#nsfb

(You didn’t know what you expected. . . But this wasn’t it. This really, really wasn’t it.)

(It had been a few days since you escaped the loops and everyone had been so nice to you! So kind and understanding and giving, every time you wanted to help you’d be told nope! Go rest up! But you wanted to, you really did. You messed everything up after all so. . .)

(So, you wanted to do something, At least. You considered walking to the favor tree, but even now it just. . . Left a bad taste in your mouth. And it tasted of sugar. So, instead you decided to try something different! Make a change as it were, ha ha haaaaaaaa- -pleasedon’tbemadUniverseit’scheatingpromise-)

(You found the Change statue you liked the most and did a short little prayer, just a simple thing, just asking if you could, help? At all? You WERE the one stagnating this place in time after all. Your meeting with the Change God was unexpected, and really scary honestly! So. . . You just, wanted to, make things right?)

(But you didn’t expect, t-this.)

(No sooner had you fallen asleep than you found yourself in that featureless void. That’s where you are now, the same one you met the Change God in. Obviously, there wasn’t any difference in the nothing around you, same boring void of nothing.)

(Except, you’re naked.)

(Head to toe, you’re naked; the only covering you had was your eyepatch. Stars, you’re glad you at least have that, still, it was the one Isabeau made for you! Now all that remained was a very simple question, why were you here?)

“Haaaaaiiii c(<w<)c!!!”

(Oh no.)

“Didn’t you say aaaaanythiiiing~? (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)”

(With great hesitancy you slowly turn around, and, sure enough, the blinding Change God is standing just a few inches behind you! You jump and stumble in surprise, falling back onto your butt. The statue was. . . Well, different-)

“Uh YEAH!!! (˶˃⤙˂˶) I’d HOPE SO!!” (You wince, S-stars you, forgot, about that-)

“I-I, I didn’t, th-think-” (You’re cut off by the Change God jumping on you and sitting on your chest. They were surprisingly light for being made of stone!) 

(The statue, the face on its head always shifting and changing, looked down at you with a (•؎ •) expression. The poncho looked soft and delicate, the arms and legs with smooth, well crafted joints ending in finely sanded hands. Well, they looked more like nubs with fingers, in honesty.)

“Yaaaayyy!!! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡ u got out!!!  (Change God giggles and leaned down, face a few inches from yours.) “And you changed sooooooo much!!! I’m proud of you!!! Good for you!!!”

“W-why are you here?!?!?!” (You look around you in panic, this can’t be happening this, this can’t be happening?!?)

“Yes it caaaannnn~” (You feel a hand on your side and it sends shocks up your body, it, makes you freeze!) “I’m here ‘cause I can (•̀ᴗ•́ )و, YOU’RE here ‘cause you offered to heeeelp~!!”

“B-but, wh-”

“Awww isn’t it obvious Stardust~” (In a blink, the statue turns into an exact copy of Loop. Down to the mannerisms.) “‘Why me’ You may ask? Because the ice between us is already broken! If I had to explain me to a new little face it would take all day~!”

(You had to recover after seeing Loop towering over you. Again.) “I- b-because I’m convenient?!?!”

“And because you owe me!! ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)” (And the statue was back.) 

“B-but, I-Isa and I, we, haven’t, e-even. . .”

“¬‿¬ Uh huh?”

“. . . W-wellwetriedbutdidn’tgofar-”

“Went far enough ;3! And what about all the other people u boned?”

“Oth-” (You caught their eye, and, wait, oh stars no. Your face was getting hot. So, so so so hot because, stars HOW COULD YOU FORGET SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!?!)

“It’s okaaaay Siffy-pop!! EEEEEVERYONE forgets stuff!!” (The Change God boops you on the nose, only making you want to hide your face.) “O-kaaay how about this (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) just gimmie one night! One widdle teensy weensy night to have some fun and if u reeeeeally don’t like it theeeeeen we’ll see.”

“What do you m-”

“BUUUUT If you DO like it then we can do it every night!!(★‿★)!!”

“E-EVERY-” (You choke out, finally slamming your hands over your mouth and face. S-ssttars this was, ss-so, so much to, to take in!! Breathe, breathe, in and out, in and out, close your eye. . . E-every, every night? A-and, you did, say you’d do anything. And it can’t be, be that bad or, a-and. . . You’re, feeling hot, and relaxed, and- wait.)

(You open your eye again and Change was laying on top of you, gently stroking your chest, kicking their feet in the air, and grinning at you. You squint.) “. . . What?”

