Work Text:
“Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum!”
You
Are
About
To
Explode
“Not now sweety...” You exhale.
You try really hard to focus on the stall in front of you to ignore your little one pulling on your dress to beg for another candy. But she inherited your headstrong attitude and Steb’s determination, she does not get discouraged easily and she has decided to show it to you.
“Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum!”
“Not now, mummy is busy...” You warn, losing your patience a little more.
Those vacations were supposed to be restful.
But being pregnant in the summer with a small child is never restful, especially with those temperatures! You feel sweat pearling on your forehead despite your large hay hat and rolling down your spine under your dress.
Your cute sandals are KILLING your feet, all swollen and burning.
Your back and hips are painful
You’ve been out for more than 2 hours and you’re thirsty.
“Mum...” She whines exasperatedly, still pulling tirelessly.
You sigh deeply with closed eyes, on the verge of loosing it
“Prunelle, the more you ask, the slimmer the chance to get what you want.”
She grumbles but keeps pulling as you try to choose between spice mixes on the stall under the amused smile of the keeper. All those scents and noise and moist air are starting to make you feel dizzy
Where is Steb? It’s been a while since he ventured with his list of groceries.
“MUM! MUM! MUM!”
You deeply inhale before spinning toward your daughter and kneeling before her with the best contained expression you can muster, fighting back literal tears of rage and exhaustion.
“Prunelle. My daughter. I swear to all the Gods of Runeterra, if you do not stop I will lose it for good.” You warn with a shaky voice, holding her shoulders to make her look at you.
“But muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum...” She stomps her feet and starts to cry as a threat.
You feel your nails sharpening into claws as she starts her tantrum in public, earning judging looks from passersby.
You’re going to lose it. If a miracle does not happen, you will lash out at your unruly 5-year-old daughter in public if you don’t find a solution right now!
“There is a bench right here. Do you want to get under that tree’s shadow?” You almost beg her feeling your eyes getting wet.
“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” She starts to wail and cry for good
“Prunelle... This is not the time...”
But she starts screaming at the top of her lungs as big crocodile tears roll down her green cheeks. You feel yourself sobbing and choking at all of that overstimulation, way too much for your pregnant self on the verge of collapse.
You gasp as you hear sounds of running and Steb appears out of nowhere, finishing his sprint gracefully. His bag is full of the groceries he needed to find while yours is pitifully empty, you got nothing done with your daughter in your way
Steb warned you, he proposed to take her with him but nooooooo, you had to pretend to be up for the job despite your 6-month pregnancy and a terrible previous night, and now you are both crying in public before your husband who tries to make sense of what he is seeing.
Steb’s gaze instantly switches from worried and confused to focused. He grabs a large water bottle with ice that he swiftly pays, lifts your wailing daughter in his arms to carry her, helps you stand back up, and circles your waist to guide you out of the open market towards the car.
He makes you both sit down in the open car for ventilation and forces you both to drink icy fresh water while he puts the groceries in the back seat. He reappears before you with your fan and Prunelle’s plushie which she immediately grabs, her last crocodile tears rolling down her green scales.
He takes off your shoes as you fan yourself and your daughter and gently massage your sore feet, looking up at you with a gaze demanding explanations.
“Prunelles kept begging for new sweets and I did not plan enough water for the day and now here we are...” You explain tiredly
“I want candies!” She immediately starts again.
Steb starts signing his disapproval as she keeps arguing. He refuses to buy her more sweets as long as she won’t be more consistent with her teeth brushing, he asks if he needs to remind her of the weeks of pain she had to endure because she earned a cavity.
She grumbles, advancing the argument that she was way more consistent with it since that happened. He still refuses as he already gave her chocolate earlier, if she truly wants something sweet she could have a fruit once you return to the house.
She recoils, uninterested in the offer, defeated in her endeavor she prefers to hug her plushie and mumble under her breath. With that dealt with, Steb collects your shoes to put them on the back of the car. He comes back with a tube of sunscreen and applies some on her little legs, arms, and head before massaging some on you gently. Once done, he grabs your daughter to sit her down correctly and puts her seatbelt on, he helps you on the passenger seat and sits behind the wheel.
You drive with open windows, the bottle next to you as you fan yourself. You regularly turn toward Prunelles to fan her and propose her water but she keeps grumbling, frustrated to not have more sweets. Steb drives cautiously but rapidly to be home as soon as possible. His gaze travels from the road to you, sweaty and panting next to him and he gently grabs your hand to squeeze it tenderly.
You observe the sun’s rays reflecting on the ocean’s waves away as you drive on the white cliffs of the region, surrounded by sunflower fields
You sigh of relief when you reach the vacation house. It is Steb’s parents’ house but they went traveling and proposed you use it for your vacation as it is in a sunny location and close to the sea.
You immediately accepted, of course, tired of Piiltover’s heavy and polluted atmosphere
Here you can smell the ocean and are surrounded by lavender and lemon fields.
Steb jumps out of the car and gentlemanly helps you get down too before freeing your little one that started to doze off, cradled by the car’s movement. Once again, holding her with one arm under her bum and circling your waist he brings you inside where it’s fresh.
You sit down on the sofa, exhausted and wet with sweat. You observe through the bay window as the sun slowly sets, painting the sky in red and pink. Steb helps Prunelle get rid of her shoes and swiftly kisses her forehead before collecting the groceries in the car.
Prunelle lays down on the cold tiles of the living room, desperate for some freshness on her scales after standing in the sun for so long despite her hat. Your cat Compote appears out of nowhere and meows at her, wondering why she is on the floor before imitating her, stretching his spine as he kneads her little arm.
