#eurenton

a/n: ten years post-series, PoP verse. somewhat inspired by this comic by ticcytx.

Renton, like most people, would have preferred to sleep in on Sunday mornings, and admittedly, he often got that luxury. But this morning, as rumbles of noises rose to his ears, sunshine tugging at his eyelids, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to sleep in for too much longer.

 He attempted to roll over, a groan rising from his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. Something clattered to the floor, a sound that his sleep-fogged brain didn’t quite process, but as he grew closer to wakefulness, a stiffness began to permeate his body, and he whined softly to himself as he slowly grew aware of his surroundings.

 Ugh. Not again.

 His eyelids fluttered open, catching glimpses of streaks of light. He then blinked, hard, stiff neck issuing a complaint as he lifted his head to stare down a little wearily at the table that had been serving as his pillow. A spot of drool stained his drafts, causing him to wipe a little self-consciously at the corner of his mouth. The tiredness that lingered in him threatened to bring his head back down to the table, and for a moment, it wasn’t a terribly unappealing idea, but a noise from the other end of the garage caught his attention. He turned with a tired stretch and smiled fondly when he saw his wife lifting up the garage door, but the expression faded a moment later.

 “Eureka!” He leapt up from his chair, and the piece of furniture toppled to the floor at the sudden movement. “You shouldn’t be doing that!”

 The woman cocked an eyebrow, but couldn’t help but smile as she looked at her husband, his clothes and arms marked with day-old grease stains. “Why not, Renton?”

 “Because—” Renton paused, brow wrinkling as he fought off the remnants of sleep from his thoughts. “Because of the baby…right?”

 Eureka hummed out a laugh. “I’m barely at four months, Renton. I’m still allowed to move, aren’t I?”

 “Of course you are.” Renton walked up to her and grabbed the metal handle on the door, heaving it into place. “I’m still going to worry, though.”

 “Well, I wouldn’t have had to come out here if a certain someone hadn’t fallen asleep in his workshop…”

 Renton cracked a sheepish grin before dropping his head against Eureka’s shoulder.

 “Sorry…”

 Eureka smiled and placed a kiss against the side of his head, attempting to smooth his unruly hair with her hand.

 “It’s okay, you silly boy.”

 Renton lifted his head, and her hand slid to his cheek, thumb running over his stubble. His fingers combed through her fringe as he leaned in to kiss her, but he changed his mind when he noticed the sour taste in his mouth, and pressed a kiss against his forehead before letting her fringe fall down again, hair almost hiding her eyebrows. She smiled and pecked his cheek in response.

 “I’m going to water the garden. There’s coffee in the kitchen, and you can make breakfast for the kids after you shower.”

 He nodded obediently as she went over the small list. “Anything else?”

 “Mmm…” She turned, stepping off the pavement onto the grass, still dewy in the early summer morning. “I don’t think so.”

 “Wait,” Renton followed, wrapping his arms around her waist as he nuzzled his face into her neck. “I haven’t said I love you yet.”

 “Renton…” Eureka’s hands settled on top of his as he held her close, and she breathed out a small, happy sigh. “I love you, too.”

 Renton hugged her for a few seconds longer, gazing around as the sun’s yellow light hit the land around them, then let her go. He turned back towards the house, but halted in mid-step as he heard Eureka call his name.

 “Renton! One more thing!”

 “Yeah?”

 “Make sure Maurice didn’t fall asleep in his darkroom before you take a shower! He doesn’t need to pick up another bad habit from his father!”

 Renton cracked a grin as he offered Eureka a small salute.

 “Will do!”

a/n:  i love short-haired eureka she is my angel....also....tiny reference to gidget with natural hair c:ideally this would take place some time when they're back on the gekko after tresoir/stealing norb from dewey/etc

Renton first started to notice it a few days after Eureka stopped wearing her hat. Her hand would rise up almost absentmindedly, scratched the short hairs at the back of her neck. Her fingers would trail over the patchy hair on her scalp, rubbing at the near bald spots, brow creasing as she attempted to hide the exposed skin. He wanted to help her feel less insecure, but Gidget told him she wasn’t too comfortable with the idea of sharing her wigs, so he was at a loss of what to do.

 “Hey, Eureka? Your head doesn’t hurt, does it?”

 Eureka paused, and slowly lowered his hands from her head, lacing her fingers together in her lap as they sat together in the garage beside the Nirvash.

 “No, but…”

 “Feels strange, huh.”

 She bit her lip with a small nod. Renton frowned, and he reached over, placing a hand on top of hers.

 “Can I…touch your hair?”

 Eureka gave him a puzzled look. “But it’s—”

 Renton gave her hand a squeeze, looking earnestly into her eyes.

 “It’s not ugly, Eureka.”

 “…Okay. Just for a little bit,” she said in a small voice, glancing away from his gaze, and winced preemptively just before he touched her. But his fingers were soft, and moved over her scalp in slow circles, and she opened her eyes, shifting from timid to confused as she watched him smile.

 “Your hair’s really soft…” mused Renton aloud, his eyes shining. He noticed the wrinkle in her brow and laughed softly, letting his hand drop away.

 “When I was younger, Gramps didn’t want to spend money on haircuts for me too often, so he’d always shave my head in the summer. It’s weird at first, but you’ll get used to it soon. And, before you know it, it’ll all be grown back! So…try not to worry too much if you can, Eureka.”

 He scratched his cheek, not sure if it was the best advice to give as he watched her ruminate on his words with an unreadable expression. But that train of thought soon stalled, and his ears turned pink as Eureka leaned her head against his shoulder. A small smile graced her lips as she lifted his hand, placing the warm palm against her scalp once more. His lips moved to sputter a reaction, but grew still as she squeezed his hand and exhaled a contented breath.