Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Sometimes the marriage of science and religion ends in divorce.

Nidus was smart enough to know that Harrow wasn’t good for him. He was a rational man and that was a rational thought and together it should have been a rational decision, but it was hardly ever so simple, was it?

…

“You’re not meeting Harrow tonight, are you?”

Nidus rolled his dark eyes at the nagging voice of his "sister" behind him. “And if I was?”

“I’d stop you.” Trinity came up alongside him, her arms crossed. Dror, the Helminth, grumbled to the left of her but she paid it no mind.

“Stop me?” He turned away and she zipped around so she was in front of him. “It’s none of your business who I couple with, Trinity.”

“He’s not good for you, Nidus!” Trinity said right as Nidus stepped around her and walked past. 

“And what is, Trinity? Who among them is truly good?” He stepped onto the teleporter and set it to the dojo. “...He’s not as bad as some. Not nearly as bad as myself.”

"Nidus, come on. You're a doctor."

"You are the doctor, Trinity. I am the scientist." He turned back to her briefly before he was snatched from the space inside the ship. "Harrow and I deserve each other, you see."

“When he leaves you, yet again-” She said, still pleading “-don’t come crying to me.”

…

Harrow ripped Nidus apart in ways no one else could. He had seen Nidus sweating and groaning under him, belly full of his seed, absolutely wasted and filthy and…

Nidus trusted Harrow, even if the man had proved time and time again he could not be trusted. Even after each session, the holy man would disappear again, citing business he had with the Void, and Nidus would be lucky if he saw him again in months. Once he went a year between meetings, and their coming together had been one of hungry animals.

…

The pain should probably have brought Nidus pleasure, and maybe it did, but it brought Harrow ecstasy. Especially the way Nidus writhed when the thurible came down on his back, breaking his will to resist. “Fetid beast.” Harrow hissed in his ear.

Nidus pulled a bit on the chains holding him, and briefly tested using his powers to escape them. He was never sure if he could take it, if he could survive the trials Harrow had planned for him.

But Harrow never gave him the option. He shoved Nidus onto his stomach and grabbed his hips, thrusting inside like he was thrusting a sword. “Let me in, my demon. Only I am your salvation.”

“Salvation means nothing to people like us.” Nidus fired back. It earned him another strike across his back, and Harrow flipped him over so he was facing him.

“Salvation is all we have left.” For a moment, Harrow sounded so sincere, Nidus wanted to cut the scene right there, but Harrow pulled Nidus’s arms above his head and lifted his legs so he could angle himself against the old scientist’s vulva. “You may be the worst offender of them all. The one who brought us all this suffering. The one who…” He broke off briefly. “...But I’m here and I will fix this.”

“You can try. But you never do.” Nidus chuckled, and that laugh broke into a moan as Harrow slipped his cock inside him. “Please stay this time…”

“You shall not be rid of me. Not until you are forgiven.”

"In that case, I hope I never am~"

…

Exorcisms. That was what Harrow called them. He was cleansing Nidus in the eyes of the Void, freeing him of his demons, all his sins. Nidus didn’t care what he called it as long as Harrow stuffed him.

This was a decision made with his heart. Far from rational, far from smart, he would keep letting Harrow use him and abuse him until his body was bloated and broken, and the priest left him for the final time.

…

Nidus felt full, packed beyond what he could stand and nauseous from it all. Harrow had stuffed him in every hole he could, using Nidus like a toy and ignoring the few times the other man protested, the occasions when he pulled on the chains to attempt an escape. His stomach hurt, gurgling with the amount of semen he’d just “ingested,” and he swallowed, trying to keep from throwing up.

Harrow righted himself, only stopping briefly to undo Nidus’s bindings, and then went for the door leading from the garden to the main hall. “Your soul is more pure than others, I thank you for letting me work my magic.”

Nidus looked over at Harrow, painfully shifting his sore body. “...Will you stay this time?”

Harrow paused, almost looking like he was going to say yes. Nidus wanted him to. He wanted someone to hold him while he worked through whatever the fuck was just done to him, to massage the knots out of his stomach as it churned through the sludge Harrow had just unceremoniously dumped into it.

“No.” Harrow finally said. “I have much to do. The Void, it…it calls.”

“Fine. Go.” Nidus turned back onto his side, listening to the door close and his hand easing onto his stomach.

…

That time would come sooner than Nidus hoped.

…

It was the month after their coupling, when Nidus first felt the change.

Harrow was Void knows where. With his convent, most likely, looking to convert the entirety of the Origin System to his “religion.” He wasn’t there when Nidus felt himself getting sick, getting weaker, leaning on Dror more because he was often on the verge of fainting. It worried for its master, it pleaded for him to rest. Nidus never did. He was not sick, even if something felt…off. Different. Not bad, just…warmer.

Harrow didn’t return the month after that, when Nidus did faint in the Helminth chair and woke up to it crying his name, panicked that he had suddenly died. Harrow didn’t see Nidus suddenly lose coordination in his hands and drop more than one set of vials. He didn’t return the month after that either, when Nidus’s belly finally began to swell. Nidus only noticed himself when it was big enough to hit the corner of the table he was passing.

Harrow returned four months after their ritual, and didn’t bother seeking Nidus out. He didn’t need to. Nidus always came to him, like a loyal dog on a chain.

Chapter Text

The dojo. Neutral ground for Warframes, for the Tenno. A place to connect with one another, rekindle what the war had stolen from them. Nidus had been hesitant to come here at all, self-imposed outcast he was. He and Trinity were just adrift in the stars, Nidus with his research confined to the bubble that was his ship, and Trinity dreaming of ways to help she would never actually execute.

But come he had, when he met Harrow.

Harrow was kneeling at the altar when Nidus told him, his back to the man and facing the wall, decorated with carvings of the old Tenno. The alcove was only big enough for the two of them, barely enough room to lie down. To their left was the archway that led out into the garden. Silence held the two, save for rustling of leaves in the oxygenated airflow of the dojo. 

Harrow didn’t look up, but Nidus saw his shoulders tense slightly. “Pregnant…?” He repeated. “...With a child?”

“No, with an idea, Harrow, as the great Plato said.” He took a breath. He’d been so much more testy lately but he didn’t want to start an argument here. “Yes. With a child.”

Harrow finally stood, his hands still clasped until he turned to Nidus, and for a moment Nidus saw an incredible vulnerability in Harrow’s face. He reached for Nidus’s belly, slightly puffy and bloated from the growing contents of his womb, and smoothed his hands down the front. “I would call it a blessing. From the Void, which has called forth a soul to be your…child.”

Nidus noticeably relaxed when Harrow spoke. “Well, here I was thinking you would be upset.” He chuckled, taking Harrow’s hands. “So you’re staying then?”

Harrow pulled his hands away. “Staying?”

“Yes. Staying here…with me?” Nidus sounded so hopeful, the look on Harrow’s face broke his spirit all that much more.

“...Why would I stay?” Harrow’s face was like the stone carvings: perhaps once there was feeling in it, but now all it held was a cold and empty stare.

“...Because it…it’s yours.” Nidus cleared his throat, trying to keep his composure. “Pregnancy occurs from an ovum fusing with sperm. I provided the ovum, you the sperm, this child has half of your genetic code.”

“I am glad that I could provide this blessing upon you.” Harrow said, his voice as cold as the metal of his thurible. “But this is your blessing, not mine to interfere with.”

“You…!” Nidus sputtered. “You will have nothing to do with it?”

“If the child one day wished to join the convent of the Void, then of course I will.” He straightened his back. “But I cannot get involved in such affairs. Now, do you wish for an exorcism?” He stepped forward and grabbed at Nidus’s hips.

Nidus shoved him away. “That’s…get your hands off me.” He hissed. “And they call me the grotesque one.”

