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Seeing that Way was asleep on the couch, Pete smiled and finally let himself stop worrying. It’d been a long day at the office, and his mate hadn’t texted him at all the past few hours. Way always texted and called throughout the day, especially when he was running late, and even more so now that Way was pregnant. He was growing more and more needy and prone to loneliness as each week passed, and only when he was near both Pete and Martin did it seem he could fully relax.
It made getting home and seeing the way his mate lit up so much sweeter, and Pete was always eager to give Way all the attention he begged for and more.
So he’d been concerned about not having received anything from his clingy mate, especially not in reply to his own messages. But it seemed he didn’t need to worry after all. Way was just napping.
Their son was sitting on the bean bag chair in front of the couch, quietly playing on a tablet with headphones plugged in. One of Way’s arms was sprawled over the back of the chair. No doubt Way had been watching something with Martin on the iPad before falling asleep. And Martin, always such a good pup, had stayed close by and quiet so his father could sleep well.
It took a moment for Martin to notice him, but when he did, the pup glanced back at Way to see if he was still asleep, then put his finger on his lips to tell Pete to be quiet. Pete nodded, returning the gesture and waving with his other hand.
Pete took a bit of time to go change out of his suit and dismiss the housekeeper for the day. The older Beta woman told him before she left that Way and Martin had gone out to eat earlier, then returned home with Way complaining of a headache and nausea before falling asleep on the couch. Once she was on her way, Pete returned to the living room. He carefully shifted Way so that his mate was in a position that would be both more comfortable and far more forgiving to his back.
He lifted Martin so he could sit on the beanbag chair with his son on his lap. Martin was playing a game teaching him about letters and little words, with lots of brightly colored cartoons and fun music. Pete settled in to watch him play until Way eventually woke up from his nap.
The younger Enigma woke with a yawn, then slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, a hand over his belly. Pete looked back at him and asked, “Feeling any better, darling? How’s your head?”
“It still hurts. Some jerk at the market bumped into Martin and tried to yell at him. I used my power to make him leave us alone, and I got the worst headache…”
Since Way had gotten pregnant, it’d gotten harder on him to use his ability. At almost six months along, using it left him with a nasty lingering headache, strong enough to make him nauseous.
Seeing that Way was awake and he didn’t have to be quiet anymore, Martin loudly told Pete, frowning, “Mama got sick!”
Way grimaced at the memory. “I threw up on our way back to the car. I don’t feel sick anymore.” He reached to pat Martin’s head. “I’m fine now, cub.”
Strong enough to actually make him ill, apparently. Pete reached back to squeeze Way’s hand. Even after the nausea had passed, his mate always wanted lots of comfort after being sick. Pete had learned that very quickly when Way started having morning sickness in his first trimester.
Before he could ask Way if he needed anything, Way sighed and said, “I’m hungry.”
“Let’s go make some food for Mama,” Pete told Martin, lifting the boy up as he stood.
-
Though Way actively avoided using his power, over the next few weeks, it seemed that wasn’t the only thing that caused migraines and nausea, now accompanied by dizziness and rapid mood swings. Way complained endlessly that he didn’t get why his symptoms were so much different now during his second pregnancy. While his power induced headaches had been expected, everything else had been much easier the first time when he was expecting Martin.
Cuddling against his mate seemed to help get rid of the dizzy spells and headaches that were strongest when Way left the house, and calmed down his mood swings. Pete wondered if maybe his scent or pheromones were acting as a balm as Way buried his face against the crook of his neck, right over his mating mark and scent gland. He resolved to scent mark him even more than he already did, to try and help more.
His mate only stayed there for a moment before getting too uncomfortable. “Ugh,” Way groaned, rubbing his belly and shifting so he wasn’t leaned forward, spreading his legs to make room. “Why do I have to be so big?”
Assuring Way that his belly wasn’t actually as big as he claimed would just earn Pete a withering glare. Way wasn’t showing as much as the average person, due to his height and the athletic figure he’d had from his years as a racecar driver. Instead, Pete just moved to one of the more comfortable positions they’d figured out for Way on the couch, leaning back against the armrest and letting Way lay back on his chest. He wrapped his arms around him, putting his hands on Way’s belly. With Way tucked against him, Pete kissed his temple and told him, “It’s normal for you to show more during the second pregnancy.”
“But I hardly showed at all when I was carrying Martin. It’s not fair. I had to get new clothes again last week and it was awful going out because of my stupid headaches,” Way grumbled. “I couldn’t even take Martin because he just worries about me the whole time and I start crying when he gets all-” Way made a vague gesture towards his face. Pete nodded in understanding. Martin’s worried expression and wobbly voice tugged at the heart-strings, the poor pup looking so sad and concerned. Pete could hardly bear seeing the pup like that. It always made his parental instincts start screaming at him to fix things so his son would be happy again. With Way’s hormones, the younger Enigma didn’t stand a chance.
