Chapter Text
Somehow, Aloy hadn’t realized her stomach had grown as much as it had. They'd been living back in Meridian for a couple months now, and it wasn’t until a merchant in the market asked “how far along” she was that Aloy realized she was officially sporting a noticeable baby bump.
“Oh, um…” Aloy had felt suddenly self-conscious, a feeling she wasn’t at all use to, fumbling the vegetables she had been stowing in a shopping bag. “Three and a half months.”
It was a female merchant, who smiled kindly as she took the shards for payment. “Congrats,” she said. “You look radiant.”
Aloy thanked her, awkwardly, and then evacuated the market. She kept her eyes on the ground, tucking some of her red hair back behind an ear as she went. That had been the first time anyone had recognized she was pregnant just by looking at her.
It was with relief that Aloy reached the front door to her apartment, pushing it open and leaving behind the bustling streets of the city. As she closed the door behind her, she leaned up against it, one hand on her belly and the other clutching the shopping bags from her market trip.
She wasn’t sure why the merchant noticing her baby belly had affected her like this. It wasn’t like she had ever particularly cared about her appearance, or how others perceived her. Yet as she looked down, realizing how far over the waist band of her skirt her tummy had crept, she felt self-conscious all over again. Briefly, she attempted to suck her gut in, but apparently that worked for fat but not a baby.
Realizing she was being silly, Aloy shook these thoughts from her head, and lifted her back off of the door. She took the things she had purchased from Erend’s shopping list into the kitchen, putting them away for when he returned home in a couple hours from his Vanguard duties.
Idly, Aloy wondered if Erend had noticed she was showing. He certainly hadn’t said anything about it, but, as he paid more attention to her tummy than even she did, he must have noticed. Closing the final cabinet, she left the kitchen and went to flop down on their couch.
She wiggled to get comfortable, dragging one of the decorative pillows to go behind her neck as she lounged the length of the cushions. She was probably going to have to start thinking about new clothing to accommodate for the baby, she realized. the idea of shopping for such clothing wasn't appealing to her, or shopping for any clothing in general.
A yawn overtook her, she thought it couldn't hurt to close her eyes for a little while, she'd already done what she meant to do that day anyway. She squished the pillow a bit, turning on her side so that her shoulders pressed against the cushioned back of the sofa.
-
Aloy awoke when she heard the door close as Erend came in. She could tell he was trying to be quiet, as he trod in his armored boots to hang up his weapon. When he turned to see she was rubbing her eyes, he let out an apologetic sigh.
“Sorry I woke you,” he said, coming over to the sofa.
Aloy scooted her hips over so that he could sit sideways on the edge of the cushion, alongside where she was lying.
“It's okay, you know if I nap too long I won't sleep when we go to bed,” she said, reaching up and brushing a hand down his cheek and into the hair along the edge of his jaw.
Erend smiled at the touch. He tugged off his gloves, tossing them onto the table so that he could touch her with bare hands. One came down to her pregnant belly, the other to the side of her face as he hunched down to give her a short but very tender kiss on her lips.
“And then we both don't sleep,” he said, looking down on her with such fondness Aloy felt like her heart was overflowing with it. His hand was warm even through the brown fabric tunic that lie between it and her stomach.
“Lady in the market asked how far along I was today,” she said, looking down to where his hand rested. “I didn't know it was noticeable.”
“Well, I noticed,” Erend said, moving his hand gently, now looking himself.
“I figured you had,” Aloy said. “Even if you didn't mention it.”
Erend laughed. “I learned a long time ago you never tell a woman you've noticed she's gotten bigger,” he said. “Even if you mean it in a good way. Once, when Ersa was trying to build muscle, I told her she looked like she was getting bigger, and before she realized I meant her muscles, she'd broken my nose.”
Aloy was laughing now, too. “I promise I won't break your nose,” she said. “I don't know why, but when she asked and I realized you could SEE I was pregnant, I felt self-conscious.”