“If you do not wish to partake, we have nothing to discuss."

“ Sex. It is sex. And no, I shouldn’t.” Nidus put his hands protectively over the swell. “Too much stimulation too early could cause a spontaneous abortion.”

“Ah, yes. You would be abhorrent to cast aside your miracle.” Harrow turned on his heel. “Well then, I will take my leave.”

“Just like that? You’re going?”

“Yes. I have business to attend to, and you have a blessing to cultivate.”

Nidus watched as Harrow walked out, not sparing him so much as a glance. Nidus’s temper flared, he had to squeeze his fists tight to keep from following after Harrow and cursing him out. He had to turn and lean against the alcove wall to keep himself from dropping to his knees and sobbing. And despite the burning rage and Harrow’s disgusting words…Nidus still ached for him. He still wanted Harrow to return so he could throw himself into the priest’s arms. Was this parting forever? Was this their “breakup?”

He stared at the garden’s floor, made of stone and grass and soil and sand. He would not cry. He was too proud for that.

…

Nidus brushed past Trinity without a word, intent that he would honor her wish and not cry to her. She tried to stop him, but he could not (or would not) hear her words.

He slammed open the door to his laboratory and sank into the Helminth’s chair, the tiredness radiating through his very bones. His bed was nearby, his quarters were only separated from Dror’s lab by a curtain of Infested petals. He could have sunk into his bed and pulled the floral covers over his head, but he needed more closeness than what his isolated bedchamber had to offer. 

His creation wrapped its tendrils around him, some stroking his cheeks and a few caressing the skin of his stomach. “Master, you need not fret over the priest. He is a false prophet. He is blind to the ways of our knowledge, think of the times you two quarreled. How bitter it was.”

“Bitter sweet .” Nidus did remember, because each quarrel had led to Harrow shoving Nidus against a wall and fucking him till he was full. Each argument riled them up, the anger made the sex taste sweeter.

“Sweet might the poison be, but it will still kill you.” The Helminth wrapped more of its tentacle limbs around Nidus’s belly. “A new creation shall come from you, my Master. A discovery unlike any other. The Fallen Priest was a means to an end, a sperm donor at best. You do not need him.”

“...Thank you, Dror. You are right.” Nidus ran his hand over his belly. “We do not need his religion. I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”

…

At five months, Trinity could tell something was changing with Nidus. She first noticed how fat he had gotten, when Warframes (save for a few) usually didn’t experience weight gain. She noticed how tired he was now, often sequestering away in his bedroom to sleep away the day. And it was impossible for him to hide the morning sickness, especially when the smell of Domestik Drone cleaning fluid sent him sprinting for the toilets.

Trinity noticed all of this and pieced it together, trapping Nidus as he was returning, groaning and sick, from the bathroom. “You’re pregnant?”

Nidus tried to extricate himself from the literal and proverbial corner she had backed him into, but when he stepped to the side so did she. “I do not see how this concerns you.”

“I fail to see why it wouldn’t.” Her eyes drifted to the swell in his stomach. “...You’ve never come to me for a physical but I’ve had my suspicions.”

“Good to know.” He stepped to the left. She followed.

“Was it Harrow?”

“Why do you care, Trinity?”

“Various reasons. Genetic susceptibility for one, possible Warframe cross-abilities…who I need to kick in the shin for leaving you.”

“Well. It certainly wasn’t Saryn.”

“I almost wish it was, however impossible.” Her voice softened when she looked at him next. “If I see Harrow I’m going to kill him.”

“Don’t. He isn’t worth it…” Nidus swallowed. The whole interaction was making him queasy.

“You’re right that he isn’t, but it’s the principle of the matter.” Trinity finally moved to the side. “Do you have a plan yet?”

Nidus did not have a plan, actually. Usually he did. Usually he had notes and hypotheses and knew the process of experiments, but now…when Trinity asked, he stayed silent.

“Doesn’t have to be a full plan. Although it might not be a bad idea to start saving for the child's college fund.” She chuckled at the joke that fell dead on the floor. “I meant a birth plan.”

“Births hardly ever go according to plan.” Nidus muttered. “I’ve worked with Warframes long enough to know that.”

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, but are still better to have than to walk in blind.” He grabbed his arm as he walked past. “Listen. In…four months?”

“Seven. The Infestation needs more time-”

“In seven months, it’s coming out whether you’re ready or not…” She looked at his stomach, clearly concerned at how big he already was.

“I have my ways, Trinity. I will be fine.” He gently wrenched away from her and disappeared down the hall.

They both knew he was lying.

…

Usually, the dojo was supposed to be a fun place. Warframes not just from his ship, but many others could come together to test their skills. He met up with Saryn again, who keenly noticed his six month bump but said nothing, just offering him an extra tight hug and a promise to crucify Harrow herself.

Usually, the dojo was fun for him. He could compare notes with a few of the more intellectually inclined Warframes or use the disease labs. If he was feeling brave, he might have even tested his skills in the duel arena. He’d been so hesitant to come but over the years, it had become a staple of his routine.

But the dojo was also where Nidus always met Harrow. It was likely where their little “blessing” had been conceived. Instinctively, he kept searching for the Void Priest, even though he knew Harrow wouldn’t be here, and that Nidus was in no condition for one of his “rituals” even if he was.

People were whispering and he could tell. His “relationship” with Harrow had been an open secret, they hadn’t exactly been discreet. Frankly Nidus hadn’t worried too much about public perception; the rabble could talk, and he and Harrow could be…

What even were they to begin with? He wouldn’t have called Harrow his lover, but even so…he had felt something there, maybe just from the habit of sleeping together. Maybe Nidus had gotten attached. It was clear Harrow didn’t feel the same anyhow…

His thoughts were broken by footsteps, and a soothing voice saying “Do you mind if I join you?”

Umbra. The First Excalibur. This impressive Warframe was as old as Nidus and had the look to show for it. His skin was rough, worn by centuries of battle, but the velvet texture still came through. He was so different from any other, with a slightly longer horn tipped with gold and jewels, and his skin a dark, slated grey that molded with the darkness when needed. Nidus looked up at him as though he were greeting an old friend and nodded, patting the space beside him. “I welcome it. People around here have been treating me like I have the plague…more so than usual.”

“I was about to say.” Umbra chuckled as he sat. He had his shawzin with him and his sword on his hip. “It has been too long, Nidus. You look…” Umbra spared a glance at Nidus’s belly. “You look well.”

“You do not need to lie for my sake.” Nidus whispered.

“I’m not lying.” Umbra’s eyes were keenly trained on his stomach now. “You look healthy. Have you been resting? Getting enough fresh air?”

“Fresh air is hard to get in space.” Nidus chuckled.

“Perhaps a retreat is in order for you. Cetus is lovely, and with the calm weather and friendly locals, you would have no issue when it comes time to…to give birth.”

Finally, he said it and it was out in the open. Nidus put a hand on his own belly, sighing as he let himself relax. “...Can I confess something to you that you’ll keep in confidence?”

“Against my better judgment?” Umbra chuckled. “Yes. Your secret is mine as well.”

“I have no plan for when this child is born.” He admitted. “I never thought I’d get pregnant, I thought I was sterile long before I was transformed into a Warframe, but something…something woke up, I don’t know what caused it, I don’t know why it happened with-with him of all people.” Harrow was the worst person to father a child with. “They all pity me because they know, they know he has abandoned me.”

“Sometimes pity does not come at the expense of pride.” Umbra shifted so he was sitting on his hip. “But if they continue to give you stares, tell them it’s mine instead. They’ll pity you for a different reason, but at least it’ll be on your terms.”

