Chapter Text
For the third day in a row, Eberwolf the Huntsman woke up feeling nauseous. He wriggled out from between his two mates and headed for the bathroom. He hadn’t been throwing up at all, but the nausea was intense and unpleasant. At least he didn’t have to explain himself, since there was no evidence other than him rising earlier than normal, but even that wasn’t especially out of character.
It was out of character for him to get up this early and not exercise, but since Hunter had moved out, he didn’t feel much need to do that first thing in the morning.
Once the worst waves had passed he used the bathroom as normal, grimacing at himself in the mirror. He was looking scragglier than he liked. He was also getting older, and the weight he’d kept off in his youth was starting to catch up with him. He grimaced at his stomach, glad that Darius wasn’t precious enough to complain about him weighing more. Or if he was, he was keeping it to himself.
He’d had to learn to limit his negative commentary. Alador was a lot more sensitive than Eber was, and struggled to not take it personally. He’d accepted it even in the first year of their relationship, with his therapist unaware, because he simply didn’t realise it needed to be addressed. Eber constantly calling their mutual mate on it had made him come around however, and Darius had equally realised the negative effect it had on the more fragile man.
It didn’t surprise Eber that the inventor was going grey already. Darius was too, as he technically was mostly grey under his goo, but had been since about twenty. It was one of many reasons he didn’t like showing his head publicly.
He sighed at his self-consciousness and headed back to the bed. Darius was still fast asleep, but Alador had woken in his absence. Darius was a heavy sleeper, though, and Alador, even with medication, sometimes had bad paranoia attacks. He smiled softly as Eber moved to snuggle into him again, petting his hair slowly. Eber loved how treasured he always felt like that.
“|You alright?|”
His speech had never really recovered. He had some limited phrases, but the damage to his brain had resulted in a slur he couldn’t deal with in most situations. He noticed a lot of people treated him as “damaged goods”, and didn’t take him as seriously, which was a frustration to the inventor. So, like Eberwolf, he’d picked up sign language. It was also handy for talking in bed when Darius was asleep.
“|Sore stomach|” he sighed, nestling in more.
Both hands found his belly and stroked slowly, making him purr gently. The questioning hum behind his head got a nod. That helped.
~
“Letter for you hun.” Darius called out as he walked in.
Eber was flat on the couch, feeling sore all over. Darius spotted him and moved to pet him.
“Rough day my dear?”
Eber GROWLED into the cushion, one that didn’t let up as the rubs on his shoulders started, despite how nice it felt. After a moment he batted away the hand.
“Alright, no rubs.”
Eber winced, then whined, pointing at his feet. Surprised, Darius moved down to take them in hand.
“Oh love, you’ve got swollen pads. I knew you’d been overdoing it.” He fretted. “I’ll draw you up a foot bath alright?”
That did sound wonderful.
Darius slid up, planting the letter in his hands. His ears twitched as he followed the progress of his mate upstairs. The letter was the usual royalty from his book. He smiled, then groaned in relief as Darius got him to sink his sore feet into the basin of cool water.
“Better?”
The demon smiled up at him gratefully. It was much better.
~
He looked at his toast. Darius had used fire-bee honey on it. He loved fire-bee honey. He’d been hungry for it ten minutes ago. Now the smell was turning his stomach over and he had no idea why.
He pushed the plate towards Alador who took it without question. Darius came back out to two clean plates, his own filled with his fancy dressed toast. Alador signalled for their attention.
“|Mash and steamed vegetables tonight|” he informed them.
Darius looked at him over his meal, frowning ever so slightly.
“I thought you were going to make a roast cockatrice?”
“|Changed my mind. Want something soft.|”
He didn’t look at Eber as he said it, but the demon knew it was for his troubled stomach. He smiled gratefully at the other man, who gave him a quiet look. He appreciated the care.
~
“|You two can go ahead. I’m feeling lousy|”
Eber pulled himself out of the alluring kisses, and felt Darius’s hurt look. He smiled up at him meekly.
“You haven’t been in the mood all month love, I’m worried.”
Alador reached to stroke his ears.
“|Would you stay at least, I feel worse if you’re not here|”
The admission made Eber smile, and slowly he nodded.
“Can I still touch you?” Darius wanted to know, shy.
“|Not taking my clothes off|” Warned Eber.
“That’s fine love, just making sure you know we still want you here, even when you don’t feel up to joining in.”
He ended up between them, being warmly snuggled, both loving his soothing presence. Despite the erection, he chased them both off when they tried rubbing it, adamant in his lack of mood. Alador nodded on the second attempt, and focused on just petting him as he and Darius worked hard to make it to the end.
~
Once again he despaired over his stomach. He knew he was due some extra weight, but he couldn’t even see his feet any more. He’d become too self-conscious to even join his partners in the shower, though they continued to reassure him he was still loved. Darius made an incautious joke about “more to love” and ended up in the guest room for three days. Worse, he couldn’t seem to get comfortable no matter how he laid himself down.
Alador was watching him again.
He turned to glare at him.
The inventor moved, and gently pulled him into his lap, his stronger hand massaging his neck, the weaker stroking over his belly.
“Luv you.” He mumbled.
