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It was a warm summer day. The water was a glittering crystal blue, and the beach was filled with soft grains of sand. It was like the ocean knew it's prince was getting married.Jonathan fixed his tie, hands trembling. He gulped, tried to calm his nerves. His butler, Duncan, put a hand on his shoulder. “Relax, Jonathan. You'll be fine.”Jonathan shrugged and fiddled with his fingers. “I suppose,” he bit his lip, “I just- what if something goes wrong. All the colors are in order?”“Still the blue and white theme you and his highness picked out.”“The food is ready?”“Everything on the menu, sir.”“There's enough seats for the guests? The music is prepared? All the lights work?”“Jonathan,” Duncan soothed.Jonathan looked at his feet. “Patrick is still here?”Duncan’s face contorted to a sympathetic smile. “Mr. Kane would be an idiot to leave you here. Would you like me to get him?”Jonathan held his arms. “Yes please.”Duncs nodded and bowed, before walking out of the bedroom. Within five minutes, there was a gentle knock on the door.“Darling? Are you okay?”Jonathan deflated at the sound of his fiancé’s voice “Don't come in,” he told Patrick, “It's bad luck.” He walked to the door and pressed his forehead against it. “You still want to marry me, don't you?”He heard Patrick’s hands travel up the door. “Of course I do, you're my Jonny,” the prince assured, “I love you. I can't wait to be your husband.”Jonathan smiled lightly. “I love you, too.”“The ceremony is about to begin. Are you ready?”“As long as you are.”Twenty minutes later, Jonathan was standing by the doors of the palace. He was outside, bouquet of blue and white roses in hand. There was a pathway leading down to the beach, where his fiancé was waiting.Taking a deep breath, Jonathan heard the music begin to play, and he started making his way down the path. One foot in front of the other, he thought to himself, left, right, left, right, left-Charlie, the Yorkshire Terrier Patrick had bought him for a wedding present, trotted by his side. Jon could see the chairs of guests in his line of sight, and as he walked closer, the archway became visible. Then he was fifty yards from Patrick and the ocean.His family was in the water, watching happily. His parents, Sharpy and Geno and Sid, Lacy and Bubbles and most of his people.Jonathan locked eyes with Patrick, the man smiling widely at the sight of Jonny. His hands were clasped in front of him and the minister was standing in the middle back of the archway.Before he knew it, Patrick was linking their arms and standing side-by-side, facing the preacher and the ocean. Pat was warm and solid next to him, and it brought comfort to him.“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today, to witness the marriage of Prince Patrick Timothy Kane II and Prince Jonathan Bryan Toews,” the minister smiled, “If anyone has a reason for these two to not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace.”Jonathan felt Patrick squeeze his arm in reassurance. No one spoke up. Jonathan relaxed.“Wonderful. We will now commence the exchanging of the vows.” The minister told them, “Please face one another and conjoin hands.”Jonathan handed his bouquet to Erica, before turning with Patrick, facing the blond, and taking his hands in his own.Patrick cleared his throat. “Okay, despite being a prince, I'm terrible at speeches.”The crowd on land and sea laughed.Patrick blushed a little. He gave Jonny’s hands a light squeeze. “Um, Jonathan, I love you. We've been through so much, and even in our worst days, you still stuck by me. You're my darling, and nothing is ever going to change that. Watching you come back to me that day, when you'd risked your life to save mine, I knew I could never let you get away from me, and after today, I have a reason to say I never will. Legally. Because if I'm your husband, I can't be charged with kidnapping.”The crowd laughed again, including Jonathan, who was teary eyed.Jonathan wiped his eyes. “Oh gosh. Where do I begin? Patrick, you're everything to me. You showed me a whole new world, one that I'd only dreamt about. And now I'm here, about to marry you, and…” He sniffed. “I just, I don't know what to say. I love you so much, Patrick, I-”He choked on his words, letting out a small sob, and the guests cooed. Patrick smiled and brought Jonathan in for a hug, rubbing his back soothingly. He pulled away, kissing Jonny’s nose.Jonathan sniffled again and the minister continued. “May we have the rings,please?”Erica and Jackie ran forward, giving Jonny Pat’s ring and Pat, Jonny’s. “Patrick, please repeat after me. I, Patrick Kane-”Patrick grinned, “I, Patrick Kane.”“-take you, Jonathan Toews-”“Take you, Jonathan Toews.”“-to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold-”“To be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold.”“-for better or worse, in sickness and in health, not even in death do us part.”Patrick's grin grew broader. “For better or worse, in sickness and in health, not even in death do us part.”“With this ring, I thee wed.”He took Jonathan's left hand. “With this ring,” he said the gold band onto Jonathan’s finger, “I thee wed.”“Jonathan, repeat after me. I, Jonathan Toews-”“I, J-Jonathan Toews.” Jonny smiled wobbly.“-take you, Patrick Kane-”“Take you, Patrick Kane.”“-to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold-”“To be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold.”“-for better or worse, in sickness and in health, not even in death do us part.”Jonathan got teary-eyed again. “For better or worse, in sickness and in health, not even in death do us part.”“With this ring, I thee wed.”Jonathan took Patrick's finger and slid on the ring. “With this ring, I thee wed.”The minister smiled, “Almost done. Do you, Jonathan, take Patrick as your husband, as long as you both shall live?”Jonathan grinned brightly, “I do.”“And do you, Patrick, take Jonathan as your husband, as long as you both shall live?”Patrick smirked, “Even in death, I do.”The minister clapped his hands. “I now pronounce you husband and husband. Patrick, you may kiss your groom.”The crowds burst into cheers and wolf whistles as Patrick and Jonny surged forward, crashing their lips together. Pat cupped Jonny’s cheeks, before sliding his hands down to his waist and lifted. Jonathan locked his arms around Pat’s neck as the blond spun him around.The parted with a breathy laugh and both of them shedding tears. They took hands and ran down the pathway, Charlie following behind eagerly, back to the palace and into the doors. Jonathan and Patrick kissed again, and Jonathan grinned, “We’re married, Pat.”“We’re married. Hah. Jonny, we’re married!” Patrick cheered, picking Jonathan up again and twirling him around. They pressed their foreheads together. They were married.After they got themselves together and took pictures with Pat’s family – Jonny’s family, now – they went back to the beach. Guests were in the water, greeting the merpeople, and the maids brought out chairs so some of the merpeople could sit by the shoreline.Jonathan hugged his family and his friends excitedly, overwhelmed with emotions.“Oh, my baby,” Andrée cried, “You're all grown up and starting your own family.” She cupped Jonny’s cheek, and Jon leaned into her touch.Bryan clapped him on the back and David swam around him excitedly, teasing.“Big man on the beach,” Sharpy grinned when it was his turn, “Wow. I guess you're not a guppy anymore.”Jonathan nearly burst into tears again when he saw Sharpy tear up. He hugged him as tight as possible. “Love you, Sharpy.”Sharpy sniffed, “Love you, too, Tazer.”“Look at you!” Sidney laughed, hugging Jonathan close. “I'm so proud of you, man. It feels good, doesn't it?”Sidney and Geno had gotten married two months after the storm. Jonathan had gone down to be there, while Pat stayed on the surface, dealing with coronation details.Jonathan nodded. “Yeah, it does. It really does, Sid.”The wedding cake was a gorgeous, crisp white, with blue glitter sprinkles decorating the top of each layer. There were two grooms on the top, along with two silver hearts. It was a seven tier cake. Chef was a god.The newlyweds cut the cake, Patrick pressed to Jonny’s back and their hands overtop one another on the knife. They fed each other their pieces, and Jonathan pushed the cake into Pat’s face.Pat stared at him in shock, before licking his lips. “Oh it's on.”He smashed his piece into Jon’s face, and Jonathan spit it back at him. They burst into laughter and kissed again. They linked arms and drank champagne, sharing face kisses and neck nuzzles.The wedding lasted until nightfall. Jonathan said goodbye to his family, watching as they disappeared into the water again.Jonathan and Patrick hugged Donna, Pat Sr. and the girls, and they congratulated them. The newlyweds locked hands and dragged one another upstairs. They shed their suit jackets and belts, and closed the door to their room, locking Charlie out.They fell onto the bed. Patrick's hands ran up and down Jonny’s sides lovingly. “I've got you memorized, you know that?” He whispered, “Your body, it's burned in my brain.”Jonathan whimpered, leaning up to capture Patrick’s lips with his own. “Mmm, Pat.”Patrick unbuttoned Jonny’s dress shirt, kissing all over his chest. He nipped lightly right under his nipple. Jonathan gasped and slid his hand into Pat’s hair, “Patrick.”Patrick hummed and pushed the shirt off Jon’s arms. He threw it to the floor and ran his hands over his aides, coming to press against his back.Patrick ground his hips down, eliciting a moan from Jonathan. Patrick thumbed the button of Jon’s slacks and pulled down the zipper.Jonny grabbed his wrists. “Too much clothes,” he mumbled, unbuttoning a couple of Pat’s, “Off.”Patrick leaned back and unbuttoned his shirt, shouldering it off and letting it fall off the side. He unzipped his pants and tugged them down his legs, kicking them away.Jonathan licked his lips and pulled Pat closer. Patrick slid his hands down the sides of Jon’s thighs, thumbs circling the outline of Jonathan’s erection. Jonathan whimpered, hips jutting up. Patrick pulled down Jonathan's slacks, exposing his right black boxer briefs.