"So, what are you going to do?" Mia asked, watching Rowen and Sage's reactions. Sage had lost all color about an hour and a half ago, and Rowen appeared to be on the brink of tears."I...I really am, well, you know." Rowen choked out. Mia took another glance at the clipboard in her hands and nodded.
"I understand how strange this is for you, and I've been thinking. This may sound inhuman, but you're so early in your term that it's possible to have it aborted..." Mia let it hang. Sage clenched his jaw tightly, grinding his teeth.
"No way." He growled. Rowen blinked and looked over at Sage. Sage sighed heavily and shook his head. "There is absolutely no way I'm letting anyone hurt that child. Rowen's child." Rowen bit his lip. Mia nodded.
"Don't bite my head off, it was just a suggestion." She said and rose from her seat, yawning. It was now six in the morning, another hour and her colleagues would be coming in for the day. She scratched her ear and looked back at Rowen. "I guess we all know who the daddy is, then?" Rowen nodded immediately. Sage blushed.
"Um...you know, this means that well...anyone who wore an armor could..." Rowen muttered, eager to change the subject. Mia raised an eyebrow. She jumped a second after as she picked up on what Rowen was saying.
"Oh, good god, you're right! We gotta get back to the others and tell them!" She gushed, rushing for her purse and keys. Sage stood, shaking his head.
"I don't know if we should say anything yet...I mean, what about Rowen?" He asked. Mia put her hands on her hips, looking at Sage disbelieving.
"What are you talking about? What, you wanna wait until he's four months in, where his figure is gonna be a little too hard to ignore? Then you wanna spring it on the other guys? Oh yeah, they'll love you for that one." Mia smirked. Sage grimaced.
"I understand, but think about it. What are they gonna say? I mean, after they find out it's possible for us to get pregnant, what are they gonna think of Rowen?" He asked. Rowen frowned.
"I didn't think of that. I don't want to lose their friendship, Mia..." Mia bit her lip and glanced at the floor.
"I'm sorry, Rowen. I guess you can only hope right now that they won't ostracize you for this. I don't know what they'll think. But," She said, walking over to him and giving him a tight squeeze. "I'll still be your friend. And Sage will never let you go." Rowen nodded mutely as he stood. He held out his hand for Sage, and the three quietly made their way out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The house was dark, thankfully. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, throwing streaks of orange and pink lights into the sky. Rowen had wrapped his arms around himself and had spoken not one word since he and his friends left Mia's office. Sage had watched him the entire ride back home, worried about what he might be thinking and cautious of another fainting spell.Mia parked the car and slowly opened her door. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder at Rowen.
"You okay?" She asked, her eyes soft. Rowen scowled.
"Ask me in nine months..." He muttered, kicking his door open. Mia winced, hurt. Sage looked at Rowen and shook his head. Rowen sighed and frowned. "Damn, I'm sorry, Mia. I didn't mean to be so rude. It's just, well..." He started, biting his lip. Mia smiled slightly.
"I know. It's really difficult to accept, isn't it?" Rowen nodded. "Just remember, we're here for you." To emphasize this point, Sage walked up behind Rowen, gathering him into his arms. Rowen stood very still and sighed. Sage wasn't sure if it was a gesture of contentment or annoyance.
"You know she was right. I won't ever let you go. I love you..." Sage whispered into Rowen's ear, placing a light kiss on his temple. Rowen turned to face Sage, his eyes cloudy. He buried his face into Sage's neck, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Sage smoothed Rowen's hair a moment, and kissed the top of his head.
"Thanks." Rowen murmured, stepping back. "I love you, too, Sage. We can go inside, now." Sage smiled. He and Rowen looked ahead and saw Mia had already opened the front door. They headed in together, walking in silence, hand in hand. As soon as they got into the hall, however, Rowen looked over into the adjoining living room and appeared to have swallowed his tongue. Sage, curious, followed Rowen's gaze and stumbled backwards a step.
Kento was on his knees, looking under the couch for something. Cye could be heard in the kitchen. Mia was standing in the hall a few feet from the bewildered pair, a matching expression on her face. Kento stood, scratching his head and muttering an obscenity or two.
