Fic: Expansion
Title: Expansion
Author: laughter_now
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 2843 words
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Star Trek Franchise, and neither do I claim to do. All I got are my delusions and an overactive imagination.
Summary: So just maybe there was a chance that this wasn't a ploy to make Leonard as uncomfortable as possible during their visit to New Vulcan, though he wouldn't have put it past Spock. Whoever said that Vulcans couldn't be downright sneaky bastards when they wanted to had never met one in their life.
Answer to the prompt "kidfic - vacation" on my schmoop-bingo card. I'm nearly at the first bingo...
Part of the ever-sprawling Absence-'Verse surrounding Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder and the mini sequels spawned around it. This is set after Secrets, A Brandnew Start, Milestones and Vigil, but you don't really need to have read any of those to understand this one.
Expansion
It was too damn hot.
It figured, Leonard mused, that the remaining Vulcans would have chosen a planet to settle on that was just as insanely hot as their old home world had allegedly been. Not that he had ever been to Vulcan before its destruction, but considering how awfully hot it was here, the destroyed planet must have felt like yet another desert no human should ever set foot into. It was not the kind of heat he was used to from home, either. New Vulcan was hot and dry, more with the feel of a desert than that of a viable planet, but then again Leonard was a doctor. No specialist on Vulcans, of course, but he knew enough about them to know that this was the kind of climate they thrived on.
So just maybe there was a chance that this wasn't a ploy to make Leonard as uncomfortable as possible during his visit, though he wouldn't have put it past Spock. Whoever said that Vulcans couldn't be downright sneaky bastards when they wanted to had never met one in their life.
Well, at least the houses were climate-controlled. If they hadn't been, Leonard would have asked himself how Nyota managed to live here without suffering from hyperthermia. He guessed that the comfortable coolness of the house's interior was something he needed to thank her for. Considering his reaction when Jim had initially suggested to spend their vacation at Vulcan, this could actually turn out to be fun. Or, you know, as much fun as a handful of humans could have on a planet filled with people for whom 'having fun' wasn't exactly on top of the agenda.
Also, he had to admit, New Vulcan was an interesting place. Not that he'd ever tell Spock, of course. He had a reputation to keep, after all, and he knew from personal experience that Spock wasn't beyond getting smug. A different kind of smug than humans, but it still counted.
Jim was standing in the hallway at the foot of the stairs when Leonard came down after taking a shower that had become a necessity after spending the morning out in what Spock had called average temperatures, and which had left Leonard feeling like a piece of meat boiling in its own juices.
Jim wasn't looking up at him as he came down the stairs, though. Instead, he was lingering in the archway to the living room of Spock's and Nyota's house, shoulder against the cool plaster and his arms crossed over his chest. He did turn his head as Leonard got closer though, uncrossing his arms to press a finger over his smiling lips in a gesture for silence.
Frowning, Leonard stepped up right behind him and wrapped his arms around Jim's waist, leaning his head on his husband's shoulder.
"What is it?" He whispered, though he had no idea why they weren't speaking at a normal volume.
Jim nodded his head towards the far-off wall of the living room, the smile still playing around his lips. Leonard followed his gaze and couldn't help a smile of his own that started tugging up the corners of his mouth.
David was in the living room, his back to them as he stood beside his godfather in front of the tapestry covering the wall between the two large windows. Woven into the fabric were scenes from Vulcan history - at least that's what Spock had said the previous day, Leonard couldn't see anything clearly on that thing if his life depended on it. But David was staring at the tapestry in fascination, head moving from side to side as Spock explained the scenes on the tapestry to him.
It was their position that was just…adorable, and there was no other word for it.
Spock was standing in his customary position, arms behind his back, one wrist clasped in the opposite hand whenever he wasn't pointing something out, his head cocked slightly to the side. David was standing beside him in the exact same position, with his arms behind his back, one hand gripping his opposite wrist tightly, and his head turned up towards Spock. Occasionally, when he was sure that Spock's gaze was focused on the tapestry, David would sneak a glance at his godfather's posture and adjust his own stance a little in an attempt to mimic him perfectly.
