Fear, happiness, doubt, excitement, sorrow, utter joy...

A plethora of emotions had been washing through Ikigai since she suspected that she was pregnant once more. It was too soon to tell Deimos. What if something happened again? And so she waited. Waited and waited until her slender belly began to round with the children that grew within. Iki was a worrier and she hadn't wanted to say anything until she was completely sure. She wouldn't get her husbands hopes up just to send them crashing against the rocks once more. But now... now there was proof. It was as though Ikigai had reached a line in her mind and, passing that line, it was now okay to breathe. It was okay to accept that this was truly happening.

With the acceptance of her gravid state, Iki was ready to tell Deimos. She wouldn't spring it on him out of the blue. Instead, she decided to test his skills of observation. Before Deimos returned from his daily duties, the pale woman prepared their meal. She roasted some hunks of seasoned meat, stewed some carrots and potatoes and brought out a jar of honeyed strawberries for dessert. The jar of strawberries she sat in a rather large basket. A custom made whelping basket that Iki had ben working on in secret since their first pregnancy. It was large enough for the woman to have her pups within and to keep them safe during their first days of life when they would be most vulnerable. The basket was cushioned and heaped with soft furs. The very top layer was of soft, waterproof leather. It wouldn't do to ruin the whole creation with blood.

With the strawberries strategically placed, Iki waited for Deimos to return. As always, she fretted. Would he even know what the basket was for? When she sent him to fetch the strawberries... would he realize that he'd been set up? The obsidian marked fae was just about to scrap her plan when she heard the approaching paws of her husband. Too late now.

"Ikigai"

In a rare moment of spending time with her younger sister, Deimos had gone out on a hunt with Manea and her mate for most of the morning, the three of them focusing on bringing down some larger prey so pad out the food stores a bit. Now that summer was in full swing they weren't in nearly as bad of a place as they had been through the winter and parts of the spring, but their supplies had yet to really bounce back from the winter so it wouldn't hurt them to stock up a bit. Between the three of them they managed to bring down and carry back to moderately sized elk so all in all it was a fruitful day. While Manea and Alastor began to dress the prey animals so they could be prepared for drying, he decided to excuse himself so he could get back for dinner with his wife. Luckily for him the former Matriarch and Commander both had quite the affinity for Ikigai–as they should–so they were quick to dismiss him and nearly chased him away to go see to her.

With a chuckle he made the trip back across the island, pausing only long enough at the edge of the lake to wash off his face and paws from the hunt before he walked up the winding path to their home. After the many days and nights that they had spent attempting to start their journey of having a family together all through the spring he had waited and waited for Ikigai to finally tell him that she was expecting, but he also didn't dare ask. It almost felt that if he asked he might jinx them or ruin their chances. He had to hope and believe that if it was meant to happen then it would when the time was right. The Ancients had helped to bring Ikigai into his life for a reason–surely they would place the souls they were meant to bring into this world with them sooner or later. Still, it was forever a lingering thought on his mind and it was no different tonight as he walked into the den and was greeted with the delicious smell of the dinner Ikigai had been preparing.

A grin pulled at his lips as he quickly dropped off his bracers and dagger on a low table near the entrance of the den. "That smells amazing, my love. You spoil me." And she truly did every day of their lives, both in her actions and just from being a part of his life. Once he was out of his traveling gear, he went right to her with his focus only on her, lifting one of his large paws to her cheek as he brought her lips to his. Just as he pulled back from their kiss, he happened to catch something unusual in his peripheral vision, glancing up and past her a bit as he looked at the particularly large basket behind her.... with a jar of strawberries in it? His head tipped to the side with curiosity as he brought his gaze back down to hers with a silent question in his gaze.

"Deimos & Ikigai"

Ah, he was hopeless. Deimos saw the basket then turned to look at Iki with a quizzical expression. The pale woman chuckled, shaking her head. Ah, men... Ikigai moved towards her big purple brute and sat on her haunches. Raising his paw with nimble digits, she gently placed it upon her stomach. Silver, marbled eyes rose to meet his and the fae smiled softly, lovingly. "We have our second chance," her tones gentle.

They would never forget the first litter than had been stolen from them, but it was a little easier now that they would be allowed to try again. Ikigai's belly was already slightly rounded since she'd waited so long. He may or may not have noticed. "I wanted to be sure." That was why she had waited. She needed to be absolutely sure before she got their hopes up.

"The basket is for birthing. The strawberries, well..." she grinned. "Those are for me." Iki was a lover of fruit and strawberries were here favorite. No doubt she would have cravings.

Now that he'd been filled in on the little secret, Iki searched her husbands face. "So, how do you feel, Daddy?" There was humor in her tones but there was also heat. Imagining Deimos as a father did something to the pregnant woman. She would deny herself intercourse until the pups arrived, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't verbally appreciate her mate.

"Deimos & Ikigai"

Instead of answering his quizzical look right away, Ikigai shook her head as if she was exasperated with him which just made him look at her with more confusion as she came to sit beside him. It wasn't until her delicate paw took his much larger paw in her own and lifted it to rest on her belly that he slowly began to realize what she was trying to tell him. Even as she shared that they were finally getting their second chance it was almost as if his mind couldn't fully grasp the idea. His eyes widened with disbelief, his mouth hanging open with a response that couldn't quite form itself. His paw gently stroked across her belly that was already beginning to show that distinctive, rounded shape of their growing pups and even with the clear evidence at his toe tips his brain couldn't quite catch up with the reality that was in front of him. He had noticed a couple of times in the last couple of weeks that maybe her figure was a little more full than it tended to be, but he had always written it off as a trick of the light or maybe the effects of a large meal. He never allowed himself to believe it could be anything more than that.

She explained simply that she had wanted to be sure, giving a reason for the fact that he was only just now finding out about their growing children when she was now clearly showing the signs of it. They weren't just expecting, they were far closer to being parents than he had even realized. He still wore a stunned expression as she mentioned that the basket was for birthing while the strawberries were for her. All of the pieces of her surprise were finally clicking together for him and a grin crept across his face, his gaze dipping from her face down to where his paw still rested on her belly for a moment until she asked him how he was feeling, calling him daddy. His eyes returned to hers as a soft, giddy laugh escaped him, his vision clouding a bit before he even realized the happy tears had snuck up on him. The heat in her words certainly didn't escape him and a similar love and heat burned in his own gaze behind the haze of joyous tears as his paw slipped away from her belly to wrap around her waist instead, easily scooping up her smaller frame into his embrace. He captured her lips with his own as he held her tightly against him, expressing the absolute gratitude and love he had for this woman in the only way he really knew how.

Deimos cradled his mate in his forelegs as he finally broke away gently from their kiss, a wide, overjoyed smile pulling across his face as he looked down at her with more love than he ever thought he was possible of feeling. "My mate... Oh you've made me the happiest brute on this whole damned continent," he rumbled quietly as he leaned down to nuzzle against her cheek. He already knew from their first attempt that he couldn't sweep her off to bed any longer, but gods he wanted to. He peppered her face, ears, and the top of her head with affectionate kisses, feeling more like a giddy pup than the grizzled old man he was quickly becoming. Even though he would never wish the tragedy they had gone through on the worst of his enemies, he couldn't help but feel as though everything was truly happening as it was meant to be. The loss of their first litter had brought them even closer together and had truly forced him to evaluate not only what he truly wanted from his life but how much he actually loved the woman that was his mate and now the mother of his children two times over. He was more grateful for this gift than he ever would have been before. Maybe the Ancients truly knew what they were doing. "I love you more than I could ever put into words, Ikigai. I can't wait to meet our children."

"Deimos & Ikigai"