Chapter Text
This was not part of their plan.
Claire watched as Wilardo worked on preserving some of their flowers. He handled each bloom with reverence, carefully submerging them in alcohol.
Quietly, not wanting to disturb him, Claire stood from where she’d been watching him. She made her way over to him, putting her arms around his shoulders and leaning against his back.
At first, Wilardo didn’t react. And then: “what’s up, Claire?”
“Nothing,” she nuzzled her nose against the back of his neck. “I just wanted to hug you, is all.”
“Hm…”
Wilardo continued working. After coating each flower, he put them into piles based on their type and colour. Claire sometimes helped Wilardo with preservation, but the smell of the alcohol baths always made her nose sting, so Wilardo often preserved their flowers on his own.
Claire was much better at taking care of those of their flowers that were still in the soil, anyway.
Eventually, Wilardo had finished preserving the last of the flowers he’d gotten out. Efficiently, he packed each type of flower away before taking off his gloves.
“All done?” Claire asked, still clinging onto him. Wordlessly, Wilardo put an arm around her waist and pulled her around into his lap. Claire let out a quiet squeal, eyes shut tight. She heard Wilardo laugh at her, and she pouted. “What was that for, mister?”
“Nothing,” Wilardo held her close. “You’re just… more cuddly today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You always wait for me to be done with work before getting mushy.” Claire had no reply; she supposed she did usually hold off until they were upstairs before getting affectionate. “Are you sure ‘nothing’ is up?”
Truthfully, there was something up, but Claire didn’t know how to broach the topic. She pressed her mouth into his shoulder to hide her frown. Then, muffled, she said: “There… is something up. But… I’m worried about telling you what it is.”
Wilardo was quiet for a moment. “Well… as long as you tell me what it is eventually, you can take as long as you want.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Wilardo replied, accepting the kiss Claire pressed to his cheek. “Now, let’s go upstairs. I’m starving.”
Claire laughed as Wilardo suddenly stood up, taking her with him. She kicked her legs as he carried her up the stairs to their apartment.
She was grateful for Wilardo’s patience. She just… really didn’t know how to tell him that she was…
———
“… Pregnant?! You’re pregnant?!”
Immediately, Claire shushed Sirius, nervous despite the fact that it was only the two of them in his home.
“If you’re messing with me, I’ll kill you.”
“I’m not, I’m not!” Claire cried earnestly. Sirius squinted his eyes at her, glaring… before eventually acquiescing.
“Okay, so… you’re pregnant.” Sirius put a hand to his temple. “And… what did Wilardo say?”
Claire felt her face heat up: “I… haven’t told him yet.” Sirius opened his mouth—likely to spew some insult—so Claire quickly continued: “that’s why I came to you! I’m scared to tell him! And you’re so smart, Sirius, so I thought you’d have some advice on what I should do!”
Sirius… leaned back in his armchair. “While I appreciate the compliment, Claire—” a smug smile was pulling at the corner of his lips; Claire head never admitted that she thought he was smart before “—you do realise that I’m a bit out of my depth here, right? It’s not like I’ve ever been pregnant before.”
Claire sighed. “Still…”
“Okay, okay…” Sirius crossed his arms contemplatively. “Let’s think about this logically. Do you think Wilardo is the type of guy to blow up at you if you tell him you’re pregnant?”
“… It’s a… sensitive topic.”
“I suppose. But do you think he’s going to be mad about it?”
“… No.”
“Sad?”
“Maybe…”
“And what about happy?”
“I… I don’t know.”
Sirius sighed. “You’re really not giving me much to work with, Claire.” A tad annoyed Sirius stood up, paced around a bit, before sitting down beside Claire on his couch. “… Let’s put Wilardo aside for a moment. How do you feel about being pregnant?”
“M-me?” Claire stammered. Ever since she’d realised she was pregnant, she’d only been thinking about how Wilardo was going to feel about it. “I… I’m nervous. But… I think I’m also… happy. I’ve always dreamed about getting married, you know? And so often, a baby follows that… that it’s not like I’ve never thought about being a mother before.”
