William almost misses his doctor’s appointment again. He considers ignoring the reminders that Lily had set for him, but then he recalls John’s worried look, and he suddenly can’t find it in himself to disappoint John. He wonders when he got so soft.

At the doctor’s, he is quick to brush off his symptoms like he always does. But his doctor is Lily’s aunt, and Dr Pierce already knows what he’s like. It means she is prepared to stare him down until he caves and tells her the truth. He thinks she’s too effective.

“Do you want to tell me? Or do you want Lily to tell me?” Doctor Pierce asks with a raised eyebrow. 

William makes an offended noise. “That’s against the Hippocratic oath!” he complains.

“It doesn’t count if Lily already knows,” she says evenly.

William pouts. “Fine.” He slumps in the chair. “It’s just a bit of nausea and fatigue. I bet it’s because I’m just working too hard.”

“You are working too hard. You should take more breaks.” Doctor Pierce is ruthless. The entire family is ruthless. Except for Charlie, Lily’s younger brother, a complete sweetheart unlike the rest of the family, who is not here to defend him, so William has no escape regardless. “How long have you been experiencing nausea?”

He shrugs. “Maybe two weeks?”

“Hm, when was the last time you had sex?” she asks bluntly.

William squeaks and blushes. “That’s—I don’t—like three months ago?” he mutters the last bit very quietly.

But Dr Pierce hears him anyway. “Did you use contraceptives?”

“I’m on birth control.” He blinks owlishly.

Dr Pierce is not amused. “Birth control is not foolproof. Even less so for Carriers,” she informs him. “I take it you didn’t use any other contraceptives.”

William is too flustered to talk. He nods. 

“I’ll give you some pregnancy tests to try. Take them whenever you’re ready but do it soon. And then come see me again after, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not,” she instructs him. 

Very meekly, he takes the test kits and the day off and goes home. William chugs two glasses of water, just so he can pee later and waits nervously on the couch. He wants to text John, but he doesn’t know what to say when all he can think of is the possible, very likely, lovechild that he and John created together. 

William blushes hotly as he remembers. How he let John fuck him raw. How he’d asked for it even. Dr Pierce had said birth control pills weren’t foolproof. Well, William is the fool.

He uses three sticks when he finally goes to pee. And fifteen minutes later, all of them agree that he is very definitely pregnant. With John’s baby. He sits heavily on the toilet seat and draws in a shaky breath.

How will he tell John?

In the end, after a sleepless night, William texts John. He knows he should call, but he can’t quite bring himself to say it out loud yet. 

Will

Hey, John. We need to talk. Can we meet?

It’s one text and with such a serious tone that John is sure to worry. But it’s the best he can do without feeling like he’s about to have a panic attack.

~

Will had been unusually quiet yesterday and Johnathan is starting to feel like a lovelorn maiden awaiting her lover’s return. Will had not even responded to the bunny photos he’d sent. Logically, Johnathan knows Will is probably busy with work. Still, he is restless. 

When his phone finally dings with a message, he walks quickly to pick it up. It is Will. And his heart skips a beat. Until he reads the message. 

Johnathan frowns. What does it mean? Admittedly, he is not the most adept at social interactions and popular culture. But he’s hasn’t been completely living under a rock to not register the text as something with a negative connotation. He decides to call Henry. His brother would help him decipher this message.

“Hello, Johnathan. How are you?” Henry says when he picks up.

“Brother,” Johnathan returns. “I am well. And you?” He enquires after Henry’s health as was polite, even though he wanted to ask about Will’s message straight away.

“I’m glad,” says Henry. “And how is Mr Phantom?” he asks. 

Johnathan’s ears blush even though his brother can’t see him. “I believe he is well,” he answers after a moment’s pause.

But Henry knows him well enough to read between the lines. “Did something happen, Johnathan?”

“I…am unsure,” he says. “Brother, what does it mean if someone says, ‘I need to talk’?” he asks.

