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Despite what the rumour mill at Blackstaff Academy suggested (strongly believed) it was never Gale’s and Celestia’s intention to end up as they often do in each other’s office.
That is with Celestia with their dress over their hips, on Gale’s lap as the pair’s lips remain unbroken with Gale at least two fingers deep in Celestia, corresponding lesson plans forgotten on the desk in front of them. It started as it always does, with the pair discussing upcoming lesson plans as they searched each other for ideas, their Schools of Magic being dissimilar enough to the other that discussions became an easier way to search for simpler explanations for their students and then one would say something to the other, or look to the other and then they would kiss, often chastely at first before the other deepened it, all thoughts of work being abandoned by the pair.
This time, Gale was fairly certain he initiated the first kiss as he listened to his love discussing their expertise in Necromancy, enjoying the way their eyes lit up as he teased them about the ethics of forcing another’s very life force into complying to their will as they defended their School of Magic. Then all it took was Celestia quoting him on the nature of good and evil and that was that; he could not help but kiss them, drawn to them like a moth to a flame and now here they were.
“My Love,” Gale breathed, moving his mouth to under their ear, kissing just below in a spot that he knew would elicit a most satisfactory response, “perhaps we ought to return home to continue this meeting at a later date.”
He felt Celestia’s chuckle before he heard it, a sound more wondrous than any Church choir, “I suppose you are right, my heart,” they muttered, as they begun to disentangle themselves from him.
Gale could not help but look at his wife as they neatened themself up and quickly cast Prestidigitation to help, “You look as wonderful as ever, my love,” he reassured them with true sincerity; eyes travelling over his love with the warmest fondness. He watched them neaten their strawberry blonde hair as they returned stray strands to their rightful place in their traditional plaited bun, their eyes, one blue and the other hazel as bright and inquisitive as ever as they glanced at him, smiling warmly as they looked to him. He looked at the freckles speckled across their face, knowing how they peppered all of Celestia’s body, like the stars of the night sky, a constellation meant only to be charted by him. His eyes travelled further down their teaching robes, deep reds and purples matching his own as his gaze travelled to the small bump that was beginning to emerge from their mid section.
A year ago, this would have been an impossible dream, a faraway possibility for another life that his own folly had stolen away from him. And now, here he was married- so happily married- to the most amazing person with a child on the way.
“I love you,” he whispered in a sacred tone, the very tone that he had once reserved for Mystra.
Those three words always felt too small, too insignificant, too deceptively simple for the depth of his devotion. ‘I love you’ did not feel as though they could even begin to touch the tip of his devotion. How could they? How could those three words explain just what they represent to him? What they had done to him? ‘I love you’ could not express the depths of the gratitude that he felt towards them every day.
Celestia smiled at him, “I love you too,” they muttered as they absently stroked their bump, “our baby’s moving, if you want to feel them.”
Gale smiled as he stood up to join them, his hand going to their growing child just under his hand as he marvelled at their small movements, “you’re amazing,” he told Celestia, “this is the greatest gift I could have ever been given,” he told them.
“Thank you, but after the initial creation they kind of just grow themself.” Celestia told him, as shy in their acceptance of compliments as ever.
Gale shook his head and brought their lips to his, hoping that this kiss could convey the words they chose to ignore. That he could will away the years of self doubt and carefully placed walls that hid themself from the rest of the word, so carefully created as they allowed themself to be only a mirror of the very person that stood in front of them. He felt Celestia deepen the kiss as their hands moved to his hair, tangling them there as they pulled him deeper into the kiss.
“Professor Dekarios, I thought this meeting was to be saved for a later date,” Celestia chuckled, as they came up for air, showing no willingness to truly break free from his embrace.
Gale chuckled in response, “this is, technically speaking, a later date, Professor Dekarios,” he responded before returning his lips to theirs.
They stayed like that for a moment longer before the door knocked and broke the pairs concentration. Both looked up as one of Gale’s apprentices opened the door, a younger human student by the name of Jonathan opened the door, “I’m sorry for interrupting you, Professor but this letter arrived for you and I was told to hand it over quickly- oh, I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t realise you were... in a meeting” he said in a quick tone.
Celestia, always the master of difficult social situations, stepped away from Gale and towards Jonathan smiling serenely as though they and Gale had not once again been caught in yet another compromising position, “it’s quite alright Jonathan, Professor Dekarios and I were just discussing lesson plans and our discussions turned away from those, might I receive the letter on behalf of my frozen husband?” They asked, their hand outstretched to receive the cursed letter.
