Work Text:
Her wet eyes were screwed tight, nose tipped pink and cheeks heartily red. One, two, three; Byleth counted her in her head as she desperately tried to withhold it - oh holy Seiros, it’s no use.
‘...Achoo!’
‘My love, is it not getting better at all? Should I call for Mercedes?’ Dimitri hovered anxiously by the bed, looking surprisingly small despite his enormous frame. ‘It’s been two days…’
‘I can handle this,’ his wife ground out slowly, ‘it’s just a cold quite unlike any other.’ She did not want to worry the poor king any more than he already was - he had thrown his kingly duties aside to comfort her and was looking gaunt. ‘In fact, I’m more worried about you, Dimi.’ Byleth couldn’t help but smile at the trademark shy blush that tinged his face and ears, which was becoming all-too common whenever she shortened his name; not to mention, he’d looked away in small embarrassment.
‘I cannot help but worry if it’s you, my beloved.’ He muttered at the wall, pouting slightly. ‘I do not know what I would do without you.’
‘Hm…’ Byleth widened her eyes in mock amazement. ‘I imagine you’d still be a tremendous ruler that would make all who you rule proud. You would probably still accidentally break pots and pans and cause despair to the poor ladies in the eatery, and…’ she smiled slyly as he tutted at her, ‘perhaps that maid who spoke of her undying love towards you last week would have a chance…’
Dimitri’s seafoam eye flashed dangerously as she trailed off. ‘Are you teasing me, love?’ He moved with sudden speed onto the bed. ‘What of that dignitary from Brigid from last month who sent one hundred roses to this very palace?’
‘I imagine he has no idea what to do with those roses since I told Petra to advise him that I am extremely spoken for,’ Byleth shrugged innocently, ‘besides, you are far more adored by the populace than I.’
‘Nonsense…’ Dimitri murmured darkly into her neck, planting heated kisses that made his wife’s skin tingle. ‘...You have no idea how wanted you are… how much I want you.’ He rolled atop her, needily nipping at exposed flesh. ‘As for the maid, she could never hope to be you.’
Byleth whined lightly as her man continued without abandon; he felt like summer rain - warm and calming. Still, there was a pressure building up in her nose again - she had to warn him - ‘Dimi…’
‘I’m going to show you how you’re mine.’ He ignored her call, hands beginning to rove down her body.
She shook her head violently. ‘Dim- achoo!’
The force of her sneeze brought her elbow wildly to the side of Dimitri’s temple, accidentally swinging with reckless abandon into her husband. It must have been a stroke of terrible luck, Byleth thought as she stared at him, quite aghast.
Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd was unconscious.
***
‘...How did this happen?’ Mercedes had rushed to Byleth’s side immediately at her call; she checked the king’s pulse carefully as his wife wrung her hands guiltily.
‘I sneezed…’
'You sneezed hard enough to knock out Dimitri?'
Byleth's mouth twitched; she couldn't believe it herself. 'It just kind of happened...'
'Hmm.' Mercedes looked at her up and down, noting the queen’s own pallid appearance. ‘You look quite ill yourself, Profes- I mean, Byleth. You know you’re always welcome to call me, right?’
‘I know.’ Byleth couldn’t help but feel forlorn. ‘I just thought I could sleep this off, so…’
‘Well, at the very least,’ the gentle healer inspected Dimitri, ‘he’s finally getting some rest.’
‘He’s just sleeping? I haven’t done anything to him?’
Mercedes smiled faintly. ‘You knocked him out cold. Felix would probably say it was a good thing.’
Byleth’s sigh of relief was interrupted again by a harsh sneeze, causing a look of concern to be shot her way by her friend. ‘Byleth… May I assess you? I’m already here and I know the others wouldn’t want you suffering like this.’
‘I guess…’
Mercedes nodded approvingly, gesturing for the queen to lie down on the bed beside her lightly snoring husband. ‘How long have you been feeling like this?’
‘The sneezing? About two days,’ Byleth rasped, cringing slightly at the way her voice sounded like gravel, ‘but I’ve been feeling off for a few weeks, actually.’ She felt small waves of light and joy trickle through her body as the talented healer performed atypical healing spells on her body, nodding as she thought slowly.