The baby kicking underneath Pete’s hand distracted him from responding to Way. He rubbed circles over the spot to encourage the baby to kick again, and smiled wider when it did.
Way rubbed his belly, sighing.
“Sorry for getting the baby riled up, angel. Are you uncomfortable?”
“It’s fine.” Something was bothering him. Before Pete could ask, Way admitted, “I’m still worried about how the baby hasn’t been following my hand.”
Pete was relieved that was all it was, even though Way was genuinely stressed about it. “Way, we looked it up already. It’s perfectly normal for the baby to only kick when they want to and not in response to us like you said.”
“Martin always did it before he was born,” Way mumbled miserably. “If I touched my belly somewhere when he was moving, he would go and kick that spot. This one doesn’t do that.”
“They kick again if we touch where they just kicked.”
Way crossed his arms, sulking. But he quickly went back to rubbing his belly. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Martin always did that. I’d do it before bed to tire him out so I could sleep.”
Pete hadn’t been able to find anything online about that. He wondered at first if it was just a coincidence that had happened a few times, but Way had insisted it was an almost daily thing once he was in his third trimester.
“You’ve got an appointment tomorrow, darling. We’ll talk to your doctor.”
Way kept sulking. Pete did his best to cheer him up by giving him plenty of affection and scenting him, but eventually it was time for him to go out and get some food to make dinner. Way protested as he got up, grabbing onto him, giving him pleading eyes and a big pout, but then Martin came over and grabbed onto Pete’s leg, loudly saying he was hungry. Way sighed and let go. Making their son happy was more important to him than clinging onto his mate.
He would just have to cling to Martin instead, which Way loved to do just as much. Pete counted himself lucky that Martin was a cuddlebug kind of pup, always happy to be the one in charge of fulfilling Way’s constant need for attention.
“Papa has to go to the market to get food, little one.” Way’s cravings had been very specific lately, and he had to go get things fresh and cook them himself or else they wouldn’t meet Way’s standards and the younger Enigma would spend all of dinner looking miserable. “Will you please stay with Mama and-”
“I wanna go, Papa! Please? Please please please!” Martin begged before Pete could ask him to keep Way from getting lonely, bouncing on his feet.
He was just too cute. Pete lifted him up, making the boy laugh. “Alright. We’ll go get food together. Can you go get Banzai for me while I get my jacket?” He set Martin down and the pup ran off to find the dog.
He turned to say bye to Way. His mate was staring up at him with wide eyes. “You’re leaving me home alone?” Way asked, horrified.
“We’ll only be gone for-”
“I’m coming too. Help me up.” Way held out his hand for Pete to pull him up, his other hand going under his belly to support it. Pete helped him to his feet, steadying Way as he winced and put a hand on his back.
“Are you sure, baby? It might be pretty crowded. You could get a headache.”
“What, do you not want me to come?” Way frowned, looking at him with already watery eyes.
Pete quickly backtracked before Way could work himself up. His mate’s mood swings and sensitivity were a truly dangerous game now that he was pregnant. If he wasn’t careful, Way would end up crying, and then Martin would get upset when he came back with the dog. Pete felt just horrible whenever the two got upset. “Of course I want you to come. I’m just worried about you, baby.” He kissed him. “Martin will be very happy that you’re coming with us.”
To Pete’s relief, the promise of the pup being excited cheered Way right up. Once Martin returned with Banzai in tow, Pete got them all ready and they headed out to the car.
-
As Pete had expected, the market was crowded, and it seemed everyone had lost their sense of space. He kept Banzai in his arms so his ability wouldn’t be overwhelmed by all the people he was making contact with, and held Martin’s hand tightly so the boy couldn’t get separated from them.
And just as Pete had feared, Way steadily started to look sick as they walked, wincing at loud noises and getting a bit flushed. He started off holding Martin’s other hand, but then let go so he could support his belly instead with both hands. Pete made sure to stick close to him, not wanting to accidentally leave Way behind as he slowed down.
The stall he usually went to for Way’s latest favorite was occupied by someone else. When Pete asked where the other vendor had gone, the new one said they’d moved to a bigger stall on the other side of the market.
“Way, baby, do you want to try something else for dinner? We could have-”
“No.” Way did not look like he could handle a long walk. But the younger Enigma frowned and crossed his arms, stubborn.
Pete wanted to sigh. He asked, knowing he’d get denied, “Do you and Martin want to sit in the car while I go get what we need?”
