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She hates the idea of waking them, but Keyleth is going to be done with her spell soon.
He looks so relaxed, as he has for the past two hours. That Elaina has slept straight through along with him is an even better surprise.
Elaina will need to be fed soon though, and she'd rather head off that opportunity of baby tears if she can. Waking Elaina and Percy up to her calm, smiling face is a far nicer option.
Leaving the spot where she was meditating against a tree a few yards away from them, she stretches out, waking up her limbs. There’s no snow on the ground this year, but the edge of winter is still holding on here. Her coat keeps her warm, but her fingers are cold.
Being careful not to step on anything that might cause noise she makes her way over to where they are sleeping on top of the picnic blanket, another proper blanket over them to ward off the small chill.
Sitting down at his side, she expertly peels back the blanket and moves his arms away from the bundled up sleeping baby on his chest. Waking him up some but completely leaving Elaina alone for now.
Running a hand through his hair and down his face, he's a little red from the cool temperature; an eye opens and his head shifts in her direction. “Trinket is out hunting, and Keyleth will be finished soon we need to find him before we have to leave,” he nods slightly in sleepy acknowledgment.
"How was your meditation?" sleep still in his eyes he takes off his glasses and rubs it away in between looking at her.
Thinking for a moment before she finds the words to describe it she starts to say very softly, "It was strange, I could feel Keyleth's spell affecting the soil. It was like the spell and my mind bumped into each other. Remind me to ask her if she felt me at all while she was working."
He nods, and after putting his glasses back on, he looks down at the three-month-old on his chest. "You need to feed her?"
“Yes I do," then she takes Elaina off of Percy slowly so to not wake her too much. Undoing her own coat, then pulling her shirt so most of the fabric is over her shoulder, she arranges Elaina into a comfortable nursing position.
Running a finger over her pudgy cheek a few times then down over her lips she can feel more than see when Elaina wakes up. Her legs start to wiggle through the swaddle and the additional baby blankets. "Hello little girl, it's time to wake up. We're going home soon."
She can sense when the fussing is about to start. “Shhhh, everything is alright,” oh here comes the tears, “Oh my goodness whatever could be wrong? Are you hungry little girl?” Bringing Elaina closer so she can nurse, that stops the chance of tears almost immediately. Oh, fuck that hurts, she’s never going to get used to that, “Oh my, yes you are hungry.”
After a few moments her eyes flick over to Percy who’s watching them both with that extremely endearing look of love in his eyes, “Percy could I lean against you?”
Instantly knowing what she’s asking for, he gets up with a smile, “Of course.” He takes the blanket with him, draping it around him. Sitting down beside her so she can lean her shoulder and her head against him, he covers her shoulders with the blanket. She notices now the sweat mark Elaina has left on Percy’s front. One of his hands reaches around to drape on her thigh; the other comes up to gently touch Elaina’s head.
“Thank you,” she murmurs into his throat before she goes back to watching Elaina.
After a few minutes, she switches sides, running a finger down Elaina’s face again and then down to her hand, so it gets caught in Elaina’s grip.
“Have I ever told you the story of your mama and papa’s first real kiss?" she asks Elaina quietly, she can feel Percy’s smile from beside her. “It was right over there," she gestures toward the tree in front of them with her trapped finger, "Your papa called a tree I created lovely just before he kissed me, it really set the mood.”
His heavy sigh delights her, “I was talking about you, and we talked about a lot more than that.”
Turning toward him a bit, she winks and says quietly, “I know darling, shush I’m telling the story.” Speaking to Elaina again, “Your papa wanted in my trousers so badly.”
There’s a moments pause before he says, “Vex!” in an exasperated tone that is as loud as he will allow himself to be around Elaina.
“Then tell your daughter it’s not true,” she doesn’t look at him as she says it but she can feel him sigh and then shift beside her, perhaps moving slightly to see Elaina better.
“Well yes that’s part of loving your mama, she’s very desirable.” Oh, how polite he is even while admitting it.
Turning toward him now she can see the smile on his lips, “Look at what that got us Mr. Clockmaker,” indicating Elaina in her arms, looking the baby again she says happily, “Yeah that really worked out, my darling, you complimenting a tree… kissing me.”
Leaning his head against hers, he nods his head slowly, and his arms come up to hold her more securely.
“You should really kiss me now,” she says when she can’t wait a moment longer, basking in the peace they’ve created.
“Oh, I should?” It’s said so light and playfully as he shifts to place a small kiss into her hair then again, closer to her hairline.
Nodding without meaning to at his words, “Yes, you should."
She can hear the smile in his words, “Only if you promise that when we tell that story to her at a time when she’ll remember it, you don’t tell it like that.”