"It's adorable, isn't it?" Jim whispered, his eyes shining with merriment.
Having his son trying to imitate his Vulcan godfather hadn't exactly been part of what Leonard had planned to see during his vacation, but he had to admit that Jim was right. Especially because David had practically glued himself to Spock's side the minute they had arrived on the planet. The kid adored his godfather the way only a five-year old boy who hardly ever saw said godfather could, and Leonard most certainly wasn't going to deny David to make the best of this short visit.
Especially not if it left Leonard with a lot more alone-time with Jim while they knew David to be in the best hands.
"Yeah," he whispered back and pressed a gentle kiss against Jim's neck. "If he comes and wants his hair cut into a bowl-cut, though, I'm drawing the line."
Jim laughed and covered Leonard's hands with his own. "I guess Spock has to practice sooner or later. Sooner rather than later, all things considered."
"Oh please, Jim. We both know that Spock's kid is not going to turn out a rascal like David is. He's going to be a perfectly behaved quarter Vulcan."
Jim sniggered. "Don't let Nyota hear you, Bones."
"Oh, I'm pretty damn sure she knows what she let herself in for when she came here with Spock. She'll manage him, as well as the child. The kid's got lucky if you ask me. In fact, I'm pretty damn sure that he…"
"He is going to be a she, actually."
They both swiveled around to find Nyota standing behind them, one hand stemmed into her hip, the other covering her protruding belly. But there was a slight smile on her face even as she tried to level a mock-glare at them.
"A girl?" Leonard asked, a laugh in his voice at the news because so far Nyota and Spock had been tight-lipped about whether or not they even knew the gender yet. "Congratulations, Nyota. That's wonderful."
"What will be wonderful," she said, accepting first Leonard's hug, then Jim's, "is when the next eight weeks are over, when my ankles are no longer swollen and I no longer have to get up three times a night because a certain someone is crushing my bladder. That's when things will start to be wonderful. Trust me, you guys took the easy way."
They all looked back at David, who was still complete engrossed in whatever Spock was telling him. Leonard felt the small tug in his chest that he always felt when he thought about the fact that if they had decided to spend another tour in space, if they had handed in their petition for the adoption later then they did, if they had done a few things just slightly differently, their little boy might have never ended up with them in the first place. It was a thought he really didn't want to think through to the end, because a life without David wasn't one he particularly wanted to contemplate.
Feeling Jim's fingers slide into his, he gave his husband's hand a squeeze as he watched David shift slightly from one foot to the other, fighting the urge to move around restlessly as he was normally wont to do. Leonard just knew that right now David was torn between wanting to pay attention to what Spock was telling him and his natural inability to be still for longer than five minutes at a time. It was a realization that for some reason made him want to go over and hug their son close to him.
"Oh, I think we took just the right way."
Nyota looked at the sight of her husband and godson with a smile. "Yes, I guess you did." She turned back towards them. "Seeing that these two are probably going to be busy for a little while longer talking about Surak and Vulcan history, why don't you help me fix lunch."
"If you're sure you wanna let Jim anywhere near a kitchen. I mean, there's children in the house after all…ouch!"
He rubbed his arm where Jim had punched it as his husband brushed past him and into the direction of the kitchen with a determined stride.
Yeah, this holiday sounded like it was going to be fun.
Later that evening found them all in the living room with Nyota reclined on one of the couches to give her feet a rest. Spock was sitting in an armchair beside her, a PADD in his lap and one of his hands resting against his wife's hair. Leonard and Jim were occupying the sofa opposite of Nyota, Jim resting against Leonard's side as they both watched their son.
David was curled up on the sofa with Nyota, his ear and cheek pressed against her belly as she guided his small hand over its swell.
"Here. Do you feel her move?"
Judged by the look of awe on David's face, he could. His eyes grew almost comically wide as his hand tried to trace the movement in Nyota's belly.
"That's the baby?"
"Yes, it is. That was her foot, most probably."