Both his mate and pup protested. Even Banzai made a little sound, unhappy. The dog dug at the front of his shirt as a stab of worry surged through him.
It seemed they wouldn’t be getting out of the walk. Pete looked to see if there was any shortcut or less crowded section. There wasn’t, so he resigned himself to just keeping a close eye on Way.
“Stop looking at me like that. You don’t need to be so protective. Let’s go. I’m sure I’ll be really hungry once we get home and I won’t feel sick anymore.” Way grabbed Martin’s hand to tug them both along in the direction the vendor had pointed.
Midway through their walk, Way stopped after bumping shoulders with someone. Pete turned to look at him and his mate looked a bit wobbly on his feet. Way’s face had gone pale and he lifted his hand to his forehead, closing his eyes.
“Way?” Pete asked his mate’s name, worried. He gave Banzai to Martin so he could steady Way. Upon touching him, Pete could feel that Way was nauseous and very dizzy. “What do you need, baby? Do you want to go back to the car?”
“I- I need to sit down,” Way said weakly, barely opening his eyes while leaning his weight against Pete. He swallowed roughly, trying to deal with the sick feeling that was rising up.
Pete glanced around for someplace he could bring his mate. They were close to the edge of the market due to avoiding areas that were so crowded they were blocked, so there was sure to be a bench somewhere along the sidewalk. Pete wrapped an arm around Way’s waist to support him. He wanted to use both hands, but couldn’t risk losing Martin and Banzai in the crowd. He grabbed their son’s hand and started guiding Way towards the sidewalk.
They didn’t make it very far before Way stopped again, this time his legs giving out as he collapsed. Pete caught him before he could fall. “Way!”
Pete slowly lowered Way down to the ground. He knelt down, keeping Way propped up against him. He felt Way’s forehead, and he had a little bit of a temperature, but not much. Way was breathing somewhat shallowly, and his pulse was fairly rapid.
Martin stepped over, the little pup hugging Banzai tight. Scared, Martin scooted close to Pete. “Mama?” he whimpered.
“Way. Baby, can you hear me?” Pete asked.
There was no feeling from Way that would let Pete know that Way had heard him. He was unconscious. Pete pulled him a little closer, feeling desperate.
Martin reached to shake Way’s shoulder. “Mama? Wake up, Mama.” With no response from Way, Martin turned to Pete. Tears welled up in the pup’s eyes. “Papa…”
Taking a deep breath, Pete did his best to stay calm. His mate and pup needed him. Pete tried not to sound terrified in front of Martin, even though he was. “I’m going to call a doctor to come help Mama. Stay right next to me, Martin, and don’t let go of Banzai.”
His little son nodded and then shoved himself against Pete. Martin buried his face against him, starting to cry. Pete pulled out his phone and called an ambulance.
-
Everything started to come back a little at a time to Way. First, he felt a little warm. Then, it seemed like he was being shaken a little, like he was in a vehicle. His arm hurt a little, and there was something on his face. It wasn’t restricting his breathing at all so he didn’t focus on that much. His head was pounding, which made it harder to be aware of anything else.
There was some kind of sound like a distant siren and an engine, and people talking, and some other noise that he knew but couldn’t quite place just yet.
The scent of wherever he was was strange, of other people and of some cleaning thing. It seemed like his family’s scent was around him too, but it seemed off.
Way opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. He blinked a few times until it cleared.
He was looking towards the back doors and ceiling of something, his body laying down but the top not completely flat. It took a moment for him to realize he was in a vehicle, but just not a car. There was medical equipment around, and two people in uniforms on either side of him. He was in an ambulance, a moving one with the sirens going, muffled by the cab.
“His vitals are all going back into normal range,” one EMT said to the other. “He’s regaining consciousness.”
That sounded good, at least. Way tried to lift his hand to his head, but one of the EMTs pushed it back down. “That arm has your IV, Sir. Try not to move.”
And that explained why his arm hurt. Way had no idea why he’d have an IV or be in an ambulance. He just had a headache and felt a little sick. Though, hadn’t he been doing something? He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there. That wasn’t a great sign.
He’d been with Pete and Martin. Way looked over at the sound of a familiar whimper.
Pete and Martin were sitting off to the side in the ambulance. The pup was on Pete’s lap, face buried against him. Pete was rocking him, rubbing his back with his cheek pressed against his head. The man looked worried, almost scared. Way hadn’t really seen him like that since he’d been shot. Martin was crying, sobbing and whimpering against his father. Banzai was at Pete’s feet, his leash hooked to Pete’s belt loop. The dog was pawing at him.
“…Pete? What’s going on…?”
“Way!” Pete reached to grab his hand. “You’re going to be alright, baby. They’re taking you to the hospital. You collapsed when we were walking and you weren’t waking up.”
