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A scraping noise woke Wally up with a start and his first instinct was to reach out to his partner’s side. When he felt empty, cold sheets, his stomach dropped. His mind was already reeling into too many “what ifs” and he hadn’t even made it out of bed yet.
It had been two years since Verosika and Wally had lost their son. And what a terribly slow and painful two years it had been. They were determined to not allow the tragedy to come between them and in the process found a small collection of support groups throughout Hell. He had anticipated Verosika being guarded in their first group meeting, but he hadn’t expected to find himself with his own walls up.
They had worked through their anger, disappointment, and sadness together, both in group and at home. They had healed, surely. However, through their healing, they had come to terms with the fact that they weren’t going to have another baby. Not that they couldn’t if they had wanted to. They just decided it wasn’t worth the pain to try.
So when Verosika slipped into his office one morning and silently placed three positive pregnancy tests on his desk, it had come as quite the surprise. Since they had made their decision, they were taking every precaution necessary. Except when they had taken a month-long vacation on a whim for their anniversary. They had spent the entire time drinking and making love– unprotected at that, apparently.
The positive tests ripped open what they had thought were healed wounds. The tests brought back the pain and the sadness and the anger. But it also brought longing. A longing they thought they were past.
During their first ultrasound, Verosika had a panic attack. At first, it was just nerves. But when the cold jelly met her skin, she remembered how excited and happy she had been to see her first little bean on the monitor. When she had calmed down enough for the doctor to run the doppler across her stomach, neither of them could look at the screen. They just gripped onto each other’s hands and hoped for the best.
Verosika still couldn’t keep down chicken and her back still hurt. But she didn’t study herself in the mirror with a smile. They declined to know the sex and they didn’t buy a onesie. They were both expecting the same outcome they had two years ago. Verosika had even made remarks about how she was just an incubator for an eventual corpse. It had led to their biggest fight to date.
But then something shifted. The point in which they had lost their son had passed and they both became filled with apprehensive hope. Verosika started cradling her stomach more. When she thought Wally was asleep, she would whisper to the life inside her to please stay. The first time the baby kicked, Wally had his tail gently resting against her stomach as he was starting to fall asleep. The motion woke them both and they had giggled and allowed themselves to feel the joy that they had been self-denied for so long.
They had bought a crib and sparingly put together a nursery. They still didn’t want to get their hopes up too high. Verosika refused to buy baby clothes, saying she would wait until the baby was here. Wally bought one in secret and kept it wrapped in a bag in his office closet.
Another scraping sound pulled Wally out of his rehashing of the past. He tried to push down the fears that he had had every night since she laid those three tests on his desk. Yet, he still found himself leaving their bedroom afraid that he would find her on the floor crying that something had gone wrong again. What he found squashed his fears and anxieties in an instant.
Verosika fluttered around the living room with her hair tied in the messiest of buns and wearing the only maternity shirt that still fit her. She had complained at dinner that evening about how ginormous she was getting, but Wally thought she looked absolutely stunning. Her tail flicked as she stopped to study their armchair before tsking and adjusting it the slightest of an inch. She stepped back to admire her work, gave a nod of approval, and turned her attention to their sofa. When she started to lift an end of the sofa up, Wally decided that he had to intervene.
“Whatcha doin’, darlin’?” Wally asked. He had tried not to be too loud to avoid spooking his lovely partner, but ultimately failed. He couldn’t help but smile when she turned around with her hands placed protectively across her stomach.
“Shit, you scared me!” Verosika said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “I couldn’t sleep knowing the living room looked like this .” She gestured to the room in disgust.
“I say, isn’t this how the room has always looked?” he said as he scratched his chin and teasingly surveyed the room. Verosika half-heartedly threw a pillow at him.
“Tell your lanky ass, money hungry baby that,” she sighed before rubbing her stomach fondly. “They’re quite judgmental, you know.”
Wally laughed and tossed the pillow back onto the sofa before gesturing for her to sit next to it. Verosika groaned and gave him a glare that could kill, but awkwardly moved her body to sit down anyway.