"Kento, watch your language." Mia muttered. Kento looked up and scowled.
"Sorry, but I can't find my black shoes. I go to work in a half hour, I gotta find 'em." He said. He noticed Sage and Rowen in the background and gave a little wave. "Hey, guys. Watcha doin' up this early?" Sage coughed and glanced over at Mia.
"Um...I'd ask the same thing. You do know it's only six thirty, right?" Kento blinked.
"Dang, my clock said it was seven thirty. Heh, woke up too early. Cye'll probably kill me for that." Kento grinned and shook his head. Sage laughed nervously. Kento raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, dude?" Sage bit his lip and looked over at Mia with pleading eyes. She shrugged and shook her head.
"Well, since you and Cye are already up..." Mia started. Rowen grimaced and shook his head. Mia turned and looked at Rowen, nodded slightly and looked back over at Kento. "Um, do you know if Ryo might also be up?" She asked. Kento shrugged.
"Dunno. Been looking for my shoes all morning. Why?" He asked. Mia looked back at Rowen.
"Hey, good morning, you three. Seems a little early for all of you to be awake, though. What's up?" Cye asked, entering into the conversation. Kento looked over at Cye and grinned.
"Us, unfortunately. Clocks are wrong, for one. Up a whole hour too early." Cye rolled his eyes and smirked. Kento smiled. "Also, you know if Ryo's up? Mia's looking for him." Cye shrugged.
"I can check." He said and headed for the stairs. He stopped a moment, and turned towards Rowen. "Hey, are you feeling any better? Sage said you weren't well." Rowen grimaced.
"Um..." He wasn't exactly sure how to respond. He looked to Sage, whose eyes were already set to meet his. The gaze held no answers, so all Rowen felt he could do was shrug.
Cye furrowed his brows and slowly turned back towards the stairs. Sage, wanting to avoid any possible embarrassment for Rowen, led him past Kento into the living room. Mia was wringing her hands, worry shadowing her eyes. Kento was becoming quite suspicious.
"Hey, what's up with all you guys? You all act like a time bomb's about to go off or something." Mia snorted.
"Not too far off..." Kento raised an eyebrow. He was about to ask what Mia had meant by that, but Cye was jumping down the stairs, cackling madly, followed closely by a pillow-wielding Ryo, his hair completely drenched. Kento couldn't believe his eyes. He excused himself from Mia's company and chased after the loud pair. "Nut bars." Mia stated, shaking her head, laughing.
"Mia..." Rowen called from the living room. Mia snapped out of her temporary good mood and headed straight left. She found Rowen curled up with Sage on the floor, trying to bury himself in Sage's arms. Mia couldn't help but feel pity for the pathetic spectacle.
"Aww, what's wrong?" She asked, kneeling next to him. Rowen visibly pouted, his bottom lip quivering.
"I didn't want to tell them now. This isn't good timing. Not good at all..." He mumbled. Mia shifted and sat, placing a comforting hand on Rowen's shoulder.
"I know you're still uncomfortable with this, but the others need to know. Plus, they may feel offended if you keep this a secret for too long." Rowen blinked and nodded.
A loud thud coming from the dining room shocked the trio, causing Rowen to jump, bumping his head on Sage's chin. Mia scowling, stood quickly and almost bumped right into Ryo as he came barreling in, Kento and Cye on his heels. Mia grabbed onto Ryo's ear, pinching the lobe as hard as she could. He yelped loudly and pulled out of her grasp.
"What was that for?!" He shouted, rubbing the side of his head. Mia stuck her tongue out.
"For being a loud nuisance, that's what. Now," She said, gently taking Ryo's hand in hers, and leading him over to the sofa. "Rowen has something to say. Of course, I'll probably be saying a lot more after, but he should be the one to bring it up." Ryo blinked and looked over at Rowen, waiting. Rowen grimaced.
"Thanks so much, Mia..." Rowen muttered. Sage gave him an affectionate squeeze, silently telling him he was behind him all the way. Rowen breathed in deeply, letting it out slowly between his teeth. "Um...actually, this may go better if you go first. You know, explain..." Rowen suggested. Mia bit her lip.
