She couldn't help but laugh softly at his reply. Of course he would say that. Lewis was always the easy going on and, well, he sort of had an obligation to say that sort of thing to her. Not that it wasn't appreciated, of course.

She didn't allow herself to blink as she watched his every movement, but her gaze stayed mostly on his face. On his eyes. At first he seemed confused, perhaps even a little disappointed, when he saw another mug in the box. But that look didn't last long at all. Her own expression changed from amusement at his nervous curiosity (not to mention sitting on the wrapping paper) to almost crying with a tight lip smile. Words didn't happen, at first, and all she could do was nod when he spoke.

"You're....you're..." she stammered as tears, the good kind, formed in her violet eyes. "You're... going to be a father."

"............"

Nope. Nothing. No. Lewis was completely out of things to say or do. It felt like his brain was on shutdown. All he could do was stare at the mug in his hands. Then at Kurumi. And back at the mug. It seemed like he was trying to form a logical connection between the two. While of course, deep down, he KNEW what it meant.

It meant that....she was....they were....

Yes. That. What Kurumi had just said. That was what it meant. His mouth opened and closed again without saying a word. He was back to staring at Kurumi again. Finally after what seemed like an eternity he moved forward to hug his wife. "I am?" He whispered, hugging her even closer.

Hopefully she didn't expect him to let go any time soon. Because that wasn't happening.

Silence had never felt uncomfortable with Lewis. Well, alright, that was a bit too strong of a statement because there had been a small handful of times where it had, but right now was not one of them. Yet. It was becoming borderline with Lewis not saying anything and just staring at the mug and then her and then back to the mug.

Not that she was concerned, because she wasn't. They had discussed starting a family and even planning a little. Just waiting for nature or the stars to align or whatever it was that made the time 'right.'

Which had apparently been about five weeks ago.

She was just about to ask if he was alright or if he needed a moment when he moved to hug her - a VERY welcomed gesture, by the way - and her arms wrapped around him as he pulled her closer. She was at a loss for words again and instead just nodded into his neck to reply.

Slowly Lewis sorted through his brain, forming coherent thoughts again while trying his best to keep his breathing and heart rate under control. The last two weren't really working though. It was just...wow. This was real. This was happening. This was actually happening.

They were going to have a baby.

As this realization hit him - properly hit him - Lewis finally pulled back slightly to look at Kurumi. Wow. "When-" He swallowed, trying to get himself together enough to speak in full sentences. "When did you find out?" Aka how long had she been able to keep this from him? Had she been to see a healer yet? Was it official official? Had she told anyone else? How old was the baby? When would it be born? Where was it going to sleep? He had so many questions.

His hands had come to rest on her waist and he now lowered his gaze to her stomach. Of course there was nothing to see yet, it still made him smile, just looking at it. This was happening.

Asdfhgjkl.

She both wanted to stay just the way they were and not. Stay because it was one of those perfect moments where everything just fell into place. But at the same time there was so much they needed to talk about. But maybe....they could stay like this just a little bit longer...

Nuzzling his neck, Kurumi pulled herself just a tiny bit closer and tangled the fingers of her right hand in his hair. "So...you like the gift then?" she laughed softly while resting her head against his.

Her arms untangled themselves from around his neck, but her hands remained on his shoulders where she began to playfully trace patterns over the fabric of his shirt after wiping some of the tears from her own eyes. "Only a few days, but I wanted to be entirely sure before I told you," she explained. She didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing. She knew how much he wanted this. How much they both wanted this. "The Healer said I am five weeks along now."

Her eyes followed his gaze to her stomach and giggled at the moment of his hands to her side. Smile growing a bit wider, she reached down and moved his hands so they were on her stomach and then rested her atop his.

This was really happening. There was a baby growing inside her. It was all still too surreal to fully grasp, but that didn't take anything away from how incredible this all was.

Like...the...gift...oh. Right, the GIFT.

The object that had brought on the whole conversation had eluded Lewis for a moment but now he looked back down to find the mug in his lap. Right. The mug. The mug with the- "Yes." Yes, it was the perfect gift. He smiled and he blinked a couple of times as he leaned in to kiss the side of Kurumi's head again.

Perfect gift. Yes. Definitely. Were there tears in his eyes? He didn't even care.

