BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

The alarm blared throughout the house, piercing Gumball's ears. The cat grunted, reaching on the ground for a nearby pillow and shoving it over his ears.

"Anaisss!" he shouted. "Turn your alarm off!"

"Fine…" a voice groaned from upstairs. Gumball heard a small thud, and at last the beeping stopped. He breathed a sigh of relief, releasing the pillow and collapsing back onto the mattress laid out on the floor. His ears flinched up as a hand wrapped itself around him.

"Hey."

Gumball smiled, turning himself around. Penny's face gazed back at him, her glow lighting up the room.

"Hey." He said. "You two hungry?"

"Mmm, a little." She scratched at a tuft on Gumball's head, making the cat purr a little.

"Hey, quit it." He frowned.

"I will stop doing it when you stop purring." Penny giggled. "It's too cute."

"You want me to tickle you back?"

"Wait Gumball no I- HAHAHA" Penny suddenly burst out laughing as the cat dug his fingers into her side.

"WAIT HAHAHA GUMBALL HEEHEE STOP HAHAHAH."

"Aw, but you're so cute…" He teased, his whiskers turning up with a knowing grin.

"GUMBALL PLEASE HAHAHA IM GONNA PEE-" She laughed, collapsing back onto the mattress. Gumball just tickled even harder, making the fairy laugh more and more. That was until, her eyes went wide with realisation.

Gumball noticed this, ceasing his attack. "Oh, do you uh-" Penny nodded slightly, worry in her eyes. Gumball took this as his queue to move out of her way as she dashed to the bathroom. On the stairs she raced past Anais, lazily making her way down for breakfast.

"Way to go." Anais remarked. Gumball rolled his eyes with a silent scowl as the rabbit made her way into the kitchen. Clearly, sarcasm ran in the family.

"Shouldn't you be on your way to school?"

"It's only 6:00, relax."

Gumball blinked. "Why. Are you waking up. At 6?!!"

"Unlike you, I like to be up early for school."

"Anais it's so early you could crawl to school and still be there in time to make yesterday's classes. Could you at least not set your alarm so loud? You woke Penny up, and that can't be good for her or the kid."

"You sure it wasn't your shouting that did the job?" She countered.

"My point still stands."

Anais groaned. "Gumball, you know that sleep doesn't really have an effect on-"

"Upbupbup!" Gumball interrupted. "Who is gonna be the father here?"

Anais sighed. "You."

"Exactly. And I know what's best for my kid." He added confidently.

"Whatever." The bunny scoffed, reaching into the cupboard for the cereal. She probably knew better than her brother, but she didn't have the energy to reason with the soon-to-be dad so early in the day. Instead, she simply focused on having breakfast.

"You two should enjoy sleeping while you can." Nicole muttered, rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes as she staggered down the stairs. "The baby will take all of that away. Your father's already started soundproofing our room in preparation."

"Soundproofing?" Gumball asked.

"I'm scared to ask what that means." Anais said, between mouthfuls of cereal. "…so what's it mean?"

Nicole sighed, pinching her nose. "Many things, Anais. His plan right now is installing speakers beside our bed."

"How would that help?" Gumball quizzed, pouring himself a cup of hot chocolate.

"It's simple, son." Richard replied, emerging from upstairs. "The baby starts crying, we turn on the speakers, play something else really loud, and then we can't hear the baby anymore!"

"Aaand how does that help you sleep?" Anais asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And wouldn't that just make the baby cry more?" Gumball chimed in.

Richard stood for a moment, processing that suggestion. "Hmmm." He pondered, scratching his chin. "Nicole, honey, I think I might've found a flaw in the plan. Don't worry though, I'll figure something else out."

The large rabbit darted back upstairs to the master bedroom to devise something else. Most likely, something equally as troublesome. Nicole simply rolled her eyes, smiling, and Anais and Gumball just looked at each other knowingly.

Darwin poked his head down from the stairs. "Hey, Gumball? Er, could you check how long Penny's gonna be in the bathroom? I.. I kinda gotta go."

"She should be out any minute, she said she just-" Gumball was interrupted by the loud sound of retching echoing from upstairs. "Ok, nevermind."

He set his mug aside and made his way upstairs to the bathroom, knocking softly on the door.

"Hey, is everything okay in there?"

"Blechhharghhh. Ughhhhh…

"You uh, you want me to come in?"

"No I think I'm- BLECHHHH- … ok come in."

Gumball gently opened the door. Penny sat on the floor, kneeled over the toilet, green in the face. She managed to muster a small smile before instantly going back to throwing up.

The cat stood behind her, patting her back reassuringly. "Hey so, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Not the time to be asking me that!" Penny snapped, before heaving once more and collapsing backwards into Gumball's arms.

"I swear Gummy, this kid asks me for so much food and then instantly wants it out."

Gumball patted her gently on the shoulder, cradling her softly. The two lay there for a moment, still. Outside, awakening birds chirped, their calls seeping through the walls to where the couple sat, taking it all in, in one peaceful moment.

"Gumball, can I pee yet?!" Darwin asked, interrupting the tranquillity.

"Oh, uh, sure." Gumball helped Penny to her feet and ushered her out the room, Darwin hurriedly slamming the door behind them.

"Sooo, breakfast? Does the baby want anything?"

"Hmmm, I don't know, I'm kinda feeling… pancakes?"

"Okey doke, and what's our kid saying?"

Penny giggled. "Oh stop."

Gumball shrugged. "Sorry Penny, gotta practise my dad jokes."

"Trust me, they're already bad enough."