“You're so beautiful.” Patrick breathed, mouthing at Jon’s hardness through his briefs.Jonathan groaned, head rolling around on his pillow. “Oh my god.” He whispered.Patrick tugged off both their underwear. “Gonna make you feel so good, darling.” He promised, licking around on Jonny’s arousal, before swallowing it down.Jonathan yelled, back arching. His hands tugged on Patrick's hair. He hummed, sending chilling vibrations up Jonathan's entire body. Jonathan trembled, panting.Patrick pulled off, tugging at his own length. Jonathan reached an arm forward and swatted it away, putting his own hand in his husband’s length and tugging. Patrick's head dropped down, a shaky breath escaping his lips.Patrick reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the lube. He squirted some on his fingers, rubbing it around, and a moan was pulled from his lungs when Jonathan twisted his wrist.Patrick dipped down, pressing his lips against Jonny’s. He pushed Jon’s knees up and apart, before circling a finger around Jonny’s hole and pushing in.Jonathan gasped and bit down on Pat’s bottom lip. “Shh, it's okay, darling.”Jonathan wasn't a virgin with Pat, but he had to admit, it still felt strange every time they started. “Just…feels weird.”Patrick nodded, working his finger in and out, and then slipped in a second. Jonathan felt a small burn around the muscles and shifted, holding onto Pat’s shoulders.Two fingers turned to three, and the but intensified, before slowly diminishing, revealing the little sparks of pleasure. Jonathan began pushing his his down to meet Pat’s fingers, and Pay crooked them and-“Oh God!” Jonathan surged upward, before falling back onto the pillows, shaking. “Oh my god. Patrick- oh.”Patrick pressed harder on the little knot inside Jonny. The man beneath him was letting out these sweet sounds of pleasure and it was going straight to Pat’s own arousal.“Pat-Pat, ngh, Patrick please. Please, I'm ready.” Jonathan squirmed.“Alright, alright” Patrick chuckled, pressing kisses around his face, “I'll take care of you.”He removed his fingers, and Jonathan whined. God, he was so vocal. Patrick put his weight on his arms and stared Jonny in the eyes, lining up. He popped the head inside, and Jonny shifted again. Then he slowly pushed inside.Jonathan went tense. Patrick paused and kissed every inch of his bare skin. “I need you to relax, my darling.”Slowly, inch by inch, Jonathan’s muscles untensed. Patrick took his opportunity to push in all the way. Jonathan gasped. He held onto Pat’s shoulders and buried his face in his neck. It was so much more meaningful, this time with sex, because they're married now. It made a fond pool of heat coil in Pat’s chest.Patrick leaned down until his chest was flush against Jonny’s. He out his weight on his elbows that were anchored on either side of Jonathan's head. Bodies pressed together, Jonny’s knees pressed to the sides of Pat, they moved together. Slowly at first, then gradually faster.It wasn't fast and rough like most times they've done this. It was slow, loving. Patrick was rolling his hips, thrusting in slow and deep, the tip of his dick hitting Jonny’s prostate every time.They kissed. They kissed like it was the last time they'd ever see each other. Jonny was holding Patrick close. They could feel each other’s heartbeats against their chests.Sparks of pleasure rippled through them, pulling moans and groans and whimpers. Pat’s torso was rubbing against Jon’s dick, giving him delicious friction.“Oh, Pat, Patrick, I'm close, baby.” Jonathan sounded so fucked out, so overwhelmed, and Patrick thought, I did that. It made his hips stutter, and he nailed Jonathan's prostate harder than before.Jonathan cried out, arching his back. The new angle made it so much sweeter, and Patrick's hands shot out to keep Jonny’s hips there.“Come with me, darling,” Patrick breathed, pressing the foreheads together, “You can do it.”Jonathan trembled. Patrick thrust one, two, three more times and, “Oh, oh, oh god-” Jonathan gasped, shaking violently as he came, spilling between their chests. His muscles spasmed, and his hole clenched tight. The pressure was enough for Patrick to thrust in deep and empty himself, breathing heavily.Slowly, the two came down from their highs. Patrick pulled out at gently as possible and rolled over so he was lying next to Jonathan without crushing him with his deadweight.Patrick grabbed some tissues and wiped the come off Jon’s torso. He tossed the tissues to the trash can by his bed.Jonathan turned, snuggling into Patrick’s chest.“We’re married.” Jonathan mumbled, a tired smile on his face.Patrick pressed his lips to Jonathan's hair. “We are.”_________________The first time Jonathan writes his new name was when he was filling out documents about Pat’s coronation. Patrick was busy getting his military suit tailored, and since Jonathan was married to Patrick now, he could sign documents for him.Jonathan signed on the line Jonathan Kane without thinking. He did that for every document, not realizing until Patrick came back and wrapped his arms around Jonny from his chair behind him.“Jonathan Kane,” he hummed, “It has a nice ring to it.”And Jonathan thought yes, it does._________________The coronation was two weeks away. The palace was bustling with work and excitement and gossip.“When they become the kings, they'll need an heir.” A female maid from the laundry room told one of the male maids.“Maybe they can adopt?” The male maid suggested.“You know, Jonathan can carry children, don't you?” The rookie butler told one of the chef’s workers. She gasped and rushed to spread the news.“Prince Jonathan can have a baby.”“Oh how cute that would be! A baby that's both of them.”“Sounds painful.”“They'd be great fathers.”Eventually, the entire palace staff were planning out the delivery and life of the future prince or princess. The only people who didn't know were the royal family of course.Erica walked by her maid one day, hearing her talking to a chef’s worker about names for the baby.“Baby? What baby?” The princess asked, walking into the room. Both workers blushed.“Oh, when Princes Jonathan and Patrick have a child.” The maid replied.“You know Jonathan can conceive. A baby between them would be the cutest thing.” The chef’s worker gushed.Erica grinned. “Oh goodness, it would, wouldn't it?” She rushed upstairs and spilled to her sisters. They all agreed, the crown princess needed to have a baby soon.This secret was overheard by Donna and Pat Sr., and soon, the entire palace was buzzing with the talk of babies. And of course, everyone knew, except the centers of the conversation.And one day, Jonathan found out.Donna was drinking her coffee in the kitchen one morning, Charlie gnawing on a ham bone, listening to Erica, Jess, and Jackie, discussing who's be the better aunt and who would teach the baby what.“Aunts? Baby? What?” Jonathan sputtered.The princesses blushed, but Jackie stood up. “You and Pat need to have a baby. The entire palace has been talking about it for months. We've practically got the kid’s entire life planned out- oh my god, what if they have twins?”The girls burst into squeals and began talking fast again, and Jonathan put his arms out. “Woah woah woah, slow down,” he stopped them, “I'm not even pregnant yet.”“Yet! You will be. One day. Hopefully,” Jess sighed out dreamily, “There hasn't been a baby here in years. It'd be so exciting. Oh Jonny, please have a baby.”Jonathan smiled a little. “It does sound nice, doesn't it?”Erica nodded quickly in agreement.“Well, I've always wanted to have a family,” Jon admitted, sitting down next to the girls, “and Pat and I haven't been using condoms-”“Ew. TMI.”“T-M what?”“Never mind. Jonny, you have to convince Patrick to have a baby.”“Or you could just let things play out and not remind him you can conceive,” Jackie thought aloud, “and then one day, you're all, ‘Hey, guess what? I'm pregnant!’”“You're what?”Everyone snapped their heads over to Patrick, who was standing in the doorway in confusion. The four blinked, then scrambled out of the room. Charlie barked at Patrick then followed the others. Donna just sat back, laughing._________________Jonny decided to remain Patrick about being able to carry while they were getting excited.“Hey, um, Pat?”Patrick pulled away from Jonny’s neck. “You know, uh, you remember I can get pregnant, right?”Patrick paused, blinking down at him. Then, “Duh. That's why I'm not using condoms.”They proceeded to go at it the rest of the night, and again in the morning._________________Pat’s coronation was a tomorrow. All week, the crown prince was stressed to the brim. He was snappy, worried, and constantly gazing off into daydreams or just, out of it.Jonathan was always able to make him feel better. Whether it was a hug, kissing, sex, or even little shoulder or neck touches, Patrick always relaxed.Jonathan and Patrick were smoothing out their outfits for the coronation. Jonathan noticed, as his husband fixed the tassels on the epaulettes, that his hands were shaking.Jonathan walked over and wrapped his arms around Pat from behind. Patrick leaned back into Jonny’s touch, hands coming to clasp around the top of Jonny’s, resting on Pat’s abdomen.“You're going to do great,” Jonny assured, resting his chin on Pat’s shoulder, “You've prepared your entire life for this. You're going to be a great king.”Patrick turned in his arms to face his husband. “How are you not freaking out?” He questioned. “You're going to become king, too.”Jonathan shrugged. “I am,” he admitted, “but I've spent my life training and practicing. We’re not alone on this, you know. Your parents will be there to guide you, as well as your advisors, and me. It's just like being a prince, only with more things to sign, and more publicity.”Patrick let out a heavy sigh, kissing Jonathan sweetly. “You're right, like always,” he frowned, “I just- it's all so surreal. If I mess up, it's going to be so much more impacting.”“Hey,” Jonathan pointed, “You make a mistake, it falls on both of us, not just you. And we’ll get through it, together. Till death do us part, remember?”He laced their left hand fingers, wedding rings and rings from Jonny’s first time in the town, clinking against each other. Patrick pressed their foreheads together.“Not even death will part us, my darling.” Patrick promised.Jonathan smiled up at him, “I know, my love.”