Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As Hunk mixed the pancake batter, he hummed a happy, little tune. Looking at the calendar, he couldn't help but get excited goosebumps as his gaze wandered to the staircase, thinking about what was upstairs. If this is how he was feeling, he could only imagine how his husband must be taking it all in.

Lance's due date was March 4^th. It was currently February 13^th. Once it had hit that their daughter would be there in less than a month, Hunk's brain had started going into overdrive. He had so many plans! Valentine's Day was tomorrow and, although they couldn't do much in public due to keeping quiet about the pregnancy, they were still a pair of saps that were going to spoil each other.

It was also the start of a week long vacation of sorts. Hunk's restaurant had a huge event on the 20^th. Every year since opening, roughly around the same time, Garrett's was a hopping place to anyone off planet. It was always available to anyone, but this event was special, as it was closed to anyone living on Earth, unless it had been a family reunion or something akin involving off-worlders. The business was closed for an entire week leading up to the event, so he and his staff could be well rested and have all hands on deck. Following the event, it would be closed until after the following weekend before resuming normal operations.

Hunk was, however, taking paternity leave right after the event was over. It was perfect timing, in his honest opinion. Aside from Romelle, all his staff thought he and Lance were adopting. The two of them were worried about Lance's ability to bear children being too much for the regular populace to handle. Some of them already had difficulty, at first, working with aliens. Romelle wasn't the only non-human under Hunk's employment, but she was the first and definitely helped pave the way for the few others that came after her.

Lance was having more difficulty getting around, with the baby having fully dropped and making his waddle more evident. Hunk thought it was cute, but Lance would just huff at him. That's why Hunk's first order of business on his first day off was to make a huge, homemade breakfast. He was going to wake his husband up first, so he could maybe shower or something to energize himself as much as he could. Then Hunk would bring him breakfast in bed. He'd probably do the same tomorrow, but with something a bit more extravagant. Lance had just been craving pancakes like crazy the week prior, but couldn't get around well enough to make his own and Hunk had been busy with work. Hunk also knew Lance was still caring for the animals on the farm and wanted to make sure he and their daughter had a good meal before running out into the cold.

Heading upstairs before turning on the stove to prep his griddle, Hunk poked his head into their bedroom. His heart melted, seeing their dogs curled up on the foot of the bed and Lance's arm lying across his belly, looking much bigger now that he was carrying lower. Something seemed amiss though, as Hunk noticed a tight expression on his husband's face.

“Lance?” he questioned softly as he crept closer to the side of the bed. “Honey?” Blue eyes cracked open as he looked down at his belly, a worried look on this face. “Are you okay?”

“...I...” Lance started, but snapped his mouth shut as he pressed his hand into the side of his stomach. He grimaced briefly. “I don't know.” He tried to sit up with Hunk's help, feeling like he had zero energy, despite getting a full night's sleep for a change. “Ah!”

“Babe, is...oh gods, is she coming?!”

“...no...” Lance's expression didn't look happy in the slightest. “...I don't think this is contractions...this...th-this is something else...”

“Are you sure?”

“I've seen cousins, nieces and nephews be born. I'm positive.” He cried out again, giving up on sitting in bed and tipping onto his side instead. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his face into the pillow as the dogs woke up and began barking up a storm. “Nnnnnnnngh.” Hunk sat down behind him and gently rubbed his lower back.

“What's wrong?”

“I don't know!” Lance snapped, irritable with the pain he was experiencing, along with regular side effects of pregnancy and being so far into his third trimester. “Uuuuuuuugh.” Using one hand to grip the sheets beneath him, the other was clutching under his belly. Some time passed before his entire body began to shake. He knew for sure it wasn't contractions now, as he was hurting all over, not just concentrated in his abdomen. “...I feel so damn sick...”

“What do you want me to do?” Hunk was growing concerned, but wasn't sure if Lance wanted his help or not. His husband was seething now, his breath getting sucked through his clamped down teeth.

“Call Coran. Please.” Lance's eyes wouldn't break from his belly, his hand trying to rub calming circles into it. “Oh, OH...oooow ow ow...” A couple stray tears found their way down his face as Hunk pressed a kiss to Lance's temple. Grabbing his phone, Hunk slid off the bed and went into the hallway, deciding to leave the dogs to their own devices for a moment. Tapping the screen, he pulled up his contacts and hit Coran's number.

“Hunk, m'boy! How are you? You're sure calling early!” Suffice to say, Hunk wasn't surprised that Coran would be super cheerful at this hour. He briefly wondered if that energy could be harnessed and bottled or something.

