Chapter Text
You and Muriel had been together for quite some time. A few years, at least. You had completely moved in with him and Inanna, and spent most of your days with him raising chickens, and it was generally very peaceful. Almost… Too peaceful. Was it maybe time to add some new excitement to this little family you’ve built with Muriel? That was a thought that commonly found its way into your mind these days.
You’d never really talked about having kids with Muriel before, it just never happened to come up. You honestly didn’t even know if he wanted kids, or if he did, when he wanted to try to have them. Though, you’d been together a long time now- it was probably time to bring it up, just finding the right time to was the tricky part…
You went out to the coop, finding Muriel crouched down, holding a baby chick. You went to stand beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He smiled up at you, moving so that you could see the small yellow chick in his hands. “I think this one hatched last night.” He beamed. You smiled, carefully taking the small, fluffy chick, and holding it carefully.
“Well, hello little one.” You spoke to it, a smile playing across your lips. “You are very cute, aren’t you?” You asked rhetorically, gently stroking its head with your finger. It cheeped at you, causing you to giggle, and you gently placed it back into Muriel’s hands.
He was really good with the little chicks- always being careful with them. It made the longing to have a child of your own with Muriel tug at your mind, but you pushed it back for the moment, crouching beside Muriel, helping him to take care of the chickens. Though, you knew the conversation needed to happen…
During dinner that evening, an opportunity presented itself to you. “I like the new baby chick.” Muriel said, a smile on his face. It was something he always brought up when a new chick hatched- he always liked them.
“Yeah?” you responded, and he gave a nod, before returning to his meal. You weren’t going to let this chance slip up.
“Hey… What do you think about… Having a little chick of our own?”
Muriel stopped his movement, and met your gaze with a somewhat confused look- his eyebrows knitting as if he didn’t understand what you were asking “Do you mean… Another chicken, or..?”
“Like- a baby. Of our own. Together.” You gestured to yourself, and then to him. Muriel glanced away, and bit the inside of his lip. His silence worried you, but thankfully, he didn’t let it go on too long.
“I… Have entertained the idea before.” He confessed, looking a bit sheepish. “I was never sure if that’s something you desired, so I never brought it up…” Muriel met your eyes. “But, if that’s something you would want… I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.”
“Yes, yes of course I want that!” You answered, a bit too fast, judging by the slightly surprised expression on Muriel’s face. You took a moment to reel yourself back in, then let out a breath. “ Yes. I’d like to expand our little family.” You smiled, and at ‘family’, Inanna seemed to lift her head. “Plus- I think Inanna wants some grandchildren.” She seemed to woof in response, causing Muriel to let out a slight chuckle.
For the rest of dinner, you ate in a comfortable silence, allowing the topic to fizzle out for the moment. Though, Muriel did bring it back up, once you both got into bed. “About earlier…” Muriel started, just as you snuggled yourself into his chest. “I may have… Underplayed, how much I enjoy the idea of having children with you.” Muriel’s hand fell onto your hip, as he pulled you a bit closer. “I… Have actually thought about it quite a lot, in the past year or so. I never even considered it a possibility before we…” Muriel trailed off. You smiled, gently putting a hand to his face.
“Well, it’s possible now.” You said, gently stroking his cheek with your thumb. “So, if you think you’re ready… I’m ready, too.” You gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. “Or- we could wait a bit longer. Whatever you want.”
You could feel an almost giddy excitement in Muriel’s movements- though he tried to keep it mostly contained. He wrapped both his arms around you, pulling you up to meet his lips. He kissed you with a particular tenderness you only rarely saw from Muriel, and you tried to return it with just as much passion. He pulled away, and you could see the corners of his mouth upturned in a smile. “While I don’t want to be too hasty…” Muriel stroked his thumbs against your skin. “I’m ready when you are.” You smiled.
“So… We’re doing this, then?” You said, a cheeky smile on your lips.
“I guess we are.” Muriel responded, planting another kiss to your lips. You let out a soft laugh.
“Asra is going to be ecstatic."