Leonard watched as David's face scrunched up in confusion. He knew the five-year old version of the facts of life - no thanks to Jim on that one, by the way - but he still had some trouble with the whole concept of a baby actually growing inside of someone. He looked up at Nyota.
"There's really a baby in your belly?"
Nyota laughed and ran a hand through David's sandy hair. "Yes, there is. And in about two months, she'll be born."
David still seemed slightly confused, but it was obvious that he was thinking very hard about something. And then he suddenly turned towards them and got that look, the one that said I got an idea, and it's awesome which Leonard could swear David had adapted directly from Jim - the kind of look that told all sane people in the vicinity to beware. From the corner of his eyes, Leonard saw Jim raise his glass to his lips and he got the sudden feeling that whatever David was about to say next was something that wasn't going to combine well with liquid flowing down an esophagus.
"Can we get a baby, too?"
Leonard quickly grabbed the glass from Jim's hand before he could drop it, and started to pound his husband's back as he sputtered and choked on the iced Vulcan tea. Nyota was chuckling to herself, and even Spock seemed to be…amused, if amusement could be expressed with the raise of an eyebrow. Still pounding Jim's back, Leonard tried to find his voice again.
"What?"
"Can we get a baby?" David sounded earnest and excited at the same time. "Cause I think that would be great."
"Yeah? Well, last week, you thought it would be great if we got a puppy."
David thought for a moment, as if he was seriously contemplating the pros and cons of having a puppy vs. having a baby in the house. Leonard really hoped that the puppy was going to win the internal argument. They could always argue Jim's allergies once they were back home. But of course, David had to shake his head.
"Nah. Lucas has a puppy I can play with. But nobody has a baby. I think it'd be fun."
"I think," Jim said, still struggling out a cough or two, "that it's way past your bedtime. We can talk about this when we get home."
Personally, Leonard thought that Jim was gambling a little too much on the chance that David was going to have forgotten all about this until they were back on Earth. The little tyke was clever, and he also didn't easily let go of an idea once he had it stuck in his head.
David grumbled a little, eyes pleadingly seeking out Leonard's. "Pops?"
"You heard your Daddy, David. Bedtime."
David pouted a little, but quickly latched onto the next idea. He was nothing if not a good bargainer. "Can Uncle Spock and Aunt Nyota bring me to bed?"
Leonard was about to say that they should give Nyota some rest and time off her feet, but she was already sitting up.
"Of course we can, sweetie. Right, Spock?"
Spock inclined his head. "The idea is agreeable."
It still surprised Leonard how little David seemed to care about the apparent lack of emotion and enthusiasm in his godfather's voice. Leonard knew of course that it didn't mean Spock didn't care about his godson, but what really surprised him was that David somehow seemed to instinctively know that as well. He gave Spock a wide smile, then came bounding over towards where Jim and Leonard were sitting on the sofa, immediately latching himself at Jim to say goodnight.
"Night, Daddy."
Leonard opened his arms to receive his own hug and kiss. "Night, Pops."
"Night, sweetheart. Sleep tight."
They watched as Spock and Nyota led David out of the room, their voices fading as they progressed up the stairs and David told them a ludicrous lie about the number of bedtime stories that were usually read to him. Once they were upstairs and silence fell over the room, Leonard felt Jim relax against him with a small sigh. He moved them around until they were both lying on the sofa, Jim curled into Leonard's chest.
For a long moment, they remained silent, and Jim seemed to be completely transfixed by the random patterns he was drawing against Leonard's shirt with his finger, and Leonard found himself relaxing back into the soft sofa cushions as his mind started to drift off. He was pulled back a little closer to awareness when Jim drew a deep breath.
"So…what do you say?"
Leonard blinked. "About what?"
Jim didn't look up at him, still tracing his fingers over the fabric.
"About what David suggested."
"We're not getting a puppy, Jim. I'm not going to inject you with antihistamines every day for the rest of your life."
Jim looked up at him then, his blue eyes clear and so very close, and the expression in his eyes clearly said that they weren't talking about the same thing here. Leonard's heart did a funny lurch in his chest before it started beating at twice its previous pace.
