Slytherin Down the Rabbit Hole

“Uhhh… sure he is.” Buttercup informs awkwardly.

“In fact, he’s present right now.” Hamm adds.

“Really?” Woody obviously gets very excited to know that, dying to see him again, only to suddenly have a laser pointer beaming right at his face once he turns back around again - the space ranger appears stern.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

This action feels all too familiar to the ex-sheriff, clear as crystal, so he playfully goes along with a grin. “Woah, woah, hey there! My name is Woody, I come in peace. I used to live here.”

With confirmation, Buzz Lightyear turns off his lightbulb laser and walks up smiling and chuckling.

The very second when they’re now less of an inch away from each other, they share an embrace; the warming feeling they both experience brings joy back to their figurative hearts. It’s been a while since they felt this, like really long, and it brings back memories to them. Lovely, romantic memories.

After half a minute, Woody and Buzz lift their heads up to gaze at each other’s adoring eyes, like they’re a long lost couple reuniting after decades; the latter even brings a hand up to caress the cowboy’s cheek, all while their friends whisper behind their backs.

“It’s been too long, darling.” Buzz breaths quietly, enough for only Woody to hear.

Those chocolatey irises sparkle after that pet name being delivered so delicately yet passionately. Woody can just melt into the touch of his favourite space toy right now… if not for what’s about to come next.

“I hope you’ve been okay.”

Such an innocent concern instantly snaps Woody out of the state of serenity and back to the reason for why he came back in the first place. His widened eyes nearly concern Buzz further before the cowboy can relax them and prints on another smile instead.

“Um, yeah, o-of course I’ve been.” Woody hesitates.

“You don’t sound so sure.”

He becomes very nervous that a shaky hand instinctively rests upon his own stomach, soothingly rubbing it to comfort himself. Buzz takes notice of this, especially at how big it’s gotten and instantly jumps into surprise and confusion - like the other toys prior. He wants to ask but doesn’t want to be rash.

“Wha- uh… Woody?…” The usually cool-headed space ranger never met this level of awkwardness before, at least not in a while, and doesn’t know how to handle it. He does begin to feel better once Woody takes back his hand and rubs his back with free one; although the half smile he gives him reads something different.

“Hey, guys?…” The cowboy looks back at the others with the same expression. “Can you allow us to have some privacy please?”

While suspicious initially, they allow it as good friends should. They don’t leave the area though as it’s the odd couple who walk their way towards the closet, suggested by Woody in a low voice. Only until the shutters are closed up tightly do they share puzzling stares between each other; most of them all still pondering about Woody’s new physical appearance and it doesn’t seem to be leaving their thoughts anytime soon.

A second later, curiosity gets the better of the spork. “Since when does Buzz call Woody ‘darling’?”

“That’s your question?” Mr. Potato Head side-eyes.

—

It’s a good thing Buzz still maintains his glow-in-the-dark feature, even if it is a little faded now. However, it’s enough to allow Woody to find the old night light stashed away and turn it on for the time being. With the area more lit and they can see each other more clearer, the agitated cowboy attempts to speak first.

“So… mm… Buzz…”

But apparently putting big, unknown news into words is a much more difficult task than he predicted. Lightyear can tell from Woody’s mouthing with no words, fidgeting fingers and distraught eyebrows that something may be very wrong; it’s all worrisome to him. He gently holds those quaky hands into his own and almost immediately does it calm Woody’s nerves.

Their loving eye-contact resumes as Buzz murmurs. “I-It’s okay, Woody. You can tell me.”

Well, no more beating around the bush now. Woody collects his thoughts and takes a soft breath.

“Okay.” He begins. “Buzz, do you remember my last visit about 10 months ago? Everyone was asleep and I snuck you out to the garage?”

“Of course I do.” Buzz responds positively. “That was when we figured things out between us.” His thumb caresses over one of those hands to silently elaborate. “And you provided us a way to stay in touch too.”

Woody makes a quick glance over to the walky-talky at the side before meeting Buzz’s eyes again. “Yeah. True, but…”

“Yeah?”

Here it comes; jumbling words are needing to escape his mouth, but Woody knows it’s best to take it one step at a time.

“Things did start out as normal when I got back… but then a month later…” He gulps nervously. “Strange things started happening to me.”

Buzz doesn’t say anything. His eyes did scan back down at the belly for a second but forces to look back up to not be rude. “Wh-What kind of strange?”

“Like… feeling woozy at inappropriate times, my back hurting and not due to the stitching, and obviously THIS growing and getting more bigger as time went by. I was so confused at first, and then...”

Woody’s voice croaked, causing a thump inside Buzz’s chest as worries rise. “Then what?”

