Chapter Text
The newly refurbished Mill buzzed with the sound of giggling children and half of the Dingle clan, the room warm and crowded with family.
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Seb!
Happy Birthday to you!
“Blow out your candles, kid!” Aaron shouted over to where an excited little boy was standing over a cake held out by his father, Robert. Seb looked up and gave a toothy grin towards his dad before enthusiastically exhaling over the candles.
“Don’t forget to make a wish, son!” Robert smiled from where he was kneeling on the floor.
“I did, Dad!” Seb exclaimed as Robert placed the cake down on the nearby coffee table.
“Oh yeah?” Aaron said as he extended a hand to help Robert up, hauling him to his feet.
“Knees not what they were?” he smirked.
Robert rolled his eyes, already heading towards the kitchen, carrying the cake ready to be sliced.
“Guess what I wished for!”
Aaron laughed, ruffling his hair. “You’re not supposed to tell us. It won’t come true.”
Seb’s face fell. “But I wanna.”
“Well, why don’t you whisper it to me then, and it can be our secret?” Aaron said with an encouraging smile. The little boy nodded excitedly, sitting next to Aaron, who’d sat down on the sofa expectantly. Seb crawled up next to Aaron and cupped his hands before whispering,
“A baby brother or sister!”
For a second, Aaron forgot how to breathe. The noise of the room seemed to dull, his stomach tightening with something that felt like excitement and a twinge of stubborn fear.
He swallowed, then smiled at Seb. “You just let me have a chat with daddy, yeah?”
Seb’s eyes widened, and a grin filled his face. He squealed excitedly before running off to play with a few of his friends who were giggling away with Eve, Isaac and Harry. Aaron lingered in the living room long enough to watch Seb disappear into a gaggle of children, his chest tight. He rubbed a hand over his face before following Robert into the kitchen.
“So what did he ask for?” Robert asked as Aaron entered the kitchen, where Robert was carefully cutting slices of the Liverpool FC cake that their son had requested. Aaron walked over beside Robert and leaned against the counter, a cheeky grin plastered across his face.
“Let’s just say he’s going to be one very happy boy today.”
As the afternoon wore on, the party thinned and the music grew louder, children leaving one by one.
“Thank you for coming, Edgar!” Seb smiled, handing over the Liverpool-themed party bag to his friend.
“It was ace!” Edgar grinned, happily taking the bag and running to his mum’s waiting car. Seb stood with Aaron to wave away his friend before they headed back inside to the sound of Asereje by the Ketchup Girls playing in the background, Harry, Isaac and Eve dancing along whilst the adults gossiped, and Chas helped Robert clear away some of the mess from before. Seb ran off to play with his cousins whilst Aaron headed to grab a beer from the fridge.
“Hey you…” Robert whispered into his ear, wrapping his arms around Aaron’s waist, eliciting a short gasp from Aaron, who turned to face his boyfriend.
“Yes?” Aaron said, raising a cheeky eyebrow towards Robert, who looked away momentarily, taking in a quick breath.
“Do you think it’s time we told them all?” Aaron felt his chest warm a little. It didn’t seem so scary now that he was in Robert’s arms, not that he would ever tell him that.
“Don’t suppose I’ve much else on.” He said coyly, earning him a playful jab in the side from his other half.
“You’re so annoying," Robert smirked before learning in for a chaste kiss.
“Gross!” Eve groaned from where she stood at the kitchen door.
“Shut it, Steve!” Aaron replied playfully, earning a scrunched up face from his sister.
“No, you shut it, Sharon!”
Robert let go of Aaron before shaking his head softly at Aaron and Eve.
“Come on you two, let's go through to the living room.”
Aaron grabbed a second beer - this one for Robert - before following him through to the living room. The room was full, family clustered around the sofa and dining table, children sprawled across the floor with half-deflated balloons. His mum sat with Paddy and Mandy, Cain and Moira nearby, Charity and Mack arguing softly by the window, Victoria silently watching the children.
Aaron walked towards Robert, who stood at the edge of their corner sofa and passed him the bottle of lager. His chest felt tight - with excitement and a niggling doubt that Robert was almost the perfect antidote for. Robert turned and shot him an encouraging smile. Somehow, he always knew when Aaron needed to see that soft smile. Robert turned back to face the family before turning off the music, all eyes turning to the pair.
“Sorry, folks, but Aaron and I have something to say.” He began, slipping Aaron’s hand into his. The silence stretched, Aaron’s heart thudding so hard he wondered if everyone could hear it.
“We’re getting kicked out, everybody!” Mack shouted in jest, eliciting laughter from the children and a piercing glare from Aaron.
“No, um… we have news.” Aaron continued, looking at Robert as his short bout of confidence expired. Robert sent him another one of those smiles before turning to the crowded room.
“Well…there’s no easy way to say this, but in about six months from now we’re going to need someone to look after the birthday boy…”
Seb turned his head like a confused puppy before pointing at himself, “me?”
“That’s right,” Robert smiled, “because remember what you wished for earlier?” Seb pondered to himself for a moment, the room a mixture of confused faces and soft smiles from those who had figured out the secret.
“I… you… us… me… I’m… I’m going to be a big brother?” Seb shouted, his eyes wide, a grin widening across his face. Aaron nodded, the relief threatening to flood from his eyes.
“You sure are, my boy!” Robert replied, the room erupting with joy, Seb running right towards his parents and straight into Robert’s arms. Chas squealed, practically bouncing over to envelope an embarrassed Aaron in her arms.
“Oh, love!” she squealed, hugging him tight, “I’m so so happy for you.”
Aaron laughed wetly, pressing his face into her shoulder, the knot in his chest finally loosening.