_________________The coronation went perfectly.The two men were dressed nicely, Pat in his military uniform and Jonny in the nicest tux he had. Many of their people were there, the rest of the kingdom watching on television.The preacher had recited Latin and spoken to Patrick with authority of the church. Pat was shaking, not enough to be spotted by a normal person, but Jonathan used to be a merman. He wasn't normal.Donna and Patrick Sr. stepped down and the crown was placed on Patrick’s head. He was king. Donna’s crown was placed on Jonny’s head, making him flustered.“Do you promise to govern the people of the kingdom of Aridia, with fairness, equality, and a vow to protect them at all costs?”Patrick looked at his people with a plain expression, but his eyes full of nervousness and excitement. He smiled. “I solemnly swear so to do.”There were three bangs of a cane on the floor, and everyone rose. “I now present to you Patrick and Jonathan Kane: Kings of Aridia.”The crowd jumped into applause, and both men bowed slightly out of respect. They walked down the white rolled out carpet, holding hands, smiling at everyone they pass. The doors closed behind them, and Patrick slumped, letting out a heavy sigh. “We did it. We’re kings.”The next week was busy busy busy. There were photoshoots and things to sign and people to meet and more photoshoots and meetings with the advisors and the boy were just exhausted.Patrick and Jonathan were sleeping soundly around two a.m. The day prior had been their busiest, barely any time in between. Charlie was curled up against Patrick. Pat was exhausted. Jonny was exhausted. Pat was asleep. Jonny-Jonny was getting up and going to the bathroom.Patrick woke up in confusion. He listened, and sprung up when he heard the sound of Jonny throwing up. He rushed to the bathroom, falling to his knees beside his husband.Jonathan was hunched over the toilet, pale as a sheet of printer paper and shaking. Jonny had never gotten sick before, even as a merman.Patrick rubbed his back as Jonathan lunged and threw up more of his food he’d eaten for dinner.“Oh Jonny,” Patrick cooed, “I had a feeling you'd be catching something eventually. You can only go so long without getting sick.”Jonathan moaned in agony. They sat on the bathroom floor for another ten minutes. When Jonathan was sure he was going to throw up again, Pat stood him up, rinsed his mouth, and carried him to bed.The two husbands held each other, Jon’s head on Pat’s chest and Pat’s chin in Jon’s head.“Morning sickness.” Jonathan mumbled.Patrick opened his eyes and hummed in confusion, “Hm? What?”“I haven't caught a cold, Pat,” Jonathan told him, “It's morning sickness.”Patrick was suddenly wide awake. He looked down at Jonathan in shock. “Morning sick…you mean- Jonny, are you pregnant?”Jonathan nodded. “I mean, I haven't gone to the doctor or taken a test, but merpeople have always been able to sense when they're carrying a guppy. I guess that sense stayed with me.”Patrick let our a breath, grinning. “We’ll take you to the doctor tomorrow, just to be sure. We’ll clear our schedule.”Jonathan yawned. “Okay. Sleep now.”Patrick chuckled, “Okay, darling. We sleep now.”_________________Patrick made true to his word. The first thing he did when he woke in the morning was clear his schedule for the day. Around ten in the morning, Pat took Jon down to the royal doctor.The doctor, Dr. Crawford, brought Jonny and Patrick back. “Alright, so you think you might be pregnant, your highness?”Jonathan shifted on the bed. “Yes,” he replied, “and you can call me Jonathan, or Jonny. Really.”Dr. Crawford smiled. “Well, Jonathan, I want to draw some blood and get a urine test to check. If either of them come back positive, I'll do an ultrasound to make one hundred percent sure.”Patrick really liked this guy.“How far along do you think you are?” Crawford asked.Jonathan shrugged. “We've been pretty active lately,” he blushed, “I'm not really sure.”Jonathan did the urine test and allowed the doctor to draw blood. He squeezed Pat’s hand when the needle went it. Not because he doesn't like blood or it hurts, but because he hates needles.Dr. Crawford came back half an hour later with a grin. “Both tests we're pregnancy positive.”Patrick nearly fainted.“I'm going to do an ultrasound to do a checkup.” Crawford told them, and proceeded to pull out a large machine.Jonathan paled. “P-Patrick…” He whimpered, grabbing Pat’s arm. Patrick ran his hand up and down Jonathan’s back.“This machine won't hurt you, Jonathan,” Crawford assured, remembering Jon used to be a merman, “I'm going to put some cold gel on your abdomen and this wand, here, will run through it. We’ll be able to see inside your womb and find the baby.”Patrick leaned Jonathan back and Jonny hesitantly pulled up his shirt. Crawford squirted the gel on Jon’s stomach and moved the wand around. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”Jonathan relaxed a little, holding Patrick’s hand. Crawford hummed softly before, “Aha! Here we go. You see that little whitish gray blob, right here?” Crawford pointed on the screen. “That's your baby.”Jonathan gasped. “That's…that's my guppy?”Crawford nodded and smiled. He moved the wand around some more. “Well, looks like there's only one. Can't tell the gender until around the fourth month, but the fetus looks like it should for this stage. I'd say you're around three and a half weeks, maybe a month along. Everything seems to be good.”Patrick wiped his eyes. “Do you know the due date?”“We won't know until the next couple of visits. It's more accurate.” Crawford replied. He gave them a date to come in again, prescribed prenatal vitamins, and sent them off with his number incase anything happened or they had any questions.They arrived back at the palace, and Jonathan immediately threw himself into figuring out ways to tell everyone.“We’ll make a public announcement, to the people,” Jonathan rambled, “but your family and mine should know before. It has to be cute and memorable. And then there's buying things. We’ll need a crib and clothes and bottles– will we need bottles? I might be able to breastfeed-”“Jonathan, my darling, we have eight months until the baby arrives,” Patrick chuckled, “We have time to get all the supplies. Why don't we tell them at lunch? We can go down to the beach and tell your family later tonight.”Jonathan nodded. “Okay. That sounds manageable.” He leaned his weight onto Patrick, his husband wrapping his arms around Jonathan and holding him close. “I can't believe it,” Patrick laughed, “We’re gonna have a baby.”________________Down in the merkingdom, Andrée shot up from her throne. A grin overtook her face as she felt the happiness and joy surge through her son.She held Bryan’s had with tears in her eyes, “Jonathan's pregnant.”________________Donna, Patrick Sr., Erica, Jess, and Jackie were sitting around the dining room table, talking with Patrick and Jonathan about their next day out and what needed to be done.Towards the end of the meal, Patrick squeezed Jonny’s knee, and the ex-merman cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Recently, I'd fallen ill. I've been throwing up for about a week or so-”“What? You didn't tell me that.” Patrick spoke incredulously.Jonathan blushed a little. “I didn't want you to worry. Anyway, we went to the doctor earlier today and got some news.”Erica went from curious to concerned in point three seconds. “Please don't tell me you're dying.”Jonathan smiled at her and chuckled. “On the contrary, actually. I'm pregnant.”Jackie was up and out of her seat instantly, running for her brothers and hugging them tightly. Jess and Erica quickly followed suit. Pat Sr. sat back, grinning, and Donna fanned her eyes as she teared up.The family exchanged hugs and kisses, the Pats hugging each other a little tighter than usual.“We’re going to head to the beach in a couple hours to tell Jonny’s family,” Patrick told them, “You'll have to send up your friends too.”Around five in the evening, the two kings set off for the beach. Jonathan rolled up his pants, got half-calf deep in the water, and called out for his family.A couple minutes passed, and they saw the merpeople rise out of the water. Andrée, Bryan, and David gave Jonathan knowing looks. Jonathan smiled and nodded, laughing wetly as tears gathered in his eyes yet again.He raced forward and embraced his family. Patrick joined in on the hugs, too. Sidney, Geno, and Sharpy watched them in confusion.“I'm confused.” Sharpy frowned.“Can someone tell us what's going on?” Sidney questioned. “I'm stuck.”Jonathan pulled away from his parents and waded over to his friends. Lacy and Bubbles swam around him excitedly. Geno raised an eyebrow.Jonathan grinned, “I'm pregnant.”Sidney choked.Geno threw his arms around Jonathan. “Congratulation, Jonathan!”Sidney and Sharpy stared at him wide-eyed. “You're gonna have a guppy?” Sidney asked, jaw dropped. Jonathan bit into his smile and nodded.Sidney laughed, cheered, and hugged him. “Oh my Triton, Jonny. You're gonna have a guppy!”Sharpy hugged him next. The man was tearing up. “Look what you've done,” he sniffled, “You're all grown up.” He pressed his hand to Jon’s cheek. Jonathan smiled at him.Sharpy hugged Patrick and kissed his cheek. “Take care of him, alright? He's precious, to both the sea and to me. You understand?”Patrick held his hands. “I promise.”________________Within the next week, Jonny and Patrick had begun to sketch out designs for the nursery.“Can we make it a sea motif?” Jonathan asked sheepishly one day, “I know everything seems to be about the ocean for me, but-”Patrick cut him off with a gentle kiss. “You sacrificed your entire life under the sea to be up here with me. If you want the nursery to have a sea theme, we’ll make it sea themed.”Jonathan grinned at his husband. “Thank you.” Charlie climbed into Jonathan's lap,snuggling her nose into Jon’s thigh. Jonathan absentmindedly pet her.“Kendra, Jackie’s maid, had this idea to put little decorations on the walls. They'd be sea creatures, but they'd glow in the dark a sort of blue color so that there's be light in the nursery.” Jonny told his husband.Patrick wrote that down in his notebook. “Okay, what colors do you think it should be?”Jonathan hummed. “Definitely blue, maybe with a bit of green in it. And gray. Light gray, not that dark kind.”Patrick wrote that down, too. “We’ll look at cribs in the near future. Mom will know the safest ones. We’ll have to get a rocking chair, too.”“What about clothes?”“We can pick stuff out throughout the pregnancy. We’ll need onesies and shirts, pants, diapers, shoes-”“Booties.”