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Pale sunlight fluttered past the sheltering curtains draped protectively around the hospital room like wings, light and comforting in a way. Earlier on that same morning, just past dusk, the bustling world, waking, tiring, and living all at once grew six pounds heavier, with the weight of a brand new bundle of joy and dreams. That same very morning, a baby girl was born, already as willful and as feisty as the same source of warmth that welcomed her to the world. To her world, to her home, her family.
“Airi! Look, she’s already so curious, looking around!” Soft and adoring words fell from thin, delicate lips turned upwards in an affectionate smile. Crystalline blue eyes flicker upwards to meet wide and warm hues of deep pink ones. The owner of the latter leans forward gingerly upon her perch nestled in the hospital bed.
“Really? So she’s already curious about her surroundings and exploring. Sounds just like her mother.”
The faint creaking of a chair sounds as someone leans themself in their chair forward slightly. Airi’s arms are weighted down slowly as the other woman, sporting flowy blue hair that perfectly matched her eyes, leans closer and transfers the small bundle of warmth to her. Their bundle of warmth and happiness, their child.
The tiny, squinting eyes peer up at the loving faces beaming down at them. The faces of her loving parents. Although the tiny girl has no idea yet, she will become the pinnacle of adoration and attention; the child of MORE MORE JUMP!’S Hinomori Shizuku and Momoi Airi. For now, the little roll of purity and love is content to nibble her own thumb and gaze between the two faces.
Shizuku finds herself subconsciously leaning in further, gazing fondly at the little bundle, the product of ages spent pining (much to Haruka’s teasing and annoyance), then dating, then married, and everlasting love. Airi picks up on Shizuku’s love, currently overflowing, and can’t stifle a chuckle, finding her wife’s reaction to their daughter adorable.
“Shizuku, you’re going to be a natural, hell, you already are!”
“You really think so, Airi?” Once again, blue and pink blur together in an invisible, passionate clash of affection and emotion.
“Of course.” The reply is simple, short, yet it manages to convey Airi’s complete faith and trust in Shizuku. She would never doubt even for a millisecond, the depths of Shizuku’s devotion to both her and now their daughter.
“But please, no swearing around our child or unnecessarily, Airi.” Devotion rightfully so, doesn’t also mean immunity to language checks; Airi would know from the last ten years spent with the initiator of said-checks.
“Okay, but the H-E, double toothpick word isn’t that bad…” Airi knows it’s a fruitless sentence but even so, she can’t stop from smiling again, amusement glistening in ruby pink depths.
Shizuku brings down a pale and smooth hand to rest upon soft, thin strands of pink hair. Their daughter has visibly inherited relatively even amounts from both of her mothers, as it seems. Soft visions overtake Shizuku’s mind gently with memories of fidgeting with and styling a bushy head of long pink hair the exact same shade as the soft strands under her fingers. The baby’s eyes are a pure shade of pale cerulean, a shade that plunges Airi back into years waking up to the same eyes, glimmering back at her, twinkling hello and goodbye and so much more throughout the years.
Most notably visible on the child’s face is a small, dark dot, located under the corner of her right lip. It’s a remarkably placed beauty mark, placed in so specific of a place, anyone could put a name to the original holder, bearing the exact same mark in the exact same place. If you had ever even seen a photograph of the baby’s parents, you could pick the child out of a crowd and match them up effortlessly. The resemblance to her mothers had no problem sparking pride and improbable amounts of even more affection already.
Said mothers were currently playing a no-stakes, lighthearted variant of the waiting game. A significant and important question rears itself over the new family. Airi ultimately cracks when the little bundle of warmth and blankets in her arms reaches out and gently grasps at her pinky. “What are we going to name you, little one?”
Shizuku sits up straighter as her wife finally speaks the long awaited question out loud. She gazes down, eyes sparkling with gentle love and warmth as she watches the interaction between them. “What should we name her? I haven’t thought of a specific name yet. Have you, Airi?”
The pink haired woman is silent momentarily before she very gently tugs her pinky out of their daughter’s grasp, replacing it swiftly with her pointer finger. The baby squirms and makes a small noise of delight at her mother’s movement. The sound is enough to nearly melt both parents and their hearts on the spot.
