Chapter Text
Today was supposed to be a nice day. Bdubs was supposed to stay with Tango's partners at their place in the Hermit Hub while they wait between seasons.
The sad thing? Bdubs found themself deeply sick. Struggling and chucking into the toilet in the polycule's master bathroom.
Bdubs doesn't even know when they woke up. Did they even go to bed last night? Probably not…
The ever so lovely Skizz is the first to find them some hours later. All of them were heavy sleepers, Bdubs can't tell if they thank them or curse them for that.
Either way, there's a warm hand on their back and a gentle voice comforting them.
"Hey, hey, it's alright." Skizz trills.
It's not, Bdubs hasn't felt well in weeks, but they'll go with it.
After a too long moment, Bdubs sits up and breathes as evenly as they can muster.
"I'm right here, okay." Skizz says gently as it rests a hand on Bdubs' cheeks. "I know how this feels.
"It feels awful." Bdubs complains. "I can't— can't keep a thing down!"
"Not a single thing?" Skizz asks, its voice a gentle tone.
"No!" They exclaim before groaning. Nausea scratches at their stomach, clawing desperately as it does.
"Jeez…" Skizz murmurs.
Bdubs can't help but whimper pathetically into the toilet bowl.
"I could get you some pickled ginger? Or ginger candy?" The angel offers. "Or something with cinnamon? That helped me when I was pregnant with Lovebug."
They shake their head as they groan. "No, not more food. Not a single more piece of food."
"Alright, how about some medicine?" Skizz offers next. "I'm pretty sure we have some Pepto—"
At the thought of taking more medicine to solve an issue, Bdubs vomits into the bowl as they groan.
"Alright, no on the meds, got it." Skizz sighs.
It turns to Impulse, who stands near the door next to Tango. The two of them look unsure, what doesn’t help is that Zedaph isn't too far away holding a sleeping Cozy and staring on without a wince.
Skizz's hand keeps rubbing up and down Bdubs' back as the dryad settles again with a desperate groan.
Tango is the next to breach the bathroom, sitting on Bdubs' other side and resting his hand on their back.
"I'm right here, Bdubs." Tango says slowly.
Whatever Bdubs is retching out now comes out clear. The disgusting mess of stomach bile as Bdubs coughs and spits.
"Think we should go to a clinic?" Skizz asks as it turns to Tango.
"It- it's just some sickness, I've been through worse." Bdubs says with a cough. "Don't- don't worry about me, I'm fine now."
"You sure? You still look green." Tango says with a laugh.
"It's just the lighting." Bdubs objects. "I'm perfectly fine."
— ❁ —
They were not perfectly fine. In fact, they were even worse than fine.
But Bdubs is Bdubs, a stubborn unit of a buck that doesn't tire.
…
Okay so maybe they fainted in their rush down the stairs, so what? Not everyone has a working immune system!
When they open their eyes again, everything is white. The room — they think it's a room — is dimly lit by froglights in the ceiling. The light halos a player nearby, one with brown hair and two black horns.
Impulse, it has to be him…
"Am I dying?" Bdubs groans as they come to. "Is this heaven?"
The demon turns his head up, sighing as he smiles. "You're awake."
"Yeah…" Bdubs croaks. "Where are we?"
"The nearest hospital." Impulse explains before taking their hand, drawing Bdubs' attention to the tube in their arm. "You took a pretty bad fall down the stairs and wouldn't wake up."
"What…" They manage to mumble.
"Yeah, you had us pretty worried." Impulse says with a strained laugh.
"No… what's this?" Bdubs asks as they try to raise their arm.
"Oh, I think that's something for the dehydration and nausea." Impulse says.
"Thank the gods." Bdubs sighs as they lean back into the bed.
Someone knocks on the door before the head of a galeborn slips in. The skink-like player stands at the foot of their bed, forcing Bdubs to look up.
"How are you feeling, Mr. BdoubleO100?" She asks as she looks over a tablet.
"Just Bdubs is fine, and better. Much better." They reply as they try to get more comfortable.
"Good, good." She nods. "Are you ready to go over your lab results?"
"'Lab results'." Bdubs asks tiredly.
"Your husband here allowed us to take some blood and urine samples to rule out anything that could be making you sick." She explains.
Bdubs turns to Impulse slowly, the demon only giving a sheepish smile. "I thought it was important."
"Alright, sweetie." Bdubs sighs before turning to the doctor. "I'm ready."
"To start, your urine showed elevated levels of hCG." The doctor explains.
"What does that mean?" Bdubs asks through a scratchy voice.
"Well, a lot of possible things, but one of them could be that you are pregnant." The doctor goes on.
"What?" Bdubs exclaims loudly. "Me? Pregnant? How did— how could?"
