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the first contraction had been a bit of a scare.
dusekkar hurried about, practically launching pillows across their room with his magic, as taph whimpered and shifted about on their bed. his trousers were around his ankles, long, black legs awkwardly splayed out on the mattress. the demolitionist's stomach had a distended, ovular bump peeking out; he rested a hand on it gently, groaning as he felt his uterus begin to cramp.
the mage returned to his side, arranging the bedding around his lover like a little nest, trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. "how are you feeling?" he asked lightly; taph whimpered as another contraction rippled through his abdomen, hands beginning to tremble as he signed 'fine,' even though he clearly wasn't.
a pang of worry shot through duse, and he rested his hand on the trapper's hood gently. "you don't have to lie to me, taph." he mumbled. "it's normal to be scared, love." he paused, adding awkwardly, "if - if that is how you feel."
taph hesitated, before slowly nodding.
"i've got you." dusekkar promised, reaching over to take his hand gently. "i'm going to be right here the whole time." taph's face flushed slightly, and he nuzzled into his lover's side, nerves lightly eased by the mage's presence.
a more painful contraction interrupted his thoughts; the demolitionist let out a loud groan of pain, only stifled by the mask over his mouth, as pain pooled in his stomach. beginning to panic, the trapper grasped at any part of dusekkar he could reach in an attempt to find an anchor; with taph's hands busy clutching at duse's robes, he was rendered unable to sign anything, which was unfortunately more anxiety inducing for the pumpkin mage.
from there, the cramping only got more severe; taph was left growing more and more anxious, feeling as though his body was betraying him by putting him through all this. fifteen minutes passed, but to the trapper it felt like an hour.
finally, something in his brain seemed to shift, and taph seemed to just... know that it was time. his hands shot to his chest. 'it's here,' he managed to sign, almost hyperventilating behind his mask. 'duse what do i do i'm scared.'
"you're doing very well," dusekkar promised him, heart aching as he watched the strain his lover was putting himself through for their family. "i-" he hesistated, feeling almost embarrassed at what he was about to say. "i think the pushing comes next-" taph whipped his hood towards him, alarmed, and he hastily added, "-whenever you're ready."
taph felt as though he might die on the spot. the pain rippling through his abdomen was making him delirious and easier to lose himself in panic. he tried in vain to control his breathing. another hard contraction made his body shudder, and something primal in his brain demanded that he push; he found himself obeying without question.
taph whimpered as he bore down on the egg, feeling his cervix dilate as it crowned. his legs trembled incessantly; he couldn't seem to make them stop. it was... incredibly emasculating, actually. a sudden pang of dysphoria shot through him, overwhelming and disheartening; he hadn't felt that gripping sense of discomfort in years, and the shock of feeling so insecure and unlike himself in his own body was devastating to his psyche.
' duse ,' taph signed shakily, biting back sobs.
dusekkar's attention snapped to his love's hands. "firefly? how can i help?"
'feel like a girl,' was all taph could manage, and though he couldn't speak his tone was absolutely despondent.
"oh, taph." duse understood immediately. he encircled the demolitionist lightly with his arms, holding him as comfortably as he could without getting in the way or putting more strain on his body. "my handsome taph," he continued, eyes soft, "my beautiful boyfriend. you're the bravest man i know for putting yourself through this. bearing our family-" dusekkar trailed off, searching for the right words, nervous that he'd mess it up and make him feel worse, "it's so... admirable. i don't know if i'd manage. i see all you do for our future, and i adore you so deeply. you're the bravest, smartest man i've ever known, and you're mine."
taph's breathing leveled out as he looked up into dusekkar's eyes. he could tell the mage meant it, in his heart of hearts, and his unwavering belief in the demolitionist was surprisingly soothing. for a moment, the tension eased, and taph felt more sure in himself and his ability to see this through.
another sharp cramp left him gasping for air, tears wetting his mask.
'🎃' taph sobbed, clutching at his lover's arm.
"i'm right here, taph." dusekkar promised, doing his best to ease his stress. he muttered a spell under his breath, and his hand glowed slightly; the mage hovered it over his abdomen, gentle heat warming the skin. it was a neat trick that had helped with taph's cramps during his cycle, and he hoped to assist in the same way. the pain dulled slightly, not to the point taph could stop crying, but enough to feel thanks for his presence. he rested his exhausted head on dusekkar's chest.
"firefly," dusekkar broached softly, nervous but resolute in assisting with the delivery, "i need you to push."
taph's entire body was trembling like a leaf in the winter chill. 'it hurts, ' he repeated, the very thought of pushing more terrifying, sobbing as another contraction wracked his body.
"i know," duse sympathised, "you've done so well, you've been so brave, and we're going to finish it together. but there has to be some more pain if you want this to end." he rested his head against taph's hood, nuzzling the fabric. "just a little more, and then you can rest."
taph bit back another sob, hating the fact that he knew duse was right. 'okay,' he signed shakily, trying to mentally prepare himself.
