[open - baby meeting!]

[just_another]

Dane has been home for exactly thirty-seven hours and a few minutes, give or take, when Joel looks at the clock on the wall as he paces the length of the library, the baby in his arms. He's been fussing today, more than he has yet, and he and Spencer have been taking turns walking with him around the house once they've established that he doesn't need to be changed and he isn't hungry. They've been given their space after the initial invasion, his parents choosing to stay at a hotel for the duration of their time here rather than taking over the house. As much as he loves having his parents here, as much as he's loved seeing them with their grandson, he's also extremely grateful for it.

Ellie, though, had called that afternoon and suggested Joel try flipping Dane over onto his stomach. She'd said something about colic, told him that holding the baby on his stomach might help, and since then Joel has been carrying a peaceful Dane around the house, his little cheek resting against Joel's wrist. He's fast asleep for the time being and Joel can't imagine putting him down. He's a warm, comforting weight on Joel's arm and although he's tired, although he knows there's still a lot of adjusting to be done, he's also never been this happy.

Spencer is napping. At least he hopes he is. Joel had all but forced him to go upstairs and lie down. They sleep when Dane sleeps, that's the way their lives are meant to go now, and now that Dane actually is sleeping, Joel is debating heading upstairs and joining Spencer. The thought of crawling into bed with his husband, settling Dane comfortably on his chest and just lying there for a little while is somehow even more appealing than actually getting to sleep.

If he sleeps, he's bound to miss something, and Joel doesn't want to miss a moment of this.

That's exactly what Spencer is thinking as he lies wide awake in their bedroom. He'd tried more than once to close his eyes and keep them shut, force himself into a sleep that just won't come, but for once he's not being kept awake because of the nightmares he fears might plague him; it's because he knows that just downstairs are the two people he loves more than anything else in this world.

It's only been a day and a half since they've been allowed to bring Dane home, since they'd been overly careful in placing their baby, their tiny, beautiful baby, into his car seat for the drive home while Erin and her husband tried to hide their laughter behind their hands as they'd watched.

"Definitely brand new parents," her husband had commented, and it hadn't been with any ill intent. Spencer had only smiled and shrugged, as if there was nothing that could be done about it and really, there can't be. He's a father now, he's partly responsible for someone's life for the rest of his own, and as daunting as that may be, Spencer has never been happier. The only comparison he could possibly make would be to the day he and Joel had gotten married, and it's with that thought that he finally gives up and rolls out of bed to join his family.

They'd texted friends earlier in the day to mention when a good time would be to drop by to meet the baby. It's getting to be just after noon now, and he's absolutely exhausted, but the promise of getting to see Dane again gives him a burst of happy adrenaline. He'd be happy to stay this way for the rest of his life, at home with just his husband and their child; but he supposes having company over wouldn't be so bad.

After all, there's something appealing about being able to say that today, he and Joel are going to be introducing their son.

[Time to meet the baby. Tag Joel or Spencer or BOTH, but just indicate in your tag what you'd prefer. If both, the order will be your pup, Joel, Spencer.]

Comments

[just_another]

"Hey," Joel says, smiling when he sees Mira. She comes into the room, comes closer to the baby and Joel can't help it, he's grinning proudly, as if he had much of anything at all to do with this besides just giving a sample to a doctor. He and Spencer had both done that so they had an equal chance of being the biological father, though it's already clear from Dane's dark and slightly curly hair what happened there. For about a month before he had been born, Joel had worried. If he was the father, would Spencer be upset? Or if Spencer was the father, would he feel like he had missed out on the chance? But now that the baby is here, now that they can both see and hold and kiss Dane, he realizes it had been a ridiculous worry. Whatever had happened biologically, this baby is theirs. They're both his fathers and they both love him and that's all that matters.

"Big name from what I've heard," he agrees. "I think he'll do alright, though." As long as he's happy. As long as he knows he's loved. That's the only thing Joel cares about and he shoots Spencer a tired, happy smile, knowing it's the only thing his husband cares about, too.

[doublethepain]

Spencer can't help it, his eyes water when Mira and Joel both agree that Dane has a big name to grow into, simply because of how true it is. His brother had done so much for him, had been one of the greatest men Spencer has ever known, and his presence is always sorely missed but in the past few days, especially so. He can scarcely imagine their son at age twenty-five, but Spencer imagines that when does grow up, Dane will be just as caring and eager to protect those he loves as his uncle was. As Joel is. As his fathers will be for him.

