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Elle's face seemed to light up at the appearance of the water bubbles floating around them, bringing a finger up to poke at one-- slightly surprised when it simply bounced away. "That's adorable," she exclaimed, clearly excited to have witnessed the actions of at least one of her unborn grandsons. "You two are so lucky to be able to interact with the boys before they're even born." Relaxing, Nick nodded with a laugh. "Elle got to interact with Kasen a lot when she was pregnant with him," Desmond's dad spoke, regarding Desmond's older brother. Elle waved her hand in response with a light laugh of her own. "Well that was a bit different and unnerving at first if I'm being honest. My oldest son, Kasen, is a telepath like his father and so he'd communicate the strangest thoughts into my head in the few months before he was born," she explained to Ocean.

"Anyway, River and Rayne sound like perfectly fitting names for them. I can't wait to meet them," Elle continued, turning to give her son a disapproving stare. "I simply can't believe you didn't tell us sooner, you know we would have helped you two out with whatever you needed."

Desmond waved her off with a brush of his hand. "Come on, Ma. We've done alright by ourselves and we get to say that we actually did it by ourselves. I don't mind you helping here and there but this is something we want to do ourselves as best we can."

Looking between the two boys his mom was quiet for a moment before nodding and patting Desmond's hand lightly. "I get it, but since we haven't seen you in so long consider our gifts something to make up for a baby shower and engagement party. We left most of the stuff at the hotel but there are some things in the car we'll fetch for you before we leave."

[Sam260]

"Yeah. River and Rayne are certainly something, quite unique." Ocean agreed with a slight smile. He still wasn't sure how he felt about being 'showered' with gifts, but how could he turn down such a gesture from Desmond's parents? And, honestly, if they'd had a ton of friends and weren't presently in College, or recently graduated, they would have held a baby shower and engagement party, most likely, and had gotten gifts. It was something he had to work on, mentally, but he was trying to be okay with all of this "We really appreciate it... The gesture is very kind of you." He just hoped that Desmond's parents didn't buy a big bulk of the things they needed. It would really make Ocean feel like a failure, and he was struggling enough as it was.

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Elle brushed Ocean off with a smile and small gesture of her hand. "It's really no problem," she started before being interrupted by Nick. "Most of the stuff we brought over is stuff that Landon, our first grandson, has outgrown. Don't beat yourself up too bad. The most we actually bought were a couple extra bags of diapers, one goes through enough let alone two trust me, some bottles, and a couple newborn outfits. Just know that if you ever need anything, the both of you, you can ask us. We're here to help and support you."

Raising an eyebrow, figuring his father must have gotten something for Ocean's thoughts, Desmond glanced between Ocean and his father. "Thanks, dad. So far so good, you know, we just wanted to make sure you guys knew what was going on and had the opportunity to be there for the trouble makers...I mean twins."

[Sam260]

Ocean mentally cursed himself for having had his doubts and letting them run rampant through his mind "Thank you, Nick. It's really appreciated. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the kindness... I'm just... I've been on my own for so long, that... this is all kind of new to me." He shrugged haplessly and sighed "I'm not used to having any sort of parental anything help me in any way."

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Nick raised his eyebrow in a very Desmond-like expression as he leaned back into the couch. "We're not looking to be your parents, though I guess we'll be your in-laws soon enough, but you're pretty much part of the family now so you know...try and get used to it." Elle reached over the back of her son to flick her husband in the head who leaned back with an; 'Oww.'. "What he means is that we're doing this for the both of you as well the twins, don't take this to mean anything personal."

"Grandparents spoil their grandkids, it's pretty straight forward," Nick commented offhandedly, in which Desmond did nod in agreement.

"Grandma did buy me that survival kit for my birthday when I was eight."

Elle frowned at the memory. "Yeah...that machete got taken away real fast." Her husband on the other hand snickered slightly behind his hand. "Come on, El, the roses grew back." "Mmhmm, crooked!"

[Sam260]

"I don't have experience in grandparents, either." Ocean stated quietly, slowly standing up and moving over to look out the window. He was starting to feel like this was, maybe, a bad idea. Desmond was happy, loved his family, had family that loved him and here Ocean was, an orphaned child who had no knowledge of parents, grandparents, any of those familial relationships that Desmond spoke so fondly of. He wanted the twins to have that in their lives, too, but on a deeper level, a level he didn't even know existed until today, it hurt him to realize that he had been missing out on some really great things, had he had parents that were even closely resembling what Desmond had with Elle and Nick.

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Desmond could tell that Ocean was feeling uncomfortable and he couldn't help but feel a bit bad about it. Maybe they hadn't been ready for inviting Desmond's family into their lives, it was a big step for them and he didn't want to put Ocean under too much pressure. The afternoon continued in light conversation about catching up with what had been going on with Desmond with his parents updating him on their own lives as well as his older brother and nephew's. It was around noon time when his parents offered to take the two of them out to eat in The Underground but Desmond declined politely, using the very real and understandable ache in his hips as an excuse to stay inside. His parents brought up a couple of bags of diapers and outfits from the car and left, Desmond placing the bags off to the side.