“Now, I say, didn’t the doctor put you on bedrest?” Wally asked as he sat on the other side of the pillow.
“But I’m booorrreeeddd,” Verosika drug out. “I’ve been on that shit forever.”
“Ve, it’s been three days.”
“Okay? It's so boring, Wally. I’m not doing it.” She leaned back into the sofa and crossed her arms the best she could over her chest. Wally tried not to smile at how cute she looked.
“You rearranged the bedroom when I was at work. I say, you did the kitchen last night. You can’t be moving all this around, darlin’. It ain’t good for our baby. It ain’t good for you ,” he said gently, taking her hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Verosika huffed, but returned the squeeze with one of her own. “I know, I know. I just…”
“Just what, love?”
“Nothing, it’s stupid.”
Wally tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I say, nothing you gotta say is stupid. Please share with me.”
Verosika shifted as best she could to face him better. Wally could see that her lip was already starting to quiver. "What if the room isn't right and they hate it and that leads to them having shitty social skills and they end up resenting me and then they grow up and they can't form connections with people and it's all because the couch isn't where it's supposed to be?" A sob gave length and vibrato to her already long winded rant.
Wally rubbed her arm softly and murmured words of reassurance. He didn't know what the hell she was talking about, but she was clearly upset over it.
"Sweetheart, no matter where the couch is or isn't won't matter to them."
"I know that!" she yelled, though her sobs weakened it.
"I say, now, let me finish," Wally said before studying her, waiting for her to protest. When all she did was wipe snot on the back of her hand, he continued.
"This kid has an amazing mother who would fist fight all of Hell for them. They're going to be so loved and cared for that we could have no place to sit and they wouldn't notice a thing. I say, leave the room how it is. Everything will be fine, darlin'."
Wally watched her sniffle and swipe at tears that were thankfully slowing. She ran a hand over her stomach and wrapped her tail around Wally's.
"That doesn't help me," she said, voice still wet with tears. "But thanks for trying."
Wally’s shoulders sagged and he ran a hand over his mustache. He watched as he lightly swished the tip of his tail over hers. He hated feeling useless.
"You know what? Why don't you just tell me how you want the room, I say, and I'll move everything. That way, you follow the doctor's orders and still get what you want," he glanced at Verosika out of the corner of his eye. "Does…does that help?"
"You'd do that for me?" Verosika asked between sniffles. He nodded. "Yeah, that helps."
Wally helped bring her ideas to fruition. There were times he had to grit his teeth when she said to move something a centimeter one way only to move it right back. But he helped her nonetheless with minimal teasing and a smile on his face. By the time the room was perfect for the pregnant succubus, the sun had long risen.
Verosika yawned and motioned for Wally to help her off the couch. “I don’t know why I’m tired. You did all the work.” He just chuckled and pulled her up.
They made their way back to their bedroom and he couldn’t help the grin that broke across his face as he watched her waddle in front of him. He helped Verosika lay down, making sure she was comfortable. He kissed her and her stomach before finally collapsing into the bed next to her.
***
Wally was shaken awake a few hours later. He cracked an eye open to see Verosika looking at him with wide, worried eyes. It all felt too familiar.
“Wally, the baby–”
No, no, no. Not again.
“It’s coming.”
"What's coming?" he carefully asked.
"The baby , Wal!" Verosika whined.
Wally leapt out of bed and ran over to her side, but before he helped her off the bed, he ran to the closet to get the hospital bags. And before he opened the closet doors, he ran to his office to grab the secret bag from his closet. He ended up returning to their bedroom with the bag, a banana, a towel, a fork, and the TV remote.
"I say, I don't think I need most of this," he stared at his hands confused. He looked back up at Verosika as if she would have an answer for why he grabbed the items in his panic. She was breathing through her teeth and glaring at him.
"The. Baby. Is. Coming!" she yelled, punctuating each word with her harsh breathing. "Help me up, get the bags, and let's fucking go."
Wally dropped everything in his hands, tucking the secret bag in the pocket of his sweatpants. He helped his partner out of bed, swung both bags over his shoulder, snagged his keys from the key ring, and helped Verosika waddle to the car.
