Chapter Text
It started with strawberries. A few weeks after Makoto had told Ren she was pregnant he had found her up late one night munching in the living room on a punnet of fresh strawberries. He had heard about this from his mother after they broke the news to their family. Women often got food cravings throughout their pregnancy. And so that's why he had bought different fruits the other day. He knew Makoto wasn't really a sweets type of girl. While she did enjoy it, she mostly partook in sugary consumption when she was with Ann, Haru or Eiko. Being the healthy woman she was, she much preferred fresh fruit.
Ren watched from the hallway as Makoto sat on the couch, taking a bite of a large strawberry as she watched some late night TV. Then she did something he didn't expect. There was a small plate on the coffee table that she reached for. In it were small white crystals. He moved a little closer to get a better look as she dipped one of her strawberries in it.
'Sugar?' he thought.
No, that wasn't right. They used brown sugar in their apartment. His mind clicked when he realized what it was as she threw it in her mouth. She had dipped her strawberry in a pile of salt. For a moment, Ren felt a little weirded out but then remembered sweet and salty actually complimented each other well, as long as it was in moderation. After all, there were things like salted caramel and his grandma used to eat apples with a sprinkling of salt. He supposed it wasn't that odd.
"Oh hi Ren." Makoto greeted as she noticed him in the archway.
He walked over and sat beside her on the couch. That's when he noticed all the punnets of strawberries were laid out on the coffee table. All 6 he had bought.
"Want one?" she asked as she held up another salt covered strawberry.
He smiled and shook his head.
"I'll pass for now."
He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she continued to munch on her strawberries. Little did he know it'd get worse from there.
It was the second month of their pregnancy and Ren was riding the train home from his office at the Tokyo Council of Social Welfare. They only had the one car and Makoto took that to work, though not after much effort and convincing from Ren. He was glad that as a pregnant woman, she wouldn't have to be subjected to the tightly packed sardine cans that masqueraded as the trains of Tokyo. He was just about to make his usual transfer when his phone beeped. He checked it and found a message from Makoto.
Makoto: Ren, honey. Could you buy a large double patty Orbit Burger meal and some Saturn Potatoes on your way home? Thanks, love ya!
Ren raised an eyebrow at the message. Makoto was never one to willingly choose fast food. The past few times she had eaten it was either when she had no other options or was too hungry, and it was the closest thing she could go to. He was pretty sure he could count all those times on one hand. Occasionally he'd get the urge to go there but never with Makoto. She must've been having some odd cravings to actually want it. With a light chuckle he shoved his phone back into his pocket.
"Guess we're having burgers for dinner."
He was nearly bowled over by his wife when he walked through the front door.
"There you are!" Makoto yelled "I've been so hungry."
Without even giving him her customary greeting kiss, she snatched the plastic bags from his grasp and began to forage through them. He had never seen her move so fast in his life, not even in the Metaverse. As she was laying out all food on the counter (and sneaking a small amount of fries in her mouth as she went along), Ren sauntered over to get his meal.
"Spicy Chicken Mars Burger?" she asked curiously.
He nodded.
"Yeah, it's a new limited edition menu item so I thought I'd try it."
She eyed it eagerly.
"Ooh give me a bite of that too!"
He had barely just unwrapped it when his wife teleported beside him and took a massive chomp out of his burger. She let out a small moan of approval.
"Oowah it's delicious! Not all that spicy but the slight tingling heat is complimented well by the patty's crunchy coating!"
Ren couldn't help but laugh as he watched his beloved go back to her own meal, devouring it like she hadn't eaten in days. He could hear her muttering a positive review.
"This double beef patty is a lot juicier than the ones I've had before and the salad accompanying it adds a satisfying crisp texture that's enhanced by their Big Bang secret sauce."
It was then that he couldn't hold it in and roared in amusement. Since when did his wife, Makoto the Health Nut become such a connoisseur of fast food. He had to admit though, it was cute as heck
Towards the beginning of the second trimester, Ren had been dragged by Makoto to the local supermarket. He glanced at her slightly from the driver's seat. Her baby bump wasn't very visible yet but with how used to her body he was and Makoto's naturally thin build, he could notice it quite easily. The thought put a smile on his face. Just about 6 months left til they welcomed their bundle of joy into the world.