"Sorry if that was too much for you," Desmond spoke when it was just him and Ocean.

[Sam260]

Ocean had stayed mostly out of the way after that last moment, giving Desmond and his parents time to catch up. He shook his head as he came over to the couch and cuddled up to Desmond "It's okay. I didn't realize that you having your parents here was going to be so... emotional for me." He sighed and laid his head gently against Desmond's mound of belly, gently petting and stroking that expanse. He looked up at Desmond "I don't want to limit you from them, I'm glad you have family in your life, Desmond. I want our kids to grow up knowing them, too... I just don't know if I will ever be comfortable around that much family, that much love and support, without feeling that empty abyss in my own heart."

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Desmond ran his fingers through Ocean's blue head of hair as he laid his head on the swell of their twins, all the activity throughout the day most of worn them all out because their activities inside were mild and slow compared to when he'd gotten up this morning. "It's alright if you're not comfortable," Desmond told him honestly. "You know I'd never blame you for the way you feel right? I appreciate my parents, and I'm happy they know everything now, but they've got their lives and we've got ours." He leaned down to place his lips on Ocean's head in a light kiss and pulled back with a smile. "They'll only be in The Underground for a couple more days and then it's back to Chicago and the next time we see them will probably be after the twins are born. Think you can pull through?"

[Sam260]

He chuckled and laughed softly, nodding his head "Yeah, I think I can survive the next few days while they're here. Just keep in mind, if I leave, I need space... But I will come back to you, I will return and continue on. I have to push through and be there for you, our kids, in any way that I can, including being with your mother and father while they're here."

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Continuing to run his fingers through Ocean's hair, Desmond leaned forward to place another kiss against his lover's head. "Take as much space as you need. I get it, alright? You don't have to push yourself." Leaning back against the couch himself with a light yawn, it was only around afternoon time but already he was feeling tired from the day's early events. "Anyway, at least we've got the rest of the day to ourselves now."

[Sam260]

"Yeah, we do. And it sounds like we'll be taking a nap. Or at least you will be." Ocean smiled up at Desmond before he slowly got up, offering his hands to his fiance "Do you know how incredibly hard it was, to not think about sex, while in your father's presence? I'm sure the man hates me, now. Because I had to keep reminding myself to not think about it. To not think about you in a sexual way... Or in any other way." He shook his head and dipped down to kiss Desmond softly, smiling at him "I'm thinking about you now, though..."

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Ocean's words caused Desmond to laugh lightly. "Are you now?" he asked, a slight teasing tone to his voice as he leaned down to kiss him again. "Well I think I have a bit of energy to spare before taking a nap if you're willing to cook lunch later." Desmond ran his hand through his teal hair before pushing himself off the couch with a bit of help from Ocean, keeping his lover's hand in his as he started towards the bathroom for a bit of fun before taking a well deserved nap.

[Two Weeks Later | Thirty-three Weeks Pregnant]

The twin's due dates were drawing ever closer and there was more of a chance for them to arrive early too; being twins and Desmond's first pregnancy. Thankfully during their latest visit to the clinic everything seemed to be fine, and since he worked from home and kept off his feet most of the time anyway, he didn't need to be on bed rest any time soon. Of course everything could change at any moment so Desmond made sure to take it easy and do as little as possible, despite all their work on preparing for the twin's arrival recently. They had already gotten two car seats set up, a large bassinet for the two to lay in together in the living room, and were currently working on setting up the nursery.

Or rather, Ocean was doing most of the work as it was now, Desmond peeking around the corner with a ventilation mask on as Ocean painted the walls of the nursery. "How's it coming in here?" Desmond asked, bored and perhaps just a little slightly frustrated from attempting to put one of two cribs together on his own. His eyes traveled to the walls that Ocean had already completed as he judged the color and tried to picture what it would look like when everything was put together. "Wow," he commented with a light laugh from beneath the mask. "You're definitely way farther along than I am with the cribs. You sure we didn't order those from IKEA?"

[Sam260]

Ocean got off the ladder he'd been standing on, smiling as he came over to Desmond "Yeah? You like it?" The walls were painted a slight gradient color, the bottom half of the walls were dark blue, and they slowly faded up to a lighter, more sky-like blue. Where the cribs were meant to be, there were little bubbles 'floating' on the wall and the twins names were in the bubbles. The rest of the scenery around it were cute little cartoon-like fish, seaweed, and other ocean-like creatures. It was very... them. "I thought it was going to look terrible, honestly. I felt so nervous doing this..." He sighed and slowly sat down in the chair in the room, pulling off his own mask "And we didn't order anything from IKEA, neither did your parents, I made sure of that. I have heard the horror stories, I just couldn't subject you, them, or me, to that. Are you reading the instructions or trying to wing it?"