"I'm not talking about getting a dog, you idiot. I'm talking about…what he said about the baby."
"Oh."
Oh.
Leonard froze, his mind going blank for a moment before he snapped out of his pleasantly drowsy state and back into instant awareness. He just looked at Jim then, staring into those blue eyes for a long time, searching for any trace of doubt or anything else that would mean he wasn't absolutely serious about this. It was scary that he found none of that, and even more scary that he felt almost…relieved about it.
"Another baby."
Jim nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. "Yeah."
"You want to have another baby? Are you serious?"
"Yes. And yes."
"Midnight feedings, dirty diapers, colics, sleep-deprivation, spit-up milk, all that?"
The smile was practically lighting up Jim's eyes by now. "All that, yeah. That is, if you want it, too."
He kept looking at Leonard, his eyes wide and so damn hopeful, and Leonard found that the more he thought about it, it didn't sound like such a crazy idea at all. In fact, it sounded pretty damn perfect, all things considered. It would mean a whole lot of bureaucratic bullcrap, and weeks or maybe even months of waiting and filling out forms. But he remembered what it had felt like to bring David home, and how those moments and every damn minute since had more than made it all worth it.
He smiled at Jim and leaned up to press a kiss against his husband's lips.
"Yeah," he said, feeling his heart beat up in his chest as Jim's face lit up at the reply. "Yeah, I think I want that. Very much."
Jim's reply wasn't verbal, but the way he was pressing against him made Leonard pretty damn sure that they were on the same page about this. And if Nyota and Spock came back into the living room fifteen minutes later to find them still wrapped around each other, completely engrossed in each other and oblivious to their surroundings, it was never mentioned again.
And if Nyota kept smiling smugly at them for the rest of their visit, it was a small price to pay.
Maybe New Vulcan wasn't all that bad, after all. They were making some good memories here for sure.
The End.
Thanks for reading. As always, please let me know what you think. Thanks a lot.
Author: laughter_now
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 2843 words
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Star Trek Franchise, and neither do I claim to do. All I got are my delusions and an overactive imagination.
Summary: So just maybe there was a chance that this wasn't a ploy to make Leonard as uncomfortable as possible during their visit to New Vulcan, though he wouldn't have put it past Spock. Whoever said that Vulcans couldn't be downright sneaky bastards when they wanted to had never met one in their life.
Answer to the prompt "kidfic - vacation" on my schmoop-bingo card. I'm nearly at the first bingo...
Part of the ever-sprawling Absence-'Verse surrounding Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder and the mini sequels spawned around it. This is set after Secrets, A Brandnew Start, Milestones and Vigil, but you don't really need to have read any of those to understand this one.
Expansion
It was too damn hot.
It figured, Leonard mused, that the remaining Vulcans would have chosen a planet to settle on that was just as insanely hot as their old home world had allegedly been. Not that he had ever been to Vulcan before its destruction, but considering how awfully hot it was here, the destroyed planet must have felt like yet another desert no human should ever set foot into. It was not the kind of heat he was used to from home, either. New Vulcan was hot and dry, more with the feel of a desert than that of a viable planet, but then again Leonard was a doctor. No specialist on Vulcans, of course, but he knew enough about them to know that this was the kind of climate they thrived on.
So just maybe there was a chance that this wasn't a ploy to make Leonard as uncomfortable as possible during his visit, though he wouldn't have put it past Spock. Whoever said that Vulcans couldn't be downright sneaky bastards when they wanted to had never met one in their life.
Well, at least the houses were climate-controlled. If they hadn't been, Leonard would have asked himself how Nyota managed to live here without suffering from hyperthermia. He guessed that the comfortable coolness of the house's interior was something he needed to thank her for. Considering his reaction when Jim had initially suggested to spend their vacation at Vulcan, this could actually turn out to be fun. Or, you know, as much fun as a handful of humans could have on a planet filled with people for whom 'having fun' wasn't exactly on top of the agenda.