They both chuckled, and Nidus himself adjusted his position so his knees were raised in front of him and his hands were cradling his belly. “I would take my child being sired by Hydroid, then at least I could say conception was a fun affair.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“...Our… rituals weren’t something I would call fun.” He took them like drugs, knowing Harrow was eating him from the inside out but unable to stop, unable to say no to the insatiable need. Honestly Harrow was a selfish lay, no matter how good he felt. It was that selfishness that drew Nidus to him, initially. He had wanted someone to take from him like he took from so many others.

Umbra reached out and then stopped himself, pulling his hand back as he realized he had moved without asking. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be…” Nidus fought to hide his expression, his blush. “...You can touch it. I promise I won’t give you the plague.”

Umbra chuckled…and then he reached out again, gently cupping Nidus’s belly with his palm. He held it there for a moment, and then rubbed over the swell, using his thumb to caress it in little circles in addition to the big ones.

Nidus leaned his head back against the tree, fighting shivers. Nobody besides him had ever touched his pregnant belly and he hadn’t realized how touch starved he’d been. He couldn’t stifle the tiny moan he let out, and Umbra laughed in response.

“I’m glad I can attend to you when he can’t.” Umbra lingered for a moment before pulling his hand away. “Do you have other business in the dojo?”

Did he? He’d completely forgotten his purpose for being here once Umbra had come to talk to him. “I should check the labs for any new samples.”

“Perhaps you should leave the work for now…I’m going to the garden if you’d like to join me.”

Oh. That made his heart sink, that garden. The alcove was still there, tucked away, though he could ignore it, he could turn his back to it, it would be there. “I…I shall abstain. Perhaps I can find you later though.”

Umbra nodded, looking like he wanted to say more but…he didn’t. He stood, bowing. “I will take my leave then.”

“...Umbra?”

Umbra turned to look at Nidus one last time.

“Will you…will you be back? To the dojo?”

“Of course…” He paused. “...I will give you the ship coordinates as well if you wish to contact me directly. If Mag answers, ask for me. Don’t mind her disposition, she is a sweet girl.”

Nidus nodded. “Thank you.” Maybe he would actually make it through this after all.

Chapter Text

Around 7 months, Nidus began feeling fetal movement.

He had been getting worried at the lack of noticeable activity, and though he assured himself it was likely just too light to feel…part of him had been terrified. He didn’t know if he’d be able to get pregnant again, and even if the baby came from Harrow, he didn’t want to lose it all the same. Trinity had been after him to just let her scan him, but he was terrified that when she did, there would be no heartbeat, no movement, just a stagnant corpse decaying in his womb. 

So when, in the timeless chasm of space, Nidus finally felt the distinct sensation of a hand pressing against his uterine wall, he was relieved. Relieved enough to practically drop his samples and lean against the wall, hands pressed against his belly to feel any hint of a kick.

Dror’s tendrils came down from the ceiling and pressed against his stomach softly and reassuringly. “Master…”

“The child lives.” Nidus’s voice cracked when he spoke. “It lives, Dror.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Void if I know. Let me have this moment.” He ran his hand up and down across the surface of his belly. “Hello little one. I’m…” What was he? The birthing parent, of course, technically the mother by default, but…the term and its associated femininity made him wince. He wanted to be its father, he wanted people to know him as a father, even if in the grand scheme of things it didn’t really matter.

"Do you want to rest, Master? As you have been before?"

“I want to tell Umbra.” Nidus said, struggling to straighten up under the growing weight of his belly. 

“Umbra? His knowledge is inconsequential, Master. Unless you have replaced Harrow with Umbra in your pursuit of affection.”

“Jealous?” Nidus paused to give one of the tentacles a squeeze. “Dror, you shall always be my dearest creation. You were the first to know of my child and shall be at my side when it is born. But…” How could he explain what he was feeling? Why was he eager as a schoolboy when he thought of talking to the ancient Excalibur? “But I feel something there. Something real.”

Dror helped him up, assisting its master to stand tall once again. “I want to trust you, Master. And so I shall.” It said with a gentle groan. “But in your excitement, do not forget me.”

“I could never.” He spared a few moments to pat the creature’s nose before making his way to the main console.

The child seemed to be making up for lost time; they were VERY active now, especially when Nidus got moving. Their kicks were still light, but they were frequent and they were there and he hadn’t been so happy since Dror had awoken. He reached the ship’s console, Cy greeting him as he struggled to get to his knees, and pressed in the coordinates for Umbra’s ship.

For a moment before the communications picked up, Nidus felt his heart sink. He was so excited to tell someone…that someone was once Harrow. It wasn’t all bad fights and sex between them. There had been a connection, nights spent in each other's arms, debating the universe, musing on biology. Harrow could make his mind race like no drug could. There was once a time he called Harrow for almost anything.

Then the call picked up. “Nidus? What do you want?”

It was the young Mag. Well, young was relative, and he certainly would not underestimate her if they were dueling, but to his old age she was still but a child. “I need to speak to Umbra.”

“Regarding?” She sounded distrustful, and he wasn’t sure if that was a staple of her everyday character or if she didn’t trust him in particular. Not that he could blame her but...

Nidus paused. Should he tell her? “Research.” He finally said. “A project we’re both working on.”

There was a long, pregnant pause. Then Umbra’s voice broke in through the static “Nidus.” It was soft and hopeful and happy. “You did call.”

“I did. It’s…the baby's moving.”

“They are!” Umbra’s delight was palpable. “I wish I was there to feel it myself. Mag and Volt have us in the Void looking for an artifact that I doubt is here. Frankly, I'd love to be in the dojo with you.”

“I would too…” Nidus swallowed. “...Were you serious? About telling people it is yours?”

“I was.” Another pause, the both of them wanting to make an exclamation–or an explanation. “This…is not a conversation to be had over communications. Meet me at the dojo, Nidus. Tomorrow.”

“You swear you’ll be there?”

“I swear it. Unlike some, I keep my oaths.”

…

The baby was definitely making up for lost time, because it kept Nidus awake half the night kicking him in every place it could reach. He woke up aching and cold and nauseous and still feeling his little maggot wriggling in his womb. He contemplated staying in bed but remembered he had promised Umbra he would see him today.

Getting out of bed was a battle he was quickly losing, between morning sickness and the sheer weight of his womb on his hips. He made it out though, and freshened himself up enough to be presentable. He had a coat he liked to wear to momentous occasions, made of cloth that had been cut straight from an Infested tree’s bark. It looked like rose petals. Harrow had never seen it…

Nidus realized upon getting there that Umbra hadn’t said WHEN he would be joining him, and he cursed his lack of foresight to ask. The dojo was mostly empty at least, save for Hildryn who was always training in something. The brick shithouse woman bowed when he approached, her respect for her “creator” unending (even if inaccurate), and offered her arm.

At first Nidus raised a hand, intending to refuse, but then the baby seemed to do a backflip in his womb and he doubled over into her anyway. She didn’t demand much conversation, at least, as she let him over to the garden.

“I will stay close by.” She said as she situated him underneath the blooming tree. “Call on me if you have any need.”

“I shouldn’t have any need. Umbra is coming soon.”

“I will lead him here as well.” She stood, bowed, and wandered off to go punch something.

Nidus laid his head back on the tree’s trunk, his gravid stomach and energetic child demanding attention. Both his hands remained clasped around it, and every time he felt a kick he would rub the spot, groaning slightly as each movement stretched his already taut skin. He still had five months to go? Nidus cursed quietly, wondering if he would make it or if he’d split open before then.

Footsteps interrupted him, and he raised his head to see Hildryn and Umbra, the latter of whom rushed forward to him as soon as he was in sight.

“You came.” Nidus said softly, far more softly than intended as Umbra sat down beside him.

“I said I would.” He chuckled. “Would not think to miss this one’s first movements.”