Only a few days. Okay. "Have you told anyone else?" Somehow this was important though he couldn't quite explain why. He wanted to be the first she told about this so he sincerely hoped the answer to this was no. Though her next words made him immediately forget about that. Actually, it didn't really matter. Nothing mattered. They were having a baby. A BABY.

"Five weeks..." He echoed, his eyes dropping down to her stomach. Five weeks. His hands felt limp in hers when she reached out to move them. All he did was watch when she placed them on her stomach. Of course nothing had changed - it was far too soon for that - but still somehow it felt different. Something felt different.

There was something growing inside of her and it was theirs.

That had sort of been a rhetorical question, by the way. The way his eyes had lit up just now, and not because of the glow from the Christmas lights, had been more than enough of an indication that he liked it. Probably more about what the mug represented than the mug itself, but she had expected that. It was more of a prop anyway.

Lifting her head just a little to she could look into his eyes properly, her lips curled at the edges into an dainty smile while reaching up to wipe away tears from one of his eyes with the thumb of her right hand. "Is this usually your job?" she teased, her own eyes twinkling with tears themselves.

She shook her head. "No one. Not even father. I wanted you to be the first to know." Besides herself and the Healer that is. It had been hard not to blurt it out to Selina when she had passed her earlier in the hallway - or the several other occasions she had past both her and Vivi. Not to mention girls' night had been difficult to get through. But this was something special to just them and while Kurumi hated keeping secrets from people, this was one exception. And she still wanted it to be that way. At least for another week or so. Just so that they could celebrate the news together. Just the two of them.

"I want us to tell our families together," she continued, her hands tracing patterns over his with her fingertips as she looked down at her stomach. "Maybe...after New Years? Do you think your mom and brothers could make the trip out?" Because, well, she couldn't travel all the way out to America unless they flew by plane there...which was fine, she supposed...just long...

...wasn't what usually his job?

Lewis blinked, glancing back and forth between Kurumi's face and her hand a few times. Oh. That. He smiled, blushing slightly. "Things change." He wasn't entirely sure why he said that but he wasn't just talking about her wiping away his tears anymore. This just felt like such an important moment of their lives. After today things would never be the same again.

And it was a good feeling. Incredible, really.

He was the first to know. Lewis didn't need words to express just how grateful he was for that. It was written all over his face. Though if asked, he wouldn't be able to explain just why this was important, it just was. This was their life. Their baby. They should be the first to know. And they were.

"Thank you." Lewis said quietly, his fingers lightly trailing over her stomach.

Yes, this seemed like something to tell everyone at the same time. Though he already felt a little bit nervous making such an announcement in front of both their families it seemed like the right thing to do. He nodded slowly, finally lifting his head again to look at Kurumi's face. Yes. "I'm sure they will." His mum would probably guess. And he was very bad at keeping things from her anyway.

Still, he was going to try to convince them to come over WITHOUT telling them why.

She hadn't been expecting a response, although the one she got made her smile, blush, and grow teary-eyed all at the same time. Things did change. Things were changing. As cliche as it sounded, she felt like she had been reborn twice this week. Once when the Healer had told her there was life growing inside her, and just now...and she really liked the feeling and this new person she had become. These new people that they had become. Together.

Which made her think of something else with his words, although perhaps not the ones that he had been implying. But how it suddenly felt like there was no 'his job' and 'her job' - at least in this moment because there were obviously things that she could do that he couldn't. Prime example being the current topic of conversation - but like they were even more of a unit than before. Even more supportive of each other. If that were possible.

Reaching up to wipe her own tears away with one hand, she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his while she reached up with one hand to gently play with his hair. You're welcome just didn't feel like the right thing to say, so instead she moved her head just enough to be able to brush her lips softly against his. "I love you."

She rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck briefly before looking back at the Christmas tree. This time next year there would be three of them sitting here on the sofa doing this. Okay, well, maybe not HERE here as in this apartment because now that they were building a family they should probably think about moving into a bigger place. All things to talk about later and not right now.

"I'll owl father tomorrow to see when he and my brothers are available," she whispered, closing her eyes and relaxing her body against his. He would be easy enough to convince to come. Her father would probably suspect something, but every time they did get together he was expecting news of his future grandchildren. "You're going to be an amazing father," she smiled, her eyes still closed as she relaxed even more against him and began to drift off.