“Hats. A coat.”“We need a diaper bag.”They continued like this for another hour, spewing out things they'd need or want to have. Patrick wrote it all down in his notebook.Jonathan was up when the sky was still pitch black, throwing up into the toilet. He tried to be quiet, to let Pat sleep, but Patrick would always come into the bathroom, kneel next to him, and rub his back until he was done. Then he'd pick him up bridal style and carry him back to bed.When Jonathan was a month and a half along, Donna found them in the bathroom, Pat’s arms wrapped around Jonny and Jonny leaning against Pat, both asleep against the bathtub. Donna took a picture for good measure.Jonathan went in for his second appointment a couple days before he was officially two months along. It was December, and chilly outside.Patrick was with him again, as he would be for every appointment. Dr. Crawford took them back immediately. He did the normal check-up on Jonny, then told the expecting king to lay down across the bed. Dr. Crawford squirted the gel on Jonathan's stomach and move the wand around, looking for the baby. “Alright, there we are,” he smiled, pointing to the fetus, “Everything looks good. Good size for close to two months. I'd say you're due around July, maybe the seventeen or so.”Patrick ran his hands through Jonathan’s hair.“Would you boys like pictures of the sonogram?” Dr. Crawford asked them. The men nodded and asked for five, and the doctor printed out the pictures and handed it to them.Patrick wiped the gel off Jonny’s abdomen with a paper towel.“On your next visit, I want to sit down and talk about the delivery with you,” Dr. Crawford told them, “You'll be halfway through the third trimester by then, and the risks of a miscarriage will have decreased significantly.”Jonathan nodded. “We’ll make a birth plan the next time we’re here then?”“Yes. You should start thinking about what you want. I'll give you all the options we have, of course, but it's good to start questioning about what you think will be best.” Crawford explained.“Do you think we can announce the pregnancy to the public yet?” Patrick asked him.Crawford leaned back in his seat and hummed. “I believe so. Everything looks good and both the baby and Jonathan are healthy.”They made the announcement when Jonathan hit his two month mark. Everyone in the kingdom gathered outside the palace, looking up at the balcony, where the royal family stood.Patrick cleared his throat. “People of Aridia. When I was coronated, I promised to keep my kingdom safe and thriving. Aridia needs an heir. We may only have been in this position for half a year, but I have to think of the future of not kingdom. So, I have an announcement for you all, one that I think you'll all find exciting. As you all know, Jonathan used to be a merman. Mermen are able to conceive. We’re expecting our first child come July. Jonathan's pregnant.”The crowd gasped, and then cheered, throwing themselves into applause and excited screams. Jonathan laughed and waved at everyone.Two days later, Patrick was off doing his kingly duties, so Jonathan went into town. He took a basket, his wallet, and put Charlie on a leash and in a coat, heading out to the Main Square.It was snowing, not heavily, but the snowflakes were large and beautiful, falling delicately into Jonny’s hair. He greeted the vendors and people out shopping. He picked up some bread and milk, and some homemade cookies one of the vendors were selling.“I love your goods, Hazel,” Jonathan told the old woman, paying for the cookies and a tin of fudge, “Pat and I stuff ourselves full of them.”Hazel cooed and pinched his cheeks. “Thank you, Jonathan. You're just as sweet as the fruit cake.”Jonathan continued down the pathways. He did his Christmas shopping, buying gifts for his in-laws and the girls, for Pat, Sharpy and his merfamily and friends. He even picked up a bone for Charlie.He passed by a Christmas tree lot, pausing. He looked at the sign: Christmas Trees – $65 Each.Jonny’s first Christmas as a human had started embarrassing, because he had no idea what a Christmas tree was. It was there, suddenly, a large Christmas tree in the main room, boxes covering the floors and couches. Within days, the tree was decorated.Jonathan hadn't gotten to have that Christmas tradition, and he was a little disappointed that he didn't get to be a part of it.He stared at the trees thoughtfully, before pulling Charlie along.________________“When was the last time you decorated a Christmas tree?”The girls looked up at Jonathan in surprise.“Um, I don't think I ever have.” Jessica admitted. The other two agreed.“What about picking the tree? Have you done that?”Again, the girls said no.Jonathan set his mug on the counter. “Girls, grab your coats. We’re going Christmas tree hunting.”Immediately, the girls lit up. “Really?” Erica gasped. Jonathan nodded, and the girls ran off to get dressed. They nearly spun Patrick to the ground.The man chuckled at them and walked over, kissing Jonathan's cheek and wrapping his arms around him from behind, hands resting on the slight pudge Jonny was getting. “What's got them so excited?”“We're going Christmas tree shopping,” Jonny told him, turning in his arms. He took his scarf and draped it over the back of Pat’s neck, pulling him close and kissing him, “Then we’re gonna decorate it. You too. Go get your coat.”Patrick furrowed his eyebrows. “But we have maids to do that, Jonathan. You don't have to.”Jonathan shrugged. “I never got to decorate a tree in the ocean. We didn't have a Christmas tree. I want to. It seems fun. Maybe we can make it a tradition again. Our kids could help us one day.”Jonny knew he'd gotten through when Patrick slumped but brightened. He pecked Jon’s lips. “I'll go get ready.”The moment they set foot in the Christmas tree lot, the girls were off, shouting at one another how the tree should be.“It needs to be tall!”“No spaces! It has to be full.”“A big one! With lots of room for ornaments and garlands!”“But it can't be too tall. We have to put the star on the top, remember?”Patrick and Jonathan did a little hunting of their own, Pat grabbing a few Christmas gifts along the way. Half an hour later, Erica screeched, “I found it!”Everyone came running to look at the tree. Jess grinned, “It's perfect!’It was tall and big and smelled like cedar and spruce. There were a couple bare spots, but small ones. Ornaments could fill them.“I agree.” Jonathan said, and Patrick played for it and took it home.They put it up right away. The maids and workers got the boxes down, along with a ladder. The family started immediately, grabbing the lights and stringing them along, then digging for the best ornaments for their Christmas tree.Jackie showed Jonathan how to make a popcorn and cranberry garland, and spent the next hour making tens of feet of garlands. The strung that on, too, as the family danced around to Christmas music and told stories of different ornaments and their meanings.Donna watched from the doorway with a fond smile. This was the first she'd seen her family this happy since Patrick and Jonny announced their engagement.Jonathan fell asleep on the couch around midnight, Erica cuddling with him. Patrick took a picture and draped a blanket over the both of them.Yeah, he really loved his life.________________When Jonathan was three months along, the beginning of January, they learned that their baby had teeth. Patrick, though he wasn't sure why, got extremely emotional at this news.After the ultrasound, Dr. Crawford took them to his office to discuss the delivery plan.“So we have multiple options for you,” he started off, handing each of them a folder, then holding up another, “This will have all the information and paperwork for your delivery. Let's start off with the birth. You can have the baby naturally, or you can have a cesarean.”Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, “What's that?”“It's an operation,” Crawford explained, leaning back in his seat to show his abdomen area, “We’d go in right here and cut into your abdomen and uterus – I'm assuming since you got pregnant, you have one. You'd be awake but pumped with numbing medicine, so you wouldn't feel any pain.”Jonathan grimaced. “My people have always had them naturally. We've never had to perform a surgery.”“Well, you're human now, and you might have to if something happens during labor.” Crawford told him, “We'd have to perform one if there were an emergency, but from what I can see now, there shouldn't be any problems. But we can't rule it out.”Jonathan frowned. “Okay, but let's make that the last thing to consider?”Crawford chuckled. “Alright. So you want to deliver naturally. We can do that.” He marked something on a piece of paper. “This gives us more options for the delivery. You can have the baby in the hospital, or deliver at home.”Jonathan perked up. “At home, please. My family has always had their guppies at home.”Crawford made more notes. “That's fine. When you go into labor, you'll need to notify the hospital and tell them I'm your doctor. They’ll contact me and I'll go to your house from there. We’ll also be assigning you a midwife. But we’ll get to that later.”Jonathan smiled gratefully at him, squeezing Pat’s hand.“And another thing, you can have a water birth. We can fill up a blow-up pool and bring it inside, and you can deliver in the water, or we can set you up in the bathtub and you can deliver like that. And of course, you can deliver on the bed, without water.”Jonathan gasped and looked at Patrick pleadingly. “Can I have a water birth? Oh Pat, it would be so nice and comforting.”Patrick cooed. “Darling, you're delivering our baby. You do whatever feels comfortable.”Jonathan grinned. “Okay, um, I definitely want a water birth. I'm not really sure which, uh, our bathtub’s pretty big. It could fit five people in there.”Crawford nodded. “Well we don't need to worry about that too much right now. As long as we've got something. So that handles the actual birth. I want to move onto who's going to be in the room. Whether it's in a bedroom or the bathroom or some other area, if you want any specific people in or out, we should make note of that. I want you to be as relaxed and calm as possible.”Jonathan thought a moment. “Definitely you and Patrick, and the midwife. Um, I dunno. I don't really want to be around a ton of people…”Crawford wrote something. “That's completely fine. You can add or subtract to the list as time goes on, even when you're about to deliver. I just want to get a headcount. Now let's look at medications. I won't be able to give you an epidural – numbing medicine – if you have a home birth. But I have a feeling you didn't have medicines under the ocean.”Jonathan smiled and shook his head. “Just spells, but none for having a guppy.”Crawford nodded again. “All that's left is a midwife. I have some files for you to look at.” He handed them over. “These have a picture, name, age, any degrees and training, and other things you might want to know. Look through them and pick which midwife you'd like. This midwife will be there during the delivery, any home checkups, and might be in during hospital checkups.”The couple looked through the files, and Jonathan pointed to one. “I like him,” he announced, “Henrik…what's his last name?”Crawford peered over at the file. “Lundqvist, Henrik Lundqvist. Most people around here call him Hank.”