Jonathan nodded mutely as he handed the letter over, “of course, here you are, I have to go study,” he said as he left, closing the door behind him in enough haste to technically slam it.
Celestia, looked at the letter in their hands, frowning slightly, “I do not recognise this handwriting, my heart, do you?” as they handed the letter over to Gale, who took it immediately.
He did not recognise the handwriting, whose words had clearly been written by a hand unused to the activity of writing, “one of your father’s people perhaps?” Gale offered, as he opened the letter, as unlikely an explanation as any, what with Celestia's recent disownment, a punishment from their father for daring to dirty their full-blooded elven bloodline with someone as lowly a mere human, but an option none the less, “or your mother’s perhaps, having seen sense and choosing to go against your father’s wishes.”
Celestia shook their head, “I know all their people’s handwriting, they wrote to me more than my own parents, after all,” they muttered, hands moving to the baby, as if to shield them for their maternal bloodline’s neglect, “and anyway, I’ve never known my father to go back on his word or my mother to go behind his back.”
Gale nodded in response as he read the letter, “I take it I am your ‘bosom companion’?” he asked in a jovial tone, “or do I have some competition to worry about?”
Celestia smiled at his comment, “only you, my heart, only you,” then they paused, “wait, those are the exact words?” They asked as they held out their hand for the letter back, waiting for Gale to hand the letter over, “it must be Withers, he’s the only one I’ve ever known to use that particular turn of phrase,” they muttered as they read the letter, “he has organised a get together of us all to celebrate it being six months since the we defeated the Netherbrain.”
Gale looked at his wife and smiled, “that is a strange turn of phrase,” he agreed.
“Better than Astarion’s poetic ‘magical fuck buddy’?” Celestia looked down him, smiling at the blush that covered Gale’s face.
“Much better, at least Withers’ implies that there is a fondness beyond mere lust and animalistic urges.” Gale muttered.
Celestia smiled at him, a brilliant smile that lit their whole face up and made Gale’s heart ache and face smile in response, “you want to go, don’t you?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Celestia was, unlike him, social by nature, always willing to engage in small talk with those they met and had already become close to everyone in their new life in Waterdeep, being on first name basis with basically everyone they met.
Celestia nodded, “it would be nice to see them, especially since we will be unlikely to make the year anniversary what with the baby,” Celestia pointed out, making quick calculations in their head.
“That is very true, at best we’ll have an under month old at best at worst-“
“If I go that overdue by that much, I’m leaving you and taking Tara.” Celestia jovially threatened. “We’re cutting it close to your birthday as it is.” They were due the week before and already disliked the idea of taking that day away from Gale, as though he hadn’t already reassured them countless times that he would be okay with that possibility and did quite like the idea of sharing that day with one so already precious to him.
Gale looked at Celestia and weighed his options, “let me think on it, my love, and I’ll get back to you,” he promised, “shall we go home, and I’ll make you that stew you’re enjoying currently? We still have some olive bread left?” He asked as he held out his arm.
Celestia smiled again, nodding, “that sounds truly wonderful,” they responded as they linked their arm with his.
-----
-----
Later in the evening, after dinner Gale watched Celestia getting ready for bed as they removed their jewellery and applied their lotions and thought his options through. On one hand they could travel the traditional way and risk something happening to him or, much worse and barely think able, Celestia and their child or he could cast a teleport spell, the spot being as familiar and dear to him as Waterdeep. He knew which Celestia would prefer and, he did also miss their shared friend group, other than his mother and Tara they were the only ones that would care about the pairs upcoming arrival and joyous news of their nuptials.
“I’ve come up with a solution,” he begun, “I am, as always, open to other ideas but this is the only way I can think of without placing unnecessary harm to you or our baby,” he told them.
“One of us casts Teleport?” Celestia supplied, “I thought of that already, but it is quite a costly spell, I thought we were saving money?” The concept of saving money still being an alien thought to Celestia, who was so used to the deep coffers of their noble family.
“I believe I have enough chalk left over from when I carried The Orb,” Gale admitted, a last-ditch effort from a year ago in case he needed to quickly leave to avoid hurting anyone else with his foolish actions, “we can afford to buy one more round of chalk easily to make it a round trip. That way we can see our friends and you and our baby are safe.”
