Prompto's morning started like shit.

The nausea woke him up half an hour before his alarm was set to go off, and he only barely had enough time to scramble out of bed and into the adjoining bathroom, before hurling. His midnight snack - a moonlit date with Cup Noodle, mustard, and pickles, and a triple stack fluffer nutter sandwich - plunged into the toilet in a disgusting, clumpy beige mass. At the time, it had been a delicious indulgence. Now, it was like hell had opened up just for Prompto. Vomiting up that much bread, especially that much bread and thick peanut butter, was worse than what he imagined being throat-fucked by a Daemon would feel like.

The next half hour was spent dry-heaving and vomiting up the water that Ignis urged him to keep drinking.

"You must stay hydrated, love."

"I'll just... Puke it... Up... Again," he panted, tears streaming down his cheeks.

As if to prove his point, his stomach lurched, and foamy green bile dribbled into the bowl. Next to him, Ignis sighed and ran the backs of his knuckles up and down the curve of Prompto's spine.

"You poor thing..." Gentle lips pressed to his shoulder, "I will schedule an appointment for you with the physician. It should still be early enough for us to get you in, today."

Prompto sagged against the toilet, too worn out and too out of breath to bother responding. It took another fifteen minutes of belching and whining for him to finally feel comfortable enough to let Ignis haul him to his feet, so he could shower away the sweat and sick that clung to his body. While Ignis stepped into the bedroom to call Noctis, Prompto started peeling his clothing away, starting with his sleeping pants. Usually, he just slept in his boxers, but their new apartment got cold as shit during the winter, it turned out. Ignis explained that it was because of why they liked it so much: the large windows. One whole side of their apartment was made up of sliding glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows, which apparently did jack shit for insulation, but it gave Prompto a beautiful view of Insomnia 2.0, and it provided enough light for Ignis's good eye to better make out shapes and shadows.

Ah, well, you win some, you lose some.

With his pants pooled around his feet, Prompto stepped out of the fabric and started working to get his sweatshirt off (seriously, it was February and it was fucking cold). When he chucked it onto the floor with his pants - Ignis would give him shit for not using the hamper, but whatever - and hooked his thumbs under his boxers. As he looked down, he frowned at the way his belly had gotten kinda pudgy. Over the last few weeks, he'd started to suspect some weight gain, but this was officially over what he was okay with. He really had to lay off on the midnight snacks (read: meals), if he wasn't going to make up for it during the day...

He froze.

Prompto stared at his waist, then jerked his eyes up to the mirror.

He turned to the side, a steel ball settling in the pit of his gut.

This... This was... Prompto knew what weight gain looked like. It didn't...

Trembling fingers brushed over the bump. It was too low to be fat, too round and firm between his hips. This... This was...

A low, horrified whimper broke through the cold air as anxiety seized him fast and swift, like electricity crackling across his chest and up his throat. As his knees threatened to give out from under him, he staggered back to lean against the cool wall for support.

No, no, no no, nononononono -

"Prompto?" Ignis rushed into the bathroom, arms reaching for him, "Are you going to be sick?"

"Oh my god..." was all he could wheeze.

"Prompto, love -" Ignis's voice was starting to adopt its own layer of panic, now, " -Talk to me. Tell me what is happening."

Prompto slapped a hand over his mouth as the first of what would be many tears fell. No, no, this couldn't be happening!

"Oh, gods, Iggy - I'm -"

"Do you need me to take you to hospital?"

How? How did this happen?! They were always careful - they always used a condom when Ignis was topping. They never took chances, were always careful to make sure the condom never broke -

His blood ran cold.

Two months earlier

Ignis had been through a downright awful day.

First, Noctis had been much too ill to attend a meeting with Tenebraean diplomats, so it had been up to Ignis to go in his stead, the meeting too important to consider rescheduling. This, of course, made him late for his own appointment, which had been scheduled towards the tail end of Noctis's. His schedule obliterated, Ignis spent the first half of his day rushing from meeting to meeting, rescheduling that he couldn't make. When he caught word of a gas line exploding due to a construction crew failing to call the city before digging, a pressure had begin to build behind his eyes.

Traffic on the way home, gridlocked due to a wreck on the highway, did nothing to improve his mood. By the time he had gotten home and unloaded the groceries, Ignis had realized, in his haste, he had forgotten to pick up the tomatoes required to make the sauce for that night's lasagna. His driver had already clocked out for the day, and there would be no way for Ignis to get them in time for dinner. He was beyond incandescent. In his rage, he considered throwing a brand new champagne bottle to the tile floor just to hear it shatter.

Which was when Prompto walked through the door.

