Day 78: In Which Tooth Is Expecting

It was a good thing that Tooth had called him before he went to Elsa's, because when he picked up the phone, she was all fidgety and hair-twirly, and the last thing he wanted was to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings between him and his dear neighbor. He lied on the couch staring at the ceiling as his friend continued to blabber, welding one topic to the other on an incessant stream of meaninglessness that started to get on his nerves the longer the conversation dragged on.

"Okay, you're starting to freak me out," Jack finally snapped, interrupting Tooth mid-sentence. "What the fuck is your problem?"

The woman stared back at him, her mouth ajar in startlement. She blinked disoriented for a second before she managed to blurt out, "I have a serious question for you."

"Fire away."

"Do you think you'd be good with toddlers?"

Jack frowned. "I do think I'm generally well-liked by kids, yes. Why?"

"Well…" Tooth continued to play with her hair as her eyes shifted to something behind the camera. "You may want to clear some slots on your schedule a year from now."

"What for?" Still confused, he tried to mentally piece things together. Children + next year + an ethereal glow to Tooth's skin that made her look like a goddess on Earth—No! A smirk crept onto Jack's lips as he propped himself up on his elbows and grinned at his friend. "Looks like someone is sure as hell having fun with their quarantined time, aren't they?"

"Says the idiot who's only been pining for his cute neighbor since day one!"

Partially annoyed, but still immensely giddy, Jack glared at his friend. "Just so we're clear, I'm only letting that one slide because you're pregnant."

"Oh, come on, that wasn't even a lie—"

"Toothy! I can't believe you're gonna be a mom!" Jack shouted with a threatening tone, urging to bring the conversation back on topic.

"I am!" Tooth mirrored his fake enthusiasm with a nervous laugh. "And I'm so not freaking out about it."

"Lady, you've got years of mothering us under your belt," he said with a snort. "You're gonna be fine."

"I don't think taking care of drunk-ass clowns so they don't swallow their tongues gives me that many parenting points though."

Noticing the slight quiver in her voice, Jack's gaze softened as he gave his friend an encouraging smile. "Tooth, look at you: you're already worrying like a real mom. Your kid is gonna be lucky to have you and Bunny as their parents."

"Aw, aren't you the sweetest?"

"Where is he, by the way? Mr. Baby Daddy?"

"On a quest for anchovies." Tooth sighed. "Turns out I'm not allowed to go outside anymore. I mean, none of us were because of the pandemic, but I'm… even less allowed now."

"Understandable, considering that you're carrying his unborn child in your womb."

"And I get it, but it's still kinda driving me crazy."

"You can always tell him to fuck off, you know. Nobody should take away your wings, not even a well-intentioned smartass like Bunny. "

Tooth laughed. "Nice pep talk, buddy."

"Hey, I got your back."

"Funny you'd say that..." Tooth's camera moved as she sat up straighter. "Would it be too irresponsible of me to ask you to be the baby's godfather?"

He shrugged. "Probably."

"That means you're doing it, right?"

"Fuck yeah I am!"