Chapter Text
Sighing, Lance glanced out of the window. Both of his alphas were out getting groceries, and had been gone since early that morning. Lance had still been asleep when they left which was probably for the best. He was four months pregnant now, and going through a phase where every slight inconvenience left him in tears. His alphas hated to see him cry almost as much as he hated crying, but he just couldn’t help it. Having them leave early prevented any tears, despite the fact that he missed waking up with them.
“Hopefully they’ll be home soon,” he complained, as he ran his fingers through Blue’s fur. The cat purred, completely content to lay across Lance’s lap like a rug. He’d found her abandoned on the streets a few years ago, and when he moved into this house with his mates, she’d come with him. It was quiet out here, peaceful and friendly. Their closest neighbours weren’t within hearing distance so Blue was usually his only company when his alphas were out.
Lance had already finished everything he had planned for the day. While household chores were usually shared between the three of them, he took it upon himself to clean up the house while his mates were out. It was only fair, considering he couldn’t help them with the groceries anymore. He’d washed all their clothes and hung everything out to dry, and had made the bed. He’d started on dinner too, peeling and chopping vegetables, preparing a stew.
Absentmindedly, Lance rubbed a hand over his baby bump. It was getting bigger now, a gentle curve between his hips that made his back arch ever so slightly. He was already so in love with his baby that he could hardly believe it. He loved how much his alphas loved the baby, too. Shiro would coo and rumble at his bump when he thought Lance was sleeping, and Keith constantly scented him, palms spread wide over Lance’s taunt skin.
“What do you think, Blue?” Lance asked, as he scratched under her chin. “You think Shiro and Keith will be back soon?”
Blue continued to purr, stretching languidly. She rolled over to expose her belly, making Lance laugh quietly. Normal cats didn’t like their bellies being touched, but Blue absolutely loved it. Only when Lance pet her there, though. Not even Shiro and Keith were allowed, and she was their cat now, too. She’d taken some time to warm up to them but now she treated them as personal furniture, which was just about the best compliment one could get from a cat.
Out of nowhere, Blue suddenly jerked upright, her ears perked high. She ducked her head low, shoulders hunched, staring intently at the door.
“Blue? What is it?”
After a moment, she settled again, but she clearly wasn’t as relaxed as she’d once been. Lance carefully set her down and moved to the window, trying to see what had gotten her so worked up. It was late afternoon outside, the world turned a warm orange that slowly bled into cold blue. He would have thought his mates would be home by now, but maybe something had delayed them.
Just to ease his paranoia, he double-checked that the doors were locked, and then pulled the curtains shut.
“Maybe I should call them,” he murmured to himself, as he searched for his phone. Ringing Keith’s number made his ringtone peal through the empty house; Keith had forgotten his phone at home. Lance silently cursed him and dialled Shiro’s number instead, only to be met by the robotic voicemail operator. Was his phone turned off? Had it run out of charge?
Worry coiled in his stomach. He rubbed at his baby bump and tried to tell himself to be patient. It wasn’t like he was in danger. Just because he was pregnant didn’t mean he was suddenly incapable of caring for himself. Sure, he would have felt a lot better if his mates were with him, but he couldn’t always have what he wanted. They needed groceries, which meant someone had to go out and get them.
“Come on Blue, I should work on dinner.” Lance wandered into the kitchen, his cat at his heels. Blue liked to sit on the dining table while he cooked, watching him or dozing. She generally followed him anywhere he went, and he welcome the company. The house was feeling increasingly lonely without Shiro or Keith around.
Dinner progressed as slowly as he could get it to. He was mostly using whatever they had leftover in the fridge – he didn’t want to waste anything. His mother had always taught him to use up every ingredient they had, and if it couldn’t be used, then to recycle it in some way. Compost, feeding scraps to the chickens – she’d had all sorts of ways of using food when he was growing up, and he liked to think he’d gotten his house to be as waste-free as he could.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t have liked some fresh ingredients, though. Distracted, he tried to call Shiro again, but he faced the same problem as before.
They were probably just running an errand, or something. Maybe they’d bumped into a family member and had been roped into an unavoidable conversation. It was likely that Shiro’s phone had run out of charge. Hadn’t he mentioned that he needed a new charger cable? His old one was breaking. Lance was pretty sure Blue chewed on it when no one was home.
He had nothing to worry about. Really, he should have been relaxing, enjoying the quiet. He didn’t rely solely on his mates to function. He was an adult, dammit, and he could stand to be alone for a few hours longer than expected. Technically, he wasn’t ever really alone, was he? He had his baby with him all the time, safely tucked away inside of him.
By the time dinner was ready, Lance’s worry was starting to get out of control. He portioned out their meals and set aside the extras, but when he realised his mates wouldn’t be home in time to eat the food warm, he put it all back in the pot to keep it heated. To distract himself, he fed Blue, and spent some time folding the laundry he’d washed that day.
Still no sign of his mates.
He was contemplating calling his friends and family to see if they’d seen them when he heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Panicked, he rushed to the door as fast as he could, flinging it open to see if it was Shiro’s car he had heard. Tears prickled at his eyes when he realised it was.
Keith was up and out of the passenger side of the car before it had really come to a stop. At the sight of Lance’s teary expression he rushed over, letting out a concerned rumble as he did. “Are you okay?” He asked, looking Lance over with worried eyes. “Is the baby okay? Lance?”
“Where have you been?” Lance demanded, pawing at Keith’s shirt. His fingers twisted in the fabric, holding tight. “I was so worried! Why didn’t you take your phone?”
“I’m sorry, I forgot it,” Keith said. He held Lance close as Lance slumped against him, huffing out wet breaths. Shiro appeared beside them, rumbling inquisitively. He bent to rub his nose against Lance’s neck and hair, smothering him in his scent. It was something the alpha always did when his omega was upset, and it helped to calm down Lance’s raging instincts.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Lance demanded.
“I’m sorry, love, it died on me,” Shiro apologised. He ushered Lance closer, breathing in his scent. “God, I missed you. There was a car accident on the road and traffic was backed up for ages. The road didn’t even open until all the debris had been cleared away. I’m pretty sure all our frozen groceries have defrosted by now.”
Lance sniffled. He let his mates scent him, and started to calm down as their hands touched his stomach, mapping out the shape of his bump. “I thought something bad had happened to you,” he whimpered.
“Oh, Lance,” Shiro sighed. He held both Lance and Keith tightly for a moment, and then directed them in. “Let’s head inside, alright? Then we can eat and cuddle and do whatever you want. I’m sorry for worrying you, baby.”
“Just take your phone with you next time,” he mumbled, embarrassed, as he swiped at his eyes. “Damn hormones.”
They both laughed quietly. “You sure you’re alright?” Keith asked. His eyes were intense and worried – clearly, being away from his pregnant omega for so long had stressed him out just as much as it had Lance.
“I’m alright,” Lance nodded. He patted his baby bump. “The baby is okay, too. Just hungry!”
Shiro chuckled. “Alright, let’s get you both inside, then. Wouldn’t want my precious mates to go hungry.”