Also, he had to admit, New Vulcan was an interesting place. Not that he'd ever tell Spock, of course. He had a reputation to keep, after all, and he knew from personal experience that Spock wasn't beyond getting smug. A different kind of smug than humans, but it still counted.
Jim was standing in the hallway at the foot of the stairs when Leonard came down after taking a shower that had become a necessity after spending the morning out in what Spock had called average temperatures, and which had left Leonard feeling like a piece of meat boiling in its own juices.
Jim wasn't looking up at him as he came down the stairs, though. Instead, he was lingering in the archway to the living room of Spock's and Nyota's house, shoulder against the cool plaster and his arms crossed over his chest. He did turn his head as Leonard got closer though, uncrossing his arms to press a finger over his smiling lips in a gesture for silence.
Frowning, Leonard stepped up right behind him and wrapped his arms around Jim's waist, leaning his head on his husband's shoulder.
"What is it?" He whispered, though he had no idea why they weren't speaking at a normal volume.
Jim nodded his head towards the far-off wall of the living room, the smile still playing around his lips. Leonard followed his gaze and couldn't help a smile of his own that started tugging up the corners of his mouth.
David was in the living room, his back to them as he stood beside his godfather in front of the tapestry covering the wall between the two large windows. Woven into the fabric were scenes from Vulcan history - at least that's what Spock had said the previous day, Leonard couldn't see anything clearly on that thing if his life depended on it. But David was staring at the tapestry in fascination, head moving from side to side as Spock explained the scenes on the tapestry to him.
It was their position that was just…adorable, and there was no other word for it.
Spock was standing in his customary position, arms behind his back, one wrist clasped in the opposite hand whenever he wasn't pointing something out, his head cocked slightly to the side. David was standing beside him in the exact same position, with his arms behind his back, one hand gripping his opposite wrist tightly, and his head turned up towards Spock. Occasionally, when he was sure that Spock's gaze was focused on the tapestry, David would sneak a glance at his godfather's posture and adjust his own stance a little in an attempt to mimic him perfectly.
"It's adorable, isn't it?" Jim whispered, his eyes shining with merriment.
Having his son trying to imitate his Vulcan godfather hadn't exactly been part of what Leonard had planned to see during his vacation, but he had to admit that Jim was right. Especially because David had practically glued himself to Spock's side the minute they had arrived on the planet. The kid adored his godfather the way only a five-year old boy who hardly ever saw said godfather could, and Leonard most certainly wasn't going to deny David to make the best of this short visit.
Especially not if it left Leonard with a lot more alone-time with Jim while they knew David to be in the best hands.
"Yeah," he whispered back and pressed a gentle kiss against Jim's neck. "If he comes and wants his hair cut into a bowl-cut, though, I'm drawing the line."
Jim laughed and covered Leonard's hands with his own. "I guess Spock has to practice sooner or later. Sooner rather than later, all things considered."
"Oh please, Jim. We both know that Spock's kid is not going to turn out a rascal like David is. He's going to be a perfectly behaved quarter Vulcan."
Jim sniggered. "Don't let Nyota hear you, Bones."
"Oh, I'm pretty damn sure she knows what she let herself in for when she came here with Spock. She'll manage him, as well as the child. The kid's got lucky if you ask me. In fact, I'm pretty damn sure that he…"
"He is going to be a she, actually."
They both swiveled around to find Nyota standing behind them, one hand stemmed into her hip, the other covering her protruding belly. But there was a slight smile on her face even as she tried to level a mock-glare at them.
"A girl?" Leonard asked, a laugh in his voice at the news because so far Nyota and Spock had been tight-lipped about whether or not they even knew the gender yet. "Congratulations, Nyota. That's wonderful."
"What will be wonderful," she said, accepting first Leonard's hug, then Jim's, "is when the next eight weeks are over, when my ankles are no longer swollen and I no longer have to get up three times a night because a certain someone is crushing my bladder. That's when things will start to be wonderful. Trust me, you guys took the easy way."
