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It was the day of their baby shower, and admittedly both Mel and Viktor were trying their best to not stress over the small details or unexpected surprises. Months had ticked away, and now they were in the home stretch of the long pregnancy journey they chose. Viktor sat in the car with his wife, rubbing his very visible baby bump to soothe not only himself but the tap dancing feet kicking his innards. He made a soft huff as the car rolled to a stop in the city traffic, grumbling something under his breath about being ‘too pregnant’ for this.
“They’re either trying to dance to the music or really hated breakfast,” Viktor remarked while relaxing his head back on the neck pillow.
“Ah, I like to think they like their mama’s playlist,” Mel chuckled back at her husband, reaching a hand over to stroke the top of Viktor’s hand.
Soothing, comforting, reassuring. His wife was beaming from ear to ear with pride.
“Sure, eh, let’s go with that,” Viktor smirked back, feeling a smile that almost seemed permanent on his face since he found out he was pregnant. Mel put her hands back on the steering wheel, driving them both towards the address that Elora had sent to them. It wasn’t terribly far from their apartment, but the traffic made them arrive later than they preferred.
Well, now they could just be fashionably late.
When they got to the venue, which was a hotel in the uptown promenade district, they were greeted by a valet service and smiling reception.
“Council woman Medarda! We were expecting you,” the beaming woman at the front desk looked between Mel and Viktor. “Mister Medarda, welcome and congratulations!”
Of course the news would get out about the new baby to the elected city official, and while some folks had mixed feelings, many were just full of kind words and unsolicited advice. After all, it wasn’t everyday that a woman impregnated her husband, but the glory of science, IVF technology, and sperm banks existed.
“The elevator to the event space is just to the right, around the corner, floor thirty five,” the second receptionist nodded his head.
“Thank you both,” Mel waved her manicured hand to the pair as they moved around the desk to the elevator bay. Viktor shuffled close, the skirt of the maternity dress swaying against the fleece-lined leggings, swishing with extra material even though he felt it close to his stomach. They were told to dress up a bit for this, so he allowed his wife to pick out a matching outfit for them.
One of the few times Viktor would wear a dress, comfortable with his transitioning to sport something more feminine. And damn, if dresses weren’t comfortable and easy to maneuver in compared to the buckles and buttons of pants. That’s how Mel and him found themselves in coordinated fits for their baby shower.
Mel had on a deep, eggplant purple dress that was accented in gold to compliment her favorite pair of earrings. Viktor managed to find a similar shade dress that ended just above his ankles, since he refused anything longer for fear of it being a tripping hazard. Rounding the corner and entering the first elevator that opened, the pair of soon-to-be parents went up to the venue as directed.
Upon stepping out of the elevator, they saw a sandwich board sign with elegant cursive and chalk painted flowers that announced the event. The sign was by a closed set of decorated double doors, meaning they were certainly in the right place. The corners of the doorframe were decorated with a frame of vibrant greenery with some baby's breath blooms adding sprinkles of white. It matched the painted flowers on the chalkboard that framed the calligraphy.
| Welcome to Viktor and Mel Medarda’s baby shower! |
| Invite only |
“Elora really went big for this,” Mel commented as she carried her jacket folded in her arms. Viktor was still well bundled up to fight the early winter chill that ate at his bones, leaning against his forearm crutch to support his growing unsteadiness.
“I forget, didn’t we ask for ‘nothing too grand’? “Viktor asked, seeing the slightly guilty glance his wife gave him.
“Well, perhaps Elora and Lest may have toned it down? A hotel can provide security and catering, possibly this was an easier arrangement than hiring multiple contract companies?” Mel asked sheepishly, though Viktor saw exactly what was going on.
Mel already knew what her best friends were capable of.
When they opened the door, they were greeted with an array of familiar faces from both their vast friend groups and small families combined. The room itself was decorated in green, white, and gold flowers and balloons.
Immediately they were met with a round of cheers and applause that caused Viktor to tense and stare like a deer stuck in headlights. While Mel was used to being seen in crowds, she knew her husband was not one for such attention. A photographer was there capturing the moment, snapping their shocked expressions as they began to scan and take in the whole room.
So much extravagance.
A few tables were filled with presents and various baby shower related games. A whiteboard was on the wall where people were making bets on the sex of their child. There were a few food tables with many different types of Noxian and Zaunite treats with a few Piltovian delicacies sprinkled in, plus a dessert bar loaded with far too many sweets than necessary (but none would go to waste).
Across the room they could see all the faces of those who loved and supported them, all now looking at them with expectant eyes.
“Wow, okay, so this is the wrong room,” Viktor blurted out, Mel snorting as they hooked arms.
