Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The ride from München to Dortmund was supposed to take six hours but Robert Lewandowski managed to arrive at the hospital in five. Desperation was holding him in a chokehold, and he had swiftly dodged three or four highly possible car crash on the way. He pulled his car in a parking place, and he left it as fast as he could. The hospital parking was full, and he had found a place five minute away from the building. So, Robert started to run on the streets to reach Marco faster. Some people recognized him, but he couldn’t care less; he had other priorities.

Marco… The omega that had refused to even glance at him the only time they had seen each other. The one who didn’t reply to his messages and who didn’t answer the phone calls. Robert had then stopped trying: if Marco didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, that was his decision. He knew that forcing him was only going to make things even worse between them.

Did that mean that he had stopped thinking about him ? Of course not. No matter what he did, Marco’s shining green eyes had been lurking in a corner of his mind. His blond hair, his frame, his muscled legs and everything else about him had been carved on his brain and Robert was not strong enough to erase it.

Manuela Reus was sitting on the ground in front of the hospital when Robert finally arrived. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she spent the five hours between the message and his arrival crying. However, her face lit up when she saw him.

“Robert, dear, you came !” She exclaimed as she got up to pull him into a fierce hug. Robert could feel her shoulders shaking against his own, but he did point it.

“Of course I would, Ma’am. Please tell me Marco is okay.”

Manuela’s face darkened as she pushed him out of the embrace. Her lips trembled, ready to let out the reason why she was worried to the core. He could feel her gaze looking for his, looking for something strong enough to ground her as she would explain the state her son was in.

She turned towards the entrance of the hospital and asked him to follow her. Robert hated going into hospitals: the scent of fear and death mixed with the one of clean sheets and laundry made him want to vomit. They passed the reception, where a very tired woman was writing on her computer in front of a line of people who were waiting for their turn to complain about something, sometimes small, sometimes so big it could change one’s life.

Robert couldn’t help but feel pity for her.

He followed Manuela into more halls and corridors, all filled with patients either scrolling on their phone while waiting for a pointless visit, either biting their nails in the waiting of the news that would shatter their life into pieces. The doctors and nurses were walking quickly between the people as if they were competing for the first place in a race against time. They passed in front of a room and behind the open door, Robert could see two very tired doctors holding their cup of coffee like it was their anchor as a third one was telling them something funny.

After what felt like hours of walking in a busy hospital with a very worried and very silent mother, they finally stopped in an empty corridor in which only the sound of a few buzzing machines could be heard. Manuela turned her face towards Robert.

“Robert, you must listen carefully to what I have to say to you, and I want you to stay quiet until I finish my explanation. Have I made myself clear ?”

Only once Robert nodded, Manuela started to explain him what was happening with Marco. She told him about the way he had passed out in the kitchen and how his temple had hit the table. Luckily, he didn’t get a commotion, it would have been bad for the baby.

The baby.

The doctors had told her that Marco had had an omega drop, perhaps because he felt lonely during his pregnancy or because he was facing too much stress. Or perhaps it was both, they didn’t know and they couldn’t have an explanation until Marco woke up.

Marco was pregnant.

The doctors had worked fast; his state was stable. They had given him an intravenous drip so his body could have the nutriment he and the child growing in his belly needed to stay alive and healthy. The baby was fortunately not harmed during the accident and kept growing well.

Since when was he carrying it ?

However, the doctors told Manuela, it would be great if Marco was conscious during the childbirth so the procedure could go without complications. And as far medicine was developed, there weren’t a thousand things the doctors could do to wake him up from his coma. The most effective way to give him back consciousness was still the presence of a compatible alpha Marco could trust. Even better if it was the one who got him pregnant, which is why Manuela had texted him.

Wait… He was the father ?!

His mind completely unfocused. Marco’s mother’s words were vanishing into oblivion and while they were echoing loudly in the silent corridor, they didn’t resonate with Robert’s mind anymore. Marco was carrying a child, Robert’s child. And the omega was now lying unconscious in a hospital bed because he was carrying alone.

Guilt started to grip Robert’s throat and was choking him like a snake around his prey. It was his fault Marco was in a such state. He raised his fingers to his lips and started to bite his nails. Great, now he acted like the patients he walked past earlier.

Manuela, feeling that she had lost him, stopped her speech about him possibly needing to scent her son so he could feel safe and wake up and snapped her finger in front of the poor man. “Are you alright, Robert ? Perhaps I spoke too much. Do you need a break before we enter the room ?”

He shook his head. “No, I need to see him.”

Robert wanted to scream those words but whispering them already felt like a loud roar in the empty corridor. Voicing them made him realise how much he had missed Marco the few months they were away. The need of his presence was starting to eat him from the inside.

So, Manuela opened the door and he wasted no time entering the room. In a corner, a nurse was sitting on a chair while reading a document, but Marco couldn’t care less about her. His mind was filled with the vision of the man lying in front of him.

