Evan
My first class of the day was water wielding theory. In the two months since I'd found out I was pregnant, a lot had changed. Maverick and Jackson had moved all my stuff from my shared dorm room to Maverick's house. The professor was so doting. He refused to let me lift a finger. He constantly complained that I still went to classes every day and particularly that I participated in the practical classes. I knew what my body could handle, though, and I was a lot stronger now than I'd ever been before. The soulbound bond made sure of that.
Nobody at the academy knew about the pregnancy yet. We'd decided to deal with it when it became a problem. We weren't necessarily hiding it, but I hadn't even begun showing until a couple weeks ago. Now, my stomach was huge. The baby's growth appeared to be making up for lost time. Maverick and the doctor chalked my previous smaller size up to malnutrition. The baby was finally a healthy size and they were both happy with my weight gain.
Nathan had gradually warmed up to Jackson and both Maverick and I had followed their love story religiously. About three weeks ago, we realised someone was sleeping over at Jackson's. We got up early one morning and spied through the curtains. A very disheveled looking Nathan had stumbled down the steps only to be scooped up and kissed a few moments later by an elated Jackson. The next day as we looked out the curtain, Maverick had wolf whistled at them. Nathan's cheeks had turned extremely red when he saw us waving at them, but Jackson had just waved back, a huge smile on his face.
My water wielding theory class was still empty as I was a few minutes early. The professor looked up at my entry and we made eye contact. I smiled at him. "Fancy meeting you here, sir."
He groaned. "You know I hate it when you call me that."
I threw my arms around his neck and laughed. "I know. But I love it." My rounding belly pressed against his abdomen and he held me even tighter. Our lips met before he rested his forehead against mine, his hands coming to rest on my waist with his thumbs rubbing circles into the underside of my belly. He absolutely loved touching it. His cuddles now included getting his fix of petting and touching my belly. He called it 'getting to know the baby'. I called it sexy.
We jumped apart as the door opened. I hastily made my way to one of the front seats, my cheeks only slightly hot. I tapped my pen against the desk impatiently as my thoughts slipped. Maverick was valiantly trying to keep my attention focused on defensive uses of water magic, but his baby stole the show as it rolled in my tummy.
This afternoon, we would finally find out the gender of our little one. They hadn't been facing the right way the previous appointment, or something like that. While it didn't matter either way, we were both really excited. Maverick was also house hunting. He'd decided that first day that we would need a bigger house and has been dead set on finding the perfect one ever since. I just let him do his thing. Worrying was how he coped with the stress.
"Evan?" Maverick's voice brought me back to the present. I bit my lip. I hadn't heard his question and by his smirk, he knew it too. He took pity on me. "Surely you know what the first matter of importance should be when trying to fight with water."
"Uh, finding a water source." The class snickered. Maverick smiled. "No! Calming your emotions," I quickly amended.
"Good. We all know that sometimes, elements feed off of negative emotions. But oftentimes, these negative emotions also cause a loss in control. Which is why we need to remain calm to stay in control." Maverick paused and thought for a second. "Though, I will admit that finding a water source is also a good idea." The class laughed.
I sighed. Maverick had been giving me a few personal tutoring sessions to make up for me not paying attention in class since the first day I saw him. A lot of what I already learned, though, I picked up from just listening to him ramble. He liked to go on and on about a topic and I always made sure to pay close attention. He'd given me some great advice between ranting about anger and control.
I propped my head on my hand as my mind once again drifted. It was still so difficult to pay attention in Maverick's class, even though I now lived with him. His presence often distracted me when I was doing something at home. I never knew anything about the soulbound bond, but I hadn't expected it to be this bad. Truth be told, I expected to be rejected the moment I met my soulbound. I wasn't exactly considered star quality boyfriend material. Lately, however, Maverick had made me feel as if just maybe, I was amazing for him. What a thought. I hoped he needed me even half as much as I needed him.
The soulbound bond may have forced us together and even in a sense forced me to forgive him for his actions a lot sooner, but he was truly apologetic. Once I got to know him and his motivations a little, there was no way I could stay angry at him.
The class finally ended just as I began drifting off. The fatigue was still unexpectedly intense and staying awake sometimes required real effort. Maverick caught my eye and the corner of his mouth lifted. I wished I could just pull him home and curl up in his arms for a few hours.
Well, that wasn't going to happen. At least it was Friday, so classes ended at noon. After lunch, we were headed to the doctor. God, I couldn't wait for this day to end.
*****
Maverick
I was clearing the plates after lunch. I'd made us some pizzas since it was Evan's favourite. He'd never say it, but I knew he secretly couldn't wait for pizza Friday. I hoped the doctor's appointment would go well. Nathan had informally spoken to Evan quite a lot through the last two months, giving him tips, answering questions and commenting on things Evan mentioned. We'd only gone to one other appointment to check the baby's growth. Evan and Nathan were becoming close friends.
I'd put in a request for Evan to join my clan under the soulbound law, and was expecting it to go through any day now. Evan was so nervous, but I was sure everyone would love him at the traditional big clan party to celebrate our bonding.
I dried my hands on a dishtowel, having just finished cleaning up the dishes. "Ready to go?" I called through the house. I knew Evan was excited for this appointment to go well and wouldn't want to risk being late.
"Here," he said, rounding the corner.
