[ Leo never thought he would make for a good dad. It's not like he had a good example to work from - sure, he had his mom up until he turned eight, but his dad? Never even knew who the guy was until age fifteen, and that was not exactly the type of guy he wanted to be.
So of course, what does he do? He overcompensates. As soon as he hears that Stiles is pregnant, he's stuck somewhere between elation and excitement and absolute terror. He doesn't know how to be a father; how is he supposed to make this work? How are they supposed to make this work? Everyone around them likes to comment on how dysfunctional they can both be, and even if Leo knows that isn't completely true from how they've lived together for the past however-long-it's-been, there's still worry lurking there in the back of his mind.
But they can make it work, and he starts with baby-proofing their place. Next comes the furniture, of course, and it's a real shame that this kid won't be able to appreciate just how awesome a crib they're going to have - not to mention the mobile, and all the toys.
Gods, the toys. That's one of the most fun parts of this whole thing, second only to the actual conception.
The worst is the birth. The very idea freaks him out - how does that even work, like, biologically? isn't the female body a tiny bit too small for that? - and the way Stiles squeezes his hand, he's wondering if even nectar or ambrosia will be able to fix it. There's nothing but panic at the forefront of his mind while it's happening and then suddenly - it's over, and the doctors are handing their baby to Stiles, and that is a sight Leo never thought he would see but he's so glad he has. And when she hands to baby to him - it sounds ridiculously cheesy, probably because it is, but it's like something changes in the world.
He, Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, is a father.
Taking them both home is one of the happier days in his life, and he instantly goes about acquainting the baby with her toys, though eventually the excitement abates a little - unless he thinks about it too much; he's a dad - and they settle into a routine. Stiles ends up going back to work, and though Leo has work to do as well - well, someone has to watch the baby, so they take turns. Thankfully, however, it's the weekend, so they can both chill for a while, and Leo's lying back with the baby on his chest, comfortable as can be. ]
{Stiles has always been terrified of actually using her womb. She's never felt particularly tough or strong and birth seemed like it needed someone who was tough and strong to survive it. She was so afraid that her body would betray her like her mother's and she'd leave her child alone without her. Of course, then she met Leo Valdez.
On the surface so many people thought they were too alike, that they'd forget the essential things, get too wrapped up in themselves or each other to actually participate in a life like adults. That wasn't the case, even a little bit to their own surprise. Leo created a handy thing that would take care of reminding them of their obligations and Stiles took care of them, or pestered and bribed Leo for the ones he needed to take care of. She didn't mind even a little sharing him with his creations.
Leo Valdez made her feel stronger. Her body hadn't changed except for age, but she looked at him and she saw a future filled with dark haired kids that needed a fire extinguisher in every room, extra bookshelves in the house, and an endless supply of safety gear. They'd mentioned it idly in passing that kids were cute, and then suddenly, Stiles doesn't know if she forgot a day with her pill or if a condom was faulty--she doesn't know what happened, but she's standing in their bathroom holding a stick that reads positive.
She can't tell Leo right away. She just can't. Her hands shake and the words stick in her throat whenever she's watching his back at his workbench and tries to get his attention. It takes her a whole week to leave the pregnancy test among his current project and hover in the doorway waiting for him to notice it.
His ensuing enthusiasm is catching and soothes the fear in her chest even if she catches him looking a little wild eyed and fearing himself. Her body changes Oh gods, how it changes. She's afraid of that too for a little while. Afraid she'll be the wrong shape forever and a Leo will change his mind, not because she doesn't have faith in him but because she sometimes doesn't think too highly of herself.
Then she starts reading about all the little changes, everything happening inside her body, and she realizes she didn't have to worry about this part. Her body is built for this, like Leo had designed it himself. Probably a blasphemous thought, but she didn't care. Everything about the changes in her body were made to make her stronger and carry their child safely. She relaxed more and more as her body bent itself into new shapes.
She ends up playing more than she'll admit with the toys Leo's making for the baby, and when it comes right down to it, she's pretty sure the damage she did to his hand is more lasting than what she's going through after the birth when they put their baby in her arms. She's exhausted, sweaty, and feeling lingering pains, but it's not so much different from a quest, and this is the best reward she's ever gotten for completion.
The baby is seamless part of their routine almost from the very beginning. And when Stiles goes back to teaching it's not hard to convince anyone to let her child ride around on her chest napping on the days that Leo needs to buckle down on a project, but the rest of the time Stiles is content to leave their beautiful creation with Leo.
The evenings and the weekends are her very favorite, though. They get to all be together, their little family unit, limbs tangled up in warmth and love protecting and caring for their child so small. Amazingly as Stiles watches their kid sleep on Leo's chest she's not afraid anymore. She knows her child will never be alone. Even if her body changes it's mind and turns on her like an enemy driving her to hallucinations and deteriorating her brain right out from on top of her, she knows without a doubt that Leo will still be the best parent and their child will be safe. She hopes that's the kind of faith her mom had in her dad when she left them behind.