“Hmmmm. . . Yep, ur cute （*＾-＾*）”

“H-HUH?!?”

“you make up ur mind yet??? I’m boooooooooooooooooooored!!!”

“T-this is a big decision if I want to fuck a god!!! N-not even my god!!!”

“Well it’s not like you’d get a chance with your god an-y-waaayyyy~” (They had the smuggest, most annoying face on right now.)

“. . .” (You look away, Stars. . . Did the Universe even look out for you still? Or even, exist? Was your god gone and you were just living in denial. . . ? You need to stop thinking about this before you cry. Universe, if you’re listening, uh, sorry?) “A-alright, I’ll do it.”

“poggers!!!” (Change flapped their arms excitedly- wait what does that even mean?!?!) “don’t worry ‘bout it fwinnyyyy!!! U ready?”

(Ugh.) “N-not really, but let’s, geeeeet tooo iiiiiit. . .“

“Okay! (≧∇≦)ﾉ yay!!! Just close your cute widdle eye and relaaaax~”

“O-okay-” (You take a breath, then, close your eye. After a second, maybe two you felt a warm kiss on your neck.)

(Just that one little kiss sent electric shocks through your whole body. It made you jolt and gasp for air. Your eyes flying open to, to total darkness?!? You couldn’t see a thing!!! You opened your mouth to talk, but, but no words came out!! There was something in your mouth?!?!? W-when, when did-)

“Dawww siwwy Siffwin!!! I’m THE CHANGE GOD (＠＾０＾) !!! You shoulda’ expected this!!!” (The voice is directly in your ears, in your head!!! You’re about to respond but you’re cut off by another kiss, which turns into a bite!!!)

(It was like nothing you had EVER felt before!!! Not any way you died, not the ways Isabeau kissed you, none of it!!! The shocks and warmth that flowed into you was like a venom. You felt your muscles relax and your face get hot. Stars, you moaned!!!)

“Thaaaat’s a good widdle rogue~” (The Change Gods giggles didn’t stop. There was another bite, then another, and another, and another! It was on your neck, your shoulders, your back, your chest, your- hA--)

(It was all too much, you were losing your MIND!!!)

“Good Rogue, Good Siffrin~” (Change repeated into your head.) “You’re doing sooooo so so soooo good~”

(I-it had been, just, a few seconds and, and you already wanted more, needed more!! Those kisses were wild, the bites were wild!!! You whimpered into your gag, feeling a hand drag up your side and hearing more blinding giggles!!!)

(You, you LIKED THIS??!?!?)

(THAT??? WAS THE MOST SURPRISING THING OF ALL OF THIS?!?!?! Y-you, you didn’t expect this, a-any of this, any at all but, b-but, a-actually being into it!?!?! R-really, really into it!! You, y-you- HHAAA--)

“Dawwww is someone having a widdle cwisis ( ´･･)ﾉ(._.`)~” (Change snickered, you could feel their hands cupping your face, and trailing your body, a-and between your legs- S-SSTARS-) “Just keep breathing Siffy-pop! I’ll take gooood care of you~”

(You felt their lips on yours, kissing you, and then again, again, and again! They kept going, kissing you until they finally held you into the kiss. You, y-you return it, kissing them back, opening your mouth a crack to invite them in.)

(Their tongue slipped into your mouth, exploring, teasing. It felt rough, hot, and, and a little slimy? I-it’s, stars then it kept going! Their tongue went deeper, deeper, slipping down and down, down into your throat and making you gag. You wiggled on the spot until you felt hands pinning you down from all sides.)

(Each touch was exploding your nerves and the kiss was making your brain turn to mush!!! You could feel hands moving to your crotch a-and, stroking, and, a-and- hHHAAWHATTHEFUCK THAT’S NOT, WHAT, YOU--)

“Soup-riiiiise (∩^o^)⊃━☆!” (Change was still talking in your head despite being deep in your mouth.) “Thought you’d wanna try it out a lil!”

(And by try it out, they meant, give you a dick!!! You felt it, you felt it twitching in their hand!!! It felt so sensitive, a-and, and good!! You whimpered, feeling them tease your brand new tip, stroking down softly before cupping your brand new pair. It was so sensitive!! You couldn’t stop yourself, you let out every blinding noise you could!)

“A-doooooowable~” (They giggled and stroked you faster, kissed you deeper, bit your shoulder, stroked all over your body all at once! And you couldn’t even see it!!!)