"i've got you," dusekkar promised, "i'm right here."
the trapper sucked in a last breath, and pushed again. a wail escaped his lips as burning, stinging pain spiked through his lower regions, the egg squeezing through his cervical canal. it continued to dilate, taph gasping for breath as his entire body shook with effort, burning agony coming to a head as the thickest part of the ovular object crowned. he couldn't control the feral scream that escaped his mouth, feeling a pang of guilt at the fear that shot across dusekkar's features.
then it slipped past the tight ring of muscle, and he felt... better.
taph's body was still shaking from exertion, and occasional cramp still made him groan, but the pain from inside him had lessened greatly. he continued, feeling the rest of it pass, stress subsiding with each push.
dusekkar watched as the egg, soft blue and speckled like his own fur, peeked out of taph's entrance. "one more," he encouraged, pulling away his warmth spell now that his lover appeared to be doing better. taph whined in protest, but did as he was told, and it fully exited his body. a tsunami of relief crashed over the robed man, finally free from the physical strain, and he fell back against the bedding. another contraction rippled through his body, but it was easily more manageable. he rubbed his face against a pillow to dry his tears, just thankful that it was over and he'd done it right.
dusekkar swept their spawn up in a robed arm, cradling it. he brought it up to the head of the bed so taph could see. "look," the mage whispered, as if a loud noise would spook it. "you did so well." the egg appeared to be healthy, and duse was struck with a sense of pride in taph for taking such good care of their child with his body.
taph could barely keep his eyes open. the only thing keeping him awake was the occasional mild contraction jolting through his body. dusekkar was aware of this; he allowed taph to nuzzle at the egg, before gently lifting it back to his own chest. "you need rest, my love." the pumpkin mumbled, nervous that his lover would protest or strain himself more.
to his relief, the trapper immediately flopped over, and the mage busied himself with creating a comfortable, safe spot for their baby to rest safely while he cared for taph after his labor. as he swaddled the egg in a blanket, his mind began to roam again. worry gnawed at his gut over this child's future. dusekkar may have been mortal once, but his dna had undeniably become more... varied after his curse. what if they were some strange combination of their animal traits? a bird-deer minotaur creature? what if they had a pumpkin head like him? he already caught enough flack as an adult for his strange biology. and say someone with a vendetta against administration or the order found out about them? could he protect them? if something awful happened - when something awful happened - could he ever forgive himself? what kind of father would he be if his child suffered due to his past occupation? was he even prepared to be a father at all--
a smattering of symbols popped into existence before his eyes.
'🎃❓😢'
duse glanced over his shoulder. taph laid on his back with his arms above his head, making no effort to sign - resting, as had been requested of him. when he saw his lover was looking, he sharply turned his head away, miming annoyance or impatience. it was obvious what he was looking for.
dusekkar had to stifle a chuckle. the dark swarm of his anxiety was pushed to the back of his mind, and he snuggled up to his lover, wrapping his arms around him. "i'm so proud of you."
'thanks, i'm proud of myself too,' taph responded, dry as ever. then his tone shifted, becoming genuine. 'i don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here.'
"in no universe would i have left you alone, my love." dusekkar swaddled the demolitionist in a tight hug.
taph allowed himself to be held, only offering a short 'thanks,' before snuggling into duse's arms properly. he was beginning to grow tolerant of being the holdee instead of the holder. something about dusekkar's hugs just felt right, and taph was willing to make them the only exception. the two grew drowsy, and taph fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the debacle. duse's eyes roamed over his resting lover, love blooming in his chest. he tried his best to stay awake as long as he could, watching over him, but found himself submitting to the dark surprisingly easily.
he drifted in and out of dreamless sleep for an undetermined amount of time, before something nagging at the edge of his consciousness pulled him from his stupor.
taph was tugging at his sleeve. he shifted sleepily, glancing to the window. dusk had fallen outside; they had to have rested for a handful of hours.
"yes, love?" the pumpkin tried to blink the sleep from his eyes.
'i need something,' taph's signs were uncharacteristically resigned, an indicator that he was nervous.
"go on?" duse yawned, snuggling into taph's shoulder.
'i need,' he hesitated, before signing, 'you.'
"i'm right here, taph." dusekkar responded, oblivious.
'NO, I--' the demolitionist fidgeted even more nervously. he felt incredibly embarrassed. 'i need... something... from you.' he turned his head away, refusing to look duse in the eyes. something in his lower regions began to ache with want, growing wet beneath him.
dusekkar was starting to get what he meant a bit more. "...now? aren't you tired?" he questioned gently, not outright against it but worried for taph's recovery.
'i was, and now i'm not. i need-" he hesitated, and if dusekkar could have seen under his hood, he would have noticed how flushed his face was, 'i need you, duse. badly. right now. if you want, i mean.' taph rubbed his thighs together, shuddering as he felt slick leak down his inner leg. his face burned.
dusekkar weighed the options in his mind. he wasn't in need himself, but he loved taph more than anything and was willing to give him anything he asked at most times. honestly, a part of him felt that some physical pleasure was much deserved after all the pain taph had put himself through this evening.
he had been such a good boy...
"come here," duse mumbled with warmth, sitting up. before taph could even attempt to get up on his weak legs, the mage pulled him onto his lap, making sure he was comfortable before he began to caress him. the demolitionist let out a groan he hadn't realised he'd been holding in, resting his head on the pumpkin's chest. dusekkar's hands began to rove over his lover's thin form. taph trembled when duse's cool hand touched his tummy, tracing down his body and filling him with butterflies. a low, breathy moan shyly inched out from behind his mask, followed by another as his lover's thumb traced across his wet folds. the demolitionist's hips humped upwards, and dusekkar had to gently push down to calm him. "you're okay, taph."
taph seemed to preen a little at that, even through all the exhaustion, so duse continued. "you were so good for me today," he praised softly, rubbing circles in his lover's thighs, massaging out the tension from all the effort of bearing down and pushing. the feel of familiar velvety wings flapping excitedly against his body put a smile on his face. "you put yourself through so much for our child. i'm so proud of you. thank you for doing this for them." he redirected his touch to taph's soaked, trembling pussy, gliding his fingers along his clit.
taph didn't need a lot. he was clearly spent, mentally and physically, and the final comfort and attention pushed him over the edge. he climaxed with a shuddering whine, rutting weakly into dusekkar's touch as the pumpkin nuzzled his hood and continued to repeat praise and thanks in his ear.