Unable to resist any longer she crawls gently onto the couch and lays herself out along Leo's side.}
[ He's relaxing there with his eyes closed, one hand on the baby's back to make sure she doesn't tumble off somehow, drumming lightly while he just... thinks about things for a while. It's rare that Leo is this still, even in his sleep, but it's different when it comes to this kid. He finds ways to keep moving that are subtle, and not so over the top, flaily, or whatever everyone tells him he is because his ADHD is that much worse than a normal demigod's. That way, he can still get rid of all that nervous energy without disturbing the kid on his chest.
His mind is going over everything from current projects to future endeavors to their unexpected little family to this thing Piper and Jason had been telling him about the other day to thoughts on how he wants to make a miniature Festus for the kid when she's old enough. He wonders if she'll have any sort of powers; the Romans never really went into how that worked for legacies. If she'll have any of Stiles' powers as a shard of Saga, like her crazy head for research. It's one of the things Leo has always admired about her. Oh, sure, he's done plenty of research on his own, but only ever into mechanics and inventors and other children of Hephaestus and things that are immediately relevant to him. She takes it so much further than that, to a level he could hardly even imagine.
When he feels Stiles' weight stretch out next to them, he smiles, and slowly scoots over just enough so she'll have room to get comfortable, peeking at her with one eye open. ] We were sleeping, until you so rudely interrupted us.
{Stiles rolls her eyes widely and aligns her body better to his now that he's shifted around for her.}
Bullshit.
{She whispers it but the amusement is still audible in her voice as she rests one hand on their little girl's back and threads the other with Leo's fingers.}
I saw your fingers tapping away. What are you thinking about, genius?
{A lot of people have called Leo that, including himself, in mockery when something doesn't go right the first time, or grudgingly when he proves them wrong, but Stiles says it with genuine admiration and love.}
Wouldn't you like to know. [ His grin turns mysterious. Maybe he's planning something. Maybe he has ideas. Maybe it just wouldn't do to spoil the surprise. ]
I was thinking about the stroller, [ he admits finally. ] What would you say if I made it hover? What if she had a little dragon of her own, like Scout?
I would that's why I asked. {She pokes at him lightly. It would be a harder jab if she didn't want him to squirm and wake their little girl.
Her eyebrow raises when he finally admits to his current planning.}
I think it'd be cute, as long as you get a real crash test tiny dummy for your test runs this time and not a sack of flour like you tried with the bouncer. That was the worst mess to clean up once it mixed with the grease.
At least that was fun to watch, [ he says with a laugh. It always is, and cleanup is always the worst. ] I’ll get a real crash test dummy this time, promise. But I want to give it a shot, and if it works, we won’t have to worry about her rolling away down some hill, just keeping her out of the wind.
[ Though he does have thoughts on making it a convertible thing, for situations like that - press a button, wheels appear, hover turns off. Press it again, hover on, wheels gone. It’s perfect. ]
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commandertoolbelt) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
arrays2013-12-22 03:34 pm
So babies...
no subject
So of course, what does he do? He overcompensates. As soon as he hears that Stiles is pregnant, he's stuck somewhere between elation and excitement and absolute terror. He doesn't know how to be a father; how is he supposed to make this work? How are they supposed to make this work? Everyone around them likes to comment on how dysfunctional they can both be, and even if Leo knows that isn't completely true from how they've lived together for the past however-long-it's-been, there's still worry lurking there in the back of his mind.
But they can make it work, and he starts with baby-proofing their place. Next comes the furniture, of course, and it's a real shame that this kid won't be able to appreciate just how awesome a crib they're going to have - not to mention the mobile, and all the toys.
Gods, the toys. That's one of the most fun parts of this whole thing, second only to the actual conception.
The worst is the birth. The very idea freaks him out - how does that even work, like, biologically? isn't the female body a tiny bit too small for that? - and the way Stiles squeezes his hand, he's wondering if even nectar or ambrosia will be able to fix it. There's nothing but panic at the forefront of his mind while it's happening and then suddenly - it's over, and the doctors are handing their baby to Stiles, and that is a sight Leo never thought he would see but he's so glad he has. And when she hands to baby to him - it sounds ridiculously cheesy, probably because it is, but it's like something changes in the world.
He, Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, is a father.