(You y-you were losing yourself, losing your mind with all this pleasure!! You lost track of time, you couldn’t think of anything except everything the Change God was doing to you!! You couldn’t help it, you, you needed it, please, please please please--)

“Pleeeease :3c~?” (P-please please please PLEASE-- You could feel their grip tighten on you,  y-you, you, needed, p-please!!) “Awwwww~ I dunnoooo~”

(PLEASE-- W-what do, do y-you, you--)

“Well~ Bout time I asked again!” (You felt Change tilt your head to the side and bite again as they talked.) “How ‘bout that deal! Sounds pretty good right now, yeah?”

(P-PLEASE YOU-- HHA, y-y-yuouuneeded, c-couldn’t- t-think--)

“Yeaaaah? You like the sound of that? Letting me own you~?” (They cackled and squeezed your side.) “Eeeevery night looking forward to this~ Feel the bites, the touches, all of it, waking up nice and refreshed? (¬‿¬) Sounds nice, doesn’t it! It’s be soooooo cute if u said yes~!”

(Y-yes, yes, yes yes YES YES PLEASE, P-PLEASE, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE---)

“YIPPEE!!!!” 

(You feel the Change God squeeze your dick tight!!! So tight, so, s-so tight!!! You gasped for air, but couldn’t, you held on to anything for dear life!! I-it, it went on for so long but, finally you felt your whole body shudder as you finally came.) 

(Change kept stroking you softly, working you through each surge until the orgasm faded. You felt their tongue retreat from your mouth, their grip loosen, the weight on your chest lighten. Your breathing steadies, eye still closed. You felt sweaty, and hot, and exhausted.)

(You felt a warm blanket on you, the ground was soft. You felt their hand gently playing with your hair. If you weren’t so tired, you’d be incredibly confused by the sudden change in energy. . . S-stars above. . .)

“Have fun? :3”

“. . . M-mmhm. . .”

“Yaaaay!!’ (They pat your head.) “I’m gonna wake u up now okay? Have a good day!!! See u tonight!!! Mwah!!! (p≧w≦q)”

“W-wh- wait wha-”

“Nope! *Hangs up phone.*”

(You jolt back awake in your bed at the House of Change, the sun barely peeking in through the window. You blink, and rub your eye. You actually, didn’t feel tired at all? Stars you, a-actually felt great! Best night sleep in your life! You fall back into bed! Haha, wow!)

(Oh you were in so much trouble!!!)

(Hahahahaha oooooh who’d kill you first, Mirabelle? Oh probably Mira, she was still waiting for that time to be angry at you later but WOW!!! She was about to have!!! A lot more to be angry about!!! A-and what about Isa?!? Y-you, you didn’t even ask him i-if it was, w-was okay to do that!!! Oh maybe the Head Housemaiden would be mad at you too for fucking her god!!!! AAAAAAA THIS WAS A DISASTER!!!!)

(A-and the Universe--)

(You felt a pit in your stomach just, just THINKING about it!! W-was, was this blasphemy?!?! Were you going to go to the void?!?!?! Was this it?!?!? Ten years of bad luck because you fucked the Change God?!?!!?)

(Stop, calm down, calm down, breathe in, out. In, out. In. . . Out. . . Just breathe. It’ll be okay, you’re okay, you’re okay. You’re loved, you’re safe. J-just, just, figure out a way to uh, b-bring it up. Just, breathe.)

(Okay! You’re good now! You sit up and move the blankets off you.)

(. . .)

(Oh!)

(OH!!!!!)

(SO THAT DICK CHANGE?!?!! STUCK!?!??!? YOU STUPID BLINDING STATUE!!!!)

(You look around, nope, no-one here! You and Isa weren’t sharing rooms. Yet. So no-one could see this absolute catastrophe!!! Hahaaaaaaaawait there’s a. Change God statue dancing on the bedside table.)

(. . . It winked at you.)

Alex stares at the plastic cup in his hand. There’s a label neatly smoothed across the outside where Alex’s name and birthdate are pristinely printed on it. His finger taps absently against the top of the white lid. Alex frowns. Why was he given such a small cup? Does he look like someone who needs a small cup? Alex is almost certain that he’d need something bigger than this. 

At least 69% certain, says Nora’s voice in his head. 

“I hate you,” Alex murmurs quietly to the empty room. This is humiliating enough as it is without his subconscious mocking him in the voice of his ex-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-and-sister-in-law.

