I'M REALLY FUCKING SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN LIKE 9000 YEARS I'M A FUCKING TERRIBLE AUTHOR I KNOW.
Hopefully this is worth the wait.
Try not to punch me in the face for the ending.
ALSO. The poll for the gender of the baby is at an exact tie. SOMEONE FIX THAT.
School is going great for me too! I love this new place! AND I JUST WENT TO A KICKASS CONCERT LAST NIGHT SO FUCK YEAH AM I RIGHT?
Okay, just read I'll leave you alone now.
Review.
The sound of swearing and things being slammed woke me up. I groaned, rolling over to cover my eyes in an attempt to hide from the sunlight. I needed more sleep. My nightmares and the remote traces of my insanity kept me awake every night; they had gotten particularly bad over the course of the last two weeks. I sighed, dragging myself out of bed. My hand automatically went to my rapidly growing belly. With pained movements, I stomped across the cold floor to the stairs. I yawned widely, letting out a squeak that echoed down the stairs.
The swearing and the slamming stopped abruptly at the sound of my tired chirp. I froze at the top step; I narrowed my eyes suspiciously while I tiptoed down the stairs.
"Trender? Splendy?" I stopped at the landing, leaning over the rail to peak into the living room. I could see three pairs of legs all lined up as though they were forming a blockade. A sigh crept past my lips as I rubbed my face. What were these fuckers up to?
Slowly, I made my way down the rest of the stairs. I was terrified of falling down them while I was pregnant. I hopped down onto the floor carefully. My neck hurt as I craned it to look into the living room. The three brothers were blocking the doorway; they were hiding something. I immediately perked up, remembering what day it was.
"Hi, Audrey!" piped Splendorman. Trendy whacked him on the head, as though it were a reminder for him to stay silent.
"Morning, bee-otch." The oh-so fabulous Trenderman strutted over to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me into the kitchen before I could sneak a look into the living room. "Here, let's eat some breakfast." He sat me down and slid double chocolate pancakes in front of me, complete with a smiley face written on it in whipped cream and a banana nose. I grinned up at him.
"My favorite! You remembered." I picked up the knife and fork to begin cutting them, but Trendy stopped me. I glared at him. Stopping me from eating? That was dangerous territory.
"Ah, ah…not yet." He lifted his head. "Oh boys! Get in here!"
Offender waltzed in, standing behind my chair. He leaned down and kissed my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile. Slender was still gone, so I took the attention from Offender willingly, though I always regretted it afterward. Splendor raced into the kitchen and bounced up and down beside Trendy.
"Wha-?"
Offender reached over my shoulder and stuck two candles in the pancakes: a '1' candle and an '8' candle. Tears started welling in my eyes as Trender lit the two wax figurines. I watched the flames dance and sway in front of me. I covered my mouth with my hands as my tears slid down my face. I was completely speechless. My brain screeched to a stop. I had absolutely no idea what to do or say or… anything. My hands dropped away from my face, revealing a massive grin. I turned around and saw the calendar on the side of the fridge; someone had circled December 20th in red several times. I looked up at Offender. He lifted his fedora off his head and set it on mine. I giggled, looking over at Splendor and Trender. The brothers came over and hugged me tight.
"Happy birthday, Audrey," whispered Trendy. "We love you."
"I love you guys, too," I mumbled, eyes still spilling tears. The boys released me from their death grip. I smiled again, staring into the flickering flames.
"Make a wish!" cried Splendy, beaming at me with rosy cheeks. I wiped my face and laughed softly, if not a little bitterly. I closed my eyes. I thought of things to wish for. I always made petty, materialistic wishes every birthday, but this one would be a very different story.
All I could think of to wish for was my Slenderman. I thought about the faceless baby growing within me. He wasn't here to see me turn eighteen. He wasn't here to look at the ultrasounds. He wasn't holding my hair when I was puking. He wasn't rocking me to sleep and keeping my nightmares away. He was just gone. Shudders ripped through my body; I started to really cry as I thought of my baby and the father that had seemingly evaporated. My sadness was literally crushing my chest and ripping my heart into two. I was shaking as I leaned forward and blew out my candles. I couldn't stop crying. I buried my face in my palms. My shoulders shook as I wailed softly.