“Hey, Coran.”

“Something seems to be troubling you. Is anything wrong?” Lance let out a loud wail and Hunk visibly shuddered at the sound of his husband hurting so much. “Was that LANCE?!”

“Been like this for a half hour or so. The pain just WON'T let up. He knows what contractions and birth is like because of his sisters and aunts, and this isn't it. Says he feels ill and his whole body hurts.”

“...oh dear...I was afraid of this a while back, when you two first started trying to conceive. Nothing had ever happened like this and this pregnancy did so well, so I stopped worrying...I should have said something sooner and I'm sorry that I didn't…”

“...C...Coran?”

“It might not be that Lance has a difficult time getting pregnant. In fact, he could potentially be quite fertile. What is more likely is that many pregnancies have taken, but never stuck. Possibly too early to register he was ever carrying.” He took a breath and paused for a moment as he tried to gather the right words for what he wanted to say. “His body is finally registering the baby as something foreign and is rebelling.”

"What are you saying?!" Hunk tried to keep his voice low as he spoke into the receiver. He didn't want his husband to hear what Coran might have had to say, not that much could be heard over Lance's cries from their bedroom. However, Hunk had a sneaking suspicion that he knew damn well what the Altean had meant.

"...m'boy...I'm saying that, as much as he CAN carry because of his Altean abilities...his human body never came with that function..." Coran stayed quiet for a moment, waiting for Hunk to digest the information. "...his human half is attempting to reject your baby…"

The news hit Hunk like a ton of bricks. His legs wanted to give out, so he pressed his back against the wall, hoping it would keep him upright...no...SHE CAN'T!...we came so far!...Hearing a shout and a sob from his husband, he licked his lips and tried to find his voice.

“W-what can I do?”

“He's actually far enough into the pregnancy that he and your daughter should be fine. Rarely would a miscarriage happen this late, which is why I'm surprised his body is acting up now all of a sudden.” Coran was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Has he been stressed at all?”

“Well, he's been taking care of the farm, but there's not much to do during the wint-”

“He needs to STOP!” Hunk yelped as he was cut off. “How long has he been doing that?!”

“...”

“This WHOLE TIME?! No wonder! Lance needs to be saving his strength! He's growing a BABY!” Hunk remained quiet, never thinking he was still at an age to be reprimanded. “I might not be his doctor, but I'm demanding he go on bed rest! Someone else will need to handle the farm; he's in no shape to be working!” The Altean sighed as he dialed his attitude back. “Just be with him and support him, it's all you can do for him and little Penina right now. See if you can't get him to calm down sooner, since panicking and the extra stress might make things worse or even cause early labor.”

“Anything else?” Hunk winced as Lance cried, wanting to get back in there as soon as possible.

“...I know you two wanted a big family...but I...I'm not sure it's possible with the difficulties you've had thus far...Hunk, it's not safe for Lance to have babies. I can pretty much guarantee it at this point, after putting two and two together. Obviously, don't tell him while he's in pain. But this might be something to break to him before she arrives. He might get upset; he has every right to feel that way. But he needs to know the issues that are happening with his body and he might not be so lucky with another pregnancy. He'll have to know the truth before he can settle into the idea of having another baby.”

After thanking Coran, Hunk hung up and walked numbly back into the room. Looking over, he saw Lance had moved more to the center of the bed to accommodate his dog curled up beside him, wet nose pressed to the half Altean's belly. Oso let out a long, soft whine with his ears drawn low. Charcoal was still at the foot of the bed, but had placed himself over Lance's legs and was watching him sadly.

Lance himself was taking strained breaths and was curled into as much of a shivering ball as his belly and the huge Newfoundland would allow. Covered in a sheen of sweat, the only sounds coming from Lance was the uncontrollable need to sob every so often, too weak to do much else as pain wracked his body. His eyes were screwed shut, trying to will the situation away, hoping it was just a nightmare.

Rounding and climbing into the bed, Hunk came up behind his husband again, this time gently pulling Lance towards him. Sitting upright, trying to ignore the look the dogs were giving him at taking their daddy away from them, he positioned Lance to sit sideways in his lap. One arm was wrapped around Lance to keep him in place, fingers curled around his thigh. The other was brought up, fingers brushing his dripping hair out of his face. Hunk whispered sweet nothings to his husband, forehead pressed softly to Lance's temple.