"Of course darling." That's an easy promise to make. It will be an even simpler one to keep.
"Will you kiss me now?" she asks turning toward him, glad to see the smile still on his lips.
“Vex, I’ll kiss you forever,” his eyes flick between her eyes and her lips before he says it. After though, his focus is singularly on her lips.
She waits for him to kiss her, as is their tradition for today specifically while they're here.
The kiss is soft and gentle and so very sweet. There’s the natural heat Percy brings with him everywhere which warms her right to the tips of her fingers. He’s doing all the work, so it’s effortless on her part which she appreciates, Elaina is still nursing, so some of her focus us elsewhere for this kiss.
Percy ends the kiss almost at the same moment that Elaina stops nursing; he must sense something has changed. He notices, finding a cloth near him to put over his right shoulder, he takes Elaina from her and puts her in place there, ready to be burped.
Quickly cleaning herself up a bit and righting her shirt and pulling her coat together, then she watches them. They’re both just so adorable.
After a bit, his eyes meet hers, the smile on his face is wonderful. Placing a hand over his on Elaina’s back, she looks at Percy again; she wants to see his reaction to what she’s about to say. “Do you think that your kisses will be enough to make a few more of these?"
It takes him a moment before it seems to sink in, mild shock first, “Really?” she nods her head so that there can be no confusion in his mind. “Vex…”
Interrupting him to be even more clear, “Not immediately, one is enough for now, but I would like a few more at some point.” She has some definite thoughts on this; she’s been giving it considerable thought for the past month.
“I thought you only wanted one more. Give her a sister or brother?” yes she had said that months ago before Elaina was here but now, now is different somehow.
Looking at Percy, then at Elaina in his arms, she’s even more sure of this than she was a week ago, “I could do it all a few more times.” Every day they’re proving to be better at this than they ever thought they would be, and it had been something they both had been anxious about.
He leans in to kiss her, but she stops him, “Does that sound alright?" she asks just to make sure, he nods eagerly in response, holding Elaina steady, so she doesn't shake.
“Percival..." she makes sure to keep her tone soft as she leans in toward him, and like the wonderful man he is, he takes the hint, closing the inch that's left between them. They're careful not to disturb the burping baby; it's something they’ve managed to perfect at this point, satisfying kisses with a baby attached to them.
When they part, he laughs at Elaina in his arms "Yes, Elaina, kissing is exactly what makes babies."
Adding to the laughter, she offers to take Elaina, and she can tell in an instant that he doesn't want to hand her over. Elaina doesn't seem to want to move either, her head tucked into Percy's neck a bit. "We're silly today Elaina. Don’t listen to him; I’ll explain that when you’re older,” she says it softly. Elaina is still awake, but her eyes are dropping.
"I’m very thankful your mama pulled me away from the group that day," he says into the soft baby hair.
Catching his eye again, she smiles, then says mostly to Percy, "So am I. Your papa was very smart, kissing me just then. My one regret is that I let it shock me so much that I allowed him to walk away right after."
He seems to drop all pretense of speaking to Elaina now, his focus on her instead. "What would you have done if you weren’t so shocked or if I hadn’t walked away?" he's so genuinely curious for her answer.
She hasn't given much thought to it, the moment passed so quickly, but had she been given the chance back then, oh she knows what she would have done. Leaning a fraction closer into him "Percy I would have tried to get you up against the tree and wouldn’t have let you go for a long while."
Kissing his throat for a moment, she can feel him swallow before he says, “That sounds lovely."
“It would have been; we would have enjoyed it quite a bit,” she turns her body towards him more.
“I’d ask you to show me, but that would be difficult I think,” he says using his head to point at his full arms.
She rests her head on his free shoulder and whispers in his ear, “Maybe next year. Scanlan and Pike could watch her. We might be a while.” Seeing his expression as she looks at him, there’s so much going on in his mind.
Minutes pass with them like that when eventually a thought comes back to her mind; they really should get going; she ignores that though wanting to stay right where she is for as long as possible.
During a very comfortable silence, Elana asleep on Percy’s shoulder, he says as softly as he can, “You know what? I’d say that our first trip away from home with her has been quite a success.”
“I agree,” nodding, she shifts a bit to look at Elaina better, sadly they really should get on their way.
She relaxes again for a few minutes, enjoying just sitting with them before she figures they really should get going. "We should clean up, find Trinket. Head back to the group. We’ve been gone for over three hours by now."
"I think we can spare five more minutes," he points beyond them as he says it and she can sense Trinket's return to the clearing, and that stops all thoughts she has of moving.
Trinket comes closer, sitting behind Percy so that Percy can lean against him. His head lays within reach of her hand. Petting behind his ears in thanks she says to Percy, "Ten more minutes."