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Cloud was prepared for the hormones and emotions coming from Aerith.
He was bracing himself for it. But Aerith said, "I thought you'd know me better than that." with her hands on her broadening hips. Aerith is reaching the end of the first trimester and she's not metamorphosed into a witch. He shrugged, because she isn't wrong. She doesn't raise her voice at him, didn't break down into tears for no reason. If anything, Aerith's smile is starting to look malicious.
Which made her giggle, lightly slapping his left shoulder, "Took you long enough."
Cloud rolled his eyes.
It's still the same woman he fell in love with. But for the slight bump of her stomach and her swollen breasts, he might think they're not having a baby at all.
Aerith's first genuine 'pregnancy episode' happened late at night. Cloud woke up to the gentle prodding of her fingers between his ribs. He hears a muffled sound come out of his mouth. Aerith's hand rests on his hip now and he reaches for her clumsily, his palms finding her bare ass and presses her against him. It happened before, their half-asleep love-making when they don't fully remember who started it, and though usually in those cases he wakes up to her kissing him rather than prodding him, Cloud's not alert enough.
But then Aerith talks, "Sorry, I can't sleep all of a sudden."
Cloud willed open his eyelids, trying to get rid of the blurry look on her face. Sure enough, there's a pucker on her beautiful forehead and, though the trouble can't be serious, he vows to do away with it. "What's wrong?"
She shrugs, shuffles closer to him. He feels himself stiffen against her leg but she decides to ignore that. "Nothing, just restless. You know those days when you've been working fifteen hours but despite the exhaustion, your brain just won't turn off?"
"Yeah...?" He gave himself a mental slap, trying to nod. Aerith noticed, but still smiles endearingly at him.
"That's what it's like for me, right now. Like my body's making a baby and it won't stop, and I can't disconnect from the idea."
"Mmmm."
It feels unfair that it's more easier to stay awake when she's urging him into her than when she's saying beautiful things about their unborn child. But what can he do about it?
"I think it really just started hitting me," she continues. "That every day, every second, my body's working on making a human being - Cloud?"
"Present." He stirs himself awake, props his body up on his elbows.
Aerith chuckles. Did he really just say that? "It's okay," she kisses him on the forehead. Under the covers, her thigh brushes against his erection. "You should go back to sleep. You were up early -"
"No, no." Suddenly, he feels like a deadbeat for allowing himself to sink into slumber in the first place. He sits up straight, trying to focus on his bedpost, then looking at the blue grids of the covers. "No," he speaks softly, "we're in this together, Aerith. If you're restless, then me too. We can talk, because you're a chatterbox," she looked at him, brows knitted, "We can do whatever you like."
Cloud hopes the last part of his sentence didn't sound too suggestive. But then he gets a smile at the corner of her lips and he starts thinking, soon, he'll be wondering what is she planning, if not for sex.
"Whatever I like?" She bites her lip.
She's being coy, Cloud braces himself. Does she have something particular in mind? Some unrevealed kink they've not yet explored in their few months of marriage?
"Yeah." he answers, can't help but looking serious when it comes to these things.
"Well, there is - " Then, she actually lowers her eyes. "No. I mean, it's nothing."
"You can tell me."
When Aerith meets his eyes, he can tell the bed is shaking soon. Or really, that she'll have what she wants, which is maybe the same thing. "Are you too tired to go for a drive?" She asks.
Ah, everything clicked.
"I'm amazed."
Aerith just says. "A double cheeseburger with fries, and a McFlurry! I'm craving for them."
It wasn't what Cloud had expected, but there's something pleasant, magical even, in driving around town at three in the morning. Aerith offered to drive but he said it'd keep him awake. Cloud is a little paranoid about mixing driving and pregnancy - what if the baby kicks, what if stress triggers a miscarriage and Aerith, his world, his life, ends up at the bottom of a river or crushed into a tree?
They try a couple of McDonalds but it seems they ran out of beef patties. And, Aerith makes sure by casting a look at Cloud, it has got to be a combination of Double Cheeseburger - not McChicken, not Fish Fillet - and French fries, not curly or crisscross. No replacement will do.
By the time they finally got lucky, it's quarter to four, and they're forty miles away from home. But is it worth it? As they roll away from the drive in, no other cars in sight, just the two of them locked in the bubble of their vehicle, like last two people on the planet.
Cloud keeps on driving as Aerith fishes around the bag, focused and thorough like finding a needle in a haystack. It's hard to keep his eyes on the road. The content look on her face as she took a bite out of her double cheeseburger. At the first taste, she lets out a sigh that's a blend of serenity and pure bliss. He's heard it before under different circumstances, and suddenly his jeans are tight around his crotch.
"As good as you dreamed it?" He can't help but steal a quick glance towards her. "Yep!" She licks her fingers, ridden with burger juice. "Here, take a bite. Say aaah~"
It's difficult to deny that, fresh out of sleep, with her honey brown hair tied in a lazy braid. Aerith is beautiful in a way that's different though not superior to her daily appearance. It's a special sort of beauty, one that's tied to a deep level of intimacy, comparable - but not similar - to when they're making love.
"No," he says, when he finally thinks of an answer. "I'm okay. You enjoy it, you're eating for two."
The road ahead of them is so deserted Cloud can't resist staring a little, which Aerith acknowledges by arching a suspicious brow. "Cloud?"
"Oh, S'cuse me."
Cloud snapped back to the road. She bit her lip, failing to hide her smile in the end. "Don't be, but we don't wanna crash into a tree now. Though, do I look that glamourous?"
Aerith didn't bother wiping away the grease and crumbs, taking another large bite. She goes back to making pleased squirrel-like noises. He seriously contemplates on pulling over but, in the end, resists doing such unnecessary things.
"You know," she says, "I think that getting out of bed in the middle of the night to fulfill my random cravings indubitably makes you the perfect husband."
Cloud shrugs modestly. "Only trying to keep up with you."
She giggled. "So cool. Well, all this sugar is kinda ruining my sleep already." Her hand snakes up his thigh. "You get us home right now, I might show you what makes me the perfect wife."
Cloud feels his foot press the accelerator. Desire takes the reins. Aerith starts laughing, the car now smelling like McDonalds, he reflects on the taste of peace and his horizon of unblemished happiness.