#pregnancy symptoms before menstrual time

[yashodaivffertilitycentre]

Pregnancy Symptoms: What to Expect

Pregnancy is an incredible journey where a baby grows inside a mother’s womb. Typically, pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, or around nine months. When a woman becomes pregnant, her body goes through many changes as a new life begins to develop. Let's explore how you can tell if you're pregnant, what the stages of pregnancy are, and how to take care of yourself during this special time.

How Does a Baby Start to Grow?

A baby starts to grow when a sperm from the father meets an egg from the mother. This usually happens in a place inside the mother called the ovary. The egg becomes fertilized when it comes into contact with the sperm and travels to the uterus, where it adheres to the wall. This tiny fertilized egg, called a zygote, divides and grows, eventually becoming an embryo.

Stages of Pregnancy

Each of the three trimesters, or phases of pregnancy, has distinct changes of its own:

First Trimester (0-12 weeks):

The organs of the baby, including the heart, brain, and spine, start to form during this time.

The baby is still tiny, and the mother might not feel much different, but her body is already working hard to support the new life.

Second Trimester (13-28 weeks):

The baby starts to grow bigger, and you can see its arms, legs, and face more clearly. The mother may start to feel the baby move inside her. Ultrasound is a common tool used by doctors to monitor a baby's progress, but it is unlawful in India to reveal the gender of the child.

Third Trimester (29-40 weeks):

The baby grows rapidly and gets ready for birth. Its bones harden, and it often turns its head downward in preparation for delivery. The mother may feel tired and heavy as the baby takes up more space.

Common Pregnancy Symptoms

If you think you might be pregnant, here are some signs to look for:

Missed Period: This is often the first clue that you could be pregnant. A test is advised because missing a period on its own is insufficient.

Morning Sickness: Feeling nauseous and vomiting, especially in the morning, is common in early pregnancy.

Headaches and Dizziness: Hormone changes might cause headaches or make you feel lightheaded.

Breast Changes: Your breasts might become sore, swollen, or more sensitive as they prepare for feeding the baby.

Tiredness: Feeling very tired is common, especially in the early and late stages of pregnancy.

Increased Discharge: A white or milky discharge from the vagina is normal during pregnancy and helps keep the area clean.

Mood Swings: Hormonal changes can cause you to feel happy one moment and sad the next.

Taking Care of Yourself

Taking care of yourself during pregnancy is essential for both you and your baby. Here are some tips:

Eat Well: Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains in your diet. Avoid junk food and stay hydrated.

Exercise: Gentle exercises like walking, swimming, or pregnancy yoga can help keep you fit and relieve stress.

Regular Check-ups: Visit your doctor regularly for check-ups to ensure everything is progressing smoothly.

Rest: Make sure you receive enough rest and sleep. As your body works hard to grow a baby, rest becomes even more important.

Handling Stress During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a joyful time, but it can also bring stress. It’s important to stay positive and find ways to relax:

Positive Thinking: Try to focus on the happiness your baby will bring.

Support from Loved Ones: Lean on your family and friends for help and encouragement.

Relaxation: Activities like meditation, deep breathing, and hobbies can help reduce stress.

Pregnancy is a unique journey, full of changes and new experiences. By understanding the signs and taking care of yourself, you can make this journey a healthy and happy one.

For more detailed information in Marathi, you can visit Pregnancy Symptoms in Marathi.

[devotedlyandrogynousyouth]

Love your DC content!! Can you write something olderbf bruce becoming a parent with younger reader? Or bestfriend jason finding out reader is dating dick?

Thank you 💜

Omg absolutely!! Tysm for the request and I definitely want to write the one for Jason at some point in the future, buttt for now, because its 2 AM, you'll get some OlderBF! Bruce :)

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OlderBF! Bruce Wayne Becoming a Parent

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who finds out that you're pregnant before you even know. To be fair, it didn't take the world's greatest detective to notice the menstrual products in your master bathroom that haven't been touched in the past two months or so.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who makes you feel silly for ever being nervous about telling him that you're pregnant, even though he's freaking out a little on the inside.

Your day was long. Long enough that your back had been aching and your feet and ankles were sore. Hell, you could barely keep your eyes open while standing, how the hell could you exoect yourself to stay awake while laying down on one of the lavish couches in Wayne Manor's library? But, in the blink of an eye (literally), you were awoken by Bruce carefully taking off your shoes. Had you really just passed out on the spot? Pregnancy symptoms must've been hitting you a little harder than you thought...

"Any morning sickness today?" He asks casually as he finishes taking off your other shoe before pressing a kiss to your knee.

"No... It's been alright." You answer without thinking too much about the question. But after a few moments of relishing in the heavenly feeling of Bruce rubbing your swollen feet, the question clicks. "Wait, I can explain-"

"And so can the pads and tampons in the bathroom that haven't been used in two months." He answers before you can finish, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the rainy Gotham weather. "Were you going to tell me?" Bruce asks as he continues his minstrations on your sore feet, his thumbs pressing into your aching arches.

"Of course I was." You answer without hesitation, because you knew you could never keep a secret from Bruce for too long. He was far too observant for that. Yet another difference between him and the younger guys you've dated. "I just couldn't find a good time."

"Look at me, sweetheart." His voice is soft as he tilts your chin towards him, gently stroking your jaw in such a soothing manner that you may just fall asleep again. "Any time is a good time to talk to me about something like this, alright? I don't care how many work meetings I have or how late it is; you are always my top priority."

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who doesn't expect you to keep the baby, nor does he let you go through making a decision on your own. By the time you hit your third month, the two of you had talked maybe three to four times about what would be best for you, because you are the most important person in his life.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who is immediately at your side for every will and command from that moment on. He knows that this is your first child and just how hard the pregnancy will be on your body, so he refuses to risk anything. You need water? He's already there with a glass and small snack for you. You need to use the bathroom on one of the rare nights that he's home? He's already helping you out of bed and giving you long, tired hugs as soon as you stand before leading you to the master bathroom.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who starts taking a few more nights off whenever he can from his patrols just to be there for you and the tiny life inside your womb. He trusts that Dick can handle Gotham for a few nights on his own every once in a while, for your sake.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who still hasn't told you about his double life as a vigilante, but finally starts considering it. As soon as he started looking at rings, he knew he'd have to come clean eventually. He needed you in his life far more than he thought he'd ever need anyone or anything.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who doesn't let the paparazzi near you at all throughout your pregnancy. In fact, he's tried to keep you inside as much as possible to avoid them, since the two of you never made a public announcement. It was for your safety as much as it was for his sanity.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who is right there as soon as the contractions start (after his initial shock and internal panic attack). He doesn't leave your side for a moment, not even when he's certain you've fractured something in his hand from how hard you're gripping it.

There was almost a swarm of motion around you in the private hospital room you were set up in. Your contractions were coming in strong, and so was your grip on Bruce's hand. "Bruce, I can't do this," well, its a little late for that, "it's too much." You're practically sobbing at this point as you feel the foreboding pressure of an oncoming attraction in your uterus.

"Yes, you can." Bruce is sitting in a chair right next to your bed, the guardrail down while he has one arm around your shoulders and his free hand being crushed by your grip. "I'm right here. You've already made it this far, sweetheart."

And, for a moment, you almost believe him. Until another contraction comes rattling through your body, this one far stronger than the rest you've experienced. "I cant, I can't, I can't, I can't." Is all you can cry out in utter agony, your knuckles turned white as you grip Bruce's hand.

"Do you have any idea how close you are to being done?" He asks as he gently rubs your shoulder, trying not to show just how painful your grip on his hand is. "Five more minutes, alright? Five more minutes of suffering for a lifetime of happiness. Do you think you can handle that for me, sweetheart?"

And, despite your body feeling like its burning and being torn in half, you nod. In what feels like mere moments later, the sound of shrilling cries fill the delivery room. Bruce swears it's the most beautiful sound he's ever heard.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who, for the first time in literal years, cries while holding your infant. His face is red, cheeks are tear-stained, and his beautiful blue eyes are puffy and watery: the same beautiful blue eyes that your baby has.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who is pampering you in affection and attention for the entire time you're in the hospital. Every single craving you've had but couldn't satisfy for the past nine months, he already has brought to you in bed.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who, when the baby is taken by nurses for examinations a day or two after the birth, shows you a ring. A beautiful, beautiful ring that fits your left hand perfectly and shimmers in the bright hospital lights. Your engagement ring.

OlderBF! Bruce Wayne who has a private, simple wedding with you, Alfred, his adoptive children, and your beautiful newborn. The press was too risky to deal with for a public wedding, and Bruce wanted those special moments to just be for your family, not for the media's prying eyes.

OlderHusband! Bruce Wayne who is there for as many milestones as he can be. First steps? He's got the camera. Their first words? "Dada." Their baby teeth coming in? He's already bought those little tooth-shaped containers for when they fall out in a couple of years.

OlderHusband! Bruce Wayne who always knew it was you. You were the best thing to have ever happened in his life, and he refused to mess that up. He knew that, eventually, he would have to tell you about his double life as the Caped Crusader, but he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

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Masterlist

[yrfemmehusband]

Female reproductive health terms you should know!

(terfs not welcome)

Dysmenorrhea: Period pain that isn't normal, i.e. any pain more than Mild cramping.

Dyspareunia: painful intercourse

Oligomenorrhea: lighter, shorter menstrual flow.

Menorrhagia: heavier, longer menstrual flow.

Ovarian cysts: a mass on or in one's ovary, can be resolved on its own, or can remain and cause complications such as a rupture.

Polycystic ovary syndrome: a chronic condition causing cysts to reoccur on the ovaries and enlarging them. Symptoms include:

Irregular periods

hormonal imbalance

facial hair

weight gain

painful periods/ ovulation

infertility

People with PCOS are at higher risk for endometrial cancer, type II diabetes heart problems and high blood pressure.

Endometriosis: A chronic condition in which a tissue similar to, but different than, the endometrial lining grows outside of the uterus instead of inside. During menstruation this tissue sheds and has nowhere to go, thus irritating surrounding organs.

Symptoms include:

Irregular periods

Dysmenorrhea

Widespread pain

Painful ovulation

Vomiting, fainting, chills, sweating, fever and brain fog during menstruation

Infertility

Severe bloating

This also puts people at a higher risk for endometrial and ovarian cancer. There are four stages to Endo as it is a progressive disease, with 3/4 being more severe. The average time it takes to be diagnosed is 7 years.

Adenomyosis: A chronic disease similar and comorbid to endometriosis in which a tissue similar to the endometrial lining grows inside of the uterine wall. Symptoms are nearly identical to endometriosis but more difficult to detect.

Many people are diagnosed post menopause, by fault of the medical system, but it can and does develop much before then.

Ovarian cancer: cancer of the ovary(ies).

Endometrial cancer: cancer of the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus.

Endometrial cyst, or chocolate cyst: cystic lesions from endometriosis.

Tilted uterus: the uterus is positioned pointing towards the back or severely to the front of the pelvis instead of a slight tilt towards at the cervix. Can cause painful sex and periods.

Pelvic floor dysfunction: inability to control your pelvic muscles. Comorbid with many things and is highly comorbid with endometriosis. Can cause pain and incontinence.

Vulvodynia: chronic and unexplained pain at the opening of the vagina.

Interstitial cystitis: a chronic condition where cysts form on the inside of the bladder and urinary tract and cause symptoms similar to that of a UTI.

Pre-eclampsia: a condition occurring in pregnancy where the blood supply between the fetus and the pregnant person is affected and can cause irregular blood pressure, swelling, and in more severe cases headache, nausea and vomiting, a burning sensation behind the sternum, shortness of breath and potentially death if untreated.

Endometritis: an infection or irritation of the uterine lining. Is not the same as endometriosis and is treatable but can cause pain, bleeding, swelling, general discomfort and fever, and more.

Pelvic inflammatory disease: an infection of the reproductive organs

Ectopic pregnancy: a pregnancy that is attached to the outside of the uterus. Can be fatal if left untreated.

There are many more I could probably add but if you see something missing, please add it!

[rinixo]

divine battle

Din Djarin/Reader | 2.5k | Rated E | afab reader, no y/n, pregnancy, Mand’alor Din Djarin, pregnant sex, pregnancy related body dysmorphia, descriptions of childbirth, descriptions of pain, blood

A short wrap-up to aquae vivae. This has descriptions of body dysmorphia, pain and stress during childbirth, and blood.

a/n: The concept of Mandalorians viewing childbirth as a battle is inspired by Aztec mythology and folklore.

read on ao3

You weren’t exactly trying to avoid it, but it still happens sooner than you expected.

Fatigue. Sore abdomen and breasts. Minor mood swings. All symptoms of an impending menstrual cycle - which never comes.

You keep quiet about it at first. A visit to a med droid confirms your suspicions and gives you a clearer timeline. Just a few weeks in so far. Many months to go.

Laying on the bed, you press soft fingers into the flesh of your stomach absentmindedly, trying to imagine it swollen and round. You’d have to let your clothes out, you realize. Or get new ones. Plus all of the other things babies require.

You don’t know where to even start. You don’t have any family here on Mandalore besides your husband - no one to ask, to confide in.

Din had raised Grogu, but that was different. He isn’t a normal baby. A human baby. Your baby.

The sound of the door opening makes you turn your head to look. Din has arrived, Grogu in his arms. They had been training, based on the paint splattered across the child’s clothes.

“Are you all right?” Din questions, seeing you laid out over the blankets.

You nod. “Yes. Just tired.”

Setting Grogu down, he starts to take off his boots and helmet. “Are you sure you’re not working too hard? You’ve been more tired than usual the past few days.”

“I’m sure,” you reply. He casts you a small frown, which you can’t help but smile at. You like how his lips curve naturally into a soft pout.

Raising your hand, you beckon him closer. “Come here.”

Din obliges you, walking slowly toward your bed. He lets you grab his gloved hand, and you pull him down so that he lies next to you. You entwine your fingers with his, turning your head to look into his dark eyes.

He has such nice eyes, you think. Perhaps your baby would have his eyes.

“You sure you’re ok?” Din asks again. There’s worry in his tone, and you squeeze his hand in reassurance. Are you ok? Yes and no. You’re nervous, anxious, and so full of an emotion you can’t name that you feel like you’re going to burst.

