Work Text:
You stood in the bathroom, staring down at the little white stick you held in your hands. Two pink lines proudly displayed themselves against the white background they stood on.
Two pink lines. You were pregnant!
You choked on a sob, still staring at the pregnancy test; not fully believing that this was finally happening. You and Tech had been trying for a baby for over a year now with no success and you were beginning to worry that there might be something wrong with you; that you might be infertile and unable to have children. It had been especially disheartening seeing how easily the other couples seemed to be able to conceive. Wrecker and his Riduur were already pregnant with their second baby, and Echo and his partner had their little boy, Fives names for his Uncle, earlier in the year. Of course, you were happy for the other couples, you truly were, but it was hard to partake in their joy when you were so blatantly reminded of your own fertility struggles.
But all that changes today!
You couldn’t wait to tell Tech. He was going to be so excited! But what was the perfect way to tell him? You pulled out your datapad and typed ‘Best way to tell your husband you’re pregnant’ in the search bar. You scrolled through the search results: a t-shirt that said “Dad” on it, a baby onesie in a box with the projected delivery date, a pocketknife with ‘Daddy’ engraved in the wooden handle and the year the baby was expected to arrive…none of these really spoke to you though and they would require time to acquire the appropriate materials; you wanted to tell Tech today. Scrolling further down the results list, you stopped on the one link titled “Pregnancy Announcement Scavenger Hunt”. You snapped your fingers. A scavenger hunt around the house! That’s it! It’s perfect! You locked your datapad, tucking it away in your pocket, picked up the pregnancy test and walked to your office to gather the materials you would need to set up this little homemade scavenger hunt. You sat down at your Terminal Desk, pushed the keyboard underneath the raised monitor to give you enough room to write and set to work writing out silly little riddles in which you would hide around the house.
Giggling to yourself you got up and set about placing your little notes in various hiding places. You were so wrapped up in your excitement you didn’t notice Echo’s partner walking down the hallway. You bumped into her, knocking the other woman to the floor and almost dropped the little flimsi cards in your hand.
“Oh!” you exclaimed. “I am so sorry! I didn’t see you there” You apologized profusely and held out a hand to help her to her feet. “I guess I was a little…preoccupied….”
“Goodness! Where are you going in such a hurry?” she asked as you pulled her to her feet. Glancing around to make sure that the two of you were alone, you leaned in with a giddy grin.
“I’m making Tech a little scavenger hunt around the house”
“Oh that sounds like fun! But why? Tech doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would enjoy…” she trailed off as she looked more closely at you, noticing for the first time the absolute joy written across your face. This was the happiest you had looked in months. “Oh my gosh! Star above, are you- are you pregnant?!”
You shushed her sharply and glanced around again to make sure that the two of you hadn’t been overheard. “Yes! I just found out today. Please don’t tell anyone?” you pleaded. “At least, not until after I have told Tech? I really want this to be a surprise.” She leaned in and gave you a tight hug. “Of course! Your secret is safe with me” she winked conspiratorially before straightening up at the sound of her infant crying. “Oh, looks like Fives is awake. I should go get him”. She gave you one more squeeze before slipping past you and into hers and Echo’s bedroom.
You continued putting your little clues in various hiding spots before settling down on the sofa in the living room, waiting for Tech to come in from the fields. You checked the chrono on the wall; almost 13:00. He should be coming in soon for lunch. Right on cue you heard Tech’s footsteps stomp up the front porch and the creak of the screen door swinging open. You rose from the sofa to go greet him.
“Hello dearest” you said with a broad smile, walking up to the man and pressing a kiss to his lips. Tech was pleasantly surprised to find you here waiting for him and eagerly returned your kiss.
“Cyare, I was expecting you to still be working” he said, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you into his chest.
“I took a half day” you replied, pressing one more kiss to his chin before pulling away and grinning slyly at him. “I actually have a surprise for you”
Tech perked up. “A surprise you say?” he eyed you hungrily, his hands slowly roaming your body and grabbing your ass. You let out a soft, breathy moan as his lips descended and suckled on that sensitive part he knew you liked where your shoulder and neck met. “It wouldn’t happen to be my birthday, would it?” he joked huskily.
With tremendous effort you gently pushed him away. As much as you would have loved to bring him upstairs for a little afternoon delight, now was really not the time. “Not that kind of surprise” you said with a grin before pushing a piece of flimsi into his hands. “I have for you, a scavenger hunt. Your surprise it at the end of it”.
Tech looked down at the flimsi and read out the clue. “It’s been a long day, so come on in dear, head to the place where you grab a beer”. He looked at you, and with a flat, deadpan expression said “We need to work on your poetry”. You gasped and lightly smacked him; Tech only laughed before moving out of your reach and making his way into the kitchen. He walked over to the fridge and opened the door; there taped to a beer bottle was the next clue. He removed it and read it out loud once more.
“’You might want to change out of your work attire, go find your pants if that’s your desire’… My pants? What pants? Like, my sweatpants? Dress pants? My Blacks?” he turned to you with a quizzical frown. “You need to be a little more specific cyare”.