Her face had fallen slightly, her eyes downcast. Erend was having none of this however, he nudged her chin back up so that she was looking at him.
“Aloy, you are no less beautiful with this belly than you were the day I met you,” he said. “You will always be the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Your belly getting bigger is a good thing, it means our baby is healthy and growing. In fact, I look forward to watching it get bigger over the next months.”
Aloy was smiling broadly now, as he said the right things as he somehow always did. “Tell you what, from now on, you can just say when you notice I've grown,” she said. “And I promise I'll take it as a good thing.”
“That's the spirit,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her again. “I'm going to go upstairs and ditch this wretched armor, and then get started on dinner. You should just keep relaxing right here.”
Erend was so good to her. This thought bounced around her mind, listening to the stairs creaked under his steps as he ascended them. When she had found out, in the middle of chaos in the Motherland, that she was pregnant she had been scared. She knew already how much he loved her, and he had already been treating her so very well.
That had been nothing compared to the man she had returned home to Meridian with. He had stepped up in ways she had never even known she would need him to. No longer was Aloy scared to have a child. In fact, the further along she got, the more excited she became.
Imagining Erend with a tiny baby in his arms, treating their child with the same care he treated her, that wasn't a stretch of imagination in the least anymore. She couldn't wait to see it with her own eyes.
Aloy sat up on the couch now, placing the pillow behind her back where the arm met with the rest of the sofa. Erend came back down the stairs much more quietly than when he had gone up. He had shed even his boots, wearing only his trousers and the yellow striped shirt that he wore under his armor. He smiled over at her as he went into the kitchen and proceeded to prepare dinner.
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
“You're doing everything I need you to do right there by lighting up the room,” he said over his shoulder.
So very good to her. She said the only thing she could think to say to something so sweet. “I love you.” She tucked her legs under her, turning her body to watch him as he worked in the kitchen.
“I love you too, Moonflower,” he replied, another smile granted to her over his shoulder as he got the stove lit.
Aloy sank back into the couch, as Erend began to whistle the song he always whistled when he cooked. That and the sizzle of the pan were sounds that meant safety and comfort to her. She lounged in the feeling, knowing how lucky they were, appreciating the life they now had.
“Foods almost done,” Erend called after a while.
Rising from the cushions, Aloy joined him in the kitchen now, pulling plates from the cabinets for him. Then while he was serving food onto them, she retrieved utensils and glasses before going to the dining table to set it.
This was a familiar routine now, she passed him on her way back to the kitchen to get a jug of water, his hands full with the food. She carried it back as he set down the plates, one on either side of the table. Aloy slid her arm along his side, placing the jug on the table as she leaned against his back.
He caught her hand as it returned, entwining his fingers with hers and bringing their arms across his chest. They held there for a moment, with her hugging him from behind, her face pressed into the fabric of his shirt near his shoulder blade.
When she released him, he pulled out her chair for her to sit before taking his seat across from her. Now that the food was in front of her, Aloy was suddenly starving. She seized a fork and speared a pepper on it followed by a piece of the turkey he had stir fried with the vegetables.
Erend poured them both glasses of water as she began to eat, looking satisfied with her reaction to the food. Then he began eating himself.
“I've got Anehita tomorrow,” Aloy said, after a while, her plate now half cleared.
“Oh right,” Erend returned. “Want me to duck out of work and join you?”
Aloy swallowed the bite that was in her mouth, shaking her head. “No need, you know these check ups are getting repetitive,” she answered, picking up a cloth napkin to wipe her mouth.
He nodded thoughtfully, taking a pile of food on his plate and scooping it into his mouth. They ate in silence for a while, then. “Avad hasn't given up on the baby shower idea,” Erend said, rising to take his empty dish to the kitchen. “Do you want more?” This question was posed as he pointed down to her now clear plate.
“No,” Aloy said. “I mean yes, I want more. No, I don't want a baby shower!”