Steb reappears and places the grocery bag in the cold room for now before turning toward your small family, you slouching inelegantly on the sofa, Prunelle spreading her limbs like a starfish on the ground, and Compote living his best life.
He stands there, hands on his hips, observing his little family melting under the sun. Only the cat came from a fresh spot and is not dying of a heat stroke.
Steb takes out his jacket that he carelessly throws on the table before kneeling in front of Prunelle, observing her panting with a little smile. He takes one of her clean paintbrushes on the table and tickles her nose with the hair.
She instantly sneezes loudly, making Compote jerk away in surprise.
She sits up brushing her little nose with a grumble as Steb lowly chuckles, He helps her stand up to help her onto a chair, cleaning off the table of her art furniture. He sits her down and takes a container from the cold room and a bowl.
"Ice cream?!" She immediately shouts almost standing up on the chair
He puts the container down on the table and signs to her that this is a homemade yogurt ice cream with little sugar in it and he only takes it off because she is obviously too hot to be comfortable. She has the right to two scoops and that is all! No more sweets and dessert for the day and she will brush her teeth immediately after! She starts to negotiate but when Steb pretends to take the ice cream container away she immediately folds down and complies.
"Okay dad, okay, I'll brush my teeth, pleaaaase..." She begs extending her hands to the ice cream desperately.
Steb nods and as promised serves her two scoops and a kiss on the cheek. He takes another bowl out and serves you some with a tender smile. You silently thank him, smiling tiredly at him as you take the bowl from his hand. He leans forward to kiss your wet forehead and returns to your daughter. While you both eat, you on the sofa and her properly on the table, Steb grabs a towel that he soaks in fresh water and softly taps your daughter's head to freshen her up as she gobbles down the treat.
You take a spoonful of the frozen coco yogurt Steb cooked the day before, letting it melt satisfyingly on your tongue as its cold bites your mouth so deliciously. You sigh of relief, a little more at ease at last.
Steb kneels before you to gently massage your sore feet properly this time, soothing you in the little ways he can while you eat.
"Thank you, my love." You sigh, "I am at the end of myself."
He doesn't look up at you, fully focused on his task, but his cheeks’ scales wave and his ears flap around.
You are a couple
A team
He is your husband and the father of your children
You are not alone
Never
Once you are done, he stands back up and gently kisses and caresses your pregnant belly with a purr, earning a little kick in response, making him chuckle. He collects your daughter and goes up to the bathroom to brush her teeth as he ordered. You grumble as you stand up, feeling your dress sticky with sweat, you collect the bowls and spoons and wabble to the sink to wash them
Exactly 3 minutes later, you feel an arm circling your waist and a tall body pressing itself against your back with a low purr.
"Don't" You warn, "I am sweaty and gross."
For sole response, Steb presses you tighter against himself and buries his nose in your hair to inhale your musk, letting out an almost animalistic growl of satisfaction.
He kisses your cheek swiftly and turns your head to make you look at him signing.
"The pool? I mean sure, why not?" You agree, wiping your hands dry with a cloth.
He smiles, kisses your nose, and turns excitedly to Prunelle who just comes back down, hugging her plushie. He signs to her and she almost throws Mister Bunny away to sprint to the pool, through the window bay. Steb stops her before she collides with the window in her frenzy and helps her take off her top and shorts, leaving her in her undergarment. You start unbuttoning your dress as Steb undresses himself down to his boxer
None of you three are motivated enough to climb the stairs to change into your swimsuit, you'll bathe in your underwear today!
Steb helps you finish the buttons and slide off the dress before opening the bay window while Prunelle stomps impatiently, ready to sprint to the water! He slides the bay open and she bursts out of the house running and throws herself in the pool like a canon ball.
Prunelle doesn't know how to swim properly, but as an aquatic vastaya she cannot really drown either so you are not too worried. Steb takes out your floaty for you to lounge lazily while he teaches her.
Prunelle pierces the water again with a big gasp, not easily switching between her lungs and gills yet. Steb kneels at the edge of the pool and wet his neck first before entering to join her as she splashes him with all her might.
You observe your husband and daughter laughing and playing in their natural habitat
Simply happy
Your gaze lowers down to your round belly where your second one peacefully rests for now...
You smile, caressing it lovingly, fantasizing about your life with a family of five. You cannot wait for them to come out and meet them at last...
Steb is also impatient, you see it in his eyes and feel it in his hugs, he wants to hold your second baby in his arms right now, to drool all over them like the doting father that he is
You cannot wait
For such simple happiness once more
Together
You sit down at the edge of the pool carefully, letting your exhausted leg rest in the fresh water while Steb is playing with Prunelle. He grabs her and sits her down on his shoulders and spins away rapidly or grabs her and throws her in the water, both laughing with their heart as they splash the entire zone.
You observe your husband and daughter playing, silent, smiling, kicking your feet, and lathering water on your legs, tummy, and arms. Prunelle laughs and shouts loudly before disappearing underwater with Steb.
They remain under the water for several minutes, swimming in different directions, you can only follow their distorted reflection under the surface as you hold your heavy belly with a sigh. They pierce the surface back after a moment in a different spot, Prunelle agitating her limbs in all directions to move in the water and remain over the surface.
Steb makes her follow him around, showing her the correct movements for swimming and she tries her best, her tongue sticking out as she focuses on her arm-leg coordination.
You jump a bit feeling a soft sensation brushing your side, discovering Compote rubbing himself against you with a purr. You gently scrub under his chin, looking at your little family with love.
A hand brushes your leg softly, Steb looking at you tenderly with a soft smile and laughing eyes
Happy
Just happy
With you
And his family
His very own happiness
After the chaos and the war, the wounds and the betrayals, he has found the warmth of love and will never let it go.
At any cost