Alex lets out a sigh and drops his hand to his side, looking up at his surroundings. The room itself is small and stark white from floor to ceiling, glaring fluorescent lights making it feel more clinical and sterile than the “nice and comfortable” feel the staff member had promised before she stepped out to give him some privacy. There’s a small flat screen TV mounted on a wall displaying a selection of vintage porn. Underneath it, a small table with a spread of adult magazines covered in half-naked men and women staring heatedly at Alex when he leans in to take a closer look. He swallows nervously. They’re attractive, objectively. But none of them look like they could actually help him get out of his head.

Tentatively, he settles into the chair in front of the TV and places the cup on the little table, a concerned thought crossing his mind about whether the furniture gets sanitised after each visitor. He fucking hopes so. Grabbing the remote, he flicks through the different movies until he decides on one that looks bearable.

————

One might think that after four whole days of not being allowed to bust a load — with Henry taking torturous advantage of the fact — it would be pretty easy to get off.

Well.

Ten minutes in, and Alex still isn’t hard. The movie is only kind of okay, and he’s too in his head to get aroused. He pauses the movie, heaving a sigh as he leans back into his seat. 

Alex picks up the cup, twisting it in his left hand with a mix of nerves and frustration, then flips his wrist to check his watch. Shit. Alex only has about twenty minutes left of his lunch break to do this. He might not have time to grab a bite after all — Henry is going to be so disappointed in him. 

Oh, damn it. He won’t even have a chance for a proper debrief with Henry during this break; he’ll have to give him a call on his way back to the office.

A lightbulb goes off in his head. He could do that. He could wallow in self-pity and drag this out for longer than it needs to in the most painful way. 

Or, he could just call Henry now.

Alex quickly washes his hands at the sink in the corner, barely drying his hands before struggling to tap on his husband’s name on his phone screen. The phone rings twice before the line is picked up.

“Hello, love,” comes Henry’s soothing accent through the phone. 

Alex can’t help smiling at the sound of his voice. “Hi, baby,” he replies, leaning his back against the wall.

“So, I see you’ve managed to escape during your lunch break for a wank, then?”

Alex snorts. “Only just. Hunter was being a nosy little bitch and asked me where I was going, like that’s any of his business. I was actually thinking on the way over that I should’ve just abandoned my meeting completely.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Of course I wouldn’t,” Alex says. “I’m a workaholic.”

Henry makes a slight disapproving noise. “That’s not quite the flex you think it is, love.”

Alex stills for a moment. He glances around the empty room, wishing someone could share his incredulity. “Did you just…? Did I hear that right?”

“What?”

“Did I just hear you say ‘flex’? Like a regular person who’s normal and spends a regular and normal amount of time on the internet to the point of having their lexicon influenced by African-American Vernacular English, which has subsequently evolved into what is now referred to as Gen-Z slang?”

“Well, you see, the word ‘flex’ has been around for centuries,” Henry counters, “originating from the Latin flexus, the past participle of flectere, meaning ‘to cause to go in a diff–’”

“Henry, you know I’d love to keep listening to you talk about the etymology of the word ‘flex’,” Alex interrupts, “but you meant it in the meme way, didn’t you?”

Henry takes a deeply unhappy pause. “Perhaps.”

“That’s the most affirmative ‘perhaps’ I’ve ever heard in my life,” Alex says, breaking out into a grin. “Just for the record, I think you should to stop hanging out with Nora so much,” he jokes. “I don’t like it.”

“Alright, love,” Henry laughs in a way that sounds very much like he won’t be taking that advice anytime soon. “Tell me how your appointment went?”

“Oh, uh,” Alex starts, shuffling his feet a little. He takes in the tiny white room around him — the chair that looks like it was just pulled from the waiting room, the small table with a whole layout of magazines he’s been too afraid to touch, the obscene still where Alex had paused the movie frozen on the TV screen — then he glances back down at the still-empty cup in his hand. “Well, I’m still in it.”

“Oh?” Henry says. “Was four days not enough?”

“Hen,” Alex whines. “It's not the same.”

“You seemed incredibly interested in realising your detailed fantasies about this just yesterday, if I recall correctly.”

“It’s not the same here,” Alex repeats, heat rising to his cheeks. “Stop smirking like I know you’re doing right now.”

“Haven’t the faintest what you’re talking about,” Henry replies airily. Smug bastard. “How long do you have until you need to return to the office?”

“Like, fifteen minutes, maybe?”

“Right. Have you eaten yet?”

Alex chews on his bottom lip nervously in lieu of an actual response.

“Alex?”