“It’s been a performance, for sure.” Nidus groaned as the baby elbowed him in the side, making his belly bulge. “She hasn’t settled since she first began moving.”

“Sounds like more of a problem than anticipated.” Umbra reached forward but paused. “May I?”

“Of course. And in the future…you do not need to ask.” Nidus swallowed his embarrassment at the words.

Umbra’s hand settled on Nidus’s taut belly and began rubbing, and Nidus could not stifle the moan. Void, that felt good. The skin was so itchy and sore and his own hands could only do so much. Umbra chuckled at his reaction and moved his hand slightly to where the baby was centering its kicks. “It’s a daughter, then?”

“Oh…” Nidus shook his head. “Well, I still don’t know. I’ve been calling it ‘she’ on pure instinct.” He shrugged slightly and relaxed against the tree. “Could have no gender for all I know. This has never happened before. I never thought it actually would, for obvious reasons.”

“Your strain was different from the rest.” Umbra pointed out, directing small circles around Nidus’s synthetic naval, still flat but threatening to pop at any faint movement. “Maybe it did not sterilize you?”

“Even so, I was never…I couldn’t…children were never an option for me. Even before this…” He hadn’t regretted the change, he’d been happy living as a man, he was still happy being seen as a man. But there was always a tiny part of him that saw fathers with their children and felt the slightest wave of jealousy. Jealousy that he’d never be able to bear a child of his own. Maybe the Void heard that and took pity on him. He just wished it didn’t pick Harrow to be the…sire? He refused to call him the father.

Nidus hissed as the baby shifted again, kicking up into his ribs, and Umbra patted his stomach. “I think I have something that can calm her.” He settled back against the same tree and laid his shawzin in his lap. Nidus used both hands to encircle his belly, and as soon as Umbra plucked the first string, he relaxed.

“I used to play this for…for my son.” Umbra stammered on the words. “It calmed him when he was scared or fussy.” He plucked the strings in a simple, elegant tune that carried through the tree’s branches and wrapped around the two. “Smiles from Juran.”

Nidus relaxed, and as he rubbed over his belly he felt the baby inside calming as well, her rapid kicks settling into light, fluttering movements. Nidus scooched back against the tree, his hands still cradling his belly. “It’s beautiful…”

Umbra said nothing. He just kept playing, the soft strings of an old song lulling Nidus and his unborn child to sleep.

In the last haze before he slipped into a dream, Nidus felt Umbra’s hand move up to his cheek.

…

At 8 months, Nidus was beginning to think he should go on bedrest.

Moving was a Herculean feat. Getting up from any resting position was near impossible without at least two people helping him. Trinity was on his case to rest more but Nidus never wanted to miss the days he met Umbra. He finally had a reason to enjoy the dojo again, even if he was only there to rest while Umbra played for him and the baby. The strings of the shawzin was the only thing that could soothe her to sleep when she became riled up.

But even Umbra was beginning to worry.

“You look like a Kubrow that’s been feasting on the Grineer…” Umbra said as he rushed to help Nidus, who could barely painfully waddle to their usual meeting place. “Come on, you should not be on your feet.”

“I’m fine…” Nidus lied, grunting as he sat. His back was on fire and his stomach ached and groaned with every breath he took, the fluid in his womb audibly gurgling with each movement. “I…I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see you.”

“I can come to you.” Umbra said, taking out his shawzin. “You need to be resting more anyway. I have long wanted to see your ship.”

“It’s a mess.” And it was. Neither he nor Trinity were known for their neatness. They both worked in an organized chaos, with everything in places that only their brains would know to look. Not to mention the Helminth and the Infestation that lined the walls and floor: Dror had basically had free reign of the ship and most visitors they had had always found it disconcerting at best.

“I can overlook a little mess.” Umbra chuckled. “If it means I can see you.”

Nidus swallowed. Their relationship had been unspoken for months, but he felt the warmth between them. He was never sure though; he’d never known “love” outside of Harrow, and Nidus doubted that fit the definition of love. But Umbra was so different, he felt different, everything about this was different and new and terrifying, and before Nidus knew it, his shoulders were shaking in a choked sob that he stifled, purely out of pride.

“Nidus?” Umbra threw his delicate instrument aside. “Nidus, what’s wrong? Do you feel sick?”

Nidus could only shake his head. Wordlessly, he reached out and pressed a hand to Umbra’s cheek.

“...I see.” Umbra’s voice held a smile as he moved forward so their foreheads touched. “My sweet Nidus…” He rested one hand on Nidus’s stretched, swollen belly and chuckled as he moaned. “...Let us return to your ship, hm? I want you to rest for now.”

Nidus nodded, allowing Umbra to help him to his feet. Somehow he doubted this would be a restful experience.

…

Nidus was wrong. When they got to his ship, Umbra led Nidus to his quarters (he seemed somewhat agitated at the Helminth but pushed through what discomfort he had) and helped him into bed, propping a pillow under his knees and another under his back so he was sitting upright. “It is important you don’t lay flat. Your womb will press on your veins and choke the baby.”

“I know…” Nidus actually didn’t know that, but luckily he was a natural side sleeper. Still, the extra support felt good.

Umbra took a moment to cradle Nidus’s belly, which let out a pained gurgle when he touched it. “I can make you some tea.” He said. “Chamomile, it will help your stomach.”

“I don’t think my stomach is making those noises…” Nidus whimpered, just as his belly made a loud, painful groaning noise. “...could you?”

“Lay here, don’t move.” Umbra patted his belly again. “I will be back in a moment.”

And so Nidus was left alone, a bloated sweaty mess now confined to his bed. He probably would have found this fascinating if he didn’t feel like shit. A Warframe, a metal warrior empty of soul, gestating a living being in the confines of its immovable body? Such a thing was too good to be true. He would have loved to study this, examine what went on in his body that gave him the power to bear children despite the state of his flesh. Unfortunately that was hard to do when he was too full to even move from his bed.

The baby gave a little wiggle in her tight living space and he patted the bloated dome of his belly. “He will be back soon…”

She kicked him, almost indignantly from what he could tell, and he hissed as her movement pressed on his navel enough for it to distend slightly. 

“I know. I know you like him more than me. We’re both lucky he’s with us…” He felt the proverbial tears coming on again and took a breath to steady himself.

With luck, Umbra returned then with a mug and something that smelled herbal and calming. He set the cup down on the bedside table and pressed his hand to Nidus’s cheek. “If you feel you’re going to be sick, just tell me.”

Nidus shook his head. “I’m alright. Not sick, just…”

Umbra seemed to understand at least some of what Nidus was saying. He settled on the bed beside Nidus, ignoring the disconcerting squish of the infestation that made up the sheets. “Overwhelmed, then.”

“Maybe.” He shifted so he could press his face into the crook of Umbra’s neck.

“These feelings are quite normal.” Umbra assured him, smoothing his hand over Nidus’s stomach. “Especially for your first child. Especially since you’re carrying it.” He scooted even closer, looping his other arm around Nidus’s shoulder. “There is much to consider before the child is born. Have you seen it on an ultrasound?”

Nidus shook his head.

“You are one of two doctors on this ship and you haven’t had an ultrasound?”

Nidus shook his head, wishing he had a better excuse than the truth. “Trinity warned me this would happen…if I kept up with Harrow.”

Umbra chuckled, running his hand over Nidus’s belly. “As satisfying as it might be to say something, I doubt she will hold this against you. More likely, she wants to see you healthy and safe. And ensure the safety of the little one, as well.” 

The baby kicked in response and the movement made Nidus’s insides do a flip, bringing on a wave of nausea like he hadn’t felt since the first quarter. He groaned and turned on his side, throwing his face into Umbra’s chest and willing himself not to vomit.

