❛❛𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂❞

01:10

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"BABY FEVER"
[AN EXTRA CHAPTER]
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☘︎ ݁˖The sunlight came through the curtains, lighting up the small kitchen with a soft glow. It was a calm morning - quiet and slow. The kettle had just finished whistling, and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air.

[Name] moved with quiet purpose, pouring the dark liquid into Soshiro's favorite mug. She hummed softly under her breath, the tune lost in the comfort of routine.

"Here," she said, placing the cup in front of him at the table. "Careful. It's hot."

Soshiro looked up from the newspaper he wasn't really reading. His eyes lingered on her face, soft in the morning light, and a fond smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks," he murmured, fingers curling around the warm mug.

There was a beat of silence, the kind only shared by two people who'd long grown used to one another's presence.

Then she spoke.

"Hey, Soshiro..." Her voice was casual, but there was a slight tremble of anticipation in it. "If we have a baby someday... do you want them to be a girl or a boy?"

Soshiro blinked, eyebrows rising slightly. He glanced up at her, eyes locking with hers, she was serious. He could see the little spark behind her eyes.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest.

"I don't really mind whether it's a girl or a boy," he said, taking a slow sip of his coffee. Then he smiled - not his usual grin, but that soft, crooked one that he reserved only for her. "As long as it's with you."

For a second, [Name] just stared at him, her mind blank.

Then it hit her.

Her cheeks exploded with color. "S-Soshiro!" she sputtered, and smacked him lightly on the arm.

"Eh??" Soshiro nearly spilled his coffee, laughing at her flustered reaction. "What was that for?!"

"You moron!" she cried, covering her red face with one hand. "You can't say stuff like that in the morning! My heart's not ready!"

Soshiro leaned back in his chair, laughing freely now. "What? I was just being honest! You brought it up!"

She glared at him over her hand, but the corners of her lips twitched up despite herself.

"Still... you didn't have to say it so casually," she muttered.

Soshiro tilted his head, then leaned forward, placing his cup down with a soft clink. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes unusually serious now.

"But I mean it," he said. "Boy or girl... either way, I think our baby would be lucky. Because they'd have you."

Her breath caught in her throat.

There it was again - that sincerity in his voice, the weight behind his words.

"Damn it, Soshiro," she whispered, turning her face away to hide the deeper blush. "You're making my baby fever worse."

He grinned. "So you're saying you've got baby fever?"

"You gave me baby fever!" she huffed.

He stood up, walked around the table, and pulled her gently into a warm hug from behind. His chin rested on her shoulder.

"Then maybe we should do something about it," he murmured teasingly.

"Soshiro!"

"Hey, I'm just saying - we've got time this morning."

She swatted at him again, but leaned into his embrace all the same, smiling through the redness on her face.

Maybe baby fever wasn't such a bad way to start the morning after all.

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