Chapter Text
The Hoshidans always forgot how different the Nohrians are from them. They differed on food, activities, entertainment--all things that never interfered with their bond. The Hoshidans were naive and believed it never would.
Yet the recent conflict with the Norwoods and Akunas revealed a side to the Nohrians that they didn't expect.
Elise settled into bed before her husband got out of the bathroom. It was almost 10, and with their children finally asleep, she was beyond ready to go to bed.
"Oh, I'm almost out..." she muttered, checking her phone to look at something. "Is my refill ready yet?"
Ryoma could be heard shuffling in the bathroom, so she didn't have that much time to check her phone. She scrolled as fast as she could until her eyes widened. "It's out of stock?! How?!"
She quickly masked her panic as her husband arrived from the bathroom. She also tried to keep her gaze from lingering on his body. He wore nothing but a robe that was loosely tied around his waist. She couldn't blame him, it was hot outside and she'd almost gone in lingere just to beat the heat herself.
"The kids are asleep, right?" Ryoma asked as she put her phone down. He placed his arm a little before her hip, causing the bed to dip with the weight.
Elise knew exactly where this was going. She also wanted to do it so badly. His abs were tantalizing, his chest begging to be touched. She dared not let her gaze drift below his abs. "They are."
"Did they go down well?" Ryoma asked softly, his saddened gaze fixed on her lips. She nodded, allowing herself to feel his forearms. Her fingers were light and soft, causing him to purr. "I wish I could have helped tonight."
"Your meeting was important, honey," she reminded him. "The Akuna-Norwood dispute needs to be resolved as soon as possible."
"I still can't believe they disowned Heidi at her graduation party," he hissed bitterly. Elise cupped his cheek, sympathetic to his pain. "It's such an evil thing to do."
"Well, Heidi did study pre-law. She can sue the crap out of her parents." Elise cracked a smile, her eyes fixed on his. "She needs to if you ask me."
Ryoma nodded his agreement, leaning down to kiss her neck. "Moving past the stressful conversation, did you realize how beautiful you looked in your new peach dress this morning?"
Elise blushed, feeling a slight bulge near her stomach. "I did. You made it quite obvious, darling."
"Are you up for it tonight?" Ryoma whispered, his hand over hers as he kissed her hair.
Dusk Dragon above, he was down horrendously bad tonight.
Even though every cell in Elise's body wanted to, she shook her head. "I can't. I'm ovulating."
Ryoma instantly moved away from her, settling down beside her and rolling onto his side to talk to her. "I see. I'm sorry, honey. I didn't think to ask--"
"No worries, dear," she reassured him. Elise sighed, fidgeting with her hands as her husband's face changed. He evidently picked up on how bothered she was by this fact.
"...you're ovulating okay, right? Is something wrong?"
"Everything's fine, Ryoma. I'm merely not willing to take the risk."
The curtness in her tone bristled his nerves more than he liked to admit. "I understand, but I am worried about you. You're more grave about this than usual."
"You're reading into things, dearest." Elise replied, smoothing his hair back. "I'm fine."
"But you don't sound fine. You sound the exact opposite of fine." Ryoma insisted, meeting her gaze.
Elise shook her head, cracking a small smile. "Of course I'm a bit vexed. You're a smoking hot meal and I really do want you right now. I just can't."
Blushing ever so slightly, Ryoma raised his head. "Would you feel better if I slept on the couch?"
"No no, it's fine. I'll make it up to you soon, dear." Elise tossed her hair back, lying back down on her pillow. She could hear Ryoma settle down on his side of the bed, his breathing slowing down significantly as he drifted off to sleep.
Elise blew a breath, shaking her head and holding her head in her hand. "How can they sleep like that?"
She had a bit of culture shock when she discovered Hoshidans were okay with sleeping naked. Their summers were brutal and it was an easy way to cool off. This was a foreign idea to the Nohrians, for Nohr was always cold and being in any state of undress was asking for trouble.
Moving beyond the idea of her currently scantily clad husband, Elise sighed. "I'll check on them before I go to sleep."
She pushed over the covers as carefully as she could. Elise even turned around to see if Ryoma stirred.
Elise made her way down the hall amd to the left. She peeked her head into their son Shiro's room and smiled. Her little boy was fast asleep, snoring lightly between a massive doggy plush and a little kitty pillow. Elise planted a kiss on her son's head before leaving and checking on their daughter.
Bethany never failed to both comfort and frighten Elise. Her dark locks and piercing orange eyes made her the direct opposite of Elise. Yet her baby had her laugh and joyous spirit. According to her doting father, anyway.
Even though her daughter was perfect, Elise couldn't help but be wary of her. Every twitch of her fingers made Elise want to run and get Ryoma to tend to her instead.
The mere idea of having a daughter terrified her to her core. She couldn't help but remember her own mother every time she cared for Bethany. Elise may be nothing like her mother, but that never stopped the fear.
Elise did plant a small kiss on Bethany's head, but she closed her eyes as panic gripped her heart. "I can never do this again..."
Elise let her finger slip between the crib bars, feeling Bethany's hand as she recalled the day she was born.
Bethany's birth nearly killed her and the baby. She had been forced to deliver three months too early. Bethany clung to her uterine lining and tore it out. Then her miscreant of a daughter spent a month in the NICU just to stabilize.
"Never again..." she voiced, her own tone scaring her. "I am never having another baby. You may have turned out well in the end, sweetheart, but I will not risk another birth. I still have nightmares from your birth."
Bethany obviously didn't answer, but Elise accepted her silence as an answer. She left without another word, settling besides Ryoma like nothing happened.
