Title:  Waiting for the Delivery
Author: Kady the Red Panda
Fandom(s): Spirou et Fantasio
Pairing(s): Spirou/Seccotine
Rating: K
Warning(s): birth
Word Count:  ~1120
Summary: Prompt: kids. Werewolf AU. The impending arrival of a little stranger.
Disclaimer: The AU's mine, the characters not (except for obvious OCs)
Other tidbits:   This is the latest in a sequence. You don't need to read them but it's always helpful, I suppose. Past installments (most NSFW) are: With the Rise of the Autumn Moon, That Time of the Month, By the Glow of a Television Set, A Midsummer Night's Pleasures, On the Baby Monitor,  Adjusting the Volume, and Before the Blood Moon Rises. I would say that Count Champignac learned about werewolves shortly after Fantasio did. I doubt this is the end; I'll probably just write more out of sequence unless it isn't if I continue with this AU continuity. Cross prompts are family and monsters.
 
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Spirou faced his also shocked friend after the latest scream faded. "I'm so glad Souris can't hear that well right now."

As they watched a late night with the sleeping werewolf girl wedged between them with Spip on her lap Seccotine was giving birth in her bedroom. Pushing began awhile ago, while the evening news recapped the day's events.

"Yeah," Fantasio eventually replied, "and I'm so glad she doesn't know that is probably going to happen to her."

Perhaps they were overreacting, both thought. Seccotine hadn't screamed that much, especially earlier that day as she slowly dilated. Clear discomfort frequently occurred as Spirou, the Count, and the also werewolf doctor (or was it just a midwife?) and her assistant tended to her and whenever she experienced the occasional contraction. That was normal. Labor pains are totally normal. Probably only within the past five minutes did she actually start.

Spirou raced over the same thoughts. Was Seccotine okay, despite her insistence? Was the baby safe? What if the other tenants called and complained about the noise despite the sign outside? Nothing happened during Souris's home birth. That didn't mean a damn thing. Like last time the assistant kicked him (and tried to attempt the same with Pacome) out into the living room with Fantasio and Souris to wait until the actual delivery ended once pushing commenced. Something about it being for the best.

A growl, then another screech emerged from the bedroom. The Count rushed out, holding his forearm.

"Mister Champignac!" Spirou cried. "Are you alright?"

"Is that blood?" Fantasio asked, pointing.

"I'm guessing Seccotine's reflexes are a little too hair trigger right now," he answered. He moved towards the bathroom. "Say, Spirou, Seccotine should have a first aid kit in here, right?"

Bathroom door shut without a reply. Fantasio remained clutching at sofa, stunned. "That explains why they didn't want you in there. You think the Count's going to turn into a werewolf now?"

"That'll only happen if he has a blood transfusion," the stout brown furred assistant, one young enough to be out of school, calmly explained. Her clawed hand grabbed the doorknob. "And that's if he'll survive it, given how picky blood can be. I'm actually a little incredulous Doctor Dauphine allowed him to stay in the first place, to be honest. Not very often we get humans wanting to observe us.  What he wanted to see, I don't know. Werewolf birth is similar enough to human if you ask me."

"You're going to have to ask him about that then." Spirou took care to not hit Souris as he got up. "Is Seccotine okay?"

Seccotine cried out again. The assistant winced. "As okay as someone in labor can be."

The older werewolf counted down to another pained push.

"And the baby? How is he?"

She smiled. "Perfectly fine."

"He's going to crown any moment now," the doctor called out. "You all can see. Just don't get to close to her."

Spirou first gave his attention to the Count leaving the room with bandages on his clawed arm, then to his friend. Was that look on Fantasio's face the same mix of good and bad anxiety he felt in his stomach, in his heart, in his mind?

At first Spirou grew alarmed that he didn't spot his girlfriend on her bed. A look down was enough to calm him down before an instinctive freak out. Sometime between Spirou leaving and returning  Seccotine was transferred into the birthing pool that filled up what space in the bedroom wasn't taken up by the pushed-into-the-corner-bed, night table, and wardrobe. Blonde fur matted with sweat above the surface. On her face was a lucid grimace. Even if he couldn't feel it himself--

Fantasio grunted while holding the heavy, easily twenty years old camera Pacome suddenly handed him.

"Ah! I finally have someone that knows how to use," he said with a pat on the blond's shoulder.

"You can come closer Mister Spirou," the gray furred woman said. "Just keep a slight distance."

The redhead sat on his knees an arms length away from Seccotine's side. The assistant prompted where Fantasio could film and where the surrogate grandfather could stand.

"Hey," he said with his most reassuring "I'm here" tone. Seccotine only grunted, then screamed, into another push. Claws threatened to puncture holes into the pool plastic.

"One more, sweetie,"  the doctor said. "One more and I can get the head."

"Please do," Fantasio squeaked. It didn't matter he could barely see anything despite the shallow, clear water because of the doctor's presence. Just seeing Seccotine spread eagle, even to deliver what he already considered a nephew, was not exactly something on his bucket list.

Spirou's hand wavered towards hers. Seccotine emitted a pained growl while facing him, mouth halfway open. During the latest five second countdown her hand hovered slightly until it grasped the side again.

"Good, good!" Doctor Dauphine grunted, holding each side of the upper half of the head. "Gonna need to push just a little longer this time."

Spirou's breath nearly ceased even before Seccotine's hand reached his. He held tight, maybe even tighter than hers, and bellowed out a yell as loud as hers as claws dug into the back of his hand.

Water splashed up with the doctor's motions. The red furred baby squeaked for the first time as the woman picked him up and transferred him to the assistant for clean up, with Fantasio's and the Count's trailing.

Seccotine breathed and exhaled deep. Spirou grunted, then gasped as Seccotine freed his bloodied hand.

"Sorry," she rasped.

A quick inspection. Huh. Didn't actually seem that bad.

"Uh, no problem," he replied, brushing his hair back with his "good" hand.

The doctor returned with a diapered and cleaned up bundle in her arms.

"And here he is!"

The boy cried out, sounding like a puppy, until he rested on his mother's naked chest. Like his older sister at that age his little ears folded and clasped against his head. The umbiblical cord still hung for that time, but not for long. Eyes shut, but would open anytime soon, especially once the sun rose.

"So senior," Seccotine asked, "what do you think of little junior here?"

Spirou Junior sniffed the air to decipher the source of the new hand gently resting on his shoulder for a good ten seconds before seemingly realizing the source. His tail wagged as Spirou Senior grinned at his son, then his mate.

"Say, uh, Spirou," Fantasio interrupted, "Should I wake up Souris now?"

"Let her sleep," Seccotine said with a smile as Spirou scruffed up the baby's hair and cooed along with him. "She'll have all the time and more to get acquainted when she wakes up."