaked. Vanessa nodded in fearful agreement.
As Yami made his way back to the kitchen, Vanessa and Finral looked at each other, eyes full of shock. “Our captain’s gonna be a dad?!”
***
Yami knocked on the door before entering. He hadn’t ever done this prior, but it suddenly felt like he needed to give her advanced notice that he had arrived. He walked in and sat down in the bed next to her, handing her the plate of buttered toast.
“Oh my God, I dreamt about this last night. Thank you!” Charlotte took the plate with glee.
“So uh, listen. I think I—”
“Yami, I need to tell you—”
They spoke at the same time. Both stopped and looked away, flustered.
“You go ahead,” Charlotte said.
“Uh, well, I think I might know what’s going on with you. And I think maybe you know too? Charlotte, are you—”
“I’m pregnant.” She said it before he could finish. “Well, I’m not 100% sure. But I haven’t had my period for more than two months. And the morning sickness, and the food aversion, and the tiredness, and the…moods…” She looked down in embarrassment at the last part. “It all fits. It all points toward there being a little baby growing inside me.”
Yami broke into a grin and a laugh. “Well shit, Charlotte! We’re gonna be parents?!”
Charlotte’s smile matched his own. “I think so…” she stated with a hint of apprehension.
Yami grabbed her face and pulled her into a kiss, plate of toast be damned. Charlotte laughed at his reaction to the news, feeling more at ease with how he felt about the situation. Her concern that he would be upset had dissolved. And all that was left now was…the more general crippling fear.
Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears. “What if we’re not ready? We don’t even get married for another couple months! We don’t have a home—we bounce between two places every week. What does this mean about my capacity to lead my brigade now? What does it mean about my capacity to be a mom? I don’t even know what a normal childhood should look like! I was so wrapped up in overcoming my curse myself that I don’t even know what normal little girls and boys were doing with their time! What if I’m no fun and make a terrible mom? What if I—”
Yami decided the best way to interrupt her was with another kiss. He pulled away, staring into her eyes with a loving gaze. “You will be an amazin’ mom. You know, I went so many years not havin’ a clue about how kind and lovin’ you really are. I had no idea. You always seemed cold, and I could never understand why your girls loved you so much. Because it was clear that they did. Sure I always liked ya. Thought you were hot, too.” (At this Charlotte chuckled). “And thought maybe there was somethin’ I didn’t quite see yet. But I had no idea until the last couple years or so about how great you are. You have been the biggest support to me and have taken care of me in a way nobody else ever has. You took my brigade and treated ‘em like family and now I think they like ya more than me. And ya pretty much adopted Charmy as your daughter, so really already have plenty of experience as a mom,” Yami joked, and was rewarded with another laugh. “You have everything it takes to be the best mom and this kid will be so lucky to have you.”
“To have us,” Charlotte responded, new tears forming their paths down her face. “Dammit now I’m just gonna cry all the time. This is bullshit.”
“HA! You sound like me now! Don’t start swearin’ all the time now that we’ve got listenin’ ears on the way!” Yami joked again. “But yeah, this baby will be damn lucky to have us. And all the other stuff? We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
Charlotte smiled as she wiped her tears away and Yami pulled her into an embrace. They stayed this way for a while before Charlotte spoke up.
“Yami? I really love holding you like this. But I also really want that toast.”
Yami chuckled. “Of course, Prickly Mama. Have at it.”
***
The day passed by in a blur for both captains. Charlotte made the decision to return to her duties at the Blue Rose base for the day, transported there by the one and only Black Bull spatial mage. She remained only half-focused on everything she did with her girls. They took notice, asked if she was doing okay, and inquired about her sickness.
“I’m still not feeling 100%, but I’m getting there,” Charlotte replied. She figured that none of that was a lie—it just wasn’t the entire story. Because they weren’t ready to share all of that yet. It was still so soon, and who knows what could happen?
Yami was in a similar fog all day and eventually gave up and asked Nacht to take the team on a training exercise outside the base for the afternoon. He found that, while his initial reaction was excitement and he had no problems helping Charlotte realize what a wonderful mom she would soon be, he was starting to doubt his own parenting capabilities. How could he really be a good dad? He had never seen one in action before… He found his thoughts start to sink into this pattern for the rest of the day.
By the time Charlotte had arrived back home with him for the night, he had completely convinced himself that he would be a terrible father. He was sure of it. Luckily he didn’t have to fake his joy from earlier in the day around Charlotte, because she arrived almost asleep on her feet and remained awake just long enough to eat the bare minimum of her bland meal before passing out next to him.
Yami remained awake into the night, his thoughts swirling around him. At some point, he noticed Charlotte awaken. She turned to him and watched for a moment. She reached out for one of his hands and held it. “What is going on in that silly head of yours?”
“I…I just don’t know that I have what it takes to be a good dad. What if I’m terrible at it? You know what my old man was like. The only example I have for fatherhood was a complete asshole. What kind of dad can I be if I don’t even know what a good dad does?”
Charlotte thought for a moment. It was funny how they often mirrored one another. How one would be there to help the other learn and grow, and then shortly after the roles would be reversed. He helped her accept support and love; she helped him open up and receive those same things. He took care of her; she took care of him. Yesterday he had helped calm her initial burst of parental concerns. Now she would do the same for him.
“You know how crazy we all thought you were, starting your own brigade of rejects?” Charlotte paused to make sure he was listening to her and then continued. “You found all the people who nobody else would even give a second thought to, myself included at the time. And you formed them into a team. They all trust you with their lives. They look to you for guidance and support. And you give them all of those things. You’re already more like a dad than you know. And, of course you are. Your father may not have been a role model for you. But someone else took you under his wing. Julius helped you learn everything there was to know about Clover Kingdom. He believed in you and showed you that you were capable of being a strong, successful member of the Magic Knights. You took what he taught you and applied it all to your own squad. Granted, it was in a very different style, but you taught all these kids to believe in themselves. How does that not all translate over to being a wonderful dad?”
Yami closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned to look at Charlotte with the most honest and open expression of vulnerability.
“Yami, you make me feel more loved than I have ever felt in my entire life. That is how you’re gonna make this baby feel. Like you said yesterday, he or she is going to be so lucky to have us.”
Yami remained quiet. Charlotte reached out her hand and smoothed back his hair. She waited in silence, allowing him some space to feel all the overwhelming emotions running through his mind and heart. This big burly man had more heart than anyone (besides her) could even realize. Sure his brigade had some sort of idea. But she saw it all. And she loved every part of it.
He eventually pulled her into another embrace, similar to yesterday’s.
“I love you, Charlotte.”
Charlotte felt tears in her eyes. “I love you too, Yami. So much.” A pause. “Dammit, this crying thing is a pain!”
They both laughed.
“So, what do you think about fillin’ in Charmy about this?” Yami asked as he intertwined his fingers with hers. “That way she finally knows why one of her favorite people has stopped eatin’ her food. And also so maybe she could focus on making you some magical mommy meals or somethin’? You know she’d love to. And I can make sure she keeps it a secret ‘till we’re ready. Which, by the way, Vanessa and Finral know too. I didn’t tell ‘em, they were actually the idiots who helped me figure it out. But they’re not tellin’ anyone.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Charlotte said with a sweet smile. “Yami?”
“Yes, Prickly Queen?”
“We’re gonna have a baby.”
Yami’s face almost couldn’t hold the size of the smile he made. And with that, the soon-to-be-married captains basked in the glow of good news, feeling settled and trusting that whatever came their way, they would figure it out. As Yami said, they always had and always would.