Makoto had been reading down a list of food items she wanted with things ranging from minced beef to daikon radish and even a tub of kimchi. Ren smirked knowing what would happen however. As soon as she'd see something she wanted, she'd probably just toss it into the trolley without a care. Her food cravings had been progressively getting worse. Just the other day he had found her cooking scrambled eggs with a side of strawberry jam. He chuckled at the memory and continued to drive before halting at an intersection that was red.
"Ren?" he heard the voice of his wife call.
"Yes, love?"
"I think I should go on a diet."
He glanced at her as they stopped at an intersection that was red. He already knew how strict she used to be with her intake. Before they had gotten together, she was always super healthy and while she did occasionally partake in less 'healthy' meals, she generally avoided things like instant or fast food. That is until this pregnancy.
"Diet, huh? What brought that on?" he asked.
Her eyes scanned over the list she had written in her hand.
"I'm not sure I should get all of these."
Ren quickly glanced over, noticing the various ingredients she had written down. There was absolutely no balance between them and he kind of agreed but didn't really want to tell her that.
"I think its fine." He shrugged.
Makoto frowned a little at her husband's nonchalant suggestion before her eyes moved to study the list once more. No, she was going to go on a diet and wouldn't be sucked into her building cravings!
"Nope! I'm totally doing it!" She proudly announced much to Ren's amusement.
As soon as they got to the supermarket, whatever she had resolved to do earlier went completely out the window as Ren watched Makoto casually drop various items into the trolley he was pushing. The reflexes he had so keenly honed during his tenure as a Phantom Thief helped as Makoto blitzed through each aisle, his eyes just able to keep up with his excited wife. He could barely read the name of whatever item she had just placed into the trolley before it was covered up by the addition of something else. Before he knew it, they had filled up the trolley. He silently thanked whatever gods were out there that both he and Makoto earned quite a bit between them. They could afford to splurge every now and then. Then he realized how many packets of snacks she had placed in the trolley and thought.
'Or at least, until Makoto's pregnancy ended.'
His eyes watched as Makoto placed at least 5 punnets of strawberries into the cart to top it all off.
"Can't forget about these." She smiled.
Going on afternoon walks on their free days were becoming a rarer occurrence as Makoto's baby bump was starting to really show. Regardless, Makoto dragged her husband out the door whenever she found him lounging about. Being pregnant meant she couldn't do the same work outs she used to do, nor could she go through her Aikido routines. So walks it had to be.
While their current home was basically in the heart of Tokyo, it was tucked away from the main streets and the community around it was more reminiscent of the neighbourhood surrounding LeBlanc. That was one of the reasons why they chose to live there as it reminded them of their beginnings. Ren took Makoto's hand into his own, intertwining their fingers as they exited the lobby of their apartment complex.
"We're lucky that it's started to warm up a lot." Makoto said, commenting on the weather.
It was still technically winter but living in Japan meant that it could warm up rather quickly and the sky was cloudless, giving the sun uninhibited access. There were a few kids running in and about the winding streets and cats slept on the tops of brick fences, basking in the gentle warmth. As they turned the corner, they had run into Mrs Watanabe, an elderly woman that the couple had befriended when they moved in.
"Oh hello my dears!" She cooed at the couple "My goodness, Makoto-chan. You're really starting to show!"
Makoto smiled and instinctively caressed her belly.
"Yes, we're about 5 and a half months along."
The old lady smiled and walked closer.
"Do you know the gender yet?" She asked.
"We'll be having a baby girl." Makoto answered with a broad smile.
"Aw a baby girl!" Mrs Watanabe beamed "How precious!"
Ren smiled too. For someone in their seventies older woman's energy sure was infectious.
"I still remember when I had my first child." She said before turning to Ren "You best give your wife all the attention and care she needs, you hear me Sonny?"
Ren laughed and nodded.
"Yes ma'am!" He smiled in salute.