They all looked back at David, who was still complete engrossed in whatever Spock was telling him. Leonard felt the small tug in his chest that he always felt when he thought about the fact that if they had decided to spend another tour in space, if they had handed in their petition for the adoption later then they did, if they had done a few things just slightly differently, their little boy might have never ended up with them in the first place. It was a thought he really didn't want to think through to the end, because a life without David wasn't one he particularly wanted to contemplate.
Feeling Jim's fingers slide into his, he gave his husband's hand a squeeze as he watched David shift slightly from one foot to the other, fighting the urge to move around restlessly as he was normally wont to do. Leonard just knew that right now David was torn between wanting to pay attention to what Spock was telling him and his natural inability to be still for longer than five minutes at a time. It was a realization that for some reason made him want to go over and hug their son close to him.
"Oh, I think we took just the right way."
Nyota looked at the sight of her husband and godson with a smile. "Yes, I guess you did." She turned back towards them. "Seeing that these two are probably going to be busy for a little while longer talking about Surak and Vulcan history, why don't you help me fix lunch."
"If you're sure you wanna let Jim anywhere near a kitchen. I mean, there's children in the house after all…ouch!"
He rubbed his arm where Jim had punched it as his husband brushed past him and into the direction of the kitchen with a determined stride.
Yeah, this holiday sounded like it was going to be fun.
Later that evening found them all in the living room with Nyota reclined on one of the couches to give her feet a rest. Spock was sitting in an armchair beside her, a PADD in his lap and one of his hands resting against his wife's hair. Leonard and Jim were occupying the sofa opposite of Nyota, Jim resting against Leonard's side as they both watched their son.
David was curled up on the sofa with Nyota, his ear and cheek pressed against her belly as she guided his small hand over its swell.
"Here. Do you feel her move?"
Judged by the look of awe on David's face, he could. His eyes grew almost comically wide as his hand tried to trace the movement in Nyota's belly.
"That's the baby?"
"Yes, it is. That was her foot, most probably."
Leonard watched as David's face scrunched up in confusion. He knew the five-year old version of the facts of life - no thanks to Jim on that one, by the way - but he still had some trouble with the whole concept of a baby actually growing inside of someone. He looked up at Nyota.
"There's really a baby in your belly?"
Nyota laughed and ran a hand through David's sandy hair. "Yes, there is. And in about two months, she'll be born."
David still seemed slightly confused, but it was obvious that he was thinking very hard about something. And then he suddenly turned towards them and got that look, the one that said I got an idea, and it's awesome which Leonard could swear David had adapted directly from Jim - the kind of look that told all sane people in the vicinity to beware. From the corner of his eyes, Leonard saw Jim raise his glass to his lips and he got the sudden feeling that whatever David was about to say next was something that wasn't going to combine well with liquid flowing down an esophagus.
"Can we get a baby, too?"
Leonard quickly grabbed the glass from Jim's hand before he could drop it, and started to pound his husband's back as he sputtered and choked on the iced Vulcan tea. Nyota was chuckling to herself, and even Spock seemed to be…amused, if amusement could be expressed with the raise of an eyebrow. Still pounding Jim's back, Leonard tried to find his voice again.
"What?"
"Can we get a baby?" David sounded earnest and excited at the same time. "Cause I think that would be great."
"Yeah? Well, last week, you thought it would be great if we got a puppy."
David thought for a moment, as if he was seriously contemplating the pros and cons of having a puppy vs. having a baby in the house. Leonard really hoped that the puppy was going to win the internal argument. They could always argue Jim's allergies once they were back home. But of course, David had to shake his head.
"Nah. Lucas has a puppy I can play with. But nobody has a baby. I think it'd be fun."
"I think," Jim said, still struggling out a cough or two, "that it's way past your bedtime. We can talk about this when we get home."
Personally, Leonard thought that Jim was gambling a little too much on the chance that David was going to have forgotten all about this until they were back on Earth. The little tyke was clever, and he also didn't easily let go of an idea once he had it stuck in his head.