I love you.

He had heard Kurumi say those three words so many times before, in various situations, but he still wasn't tired of hearing them. So he smiled. And looked back up to meet her gaze. And leaned in as well to steal another quick kiss. "I love you, too." He paused before lowering his head slightly and adding, "and you" to his wife's stomach. Yes, that might sound silly but he didn't care.

Finally moving his hands off Kurumi's stomach, Lewis shifted into a more comfortable position and put an arm around her. It still felt a bit surreal but he was slowly processing everything that had just happened. A baby. They were having a baby. An actual baby. Them. A baby. This year. Or well, next year technically. Yes, next year. But still.

Lewis just nodded when she said she'd owl her father tomorrow. He'd do the same with his family. Tomorrow. Pulling her a little closer, he kissed the top of her head. Her next words brought more tears to his eyes, though she couldn't see them from her current position. An amazing father. He certainly hoped so. He was going to try his hardest. "We're going to be amazing parents." He said softly.

The months had seemingly flown by, but now that she was experiencing what were her final days of pregnancy it felt as though time had decided that it wanted to move at a fraction of a snail's pace. What had once been a fun game of 'let's see what the baby can kick off my tummy today' had lost its charm, especially with just how STRONG the life growing inside her was, and she was beginning to enjoy the moments where baby was still rather than the ones where baby was....lively.

It was August now, which meant the summer heat was still linger while autumn's breeze tried to creep its way into their apartment. All Kurumi wanted at the moment was a cold glass of strawberry lemonade from the refrigerator...but she was having an incredibly difficult time standing up. There was a dull pain in her stomach area, but one that seemed to be fading as she lay there on the sofa with strawberry lemonade on the mind.

"L---Lewis!" she called out, somewhat feebly while holding her stomach - and MORE kicking occurred. "Can you...owie...get me some strawberry lemonade? Please?"

Ever since that false alarm a few hours ago, Lewis had been on edge. Even MORE on edge than he'd been the past couple days anyway. This pregnancy thing was stressful. Extremely stressful. And HE wasn't even the one who was pregnant. Obviously he wasn't. Sometimes he wished he were though. For multiple reasons. One being that Kurumi didn't have to be in such pain. Two being-

ASDFGHJKL HIS NAME WAS BEING CALLED NO TIME FOR THOUGHTS

"YES??" He was already on his way over (running, possibly running, yes, definitely running) when he heard the second part of the request. It wasn't that she'd just called for him. She needed something. Something other than just him. A drink. "...of course." OF COURSE he could do that. It was the least he could do. And with that he ran back into the kitchen.

Only to emerge a moment later, holding a glass of strawberry lemonade. Eying Kurumi nervously, Lewis approached her and held out the glass for her. He'd even put a straw in. His eyes weren't on her face however but rather on her belly. "Are...you two okay?" He still thought that the should've gone to the hospital after that first time her belly had hurt. But no, they were still here.

Kurumi needed to make one thing clear before she said, or thought, what was on her mind. She loved Lewis with every fiber of her being and he completed her in more ways than she could have ever imagined. She honestly couldn't image what her world would be like if they hadn't run into each other that one day on the platform - and her father had tried to trick him into running into the WRONG column - and she was thankful for every moment and every moment to come.

But...if he didn't calm down and stop freaking out over everything...she may be forced to take a note from Selina's book, grab a frying pan or something, and act like a Beater for just a moment.

But she still loves you, Lewis. It is probably just the hormones talking.

Giggling softly at the straw, she accepted the glass and took a nice long sip from it. "Thank you," she smiled with relief as she returned her lips to the straw to take another long sip. "We're good. The baby seems especially active today," she beamed, hands on her tummy as she felt it kicking even more. Despite them deciding to wait and find out whether it was a boy or a girl on delivery day, she had a strong inkling as to which it would be. "My back hurts...a lot though..."

And then she winced again, eyes shut and teeth clenched. That time was...different...

"L-Lewis..." she whispered, her face lighting up like a firework.

Baby was especially active. Kurumi's back was hurting.

