The Baby Project

6. Simple Talk Should Suffice

Mai let her gaze rest softly on her son. Oliver. Her son. Warmth spread through the girls chest as she sat next to her boss on the couch. Naru, the insufferable jerk, had asked to speak with her alone and when they were alone he just sits there!

"Mai." She jolted, her melted chocolate gaze hardening and meeting a stormy blue grey gaze, then Mai knew. She knew without a doubt that she was falling for this cold man. His sharp words and cold expressions be damned.

"Yes?" And as he spoke she thought of that secret side of him.

"Oliver is six months old, correct?" The kind, cute, innocent side of him that he traps underneath those cold words and blank looks. The side that holds a baby at arm length and then wraps the baby close and lets him play with his tie.

"Correct." And as they talked she found herself vowing that she would one day break through that cold expression. Be it for her or someone else.

"Then please tell me what your plan for him is while on this case. We will be working with absolute strangers, one or more murderous spirits, and we will be in a giant maze like house were most of your attention will be focused on Oliver instead of where you are going and what you are doing."

Naru was furious and stupefied and amazed. His assistant-one he is slowly growing fond of not, that he'd admit it-had brought home a child. A child with his hair, a complexion slightly darker than his, and Mai's eyes.

"I..." Her fierce gaze dropped down to look at the child, Oliver, and she tightened her grip on him. And as he watched her bring her child for the next six months closer to her chest, he realized that she was still wearing his clothes. She wore his too big shirt, sweatpants, he wasn't even going to think about her undergarments, and she held a child that looked like him in his arms. Oh he could practically hear Gene tease him about it.

'You look like a little family! Oh to think, my younger brother knocked up a girl before I've even gotten married.'

"I don't know." Her voice was a whisper and he had the sudden urge to wrap her in a hug. But was that okay? He was her narcissistic boss. Hell half of the time they were arguing over the words please and thank you! What right did he have to comfort her so intimately?

Tears pricked Mai's eyes and her vision blurred as she hugged the blubbering Oliver closer to her. The six month old grabbed her nose and cooed, trying to calm his Mama down. Why wasn't Daddy doing anything? Were they fighting? He didn't want to lose his new mommy and daddy!

"I-I didn't think about that! You even pointed it out to me and I still ignored it!" How could she have been so stupid! Naru was trying to protect her, protect Oliver, and here she was yelling at him and threatening to quit her job! Would Naru ever forgive her? Oh how she wished the ground would open up and swallow her, or the clouds would swoop down and eat her.

"Mai?" Naru was worried. Mai was in tears, silent sobs shaking her body as she cradled Oliver to her chest, the poor clueless thing. He grew even more worried when he spoke her name and she let out a choked sob before leaping at him.

Now, imagine sitting next to a-we'll call them a friend for now-friend and when you point something out they make a remark about how they didn't see it and then break down into sobs. They then proceed to throw themselves at you. Do you know what you would do?

Naru didn't.

He was thrown back slightly, his surprise causing him to automatically catch the crying girl and clueless child, his legs flying up and tangling with Mai's. His head hit the arm of the sofa, he was suddenly glad for the throw pillows Madoka had practically drowned the room in, and Mai's head went and buried itself in his quickly damp neck.

Needless to say the commotion caused quite a bit of noise that worried the two guardians waiting outside his door. Lin and Madoka rushed for the door, one yanking the door open while the other got ready go whistle loudly prepared for the worst. Instead when the door swung open to reveal their charge on his back, a crying Mai and a baby laying on top of him whilst he hugged her and stroked her hair in comfort.

Upon hearing the door open Naru glanced up, his expression hardening as he tightened his arms around Mai. Lin froze. That was the face of a man protecting his possessions. The face of a man in love. And a face that he was sure he would never see on little Noll's face while Gene wasn't here to direct him in the way of the female.

Madoka smiled. Her student looked happy. Angry yes, but happy and content. And they looked like a little family! If she hadn't looked at the papers herself to confirm that this was an orphan child from America she could have sworn that he was their child. So while Naru got his glare on, the pinkette grabbed Lin's arm and dragged him out of the doorway and back into the hallway, softly closing the door behind them with a barely discernible click.

"Lin...he's, he's growing up." The tall man lifted the corners of his mouth gently.

"Well he was never really a child."

~x-X-x~

Naru was warm. Very warm. Had he fallen asleep on the couch again? Was Gene curled up on top of him with a book while he waited for him to wake up? His eyes flashed open.

No. Gene had died in a car crash. He was searching for the body now, so who was laying on top of him?

"Mai..." The girl was mostly on his right, her back pressed against the back of the couch, her head resting on his right shoulder. Oliver was wrapped in her arms, laid on his sternum and his arms...his arms were wrapped around the both of them. His right arm was wrapped around Mai's waist, his fingers splayed across her hip, and his left hand was supporting Oliver.

Now what? Closing his eyes to think, his arms tightened around the two on top of him.

CLICK.

"Lin look at him! He's being so protective even while asleep!" Madoka whisper-squealed as she lowered her phone and put it in her coat pocket.

"Hush Madoka. Let the boy sleep, it's the first time he's slept in the past three days." Lin strode past the couch and grabbed a blanket off the arm rest of another chair. Snapping it open softly he gently draped it across his charge and his assistant.

"Really now?" The two quietly stepped out of the apartment and Naru opened his eyes again. He had forgotten about that. The past three days he had been forcing himself to stay awake, after all who would want to see yourself-your twin-die every time you closed your eyes? He didn't.

"Mmmhmmm...Naru?" A sleepy Mai raised her head, her arms tightening around Oliver. The last thing she remembered was feeling tired as Naru stroked her hair, then...

A blush quickly spread across the girls cheeks as her eyes snapped up and she was met with a blue grey mixture. She had fallen asleep on her boss! A blush began to appear on her face before she frowned.

"Why are you smirking?" They began to whisper-argue with one another, trying not to wake the babe they were both cradling.

"I didn't know I was so comfortable." His smirk widened as her eyes narrowed with rage.

"I didn't get any sleep last night! Oliver didn't want to sleep either and I was exhausted!" Oh? Well he could understand that, her house did burn down after all. However, his smirk widened, no need for her to know he understood.

"So you're not as skilled with children as you think you are. I'm not surprised." She huffed and looked away.

"I don't see you complaining or trying to move either." It was the first words that popped into her head and when she got no response Mai turned to look back at Naru. He was slightly wide eyed and his body had grown tense.

"Naru?" Why hasn't he complained? Normally he was adverse to human contact with those he was unfamiliar with.

"Alright I'll get off now." His arms fell off of Mai and Oliver and he laid there lost in his thoughts as Mai sighed. She was so confused. Was it something she said? She didn't think it was offensive!

"I'm going to make dinner." He waved her off and stood up, striding towards his bedroom. He had a case to start preparing for.