Work Text:
Tuukka's usual late night run is interrupted by his phone beeping. He pauses, leaning one hand down on his knee while he breathes heavily and searches for his phone in his sweatshirt pocket. It is almost midnight, and he's not sure who could possibly be texting him.
He's pleasantly surprised when it's a text from his favorite cousin, Henna. It doesn't have any words, just a photo of a grinning infant. She has a 6 month old little girl, who is absolutely precious. The baby has big brown eyes and sweet, wispy blonde curls. She has on a frilly brown dress with a pink sash around the waist and matching headband. Her grin is so big that her eyes have squeezed shut.
A text with words comes a moment later, 'She misses her uncle Tuuk!'
Tuukka smiles dumbly at the photo and the text. He debates how to respond for a few seconds, eventually settling on a series of smiley faces and a heart. He starts up at a jog again, heading in the direction of his house.
He misses his family. It's nice having Joonas on the same part of the world as him. Even though he is a few hours away too.
Boston's team is a close knit group. It isn't like they ever let anyone on the team feel left out. Tuukka sees them everyday at the rink, and usually afterward too. Recently, some of the guys have been more wrapped up in their personal lives and haven't had as much time to do team bonding.
Still, just earlier that evening he had dinner with a few of the guys. Most of the talk at the dinner was monopolized by Boychuk and Lucic comparing notes on their babies growth and development. Looch's daughter has started really talking. 'In full sentences!' Looch had nearly glowed while he talked about her. Johnny's twins are finally mobile, crawling all over the place and creating havok.
Tuukka had stayed quiet for most of the dinner. He and his fiance had just broken it off at the beginning of the season. It still made his stomach roll a little to think about what he was going to miss out on. They had planned to get married in the summer, back home in Finland. They were going to start a family right away. They had had long discussions about whether they would wait for a stork visit or have kids through pregnancy.
She knew how much he wanted that life. Married, big house, kids, a dog and cat, minivan – the whole shebang. Tuukka knew their relationship wasn’t the most healthy one. They were great friends, best friends probably. There was no one in the world who knew him better or who he knew better. But they were just bad as a romantically involved couple. In the end, it had been a mutual agreement to end the relationship, they just weren't good for each other that way.
His house comes into view all at once when he turns the corner onto his street. He only glances up at it for a moment before dropping his eyes down to the pavement as his feet pounded down on. The sound of his shoes slapping down on the pavement is soothing and familiar, an evening routine that makes him feel a little more settled.
The moon is full, he is pretty sure. It unnerves him a little, makes him speed up his pace. He reaches the garage skids to a halt. He has to search his pockets for his keys for a moment. When he finds them he lets himself into the garage, kicking off his shoes at the door to the kitchen. Kiiya, his cat, is waiting for him when he enters the kitchen.
She's perched on the counter next to her empty food bowl and looking at him with disdain. He's late with her dinner. He apologizes quietly and reaches up into the cabinet for a can of her food. She rubs against his arms and chest excitedly while he tries to dump the can into her bowl. She bumps into him repeatedly, making him spill some of her food. Tuukka scolds her gently and wraps an arm around her to hold her still. He lets her go when the dish is full. She purrs when he strokes a hand down her back as she starts shoveling food down.
He's had her three whole years and she still gobbles everything in sight as though he never feeds her. She growls at him, rolling her eyes towards him to glare while she scarfs the food down. He snickers and turns away from her.
Somewhere in his fridge there is a container of leftovers he brought home from the team lunch yesterday. He's rooting around for it when he hears a tapping noise at the sliding glass door. He pauses, but doesn’t hear it again.
After he puts the food in the microwave and grabs a Gatorade off the counter. It's room temp, but he chugs half of it down anyway. The tapping noise picks up again, and this time he turns toward the noise.
He does a double take and gapes at the sight on his patio. The bird taps against the glass again, tipping it's head to the side curiously. Tuukka feels the bottle of Gatorade slip in his hand, and grips it tightly to catch it. He blinks rapidly for a second, then startles into movement,
The Gatorade bottle makes a thudding noise when he drops it into his sink carelessly. He stumbles in his urgency to get to the door, sliding it open and motioning for the bird to come in.
