Expecting the Unexpected

By Snare-chan

Pairings: Zidane/Garnet
Ratings: K+
Category(ies): Romance/Humor
Warning(s): Slight spoilers for the game
Status: One-shot, complete
Summary: Life has mellowed out for Zidane and friends, which means he's due for a big surprise.

Notes:The areyougame community on dreamwidth had a retiring prompts list from May-June that I decided to take advantage of and just barely made it, hah hah! For those curious, it was "Garnet/Zidane: announcing a pregnancy – 'I need to tell you something...' Never in a million years would I have thought about writing something like this, but I had a great deal of fun and I'm glad I took up the challenge. This was beta read by Jyuu, who is stupendous and full of the best kind of advice. Any errors that remain are my fault and will be prosecuted by the full extent of the law.

Zidane was pleasantly surprised to see Garnet, accompanied by General Beatrix, visit the Tantalus Theater Troupe center that had been set up in Alexandria.

As reigning queen, she had duties to attend to – signing legal documents, shaking the hands of country leaders and all that frou-frou business he had no patience for. Garnet was good at it; raised to understand what to do and practiced hard to get where she was, and Zidane left her to it. He'd have gotten in the way or started a war if he'd intruded, no doubt, and therefore kept himself occupied by other means.

When the Tantalus company visited in town, he'd joined up for old time's sake and because the group was family. They were in constant need of a helping hand and, if you counted the tail, he had three appendages to lend.

The hours could be long for the both of them, but they made time. Zidane suspected Garnet more so; only a year had passed since his return, in the separation remained a lingering fear of loss, and she worried if he was gone for too long. He wondered if her impromptu trip down here had something to do with that.

"Ahoy, booty off the port bow!" he called, swinging and jumping down from the set of a ship mast; they were doing a play on sky pirates, and he was going to be the leading man. No harm in practicing for the part!

Garnet's face was priceless, and made the whole display worth it. He landed in front of her, a scant inch or two between them, and mentally congratulated himself on his aerobatic execution. Garnet started at their abrupt proximity, but when he enveloped her in his arms, she melted. No proper word for it other than that.

"I needed to see you," she said, into his shoulder.

"Is something the matter?" His macho, white-knight protector instincts kicked in. "Are you still feeling under the weather? You should have sent a messenger; I'd have come seen you right away."

For a couple weeks now, Garnet had been sick. She blamed the season, but Zidane wasn't so sure she wasn't overworking herself.

"No, it's… It couldn't wait."

"Alright," he said slowly, "what's up, then?"

They'd caught the attention of some of the theater troupe members that were milling around, Marcus and Blank pausing in their construction work and Ruby looking up from her sewing.

"U-um, maybe this would be best said in private?"

"Nonsense!" Zidane declared, giving her shoulders a firm squeeze in reassurance. "Whatever it is, you have everyone's confidentiality and support. If it can be said to me, then you can tell it to them. Right?"

"Right. If there's trouble, you know we're up to facing it," Blank assured.

Ruby added, "Go ahead, darling! We'll help you however we can."

Eyes downcast, Garnet remained uncertain, and this worried him most of all. It wasn't like her to be this hesitant, not anymore. The Garnet he knew – the one he loved – was the person who could run away from a rampaging, psychotic queen, jump off buildings and swing from streamers, help save the world and, bravest of all, put up with him. Gently, he curled a finger under her chin and lifted her face up, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, whatever it is, it can't be as bad as you're making it out to be. I'm right here, and we'll handle whatever's bothering you together."

Her eyes searched his, though not in doubt of his words.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down, at least?"

"I'm fine right here," he said patiently.

She sighed, as if to indicate 'I warned you', and blurted out, "I'm pregnant."

The silence was so…silent, they could have heard a pin drop. What they got was Blank dropping his hammer on Marcus' foot (and he didn't react immediately to it landing there), it clattering to the wooden stage with a hollow 'thunk' afterward. Zidane stared, retracting his statement and plopping in the aisle seat situated behind him. His hands slid down her arms, but held onto her hands.