“Oh yeah, this isn’t for us, no,” Mel playfully teased along as they went over to where Elora was vibrating with excitement. The normally composed woman looked over the moon at them. Lest walked over with Elora, the pair of wives smiling at their best friend and her husband before presenting them with a set of glittery matching sashes that said “Mother-to-be’ and ‘Father-to-be’. It was similar to the silky sash that the pair had at their shared bachelor-bachelorette party.
“Yay, glitter,” Viktor said dryly, though was clearly enjoying the two women fawning over him.
“Hey, we don’t have to clean it so you two are getting sparkled,” Lest smirked as she put her hand on her hips while her tail swished. Elora took Mel’s coat as Viktor shrugged his own off, which was confiscated from him.
“Oh my, you’re really showing!” Elora gasped as she looked at him, covering her mouth with her free hand.
Viktor nodded, “Yeah, kinda just ‘popped’ recently.”
“Plus they’re super active!” Mel smiled, glad to see her friends were not touching her husband’s bump without asking; though it was clear both wanted to.
“Okay okay, come on, everyone's here,” Lest beckoned the pair to follow them into the swarm. Mel saw her mother chatting it up with Jayce’s mother while Viktor’s adoptive father was sitting nearby with a glass of non-alcoholic wine.
Speaking of Jayce, the man was already moving past the crowd to greet his two best friends with a big warm hug. “Ah! Holy shit, Vik, you’re so– you’re so pregnant!” Jayce smiled as he went from hugging the pair to touching Viktor’s swollen stomach with an open palm.
“Astute observation, Jayce,” Viktor chuckled as his best friend touched his belly.
“I mean, like, you’re all covered up at work, but this? Damn, it’s like it’s real! I mean, they’re real,” Jayce gawked before looking at Mel, the two hugging again.
Elora chuckled, “Hold on, wait, before you get swept away– you need to see the voting board!”
“You didn’t,” Viktor whispered before looking to see the poll everyone had been forced to vote on.
“We did, we looked through so many Pinterest inspo boards and over the top baby shower videos to get the best for you both!” Lest assured.
Sure enough, Viktor and Mel noticed a common theme among their friends and family. They could see each of them had either a blue or pink ribbon pinned to their chests. It seemed to be a pretty even split between the crowd. Elora had blue pinned to her dress, while Lest had a pink ribbon. Both Jayce and Sky had pink ribbons, as well as matching pink button downs. The couple was set on their friends being girl parents. Mel’s mom had a pink ribbon, while Viktor’s adoptive dad and sister both wore blue. Jayce’s mother had a blue ribbon, commenting that Viktor was carrying low.
Jinx and Vi seemed to pick the color based on their hairs, since Jinx had blue and Vi had pink. Caitlyn matched her wife with a pink ribbon, while their two daughters both picked one of each. Ekko was near his fiance with a blue ribbon, Isha hung near her parents with a blue ribbon as well. Looks like the trio chose in solidarity. Vander and Silco both picked pink, since they were a pair of proud girl dads. Sevika was with Margo, and they both had pink pinned to them as well.
Viktor’s pair of friends from university, Huck and Dmitri, both had on blue ribbons. The group from Mel’s work, the other city councilors she was close with, had an even mix of pink and blue. Cassandra, Salo and Bolbok all have pink while Shoola, Hoskel and Dr. Heimerdinger all had blue.
While the split alternated further between blues and pinks, it was one person’s color choice that caught the couple’s attention.
Kino, Mel’s older brother, stood with two pink ribbons pinned to his new ‘World’s Best Uncle’ shirt; which matched Orianna’s ‘World Best Aunt’ shirt. His reasoning was that, “I'm just that confident.”
Mel picked a blue ribbon while Viktor picked a pink one, though both gave the response along the lines of: “I just want them to be healthy, I don’t care if we have a boy, girl, or if they’re something in between or outside the spectrum.”
“Right, but baby boys pee on you,” Ambessa commented as she looked between her son and daughter.
“I think you just want it to be a girl so you can dress her up in Mel’s old clothes,” Kino remarked, getting a smirk from his mother.
While music played and food was enjoyed, the couple watched as everyone intermingled. Of course throughout the whole event people kept coming up and trying to feel the baby, which Viktor allowed begrudgingly.
“So, what’s the weirdest craving he’s had?” Vi asked Mel.
“Well, I’d say so far it was those fish dumplings he dipped in apple cider vinegar and topped with holiday sprinkles,” Mel admitted, getting a grossed out face from Vi.
“Are you drinking raspberry leaf tea yet, dear?” Ximena asked Viktor as she was rubbing the bump.