"If I have my baby in this piece of junk, I'm kicking your ass!"
"It's our baby, darlin'. But, I say, you can kick my ass if you do," Wally said as he jammed the keys into the ignition and whipped out of the drive.
The journey to the hospital was short, but felt insufferably long. Wally couldn't keep his full attention on the road when the love of his life was hissing in pain next to him. He had tried to comfort her by rubbing his tail along her leg, but that was met with a growl.
By the time they reached the hospital, Verosika's labored breathing sounded too familiar to what she had done during her panic attack at their first ultrasound. When Wally tried to open the car door on her side, she pulled it closed and pushed the lock. He knocked on the window, to which Verosika just shook her head at. Wally huffed and slid back into the driver's seat and before he could ask her what was going on, she spoke.
“I’m not going in there,” she said through barred teeth.
“You’re having a baby. And if I recall, you said you’d kick my ass if you had it in this car,” Wally said with a careful laugh. “We have to go in, Ve.”
“Wally, what if I push and I push and a beautiful baby comes out but it’s fucking dead?” Verosika said through labored breathing and tears. “I can’t handle that. I can’t handle losing another one.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Wally said with a confidence he most certainly was not feeling. He had his own fears, and she knew he did. But he was going to pretend to be the strongest imp in Hell if it got her out of this car.
“I say, we made it this far, darlin’. We’re having a baby today. A healthy baby,” he said, reaching out to stroke her hair. When she leaned into the touch, he kissed her cheek. “Let’s go inside.”
Verosika nodded and unlocked her door. He was quickly by her side to help her out of the car and into the hospital. Every couple steps, she would stop, clutch her stomach and mumble words too low for Wally to hear. But he was sure they were the same words she had said to her stomach every night when she thought he was asleep.
By the time they reached the door, Verosika had her wings and tail pulled close to her, and Wally’s hand felt like it was about to crumble to dust.
The imp at the front desk eyed them both with a bored expression. "What's the emergency?" he asked, voice equally as flat as his eyes.
"I say, we're having a baby!"
The receptionist brought over a wheelchair and sighed. He handed Wally a clipboard with paperwork, muttered something about filling it out, and then went back behind the desk.
"How far apart are the contractions?" the receptionist mumbled as he typed at the computer.
"They're not," Verosika growled. He rolled his eyes and picked up the hospital phone.
"We have a succubus in active labor. Send… whoever. I don't give a shit."
Wally pushed down his growing anger. He had half a mind to remember the receptionist's name for later. Surely there was some way to destroy him financially. It's what he deserved after acting so coldly to their delicate situation.
A grunt and hiss from Verosika tore Wally away from plotting his revenge. She was still standing, just looking at the wheelchair. He was sure she was having the same flashbacks that tried to worm their way into his mind. But this time it was different. It had to be.
"You gotta sit, darlin'. I say, we'll be having that little demon out in no time," he said as he guided her into the wheelchair and offered her a soft smile. All she did was attempt to glare at him. Though, there was more fear than anger in her eyes.
***
The following hours passed in an overwhelming blur. Verosika was led to the delivery room, screaming and cursing at the doctor who had looked at Wally with disgust and mistook him for a janitor. He even went so far as to tell him imps weren't permitted past the lobby.
A nurse retrieved Wally from said lobby after Verosika had swiped her claws across the doctor's face and threatened to bring the hospital to ruins if her partner wasn't by her side. He couldn't help the proud feeling in his chest when he saw the scratch marks on the doctor's skin.
Wally had thought his hand was close to turning to dust when they entered the hospital, but the grip she currently had on his hand was so much worse.
Every guttural scream of pain that left Verosika's body made Wally nervous. He wanted to find a solution to take the pain away, but he kept coming up empty. The only thing he could do was stand beside her, gently stroke her hair, and allow her to crush his hand. After the scream that accompanied the first push, he wrapped their tails together. Though, it was more for his comfort than for hers.
Wally saw horns and a small tuft of white hair first, so incredibly similar to his own. Then he saw beautiful pink skin, much like Verosika's but on the redder side of the color. He saw wings and a tail. Two arms and two legs. They were so tiny. He had never seen such small appendages.
