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 Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 6:36 pm
Rosie fidgeted antsily, pacing back and forth in the little living room of her apartment.
She'd asked Todd to come over so they could talk, had told him it was something important--but she couldn't bear the idea of spilling the news over the phone. Not when she couldn't see his face. It wasn't exactly the best choice, perhaps, since she knew that vagueness might make him anxious--but other options seemed more than a little bit worse. Maybe.
Oh, all of this was so difficult. But she had to believe they could figure it out together.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 7:01 pm
Tulio—he'd learned, recently, remembering his worst memory, that the name his first mother had given him was Tulio, though he preferred to go by Todd to his closest friends and Rosie, as that was the name he'd been able to remember for most of his life by now—let himself into Rosie's apartment building, still feeling a little bit of a thrill that she'd trusted him with a code to enter. Then, of course, a key to her apartment door. He knocked politely before turning the key in the lock so she had a few moments to mentally prepare for someone entering her home. "Rosie!" he called as he opened the door. "Am here." He shut and relocked the door behind him, striding across the floor to stand a foot away from his girlfriend. Needing to talk had anxiety clawing up the back of his throat, but he tried to stay relaxed. It was probably just important. Not like she was going to break up with him. Things were good. Still, now that he was safely inside her place, he removed the earring that glamoured away his alien appearance, feeling more comfortable with his ears perked and alert, and tail hanging low behind him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 7:21 pm
Just hearing Todd's voice did something to soothe Rosie's nerves immediately. She felt safe with him, and it was so easy to just...relax, when he was around.
"Hey, Todd," she said, and she smiled at him when he came in, even if it was a little strained around the edges. This was a good thing. Unexpected, maybe. Unplanned, certainly. But good.
And it was good that he could be fully himself; Rosie liked to think she had gotten good at reading what his ear and tail shifts meant, and that would help.
"I, uh. Well. I don't want to draw this out or anything, I just..." Ugh, there was no good way to ease into it. "I'm pregnant."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 9:28 pm
Tulio's eyes widened, his ears falling back in shock. For a long moment, he couldn't breathe, couldn't even feel his heart beating inside his chest. Pregnant. A baby. Rosie and I are going to be parents. I'm going to be a dad. Oh. Wait. What if she doesn't want to keep it? What if we're not ready? But what if we both want this? I've never thought about having kids before. I never thought I could have a partner like this, either. Do I want to be a dad? ....Yes. I do. Good gods. PREGNANT! BABY! PARENTS! AHHH!!As his thoughts circled, his ears kept going up and down, rotating according to the mood each different thought brought. His tail couldn't decide if it wanted to wag with happiness or be stiff with fear. "Rosie is.... happy?" he finally managed to ask, blinking at her as his heart raced. "Todd... happy if Rosie happy."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 9:38 pm
Rosie waited, watching Todd's ears and tail, feeling a tension twist up in her chest. It wasn't as if she didn't also have thoroughly mixed emotions, though; this was....a lot.
Finally, though, his question made her relax.
"I am. I'm really happy. It's going to be a lot of really big changes, but....I think we can do it, together."
She'd had time to think about it, after all, and she couldn't help but already feel protective of the life growing inside her.
"So, if you want it....we're going to have a baby."
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 10:18 pm
Almost immediately, Tulio's tail began to wag furiously, ears perked with excitement. He stepped forward and swept Rosie into a tight hug, spinning her around with a happy laugh. "Todd and Rosie will be parents!" he cheered as he set her down, kissing her cheek. "Baby! A baby! We have a baby!" He gasped as a thought occurred to him. "Oh! Move in together! Baby live with both parents on Earth, yes? In one house?" he asked.
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2026 10:21 pm
Todd's joy really was infectious, and Rosie threw her arms around his shoulders, giggling joyously as he spun her around. But once he set her down, she moved her hands to cup his cheeks and rose up on her toes to plant a kiss on his lips.
"It's going to be wonderful," she said. "I can't wait to meet them."
Nine months seemed so terribly long.
His second question made her blink. she hadn't even thought about that, but--
"Traditionally yes, and I...would really like to have that with you."
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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2026 5:38 pm
Tulio hummed happily when Rosie kissed him, joy fizzing through every iota of his being. "Want that too," he said, resting his forehead on hers. "Live with Rosie. Have baby. Happy, so happy."
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