It trills at him happily, stepping clumsily into the kitchen. Kiiya hisses at the stork, gobbles her last bite of food and leaps off the counter, bolting upstairs in a flash.
The bird is mostly white, but has grey plumes on its wings and some grey feathers on its back. Tuukka's eyes flick from the bird's beady eyes down to the bundle resting against its chest.
It clacks it's beak and closes it's eyes, leaning forward and offering him the scroll dangling from the thin string. Tuukka's hand shakes a little as he reaches out for the scroll. He doesn't hesitate to unfurl it, rubbing his thumb over the slightly raised silver border.
The silver text lists his name and address in the middle of the parchment in loopy, flowing letters. Below that it reads, 'Mr. Tuukka Rask is hereby presented with his long awaited, much desired son.'
Tuukka swallows hard and flicks his eyes back up to the bird. He has a son. He knows the text is standard issue, and nearly always reads the same way, but it feels special and personal when he reads it and it has his name.
The bird snips the ties of the sash and catches them when they fall, causing the baby to swing gently. The stork coos quietly as it waits for Tuukka to hold his arms out. Tuukka sets the scroll on the counter and wipes his sweating palms on his pants. The stork trills and shuffles it's feet while it watches him.
“Okay,” He murmurs, opening his arms. He can't stop the grin that spreads across his face as the bundle is rested in his arms. The infant is silent and only slightly moving as Tuukka wraps his arms around him.
He gingerly lifts the sash off the baby's face, sighing happily as his baby's face is revealed. He looks like most of the babies in Tuukka's family. He has thin lips and a button nose, with small rounded eyes. Tuukka lets out a soft, bewildered laugh and curls his arms tighter around the infant.
The baby is sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by being moved and jostled. The stork trills loudly and clicks its beak excitedly. Tuukka grins at it and nods happily.
The stork bobs its head, mimicking Tuukka, and turns, waddling out the sliding door. It runs down the patio and takes to the sky, trilling happily as it disappears into the dark sky. Tuukka watches it until it fades away, before looking back down.
The baby squirms slightly, scrunching his eyebrows together. Tuukka steps forward to shut the door, never taking his eyes off the infant.
Tuukka has a small stash of baby things up in his spare room, some left behind by teammates, some hoarded for when they come over. Looch especially is terrible about forgetting to bring diapers and wipes.
He heads for the stairs, carefully maneuvering them while only looking away from the baby when absolutely necessary. Kiiya is waiting at the door to his room, looking dubiously toward the stairs. She chirps happily when she sees him and jumps up to follow him into the spare room at the other end of the hall.
She beats him there, making a contented warbling noise as she sprawls across the rug. He steps around her, clutching his infant in the crook of his arm.
“Sorry buddy, all I have is girl things in your size...” He trails off, rooting through a drawer. He pulls out one of the diapers he had purchased in anticipation of Boychuk's new twins visiting and tosses it onto the bed. He ends up settling on a yellow sleeper with a duck on the butt of the outfit.
The baby still has not stirred aside from making a few tiny grunting noises. Tuukka grins down at him, slightly in disbelief that he currently has in his arms, his very own little boy.
Kiiya chirps and leaps onto the bed, sniffing at the outfit and diaper curiously. Tuukka scratches her ears affectionately and carefully crawls onto the bed, holding the baby closely. He crosses his legs, knowing as soon as he does Kiiya will take up her usual spot in his lap. She does, flopping into the dip of his lap and setting across his legs.
Tuukka carefully takes the sash out from under the baby's body, leaving him in only the wrap that holds him snugly. He turns the baby around so that the back of his head is cradled in one palm and his bottom in his other. The baby opens his eyes slightly, letting his mouth drop open to suck in a breathy sigh.
“Hi, baby...” Tuukka whispers, enthralled by the pale brown eyes. Kiiya whirrs contentedly in his lap, making a face when she sniffs at the wrap.
