[Jaykobell]

It had been a long time since Ashton had come all this way. The town was still as peaceful as ever, with birds chirping and a small breeze blowing in. It was a wonderful autumn day, despite being hotter than the usual temperature the town got this time of year. The chance to wear but a small autumn coat, however, was appreciated. He'd slowly been making his way from the train station, eventually approaching the ever-familiar family house. Despite being old, it felt like the house never looked worn out or about to fall over itself. His guess was that his father was actively keeping it in good shape. After all, that's as good a project as any when you have so much time on your hands.

And speaking of so much time on someone's hands, it had been a few years — or maybe more like almost a decade or so — since Ashton had taken over his parents' research into his own hands. While his father was probably busy watching TV shows on television or refurbishing the house, Ashton, himself, was busy researching the most intriguing and mysterious strains ever found in a human body. If only he could share his discoveries with his parents; sadly, neither of them held any interest in said project anymore. Still, he remembered his promise to his mother.

His father, Archibald, had been suffering from a somewhat unknown illness for years. It affected his lungs and often created dangerous attacks similar to asthma attacks; Archibald had had no choice but to start using an oxygen bottle in order to keep oxygen pumping into his lungs when an attack like that happened. As they continued to talk over the years, his mother, Ethelred, had assured Ashton that Archibald's state was stable. That didn't stop Ashton from researching it and trying to uphold his word that he would try to find a cure for it. He was far from having a cure, but in due time, he was certain that he would be able to find one.

All that aside, there came the house, the door standing tall in front of him. There was a little hesitation, but quickly enough, Ashton found himself knocking on the door.

[Jaykobell]

There were some sounds coming from the house, but it seemed like whoever opened the door had almost been waiting there for a while, ready to open the door as soon as something knocked on it. Of course, the one who had opened the door could be none other than Archibald, Ashton's father.



The older man greeted his adopted son with a grin full of pearly teeth, the happiest expression Ashton could remember coming from the man. Immediately, Ashton had to wonder why Archibald, of all people, could be this happy. Not that it was a bad thing; it was certainly refreshing, considering Archibald had a nasty character most of the time. However, this also meant that he was a fairly hard man to please, so what could have made him so very happy? Ashton's mind twirled round and round with possibilities. "You look happy," he replied shortly after Archibald had opened the door, thinking of nothing better to say to break the ice.

"If it isn't my little home alone son," Archibald teased, but Ashton knew too well that this was just the old man's way of greeting him. Taking a better look at his son from head to toes, the grin on the father's face just kept getting bigger. "Look at all that hair on your face, son. You didn't just grow a mustache; you grew a whole new batch of hair altogether!"

Although they'd kept in touch for a while, the actual physical meetings hadn't taken place very often at all in all those years. The last time Archibald had seen him, Ashton didn't have a full mustache going on. The son had quickly gone from a small nose mustache to a full one, spreading all around his mouth a little down his chin, although it was far from being a long or bushy mustache. Just a little layer right around, making Ashton look clean, at least. "I shaved some of it just for you," Ashton retorted quickly, knowing that playing along would get him inside the house faster. Never had Archibald just let him in; no, Ashton had to do something, anything, in order to finally be allowed in.

[Jaykobell]

At Ashton's answer, Archibald just kept on grinning more. "I better hope you did! I don't want you shedding hair all over my house," he retorted, chuckling wholeheartedly afterwards.

That one display of happiness also intrigued Ashton immensely, where Archibald seemed to be in a very good mood. His annoying comments were usually out of a snarky, know-it-all tone, but this time, they seemed to be out of something else; something happy, something that was glad to see his son visiting. The happier Archibald was, the more intrigued Ashton got by the minute. "Is mom home?"

And there he was, ignoring Archibald's most playful greeting. Sadly, so was his son; always serious and never really cracking up a laugh, unless it was to mock someone. "Oh, my boy, yes. Yes, your mom sure is home," he replied, and his answer made Ashton tilted his head just ever so slightly. Archibald never replied in such a modest way; he always indignantly asked if he wasn't good enough for Ashton, or why he was asking for his mother and not appreciating his father.

The suspense, admittedly, was getting to him. "Well, then?" he asked without adding anything else, but the message was understood. Obviously, he wanted to come in and see Ethelred, his mother, and the faster he got in, the faster he would get to ask about this happy event that had happened — whatever in the world it may be.

"Yes, well," Archibald started as he started taking even more space in the doorway, looking away with a face that indicated how the man wasn't interested in letting his son in just like that. "What's the password?"

It was interesting to note how every time Ashton visited his parents, there was something just between the cracks, waiting to be said or discovered. It was never as simple as visiting them just for the sake of being together. There was always something, whether it be coming from Ashton or Archibald and Ethelred. "Mustache," he replied to Archibald's question, and although his answer could be considered "witty," he'd answered with a straight face that didn't budge, even after the word was spoken.

It took Archibald a second to process it, but he eventually laughed loudly. "That's the stupidest password I've ever heard, but I guess I'll let you in anyway!" the older man said as he continued to chuckle, eventually moving out of the doorway so Ashton could finally come in.

[Jaykobell]

Despite it being a hot day outside, it felt cold and chilly after being in the weather outside. Despite wearing a small jacket, Ashton was still a little chilly underneath, and he was glad to be finally allowed inside. As Archibald closed the door behind them, Ashton took out his small coat and hung it on the small hangers nailed into the wall.

As he was done hanging his jacket, Ashton took a quick look around, noticing that Ethelred still wasn't by the door. With how much time Archibald wasted standing in the doorway and talking loudly to whoever was home, it was surprising that his mother hadn't made her way to the entrance. "She is home, isn't she?" Ashton asked as he looked over his shoulder to his father.