“Is he good?” Patrick asked.“Very good, he's even got a nursing degree,” Dr. Crawford praised, “Everyone around here loves Hank, and many of my patients who've chosen him have enjoyed him.”Jonny nodded and handed back the files. “I like him.”Crawford wrote that down, too. “Okay then, I think we’re all set. If you have any questions or would like to change anything, just give me or the hospital a call. I'll arrange for you to meet Henrik during your next visit.”Patrick thanked him and pulled Jonathan back home.February came, which meant Jonny was four months. They were getting ready for their appointment to meet Henrik.Patrick was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He was fine, until Jonathan shouted out, “Patrick,” and sounded like he was dying.Patrick swallowed a mouthful of water and ran into the bedroom, panicked. He caught sight of Jonathan, staring at himself in the mirror. “Jonny? Darling, what's wrong?”Jonathan, not taking his eyes off the mirror, reached a hand out towards Pat. Patrick walked closer and took his hand, standing next to him.Jonathan breathed out, “I'm showing.”It was true. Where his abs used to be was a small, round bump. It was obviously a baby bump; no one could mistake it for fat. Patrick gasped quietly. He brought his arm up and laid his hand gently on Jonny’s stretching skin.“Oh my god,” he breathed, “That's our baby.”Jonathan nodded, eyes brimming with tears. “Yeah, that's our baby. That's our baby, Pat.”Patrick leaned down and kissed Jonathan, filled with love and adoration.Jonathan told everyone when he got downstairs. The girls and Donna were over and feeling his bump in seconds, cooing and gushing over it and him. Patrick had to pick Jonny up and carry him outside to pry him away from the women.The men arrived in the checkup room, greetings Dr. Crawford and the midwife standing next to him. The kings shook his hand, and Henrik smiled.“Boys, this is Henrik, the midwife you chose.” Dr. Crawford introduced.Jonathan turned to Henrik. “It's very nice to meet you. I'm still- I’m very nervous about all this.”Henrik smiled reassuringly at him. “Don't worry, Jonathan. You're in good hands.”The checkup went as normal, and Crawford spoke up, “You can learn the gender now, if you'd like.”Patrick perked up, “Really?”Crawford nodded. “In many cases, you can't really tell until the fifth or sixth month, but your baby seems to be developing quickly and healthy, and I can make out a gender.”Jonathan looked up at Patrick, “Do you want to know?”Patrick shrugged, “Kind of. I like surprises. But at the same time, I want to. Oh gosh.”Henrik chuckled. “You're having a reveal party, yes?” Patrick nodded. “Alright, well, how about, Dr. Crawford tells just Jonathan, and you can learn the gender at the reveal party?”Patrick grinned, “I like that idea. That okay with you, my darling?”Jonathan nodded. Dr. Crawford leaned over and whispered the gender in Jonny’s ear. Patrick covered his ears. Jonathan put a hand over his mouth to cover his grin.“Okay,” he whispered, a little in awe and a little in shock, “Oh wow.”Jonathan went straight home and told Erica.For the next month, the two of them were getting ready for the reveal party. When the time came, it was a week before Jonathan hit his five month mark.There was food and sparkling sodas, and the entire party was down by the beach do that Jonny’s family and friends could be there.Finally, it was time for the reveal.Everyone gathered by the shoreline in excitement. “Erica came up with this idea,” Jonathan told everyone, “Erica and I colored a handful of flour a color – either pink or blue. I’m going to throw this baseball. It's cut on the top, bottom, and sides. Patrick is going to hit it with this bat, and whatever color of flout comes out is the gender. Blue is boy and pink is girl.”Patrick grinned. He loved hitting things. And of course, he was laughing, because Pat had introduced Jonny to sports. Jon fell in love with hockey, but he seemed to like baseball, and Derek Jeter.Erica handed him the bat, and Jonny tossed the ball up in the air. Patrick swung, hit the baseball, and got covered in colored flour.Girl.The entire beach exploded in cheers and applause. Donna and Andrée and even Sharpy started crying (Sharpy probably more than the mothers). Patrick teared up and held onto Jonathan, stuffing his face in his neck.“It's a girl,” Patrick sniffled, “We’re having a daughter.”A three-fourths of the way through Jonathan's fifth month, the palace threw Jonathan a surprise baby shower. Donna lead the expecting parents to the couch. Gifts were spread about, and there was a pretty white sheet cake on the table that said ‘It’s a Girl!’ Chef really outdid himself.They received things for the baby’s room – decorations, paint chips, lamps, pictures of furniture that had been ordered – along with baby clothes and maternity clothes. Jonny seemed pretty content in Pat’s sweatpants, though.The night went on, cake was eaten, but Jonny seemed a little…upset.Everyone eventually retired to their rooms, leaving Jonny on the couch with Patrick as they boxed up a stroller the maids had all pitched in to buy.“Wanna tell me what's got you so down?” Patrick asked, nudging Jonathan lightly on his arm.Jonathan frowned and looked at the floor. “It's nothing.”Patrick kissed his cheek and nuzzled his temple. “If it’s upsetting you, it's not nothing. It's important.”Jonathan leaned into Pat’s touch. “I'm just…I know I have a family here, and friends, but I miss Sharpy and Sid and Lacy and Bubbles. I know I see them a lot but it's different. Sharpy’s been like a second father to me for as long as I can remember. He was crying at the reveal party, Pat, even more than Maman.”Patrick rubbed Jonny’s back as his husband curled into him and started to cry. He had a feeling the crying was because of the mood swings and raw hormones, but Patrick didn't doubt that Jonny truly missed Sharpy.“Well, your dad made you human, right? And turned you back? And then human again?” Patrick pointed out, “Why don't we get him to change Sharpy for a little while? Sharpy can stay with us until the baby arrives, then he can go back home to his family.”Jonathan looked up and sniffled. “You think they'll do it?”Patrick shrugged. “It's worth a shot.”________________They took the shot.Sharpy was one hundred percent on board.They met two days later and Sharpy had said goodbye to Abby and the girls. Bryan used his trident and then boom, Sharpy was a human.Jonathan and Patrick toweled him off and gave him clothes to change into. When he was dressed, he said goodbye to Bryan and turned back to Jonny.Jonathan burst into tears.He hugged Sharpy half to death, crying into his shoulder about how much he missed him. Sharpy got a little emotional too, and together, the three of them walked to the palace.The girls greeted Sharpy with hugs and begs of stories about Jonny as a kid. Sharpy laughed and promised to tell them some eventually. They got Sharpy settled in the nearest guest room.“Hey, I have an ultrasound next week,” Jonathan mentioned, “Do you want to come with us?”Sharpy looked surprised, but there was joy in his eyes. “Really?”Jonathan nodded. “It would mean a lot, to both of us, if you did.” Patrick kissed Jonny’s cheek.Sharpy smiled, “I'd love to.”Come time of the appointment, Jonathan was nervous for some reason. He'd officially become six months pregnant and his bump was getting much more prominent.Jonathan rubbed has bump subconsciously. It’s been a calming mechanism since he started showing.They got to the office and went through the usual routine. “Dr. Crawford, Henrik, this is Patrick Sharp, a very good friend of mine from the ocean. Sharpy, this is Dr. Crawford and our midwife, Henrik.”Dr. Crawford began the ultrasound, but was silent for longer than he usually is.“Dr. Crawford?” Patrick asked, “What's wrong?”Crawford hummed lightly. “Well, it seems that your little girl has rotated a bit.”Jonathan didn't think that sounded good. “Is she okay?”Crawford nodded. “Oh yes, she's fine. It's just that she's a little cockeyed, like she's trying to flip. If she flips all the way, her legs will face your opening, and she’ll become breech. We'd have to perform a cesarean in that case, because breech babies are of a higher risk of being in distress during a natural delivery.”Jonathan paled. He did not want to be cut open.“Don't worry too much, Jonathan,” Henrik reassured him, “She hasn't turned that much. Dr. Crawford just wanted to bring it to attention. Many babies who've turned will turn back to their normal position. There's still plenty of time for her to move back.”Jonathan relaxed a little at that, but was still tense.But then, Dr. Crawford let them hear her heartbeat, and all three of the men got emotional.