Title: feelings, clues, and the ignorance thereof
Fandom: Marvel Comics (X-Factor)
Pairing: Daken Akihiro/Jeanne-Marie Beaubier (Aurora)
Words: 2,016
Rating: Teen
Warnings: no major warnings apply
Summary: Aurora ignored the clues for as long as she could.




Aurora was in the kitchen when she noticed Trevor staring at her. She decided to ignore him while she took a moment to put some water on for tea. She’d been feeling a little off — exhausted and more than a little nauseated. It’d been going on for several weeks now and just when she thought it was getting better it would return. She was tired of it.

When it started she had promised Akihiro that if she didn’t feel better soon, she’d stop by and see Dr. Reyes. She really didn’t want to though and with Akihiro spending the past week and a half with his sister Gabby, it was easier to put off. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know what the clues were adding up to. She just really didn’t want to deal with it right now. She was afraid. It was easier to allow herself to be afraid with Akihiro not around. She could just feel her feelings and not have to worry about freaking him out with every changing mood.

Trevor cleared his throat. “Um, the teapot’s whistling,” he said.

“Oh, sorry - guess I got distracted.” That was happening more and more lately.

“Um - would you like some help?” Trevor asked, shyly.

She was going to tell him that she could do it herself but then reconsidered. Shrugging, she said, “Sure, that would be nice, thank you.”

Trevor smiled and fixed her tea. Ever observant, he prepared it in exactly the way she liked it. She sat down at the kitchen counter and accepted the cup from him when he was done.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m just still feeling off, you know?”

A look of concern crossed his face. “Have you been to the doctor?”

For a moment she wondered if Akihiro had put him up to this, but she didn’t think so. She shook her head and blew on her tea.

“Did you want me to see if I can see anything?”

“You mean like in my body?” Aurora wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It sounded a little creepy, but Trevor wasn’t like that. He was sweet and respectful and she trusted him.

“It’s okay if you don’t want me to, I understand,” he said.

“No, it’s okay. Just nothing too - I don’t know, invasive?” She stood up so he could get a better view. Though she wasn’t really sure that he actually needed her to. Trevor’s ability to see through things was pretty extensive.

He studied her for a very long minute before he said anything. “I don’t see any signs of infection or anything - let me - oh, wait — oh!” His hand went to his mouth.

Fear coiled in her belly. “Oh what? Do you see something?” Aurora felt the panic rising.

“I don’t think anything’s wrong exactly - it’s just - um -“ Trevor trailed off as his cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink.

“Trevor sweetie, could you please tell me what you see before I have a full-blown panic attack?” Aurora tried to keep her voice calm but she was pretty sure he could see how not calm she was feeling.

“Oh sorry, it’s just there’s something - or somethings rather in your —“ He gestures to her middle area.

“My stomach?”

“Lower.” His face was red now.

“My — oh —“ it hit her then. “Am I pregnant?” She said the last word quietly. All the clues finally clicking into place.

“I think so, yes.” Trevor seemed relieved to finally have that out of the way.

“Tell me exactly what you see - please?”

Trevor took a moment before saying, “Um, okay — just give me a minute.” He went to the refrigerator, grabbed a soda, and took a swig before continuing. “There are two little tiny miniature humans in there.”

Twins. She was pregnant with twins. “Do they look okay?”

He shrugged. “Their tiny little hearts are beating but other than that I’m not sure how to tell.”

The poor kid seemed stressed out, so she decided to give him a break. “Thank you.”

“No problem, I’m happy to help. I guess that explains the sickness, huh?”

“Yeah, I should have figured it out. I guess I didn’t want to think about the possibility.”

“You should really tell Akihiro before he figures it out on his own. You know he has a lot of issues with family and abandonment,” Trevor said.

She knew that. She knew if she kept it from him too long he’d think she was trying to keep it from him because she didn’t think he was good enough or something equally ridiculous.

“I know —“ Aurora started to say and then she saw him looming in the doorway. Shit.

“You have to tell Akihiro what?” Akihiro said. He sounded extremely defensive.

Aurora pushed down the fear she felt. She knew he could smell it and she didn’t want him to think it was him she was afraid of.

“Um - I’m going to go and —“ Trevor ran from the room.

“Can we go sit somewhere more comfortable?” Aurora asked.

“Yeah, sure.” Akihiro’s voice was cold. He was closing himself off so he wouldn’t be hurt. She hated it. Hated that she had made him feel that way even for a moment.

Aurora brought her tea with her into the sitting room near the kitchen. They had a variety of shared living spaces throughout the Boneyard and this was the one she felt most comfortable in. The whole place was amazingly huge and sometimes it seemed like it kept getting bigger.

She sat down on the couch, placed her teacup on the corner table, and then patted the space beside her. Akihiro sat down stiffly. He seemed like he was waiting for her to break his heart. She needed to fix this quickly. She took his hand in hers. “Akihiro, you know I love you, right?” She looked in his eyes and lets all her other thoughts go. She wanted him to see her love for him, not the fears she was feeling about the future. They’d have time for those later. He seemed to relax a little.

