Baby Kicks

"It's silly,"

"Twelve does it."

"Well, Twelve is a very silly man."

"I don't think it's silly." Lisa pouted, tugging on Nine's sleeve and urging him to sit next to her on the couch.

"That's because you're a very silly woman." Despite his remark, Nine obliged and sat down. For some six months or so now, he had been having a hard time saying no to her. It was like they all were under her spell, he swore even Five wasn't entirely unaffected.

Lisa smiled pulling the throw off the back of the couch and covering both of their laps with it. "Come on, no one else is around. I promise I won't tell." she pulled her legs onto the couch and, with some difficulty, turned to face him, inching as close to him as possible. "Try it."

Lisa smiled pulling the throw off the back of the couch and covering both of their laps with it. "Come on, no one else is around. I promise I won't tell." she pulled her legs on the couch and, with some difficulty, turned to face him, inching as close to him as possible. "Try it."

"I'm not going to touch you."

She blinked at him, a slight air of disappointment touching her soft features "I suppose you don't have to..."

Nine's eyes narrowed, he sighed, and turned to her as well. "If I do this I need to be absolutely certain you won't let it slip, if either Five or Twelve found out-especially Twelve-,I ..."

"Cross my heart." Lisa traced an "x" with her index finger on her chest "I won't say a word. It'll be our secret. Come on, just try it."

She was acting like a five year old about to go out for ice cream. Too giddy, too eager, too enthused for Nine's comfort.

"I'm serious, Lisa, if Twelve finds out-"

"He won't," Lisa took Nine's hand and he immediately stiffened as she pulled it towards her. He gulped, but was too stunned to do anything about it until it was too late. "Unless you tell him yourself. Now come on, you don't have to be nervous."

He cleared his throat, looking away. Damnit, Mishima.

"I feel like an idiot." he muttered.

"Just act like you would around any other person."

Nine wanted to glare at her, but if he looked her way his eyes might drift to where his hand was and that just wouldn't help.

He heard Lisa chuckle. "Maybe that's not the best advice. Just... try to act natural, is what I'm trying to say."

Nine felt her place her hand on top of his and give it a reassuring squeeze, which did nothing to calm his nerves. This was too unsettling.

"And stop looking away, it's not like you have to make eye contact, but to actually look away...well, it's a little weird."

That's what she thought was weird?"I'm not ready, I haven't prepared..."

"Nine, you don't need to prepare for this. It's not a big deal."

"Then stop sounding so amused." His icy tone did nothing to free his hand from where it was being held captive.

"I'm sorry, this is just..." there was a hitch in her voice and he groaned. If she started the waterworks now then there was no way he could go through with it.

"I haven't even started yet and you're already about to cry, this isn't a good idea."

"No, no, no." She kept his hand in place and sniffled. "I'm okay. I just think you even trying to do this for me is very sweet."

"Is it the thought that counts then?" He sounded hopeful, maybe too much. His frozen limb twitched in a feeble attempt to get away, which only made her press it tighter against her body.

Oh dear God, did she want to kill him?

"Nine..." she shook her head at him, even though he couldn't see her, her eyes were bright as she blinked back the tears and cleared her throat. "Come on, look this way."

It took him maybe a full minute to finally rotate his head towards her and for his eyes to lock on an invisible spot above her head.

"Don't you want to look down at them while you do it?"

"Don't push me."

"Sorry," she tilted her head and gave his hand a small, gentle pat, waiting for him.

"Alright." He cleared his throat and Lisa pursed her lips, trying her best to keep a straight face. "Hello, my name is Nine and I'm your... I will be your...what I am is..."

Lisa mouthed the word to him and his eyes narrowed, knowing exactly the word her lips were forming even though his gaze remained on the wall behind her.

"I suppose, uncle, would be the most appropriate term, even though we're not actually related. I live here, with your mother and your father, and I will be...from time to time, taking care of the two of you as well."

He felt it under his palm, just a tiny kick that froze him in his spot.

His eyes, slightly widened and panicked behind his glasses, drifted down to Lisa's face as his brain processed what just happened.

"Did they...?"

She nodded."The twins love it when someone talks to them, I wasn't joking."

"They can't possibly know when someone is actually addressing them."

Lisa shrugged one shoulder, an innocent smile pulling at her lips "They like the sound of voices, and I like to think they know... somehow. I believe they recognize all of our voices."