Elise rubbed her temples at breakfast, her eyes dull and weary. Shiro and Bethany both woke up at five and refused to go back to sleep. With Ryoma already at work and adult Shiro gone doing who knows what, she had to deal with two energetic kids by herself.
"Morning Elise," Camilla greeted with a small smile. Elise could smell the perfume she used to cover up the spit up on her shirt. She wrinkled her nose but chuckled.
"Morning. So, was it Kiragi or Camala?"
"Kiragi. Camala had a blowout instead." Camilla was always so calm and composed whenever she talked about her kids. "Man am I glad I decided to go back on the pill."
Elise bristled, raising her eyes to meet her sister's. "...you're taking the Alo Pill?" Elise whispered harshly as she leaned towards her.
Camilla raised her eyebrow in amusement. "I have been since Camala was born, darling."
"You have?!" Elise gasped, gripping her napkin as the questions swirled in her mind. "...how did Takumi react?"
"I haven't mentioned it to him. He's stressed enough." Camilla sipped her tea like nothing happened. Elise couldn't believe that her big sister didn't tell her husband. Camilla always told Elise to tell Ryoma everything.
"Why...?" Elise asked, curiosity burning her mind. "I thought you love babies."
Camilla gave her the so-so sign as she sipped her tea. "I do. But I also love being able to support my husband without worrying about getting pregnant. Besides, Kiragi and Camala are perfect."
"So...you think it's okay if I go on the pill?" Elise asked, her face paling as she waited for her sister. "I know Ryoma and Sakura would be incredibly cross--"
"They're Hoshidans, Elise. Birth control doesn't exist in Hoshido because they've never faced the problems we have in Nohr. You have to be more gracious with them."
Elise closed her eyes, sighing as she recalled the other problem she had. She had to deal with her husband's task of taking care of the younger versions of her siblings and herself. Between the birth control and her refusal to see her younger self, Ryoma was more than likely going to be cross with her.
But this was something she refused to budge on. She couldn't stare into her own innocent eyes without an overwhelming sense of guilt. She was old enough to be her younger self's mother and that terrified her.
She twitched her foot, braiding her hair as she fret over her husband's reaction. He was either going to be really chill about this or take this horribly wrong.
Camilla laid her hand over Elise's, her fingers smooth and cool on her skin. "Everything will be all right, Elise. Just talk to him. I'm sure he'll understand."
This was why Elise drummed her fingers the moment Ryoma put the kids to bed. Shiro's head was on his shoulder while Bethany was sprawled out in his arms. It was cute to see him handle them so delicately, but she also knew that little moments like this could stir the desire for another child.
He returned swiftly, yawning as he plopped onto the bed. He was a bit more dressed this evening, wearing a thin shirt in addition to the robe and shorts. Ryoma settled in and immediately turned to his wife. "So. Did you want to say something or am I reading your face wrong?"
Elise's stomach dropped. She forgot that she and Ryoma learned to read each other's expressions like a book. It was a skill two mind wipes couldn't erase. An extra wide smile with no sparkle meant something was terribly wrong.
"I do, yes," she began. She popped her fingers nervously. "I wanted to talk to you about...er, protection."
"Protection from wha--" his face paled. "Oh. Did I mess up?! Oh crap, I swear I checked every condom--"
"I'm not pregnant," Elise added quickly. This instantly eased Ryoma's nerves. A good sign for Elise moving forward. She grazed his hand with her fingers, not meeting his eyes as she continued on. "But I...I am taking birth control."
Ryoma's face went through a mixture of confusion and concern all at once. This wasn't something they ever brought up before so she had no idea how he'd feel about this. "Like the pill?"
She nodded, meeting his gaze with doe eyes and a small worried frown. She prayed that he'd respond well and they could move on.
However, Ryoma laid his hand on her shoulder and ran his thumb down her skin. "Are you okay with this?"
"I think it's fine," Elise admitted. "May not be ideal, but I don't mind it."
"If you're not 100% sold on the idea of being on birth control, why didn't you come to me about it?" Ryoma asked quietly, his voice a little strained. "You think that because I was born in Hoshido I'd shame you?"
"Something like that, yeah," she sighed. "I just didn't want you to be mad at me."
"Elise, it's your body. Not mine. I am hurt that you didn't come and talk to me about this before you decided to go on the pill."
Elise pulled her face, sighing before she looked into his eyes again. "I didn't want you to be angry. You're already so on edge after my younger self arrived. Plus it's just stupid postpartum stuff."
"It's not stupid," Ryoma reassured her. "The only thing stupid about it is that I didn't pick up on it earlier. But all I'm asking is that you talk to me before you decide to go on birth control. If you really don't want any more children, I would get a vasectomy."
Elise pressed her head into his shoulder. She inhaled deeply and relished his warmth and strength. "That makes me feel better. I seriously can't stand the idea of another child."
"I had no idea you felt like this...Dawn Dragon, I shouldn't have released inside last year--" Ryoma began before she kissed his lips.
"Don't be silly. I still adore you. Plus Bethany is perfect." Elise purred, tracing his jawline. "Thank you for being so understanding, honey."
"It's my job to make sure you're comfortable and safe," he replied. "...although I wish you really would talk to her. She wants to see you so badly, Elise."
Elise pressed her fingers to his lips, a scowl deep on her face. "Absolutely not. You know why I won't see her."
"I know, I know. But if you ever reconsider, she'd be thrilled to meet you. She asks about you all the time."
Elise shook her head while Ryoma laid down. She nestled into his chest, dozing off while he stared at the ceiling.
He loved her dearly and she knew that.
But every cell in his Hoshidan blood screamed for her to just break down and meet her younger self. She'd feel better if she did.
However, he wasn't about to push his luck tonight. He merely drifted to sleep after whispering a prayer for her, the kids, and Little 'Lise.
To Be Continued