They said their goodbyes and continued on their walk. About five minutes later the alluring aroma of baked goods began to entrance their senses. Ah yes, they were nearing their favourite bakery. More often than not, one of them would grab a pastry or two on their way home from work or in the mornings when they had slept in and lacked the time for a proper breakfast (which was extremely rare when your wife is a very schedule oriented person).
Ren half sensed something was going to happen as they were about to walk past it. His assumptions were correct when Makoto suddenly stopped and looked at the bakery with focused eyes. She even placed her hands on her pregnant belly.
"Ren?" She spoke.
"Yes?"
"The baby would like some strawberry tarts." Makoto announced.
"The baby or you?" Ren teased.
"Well, both." Makoto sheepishly grinned.
He chuckled lightly and took her hand to lead her into the bakery. It seemed the baby really liked strawberries.
"Oh they have cinnamon scrolls today! Can we get some too?" Makoto beamed, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Does the baby want those too?" Ren asked.
"Nope! Those are for me."
He missed how normal baked goods were when it came to Makoto's cravings. Heck he missed how normal strawberries were, even if they were consumed by the punnet. But cravings had been replaced by something new and while he had some experience with the mind from the Metaverse, it was still pretty weird to see.
Makoto's pregnancy had started to give her mild hallucinations.
He had never heard of it before but when speaking to his mother over the phone, he had found that it did happen albeit not a common thing. His mother had recalled a friend of hers in the past having visions of a strange painting. With all that He supposed it wasn't the weirdest thing.
What was weird was when he arrived home after work to find Makoto sitting by the window in their living room with a rather focused expression on her face. She hadn't even greeted him as normal when he walked through the front door.
"Uh honey? Everything okay?" He asked.
She turned to face him then turned back to the window.
"I thought I saw the Mementos for a second." She answered.
He opened his mouth in surprise and walked closer towards her.
"Mementos? Where?"
She pointed down to one of the alleyways between the adjacent apartment buildings.
"Right over there." She answered "It was like how I remember and yet there was something different about it."
"I um, I see." He said "What was different?"
She thought for a moment to recollect what she had seen.
"Well it was red and shadowy like before and it looked like one of those entrances we used to go through before we reached a target. I thought I saw what looked like the shadows that rode the trains that were in the backgrounds except…" She explained before trailing off.
"Except what?"
"For some reason they were strawberries."
"Strawberries?" Ren asked in an astonished voice.
Were the food cravings happening again?
"Yes strawberries."
It was then that Makoto had reached down to a nearby end table and picked up a strawberry from a punnet that looked to have been her latest victim.
"Okay uh, do we need to do anything about this… Strawberry Mementos?"
Makoto shook her head.
"No but I think I'll keep watching for now in case I see it again."
It was then that Ren dialled his mother's number and asked if something was wrong with Makoto.
He thought there was comfort he could find in a small red fruit. It had been Makoto's source of relief throughout her pregnancy and he thought it could help him now. He thought munching on the last few strawberries they had would calm his nerves as he drove her to the hospital but it didn't help. Joker, the dauntless leader of the Phantom Thieves was extremely nervous.
It had been hours since Makoto entered the maternity ward and he stood there, watching his beloved wife groan in pain and hurling occasional obscenities at him. Well, Makoto really never swore or cussed but she did so in her own way.
"How could you do this to me?!"
"I thought this was supposed to be a beautiful experience!"
"No amount of strawberries in the world are going to save you when I get my hands on you!"
"I swear, if I see one smirk from your smug ass!"
"Ahh I want to forget this feeling!"
He tried to hide his smile, especially knowing where he had last heard that line. Luckily for him, his wife was too preoccupied giving birth to care. The pain he could see in her face hurt through and he hoped it would be over soon. Not just because he wanted the whole ordeal to be over but he was both nervous and excited to meet his baby girl.
It came almost an hour later but the sound he heard was one of the most memorable noises he had ever heard. The first cries of his daughter.
"Congratulations!" One of the midwives said "She's a beautiful and healthy baby girl."
