One of Three
Pairing: Steven Grant x fem!reader, Jake Lockley x fem!reader, Marc Spector x fem!reader. How they respond to you expecting.
Warnings: The story is basically about pregnancy, as I am of the age where the baby fever is high yo, even if I don't ever plan on physically having any of my own, so I wanted to indulge myself by expounding on what the Moon Guys' reaction to this would be.
A/N: See above I guess.
The overhead fan moved ceaselessly, whispering into the early morning stillness of your shared bedroom. Echoing the turns of the clock arms you spied on the far wall. Moving yet not moving at all.
Wasn't there some natural law, some physiological function that would kick in, when a woman was with child, that would make sleep some automatic thing? As it was, insomnia was staying a steadfast companion even though your first months, much to your chagrin.
Did the little one have too much of his or her father in them? It did seem like the nights with a full or near full moon out were the worst....
You were definitely tired. It also didn't help that you were often awoken for some passionate necking and more. For some reason, your condition was apparently some kind of aphrodisiac. Which was the last thing you expected, especially in light of how shitty you felt and thought you looked much of the time.
Outside of sex, each man had his own unique reaction. Each was to some degree not keen on the idea of imminent fatherhood.
Steven was the most receptive overall, but his constant Googling of good schools in the area, comparing prices of daily baby necessities at the local food mart and on Amazon, and frequent, frequent talks about money and being able to support your growing family, amongst other things, were draining.
"Aw fuck," was Jake's very first, completely expected reaction. However the system worked in their head, apparently he was either so focused on their work or was so consciously buried as an alter that he wasn't actually aware of the pregnancy until he walked in one evening to see you taking your prenatal vitamins. Unexpectedly, though, within a few weeks Jake quickly warmed up to the idea. It became a source of pride to his male ego--the biggest of the three--especially since you had been taking your birth control assiduously at the time.
Marc...was the most disappointing. He was largely gone since you'd told Steven, who was now around the bulk of the time, with Jake weirdly now in second position. You sensed glimpses of the original personality, here and there. When he would come home from work, the sigh that would often emit from him upon closing the front door was undoubtedly Marc's, but it would be Steven kissing you good morning or as you stirred whatever you were brewing up for dinner, depending on their schedule. It was Marc who would stew over his cup of coffee in the early morning hours at his kitchen table, but Steven coming up and offering to make you some breakfast. Sometimes it was even Jake asking if he could get you some mint ice cream and sriracha nut mix you'd been craving while he was out, or sitting on the couch watching sappy 90s television with you, even if he did make a face during both.
You knew some of your sleepy, late night rendezvous had to be with him. Those times were too gentle to be Jake yet too intense to be Steven.
But you wanted, needed him around for more. You would ask and plead and even scream to other two, but he still wouldn't front and face you. Which, though you didn't voice it, frightened you beyond belief. Since he technically was the only one of them with a valid legal identity, certain logistics needed to be discussed and agreed upon. Beyond that, the idea that one third of the man you'd fallen in love with wasn't happy with the situation was upsetting and unsettling. Sprouted a million questions and worst-case scenarios in you head.
It was no doubt part of why you weren't sleeping well. Such as right now.
You couldn't help letting out a sigh that skidded into a small, shuddering sob. You were quick to cover your mouth with the edge of your blanket, lest you wake your men on one of the few nights they weren't working and got to simply rest.
You took some deep, steadying breaths. You didn't want to get sick, as you often did on these sleepless nights, and a tinge of nausea felt like it was trying to surface, so you tried to calm yourself.
As you were focused on your breathing, you startled a bit when you felt a large, strong hand settle on the side of your torso. After a few seconds, it started rubbing circles, back and forth. After a couple of minutes, you felt him shift suddenly closer to you before his hand moved down over your abdomen, making small circles there.
You quickly felt calm, relaxed. In your sleep-deprived state, you couldn't quite tell who was making this gesture, and it dawned on you, maybe that was part of why you felt so calm. In this moment, without some obvious tell as to what complex side of him it was, you were simply being comforted by your lover, the father of your child.
"You feel okay?"
You twisted around. "Marc??"
You studied his face. He looked as if he'd fought 80 battles for Khonshu in one night.
"Yeah."
You turned around fully and moved closer to him. You reached out and caressed his face, trying to soothe away the strain you saw there. He took your hand into his and kissed it, over and over.
"Why did you stay away?" You tried to not let your voice break while asking.
Marc's eyes dropped. "I didn't mean to. I was scared. Am scared. All of us are, in our own way, but I couldn't bring myself to face it directly. Not with my...past, being what it is."
You wanted to be mad at the man for being absent for so long, but you did feel sympathy at the source of his concern.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Cowardice," he answered straightaway. "I also needed time to think through a lot of things on my own. Things I've never really confronted before and processed. Not really."
You shifted nervously. "So, did you come to any conclusions about me or the baby?"
He closed the distance between you, before capturing your mouth with his as he held you for several moments, before bringing a hand back to your stomach, to the baby bump that was unmistakable though likely not yet near its peak--another in a long list of worries that you frequently reviewed.
"Hey there," he whispered down to the baby, nestled beneath your heart. "It's your dad--one of three of us, anyway."
You couldn't help but smile widely and chuckle.