surprise!

In the weeks that followed the special romantic night he had spent turning his Empress girlfriend into his Empress fiancée, Maverick had begun to notice the subtle signs of change occurring within Venom. It had begun simply with the fading of her heat well before the end of the season, the pheromone-laced perfume returning to Venom's normal alluring scent. Next came the shift of her natural smell as her hormones adjusted, almost imperceptible unless he was really looking for it, but growing stronger by the day. When Venom's energy levels and fatigue began to fluctuate, Mav dared to get his hopes up that maybe these were the first telltale signs that all of their attempts to conceive a family together had bore fruit this time, but he would not allow himself to get too excited—not until Venom confirmed his suspicions, at least. Besides, he was no healer and had no idea what the early signs of pregnancy would actually look like.

Maverick had begun his evening in much the same ways he usually did now that he'd adjusted to life with his nocturnal bride-to-be, rising at sunset at beginning with a leisurely stroll along the sandy beaches of the island while he watched the sun fade away into dusk. Venom had opted to sleep in today and he dared not disturb her; hell hath no fury like a woman woken too soon, after all! Maverick walked along soft golden sands until twilight had fallen over the land, then headed to the closest larder to fetch some food to surprise Venom with breakfast in bed. He returned just as nightfall was coming in proper, carrying with him two slabs of dried venison into their suite and into the bedroom. Once his eyes had adjusted to the candlelight, Mav found his beautiful goddess of a wolf relaxed in repose in the swaths of blankets and furs that made up their luxurious bed, grinning a huge dopey smile to herself while she stared into space.

"Must be one hell of an interesting ceiling," Mav teased with a husky chuckle while he carried himself across their bed to join his betrothed. Presenting her meal to her, Maverick settled in at Venom's side, allowing her smaller form to settle into the nook of his side while he virtually wrapped himself around her, leaning in to grace her lips with a tender kiss. "Good evening, my fiancée. You're looking especially giddy tonight. Don't tell me, lemme guess!" Maverick made a dramatic show of tapping his paw to his chin while hemming and hawing for a moment, brow scrunched in obvious mock concentration. "The pirates finally disbanded and let you take that beach you've always wanted?"

"Venom & Maverick"