Uncomprehending in the beginning, he had to process the statement piece-by-piece: I'm, meaning Garnet in this case, the love of his life, the most beautiful woman in the world, the ice to his cream; pregnant, with a baby, because that's what pregnant means, and since without going into details, he was confident that meant, in turn-

He was getting off track, so Zidane put the words together again, just to be sure he'd understood – 'I'm pregnant.'

Yep, definitely what he thought.

"You're…pregnant."

"Yes, Zidane," General Beatrix said, the calmest of them and taking initiative. Her hardened swordsmanship had prepared her for any situation, it seemed. "Congratulations, you're going to be a father."

"I'm…what?"

"He's going to be a father?" Marcus asked, disbelieving and through gritted teeth; he'd finally taken notice of his throbbing toes and was hopping up and down as he massaged his foot.

"He's going to be a father!" Blank said, all shock. Nobody could see how wide his eyes had gotten under his headpiece, but they didn't need to – his voice was thick with the evidence of it.

"He's going to be a father!" Ruby squealed, jumping up from her seat and sending fabric flying and spools of thread rolling as she did. "Goodness gracious! My stars and garters! I do declare, our Zidane is going to be a father! Why, I've just got to tell everyone!"

She rushed off to gossip right then and there, with no one noticing her departure, though the proof of it was left in the form of scarves and other various scraps of cloth that trailed after her. Except for General Beatrix, perhaps, but it was her duty to be constantly vigilant and aware of anyone in the same room as her liege. The rest were concentrating on other important matters, Zidane and Garnet in particular. Garnet hadn't stopped staring at him expectantly and Zidane appeared dazed.

"Are you certain?" he breathed, finally. "I mean, that we're, you-"

"Pretty sure," she said, gentle in interrupting his rambling. It was sure to continue awhile if she hadn't.

Almost of its own accord, one of her hands strayed to her middle, bringing one of Zidane's with hers. While sitting down, he was eye level with the sight, so he noticed and understood the implications of the gesture. Careful, because this changed everything, he rested his forehead against their joined hands.

Garnet wasn't sure about the reaction, unable to read his face for clues. His shoulders were shaking, and for a terrified, unthinking moment, Garnet worried that Zidane was crying or…or angry. But he wasn't experiencing either of those things – he was laughing, which became apparent as his joy grew in volume, and suddenly he was swooping in, picking her up and spinning them around, the sound of his laughter filling them up.

"I'm going to be a father!" he said between laughs, saying it louder a second time – announcing it to the world. "I'm going to be a father!"

Soon, Garnet was laughing and clinging to him too. Zidane stopped spinning her around and pulled her into a hug.

"And you're going to be a mother," he said, in total awe. "We're going to be parents and have the prettiest little girl or boy on Gaia."

"Yes," she agreed, unable to say more as a tear or two of relief and happiness managed to make their appearance.

Back on the stage, Blank turned to his friend and asked, "Hey, Marcus, you know what this means, don't you?"

"More than one Zidane running around at once?"

"More than one Zidane running around at once," Blank confirmed, nodding in that sage way a man whose fate has been decided is prone to saying. "One is bad enough, but I don't think the planet can handle anymore!"

"Cut it out, the both of you! I'm having a moment, here," Zidane said over his shoulder, but he was smiling as he did. He knew they were just jealous.

The two men laughed and left them alone to enjoy it, though General Beatrix had to unfortunately intervene then.

"My Queen, you should rest now. We've walked all this way and it's time to return."

"Ah, yes, I suppose you are correct."

"You walked here?" Zidane asked, as if Garnet had confessed to hand-standing on red-hot coals. "That simply won't do!"

He picked her up in his arms, this time with the intention of carrying her back to the castle, despite her adamant protests.

"Honestly, Zidane! I'm only a few months along. I'm capable of walking to and from the palace."

"What type of father would I be if I left my wife to wander on her own two feet when I'm gentlemanly enough to do it for her?"

The speech might have held merit if Zidane hadn't copped a feel at the end of it, but Garnet huffed and let him get away with the carrying and the grope. Just this once.

As they reached the castle, General Beatrix opened the door for them with nary a raised brow, wise beyond her years to reserve her energy for the months ahead.

-Fin-