You tapped your chin, thinking. “I guess I could have worded that better. But do you know how hard it is to get things to rhyme?! I will only give you this one hint: yes, I mean your sweatpants.”
Tech grinned at you and kissed your cheek as he passed you and made his way to the stairs. “You know I am only teasing you about the poetry thing, right ner kar’ta?” he asked over his shoulder as you followed him up the stairs.
“I know”.
Tech walked into your bedroom and went to the closet where he kept his sweatpants neatly hung up. He made a show of pulling them out of the closet and checking each pocket for the next clue he knew he would find there. He grinned at you before reading the next clue out loud. “’If you need to use the restroom, now is your chance, go quickly before you pee your pants’, really, cyare?”
You snorted and smiled sweetly and shrugged. He walked into the ensuite bathroom attached to your bedroom and looked around. He frowned a little at not seeing the brightly coloured flimsi notecard anywhere in sight. He opened the medicine cabinet and looked around, shuffling bottles and boxes this way and that in search of his next clue. When he didn’t find the note in there, he looked in the under sink cabinet and then finally in the shower. He let out a little ‘Ha! Found you!’ when he finally located the next note pinned to the inside of the shower curtain.
“‘Your hunt is almost over, now gimme some lovin’, then go check out what’s baking in the oven’” Tech smiled as you puckered your lips up in an obvious attempt to signal that you wanted a kiss.
“You gotta pay the toll” you said around puckered lips, trying to suppress a grin. He was getting close to the final clue, and you were vibrating with excitement. Tech leaned in and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to your lips. It gladdened his heart to finally see you happy again. He knew this past year had been especially hard on you and it pained him to watch you slowly descend further and further into despair and being unable to pull you out.
“Are you sure sex isn’t my surprise?” he teased. You laughed and swatted him playfully.
“It is not, I assure you. Go on and find your last clue!”
Tech straightened up, wanting to finish this little game so he could drag you back upstairs to your bedroom for some proper “lovin’”. “Well, back to the kitchen I suppose.”
You took the lead this time, walking down the stairs in front of him and leading your riduur into the kitchen once more. You took a seat while Tech walked over to the oven and opened the door. Reaching inside, he pulled out a little box, about the length of his palm with a blue bow on top. Tech swallowed silently and mentally counted the days in his mind. He had an idea of what this was all about, but he wasn’t sure if his hypothesis was correct. He looked at you and you gestured for him to open it.
Tech glanced down at the box again and slowly removed the lid. The box was filled with tissue paper and the final flimsy note in your elegant script. He paused, eyes reading over the note again and again. His brain refused to comprehend what his eyes were seeing.
“Read it out loud” you prompted gently, rising from your spot at the kitchen table and coming to stand in front of him.
Tech cleared his throat. His voice was husky with emotion as he read out loud the final clue. “‘You might want to sit, wait and see, because our family of two has now become a family of three’”. The words before him blurred as his eyes welled with tears. He lifted the flimsi card and looked underneath the tissue paper at the positive pregnancy test and just stared at it for a while before looking up at you. Your own eyes were swimming with your own tears which fell freely down your cheeks.
“Tech” it came out as a strangled whisper as you attempted to reign your emotions in. “We’re finally going to be parents!”
The man lunged for you then, wrapping you up in his arms and quietly sobbed into your shoulder. “We’re having a baby!” he whispered with a little laugh, holding you tighter. Tech pulled back and removed his goggles so that he could wipe away at the tears that had gathered around his eyes and in the lenses. He gazed at you lovingly, raising his hands to gently hold your face and brushing away your tears. “This is such wonderful news!” He bent his head forward and pressed his forehead against yours in a sweet keldabe kiss. After so many months of disappointment and heartbreak, your shared dream was finally going to be a reality.
Tech placed the box with the note and positive test gingerly down on the counter and gently grabbed your chin, tilting your face up to his and catching your lips in a heated kiss. You smiled into the kiss and tilted your head to the side, moaning softly and swiping your tongue against Tech's lips asking for entrance. After a few moments he broke the kiss and, bending forward to slip an arm behind your knees, he scooped you up effortlessly, lifting you into his arms. You squawked and giggled at the suddenness of the action but made not other protest. Wrapping your arms around his neck he carried you out of the kitchen and up the stairs to your bedroom. There would be time to tell the others about the baby later; right now he wanted to celebrate the good news with his riduur in bed.
BONUS:
“You already knew?!”
Hunter looked at Omega with a lopsided grin and shrugged. “I have enhanced senses. Or did you forget that?”
Omega shook her head and smiled as her brothers and sisters swarmed the happy couple at the end of the dinner table and offered their congratulations. “I’m going to be an aunt again”.
Hunter nodded. “Yup”
She looked up at him and grinned cheekily. “And you’re going to be an uncle. Maybe you’ll get to be the favourite this time”.
Hunter’s jaw dropped as he stared at his sister with mock hurt. “Omega!”
Omega just laughed and pushed her way through the crowd to congratulate her favourite sister.