“I’m pregnant.” The words fall loosely from your mouth. You watch his expression - eyes widening almost imperceptibly. A short breath leaves his lips.

“Pregnant,” he repeats, almost as if in disbelief. You nod. Tears prick the edge of your vision, and you’re not sure why. Hormones, maybe?

He glances down at your bare abdomen. Removing a glove, he places his palm over you, warmth emanating from his skin into yours. The two of you stay like that for several silent minutes.

“A baby,” he murmurs, and there’s so much awe in how he says it. “Our baby. You’re pregnant.” He looks up at you, and you see the loving determination in his gaze. It makes you feel braver.

“I don’t know how to be a parent,” you confess, looking for support. Din’s eyes soften, and he kisses your lips, the tip of your nose, and the sides of your eyes where tears glisten.

“We’ll figure it out together,” he promises.

—

News of your pregnancy is slow to travel. It’s several months before you start to show noticeably - several months before you can no longer get away with wearing baggier and baggier clothes to cover it up.

It starts with low murmurs in the palace. Idle mumbles of congratulations, which you smile at and hurry past. It’s not that you aren’t happy or excited - sometimes it feels like your heart is going to burst from it all - but you’re nervous. Having a baby is a big deal. Having the Mand’alor’s baby is an even bigger deal.

Din is your constant shadow, unwilling to leave you alone or unguarded for any amount of time. When he absolutely can’t be at your side, he assigns his most loyal and highly trained guards to escort you.

After one incident when a guard doesn’t even let you open a jar yourself, you snap. That evening you sit your husband down and explain that you aren’t helpless and that while you appreciate the concern, it’s becoming more of a nuisance than a help.

Those big brown eyes look up at you forlornly. He agrees to tone it down, pulling you closer by the waist. He kisses the growing swell of your stomach through your linen shift as you pat his soft hair lovingly. You can’t stay mad at him.

The midwives had told you that it would be normal for you to experience an increased libido as time went on. However, it was Din who was becoming more and more insatiable with each passing day. Whether it was lathing over your breasts or buried between your legs, there was scarcely a night where his mouth wasn’t on you somewhere.

Din murmurs idolization into your stomach, and you bite your lip at the feeling of his scruff on your sensitive skin. Laying you back on the bed, he spreads your legs open and kisses softly from the summit of your bump down to where you’re swollen and waiting for him. He has you coming undone with just a few wide laps of his tongue, praising you the whole while.

He tells you how good you taste, and how sensitive you are to his touches. You feel like a goddess being worshipped with how he revels in your changing body.

It helps you on the days you feel detached from yourself. You examine yourself in the full-length mirror, propped up in your closet. Pulling your top up, you cup your round stomach with both hands, turning to view yourself from a side angle.

Din finds you there, brows furrowed in thought. “Everything all right?” He asks.

“I don’t recognize myself,” you murmur. As your body changes, you struggle with seeing yourself in your reflection. It’s made worse by people commenting on how you look - how big you’re getting or how the way your stomach sits means you’re carrying a boy or a girl or whatever other wives’ tales people come up with. You’ve taken to avoiding the court as much as possible as your due date draws nearer.

Din comes up behind you and places his hands over yours, thumbs stroking lovingly over your soft skin. He places his chin on your shoulder, looking at your reflection in the mirror. You lean your head against his.

“I see a woman carrying my child,” he soothes. “A woman who grows more beautiful by the day.” He places a soft kiss to your hair, and you give him a small smile.

—

Something happens on the southern continent, something that his military advisors say requires Din’s attention. At first, he refuses to go, citing your nearing due date.

“Just go,” you insist. “We’ve got a few weeks left. You’ll be back before you know it.”

“I’d never forgive myself if I missed the birth of our child,” he presses. “If I wasn’t there at your side.”

“I’ll hold it in,” you counter, and that gets a huff and a smirk from him.

He grumbles but acquiesces. You wish him good luck and tell him you love him, watching him and Grogu take off in his starfighter.

You waddle back to your chambers, looking forward to getting off your feet. Everything aches recently, and resting in your soft bed surrounded by an ever-increasing mountain of pillows is all that soothes you. Din had teased you about it, feigning exasperation at his disappearing real estate, but dutifully fetched you more and more pillows.

You wince at a sharp pain in your back. It’s nothing to be concerned about, you tell yourself. You’ve got all kinds of pain, in more than just your back. It would be ridiculous if you went into labor the same hour Din left the city -

Another sharp pain and you start to feel clammy. Something feels wrong, innately wrong. The pain doesn’t dissipate, and you have to sit down on a window ledge before your legs give out.

You tap on your wrist communicator, sending a message to the med droid and midwife with your location.

There’s a dampness between your legs. Did your water break? You can’t see past your stomach, so you reach down to touch and feel faint when your hand comes back smeared in blood.

“No no no,” you mumble. “Not yet, please not yet - not right now, your father’s not here.”

Another roll of pain is the only answer, and you choke back a cry. The last thing you remember before your vision goes black is the hurried drone of the med droid arriving, and being lifted in strong, familiar arms.

You come to in a private med bay as Din lays you down carefully. He snaps at the med droid trying to squeeze in next to him, and the midwife snaps back at him and tells him that, Mand’alor or no, if he wants to stay he has to move so they can do their job.

He moves to kneel next to the bed, moving your hair out of your face gently. You sigh as the midwife injects you with something that begins to make the terrible pain subside.

“How are you here?” You murmur, turning your head to look at Din. His eyes are wide, and you can see fear in the way he searches your face.

“Grogu,” he whispers. “He started to cry, and I just - I had a really bad feeling.”

“Hush now,” the midwife announced. You looked up at her helmeted face. “You need to save your energy, young warrior.”

“M’not a warrior,” you choke out.

“You are,” the stern woman insisted. “In our culture, childbirth is conceptually equivalent to battle. You are going to fight and struggle as you labor to bring your child into this world, and if you are to emerge victorious you will need all of your strength.”

A deep ache gets past whatever pain reliever you have in your system, and you curl up with a low groan. Your hand dashes out to grab Din’s, and you clench it hard as the contraction rolls through you.

“You can do this,” your husband says firmly. “I am here with you, my love.”

It’s not a quick birth. The midwife says something about complications, but you can barely think through the pain and the instinctual need for your body to just push. Din does not leave your side for a moment through the entire process, which lasts well into the night.

At last, your screams are answered by the wail of your daughter as she enters this world, and you collapse back onto the sheets. She’s placed, wet and screaming on your chest, and you barely have a chance to croak out a ‘hello’ before your vision goes black again. —

Low murmuring, like a lullaby, draws you from your sleep. Your eyes open slowly, vision blurry, and you see a broad figure sitting next to you holding a bundle of blankets in their arms.

You shift, getting the attention of your husband. Din looks up at you, a gentle smile on his curved lips. He glances back down at the bundle. There’s adoration in the way his eyes shine, like nothing you’ve ever seen from him before.

“Your mother’s awake, little one,” he hushes. You blink, trying to break out of your hazy mindset. “Would you like to try meeting her again?”

He moves carefully toward you and settles next to you on the bed. You sit up, eyes wide and curious, eager to see the face of the child you’d been carrying for all these months.

She’s asleep, and you’re delighted to see that her lips pout the same way Din’s do. She has a tuft of dark hair, and ten perfect little fingers and toes.

“Hello,” you whisper. “Hello, Rila.” Din leans over and transfers your daughter into your waiting arms, wrapping his arms around the both of you and holding you close.

“She’s beautiful,” you say dreamily. Din presses a soft kiss to your hair.

“Like her mother,” he agrees. You glance up at him, a watery smile on your lips.

Rila yawns, and blinks, and your heart sings when you realize that she does have her father’s eyes.

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

Dreamboat Chapter 5

Summary: Y/N, her brother Steve, and his best friend Bucky all moved out West for a new start after Y/N was almost caught up and hurt in a rival gang fight.  Steve wasn’t in shape to fight in the war, but Bucky was drafted.  While out West, Y/N finds herself in trouble again from the local bar owner.  Steve is suddenly drafted for an experimental division of the army, but leaving Y/N alone isn’t an option.  Bucky comes home needing help, and Steve comes up with a crazy compromise.  

Warnings:  mentions of violence, war, unwanted advances, graphic imaging, eventual smut

*Y/N/N= your nick name

Previous chapter Next chapter

Y/N was living a daydream, she had to be.  There was no way this man was real.  That weekend they had tried every position, seeing what worked best since he only had one arm, laughing at what didn’t, and learning all they could about each other in this context of their relationship.  Every day from then on she would nearly run home from work just so she could walk in and find him waiting for her on what was now their bed.  

Justin didn’t bother her anymore.  He didn’t appear out of nowhere or follow her to work, and she figured that at last he’d finally gotten the message that she wasn’t available or interested.  

She was worried about Steve.  They hadn’t received any new letters recently, and she started to stress.  When she and Steve hadn’t heard from Bucky in a long time she had been scared, but he came home.  Who knew what happened to Steve?  She tried writing to the army, to his battalion leader, but never heard anything back.  There was a strange story of a Captain America going around, a man who was beating the Nazis back and making a difference in the war, but she never paid enough attention to it all.  

Weeks later she started to feel sick.  Winter was in full swing and she figured that maybe she was catching the flu, but it progressed from flu-like symptoms to throwing up at the drop of a hat.  While she was at work she ran to the bathroom for the fifth time that day and her boss approached her.

“Okay, you, come with me,” Dr. Banner said, gripping her arm and pulling her down the hall when she came out of the bathroom.

“What?  What’s wrong?” Y/N said, keeping her mouth turned away so he wouldn’t smell the vomit on her breath.  

“You’re getting tested,” he announced with no room for argument.

“Tested?” she asked as he veered into an exam room and had her sit on the table.

Dr. Banner pulled out a cup and set it next to her on the table.  “Go piss, then bring it back to me.”

Y/N’s eyes went wide when she realized what he was wanting to test her for.  “I…that can’t be…wait…”

He pointed to the bathroom that was connected to the exam room and then walked out.  Y/N went and peed in the cup, closing it firmly before walking back out.  Dr. Banner was already waiting for her.  She handed the cup to him and he nodded.  “I’ll be back soon,” he sing-songed as he walked toward the lab.  

Y/N went back to work in a daze.  She tried to focus, but her mind kept wandering.  Was she?  Could this actually be happening?  It wasn’t like she and Bucky had tried to stop it, by any means, but it still seemed like a possibility that was a long way off for some reason.  A little later Dr. Banner caught her in the hallway, pulling her back into an exam room.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Barnes,” he smiled.  “You’re pregnant.”

Y/N gawked at him.  “Are…are you sure?”

“Hogben test confirmed it,” he nodded as he leaned against the counter.  “When was your last menstrual cycle?”  Y/N thought back and told him and he did some quick calculations in his head.  “Then you should be due near the end of September,” he said.  

Y/N nodded, still feeling dazed at the thought of being pregnant.  “Thank you,” she said.  Then she looked at him in fear.  “Are you going to fire me?”

Dr. Banner chuckled.  “No.  You’re one of my best midwives.  We’ll see how your pregnancy goes, and depending on what you need as it progresses, we’ll decide when it’s time to let you rest.”

Y/N frowned but nodded.  “Okay.  Thank you.  I’ll try to get to the bathroom faster–”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dr. Banner said.  “Just go home and rest.  Take care of yourself.  Get your vitamins.  You know how all this works.”

Y/N gave him a small smile.  “Thanks Bruce.”  He winked at her and walked out of the room.  Y/N got home a bit earlier that day, Bucky looking worried in the living room.

“Babydoll, you okay?” he asked, immediately walking up to her and reaching his hand up to tilt her head up so he could look her over.  “You weren’t feeling well this morning.  You shouldn’t have gone to work.  Did something happen–”

“I was sick,” Y/N explained.  “I got sick a few times at work.  But I’m okay.  I’m…it’s…” she paused.  She was unsure how to broach the subject.  They hadn’t talked about children or having a family at all.  He’d always been good with kids, from what she’d seen as they grew up, but she didn’t know how he would feel about it now.  But looking up at him, she couldn’t think of a better man she’d want to have babies with.  She decided to just bite the bullet.  Her eyes started to fill with tears and Bucky’s frown deepened, his eyes widening.  “It’s okay,” she quickly reassured him, her hands smoothing over his shoulders.  “I’m…I’m pregnant.”

Bucky froze.  His eyes were wide and his mouth agape as he stared at her, the only part of him moving was his eyes as they flitted back and forth between her eyes.  “Pregnant,” he whispered.  Y/N nodded, her hand moving to his hand on her neck, pulling it up towards her mouth and kissing his palm.  “My…baby,” he said, his eyes slipping down to her stomach.

“Our baby,” Y/N said, pulling his hand down to rest on her stomach.  “You’re going to be a father.”

Bucky finally blinked and snapped his head back up to look at her.  He smiled as his hand caressed over her stomach.  “My babydoll is gonna give me a baby,” he murmured.  He was looking at her like she hung the stars and it made her even more emotional.  “Why are you crying?” he chuckled.  “Are these happy or sad tears?”

“Happy,” Y/N whispered.  “Are you happy?”

“Yes,” Bucky nodded, his smile widening.  “Yes, babydoll, I’m happy.  I was just shocked at first.”  He leaned down and kissed her, his hand coming back up to her face to cup her cheek.  Y/N kissed him back passionately, her hands running through his hair.  “Mmh, you’re excited today,” he mumbled against her lips.

Y/N giggled.  “It’s the hormones,” she breathed, kissing down his cheek to his jaw then to his neck.  

“Ah, and here I was thinking you were just happy to see me,” Bucky teased, his hand slapping her butt.

“I am,” Y/N said, nipping at his collarbone, making him moan.  She pushed him to their room, fumbling with his pants.  “And it seems you're happy to see me,” she said, feeling him harden in her hand.

Bucky huffed a laugh as she pushed him back on the bed then sunk to her knees in front of him.  “I’m always happy to see you…Mama.”

[junnieverse]

2:22 am ➳ L. HEESEUNG

➙ synopsis: after an abrupt awakening earlier in the morning due to excruciating pain, you realise you've started your period. luckily your boyfriend heeseung makes sure to get anything that'll make the pain better and you're thankful for his efforts to nurse you.

pairing: lee heeseung x afab!reader

genre: fluff, humour? (if you squint hard enough)

word count: 1.2k

warnings: light cursing, mentions of food/cravings, not proofread so there may be some typos

a/n: calling the boyfriend hotline to deliver bf!heeseung to take care of me during my periods too

Twisting and turning, you're soon abruptly woken up by a sharp pain hitting your uterus and you immediately wake up.