Nine shook his head. Without realizing it his eyes had drifted down to the big mound on her stomach, where his hand lay. Lisa had removed her hand from his, allowing him to pull back, but now he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"It's... I don't know what to say."

"You can keep talking to them, or sing."

Nine stared back at her as if she were crazy.

"Twelve does that, too."

"Well, I am notgoing to sing."

"That's fine."

"I introduced myself, I don't know what else-"

"Anything is okay."

It wasn't like he didn't feel self-conscious anymore, but knowing that he was actually being heard helped ease his discomfort.

"Very well, ah, your father and I share a long history, which I might tell you about when you're of age and if you're curious enough, which, if you're anything like either of your parents, I'm sure you'll be."

Another small kick.

His thumb ran gently over the spot, unaware of Lisa's watery smile.

"You're so eager, just like him." Nine murmured, almost to himself. "There's four of us living in this house, and even though we're not related by blood, we're a family. Your parents won't be the conventional type, I'm not sure either of them will be able to discipline you when needed. Both of them have such soft hearts, I really can't picture them being firm with you."

Through her tears, Lisa frowned. "Nine..."

But he wasn't really listening to her, she realized. He was actually being serious now and having a conversation with her babies. "That's alright though, I won't mind stepping up for that task. I might as well say it to you now, I won't tolerate temper tantrums or general misbehavior, I probably won't be the "fun" uncle that covers for you and lets you break the rules, but I suppose, you could go to Five for that, not that I won't be watching."

Two defiant kicks now and Lisa almost wanted to laugh out loud at the frown on Nine's face.

"You're already too much like him."

Lisa was biting her bottom lip, trying her best not to make a sound. It was hard to make the soft side of Nine come out, but when it happened, it was hard not to be emotional, especially for a pregnant woman.

"It wouldn't hurt either of you to take after your mother. She's...a really good person."

There was silence for a moment, even as the twins numped Lisa's belly.

She couldn't help it now, a small sob broke through her lips as she half chuckled, half cried, and Nine looked up at her in surprise, almost as if he had forgotten she was there.

"Lisa,"

"I'm sorry, don't mind me, go on, I just, that was so-"

Nine straightened up, his hand giving her belly one last stroke. "You will be fine."

Lisa was a sobbing mess despite her evident efforts to calm down, and Nine reached out for the box of kleenex on the table, handing it to her and awkwardly patting her head "Thank you, Nine, that was...that was so good, thank you."

"I don't-"

The door of their apartment slammed open, making both of them jump slightly in their seats. Nine got up from the couch and waited for the owners of the bickering voices down the hall to make their way to them.

"We're back! And we wouldn't mind some help carrying these sincesomeone almost bought the entire store," Five grunted as she lugged several bags and dropped somed of them to the floor, toys and plushies spilled from more than a couple of them and Nine arched a brow, staring in shock as Twelve walked behing Five, a dozen bags in his arms.

"I might have gone slightly overboard," he laughed.

"Twelve, what were you thinking?"

"I was just-" Twelve stopped mid-sentence, the grin fading from his lips when he noticed Lisa curled up with the box of tissues, sniffling loudly as she blew her nose repeatedly. "What happened here?"

Five shot Nine a murderous look. "Awesome, you can't be left alone with the hormonal bomb without setting her off."

Nine pointedly ignored Five, looking down at Lisa, his eyes slightly widened behind his glasses.

She wiped at her tears, shaking her head "Nine didn't do anything, I got emotional over a movie we just finished watching, that's all, really."

Twelve and Five looked skeptical, especially because the T.V. was off, but after a moment Twelve dumped his bags and went over to her, gathering her in his arms and excitedly beginning to talk about everything he had purchased for the babies.

Nine sighed and went over to organize the stuff both Five and Twelve had dumped in the middle of their apartment. If either of them found out what he had done he would never live it down.

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Dolce S.- Fic inspired off this prompt on tumblr: Person A is pregnant and is trying to get Person B to talk to the baby; Person B feels self-conscious, silly, ridiculous, etc. talking to A's belly, and at first begins speaking jokingly, but soon gets very involved. Bonus points if A gets emotional. Originally this was intended to be Hisalisa but I figured it fit Lisa and Nine even more. Honestly, I felt a little out of my element but I enjoyed trying to keep them in character. I'm not sure I actually achieved that but well, gotta start somewhere. I hope you enjoyed. (Part 2 of the pregnant!Lisa one shots I'm working on.)