Taking them both home is one of the happier days in his life, and he instantly goes about acquainting the baby with her toys, though eventually the excitement abates a little - unless he thinks about it too much; he's a dad - and they settle into a routine. Stiles ends up going back to work, and though Leo has work to do as well - well, someone has to watch the baby, so they take turns. Thankfully, however, it's the weekend, so they can both chill for a while, and Leo's lying back with the baby on his chest, comfortable as can be. ]
no subject
On the surface so many people thought they were too alike, that they'd forget the essential things, get too wrapped up in themselves or each other to actually participate in a life like adults. That wasn't the case, even a little bit to their own surprise. Leo created a handy thing that would take care of reminding them of their obligations and Stiles took care of them, or pestered and bribed Leo for the ones he needed to take care of. She didn't mind even a little sharing him with his creations.
Leo Valdez made her feel stronger. Her body hadn't changed except for age, but she looked at him and she saw a future filled with dark haired kids that needed a fire extinguisher in every room, extra bookshelves in the house, and an endless supply of safety gear. They'd mentioned it idly in passing that kids were cute, and then suddenly, Stiles doesn't know if she forgot a day with her pill or if a condom was faulty--she doesn't know what happened, but she's standing in their bathroom holding a stick that reads positive.
She can't tell Leo right away. She just can't. Her hands shake and the words stick in her throat whenever she's watching his back at his workbench and tries to get his attention. It takes her a whole week to leave the pregnancy test among his current project and hover in the doorway waiting for him to notice it.
His ensuing enthusiasm is catching and soothes the fear in her chest even if she catches him looking a little wild eyed and fearing himself. Her body changes Oh gods, how it changes. She's afraid of that too for a little while. Afraid she'll be the wrong shape forever and a Leo will change his mind, not because she doesn't have faith in him but because she sometimes doesn't think too highly of herself.
Then she starts reading about all the little changes, everything happening inside her body, and she realizes she didn't have to worry about this part. Her body is built for this, like Leo had designed it himself. Probably a blasphemous thought, but she didn't care. Everything about the changes in her body were made to make her stronger and carry their child safely. She relaxed more and more as her body bent itself into new shapes.
She ends up playing more than she'll admit with the toys Leo's making for the baby, and when it comes right down to it, she's pretty sure the damage she did to his hand is more lasting than what she's going through after the birth when they put their baby in her arms. She's exhausted, sweaty, and feeling lingering pains, but it's not so much different from a quest, and this is the best reward she's ever gotten for completion.
The baby is seamless part of their routine almost from the very beginning. And when Stiles goes back to teaching it's not hard to convince anyone to let her child ride around on her chest napping on the days that Leo needs to buckle down on a project, but the rest of the time Stiles is content to leave their beautiful creation with Leo.
The evenings and the weekends are her very favorite, though. They get to all be together, their little family unit, limbs tangled up in warmth and love protecting and caring for their child so small. Amazingly as Stiles watches their kid sleep on Leo's chest she's not afraid anymore. She knows her child will never be alone. Even if her body changes it's mind and turns on her like an enemy driving her to hallucinations and deteriorating her brain right out from on top of her, she knows without a doubt that Leo will still be the best parent and their child will be safe. She hopes that's the kind of faith her mom had in her dad when she left them behind.
Unable to resist any longer she crawls gently onto the couch and lays herself out along Leo's side.}
What are my two favorite people up to?
no subject
His mind is going over everything from current projects to future endeavors to their unexpected little family to this thing Piper and Jason had been telling him about the other day to thoughts on how he wants to make a miniature Festus for the kid when she's old enough. He wonders if she'll have any sort of powers; the Romans never really went into how that worked for legacies. If she'll have any of Stiles' powers as a shard of Saga, like her crazy head for research. It's one of the things Leo has always admired about her. Oh, sure, he's done plenty of research on his own, but only ever into mechanics and inventors and other children of Hephaestus and things that are immediately relevant to him. She takes it so much further than that, to a level he could hardly even imagine.
When he feels Stiles' weight stretch out next to them, he smiles, and slowly scoots over just enough so she'll have room to get comfortable, peeking at her with one eye open. ] We were sleeping, until you so rudely interrupted us.
[ The baby, of course, is still snoozing away. ]
no subject
Bullshit.
{She whispers it but the amusement is still audible in her voice as she rests one hand on their little girl's back and threads the other with Leo's fingers.}
I saw your fingers tapping away. What are you thinking about, genius?
{A lot of people have called Leo that, including himself, in mockery when something doesn't go right the first time, or grudgingly when he proves them wrong, but Stiles says it with genuine admiration and love.}
no subject
I was thinking about the stroller, [ he admits finally. ] What would you say if I made it hover? What if she had a little dragon of her own, like Scout?
no subject
Her eyebrow raises when he finally admits to his current planning.}
I think it'd be cute, as long as you get a real crash test tiny dummy for your test runs this time and not a sack of flour like you tried with the bouncer. That was the worst mess to clean up once it mixed with the grease.
no subject
[ Though he does have thoughts on making it a convertible thing, for situations like that - press a button, wheels appear, hover turns off. Press it again, hover on, wheels gone. It’s perfect. ]