"Okay, then." Mia said and stood, clasping her hands behind her back. "Where the hell do I start?" She muttered. Cye raised an eyebrow. He grabbed Kento's hand and dragged him over to the love seat, sitting him down. Mia grinned. "Well, glad that everyone's listening now." She yawned and shook her head.
"All right, the root of this whole...thing...is your armors." Ryo scowled. Mia noted and shook her head. "No, it's not bad or anything. Well, maybe not. I guess it really depends..."
"Get on with it." Sage said, piping up. Mia giggled.
"I'm sorry, I haven't really slept, I'm slap happy. Okay, long story short, do any of you recall that your armors give you special powers? I mean, you know, you're stronger, faster, whatever with them? You also kinda noticed that you don't need to wear the armors anymore for those little boosts?" Kento sort of half smiled and cleared his throat.
"Um, Mia, that's kinda a 'no duh', there." Mia rolled her eyes.
"Well, I know something you don't know." She stuck her tongue out again. Ryo nodded, laughing.
"And...?" He began. Mia sighed heavily through her nose, clicking her tongue.
"And y'all have some hefty issues to deal with. You apparently have at least one other little ability you wouldn't normally think of, well, until it hits you smack dab between the eyes..." She said, shrugging. Rowen bit his lip, cringing at the oncoming confession. Sage growled.
"Just say it, damn it. Don't drag this out." He said. Mia groaned, shooting Sage an aggravated glance.
"Argh, fine! This isn't exactly easy, ya know, Blondie!" Sage glowered at Mia. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, shifting her feet. "Geez, it's not like it's a piece of cake talking about sex to a bunch of guys." Ryo’s jaw dropped. Cye blushed, but he shook his head, confused.
"Um...still clueless over here. What does sex have to do with the armor?" Mia coughed nervously, glancing at the floor.
"Well, it's only related to the armors, not directly connected. About those special little physical boosts...well, this may come as a bit of a surprise, but those boosts were caused by the armors altering your genetic make up. You were stronger because the armors strengthened your DNA." She said, biting her lip. Cye nodded, his eyes still puzzled. "The armors...well, they also kinda changed you on a more physical level. You received yours at what age?" Cye shrugged.
"Thirteen, I think." He looked over at Kento. Kento furrowed his eyebrows.
"Me, too. Mia, you know we all did. What's this got to do with anything, and what does Rowen have to tell us?" Mia nodded, waving her hand.
"Getting there. Look, I'm gonna be straight with you. The whole "sexual" thing? Every single one of you apparently has the ability to conceive children, all by your lonesomes. I know it sounds insane, but there ya go." Ryo choked, Cye lost all color in his face, and Kento double-took. Reactions Mia was expecting to say the least. It took a moment for anyone to react verbally.
"WHAT?!?" Kento shouted, jumping to his feet. Mia winced, taking a step backwards. Rowen grabbed onto Sage's arm tightly, expecting all hell to break loose now. Mia sighed.
"Calm down, and let me explain. Yes, I mean that. Every single one of you can have kids, without the help of a female partner. I'm still absorbing this new information, so I won't be able to answer too many questions. My guess, your armors morphed your genes at a rather tender age. Specifically, the time most little boys start puberty." She shrugged. Cye looked like he was about to hyperventilate.
"Wha--, h-how do you know this? What's your pr---" He started, but cut himself short. His gaze settled on Rowen, who was trying his best to melt right into Sage's chest, his face practically shining a radioactive red. "Oh my god..."
"And Cye here wins the kewpie! My proof sits right in front of all of you." All eyes silently turned on Rowen. He shut his eyes tightly and bit his lips closed.
"Thank you, Mia, you sure you weren't being too subtle?" Sage sneered. Mia rolled her eyes. Cye shook his head, amazed. Well, actually, more like dumbfounded.
"Sage, you told us Rowen wasn't feeling well...you never said anything about him being, well, you know." Sage turned his eyes downwards, pink coloring his cheeks. Ryo finally appeared to have snapped back to reality, though his expression was still slack jawed.
"But...but you aren't even married!" Kento slapped Ryo on his arm, shaking his head.