Erend laughed, snagging her plate and going to the kitchen. “Would it really be so bad?” he asked as he scooped a serving nearly as big as her first onto her plate.
“Probably,” she said, crossing her arms. “Just remember the party he threw after your rescue and then imagine all those people at our baby shower.”
Plopping the plate back in front of her, Erend resumed his seat. “You're afraid he'll go too big,” he said, nodding. “That's a valid concern.”
Aloy dug into her food, aware of his eyes on her. “Don't judge me,” she begged, her mouth partially full of food. She swallowed this hastily. “I swear this baby has turned me into a glutton.”
“No, just eating for two,” Erend replied fondly.
He sat with her while she ate, and then they did the dishes together as they always did, before retiring upstairs to their bedroom. Erend went into the washroom as Aloy stripped off her outer layers, until she was down to her soft fabric leggings and tapered brown tunic.
When he returned he was shirtless, and wearing light fabric sleep pants. His usual night time garb. He pulled back the cover on her side of the bed, and she slid in. Then he came around the bed and joined her, pulling her against him as she draped the covers over his chest.
He tucked her under his arm as he always did, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. She felt his hand move down her back beneath the covers, then slide over her side to rest on the side of the small, distinct baby bump that was slightly sandwiched between them.
“When I get bigger we won't be able to lay like this,” Aloy said, realizing.
“We’ll lay whatever way is most comfortable for you,” Erend murmured, already sounding sleepy.
“Thank you for being so great with all of this,” she said, craning her neck up to plant a kiss on his cheek.
“That's my job,” he said. “Keep you safe, comfortable, and happy.”
“High marks in all three categories tonight,” Aloy said, settling back in against his shoulder, the sound of his heart beating in her ear. His hand moved gently against her belly, a slow circular motion that made her feel warm.
She tried to imagine herself with a big belly. Aloy had seen pregnant women before, both from afar growing up around the Motherland, and up close from in and around the city. Here in Meridian they wore draped silk maternity dresses that clung to their melon sized bellies. She'd found herself staring at a woman passing on the street the other day, in a red silk number that showed off her pregnant stomach beneath clinging layers that flowed as she walked. Aloy couldn't exactly imagine herself in such a frock, but she thought of how beautiful the woman had looked. She could try…
Aloy heard a soft snore above her that let her know Erend had drifted off to sleep. She smiled against his chest, closing her eyes to join him.
—————-
Erend had already left for work when Aloy awoke the following morning, she vaguely remembered him kissing her goodbye before he went. He had left a breakfast of bread, fruit, and juice out ready for her, which she ate half of then took the fruit to go, eating it as she walked through the morning streets of Meridian.
Anehita officially worked for the city hospital now, so that was where Aloy was heading, taking heathy bites of an apple as she went. Here and there people would greet her, she was still as well known as ever around the city, perhaps even more so now then after she'd defeated Hades.
Anehita was waiting for her in the reception area of the hospital, and ushered her through without her needing to wait with what appeared to be a very sick man in the waiting room. Aloy was led up a flight of stairs, and down a hall to what was Anehita’s main check up room
Once she closed the door, Anehita turned to properly look at her friend. Her eyes hung on the baby bump, smiling. “Well, look at you,” she said, coming forward and placing a hand in the now visible baby bump.
Aloy let out a nervous laugh, still unsure how to feel about the new visibility of her tummy. “Erend is thrilled, as you can imagine,” Aloy said, looking down.
“As am I,” Anehita said, looking up. “Now why don't you get this leather stuff off so I can properly see you, and hop up on the table. I will be right back.” She disappeared back through the door, closing it behind her
This was not Aloy’s first pregnancy check up at the hospital, she was now used to visiting Anehita here. So she didn't hesitate to shed the leather pieces of her Nora clothing, sliding herself onto the edge of the check up table once she was down to her brown fabric leggings and shirt. She let her legs swing a bit in the open air as she waited, but it wasn't long before her friend and midwife returned.
