Chapter Text
Dew found Phantom exactly where he expected him to be, restringing his guitar humming to himself quietly under his breath. Dew had waited a week or so since he found out he was pregnant, he and Rain deciding they wanted to wait a little bit longer before they told everyone. Partly the fear of losing their baby again, partly just wanting to make the most of the normality they had before it all changed, should everything go well. A change for the better, they didn't doubt that for a second, but they wanted to sit with it, their secret, for a little bit longer. Dew didn't want to be fused over or endlessly questioned by everyone and the pack - even though they meant well, always coming from a place of so much love - could be a little.... intense. To say the least.
Phantom, though, was acting anything but normal. He'd once again snarled at someone when they swatted Dew playfully - he couldn't even remember who it was at this point - and he was not easing up on the staring. It was intense and most definitely not subtle when Dew was trying to keep things on the surface as normal as possible. He and Rain had spoken and decided that it was for the best to tell him before things got out of hand, and that's why he found himself in one of the lesser used rehearsal rooms this morning. Phantom's safe space when he needed some time out. Dew imagined he must be feeling a little unsure about things at the moment as well.
"Hey Dew" he greeted him cheerfully without looking up. Things did seem to be different with the quintessence ghoul when it was just them, he was a lot more his usual self, hence why Dew came alone. Rain was more than okay with that, one thing he had been consistent with throughout the previous miscarriage and this current pregnancy was decisions about who to tell and when were all up to Dew, when he was ready.
"Hey dude" Dew walked over to him and sat on one of the spare chairs near him, definitely nervous about this conversation. He didn't think Phantom had clicked onto what he was sensing but he wasn't entirely sure what he knew, feeling a bit out of control and he didn't like it. He imagined Phantom felt pretty similar. Right now, he just wanted to get this over with.
"I'm sorry about the other day" Phantom started, finally pulling his gaze up from his guitar in his lap and looking over at him "I don't know what came over me"
"You really don't know?" Dew questioned.
Phantom actually looked guilty for a moment before shaking his head.
"I do. And I know you can sense it too"
"I don't know, but something's.... different with you?" It took Phantom a second to think of the right words. He really had no clue, Dew realized.
Dew took a deep breath with a nod "you'd be right"
Phantom looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
"You.... actually helped me figure it out, in all honesty"
"Figure what out?" Phantom asked slowly.
"What you can sense is, uh, fuck" Dew started, tipping his head back and looking around the room at anywhere but Phantom as he waited patiently for Dew to continue.
"Fuck it! Yeah, I'm pregnant"
"You're what?"
Phantom looked shocked, to say the least.
"Yup. Pregnant. That's what you can sense"
"Fuck, okay" Phantom said slowly "Right. Yeah. I didn't click to what it was, it's different up here I think?"
Dew just nodded. "I thought I'd better tell you before you ripped someone's throat out. Guessing if you understand what you're feeling you might be able to, you know, chill out a little on the staring? And the jumping at people"
"Holy shit, you're pregnant" he exclaimed after a moment with a huff as if it had really just clicked in his mind, to which Dew just nodded again, not even sure Phantom had just heard everything else he said.
"Like, as in having a baby kind of pregnant"
Dew stared at him for a second "what other kind of pregnant is there?" he questioned.
Phantom ignored his comment "but - uh, I mean... how?"
"Well" he started, this wasn't quite the question Dew expected "you see Rain has this thing that he puts inside me -"
"Oh my god!" Phantom cut him off with a fed up tone.
"Hey, you asked" Dew said with a shrug.
"That's not what I meant and you know it"
"Then what did you mean?"
"I mean how are you - you know"
"What exactly are you getting at here?"
"I've seen your dick, Dew" Phantom says so blatantly that Dew couldn't help but snort a laugh at him.
"So how?"
