Chapter Text
Deuce was just about finished with his shift in the infirmary when he saw Thatch come in. There was an aura of worry around the man and he couldn’t help but ignore the books he had been shelving in favor of listening in on him. He had gone to speak to one of the nurses on duty. It did not take him long to figure out that the older man was talking about Haruta.
Despite what had happened and the weeks upon weeks they had been avoiding each other, Deuce could not help but share in his worry. Even if he was trying to keep his distance, Deuce wanted to make sure that the commander was alright.
“I’m going to bring him by.” Thatch said, not noticing that Deuce was listening in. Not yet anyway. “He’s been pretty sick and tired lately… Yet every time I tell him to come here, he flat out ignores me.” He explained to the listening nurse. “He keeps saying it’s just a bug but… what he’s going through right now reminds me of when Marco was pregnant.”
Those words had Deuce going completely still as the symptoms checked the boxes for the early signs of pregnancy. Had he—? Did they—? Too many questions were running through Deuce’s mind. But one thing for certain was that he needed to find the commander and drag him right down to the infirmary so they could check. Before he could stop himself, he was interrupting the two. “If you bring him down, I could help give him a checkup…”
Thatch had jumped, turning to look at Deuce as if he was just now realizing he was there. “Oh yeah?” He asked, seeming to debate his options for a moment before nodding. “Alright, alright. Are you sure though? I thought—“
“I can extend my shift.” Deuce answered quickly, a desperate need to see the commander rising inside of him. To make sure he was okay. Especially if he was potentially carrying a child. Their child. The thought of being a father sent a knife of anxiety through Deuce’s belly. Would Haruta even want him around or even keep the baby in the first place? Deuce shoved the thoughts down. He couldn’t be thinking about that when there was no confirmation! For all they knew, it definitely was just an overly long stomach bug.
“Alright. Sounds like a plan.” Thatch decided. “Who knows, maybe having someone he is a little more familiar with doing the check up will help…” He trailed off then left Deuce to busy himself while he tried to track down their resident trickster. They just needed to figure out what was wrong so they could set to helping Haruta feel better.
It was well over two hours when Thatch finally returned with a grumbly Haruta in tow. Deuce perked up, walking over to greet them. “Thatch says — “
“Let’s just get this over with.” Haruta said, refusing to look at Deuce. The bitter tone of the response sent a pang through the young man’s heart. Not for the first time, he wondered if his decision that day was the right one to make. Every fiber of his being was telling him no when it hurt so much that he had ruined their relationship.
Thatch looked more than a little surprised. But neither of them paid him any mind at the moment.
“Right…” Deuce managed. “This way, please.” He said as he gently ushered Haruta towards one of the rooms that would offer a little privacy. Thatch stayed outside just to give Haruta the space he needed for the checkup. As much as he wanted to be an overbearing big brother, he could definitely sense the tension between the two.
The checkup started out smoothly enough, just general checks to rule out any illnesses and questions to see if knowing the symptoms would help at all. Of course, Haruta tested negative for anything Deuce could think of that did not involve the thought of him getting the poor commander pregnant on top of just abandoning him. That would mean Deuce had abandoned their baby too! A little being that had just barely begun its existence… The thought was shoved away.
“There’s one more test I want to run if that’s okay…” Deuce said after a moment. “I just want to make sure I can rule it out since your symptoms seem really similar to what Marco suffered from when he was… pregnant.” The thought sounded silly when said aloud.
There was some hesitation and confusion but Haruta nodded. “Fine. If it will just rule it out.”
The test was easy enough. Deuce just needed a sample of bodily fluid. The worst part was waiting to see the results. A rather uncomfortable silence had settled over both. But it did not last nearly as long as Deuce thought it would. “Do you remember that night?” Haruta asked, staring at Deuce with a gaze the young doctor could not meet.
“I…” He hesitated. “I do.”
“Did it mean anything to you?” Haruta asked, a crack spiking through his voice as if this thought had driven him to many emotional nights. Wondering if he had just been a fling and nothing more. Deuce wanted him to be more than a fling but… he never thought the commander would return his affections.
“I…” There were so many things Deuce wanted to say. That the one night they spent together was a wonderful blur of what he could remember and wanted more nights of. Nights of peppering the commander in affection that the brunette was more than happy to return. Soft nights spent in each other embrace. But he couldn’t force the words out. Still afraid that the commander would reject him despite evidence stating he would not. But the reminder that he had just left weighed heavily on his mind.
Then there was a ping to let him know the test had been completed. “Let’s just… get through this first.” Deuce said rather than what he truly wanted to.
There was a mute nod then nothing further. Deuce clenched his jaw to keep from spewing his feelings then checked over the results, fingers tightening as he realized that his gut feeling had been true. Haruta was pregnant. “It’s… positive.” He eventually said, knowing his silence would likely scare the poor commander.
There was a moment of silence then a hollow laugh. “Great…” Haruta slid off the exam table, somehow taking the news very well despite well… everything. But Deuce supposed it was the Grand Line. Weirder has happened.
“Haruta…” Deuce tried as he reached out to the shorter man as he made his way to the door. “We still need to—“
“Leave it alone, Deuce.” Haruta snaps at him, forcing him to retract his hand as if he was going to be bitten by a feral animal. “You’ve made your feelings clear. I can do this by myself so just… stay the hell away from me.” He opens the door, not giving Deuce a moment to reply as he storms off. Not even taking a moment to tell Thatch the news as he leaves the infirmary.
Thatch turns to Deuce with questioning eyes. “What the hell happened? Is he okay..?” The chef asks.
“I fucked up.” Deuce answered immediately before adding. “Haruta… is pregnant. And I’m the father.”