“Yeah, I know,” He said softly and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “I love you too.”

And then the tears started. She could feel them filling her eyes and she couldn’t stop it. Stupid emotions, oh wait now she could blame it all on hormones. The idea made her laugh a little. Akihiro must have thought she was going crazy.

“Did I do something - did I fuck this up?” Akihiro asked.

She shook her head. “Can you just hold me a minute?”

He opened his arms and wrapped them around her. She rested her head on his chest. His warm skin was soothing and she just rested her cheek there and tried to get a hold of herself. Akihiro gently stroked her back and then suddenly he went still. She pulled back and looked at his face. He looked like he was in shock.

“Are you okay?” She needed him to be okay.

Instead of answering her he moved his head to her lap and pressed his ear against her belly. It dawned on her then that he must have heard the heartbeats. She leaned back and let him listen as she ran her fingers through his silky hair and waited for him to say something.

“You’re pregnant?” Akihiro’s voice was filled with something like awe.

Aurora bit her lip, nervously. “Apparently.”

Akihiro sat up. “Could Trevor see them?”

“Yeah.” Wow, he really put the clues together fast.

“Trevor!” Akihiro called out.

Aurora sighed. “Shouldn’t we talk about this — you know, just the two of us before we go dragging poor Trevor into this?”

“Apparently, Trevor knew before I did.”

“Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Don’t be hurt.”

“I’m not —“

Aurora raised her eyebrows at the lie he was about to tell.

“What do you want to do?” He asked stiffly as if he was afraid of her answer.

“I want them,” she said quickly, so there’d be no mistake.

Relief flooded his face and she could tell that he wanted them too.

“I’m scared, I don’t know how I’m going to do this but I am. I want to,” Aurora said.

He took her hands in his. “I’m scared as fuck but I want them too — I want to be a part of their lives as much as you’ll let me. I want —“

“To be a dad?”

“Ugh, that word’s filled with so much baggage.”

“So much.” Aurora laughed.

Trevor peeked into the room. “Did someone call my name?”

“Tell me exactly what you saw,” Akihiro demanded.

“O-kay. Wait a sec,” Trevor said and then ran out of the room.

“Do you think he’s coming back?” Aurora asked.

“He better, if he knows what’s good for him.”

She playfully smacked him on the chest. “Be good.”

“I’m always good.” He flashed her a feral smile that had her blushing.

“Be nice,” she corrected.

A couple of minutes later Trevor returned with David.

“Okay — by all means, tell the whole team,” Aurora said.

“Really?” Trevor sounded way too excited by the prospect of spreading the news than she was comfortable with at the moment.

“No,” Aurora and Akihiro said at the same time.

“Not yet,” Aurora amended.

“We’re not just a team, we’re family,” Trevor said it like he really believed it.

They spent some time with Trevor playing human ultrasound machine while David cross-referenced his findings. Everything seemed to be progressing well as far as they could tell. They determined that she was close to twelve weeks along and she and the babies all seemed to be healthy. Though it wasn’t as if they were doctors. She was going to have to check in with Dr. Reyes eventually. They finished up once Akihiro seemed assured that everything looked good.

Just as they’re all promising to not say anything to Jean-Paul — she really wasn’t ready to deal with his freakout — he zoomed into the room. Shit. David and Trevor excused themselves and quickly exited the room.

“Don’t tell me what?” Jean-Paul asked, looking directly at Akihiro. He still wasn’t entirely comfortable with her and Akihiro’s relationship.

Aurora took Akihiro’s hand and entwined her fingers with his. He turned to her and she gave her head a little shake. Jean-Paul was her brother and she needed to be the one to break the news to him.

“How is there no privacy in this place? It’s so big yet everyone seems to know everyone’s business,” she said.

Jean-Paul’s attention turned to her. “Why do you feel that you have to keep secrets from me?”

Aurora rolled her eyes and gestured at the seat across from her. “Why don’t you sit down, Jean-Paul.”

He turned back to Akihiro and glared. “I prefer to stand.” He looked ready for a fight.

She sighed. Maybe she should just tell him quickly. Like ripping off a bandaid. “Jean-Paul, you’re going to be an uncle.” That was good right? Simple and to the point.

Akihiro snorted.

“Quoi?!” Jean-Paul said.

“I’m pregnant.” Oh, it was weird saying it out loud. It made it seem all the more real.

Jean-Paul sat down. He looked at their interlocked hands, leaned back, and ran a hand through his hair. “How long have you known? Are you okay? How far along? Do you think it might be twins?” His questions came fast.

Aurora checked off the answers on her fingers. “About an hour — Okay, still feeling a little sick, also kind of hungry, and probably kind of in shock at the moment — almost twelve weeks — and most definitely.”

Her brother zoomed out of the room and then zoomed right back in with a plate of fruit and cheese. She sighed, he was going to be an overly attentive pain in her ass, wasn’t he?

He put the plate down in front of her and she popped a square of cheese into her mouth. “Thank you.” He smiled and then gathered her up in an embrace. Maybe being doted on for a bit, wouldn’t be so bad.