Work Text:
It was an ordinary day in Strangetown, and Nervous Subject was shuffling down the street, shoulders slumped as usual.
He watched for cars and other people as he walked, twitching a little. Once he reached the familiar house, he shuffled up to the front door and knocked.
After a few moments, the door opened to reveal one of the Curious brothers, Lazlo. “Oh, are you here for Pascal?”
Nervous nodded. “Yeah.”
“Come in!” he said, moving out of the way so Nervous could enter.
He did so, slowly shuffling over the threshold. Nervous followed Lazlo into the kitchen. “Where’s Pascal?”
“He has morning sickness,” Vidcund, the middle brother, answered. He was standing by the island counter, looking grumpy.
“Morning sickness? But it’s afternoon.”
Lazlo and Vidcund exchanged looks. “Never mind. Pascal will explain,” Lazlo responded. “What’s your name again?”
“Nervous.” He blinked twice.
“Right! Sorry, Nervous.”
The taller man shook his head. “It’s okay.”
They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Nervous was friendly with the Curiouses—as friendly as he knew how to be—but he had never been good at socialising, having never gotten the chance to make many friends in his youth. Pascal, the eldest Curious brother, was the only one he really knew how to talk to, and even then, half the time, he didn’t know exactly what to say. Pascal usually did the talking, and Nervous was happy to listen.
“I’m gonna go check on him,” Lazlo said finally, leaving the kitchen. As he went, he called loudly, “Pas! Your friend’s here!”
Nervous continued to be silent while Vidcund frowned, seemingly bothered by something. I wonder if I’m upsetting him, he thought. Then, he heard the sound of footsteps and turned to look in the direction they came from.
Lazlo had returned with Pascal in tow, arm around the older brother as they walked. Pascal looked ill but offered Nervous a smile. “Hey!”
Nervous waved. “Hey. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit of morning sickness,” he answered lightly, approaching the other man. Lazlo left his side and went to the fridge. “Speaking of, did my brothers tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
Pascal raised his eyebrows. “Well, Nervous… I’m going to be a father!”
Nervous’s eyes widened. “A father?” he repeated.
“Yeah! I can hardly believe it myself,” Pascal chuckled. “And these two are going to be uncles,” he added, gesturing to Vidcund and Lazlo.
The latter, who just grabbed a slice of pizza from the fridge, turned his head towards the two. “I’m gonna be the cool uncle.”
A father… Nervous mulled. He’s gonna make a family. …I wish I could be a father. “Who’s the mother?” he asked, curious. He wasn’t aware that Pascal had a partner or that he had any means of becoming a father beyond adopting a child at all. Then again, getting out of the house was rare for him, so he often missed the comings and goings of his only friend. Even then, it wasn’t like it was any of his business to know if Pascal was romantically involved with anyone. Nonetheless, he wanted to know.
Pascal glanced at his brothers, then back at Nervous. “There isn’t one.”
Nervous tilted his head slightly, confused.
The shorter man bit his lip as if wondering how to explain this contradiction. “I’m pregnant.”
“...What?”
As Pascal explained what happened, the brothers and Nervous relocated to the living room in front of the TV. “Aliens abducted you?”
“Yeah!” Pascal confirmed, nodding eagerly. Vidcund and Lazlo looked impressed. The Curiouses seemed to love the paranormal. “Of course, I didn’t expect to end up pregnant, but I’m honestly not that surprised.”
“Huh.” Nervous was still trying to process how strange that all sounded. “Are you excited to be a father?”
“Scared and excited,” Pascal answered with a small smile. “It’s gonna be a lot to deal with, especially since I’m a single father, but I’m sure I can handle it.”
“Hey, it’s not like you’ll be totally alone, Pas,” Lazlo interjected. “Your kid will have two amazing uncles, won’t they, Vid?”
“Yes,” Vidcund agreed, smirking. “We’ll be the cool younger uncles, and you’ll be the old, boring dad.”
“Ha ha,” Pascal responded sarcastically.
Nervous looked at the three of them and felt a pang in his heart. He wished he could have what they had—a family.
Over the months, Pascal experienced a multitude of interesting changes, often surprising his brothers.
One morning, at about 1 AM, Lazlo was getting a glass of water when Pascal stumbled into the kitchen and wrenched open the fridge.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm,” Pascal replied, scanning the interior. He saw what he was craving: pizza.
Without a second thought, he grabbed a slice and began to wolf it down.
“You hate cold pizza.”
“I know!” Pascal cried with his mouth full, “But I’m craving it so badly!” He grabbed another slice and went to town on it, ravenous.
“I never thought I’d see the day you ate pizza like that,” Lazlo commented, watching him.
