“Titan.” Mathlin grabbed him. “You can say hi to the pup instead.”
Titan growled more, but he propped himself up on his elbow and bent over Mathlin, trying to lean in close enough to kiss Mathlin’s belly. “Damn it. I’m not bendy enough.”
“You can kiss our pup when we’re not knotted anymore,” Mathlin said.
“Once upon a time,” Hamilton began loudly. “Titan and his siblings were supposed to attend their third birthday party. It was five minutes before they had to leave, and everyone was accounted for... except Titan. His dads searched for him high and low. They had the pups search the house too. Just as they were about to give up and call for help, they found him curled up in the laundry hamper, under a pile of clothes, napping.”
“Awww,” Mathlin said, grinning. “That’s adorable!”
“I’m not adorable,” Titan growled, but his cheeks were pink.
Mathlin giggled. “It definitely is.” When Titan growled again, Mathlin grabbed Titan’s hand and pressed it to his belly, where their pup was still kicking. “C’mon, say something nice to our pup.”
Titan’s ire faded. He leaned in and whispered to Mathlin’s baby bump, “Hey there, pup. It’s me again, your other dad. I hope you’ve been good in there. Don’t kick your dad too hard! Or he’ll start telling me it’s my fault.”
Mathlin snorted, elbowing Titan. “It is your fault!”
“Oof,” Titan said, but he was grinning and pulling Mathlin snug against himself. “I definitely can’t wait for you to be born. Can’t wait to see who you take after. Hopefully your dad, because he’s amazing.”
“Hopefully our pup will take after you too, becauseyou’refantastic,” Mathlin said.
“Ugh, you’re going to make me gag,” Hamilton said. “This is too much sweetness for me.”
“So stop eavesdropping,” Mathlin and Titan said together—it wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last either.
“Pfft!” Hamilton said. “I’m going to draw fan art of these pickup lines and send them to their author. At least I know Dicky Mems loves it.”
Mathlin laughed, snuggling back against Titan. “Not long now,” he said, rubbing his belly.
“I can’t wait,” Titan whispered, kissing him again.
The day Mathlinwent into labor, things exploded.
“What was that?!” Mathlin cried.
Titan growled and sniffed, looking around. They had just returned to their cabin after a long day at Twin Buns; earlier, Jannie had gotten into a tub of frosting and smeared some all over herself. But everything was cleaned up now, and Mathlinhad been looking forward to an evening of Titan rubbing his swollen, aching feet.
Not the strange pops of small explosions that were still happening—both insideandoutside the cabin.
“Stay back,” Titan said, handing Jannie over.
Mathlin frowned, keeping a few paces behind Titan but following him anyway.
The explosions seemed inconsequential. There was no destruction and no fire damage, just the faint puff of smoke where something had triggered the release of each explosion.
Pop!
One went off on the opposite side of the living room, sending out a burst of... confetti?
It had come from a little box on the wall. As the confetti fluttered through the air, a scroll unrolled from the box like a tongue, long and pink, with words written along its length.
“What does it say?” Mathlin asked.
“‘Pop goes the weasel, pop goes the cock! Pop goes the waving dick in my Master’s sock!’” Titan paused. “What the fuck?”
Mathlin wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think exploding cocks are very sexy.”
“Youdothink so, sometimes.” Titan’s voice dipped as he smirked.
