Work Text:
Nervously, Tim parked his car right in front of the garage, grabbed the groceries, and opened the door to their new house. He loved it—it was big enough for the three of them, and maybe in the future, even more tiny humans. "Honey, I’m home!" he called, but there was no answer. The house was almost dark, with only the kitchen light on.
When he walked into the living room, he understood why. Lucy was curled up on the couch with Kojo at her feet. It was only 6 p.m., so Tim grew a little worried, especially when he noticed the "puke" bucket in front of the couch. He knelt down, kissed Lucy on the forehead, then quietly went to the kitchen to put the groceries away.
Kojo followed. “Be quiet, boy. Mommy’s asleep. She doesn’t feel well, and I need her to sleep a little longer so we can finish our present! I finally got the last supplies!”
“Wow!”
“Shh, Kojo! Please, it has to be a surprise!”
As if understanding, Kojo immediately went quiet and lay down. Tim put away the groceries, closed the kitchen door, and even locked it. It had to be a surprise, after all.
As quietly as possible, he got a bowl, two old towels, the ink, and the card. “Remember what we did last time, Kojo? Look, here’s the card we made for Mommy’s birthday back when Daddy was still an asshole.” He pulled the birthday card off the fridge and showed it to Kojo, who immediately began to jump. “Oh, good boy! You remember! I love you!”
With a little more light so he could see, Tim arranged everything on the floor. Kojo sat patiently, waiting for the fun to begin. The bowl was filled with water, a towel for Kojo to sit on, another one to wipe his paws, and the ink… everything was ready.
“Okay, Kojo, sit on the towel! Good boy! Now, I know you were great last time, but I still want to go over the steps. This time, Mommy is really going to kill us if we ruin her new floors! First, stay on the towel. Second, I’m going to put your paw in the ink and press it onto the card. Remember, stay still, okay?”
“Woof.”
“Quiet! We can’t wake Mommy yet! After we put your paw print on the card, I’ll wipe your paws so the floors stay clean. Ready?”
This time, Kojo didn’t bark. Instead, he licked Tim’s face and held out his paw.
“Oh, Kojo, I’m so glad your mommy got you! I never imagined the three of us becoming a family like this.” Tim glanced at the clock—it was almost 7 p.m. Time to wake Lucy. “Okay, here we go!”
Carefully, he dipped Kojo’s paw in the ink and pressed it on the card. He’d only bought one card because he was confident they wouldn’t mess it up, and he was right. “Hold your paw up, Kojo!” Kojo obeyed, and Tim cleaned his paw. The card turned out perfectly. Now, all Tim had to do was figure out what to write on it.
Sitting on the floor with Kojo in his lap, after tidying up, Tim grabbed a pen and wrote twelve words. “Oh, this is perfect! Okay, Kojo, let’s wake up Mommy!”
When Tim entered the living room again, Lucy was gone, but the bathroom light was on. He heard her throwing up. He knocked on the door. “Babe? Can I come in?”
“The door’s open,” was all she said.
Lucy was sitting on the floor, her hair a mess, her face pale as snow.
“When did you get home?” she managed to ask.
“Oh, you don’t look good. Let me help you to bed—you’re sick.”
“I’m not sick. This has happened four times this past week. It’ll pass in about an hour.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve been here with you.”
“I didn’t know what to say yet, so just help me to bed. I need to be cuddled up between my two boys.”
Tim was confused but didn’t question her. He helped her up, and they walked to the bedroom, Kojo always by their side.
Lucy changed into Tim’s old LAPD shirt and snuggled under the blanket.
“Is it okay if I take a shower first?” Tim asked.
“Of course. I already feel better, and I need to talk to Kojo alone.”
“You need to talk to Kojo? Are you sure you’re okay?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Go take your shower! But hurry—we have something for you.”
As Tim showered, Lucy took a card and a small shirt for Kojo from her nightstand. “Okay, Kojo, Daddy’s almost done. Remember what we practiced? Wait outside with the shirt on and the card in your mouth, okay?”
“Woof, woof!”
Lucy heard Tim turning off the shower just as she finished putting the shirt on Kojo. “Go, boy! Wait outside until I call you!”
Kojo grabbed the card in his mouth and went outside. Lucy’s eyes welled with pride.
When Tim came out of the shower, dressed in only his boxers, he jumped into bed. “Oh, shoot, I forgot to close the door! Wait, where’s Kojo?”
At that moment, Kojo poked his head around the corner and leaped onto the bed.
“Noooo, this is too early! That’s not the signal we agreed on!” Tim, confused, hadn’t yet noticed Kojo’s shirt.
“Lucy, what did you do?”
“Surprise! Open the card and find out.”
When Tim took the card from Kojo’s mouth, Lucy hid her face under the covers.
“Should I be scared to open this?”
“I don’t know!”
“Then why are you hiding?”
“No reason! It just smells nice under the sheets.”
“Lucy, come on! I’m not opening this until you’re in my arms.”
Tim pulled the sheets from Lucy’s face and saw a tear fall from her eye. “Why are you crying?”
“Just open the damn card!”
With trembling hands, Tim opened the card and froze.
Inside was a picture of Lucy, Tim, and Kojo, cuddled up in the same bed they were in now, with the words: Is there room for one more tiny little human?
At that moment, Tim couldn’t hold back his tears. He almost never cried, but the emotion he felt now was something he never imagined.
“I wanted to put Kojo’s paw print on it, but I couldn’t figure out how you did it,” Lucy said softly.
“Just shut up and let me kiss you.”
That kiss was all Lucy had been waiting for since she found out she was pregnant two days ago.
“Are you sure we made a little human?” Tim asked, still in awe.
“We’ll have to wait nine months to find out, but I’m pretty damn sure!”
“You have no idea how much I love you. And you,” he said, pressing his still-shaking hands to Lucy’s stomach. They cuddled together until Lucy’s stomach growled with hunger.
“I think the baby’s ready for food.”
“Not yet!”
“What, are you denying her food?”
“Oh, so it’s a girl?”
“Yes, because I want to see you having tea parties with her.”
“You’re ridiculous. But first, we have a question to ask you.”
“We?”
“Kojo! Get the present!”
Kojo jumped off the bed, and 30 seconds later, he returned with a card in his mouth.
“You didn’t do this again?” Lucy said, her mouth open in surprise.
“We sure did! Open it.”
“But that was my idea today!”
“No, you stole it from me! Kojo and I are a pretty good team now.”
“I don’t want to open it.”
“Lucy, come on! Don’t chicken out now. I’m proud of this.”
With trembling hands, Lucy opened the card, and the first thing she saw was Kojo’s paw print. Underneath, it read:
Can I be your ring bearer? Love, Kojo P.S. Daddy already approved <3
Lucy looked at Tim, tears in her eyes.
“I don’t have a ring yet, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I want us to pick one out together—with Kojo. And I’m so glad I did this today because you just gave me the greatest gift. I always dreamed of finding love and a home, and with you, I have it all. I love you so much. We’re going to be parents—well, dog parents already—but now, a little human. Please, will you stay by my side forever? I promise I’ll never leave again. I love our life together, and I want you to be the mother of my children—yes, plural. We’re not stopping at just one.”
“Can we talk about the second after the first?”
“Lucy?”
“Yes, you idiot! I’m never letting you go again. I love you, always have, always will.”
Their kiss was messy, wet, and full of love. When they pulled apart to catch their breath, Tim noticed Kojo’s shirt.
“Wait, what’s written on Kojo’s shirt?”
“Big brother is watching you, with a picture of the baby.”
“You freak!”
They both burst into laughter. After a big meal in bed and some quality time together, they fell asleep.
The end.