“You’ll be safe too,” Celestia reminded Gale, the fierceness of their protective nature as strong in their eyes as ever.
“And me, although you two are the more delicate passengers.” Gale conceded.
“I accept the terms of your arrangement on one condition,” Celestia said, with a mischievous grin.
“Which are?” Gale asked, already fearing the answer.
“You wear the new clothes I brought you.”
Gale looked in the closet, the purple suit that had originally been brought for their wedding that became an elopement due to the baby was very nice and clearly made with him in mind. “Okay, I agree.” He relented with a smile.
Celestia responded by pushing Gale onto the bed so they could continue their postponed meeting.
----
----
In the end they needn’t have worried about the price of chalk or their budget as a further missive, this time delivered to his office when Celestia was giving a lecture and so free of potential scandal, informed them that they would be receiving a teleportation there and back again by Withers himself. This allows for a quickness to their travel that would appease the worry of Gale’s mind and so he could create no further arguments against the pair attending this gathering.
A fact which delighted Celestia no end.
“It will be fine, my heart,” Celestia reassured him as the pair got ready, “and it will be nice to see everyone again, especially since it is so hard to get missives and letters to half of them.”
Gale nodded, “I know that, my love, I truly do, but I still worry.”
“And you hate formal events.”
“I do not hate them; I just find them overly stuffy and unnecessary.”
“This is not going to be a formal event, not with the way our friends drink, it is a get together of friends celebrating six months since doing the impossible and all our lives taking us in different directions.”
“If this is not a formal event then why do we have to dress this way?” Gale grumbled, pulling at his clothes as he tried to neaten them up.
Celestia stepped in front of him and helped him straighten up, “because, this is fun, and we hardly ever get the chance,” they told him as they finished the last touches of his outfit before leaning in to whisper in his ear, “and I am going to enjoy slowly and methodically taking this off of you when we get home after.”
Gale stared at his wife then, mouth slightly ajar, “well, now I don’t want to leave,” he muttered under his breath as he watched them walk away.
----
----
Despite his grumbling, Gale was enjoying himself being on the clearing that had once been the camp site for them all. Seeing his friends again was proving to be a rather joyous experience, complemented by the rather good food and wine, he was enjoying watching Celestia in their element, flittering from person to person as they engaged everyone in conversation, their face lit up by their smile, genuine in it’s crooked appearance.
As Celestia had predicted, not every letter they had sent had been received by everyone so, whilst Shadowheart, Halsin and Jaheria (and by extension Minsc) all knew of the wedding and baby, Karlach, Wyll, La’zeal and Astarion did not and three of those had taking the news well. Which was why Celestia was currently being starred down by Astarion.
“You know, if you had told anyone where you had gone you would already know,” they told him, tone jovially annoyed as they starred at the dumbfounded look on Astarion’s face as he starred at their bump.
“There is a heartbeat coming from your mid-section, darling,” he whispered to them, like it was a secret that he could not reveal.
“Well, yes, that is where the baby currently resides,” Celestia joked back, one finger nudging his shoulder, “are you okay? I hear the first time becoming an uncle is always the hardest.”
“Baby,” Astarion whispered, “wait, uncle? Really, me an uncle?”
“Well, yes, you all will be aunts and uncles,” Celestia clarified, looking at the look on Astarion’s face, “You know that you’re family to us, right? You are more than welcome to visit Waterdeep at any time.”
Astarion nodded, “well, of course I am, darling, I will be the baby’s favourite uncle after all,” he joked, “hang on, Gale got you pregnant?”
“Yes, my husband got me pregnant.”
“Was this before or after the wedding?”
“Before,” Celestia supplied, “why?”
“Oh, because I must threaten him for you,” Astarion supplied as he wandered off, “you understand darling, defending your honour and all that.”
“No, Astarion!” Celestia yelled in elven, “That isn’t necessary! His mother already told him off.”
Astarion laughed at that, “I’m not telling him off darling,” he responded in elven, “I’m simply responding to this joyous news with promises of bodily harm should he ever hurt you two,” he called over his shoulder as he stalked off.
Celestia quickly turned a ring on their finger, a wonderful little ring of telepathy that they had found in one of the shops at Waterdeep and thought to Gale, “warning, Astarion is going to threaten you over getting me pregnant out of wedlock.”