David grumbled a little, eyes pleadingly seeking out Leonard's. "Pops?"
"You heard your Daddy, David. Bedtime."
David pouted a little, but quickly latched onto the next idea. He was nothing if not a good bargainer. "Can Uncle Spock and Aunt Nyota bring me to bed?"
Leonard was about to say that they should give Nyota some rest and time off her feet, but she was already sitting up.
"Of course we can, sweetie. Right, Spock?"
Spock inclined his head. "The idea is agreeable."
It still surprised Leonard how little David seemed to care about the apparent lack of emotion and enthusiasm in his godfather's voice. Leonard knew of course that it didn't mean Spock didn't care about his godson, but what really surprised him was that David somehow seemed to instinctively know that as well. He gave Spock a wide smile, then came bounding over towards where Jim and Leonard were sitting on the sofa, immediately latching himself at Jim to say goodnight.
"Night, Daddy."
Leonard opened his arms to receive his own hug and kiss. "Night, Pops."
"Night, sweetheart. Sleep tight."
They watched as Spock and Nyota led David out of the room, their voices fading as they progressed up the stairs and David told them a ludicrous lie about the number of bedtime stories that were usually read to him. Once they were upstairs and silence fell over the room, Leonard felt Jim relax against him with a small sigh. He moved them around until they were both lying on the sofa, Jim curled into Leonard's chest.
For a long moment, they remained silent, and Jim seemed to be completely transfixed by the random patterns he was drawing against Leonard's shirt with his finger, and Leonard found himself relaxing back into the soft sofa cushions as his mind started to drift off. He was pulled back a little closer to awareness when Jim drew a deep breath.
"So…what do you say?"
Leonard blinked. "About what?"
Jim didn't look up at him, still tracing his fingers over the fabric.
"About what David suggested."
"We're not getting a puppy, Jim. I'm not going to inject you with antihistamines every day for the rest of your life."
Jim looked up at him then, his blue eyes clear and so very close, and the expression in his eyes clearly said that they weren't talking about the same thing here. Leonard's heart did a funny lurch in his chest before it started beating at twice its previous pace.
"I'm not talking about getting a dog, you idiot. I'm talking about…what he said about the baby."
"Oh."
Oh.
Leonard froze, his mind going blank for a moment before he snapped out of his pleasantly drowsy state and back into instant awareness. He just looked at Jim then, staring into those blue eyes for a long time, searching for any trace of doubt or anything else that would mean he wasn't absolutely serious about this. It was scary that he found none of that, and even more scary that he felt almost…relieved about it.
"Another baby."
Jim nodded, a small smile spreading across his face. "Yeah."
"You want to have another baby? Are you serious?"
"Yes. And yes."
"Midnight feedings, dirty diapers, colics, sleep-deprivation, spit-up milk, all that?"
The smile was practically lighting up Jim's eyes by now. "All that, yeah. That is, if you want it, too."
He kept looking at Leonard, his eyes wide and so damn hopeful, and Leonard found that the more he thought about it, it didn't sound like such a crazy idea at all. In fact, it sounded pretty damn perfect, all things considered. It would mean a whole lot of bureaucratic bullcrap, and weeks or maybe even months of waiting and filling out forms. But he remembered what it had felt like to bring David home, and how those moments and every damn minute since had more than made it all worth it.
He smiled at Jim and leaned up to press a kiss against his husband's lips.
"Yeah," he said, feeling his heart beat up in his chest as Jim's face lit up at the reply. "Yeah, I think I want that. Very much."
Jim's reply wasn't verbal, but the way he was pressing against him made Leonard pretty damn sure that they were on the same page about this. And if Nyota and Spock came back into the living room fifteen minutes later to find them still wrapped around each other, completely engrossed in each other and oblivious to their surroundings, it was never mentioned again.
And if Nyota kept smiling smugly at them for the rest of their visit, it was a small price to pay.
Maybe New Vulcan wasn't all that bad, after all. They were making some good memories here for sure.
The End.
Thanks for reading. As always, please let me know what you think. Thanks a lot.