Rubbing the sleep off your eyes, you grab your phone checking the time and it was only 2 am.

The room completely dark, the only source of light being the moon shining through the curtains you look beside you and notice how peaceful your boyfriend was sleeping.

Heeseung's light snores filled the room as he was completely passed out exhausted from his day practicing and working on his upcoming tour with his group.

Oh what you would trade to be sleeping as peacefully as him right now.

And the simmering temptation to wack him awake...

All you could think about was how he was sleeping looking as cute as a baby deer yet you had to face the cruelties of life as a women at ungodly hours.

Shame on him for being so unthoughtful!

Snarling at your boyfriend you let out a small "tch" as you got mad at him.

To be fair, ofcourse Heeseung can't be blamed for the fact that you had to go through the menstrual cycle and all the pain and mood swings it came with.

He can't automatically just wake up knowing something was wrong but he most definitely would have to put up with you going through it every month. 

Another jabbing pain hit you as you winced silently slowly getting out of bed trying your best to not wake up your boyfriend.

Tip toeing into the bathroom, you got the warm bath ready and once the tub was filled and smelled just as good, you dipped in submerging yourself as you immediately felt the tension in your muscles soften.

"Ah~ this is perfect." you say to yourself out loud.

Well it may not be as convenient at two in the morning, but it's better than staying in bed in agony... and messy.

After that more than relaxing bubble bath, you unfortunately decided to get out the water before you started to get pruney.

Taking care of your hygiene once again, you soon felt clean and fresh.

Looking through your medicine cabinet you reached for your period pain killers which usually did the trick.

You take your medication as you rub your back which soon started aching and it takes everything in you not to curse out the universe for this fate you've been dealt with.

With how similar period and pregnancy symptoms are, you tried holding back tears at the thought of having to experience all this pain for nine months straight compared to a few days every month.

Walking out the bathroom, you turn the lights off and you eyes direct to the bed which happened to be empty.

Where the heck did Heeseung go?

Sighing in defeat not bothering to ponder more on your boyfriend's whereabouts, you decided to crawl back into bed as you surfed through the channels on tv looking for a cartoon to watch.

Finally settling on Adventure Time, you grab Heeseung's pillow pulling it to you as you cuddled it.

The pain killers hadn't taken effect yet and the cramps were still bothering you.

A late night, early morning snack could satisfy your cravings but you were just too lazy and in pain to move to check in the kitchen downstairs.

Trying to close your eyes, you softly let out deep breathes hoping it would help with the pain but you were basically on the verge of tears.

WHERE THE HELL WAS HEESEUNG?!

Usually your cycle wasn't this awful, this one just hit like a truck and the pain wasn't stopping and it was just really uncomfortable for you.

The other side of the bed dipped and looking up your eyes met with your one and only boyfriend, Heeseung.

"Where were you, Hee?!" you threw the pillow you were cuddling at him which hitting arm.

"I'm sorry I left like that. I was getting you some snacks." he says sympathetically as he showed you the plastic bag which was filled with all sorts of stuff.

He placed the bag on the bed between you both before leaning down giving you a gentle forehead kiss which most definitely cheered you up a bit more.

"And I know you're on your monthly so I got you some pills, extra tampons, pads too, some chamomile tea and a heating pad." He explained showing you all the stuff.

Heeseung was always doing his best to take care of you during your cycle, but this time around he really was on top of his game, not only were you impressed but you were touched by his efforts too.

Immediately reach for the heating pad, you placed it on your stomach and you felt yourself start to relax as the relief washed over you.

He looked through the bag of snacks and handed you your favourite chocolate bar and you softly thanked him opening up the wrapper.

"Gawd I love you."

"Aww, i love you too princess." Heeseung says with a tone of endearment rubbing your arm comfortingly.

"I was talking to the chocolate babe-" you playfully retort pointing at your snack.

Heeseung's jaw dropped at the sudden confession and you nudged him letting out a small laugh.

"I'm just kidding babe, I really appreciate all of this. Even more so at the fact that you- wait how did you know I was on my period?" you look at him quizzically.

He lifts his phone up showing you the period tracker which had your dates recorded.

"This app is a life saver. Makes my life easier. As long as I feed you, you won't bite my head off." he tells you.

Going closer to you, he snuggles in as he wraps his around your shoulder and uses the other one to gently and slowly rub your belly.

"Now Hee I'm not that much of a demon during my period." you quickly defend yourself taking a sip of the warm cup of tea.

"You kicked me out the house and made me sleep at Jay's house for two days straight after I ate the last piece of cake..." he says opening the packet of sweets eating a gummy bear.

"I'll have you know that cake was one of a kind." you mumble trying not to sound petty.

"I- (y/n) you only let me come back after you realised there was another slice in the fridge?!" he remarks back in utter perplexity at you.

"Okay okay damn. So dramatic, it's just cake." you whisper as you crossed your arms feeling defeated.

Heeseung sighs pulling you closer as his body heat radiated off onto you and you felt like you could stay like that forever.

I mean, you can admit that Heeseung gave the best cuddles and he knew that too.

Periods are truly one of the worst things you felt like you had to experience but he makes them seem... less bad.

Going back to the show playing on the tv, you open up a bag of chips calmly munching on them as you enjoyed the quiet and relaxing atmosphere.

"OW!" Heeseung yelps as you slap his hand away when he tried to reaching for your snacks.

"Don't touch my chips."

[icycoldninja]

Can I request Dante x Fem Reader who finds out she is pregnant and doesn't know how to tell Dante... How will he react? And how will he care for her throughout pregnancy....

Absolutley! Here you go and I hope u enjoy 💜

Pregnant (DMC5!Dante x Fem!Reader)

Recently, you'd been feeling weird. You were growing increasingly fatigued, your back ached, you were feeling nauseous nearly all the time, and your mood changed like the wind. You'd randomly burst into tears whenever you heard a nostalgic song on the radio; you were often grumpy and snapped at your friends, and sometimes just felt really happy for no reason. Initially, you blew it off as exhaustion from work, until you missed your period. The entire month flew by and there wasn't a single drop of menstrual blood--one of the most telling symptoms of pregnancy. You had to check now, so you raced to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test.

An hour or so later, you were curled up on the bathroom floor, sobbing, the positive-reading test in your hands. It was true. You were pregnant, and worse yet, you knew who the father was: Dante. You two had done the deed not too long ago--without protection. The two of you were so caught up in your lovemaking, you had forgotten about possible consequences. Your mind was currently in a state of delirium; thoughts swirling about like a violent blizzard. You were thrilled to discover that a child was growing inside you, but at the same time, dreaded telling Dante that the kid was his. Despite their differences, Dante and Vergil were still brothers who shared some of their core traits--and you didn't want your child to end up like Nero. After a few moments of mentally debating it, you decided to take a breather and go to one of the girls for help. Snatching up your wallet and keys, you headed for the door right when it flew open of it's own accord, or rather, Dante's accord. He strode into the room, a smile on his face, then wrapped you in a big hug. "Heya, babe! Miss me?" You nodded, wincing as he pressed you against his frame, which applied unwanted pressure on your painfully sensitive breasts. "I did," You managed to choke out, struggling to free yourself from his grip. "I missed you so much." Dante roughly patted you on the back; a gesture that normally wouldn't bother you, but now that your back was an aching, sore mess, it did. "Ow! Stop being so rough, Dante!" Dante pulled away from you, confused. "What? Did-did I do something wrong? Why ya being all grouchy?" Realizing that your behavior was going to give you away, you immediately sobered up. "No, it's just...." You sucked in a breath, trying to think up a lie quickly. "I...uhhh...pulled a muscle in my back earlier, and it hurts if you touch it." Dante blinked at you a few times before his bewildered expression melted into a grin. "Aw, is that all? I could massage it for you if you like." You forced a smile; sudden pangs of nausea were filling your stomach. "No thanks, Dante, I'll be fine." Dante frowned, sensing this behavior wasn't like you at all--you always enjoyed his massages because his hands were so strong. "You sure you're OK, Y/N? You're acting weird." You gagged; the sudden need to vomit overcoming you. Wordlessly, you raced to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet in time. Out came your breakfast, lunch, and last night's dinner, followed by an amalgamation of other substances you didn't want to recognize. Dante appeared around the corner, brow furrowed. "Y/N, are you sick?" You shook your head, sighing. If there was ever a time to tell him, it was now. "I'm not sick, Dante...I'm pregnant." Dante's blue eyes widened; his mouth dropped open in shock. "Wh-really?And...and the dad...is me?" You nodded miserably, feeling another wave of vomit coming. Still awed, Dante rushed forward and held your hair back while you regurgitated all that was in your stomach. After you'd been cleaned up and all that, you seated him on the couch and gave it to him straight. "Yes, Dante, you're the dad. I'm pregnant with your kid." Dante was amazed and overjoyed, but something about your tone didn't sit right with him. "Why do you sound so mad? Do...do you not want a kid?" He looked hurt, and disappointed, as if raising a child was something he'd longed for his entire life. "I do want a child...but I'm just...worried.." Dante gently took your hand in his, kissed it, and asked, "About what?" Before you could stop yourself, you'd burst into tears.

"I'm just worried you'll leave me like Vergil left Nero!" You ended up blurring out, while sobbing into his chest. "I don't want that for our kid! I want you to stay with me and have a family!" Dante was silent for a while, gently rubbing circles into you back while you cried and told him all your worries. Eventually, he pulled away, but only so he could wipe away the tears in your eyes and kiss your cheeks. "I won't leave. I'm not that old asshole, Y/N, just cause we look the same doesn't mean we'll act the same. I want to raise a family with you. I really do." He reached down and rubbed your belly. "I can't wait for this kid to get here, he's gonna be a badass just like his old man!" You laughed, nestling into his shoulder. "How do you know it'll be a boy? What if it's a girl?" Dante shrugged in response. "Then she'll be badass, like her old man, and probably'll be as pretty as her momma." You grinned, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "I sure hope so..."

♡ Pregnancy care headcannons ♡

-Carries you everywhere, even if your destination is just across the room.

-Sets up a nursery like 8 months ahead of time, claiming that he needs all the time he can get to decorate it to "suit the baby's tastes".

-Throws a huge (alcohol free) party at DMC and uses it as an excuse to dramatically announce your pregnancy.

-Can't stop rubbing it in his brother's face, as until recently, a child was one of the few things Vergil had that Dante didn't.

-Cooks the weirdest dishes (like spaghetti with chocolate sauce and omlettes with rice in them) but that's okay cause you so happen to be craving these weird foods.

-CUDDLES AND HUGS 24/7!

-Seriously cannot wait for this kid to be born, he has so many plans.

[greenwitchcrafts]

Sage

Salvia officinalis

Known as: Common sage, green sage, garden sage, meadow sage, culinary sage & true sage

Related plants: A member of the of the mint family Lamiaceae that includes plants such as basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender & perilla as well as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga & oriental motherwort.

Parts used: Leaves & stems

Habitat and cultivation: This evergreen subshrub is native to the Mediterranean region with it's mild to cool, rainy winters & warm to hot, dry summers.

Plant type: Perennial

Region: Zone 5-8 your sage will grow as a hardy perennial. However in the humid climates of zones 9 & farther south, sage is usually an annual, as it does not easily tolerate summer heat & humidity.

Harvest: Harvest lightly in the first year to ensure the plant grows fully. After the first year, be sure to leave a few stalks so that the plant can rejuvenate in the future & If fully established, one plant can be harvested up to three times in one season.

Planting tips: Plant in full sun & plants should be two feet apart. Sage should be planted in well draining soil like a sandy or loamy soil with good drainage. Wet soils can cause rot and be fatal to the plant. The easiest and best way to start sage is from a small plant, but you can also sow seeds up to two weeks before the last frost date.

Medicinal information: Taking sage by mouth seems to improve memory and thinking skills in healthy adults & taking it for four weeks can improve menopause symptoms. One study found that drinking tea made from sage both raised antioxidant defenses and lowered LDL or “bad” cholesterol. It also could be used for pain after surgery, lung cancer, sore throat, sunburn, and many other conditions. Sage leaves have been used in traditional medicine as a treatment for diabetes.

Cautions: Sage is possibly unsafe when taken in high doses or for a long time due to a chemical called thujone. Too much thujone can cause seizures and damage the liver and nervous system. Thujone can also bring on a menstrual period, which could cause a miscarriage so taking sage during pregnancy is not advised. It may also reduce milk production while chest feeding.

Magickal properties

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Air

Deities: Chiron, Consus, Jupiter, Obatala & Zeus

Magickal uses:

• Use the leaves for tea for communion of Jupiter or in any workings involved with the planet & grounding

• Burn to find clarity & wisdom while asking difficult questions

• Write a wish on Sage leaf and burn it to release your intention

• Place a Sage leaf in your wallet to attract money

• Include in feminine fertility spells to boost your chances of success

• Add Sage oil incense or herbs to any spell to temper the results with wisdom

• Burn during a funeral & memorial to facilitate healthy grief and bonding with the spirits of those who passed on

• Use spells to alleviate grief & steady emotions

• Put in a satchet to carry from protection from negative energies & influences

• Burn to cleanse your home, clear negative energies & increase your intuition

• Rub sage on your forehead before divination to increase the accuracy of your results

• Pick twelve leaves at midnight on Christmas Eve to see a vision of your future husband(without damaging the bush)

• Write your desire on a sage leafe & place it under your pillow for three days. If you dream of your desire, it will soon materialize. If not, bury the sage.

[yourgamemasterthewhiterabbit]

OMFG I KNOW my dad went way the fuck up north to some buttfuck frozen nowhere military outpost for a while. And I am realizing now that this means that his appendix removal might really actually have been precautionary. I could have sworn he maybe said it was when we asked about it as kids, but I have also been told multiple times we "don't do that" because unnecessary surgery is unnecessary risk, so I must be lying or mistaken...