I smiled contentedly. I'd bought him a bunch of new clothes, including paternity clothes from the women in my clan who made it. The soft blue shirt stretched nicely to accommodate his growing belly. His colouring was back to normal, perhaps even a little bit more tanned with all the time we'd spent outdoors these past few weeks. He'd loved reconnecting with the forest and it has made him so much stronger.
"Let's get going, then." I slapped him lightly on his ass as I walked past. He gave a scandalous gasp, but I knew he loved it.
I held open the door and closed it behind him, carefully spinning him on the porch until he faced me. "Before we go," I said. Before, whenever I would stop him to talk, he'd get this resigned look in his eyes. Now, however, I saw only love and trust shining there. I swallowed thickly. "I just wanted to tell you how happy you've made me. Five months ago, I wouldn't have imagined we would end up here, but I am so impossibly grateful that we did. I love you so much." His eyes widened. This was the first time I told him that I loved him, even though I'd assumed he must have known. "And I love our baby so much already. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together, and I hope you feel the same."
On the last few word, I'd taken a simple bamboo ring from my pocket and now stood on my one knee in front of him. It was elven custom to exchange bamboo rings. Nature was eternal, always finding a way to grow and persevere, so our love would be, too.
Evan gasped and tears filled his eyes. I would've worried if he wasn't smiling so big. He excitedly held out his finger and I slipped the ring onto it. As soon as I stood before him, he kissed me for all I was worth.
"In case it wasn't clear, the answer is yes."
I chuckled. "I figured, but thank you for confirming."
"We really should go now, though."
I reluctantly let him go and instead linked our hands to lead him to my car. From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a flash of red near the treeline, but it was gone as soon as I looked. I shook my head. Must have been my imagination.
During the ride to the clinic, Evan could not stop talking about the house we had looked at earlier in the week. I told him we could keep searching for the perfect family home, but he'd said that he was sure he'd already found it. I thought six bedrooms were a bit much, but I'd do anything to keep Evan smiling. He had also mentioned more kids for our future and I can't say I'd complain about that. The house was also close to my clan grounds, which was a huge bonus.
Evan greeted Nathan with a tight hug and they chatted all the way to the exam room. Sometimes, I still had to pinch myself to make sure what I was seeing was real. The Evan I knew now was so very different from the reserved man I'd met at the beginning of the year.
Evan was handed a thin hospital gown to dress in. I offered to help him, but Nathan said that he really wanted to do the exam before night fell. I thought he was exaggerating just a bit. Especially considering how much time he and Jackson spent togther, most assuredly not talking.
Finally, the gel was squirted onto Evan's stomach and the little wand moved into place. A strong heartbeat filled the room. I couldn't help but puff up a little in pride, even though I knew I had jack squat to do with the baby's growth. At least I was feeding Evan properly. Nathan even said his weight was perfectly normal now. My soulbound looked healthy and strong.
"Ready to find out what you're having?" Nathan asked.
"Nah. We've been excited all week for absolutely no reason. Please, no need to tell us." Evan's sarcasm still sometimes surprised Nathan as it was so different from the man he got to know in the beginning, but he smiled indulgently this time.
"You're having a..." He paused. Evan gave him a glare. "Boy!"
Evan squealed and grabbed my hand. I laughed. I knew he'd have been exited no matter what the gender of the baby.
"Now, I won't be able to tell the gender designation until he is born. Bearers tend to run in families, but I doubt that either of you would care much anyway," Nathan said.
It was a testament to our trust that Evan didn't even look over at me to confirm that I wouldn't care. He trusted that I was serious about loving our baby just as he was. And he finally - after so many weeks of trying to convince him - believed that I really did love the idea of a partner carrying my children. Bearer was just a word to describe him, not a derogatory slang like it had always been used against him before.
As Evan redressed and talked with Nathan, my phone rang and I stepped outside to answer it. Jackson's name flashed on my screen.
"What's up?" I said, closing the clinic's front door behind me.
"How did it go?"
I would usually laugh at how eager he was for this baby. From baby room planning, to onesie shopping and even talking about his assigned babysitting days. It was sometimes hard to know who was more excited for my baby.
But this time... he sounded off.
"Went well. We're just finishing up. We're having a boy."
"That's great man. Congratulations. Not that it wouldn't have been great either way."
He still wasn't sounding very enthusiastic. Something was wrong. "Spit it out."
He sighed. "You coming straight home now?"
I considered his tone. He was afraid to tell me what was wrong. "We were planning on stopping in town for ice cream and baby shopping, but it's not urgent." Another long pause followed my words. "Jackson, I'm serious. If you don't tell me what's going on right now I'll-"
"Alright, alright." He cut me off with a huff. Another pause followed. I was getting frustrated. "They know, Mav. The Elder Council knows. They showed up about twenty minutes ago."
My blood ran cold. This was it. We knew it would happen, of course. You couldn't hide a baby forever. Now, our fates would be decided.
"Alright." My voice was shaking slightly. "We'll head home now. See you in a bit."
We hung up just as Evan and Nathan joined me outside. They could both immediately tell something was wrong. Looking down at my phone clasped in my hands I said, "We need to get going. Elder Council is waiting for us."
They quickly said their goodbyes. And we were on the road a minute later. Evan was staring out the window. I didn't know what awaited us, but I refused to let my mate be scared of it. Whatever it was, I would deal with it. I reached over and clasped his hand in mine, bringing it to my lips to give his knuckles a quick kiss and then resting our joined hands on my thigh. He looked over, but didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.