“...everything's gonna be okay...” Hunk whispered into the silence of their room, the only light being the small bit filtering through their curtains. His eyes opened slowly as he felt hands move his own. Lance had taken Hunk's from his face and laid it to rest on his sore belly, keeping it in place with both of his. He sighed with a soft whimper that brought Hunk's attention to his face again.

Lance's eyes were no longer filled with pain, but a deep seated sorrow. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, his markings almost seeming too dull compared to their usual, neutral state. Hunk briefly wondered if Allura's or Coran's had ever looked as such in times of great sadness and wished he's paid more attention. Lance's bottom lip quivered as he squeezed his husband's hand and pushed it slightly more into him.

...he knows...Hunk realized. Lance may have not had book smarts, but damn if he didn't know how to read a room, especially as he got older...Lance's isn't dumb...he can tell just based on my mood…

“... I can't lose her, Hunk...” Lance said in a raspy voice, his throat shot from all the shouting. “Not after all the struggling, not after coming this far.” He brought his gaze down to his belly and gripped Hunk's hand tight again. “...I give up if she-” He couldn't finish the sentence and cut off a sob. “I need her.” Hunk nodded solemnly as he shushed his husband quietly, Lance falling into a well earned slumber.

Chapter Text

Lance would wake up in the middle of the afternoon, surrounded by his little support system on the bed. Charcoal and Oso had gotten closer to the two of them and had dozed off. Hunk had crashed at some point as well, the Cuban thinking he would have a crick in his neck later from the way he was positioned. Closing his eyes again for a moment, he did a self assessment on how he felt.

He was still in pain, but it was more from his body being achy instead of feeling like he was being run through by a blade. Any shaking he was still experiencing was because he was so weak, every movement felt like it took so much effort. His head was pounding from all the crying and screaming, thankful that the curtains blocked out as much of the sun as they could without being actual blackout material.

Sighing heavily, he looked at his belly...the moment of truth...Lance moved his hand and pressed it to his skin. He pushed gently with his fingers, hoping to initiate some sort of movement from his daughter. Moving all over where her feet had recently been, his heart felt like it fell out of him when nothing happened. It was true she was a relaxed baby, but she had always moved when prodded.

Unfortunately, Lance had no more tears to shed at the moment, as his grief had yet to reach that point. Any more would come later once he'd had time to process everything. He thought he'd physically feel worse after a miscarriage with the child still inside him...maybe it's too early to be that affected by it?...Already in mourning, Lance's arms came around to cradle his belly. This loss was the last straw. He was tired of trying so hard and nothing coming of it. In addition, now they had a full nursery to haunt the couple; what had been their pride and joy for the planning of the years to come. Lance wasn't even sure he wanted to adopt at this point, just being a reminder of what could have been.

The movements, while small, had been enough to wake Hunk. He wasn't a light sleeper at all, but he had the ability to force himself to be as such when the situation called for it; it was something he had picked up in his Paladin years. Looking at his husband, Lance was too focused on his belly to notice the Samoan wasn't sleeping anymore. His blue eyes wore the same sorrowful look as before they slept like this, Hunk unsure to take it as being worried or if something worse had taken place.

“Hey babe,” he said quietly, shifting his arm a little from behind Lance's back to gently nudge him. Lance looked up at him slowly and Hunk's heart broke. The Cuban's face was now a blank slate. His eyes looked dead and his expression held no emotion. Lance also now looked older than he did yesterday. He was done. Tired. Empty. Hunk swallowed hard, not sure how to proceed. Whatever was happening, they would deal with it tomorrow. This wasn't something they would want Pidge to do; this was something for Lance's primary care doctor, the only one in their clinic that knew about the baby. Hunk told himself he would call in the morning to figure things out. For now, he just wanted to distract Lance.

Managing to lift Lance off the bed, Hunk carried him downstairs, the dogs following quietly behind them. Gingerly setting him on the couch, he grabbed the throw blanket to wrap around his husband's mostly naked body. Lance was quiet the entire time, too steeped in his emotions but not quite outwardly expressing them. This was worrisome to Hunk, as Lance was usually very physically open with how he felt.

Kissing Lance's temple, Hunk went to let the dogs out the back door, knowing they'd been cooped up since last night. Having not been fed breakfast either, he put a little more food in their bowls than usual and topped it with some treats. He glanced at his mess from earlier, the pancake batter mostly likely ruined from sitting out for so long. Deciding to clean up before starting any other projects, he set to work washing the dishes. He would wipe off the counters later, deciding it would be fine. Lance was more important.

