Strong Willed (Slave AU)

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Dream

"Ugh, cut it out.."

It was currently in the middle of the night, and Nico was laying on his side, one hand gripping at the shirt he wore to bed as he felt movement inside him. Having a baby move freely inside of you isn't the most comfortable thing in the world. It felt like his stomach was churning, feeling the little being growing in him twist and squirm in his uterus. He pressed his fingers into the bottom of his stomach, feeling the solid form of a baby that pressed back against his touch. And he shuddered.

"Just stay still," Nico growled softly, rolling onto his other side with a soft huff. "Let me sleep, damn you."

But, apparently it didn't want to listen. And it wasn't at all happy by his change of position. The squirming, twisting feeling increased and made him shudder again. It felt so.. So weird. Why did it feel so weird? It was supposed to be a magical, fluttery feeling full of unicorns and rainbows, but it felt so.. Ugh.

After about twenty minutes of the movement, the baby finally decided to settle down and let Nico sleep. And the carrier took full advantage of that.

~Dream~

Nico woke up to feel a strange weight set itself on his stomach. His eyes flew open, puzzled by the surprising lightness of the tone as he recognized it as a body. His eyes immediately met with two smaller ones. And his heart jumped.

"Ciao Papà.." The little child whispered to him, their voice soft in a whisper. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, piccolo miracolo," Nico was surprised that his voice took on a life of its own, as well as his body as he wrapped his arms around the child and pulled them to his chest, kissing the top of their head. "Did your father send you up to get me?"

The child grinned, giggling with a nod. "Si papà."

Nico could feel a smile grace his lips as he sat up, holding the little one on his lap as he kissed their face and earned squeals and giggles from it. He then gently set the kid next to him before getting off the bed and reaching to take his child's hand. "Shall we go see him, then?"

"Yes! Si!" The kid bounced off the bed, grabbing his hand before pulling him out of the room.

~Dream Ends~

Nico started awake, feeling the familiar pressure in his lower parts signaling his need to use the bathroom. He groaned, feeling the baby inside him shift slightly, almost as if it felt guilty. Sally had mentioned needing to pee constantly was a common thing of pregnancy. But he didn't think it'd be this often.

Grumbling, he stood and went to relieve himself. When he got back, he laid back into his bed and pulled his quilt over him. He thought back on his dream, trying to pick out details. While dreaming it had been so clear. He could see everything and recognize it perfectly. The room he was in. The clothes he was wearing. And.. The child who accompanied him. The color of their hair, skin, and eyes. But now, laying in bed and trying to pull that dream back, he could only remember the child's little voice. And even that was too foggy to guess even a gender.

Nico simply sighs, rolling over on his side again and burying his face in the closest pillow he could reach. "Fuck you," he growled, glaring down at the small bump that showed through his shirt. He huffed and let the quilt fall, trying to curl up further as he let himself drift off again.