Every doubt he could have had about Manuela’s words vanished into thin air when Robert saw Marco’s round stomach. His breath died in his throat: the view was more efficient to take his air away than any tackle he had undergone on the field. Fuck, even unconscious, Marco was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, and Robert realized how much he had missed the man.

One thing was missing though, except Marco’s consciousness. Robert couldn’t smell the calm, soothing oat and vanilla scent that usually followed the omega everywhere he went.

He took a step forward and remembered the omega’s mother’s words. The omega drop... Marco’s body had totally shut down, only keeping at work his vital functions. And sometimes in this type of scenario, the body might decide that keeping the child alive was not worth it. Hence why the drop could be very dangerous for Marco, especially since he was far into his pregnancy.

And Robert was not stupid. He was stubborn, he was a coward, yes, but he was not blind. By Marco’s belly, he could tell that it only could come from their shared night before his departure.

Robert bit his lip. He felt torn between the need to take care of Marco, the one he got pregnant and should take responsibility of – and the one he still very much loved – and the urgent need to flee. He was not ready to take care of a child; he still had a long and bright path in front of him. The baby felt like a burden for him, and Robert felt terrible for thinking that; he shouldn’t value his career more than he valued Marco.

Before he could do anything, the nurse tapped her stencil against the documents in her hand to catch his attention. “Did Mrs Reus tell you about the situation ?”

After seeing him nod, she continued. “I’m here to make sure everything goes well and that there a no reaction of reject from Mr Reus here.”

She sat on a chair and started to slowly chew her stencil. Robert took some time before understanding what she was talking about. Manuela indeed had mentioned scenting the omega so his body could feel safe and possibly wake up earlier since his drop was likely provoked by a sentiment of loneliness. Robert’s mind had been so out of it that he hadn’t registered the information at all.

Scenting Marci while he was unconscious felt wrong. They had done it multiple times, during the stress before a match, during training, or in the intimate atmosphere of one of their rooms. But the two of them had been in their clear state of mind, always. The pseudo intimacy of the hospital was not a place for this.

Gosh, Robert felt like a weirdo.

But he also had to do it, for Marco’s health, and for their baby’s health. He tried to reassure himself: it was not the intimate act they used to do with faint smiles in their bed the day following a match. It was purely professional and medical.

Robert sat on the chair next to the bed and delicately put his hand on Marco’s belly. The sensation felt unreal. The once flat stomach of the omega was completely round, a sight Robert would probably see only one time in his life.

Fuck, a child was finishing growing in there.

He moved his hands from the stomach to carefully grip Marco’s right wrist and carried it to his nose. Robert inhaled the faint note of oat and vanilla that Marco’s body could still release in its current state. Then he carefully moved the wrist to his neck, where he slowly rubbed it against his own gland with all the delicacy he could gather, like Marco was made of glass and could break at any point. Robert let his pheromones out and the air around him started to smell like nutmeg and anis.

Usually, when they used to do it, their scent would mix in the air in a delicious smell that could turn him into an addict.

Well, now wasn’t usually and Robert found himself craving for the sweet smell he hadn’t breathe in in what felt ages.

He dropped Marco’s wrist on the bed and put then his own against the omega’s neck, right on his scent gland, before slowly rubbing it as well.

Under his skin, he could feel Marco’s weak pulse starting to beat a bit more strongly and he couldn’t help but smile like a dumb teenager at it. The thought that him alone could relieve Marco made him unbelievably happy and he allowed himself to be a bit selfish about it.

Maybe they could make it work.

.°.°.

Two hours had passed, two hours during which Robert had looked at the other breathing, and he only had done that. A buzz from his phone had stopped the careful silence in the room that had settled since the departure of the nurse.

Pep Guardiola (coach) is calling.

Fuck, his coach. When Robert had left in the morning, he had only sent him a message telling him that he would be absent this day without further explanations. He could guess that the coach would be mad, especially since he was known to not be very permissive.

But Robert could not not answer to the phone. So, he picked he up and unlocked it with trembling fingers.

“Hello coach.”

“Lewandowski.” Guardiola’s voice was firm and clearly irritated. “I allowed you to be absent today, but I need more information. Otherwise, I cannot excuse it. You know I don’t tolerate unprofessional behaviours.”

“I understand, coach, I’m sorry. So, to be concise, I recently found out that I got my ex-partner, if I can call him that, pregnant and he’s currently at the hospital because he fainted and I wanted to be by his side.” Robert let all out in one breath. I wanted to keep this relatively secret but his coach, by his position, still needed to know the situation.

He could hear Guardiola sight on the other end of the call. “Is it Marco Reus ?”

Robert froze at the mention of the name. He thought he had been more slick hiding it. “What ?”

“I’ll take it as a yes.”

Guardiola took a nice time reminding all the rules the club had around pregnancy and paternity leave. Robert was lucky, November was ending and with it, the first part of the season. Bayern had only one more game to play and Guardiola could exceptionally let Robert aside so he could be with Marco for the end of the pregnancy. They discussed secrecy and what Guardiola would tell the media to explain his absence.