“What are you nervous about?”
“Well, for one thing… pregnancy and childbirth sound super scary! But also, since I can’t remember my childhood… I really have no idea how you’re meant to raise a child. Sure, I remember my teenage years… but what about before that?!”
“Is that all?”
“Not! At! All! But those are the main two things…”
Sirius couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay, first of all… from what you’ve told me about Wilardo… he’s the type of guy that respects others happiness, right?”
“Right…”
“So, no matter his own feelings on the matter, he’s going to take your feelings into account when responding, correct?” Claire nodded. “Secondly, you’re right to be scared about pregnancy and childbirth. But if you go to a good doctor and do all the right things, I’m sure you’ll be fine. You have quite the barbaric constitution, after all.” Claire swatted his arm. “Finally… I’m not sure that any parents really know what they’re doing, frankly. Especially when raising their first child. But there are books, and parents who I’m sure would love nothing more than to ramble on about what they’re doing with their kid.” Claire… nodded for a second time. “Really, all you need to do is try and look on the bright side of things. Like you usually do.
“Besides, it’s not like you can give up now: if you and Wilardo decide to keep the baby, you have no choice but to keep going. For the three of you.”
“… Sirius…” Claire’s eyes started to tear up, and Sirius shuddered.
“Oh, don’t cry.”
“But—! But, Sirius—!” Claire threw her arms around the man as she began to sob. And she kept repeating ‘thank you’ over and over.
After Claire had calmed down—and Sirius had given her a warm face cloth, a cup of tea, and a tray of biscuits—Sirius asked: “if you two do decide to have the child, what do you want it to be? Boy or girl?”
“… I… I don’t think I mind. I can see myself raising either, and no matter what they turn out to be… I can’t see myself loving them any less.” Claire smiled, a warm feeling in her belly. “What about you? What gender do you want my baby to be?”
“A girl, obviously. Boys are filthy.”
Claire rolled her eyes: “but you’re a boy, Sirius.”
“Uh, I do beg your pardon? I believe you’ll find that I’m a man.”
———
Resting on her and Wilardo’s bed, Claire put her hands together, closed her eyes, and wished for Zizel to appear before her. In response, her heart throbbed, and it didn’t take long before a girlish giggle rang through the room.
“Calling for me in the middle of the day? You’re bold, Claire. And very lucky that I like you.”
Opening her eyes, Claire found Zizel perched on the edge of her bed, her body transparent. Claire smiled, and sat up a little in her bed: “Zizel…!”
“To what do I owe your call?” The girl hummed.
“I… need to talk to you about the contract!”
“Oh-ho… Not thinking about resolving it, are you?”
Claire shook her head. “No. I want… I want you to remove the automatic update clause. I want my name to be the last one on the contract.”
“And why might that be?” Zizel asked with a knowing smile.
Claire’s face flushed: “because I might be having… a baby.”
“A what?” Zizel asked, Claire having whispered the end of her sentence.
“A baby!”
“Oh my,” Zizel grinned. “I see you and Wilardo have been busy.”
“Zizel—!” Claire hissed. The demon just continued to smile.
“I can remove that clause… but are you sure? That’s quite the treasure you’re taking away from your future child.”
Claire’s face hardened. “Zizel… you and I both know that the Witch’s Heart is only a curse.”
Zizel shrugged: “I was just seeing if I could persuade you into extending the contract. But I suppose you know better than that by now.”
Claire nodded her head. While the Witch’s Heart was certainly powerful… it came at far too great a price.
“If that’s all, I’ll be going. Demons aren’t exactly fans of the sun, I’ll have you remember.”
“I remember. But… I really needed to talk to you.”
Zizel stood up from the bed. “Of course. And as your pact partner, I’m more than willing to oblige. But Claire…”
“Yes?”