"That's not his biggest problem, doofus! What's he going to tell his parents, hmm? Oh, and he goes to school, what's he supposed to tell his teachers? He's gotta be exempt from class for maternity leave?" Kento asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Ryo grimaced. He was about to comment, but the light sound of a choked sob interrupted, stopping all other noises. Rowen had shifted, his head in his hands, his shoulders moving shakily up and down.
"Rowen? Hey, Row, you okay?" Ryo asked, stepping around Mia and kneeling next to Sage, who was still holding the sobbing boy. Rowen shook his head and tried to remain quiet. Kento bit his lip, his eyes shadowed with sympathy.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say all that." He said, his eyebrows furrowing. Rowen shook his head again.
"N-no, you're r-right. M-my p-parents are going t-to kill me!" He wailed, his voice muffled by Sage's chest. Cye let out a determined huff, stood and walked straight over to Rowen. He kneeled down and gently smoothed the sapphire blue hair a moment or two, causing Rowen to slow his breathing and his crying. Watery cobalt eyes met understanding, soft emeralds.
"Don't cry and don't worry. We're all your friends here and not a one of us would ever consider a moment of letting you go through this alone." Cye said as he made a quick scan of the room, daring anyone to say otherwise. Sage smiled at Cye, silently thanking him.
Mia heaved a sigh of relief and dropped to her knees, joining the four boys on the floor. Kento was still standing, exasperation tugging his features into a frown. Cye glared at him. Kento shook his head, frustrated and confused. He slumped back into the love seat, leaning forward so he could put his head in his hands.
"People, am I the only one thinking here?" Kento muttered. He lifted his head a moment, a smirk on his face. "I know, alien concept." Cye rolled his eyes. Kento stuck his tongue out at him.
"Look, did no one else just hear what Mia said? Every single one of us can get knocked up. Now, I don't know how any of you were brought up, but in my book, that's friggin' odd and not easily accepted." Cye nodded once, expecting Kento to continue. He didn't want it to be left at that. Kento caught on to the hint and sighed.
"I guess what I'm saying is...Rowen, we're all here for you. But we're gonna hafta come up with one helluva excuse explaining your absences from school.
I'm sure we can all be up front with saying it was Sage that brought you into this condition?" Kento said, eyeing Sage. Sage stuck his tongue out at him. Kento chuckled. "Yeah, thought so. I don't know how he feels about it, but being a pretty damn good friend of yours, I'm not one to just let you go on and strain yourself. I'm sure showing up in class looking the way you will in another month or so will also be kinda embarrassing, so I'm guessing you already know you'll be taking leave?" Rowen sniffed and straightened up, scowling. He blinked, unsure.
"I...wasn't thinking at all. About anything." He said, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "How in the world am I gonna pull this off? And...how in the world is this going to be physically possible? How'm I supposed to give birth?" He asked, shaking his head distractedly. Mia lifted a finger, nodding.
"I can answer a little of that," She said. Rowen tilted his head, curious. "Well, for one, what we have on our hands is normally called an 'ectopic' pregnancy. That just means the embryo is somewhere other than in a uterus. The fainting he's been experiencing is actually quite common in this type of pregnancy. This does happen to women, occasionally. The only way to birth an ectopic pregnancy is through a C-Section." Ryo blinked, shocked.
"You mean, you're gonna...cut him open?" He asked, his eyes wide. Mia bit her lip.
"Hmm." She mumbled, slowly rising to her feet. "Well, looks like we just hit another speed bump." Sage scowled, his eyes darkening.
"What now?" He growled. Mia smirked.
"I think I'm going to have to try and hurry up with becoming a certified doctor. I mean, who else is going to be able to deliver the child without alerting the tabloids?" Rowen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Oh my god..." Rowen squeaked. Mia nodded.
"Let me guess, didn't think of that?" Rowen grimaced. "That's okay, it's what friends are for. Oh, that reminds me." Mia turned her head to face Kento, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you have to go to work?" Kento looked over at Cye, then at Rowen and finally at Mia, shaking his head.
"I'm gonna call in. Not going today." He said, standing, heading for the kitchen. Mia frowned.
"What are you going to tell them?" She called after Kento.