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Desmond came over to stand behind the chair Ocean sat himself down on, draping his arms over the top to rest on Ocean's shoulders, gently resting his chin on the top of his lover's dark blue hair. He didn't want to sit down again, having spent his time working on the cribs sitting and just having pushed himself up a few minutes ago, despite how heavy he felt with the twins it felt good to spend a few minutes on his feet here and there. His eyes looked around at the nautical themed nursery and smiled softly, kissing the top of Ocean's head as best he could with the mask still covering half his face. "It's coming along brilliantly," Desmond assured him, squeezing him lightly. "If their interest in playing with water now is anything to go by, the boys will love it too." Standing again, one hand rubbing at the noticeable curve in his back from carrying the twins, Desmond's cheeky grin was still completely noticeable despite the mask. "Instructions or recommendations? Either way I figured it couldn't be that hard but... I'm still not entirely convinced they're not from IKEA in some way."

[Sam260]

Ocean gently rubbed Desmond's hands, smiling a touch.  He had certainly been worried about the theme of their twin's room, but he was glad that Desmond agreed it was nice and suited their babies "You know, I might be able to talk the school into letting us stay here a bit longer... Either that or I could go back and get another degree, that way we have this place for at least another two years.  I'd feel really bad, moving them out of this room, in a few months time, they wouldn't even get to enjoy it and I'd have put in all this hard work for nothing." He looked up at Desmond, eyebrow lifting slightly "What do you think of that?"

"Well, I'm finished in here for the time being... You want me to come help you with the cribs?" He looked up at Desmond and smiled a little. He could certainly use the break, his back was screaming from having been stood up so long, sitting and working on a 'puzzle' would definitely be a nice break from painting.

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One hand resting atop the swell of their twins, Desmond ran a hand through his hair with a light sigh at the idea. "Well, I think it'd be pretty silly for you to get another degree unless it's something you really want and can use." Lightly chewing on his lip, he offered his lover a light shrug. "If it's something you want I'd say go for it, if not I don't see why we couldn't just talk to the school about letting us stay longer. We could offer paying a little more on the rent so we're not taking advantage of the student discount after your graduation. Between your job at the club and my work online we're saving quite a bit now, we could stand to pay a bit extra a month. Besides, it's not like they don't know about our situation now."

Desmond looked at Ocean with a grin on his face at the mention of Ocean coming to lend a hand with the cribs. "Unless you want the troublemakers to sleep on a mattress on the floor I think it'd be for the best." He shrugged lightly raising both hands innocently. "I totally put it together wrong and had to take it apart again and start over, that's when I came in here to see how you were getting on and whether or not I could solicit your help."

[Sam260]

"I could always use more degrees." Ocean stated as he finally pushed himself up from the chair and sighing quietly "Maybe it'll prove I'm not as stupid as everyone seems to think I am." He slid an arm around Desmond and helped him back out into the living room, looking the mess of crib parts over and shaking his head a little "Problem number one, you were trying to set them both up at the same time, confusing all of the parts." He kissed Desmond's head before releasing him so he could go over and sort the mess out, levitating things around to different piles "And lets be honest, they'd probably do better sleeping on a mattress on the floor anyway... I can just see them now, levitating each other out of their cribs..." He shook his head as he sat on the floor in front of a pile, starting to assemble as the directions told him to.

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Desmond made a face at the idea of having two degrees, or going to school more than was necessary...but he supposed it was that kind of devotion and hard work that made Ocean so painstakingly adorable. "Tch," Desmond scoffed as he slid into place next to Ocean, the two of them walking out of the work-in-progress nursery and back into the mess Desmond had turned their living room into. "If anyone thinks you're stupid I'll be sure to 'reeducate' them. Besides, shouldn't we be getting like a 'future student' discount on the apartment?" One fiery eye closed in a cheeky wink, hand rubbing at the particularly active twin, before his grin disappeared and he sighed at the sight of the mess of parts before him once more. Desmond's face scrunched up at the kiss to his head as he watched Ocean make his way through the trail of parts in order to try and fix whatever mess Desmond had made, starting by levitating things into similar piles to make it easier. Despite his frustration at the evil IKEA-syle-put-it-together-yourself-bullshit, Desmond couldn't stop the smile that spread as he watched his fiancé at work.

"Someone's certainly getting better at levitating," he commented, running a hand through Ocean's deep blue hair as he made his way slowly back to his nest of pillows he'd been sitting against. Not that it really helped his back any at this point, but an attempt was at least made. Desmond briefly thought back to when he'd first met Ocean, when Ocean could hardly control the things he levitated unless they had a certain percentage of water within them. "Now that you mention it though....we should definitely surround the cribs with something soft just in case."