"Water ghoul thing, idiot. Remember? Intersex"
"Fuck! Yeah, sorry" Phantom admitted with a nod "I kind of forgot that you were..." he trailed off, unsure of himself "I mean I've only known you as fire"
Dew knew exactly what he meant. While at first he fought day and night to hide his water ghoul past after he was turned to fire, wanting to keep that part of him - or rather, what he went though - hidden from everyone who didn't know him before, he now embraced it much more. It wasn't something he had to hide or keep secret from everyone. He was proud of his past and proud of who he is now. Phantom knew pretty early on how he used to be a water ghoul. But he's right, he's only actually ever known him as fire.
"In the pit, water ghouls have both working parts, I mean, we can literally self-fertilize. I don't exactly know how it works up here considering all of us ghouls are much more 'human'" Dew exaggerated his point with air quotes around the word 'human' "but I kept both working parts. I honestly thought... I thought I kind of lost that when I became fire anyway?" Dew continued "I mean I knew I didn't literally lose it. But thought it wasn't... working I guess. You know like a rusty shed that you don't use and it just kind of sits there with no purpose?"
"You're comparing your body to..... a rusty unused shed?" Phantom was confused, to say the least.
Dew immediately regretted his choice of words when Phantom pointed that out "Okay, fuck, well not all of it obviously. And that's probably not a good comparison" he rambled, not entirely sure why he was still going but yet he continued "I mean obviously it had a purpose, and obviously Rain got up in there all the time so clearly it was used I mean I guess I'd compare it more to -"
"You really don't need to compare it to anything, actually, I know what you're saying, dude" Phantom stated plainly "in fact, I'd rather you didn't"
"Okay, yeah. I don't know why I went there. Rain's so much better with words than I am"
"Wait, you didn't self-fertilize, did you?" Phantom asked, just now seeming to process what Dew said before.
"What the fuck, no" Dew huffed.
"Then who's the dad?"
Dew kicked at the chair Phantom was sitting on with a scowl as the other ghoul just laughed, planting his feet to steady himself again.
"I don't even know if that would work up here" Dew pondered on it for a minute before exclaiming "oh my god, I'm so gonna make Rain try now" he sat up excitedly.
"I really can't tell if you're serious right now" Phantom looked mildly concerned, to say the least, as he shook his head at him.
"You got me curious" Dew shrugged "wait, then I might end up stuck with a Rain clone. I don't know if I can handle two of him. He's enough diva on his own"
"What's to say you aren't already carrying a mini Rain? I'm sure this one will be just as much of a diva"
"Oh, no no no no. This one's gonna be a mini me, don't you worry about that"
"Ah, of course it will be. So absolutely not a diva at all" Phantom's tone was dripping with sarcasm as Dew shot him a dirty look.
The conversation faded into a natural lull for a minute, Dew not sure how to proceed before Phantom spoke up again.
"That must have been... a surprise, then? To say the least? Thinking your body was a, quote unquote, rusty shed" Phantom emphasized with air quotes as Dew cringed, remembering his words from earlier, as Phantom continued "to find out you're pregnant?"
"Actually, uh" Dew fiddled with his fingers nervously, not sure if he wanted to continue where he was going. Phantom didn't push, once again sitting back and letting Dew go at his own pace. "It was more of a surprise when I miscarried last year"
"What?" Phantom asked quietly.
"Yeah. Late term. I didn't even know I was pregnant then until it was too late, so when I thought I couldn't" Dew said, his voice hollow "now that, was a damn surprise" he finished, his voice shaking slightly as he looked around the room trying to keep himself under control as he felt himself tearing up.
Phantom was quiet for a moment before just shook his head "I'm so sorry, Dew. I'm so sorry for your loss. I had no idea"
Dew nodded "I know" his voice barely above a whisper. He hadn't expected to get into that in this conversation, that worry for his kit hitting him again like a ton of bricks.
"How come I couldn't tell? When I can now?"
Dew gave him a small shrug "I'm not sure" he answered truthfully "but Aether couldn't either, so, I don't know. Something, uh, wasn't right. From the start I think" Dew leaned forward putting his face in his hands, pressing his fingertips against his closed eyes to try stop the tears as the two of them sat in silence once more.
