Spencer can't help the way his cheeks flush red when Charlotte say she's better looking and makes mention of his jaw and cheekbones. These are things he's never really considered about himself because before Joel, his appearance hadn't been much of an issue. His husband claims that he's seen people looking at Spencer when they walk down the street sometimes, but Spencer always just counters that he's sure they must be looking at Joel. He doesn't necessarily think of himself as ugly, he couldn't possibly when Joel tells him all the time that he's beautiful and there's not a word yet that's come out of Joel's mouth that's been a lie, but Spencer can't recall a single time that he's looked in the mirror and felt more than moderately satisfied that he didn't look like too much of a mess to be in public.
Well, save for the days after Mark's attack and then Roman's, but Spencer can hardly be blamed for looking like a disaster after spending so much time having fists thrown at his face.
"We did just fine," he says quickly, nodding in agreement with Joel, and he knows that Charlotte's only teasing but Spencer is eager to move on with the conversation because he doesn't want to draw attention to how pink his cheeks still are. "Better than that, actually, he's the most gorgeous little boy I've ever seen."
Saying that seems to settle him a bit, funnily enough, and he lets out a little sigh as his shoulders relax at the thought of having Dane in his arms again. That added weight had been everything he hadn't known he was missing in his life and there's nothing more he wants than to hold his newborn again. Granted, he might not be holding Dane for very long at first because he knows that their family will want to get their hands on him, too, and Spencer can hardly deny Dane's grandparents and aunt the right to fuss over him. There's already a flash of parental worry that it'll all be too much, that their tiny son will be too overwhelmed by all the attention, but he takes a deep breath and reminds himself that he and Joel are the ones calling the shots here.
The second the nurse comes through the door, rolling the baby into the room, Spencer is certain that he'll never remember how to breathe again. He gropes for Joel's hand and takes a step toward the bassinet, his free hand covering his mouth as he nods along with the stunned gasps he hears on either side of him. Only he and Joel are moving, both of them having approached the bassinet now, and Spencer lets out a cross between a laugh and a sob as he reaches out to brush his thumb against Dane's cheek.
"Oh, god," he murmurs, pulling his hand back as it starts to tremble. "Oh, god, Joel, our son." He turns his head to look at Ellie and Brian, both of them wide-eyed as they finally find it in themselves to move so they can peer at the baby, then at Charlotte, who seems to be frozen in place, though her neck is craned for a better look.
"This is our son," he continues, "your grandson, your nephew. See the hair, the curls? He's gorgeous, isn't it?"
"I take back everything I said about it being a disappointment that he looks like Joel," Charlotte says, ignoring her mother's tsk of disapproval that it should be brought up at all, and she looks up at Spencer and Joel with wide eyes. "Do we get to hold him? I mean, he's so little, is it okay?"
Spencer ducks his head to smile, refraining from telling Charlotte that even if the nurse were to tell him it might not be the best of ideas, there'd be nothing in this world that could stop him from holding his son. "He's three weeks early so it's to be expected that he's smaller."
"Five pounds, three ounces, to be exact," the nurse comments, smiling up at them as they all look at her, Spencer a bit guiltily because he'd forgotten she was there at all.
"My god," Ellie says, shaking her head in awe, "Joel was a little over seven pounds when he was born and even Charlotte was about six. Five pounds, I can't believe it. Can you believe it, Brian?"
"He's healthy," the nurse continues, "no complications that we were able to detect. Congratulations, gentlemen, your baby boy has a clean bill of health."
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Well, save for the days after Mark's attack and then Roman's, but Spencer can hardly be blamed for looking like a disaster after spending so much time having fists thrown at his face.
"We did just fine," he says quickly, nodding in agreement with Joel, and he knows that Charlotte's only teasing but Spencer is eager to move on with the conversation because he doesn't want to draw attention to how pink his cheeks still are. "Better than that, actually, he's the most gorgeous little boy I've ever seen."
Saying that seems to settle him a bit, funnily enough, and he lets out a little sigh as his shoulders relax at the thought of having Dane in his arms again. That added weight had been everything he hadn't known he was missing in his life and there's nothing more he wants than to hold his newborn again. Granted, he might not be holding Dane for very long at first because he knows that their family will want to get their hands on him, too, and Spencer can hardly deny Dane's grandparents and aunt the right to fuss over him. There's already a flash of parental worry that it'll all be too much, that their tiny son will be too overwhelmed by all the attention, but he takes a deep breath and reminds himself that he and Joel are the ones calling the shots here.
The second the nurse comes through the door, rolling the baby into the room, Spencer is certain that he'll never remember how to breathe again. He gropes for Joel's hand and takes a step toward the bassinet, his free hand covering his mouth as he nods along with the stunned gasps he hears on either side of him. Only he and Joel are moving, both of them having approached the bassinet now, and Spencer lets out a cross between a laugh and a sob as he reaches out to brush his thumb against Dane's cheek.
"Oh, god," he murmurs, pulling his hand back as it starts to tremble. "Oh, god, Joel, our son." He turns his head to look at Ellie and Brian, both of them wide-eyed as they finally find it in themselves to move so they can peer at the baby, then at Charlotte, who seems to be frozen in place, though her neck is craned for a better look.
"This is our son," he continues, "your grandson, your nephew. See the hair, the curls? He's gorgeous, isn't it?"
"I take back everything I said about it being a disappointment that he looks like Joel," Charlotte says, ignoring her mother's tsk of disapproval that it should be brought up at all, and she looks up at Spencer and Joel with wide eyes. "Do we get to hold him? I mean, he's so little, is it okay?"
Spencer ducks his head to smile, refraining from telling Charlotte that even if the nurse were to tell him it might not be the best of ideas, there'd be nothing in this world that could stop him from holding his son. "He's three weeks early so it's to be expected that he's smaller."
"Five pounds, three ounces, to be exact," the nurse comments, smiling up at them as they all look at her, Spencer a bit guiltily because he'd forgotten she was there at all.
"My god," Ellie says, shaking her head in awe, "Joel was a little over seven pounds when he was born and even Charlotte was about six. Five pounds, I can't believe it. Can you believe it, Brian?"
"He's healthy," the nurse continues, "no complications that we were able to detect. Congratulations, gentlemen, your baby boy has a clean bill of health."