Umbra’s words struck deep and sat deeper. In all the time he was pregnant, Nidus had forgotten that this…was a person. Not just an infested worm: this was a being, a being with feelings and thoughts and a personality and needs, above all needs. He had been calling it a she, he had been thinking of it as “his baby”, but for the first time it sank in that this was a person who would depend on him for everything. Everything.

And next thing he knew, he was sobbing into Umbra’s chest. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a child, he did, and it wasn’t that he couldn’t care for one, he could. It was the soul-crushing fear he had of all the things that could go wrong. Death in childbirth was itself a possibility, leaving a baby Warframe alone in a cruel world that would quite literally use her to the point of breaking. Even if he survived, there were so many unknowns in this situation, so many variables he couldn’t account for.

Umbra sat there holding him, silent except for soft whispers and assurances. Words of comfort that in themselves meant little but in that moment, meant the world to Nidus, who let out a final soft sob and pulled away, Umbra moving his hand to his cheek.

“...When Isaah was born…” He began “I was barely out of my teenage years. I was so terrified of what the future held. I was more terrified when I first held him and felt nothing but fear, instead of that magical love everyone told me would come so naturally.” He took Nidus’s hand and interlaced their fingers. “It was not easy by any means, but there came a day when I looked at my son and realized I loved him more than the world itself. That I knew what to do, even if I didn’t know in my head.” Umbra paused. “It will be the most terrifying endeavor you’ve ever experienced. But one day, you will hold your little one and know that all of the fear and pain was worth it.”

“What if I die?”

“You won’t die.” Umbra said. “Not while I am here to take care of you.” He stroked down Nidus’s cheek. “...If you want me to stay…”

“I’d…I’d like that.” Nidus whimpered. “I’d like you to stay.” He paused when Umbra ran his hand down over his belly again, running his palm over Nidus’s now popped naval. “...Does it bother you that…that it’s Harrow’s?”

“It isn’t. Harrow gave up his rights to it.” Umbra nuzzled Nidus’s neck as he rubbed his belly. “He may have given you the sperm. That doesn’t make it his baby. Not when he abandoned you.”

Nidus wanted to defend Harrow, after all neither of them had expected this slim, slim outcome. But he could not deny the deep betrayal he felt, that when he actually did need him for more than just a quick fuck, Harrow disappeared to his precious void.

“Will you stay?” Nidus asked.

“As long as you want me to.” Umbra booped Nidus’s forehead. “But you must promise me something.”

“What is that?”

“Tomorrow we will see Trinity, and you will let her scan your belly.” He patted the swollen mass again. “For purely selfish reasons. I want to see the baby inside.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Excalibur. But I accept your terms.” He snuggled down into Umbra’s arms, trying not to think of all the things Trinity was probably going to lecture him about. But he was going to stay.

Umbra was going to stay.

Chapter Text

Dror’s tentacles wrapped around Nidus protectively, and likewise hovered around Umbra inquisitively. It wasn’t that the Helminth didn’t trust its Master’s latest conquest, but Dror didn’t trust anyone when it came to Nidus. Even Trinity sometimes got too close and Dror would instinctively push her back with limbs that hung from the ceiling like ribbons. 

It curled its feelers when Trinity approached Nidus, an ultrasound scanner in her hand. The Helminth chair had been reclined slightly to give Nidus some breathing room, but even then his belly was pressing into his ribs and it was horrendously uncomfortable. 

“This’ll be cold for a moment.” Trinity said as she pressed the probe against Nidus’s taut belly. Umbra took hold of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze while Trinity stared down at the datapad in her hand. She slowly swept the probe over his belly, then jumped when the baby responded with a hearty kick, making her jump.

"You alright?" Nidus was the one to chuckle at her surprise.

“Well it’s alive!” She declared, holding up the datapad so that Nidus could see it. “Pretty hard to miss, there. That’s your little one…”

Nidus took the datapad in his hands, staring at the image on the screen and trying to reconcile that what he saw was currently inside him. The picture wasn’t great, and the Infestation made it so there was extra blurring and static, but he saw clear as day the form of an infant, curled up in a fetal position save for when the baby kicked again. He saw her stretch, her arms and legs extending in her cramped residence, and he simultaneously felt his belly bulge out where she kicked him.

Nidus handed the pad to Umbra, who held Nidus’s hand close to his cheek, as he watched the baby kick again and wriggle her way around so her head was under Nidus’s ribcage. “It’s her, Nidus…”

“It’s kind of hard to tell gender right now.” Trinity warned them. “I just wouldn’t get your hopes set on a girl."

“I know.” Umbra said softly. “I know, just…that’s our baby.”

“It is.” Nidus used his free thumb to stroke Umbra’s cheek, and his other hand rested on the top of his belly. “It’s her…”

Trinity held her silence until Umbra handed the datapad back. She made a few notes, documenting things like weight and length and concentration of amniotic fluid. Upon wiping off the gel, she took an old-school measuring tape (the kind that was outdated when Nidus was still in primary school) and measured down Nidus’s belly, from just under his diaphragm to right above his pelvis. “Fundal height matches gestational age.” She muttered. “...That’s good. It means your baby is growing like normal…”

“Except that there’s still four months left.” Nidus chuckled, trying to hide his anxiety.

“Yeah…” Trinity seemed a lot more openly concerned. “Doctor’s orders are to take it easy. Very easy.” She paused, then put away her scanner and leaned forward. “And…please do let me monitor you. To make sure everything is progressing normally, not just to ridicule you.”

“Trinity-”

“I’m serious, Nidus.” She sounded it, for certain. “This isn’t your fault, and I’m not going to give you shit for getting knocked up and then dumped. That’s on Harrow.” She paused as Dror’s tendrils shriveled and curled at that name. “…I never meant to drive you away. You’re like my brother you know, and I happen to love you.”

“…I take some of the blame, Trinity.” Nidus admitted. “I avoided your help out of my own embarrassment and shame, when I should have trusted you to help me.”

“And I will.” She finally met Umbra’s gaze. “I promise to help both of you. I’m happy you’re here, Umbra. Thanks for talking some sense into him.”

“I am here to take care of him.” Umbra said with a slight bow. “And take care of him I shall.”

…

At nine months was when any other humanoid would have given birth. It was probably when Nidus should have given birth.

But he knew the infestation that made Warframes what they were took at least three months to gestate, plus the nine that it took the fetus to come to term, and putting that together meant at least three more months for poor Nidus. At the very least, Umbra had convinced him to go on bedrest until he gave birth, a feat the Trinity found beyond impressive.

Umbra was the only thing keeping Nidus sane. He felt beyond awful: everything hurt, everything, his entire body ached, he ached in places he didn’t know could ache. His stomach hurt most of all, as his growing womb continued to stretch far beyond what it was meant to, leading to hot, red stretch marks and sharp pains and VERY sensitive skin. And when the baby kicked it would pull on the skin and unhealed wounds and it would hurt . His only respite was when Umbra joined him with the shawzin to calm the child, and then massaged his belly until the two of them drifted off into sleep and repeated the whole process. Umbra would sometimes help Nidus into the bathtub too, claiming the hot water would help with his cramps and stinging pain, and to be fair it definitely did, but eventually he had to get out of the bathtub and then everything started hurting again.

Nidus was done with being pregnant, and more than anything he wished he could have a few minutes where he just forgot how awful he felt. Just a few minutes to feel good.

…He wished Harrow was here, only to fuck his brains out. 