Somehow thinking my dad got to skip the appendicitis part of having his appendix removed pisses me off a little. Mostly because I asked my doctors about removing mine for precautionary reasons, due to what I thought was "family history" a few years before it actually acted up. I was concerned that -given the way the medical system treats me- I wouldn't be taken seriously and they'd just let me die telling me it was a menstrual cramp or something. Which they DID!

Btw, they tried to send me home multiple times, treated me terribly during the actual scan and test [kept pushing on it really hard, seemingly fucking vindictively], rushed me into prep for surgery in a big panic, yelled at me for saying "ouch" too loudly when they shoved a needle in my arm without warning me [just held me down and shoved it in], and then got distracted for over 10 hours or something with a heart patient or three, while the nurses periodically came across me just being left in a desolate hallway [abandoned, lights not even on, randomly int he hall with no one around] and rushed off in a panic each time because my appendix had looked ready to burst, or something happened during one of their tests, and I was supposed to have surgery hours ago, but had just been left in some hall. Wherever I was it absolutely wasn't protocol, and I was barely conscious and unable to do anything to seek help, the drip they shoved in my arm without asking had some drugsTM in it.

I woke up being told it was lead bird-shot that had blocked off my appendix, but it had to have been ingested more recently than I was claiming or "you would have lead poisoning by now :("... They did not check for lead poisoning, even though one of my main complaints was that I had been having nasty abdominal cramping all month [a common symptom of lead poisoning], and I had only eaten a bird that was shot on a farm once in the past 10 or more years. I also had scars that were in the wrong place and looked like they originally tried to go in to treat an ectopic pregnancy, but had to pivot once they were inside to actually remove my appendix... Almost like I only got in because they had me confused with another patient. They claimed it was because my appendix was too swollen to be taken out the normal way??? I think they just fucked up.

And all of that could have been avoided when I was like "hey my immune system is known to cause issues with swelling pathologically over very small tissue irritations, and I have a family history of appendicitis, and I get ovarian cysts all the time, could we maybe remove my appendix now so that later something that gets brushed off as a cyst doesn't just suddenly fucking kill me??"... They could have been like "yeah that makes sense as preventative medicine in this case" instead of being like "no we have to just wait and see and if we let you die then that's what happens :)" And they tried so so so so hard to let me die so I couldn't complain about them trying to send me home or otherwise mistreating me I fucking swear,

And the thing that pisses me off the most is that I think the reason they tried so hard not to even bother checking me or running any tests is EXPLICITLY because I went in saying "Yeah I think this is my appendix and it's been acting up all week and now I am experiencing tunneled visions and symptoms of shock" and then later went on to "too perfectly" describe the symptoms of lead poisoning... Doctors hate that. They despise when you walk into their office and already know the diagnosis, and these doctors were willing to let me die for it, until they called in an extra surgeon [the new surgeon was nicey's and cleaned up their fucking mess. He saved me despite whatever disorganized bullshit was going on in that hospital that night].

It has been over 10 years since then and I STILL haven't gotten a doctor to agree to check my lead levels. They have really done their best to make sure I can't possibly sue anyone over what happened.

My dad also got a cool grey streak in his hair from having his out, which is, apparently, common, but I never did... But then, who knows, maybe he got sent because he already had his appendix out and whatever he told us as kids is unreliable even if I remember it right.

Anyway if someone with ovaries wants to get their appendix removed for precautionary reasons, I think they should be allowed. And I think it should be covered. If men going to the arctic can have it removed "just in case" of the supremely remote fucking chance of it acting up while they are there specifically... Young afabs+ should be able to get it out for the incredibly higher likelihood that they will be told appendicitis is "just cramps".

Give me the stats, give me the stats on men or women who have had appendicitis and died of it on one of these trips, or had to operate on themselves, before this ruling, vs the young women+ who were left to die of appendicitis being told they had cramps and should shut up... Go ahead and get me the stats I'll wait here while you explain why one is justified and why one isn't.

There is always this assumption that someone like me can "deal with a problem when it comes up :)" or "cross that bridge when we get to it :)" because someone will for sure see the symptoms, accurately diagnose it and treat them properly, once they are too sick or unconscious to advocate for themselves.... When that is simply not the fucking reality.

[vasilissadragomir]

GIRL! What you mean you also writing about katniss's period in your fanfic too. Please tell me more about it, I'd love to know!

LMAO okay sooooo without spoiling too much i just think that it’s very important for katniss to experience her body operating as normal for literally the first time in her life. even before the games/the incomprehensibly stressful circumstances of catching fire/the war she was malnourished. perhaps not as badly as most others in the seam, or even in the town bc it seems meat was hard to come by even for peacekeepers and merchants, but she absolutely was underfed and lacking essential nutrients. so even if she was getting a period, like you said, it most certainly wasn’t quite normal or regular.

but periods aren’t just about actual bleeding or physical symptoms, ofc. her body likely never experienced the full breadth of hormonal fluctuation people go through during a healthy menstrual cycle. we know katniss is often moody and irritable because a) she’s a teenager b) she’s starving and c) she’s stressed out of her mind in constant survival mode, but she’s almost always in control. what happens when her hormones, allowed to function for the first time as they’re meant to, take control of her body like they do for most teenagers w periods? especially with all the emotional upheaval of the war and losing prim, i bet experiencing pms for the first time sends her into a tailspin. she’s probably crying a lot, eating a lot, and feels like everything is coming apart around her at the littlest things. which, compounded with the ptsd and grief, and the first time lack of need to be in survival mode, is overwhelming and causes her to act impulsively.

not to mention, of course, why we get periods in the first place. how does peeta’a presence interact with her body’s discovery of its normal function, especially this function? we know they grow back together. we know she feels that thing again. we know so after. but what happens between those things? it’s implied that katniss and peeta are at least kissing before so after. what is it that motivates katniss to kiss him back, beyond, of course, love? katniss likes kissing. she says when she’s kissing gale that it reminds her that her body’s alive. what is it like for her to kiss the person she actually loves when her body is healthy enough to urge her on?

now, of course katniss knows about periods, their symptoms, and sex/pregnancy. a pet peeve i have in fics is when people act like katniss doesn’t know about this stuff because she’s “pure” or, frankly, because readers see district 12 as backwards and uneducated or something. but katniss’ mom is an apothecary. katniss absolutely knows the clinical ins and outs of puberty. but at the same time, i bet she never really expected all that stuff to happen to *her* the way it does to other people. she’s always been in control while in district 12 up until the end of the war. why would something like a hormonal shake-up change that? i don’t think she’ll recognize what’s happening to her (im shocked by it every month, and ive had a semi-regular period for more of my life than not and i knew what to expect from like age 5). when she does realize it, she’ll likely be in denial about it.

i also think this is a great opportunity for katniss and her mom to bond and begin to repair their relationship. because for the first time, katniss actually will, palpably, *need* her mom and her expertise in a way she hasn’t in over five years.

[the-fiction-witch]

Five!

Media The Queens Gambit

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader

Rating CUTE

I sat picking at my nails, my body sat in the small uncomfortable chair. The bright white light hurt my eyes, the scent of chemicals in the air, magazines laid out across a table most of them older than me, people in the various chairs all with decent spaces between them, the sound of the radio ghosting over the coughing and whispering. I glanced to my side to see Benny sat beside me, in his usual dark shoes, black jeans, belt with his knife on his hip, his black t-shirt and green button down over him in his usual way with his chains hung low, his jacket and hat left out in the car. The clipboard from the front desk was in his hand as he filled it out for me, given he has far better handwriting than I do. 

"Don't they have all this?" He asked as he wrote,

"Yes but they like to check," I sighed,

"what do you want me to put in the reason for the visit?"

"...Put... menstrual concerns." 

"...Period problems,"

"Benny!" I shoved his shoulder, 

"Okay, okay I'll write the proper thing," he laughed, "Symptoms?"

"... Isn't my symptoms the reason for- whatever, just put them in,"

"Alright," He nodded filling in the box, "assumed problem?"

"I don't know that's why I came to the doctor!" I complained, 

"... thinks she's pregnant,"

"Benny!"

"What! You do! I do! I'm pretty sure the doctor is gonna think so Y/n." 

"Just fill out the form Benjamin," I rolled my eyes a little returning focus back to my nail picking, 

He finished the form and sat it on the empty chair beside him before he took my hand in his and brought it to his lips giving my hand and my knuckles little kisses. 

"It's all gonna be okay Y/n, Hey, Come on." He cooed pulling me to lay my head on his chest, "Everything will be fine if it's not baby when you will get some medicine,"

"And if it is..."

"Well... we will do some maternity clothes shopping on the way home," he smiled, 

"And ice cream?"

"And ice cream," he nodded kissing my head, "Won't it be nice? getting to have a little one?" he cooed resting his hand on my stomach, "A cute adorable little baby"

"It would but still... I worry is all."

"I know you do Y/n, you worry about everything," he chuckled, 

"Mrs Watts?" A Nurse came around the corner clipboard in hand, 

"Come on, let's go find out," He smiled squeezing my hand, 

I nodded and pushed myself up following the nurse through the corridors often squeezing Benny's hand until we reached the office. The nurse left and I sat down in the chair ready to be examined. The Doctor soon arrived and did the usual checks of things while glancing over my paperwork Benny often lingered over his shoulder protectively even if he never let his hand leave my own.

"Alright, well we have some good news, Mrs Watts." The Doctor explained cleaning his hands, "You are pregnant," 

"Right, okay." I nodded, "How far along?"

"About six weeks, well into the first trimester." 

"Okay," I nodded, "Thank you, doctor," 

We got some advice, and some pamphlets of info and we headed home getting ice cream on the way. I sat on Benny's leg as we sat together in the chair. I nibbled at my ice cream cup a little as Benny sat and read the pamphlets about the pregnancy, his hand happily on my stomach.

"Hey, Come here you," he chuckled pulling me a little closer, "We're gonna have a little baby, aren'y you happy Y/n?"

"I am Benny, it's just... big news is all. it's a big change."

"I know it's going to be a big change, we are going to have to get you some maternity clothes, get some toys and a crib, baby clothes, we need to look into moving. Lots to do. But it's still exciting and we have plenty of time." He smiled kissing my cheek, "According to this... baby is no bigger than a Y/E/Cberry right now so we have plenty of time to get physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for our little one,"

"Your right Benny," I nodded kissing his head, 

"Hey, come on," He smiled setting my ice cream and his papers down and helping us each up, He turned the record player on to let the sweet music play, 

"What are you up to?" I giggled, 

"Just a little dance Y/n," he cooed, holding my hips and pulling me to lay my head on his chest as we gently swayed in a sweet dance,

"Why?" I chuckled,

"Well, I want to savour it,"

"Savour it?"

"Well, we won't be able to dance this close once baby gets bigger so I am just enjoying it," He cooed, "Enjoying dancing with you, and holding you, without like a watermelon between us," 

"I guess so," I smiled and squeezed him to enjoy our little dance. 

I sat on the chair whining from back pain, leg pain, foot pain, just PAIN in general honestly, Benny sat on the floor trying to be a MAN. or so he said. 

He sat on the floor trying to put furniture together since we moved into our new little rental house and he was attempting to put furniture for the nursery together. But Benny is a man of chess, he is not a man of tools. 

"Ahhh fuck-" he sighed, "I put the legs on backwards,"

I glanced over and saw the frame of the rocking hair but he put one set of legs correctly and the other set where the back was meant to go, 

"Benny, it was one more dollar to get it preassembled." 

"I am not trusting some hung-over department store employee putting together the rocking chair that my WIFE will sit in as she holds my CHILD! No. I do not trust them I am doing it."

"Alright Benny," I laughed, 

"You read your second-trimester info?"

"No,"

"Why not? I thought you where going to read it to me while I worked?"

"I was... then the baby began to be a problem,"

"He's kicking again?" 

"Yep, and my stretchmarks are coming in really bad,"

"Ohh you poor thing," He crawled over and kissed my belly a few times, "See it's okay, daddy's here." he cooed, "So tell me how big is our baby?"

"The booklet says a bell pepper or a banana,"

"... I mean those are two very wildly different sizes in my mind,"

"I know,"

"Are... are you sure?"

"Twenty weeks. Banana." I nodded, "The Doctor said in the second trimester yesterday,"

"...But... you're huge! You're so much bigger than that."

"I know, he thinks we might be having two,"

"Even so... two Banana's are fitting in here with room to swim," He explained, 

"I know, guess we just have to wait and see." I sighed,

"We will. But I'm sure everything will be okay." He cooed, "Even if I think you have space in there for a whole bunch," he laughed, "But Maybe... we should get another crib... just in case."

"Just as a spare. We can always return it,"

"Yeah exactly, now I shall get back to building Mama her rocking chair for baby's room," he smiled giving my bump and my nose a kiss before returning to his work,

"Benny?"

"Yes, Y/n?"

"... wouldn't you have been better doing this upstairs? cause... how are you going to carry the rocking chair up to the nursery?"

".... God Damn it!" He complained, 

I sat up in my little bed, we had gone in for just a check-up and the doctors had concerns over the size of my stomach, they were concerned but all tests pointed to everything being fine I was admitted anyway, and told we should prepare for twins perhaps even triplets. I sat in the bed doing a little knitting to make the children a little blanket to snuggle when their born. The door opened and Benny came through, 

"Look what I got for you," he gleamed as he sat a cup of ice cream on my table and kissed my forehead, "Hello Y/n,"

"Hi Benny," I smiled as he sat down, "How do things?"

"Fine, ughh prepping everything at home, sleeping has been very hard,"

"Oh?"

"I'm not with you," 

"I'm sure you are sleeping far better without this big bump taking up the bed,"

"I admit... it is nice to stretch out," he chuckled, "Doesn't mean I don't miss my wife," He cooed taking my hand, 

"I miss you too Benny, but it's not much longer,"

"I know," he nodded, 

"Anything else?"

"I... do have a tummy ache?"

"Oh? Why?"

"I have been having a lot of takeaways,"

"Benny!"

"I don't like cooking, and I'm bad at it. I need my lovely wife to help me,"

"Well, you shall have to learn when they arrive,"

"I shall," He laughed, "I am trying. but... it's not going well. How are you doing?"

"Kicking... nonstop. but fine." 

"Good, It won't be long then we can cradle our little ones in our arms, One. two. Or maybe three."

"I'm happy no matter how many,"

"No matter?"

"No matter at all, so long as they are sweet and healthy,"

"Yeah, so long as they're healthy and happy."