"That I can't find my shoes." He answered. Mia laughed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Y'know, Kento, I never pegged you as a realist." Sage said, walking slowly down the stairs after putting Rowen to bed. The day was spent, but not in vain. Rowen felt a lot better, at least emotionally, knowing his friends didn't think he was some kind of freak. Kento looked up at Sage and shrugged."Most people don't bother 'pegging' me as anything other than an ox," He smirked. Sage chuckled. "You accepted all this kinda quick, don'tcha think? Why weren't you questioning anything?" Sage blinked and smiled.
"Well, y'know, most people say that they won't believe in anything unless there's physical proof. I've got my physical proof," Sage glanced at the ceiling. "I can't disprove that." Kento smiled.
"Good point." He led Sage out of the hallway and into the living room. The pair sat on the couch in silence, but only for a moment.
"So...what do you really think of all of this? You know, with Rowen and everything." Kento said, pulling at his earlobe. Sage furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged.
"I don’t know. It's strange, and it's scaring the hell out of me. I mean, how would you react if you just found out Cye was pregnant with your kid?" Sage asked. Kento coughed nervously and glanced behind him.
"Point taken. I guess I'd be just as clueless. But," He narrowed his gaze. "I would never leave him, if that was true. You...aren’t going to, are you?" Sage snorted. "'Course not. I love Rowen too much, for one. For two, I may feel scared now, but he's the one that has to go through with the whole nine months and everything. I wish I could talk to my mom about this, she might have some useful information, but...she'd think I off and got some chick pregnant somewhere. After the initial 'responsibility' lecture, she'd jabber my ear off with basic birds and bees junk." He shook his head and sighed. Kento scowled.
"Well, Mia should be help enough." He smiled, giving Sage a sidelong glance. "You pick out any names, yet?" Sage stuck his tongue out.
"Funny, no." He smirked. He leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling. "Kento..." Kento looked over at Sage.
"'Sup?" Sage bit his lip.
"Was this...was this really life changing news to you?" Kento smiled and shook his head.
"It came as one helluva shock, that's for sure. Life changing? Not really. It's just a better incentive for Cye 'n me to stay together." Sage raised an eyebrow. Kento chuckled.
"Well, I can safely say if I were to choose who I'd want to spend the rest of my life with, I'd pick Cye right off the bat. He's my best friend, he understands me, and he's a lot of fun. This pregnancy thing is very strange, I'll give ya that, but it's something we all share. I know I'd only be comfortable with that idea with Cye, and I'm pretty sure he thinks the same way." Sage smiled.
"I was thinking something along those lines, too." Kento grinned. He suddenly burst into laughter, taking Sage by surprise. "What's so funny?" Kento wiped his eyes, chortling.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking, remember Ryo's initial reaction to Mia's little announcement? 'But you aren't even married!'" Kento asked. Sage began chuckling, shaking his head.
"Man, that was funny. There's Ryo's priorities for you." Sage inhaled deeply, smiling. Kento nodded and raised an eyebrow.
"But...ya know, he kinda had a point." Kento said. Sage stared at him blankly. Kento rolled his eyes.
"Maybe it's late, I'm thinking all off, but have you even considered about marrying Rowen? Sounds a little strange, maybe, but do you want your kid to have unwed parents? And how are you going to deal with the whole kid thing, anyway? Is it going to have two dads? I mean, what are you gonna tell it when it grows up? That reminds me, when are you even gonna know if it's a boy or girl?" He asked. Sage blinked and grimaced.
"Hmm. Gotta think about a lot, I guess. We've got a lot of planning to do." Kento nodded.
"That...is obvious." Sage stuck his tongue out at him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Besides the morning sickness, occasional fainting, and inevitable moodiness that everybody foresaw, the first two months went pretty well. It was quite noticeable that Rowen was growing larger around his midsection, and even more so that he was uncomfortable with it. Mia made sure to check up on Rowen every two weeks, making sure he was in perfect health. As she figured, Rowen began to adapt the same characteristics a pregnant female would at this particular stage.Rowen had taken to gently rubbing his stomach when he was thinking, though it was quite obvious he didn’t know he was doing it. After Sage pointed it out one evening, Rowen had blushed deeply and visibly tried to stop. Mia called it a subconscious action, but that didn't make Rowen feel any better. He thought it made him look stupid. Sage thought it was cute.