Way could now feel the baby moving in his belly, so he wasn’t as anxious as he could have been when he asked, “Is the baby okay?”
“She’s been moving the whole time and I think she feels just fine. They’ll check on her at the hospital too. Just relax, angel.”
-
Pete held onto both Martin and Banzai as they waited for Way to finish being examined. Martin had calmed down a little when he saw Way was awake and talking, no longer wailing but just quietly sobbing and hiccuping instead, tears still falling. Pete doubted he’d completely stop crying until they got the okay to go be with Way.
His own fear and worry lessened with each clear test that Way went through, and as his vitals all went into a completely normal range.
A doctor said Way seemed fine before he was brought for an ultrasound, saying he just needed rest and that they’d keep him on the IV until it emptied.
The ultrasound was also all clear. The baby’s heart rate and activity levels were also normal. Way looked just as relieved as Pete felt. He leaned down to give his mate a kiss.
Martin turned and wrapped his arms around Way instead, squirming to leave Pete’s hold. “Careful, little one.” Pete gently set him on the bed next to Way.
Martin latched onto his mother, whimpering. “Mama…!”
“I’m okay, Martin.” Way hugged the pup, who curled up against him.
“Mama’s all better now, little one. There’s nothing to be afraid of now. Mama’s fine.”
Once the pup had quieted enough that they could take their attention off of him, they could resume speaking with the doctor, telling her when asked what had happened that led up to Way passing out. She nodded as Way said that he’d been getting sick whenever he used his power, but that it’d also been happening without it.
“It’s very common for Enigmas to have a psychic ability. You do, but do you as well, Khun?” she asked Pete.
“Yes. Mind reading.”
It was making Way a little nervous to be discussing their abilities. His own had been such a difficult part of his life, only being brought up negatively or for their use. Pete squeezed his mate’s hand.
“And is this one yours? Also Enigma?” She gestured to Martin.
Way really didn’t like that, wrapping his arms tighter around the pup. But Pete didn’t sense any ill intent from the doctor. She was just leading up to something, calm and professional.
“He is. But his ability isn’t psychic. Why?”
“You’re in your sixth month of pregnancy, Khun Way. Around now is when babies with special abilities start to develop them in the womb. Although you’re avoiding using your ability, the baby is probably testing their own.”
“Huh?”
“Because your symptoms are so similar when you use your own abilities and when the baby would be using theirs, while in crowds, I think it’s very likely that the baby’s ability is psychic as well, maybe even something very similar to your mate’s.” She looked at Banzai. “Is your service dog to help with your power?”
“Yes. So I don’t get overwhelmed in crowds or when people with strong emotions touch me.”
“Which is what happened to me! Some jerk bumped into me and I felt awful, and then that guy the other week I had to grab who was yelling at Martin-! Why the fuck are you smiling?”
Pete had started to smile. “Well, our daughter is going to have a power like mine.”
“Pete! Your daughter is giving me mind-reading headaches and crazy mood swings. Don’t be happy about it!”
He couldn’t help it. Way grumbled.
A thought occurred to Pete. If it was the sixth month where a baby with special abilities could start developing their power, then Martin would have done the same. Way had told him, for almost all his third trimester…
“Way. You know how you were worried about how the baby doesn’t follow our touch?”
“Yes.” Way turned to the doctor. “I couldn’t find anything helpful online, but-”
Before Way could voice his concerns, Pete interrupted, saying, “I think that might just have been Martin’s Accuracy developing.”
“Huh?” Pete could feel how Way was thinking about it, thinking about how Martin’s ability had manifested now that he was born and older.
The doctor looked confused. “My mate said that when he was expecting our son, that he would kick wherever he touched on his belly.”
“He’d follow my hand. This one doesn’t… she only kicks my hand if I touch the same spot.”
“That’s perfectly normal. As long as you’re feeling the proper amount of movements each day, there’s no cause for concern. She’d only do that if she had the same ability as her brother.”
“Oh.”
-
It was a big relief to finally get back home. Pete had to call Alan to bring his car over to the hospital, so they’d have Martin’s car seat. The pup fell asleep on the drive home after clinging to Way the entire time they were in the hospital.
After getting Martin tucked in bed, Way wanted to sit on the couch. Pete let the dog out and sat next to him, not wanting to be apart from him. He put an arm around Way, and his mate leaned against him.
“If the baby is a mind-reader, how come I don’t get headaches from touching you?” Way asked after a bit.
“Maybe my ability cancels hers out.”
“Huh. Then you have to touch me every time I go somewhere.”
Pete kissed his cheek. “Whatever you want, angel. Or maybe you’ll have to be the one carrying Banzai instead when we go places.”