"Plus the more I have... the less chance of needing to be pregnant again,"

"Like that's gonna stop me?" he chuckled, "You could have ten babies and I am still going to want to cuddle and snuggle my lovely wife and give her more babies,"

"We'll have to see Benny," I told him taking my ice cream, "Thank you,"

"You're very welcome Y/n," he smiled kissing my lips, "Now, daddy needs his cuddle," He smirked cradling and resting his head on my bump, 

I lay in the hospital bed my ankles on the sturups, my body numb from pain, I had stared only at the ceiling for what seemed to be hours. The pain had taken over me completely My hand was in Benny's grip I felt his grip changing as things happened but I couldn't pay attention. I couldn't focus. My body worked only for the purpose it knew it had to do. I had no choice in it. No way to stop it. so I was forced to merely feel the agony. 

I had a moment of respite and dug my nails into Benny's hand,

"Benny... Benny... the baby..."

He smiled as he kissed my lips softly, "It's over. It's all over."

"Over... please say it's over..."

"It's over. I promise." he reassured, "it's all over Y/n."

"The baby?"

"They're fine. They are all fine."

"All..."

"My sweet girl, My beautiful Y/n. You're a mother," he smiled, "To five."

"Fiv- FIVE!" 

"Five little babies, and they are all happy and healthy and adorable!" 

"Five!" I yelled, "I am gonna kill you, I am going to murder you in cold blood. I am going to drown you in a bathtub you and your goddamn dick!" 

"How is this my fault?" he laughed,

"Come here my husband, come here." I cooed pulling him closer he smiled expecting a kiss but I grabbed a scalpel from the table and went for his jeans, 

"AHHHH!" he bolted away, "Put it down, Y/n!"

"Get back here Benny!"

"Put. It. Down."

"Fine... I'm fine... I'm calm..." I nodded putting the scalpel down,

"Okay... I assume the drugs are kicking in?"

"Ummm I need lots of drugs."

"Yeah, you really do. Birth is... terrifying," 

"You think!" I yelled,

"Fair enough," He nodded, 

The nurses gave me drugs and helped make me comfortable, and soon enough brought the little train of cribs to my bedside, three girls and two boys, all laid happily.

"Awww they're so perfect," I cooed,

"They are aren't they," he smiled sitting on the bed with me and holding my hand, 

"I didn't make enough blankets," I chuckled,

"Well the other two will have to wait till you can knit them one each," he laughed, "The boys can wait for a blanket,"

"what are we going to do about the nursery..."

"AHhh yeah... I thought nursery for the girls, I give up my office and make that a nursery for the boys," 

"Sounds good," I nodded, "But the side crib is going to be an issue..."

"Ohh yeah..." He nodded, "Uhhh... I think we'd be better giving them the bed and we'll fit in the side crib,"

I laughed, "I don't think you're far off Benny," 

"What shall we name them?"

"You haven't-"

"No, I wanted to wait till you were... you know thinking. I don't know what happened to you, you just kinda became an animal for a while," 

"I pushed five children out of me,"

"I'm saying it was scary I didn't say it was justified, Y/n." He chuckled, "So? What do we think?"

 "I think..." I smiled as I looked at them the three girls lay in their cribs I picked one up and held her to my chest, she was so small with the fuss of my Y/H/C hair, Benny's brown eyes, my nose, and a sweet little smile. "Catherine,"

"Catherine?" He asked,

"Yeah, little Catherine,"

"Catherine Watts. or Cathy Watts?"

"Both I guess,"

"I like it, Little Catherine." 

"Catherine," I smiled kissing her head before I handed her to Benny,

"Catherine. our first little girl."

"She was first?"

"Yeah, I think... it was a bit of a rush I wasn't really paying attention I was more... counting,"

"Understandable," I laughed before I picked up the next little girl holding her close and kissing her too, she had blonde hair and little Y/E/C eyes with my nose too, "What do you think... about Peggy,"

"Peggy? Awww I like that a lot little Peggy Watts."

"I do too," I smiled handing Peggy to him too, 

"Awww hello Peggy," he smiled kissing her head, "what about our last little girl?"

I picked her up and she too was blonde but she had Benny's brown eyes and my nose once more, "Diana,"

"Diana? Awwwww I really like that little Diana Watts."

"Diana Watts. It's perfect," I smiled I went to hand her too Benny but then realized, "Humm...."

"Y/n..."

"I'm sure if we-"

"I don't have any more arms, to hold babies,"

"You can hold her like that," I smiled handing her over so he could hold her too,

"What am I expected to do? Juggle?"

"No!" I laughed, "I wanna hold the little boys," I smiled picking them both up and keeping them in my arms kissing their little heads, strangely one had blonde hair and brown eyes and the other had Y/H/C hair with Y/E/C eyes, "Little baby boys, what do you think?"

"I don't mind, you did such a good job with the girls,"

"... Bobby, and Johnny," I smiled

"Oooohh I like that." he nodded, "Bobby and Johnny Watts. They sound like perfect names for them," He smiled, "Wait- Did- Did you name them all after songs!"

"...maybe..."

"I love you so much," he chuckled, 

"I love you too Benny," I smiled kissing him, "We are... in for a time."

"We really are," he nodded,  

I woke to the sound of crying I kicked Benny,

"Humm? Ohhh yep... okay I'm going." he yawned kissing my head and heading out of the bedroom across the hallway to the nurseries,

"Who is it?" I asked, 

"Bobby," He yawned,

"Awww poor thing bring him here he probably needs more cream on his rash," I sighed sitting up a little, 

"Here we are, lil rashy boy," he said as he came through and handed me Bobby so I checked his little diaper rash and gave him more cream with seemed to soothe him, 

"I still hear crying?"

"Yeah it's Johnny," he said as he paced down the hall bouncing Johnny on his chest, 

"What's the matter with him?"

"Nothing, I tried the bottle, he's clean,"

"Probably just sympathy,"

"Yeah, it's very sweet you love your brother and none of us like seeing him in pain but you don't need to cry every time he does,"

"Maybe Bobby crying woke Johnny,"

"Might have done. I'm surprised the girls aren't up," Benny yawned, 

"Girls have the white noise machine,"

"Ohh yeah, I thought we turned it off?"

"No, I turned it on becuase Cathy won't sleep without it,"

"But doesn't Diana hate it?"

"she does, but Diana was already asleep and it was the choice I made,"

"Fair enough I would have too," He nodded, 

Once we got them both to settle Benny took them back to bed and laid back down in bed with me,

"Goodnight Y/n,"

"Goodnight Benny," 

but before we could even drift off more crying began,

"Ughh I think that's Diana up,"

"Or Peggy with her tummy ache again,"

"You're turn,"

"Fine," I sighed pushing myself out of bed, 

I sat in the chair nuzzling and cuddling my pillow, watching Benny as he readied the children for their doctor's appointment. Which was NOT going well, as he battled with dressing and feeding five infants. 

"Y/n..." He began,

"Mama is resting her eyes."

"I know but-"

"Resting. Her. Eyes."

"Y/n! I have two hands and five children," 

"You said I didn't need to worry I could have a minute,"

"Yes and then I need help!"

I chuckled and got up to help going around and sorting things with his help, "Peggy is gone. Cathy needs her shoes on. Diana is wearing odd socks but that's fine. Bobby why do you not have pants on! And... why is Johnny in a dress, Benny?"

"Becuase I had a lot of babies to juggle and I briefly thought he was Diana, it's fine, screw gender roles right Johnny?"

"he seems very unhappy, I think he likes trousers,"

"Yeah I think he does, You dress Bobby I'll take care of Johnny,"

I yawned a little as I brought Bobby back from the table after changing him and returning him to the playpen, as I did I smiled as I heard the music play, And I looked across the living room, to see Benny having turned on the record player the sweet music playing, in his arms he had Diana giving her a little cuddle and a dance. I stopped to watch him for a while, and after a while, he set Diana down and picked up Peggy giving her a cuddle and a dance too, and after a while of their dance, he set her down and gave Cathy a dance too.

"You having fun?"

"Yeah just having a little dance with my girls," he cooed, 

"Did the boys get a dance?" I laughed,

"They did, while you were changing the girls,"

"you are too cute," I laughed, "May I have a dance, Mr Watts?"

"Ohh you may Mrs Watts, just as soon as Cathy is all done," He cooed,

I laughed and watched him finish his dance with her and he set her back in the playpen and opened his arms for me so I happily went and nuzzled on his chest so we could have a soft gentle dance with his hands on my hips, "I love you, Y/n, you and all our little ones,"

"I love you too and all out little ones,"

"You think maybe... we could have another baby?"

"When they are older Benny," I warn him, 

[xxwhiskeyxx]

Love Trope February!  Suddenly Parents: Rain x Reader

Rain and (Y/N) have had a situationship for about a year and a half. The only reason they haven’t actually bitten the bullet and asked each other to be their partner, is because both are too shy to actually confess (even tho they fuck the shit out of each other and sleep together almost every night) but they basically act like a couple, hugging, kissing, snuggles, the works. One thing to know about the pair is they both have a major breeding kink (along with many others hehe), Rain cums in them nearly every time they fuck (if he doesn’t cum on their face or in their mouth) because they believed that humans and ghouls can’t reproduce together without a ritual and because its hot. BUT PLOT TWIST, turns out humans and ghouls can reproduce with a ritual, but it is VERY rare, but due to how much they pair have fucked it seems to have taken.

5.6k words

So I apologize if it seems I really like to make everyone cry and sad, but I PROMISE there are some happier chapters coming up! Also if you'd like a full headcanon about half-ghoul pregnancies, I will gladly post what I came up with while writing this chapter! Also if it isn't clear basically AFAB reader but no female pronouns are used

- Love Whiskey

It starts randomly, (Y/N) is suddenly feeling very nauseous in the mornings, exhausted all the time, and just overall very icky, they suspect they may just have the flu or something but when they go to the infirmary at Rain’s request, but unfortunately he couldn’t go as Copia said he needed Rain, Dew, and the girls help with paperwork and song writing for a couple hours today to get ready for the tour coming up. (Y/N) entered the infirmary and sat down at the table the nurse directed them too, saying thar the doctor will be with them shortly. (Y/N) is nervously playing with the bracelet they stole from Rain as they try to think of what it could possibly be, ‘It has to be the flu or something, I know these are similar to pregnancy symptoms but I can’t be pregnant…no, absolutely not, it’s not possible without the ritual, thats what Mount and Aether said..’ they wonder, when their mind drifts back to the last time they and Rain had been together, he had been unusually aggressive and dominate after being pissed off by Dew flirting with them all day, snarling, “I’m gonna breed this fucking human cunt, make sure no one touches what’d fucking mine! Fuck you full of my fucking kits, make you a fucking mama, my mama, mine! Your mine, my darling little human, my fucking play toy!”

(Y/N) shivers slightly at the memory, rubbing their thighs together. That had been about 3 weeks ago, both having been too busy and exhausted with chores and practise to have time to fool around. When suddenly the curtain pulls open and the doctor walks in, a slightly older gentleman, he begins the standard of checking their blood pressure and heart rate before asking them what their in for today, “Well I’ve been really nauseous, especially in the mornings, exhausted all the time, I’ve lost my appetite for basically anything, and I’ve basically just feel like crap.” they explain as he nods, writing things down before looking up at them, “Sibling (Y/N), are you sexually active?” he asks, (Y/N) feels their face flush a bright red before nodding. He hums with a slight amused smirk on his face, “Now, when was your last menstrual cycle honey?” (Y/N) feels their face go white, they haven’t had a period in about 6 weeks, they had simply assumed it was from the stress they’d been under of both getting done with all of their chores and getting ready for the tour. They work as Copias assistant and on top of helping him with paperwork, they help with scheduling venues, hotels, and other time management issues; this is how they met Rain in the first place, they had joined during the Prequell era and grown close to the Water ghoul along with all the other ghouls.

“Well, Sibling, just to make sure, I’m going to have you take a pregnancy test and do some bloodwork, if you are pregnant it’ll tell us how far along you are.” he says, standing and beckoning them to follow, they walk to a small storage closet where he rumages for a minute before handing them a pregnancy test box, “The bathroom is down the hall, theres gloves and a urine cup for you to use.” (Y/N) takes them shakily and walks in the designated direction, they can’t possibly be pregnant, it’s not possible. They follow the instructions and wait for the results, biting their nails (after the washed their hands of course) and their knee shaking in anxiety. 5 minutes pass and when they take a peak at the test, they nearly pass out cause it is; ‘Pregnant’ loud and clear on the little screen. They gape at it, their hand falling to their belly, “I..what the fuck! This shouldn’t be possible!” they gasp when theres a knock at the door, “(Y/N)? Are you okay, what was the result?” it was the doctor, (Y/N) shakily walks to the door and opens it, holding out the test. The doctor smiles, “Congratulations, I’m sure the father will be ecstatic.” he says, patting their arm as he offers his arm to lead them to the blood drawing room, “I’m not sure..we’ve never talked about it, we didn’t even think this was possible without a ritual.” (Y/N) says, grasping his arm as he leads them, “Oh, is your partner a ghoul honey?”

(Y/N) nods, “Yes but I wouldn’t say partner exactly, we’re not official sir.” they mumble, as the nurse preps them for the needle, 3 vials sitting nearby, “Oh sweetheart, if I am correct, your the Ghost projects Water ghouls paramore.” the doctor says gently, placing a hand on the arm that doesn’t currently have a needle sticking out of it, “That ghoul seems infatuated with you, I knew you looked familiar. I see the pair of you together all the time, he is such a gentleman and if the way he looks at you says anything, then I’d say he’ll be plenty happy, but tell him that he better put a label on it or else you’ll kick his ass.” he says with a wink making (Y/N) giggle as the nurse finishes up.

“All right sweetheart, come back tomorrow and we’ll go over the results, but for now I think I should go over what a half-ghoul pregnancy is like, would you like to come to my office so we may talk in private?” the doctor offers, reoffering his arm to (Y/N), “Yes please sir, thank you.” they say as they take his arm as they walk back to his office, sitting down in a plush armchair as he sits behind the desk, typing away at something. “Now, I personally have no experience with half-ghoul pregnancies but my mentor took care of several in his career. I had emailed him as soon as you went to take the test and he responded saying that he will come to stay with us until the child is born, but for now he is available for a video call.” the doctor, his name plate saying Dr. Norman Clark, says as he turns the monitor around so (Y/N) is also in view as he clicks to call.