What happened before him was almost a blur as he watched them remove the umbilical cord and wrap her up in a warm blanket. A blanket that he noticed had pastel strawberries printed on it. He noticed his wife in the corner of the eye, revelling in the relief that it was over. She closed her eyes and he silently agreed that she deserved to rest. Even in her dishevelled state, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Well, now she had some competition.
"Would you like to hold her?" the nearest nurse said to him, knocking him out of his thoughts.
He swallowed, took a breath and nodded. The nurse grinned widely at him and placed the now sleeping baby in his arms. He fought back tears at the beautiful daughter he had been blessed with and walked to the nearby seat they placed by Makoto.
"Hey." He gently whispered.
Makoto gingerly opened her eyes and saw the most amazing sight she had ever seen. More beautiful than the fireworks they first saw back when they met. More beautiful than the sunset overlooking their victory against Yaldabaoth. More beautiful than the sight of their wedding day and more beautiful than all the strawberries in the world. It was her loving husband holding their sleeping daughter.
"Hey." She greeted back.
"You did it." Ren softly smiled. "She's so beautiful."
She reached up and placed her hand softly on the edge of the strawberry lined blanket.
"We did it." She corrected before laying her eyes on their daughter "Welcome to the family, Kazue."
It was the name they had chosen to represent how beautiful and peaceful their life had become. It was harmony. Well, at least they had some peace for now before Sae, Ryuji, Futaba and all their family and friends would come in to visit but for now, they would be content to simple hold each other in love.
"Yay Papa!"
Kazue beamed at her father, proudly displaying the near set of teeth she was so close to completing. They were in the living room and Ren had been playing with some building blocks that Kazue would promptly knock down before shouting "again". For a 2 year old, her vocabulary sure was varied. It was only a matter of time before she would be saying more coherent sentences. A slight squeaking brought his attention to their bedroom door and he found Makoto standing against the doorframe, watching the sight with loving eyes.
"Mama!" Kazue grinned as she toddled over to her Mother.
Makoto bent down to pick up her daughter and kissed her sweetly on the cheek. The little girl giggled and wrapped her stubby arms around her Mother's neck. Makoto smiled before her expression turned to a more serious one.
"Is everything okay, Makoto?" Ren asked.
She half nodded and moved to sit down on the nearby couch, bouncing Kazue on her lap who giggled in delight. Ren walked over and sat down beside her.
"What's up?" he asked again.
"Um well, how would you feel if…" She took a little breath "If Kazue got a younger brother or sister?"
His eyes widened causing Kazue to look up at him curiously.
"Wait, you're pregnant?" He asked in surprise.
She smiled and nodded. They had talked about another child before. They didn't Kazue to grow up without siblings. Makoto looked tentatively at her husband.
"Do you think it's too soon?" She asked.
Kazue had just turned 2 a few months ago and while she had always been such an angel, she didn't know if they were ready for another child.
"I think… we'll be okay." Ren answered.
Makoto smiled and poked her daughter lightly in the stomach.
"How do you feel about that, Zuzu-chan?" She asked "Do you want to be an Onee-chan?"
Kazue grinned despite not really knowing what was happening.
"Yay! Onee-tan!" She squealed.
Both husband and wife laughed at their daughter's cuteness before Ren stopped and looked like he was deep in thought.
"What is it, Ren?" Makoto asked.
"We need to stock up on strawberries." He answered much to Makoto's delight.
"Of course." She smiled "Let's keep things healthy too and maybe get some carrots."
"Carrots?" Ren asked curiously.
"Yes, I was thinking maybe we should have a boy this time."
"Makoto," Ren began "that's only in the Sims."
Makoto laughed sheepishly, accidentally mixing up a hobby she had recently picked up with real life. She cleared her throat, ignoring her husband's widening smirk and turned her attention to her daughter.
"Let's ignore Daddy and get some strawberries Zuzu-chan."
"Yay! Stawbewwies!" Kazue grinned in delight, much to the amusement of her parents.
Ren shook his head and laughed at the sight of his family. Soon they'd have another addition to the Amamiya household.
And what do you know, they did end up having a boy less than nine months later.