That was the one thing Umbra hadn’t done yet, and Nidus was honestly afraid to ask for a litany of reasons. Though a saint he claimed to be, Harrow was a goddamn slut. Nidus never felt guilty at throwing himself at the saintly contradiction of a Warframe because he knew Harrow would be down for whatever. Umbra, however, was so poised and graceful and so very perfect and Nidus felt that asking him for anything sexual would be wrong . But damn if he wasn’t this close to spreading his legs and begging for Umbra to fuck him until he couldn’t speak.

It began to show in everything he did, the insatiable need. When Umbra rubbed his belly it sent electric shocks up his spine and down into his groin, making him tremble. Umbra must have noticed, because he briefly paused in his rubbing…and then dragged his hand downward, stopping just above Nidus’s crotch. “You’re wet as the Plains of Eidolon in the winter.”

Nidus’s pale physique showed his blush. “...I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be, it’s nothing you can help.” He went back to rubbing, using both hands now. “When was the last time you made love?”

“I wouldn’t call it making love.” Harrow had been a wildman, violent, shoving Nidus to the ground on his face, grabbing his hips and lifting them with no regard for position, spearing into him with no preparation. There was no love there, just a primal, void-driven need. “But the last time? Probably when this one was conceived.” He followed Umbra’s hand with his own. 

“You didn’t have other partners?”

“None that interested me.” He had experimented with a few others and never found anyone with compatible sexual chemistry. Saryn had come pretty close but she wasn’t as hungry as Harrow was, Nidus never felt like she needed him. And Nidus liked to feel needed. Harrow made him feel needed…when he bothered to show up. It was a relationship of elating highs and crushing lows. “It was common for us to go months between…exorcisms.”

“Is that what he calls it?” Umbra chuckled.

“It is absolutely ridiculous. He can’t say sex like a normal person, he has to make it about his rituals…” Nidus moaned hard and bucked as Umbra’s hand brushed the spot where the baby kicked him. “F-Fuck…I’m sorry.”

Umbra pulled his hand away, only briefly, and Nidus felt Umbra adjusting his bits of armor to reveal Nidus’s genitals. Nidus hadn’t seen them in a while himself and worried at what the state of them was–he was sure they weren’t a pretty sight–but any fears he had were assuaged when Umbra reached down and began toying with his clit.

Nidus arched his back, gasping and clutching his belly. “Umbra…!”

“I’m sorry, should I stop? I acted without warning.” He began to pull his hand away.

“No!” Nidus was already shivering with need. “More. I...I need you.”

Umbra relaxed, his shoulders back in confidence. “I’ll be gentle, tell me if you need it faster or slower.” He paused. “What do you want the safe word to be?”

Nidus, still dizzy from the sudden pleasure, tilted his head. “...Safe word?”

“Did Harrow not use a safe word with you?” Umbra’s look of concern spooked Nidus. “What happened when you wanted to stop?”

“...I could use my powers to shove him off." Usually. Sometimes Harrow fought back, and while Nidus was strong in his own right, he wasn't always up for a battle in the middle of a night of passion. "But we didn't stop, there was never a need...I agreed to it after all."

Umbra stared at Nidus, then leaned forward and pressed their cheeks together. “The safe word is what you say when the pain, or pleasure, or any sensation gets to be too much. I want you to enjoy what I do to you, and if I’m hurting you, I won’t enjoy it either.” He pulled back. “You shouldn’t have to fight to get me off you.”

Nidus swallowed, need and anxiety now settling in his stomach like a knot and mixing into an uncomfortable flavor of guilty embarrassment. How had he not known this? Why had Harrow never done this for him?

Umbra pressed a hand to his cheek assuredly, and Nidus leaned into it. “...The safe word is...halt.”

“Alright; If it gets to be too much, in any way, say halt.” Umbra nodded, reaching between Nidus’s legs again and running his fingers over the man’s clit.

Nidus bucked, moaning as electric sparks ran up his back. He needed Umbra like he needed air in his lungs. Not just his fingers, no, Nidus longed to feel Umbra’s cock inside him, filling him up. But, his fingers would do for now. And Umbra was very skilled with those.

He ran his thumb in circles around Nidus’s clitoris, supplementing it by curling his fingers inside Nidus to hit his g-spot. His other hand was still stroking in circles around Nidus’s belly and the dual stimulation was making Nidus lose his mind. He gripped the sheets with one hand, quietly moaning Umbra’s name.

“Does that feel good?” Umbra purred. “Do you like that, Nidus?”

“Y-Yes…” He was bucking against Umbra’s hand, his legs shaking from his inability to close them. “Oh fuck, oh Umbra…” He felt himself building, and fast.

“Good. That’s good.” Umbra ran his other hand down Nidus’s leg. “You are so beautiful, I love making you so happy.” He squeezed Nidus’s thigh and lifted his leg slightly, just enough to get good leverage.

Umbra pressed into him, his fingers rubbing along the nub, and Nidus shook in his arms as he came harder than he had in months.

Umbra slowly withdrew his fingers and patted Nidus’s belly. “I can’t imagine how good that must have felt.” He wiped his hand down on a tissue and began to stand, intending to leave. “I’ll get you some water-”

“Umbra.” Nidus called to him as he began to stand. “...You can do more.”

Umbra paused. “I was considering...” He admitted. “But I don’t want to hurt the child, or trigger early labor.”

“I don’t think this one will be coming out anytime soon.” Nidus assured him. “I want you. I need you…”

Umbra seemed to hang back for a moment, perhaps considering if this was actually something he wanted to do. Nidus didn’t blame him: he wasn’t the most attractive sight, with how bloated and leaky and sweaty he was. 

But Umbra surprised him, joining him in bed again, this time peeling off his own armor pieces and scarf and setting them aside. Nidus could barely see over his dome belly, but he could see that Umbra was sitting at full mast. Even more, Nidus could feel the tip rubbing against his folds already.

“Are you certain?”

“As I’ll ever be, just please.” Nidus bucked against Umbra hesitantly.

“The moment it hurts, the very moment -”

“I’ll use the safe word, I promise. Please…”

Umbra’s touch was gentle as he scooted forward, pressing himself against Nidus’s entrance and sliding inside slowly. Nidus moaned at the way Umbra’s cock filled him so completely, stretching him out without any pain. There was a soft bump as Umbra hit Nidus’s cervix, upon which he pulled back slightly, and then curled his hips to thrust in again. It was slow, it was calculated, it was driving Nidus insane.

Umbra leaned forward, crawling over Nidus so he was on top of him and holding him close, and Nidus reached up and held onto him as well, already a blubbering mess with the pleasure Umbra was giving him. He felt the baby writhing at the sudden motion, and the incessant kicking could be felt by both of them now, Umbra feeling it against his own stomach. He reached around and put a hand on Nidus’s back, pulling him closer to him and pressing their cheeks together as well.

This, too, felt different. Sex with Harrow felt like a fight for survival, pulling against chains and whips and desperately trying to keep his shields up enough so that the next crack of the chains didn’t break him in half. This felt tender, it felt warm and reassuring and while Nidus was still absolutely losing his mind as Umbra hit every good spot, he felt safe. He felt needed...no. He felt wanted.

He felt loved.

“Nidus…” Umbra whimpered, his thrusts faltering slightly. “I won’t last long…”

“Little more…” Nidus pulled his legs up and pressed them into Umbra’s sides, bucking up into him as Umbra plowed down into him. He was so close to cumming, but Umbra was going slow enough to draw the orgasm out. “Umbra…” Nidus whined.

Umbra pulled away slightly to grab onto Nidus’s hips and pound into him, hard and fast, and Nidus threw his head back and screamed Umbra’s name as an orgasm like none he’d ever had took his body. Umbra only lasted a second longer, cumming hard inside of Nidus’s poor, swollen vagina and only pulling out when he was mostly spent, a small amount of cum dribbling onto the sheets.