Archibald rolled his eyes, although even that wasn't enough to get that grin off his face. "Look at you, always so anxious mommy won't be home," he replied as he chuckled mockingly, but it was all out of love, really. "Of course she's home. She knows you're coming, so she wouldn't go anywhere," he went on to assure Ashton that he was just being overly impatient. "And don't worry, she would definitely be here today, boy," Archibald added quickly after, his grin spreading even further.

"Hm," was all Ashton replied, getting anxious at this ever-growing suspense Archibald kept hinting at — whether consciously or subconsciously.

"There is something that she— well, that we, want to show you," Archibald added, crossing his arms and getting a little closer to Ashton.

Something they wanted to show him?

But there was very little time for Ashton to ask for more information before a familiar voice rang out, and before he knew it, Ethelred was right beside him.



"Ashton, I'm so happy to see you," Ethelred spoke as she put her hands on Ashton's shoulders, making him turn his head back around to face her. "It's been a while," she added as she wrapped her son in an embrace, hugging him tightly.

"It has," Ashton replied as he returned the embrace — but as he did so, he soon found something keeping him from really getting to his mother. A bump-like feeling, as if something had been stuffed between the two of them, making not impossible to hug each other, but more difficult.

It was only after they broke the hug that Ashton looked down to see what had gotten in the way, but he was baffled when he saw nothing. He was about to discard it as a trick of the mind, but he scraped that idea when he noticed Ethelred sporting a rather rounded stomach — and it didn't look like fat, either.

[Jaykobell]

There were more unanswered questions and more spinning thoughts now than before he'd entered the house.

As he continued to stare at Ethelred's stomach, Ashton's mind had to keep going round and round to try to find an answer to what he was seeing. It was like it couldn't get over the idea of something like that happening to his mother — and to his father. It felt like his mind, usually so sharp, couldn't think of anything to think or say. "You have... gained some weight," he eventually blurted out, although his words came out a little awkwardly.

At his remark, Ethelred blinked before she smiled a little sheepishly and shyly, finding his comment cute rather than rude. "That's not something you can go around saying to a woman, Ashton," she warned him playfully, although it was still valuable advice. To her knowledge, he still hadn't settled down with anyone.

"Your mom's right, no one likes a rude, blunt man," Archibald piped up, and this time, he was grinning only because he could push some of Ashton's buttons.

Ashton didn't feel the need to look over his shoulder, even as he replied. "There's the teapot calling the kettle black," he answered simply, still keeping his attention wholly on his mother and the round stomach she now had. It obviously wasn't fat, even though Ashton sort of wished it had been. If it weren't fat, this round shape could only be one thing.

And as if his bafflement was obvious enough, Archibald could almost read his son's mind. "Well, at least the teapot can see when a woman is pregnant. I should smack you upside the head for calling your mother fat!"

Ashton's mind went blank for a few seconds as it tried to process the word "pregnant". More specifically, it went completely out of commission when it tried to understand the meaning behind the sentence "your mother is pregnant". "This... is what you wanted to show me, then," he replied, and although the years had shaped him in such a way that he could keep his voice monotonous, he couldn't keep it from being somewhat flat as he said those words.

Smiling sheepishly some more, Ethelred grabbed him by the shoulders and started leading him to the living room. "Come, you don't have to just stand in the lobby," she invited so they could all sit down comfortably to talk about everything further.

[Jaykobell]

There was this uneasy feeling creeping up on Ashton as his now expecting-mother lead him to the living room. They always discussed things in the living room; it was a room filled with discussions and even secrets that had been spoken in no other room or place. Everything that couldn't be discussed or said elsewhere was said in this particular room, which was always the same; glass table in the middle, carpet under the table, sofas circling the table perfectly, and finally, a television. In all these years, the living room had never changed.

As usual, Ashton sat in one of the single-seaters, while Archibald and Ethelred sat together on the bigger couch, Archibald keeping an arm draped over Ethelred's shoulders. It looked as if the two had never been closer — it looked as if something had made them connect beyond anything before it.

Perhaps this was the source of his uneasy feeling; the assumption that, despite them saying how much they cared for him, Ashton had never truly been the child they wanted. He usually held a facade with people — even with his parents, to a certain extent — but spinning those thoughts in his head made Ashton drop the mask fairly quickly, leaving an indiscernible mix of emotions on his face as he tried to think of something to say or do about the topic.

It did make things easier to have Ethelred speak first. "So I see Archibald did mention it to you," she mentioned as she brought a hand to her swollen belly, stretching the shirt that was sitting over it. "That I am expecting," she added quickly afterwards, as if she wanted to really clarify that everyone was on the same page.

"That face of yours was priceless," Archibald interjected, aiming that comment at Ashton. The face he made when he'd noticed his mother being pregnant was just that — priceless!

"We had been trying for a long time, to be honest," Ethelred added after a little pause, considering Ashton still didn't know what to say or even think about the whole thing. "We... didn't know if Hydra would get in the way, or if my body could even bear a child after so many years. But it worked," Ethelred explained, whispering out that last part almost just to herself and Archibald.

Still, the explanation didn't make it any better. "I see," was all Ashton could think of, and he hoped that would be enough to urge his parents on, that it would be enough to buy him some extra time to think of something to say. His head was a jumbled mess; that single news from his parents had managed to spring many different thoughts, all of which weren't very positive. "I'm... happy... for you," he eventually added, but the words were terribly forced — and he immediately regretted even speaking them out.

At the forced words of congratulations, Archibald dropped the happy face for a while and replaced it with a slight concerned, if also indignant, expression. "Got something you want to say?"