Robert’s heart vibrated from happiness. Usually, he would have been sad that he wouldn’t play, but the prospect of staying with the omega was, in his mind, much better at the moment. Perhaps his career was something secondary in the end, compared to what he felt for Marco. Perhaps the child was less of a burden than he had thought.

Robert had always been a relatively calm alpha: he didn’t feel very possessive around his stuff, he had never felt a huge desire to be dominant, especially on omegas. But with Marco carrying their child, suddenly, all he wanted to do was to stay by his side and protect him from all possible dangers. It felt ridiculous, and Robert couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed by his inner alpha’s change of behaviour.

Guardiola’s voice brought him back to reality. “Robert, this is the last time something like that happens without you telling me. As your coach, there are stuff I need to know. Am I clear ?”

“Yes coach, it won’t happen again.”

Robert has stood up for the call. He had been getting restless on his chair and the discussion with his coach was more than welcome as it had also given him the opportunity to pace in the room.

His steps got interrupted by the feint sound of ruffle in the hospital bed. He quickly ended the call; it was over already anyway. Robert nearly threw his phone away and walked as fast as he could towards Marco, who was slightly moving.

With delicacy, he grabbed the omega’s wrist. “Marco ?” Robert mumbled. Even though he wasn’t the one slowly waking up from a drop, Robert’s voice was still shaking, on one side, from relief but on the other side, from fear that the other’s mind would be damaged in any way by the accident.

Hearing the weak voice, Marco’s eyes flew wide open and he locked his gaze in Robert’s blue eyes. “Robert...”

Marco took some time to clear his mind and to realise where he was. Then, once he was fully back in the room with the other, he slowly sat up. He moved his wrist from Robert light grip – shit, Robert hadn’t realised that he was still grabbing him.

“Robert, the fuck are you doing here ?” Well, the alpha should have expected it.

“You needed help. That’s why I came.”

He could almost see Marco shrinking on his bed. “I don’t need help, especially from you.”

That was one way to wake up from a coma. They both knew where the conversation was going, it was inevitable. Robert would have preferred having it somewhere else with a Marco who was healthy and his mind clear from pregnancy hormones.

The way the blond put his hand protectively on his belly didn’t escape Robert’s attentive gaze. “Yes, you did. Especially since you are pregnant, from me. Why didn’t you tell me that ?”

Robert tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, which wasn’t easy when Marco started to chuckle. His voice came high-pitched from anger.

“Why didn’t I tell you ? Well, two can play that game. Why didn’t you tell we you were leaving ?”

“Marco, this isn’t about this.” Robert almost pleaded.

“Yes, this is Robert. You know it damn well ! I don’t see why I should tell this to someone who can’t trust me with the most important information of their life. I don’t think I can trust you anymore.”

“Marco- ” Robert tried, but he immediately got shut down.

“No. I don’t want your excuses, what’s done is done. All I want to know is why you didn’t fucking tell me ! Everything was so sudden...”

“Stop being a hypocrite.” Robert suddenly snapped and he could see Marco freeze. “It was not sudden. Everyone at Dortmund knew that I would leave one day. The signs were there from the beginning. I didn’t tell you, fine, I was an asshole, but you were blinded by denial. My future had never been in Dortmund, and you knew this from the very beginning. Stop blaming all your mistakes on me.”

He didn’t expect to lash out like this on Marco, and he regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He could see the other freezing.

“Okay, I get it. Perhaps I was blind. But it does nothing to erase the fact that you didn’t tell me. I thought we were... I thought we were something, but perhaps it held no value in your eyes.” Marco’s voice was clearly trembling from the number of emotions he was feeling.

“No, on the contrary, I valued it so much.” Robert gulped. “I feared that if I told you, the way you’d act around me would change. I feared that you would grieve me before I even left ! I... I didn’t want our relation to change.”

“So you lied to me. Because you didn’t want me to change ?” Marco chuckled, trying to put a rational explanation on the situation. Unfortunately for him, nothing was rational about them, and the more he tried to think about it, the less it made sense.

“You have to understand me, Marco. Yes, I was a coward, but I did it because didn’t want you to be hurt. It appears that I was a fool for thinking that, and for thinking that you would still talk to me after that. You could’ve at least told me about that.” He pointed at the belly, that Marco immediately hid under his hand.

“Yes, you are a fool, the biggest one I’ve ever met. But that wasn’t the sole reason I kept it a secret. I didn’t tell you about the child because I know you, Robert. And for a reason I don’t understand I still appreciate you. Enough for me to not want to guilt trip you into quitting your career for me.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yes, you do. You are a man that always takes responsibility, even when you don’t want to. So yes, I didn’t tell you about my pregnancy because I didn’t want you with me after what you’ve done, but also because I didn’t want by my side a Robert that’s there only by pure responsibility and not by love.” Marco turned his head towards the window on his left, he didn’t have the courage to look at the other.