The ripe stench of sweat; the vision of Prompto's flushed skin, vibrant in his mind's eye; and his simmering anger went straight to his cock all at once. Before they'd even had time to exchange pleasantries, Ignis had dragged his partner onto the kitchen table, pulled his gym clothes off, and was fucking him for everything he was worth.

For once, Ignis wasn't thinking. For better or worse, every ounce of his consciousness was zeroed in on how tight and hot and wet Prompto was around his cock, how sweaty he tasted on his tongue, how silky his small tits felt as he squeezed them tight in his palms, how delicious his noisy begging for "More! Iggy - oh - gods - fuck me! Fuck me - yes - fuck me!" sounded in his ears.

Three orgasms later - seven, if you asked Prompto - and he felt himself starting to return to some plane of intelligence. His head lolled to the side to check on the man next to him, who was still panting at the ceiling from where they were lying on their carpeted living room floor.

"Are you alright, love?"

He hadn't exactly been gentle... Especially not with those unbearably perfect breasts of his; yes, those would surely have bruises, later.

"Hmm? Mm..." With one heaving motion, Prompto rolled over to drape himself over Ignis's body, "Mm-hm."

Astrals preserve him, he sounded so sweet when he was blissed out like this. Ignis, still clad in his shirt and socks, instinctively wrapped his arms around Prompto's sweaty shoulders. He could feel his own sweat drenching his shirt and gluing his hair to his forehead. His stays and garters had long since become uncomfortable, but he couldn't be bothered to remove them, just yet.

"Bad day?" Prompto mumbled, idly massaging Ignis's sensitive balls with a gentle palm.

Ignis pressed a kiss to his unruly hair, sighing into it so that it fluttered over his lips. "Not anymore."

Exhausted, Prompto hummed and snuggled closer.

"I hope you don't mind take-out for dinner, tonight."

"Pizza?"

Well, he had been thinking of Tenebraean, but, "You are the boss."

"Hell yeah."

Together, they dozed off, goaded into sleep by the warm evening sun pouring into their living from the large window overlooking the city.

It had all happened so fast, it was so emotionally charged, that the thought hadn't crossed either of their minds. In his memories, Prompto could still feel Ignis's come oozing onto his thighs; neither of them had thought anything of it, too accustomed to Prompto's male-presenting body to pay any mind to the fact that he still had a full set of female reproductive organs.

Somehow, the memory of their mistake was more concrete proof to Prompto than the physical evidence of what he saw in the mirror with his own two eyes.

"Prompto."

Ignis sounded thoroughly panicked, something Prompto hadn't heard since Noctis was sucked into the Crystal.

"Please, love, I cannot see you. Tell me what is happening."

At an absolute loss for words, Prompto took hold of his wrist and placed his hand over his belly.

"Wha - ?"

In an instant, amyriad of emotions flashed across Ignis's face, one after the other.

Fear. Confusion. Understanding. Shock.

Then... Awe.

As the final gear clicked into place, both of his palms began to smooth over that small bump, mapping it out with almost reverence. There was still a shade of surprise lingering on his face but, as he ran his fingers over Prompto's belly, a cool, quiet serenity eased its way into his expression.

"You're pregnant..."

Then, Ignis's voice shifted into something soft, emotional, but Prompto had screwed his eyes shut, feeling like his heart was about to burst within the confines of his chest.

"Oh, Prompto..."

Unfortunately, Prompto felt no such quietude.

"Iggy - Iggs - what - what are we -" Prompto broke off into an incoherent, hyperventilating mess.

Pregnant.

He was pregnant.

His body had a baby inside of it.

Prompto wasn't ready to be a dad - he couldn't carry a baby - he couldn't raise a child! He could barely take care of himself!

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! He didn't deserve this! Prompto fucking helped save the world, so why were the gods punishing him like this just for slipping up once? Dammit - why didn't he take birth control?!

What if - what if it came out like him?! What if it had all of his anxiety and dysphoria and food problems and -

"Prompto, love, listen to me." Ignis's voice - still so calm, almost peaceful - sliced through the frenzied toxicity that percolated through his head. His lips grazed over the shell of Prompto's ear, stubble rough against his cheek.

At some point, he must have stepped into Prompto's space to wrap his arms around his shoulders, and was now holding Prompto just tight enough for his chest to press against his with every steady inhale.

"Right now, the only thing you have to do is breathe with me."

"I can't - Iggy - I - I - I can't -"

"You can, love. In, and out. Do you feel my chest?" Ignis took a deep breath, deep enough for his chest to swell against Prompto's, and slowly released it. "Just like this, love. You can do it."