It takes a few seconds but the video is quickly answered, “Dr. Virgel, it is so nice to see you ma’am, this is the young Sibling I told you about, (Y/N) (L/N). They took the test and it came out positive, we’re currently running their bloodwork to see how far along they are.” Dr. Clark explains, Dr. Virgel nods before turning her eyes to the nervous Siblings, “Hello (Y/N), I imagine your quite startled, Dr. Clark said you mentioned not thinking this was possible without the ritual to the Dark Lord? Well while you’re technically not wrong that usually a ritual is needed for it to be possible, it’s not necessary for it to happen in the first place. The ritual is essentially like a way that makes it happens, Satan gives you almost like a boost to ensure it takes. Ghouls and Humans have been reproducing for centuries, even before the ritual was created, but to do it naturally is a very low percentage, about 1/100 chance. So either you and your ghoul happened to get lucky or, to put it bluntly, you had so much sex it was inevitable.” Dr. Virgel says, (Y/N) blushes brightly, the words having left the sweet looking old woman makes it so much worse.

“Now onto business, ghoul and half-ghoul pregnancies aren’t too different from typical human ones, just there tend to be multiples and ghouls grow faster and have a shorter incubation time than the standard 9 months, it is more around 6 for them. But half-ghouls being half human means they don’t go quite as fast so their more around 7-8 months. And you will feel slightly more exhausted and feel things that are related to the ghouls element, such as fire kits make you run hotter along with your temper being more short and crave spicy food; water kits make your skin is much more sensitive, and you’ll feel much colder than normal; earth kits, they kick quite hard and you almost always want to be outside, you’ll also crave veggies more; Air kits your temperature runs cooler, your more susepctiable to cold, you have to pee more and are more nauseous, wish to be in open aired spaces; and Quintessinal kits are possibly the hardest as your emotions & hormones run more rampant, you be able to feel others emotions, and you crave to be in darkness. Now Multi kits are hard in the fact they tend to take whatever elements their parent has and it’s a combo of whatever they are. But I believe Norman said the father is a Water ghoul, am I correct (Y/N)?” Dr. Virgel asks once she finishes explaining, to which (Y/N) nods.

“Good, then it shall be simple. As I said, you’ll more than likely be craving to be in water and have more sensitive skin, along with feeling colder than you usually do. But you’ll also probably crave fish and other seafood, you may feel more clammy and if you don’t drink enough, your more susceptible to dehydration. Other than that, it’s a normal pregnancy, of course when you get closer to the due date, we’ll discuss the birth plan and other things, but otherwise if you have no other questions, I think that is all.” she finishes, (Y/N) smiles at her and nods, “Yes ma’am I understand, thank you so much, I don’t believe I have any other questions, you answered any and all that I could’ve had.” Dr. Clark and Virgel say their goodbyes and he turns back to (Y/N), “Well sweetheart, I think that concludes everything, I’ll perscribe you some prenatal vitamins and some nausea medicine and you’ll be on your way, a messenger will deliver them to your room sometime today.” he says as he stands, opening the door for the Sibling to exit, “Thank you Dr. Clark, you made this seem so much easier.” they say as they leave, he nods and they exit the infirmary, making their way down to the ghoul dens.

While Dr. Clark and Virgel made the whole pregnancy thing more clear and simple, the situation of telling Rain weighs in the back of (Y/N)’s mind, biting their nails in anxiety, ‘How the hell am I going to tell him…Maybe I should ask Aether or Mount, they always have the best advice.’ they decide, texting Aether since they know he had today off since he hadn’t been feeling good last night, ‘Hey Aeth, I gotta talk to you about something important, can I come by your room?’, they shoot the text to him and recieve the pinge as they enter the dens, ‘Yeah, I’m with Mount, he’s helping with my headache, he doesn’t mind you swinging by, what’s up?’, is the reply, ‘I’ll tell you when I get there, be there in a sec.’

They make it to Mountain’s room quickly, knocking softly. A muffled come in is heard and they open the door, the Earth ghoul’s room was possibly the most relaxing, covered in plant life, tapestries, and varies knick-knacks, and always smelling of incense or candles, Aether quietly purring with his head in Mountain’s lap, who is rubbing his temples with one hand and his tail while holding a book with the other and leaning against the pile of pillows against the headboard, “Hey (Y/N), you just get back from the infirmary? Is that what you wanna talk about?” Aether asks, sitting up on his elbows as the human sits on the end of the bed, “Yeah..so I got the news and it wasn’t the flu, it’s actually more serious than that.” they say, playing with their hands nervously. Both Mountain and Aether sit up with serious expressions, “What is it? Is it bad?” Mountain asks, (Y/N) smiles softly and scooches closer, grabbing their hands and places them on their belly, both pairs of eyes widen, “I’m pregnant, the doctor said it’s apparently possible without the ritual just rare.” Both stare for a moment before Aether gently drags them into his lap, purring loudly and nuzzling into their neck, “I can’t believe it, I knew I felt another energy coming from you! Mount we’re gonna be uncles!” he cries to the Earth ghoul whose still staring wide eyed at (Y/N)’s belly. “Did they tell you about the difficulties that come with ghoul pregnancies…” he asks softly, the worried energy coming from him so great that even (Y/N) can feel it. “Yes Mounty, Dr. Clark introduced me to his mentor who has helped with several half-ghoul pregnancies. She told me all about the different things about having a Water ghoul and what half-ghoul pregnancies are like.” they reassure the giant, grabbing his hand and squeezing gently. “Does Rain know yet..” is the next question that makes (Y/N) freeze, growing tense in Aether’s arms, “No..that’s why I came here, I wanted to ask you guys how I should tell him.” they say quietly, both ghouls look at each other and smile, they knew the perfect way.

It was a couple hours later and the plan was set, Mountain and Aether helped (Y/N) cook one of Rain’s favorite dinners, spaghetti with meat sauce with grilled asparagus, and they just so happened to have a jar of Prego sauce, which both (Y/N) and Aether thought would be a funny way to tell him, to which Mountain just shook his head. They agreed they’d stay within earshot incase it went badly, because even though Rain is possibly the sweetest, most caring ghoul they could’ve possibly had for a bab daddy, he still has bad anxiety and has a tendancy to shut-down during intense emotions. “Okay, he just texted he’s on his way with the others, I texted the other’s that I had a surprise for Rain so they know not to stay in here, I wanna tell them once I tell Rain.” (Y/N) says, messing with a stray thread on their pants, “It’s going to be okay sweetheart, I can’t imagine Rain would be upset and if he somehow is stupid enough to hurt you, we’ll hold back Swiss and Sodo.” Aether says, patting their head as he and Mount make their way to his room as its the closest to the common room.

After a few minutes, the door opens and the others pile in amidst a loud conversation about how Copia’s rats apparently escaped and they had to help him catch them. “Hey (Y/N), I see you got all fancy for Water Boy over here, he’s been vibrating with excitement since you texted him. Don’t be too loud later, yeah?” Swiss teases as he pecks them on the cheek before dragging Sodo off to his room, the girls say hello and give quick hugs and kisses of their own before Rain and (Y/N) are left alone. The Water ghoul is standing near the door, indeed nearly vibrating with his tail flicking excitedly, “Hey Rainy, the food ready if your hungry.” (Y/N) says sweetly, getting up to drag him to the kitchen, he presses a happy smooch to their cheek which makes them giggle. Making their plates and sitting at the coffee table decorated with small candles and a few of Rain’s favorite flowers, courtesy of Mountain, they dig in, making small talk as they eat.

Soon they finish, Rain is clinging to their hand with the biggest smile on his face, “So how did it go in the infirmary, your gonna be okay right?” he asks as he takes a sip of water. (Y/N) smiles, “Well, that has to do with the surprise I have for you. It’s in the kitchen, go see.” they say, standing and helping the skinny ghoul to his feet. He scowls slightly, there hadn’t been anything in the kitchen earlier, maybe it’s in the fridge or something, the human leans against the threshold waiting for him to figure it as the Water ghoul searches the entire kitchen including in all the cabinets. “(Y/N), darling theres nothing in here except for this jar of sauce, speaking of did you really use store bought, Copia would have our heads.” he laughs, (Y/N) giggles in return, “Look at the label baby.” they say as the step closer and turn it around. “It just says Prego Tradtional Sauce?” Rain’s brows are furrowed, “Read the first word.” they say as they place a small sticky note adding ‘nant’ next to the name and grabs his hand to gently place it on their abdomen.

His eyes grow wide as he glaces between the jar and his hand, “I..(Y/N)..are you..no?! There’s no way, how?!” he questions, setting the jar on the counter, hands coming up to smooth the hair from his forehead. “Yes, the doctor had me take a test this morning and it was positive. I’m pregnant Rain.” They gently hold his hand, it’s clear the gears are turning in his head. “Whose the father..” he asks suddenly, the smile falls from their face, they know he wouldn’t know it was possible but they didn’t think he’d think they’d sleep with someone else. “It’s yours Rain, your the father. I haven’t and wouldn’t ever slept with anyone else.” they say, his eyes widen and he stutters, “Hu-huh, thats not possible, we didn’t do the ritual, its not possible (YN)..how?!” they grab his shaking hands again, “When I went to the infirmary this morning, I met a doctor whose mentor has worked with half-ghoul pregnancies and they told me that that it is incredibly rare for it to happen without the ritual, the ritual basically makes it easier for it to happen, but it is possible.” Rains face is unreadable, they grow worried when he finally speaks, “I need a minute..I’m sorry but I need to process this by myself darling.” is all he says before he quickly leaves the kitchen

They freeze, they expected him to maybe need an explantation but they didn’t expect him to leave. They drop to the floor, knees to their chest as tears fall down their cheeks. A door opens down the hall and soon Mountain and Aether come running into the kitche, “(YN), what happened, where’s Rain? What did he do?” Aether says, dropping to his knees in front of the crying human, placing his hand on their shoulders, “I..I told him and..he said he needed a minute and ran off..I’m such an idiot, I shouldn’t have told him, I’m sure he doesn’t want to see me ever again.” they sob as the Quintessinal ghoul glances at Mountain, before bringing his crying friend into a hug, “Oh sweet thing, Rain probably just needs to process things, your not an idiot for telling him. Rain is very emotional and probably didn’t want to upset or scare you, I’m so sorry sweetheart.” he whispers to them, petting their hair as they sob into his chest.

Once they calmed slightly, he turns to Mountain who is croached next to them, “Mount, can you stay with them. I need to go check on Rain to make sure he’s okay too.” he whispers to the Earth ghoul who nods, gently picking up the human and moving them to the couch, placing them on his lap and continues to soothe them. Aether smiles slightly at the sight before running to Rain’s room, even through the door he can hear the gasping sobs and whimpers of the Water ghoul. Opening the door, he finds him curled up tightly in a ball in the middle of his bed, rocking back and forth with his fingers buries in his hair, whimpers and quiet insults towards himself coming from under his hair that hides his face.

Aether sighs, quietly approaching the ghoul as to not scare him but not loud enough to startle him. “Rainy, hey, hey, talk to me. What’s wrong Lilypad?” Aether asks softly, sitting next to the curled up whimpering mess, Rain just curls in further on himself. Gently maneuvering the little ghoul between his legs so he’s pressed against his chest, “Raincloud, listen to my voice, I want you to breath with me okay, just follow my breathing, can you do that for me please sweet boy?” Aether whispers into his ear, Rain weakly nods, breathing still panicked gasps. Aether begins to slowly inhale, trailing a claw up Rain’s arm and then down as he exhales, he continues this until Rain’s breathing has calmed and the whimpers and tears have slowed as well. “Rainy, do you think you can tell me what’s wrong now? You know I can’t help unless you tell me what’s wrong.” Aether asks, running his hands up and down Rain’s arms in a grounding motion.

Rain is silent for a minute before a croaky voice answers, “What if this kills them..I haven’t even told them I..love them..I’m scared Aether.” he whimpers out, face burying further into his knees. “Honey, have you ever seen a ghoul pregnancy?” he asks, softly stroking through soft curls, Rain shakes his head, “While yes, they can be dangerous and ghoulettes have died from them, (YN) is carrying a half-ghoul which is not as dangerous as a full ghoul pregnancy, plus they are one of the strongest people we know right?” Aether explains, not stopping his petting, “Remember when they had bronchitis and that double ear infection at the same time, yet they still did double the chores cause their roommate had the flu? They only sat down whenever we forced them into a ghoul pile and then basically locked them in your room til they were better.” Rain laughs slightly at the memory, he had hated how miserable they looked but yet they were running around like a maniac. “Do you really think their gonna let something like some morning sickness and some hormones knock them on their ass? We both know we’re more than likely going to have to force them to sit down, especially with the tour coming up. Speaking of which, before you panic again, their early enough along Papa will have no reason to make them stay back.” Aether says, Rain has now finally raised his head from his knees.

“Now, your going to come with me out to the common room and tell the mother of your child that you love them and fucking mate them within this next week before I take them myself, I hear you guys enough that I know you have wanted this for a long time and I’m not going to leave them by themselves during this type of thing, don’t think I won’t sweep them off their feet.” Aether teases, earning a growl from the Water ghoul, “Fuck you, their mine Aether.” he snarls as he stands up, but when he faces the door Aether watches him freeze again, “But..what if they don’t love me back Aeth..what if (YN) just told me so I know?” he asks, wringing his hands as he turns back to the Quintessinal ghoul. “Oh Rainy, now I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, but me and Mountain found them crying in the kitchen as soon as you left. Their worried you hate them or your angry, they were calling themselves an idiot for telling you.” Aether says, grabbing Rain’s hand, “They love you just as much as you love them, don’t ever think that Cuttlefish. Now come on, I’m sure Mount has them calmed down.”