“What made you think that I wouldn’t do it by love ?” Robert’ voice broke and he could see Marco gulping. His assumptions were shattering something in his heart.

“Don’t lie to me Robert- “ Marco tried to defend himself but the alpha immediately cut him.

“I acted like a fool, yes, but I acted with love as a conductor. And the fact that you think otherwise hurt me, Marco.”

The silence that fell on the room was heavy and all that could be heard was the loud breaths that left both of their mouths.

“Now you tell me you love me ? And that you’re the one who’s hurt ? You’re telling me that I spent my entire pregnancy alone because the way you express your love is fucking shit !” Marco replied, the mixture of disbelief and anger could clearly be seen on his face. “I can’t fucking believe it...”

“Please, Marco.”

Marco’s face had progressively darkened while he spoke. “No, please don’t. I don’t want to see you anymore. I fucking hate you. Please, leave the room.”

Robert nodded and stood up. “I’ll stay in Dortmund for a few days. You can reach me if you want.”

Robert didn’t push any further. He dragged his feet towards the door and left the room without looking behind. Marco buried himself on his bed. However, it didn’t cover the underlying smell of Robert’s pheromones in the air. And even if it pissed the blond, he couldn’t help but feel a light feeling of happiness to have his smell around him.

Marco’s mind was a fucking mess. He wanted to shut it so much.

He grabbed his phone and sent a message to his parents.



Robert hesitated a few seconds before ringing on the doorbell. When he had stayed with Marco at the hospital, he had sent messages to his past teammates searching for someone who could take him in for a few days.

Łukasz Piszczek had been the first to answer, hence why he was the one who opened the door in front of a very distressed Robert.

“You look like shit.” Was the only thing he got told when he entered his past-teammate’s house. The warm air inside was very welcome after the long minutes Robert had spent in the piercing cold. He took his shoes off and walked towards the living room, where he slumped down onto the couch.

“Ugh, I also feel like shit.” He mumbled and Łukasz quietly chuckled.

“The hospital visit was that bad ?”

“Awful. I said things I probably shouldn’t have and now it’s going much worse with Marco.”

Łukasz sat down next to him and passed his arm around the other’s shoulders in a futile attempt to comfort him.

“Hey, just give him time. He woke up from a drop most likely caused by your absence, while being 8 months pregnant, with his hormones on fire and the first thing he saw was you, the alpha he tried so much to resent. It was probably not the best situation to have a discussion with him.”

“I know that, and I knew it. Fuck, I should have been more careful.” He raised his nails to his lips and started to bite them. He felt like he had done this so much through the day that, by the time he’d fall asleep, he wouldn’t have his nails attached to his fingers anymore.

Łukasz gently slapped his hand. “Go to sleep, Robert. It’s almost 21:30 and you had a long day. You need rest. Do you want to eat first ?”

The Pole had made gołąbki for the occasion, and Robert savoured it. Eating something from his native country brought him more comfort than he would have thought and the warm meat had worked well to quiet a little bit more his rushing mind.

Satisfied, Łukasz brought him to his room and Robert felt asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. He had a heavy, dreamless night. His friend was right; he definitely needed some rest.

.°.°.

They quickly settled in a new routine. Łukasz would leave the house every morning to go to training and Robert, true to the promise he had given to Marco, stayed at home. He would sometimes leave it to go jogging, but he spent most of his time there, lurking at his phone like it was a prey on which he could jump onto every time it buzzed from a notification.

He had wanted to text Marco, his number was still preciously saved on his phone, but he didn’t want to cross any boundaries. Their relationship was bad, he didn’t want to make it any worse.

He had made a good decision about waiting for the other, because the first text from the omega arrived four days after their argument.

---
From : Marco
Hello Robert. I sent you this text to apologise. I haven’t been good to you at the hospital. I don’t hate you; I shouldn’t have told you that.
Also, you were right. I had been blind when you were still at Dortmund. I knew you would leave and I kept denying it. I’m still mad at you, but I shouldn’t have snapped.
---

Robert blinked once, twice and then thrice. Why was Marco the one apologising to him ? Robert was the one who had acted badly, he knew it: their discussion burst on his mind every time he wasn’t actively thinking about something else.

Seeing Marco apologising felt weird. Because he shouldn’t, and because was not someone who apologised easily. Marco was prideful and having genuine excuses from him a rare event. And, especially that, Marco never apologized when he knew he was in the truth.

Which could only mean that Marco was blaming himself. And that was not good, for him, for his health, and for the health of the baby.

Robert had tried to think about it as little as possible, which was hard since he spent his days alone with his thoughts on his friend couch.

The first two days, Robert’s mind has tried to completely erase the information, but all his effort had been shut down by the frequency of apparition of the image of Marco’s round belly.

Robert had spent the last two coming to term with the fact that: he had made Marco pregnant, Marco decided to keep the child, he apparently wasn’t in Marco’s plan to raise it, and that he secretly wished he could raise it with Marco. They had never discussed it when they were together, or in whatever relationship they had. They were not mates, they were not even dating, it had never been an option in both of their life.