“I’m sorry.” He said sheepishly. “I meant to cum outside…”

“No. No, don’t be…” Nidus could barely speak, still in the glow of orgasm. “It’s safe, baby’s protected by the…the cervix…and I…oh Umbra…” He laid one hand on his thrashing belly. “...I’ve never felt so good.”

Umbra chuckled. “Truly?”

“Truly.” Nidus groaned as the baby responded to his touch by kicking him. 

“That’s my fault, I woke her up.” Umbra settled in the bed beside Nidus and stroked over his belly, nuzzling his lover’s neck. “I can get her back to sleep.”

“It was worth it.” A night of kicking and no sleep? He’d do it all again just to relive that wondrous feeling Umbra gave him

“So.” Umbra gently rubbed circles around Nidus’s navel. “Was I better than Harrow?”

“A thousand times better.” Nidus pulled him close and pressed their foreheads together. “I wish I had met you first.”

“Things always happen for a reason.” Umbra purred, his touch calming the baby within. “...I was not always as centered as I am now.”

“The transformation affects the mind in many ways…” Nidus acknowledged. “And being among the first…I did not oversee your case personally but I saw the reports. You were a medical marvel, Umbra. You still are…many of our brethren are not as lucky as we are to retain our minds.” Many were, more than people assumed actually, but it was always more common to see an empty shell being led around by their Tenno master. His transformation had been if his own accord, and thus Nidus’s mind stayed sharp.

Umbra’s rubbing paused, and he sounded like he was about to say something, but the silence held.

"Umbra." Nidus pressed a hand to his lover's cheek. "You have come a long way down an arduous path...and I am so happy it led here. To me. I love you…”

“I love you too.” Umbra pressed his face into Nidus's belly, hearing the inside groan with the weight of his slowly expanding womb.

Chapter Text

Nidus almost thought he had gotten away with it, until he hit 41 weeks. When his milk came in.

His chest had been slightly tender throughout the pregnancy, but he assumed that came with the heightened stimulation of being pregnant, and the increased size was just fat that he had gained, again, from being pregnant. Besides, he’d had his mammary glands scooped out eons ago.

Well maybe the same infestation that made his uterus viable also regrew his milk ducts for him, because Nidus awoke one morning in a literal puddle. At first he just assumed he’d been sweating, until he turned onto his back and his chest suddenly felt painful and heavy. 

Disoriented, Nidus tried to sit up, but the combined weight of his belly and his swollen pecs made that impossible. To his luck, his desperate thrashing had woken Umbra, who was immediately on the case. He eased a hand behind Nidus and pulled him up, but when he put a hand on his chest, Nidus gasped with the sudden pain.

Umbra withdrew his hand, pulling Nidus up the rest of the way by his shoulders. “...You’re leaking.”

“I can see that.” Nidus snapped, but his heart wasn’t in it. He didn’t remember what his body had looked like before becoming a Warframe, and he sure as hell didn’t remember what he looked like before his first “transformation.” But something about these large, heavy jugs on his chest felt familiar.

He didn’t realize he was whimpering until Umbra leaned in, pressing his forehead to Nidus’s. “It will be okay.” He whispered. “...Maybe Trinity can help. She could get rid of them.”

“Not while I’m pregnant.” He whimpered. “No self respecting doctor would do a surgery on me unless absolutely necessary.”

“Self-respect is hard to come by.”

“And Trinity is one of the few that has it.” He leaned his head back, the weight of his pecs…his breasts pulling on his clavicle.

Umbra sat beside him, unsure of where to touch him. “...This isn't abnormal, Nidus. There's nothing wrong here. Breast development is normal..."

“I know…” Nidus sniffled. “...Who we used to be may not matter, but it does follow us nonetheless.” He reached up, delicately teasing one of the swollen glands. As soon as he gave it a gentle squeeze, a bit of milk dribbled from his nipple (now prominent and engorged) and ran down his side. “...I used to have these long ago, and I got rid of them.”

“When the baby’s born, you will be free of them again.” Umbra assured him.

“When the baby is born, this is what she’ll eat.” He had no idea if his baby would even have to consume these nutrients, but his body had decided to be prepared. Good on it, he supposed. Saved them from having to hunt down someone who sold baby formula, at the expense of Nidus feeling like a fucking cow. 

“If you didn’t breastfeed, they would go down I’m sure.”

“Yes. But then I’d have to explain to Darvo why we suddenly need baby formula, and I’d rather flood the ship than talk to him.”

Umbra scooted closer, one hand resting on Nidus’s belly like usual. “I can talk to him instead if it means your comfort.”

“No…” Truth be told…the itchy feeling he used to have when staring at his breasts was gone. Already those memories had been so faint, and any dysphoria this would have brought on was overshadowed by something…warmer. Maternal instinct? He didn’t like that word. Love. That was better. This was pain he was going through so his baby could eat, so she could be healthy. “No, I think this will do.” He hissed as a slight movement made his chest ache. “I think I’m a bit overfilled though…”

“I think you can spare a bit, the baby won’t mind.” Umbra slid in behind Nidus, adjusting them both so Nidus was laying on his chest. Flat and warm as a tree, Nidus practically purred, especially when Umbra reached up and began squeezing him gently. “Is there a container you want these emptied into? It might do us well to save the milk.”

Nidus would have said no, but figured even if they didn’t end up giving it to the baby, Dror might want it, or they could poke around its molecules to see what exactly he was filled with. “Good point. Just a plastic tray for now, we don’t need all of it in neat little bottles.”

Umbra obliged him, leaving him only to get a tupperware container big enough and put it down in front of them. Nidus repositioned as well, as much as he could, moving his legs so he could lean forward a bit more. Over the swollen dome of his belly, it really didn’t make much difference, and he still could barely see over it to check if the container was there, but Umbra sat behind him, sliding two hands onto the sides of his belly.

“Relax.” That soothing voice purred in Nidus’s ear, rubbing his taut sides and making him shiver. “I am here to take care of you.” Slowly, he moved his hands up, running his thumb over Nidus’s nipple. Nidus bucked, immediately overstimulated, that one movement bringing him halfway to orgasm. Umbra moved one hand onto his belly, rubbing it to calm him and the baby. “I’ll do one at a time.” He said. “I think both at once is too much.”

“Good call…” Nidus was still breathless, and could only lean against Umbra’s chest, his head in the crook of his neck.

Umbra started from the base, running his thumb gently down Nidus’s swell and stopping slightly before he reached the nipple. A dribble of milk emerged, which Umbra caught in the tupperware that he held up. “Still okay?”

“Still grand.” Nidus relaxed, one hand holding the bedsheets and one hand massaging his groaning belly, still demanding attention from him even in the midst of this.

Umbra went again, this time taking his whole hand around the breast and squeezing it gently. He really had been ripe to burst, because milk flowed from Nidus like a geyser; no longer a dribble but a full on gush. He groaned as it released, both from the easing pressure and the stimulation of being squeezed in such an erogenous zone.

“You’re doing so well.” Umbra whispered. “All this milk for our baby. You provide for her as a father should.” He squeezed again, and another gush of milk flowed from Nidus’s nipple. Both his hands went to his stomach now, creaking from the sudden movement and stimulation.

He squeezed, and this time only a dribble came out again, but Nidus still felt the heaviness of milk sloshing around. He whimpered “Umbra…”

“One moment…” Umbra said, taking his hand along the side and massaging where he felt a lump. “Blocked milk ducts. They’re not uncommon; with a bit of finagling…”

Nidus groaned in pain as Umbra hit the tight spot, where the blockage surely lay. He could feel more milk back there, just waiting for the path to open, and it was getting impatient. Fair enough, so was he. “Umbra…” He whined again.

“Just a bit more…” Umbra pressed his thumb into the blockage and pushed out toward the nipple.

