so very dapper

[temporal_affairs]

The Joker is awfully domestic, in his way. He makes pretty clothes. Nathan's perfectly happy to be a clothes horse for his sartorially-inclined mate. Some of the clothes are distinctly feminine, and Nathan does not wear those, although the Joker could probably talk him into a kilt, even if that's not a Manx thing but only their neighbors.

Comments

[yourheartstrings]

"All righty," she says, and dresses and teleports them.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan finds his room in this capital site, shows her to it, and brainphones Bella, who refers them to Rosalie, who makes them an appointment for delivery the subsequent day.

[yourheartstrings]

The Joker decides to celebrate with cuddles. Munchkin is breaking the occasional rib by now, but they only stay broken for fractions of a second at a time, so it's not a big inconvenience.

[temporal_affairs]

"You're having the easiest half-vampire pregnancy of all time," Nathan tells her. "I wonder why today was best anyway. You'd be fine for days yet as far as I can guess. Tired of being gravid?"

[yourheartstrings]

"Mm, no," she says, "but I might be about to be tired of it."

[temporal_affairs]

"Fair enough." He pats the place under which Kerron-or-Aedyt rests.

[yourheartstrings]

She cuddles up and smiles softly.

"Think I'll take a nap," she murmurs.

[temporal_affairs]

"Sleep well, babe," he says, and he kisses her forehead.

[yourheartstrings]

She dozes her way through most of the remaining time until their appointment. Occasionally the baby kicks and she wakes up with a squeak or a giggle.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan waits, and when it's time, he picks her up and carries her into the delivery room.

This surgery has historically been performed with a vampire tooth, but apparently Bella's been using her coins, as Rosalie is holding a scalpel instead. "So," she says, peering between the Joker and Nathan, "if she - he? - if your mate's not going to turn, how's this going to work? You going to magic the shell away or something?"

[yourheartstrings]

"Probably," she agrees. "What'd you do with yours?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Bella wished it away, but I wasn't being a human under it, I didn't have a medical emergency as soon as it was opened up," Rosalie says. "You'll need to be quick, or give someone else one of those coins - I can do it, or you can give it to Nathan, whichever."

[yourheartstrings]

"What kind of medical emergency?" she asks. "It'd have to be pretty brutal to get me; I heal fast these days."

[temporal_affairs]

"Opening the shell far enough usually involves breaking the spine, and there's also plenty of blood loss - though admittedly you have better color than the usual patient already - and the amniotic fluid is rather venom-like, so it burns, but can't turn-and-heal like ordinary venom can," says Rosalie.

"I think she'll be fine," Nathan says.

[yourheartstrings]

"Blood loss, broken spine, venom that doesn't turn me - been there, done that," she says cheerfully.

[temporal_affairs]

"All right," shrugs Rosalie, and she looks at Nathan and says, "Want to say when?"

"When," says Nathan, a few moments later, and Rosalie cuts.

[yourheartstrings]

The Joker grins and bites her lip. "Tickles."

[temporal_affairs]

Rosalie cracks open the shell and picks up a well-formed little baby half-vampire.

"It's a boy," breathes Nathan.

"Mind the teeth," advises Rosalie as she hands Kerron over to his unambiguous-daddy.

[yourheartstrings]

"Awww," says the Joker, a little breathlessly, as her spine uncracks and her abdomen pours out a gush of not-quite-venom and then seals itself. She wriggles, then holds out her arms. "I wanna kiss my munchkin," she declares.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan kisses him first, then hands Kerron over to the Joker.

"Usually at this point you'd be hurried into the turning room, and now I'm not quite sure what to do with you," Rosalie says to the Joker. "Can you walk? Do you want to just go back to Nathan's room? I suppose he'll have to be moved into family suites."

[yourheartstrings]

"Hiya, snugglebug," she murmurs, kissing Kerron's forehead. Then she looks up at Nate. "Where do you wanna go, hon?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Our room sounds good," he says. "Conjure up a crib for him while they pick out family quarters for us."

Rosalie, meanwhile, pulls some coins out of her pocket to clean up the operating table - these are not the Joker's transparent-with-color-flecks, but a bright and glowing gold.

[yourheartstrings]

"Goldie's been busy, I guess," she remarks, and gets to her feet, still cuddling Kerron.

[temporal_affairs]

"...Goldie?" Rosalie looks at the remaining coins in her hand. "Bella made these. She just makes the little ones steadily all the time from being thirsty," says Rosalie, "so she gives them out for things like this."

"Her Majesty's interdimensional nickname is Golden," Nathan explains, "and she's not the first one the Joker met."

[yourheartstrings]

"That would be Stella," the Joker agrees. "Who I'm pretty sure still hates me, it makes me sad sometimes."