"I think you're going to be a good mommy." Sage chuckled, wrapping his arms around Rowen’s waist. Rowen smirked and lightly punched Sage on his arm.
"Cute, but don't push me. I'm feelin' like a lady on the edge." Sage laughed. Rowen kissed him lightly and smiled.
"Ya know, there was something I wanted to ask you." Sage nodded. "Well, Mia said I should go in for an ultrasound tomorrow, just to make sure things are all right. She said by now the fetus would be matured enough for her to discern a gender." Sage blinked.
"Isn't it bad luck to know what the baby is before it's born?" Rowen shrugged.
"That's a new one to me. But, I wanted to know...do you want to know? I mean, knowing whether it's a boy or girl would help with the planning and all, wouldn't it?" Sage raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" He asked. Rowen blinked.
"Well, it's going to need baby clothes, and girls and boys wear different things...regardless to your previous experiences." Sage cringed. Rowen laughed and ruffled Sage's hair. "Sorry, sweetie. But you know I'm right. And where are we planning to keep it? Are we going to move a crib into our room, or fix up a nursery?" Sage sighed and nuzzled Rowen's ear.
"I'll talk to Mia. You feeling okay, besides?" Rowen shrugged.
"Besides feeling like I'm the most disgusting thing on the planet, I'm getting a little annoyed with Cye." Rowen muttered, his fingers trailing lightly over his belly. Sage smiled and gently placed his hand over Rowen's.
"What could Cye do to annoy you? I thought he was trying to help you be more comfortable." Rowen stuck his tongue out.
"His 'helping' is driving me bonkers, Sage. He practically has a heart attack every time I life my arms over my head." Sage raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Rowen smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Apparently there's this myth that if a pregnant wom--, um person, lifts their arms, the umbilical cord will strangle the baby." Sage snorted.
"That's ridiculous. That doesn't even make any sense." He said, shaking his head. Rowen nodded.
"You should hear half the stuff he keeps telling me. Never thought Cye was so superstitious." He smiled. Sage blinked, now interested.
"Like, what's he telling you?" Rowen thought a moment, pursing his lips.
"Oh, let's see...oh yeah, last night after dinner. I guess I had a little heartburn and Cye said that was good luck. Apparently heartburn means the baby will have a good head of hair." Sage smiled and shook his head.
"Never heard of that." Rowen nodded. He didn't say anything; he just laid his head on Sage's shoulder and closed his eyes. Sage caressed Rowen's neck, sighing happily. He felt Rowen shift, his arms encircling Sage tightly.
"Sage...do you," Rowen started, his words catching in his throat. Sage tilted his head to look at Rowen. "Sage, do you love me?" Sage's eyes widened.
"Of course I do." Rowen shook his head.
"Say it, please." Sage furrowed his eyebrows. "I want you to tell me you love me, is that so hard?" Rowen frowned. Sage closed his eyes, patient.
"Rowen, I love you with my entire being. I honestly and truly do." Sage smiled, gently pushing Rowen from his grasp to look into his eyes. Rowen pouted.
"Did you say that just 'cause I asked you to?" Sage bit his lips closed. "Mood swings, ultra sensitivity...god, I hope I live through this." Sage thought, pulling Rowen in for another tight embrace.
"Do you really have to ask for confirmation of my love for you?" Rowen blinked. "Look, baby, I love you. I may not say it every couple of minutes, but it's true." Rowen nodded, apparently satisfied with Sage's answer. He let Sage go, his eyes cast downward. Sage frowned, noting Rowen wasn't happy for some reason. "Hun?" Rowen shut his eyes.
"I'm okay. I think I have to lie down, I'm kinda dizzy." Sage smiled and nodded.
"Want me to carry you?" Rowen glared at Sage and stuck his tongue out. Sage smirked. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend." Rowen turned towards the door.
"I'm not a weakling, I can walk." He said defiantly, throwing the door open. Sage blinked.
"Mood swings...oh, yuck." He sighed.