“Er, well no, my mid wife wants me to stay away in case it induces labor,” Viktor chuckled nervously.
“You planning on a top down eviction for stringbean?” Jinx asked, though Caitlyn elbowed her to stop.
Mel chuckled at the imagery before shrugging, “Depends, we’re going to see how Viktor is holding up.”
Tobias and Cassandra Kiramman stood with Viktor and Mel, both spouting their parental wisdom on the couple.
“And don’t forget to take parenting classes, little Caitlyn nearly choked when she was a year old! Thank goodness my women’s club had me take the courses,” Cassandra fanned herself, while both Mel and Viktor looked over at a rather flustered Caitlyn who was trying to ignore her parents. Ambessa’s ‘tough mama’ mask dropped as she seemed over the moon at her soon-to-be grandma status. Singed was staying by himself, though a faint smile seemed to pull at his face under his medical mask he refused to part with.
As the day ticked on, the games began to bring everyone in with fits of laughter. From a diaper guessing game, to guessing who’s baby photo belonged to whom (Jinx’s and Violet’s were by far the easiest), to speed ‘change the dirty onesie’ with snaps that went all the way down the length of the outfit on dolls, everyone was in good spirits.
Opening gifts was a hit, since everyone brought either what the couple listed off their registry or gender neutral. Gifts from veteran parents with items they swore by, to their friends gifting the hottest and newest in babycare needs. Several boxes of diapers in various sizes, enough blankets and bibs to last a lifetime, and several ‘for the parents’ gifts later, they came to the final activity planned for the evening. They were nearly quite literally showered in gifts.
“Alright, everyone’s votes are in! Mom and dad have their picks chosen,” Lest smiled as Elora brought out a large box that was easy enough for the small woman to carry.
“Inside here, you’ll know if baby Medarda will be a boy or little girl,” Lest’s ears twitched as the room cheered. Elora placed the wrapped box down in front of Viktor and Mel, letting the couple sit with their excitement. Everyone watched with wide eyes, not wanting to miss the moment it was revealed.
Viktor and Mel seemed to take some enjoyment in drawing it out, though it was the pregnant man’s pleasure in really making them panic.
“I mean, maybe we could all just wait until they’re born,” Viktor shrugged.
“Boo, lame as– butt!” Vi shouted, getting a laugh from her sister.
“Alright alright, well if you all really want to know, guess it’d be cruel to keep it a secret from everyone, including us, for much longer,” Mel smiled, scanning the crowd.
“The only person who knows is the person at the party store,” Elora admitted, a few chuckles resounding.
Viktor and Mel put their hands on the lid of the box, feeling the force of the balloons pushing upwards. The couple exchanged glances and then soft pecks as the room counted down.
“3…. 2…. 1!” in unison, the pair counted down.
The box lid was lifted up, and out came several white balloons tapped to an envelope. The room erupted in amused groans as the cheeky couple shared looks from their delaying and teasing. Mel took the envelope, passing it over to Viktor to open.
“This is it, I swear,” Mel assured with a smile. Viktor carefully peeled back the lip of the envelope before pulling out the folded paper. He looked at his wife, smiling over her antsy expression. As he pulled out the paper he had to pause, taking a deep steadying breath before he unfolded the answer.
Silence suffocated the room before Mel covered her mouth, tears running down her face. Viktor’s face bloomed before he reached out, letting go of the answer in favor of embracing his wife. The room was confused, Lest reaching out for the paper before gasping and looking back and forth. Elora quickly slipped over to her wife to look at the results as well, quickly covering her mouth.
“What does it mean?” Elora asked, Lest smiling before squealing to the point her tail puffed up in excitement.
“What is it?” Ambessa asked, Kino reaching over with Orianna to take the answers. With the two Medardas looking over the paper the secret lasted only a second before Amebessa was cheering, Kino running over to pick up his sister.
“Twins! Two girls?!” Ambessa shouted, unleashing the flood gates of pure love and overwhelming joy. She was quick to kiss her daughter before hugging her son-in-law in a gentle embrace. Orianna was quick to slip her arms around her brother, and soon the whole room was in ecstatic hysterics.
“How did you keep this a secret?!” Jayce asked as he was in near tears over this news, pulling the pair into a group hug.
“Explains why you’re so big!” Vi commented.
Mel and Viktor were hugging, crying, over the moon with this news.
Two baby girls, both healthy and measuring on track for their gestation.
“Not too much?” Mel asked Viktor as the two sat in their car, now loaded with every gift that would fit.
“No, just shows they’ll be surrounded with people who love them,” Viktor smiled, as sappy as it was.
Mel agreed, kissing her husband on the cheek once before they went to drive home and decompress.