Verosika let out a sob filled with relief and fell back into the reclined hospital bed. Her grip on Wally's hand loosened some, but still stayed bone-crushingly tight as they both held their breath.
A cry so small allowed them to breathe again and sounded almost angelic to their ears. The growing wail of their child was met with sobs of their own.
"It's a boy," the doctor said as he checked their son over before handing him to the nurse to clean. "A healthy one at that."
The doctor muttered congratulations before departing from their room. Verosika squeezed Wally's hand and tail simultaneously as they watched the nurse wrap their now pristine son in a blanket. They both vibrated with excitement as she carefully laid the child against Verosika's chest.
"Oh…" she whispered as she delicately ran a finger over his cheek. "Hello there."
"I say, aren't you handsome. You got my damn horns, but you make them work," Wally said with a wet laugh.
They both cooed and cried over every face twitch. Every tail flick and wing flutter. Every breath. He was alive, healthy, and goddamn beautiful.
"I was almost expecting him to have a small heart on his cheek," Wally laughed from his spot next to Verosika in the hospital bed. It had been hours since their son had been brought into Hell and neither of them could stop studying him.
"I kept having nightmares about the baby coming out with your mustache," Verosika giggled.
Wally kissed her shoulder with a grin. "I say, wouldn't that have been a sight."
Verosika ran her thumb over one of Wally's hands that was holding their baby with hers. She sighed in bliss before sucking her teeth.
"I wish he'd open his damn eyes."
"Doc said imp babies take longer, darlin'."
"I know, I know," Verosika grumbled. "I just want to see them. What do you think they'll look like?"
"Pink, I say, like yours," Wally mused.
"You think so?"
"Oh, yeah. This baby is more incubus than imp," he said, running a finger along his horns before adding a whispered, "Thank Satan."
Verosika hummed in agreement. She liked imps. Clearly. But it was no secret that Hell treated Wally's race like garbage. Neither of them wanted their son to go through the trials and tribulations that he had to go through growing up.
Wally shifted and heard a faint rustling sound coming from his pants. His already wet eyes pricked with more tears as he reached into his pocket. Careful to not wake their child, he unwrapped the bag and grabbed what was inside.
"Ve?"
"Hm?"
"I know you didn't want to buy clothes until after the baby was here. But…" He unfolded the cloth. "I say, I couldn't help it."
Verosika studied the small onesie. It was the same color of the one she had bought during their first pregnancy. Only this one had a large rainbow that took up most of the front. He watched tears well in her eyes and let out a strained breath.
"Do you remember when we went to that support group in Wrath, I say, and that couple was talking about second chances?" She nodded, already having to wipe away tears. "They called their new kid their rainbow baby."
Verosika's breath hitched, and she reluctantly placed their child in the hospital crib next to their bed. She was starting to cry too hard, and they both didn't want to wake their son. Wally grabbed her hand and held it tightly as his own tears fell down his face.
"He is our second chance. Our rainbow baby, darlin'. I say, I saw this the morning after he woke us up with his first kick," Wally’s voice was shaky, but he pushed on. "I knew he was going to make it. He had to."
Verosika took the cloth in her hand, running over the fabric as he was sure she was reliving that day he found her sobbing on the couch two years ago. She gave him a small smile.
"Thank you, baby. For always having hope even when I didn't. He'll look so cute in this," she said through her sob, before fondly saying, "Our little rainbow."
Wally nodded and swiped at his tears, groaning at how sappy he felt. He leaned over to place a soft, wet kiss on her lips before he reached over her and gently picked their son up. He couldn't get over how perfect every part of him was. Even if he did have his goofy horns, he had so much of his mother in him to make up for it.
Verosika gasped as both of their son's eyelids cracked open slightly. She dug her nails into Wally's shoulder in anticipation. He prayed to Lucifer that he had her beautiful eyes and giggled when they fully opened.
"See! I say, I was right," Wally said smugly.
"Awe, Wal, they look so beautiful on him!" Verosika squealed as she let go of his shoulder and ran a thumb under their son's eyes.