He gingerly lays the baby on the bed in front of him and and searches out the end of the wrap. He finds it down near the baby's feet and starts unwrapping him. He squirms and fusses once before quieting. Tuukka moves quickly, he's seen what happens to babies when you take their diaper off and don't get the new one on quickly. He assumes it is the same theory now.
Kiiya sniffs a tiny foot cautiously, growling lightly. She's just unsure, Tuukka knows. He quickly fits the diaper as best as he can, it's a little too big. He pauses, running his finger down the baby's chest and stopping at his belly. He doesn't have a belly button, like all babies delivered by a stork, but he does have a small reddish birthmark on the left side of his tummy.
The rest of the wrap comes off easily, exposing tiny balled fists, and a full head of sandy blond hair. The shade is almost identical to the shade Tuukka had until he was about five years old. The hair is short, and flattened by the wrap that held him securely while the stork carried him. Tuukka is fairly certain that after a bath the hair will be spiky and stick up all over, just like his own had.
He catches himself grinning again and scoops the baby up, holding him so they are face to face. He gently rests his forehead against the babies tiny one and closes his eyes, sighing deeply. The baby smells fresh and clean, with a hint of something else. Tuukka kisses his cheek and smells him carefully, feeling a little silly. Mint. That explains a lot.
He'd been going through tubs of mint ice cream for the last 5 months like it was going out of fashion. He had heard that some people experience cravings, mood swings, and minor weight gain when there is a stork on its way, but never put a lot of bearing on the idea. Now, he fully believes it.
Kiiya chirps, looking up at him. Tuukka settles the baby in the crook of his arm and scoops her up with the other, sliding to the edge of the bed and standing up.
“What do you think of your new brother?” He murmurs to her, kissing the top of her head when she leans up to rub her face on his shoulder. She just purrs in response and settles against his shoulder for him to carry her to his room.
She leaps out of his arm when he gets close to the bed, landing gracefully on the middle. His heart still flutters nervously as she goes flying through the air.
He shakes his head and looks down at the baby, unsure what to do with him until morning.
~~~~
First thing in the morning, Tuukka is startled out of a restless doze by the baby fussing. He ended up falling asleep downstairs on the couch with Kiiya on his chest. The baby had slept peacefully for nearly the entire night. Tuukka had been forced to settle for a pillow in a laundry basket to serve as a bassinet for the infant. It isn't that much different from the baby box that he would have used back home in Finland.
Tuukka pushes Kiiya off him and rolls to his side, peering down into basket at the infant. His eyes are open and scanning around blankly. He fusses again, not a real cry, but a clear 'I need something' whine.
Kiiya climbs onto the back of the couch and stretches languidly before curling back up to sleep. The baby grunts unhappily and fusses a little louder.
“Okay, okay.” Tuukka whispers, pulling the baby up and laying him on his chest. The baby settles instantly. He rests his cheek on Tuukka and drools a bit. He's still awake, Tuukka knows, but he's content for now.
Regardless, Tuukka has some things that need taken care of urgently. He needs to call a taxi to come pick them both of to go to the stadium. From there they can figure out who to call about getting the legal things sorted out. He sighs, enjoying the weight of the tiny body lying on him for a moment, then carefully gets up to get started on the day.
The baby starts fussing in earnest when they get in the taxi to go to the stadium. They have a pit stop at the grocery store to get some formula and bottles, then hurry to be at the rink on time. Baby or not, coach wont be impressed if he's late.
The taxi pulling up instantly draws the attention of the guys loitering around the lobby. Tuukka feels his heart rate pick up when he catches sight of them leering at the taxi. He gathers the baby in his arms, picking him up from the car seat and hooking the baby bag over his shoulder. He tucks a fleece Bruins blanket around the baby to protect him from the frigid Boston air and clutches him close to his chest. He tries to walk as fast as he can to get into the stadium and out of the cold.
He's greeted by a shocked silence when he hurries into the lobby. The guys stand around, all with matching surprised looks. Looch breaks the silence.
“You got a stork visit? You?” He gapes. Iggy punches him in the shoulder, coming over to Tuukka, smiling and saying, “Congratulations!”