They felt Gale’s voice, warm and jovial in their mind, “oh good, I’ve not been threatened in a while.”
Celestia simply looked around for their husband, a slightly dumbfounded look on their face, “that isn’t the normal response to this situation.”
“It is when it’s Astarion, he’s all bark and no, if you’ll excuse the pun, bite. Besides, it isn’t the first time he’s threatened me to protect you,” there was a slight pause, “got to go, my love, your best friend is here.”
Celestia felt the connection fade as Gale shifted his attention elsewhere.
----
----
Whilst thankful for the warning about Astarion, Gale was hardly surprised that Astarion felt the need to defend Celestia. Whilst the friendship had started as a form of protection for the vampire spawn it had become a very real and very genuine connection that caused a little bit of over protection from the man.
Gale still remembered the threats from when they first made it to Baldur’s Gate vividly. He had never been so creatively threatened before.
So, when Astarion stalked up to him, trying so hard to appear intimidating Gale couldn’t help but laugh, “go on, how I am going to die this time?”
Astarion deflated a little, “well, now you’ve taken the fun from it.”
“Go ahead, I’m listening, if I hurt Celestia and our child you’ll-“
“That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
Gale stared at Astarion, “well that’s a lie. A bold faced one, I admit, but a lie none the less.”
Astarion stared at him, “all I was going to say was that my threat in the Elfsong Tavern still stands. Oh, and I cannot wait to come and visit as Uncle Astarion.”
“Please don’t-“
“I’m going to visit all the time darling; I cannot wait to be a corrupting influence on my best friend’s child.” He finished.
“Listen, Astarion,” Gale begun, “I know that you are very protective of Celestia but let me assure you-“
“I know that you have no intention of hurting them, I know that this is the happiest you have ever been and I know that you will do whatever you can to ensure that they stay as happy as they currently are,” Astarion paused and looked Gale in the eyes before continuing, a cold and hard look that made him look every inch the threat he could be, “but I also know the pain and stress that you have caused Celestia in the past and I know the kind of person my best and only friend is. The kind of upbringing they’ve had, and I know that they would struggle to break free if you did return to your old habits, that they would try and stay to fix you as they have done before. Especially for your two’s child. I know that the life you two have created is the very dream they have always had, and I refuse to let you break that for them. So, you had best stay on the path you have now found yourself on because I refuse to watch them set themself on fire to put you out.”
Gale stared at Astarion, “How long have you sat on that?”
“Since Moonrise Tower”
“Well, firstly, thank you for caring for them so much,” Gale started, sincere with that thought, “secondly, I no longer carry the Orb so I will no longer be needing to simply leave without word,” he took a breath before continuing, “and thirdly, I am well aware that I have hurt them in the past, that I have misspoke and caused them a great deal of stress and pain. I have apologised to them at great length and will continue to do everything I my power to make the rest of their life as stress free and joyous as possible for as long as I shall live,” Gale stopped and met his stare, “but, just so you know, Celestia is not your only friend, everyone here is your friend too.”
Astarion stopped at that, and stared at him, blinking slightly, “that is not what I meant, I simply meant to say-”
“I know what you meant to say and I know what you mean, I remember your previous threat all too well, I also remember you understandably sprinting out of the sun after we destroyed our tadpoles and I remember Celestia sending people out to find you, and when they couldn’t find you being distraught thinking you had died by a decision they had helped you to make. I remember them crying so hard that they slept that night instead of trancing as they do every other night,” Gale stared at Astarion then, feeling some guilt for watching the way he deflated at his words, “I am not saying these things to hurt you but simply to remind you that time has passed since you threatened me following our discovery of Karsus’ Crown and I have never been as contented as I am with my family in Waterdeep. And I make sure that Celestia knows that every single second of every single day.”
Astarion nodded in response, “well, good then, it was lovely talking with you,” he said as he began to walk off.
Gale stopped him, “there was one other thing, I need your help with something,” he begun, “for Celestia.”
“I’m listening,” Astarion nodded.
“They’ve been disowned officially now that we’re married and have the baby on the way, the letter that their father sent was rather nasty and implied all sorts of threats to both Celestia and the baby. I was hoping that you might be willing to scare him into compliance.”
“He did what?” Astarion seethed, eyes searching for Celestia, “how did they take it?”