Pascal tried to respond, but he was incoherent. Lazlo merely snorted and downed his glass, then set it on the island before returning to his room.
Pascal swallowed. “At least wash your glass!”
“Why do I need to wash it? It just had water,” Lazlo rebutted, then promptly entered his bedroom and closed the door.
Later still, Nervous had managed to leave his house and come to visit the Curiouses once more. He was surprised by how big Pascal was beginning to look. The man had always tended to have a leaner frame, yet nowhere near as thin as Nervous. His height made him look lankier and longer than the three brothers in comparison, anyway, even when he was hunched over.
“I’ve been trying to get better at cooking recently,” Pascal told him, “because I want to be able to cook good food for my child.”
“I can cook well,” Lazlo added, smiling lazily.
“You can, but—” Pascal began before gasping loudly. One of his hands flew to his belly.
“What?” Nervous asked, concerned.
“The baby kicked,” he whispered.
Vidcund let out a sound of awe while Lazlo voiced a question. “Why are babies the only ones who can kick a pregnant person and get away with it?”
“Nervous!”
“Yeah?” he asked, surprised by the sudden address.
“You haven’t felt it yet,” Pascal elaborated, eyes glinting through his glasses. “Come here!”
Nervous wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but as he approached the soon-to-be father, Pascal grabbed his arm and yanked it towards him.
Nervous let himself be pulled as his hand settled on Pascal’s belly. The other man then rested his own hand on top of Nervous’s. “Feel.”
The room was quiet, and there was anticipation in the air. Nervous waited, and then, he felt it.
Pascal let out a small breath and smiled up at him.
Nervous’s mouth fell open in awe. “That’s… that’s what it feels like? That’s your baby?”
Pascal nodded excitedly and tightened his grip on Nervous’s hand.
I can’t believe it, he thought. This… this is unlike anything… Just anything.
“Look at him, Vid,” Lazlo whispered in the background, “He’s speechless.”
“I don’t blame him. It’s not every day you get to feel a pregnant man’s alien baby kick.”
Nervous paid them no mind, simply in wonder. Eventually, Pascal gently let go of his hand, and Nervous let it slip off. He sat down next to the pregnant man.
“What do you think?” he asked eagerly.
“I want to be a father,” Nervous blurted out in response.
Immediately, the air in the room seemed to change. He looked at Pascal nervously, who blinked in surprise. His cheeks looked slightly redder. In the corner of his eye, Nervous saw the other two men eyeing him right back, then exchange looks.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll get the chance someday, Nervous,” Pascal said softly.
He looked down at his feet, feeling a little embarrassed. “...I hope so.”
Later that night, when Nervous returned to the Beakers’s house, he couldn’t get his mind off of it. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
He had always wanted a family. To be part of a family. And to think, his friend was going to become a father…
The Curiouses were the closest thing to a family Nervous felt he had, and their house was the closest thing to a home he had. All he knew about his birth parents was that he was taken away from them and didn’t expect to see them again. Loki and Circe weren’t parents to him; they were just the people he lived with. Who abused him regularly.
In a way, Pascal’s baby felt like the closest thing to a child Nervous could have. Pascal was his only friend and the person he was closest with, despite the fact that they weren’t even all that close. Maybe he’ll consider me an uncle, like his brothers, he considered, but that title didn’t sit well with him. He wanted to be a father, not just an uncle, and he didn’t think of Pascal as a brother.
And something told him Pascal didn’t think of him as one either.
Nervous shifted in his bed and moved his arm so he could hold his hand like Pascal held it. He missed it, the small display of affection. Pascal was usually affectionate, at least by Nervous’s standards—he tended to hug him as a greeting or farewell, and Nervous liked that.
But this time felt different, somehow. The lingering touch Pascal left on his hand was new. And the look he gave him, the smile, that was different too. There was something in Pascal’s eyes, some affection, some longing, something…
Nervous’s pulse quickened, and he began to breathe quicker. This feeling… Oh, no.
He was starting to have feelings for Pascal. Or maybe he already felt that way before, and now it was stronger. Nervous wasn’t sure, but it worried him. Is this bad? Would this ruin our friendship? …Could anything even come of it? When I’m trapped here… Maybe it’s just because he’s my only friend. Maybe it’s just because I want a family so bad.
He couldn’t help but be pessimistic, thinking of everything that could go wrong, second-guessing his feelings and beating himself down. Despite it all, hope still lingered somewhere in the man’s battered and bruised mind and heart.
Maybe… he feels the same way. The way he looked at me… Or maybe, that’s just the pregnancy or something, Nervous told himself, second-guessing again. But… maybe… one day I’ll get out of here. And maybe he’ll want me. As a friend or as a partner… I don’t know. But maybe there’s a chance.