“Is that a direct quote?”

“Yes,” Johnathan replies.

Henry is quiet for a few seconds. “Oh, Johnathan,” he says. 

Johnathan does not understand, but he thinks he can guess. That is the voice that Henry uses when he feels sorry. “I see,” he says quietly, heart sinking.

“Johnathan, please keep an open mind if Mr Phantom asks to talk.” Henry is quick to reassure him. But Johnathan can hear the pity. He hates it.

He closes his eyes. “Thank you for telling me,” he tells his brother and hangs up.

Johnathan takes ten minutes to brew a fresh pot of tea, letting the repetitive motions soothe his unsteady emotions. Eventually, he is ready to reply to Will’s text. 

John

I am in LA and available on Friday.

Will sees his text almost instantly. There is a speech bubble with three wriggling dots for a while. Johnathan dares not put his phone down.

Will

Great! Let’s meet at The Huntington pavilion then.

There are no more messages after that. Johnathan finishes the rest of the pot and wishes his bunnies were here. He could really use a cuddle right now. He tries not to think about the shopping bag he’s been carrying around for the past three months. Still, his next two nights until the day of their meeting are sleepless.

~

Surprisingly, Will is first at the pavilion when Johnathan gets there. He’s looking out over the Lotus Lake where the flowers are almost in full bloom. It is a beautiful sight, though not as beautiful as Will, thinks Johnathan.

Will only has a blazer on, and Johnathan thinks he looks a little underdressed. He shrugs off his coat. Will startles when Johnathan drapes his white coat over Will’s shoulders but sends him a quick smile when he sees Johnathan. As usual, his heart flips in his chest.

“John, you’re here,” says Will with a subdued smile. It is sincere, but it is still subdued.

“Hm,” he responds. Johnathan is unable to look away from Will. Beautiful Will whose eyes are red-rimmed and bruised with eyebags like he hasn’t had proper sleep. He looks like Johnathan feels. “Are you unwell?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” Will answers quickly. “Just, you know, work stress.” He waves a hand at the stone benches of the pavilion. “Let’s sit, John.”

They sit side by side on the cold stone and Johnathan reaches for Will’s hand. He is tremendously relieved when Will does not pull away. Johnathan is content to wait, so they sit in silence for a while. Will leans against his shoulder and Johnathan fervently wishes it never ends. He can’t imagine living without Will anymore. 

Eventually, Johnathan gathers his courage. Will wanted to talk, so they should talk. If Will truly wishes to leave him, Johnathan is prepared to agree. Prolonging their relationship when it is unrequited would only hurt them both. And he doesn’t think he can stomach that. 

“Will, what is it you wished to discuss?” he asks. There is a pain in his chest as he speaks but he ignores it. 

Will offers him an uncertain smile. It only makes his stomach flutter in a bad way. “John,” he sighs. “Before I say anything, I want you to know that I understand if it’s too much. And I won’t force you to take responsibility or do anything you don’t want to. Just, please, don’t freak out, okay?” Will babbles nervously.

“I will not freak out,” he promises.

Will laughs, slightly hysterical. “You don’t even know what I’m going to say.” 

“Regardless, I will not be upset,” Johnathan insists.

He’s afraid, Johnathan realises. Will is scared. “I went to see the doctor a few days ago. Like you wanted.” 

Johnathan is immediately concerned but waits for Will to tell him. Whatever it is, he will take care of Will, for life if he permits. 

“Do you remember that we, um, we did that in the plane like two months ago?” Will asks with a red face. He can’t look at Johnathan. 

Johnathan’s ears are burning, but he says “yes, I remember.” How could he forget? They are both bright red. 

“It turns out, that was enough to get me pregnant,” Will tells him. 

His mind blanks. Johnathan thinks he’s misheard, he can only stare wide-eyed at Will. 

"I'm pregnant, John. It's yours," whispers Will.