60Rabbits/Animals (699 words)
He was late. He was late and she was starving. She didn't care that weather was terrible, the sun had long gone down, and traffic was probably heavy going into the city. She didn't care because she was starving and if she didn't get to eat a hearty, juicy steak soon she was going to tear the house apart.
After pacing for what felt like hours, the front door was thrown open, violently bouncing off the wall. Turning sharply, one hand placed on her rounded stomach, Rukia made eye-contact with her husband. Though her eyes narrowed in an aggressive glare, the corner of her mouth curled up in a smirk. "Took you long enough."
"Che. See if I feed you after complaining about driving almost two hours in the rain behind those slow-ass humans." Shaking the rain out of his dark orange hair, he held up an oversized plastic shopping bag designed for food storage. The bag was wonderfully lined in a foil material to keep fold either cold or hot and was large enough to hold multiple dishes, all of which Ichigo knew his wife would consume within 24 hours.
Her threatening expression was replaced by one of joy and hunger. "You found everything?" Without waiting for an answer, she already snatched the bag and darted off to the kitchen to unpack all of the entire carefully organized contents.
"Of course," he answered casually, though he was sure she was no longer listening. He leaned down to kiss her temple while placing a quick caress to her swollen abdomen. "Just pick what you want and we can save the rest for tomorrow."
All he received in return was a happy hum as his short wife merrily began chewing on the most tender, juicy steak he could pay for at one of the restaurants in the city. He knew it meant the world to her that he would go into the city to bring back her food cravings. In her state, it wasn't best to put her in situations that could agitate her to such an extreme. Even though she couldn't shift while pregnant, which in theory should make her safer to the humans in the city. However, not being able to shift didn't make his shifter wife any less dangerous. In fact, he was sure her short temper was mostly due to that and not as much due to the growing child inside of her.
"This is why I keep you around, Ichigo," she teased him with a smile before placing a forkful of steak and mushroom into her mouth.
"I'm sure there's other reasons too," he smirked back at her.
The teasing glint in her eye softened to gentle, feminine glow as she rubbed her stomach. The moment ended as quickly as it came as she blushed, shoving more food in her mouth, and looking off to the side. He loved that emotions and sentimentality brought more bashfulness to his mate than any sexual position he's put her in to conceive their child.
"Only one more moon, Rukia. Would you like me to spend it with you?"
Her gaze rushed back to his face as she swallowed. "You know that's not necessary. You deserve to let your wolf run rather than being locked up in here. I can handle one more moon before the birth."
"It has nothing to do with thinking you can't 'handle it.' It's ok to want to be with you and my child. And it's ok if you want me to stay." He took the hand that did not hold her fork and used his thumb to rub such loving circles on her skin there.
In almost a whisper she answered a soft 'ok' and gripped his hand in return. She was actually nervous the closer she got to the birth. She had not been used to being a part of a loving, functional family. And she certainly didn't feel prepared to be a mother. But she always felt better when her mate was close. She hoped she could give him the child he deserved to have – one that gave him back even half the love and joy that he gave to her.