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[viatorius]

so you know how ava was sweetness and light, and baby #2 hates me?
well i was heading back to bed, p. much asleep on my feet, and i opened my eyes and guess what?
I'M AT THE GAS STATION HALFWAY OUT OF TOWN.

( It didn't even feel like her kind of portal, so she's pretty freaked out. And typing. A lot. )

i can't get my power to work and also, i have no signal i'm stealing wi-fi from that weird church.
and i'm not wearing pants.

[tanker]

[ John rubs a hand over his face as her messages come in, a rush of panic and amusement - a weird mix, if you ask him, but that's what you get for being married to Clarice Fong - building and crashing through him. He's on his feet, pulling on sweatpants and a shirt in a matter of seconds. ]

just grabbing ava, i'm on my way

is the gas station open? don't freeze to death out here. even if you're not wearing pants.

[ He doesn't want to laugh, he really doesn't, even as he grabs an extra pair of sweats for Clarice; it's not exactly tropical weather right now.

Ava gurgles sleepily when he lifts her out of her tiny bed - at least the car should keep her asleep, but he's definitely not leaving her here alone, she's only two - and heads downstairs with her head tucked into the crook of his neck. ]

Mommy got herself into trouble again, baby.

okay, we're on route. should be ten minutes.

i got you some pants.

[viatorius]

( He is an actual hero.

Clarice doesn't text back - he has Ava in the car with him and while she's certain he wouldn't let any harm befall her she still doesn't want to distract them.

When John does pull up at the gas station he's just in time to see Clarice flipping off the spotty twenty year old behind the counter as she flings herself out from the store. It's probably not the kid's fault. She's barefoot, wearing only a slayer t-shirt that's half way down her thighs, and she's super pregnant. Even if they live in a very mutant tolerant place, that's still a bit much. )

Screw you, asshole!

( Wait, no. She's nice. She has a baby, a baby that shouldn't pick up swearing. Just because she's hormonal and half naked doesn't mean she can fight anyway. Either way, she finds John's gaze as he's climbing out of the car and the look of pure relief that crosses her face is sweet. Even as she's gingerly picking her way across the cold ground. )

[tanker]

[ As guessed, Ava doesn't even stir throughout the whole ride. When she had colic, he spent hours driving around aimlessly with her in the back - the only way to lull her to sleep, and to give Clarice any kind of reprieve.

He spots her immediately as he parks the car, and hears her curse the clerk out, making a face as he opens the door - leaving it just pushed so as to not wake Ava up. He doesn't wast any time crossing the parking lot to Clarice, his arms wrapping around her shoulders as soon as he's close enough. ]

I'll carry you if you want, don't think I won't.

[ It's not like she's that much harder to pick up for him, even now. ]

Do you know what happened? Oh. Pants.

[ He hands them to her, knowing she won't care about pulling them on, even here. Better that than to stay half naked in his shirt. ]

I'm totally going to need this shirt back, by the way. It's vintage.

[viatorius]

( The perks of having a husband with super strength is knowing if he really needed to he could cart her heavy body around anywhere. Clarice doesn't say anything, just presses a kiss to his cheek before hopping to pull the sweats on. She uses his body for balance, considering she feels like she's got a bowling ball strapped to her. )

You needing your shirt is why I'm knocked up in the first place.

( It's a grumble without any heart to it, shimmying until the waistband is sitting snug against her belly. )

And I have no idea. It didn't feel the same. It was like I was in our house one second and here the next. I scared a group of stoners. Maybe that's why the cashier's being a jerk. He lost out on his munchie sell.

[tanker]

Yeah well, if you didn't steal my clothes all the time, I wouldn't need to get them off of you all the time.

[ He holds her steady as she pulls on his sweats, his heart swelling tenfold in his chest. There are days, even now, where he can't believe he got this lucky.

Once she's done, he turns back towards the car, an arm around her, ready to just lift her right off of the ground if she needs. ]

But you're okay? The baby's okay?

[viatorius]

( The laughter is sudden, unexpected, leaning against him as she makes her way to the car. Clarice hasn't gone so soft that she isn't able to navigate a concrete floor with her bare feet. )

I'm pregnant, and my options are stealing from you or wearing floral patterns. I know which one I'm going to choose. ( Even though she was pilfering from his wardrobe years ago, even before all this. )

Baby's fine. There was kind of a lot of action. Kicking me in those organs I clearly don't need. ( She lets John guide her, head resting against his shoulder. ) He was probably feeling flighty. ( He. She hasn't said that before, but it slips out. She doesn't know, she hadn't wanted to, but when she lays a hand over her belly she thinks it fits. )

Didn't Lorna get weird power fluctuations when she was pregnant? I know I didn't with Ava, but maybe --.

