ᴘᴜʀɢᴀᴛᴏʀʏ || indefinite hiatus

* { ~ 07 ~ } *

   The fireplace crackled when he turned another page with a sigh. The blond rested his elbow on his knee. It had been a few months since they'd returned to the cabin. They'd gotten a lot done in the last few months, and since they had an angel amongst them, the blond was in charge of gathering supplies. He didn't mind considering he outright refused to let Anna leave the cabin during her pregnancy. Let alone by herself since Hiro refused to leave her side now that she was starting to have a hard time bending down to grab things with her growing belly.
  If Denki had to guess, they were halfway through her pregnancy now. Maybe five or six months along, and he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath when his mind briefly wandered to his son's excitement. The teenager was the epitome of a ball of sunshine with even just the idea of being a big brother. The boy took good care of his mom whenever the engineer left the house to gather as much food as he could.
  Never once had Denki thought about being a father, let alone a stepfather. He didn't mind. He didn't think he'd ever get that much to begin with, regardless if he was an angel.
  Lately, he'd been sneaking out to make frequent trips to the neighbouring town to pilfer through the library. She sure as hell couldn't give birth by herself when the time eventually came, so he read as much about the subject as he could. Every medical textbook and How-To guide he could find.
  He'd brought everything back to the cabin so he didn't have to keep leaving. It made things easier for him and helped whenever his body refused to sleep.
  The heartbeat in her growing stomach had long since developed to its beautiful self, and no matter how many times he saw the second heartbeat, his chest tightened with joy. He never thought he'd get this much, regardless if the baby belonged to Hitoshi.
  The winter had been cold and harsh, but the trio pushed on. Spring would be upon them within the month, and the blond was glad. He'd been terrified of letting Anna roam outside in the snow. The last thing they needed was for her to catch a cold considering her body was working overtime to make a new life.
  His eyes scanned the pages in front of him beneath the firelight. There were books scattered all over the coffee table, and most of them he'd read at least three times from cover to cover.
  He still had some difficulty understanding the terminology for most of the long-ass words. At least the charts that came with the textbooks helped a little. He sure as hell couldn't help her deliver this baby by himself when the time eventually came.
  He was still anxious to find out what the baby would be, and he'd spent the last few months gathering little things to build the nursery in the spare bedroom. Since they didn't know the baby's gender, they'd settled on a soft purple theme that Hiro had helped decorate whenever she couldn't reach. Thankfully, the walls of the spare bedroom were already a soft lavender.
  The teenager had been more than happy to leave the spare room for the baby to make his bedroom in the loft instead. No one argued with the boy either when he'd spent the better part of the day pilfering through the garage and basement to find some things to decorate his room. The engineer had even helped him set up a spot in the basement when they'd found a hockey net in the garage.
  There was a lake through the trees in the backyard that Hiro loved to skate on when they'd found some skates stored away in the basement.
  Their son had just turned 15 the prior week, and of course, the celebration hadn't been anything big. Just the three of them in the living room after they'd found a deck of cards. They'd spent most of the night playing and Denki commended the woman when she'd found a well-used deck of Cards Against Humanity that added to the fun.
  She was more lenient on the teenager's cursing lately, and Hiro sure as hell swore like a sailor. Something the blond teased their boy must've gotten from her considering how short her temper was these days with the pregnancy hormones.
  He shook his head, focusing on the pages in front of him again.
  He couldn't afford to get distracted. She was due in the next few months, and Kaminari still had a lot to learn. So far, he knew they needed prenatal drugs to help ensure the baby was healthy, and they also needed another specific drug that would help induce labour if she couldn't do it by herself. Regardless if she promised she could do it without the help of whatever the fuck Pitocin was.
  They'd already created their birth plan, and hospitals sure as hell weren't an option to help her these days. They'd decided that they'd use their bedroom once Anna went into labour. Somewhere she was safe and comfortable.
  There was no way Denki would let Hiro into the room when she went into labour and she'd agreed. He was way too young to witness that. Instead, they'd agreed that Hiro would wait in the living room while she gave birth.
  She'd even mentioned that she could give birth without the aid of an epidural, and he'd excessively researched what it was. He knew she was going to be in a lot of pain, no matter if they used paralysing drugs or not. Plus there was always the lingering anxiety that she might need a C-section should things not go the way they planned.