It felt impossible to focus on anything other than the way the world was crumbling around him, the way his panic coiled around his insides, but Ignis's gentle pressure was a start. Prompto hugged Ignis's waist ans squeezed him tight, desperate to cling to something that would keep him grounded. He buried his face in Ignis's neck, and let him rock his body while he cried.

"Everything will be alright, Prompto," whispered Ignis, "I love you so much. We will be alright."

"I'm pregnant!" Prompto sobbed, "How can you say that?!"

"Prompto, love, we helped the King of Lucius defeat Ardyn Lucis Caelum, and eradicate the Starscourge. Together, we defeated countless Daemons and protected thousands of people during the Dark Years." Ignis paused to press a kiss to his shoulder. "We have seen the end of the world. I promise you, this is not it. Everything will be fine."

Tender whispers of encouragement were nearly drowned out by the sobs echoing off of the bathroom's tile surfaces, but Prompto, for as deep as he had dug himself into his hole of anxiety-fueled tears, managed to quiet down after so many minutes of feeling as if he were about to asphyxiate on his own tears and drool. By the time Ignis made his first failed attempt at peeling his partner away from his chest, Prompto's entire head felt like it had swollen to twice its normal size. His throat was scratchy and thick; his tongue was heavy; his eyes were red and sore; his cheeks were stained and puffy; his head throbbed from the exertion of crying. Meanwhile, the rest of him felt sluggish, too heavy to do little more than sag into Ignis's body.

His fingers, aching from squeezing his nightshirt so tightly, tugged hard on Ignis's lower back to keep him from stepping back. If he could crawl into Ignis's body, just curl up inside of him where it was warm and safe, he would do it in a heartbeat. As things were, he was content with clutching him like he was some kind of life preserver.

"I will be right back, love," Ignis murmured, kissing his shoulder for a second time.

That only made him hold him that much tighter, "Don't go..."

"I am going nowhere, I promise," Ignis assured him, his velvety voice, for once, failing to ease Prompto's rabid anxiety, "I must call Noctis to inform him that the half day I just requested must now be a full vacation day." He paused, "It would also be prudent to cancel your appointment with the physician," he tacked on as an afterthought.

A small whimper was muffled by Ignis's shirt when he, again, tried to step out of his arms. Prompto knew - he knew - that he was acting like a child, that he was being weak and needy and Ignis actually really had to go let Noctis know that he wouldn't be coming into work, but he couldn't help it. He was so scared, and exposed, and vulnerable, and his stomach was still churning, and he needed Ignis, and... And...

Ignoring his pathetic protests, Ignis reached back to take a firm hold of Prompto's wrists and pry them away from his body. Once he had enough room, he took a slight step back to put some small distance between them, still holding Prompto's hands between them.

"You are going to - Prompto, look at me."

Very, very slowly, he forced himself to meet his partner's gaze. It was just as gentle as before, but the commanding tone his voice had taken was making it clear that Prompto wasn't allowed to have a say in what happened next.

"You are going to take a shower, brush your teeth, and dress yourself in the clothing I set out for you on the bed," he instructed, "I will make the necessary phone calls, and get started on breakfast. I am not leaving. Do you understand?"

Prompto nodded - or, well, his head bounced a little.

With that, he was left alone.

He twisted the shower faucet to get it running, yipping when the initial cold burst of water hit him square in the shoulders and quickly ducking back to slam the shower door shut. While it warmed up, he brushed the sleep out of his mouth and finished stripping out of his athletic bra and briefs. Truth be told, Prompto hadn't realized how much he hated binding his chest until the morning he finally confessed his feelings to Ignis. Most binders were too stretchy for them to be worth his while, but the one brand that kept him flat as a board, and lasted months, was rough and unforgiving on his skin. Being free to walk around in just a sports bra (or totally free, if he was at home) was so goddamn liberating that it literally changed his entire quality of life for the better. Though, he had to admit that he was kinda lucky; he was such a small dude that no one around them even paid him any mind. The only people that noticed were, of course, Noctis and Gladiolus, and both of them had initially just thought that Prompto was developing some sick pecs at the gym.

Hah. He wished.

Once he stepped into the shower, Prompto took the time to really look at his body. There was still the slight flutter of fear in his belly, and the sense of dread continued to weigh his limbs down, but the moment to himself was giving him a chance to actually collect his thoughts, like the steady stream of water was wearing his panic away until he could hear his own voice, again.