[tanker]

[ He looks down at her for a second. His shirt is stretched to its limits over her belly - it's a good thing this one is too big, even for him. Let's just say that now, more than ever, their body shapes are very different.

Thing is, he doesn't even care. He likes seeing her in his clothes, this particular brand of possessiveness he's allowed to feel, nowadays.

He helps her into the car, opening the door as softly as he can and poking his head in to check on Ava first, before practically lifting Clarice into the seat. ]

He? [ He murmurs, raising an eyebrow as he stands in at the door, leaning in close. ]

Lorna's powers got crazy strong for a while, if I recall correctly. But then again their kid has got the same set of powers she does. Maybe this one - [ He puts a hand to her stomach - ] has got different ones. Ava can't teleport as far as we know.

[viatorius]

( He's so very gentle with his family, even now. Clarice had always assumed one day she'd get used to it but her heart still finds its way to her throat when he helps her into the car, when he touches her bump so carefully. She is so very lucky to have this. Him, a home, children. )

Which is a good thing, because Ava already terrifies me on a daily basis. ( She's small and fragile and Clarice would literally burn the world down to protect her. It does mean she's ended up a little bit overprotective, but she figures that's allowed at least until half way through high school. Shifting, she lets her gaze linger over their slumbering child, waiting until John's back behind the wheel to speak. )

I don't know. He just kind of came out. ( She tugs her seatbelt around her swollen stomach and then lays her hand on top of it. ) It'd be nice right? A boy and a girl.

[tanker]

[ John gives her a long, lingering look before he starts up the car again, his free hand going to her thigh. It's just a meaningless reassurance for himself, at this moment. Making sure she's not disappearing right out from under his nose. ]

It would be, yeah. I'd like that.

[ Not that it matters, at the end of the day. As long as the baby's healthy and well, John doesn't care. ]

Has it been interfering with your powers before now?

[viatorius]

Kind of.

( See, now she's feeling a little guilty she didn't mention it before. But she hadn't known it was important. ) I just figured I was tired, you know? But I overshot the other day when I was portalling. It was just a block, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

( Maybe she should go and cry on Lorna's couch tomorrow. See if her friend doesn't have any advice. )

And I couldn't get it to work at all on Saturday, but I was just -- sick? So I put it down to that. Maybe I should have. But I was fine with Ava.

[tanker]

[ When he pulls the car to a stop at a red light, he turns to Clarice, giving her a look. ]

Talk to me about these things, yeah? Maybe I can help.

[ He isn't sure how, but just learning all of this now, when she's been struggling with her powers for weeks - after not having issues for years - feels overwhelming. ]

Ava doesn't have any portalling or teleporting powers, though. So far she just seems... sturdy.

[ Like him. ] Maybe this one's taking after you, and that's causing problems. We could go see the doc, see if there's anything he can help with.

[viatorius]

I wasn't keeping it from you on purpose. I just thought it was a weird hormone thing and it would sort itself out. Like the morning sickness. ( Which had definitely been worse this time around too, come to think of it. Maybe she wasn't as educated for #2 as she thought she was.

Sighing, Clarice rubs a comforting hand over her stomach, watching the lights through the windshield. ) You're already so grounded. ( Yep, talking to her baby. But she wants to ease this feeling someone. ) Out after curfew? So grounded.

( When the car starts up again, Clarice focuses back on her husband. ) I'm sorry. If anything weird happens from now on I'll give you all the details. I was just distracted.

[tanker]

I know, I know.

[ It's not like he's mad. He's just worried. ]

You want to see the doc, or do you think it'll be fine?

[viatorius]

I'll talk to Lorna first.

( The doctor's fine, he's a nice man, and he helped Clarice with Ava spectacularly. But there's still a part of her that worries. It always gets worse when she's pregnant, the urge to run far away to protect her family sometimes feels like it's choking her. )

She might know something. But if not we can make an appointment.

[tanker]

[ His hand moves, from her leg to her head, curling down the back of her head and just stroking down her hair, this time reassuring for her. He knows she worries just as much as he does, if not more - it's her body, after, changing so much and being so affected by pregnancy. ]

I wish I could make it easier.

[ At least they're home now. He parks, not wasting any time grabbing Ava from the back - still sleeping, they must be luckier than they used to be - and pulling her tight against his chest. ]

Let's get you both back to bed, yeah?

[viatorius]

You're here. That's all I need.