________________It was no secret to Patrick that Jonathan’s hormones were everywhere. That included an increase in his sex-drive. They haven't been too busy getting it in, but they have. Jonny always came to Patrick when he got excited.Which is why, it was both surprising an unsurprising when Patrick woke in the middle of the night one day to Jonathan, fast asleep, rubbing against his thigh.Patrick gently shook him awake. “Jonny, hey,” he whispered, still in his husband, “Wake up, Darling.”Jonathan whimpered and opened his eyes. He frowned at Patrick in confusion. Patrick chuckled, “Enjoying your dream?” Patrick lightly talked Jonathan’s dick through his sweatpants.Jonathan jumped and blushed. “S-sorry. I, um-”He went to roll away, but Patrick grabbed him. “Hey hey, what's with the sudden shyness? I'll help you out.”Jonathan looked at him with big eyes. Patrick chuckled lightly and reached his hand into the front of Jonny’s (Pat’s) sweatpants. He wrapped his fingers around Jonny’s length and started pumping, quick and fast and tight.Jonathan was trembling, holding onto Patrick’s arms. His face rested in Pat’s shoulder, letting out hot shaky breaths. Patrick tugged faster, free hand coming to rest on Jonny’s hip. His fingers slipped over the head, covering it, and then shooting down to the base just as quick.Jonathan whimpered, letting out little “oh”s and moans. On a particularly sharp tug, Jonathan jerked. Pat pumped one, two, three times and Jonathan was spilling into his sweatpants, gasping and grunting and jolting until he came down.Patrick stripped his sweats and tugged some new boxers on him, allowing him to leave off his pants.He slipped back into bed, and the two husbands cuddled up against each other, Pat’s hands resting on Jonny’s baby bump.”________________When Jonny was twenty-five weeks along, close to the end of the sixth month, he woke up from his nap with a start. Charlie was flying off the couch, startled. Patrick, who was reading a book on the chair in front of the couch, chucked the book away and ran to his husband.“What? What happened?” Patrick panicked.Jonathan put his hand up to silence him. His hands then went to his bump, pulled up his shirt, and rubbed it up and down and around for a few seconds. Then he jumped, and a grin plastered onto his face.“She's kicking.”Patrick went white. “She…she is?”Jonathan nodded and grabbed Pat’s wrists. He brought them to his bump and rubbed them around, and then, thump.Patrick jumped a little, like Jonny had done. He smiled, then, up to his ears. “She kicked,” he laughed, “She kicked, Jonny!”At Jon’s twenty-eight week checkup, Dr. Crawford assured them that their baby had rotated back into position. Sharpy seemed to get a lot more protective of Jonny after that, and since he used to be – and technically still is – Jon’s bodyguard, Patrick didn't really mind.Sharpy, Patrick, and Pat Sr were almost done setting up the nursery. The walls were painted, alternating between bluish green like the ocean, and gray, and the very top of the walls were lined in white, to resemble sea foam. There was a rocking chair and a changing station, and there were toys packed up in toy bins. The closet was filled with clothes and shoes and even more toys. They'd also gone out and bought a small blow-up pool for the delivery. The box was in the bedroom.“We still have to figure out a name, you know,” Jonathan hummed one day in the middle of his seventh month as Patrick rubbed his belly while they cuddled on the couch in the main room, “She can't be nameless.”Patrick chuckled. “No, she can't. What do you think? Any ideas?”Jonathan hummed. “I dunno. Ariana?”“Mm. Maybe. What about Lottie? Arista? Christina?”Jonathan stopped him, “Arista. A-ri-sta.” He said the name a couple times. “Arista. Arista Kane.”The baby sent a kick for the top of Jonny’s tummy. Jonathan rubbed it gently. “I think she likes it.”“Okay,” Patrick cupped the bottom of his husband’s swollen stomach, “What about a middle name?”“Arista… Arista Brooke?” Jonny suggested.Patrick grinned. “Arista Brooke Kane. It's perfect.”Jonathan leaned into Patrick more, smiling down at his stomach. “Arista Brooke it is.”The family adored the name. Sharpy did, too. They told Crawford and Henrik at the thirty-three week appointment.“It’s a beautiful name.” Henrik grinned.Dr. Crawford agreed. “Now boys, I want to address something. You're almost in your ninth month, Jonathan. You could go into labor any time from now to forty-two weeks. Going into labor now wouldn't be too risky. Arista seems healthy and strong, so don't panic if you go into labor before you even reach the next week. If she's late, anytime past the forty-second week, we will induce you.”Jonathan nodded and leaned into Patrick from the bed.“You're very strong, your majesty. I think you'll do just fine during delivery.” Dr. Crawford assured him.________________Jonathan when into labor at week thirty-eight.It was in the morning, around eleven thirty. Jonathan was in the kitchen with Sharpy, eating waffles and talking about David’s coronation, that he missed because he had only become king a week before.It was the sharp pain, much different than the braxton hicks he'd been having for the past few months. It made him jolt, a hand flying down to cradle his bump and the other dropping his fork onto his plate to echo a loud clatter.Sharpy went protective immediately. “Jonny? What happened?”Jonathan breathed in and out a little until the pain passed. “I, uh, I got a pain. It's gone now, though.”Sharpy raised an eyebrow. “Are they contractions?”Jonathan shrugged and picked up his fork again. “Maybe. It definitely wasn't a braxton hick, that's for sure. We should wait and see.”Sharpy nodded slowly. They continued the conversation, then flipped to other topics, mainly the hockey game that was on last night, and stayed on that topic for another forty-five or so minutes.“The goalie was so far out of his box,” Jonny ranted, “No wonder the puck went in! He needed to stay clos- oh god.”He cut himself off, squeezing the countertop as another sudden pain wrapped itself around his abdomen. He tried to breathe slowly, and he felt Sharpy put a hand on his back.When the pain passed, Jonathan let out a breath and looked up at Sharpy, “I think they're contractions. I'm in labor.” Realization struck him hard. “I'm in labor.”“Hey, hey, no, don't freak out. You've prepared for nine months for this,” Sharpy reassured him, “You're ready for this.”Jonathan nodded and gulped. “Yeah. Yeah okay, I'm ready. Help me up, Sharpy, please. I need to find Patrick- or Erica or Donna. Um, I-”“Jonny, relax. Your contractions are, how far apart? About an hour? We have plenty of time.” He helped Jonny to his feet. “We’re going to go find Patrick. Then we’re going to call Henrik and Dr. Crawford, and take it from there.”Jonathan was really happy he had a friend like Sharpy.Sharpy walked next to him as Jon waddled around, calling for Patrick. Charlie ran around his feet in worry. He ran into Erica before anyone. “Erica! Erica, hi. I need you to find Patrick. Quickly. As fast as you can.”Erica’s eyes were wide as she took in the scene in front of her. She nodded and ran off to find her brother. Donna came down a few minutes later, saying Erica had found her and said there was a problem.Jonny explained, and Donna started calling the hospital and shouted for her husband. Soon, all three girls, Donna, and Pat Sr, were searching for Patrick.The man came stumbling down the stairs, confused. “What? What's going on? I fell asleep on the roof.”“What were you doing on the roof?” Donna glared.“Never mind what stupid things he was doing,” Jon huffed from the couch, “Patrick, I'm in labor.”Patrick tripped.He jumped up and fell next to his husband on the couch. “What? When?”“I got the first contraction, what like forty-five minutes ago? The second came about fifteen minutes ago. They're about forty-five to forty minutes apart.” Jonathan told him. Then he gulped. “I'm nervous.”Patrick cupped Jonathan's cheeks. “It'll be alright. I'll be here the entire time. Has someone called Dr. Crawford?”“I did,” Donna spoke up, “He said to call back when contractions are fifteen minutes apart or his water breaks, and that Henrik is on his way.”Patrick nodded and turned back to his husband. “How’re you doing, darling?”Jonathan smiled slightly at him. “I'll finally get to see my toes again.”Henrik arrived about twenty minutes later. Jonathan was extremely relieved.“Hello, Jonathan.” Henrik greeted him, “Patrick, Mr. Sharp.” He set the couple bags he had on the floor by the couch and walked over to Jonathan. “Have you had another contraction?”Jonathan shook his head. “No. They're around forty-five minutes apart, but I have a feeling I'll be getting one soon. They two in had haven't been too strong, just startling.”Henrik chuckled. “I'm not surprised. They're much different than braxton hicks. Can you lean back for me? I want to feel around your stomach.”Jonathan did as he was asked, and Patrick and Sharpy moved away a bit so Henrik could have more room. The midwife felt around his belly gently, before pulling away. “Everything feels normal. On your last visit, we said that Miss Arista was still turned the correct way, and it doesn't seem like she's moved, which is good.”“Could she move? Like, flip?” Patrick questioned.“She could, yes, around the time of the first contraction to the water breaking. It isn't very likely.” Henrik replied. “Once Jonathan's water breaks, contractions will kick up and she won't have room to flip.”The royal family watched from a careful distance.“I'm going to do a quick checkup, okay?” Henrik told the kings, “You'll get to hear her heartbeat one more time. I'll also take your blood pressure, your pulse, and temperature.”Henrik did those things, and the entire family got to hear Arista’s heartbeat. Charlie wagged her tail happily. As Henrik was writing things down and putting the devices away, Jonathan got another contraction.He groaned, closing his eyes and holding Pat’s hand, leaning back on the couch cushions. He breathed out through his nose, free hand rubbing his bump gently.