"What was their name?" Phantom asked out of the blue
"What?" Dew was surprised by the question, probably the last thing he expected him to ask, looking up again at the other ghoul.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry. I don't know, I didn't mean to be offensive. Sorry"
"No, no" he reassured, shaking his head "it's okay, that's not offensive. I just ... didn't expect that really. His name was River"
Phantom gave him a sad smile "that's pretty. I'm sorry"
"It's okay. That's not what I came to talk to you about. But uh, yeah" Dew was pretty ready to change the topic of conversation by this point. He wasn't entirely sure how he was feeling right now, not sure if he was relieved to tell someone about his son or whether he didn't like the thought of someone else knowing, yet another face of sympathy that he didn't want.
"I'm really happy for you now, though. You and Rain. If there's anything I can do for you guys, you can always ask"
"Actually" Dew started "there is something. I don't know exactly how it works, what you can sense, or feel, exactly"
Phantom was staring at Dew's stomach, clearly trying to work it out for himself as well. Dew moved closer to him "if you want to feel.."
"Can I?" Phantom asked, reaching his hands out. Dew nodded, lifting his shirt and Phantom placed his hands on his abdomen, his fingers warm against his midriff as Phantom's face focused. Concentrating in silence for a few seconds as he worked out what he was feeling.
"Oh my god, Dew. Yeah. I can feel her now" he laughed shakily, almost in disbelief at what he was feeling.
Dew didn't move for a minute, processing what Phantom said. "Her?"
"Oh shit!" Phantom's face immediately dropped as he pulled his hands from Dew "I mean - I don't know - it's probably too early to even be sure. I, I don't know why I said that. Forget what I said"
"It's a girl?" Dew whispered.
"Not necessarily! It's probably too early even, I just sort of-"
"It's okay, Phantom" Dew laughed shakily, teary eyed. "I knew I wanted to know as soon as possible"
"You sure? You're not just saying that?"
"I mean it" Dew reassured him.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure. It probably is too early, but I think it's a girl. I don't exactly know how I can tell that, though"
Dew just laughed "a girl" he told himself again.
"And she's gonna be the luckiest girl in the world, having you two for dads. And a pretty cool uncle who's so going to teach her how to shred"
"Think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself there" Dew said with a laugh. "Um, I did want to ask you though" Dew continued "you can feel her. If anything feels weird... or different, off, I don't know. Just if anything changes, can you let me know? I'm just worried... after last time"
"Yeah" Phantom immediately jumped in, nodding. "Yeah of course. I don't exactly know what I can sense but I'll keep an eye on her, okay? I'll let you know what I feel"
Dew nodded in relief "thank you"
It didn't alleviate his worry entirely, he knew it wouldn't guarantee anything but he felt a little more at ease knowing there was another set of eyes, metaphorically, looking out for her.
Her.
The thought of having a daughter excited Dew beyond words and all he could think about now was telling Rain, knowing he would feel exactly the same. However, there was something else he had to clear up before he could go running to Rain yet.
"One more thing, though" Dew continued. "Please don't tell anyone yet. Rain and I are just going to wait a little longer before sharing the news with everyone else"
"Of course, I won't say a word to anyone"
"I'm serious"
"I know!" Phantom insisted "I won't say anything"
"It's just" Dew trailed off "you're not known for your ability to keep a secret"
"Oh, whatever! I can keep a secret" Phantom protested.
"Remember that time Mountain fell over in the kitchen and you had run off and told everyone before he was even able to get back up?"
"Oh, come on. That's an exaggeration. Also it's not a secret, that was just funny" Phantom shrugged.
"Did you even offer him a hand before you went and told everyone?" Dew countered.
"I was more thinking about how annoyed I was that I wasn't filming"
"Or what about the time literally the other week when you told everyone that our new papa had been saying how he couldn't wait to jump on ghoul dick before we've even met him?"
"Aurora told me she heard it!"