"You have been taking medicine that improves your odds to get pregnant." The doctor almost sounds a bit baffled. "You know this correct?"
"I- yes? But they were so I could get my partner pregnant, not me." Now it's Bdubs' turn to explain as the doctor looks on in confusion. "He's a netherborn and is trans masc like me."
She eyes between Impulse and Bdubs before talking once again. "Well, in those terms then I think congratulations for you two are in order?"
"I- I guess?" Bdubs replies. Their hands fall to their belly, looking themself over quietly.
So they were pregnant… odd…
— ❁ —
Bdubs is only released an hour or two later as they take in the drip of medicine.
Pregnant, they're pregnant. Not Tango, but them.
Bitterness and relief and frustration and love all flood into them as they get back to the server.
Apollo, Dove, Mandy Mane, and Tiny Tim are all playing out in the main area. They're chasing each other and screaming as they play tag. Laika and Cywren, ever the quiet duo, are off in their own worlds as they sit nearby each other.
Some of the adults joked about if their kids got together, the main one being those two with how stuck at the hip they were. Then there was Dove and Mandy Mane, two spirited kids that never got along. Maybe some day.
The thoughts of the children running around are nearly forgotten as Laika comes running up to them. The nearly ten year old child clings against their waist.
"Oh, hey, sweetie." Bdubs greets their child. They rest their hands against Laika's back, holding them close as they do. "Did you miss me?"
"Was worried…" Laika murmurs in that ever quiet ways on xyrs. "Dad said you fell."
"Yeah, I fell." They reply with a sigh. "But I'm okay now."
"No more throwing up?" Laika asks as xe looks up at them with dark red eyes.
"I- I don't know about that." Bdubs coughs as they look around. "Um… do you know where you dad is?"
"He's in lab drawing." Laika replies.
Bdubs pats their back, looking back towards the ZITS' house where their shared workspace turns into a large lab in one corner.
"I… should go talk to him…" Bdubs murmurs as they try to step back.
This being said, Laika's hold on them is tight and xe whimpers as they try to pull away. It makes Bdubs sigh and crouch down until they're eye to eye.
"I promise I won't drop dead, alright?" Bdubs says gentle, taking Laika's hands in their own and squeezing them.
"Pinky promise?" Laika asks with wobbly eyes.
"Pinky promise." Bdubs replies as they hold up their hand.
Laika takes their finger in xyr own, shaking it with one finger as they do.
"Alright." Bdubs pulls their hand back and stands back up on cracking knees. "Impulse, can you—"
"Look after the kids?" Impulse answers in reply. "I will."
The tired dryad cups Impulse's cheek with a hand, pulls him close to kiss him, then walks away to their shared house.
Bdubs doesn't know how they can live like this as four adults and three young children, but at least the house is clean. Everything is big, grand, but yet very homely as Bdubs walks through the house to the adjoining work room.
Tango is where Laika said he'd be, looking over blueprints as his eyebrows scrunch together. For a moment Bdubs almost finds it funny, the netherborn had lost much of his hair over the last decade and yet his eyebrows stayed.
Slowly, Bdubs walks up to the netherborn and wraps their arms around his waist. It gets a eek then a purr from Tango before he turns to them.
"You're alive." Tango laughs.
"I'm alive." Bdubs' own laugh is a bit strained. "And— uh… how do I say this…"
"Is everything alright?" Tango asks quickly. "Impulse said you two found out why you're so sick, but didn't say anything else about it or what was up.
"You're not dying, are you?" He blurts.
"What? No!" Bdubs exclaims urgently. "No, no, I'm— I just— You just— I'm pregnant!"
Tango pauses in his scribbling, puts his pencil down, and turns to face them. "No. Really?"
"Y- yeah! The— treatment worked too well or— or something and I— I'm pregnant." Bdubs laughs. "I— uh… I think it's yours, it's gotta be yours. I didn't— didn't have sex with— with anyone else and— and gods I'm pregnant, Tango!"
The netherborn shuffles a bit before fully turning around, looking Bdubs over as he leans against his drawing board. "Are you happy with this?"
"Gods, I am! But at the same time I'm so scared." Bdubs explains. "I— Last time I went through this— gods, I got so sick even a week after I got rid of it! What if I'm sick the whole time? What if something bad happens?"
"You won't be, Bdubs." Tango says lightly. "I'll be here the whole time. We'll be here for you the whole time."
"All thirty weeks?" Bdubs asks.
"All thirty of them." Tango replies.
Bdubs pulls Tango into a tight hug, holding him tight as they try not to shake.
"I love you so much, Tango." Bdubs says with a bright smile.
"I know, Bdubs." Tango says in return.
"I love you so much that I might just throw up on you."
"Please don't."