“I know!” Alex blurts out. “I came straight here as soon as the meeting ended, and I thought I’d have time to eat afterwards but I’ve been stuck in this tiny ass room the whole entire time, and I know I probably should’ve had a snack or something on the way here, or at least picked a better appointment time that wou–”

“Alex,” Henry interrupts softly. “You’re alright. You don’t need to explain yourself to me. I’m not mad at you. I could never be mad at you for something like this.” 

“But you’re disappointed.”

“I’m worried,” Henry gently corrects, “about how little time there is for you to eat while you’re at the office.”

“Right.”

“Alex?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not upset with you, okay?” Henry says softly in his ear. “I’m not mad or disappointed. I just care that my husband is fed. And I trust that you will take care of yourself soon.”

Alex swallows. “Yeah…”

“Now, tell me what’s been holding you up, darling?”

“Well, uh… I just can’t, um…” Alex fumbles awkwardly. “None of the… materials they have here are really, you know…” he moves over to the table, cautiously eyeing the over-the-top magazine covers, “…doing it for me.”

“Ah.” A pause. “So you need my help.” Henry’s voice has dropped down into a register that makes Alex’s heart rate pick up. 

It’s not a question, but Alex nods anyway, before realising Henry can’t see him. “Yeah,” he says quickly, already sounding breathless. “Please.”

“That’s good, Alex. So polite, using your manners.”

Alex swallows hard, hooking a finger under his tight collar and tugging it out. “Where are you?” he asks.

“Home.”

The word in Henry’s mouth makes Alex’s heart swell. Their home. The sacred space they share, where both of them can finally take a breath, where time slows down, and worries melt away. The place where they finally have privacy. Peace.

“Alex?”

Oh, right. He must’ve taken too long of a pause. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“So…” Alex clears his throat. “What are you wearing?” he asks huskily.

Henry snorts.

“Hey! I’m trying to be sexy. And in case you forgot, we’re a little short on time here.”

“Of course,” Henry complies. “You are sexy, dear.”

It’s Alex’s turn to snort. “Convincing.”

Henry ignores him. “And you’ve been so patient for me already, haven’t you?”

Alex straightens up, licking his lips. “Yeah.”

“Are you sitting?”

“Uh–” 

“Sit.”

Alex immediately takes his seat. “I’m sitting.”

“Very good.”

Alex bites his lip at the praise.

“To answer your question, I’m wearing my favourite jumper and a pair of pyjama bottoms.”

“You mean my sweater.”

“Details,” Henry says dismissively. “Now, I’ve been thinking about what to do for your birthday this year,” he begins conversationally. 

Alex stares at the birthdate on the tiny cup, just a couple of weeks away. Will they know by then, if this worked? 

He remains silent, curious to see where Henry would take him, but trusting him to lead the way. 

“I’d like to make sure we don’t have a repeat of the disaster that happened last time. Perhaps you could help me refresh my memory. Remind me, what exactly happened on your birthday last year?”

Oh. Alex knows exactly what he’s talking about. 

He remembers hosting a small birthday party with Henry. 

“We had to send everyone home early because I was…” he pauses, swallowing the sudden build up of thick saliva in his mouth. Alex quickly shoves a hand down his pants, letting out a sigh when he finds he’s already half-hard just from listening to Henry’s voice.

“You were…” Henry prompts.

“I…” Alex trails off, pulling out his cock and squeezing it lightly. He gasps. “Um…”

“We really haven’t got much time, Alex,” Henry reminds him. “Get on with it.”

“Yeah…” Alex whimpers at the assertiveness in Henry’s tone. He begins to stroke his cock from base to tip, loosening his grip to slide his hand back down, only to tighten it again on the upstroke with a bitten off moan.

“Well?” Henry nudges. “You were what, Alex?”

“Um– I was… teasing you,” Alex gasps, rubbing his thumb just below his frenulum. “During the party, I was… being a little shit. On purpose.”

“Was that an appropriate way to behave in front of guests?”

“No,” Alex groans. His cock is fully hard in his hand now. He couldn’t stand a chance against Henry using that voice. He pulls his foreskin down to reveal the flushed tip, already starting to glisten with wetness. “It’s not… appropriate. In front of guests.”

“Oh, so you do know how to behave appropriately,” Henry coos condescendingly. Alex feels a spark at the base of his spine. “What happened, then? When you weren’t behaving well?”