(YN)’s crying had attracted the girls first, “Oh honey, what happened?” Cumulus asks, sitting next to the pair on the couch as she grasps the human’s trembling hands. “I..I told Rain I’m pregnant and he didn’t take it well..” they whimper out, all their eyes widen, “Your pregnant? Honey that’s amazing, I’m so happy for you!” Cumulus exclaims, hugging (YN) as Cirrus and Sunshine join, one on the other side of Mountain and the other on the floor. “What do you mean he didn’t take it well? With how much I hear him talk about ‘filling you full of kits’ through the door, I’d think he’d be ecstatic?” Cirrus teases, leaning against (YN)’s back, who blushes and shakes their head. “I told him I was pregnant and he immediatly..asked who the dad was and when I said it was him, he needed a minute and ran out..” they explain hiding in Cumulus’ shoulder as they try not to cry again.

“Hold up your pregnant?!” Dew yells from the door, making everyone jump, “And Rain fucking left you alone after you told him?!” Swiss follows, standing behind Dew, “That little bitch, Imma-”

“No, leave him alone guys. It’s not his fault, we didn’t think it was possible and we’re not even together…if he doesn’t want anything to do with me now, then it’s okay. I’m not gonna force him take care of a child he doesn’t want.” (YN) says, even as a tear makes it’s way down their cheek. Dew and Swiss freeze before looking at each other and joining everyone else on the couch. It’s quickly decided everyone move to the floor now since theres not enough couch, Cumulus and Swiss cradle (YN) between them as Dew nuzzles into chest protectively, Sunshine, Cirrus, and Mountain piling around the others. Purrs and happy chirps can be heard as (YN) giggles when Swiss lightly tickles their side, “No more tears, this baby is gonna have a huge pack that cares for them. Rain doesn’t know what he’s missing, I know I’d gladly take the role of Daddy.” he teases, waggling his eyebrows, clearly not meaning in a parental manner. (YN) smacks his chest, “Shut it you horndog, I appreciate it but too many emotions to even think right now.” they laugh as he dramatically gasps, “Me? A horndog? I am the most castable chap you’ll ever meet!” This earns a eyeroll, “Swiss I literally walked in on you with your tongue down a Brother’s throat while a Sibling was sucking you off last week.”

“That was my twin brother, you haven’t met him yet, we can’t be in the same room otherwise we’ll disappear.” he states seriously, “Swiss shut up before I kick you from the pile.” Cirrus growls from behind, “Yes mommy, wait I’m sorry, I think that role goes to (YN) now.” he snarks when he suddenly yelps, “Sorry sorry, I’ll stop!” Cirrus apparently had yanked his tail. Everyone settles into soft small talk and purring when suddenly a door from the hallway opens and everyone looks up to see whose coming into the common room.

“(YN) sweetheart, can you come here for a minute please.” Aether calls from the threshold, (YN) looks around and slowly detangles themselves from a whining Swiss and Sodo while Cumulus follows, “I wanna come with, moral support.” she says as she holds the humans hand. They smile at the small ghoulette as they make their way into the hallway. Aether is standing with his hand in Rain’s, who looks like he’s been crying. “Rain has something he wanted to say.” Aether says, encouraging the ghoul to speak, he glances up from the floor and gasps slightly when he meets (YN)’s equally red and puffy eyes, “I..I really sorry for how I reacted, all I could think about was how scared I was of you possibly getting hurt and then that you were just telling me before you were going to say you didn’t want to see me again..” Rain says, hands wringing his tail in anxiety, “I love you so much (YN), I am really excited that your pregnant,I want this baby so much. But if you don’t want too be with me anymore I understand. If this happened once, who knows if it’d happen again.” he ducks his head in shame.

(YN) stares, frozen in shock until Cumulus squeeze their hand gently, urging them to speak, “Rain..I thought you were mad that I was pregnant, I thought maybe you were upset because you didn’t feel the same for me as I did for you. I love you too, so fucking much. When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified of what would happen, but the doctor talked to me about it and he introduced me to a doctor who has experience with half-ghoul pregnancies and I became ecstatic, I wanted to have this baby with you but then you ran off as soon as I told you. It hurt a lot Rain, watching the father of my child and the person I love more than anything leave me after I told him the best news possible felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest.” (YN) says, Rain’s shoulder slumps further as he whimpers, “But I understand you being scared, I was scared too. I’’ll forgive you as long as you promise to never do something like that again.” Rain’s head shoots up, blue eyes meeting (E/C), “Yo..you mean it?” he stutters to which they nod.

He launches across the corridor, picking them up with a trill and spins them around happily. They squeak, arms wrapping around his neck tightly as he twirls, then puts them down and starts covering their face in kisses. “I’m so sorry, my love, I won’t ever do anything like that again. I promise that if I do anything stupid again, you have full permission to smack me and yank my tail! I love you so much, I want you to be my mate more than anything in the world.” he begs, hiding his head in their shoulder as they giggle, wrapping his arms tightly around them, carefully avoiding their belly, as Aether and Cumulus aww in the background. “I love you too. I will keep this promise in mind whenever the hormones come along.” they tease as he sinks to his knees, wrapping his arms around their hips and buries his face into their abdomen. They gently stroke through his hair when they feel tears soak their shirt, “It’s okay baby, I’m here.” they coo softly.

Cumulus had pulled out her phone and subtly took a few pictures before the new couple finally decide to emergy back into the common room. Swiss growls lowly at the appearance of Rain but stops when he notices him holding hands with (YN) and the happy looks on their faces. “I take it things are good now?” Mountain asks from where he has a purring Dewdrop and Sunshine piled atop him, the new couple nod, “Yeah, Rain apologized and asked me to be his mate!” (YN) says gleefully, Rain wraps his arm around their waist protectively as he nods, “I’m happy for you two, but be grateful they told off Sodo and Swiss before they hunted your ass down Waterlily.” Mountain teases as the new couple along with Cumulus and Aether join the pile.

Rain flushes as he hides in his (soon to be) mates shoulder when suddenly the door opens to reveal Copia, “Hello my tesoros, I know it’s late but I was just informed of good news. Congratulations to the lovely (YN) and Rain, Dr. Virgel just emailed me asks if it was possible to temporarily return to the Ministry in order to help with the pregnancy, of course I said yes, that woman may be vulgar at times but she’s possibly the best doctor this Abbey has ever seen!” Copia says as he leans down to pat the pairs shoulders, ignoring the growl that came from Rain, “Down boy, Papa will not hurt your mate anymore than your pack would. (YN) feel free to take a couple days to relax, I imagine the news was quite exhilarating, you’ve already planned out this entire tour so don’t rush back okay mio bella. That is all, have a good night my lovely ghouls, don’t wear the poor thing out to much!” he calls as he leaves.

Bye Papas come from the pile before the settle down again. Rain had made his way back down and is snuggled against (YN)’s belly again, happily purring as they pet through his hair. He finally has the one he loves and their pregnant with his kit or kits, along with being surrounded by a huge, happy pack that will help them raise however many come along.

They eventually go back into the common room and tell them their officially together and are having the baby together. Cue party, kisses, Copia coming to give congrats (how does he know? because he’s papa and knows everything), and another ghoul pile with Rain snuggled into his soon to be mates belly, purring loudly.

[pseudowho]

Hii haitch, I've never asked stuff like this on here but I really trust you with answers so it wouldn't hurt to just send an ask ig. And you can totally ignore it btw I'll survive lol.

My question is about irregular periods. Since the first time I got it, I've had irregular periods all the time. Sometimes they're on time but it's rare. It's usually a week early/late but it can also be very late. For example, in July I was supposed to get it around the middle of the month and I had all the symptoms but it skipped that month and I finally got in at the beginning of this month. I know that can happen but it's been kinda weird this year and it's annoying honestly. My theory is all the stress I've been through for the past 4 years and it finally ended in June so it might have messed up my hormones as well 🤷🏻‍♀️ The periods are overall normal and nothing weird so I've never been to a gynecologist because I thankfully never had a real reason to.

Is it a bad thing to have irregular periods or totally normal? And are there any ways to make them regular? I'm 20 btw idk if that's important to know. (Sorry if I explained it badly, english isn't my first language so I tend to confuse myself too while writing 😅) -Love your writing! Read almost everything on your page 🩷-

Hiii!

I'm so sorry about the delay in this one.

I could talk about irregular periods until the cows come home, but usually in the absence of any other symptoms, they're very common and even to an extent, normal.

Anecdotally, as midwives, we tend to see that young women, pre bearing children, are much more likely to have irregular periods than those who have had babies. Something about pregnancy and birth seems to give the body a great big reset.

It's important that you can see what's happening with your cycle, and where you are in your cycle, so you can understand the various physiological mechanisms behind the complexity of it. We talk a lot about periods, and very little about the rest of the days around the period.

I recommend a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Before you walk away, don't think this is all about babies. It's very much not. This book taught me more about the individual complexities of the menstrual cycle and recognition of exactly what my body was doing, than anything else. It's full of firsthand accounts of women with odd cycles. It's full of easy to understand charts and graphs. And overall it's actually a really interesting read.

Overall, I'd say...

Don't worry. Unless something else arises, odd symptoms, etc. I cannot see anything wrong with what you've described.

Love,

-- Haitch xxx

[xxshewritesinblacknwhitexx]

Four Months Part Two

You left your pregnancy test with Syd, now you’re dealing with the aftermath of it all.

Syd (London) x Black!Reader

WARNINGS: mentions of pregnancy, language, mentions of drug use, fist-fighting, small mention of blood, angst

It had been exactly two weeks since you’ve seen, spoken to, or even heard from Syd. Not since that day found him in bed with his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend— whoever the fuck she was. And not since you left that pretty huge bombshell on him.

You were pregnant.

And you had no idea what the hell you were going to do about it.

A woman’s pregnancy should have been the most joyous news of her life, but it wasn’t exactly yours. You were pregnant by your now ex-boyfriend, who was a drug addict, alcoholic, and a fucking cheater.

You released a deep, heavy sigh, lying back against the examination table with your feet propped awkwardly in the metal stirrups. You were currently at the free clinic just a few blocks from your studio apartment. Nerves bubbled in your gut, as you watched with bated breath, the oncall OB leisurely move the ultrasound wand against your bare lower abdomen.

The room was quiet for a moment before the loud, thumping sound of your baby’s racing heartbeat filled the room.

“Okay, so this is your baby,” the older OB spoke kindly, pointing to a black and white swirly image, that you barely could make out what you were seeing, on the screen before you. “And just telling by the size of the fetus, correlating with your last menstrual cycle, you’re looking to be about nearly 16 weeks along.”

Excuse me? Did she say what you think you just heard?

“16 weeks?” You exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. The sound of the disposable paper on the hospital bed you laid on crinkled loudly. You knew that you were definitely more than a month along, but 16? “You’re saying I’m 4 months pregnant?”

The Doctor nodded, grabbing a paper towel to help you wipe the excess jelly from your stomach. “I am most positively certain.” She gave you a warm smile.

“But how is this possible?” You muttered to yourself, before looking back at the doctor in confusion. “I mean, I had no symptoms up until a few weeks ago.”

“Well,” your doctor took a breath, “that is the case for some women. I mean, you could have no symptoms until the second trimester, like in your case. You could have symptoms throughout the entire pregnancy or none at all.” She quickly explained, while you tried to rack your brain on if you and Syd even used protection that first night. “So, I’m going to print you out a few copies of the scan and set you up for your prenatal care, okay?”

You nodded in desolation, laying heavily back against the bed in defeat, cursing yourself for being so carelessly stupid. “Yeah, okay.”

“So, you’re not going to tell me about what happened? Even though I drove you a long ass way.” Your best guy friend, Dylan, questioned as the two of you drove down the road in his beat up 1986 Pontiac Firebird —his most prized possession.

You giggled softly, the first smile you’ve had in awhile. “Stop being dramatic, it wasn’t that long. The clinic is only 6 blocks from my place. I could have easily walked, but you insisted.”

“Well,” he let out a deep sigh, “I just hadn’t seen you in so long that I jumped at the chance of spending any time with you.”

You gave him a warm smile and swallowed thickly. You then glanced down at the several sonograms still stuck in your hand. “I’m just, you know, still processing all of this.” You turned to face Dylan full on. “I’m four months pregnant, Dyl. That first night with Syd sealed the deal with my fate. I’m so fucked.”

“Now who’s being dramatic?” Dylan teased, but you couldn’t find a reason to smile anymore. “You’re not fucked, okay? Shit happens. Just think of this as a blessing in disguise.”

“A blessing in disguise?” You scoffed, pushing some hair out of your face. “I make less than minimum wage, trying to live off shitty tips, while living in an even more shitty ass studio, that I can’t even afford in the first place. And not to mention, my child’s father, who hasn’t contacted me since I told him I was pregnant, is a depressed junkie, who’s still in love with his ex. You really want to sit there and tell me that’s a blessing?”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Again, Dylan teased, bumping his shoulder with yours. “Look, don’t worry about your living situation. Your lease is almost up, and I have an extra room where you and the baby can stay as long as you’d like. Rent free of course. We will work on the job thing, and the baby daddy situation is up to you. If you feel like this Syd guy is not gonna step up to the plate then you got me.”

“What?” You turned to look at Dylan in surprised confusion.

“I mean, you and I don’t have to be anything else, if you don’t want to.” He stuttered, trying to explain himself. “But I’m willing to be a father figure for the kid if it’s what you need. Doctors appointments, birthing coaches, birthdays, soccer games, recitals —whatever, you name it. I will be there.”

That caused your heart to warm. You kind of knew that Dylan might have harbored some kind of deeper than friendship feelings for you, but you really only saw him as a friend. And that was because you were too blinded by Syd to see anything else.

“You’re amazing, you know.” You gave him another warm smile, reaching over to gently pat his hand on the steering wheel.

Dylan shrugged, and you watched his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. “Well, I try.”

You playfully rolled your eyes at him. “Typical, Dylan. But thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Dylan immediately pulled up to the curb right in front of your residence. He gave you another moment of reassurance, before the two of you made plans to have lunch tomorrow. After a few more moments, you finally stepped out of Dylan’s car, telling him your goodbyes and made your way up to your apartment building. Your eyes were cast toward the ground, you hadn’t realized that someone had been waiting for you. When you looked up, there was Syd, sitting on your stoop, anxiously smoking a cigarette.

Your heart almost stopped at the sight of him. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, his stupid leather jacket, and a baseball cap covered those shaggy auburn locks that desperately needed to be cut. His face looked pale and gaunt while heavy bags and dark circles lay underneath his eyes.

Everything in you wanted nothing, but to turn the opposite way, in hopes that he wouldn’t see you, but you were too late.