"He'll be just fine," Spencer says softly, smiling down at the baby before taking in a deep breath and blinking back the tears that thankfully haven't fallen. He has so many wonderful memories of his brother, but he thinks of the memories he'll make with Joel and their son and the sheer emotional impact is so overwhelming. He swallows hard to get rid of the lump in his throat and lets out a soft, sheepish laugh. "His uncle would certainly be proud right now. Though I'm not sure it would have been as easy to get the baby to sleep just by turning him over if my brother was still here."

He looks to Joel then Mira, his smile widening. "At least you know how to keep your voice down."

[astra_inclinant]

Joel's grin is so big and proud, and Mira beams back at him, coming closer to get a better look at their tiny son. He's going to look a lot like Joel, she can already tell, but she's already searching for Spencer's features, even as she knows that's impossible if she's right about where Dane got his hair from and it's not some secret background in Erin's family. It's just by default, as though he must be the combination of his parents, and she's pretty sure everyone will try to do it.

She glances back up at Spencer, relieved to see him smiling and not too uncomfortable with the way the conversation's gone. There are people in town who knew the whole Waters clan better, but she also practically lived in the library, and her love for Spencer and the emotions this stirs about his family is a little different than the way she latches on to people like Davin and Raleigh.

But -- the whole thing just makes her unspeakably happy. The two of them, finally happy together with a (totally objectively) perfect baby make her think that maybe futures like this are possible for anyone. Even really awkward geeks who fumble their way through socializing and make puns about planets. And who live in this crazy place.

"He'll be amazing," she declares, softly, and touches his tiny hand gently with her thumb, amazed at how little it is. "The only thing you'll have to worry about with this little boy is him growing up with a giant ego from so many people fawning over him."

"You probably wouldn't have to announce his presence, though," she remarks, and laughs a little at Spencer's grin.

"Sometimes, anyway." She'd barely been three when Etta was born -- but even then she'd been very solemnly determined to take the best care of her sister. It's never really worn off, that love of kids. "Ugh, you guys."

"So are you two getting any sleep with this little guy?"

[just_another]

"I probably could be getting more than I am," he admits, looking down at Dane again and then over at Spencer. "I might have a tendency to just stay awake and make sure everything is okay for as long as I can." Which he knows it's ridiculous and he knows he needs sleep, but he's always been a bit of an insomniac and he's rarely gotten more than four or five hours of sleep a night for most of his adult life. It's been easier to get to sleep since moving into the house with Spencer, but even now he tends to wake up in the middle of the night.

Soon enough he doesn't imagine that'll be much of a problem. Soon enough he's going to be so exhausted from the baby keeping them awake that he thinks he'll sleep whenever he has a chance.

"It's just hard to sleep when he's so cute," he says, grinning down at the baby again as he heads over to Spencer and presses a kiss to his cheek. "Right? We can blame that instead of his crying." Because he's still cute even when he's crying. None of that has worn off yet. He doesn't think it ever will. No matter how exhausted he is, no matter how stressed, Dane is always going to be perfect.

[doublethepain]

Spencer gives his husband a look of mock admonishment, though he's long since grown used to Joel's unusual sleeping habits. It hadn't been much a problem at first anyway, not when Spencer had been regularly having nightmares after what had happened in the lighthouse, and the anise seed Joel had given Spencer then had helped but in truth, it'd been sleeping in the same bed with him that had helped more. What had happened with Roman had threatened to undo so much of that, so much of Spencer's ability to cast his fears aside before allowing himself to drift off to sleep, but Davin's charm and Joel's potions, even the the trip to New York--perhaps especially the trip to New York--have been helpful in that regard.

The charm doesn't ward off memories, of course, so there are still the occasional moments when he freezes at the sight of someone who looks just like Roman from behind or when an unfamiliar face walks into the door of Crossroads; but he's been far too busy to really worry about any of that, his mind has overcompensated with thoughts of Dane and of fatherhood, and perhaps that might be stressful for some new parents but for Spencer, it comes as a relief.

He can't help his smile when Joel kisses him, and he suddenly feels exhausted but in the best possible way. Spencer is sure the bags under his eyes are more pronounced than usual thanks to the last few days, but he also can't think of anything that could be more worth it. Not a moment has gone by yet that he hasn't thought of his son, of the future they have ahead of them, and it's not like he hasn't thought about anything else but more often than not, it seems like the second something like checking in on Charlotte or going to the grocery enters his mind, Dane does something to capture his attention again.

"We can blame the cuteness, yes," Spencer agrees, looking back at Mira with a faint flush to his cheeks. "If we start to get unbearable, just tell us. I don't know that it'll actually stop us but at least we'll be aware. We just don't want to miss a second of anything."