  There was no way he'd be able to cut into her body to help her deliver the baby, just the thought made his stomach turn with nausea―
  "Denks?" He tore his gaze from the books scattered across the coffee table to meet her curious gaze. Fuck, he hadn't even heard the bedroom door open. "What are you doing, love?" She asked curiously while she approached.
  His gaze softened and made room for her when she sat down next to him on the sofa in front of the fire. "Learning," he chuckled when her gaze drifted to the books. She reached for one curiously to read the title.
  He watched her eyes soften. "You're reading about birthing methods," she whispered, meeting his gaze in awe.
  "You sure as shit can't do it by yourself, babe," he chuckled, pulling a hand through his hair and his brows furrowed when he removed a pencil from behind his ear. Oh yeah, he snorted to himself. A giggle left her lips when he set the pencil down on the coffee table. He'd almost forgotten he'd been taking notes. "I'm reading up on how to help you when you go into labour."
  Her gaze was full of silent adoration and tears of elation brimmed in the corners of her eyes. His breath stuttered when he was pulled forward in a tight embrace before he melted with a shaky breath. "I adore you," she whispered, and he buried his face into her shoulder.
  "I love you too, Sparks," he murmured, tightening his hold on her. A tearful laugh left her lips when he pulled her into his lap, and she held on when he returned to reading.
  "Is this what you've been doing every night for the last few weeks?" She asked softly, breaking the silence that blanketed over them while he read.
  He bobbed his head. "Yeah," he admitted. "I figured I'd just bring the books home whenever I went to the library. Sure as hell made it easier for me instead of going back and forth every night." He met her gaze sweetly, brushing her hair from her eyes. "Why are you awake, beautiful?"
  Her breath stuttered with the nickname, and he made a quick mental note to use it more often when her cheeks flooded with colour. She sure as hell needed the reminder after the argument they'd had when her body had first started changing. "I woke up without you," she murmured, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
  And that you didn't have another nightmare, her thoughts echoed around him, and his gaze softened. It was a big help that he could hear whatever crossed her mind lately.
  She'd been having a hard time voicing exactly what she needed these last few weeks, and it helped that he could hear her thoughts. He was pretty sure she'd figured it out by now with how often he used her thoughts to his advantage.
  "You wanted to make sure I didn't have another nightmare," he whispered knowingly, and she nodded. A soft breath of laughter left his lips. "I'm fine, baby," he promised. "This is what I've been doing every night," he continued as he relaxed on the sofa, gesturing to the books scattered across the coffee table.
  "It's well after midnight, Denks," she said softly, tracing gentle patterns across his bare chest. "You can read more in the morning."
  "Perks of being an angel, babe," he chuckled. "I don't sleep unless I want to."
  She met his gaze knowingly. "Please come back to bed, my love," she whispered, gently brushing his hair from his eyes. "I won't stop you from reading in the morning, yeah?" She offered sweetly, and his gaze softened when her thoughts added, Especially when you have no idea how much this means to me.
  "Alright alright," he laughed fondly, pressing his lips to her temple. "C'mon," he murmured, collecting her in his arms to carry her to their shared bedroom. "I gotta be up early tomorrow anyway."
  A giggle left her lips when he gently set her down on the mattress. "Ah yes," she sighed wistfully, nuzzling into the sheets. "And I wonder whose idea it was to make pancakes for our son every Saturday morning," she added teasingly, and he grinned, crawling into bed with her.
  He covered them with the blanket with a sigh of relief, breathing in the scent of her hair. He pressed his lips to the back of her neck, pulling her back flush against his bare chest. "Kid's gotta have something else to look forward to, babe," he murmured into her skin, unable to fight the curl of his lips. "Besides, it's easy to get supplies when you can fly."
  She nuzzled herself into his embrace when his hand affectionately rested on her growing bump. "It certainly makes it easier, yes," she giggled, tilting her head back to brush her lips to his cheek. "Get some rest, my love."
  "Night, baby," he whispered affectionately when he caught her lips in a chaste kiss.
  "G'night, Denks," she breathed.
  His gaze softened when he felt a gentle kick against the palm of his hand and his eyes fell to her growing bump. "Night, bug," he added breathlessly when the baby finally rested.