Robert truly had mixed feeling about it. He had always wanted one, perhaps not so soon, but he could not give up on it now that he had one. Especially since it was Marco the other father. The man he had loved the moment the omega had stepped for the first time on Dortmund’s training field.

Marco was right with the fact that he was someone driven by responsibility, and he clearly was at this moment, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t feeling something else as well. His sense of responsibility was living in pair with his feelings towards Marco.

He would do whatever it takes to prove to Marco that he sincerely wanted to raise the child with him.

And if they ended up really dating in the process, that would be even better.

---
From : Robert
Hey Marco. Please, don’t apologise, I was the one in the wrong, you did nothing bad. I hold nothing against you.
I wanted to tell you that I was very sorry for not telling you about my departure, I had been very selfish, and I understand if you don’t forgive me and don’t trust me anymore. I deserve it...
Also, I wanted you to know that I’m not mad at you for keeping your pregnancy a secret, it’s your choice in the end.
---

Robert’s fingers were slightly shaking on his phone. He would have preferred to have this discussion in real life, but this was already a start. He couldn’t overthink about his message: Marco’s reply came almost immediately.

---
From : Marco
I’m not sure if I can fully trust you back yet. But I spent the last few days thinking about what happened and I’m not so mad about you anymore.
I still am but not as much.

From : Robert
I also thought about us a lot the past few days.
---

A blank, maybe Robert didn’t formulate it the best way.

---
From : Robert
Anyway, do you feel better now ?

From : Marco
Yes, I’m back at my parent’s place. They take good care of me.
Also...
Thank you for waking me up at the hospital. The doctors had told me that, without you, it would have took longer and could have been dangerous for my health.
---

Robert didn’t reply, he didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t a text that really needed an answer anyway, the best he could do was to acknowledge it. Marco had run offline; his pride must have been hurt with the fact that an independent omega like him sometimes needed an alpha to feel better.

He knew this thought had eaten Marco alive those past few days.

So, he decided to not rub to wound any more and to close his phone.

.°.°.

Sunday hit the hardest. It had been a week since he arrived and he felt useless. Marco hadn’t texted him and, from what he had heard from his mother, he was doing well.

Robert didn’t see why he should stay in Dortmund anymore. It was not like Marco would still need him: he implied it in his messages. He had read them a thousand times, and he knew them by heart now. It was the friendliest Marco had been since their separation and the small step up in their relationship had been relieving.

That didn’t mean that the omega would need him if something happened.

Robert was lying on his temporary bed when he got proved otherwise.

---
From : Manuela – Marco’s mother
Hello Robert. I don’t know how to say that but Marco will give birth soon and he had asked for you.
Same hospital as before, Thomas will wait for you at the entrance.
---

Oh, Robert had never been more glad to be wrong. He grabbed his stuff and left the room in a hurry.

.°.°.

The ride to the hospital felt terribly long in Robert’s mind. His fingers kept tapping relentlessly on his wheel and he wanted to scream every time he had to stop at a traffic light. He didn’t put music, nor the radio, the only thing he wanted to focus on was Marco, and the road of course.

He almost bumped into the car in front of him. He cursed; he was so stressed his mind had disconnected itself from the traffic. He shouldn’t be the one stressing, he wasn’t giving birth himself, but it was Marco and Robert couldn’t help but stress for him.

It still felt unreal. Robert didn’t feel ready for what was about to happen, but the omega had wanted him by his side and Robert was more than pleased to be with him. It didn’t erase the fact that it was scary.

He was about to witness the birth of the child he had with the man he loved.

Even in his mind Robert had never dared to imagine it. He pinched himself while he was waiting at a crossroad. No, he wasn’t dreaming. So now, his only mission was to join Marco as fast as he could.

And he arrived fast. The usually slow and careful driver Robert had always been disappeared as soon as there was something wrong with Marco. That’s exactly what had happened when he arrived a week ago at Dortmund, and what was happening now. He probably got flashed by a radar, but he couldn’t care less. It was a matter for later.

What mattered now was the hospital. He parked his car and ran as fast as possible towards the entrance; it was during time like those that being an athlete really came in handy. Thomas Reus was standing nervously next to the main door, scanning the crowd for Robert’s face, and he waved at him as soon as their gazes crossed.

They didn’t talk on the way to the room. This time, he followed Thomas in a completely different aisle of the hospital, but it was still the same girl at the main desk, tapping quickly on a computer and gripping a cup of coffee like it could hide her dark circles under her eyes from the patients’ worried gaze.

Well, some things didn’t seem to change, Robert found it almost reassuring.

What a weirdo, this poor girl was working her ass off.

Robert didn’t think more about it, her, and everything else that seemed to happen in the hospital. Each step towards Marco’s room was more stressful than the other and he started to fidget with the zipper of his sweatshirt. It was dumb, he shouldn’t be the one stressing.