Anehita was setting up some things on a side table, tools Aloy didn't even know or understand the uses for, but she watched this nonetheless. As she did this she began asking Aloy the usual questions.
“How have you been feeling? Less nausea?” she asked.
“Actually, yes, now that you mention it,” Aloy answered, realizing how long it had been since she'd had to chew any ginger or had thrown up.
“You're officially in your second trimester,” Anehita said, finally turning to look at Aloy atop the table. She paused, tilting her head and examining with her eyes.
“What is it?” Aloy asked, confused as it didn't appear she was looking to her belly.
“Your belly isn't the only thing growing,” Anehita said, raising her eyebrows. “Don't tell me you haven't noticed.”
Aloy knew then what she meant. She looked down at her breasts which were filling out the brown tunic just a tad bit better than they used to. “I was sort of hoping I had imagined that,” she said, bringing her eyes back up.
“May I?” Anehita asked, her hands coming forward. Aloy nodded though unsure what exactly to expect as the midwife gently felt first her right and then her left breast. “This is normal of course, your breasts will swell more between now and when the baby is born. It is your milk coming in.”
“Oh!” Aloy had been reading material that Anehita had given her on pregnancy and babies, she knew of course the baby would feed from her breasts when the time came, but somehow it hadn't occurred to her they would get bigger months beforehand.
Anehita had moved on from this, sliding up the brown shirt to touch her bump with bare hands. She felt around the sides and asked if any of her touches caused any discomfort. Then she reached for a hearing device and listened to Aloy’s heartbeat.
“How have you been sleeping?” Anehita asked. “Any trouble getting comfortable enough to rest?”
“Not so far,” Aloy answered. “Not sleeping anyway, if I stay on my feet too long I start to feel it in my lower back. I'm sure that only gets worse.”
“Carrying around extra weight will do that, yes,” Anehita said. “Open up.”
Aloy opened her mouth and allowed a small thermometer to be slid beneath her tongue to check her temperature. The first time they'd done one of these check ups Aloy had hated every moment of it, hated being poked and prodded and examined. But now that she had a few under her belt, and was used to having Anehita doing these things, Aloy was able to take it all in stride.
Later, as they wrapped up the appointment, Aloy stepping back into her skirt, and tugging back on her leather tunic, which she realized was actually a bit tight across her breasts now, Aloy decided to ask Anehita for a favor.
“I think I'm going to need new clothes soon,” Aloy said, tying the side laces is the armored tunic.
“Praise the sun, because if I see you in this Nora stuff much longer I'm going to cry,” Anehita said. “No offense but I see you in that and I fear at the drop of some hat you're going to charge off into battle.”
Aloy couldn't help but laugh. “I have some come carja silks that should accommodate me for a while, but beyond that I'm going to need clothing designed for a pregnant body,” she said, her hand had come down to her belly again, thinking about how big it would be in another month or so. “I know you're already doing so much for me but…”
“I will take you shopping,” Anehita said, her hands coming down on her pregnant friend’s shoulders. “We will let you grow a little bit more, and in another month we will go shopping.”
“Thank you, you know I hate clothing shopping,” Aloy said, looking around to ensure she wasn't leaving anything behind.
It was Anehita’s turn to laugh. “Yes, yes I remember dress shopping for that party at Avad’s way back when I first got to Meridian,” she said, opening the door for Aloy and then following her friend through it before closing it again. “But you ended up with a simply beautiful dress.”
Aloy blushed as they walked through the hallway, and at first she wasn't sure why, then she remembered.
“Annie, if it wasn't for that dress there might not be a baby,” Aloy joked. The night she had worn that dress to attend the party had been the night she and Erend had first consummated their relationship.
“That's what happens when you shop with me,” Anehita joked back, giving her friend a small hug as they reached reception again, before bidding Aloy farewell and returning to the depths of the hospital