“Shizuku… I think I have a name suggestion…” Airi looks up into Shizuku’s expression, a look of realization and youthful-like eagerness in her own. “When I was still pregnant with our little one I researched and brainstormed names for all possibilities of our child.” Shizukus’s eyes widened slightly at Airi’s statement. She had an inkling that this was true; the months spent hovering anxiously around Airi had meant that an activity of one of them became an activity for the other as well. Even so, hearing how dedicated Airi was, even back then to the future of their child makes another drop of warm appreciation flare through the taller woman.
“I had one I really liked in case we had a girl. Even now, I still do… Reina.” As the words leave Airi’s lips, the bundle cradled in her arms shifts slightly, peering up through those endearingly squinted blue eyes. Airi can feel two of those pairs on her as she gazes up to meet the owner of the other.
Shizuku watches in wonder and amusement as their daughter, perhaps only by coincidence, responds to the proposed name. Her gaze travels back up to meet Airi’s. There is hope, yet not a trace of forcefulness to be found in those sincere rubies Shizuku has grown to cherish over the years. “Reina.” The name rolls effortlessly off her tongue and the little girl squints in the direction of Shizuku this time, making her chuckle.
“Reina is a lovely name. You chose well, Airi.” Shizuku’s bright and affectionate smile says all her spouse needs to hear before Airi leans down and pokes Reina on the stomach lightly and fondly.
“It’s settled then. We have a lovely daughter, Reina Hinomori.” Reina makes another happy sound of shrill amusement at Airi’s touch. She snuggles further into the blankets wrapped around her, content to relax and settle down finally. Shizuku gazes one last time at Reina, feeling an uncharacteristically powerful surge of affection and even protectiveness. The new presence of their first child already seems to be uncovering secret emotions within only the first few hours of her arrival. She then turns to spotlight her attention onto Airi, the mother of her child, the love of her life.
“Airi, you must be feeling exhausted. Giving birth, especially going through labor during the night had to have been tiring…” Shizuku’s pale hands travel tenderly forward to cup Airi’s cheeks, her expression tainted with gentle concern. Airi, who as a matter of fact, still hasn’t grown out of her awkward and dopey teenage phase when it comes to her wife, feels the warmth travel straight to her heart.
“Yeah, these last few hours have taken a toll on me…” The exhaustion from the long and rough night behind them seems to finally be catching up in strides to the ruby-eyed girl. She sighs, leaning back into the bedsheets limply, her eyes narrowing slightly. Wordlessly, in an understanding sequence, as if practiced countless times before, Shizuku reaches forward and gracefully takes Reina from Airi’s hold, cradling her in her arms, rocking her gently back and forth.
“Rest well, Airi. We won’t be going anywhere.” Shizuku speaks tenderly, still holding onto Reina as she leans forward, with the intent of giving Airi a comforting kiss on the cheek. Right before Shizuku’s lips make contact with Airi’s cheek, the pink haired girl turns to face Shizuku. At first, the initial surprise and bump as their lips met leads to an uncoordinated kiss. However, years together have prepared the couple for adjusting to each other’s needs and wants and within another second, the kiss turns softer, passionate, and leagues more coordinated. The sound of a chair creaking ever so slightly once more fills the hospital room as the married couple shares a much needed moment of tenderness and peace.
After a long moment, Shizuku pulls back, the warmth from Airi’s lips subsiding as quickly as it came, not without giving her stomach freely fluttering butterflies and two backflips. She smiles fondly at the sight of Airi, now slumped tiredly in the bed against the pillow. Airi and Shizuku share one last look of mutual affection before the former lets out a tired yawn and settles back against the pillows again.
Shizuku gazes down at their daughter, drifting off to dreamland as well in her arms. The blue haired woman doesn’t even try to hold back a giggle upon seeing both of them fall into a synchronized slumber. The sight highlights yet another similarity between Reina and one of her parents while tugging gently at Shizuku’s heartstrings. Shizuku cranes her neck down slightly to kiss Reina’s forehead lightly, conveying her love and tenderness through the contact.
“Rest well, my darlings.”