They arrived in a waiting room, where only Manuela was sitting. Her head was resting against the wall, her eyes closed, but she wasn’t sleeping, her leg was bouncing on the chair, and her fingers were tapping on her knees.

“How is Marco ?” Robert asked as Manuela slowly stood up to rejoin them.

“He’s doing fine. He has to get a c-section since male’s uteruses are slightly different from the female’s. The operation starts soon.”

Robert nodded and raised his fingers to his lips, scratching his teeth with his nails.

“Why did he ask for me ?” He asked with a faint voice. In none of the scenarios he had created in his mind could he find a rational explanation for this. He was delighted that Marco wanted to see him, but he was also perplexed.

“I don’t know Robert. I wish I could read his mind sometimes.” Manuela replies as she tapped his shoulder as a form of comfort.

He didn’t have the time to think too much because a doctor entered the room.

“Are you Marco Reus family ?” He quickly asked. As they nodded, the doctor immediately continued. “Great. We allow, in our hospital, the father of the child or the patient’s parents to come in the operating room. Do one of you want to come ? Just, we allow a maximum of two people in for safety reasons.”

Before Robert could speak, he felt two different hands pushing him forward. He turned his head towards the couple, who were smiling at him.

“Marco had asked for you, not us. Go with him, we will wait here.”

Robert nodded and gave them a quick hug, grateful for their kind act. Then he walked towards the doctor who immediately guided towards the operating block. Robert’s breath hitched, the situation was hard to believe. Everything had moved so fast in his life the past week and he was still having a hard time catching up with all he was feeling.

They entered a small, sanitizing room and Robert had to change to make sure he didn’t bring inside anything that could cause an infection. Marco’s health counted more than the awful blue plastic dress he had to wear.

“Mr Reus just entered the room. He’ll be conscious during the whole operation. You can stay by his side, or you can come next to the surgeons to watch the c-section, at a reasonable distance of course.”

Robert turned pale. He was quite sensible and he had heard a few stories about the father who wanted to see it fainting because of the scene. And Robert knew he would faint if he witnessed the operation. The surgeons had already a lot of work to do and he didn’t want to distract them because he couldn’t handle the sight. And he also wanted to be with Marco.

So, he shook his head. “I prefer not; I’ll stay by Marco’s side.”

The doctor nodded in understanding and led him towards a door. He opened it and pointed inside.

“You can go. The operation has not started yet, but the local anaesthesia had already been given. Listen to what the surgeons say. I’ll stay here.”

So, Robert stepped inside. He stumbled in front of three surgeons finishing the installation of the room while chatting quietly with each other, but also with Marco, who was fully conscious. His head was poking out from a curtain, preventing him to see what would soon happen in his body. The room got quiet when he entered.

“Ah, Mr Lewandowski ! Thank you for being here. Here, you can have a seat.”

The surgeon pointed her finger towards a black tabouret right next to Marco’s head. He nodded and sat right there. The eye contact he made with the blond was embarrassingly long and they both looked at each other without knowing what to say. Robert wanted to grab the other’s hand, but he found out that they were attached, which was logical, for safety reasons.

So, he scratched his head and whispered. “Hum, thank you for inviting me, if you can call it that. I don’t get why you called for me, but I’m touched.”

The words were covered by the light chatter of the surgeons: only Marco could hear them. Before he could reply, one of the surgeons looked at them.

“We will start the c-section now. It won’t be very long and please, only ask us questions if they are necessary.” She spoke. Then, she turned towards her two coworkers and started working on whatever they had to do, Robert was not an expert and didn’t really plan to be one.

He turned his gaze back on Marco, who was looking at him. “It’s also your child.” The omega said faintly. “You deserved to be there. And I just wanted you to be with me. Why ? I don’t know. Well, yes I do, but it’s not a matter that should be talked about in this room particularly.”

He stumbled on his words, stuttering sometimes and looking away, embarrassed about saying those things out loud. Robert could feel it, and he didn’t want to press him. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“Well, I do. Perhaps not now. My mind is pretty much fucked up by hormones, and I just feel weird from the anaesthesia.”

Robert frowned, suddenly worried about the other. What if Marco’s body was reacting badly from the anaesthesia and he was hurting ? Marco could see his concerned face and smiled. “Not like that. It’s just really strange to not feel anything under your shoulders and it kind of weirds me out. Nothing more.”

Robert could only sight in relief. “I’m glad you’re not hurting.”

A comforting silence fell on the room and the alpha looked around. It was a really strange place to have some kind of made up between them, but Robert took everything Marco was ready to give. He looked towards the curtain, hiding the three people working just behind. He could see the back of one of them and sometimes another one would leave the privacy of it to grab a tool, always looking sharper than the one just before.

He turned his attention back on Marco before he could think about what they were about to do on his body with it. Hesitantly, he raised his fingers and grabbed a piece of Marco’s hair, playing with it mindlessly. He looked at him, and while all he could see was his head, Marco was glowing. It hit Robert, the omega had always been beautiful, he knew it and he was not insensible to his charm. He had spent the last two years at Dortmund looking at him.