( He's so good with the both of them. Clarice has to pause for a moment just to watch the way he cradles Ava to his chest, the look of pure love and fierce protection on his face. She loves him so much sometimes it's like an ache inside of her. He's the only man she could have ever had a life like this with, and she's so grateful for it. She pads up the grass of their lawn still in her bare feet, enjoying the way it tickles before she takes the steps and snags the keys from John's pockets. He has their baby, she can at least open the door.

The lights are on from his quest to come and collect her, so Clarice turns them off as he takes Ava to her bedroom. She follows, pausing at the bed to lean in and press a kiss to her soft forehead, brushing her hair back and moving to tuck her carefully under her blankets. Then she's heading to their bedroom, and when John finds his way inside she reaches out for him. He has to duck a little, because her bump is obstructive, but when she kisses him it's sweet and loving. )

I love you, John Proudstar.

[tanker]

[ It's habit, by now, to get Ava into bed, to make sure she's secure, that the lights are off, that the door is locked, all sorts of small things that would have felt ridiculous a few years ago, when they weren't sure if they would even get to sleep that night. But now, they have a real life and domesticity and routines and John wouldn't change it for the world. Ever.

Clarice kisses him and John leans into it, a hand at the back of her head, before he kisses her forehead, just glad she's safe and fine and home. ]

And I love you, Clarice [ He grins against her skin, because it will never feel old to say it out loud: ] - Proudstar.

[ He pulls back to give her a critical look. ]

Tired?

[viatorius]

I don't know if I can sleep.

( She's a little wired, a little restless. Her little moonlight flit has ignited a wakefulness inside of her. She can probably nap tomorrow, during the day when Ava gets cranky in the afternoon. )

You should get some though.

( He needs less than most people, but she still tries to make sure he's looked after. ) Maybe I'll look at the baby book. I promise this time I portal it into the trash can.

[tanker]

I got some sleep earlier, I'm fine. [ He knows she's only says this stuff because she cares, and she knows that he tends to push himself to his very limits, but he hasn't had to do that in a long time. He gets a few hours per night, now, which is a lot more than he could say about his sleep patterns from a few years ago.

And if she's restless, he'll never get back to sleep anyway. So he settles, sitting against the headboard on his side of the bed, legs crossed at the ankles as he holds out a hand to Clarice. ]

Why do you keep on reading these things? We've had a kid. We'll be fine with number two.

[viatorius]

( She takes his hand, because it makes it easier to climb on top of their mattress, hand curled protectively round her belly. )

I just don't want to jinx it. What if I forget something? What if I have the baby and every single thought on how to look after it just flies out of my head.

( She's not elegant like this, resting beside him with a huff. Instinctively, she presses her head against his shoulder. )

Besides, it's an updated edition. Very important.

( She's kidding. Maybe. )

[tanker]

[ With a huff of fond laughter, John turns his head to rest on top of Clarice's, kissing the crown of her hair. ]

You're not going to forget. You're going to be brilliant just like you were with Ava.

[ Reaching out, he puts a hand to her stomach, too, rubbing softly as ever as he uses her own turn of phrase right back. ]

Besides, you've got me. Very important.

[viatorius]

I do.

( There's no point in masking the pure love in her voice. He knows how happy she is with him. Clarice doesn't think she would have even wanted this kind of life without John by her side. He's kept her steady for years now, and she's never lost that rush she felt the first time she laid eyes on him. )

Okay, no more baby books.

( She will give them away. Or maybe mail them to Lauren. She's been talking about kids. )

When's James coming to visit again? Ava's made him a card. I say a card. It's more like a piece of paper she chewed on and then dumped glitter all over.

[tanker]

[ John sighs, resisting the urge to roll his eyes to himself, even if the feelings in his chest are fond as ever when Clarice mentions his brother. ]

You know him, he says he'll visit next month, and he actually appears three months after that.

[ He's been better, in recent years, less running around, less putting himself in danger. More responsible. But he's still not the reliable Proudstar son. ]

Last time we talked, he said before the baby's born, and for a few weeks after. I think he's treating helping out as some kind of trial by fire, which means I have to grill him about a potential girlfriend.

[ John snorts. ]

I'll have you know she's a true artist.

[viatorius]

Her name's Arianna.

( She says it so casually that she doesn't even register that John doesn't know until he looks at her. Eyebrows arching, she laughs. )

What? You think you're the only Proudstar I can harass answers out of. I thought he told you. I just didn't know he was that serious. But Ava might get a cousin. And whatever this little lump is going to be too.

( Easily. ) He asked me to help him buy her a present. As if I know what girls like. But it must have worked well if he's thinking about.