His chest hadn't gone up any cup sizes but, when he cupped them in his hands and applied just the barest of pressure, he could definitely feel a familiar soreness that he usually only felt when he was on his cycle. That bump, though, that's what was making Prompto's head spin, trying to make sense of everything. When he had gone to sleep the night before, that definitely had not been there. He wasn't as bad as he used to be when food was involved, but Prompto still took care of his body; even if he had gotten a little heavier since the sun returned, he absolutely would have noticed something like this settled between his sharp hip bones. It wasn't huge, but it was, well, very obviously a baby bump.

Then again, when he was a teenager, his tits came in overnight, too. Anatomy was weird.

Still, he frowned in silent lamentation over the new stretch mark he could see forming. Well... At least Ignis wouldn't see it.

Being clean was refreshing in its own right, but the feeling soon dissipated as he toweled off. He felt lethargic, like he usually did after a particularly shitty panic attack, and knowing that Ignis was waiting for him in the kitchen didn't make things easier. Even if his head had cleared, the idea of discussing their options... It wasn't a good feeling. It felt like there would be no winning, for either of them. Abortions, for him, were an unbearably dark thought. Reclined on a cold medical table, his feet in stirrups while a stranger inserted a speculum inside of his most delicate place, and wrenched his cervix open to stick a vacuum inside of it...

But a pregnancy, and childbirth? Just thinking about it made Prompto feel lightheaded.

And, poor Iggy, he would have to deal with him, either way, because they both knew that either option would fucking wreck him.

He could only dress himself so slowly, and, after a few minutes, Prompto padded out to the kitchen, clad in the worn Glaive pullover and jeans that Ignis had set out for him on the bed, which of course had already been put together with tight hospital corners. Seriously, Prompto really had to start doing more around the house...

Ignis was sipping a cup of steaming coffee as he waited for a couple of eggs to finish cooking, turning his head in Prompto's direction when he got closer. Habit screamed for him to close the distance between them and plant a proper good morning kiss to his cheek, but Prompto chose to, instead, seat himself at the island without a word. It wasn't as if he thought he would fall to pieces, again, he just... Felt that maybe Ignis would be over touching him, right now.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Leaning forward, Prompto pillowed his head on his folded arms. Shit, he was ready for a nap.

"I'm still pregnant, so..."

Ignis didn't really laugh, he just sorta puffed air out his nose and took the frying pan off of the burner. "Well I wasn't exactly expecting it to go away quite so easily."

It was clearly meant to be a joke, but all it did was put an awful image in Prompto's head of a bloody miscarriage in the shower. He grimaced.

Go away. It sounded more like he was talking about the Coeurl that had come to their campground, once, to greedily tear into their food supply. Gladiolus and Noctis wanted to chase it off, but Ignis had suggested that they simply wait it out, due to Noctis's back problems flaring up and their lack of curatives.

Speaking of Noctis...

"You... Didn't tell Noct, did you..?"

There was some shuffling at the counter while Ignis plated their breakfasts, and he could hear the slurping sound of him drinking the last of his coffee before he responded with, "Of course not. Until we decide on how to move forward, I don't feel it is it necessary to inform his Highness."

How to move forward...

Prompto sighed. What happens, now? Did they have to go to a doctor before going to one of... Those clinics? What if Ignis wanted to keep it? Did he even want kids?

In the years they've been together, not once did either of them ever bring up the concept of starting a family - they never had the time. During the Dark Years, it was a blessing just to live to see another day when they were both out hunting daemons, Prompto on his own and Ignis in a party with Iris and Gladiolus. And, when the sun rose, they had to rebuild an entire kingdom. Ignis helped Noctis with establishing a new government system, Gladiolus worked with Cor to establish a new Glaive and police system, and Prompto was in charge of managing the return of the refugees that had fled to Lestallum. The dust had only just begun to settle, for them. When were they ever expected to have the time to properly sit down and sort out these kinds of details?

It didn't matter, now, he supposed. Now, they had little choice than to start ironing out what kind of future they wanted to share.

Porcelain clanked against the smooth counter top, and Prompto begrudgingly straightened up so Ignis could slide his breakfast in front of him. It was pretty simple, just avocado toast with a fried egg on each slice, and sriracha drizzled over the top. Ignis's eggs were scrambled, something about him not liking runny yolks, and he had sprinkled some paprika over the eggs in lieu of the sriracha. "I prefer a more mild start to my day" he once told him, while guzzling down some of the most robust coffee blend Prompto had ever tasted (Seriously, Ebony didn't get the name Ebony for nothing. That shit was a Dark Roast™).

Lowering himself onto the stool next to him, Ignis paused to take a long drink of his refilled mug. It was a souvenir Prompto had bought on the last day of the festival in Altissia, a small chocobo head that would turn from black to bright yellow when introduced to heat. It was meant for himself, but Ignis had started to use it more and more often since coming home, and it wasn't like Prompto was going to say "Hey, asshole, that's my mug."