‘How would you describe feeling off?’
Byleth thought back to the strange moment at Anette’s birthday gathering. ‘Remember when I couldn’t eat those delicious desserts at Anette’s celebration?’
Mercedes nodded, blue eyes sparking with recognition. ‘Right, you were vomiting!’
‘Ever since then, I haven’t really been able to eat anything very sweet - it tastes like that fermented Fodlan carp I’ve never liked - but I’ve suddenly become accustomed to that spicy stew Dedue loves to bring to us every Friday…’ Byleth’s eyes widened, ‘and I’ve been really craving your cooking, actually.’
‘My… cooking?’ Mercedes trailed off with surprise. ‘But you know, I’m not very good at…’
‘Nonsense, Dimitri even took some home the other night. He said he wanted to save it for later - unfortunately, I did eat that while he wasn’t looking.’
‘Right,’ her friend smiled ruefully, ‘I sure bet he wanted to ‘save’ it.’
‘Anyway,’ Byleth continued steadfastly, ‘apart from all that, I’ve just been feeling a bit sore. It must have just been the incoming cold, really.’
Mercedes tilted her head as she hummed in thought. ‘Byleth, I don’t mean to intrude, but… could you be pregnant?’
Blank mint eyes stared back. ‘Um.’
Byleth’s mind flashed back to last month; Dimitri had been away on business all week and had practically worshipped her body upon his return in every way possible - she thought back to how he’d hungrily consumed her and of those marks that did not leave for days and days; oh.
Mercedes couldn’t help but giggle at her former professor’s glassy expression, covering her mouth with her hand. ‘Oh my, could it be?’
‘Well - I mean - yes, but it was the first time we’d really tried to - I can’t believe - achoo!’ The force of her sneeze wracked through the bed, causing her husband to open a sleepy eye.
‘You must be blessed with good fortune,’ Mercedes smiled, performing a final spell. The Crest of Blaiddyd shone brightly above Byleth’s belly, strong and unwavering. ‘Just look!’
It was enough to make the former mercenary’s mouth drop in shock, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. At the same time, her heavy head lightened considerably, as did her nose and ill throat clear. ‘I’m… expecting?’
‘In some cases, pregnant women with children bearing Crests require their Crest to be confirmed. It can sometimes cause illness to the mother if this is not done.’ Mercedes gently patted Byleth’s belly. ‘I’ll come by later. I think someone wants to talk to you…’ She pressed a handkerchief to her own eyes as she left the room. ‘I’m so happy for you!’
‘Byleth…’ Dimitri’s watery voice cracked as she turned to face him; Byleth stared in shock at the sheen of silvery tears on his cheeks. ‘We are expecting?’
‘I’m sorry I knocked you out,’ she blurted as she flung herself into his strong arms as he laughed quietly, the shining crest dissipating. ‘Yes, love, we are.’
‘I could not care less, for you have woken me with the best news I’ve heard since the day you said you loved me.’ Dimitri was crying softly in earnest now, hiding his face from her.
Byleth felt her own throat constrict as she felt his sincerity envelop her body. ‘Dimi… if you cry, I’m going to cry too…’
He turned his good eye to look deep into her own, shaking his head with a resigned smile. ‘Then we’ll just have to cry together.’ He wrapped her deep in his embrace, enjoying the way her warmth flooded his senses to the core, so impossibly comforting.
‘I suppose it’s okay if it’s with you,’ she mumbled into his skin, curling in closer. Dimitri let out a huff of laughter and closed his eyes, swearing silently to protect all that they held dear; unbeknownst to him, Byleth was doing the same.
You comfort me, no matter what. You, who I would give the world for. You, who gave me the world - Byleth, my beloved.
You made me feel human for the first time in my life. You believed in me when no-one else would. You, who gave me the world - Dimitri, my love.
‘...I love you,’ they both said in unison, laughing at their timeliness as they held each other tightly. There would be tears of sorrow and joy and everything in between ahead, but it did not matter: for Dimitri and Byleth had both never believed that they would be capable of feeling so much for another person as they did now.