“About as well as you’d expect.” Gale replied, mind briefly going to that night and their tears before returning to the conversation at hand, “you know how hard they tried to gain their father’s approval and what their childhood was like.”
Astarion paused, “I could just kill him and forge his will so no one would know.”
“Please don’t kill my father-in-law. That would only upset Celestia more.”
“I never said I would, just a thought. But if he hurts either of them, I will kill him,” Astarion paused then, mind clearly going to different options, “I could be petty and move everything around in their estate at night and pretend there is a haunting. Or I could have a rumour start and destroy his reputation.”
Gale nodded in response, “I am okay with anything that does not put Celestia or the baby in any danger,” he leaned closer and whispered, “believe me, if any harm comes to Celestia or that baby I will join you in killing him myself.”
Astarion starred at his best friend’s husband, “I didn’t know you had that kind of fun in you.”
“I’m full of surprises,” Gale muttered as he walked off to find Celestia.
----
----
In the end Celestia needn’t have worried about any bodily harm coming to Gale as they saw him walking towards them smiling slightly at them. Despite his worries, he did look very handsome in his suit, the purple being slightly lighter than he used to wear but going nicely with the gold in a way that made his skin almost glow.
They smiled at him and checked for any sign of injury that might be visible on his person along with any sign that Astarion had caused an injury that would not be immediately evident. Instead, he looked perfectly fine and uninjured if not a little flushed and flustered, much like he always looked after a verbal spat.
“You two didn’t argue, did you?” They asked, holding out an arm to invite him to sit on the bench beside them.
Gale slid next to them, taking their outstretched hand and kissing it gently on the knuckles before entwining their fingers together and placing their hands on his lap, “nothing of the sort my love, just a spirted discussion by two people who love you very much and only want to protect you.”
Celestia nodded, “I’m sorry, I should have thought he’d overreact about my pregnancy and the baby, I’ll talk-”
“That’s not necessary, after he said his piece, I said mine and we worked out a mutual arrangement based on a deep and mutual agreement that yours and the baby’s safety and happiness should always come first.” Gale reassured them with a light kiss on the cheek.
Celestia looked at Gale then and smiled, immediately feeling at ease around him as they had done since they had first pulled him from his unstable portal not even a year ago. There had always been something about Gale that had felt right, an ease to being around him that made Celestia felt safe to be themself. Not the archmage and heir their father had always wanted, or the perfect noble daughter their mother had tried so hard to mold them into or even the rebellious second born their brother had so desired. Just Celestia, a person who was free to make mistakes and question and be a person with. And, as he looked to them now, they felt that safety as always and knew that they had no worry for their child, their unexpected miracle, that was growing safely beneath their heart to carry their mother’s pains and fears as Celestia did theirs. No, instead they would be loved and accepted regardless of who or what they become, allowed to make their own decisions and follow their own path.
“I love you,” they whispered to him, leaning in to kiss him chastely on the lips.
“I love you too,” he responded as he went to deepen the kiss but was stopped by an overly enthusiastic Karlach.
“Oh man, this is so wizard!” She all but shouted.
“The grass and stars?” Gale asked, pulling away from Celestia with a final peck on their lips, having heard Karlach’s loud appreciations of them throughout the night.
“Well, yeah, those but also you two, being married and having a baby! I’m gonna be a fucking auntie!” Karlach all but yelled, “oh man, I’m gonna give them so many hugs! Can I buy them their own Clive?”
Celestia smiled, “sure you can, do you want to feel them kick? Gale’s books say the baby can hear your voice so you can even talk to them if you want.” That had become a nightly ritual for Celestia and Gale, when the pair were settled in bed Gale would talk about his day to the baby, everything from his lesson plans and his students to little things that he had seen and always ended it with an ‘I love you and let your mama rest’.
Karlach smiled before coming over to Celestia and placing a hand on the bump, “hey, baby, I’m your auntie Karlach, I’m not gonna be around as much as some of your other aunties and uncles ‘cause your Uncle Wyll and me are kicking butt in Avernus but I’ll try and visit you okay, and I’m gonna get you so many toys! And give you so many hugs and play so much with you!” Karlach paused as they baby kicked her hand, “you’re so wizard and I can’t wait to meet you,” she whispered to the kick.
“The baby loves their auntie Karlach too,” Celestia whispered, letting go of Gale’s hand to hold Karlach’s, refusing to let go until she was ready.