Lewis nodded along, eyes still fixed on his wife's belly. He STILL thought they should have gone to the hospital over an hour ago. But at some point he'd learned not to argue with Kurumi when she was like this. Like this meaning pregnant. That didn't mean that he agreed with her decisions. And he wasn't sure he was able to hide his feelings completely. He was trying though. He was.

Of course he noticed the wince. But it had happened so frequently the past hour, Lewis took his time to look up.

........

Kurumi looked happy. Different. Something was....Lewis blinked. And swallowed. And crouched down in front of her. "What?" What was happening?

Hands on her stomach, Kurumi tried to stand but found that she could not as another brief wave of pain washed over her. Only it wasn't so much like a wave of pain crashing on the beach. No, it was more like pain in the form of a warm blanket that was wrapping her up and making her comfortable. Although she was anything BUT comfortable right now. She was the most uncomfortable she had been these past months. Only instead of looking miserable she looked radiant and confident.

Smile widening, she looked down at her stomach and back to her husband. "It's coming...our baby is coming!"

The pain was gone again and her body relaxed again. It took a few moments for her breathing to return to normal - as normal as was possible given the current state of things - but her smile hadn't faltered at all.

The signals coming from Kurumi right now were mixed. And that was putting it nicely. To be honest, they were completely crazy and confusing. On the one hand she was CLEARLY in pain (worse than it had been earlier?) and on the other hand she was smiling. Grinning. Beaming. Looking happier and more excited than she had had in days. Weeks even.

So in summary, Lewis was confused. Big time.

Which was why he didn't move right away. Even after she'd said the words. They took a moment to register in its brain. The meaning of the words. They meant that......IT WAS TIME??? "N-now?" Which wasn't really a question she had to reply to, seeing as the answer was quite obvious.

"We need to go!" Now.

Kurumi hadn't felt this excited since, well, since she got to hatch her first dragon egg. She could remember how incredible it was to see Seraphia, her now full-grown Chinese Fireball, lay her first egg. The sincere and passionate mother love she had seen reflected in this fierce dragon's eyes had taken her breath away. And now...she was the mother. She was the one being overcome with emotions. So many that it was impossible to isolate just one. But all of it was good. Definitely good.

She was having a hard time telling if Lewis was actually excited about this...or if he was just having a panic attack.

"Yes, we do" she smiled back, still struggling to actually get up off the sofa. They had gone over the routine of what to do when the time came. Just had to hope that Lewis remembered. He was very frazzled right now...in an adorable sort of way. "Need...to get...the bag..." she grunt!squeaked as the discomfort in her body tightened.

"Can you wait just a little more. Daddy is getting mommy's bag," she said while rubbing her tummy lovingly.

Yes. Yes he knew that. They'd discussed this. They'd practiced this. He knew it.

Still, Lewis took a brief second to grin at Kurumi before finally running off to get the previously packed bag. Okay. He turned on the spot in the other room for a moment, trying to remember if he needed anything else. Nope. No they'd already triple checked and then AGAIN a few hours ago. They should be good. And if not, he could always....okay no he couldn't go back home because he wasn't going to leave Kurumi's side. Right.

Still, they had everything.

He returned with the bag and dropped it immediately once he noticed Kurumi STILL hadn't managed to get off the couch. He eyed her for a moment, trying to figure out how to best help her. Push or pull? "What do you want me to do?" To ask was probably best. Yes. THEN they could go.

The pain was coming back and this time it was stronger and more persistent. Enough so that the eager smile gracing her features contorted and, for the briefest of moments, Kurumi genuinely looked nervous. A feeling that only intensified when she felt how damp the sofa she was sitting on had suddenly become.

This was happening. Right now. The baby was coming and in a matter of hours they would finally get to met their baby boy or baby girl. Hold them for the first time. Be a family. It was all hitting her now...REALLY hitting her. And while it was excited and everything she had hoped for, it was also scary. And painful, literally.

"S-Stay with me," she pleaded, her hand reaching for his feebly. Only they really couldn't and shouldn't stay here for too much longer. Not unless they wanted the Healer to make a house call. "H-H-Help me to the fireplace." Thank Merlin for floo. "Healer Ipswich said he made sure our connection would be open 24 hours and alert him we were coming."