"They're beautiful on you, too, love," he said as he copied the same soft touch. He chuckled when a soft purr began to emanate from their son. "Well, I say, ain't that the cutest thing."
They found themselves sitting in a comfortable and blissful silence as they watched their baby. His eyes were too new to focus, but when they moved in Wally's direction, he couldn't help but feel like they were looking directly into him.
"I guess you still need a name, I say, don't you little guy?" Wally asked the child. "What should we call you?"
"Rayne," Verosika said softly.
Wally looked over at her and couldn't help the sharp intake of breath. She was swooning over the child they had made together. The hurt and sadness that had been lurking just below the surface for the last two years seemed to have dissipated, at least for now.
For the first time since she burst into his office waving four sticks proudly in his face. For the first time since they had heard the heartbeat that they had painfully found themselves playing the tape of over those painful two years. For the first time… her smile was real and filled with pure joy. She had always been a work of art, but this bright smile cleaned off the years of dust. It was like she was filled with new life. And he guessed in a way, they both had been.
"Rayne," Wally whispered through more tears. He ran a thumb over Verosika's cheek. "I say, that's perfect."
***
Verosika stayed in the hospital for two days after giving birth to their son. A simple precaution, the doctor had assured her when she had gotten tense. During that time, she had asked Wally if he would shop for all the necessities they had neglected to get out of fear. Yes, they had put together a simple nursery, but it was just the bare bones. They had a crib and a changing table and not much else.
And shop Wally did. He bought high chairs, toys, clothes, diapers, wipes, pumps, horn brushes, baby food, bottles, blankets, gloves, shoes, car seats, and so much more that he would probably never have to use. The trunk of his car would hardly close and he grumbled to himself about how many trips he ended up having to make to get all the items inside. But the inconvenience was all worth it.
During the duration of Verosika’s hospital stay, he had split his time between being at the hospital with her and Rayne and decorating the nursery.
Wally painted the nursery walls a light grey-blue and had hung shelving on every wall, with the exception of the one the crib was perched against. Above the crib, he had poorly painted a cloud with a rainbow emerging from the top. He did his best to write their son’s name in cursive next to it. Painting never was his strong suit, but he thought he had done an okay job considering. He had set a rocking chair in the corner of the room and placed a grey blanket and a rainbow nursing pillow in it. He put an end table bookshelf next to the chair and decorated the shelves with books from his and Verosika’s childhoods. He chuckled at the different takes their two races had on children’s literature.
Wally was in the middle of packing all of the clothes and toys that he had impulsively bought (despite Rayne not being able to use them for months, even years) into storage when his phone alarm went off. The day had finally come. The day that he could finally bring his lover and their child home. He buzzed with excitement as he stepped back to admire the progress he had made on the nursery. He hadn’t told Verosika anything about it, only that he had bought the things they had needed. Today was the day she would finally get to see the hard work he had put into making it look perfect.
When he entered their hospital room, Verosika was sitting on the bed with Rayne clutched to her chest. Bags were still open, and their belongings were still strewn around the room. Her eyes were wide and she gave him a knowing look and shook her head. He had been afraid of this.
She had become quite comfortable in the sanctuary of the hospital. Every time there was a noise or a fluid that was produced by their child, she had a professional on hand to ask about it. And she had used it to her full advantage. Each time during her stay that Wally had left, the nurse would beg him to take her with him.
Now it was all coming to a close. Soon they would be in their home with their beautiful child and they would be completely on their own. No doctors and nurses on standby to ask what this or that color of waste meant, or what each whine and cry could be about. Verosika was terrified and for the first time since Wally had met her, she didn’t try to hide it.
He hopped up to join her on the bed and took to rubbing reassuring circles on her back. She quickly found his tail with her own and squeezed a bit too hard, but he didn’t say anything to that.
“They’re only a call away in case anything happens,” Wally carefully said.
“You think something will happen?” Verosika asked with a shaky voice, her eyes somehow growing bigger than they had been when he first walked in.
