Laelia was on her way home from a visit with her parents and younger siblings with a lot on her mind. It was a mistake not to bring any of her own cubs to visit with her, she was sure her brothers and sister would have appreciated that more than just her but it was nice nonetheless.. and she had learned that Selene was pregnant. The news was coming just shortly before it would be announced to the whole pride and she was glad she found out first. She and Mazin were happy, she was sure they were.. but there were things they didn't talk about, things they knew better than the bring up. Unfortunately, this was something they would have to talk about. She wouldn't let him be surprised by the news when it was announced for the whole pride.
She knew where to find him, there was just no telling if he would be alone.
While Laelia went to visit her parents, Mazin had stayed home with anybody who decided they didn't want to visit grandma and grandpa right now- unfortunately for him, it turned out all of them wanted to stay home with him. After a tiring round of games, he had been left by himself while the cubs all scattered to go entertain themselves. They were old enough, he wasn't worried about it. So he told himself. But they were soon going to be old enough to officially join the Upper-middle Class properly and he could hardly believe it.
He was sitting outside the busy family's den, thinking about this and many other aspects of the future while he waited for Laelia to return. It was funny how things had turned out, though sometimes it was best not to overanalyze it.
When she came into view it was apparent that Mazin was alone at the den, there was no way he could sit there so comfortably and quietly if all the cubs were around. She put a smile on her face even if she had serious things to talk about and jogged up cheerily.
"Have a good morning, Mazin?" she asked, trying to judge by his expression but he seemed very calm. It must have gone well; maybe that was how it went when you had older cubs. Things had been getting less chaotic, though she wondered what might happen when they started really showing an interest in the opposite sex.
Mazin almost didn't see Laelia approaching and when she called out to him his eyes snapped to her suddenly- but immediately he was smiling. There was something a bit off about her smile but no major alarm bells were going off. He stood up to greet her properly, nudging her affectionately when she was near enough.
"A bit chaotic but nothing like when they were cubs," he said, "They tired before I did and then went off without me."
"Adolescents," Laelia scoffed, managing a serious face and a head-shake for one whole second before a laugh broke through. They didn't need them as much as they used to, that was for sure. And that meant Laelia didn't need Mazin like she used to, but they had figured that out long before now when Yareha had nearly killed him.
"I hope they didn't hurt your feelings too much," she said, nudging him back and taking a seat, happily hesitating before bringing up her unpleasant topic.
Mazin couldn't even manage a serious face when Laelia scoffed, shaking his head and smiling at her the whole time. Once she sat down, though, he happily joined her before giving an exaggerated sniffle.
"N-no," he said, covering his face with a paw for a moment but peeking out after a few seconds.
"Oh, you," Laelia sighed, giving him a playful shove and then letting silence fall between them. She didn't want to risk the happiness they shared but there was a lot to be said and she knew it would be better in private- and with five adolescents around, who knew how long they really had.
"We need to talk," she said finally.
It would have been all too easy to continue joking when she said they needed to talk, he would have liked to think it was possible to stay light-hearted no matter what.. but their relationship was a complicated one and 'we need to talk' could mean any number of worrying things. So Mazin straightened up and gave a nervous smile.
"About what, love?"
"We have a lot of things we never talk about," she started carefully, glancing away when he smiled at her, feeling a fresh surge of guilt over how their relationship had started. Blackmail, that was all it had been. A threat to his parents' apparently happy marriage, made selfishly to protect herself as much as Badiri. It had been in the form of a desperate plea but the implication was always there, and who knew what she might have done to avoid letting Yareha think they were his. While Selene was a topic that needed to be covered, Laelia knew this was where they had to start. She'd known for some time.
"I do love you," she continued, glancing over to him but not able to keep her eyes there, "I don't know how it happened exactly, how we ended up where we are. I'm sorry for what I did to you."
Mazin glanced away, too, when she started by reminding him that there were things they never talked about. He could easily list them but now he preferred to think of them as things that didn't matter. They moved on, even if they never talked about it and put verbal closure to those many secrets and issues they shared.
He looked back at her when she declared her love, though it was no new confession. Her reaction to his near death and her determination that he should be confident in protecting himself were the apparent factors in their decision to marry but it was more than that from the start, even if it took them a while to get there.
"I know you do," he said, "And I know you're sorry, but you don't have to be. I'm glad, grateful even."
"Grateful?" Laelia echoed, confused. How could he be grateful? They might be happy now but she felt a great deal of regret over much of what happened. She loved her cubs but would have loved for their father to be who they thought, she loved her mate but would have loved for their relationship to have had a proper start. Their story had to be a secret, the version they shared with everybody was a lie. And it was her fault.
He could almost see into her mind, he knew what things she would change if she could and really, it was almost all of it. Their story was very personal, very private. They were as much stuck together as they were there by choice.. or so it would seem while she carried around the guilt.
"If things hadn't happened how they did," he said carefully, leaning over and around to show her a smile, "Who knows where we'd be."
She was reassured seeing his smile though she didn't know how she had ever gotten here like this. Mazin ought to resent her, hate her- even a little bit. Who knew where they'd be, indeed. With that in mind, she knew she had to just spit out what she else she really needed to say.
"Selene is pregnant," she said, her voice a whisper.
There was something about the sad way she looked at him that tipped him off something else was up, unless he was missing the point entirely- he was starting to wonder if maybe she wasn't looking for reassurance. Maybe she was really going to ditch him now. And then she said something completely unexpected.
Selene. Another primary topic they avoided. It was a shock to hear she was pregnant and while his immediate reaction was to frown, he reminded himself there was no real reason to. As far as the princess knew, he had long moved on- his cubs were nearly ready to take ranks. It didn't matter that it had taken a bit longer than that for him to really move on. He understood Selene's motives in putting off the production of her own heir, it was apparently her own way of showing some control over her own situation. If she was pregnant then she had finally accepted her life and moved on, as well. Though it was doubtful that he was the cause for the entire delay, once it sunk in that it was done, he felt a surprising emotion: relief.
"Good," he said.
Another surprising reaction and this time, Laelia had to look over at him. Her expression was blank, she didn't know what she was feeling right now- but she had avoided looking at him out of fear as he processed this information she offered.
"I didn't want you to have it dropped on you in public," she explained, her voice nearly at a normal volume again, "I didn't know what you would think."
"Thank you," he said truthfully, smiling at her once again before leaning gently against her. Laelia was a sweet lioness and she often carried herself as very self-assured, but she was obviously holding onto a lot of insecurities- and he didn't really blame her for it.
"I know you won't be the only one wondering how I'd respond to that announcement, it's probably best I'm prepared for more stares," he said, "But it is a good thing. That was really all that was left, closure on just that one last thing."
It felt wrong to admit it like that but she must have felt it too, why else would she bring it up like this. Her concern obviously wasn't the stares he might get when the pride found out all together, her concern as over whatever feelings he still had left. Now there were none.
Laelia nodded, though she didn't bother to point out her concern was not just about how he reacted in public. She hesitated when he leaned against her but after a moment she leaned back, considering what he said. Selene's pregnancy was that last bit of closure; her marriage couldn't do it because that was not her choice. Presumably this was her choice. Any issues with Yareha were closed the moment he tried to kill Mazin, or perhaps the marriage that followed- Yareha didn't need to show his life was moved on, they had left him behind without question. And any issues with Badiri were closed when he accepted the role of grandfather- though it was a limited role due to lasting anxiety on both Laelia and Mazin's part.
"So we're OK?"
"Of course."
Fin!