Trender instantly knew what was wrong. The middle brother grew somber as he stooped beside me, rubbing my back. I threw my arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. He clung to me tightly, one hand stroking my back, the other stroking my hair. His head jerked slightly. I looked up at him.
"What did you wish for?" he murmured softly, thumbing the tears off of my cheeks. I blinked, trying to stop the steady flow of saltwater. I knew he was trying to get my mind off of him, but I just couldn't stop thinking about him.
"Just for a good day and for my baby to be okay," I mumbled back. I left out the part about wanting my Slender home. However, Trendy already knew why I had burst into hysterics. I could see it in the shadows on his face, and I felt it in the way he held my hand.
Suddenly, I cringed, gripping my stomach and doubling over. I scrunched up my nose. Trendy stared at me, his aura rippling with static; he was afraid. "What's wrong, Audrey?" he hissed, clutching me tightly and filling my brain with worried humming.
"Just feels really funny." I stared up at the Slender brother, holding my stomach tight. He put his hand under my own. He giggled. "What is it?"
His voice was almost inaudible as he whispered, "It's moving. The baby's moving." After staring blankly at him for several seconds, my face split into an insanely huge grin. I placed both my palms on my stomach, staring down. Nothing happened. I started to get worried when suddenly, as if to reassure me, the baby started to wiggle beneath my palms. I squealed in excitement as the baby kicked at me. I flashed my gaze up to Trendy. He nuzzled my head, giggling softly.
"This is crazy." My voice was shaky with the idea that my baby was moving and alive. It was mine. It was ours. It would be surrounded by a family that loved it.
"It hasn't moved before this?" he asked, obviously growing concerned. I frowned.
"No…is that bad?"
"Not necessarily. The baby could have sensed that you weren't ready to accept the fact you were having a child. It is a Slender, after all."
I nodded, looking down at my belly again. "Do you think Slender will come back?" I bit my lip and looked up at him. "I miss him so fucking much, Trender."
"I know you do." He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. "Come on. We have presents for you in the living room."
Smiling, I stood up and ventured into the living room behind Trenderman. Offender and Splendor each held two presents: one for me and one for the baby. I smiled as I sat down in the middle of the floor. Offender handed me the first present. I ripped the red paper off of the black box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful diamond necklace and matching earrings. Grinning, I poked them through my ears while Offender draped the necklace around me and latched it. I touched the stones before beaming up at him. "Thank you. It's beautiful," I breathed.
"You're welcome, Sugar." He leaned down and kissed my hand before dropping the other present in my lap. I peeled the wrapping off to reveal a rattle in the shape of a white rose. I smiled, tears coming to my eyes as I saw it was hand-carved with Offender's signature written on one of the petals. I shook it gently. I couldn't even speak. I just stood up and hugged him tightly.
"Hey, my turn!" complained Splendor as he marched over, presents in hand. Splendy had gotten me a new laptop since mine had gone to shit. I was ecstatic. He'd gotten the baby several toys and a Dalmatian-esque blanket. I hugged him and thanked him; I was insanely happy. Trendy had bought me and the baby clothes. That was all from the brothers. I stared around at what I'd gotten and my heart melted. The boys had been so generous. I was happier than I'd been in a while. I couldn't help but noticed two boxes wrapped in silver paper and topped off with black bows still under the Christmas tree.
"Who got those?" I asked, tilting my head. The brothers looked around at each other, just as confused as I was.
"None of us…bought…those…" Trenderman's words faded away. I shot to my feet, covering my mouth as my eyes went wide.
"You mean…?" I cried. I started hyperventilating. I couldn't comprehend it. There was no way. My body was shaking; the baby was kicking; I wanted to pass out.
There was a soft creak that came from the kitchen. Three bodies turned to look, but I just couldn't. I could hardly breathe. My vision was blurry with tears, and my brain was fuzzy from the lack of oxygen. My eyes instantly brightened when I heard each Slender brother let out a tiny gasp. Tears flooded my face. My breath caught in my throat. I squeaked out of pain and happiness. Slowly, ever so slowly, I turned on my heel to face the doorway.
"Darling."