But seeing him looking at the alpha with a piercing gaze while he was going through the operation that would give life to their child, it was something entirely different, and Robert couldn’t be gladder to be there. Marco had never been more handsome, his green eyes had never been brighter, his hair had never been so soft. He had never looked as perfect.

Robert wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

He had known it for a little time, but he was realising it only now. He understood the meaning only now.

And even if he couldn’t read Marco’s mind and he didn’t want to make assumptions, he knew that it was reciprocated. Robert was bad at hiding feelings and Marco was almost worse than him. And Robert had had enough time with him to know by heart the dictionary of all his little mimicries and the translator of Marco’s expressions and movements had been implanted deep into his brain.

And sometimes, look couldn’t lie. Especially when Marco looked at him like he wanted to devour him alive.

Robert moved his eyes towards his hands: he couldn’t hold Marco’s gaze. So, in response, he brought his fingers deeper into the blond’s hair and started to knead his scalp.

“Is that good ?” he asked. Since Marco was not able to move to express discomfort, he wanted to make sure he was at ease vocally. Robert smiled when Marco nodded a little, not daring to move more his body in the fear that he would bother the surgeons.

So, he continued his massaging. The slow, regular motion seemed to calm them both and to keep them grounded. They didn’t talk; there was no such need: the sweet, gentle touch of his fingers against Marco’s skin passes more messages than he vocally could.

The peace got broke down quickly by a little, baby whine. They both froze and they looked at each other. The head of one of the surgeons poked out from behind the curtain.

“Mr Lewandowski, do you want to come here and cut the umbilical cord ? I warn you, this is a little gore since Mr Reus’ womb is still open but we always propose it.”

Robert hesitated. He was scared he would throw up if he saw Marco’s body opened by medical tools, but being able to cut the cord was probably going to be one of the best events in his life, or that’s what his father had always told him. Robert was getting emotional and his throat felt suddenly too tight to let air go to his lungs.

Marco, like he had read his mind, told him: “I won’t judge you if you throw up, just do it.”

It gave Robert the little bravery he needed to leave his chair and rejoin the surgeons with trembling legs. One of them gave him the clamp before he could see his baby. It was probably a bad idea since he almost dropped it when he saw her.

She was... Well in all honesty, she was an ugly wrinkly baby. But Robert was blinded by the fact that it was his child and all he could see was the most beautiful being in the universe. He started shaking when he approached the clamp from the spot the surgeon what pointing, and he almost cried when he cut it.

The surgeons had made sure that he would see the least amount possible from Marco’s body while he was looking at his daughter, and Robert was actively trying to prevent his eyes from darting towards it. He was already feeling so much, seeing Marco’s inner organs would only overwhelm him even more and he was sure he would vomit, faint, or do both at the same time.

He couldn’t touch the baby yet. Once the umbilical cord was cut, he got brought back to Marco’s side who was tiredly smiling. One of the surgeons left the room with the baby while the two others stitched his womb.

“You didn’t throw up.” Was the first thing Marco told him. Robert smiled.

“I didn’t dare to look too much.”

“You at least looked at her ?”

“Of course I did, how could I not ?”

“Was she pretty ?”

“The prettiest in the world.”

Marco smiled and turned his head to face the ceiling. “Of course she is. She got it from me.”

Robert looked at him slowly closing his eyes. He could feel that the previous hours had been even more exhausting for him. He kept gently stroking his hair while the other was falling into a deep slumber.

.°.°.

When they left the block, it was already late. Robert couldn’t fall asleep. He kept waking up after only a few minutes of sleeping and he eventually stopped trying past 3 am.

Marco was deep asleep on the hospital bed next to him. He looked peaceful, a sight Robert had never seen the past few months during which each of their little interactions had been built around unspoken tension and cold looks. Peace had not had the occasion to reach them, and Robert could only pray now that they would finally have her by their side.

Robert wanted to bring his bed closer to Marco’s, but he knew that the omega needed space. Perhaps Robert should keep trying to sleep.

His mind drifted back to his daughter. The doctor has told him after he left the room that they would bring her in the morning. Robert, when he wasn’t thinking about Marco, was always thinking about her.

He was already missing her so much. He wanted to see her face again, to carry her in his arm, to play with her. Robert finally managed to fall asleep thinking about the life he could have with Marco, and with their lovely child.

.°.°.

He woke up at 7, barely before Marco. He saw his eyelids fluttering softly before opening wide open. He watched Marco sitting up with difficulty and scanning the room, disoriented, before his gaze dropped onto Robert. Marco jumped a little before calming himself. The alpha sat on the blond’s bed and gently put his hand on his back.

“Where is she ?” Marco asked; his voice was filled with worry and the primal need to hold his daughter against him.

“The doctors will bring her soon. You must eat first, you need energy.” Robert pointed towards a tray that had been brought earlier in the morning. There was on it two plates with breakfast waiting for them.