He pulled out a chair at the table for Penny before heading into the kitchen. Nicole and Anais were just finishing their own breakfast, the matriarch already packing her bag in preparation to leave.

"Hey, Penny, do you think you and Gumball could pick up some groceries later?"

"Oh, sure thing Nicole."

"Thanks hon." She glanced at the younger cat standing at the stove, lowering her voice. "And er, make sure he doesn't burn anything down, okay?"

"Uhh… okay…?"

Nicole slung her handbag over her shoulder, giving Anais a quick kiss as she stood up. "Okay, see you guys later!" She made a brief stop in the kitchen to kiss Gumball, before hurrying to the door.

Penny turned to Anais, dumbfounded. "What was that about?"

The rabbit raised an eyebrow. "Yknow, you should really know this already, but Moms typically show love through kissing."

"Har har, but the whole 'don't burn anything down' stuff, what's up with that?"

"Yeah so, Penny, some people don't like fire-"

"I'd stop the sarcasm if I were you." Penny glared. Anais gulped.

"Um so uh, yeah anyway, Mom doesn't exactly trust Gumball in the kitchen."

"Why not? He's a fine cook."

"Wellllllll…"

Three years ago (should flashbacks be done like this or just have it naturally flow/highlighted in some way to indicate)

"Okay guys, this is gonna be great." Gumball said, punching the time into the microwave. The three siblings watched as the cake began to spin around.

"You sure they wouldn't prefer, like, an actual cake?" Anais pondered.

"Nah, these are the best," Darwin reasoned. "Just 5 minutes and bang… it's ready! Besides, it's what Mr. Dad would do."

"This is gonna be such a good anniversary for them." Gumball grinned.

"Yeah, it is, it's amazing they've lasted so long together." Anais smiled, half-joking yet half-relieved. "By the way, uh, have either of you guys seen where the ring went?"

"Oh it's in the cake." Gumball said.

"Ah oka- what."

"Yeah y'know how in movies where they bite into it and-"

BANG

Anais shuddered at the memory. "Good cook does not always equal a smart cook."

Penny blinked. "... I honestly don't know why I'm surprised."

Gumball snorted from the kitchen, spraying whipped cream on Penny's pancakes. "It was one time! I've matured! I'm a much more responsible and skilled cook now!"

"Uh-huh." Anais said. "Gumball the stoves on fire."

Ever the skilled and matured cook he was, Gumball had forgotten about the pancakes he had started making for his own breakfast. As the panicking cat dealt with the charred mess, Darwin returned from the bathroom.

"Are you telling her about the ring?"

"ONE. TIME!" Gumball cried.

"Yep."

"So he's got quirks, don't we all?" Penny waved dismissively. "At least he actually can cook, unlike my dad."

"What was your dad's food like?" Darwin asked.

"Well, one time he made a cake for mom's birthday, and I'm not sure how to word it, but have you ever tried eating wood chips?"

Darwin and Anais cringed. "That bad huh?" Darwin quizzed.

"No, I mean he used actual wood chips. And get this, they were the best part of it."

"Yeesh. Maybe Gumball isn't so bad after all."

"Oh that cake, I remember that." A slightly singed Gumball reminisced from his spot in the kitchen. "I still feel some of those chips in my stomach sometimes." He coughed, a chunk of wood landing beside Penny's plate on the counter.

"Hey Pen, do you want anything special on these?"

"Hmm, just some oranges please, if we have any?"

"You got it."

"Oh and er, could you add some ketchup and vinegar please?"

"Uh… okay…" Gumball said, a disgusted look on his face.

"Thanks Gummy." Penny turned back to face the other Watterson youth, seeing the exact same look on their face.

"What? I can't help it!"

"Yeah, and I get that," Anais muttered. "But I think this might be crossing a new line, one I don't think even Dad would cross."

"Agreed, I'm not sure I can stomach seeing this." Darwin nodded. "I should probably be heading out anyway, Carrie's meeting me at 10 for that date we've been planning for a while."

"Uhh, okay, that was a lot of unnecessary detail that we already knew." Anais remarked. "But yeah, I should be going, school and all."

The two departed from the breakfast table to collect their things from upstairs, before making their way out the door.

"Well." Penny sighed, relaxing in her seat. "That's them gone. All that leaves is-"

"Bye kids!" Richard shouted. "I'm off to buy some sound proofing panels!"

"Huh, never mind." The fairy shrugged. "Well Gumball, now it's just the two of us."

The cat strolled over to her, setting her plate of pancakes in front of her, then returning to the kitchen. Penny licked her lips, rubbing her hands together about to dig in before she noticed something.

"Uh, honey? Where's the-"

Gumball placed the vinegar and ketchup bottles in front of her. "I can't, Penny, I just can't. You'll have to do it yourself." He sat down across from her with his own breakfast.

"Gumball-"

"Penny, I'm sorry, it's just wrong."

"Gumball…"

"No, Penny, what you're asking is just, against the rules of nature."

"Gumball, I didn't want the vinegar."

"I'm putting my foot down I- whuh?"

Penny giggled. "It was just so they'd leave us alone."

"Ohhh. Riiiight. And now we're home alone you wanna-"

"Oh yes."

"Are you saying we-"

"Yep."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"We can-"

"Go back to bed?"

"Go back to bed."

"Oh heck yeah!" Gumball cheered, leaping up from his seat.

"Just uh, give me a minute here." Penny said, spreading the ketchup over her pancakes. Gumball held his paw over his mouth, gagging.

"Penny… why…"

"It's what the baby wants!"

"Yeah, well that baby's a weirdo, and so are you" Gumball sniffed, taking a bite out of his ham and chocolate chip sandwich.