Wait for It [closed]

ebs does not have a cheesy hamilton song stuck in her head

Meet by the old Burnt Sycamore at moon-high. That was what she'd told him, and it should have no big deal, but it left her squirming uncomfortably in her place. The forest had been nothing but quiet since that terrible gathering. The clans had stuck to themselves for the most part and the skies were as peaceful as ever. When it was still, and you could only hear the soft chirp of the crickets, she liked to look up and pretend her old loved ones were watching over her; her kit, Pinepaw, her parents, Finchpelt and Nightwatcher...

Did her mother do the same? It was in the name...

She was letting her mind carry away from her. Ravenclaw sighed, licking the back of her paw and swiping it across her ear. Would they be happy for her? Would her son be? What about Yewpaw? Or -

The grass rustled behind her and she whipped her head around.

In the heartbeats leading up to moonhigh, Smokestripe had been exceedingly nervous. ...No, he had been nervous the moment after Ravenclaw had informed of when and where to meet her. Why did she want to meet him in the territory? Was something the matter? Was she still thinking about what transpired in the Gathering? Did she still hold onto that thought about leaving? So many questions bubbled in his mind as he slowly waited for the appointed time to come, his tail swishing nervously as he headed toward the old burnt tree.

Finally he caught site of Ravenclaw sitting in the shadows of the tree and all his worry seemed to disappear in that moment as his pace picked up and his eyes glimmered. "Ravenclaw!" he purred as she turned to stare at him, taking a small step forward to brush his cheek against her head before he pulled back to give her a faint worried stare. "Well...I'm here," he said softly as he sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "So..." He shifted on his paws, unsure of what else to say.

A storm of butterflies when fluttering off in her belly as his cheek brushed against hers. "You snail," she teased. Even in the dim light, she could make out the concern in his face. She supposed it was only right since she'd kept him in the dark for so long, but Ravenclaw had wanted it to be a surprise. Her green eyes washed over him, mischief in their soft glimmer. "I'm sorry, Smokestripe." She made herself sure to sigh a big melodramatically. "I don't think we can share a nest anymore..." Even if they'd hardly been so closed for moons, ever since she'd finally left the medicine cat den.

Smokestripe eyes glimmered as he chucked softly as she teased him, straightening up before her words washed over him. His whole expression shuttered as his ears fell back on his head, his eyes growing wide as he stared at her with a mixture of shock and fear. "W-What?" he said, his voice trembling as those words soaked in as he resisted every urge to jump to his paws. "I-I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" His voice was quick, his words coming out in a rush as he tried to make sense of it all. "I-I don't..." then he froze, finally catching the hint of mischief that glimmered in her beautify green eyes...He sighed as he shook his head, raising a paw to brush it nervously over his forehead as he mentally scolded himself for panicking like he did. "So-Sorry, you were teasing," he huffed gently before he raised his gaze to meet her again. "So..." He blinked. "What is this all about?"

Ravenclaw waited silently, the slightest twitch in her whiskers as she watched her mate begin to full-on panic. Alright, maybe she'd taken the joke a little too far, but she had enough faith in him to know that he'd come around. He knew her better than that. The she-cat licked away at her paw once again, hiding and stifling her small purr of laughter. She had to look at the ground and give her a second to recompose herself before she spoke again. She had to stay at least a little casual. One of them had to. "I just thought to tell you," she murmured with a small smile. "I'll have to make a new nest in the nursery soon."

It...It might have taken a bit for that to sink in. Smokestripe stared at Ravenclaw for a heartbeat. Then another. Then another before he blinked and he seemed to find his voice. "New nest...In the nursery?" he repeated numbly before his eyes suddenly glimmered with hints of tears in the corners. "I-I'm...I'm going to be a father," he realized dimly before he rushed forward to brush cheeks with Ravenclaw once more. "I love you so much," he purred before he drew back, his whole body shaking with excitement at the knowledge he had just learned. "W-When did you find out? Does anybody else know? O-Oh I'm not sure I am ready to be a proper father just yet..."