A heavy, no-pun-intended pregnant silence draped over the two of them. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them took bites of their food. They only sipped at their morning beverages, both waiting for the other to start.

Eventually, it was Prompto's voice that shattered the delicate quiet.

"What are we gonna do, Iggy..?"

"I should be the one asking you that," he said, tone suspiciously conversational for how fucking huge of a situation this actually was, "What is it that you would like to do about this?"

Ifrit's asscrack, he was talking like they were picking out paint swatches for the living room. In fact, Prompto was nine hundred percent sure that Ignis had been way more stressed out when they chose to paint their new apartment, and he didn't even see colors!"

Prompto couldn't bring himself to look up from his lap, to look at Ignis's face. "This is something that affects you, too, you know..." he mumbled.

What he wouldn't do to just go back in time and remind Ignis that maybe he should wear a condom before giving Prompto some of the best orgasms of his life.

"While, yes, that is true, the decision is ultimately yours. I would much rather hear your thoughts on the matter, than voice my own."

Prompto felt his jaw flex as he grit his teeth together, frustrated. Why did he sound so casual about this?! He sounded like he was just talking about who took out the trash, that night, or what to pick up from the grocery store! Wasn't he at all affected by this?!

"I would not leave you, regardless of how you choose to proceed, if that is what you are worried about."

What? No - Prompto hadn't thought about that, at all. The idea of Ignis leaving hadn't even crossed his mind, and that kind of passive reassurance only managed to only fan the flames irritation in his chest. He wasn't that fucking insecure in their marriage, you pretentious son of a bitch.

"No, but... Thanks... I guess?" he muttered, finally snatching his now-soggy toast from the plate to take a vindictive bite out of it, only to freeze as his teeth sank through the layer of egg and into the avocado. There was a lot of sriracha on this. It was just how he normally liked it, but... Weren't pregnant people not allowed to eat spicy food? Were they allowed to have caffeinated coffee, especially the kind of coffee that Ignis had poured for him? What about eggs? Were eggs okay for a fetus if they were runny, like this?

After a moment, he slowly bit through the bread, cautiously tearing it into his mouth to chew. Did... Did it matter? It wasn't like he was really planning to keep it, was he?

Wait - did Ignis already assume that he wouldn't want to keep it? Ignis planned out every little detail in his day planner, down to the time he would allot himself for a visit to the toilet during his lunch break, and if Prompto had lingering suspicions of how bad his breakfast could be for the fetus, then he knew that Ignis knew for a fact that it was.

Like cold water over a fire, the thought snuffed out Prompto's anger. In its place, a sharp ache in his chest. The comments he had made, the almost monk-like calmness, the way he was approaching this whole situation...

So...

That was it, then.

He heard himself speaking before Prompto's mind even had a chance to catch up.

"I'll just get rid of it."

He could feel Ignis turn his face towards him, but he didn't dare look up from his lap. The corners of his eyes stung, and it was getting harder and harder to keep his breathing even. If he looked at him...

"Is that what you want?"

It's what you want.

It was obvious that he didn't want to be a father but, like Prompto wouldn't tell him to stop using his mug, he knew that Ignis wouldn't dare explicitly tell him that he wanted him to get an abortion. And Prompto wasn't about to force him into a fatherhood. Ignis had been forced into being Noctis's Chamberlain and future Chief Advisor as a child, when he had no say in the matter and no way to fully comprehend what responsibilities would be bestowed unto him. When Insomnia fell, it had been Ignis that had taken the reigns and developed a strategy for the group while the rest were wrought with grief.

His whole existence was just him being thrust into situations where he had to take care of everyone. Every aspect of his life had been out of his control, but Ignis took everything in stride, and... And Prompto couldn't be the one to do that to him, too.

"Yeah, 'course," Prompto tried to keep his voice even, but he knew it wasn't working, "I mean, I'll have to stop taking T, right? And you see how I get when I'm on my period - there's no way I'd be able to handle something like this."

He hopped up from his stool - or, rather, jerked out of it and nearly knocked it over - and walked as quickly as he could to the bedroom without breaking into a sprint. He grabbed his phone from where it had been left charging on the nightstand, and his wallet and keys, before returning to the kitchen.

"Actually, uh, I, uh, I'm just gonna go take care of it, right now -"

"Prompto -"

"So you can let Noct know that you can come in for that meeting thing about his trip to Niflheim."

"Prompto -!" Ignis was jumping to his feet, but Prompto was already toeing his boots on.

"See ya later!"

"You can't possibly -!"

Prompto slammed the door shut.

He bolted.