Dauntless

Dauntless: Daddy Dearest (Part 4)

Shit.

This wasn't working.

"Camille, I don't think that's right."

"What are you talking about? It looks fine."

"Uh, no, it doesn't."

"Fuck you, Eric, it looks fine."

"It's crooked."

"You're crooked," Camille huffed, crossing her arms. She took a few steps back, coming to stand beside me before frowning. "Okay, it's a little crooked."

I chuckled, leaning back on my heels.

The nursery was coming along. I'd figured out how to put the crib together, and I'd tentatively put my weight on it; it didn't immediately collapse, so I figured it was safe enough. All the baby stuff had migrated into the room across from ours, so if the thing started screaming, we'd be able to hear it.

"If we knew what it was, you could decorate better," I said after a moment, glancing around. A rocking chair, the crib, a dresser, and then a shit ton of toys were the only additions to the room. It wasn't big, by any means, but it would suffice for a burrito that couldn't move around on its own anyway. 

"Shut up. We'll know soon enough." Camille sighed, leaning her shoulder against the door. I glanced at her, but didn't comment.

I guessed we would.

She was due in a few weeks now, the time was almost up. We were going to be parents and in charge with not killing something.

Comforting.

The room is an off-white, just like the rest of the apartment, with a fluffy carpet of matching color. I hope it could withstand a family of Dauntless.

"You should be able to train the next batch of initiates." I said after a moment. "You'll be strong again by the time they come around."

"I should be, yeah. I can get back in there and show them how to really fight. Four is too easy on them, he does a piss poor job," Camille grumbled. "I like the new rules better."

"I know you do," I pressed a kiss against her temple as I turned away. "What are you gonna do with it while you're training?"

"I was going to carry it in a sling on my back, what else?" She rolled her eyes at the question. "I get a month off after it's born, but I... well, I don't know. Do you really want to put it in the daycare?"

"He'll be fine there," I said absently, checking the time. I had to go to the armory in a few minutes, I was filling in for Melanie while she was away on her op. "No one is going to mess with our kid, Camille. They're terrified of us."

"That's what I'm worried about. What if we do something to piss someone off, and they take it out on our baby?" She pressed her hands against her stomach, the dark circles beneath her eyes only making her look more worried. "What if they're mean to it because of us? Eric ---."

"No one will be mean to it," I said firmly, turning to look at her as we step into the living room. "I swear I'll fucking break someone's arm if they even think about it. I'll take him to daycare the first day just to make a point."

Camille gazed at me a few moments, chewing her lip. "Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean, I could just stay here for a little longer ---."

"You're going to drive yourself insane with nothing to do," I shook my head. "You don't want to miss the initiates. The baby will be fine."

"You know you called it a he earlier, didn't you?"

"What?"

"The baby. You said 'him,' not 'it'."