The directness of it, the fact he was willing to say it, soothed Eber more than he expected. He took the hand on his stomach and began rubbing it in return, feeling safe.
~
“|I don’t want to hear it Darius, I am going to MURDER one or both of you if I don’t go out running today|” His gestures were wide, angry and adamant.
“I Just mean, you’ve been so, on edge lately, are you sure-”
Alador slipped up beside Darius and put his hands around him gently, soothing him.
“|Eberwolf is not a prisoner here Darius, any more than I am|” His expression was gentle but serious. “|If he needs to get outside and run, then I wouldn’t be the one stopping him. I would think you’d not run if you were ill|” His gaze switched to the demon.
“|I don’t feel ill, I feel cooped up|”
Darius looked between them and sighed.
“Fine, fine. As long as you have your scroll with you.”
He held it up as proof before heading out to run to try and escape the itch in his skull.
~
The running was soothing in its’ own way. He started going three to four times a week, taking on different areas of Bonesborough and the forests around it. He hadn’t lost any of the weight yet but he was feeling far more himself.
He was close enough to the Owl House to smell Hooty when the pain hit. It was severe enough to send him crashing to the ground, grabbing his stomach, completely unable to figure out where the pain had come from. He’d been having stomach issues all day, but that was new, and unpleasant.
He laid on his side for a bit, and it passed. He took a bit longer to reorient himself, a few minutes maybe. He found his feet again, hauling himself up.
The pain struck again, sucking the breath from his lungs. He clawed at the ground, helpless with it.
After the third wave he started to try and crawl towards the Owl House, scared, barely able to think.
“WHO GOES THERE!”
Hooty burst from the ground in front of him, making him fall and roll, panting painfully. He tried to whine a greeting but the pain struck again. He heard Hooty screaming more things at him, but they became more and more nonsensical to him.
Lilith Clawthorne’s voice melded in to the house-demon’s.
“Am I really necessary Hootcifer? You’re so capable without me.”
“THIS ONE’S REEEEEEEAAAALLY ODD LULU. I DON’T THINK I SHOULD HOOT IT.”
“I really don’t think- Eberwolf?”
He didn’t know her very well. A vague face from his coven days, a part of the rebellion for less than a week. They hadn’t really had much to do with each other. He tried to say something, anything, but he felt so weak now the latest pain had passed.
“You’re bleeding!”
Her staff swam through his hazy view, and he felt a tingling zap run up his spine. He had no idea where he was bleeding from, but he took her word for it.
“What are you doing out here? What happened?”
He tried to sign, but the pain struck again. He coiled into a ball, panting and whining in agony.
The pain passed and he realised he was being carried on a wafer of oracle magic. Everything hurt, from his ears to his toes. He could hear her yelling for her sister, backed by Hooty’s thundering interjections.
“I healed him, but he was convulsing in pain, and the blood! Edalyn! I need to get him to hospital but I don’t think I can fly him alone!”
“What do you m-”
He lost focus again. It felt like his guts were ripping themselves apart.
“-lling Darius! He can do that bubble thing and get him there so much faster!”
“Eda! He’s bleeding again!”
“What’s the screaming about?”
Eberwolf recognised Raine’s voice as the cacophony increased. He tried to move but the pain was coming so much more steadily now. It was less than a minute between each brain-shattering pulse.
Hands on him, he didn’t want hands on him. They were taking his clothes. He didn’t want that!
“Eber, Ebs please don’t fight!”
Darius, sounded panicked. He smelt Alador-
He had two hands on either side of him, holding on to his hands. He squeezed on them, then screamed as the pain came to a head. His body clenched and shoved, and all at once, it stopped.
Something new was in the room. He felt dizzy and loose, floaty.
“Good call Rainstorm.” Eda sounded so gentle, it was strange.
“I’ve got the tears.” Lilith’s voice wafted around him. He felt another surge of healing magic.
“It’s so little.” Whispered Raine.
Darius spoke up, on his left.
“Where… HOW?!”
“Well Dardar, when a mommy witch and a daddy witch love each other very much…”
Alador’s snicker, on his right.
“Th-that’s not what I mean and you know it!”
“Hush, you’re frightening her.”
A thin wail started up. Despite the horrible feeling in his EVERYTHING, Eber knew he had to move. He tried to sit.
“No no NO love, stay down, we have her. We have her.”
There was something absolutely reverent in his mate’s tone.
“You hold her then. I remember that there’s meant to be some, more. Basically.” murmured Raine
Eber wanted to ask what it was, but a further painful tremor, though nothing as intense as the ones he’d had before though, passed through him.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Lilith dashed from the room.
“Do we need to, keep it or anything? I don’t know a lick about his customs here.”
Eber smelt a new pup by him. It still had birthing blood on it. He turned his head towards the smell, whining. Why was there a new pup by him? Why was no one cleaning it?
Alador squeezed his hand gently. He heard Darius moving, and the smell was moving with him.
“Is fang-boy awake in there?”
He heard a negative noise from Alador, and tried to protest. The inventor swam into view above him, stroking his cheek tenderly.
“If he can rest, let him do so, he just finished the hard yards.”
Sleep had never sounded so good in his life. He closed his eyes to chase it.