Chapter 8 - Hiccoughs and Kicking (Posted 17 December 2011)

Benny woke in the middle of the night to the sound of Ethan giggling quietly. He rolled over and looked at his friend who'd been sleeping over practically every night since they'd told his parents about the baby. "E?" he asked groggily.

"Oh, sorry if I woke you..."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Benny smiled, sitting up. "He at it again?"

Ethan nodded with a laugh. "He just doesn't stop. He hiccoughs all night long. I can't sleep. Not because of the hiccoughing, though. I just don't want to, you know? It's... amusing."

Benny wrapped an arm around Ethan's shoulders and rested their heads together. Ethan was five months along now. "What do you think he's gonna look like?"

"Well... he'll probably have dark hair like us. And he'll grow up to be really skinny too."

"I bet he'll have your cute little nose."

"And your pretty eyes."

Benny blinked. "You think my eyes are pretty?"

Ethan blushed a little as he looked into those very eyes. "Well, yeah. I've always thought that."

The silence that ensued wasn't awkward as much as it was tense. As they just stared at each other, so close together, they could both sense what was about to happen. It was inevitable, they just needed to wait long enough to see which one would take the leap and initiate it.

Benny, unable to stand the wait, closed the small amount of distance between them and placed his lips over Ethan's. Neither of them moved at first, but before they knew it, their lips were moving in a a rhythm so synchronized it felt like they'd done it thousands of time before.

Ethan was the first to pull away, a look of sadness forming on his face. "Sorry..." he whispered.

"For?" Benny asked, worried he'd done something wrong.

"We can't do that. Not yet. If this... if things don't work out, I don't want to mess up our friendship. You're the most important person in the world to me and... I just don't want us to make any decisions about our relationship until we figure out what to do with the baby."

"Okay." Benny said, smiling. "I understand, Ethan." And he did understand. It was a risk, to start a relationship like that in their kind of situation. But at least now he had some kind of confirmation that Ethan was starting to feel differently as well.

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. I'm here for you, okay? Just tell me what you want, and I'll do my best to give it to you."

"Right now, I just want to go to sleep." Ethan said with a tiny smile.

Benny nodded. "Come on, then, lay down under the covers."

X

"Ugh, I just can't play anymore, Benny." Ethan set the game controller down on the floor and sat back. "The motion sickness is just too much for me." he added, dejected.

"I'm sorry, bro."

Ethan sighed. "It's alright. Just three more months and it'll all be better. I'll be able to play video games, I'll be able to eat pizza without puking, and I'll be able to ride my bike."

"It will be cool to be able to do those things with you again," Benny admitted.

"Yeah, and-" Ethan jerked as he felt something move inside him. He locked eyes with Benny, mouth hanging slightly open.

"What?" Benny asked worriedly.

"Benny... the baby... I think he just kicked."

Benny's eyes went wide, and he repeated, "What?"

"He kicked, Benny!" Ethan yelled excitedly. He reached over and grabbed Benny's hand, placing it on his stomach. He kept his hand over Benny's, holding it in place. "Here, see if he does it again."

Sure enough, there was another little kick against the walls of Ethan's belly.

"Wow..." Benny was awestruck, unable to think of what to say. "Wow, Ethan."

"I know," Ethan was equally speechless. After feeling another kick, he was finally able to find the words he needed. "That's it, Benny. We're keeping him."

Benny smiled so wide he was sure aliens could see it from outer space. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. We can't give him up, Benny. He's ours. I guess I've always felt that way, but I just wasn't sure if keeping him was in his best interest. But this... feeling him kick like that, I can't even think about not keeping him, you know? Even if I have to do this by myself, I just can't give my baby away."

"E, I told you in the beginning. I'd never let you do this on your own, even if this baby wasn't mine."

"I'm glad it's yours." Ethan said quietly. "I'm so excited to have this baby, Benny."

"Me too." Benny said before leaning forward and kissing Ethan, bravely letting his tongue venture into his friend's mouth. He carefully pushed Ethan down, laying him out on the floor. He was glad they'd decided to play in Ethan's bedroom rather than the living room; he didn't need Ethan's parents seeing them right now. He continued to kiss him passionately, pinning his shoulders down and loving the feeling of having Ethan's hands on his back and in his hair. It'd been a month since their last kiss, and he'd been waiting patiently for another chance, so he was thankful Ethan wasn't pushing him away. He could barely believe it was only their third kiss. It just felt so natural.

He pulled away then, waiting for Ethan's response.

"What was that for?" Ethan asked, panting.

"We're keeping the baby. That means we're engaged."

"Huh. I guess it does." Ethan realized.

Benny released him and sat back. "If that's still what you want..."

Ethan rolled his eyes and stuck his arms in the air. "Help me stand up." Benny stood and grabbed Ethan's hands, pulling him to stand as well. As soon as Ethan was on his feet, he wrapped his arms around Benny and pulled him into a warm hug, resting his head against Benny's chest. "Of course that's what I want. You and me, married, raising our baby together. I want it more than anything."

Benny's arms folded around Ethan in a return hug, giving a long sigh of relief. "I'm so glad."