“Oh gosh,” Jonny breathed out when the contraction had let up, “I don't like those.”Henrik chuckled. “No one does. I like to tell my patients, that for every contraction, you're getting closer and closer to meeting your baby. It brings some of them comfort.”And Jonny thought, yeah, they'd chosen the perfect midwife.An hour later, Jon’s contractions we're thirty-six or so minutes apart. Henrik suggested walking around to speed up the labor. Patrick helped Jonathan to his feet, wrapped Jon’s arm around his shoulders, and walked him around the palace.Jonny got a contraction mid-walk, and he stopped, leaning into Patrick's side. He groaned, the contraction being much stronger than the ones before. It also lasted a little longer. They walked back to the main room when the contraction was done.Henrik stood up. “I'd like to check your dilation,” he told Jonathan, “to know how far we have left.”Donna got the girls’ attention. “Why don't we all go upstairs and start blowing up that pool?” She suggested, “It might take a while for it to fill up. We’ll have chef and some maids bring buckets of water to fill it with later on.”Jonathan smiled gratefully at her as she lead the girls and her husband upstairs to the bedroom. Sharpy lightly head-butted Jon. “Holler if you need anything.” Then he, too, disappeared upstairs to give the couple some privacy.Patrick laid an old bed sheet on the couch and had Jonny lay on it. He pulled down his sweatpants and briefs, bending his knees, leaning back and staring up at Patrick nervously. Pat ran his hands through Jonny’s hair comfortingly.Henrik slipped on some gloves and checked him, before pulling his fingers out and tossing the gloves in the trash. “I'd say about three centimeters.” He informed the kings.Jonathan tugged his clothes back on with a blush. “We have to get to ten, right?”Henrik nodded and hummed. “How’s your back feeling? The very bottom of your back will take a large toll from the pregnancy and contractions.”Jonathan grimaced. “It does hurt a little.”“We can run a bath for you if you'd like,” Henrik suggested, “The warm water will soothe your muscles, and could very well speed up labor, too.”Jonathan deflated in relief. “Yes, yes please.”Henrik and Patrick helped Jonathan upstairs and to the bathroom. They passed through the bedroom, seeing the pool was halfway inflated. They closed the door and Henrik went to start the bath, to find a good and safe temperature for Jonny to bathe in.When the bath was filled, Patrick helped Jonathan strip. The ex-merman was extremely flustered that Henrik would see him naked, but he forced himself to remember that one, Henrik was a midwife and saw tons of naked people before and two, Henrik was going to check him and help him the entire labor. He was going to see Jon naked plenty of times.Jonathan carefully lowered himself into the bathtub and moaned at the warmth. His muscles greedily took in the heat and relaxed, slowly numbing the ache in his back and the dull pain around his pelvis.Patrick knelt next to the bath. “Feel better?”Jonathan nodded and closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of the water and Patrick playing with his hair.A handful of minutes later, another contraction hit. Jonathan tensed and gripped the side of the tub. Patrick pried his fingers from the edge and Jonathan squeezed his hand tightly.“Remember to breathe, Jonathan.” Henrik reminded him, kneeling by Patrick and leaning over to massage at the top of his bump, where the skin started to stretch.Jonathan whimpered, “It hurts.”Henrik nodded. “I know it does, but breathing through it will help with the pain more than holding your breath.”Jonathan obeyed and started to shaking breathe through the city contraction. When it passed, Jonathan slumped back against the tile. “That sucked.”When the water started to get cold, Henrik drained it and Patrick dried his husband off. He got Jonathan into some comfy shorts (since it was the middle of July) and a loose maternity shirt.Patrick carefully picked Jonathan up bridal style and carried him to the bed. Jonathan huffed as Patrick slid into the bed next to him. “I hate this,” he grumbled, “I just want to hold her.”Patrick rubbed his arm soothingly. “I know you do. I do, too. It'll all be over soon.”It wasn't over soon.He started laboring around eleven thirty in the morning, and it was four fifty-two in the evening when his water broke.Jonathan had been walking around with Patrick and Sharpy when there was a faint pop and suddenly, there was something trickling down the side of his legs and it was not pee.“Guys, my water broke.” Jonathan stopped them. Moments later, a strong, painful contraction barreled into his abdomen, and he wheezed, grasping the men’s shoulders tightly. He whined, and the Patrick’s hands came down to his hips to steady him.Jonathan blinked his teary eyes open and looked at Patrick pitifully. Patrick kissed his nose and the two of them walked Jonathan back to the bedroom, telling Henrik his water had broken.“I want someone to call Dr. Crawford,” Henrik announced as they helped Jonathan onto the bed, “Tell him Jonathan's water broke less than five minutes ago.”Donna, as always, did so immediately. Henrik quickly checked Jonathan, telling Donna, “Tell him that Jonathan’s about five centimeters.”Jonathan threw his head back in distress. “I've been in labor for five and a half hours, and you're telling me I'm only halfway?”Henrik smiled sympathetically at the man. “Some labors are quick, others are not. It really just depends on the carrier.”Dr. Crawford arrived half an hour later. Jonathan seemed to completely relax when he walked into the room, knowing that he had familiar medical assistance to deliver his baby.“Hello, Jonathan,” he greeted, walking around to the edge of the bed, “How’ve you been doing.”Jonathan rubbed has bump. “Could be worse.”“But you could be better.” Dr. Crawford read in between the lines. Jonathan smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Don't worry. You're in good hands. We have a plan, and both you and your baby are healthy as can be.”Jonathan melted into Patrick's touch, the man plastering himself to his back.“We’re going to finish setting up the pool, then I'll do a quick over check of you and the little miss.” Dr. Crawford told him, “For now, why don't you try getting some sleep? You'll need your energy.”Jonathan was more than happy to do so.Other than shifting and waking up for a few seconds during a couple contractions, Jonathan slept for a good three and a half hours. It was now around eight in the evening, a little ways past.Dr. Crawford checked his dilation, nodding at him, “Seven.”Jonathan leaned back, “Things are speeding up, then? There's only three centimeters left.”Dr. Crawford shrugged. “Could be, usually after your water breaks, contractions will come quicker. We’ll just have to see.”It seemed like the world wanted Jonathan to suffer, because it was almost one forty in the morning and he still wasn't at ten centimeters.The contractions were brutal. They were coming every seven to ten minutes and felt like Jonathan's abdomen was getting stabbed over and over and over.The royal family had taken naps and rests, but no one was going to sleep until the princess was born.Donna, Pat Sr, and the girls were bringing buckets of hot water upstairs to pour in the pool. Jonathan was at nine centimeters and he was riding on the edge of forcing Crawford to cut him open and pull out this baby because he was fed up.A particularly horrible pain had Jonathan arching his back off the bed and crying out, nearly screaming. Patrick and Sharpy held his hands and pushed him down onto the mattress, letting the poor boy squeeze their hands until they went numb.Jonathan was sweating, his shirt sticking to him and his shorts kicked away, so that he was only wearing boxer briefs on his legs. His hair was matted and sticking to his forehead, and his panting was heavy, wet and groaned out.“Oh my god, make it stop,” Jonathan sobbed, before yelling into Patrick’s shoulder, “Make it stop!”Henrik carefully checked him again, and nodded at Dr. Crawford. “Jonathan- Jonathan, look at me.”Jonathan shakily raised his head from Patrick to peer over Pat’s shoulder at the doctor. Dr. Crawford smiled. “You're at ten centimeters, Jonathan.”Jonathan sniffled. “I-I’m at a ten?”Dr. Crawford nodded. “You are. Are you ready to meet your daughter?”Jonathan nodded back frantically, breathing heavily. Patrick and Sharpy helped Jonathan to his feet. The girls began to pour in the hot water, and hesitantly allowed the parents to take them downstairs. Charlie sat outside the door, standing guard.All that was left was Jonny and Pat, Sharpy, and the two medical workers. Jonathan removed his briefs but kept on his shirt. They lowered him into the pool, the hot water surrounding him and giving him a small sense of comfort.He leaned bad against the edge. Patrick was on his right, Sharpy was on his left, kneeling on the floor as they grabbed his hands. Henrik got out all the supplies and laid them on a towel as Crawford carefully leaned over the edge in front of Jonathan.“Alright, Jonathan,” the doctor told him, gently pushing Jon’s knees up and parting them, “When you feel another contraction, push down as hard as you can.”Jonathan nodded and put his head back, taking a deep breath. This was it. He was about to have a baby.An aching, teasing pain began to form on the back of his torso, then wrap itself around his abdomen. “I-I feel one.”“Do what your body tells you to,” Dr. Crawford told him, “and push.”Jonathan braced himself, curled in on himself, and pushed for the first time.It burned. Holy shit, it burned. It was painful, agonizing, and nearly made Jonathan burst into tears. He squeezed Patrick and Sharpy’s hands till they were that yellowish white color.“...seven, eight, nine, ten. Stop.”Jonathan released, gasping for air. He could feel Arista moving a little inside him.“You're doing great, darling,” Patrick praised, pressing his nose to Jonny’s hot temple, “She’ll be here soon.”Crawford looked up at him, a hand on Jonny’s knee, “Ready? Again, push.”Jonathan pushed, scrunching up his face. Sharpy helped him out by putting his hand on the back of Jon’s head to help him press his chin against his chest.“...eight, nine, ten.” Crawford counted, and Jonathan let up.“It's not working,” the boy cried, “She's not moving!”“Yes she is, Jonathan, I promise. She's just gotta get to your opening.” Crawford assured him, “Push.”Jonathan hunched forward, pushing again. He groaned a little as Patrick used his free hand to massage his shoulders.“Push, push, push, there you go,” Crawford chanted, “Good boy, good boy. You're doing great, Jonathan. Relax.”Jonathan leaned back again, tears in his eyes. “It hurts,” he sniffled at his husband and his friend, “It hurts so bad.”Sharpy rubbed his thumb in circles over the back bottom of Jonny’s neck. “I know it does. But the harder you push, the quicker this will all the over. The pain will go away, and Arista will be here.”Jonathan keened as both boys leaned down to kiss his forehead.“Push, Jonathan, I can almost see her head.” Crawford told him.Jonathan bent his head forward and pushed again, as hard as he could.