Satan sits down and lets the large, monumental responsibility of parenting sink in. He swore to serve their child's emotional and physical needs and protect it from anyone who would try to harm it. Alpha was responsible to provide the necessary food and clothing. After all, parenting is not easy. Good parenting is hard work.
Satan chose to eat organic foods such as strawberries, spinach and kale. Alpha also cooked for him whenever he could. He mastered making potatoes with cheese and celery with parmesan.
Satan was surprised to find himself so tired. His body was going through tremendous changes and was developing an entirely new life-providing system for their baby. As the baby was growing, he found himself beyond exhausted some days. Besides, he was going through monumental hormonal and emotional changes. So, he took naps. Frequently. He even set bedtimes. His body got a solid eight to nine hours of sleep each night.
Each morning he exercised to help combat the frequent mood and hormonal changes and fatigue occurring in this first trimester. It also helped him prevent weight gain and battle insomnia.
As the time was passing, he was getting more and more tired. It was up to his partner to help out more, picking up a few extra tasks around the house to ease his burden.
The hardest thing for him was that he had to quit smoking and drinking too much caffeine. This was an especially tricky one because he was so very tired. But caffeine could affect his growing baby’s heart rate. He just couldn’t seem to stay away from the coffee pot.
The list of dos and don’ts, at first glance, seemed a bit intimidating. But it didn’t scare him. He took care of himself. Alpha made sure he ate healthful foods, drank lots of water, and got enough sleep.
“I don’t want to name our boy something that all other boys around their age are being named.” Satan said.
“I was asked by a woman from the pack what names we were considering. I named a few: Liam, Noah, William… Then she responded with, ‘Ew, no, you really should consider...,’ and then proceeded to tell all the names SHE loved.” Alpha let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Don’t tell a soul his name until after he is born. I tested Michael out on an acquaintance I wasn’t super close with, and the face she made on a video call made me doubt everything.” Satan crossed his arms. “At least one person tries to convince me otherwise or tell me why they don’t like the name. It’s just rude.”
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“It doesn't matter how many people I tell I just can’t find the one.” Alpha was tapping his foot.
“If you keep asking for suggestion don’t tell me I was wrong once they keep complaining.” Satan answered in a sharpening tone.
“I wish I’d known that I would feel so much pressure in choosing a name. Pressure to get it right!” Alpha threw his hands up. “Pressure to make sure our child will love it when he will be older! Pressure that with one little name I am already starting to shape who he will be.”
“We may run out of names we like.” Satan rubbed the brow as if to ward off a headache.
“It is okay to pick a different name when we see our child. We have completely different names picked out and once he is born, it might not fit.” Alpha stared downward, avoiding the eye contact.
“I wish I’d known that just because I love a name doesn’t mean my significant other will… AND just because a name isn’t currently popular doesn’t mean it won’t become popular, but whatever.” Satan partly closed his eyes.
Alpha shook his head side-to-side and blurred out the first name that came to his mind. “Elio.”
Satan pursed his lips before answering. “… Now, I can't think of a more beautiful name. Anyway, I guess I wish I knew how much I could love a name I didn’t even choose myself.”
“Hmm. I really like it.”
“And it’s non-traditional. I’d be happy with calling him ‘Eli’ for short.” Satan’s heart leaped up for joy.
*
Birth is the most stressful event in a baby's life. Coming to the big world from the safety and warmth can be a great trauma for such a small being. It is no wonder that babies come into the world crying.
When the baby was finally outside, he had to perform another very difficult task: to inhale the air with his little lungs for the first time. That first breath was accompanied by the first cry.
After so much work, it’s no wonder he didn’t look like in the commercials but like a little red wrinkle. But not for long.
Before they knew it, their little one was finally here, physically in their arms. Satan held and snuggled with his healthy newborn. A healthy, happy baby made it all worthwhile. Cute eyes, soft pads on the arms and legs, toothless smile - a small ball of joy.
The first thing the new parents saw was the wrinkled slimy skin of the little baby. It was red and covered in Satan’s blood.
As soon as he lowered Elio into the crib, he would immediately lift hands and reach out to Satan. He constantly sat in his lap and was holding on to his clothes. He could only fall asleep if he sat next to the crib and held his hand.
It is wrongly thought that he will never separate from Satan. He’s just very cautious and doesn’t like change. When he grows up it can be useful, but it doesn’t have to be.