His steely blue gaze looked directly at you, as he immediately stubbed out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe and then flicked it into the street. He gave you a small smile, rubbing his hands up and down against his jeans nervously, before shoving them into his pockets and approached you with caution.

“Syd,” you swallowed thickly. You could already feel yourself crumbling at his mere presence. “What…what are you doing here?”

He bit his lip and took a dramatic sniff through his nostrils. “We need to talk.” He told you, after a few moments of deafening silence.

Your resolve quickly snapped you back into reality. You then shook your head and tried to push your way past him. “There’s nothing to talk about, Syd.”

Syd was quick on his reflexes, as he reached out to grab your elbow, catching you before you got away. “Of course, there is.”

You yanked yourself from his grasp and looked down at your shuffling feet, not wanting to make direct eye contact with him. “It’s been two weeks, Syd. You’ve had plenty of time to come and talk to me. But now that window is closed. I have nothing else that I want to say to you.”

Syd released a heavy sigh, reaching to give his nose a harsh rub, before speaking your name softly, “I’m sorry, okay. I shouldn’t have left things the way I did. It’s just that I’ve been trying to get my head straight and trying to wrap my head around this.”

After a few silent moments, you finally looked up into his eyes for the first time. “Well,” you paused for a second, “there’s no need for you to wrap your head around anything anymore. Okay, Syd? You’re off the hook.” You told him, this time making your way up the stairs to the front door to your apartment building.

“What the hell does that mean?” Syd called out to you after another few seconds of silence.

You stopped putting the key into the door, turning back to face him, and shrugging in a nonchalant manner. “It’s whatever you want it to mean, Syd. Just know that I —we don’t need you. I can do this on my own.”

Again Syd irritably swiped at his nose and turned to quickly spit. You rolled your eyes at that, knowing that he was probably on something. “Then what was the point, huh? You literally slapped me with a pregnancy test and then just walked away. You didn’t even give me time to even say anything. What was I supposed to do with that?”

You scoffed, wrapping your arms around your waist, almost trying to shield yourself from the hurt you were feeling. “I’m sorry, did you want me to wait while you and that whore finished?” You snapped and watched as Syd looked down at his own shuffling feet. You kinda felt bad for the whore comment since you weren’t sure if she even knew you existed, but at that moment you didn’t care. “I mean, does it even matter, Syd? You don’t want this baby, so go back to your girlfriend and leave me the hell alone.” You turned back to the door, this time determined to walk in and get away from him.

“Why do you assume I don’t want this baby?” Syd called out again, and you could almost hear the hurt in his voice. “You won’t even give me a chance to explain.”

You wanted to ignore his question, —ignore his pain, but you couldn’t help yourself. So, you turned to face him again. You watched his movements closely. He was antsy. He sniffled quite often, still wiping at his nose harshly.

“Look at you, Syd.” You pointed out, walking back down the stairs, against your better judgment. “You’re obviously on something right now, and you’re not thinking clearly. Just go back to London, I’m sure that’s where you’d rather be anyway.”

Again Syd sighed, taking a big step toward you. He then hesitantly reached out for you, grabbing your upper arms, and you didn’t fight his touch. That was also against your better judgment. “Look, London and I are not back together. She went to LA. She’s gone. Out of my life for good. It was a stupid mistake, but if you give me another chance, I’ll make it right.”

Your brows furrowed in frustration. “So what, I get to be your consolation prize? Thanks, but no.” You tried to walk away again, but Syd’s hold was too strong for you. “Let go of me, Syd.”

Syd gripped a bit tighter, as he shook his head. “No, not until we work this out,” he hesitated, steely eyes pleading, “please.”

You were just about to tell him to shove it, the two of you were interrupted by the sound of someone else’s voice.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

You looked over Syd’s shoulder and spotted Dylan cautiously approaching the both of you. Great, this was the last thing you wanted.

Syd released his hold on you and quickly turned around, to find that Dylan was now standing in front of him. “Everything’s fine, alright? So, why don’t you climb back into your little bitch car and mind your business, huh?”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Dylan spat, before looking over at you, his crystal eyes filled with worry, “you okay?”

You didn’t know what to say, but it wasn’t like Syd would let you, since he took a step closer to Dylan. “Again, I said, mind your business.”

Dylan stepped closer to Syd. “Again, I said nobody was talking to you.”

Syd let out a sarcastic chuckle, looking over his shoulder back at you. “Who’s this asshole, seriously?” He didn’t even wait for you to answer as he turned back to Dylan. “Look, bro, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I was talking to my girlfriend,” he shoved his thumb in your direction. “So, I’m not gonna tell you again to just leave.”

You could see that Dylan was not about to back down, and you didn’t know when would be a good time to finally step in to stop the inevitable.

“She’s not your girlfriend anymore, bro.” Dylan mocked, and you knew by their stances that this wasn’t going to end well. “So, it would be in your best interest to leave.”

Syd looked down at his feet for a half second, before looking back at Dylan with a small smirk on his face. “Why don’t you make me?” He then gave Dylan a rough shove, which caused your friend to stumble back a bit.

You knew it was time now to stop it before it got any worse. “Syd, stop it.” You called out to the father of your unborn child. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t going to end well.

Of course, Syd ignored you and continued to shove Dylan. “C’mon on pretty boy, you want me to leave so bad, then make me leave.”

Before you could stop it from happening, all hell broke loose. Syd kept on provoking Dylan with his shoves until Dylan finally got tired after Syd’s final shove, and he officially threw the first punch toward Syd. Syd, although intoxicated, was able to quickly duck out of the way. He immediately swung back on Dylan, connecting his right fist directly to Dylan’s left eye. Dylan stumbled again, but quickly came back and connected a right hook to Syd’s nose.

After the initial shock wore off, you immediately shoved yourself in between both guys, as Syd was standing to his feet. Bloodied nose, he tried to charge toward Dylan, but you stopped him.

“Syd, stop!” You shoved your ex boyfriend back hard. “Please, just go and leave me alone.” You begged, tears rimming your eyes. “You’ve done enough.”

Syd looked down at you, his eyes bloodshot and blood still pouring from what you thought was now a broken nose. He swallowed thickly, looking over at Dylan and then back at you. His heart fell into the pit of his stomach at the fact that you had given up on him. But he knew he deserved it. He was the one who’d hurt you. So, he decided to do what you wanted, raising his hands in surrender and finally backing off.

“Go.” You told him one more time.

You didn’t even give him a chance to walk away, before you turned and walked back over to Dylan. You immediately noticed his right eye was now swelling and turning a deep shade of purple. You grabbed him by the arm, then the bag you had dropped when the fight first began, and made your way past Syd one last time —not even stopping to acknowledge his presence.

Syd left the two of you alone and just watched as you and Dylan walked into your building together. At the time, you hadn’t realized that Dylan had dropped something during his scuffle with Syd. But Syd did. When you disappeared from his sight, he walked over to the object and picked it up.

He used the back of his hand to wipe at the blood still coming from his nose, before wiping it on and staining the front of his jeans. He looked down at the object in his hands, smiling softly. It was one of the several sonograms you had gotten from today’s OB appointment today. You had accidentally left it in Dylan’s car, and he came back to return it to you.

Now it was in Syd’s possession. He looked at the sonogram and then up to your apartment building, then back at the sonogram, one last time, before shoving it into his back pocket and making his way down the street.

That was the day that Syd made a vow to himself. He vowed that from that day on that he was gonna get himself clean and straight for you and your baby. Because there was no way, he was going to let a prick asshole, who hit like a little bitch, as Dylan to be father to his kid.

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[geek-fashionista]

Apologies for the unsolicited advice, but regarding pregnancy and trying to get pregnant, I highly recommend spending $20 or whatever on ovulation tests! You may already be using them (in which case, I understand your frustration) but more concretely knowing when you’re ovulating rather than guesstimating based on your regular menstrual cycle is so useful.

(I have one kid, am pregnant with a second, but this is my third pregnancy as I lost the first - miscarriage is ridiculously common. I’ve read that there’s only like a 25% chance you’ll even conceive in a month if you’re trying, then there’s at least a 25% chance of miscarrying :/ )

God has you and your family in his hands! Best wishes in your journey for family growth and hope you get a sticky bean soon 🙏

Thanks Anon! I've never considered an ovulation test before because my ovulation symptoms are extremely obvious 90% of the time. (One year, they took the form of Popeyes biscuit cravings. I wanted to eat five thousand of them.) We're not trying to have a baby at the moment because we have to move out of our current situation by March, have no idea where we're moving to next, and are currently surviving on one income as I play the role of starving artist in an expensive state. (Seriously guys plz read Trainwrecks)

But! I'm at the point where if baby happened, I wouldn't be upset about it. The Lord says children are a blessing and He does provide. I pray that your second pregnancy goes well and that your labor is quick and easy! ✨️

[thesongthesoulsings]

Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit

Summary: Nothing is created from nothing but Aesop and Katherine Sharp do something. A short story about mutual self-giving and its blessing.

Chapter 2

Link to A03

| Part 1 |

Chapter 2: The Confirmation

The rain hit the window, creating a melody of its own, when Noreen Blainey – Hogwarts’ Matron – entered the room. I had been waiting for her, already knowing what must be behind my symptoms. It was a matter of confirmation, not a visit to discover the cause behind my missed menstruation in combination with fatigue and nausea.

As I had been suspecting, tests revealed that I was indeed early into pregnancy – a honeymoon baby. Despite having suspected that I was growing a child inside of me, hearing and seeing the confirmation had no less brought a multitude of feelings with it. The pulsating yellow magical spark which had shown that a heart was beating below my own had been mesmerizing. Noreen informed me, that the heart of the child had probably started beating a week before. The thought of having Aesop’s child embedded in my womb was euphoria inducing, but the change that was ahead caused a bit of worry. I was convinced that a child would bring much joy into our life, but I was not naïve enough to think it would not also open the door for troublesome times. Had I been doubting our fertility? No. The immediate conception of a child was nevertheless surprising. A smile stole across my lips before I had the opportunity to realize it. Aesop would not need to question his potency again – the curse had not affected him in that regard. How would he react to the news? Would he be overjoyed? Would he worry? Was disappointment or anger in the realm of possibilities? I doubted the latter ones – he knew how offspring came about and we had not taken any precautions. We had given ourselves completely to each other – no interferences, no desire to hold anything back. No, he was a man of honor who would not feel anger towards a life he had created.

I saw him approaching me – limping but apparently not suffering much pain today – when I was on my way to our shared rooms. Although he appeared to be his serious unbothered self at first glance, the twitching of his eyebrow informed me that worry had managed to creep onto him. “I was on my way to you. I... “, he stopped, his glittering dark eyes inspecting me with something akin to admiration. I could not pinpoint exactly what it was, but he looked differently at me. “A thought crossed my mind, but I think this is hardly the place to discuss the matter. “

His confident voice and the words it had accompanied to my ears woke curiosity. Did he know? Or was it a passionate thought that had him search for me? Did he have a new idea for a cure?

“I can practically see the questions consuming you, darling.” Clearly amused, he offered me his arm.

“Hardly surprising considering your cryptic speech and peculiar inspection of my person”, I replied taking his offered arm and squeezing it, seeking to feel him discreetly. It earned me a contented side-glance from my husband, who was used to it.

As soon as we reached our rooms and the door closed behind us, the Professor I had married sought his usual place in front of the fireplace, having taken off his coat.

“Tea?” I could still hear it raining, the greyish light immersing the room in a calm atmosphere.

He shook his head barely noticeably. “Maybe later. Come here.” His patting his good leg made me move, carefully seating myself on it. I was expecting his hand to find my waist, and so it did – pulling me nearer to him.

“As I mentioned before, I noticed something”, he looked at me in that undefinable way again, leading me to caress his cheek and kiss the corner of his mouth. I was repaid with a smile. “I was brewing for the hospital wing - an analgesic for menstrual pains – when I noted that you had not bled once during the course of our marriage. We have been back for two weeks by now, and I know you planned for our wedding to take place immediately after your last period in preparation for a pleasant honeymoon.” He observed my reaction, but I patiently waited for him to continue, hearing in his voice that he had not finished recounting his thought process yet. “You never used to nap during the day but have been doing so for about three weeks now. Your pale beautiful breasts have been much more sensitive to my touch, their tips having darkened; and I noticed that you got sick yesterday.” I nodded, agreeing with his assessment.

Letting my forehead touch his cheek, I made it real by speaking what we both knew into the room.

“I’m with child.”

His arms tightened around me, a sigh leaving him. He seemed relieved, making me believe he had been questioning himself and considering an illness as an alternative.

“What wonderous state to be in.” I felt his words being spoken into my pinned-up hair, one of his hands drawing circles on my clothed thigh with his thumb.

“We created life together”, I whispered, realizing how extraordinary it was, what so many considered banal.

I felt his lips – which were still hidden in my hair – smile once more.

“That we did.”

It was a moment of serenity, of closeness, of joy.

I broke the silence after a few minutes of peaceful silence, enjoying the nearness of this great man who had chosen me so many times.

“Out of curiosity – how does it feel to you? Knowing it was your seed which planted this child inside of me?” I laughed at my own question. “That feeling is relevant to the continuation of humanity after all.”

He chuckled darkly.

“Indescribable. Having the hand of an intellectual equal, that is as beautiful as you, in marriage is a daily joy; bedding you is a remarkably pleasurable privilege and knowing that I am the one that gets to father your children is... triumph.”

I brought enough space between us to take in his face. I had never been more confident of the fact that we shared the same feelings for each other.

“Then fathering my children feels to you exactly like mothering your children feels to me.”

He took hold of a strand of hair that had disentangled itself, placing it behind my ear.

“You’ve become softer since we’ve been married – it suits you. I don’t think you’ve ever been as open about your feelings as you are now.”

“It’s just the hormonal confusion, don’t get used to it.” The humor in my voice did not go amiss, since he smiled and asked for the tea I had offered in the beginning of our conversation.

“I would like some tea now. This blasted leg is starting to hurt.” I kissed his hand, standing to prepare us some tea and biscuits.

The Saturday afternoon went over into a calm Saturday evening – an evening that involved Aesop placing his hands on my stomach, while murmuring protective spells over me and our child.

The Sharp Family no longer consisted of them alone – a third member of the family had been called into existence and was growing under its parents' protective magic.