Chapter Text
Request: Jane finds Seth passed out in the bathtub covered in birth fluids and holding a crying newborn on his chest.
The set of keys twirls effortlessly on the tip of her tail while she hums a tune under her breath. It had been too long, far too long since Jane had paid her favorite public officer a visit.
Work had kept her busy, and the days turned to weeks that turned to months.
Ah, well, it was a good thing she’d ‘borrowed’ a spare set of keys to his apartment last time they’d rendezvoused.
Turning the lock, Jane lets herself in, kicking her shoes off by the door and tossing her jacket lazily onto the nearby sofa. The lights were on, a kettle whistling on the stove while the TV played the afternoon news report…but no sign of Seth.
Suddenly on edge, Jane’s ear twitches.
Crying.
High-pitched and…baby-like.
No, it was not baby-like, it was a baby.
Chuckling nervously, she quickly makes her way through the apartment.
Seth must have fallen asleep while watching a movie, she was just hearing the TV in the bedroom, surely-
“Seth?” she calls out, “Seth!”
The crying was growing louder, her hand closing around the bathroom doorknob.
Locked.
She doesn’t think, the heel of her boot coming down into the lock and breaking it off. Flinging the door open, Jane can feel her eyes go wide, a gasp falling from her lips.
“Seth!” for the first time in ages, Jane feels her facade slip, and she nearly trips over her tail as she rushes to the side of the tub.
Seth was lying there, in a bath of blood and other birth fluid, a newborn baby squalling on his chest, the cord still connecting them. With trembling hands, Jane reaches into the murky water and pulls the drain. Luckily, the water was still warm, and she could see his chest rising and falling.
“You…you idiot!”
~~~
“Jane…?” the sound of Seth’s voice catches her ears, and she turns.
“Well, good to see you back with the land of the living.” there’s a sharp edge to her voice as she moves closer to his bedside.
“The baby-”
“She is doing just fine. The nurses came by a few moments ago and gave her a clean bill of health.” reaching out, she grips Seth’s chin, gentle but firm.
“What the fuck were you thinking!?” she growls, “You could have died, you could have bled out, your heart rate was far too low and it took them over an hour to stabilize you-”
“I’m sorry…” his voice trembles, cracking, “Jane…I’m sorry. I didn’t…know what to do…it happened so fast and before I could call for help it was happening and…I…I was so scared….”
The sharpness in her gaze softens, and she leans closer, pressing her lips to his,
“Why didn’t you tell me…”
“I didn’t…want to burden you.”
“You…you’re an idiot,” nuzzling into his neck, Jane holds him closer, petting his hair while he cries softly, “You could never be a burden to me…”