“Be sure to tell Wilardo about the baby soon, okay? The longer a secret festers… the more painful it is to reveal.”
Claire looked down at her lap, unable to meet the demon’s gaze. Claire knew that Zizel was right… but she just wasn’t ready to tell Wilardo yet.
“Oh! And one last thing before I go.” Claire looked up to find Zizel’s eyes shimmering. “I do hope it’s a boy.”
———
If she was ever going to tell Wilardo… Claire knew that she just had to wait for the right moment to do so.
Initially, she wasn’t sure what that right moment would be. But she knew that she’d know when it happened—and, in fact, she didn’t have to wait too long for it to happen.
Claire was sweeping the floors of the shop when she looked over to see Wilardo ringing up a bouquet for a mother and her daughter. The young girl was small, and had to stand on her tippy toes to be able to see over the countertop where Wilardo was carefully wrapping up the bouquet. “Hey, Mister! Did you know, I was the one who picked out these flowers.”
Wilardo paused in his wrapping. “… Oh, really? Well, I think you did a pretty good job.” Claire fumbled with the broom, nearly dropping it; her heart was racing in her chest. His voice… it was warm and gentle—to a degree which Claire had never heard before.
And from the look on the mother’s face, Claire could tell that she wasn’t the only one who thought he was being a heartthrob.
“Mhm! They're for my Daddy.” The girl was fully leaning on the counter now, clicking her dangling heels together. “He’s coming home from a lo—ng journey, and me and Mummy are going to give these to him when he arrives at the train station!”
“Wow. I’m sure he’ll be super happy.”
“Yup! And he’s gonna be super shocked to see how much I’ve grown.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Wilardo said genuinely, handing the girl’s mother the bouquet—at some point during their conversation, Wilardo had continued wrapping it, but neither Claire nor the mother had noticed him doing so, too distracted by his kind temperament.
Embarrassed at getting distracted, the mother stammered out her thanks before quickly paying what she owed. She took her daughter by the hand, leading her out of the shop—but not before the girl gave Wilardo a farewell-salute, and he gave her one in return.
The exit of the pair left Wilardo and Claire alone in the shop—the two having been their only customers at the time. Wilardo began putting the wrapping paper under the counter, and Claire returned to cleaning. Or at least… she tried to.
After a few sweeps of her broom, she said: “Wilardo. I’m… I’m ready to talk to you about what’s been, um, ‘up’ with me.” Her voice trembled slightly, and her grip on the broom was turning her knuckles white.
At first, Wilardo didn’t reply. It was only after he’d finished packing away the paper that he said: “oh, yeah.” Claire felt herself go crimson—he hadn’t even remembered the conversation they’d had!
“I’ve been waiting for you to tell me what's been bothering you.” Never… never mind. She’d just overreacted—typical. “You’ve been acting off ever since we had that conversation.”
“H-have I?” Claire stammered, accenting her question with an awkward, high-pitched laugh.
“Mhm. So… you gonna tell me now, or—”
“Later!” Claire practically yelled. “I’ll tell you later!” And before Wilardo could say another word, Claire started furiously sweeping with the broom—a clear sign to the man that she did not want to be disturbed.
By closing time, the shop was cleaner than it had ever been, and Claire was sweating like she’d just run a marathon. It was… a little scary… if Wilardo was being honest. “You know, Claire,” he said as he hung up his blue apron, “you really don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No!” Claire threw her red apron onto her hook, “I’m going to! I’m determined!”
… Wilardo could see that.
After they’d moved upstairs, Wilardo put on some tea for Claire while the girl rhythmically paced their living room. When Wilardo had first noticed that something was… off with Claire, he’d thought that whatever was bothering her was nothing major. But now… Wilardo wasn’t so sure.
When the tea was ready, Wilardo managed to get Claire to sit down before forcing a cup into her hands. After a few sips… she seemed to settle down a bit; Wilardo was glad to see that whatever switch of hers had been flipped… had now been flipped off again.