The sniffling cowboy wipes at his eyes despite the inability to cry actual tears. Another inhale and exhale is made to contain himself before finally spilling the beans. “I-I… I felt it move.”

A pause occurs.

“It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I came to the conclusion that… I’m… expecting.”

In that moment, the world feels like it froze.

Buzz Lightyear, who’s usually the rational one, now looks like he’s in a trance; his mind turns into mush trying to process Woody’s words, eyes wide open, all while standing stiff in place. His partner expected this form of reaction - what he doesn’t expect is a forced grin followed by an anxious chuckle.

“Heh, heh, well that’s odd.” Buzz’s eyes shift in disbelief. “You sure it’s not just from the lack of a voice box? It could be just your stuffing moving about from there being more space in there. I mean- heh, we are toys after all so it could really be…”

As he rambles in denial, Woody’s eyebrows lower further, and one hand scrunches up into a fist. Of course he would never hit him - at least not nowadays - so in the state of irritation does he grab onto Buzz’s wrist and force his hand to lie on the rounded belly.

The closet goes dead quiet. Buzz keeps his focus on his hand and the stomach; and as soon as his disbelief seems justifiable, what happens after is enough to make him fall to his knees.

Something small, something gentle, is fluttering under the stitched cloth shirt. Buzz doesn’t dare to look away, nor move his hand even by an inch, not until he concludes that what’s right infront of him is real. Just when he thinks it can’t get any more shocking, a sudden, tiny bump knocks up against his palm - the spaceman can’t take the proof anymore.

“Holy shit.”

“Buzz! Ssshhh.”

It isn’t clear if Woody is hushing him in case the little one hears or if their friends might hear. Either way, it slowly brings Buzz’s mind back down to Earth.

“S-Sorry, sorry… it’s just-”

“I know, I know.”

Another moment of silence occurs just to help calm Buzz down and for his head to wrap around the truth one last time. Their hand holding now resumes.

“I can’t believe it…” the smiling spaceman quietly breaths again. “We’re actually going to be dads.”

“That’s right.” Woody smiles back at him. “Our very own kid.”

While continuing to caress his partner’s belly, a simple question comes flooding to him. “So… how did Bo react? In case you told her.”

Woody nearly freezes in place similarly to Buzz a minute ago, sadness replaces the bliss in his eyes and the warming smile disappears. The way he goes silent sets Buzz to worry again, at least he’s more coolly than before.

“I’m guessing she was also in denial?” Buzz guesses.

Woody shakes his head. “Worse. Once she learned I went back to see you, and that this is the result of it, she…” a nose sigh lets loose. “She dumped me.”

“What?!”

Buzz’s voice raising is almost as bad as him cursing so Woody does what he can to ease the anger.

“It’s okay. I still remained around the carnival, just nowhere near her; a-and I was thinking about returning long before now, but… to be honest, I was scared. Scared of what my family would think, but mostly, on what you’d think. But in the end, I decided on what was best for the baby, which is a home far safer than the dangers of the outside world. I’m so, so sorry it took me this long to come back to you.”

The ashamed cowboy hides his face within his palms after admitting his mistakes, as Buzz looks on with sadness. Don’t worry, for he quickly brings up his arms to gently takes those hands away so he can cup it himself. “Woody, look at me.”

His tone is a mix of strictness and sympathy; it’s enough to have Woody open up his brown eyes to him.

“Don’t ever apologise for what was a hard decision for you. You’re here with me now and that’s all that matters. Sure I was startled by the news, as you clearly saw, but now I’m more dedicated to you than ever; and believe me, I’ll be doing the same for the little miss or mister once they’re here.”

If that isn’t enough to convince him, than a light peck on the nose Buzz gives should - it works.

“I’ve always been by your side when you needed me, and I’ll happily do it for this next chapter of our lives, because I love you.”

Woody can honestly cry a waterfall over such a healing speech, but he can’t so the best he can do is resume their embrace once more. Lightyear nuzzles his face into his partner’s shoulder, rubs circles over the back stitches, and receives a satisfied sigh for it.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

However, Buzz can’t help himself with a specific reply to that question.

“A good knocking out the window if I recall.”

If that reminder was an attempt to make him laugh, then it oddly worked. Still, Woody reels in Buzz to press their lips together to keep his snarky mouth shut. The heavenly feeling of a kiss like this after 10 months without it makes his comment totally worth it. Once parted, their foreheads remain touching.

“I wonder how Jessie will feel about this.” Woody cannot help but ponder on one last concern.

“Oh don’t worry, she already figured out the thing between us a long time ago.” Buzz assures. “And she’s cool with it.”

“Heh. Well that certainly saves me a lot of trouble.”

…