"You know she made that up to prove that you couldn't keep a secret? And every single one of us got told by you"
"Oh" Phantom said with a frown, contemplating for a second "well, I'm still gonna try" his frown turning into a smirk as he looked at Dew.
"You dirty dog" he said with a loud laugh, to which Phantom just giggled in response.
"And literally 5 minutes ago you just told me the gender of my baby"
Phantom looked guilty "yeah I see your point with that one. That was an accident though, promise. But I won't tell anyone, okay?"
Dew just nodded "thank you, Phant"
"By the way, I thought your tits were looking bigger" Phantom's tone changed into something much more playful, a change of tone Dew was definitely grateful for at this point.
"Fuck me, I knew you couldn't stop staring at my tits. You know how observant you gotta be to notice that? They haven't changed that much"
"Oh yeah they have, Dew" Phantom responded, his tone overly serious to the point it boarded on sarcasm "I'm dead serious, you're going to want to invest in a bra soon"
"Oh my god, between Rain and you now apparently, they can't catch a break"
"Hey, if you want a hand with them" Phantom tried "I'm just saying I can help!"
Dew just gave him two fingers as he walked out the room "asshole" he said with a smirk just to get a laugh in response.
He couldn't help but feel a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. One of many, that is. He was far from through the worst of his worries.
Dew made his way down to the lake where he knew Rain was spending some time. He didn't come down here all that often anymore, only when he was looking for his mate. It brought a lot of mixed emotions being there, you could say. He missed the water and the connection he used to have with it. The grief he felt for his son even stronger when he sat by this body of water, knowing he was so close yet so far from him. He never doubted asking Rain to take him there, he was at peace knowing he was with the water where he belonged. It didn't make it easier though.
He sat on the edge of the dock, splashing his bare feet in the water below. A silent signal to Rain that he was there. It wasn't long before he surfaced, beaming up at Dew from the water below. He pulled himself up to join Dew on the dock, lying on his back and looking over at him, reaching out to grab his hand.
"You're dripping all over me, fishy" Dew complained
Rain just laughed, rubbing his wet hand over Dew's face, watching him squirm "so dry me off"
"Not your personal space heater"
"That's exactly what you are" Rain's tone was amused
"That's no way to talk to your baby mama" Dew faked offence at Rain's comment to which Rain gave him the sweetest, most innocent smile that Dew couldn't even pretend to be mad at. He kissed Dew's hand before asking "you talk to Phantom?"
"Yeah. I told him" Rain nodded as he spoke "all of it"
"Including..."
"Yeah. Sorry"
"No, don't be sorry. That's fine. Just making sure we're on the same page"
"He didn't have any clue. But I told him what he was feeling and he was able to understand it which is actually good for us. Promised that he'd keep an eye -or feel? I don't know, whatever. Said he'd let me know if anything he felt changes"
"So we've got regular check ups with Aether, and two quints keeping an eye on everything. It's all going to be okay, yeah?" Rain told Dew, hopeful.
Dew just nodded. They were doing everything they could.
"There's something else. Something he told me"
He saw the brief flash of panic on in Rain's eyes and he immediately continued "no, no, no, nothing bad, I promise"
Dew knew Rain was just as worried. Just as easy to assume the worst after what happened last time, but he relaxed as he waited for Dew to continue.
"Phantom told me, accidentally, at that" he said with a laugh "he thinks she's a girl" he finished with a whisper.
"A girl?" Rain repeated, putting his arm around Dew's waist, teary eyed.
"He thinks so" Rain ran his hand over Dew's stomach. He wasn't even close to showing yet, impossible to tell from just looking at him.
"I didn't know you could tell so early"
Dew placed his hand over Rain's "quint sense, I think"
Rain leaned forward and placed multiple small kisses over his stomach "a girl" he muttered in between kisses "a baby girl. Our baby girl"
"Our baby girl" Dew echoed, running his hands through Rain's wet hair, the feeling of his mate's lips against his stomach was one of the best in the world, he realized in that moment.