“No, darlin’. I didn’t say that. I think we’ll be fine,” he said, taking a moment to brush hair out of her face. “I even think we’ll be perfect. But just in case, I say, they will be just a call away.” Her tail loosened, only slightly, around his and he sighed in relief.
“Okay…” Verosika said nervously. She stared down at Rayne for a long while before looking back at Wally. “We can call if anything happens?”
“Yes, love.”
Verosika let out a shaky breath and nodded a couple times before standing from the hospital bed. She handed him their child and slowly changed into the extra clothes he had brought her. She kept glancing at Wally as she brushed out her hair. When Rayne started to cry, she rushed over and grabbed for him.
“Excuse you,” Wally chuckled. “I say, I’m quite capable of calming down our son.”
He stood from the bed and bounced around the room, humming and making shushing noises. Sure enough, within minutes he had quieted down. Wally gently kissed one of his tiny horns and swayed in one place. He flashed Verosika a smile, making her roll her eyes and visibly relax.
“See? He’s in good hands, darlin’,” Wally said as he swayed over and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Now, let’s get out of here. I say, I have quite the surprise for you waiting at home.”
This seemed to peak Verosika’s interest. She flashed him a grin and started packing her bag a little faster than she had previously been. Wally packed their other bags with one hand still holding their child to his chest. Whenever Rayne would whimper or stir, he would just sway the top half of his body and whisper calming words down to his child.
He had finished doing just that while simultaneously zipping one of their bags closed when Verosika sniffled. He looked up to see her staring at him while wiping at her eyes. He cocked an eyebrow and she just shook her head.
“It’s nothing. You’re just,” she sobbed. “You’re so good with him. Of course you would be. I’m just a mess today. I cried twice before you came back. Leaving has my emotions all over the place.”
“I say, I cried after I left you this morning,” Wally admitted and pulled her into a side hug, his attempt at comforting her while still holding their son to his chest. Instead, she just laughed at the awkward gesture before she groaned and rubbed the tears off her face.
Verosika finished packing the last of their items away and reached out to take her son out of Wally’s arms. He grabbed their bags just as he had done when she had gone into labor. An event that had only been just a little over two days prior had felt like a lifetime ago to both of them.
She had Wally check the car seat several times “just to make sure” before she placed Rayne into it and slid herself into the seat next to him. Every light tap on the gas got Wally chided for going too fast and every gentle press on the break was met with a scolding about how he was stopping too aggressively.
“I know how to drive,” Wally huffed. “We got precious cargo in here, I say. I ain’t gonna let anything happen to him.”
Despite Verosika’s yelps to go slower and the sound of her nails digging into the cloth from her iron grip on the car seat, they managed to make it back to their home. Neither of them moved, only let out slow sighs of relief. If Rayne hadn’t started to whimper, they probably would have stayed that way forever.
After lugging everything inside, Wally was itching to finally show Verosika the nursery. He opened the door to the room with as much showmanship he put into unveiling a new invention. He watched her eyes grow wide in a wonderment that created fluttering in his stomach and a proud feeling to spread in his chest.
She ran her fingers over the toys and knickknacks he had placed on the shelves, taking time to point out the ones she was particularly fond of to the baby in her arms. She squealed when she saw the rocking chair with the rainbow nursing pillow, and again when she saw the books from their childhood adorning the bookshelf next to it.
But nothing, nothing , could have prepared Wally for how she would react to the painting he had so carefully done above the crib. She gasped and stared at it in silence for such a long time that he was starting to feel insecure– a flick of his tail had clued her into that.
“Wally…” she whispered, tears slipping down her face. “This is so fucking beautiful.”
“Y–you think so?”
Verosika only nodded and handed off their son to him before moving closer to the small mural. "I didn't know you could do all this."
“I say, I’ve never been good at painting. But I thought it would be cute,” he said as he smiled down at Rayne, running a thumb through his tiny tuft of white hair.
"It's amazing. The room, the wall, everything, baby," she said as she turned back to him and cupped his face. "I can't believe you did all this."
"It's not too much?"
Verosika shook her head and kissed him. When she pulled away, she rested her hand against his own that was cupping Rayne to his chest. "It's perfect."