“Good! Keep going, keep going, four, five, six-”Jonathan sucked in a breath, letting up for a half a second before bearing down again.“...nine, ten. Good job, Jonathan, I can see her head.” Crawford announced. Henrik came to kneel next to the doctor to assist.“Oh my god, her head’s right there.” Jonathan mumbled, shifting a little.Patrick grinned at him. “You're so close, baby, so close.”Jonathan pushed again, gritting his teeth. Dr. Crawford started counting again, and when he reached seven, Henrik announced, “She's crowning.”Jonathan released at ten, took a breath, and pushed again. He couldn't stop. He didn't want to stop. It hurt too much. He wanted her out.Jonathan let out a cry as the burn worsensed and the pain got stronger.“You're at the widest part of her head,” Henrik informed them, “Just a couple more pushes and her head will be out.”Jonathan stopped, coughing and breathing heavily. He moved around in the water, laying back a little more so his hips were shifted up higher. The water splashed around him, reminding him that he was safe in the warm water.“Push again. Just like that. There you go. Four, five, six, seven.”Jonathan panted and squirmed and screamed as he felt the head slip out. He released and tossed his head back, flicking the damp hair out his his eyes.“You're almost done, the worst is over,” Crawford soothed, “Do you want to feel her?”Jonathan pried his eyes open, blinking the tears away. He lifted his head and nodded, reaching his hand out. Henrik gently took it and dipped it into the water, down between his legs. Jon’s fingers brushed against something hard, and oh, that was his daughter’s head. His fingers closed around it, not hard, but enough so that almost her entire head fit in his hand.He breathed out in awe. “That's her.”He pulled back and Henrik turned to Patrick. “Do you want to feel?”Patrick turned to Jonny for permission, and when his husband nodded, Henrik did the same to him as he had Jonny. A smile slowly spread across Patrick’s face, “Woah.”Jonathan turned his head to Sharpy tiredly. “You can feel, too, if you want.” He ignored the approaching pain as he watched Sharpy grin, feeling Arista’s head.“Alright, I want you to pant now, we've got the shoulders coming.” Dr. Crawford ordered, “Pant when I say and push when I say.”Jonathan nodded and he started to pant, whimpering as he felt one of her shoulders prod at the inside of his opening.“Little pushes, little pushes.”Jonathan pushed lightly a couple times, never for more than two seconds.“Breathe. Slow, full breaths.”Jonny did as he was told, and wines as a shoulder popped out.“Alright good…little pushes.”The pregnant man obeyed, and Crawford brought his hands under the water to cup Jonny’s child.“And breathe. Push. Push. Breathe. Perfect!”The other shoulder came out. “Big push, Jonathan, big push!”Patrick and Sharpy tightened their grips as Jonathan pushed for the last time. He cried out, arched his back, and slumped back against the pool.Crawford brought the baby out of the water and patted her back a couple times and then, she was flailing, sputtering into screams and cries.Jonathan's head shot up and Dr. Crawford carefully laid the baby on Jonathan's chest. Jonny’s arms came up to cradle her, thumb rubbing her cheek. Then he, too, burst into tears.Patrick grinned proudly, arms reaching down to wrap around under Jonny’s arms, helping him hold their daughter.Oh my god, they had a daughter.“You did it, darling,” Patrick praised, kissing Jonathan's temple, “I'm so proud of you.”Arista began to quiet, no longer screaming, but whimpering and whining. Jonathan bounced her ever so slightly, smiling down tearfully. “Hi baby,” he cooed, “I'm your daddy.”“You're so beautiful.” Patrick breathed, “My Arista.”Sharpy knocked his head lightly against Jonathan's, “You did good, Guppy.”Jonathan sniffled. Dr. Crawford looked up at Patrick, “Would you like to cut the cord?”Patrick nodded quickly, willed his hands to stop shaking. He cut her cord, and Arista started crying.Patrick paled, “Did that hurt her?”Dr. Crawford shook his head. “No, no, neither she or Jonathan can feel it. Some babies will cry once it's cut, though, because she's finally breathing on her own.”Patrick nodded, breathing out a little in relief. Jonathan hesitantly handed Arista to Henrik so he could check her over. Dr. Crawford turned his attention to Jonny.Within the next twenty minutes, Jonathan had delivered the afterbirth and they'd moved him to the bed, a sheet underneath him because he'd be “leaking fluids and things for the next few hours.”Henrik had brought Arista back, dubbing her healthy and perfect. Patrick couldn't help but agree. It was another few minutes until Henrik and Dr. Crawford both agreed that Arista needed to try to be breastfed.Sharpy helped Jon take off his shirt as Henrik positioned Arista. It took a few different positions, but Arista was finally able to latch onto Jonathan's nipple. Jonathan held her like Henrik instructed, and he leaned back against Pat, who was laying behind him, Jon in between his legs. Jonathan caressed Arista’s cheek, Patrick hooking his chin over Jon’s shoulder to watch lovingly down at her.“I can't believe it,” Jonathan breathed, “We did it. We made a baby.”Patrick grinned. “Can we have another?”Jonathan elbowed him. “Asshole. Let's wait until she turns one, okay?”Patrick perked up, “Wait, you mean we can have more?”Jonathan leaned his head on Pat’s, “Have you paid any attention to me these past nine months? I'm in love. Yeah, it was painful, but it's worth it.”He started down at Arista, who was looking up at her parents with big hazel-blue eyes. “It's so worth it.”________________The family fell in love with the new princess. Jonathan seemed to have difficulty handing her over, but the moment she was out of his arms, he passed out against Patrick.Pat Sr. rubbed his son’s shoulder, watching as his wife and daughters gushed over the newborn, “You did good, son.”Patrick smiled at his dad, “Thanks, Pops.”Nights were rough for the first few months. Jon had to be up every couple hours of the night to breastfeed, not to mention the times when it wasn't time to feed Arista, and she needed a diaper change or just wanted cuddles. Jon didn't really mind, but he wished he could get more sleep. It seemed like he was practically living out of the nursery at this point.But time went on, and things got better. After two weeks, Jon, Pat, and Sharpy took Arista down to the shore to meet the others. Andrée was cradling her and cooing over her before Jonathan could even say hi.Bryan and David weren't any better.Sidney was gushy and gooey over Arista, too, but then he handed her over to Geno and dragged Jonathan away to talk.“I hate to take away your spotlight, but I wanted to tell you…”Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Go on, Sid.”Sidney grinned, “I'm pregnant.”Jonathan almost started crying. He embraced his best friend, congratulating him and throwing out pointers and tips. Sidney was very amused and very emotional.They parted ways and Sidney promised to come back soon with more news about his guppy.When Arista passed one month, Sharpy went back to the ocean. Jonathan was upset, and that made Sharpy upset. He went back home, so imagine Jonathan's surprise when someone knocks on the door, and he reveals it to be Sharpy, with Abby and Maddy and Sadie, and Sharpy’s declaration of, “Guess who's moving in?”Jonathan cried.Arista grew, to Jonathan’s dismay, but she adored her fathers. Her first word was ‘fish’ and Jonathan refused to put her down for the rest of the day.When Arista was seven months old, Jonathan walked in on Patrick trying to put her down for a nap. He was rocking slowly in the rocking chair, a burp rag over his shoulder, and Arista’s small body on his chest.He was murmuring softly, “I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue, and it's hey to the starboards, heave-ho. Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below.”Arista was asleep in seconds.Sidney went into labor when Arista was nine months old. Bryan had hit the surface and begged Jonathan to come down. Sidney was crying for him. Jonathan was nervous to leave Arista, but left her with Donna and the girls.Jonny and Pat became mermen and traveled down to the undersea kingdom he hadn't visited in years. Jonathan swam into the room the second he arrived, shooting through the water. Geno was by Sid’s bedside, and relief washed over both mermen when Jonathan made an appearance.Patrick got to witness how merpeople give birth. It was quite a sight. Sid’s scales disappeared on the top of his tail, where a human’s privates would be. Jonathan sat on the other side of Sidney and coached him through the pushing.It was a little strange, Patrick had to admit, to see the head of a merbaby just sticking out of the top surface of Sid’s tail.Sidney gave birth to a little merman. They'd decided on the name Hudson James Malkin. Sidney was exhausted, but happy. Sidney was given his son, and it was obvious he was absolutely smitten.Jonathan and Patrick stayed in the kingdom for two more days, to help out the new parents and for Jonathan to go into the kingdom square and reunite with his people.Sidney was sad when they left, but understood they had a life back on the shore.“You're always invited to come live with us as humans.” Jonathan offered when they said their goodbyes, “We have plenty of room.”Sidney promised he'd think about it.A week later, Sidney, Geno, and Hudson moved into the palace.The kingdom was thriving. The kings were happier than ever before, and there was more help around the palace and the kingdom. Sidney finally realized why Jonathan was so obsessed with the human world.When Arista turned one, the kingdom threw a party. It lasted the entire day, and presents for the little princess were covering the streets of Aridia. Jonathan had his own gift, but for Patrick. When they were alone, Jonathan handed him the baseball from Arista’s gender reveal party. Inside, was flour.Patrick looked up at Jonathan in shock. Jonathan smiled, “I couldn't color the flour yet, because I'm only a month and a half along.”Patrick laughed happily and spun his husband around. They kissed under the bright moon and the roaring ocean.Patrick pulled away and pressed his forehead to Jonathan’s. “I'd known Ariel had Melody, but I didn't know she had a second baby.”Jonathan punched Patrick’s shoulder with a playful eye-roll and a smile, “Whatever, Eric.”