Peeking over the half wall to see his husband hadn't moved from how Hunk had left him, the larger man decided to make a simple broth with some bland saltines. Hunk was going to treat Lance as if he was sick, hoping something with not much taste would be easy on his stomach. He knew to make it without asking; Lance would have said he wasn't hungry if the food wasn't already made. While the broth simmered, he brought a glass of water out to him.

In the time that Hunk had checked on him before cooking and now, Lance's position had shifted slightly and his expression was drastically different. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at his abdomen, both hands putting enough pressure on himself that Hunk could visibly see where the skin gave underneath. Before Hunk could say anything, Lance finally looked up at him, tears spilling from his eyes.

“...sh' 'liv'...” he whispered, Hunk not able to make out what he'd said.

“Honey?” He knelt down in from of Lance, rubbing his knee as he made eye contact.

“...she's alive...” After a quick inhale from Hunk, he pressed his own hand to Lance's belly. It wasn't as strong as usual, but he could feel the barest movement under his palm. “...she must be as weak as I feel...”

The pair sat in silence as they ate, Hunk also having the soup and crackers in solidarity. Once he'd let the dogs inside, he made camp on the couch with Lance leaning against him. Lance wasn't quite happy, per se, but he was definitely not the pitiful looking creature from a few hours ago. He felt safe being neutral right now, his emotions having been a wild rollercoaster all day. Going from that intense pain, to thinking he'd miscarried at 37 weeks pregnant, to finding out she'd survived but uncertain how narrowly. Lance was also concerned what effects might befall her after his body tried to end her life when it was just about to start.

Hunk felt this was as calm as it would get. He knew Lance would get upset, but it was now or never. They would likely have to have Pidge over once more before the birth and from there it would be frazzled, dizzying chaos as they prepared in the last few weeks before Lance's due date. There was no other chance to break the news.

“...hey...”

“Hm?” Lance peered behind him slightly, making the barest eye contact as he nibbled on the last of his crackers.

“...so, when I was on the phone with Coran...he said some things...and I need to tell you about it now, because we'll be busy from here on out getting ready for 'Nina to get here...”

“You make this sound bad,” Lance replied, turning a bit more and eying Hunk warily. “After everything else today?”

“I'm sorry, Lance. If she'd actually...you know...I would have waited to say anything...” Hunk turned his head to look away briefly. “But since she's okay, this is a conversation we need to have. Especially because of today.”

“Welp, lay it on me. It can't be worse than almost losing her...” he mumbled.

“...Lance, you...we...” Hunk wouldn't look at him, deciding to pick at the seam of the couch cushion he was sitting on. “...we can't keep trying for more babies...”

The last saltine hit the floor, breaking into three chunks as it made impact. “...you're joking...” he retorted, his voice deadpan. Hunk flinched, knowing having lots of kids was something Lance had always wanted since finding out he could carry. Turning to face his husband, he tried to find any indication that Hunk was lying. “No.”

“Lance.”

“THAT'S NOT FAIR!” Lance shouted.

“Babe, your two halves aren't cooperating with each other!”

“We made her happen, right? It can be done!”

“Lance!” Hunk grabbed Lance's arms as the Cuban attempted to throw the pillow he had previously been propped up against. “We got LUCKY! But today proved that your body has too many issues trying to have a pregnancy take! This could have also been triggered because you've been stressing and still working the farm! You refuse to ask for help!” Lance's face was drenched in tears once more as the two finally looked each other in the eyes. “...what if you DO miscarry this late next time? What if the next one is stillborn because your genetic makeup decides to act up again?” Hunk's voice began to waver, tears now pricking at his own eyes. Moving so he could hold his husband's hands, Hunk squeezed them tightly between his own. “...what if...what if next time we lose you too?”

“...”

“That would leave Penina without her mamá. It would leave me without you…"

“...Hunk...”

“...I know it's hard news to take after everything we planned on doing...” Pulling Lance into him, he sniffled before continuing. “I won't force you to make any changes to your body that you don't want. We can be careful. Just...please understand...there's too many risks...and I can't lose you...”

Lance brought his arms around his husband, the two of them crying softly. It was quiet, aside from the dogs whining over their upset people. The half Altean would break the silence first after several minutes.

“...I don't like this...giving up after finding out she'll make it...” Lance pulled back and brought one of Hunk's hands to rest on his belly. He smiled sadly. “But we can be happy with Penina.”