He stood up and grabbed it before sitting on a chair on the other side of Marco’s bed and he placed one of the plates on his lap. Robert watched the omega starting to eat before he brought his fork to his mouth to eat as well.

Robert had not been that hungry, but once the first piece of food entered his mouth, he almost melted. He could feel the energy filling up his body each time he took another bite, and a quick glance at Marco told him that he was feeling the same, if not more since he had just gone through an operation and that a child had just left his body.

As if there were cameras on the room, a nurse entered it to grab the plates as soon as they had finished them. Then, before leaving, he said: “We will bring you your daughter in a few minutes.”

Both of their heart sped up at the same time but neither of them dared to break the silence. Marco stretched his arm and grabbed Robert’s hand in a weak grip. Even though eating had done a great good to him, he was still feeling pretty exhausted.

Robert felt suddenly bold. “Wanna talk now ? Before she arrives ?”

Marco’s hand didn’t leave his, which was a great start. “My mind is clear, but very tired. If that doesn’t bother you, sure.”

Robert nodded. “I wouldn’t have proposed it otherwise.” He took a deep breath before saying all he wanted to say.

“Listen, I know I acted badly. I should have told you that I was leaving, I didn’t and I’m a bastard for that. I shouldn’t have pushed it on you and erase your feelings. I’m terribly sorry for that and I hope that one day you’ll forgive me for it.
“Also, I don’t take back what I’ve said. I loved you, and I still do. I know this is probably the worst place possible to make such declaration, but I wanted it to be clear before we talk about the baby. And speaking of it, I want to be there for her; I want to raise her. And not on the side, but with you. I want us to raise her together like… Well, like a couple.
“I understand it might be much and I don’t want to push you to take the decision immediately since you have the final say, but I wanted you to be aware of that.”

Robert took a deep breath. He almost said everything in a long sight, scared that if he didn’t spoke his words soon enough, he would forget them or turn into a coward and never letting them out of him anymore. Outside of football, Robert rarely expressed what he really wanted, and the experience felt scary.

Gosh, he felt like an awkward teenager.

He couldn’t look at Marco, who had slouched down on the bed. He suddenly feared his reaction, perhaps he had said too much, especially judging the state the omega was in. Perhaps he had rushed him too much. Robert raised his nails to his lips to bite them.

He felt a gentle hand on his’. “This a bad habit, you should try to stop.”

Marco tried to make his voice sound normal, but he didn’t succeed. He was still trying to process all of what Robert told him.

“You know” He began. “I think that I forgave you some time ago. I don’t hold it against you anymore. But I already told you that I wasn’t sure anymore if I can still trust you. And I think that it would be a long process to go through if you’re willing to repair what’s broken.”

Robert couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wanted to smile and hug him to tell him that he would go through every test and trial in the world to earn it back, but he didn’t. If he did something now, Marco would never finish the tirade he had started.

So, he kept still as the omega continued.

“And, honestly, I must admit that I was also scared to raise her alone. I was willing to do it, but... But I rather would like to have you by me side. I also want us to face it together; I want us to try.”

The end of the sentence decreased into only a faint mumble. Marco’s cheeks were red from embarrassment, admitting it out loud had been difficult for him, especially after months of trying to erase Robert’s presence in his mind.

Robert, feeling brave, gently grabbed his hand and started to kiss his knuckles.

“You won’t regret it; we’ll make things work. I promise I’ll find a way to be with you as much as possible.”

Marco’s body shivered under his lips, and before he could say something, the door opened.

The same nurse as before entered, rolling a transparent box in which a little child was sleeping. He put it on a corner of the room and dropped on the bed that Robert had used to sleep all the documents they needed to fill before leaving the room.

Robert immediately stood up and almost ran towards the box. He carefully put his hands inside and took his daughter in his arms.

She was a little heavier Robert would have thought, but he didn’t mind. She looked good and healthy and perfect for a child born a few hours earlier. Her round features were adorable, and Robert’s heart melted more and more each second he spent looking at her.

But he wasn’t the one who needed her the most. Next to him, Marco was trembling in anticipation. He raised his hands towards Robert, claiming the child.

He carefully put the sleeping baby in his arm and the mix of emotions that appeared on Marco’s face was indescribable, but he could see that he only felt good things. A few tears had escaped Marco’s eyes when he saw the baby he had carried almost nine months in his womb.

Robert carefully wiped them from his cheeks. He couldn’t have been happier: their relationship was going in the best direction possible and seeing their child was like seeing heaven.

After spending time just looking at her, Robert finally grabbed the pile of document. He read them out loud for Marco who was still carrying the baby and he made him sign where their signatures were needed. He arrived at the last document of the pile, the one about the name of the girl.

Marco chose the first name, Robert the second.

Maja Gabriele Reus

It was perfect, and Robert promised himself that he would make sure that everything would stay as good as this in their life or that it would only get better. There was no other option, they would not fall backwards.

In the euphoria of the moment, he gently put his lips on Marco’s.

Robert would never let anything go wrong.

.°.°.°.