Gale reached into his pocket, pulling out a pocket satchel and placed it on the table, “do you want to give everyone their presents now?” Gale asked Celestia.
Celestia smiled at Gale, and he opened the satchel, “we’ve commissioned for everyone to have their own sending stones so we can still talk to everyone,” Gale told Karlach, handing her a red stone with golden flecks, “that way you’ll never be out of the loop for these details.”
Karlach smiled even wider, “we’ll talk all the time? Well, not all the time all the time but lots, yeah?”
Gale nodded, “of course we will. You and Wyll have to share a stone but other than that everyone has one.”
Karhugh took her hand from Celestia’s bump with a, “one sec, baby, auntie Karlach is gonna hug your folks,” before pulling both into a hug, “you two are the best friends I could have ever had.”
Celestia hugged back, pulling Karlach as close as they could, “just wait, this blacksmith will have all the answers and you’ll be fixed in time to meet the baby.”
“Fuck yeah! I’m gonna be back for good before you know it,” Karlach paused then, “oh shit! Baby don’t swear okay, it’s not okay.” She told the bump.
Gale hugged Karlach, “it’s okay, the baby won’t be able to speak for a while.”
Karlach nodded, “good, anyway, with you as a da baby is gonna be so good with their words. Oh, and magic! They’re literally gonna be an archmage one day just like you two!”
Gale stiffened at that slightly and one of his hands found the bump, rubbing it when he felt a kick, “that is certainly a possibility, but it isn’t a major concern for either of us.”
Celestia rested one of their hands on Gale’s and gave it a little squeeze. That had been a discussion all its own, the possibility of the pair’s child being able to manipulate The Weave like their parents and what that would mean, especially with Gale’s history with Mystra. There was a very large part of Gale that wanted his child to be able to manipulate The Weave like him and Celestia, to be able to share that with one so intrinsically tied to him and yet another part, the part that could never forget the ache of that cursed Orb, wanted his child to be free to make their own choices away from the influence of any God or Goddess. And for Celestia, whose very existence is tied to the desire for the prestige a great archmage could bring, simply wanted their child to be free of any pressure to be in their parent’s shadow and to be free to follow their own heart and choose their own life.
Celestia smiled slightly, “it is a nice idea and if they want to then we’ll teach them, but it will be up to them. However, it is probably safer for all of Faerûn if there is at least one Dekarios who cannot manipulate the Weave.”
Karlach laughed, “fair enough, hey, I get to teach them how to fight right?”
Gale simply looked slightly panicked at the thought of his child holding a weapon as large as Karlach’s and more importantly Celestia’s incredibly relaxed, “sure, that sounds wonderful.”
----
----
The rest of the evening went off without any issues and by the time Withers had teleported Gale and Celestia back to their home in Waterdeep both were exhausted and in need of a bath and bed.
“See, I told you we would have fun,” Celestia told Gale, smiling at him as they warmed the bathtub.
Gale smiled at his wife and put his arms around their waist, pulling them into a hug before kissing the top of their head, “you were right as always, my love,” he breathed deeply, drawing in their scent of lavender vanilla, a smell that had become as familiar and comforting to him as the smell of The Weave, “although I could have done with less death threats and strange promises from our friends.”
Celestia turned in his arms and faced him, kissing him lightly on the lips, “they love and care for us, it’s only natural that those feelings would extend to the baby.”
“Astarion is not teaching our child how to pick locks,” Gale muttered. His child was already going to be half him and, where once his childhood stories filled him with nostalgic joy now, they just filled him with anticipated dread. Gods only knew what trouble his child would get into, much less without an influence like ‘Uncle Astarion’.
“I doubt he actually will, he was just trying to get a reaction from you,” Celestia reassured him, “why don’t we have this bath together and get in bed, hmm? I’m feeling very tired and could do with a good night's sleep.”
Gale smiled and release Celestia, “do you need help bathing?”
Celestia giggled, “oh yes, I’m not that tired.”
Gale helped Celestia into the bathtub and followed after them, enjoying the warmth of his love against his skin before the pair readied themselves for bed and, after Gale told the baby all about their family waiting for them fell asleep with a soft ‘goodnight, baby, I love you and let you’re mama rest’. He then kissed Celestia chastely on the lips and murmured, “I love you,” before falling asleep ready to great the next day.