surprise!

Maverick could never know the kind of life Venom led before he came crashing into it, how her relationship with Hattori had been or how much revelry they'd shared around the birth of the Empress' first litter. But he did know how much joy and celebration they would have for their own litter of pups. The sun would rise and fall a million times over before the glee he felt in this new stage of his life would begin to diminish. Venom had not only changed his life and his rambling ways, she had improved them far more than he even thought he deserved! The Klein Empress had turned the scruffy stray with a disregard for authority and his own well-being into a stable partner and lover-turning-mate. There had been a time not too long ago where Mav had been so sure he would wind up spending the rest of his days roaming the world until he eventually died alone and forgotten in some foreign land. Now, thanks to Venom's persistence, dedication, and apparent predilection towards brutes that irked her, Maverick had a family, a purpose, and a life once more.

The quiet bedroom was filled with their airy sounds of giggles and laughter while the two lovers basked in the glory of what they had created together. Deep down, Maverick still held a twinge of regret that he didn't have more to offer to Venom or their children in the way of physical gifts of his body like Hattori had with his magnificently mutated litter, but so long as the puppies were born healthy and Venom was happy, that was about the best he could give to them, and dammit he was going to give his family the best of him! In this moment, Mav felt as giddy as a puppy going on an adventure! His tail just could not stop wagging and he couldn't keep his paws off of his betrothed, snuggling his beloved Empress with tender nuzzles and kisses while one giant paw remained protectively resting across her slender belly that would soon swell with their growing children. Venom affirmed his happy declaration; he was going to be a father, and she had confidence that he would be an excellent one! While Mav didn't know if he'd learned how to be a good dad, he had damn well learned how to be a terrible one so he at least knew what to avoid. His pups would not have the same upbringing as he had.

"I'm gonna try my best, at least—for you and for them," the navy and alabaster man reaffirmed to his shadow and snow queen, bringing his lips down to slowly capture hers in a lingering kiss. His remark about the potential deficiency with his male anatomy brought a peel of giggles from his fiancée and a smile to his own lips, reveling in their own private jokes and humor with her. No, he very clearly was not defective in his abilities to reproduce. "We are!" he replied, squeezing Venom closer in a loving hug while she nestled herself into the curve of his side, the dire man's bushy tail lifting to drape over her hip and surround her with his body. "You're gonna have to take the lead and show me how this parenting thing works. My dashing good looks and overly hyped confidence is really effective at making puppies, but raising them...?" Maverick was a little wave of his paw as he teased his inadequacy of being a parent compared to the experienced Venom, but the smile that clung to his lips betrayed his humor—even though there was some truth to his nervousness.

"Venom & Maverick"