Alex grits his teeth, clutching his phone closer to his ear with his left hand while steadily stroking himself with the other. “You said I’d get what I wanted,” Alex answers grainily. “You told me to strip while you watched. You– you cuffed my hands behind my back and sat me naked in your lap while you still had all your clothes on, and I–” Alex whines softly, massaging the pad of his thumb over his slit, now gaining wetness. “I made such a mess…”

“You did, didn’t you?” Henry chides gently. “But you won’t make a mess this time, now, will you?”

“No,” Alex replies, voice high and thready. “I promise.”

“That’s good, Alex. Keep going.”

“God–”

“Henry’s fine.”

“Fuck you.”

“Stay on task, Alex,” Henry reminds him firmly.

“Yeah,” Alex sighs, tugging his fist over the head of his cock. “Fuck.” 

He pants as he brings the wetness gathering at the tip down over the length of his shaft. His palm glides so easily with the new slickness that Alex lets out a surprised noise, bucking his hips into his fist. 

“Alex,” Henry prompts in a dangerously low tone. “Tell me what happened next.”

Alex swallows thickly. “You had your h-hand on me,” he continues shakily, “and you said to keep my eyes on you the wh-whole time you jerked me off. You were going so fast—” he speeds up the rhythm of his hand, panting “—and you wouldn’t let up.” The sound of wet skin sliding against each other as his fist moves faster over his cock fills the room. “You just kept going until I came, and then you kept going, still. You didn’t s-stop. Fuck, Hen, you said you were just giving me what I wanted for my birthday; you just wouldn’t- you wouldn’t let me go until you made me come again–”

Henry moans in Alex’s ear, and Alex’s jaw drops as he presses his phone desperately against his ear.

“Fuck, baby, I wanna hear you,” he begs, letting out short, sharp gasps through the slick noises from his hand. “I wanna hear you,” he repeats. “Please, I need– let me hear you, please.”

Henry lets out another low moan, and Alex keens softly, tightening his grip around himself. “Henry,” he whimpers as the sensation builds. “I’m getting close. Fuck.”

“Don’t forget the cup, Alex. You’re doing so well.”

Fuck. He’d almost forgotten about the cup. Or about being in a semi-public space with paper-thin walls. But Henry’s rough moans are in his ear, and he’s imagining it’s Henry’s hand fisting his sensitive cock, relentless and demanding, and god, he’s so close, he can’t even bring himself to care.

“Y-yeah…” Alex tilts his head, trapping his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he reaches for the cup with his clean hand. Alex pants out in high-pitched whines, fucking up into his tight fist.

“Come on, love. You can do it. You’re so good–”

Alex chokes on a gasp, just barely bringing the receptacle within range to catch his release. He milks himself into the cup, making sure to catch every last drop, until he’s completely spent and too sensitive. He lets go of himself, catching his breath.

He stares down at the cup in his hand. It looks so much bigger now that it’s full. Alex can’t believe he ever thought the cup looked small at all. It’s heavier now too, like it’s filled with possibility, responsibility.

“Are you with me, love?”

Alex swallows the sudden lump forming in his throat. “Yeah,” he manages to say. “I’m here.”

Henry hums warmly. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Alex answers honestly. “Weirdly emotional, but like, in a good way.” He pauses. “I know this is technically a thing we’ve done in the past for, like, personal reasons, but…”

“Not quite the same at the doctor’s office, is it?”

“Yeah…” Alex concedes, gently placing the full cup back on the table and putting the lid back on. He grabs a tissue and quickly wipes his right hand by scrunching it in his palm, his eyes still focused on the cup. “It’s so weird, I dunno. Like, this is the beginning of our future. That’s huge. That’s so wild to think about, you know? Our whole future as a family together starts here. We have half a child right here in this little plastic cup.”

Henry laughs brightly in his ear, and Alex can’t help but smile.

“You have such a way with words.”

“Our baby’s gonna be eloquent as shit, sweetheart. And if not, then at least you’ll know they’ll be as hilarious as their papi.”

“I hope so,” Henry responds fondly, smile evident in his voice. “Alright, love. You have about five minutes to get yourself clean and head back to the office.”

“Shit–” Alex springs up onto his feet and immediately starts cleaning himself properly at the sink. “I’ll talk to you when I get home, okay?”

“Alright, talk soon. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

————

When Alex finally makes it back to the office with seconds to spare, there’s a brown paper bag sitting on top of his desk, smelling absolutely fucking delicious.

His phone dings.

HRH Prince Dickhead 💩  I wouldn’t let you starve now, would I? Enjoy your tacos, my love.