Pascal was in his third trimester, and his body was definitely showing it. He was having difficulty walking around without becoming short of breath, and he had to rely on his younger brothers more to get things done. Thankfully, Vidcund and Lazlo were happy to help, even if they occasionally complained.
During one of Nervous’s visits, he felt so tired he could barely leave his bed. He valiantly tried to do so anyway, but Nervous insisted he stay and sat on the floor next to the bed. Pascal was immensely grateful and got to talk for hours with the man, only interrupted by breaks for food and going to the bathroom. Nervous helped with that, too, doing his best to help support the other man as he walked, despite his frail physique.
When the time came for him to leave, they stood at the front door, saying their goodbyes.
“Thanks for everything, Nervous,” Pascal said, smiling widely.
Nervous shook his head and smiled back. “It’s no problem. Thank you for having me.”
Pascal held open his arms for a hug.
“Are you sure I won’t… hurt you? Or the baby?” the taller man asked, pointing at Pascal’s belly.
“Of course not!”
“Okay.” He leaned down carefully and wrapped his arms around Pascal. Nervous towered over him and as such, had to curl inward even more, giving his posture a shrimp-like appearance. Usually, Pascal would try to stand on tiptoes to accommodate, but he feared he’d fall over if he tried while so heavily pregnant. He settled on simply hugging Nervous back, gently yet firmly.
The hug lasted longer than was typical of their goodbye hugs because neither man seemed to want to let go. Pascal felt his heart flutter in his chest a little when he realised how long they’d been holding each other.
He reluctantly loosened his grip, letting his arms slowly slip off the slim man. Nervous did the same and eventually stood up semi-straight.
“Bye,” Nervous said quietly with a slight grin, and Pascal could swear that pale face looked a little pinker than usual.
“Seeya,” he returned, smiling and waving as the other man shuffled out the door.
Pascal stood and stared longingly at it for a minute before he was interrupted by Lazlo. “What was that?”
He turned around and saw both his brothers standing behind him, having apparently seen the entire farewell. “What was what?”
Lazlo smirked at him. “That.”
“The hug,” Vidcund clarified.
Pascal looked from him to Lazlo, confused. “It was a hug.”
“Just a hug?” the youngest brother probed.
“What are you asking me?”
“I think,” Lazlo said, “that you want someone to raise your kid with. And I think you want that someone to be Nervous. If you catch my drift.”
Pascal stared at him. “You mean, you think I want Nervous to be my partner? Romantically?”
“Yeah.” He continued to grin.
“That’s—” Pascal began to refute, then thought about it. Nervous? My partner? My… husband?
“He’s considering it!” Lazlo said to Vidcund.
“What if it’s just the pregnancy talking?” Vidcund pointed out, frowning slightly.
Yeah… What if it’s just that? Pascal questioned, feeling worried. What if I’m only—
“Nah,” Lazlo disagreed, cutting Pascal’s thoughts short. “He’s always been fond of Nervous. You remember when he said he liked his mohawk, and we made fun of him for it?”
“Oh, yeah! That was funny,” Vidcund remembered, chuckling a little. “He wanted to touch it.”
“Yeah!”
“And he likes that Nervous is tall. You can see it in his face, and he always looks at him that way. You know what way I mean.”
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“I’m right here, you know,” Pascal interrupted, blushing.
“We know,” Lazlo replied, smirking. “Don’t overthink it, Pas.”
Easier said than done, he thought wryly, but a part of him wanted to listen to his baby brother. I shouldn’t overthink it. He’s right. I like Nervous, and maybe there isn’t a logical explanation. Maybe there doesn’t have to be one, just this once.
Nervous had once again managed to sneak out to the Curious house and was standing on their doorstep, waiting for someone to let him in.
As he waited, he heard a commotion inside. He could hear voices talking and something else, a loud, high-pitched sound, like some sort of scream or cry. What’s going on? he wondered, concerned.
The door was eventually opened by Lazlo, who didn’t look one bit surprised to see him. “Nervous! Come in!”
He did so, entering the house and hearing the loud sound clearer. Could that be…?
“Pas has been waiting for you to come, dude. Also, sorry about that,” he said, gesturing toward the living room. “Tycho’s crying.”
“Tycho?”
“The baby!” Lazlo grinned widely. Nervous then saw what was happening—Pascal and Vidcund were in the living room, the former cradling the baby in his arms as they cried.
Lazlo moved out of the way so Nervous could approach the other two—or now, three—Curiouses. He walked slowly, in disbelief. Had it really been that long since he last visited?
