Work Text:
Danny was awake.
It seemed that he was always awake these days.
It's been like this for weeks now, ever since Mindy told him he was going to be a father. He couldn't stop thinking about what a surprise this was. How they hadn't planned for this. Would Mindy have even picked him to be the father of her child if fate and the timing of switching birth control methods hadn't decided for her? What did he know about being a dad? He'd lie in bed at night, willing his mind to turn off but all he could do was think of making his kid feel like he felt, waiting and waiting for a dad that never showed.
And when he could get to sleep, the smallest breeze could wake him.
That's how he got to be here, laying in bed on a Sunday morning listening to Mindy fuss around in the kitchen.
He could hear dishes crashing, the blender whirring, and the occasional "damn it!" from Mindy. What was she doing in the kitchen? Maybe he should go in and help her? Just a few more minutes while he rests his eyes...
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"
He rolls over and opens his eyes to see Mindy standing there, glowing with happiness, holding a tray full of food.
"What do you have there, Min?"
"Just a nice breakfast in bed for my baby daddy! Pancakes, fruit and fresh-squeezed orange juice!" Mindy walked over to the bed, placed the tray across Danny's lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Wow, what did I do to deserve such domestic display?"
Her eyes filled with something Danny couldn't quite identify as she looked at him and said "Happy Father's Day, Danny."
He just gapes at her. He hadn't celebrated this stupid holiday in decades, having locked it away with his middle name and memories of Amadeus.
"Danny? Are you okay?"
That's when he realizes he hasn't spoken in awhile and is just staring at Mindy. He should say something. Speak. Don't let her know that the weight of this thing--this baby that was theirs to raise, love, and protect--was suddenly crashing down on him. "Danny, don't go comatose on me. I'll have to fall in love with your brother like in While You Were Sleeping but Richie is gay so I don't really see that working out..."
"Min, Min, stop! Calm down." Danny interrupted. "Wait, what? You can't get with Richie, he's gay!"
"Ugh, Danny obviously I know that, which is why you can't end up in a coma!"
"That's why you don't want me in a coma? Because my brother is gay?"
"No, Danny, obviously there are other reasons. But I just can't see any cosmic reason for you to wind up in a coma unless it was because I was meant to live out some sort of romcom fantasy but clearly that isn't supposed to happen so why don't you just stay among the land of the living and tell me why this stack of pancakes has rendered you mute?"
"It's Father's Day."
"I know, Danny. That's why I woke up to slave over a hot stove all the while carrying your child."
"I'm a father."
"Yes Danny. I peed on the stick. I had my blood drawn. We went to a sonogram. Are you just now realizing that we're having a baby?"
"Mindy. I can't do this. I don't know how to be a dad. I haven't celebrated Father's Day since my old man walked out on us. What do I know about being a father? I had no role model! I don't know how to do this! You and this baby...Mindy. What if I fail my family?" Mindy doesn't say anything right away, instead she picks up the breakfast tray and sets it aside, grabs a small wrapped box from her bedside table and crawls back into bed beside Danny. "Mindy?"
She silently hands him the wrapped box. She just looks at him and nods to the gift. He carefully rips open the paper and lifts the lid off the box inside. In his hand is a framed picture of the sonogram they had a few weeks ago. His eyes begin to well with tears as Mindy grabs his hand.
"Danny. You cannot fail at this. You already love this baby, you're already a wonderful father. You're nothing like your dad, Danny. You're the most dependable person I know! I know I can count on you, your mom knows she can count on you, Richie knows he can count on you." Mindy turns his head towards her so that they're looking each other in the eye. "Danny. I love you. You're going to be a great dad. I can't wait to do all of this with you. I know you're scared, I'm scared too. But we are going to be awesome parents. I'll be the cool, fun-loving mom and you'll be the stern but loving dad who like, goofs around and stays up all night on Christmas Eve putting toys together."
"You gotta have the toys put together. Whataya gonna do? Stop the fun on Christmas morning to put together all the gifts? That's no way to celebrate."
"Danny."
He sighs and looks down at his hands. "It's just...how do you know, Mindy? How do you know that I won't be bad at this?"
"Because Danny, you're already wonderful at this. And you're only going to get better. Danny, we're going to be parents. And it's scary and different, but it's also wonderful and exciting. There is no one I would rather be doing this with."
"Really?"
"Really. We have years to panic about being good parents. For now can we eat those pancakes and celebrate your first Father's Day?"
"Celebrate?"
"Yes, Danny. Celebrate. The best way we know how."
He kisses he sweetly, a soft smile covering his face. They don't leave the bed for hours.