Tuukka smiles uneasily and backs up a few steps. His heart feels like its going to burst out of his chest with how it is racing. The baby is reacting to his nervousness and has begun to fuss.
Boychuk grins and bounds over, attempting to wrap Tuukka and the baby in a hug. Tuukka jumps back, dodging him and glaring. Johnny shrugs and the guys all descend on him, asking to see and hold the baby. They are all asking questions at once, and Tuukka panics. Looch reaches into Tuukk'as space and attempts to pull the blanket so that he can see the baby, that is more than Tuukka can handle.
“Stop!” He shouts, startling the infant and the team. “Just, stop!”
They all stare at him with mixed expressions of alarm and amusement.
“I need to go see the medical staff.” Tuukka backs up slowly, then turns and hurries down the hall.
The medical staff is still just arriving, all puttering around and sipping coffee. They are surprised to see him but usher him into a back room.
Tuukka sits in a chair when he is directed to, setting the bag down and sinking into the chair. Bergy pokes his head into the room while the doctor makes some calls and shuffles through a filing cabinet.
“Hey,” Bergy says softly, smiling an unsure half smile at Tuukka. “Can I come in?”
His tone is soft, and Tuukka relaxes a little. It's just Bergy.
He still feels shaky and defensive, the baby is still fussing too. He's picking up on Tuukka's unease no doubt.
“Is he hungry? I wouldn't mind holding him while you got a bottle ready.” Bergy offers.
“No!” Tuukka snaps, curling over the infant possessively and glaring at the physician when he raises his eyebrows.
“I mean, yes, he's hungry, but I don't want anyone to hold him...” Tuukka feels his cheeks turn red and ducks his head. His hair falls forward, hiding his eyes from Bergy and the doctor. He presses a kiss to the baby's head to try to hide his embarrassment.
“Okay, sure, bud. Can I make him a bottle then?” Bergy is still speaking to him like he's an easily spooked animal, which, he realises, he kind of is at the moment.
Tuukka nods, and gestures to the bag on the floor. Bergy smiles again and slowly moves to pick up the bag. Tuukka has to force himself not to move further away so he isn't close enough to reach out an touch the baby.
By the time the pediatrician finally arrives, Tuukka has given the baby his first bottle and is pacing the room with him. He's not fussy, but pacing soothes Tuukka as much as the repetitive movement soothes the baby. Bergy had to get to practice, but told him to just call if he needed anything.
The pediatrician asks all sorts of questions. He wants to see the announcement scroll, but it's still at home on Tuukka's counter.
Looch pops in to apologize before he goes to the weight room. He doesn't need to, and Tuukka tells him as much. Looch congratulates him and leaves quickly.
Tuukka thinks he does well with the doctor, until he asks to hold the baby to examine him. Tuukka instantly recoils, guarding the baby and snapping his refusal at the doctor.
It takes quite a bit of encouragement and patience for the doctor to get Tuukka to hand the infant over. The moment the doctor concludes that he is a healthy baby, Tuukka scoops him up off the exam table.
He is long and lean, weighing just 6 pounds and 4 ounces, but measuring 21 inches long. The doctor thinks he's a little close to being too thin, and gives Tuukka a strict feeding schedule to try to put some weight on him.
Iginla catches Tuukka as he's finishing up with the pediatrician, “Hey man, I've got lots of baby boy things if you want some basics to get you started.”
Tuukka thinks about it for a moment, then shakes his head. “Thanks, but I think I'm just going to stop and get a couple things on my way home today, and then order the rest online. Have it delivered.”
Iggy nods, accepting the answer and murmuring 'Congratulations' without asking to see the baby. Tuukka is grateful, but all he can think about is getting home and being alone with the his baby. Too many people have touched his precious baby today, he doesn't want to deal with even one more person prodding.
“One more thing, and then you two can go home.” The pediatrician is frustrated by how opposed Tuukka is to people fawning over the baby, and is pointedly not looking at either of them. “What will his name be?”
Tuukka pauses at the question, looking down at the infant.
“Aki, it will be Aki Joonas Rask.” The baby gurgles a little at the sound of Tuukka's voice, and cracks his eyes open. Tuukka takes it as an approval.