He was eventually noticed by Pascal, who looked ecstatic at the sight of him. “Nervous! You’re here!”
Nervous nodded in response. “You had the baby.”
“Yeah!” He came over to Nervous and stood close, showing him the baby. “His name is Tycho! Though he doesn’t seem to be in the mood to meet new people right now, heheh.”
“Tycho…” Nervous repeated. The baby had pale green skin like an alien, which didn’t surprise him. “Hello, Tycho.”
Tycho slowly stopped crying and looked up at Nervous. He had entirely black eyes, iris and sclera, and they blinked slowly as the baby surveyed the man.
Nervous wasn’t sure what to do. He didn’t want to scare him, so he stayed still and tried not to do anything.
The room was dead silent, all three brothers seeming surprised. Tycho began to move his hand a little bit as if trying to grasp something.
After a moment, Vidcund spoke up. “I think it’s your hair, Nervous.”
“What?” he asked, turning to look at Vidcund.
“Your hair,” he repeated. “Maybe Tycho wants to touch it.”
“Oh, maybe,” Pascal agreed, looking up at Nervous.
“Oh. Okay.” He stepped back and got down on one knee, then tilted his head forward a little.
Pascal slowly shifted Tycho in his arms before gently holding the baby’s hand and guiding it towards Nervous’s mohawk.
He felt the tiny hand touch his hair, then grasp it, pulling a little. Tycho let go, then grabbed it again. He emitted a small sound that turned into a giggle.
“He likes it,” Pascal whispered, sounding amazed.
“I told you,” Vidcund replied triumphantly.
“Like father, like son,” Lazlo added.
Pascal and Tycho pulled away, and Nervous looked up at the two. Pascal was beaming at his son, joy radiating from him like heat off a light bulb. Tycho was still looking at Nervous, smiling.
He stood back up, towering over the proud father as per usual. A smile spread across Nervous’s face. I honestly thought Tycho would be scared of me. I’m glad he isn’t.
Pascal looked up at him and smiled. “I think he likes you, Nervous.”
Nervous smiled wider.
They stood like that for a moment in comfortable silence, then Pascal looked as if he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.
What’s he thinking about?
Pascal then turned to his nearest brother. “Vidcund.”
“Yes?”
“Could you hold Tycho for me for a bit?”
“Sure,” he agreed. Vidcund approached him, and Nervous watched as Pascal gently handed the baby over to his brother.
After Tycho was settled in Vidcund’s arms, he began cooing at him. “Hi there, Tycho! Uncle Vidcund’s gonna rock you to sleep. Do you think he’s gonna be able to say my name?” he asked Lazlo.
“I think he’ll have the hardest time learning your name, Vid,” Lazlo stated.
“Like yours is any easier!”
“He can just call me Uncle Laz.”
“Nervous, do you want some pizza?” Pascal said, gesturing to the box open on the island counter.
He nodded and followed the other man into the kitchen.
They took a slice each and began to eat as the other men idly conversed about the baby. “You know, I craved pizza a lot when I was pregnant,” Pascal reminisced. “It’s a good thing Lazlo’s started making his own pizzas, that way, we spend less money on delivery.”
“Mmm,” Nervous responded, still chewing. He swallowed, then replied, “Pizza’s good.”
“Yep. Lazlo makes it even better than this place! You should try some sometime.”
Nervous nodded.
Pascal looked like he wanted to say something again. He eyed his younger brothers, then looked back at Nervous. “Do you remember when you said you wanted to be a father?”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” he began, taking a step closer, “If you’re okay with being a father to an alien baby, I’m single. And I’d like to have someone like you to raise my son with.” He grinned up at Nervous hopefully.
Is this… flirting? Is he asking me to be with him? Nervous asked himself, taken aback. I’d love to, but what do I do? What do I say?
Nervous stared at Pascal as he tried to figure out how he should respond. Not wanting to leave him waiting, he did the first thing that came to mind.
Nervous pulled Pascal into an embrace and kissed him.
Pascal let out a noise of surprise before leaning into Nervous and kissing him back, and they stayed like that for a few more seconds until Nervous pulled away.
“Sorry,” he began breathily, “that was probably too much.”
“No, no,” Pascal disagreed, shaking his head. “I’m guessing that’s a yes?”
“Yes.” Nervous nodded eagerly. “I would love to be with you and raise Tycho. If that’s what you meant.”
“It is.” Then without further ado, Pascal kissed him.
The two stood in the kitchen, arms around each other, lips together, ignoring everything else in the world. Meanwhile, Lazlo approached the island, took a piece of pizza, and left, and Vidcund went to put the now-sleeping Tycho in his crib.