“Okay…” Claire sighed after finishing her first cup of tea. “I need to tell you something. I’ve been keeping it a secret for a little while now… but only because I didn’t know how to tell you the truth! I… I think I’m ready now… but you should know that whatever I’m about to say is super shocking.”
“Okay.”
“And I’m fully ready for you to freak out about it. Just… just promise me you won’t be too mad.”
Wilardo rolled his eyes: “I promise, I promise.”
“I’m being serious!” Claire hissed, grabbing his hands.
Wilardo squeezed hers back: “so am I.”
Claire sighed again—no, groaned this time. “Okay… okay! I can do this! To tell you the truth, Wilardo, I’m… I’m… I’m pregnant.”
Despite Claire’s confession coming out as a whisper… Wilardo still managed to hear it. His grip on her hands tightened—no longer playful—and his eyebrows came together in a furrow. Claire… felt like she was going to cry. But she didn’t say anything: she wanted Wilardo to have time to think about her confession—she’d had weeks to contemplate it herself, after all.
After a few minutes, Wilardo let go of Claire’s hands. “Are they… gonna get a Witch’s Heart, too?”
Claire was surprised that that was his first question, but she answered it anyway: “no. I’ve talked to Zizel about it, and she’s removed the automatic clause from the contract.”
“Okay…” Wilardo nodded. Then, he retook her hands and un-furrowed his brows.
Claire… let out a shaky breath. “Wait… that’s all you’re worried about?”
“I mean… it’s still kinda dawning on me. But that’s the first thing that came to mind, yeah.”
“You’re not… mad? Or sad?”
“… No? Should I be? Is it… not my kid or something?” Claire punched him in the shoulder. “Sorry, sorry. I just… look. Just because I’m cursed doesn’t mean I’ve never thought about settling down and having a family before. Especially after I met you. And… I’m sure you’re the same, right? Even after you found out about your curse… you still wanted to have a family with me… right?”
With a sudden, loud wail, Claire collapsed into his arms. Wilardo held her tightly, rubbing her back. “I’m such—I’m such an idiot!” Claire cried. “I’ve been—I’ve been—I’ve been so worried! About what you’d say! But of course—of course you wouldn’t get mad! I’m so… I’m so…”
“Hey, hey,” Wilardo interrupted, pulling her into his lap. “You’re going to make yourself sick if you keep crying like that. And it’s okay, you never know how people are going to respond to these types of things. No matter how close to them you are.”
Slowly… but surely… Claire’s sobs became less violent; Wilardo rocked her in his lap, still rubbing her back. “I thought… you’d be mad for sure… because this wasn’t part of our plan.”
“I guess so. But… it’s not like this really changes it, does it?”
“Doesn’t it?” Claire sniffed. She rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him—her eyes were red and puffy, and thick lines of snot were running from her nose.
“I don’t think so. It just means that… I’ll have to protect our kid, as well as you. But… I’ll still die when you do. If I decide to stick around just because we have a kid… they’re never gonna learn how to be independent, you know?”
Claire nodded, tucking her face back into his chest. “… Most kids outlive their parents, too.”
Wilardo smiled. “Exactly.” Carefully, Wilardo reached out for a tissue, cleaning up Claire’s face when he managed to get a hold of one.
Claire stayed resting in Wilardo’s lap, the man soothing her all the while. After a while, she said: “oh… you should know… Zizel’s not the only one who knows. I told Sirius, too…”
“Ah…” Wilardo nodded. “That makes sense. That guy couldn’t stop staring at my crotch when I met up with him last week. I kept thinking that my fly was undone, or something.”
Claire snorted. Slowly, she recapped what she’d talked about with them.
“… So… Sirius wants it to be a girl… while Zizel wants it to be a boy.”
“What about you? Are you… the same as me?”
“I mean, of course I’ll love them either way, like you said. But I guess… I hope we have a girl. If she… grows up to be anything like you… then I won’t have any worries when our time to rest comes.”