It was like a dam had broken, that movement caused a flood. Milk shot from his nipple, almost overshooting the container and definitely filling it to the point that the milk sloshed over the sides. Nidus gasped and moaned at the sudden release, his body trembling in something akin to an orgasm but he couldn’t be sure. “F-Fuck…” He whimpered as he came down from it, trembling, but definitely feeling lighter.

Umbra carefully extricated himself out from under Nidus and moved the container onto the bedside table. Nidus turned his head to look at the liquid he’d just expelled, and at first glance, it looked like normal milk. When he looked closer, though, he saw some inanimate black flecks floating in the white liquid, which actually had a reddish pink tinge to it. Definitely tainted by infestation, but that was unsurprising.

“I can empty this into a bag and put it in the freezer.” Umbra said, nuzzling up to Nidus. “You did so well.”

“You did all the work.” Nidus chuckled. “You and your magic hands.”

“You give these magic hands something to do~” Umbra leaned in close, bonking their foreheads together and putting his hands on either side of Nidus’s belly. “You and the little one wait here. I’ll be back shortly to milk the other one. And probably bring you a fresh blanket.”

Ah. Yes, he’d forgotten, he was still sitting in the spill from this morning. “When all is said and done I’ll need a bath.”

“A milk bath maybe?”

“Shut up.”

…

In their tiny kitchenette, Umbra rummaged around the unorganized cabinets until he found something resembling a sterile bag. Nidus wasn’t kidding when he had warned Umbra the place was a mess. Even Trinity was guilty of setting things down without a care to the placement, or if she’d be able to find it in the future. At the very least he’d been able to tidy up a bit, usually when Nidus was asleep and Trinity was distracted by her own research.

Speak of the devil and she should appear: Umbra heard soft footsteps and Trinity’s voice behind him. “What is that?”

Umbra debated whether he should tell her, but when she asked again more insistently, he relented. “Breast milk.”

“From Nidus?”

“Yes, unless you have another pregnant person on the ship.”

She let out an indignant little squeak and looked over his shoulder. “...Infested breast milk.”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Umbra sealed the bag and gently laid it in the freezer. “That should keep frozen for about 6 months.”

“You sound like you’ve done this before.”

“I have.” Umbra said nothing more, not intending to pour his heart out here.

“How is he doing?" She asked, leaning against the sink and trying not to knock over the conglomeration of dishes stacked on top of it.

“He’s aching and bloated and nauseous…” Umbra chuckled. “...And he’s beautiful, Trinity. He’s so strong, he’s carrying so well. And the baby, she’s so active in there, sometimes I think she’s going to kick her way right out!”

Trinity chuckled. “Seems healthy?”

“Very healthy. We may be seeing you for another ultrasound, soon.”

“I would like to see him before the birth, but do what you can.” She turned to leave, but stopped as if she suddenly remembered something. “Oh. Did you tell Mag and Volt you were staying with us?”

Umbra’s silence answered that question. “...They are here?”

“They’re here and Mag is trying to break open the door.”

Umbra took a deep, calming breath, hoping Nidus could hang on just a bit longer.

…

Mag had almost cut through the ship’s armor by the time Umbra let them inside. Volt had already disabled the shields and the gunfire against the walls was creating a slight tremor. When he pulled them from space, their Achwings returning from whence they came, both Mag and Volt tripped over each other to have a go at him.

“Are you injured?!” Were the first words out of Mag’s mouth. “If he did anything to you-”

“Where is he?!” Volt had his fists up like he was looking to punch the first thing that moved. “I’ll show that Infested hack not to mess with us!”

“Children.” Umbra held up his hands. “Hush. I’m fine. No, Nidus has not hurt me in any way. He would never.”

“I think he would. He’d never miss a chance to drag one of us away for his weird experiments.” Volt snapped. “He’d even experiment on himself!”

“Yes! You didn’t notice the infestation he was growing?!”

Umbra paused. “...Pardon?”

“The…” Volt made a scooping motion around his stomach. “Where he’s growing a new strain.”

“...No.” Umbra massaged his temples. “That’s…that’s not…that’s not what that is.”

“How else do you explain it?” Mag put her hands on her hips. “He’s heartbroken after Harrow disappeared again so he’s creating a new strain to destroy all Warframes. And he kidnapped you to fill you with his infested seed and send you-”

“Mag.” Umbra snapped, irritated. “Do not speak of him that way in my presence.”

“Do you have a better explanation?!”

“I think you two have very overactive imaginations. And yes I do. He’s pregnant.”

“Men don’t get pregnant.” Volt scoffed.

“You have a lot to learn about the world.” Umbra looked around, hoping the raised voices weren’t carrying down to the bedroom. “I’m here because the baby is mine.”

Now it was Mag’s turn to scoff. “No.”

“Yes.” Umbra was seriously losing his patience with his comrades. “Nidus is pregnant. The child is mine. I am here to step up and care for him and our child.”

The two were finally silent, processing what Umbra had told them. “How?” Volt was the first to ask.

“Nidus has a womb.” Umbra said, refusing to elaborate further.

“You’re sure it’s yours… ?” Mag asked.

“Yes.” He did not elaborate further.

“You’re sure he’s pregnant ?” Vol asked. “Not just…Infested?”

“I’m sure.” Umbra softened slightly. “I am sorry. I should have better explained why I was leaving…truthfully, it was all very sudden and it has been busy around here, getting everything ready for the baby’s arrival. But I’m fine. And I thank you both, for worrying about me.”

Silence followed the two of them and Volt leaned against the wall. Umbra saw him trying to peek down the hallway. “...Will you ever come back…?”

“I won’t drop off the face of the system. I’m not Harrow.” That got a laugh from both of them. “...I will visit as much as I can. It may not be as often as I like in the first few months. Our baby will need our undivided attention.”

“Can we come visit you?” Mag asked. “We’ll announce ourselves this time.”

Umbra considered it. It might be helpful to get their help around the ship, Void knew it needed a few extra pairs of hands, and he hadn’t even started on the nursery…

“I’ll consult Nidus. He’s been…uncomfortable, he might want privacy.”

The both of them clearly didn’t like that answer, but they also didn’t argue. “Just don’t forget about us.” Volt said.

“I could never.” He opened his arms. “My brother and sister, this is not goodbye. It is hello, to a new member of our family.”

They both came in and hugged him, Volt squeezing him tight and Mag burying her face in his neck

…

“Heard we had a commotion.” Nidus said as Umbra finally returned, clean tupperware and blanket in hand.

“Old friends.” He mumbled. “Wanted to make sure I was okay.”

“That I hadn’t taken your body to use as a vessel to gestate a new strain?” Nidus chuckled. “I heard. The imagination of children, hm?”

“Oh, indeed.” Umbra slid behind Nidus again and took the still-full breast in his hand, noticing that the nipple was weeping and the breast was soft. “Been getting it ready for me?”

“Not like I had much else to do.” Nidus couldn’t reach between his legs, so he had to settle for where he could.

Umbra chuckled, rolling the nipple between his fingers and making Nidus squirm. “I’ll finish the journey for you~” He took his thumb and pressed up under the flesh, and Nidus shuddered at the outpouring of milk. “Good…”

“You’ll be the death of me…” Nidus groaned as he pressed his forehead close to Umbra’s.

“Oh, not on my watch.” Umbra said, squeezing Nidus and nuzzling him. “No death, only pleasure.”

Nidus was rolling his hips in need as Umbra kept squeezing, milking him, draining him and catching the excess to be saved for later. “When you’re done, I need you to fuck me till I see stars.”

“I will fuck you until the Void turns upside down in your eyes.” Umbra promised, giving a final squeeze and draining the last few drops from Nidus’s chest. He seemed to be earnest, for Nidus could feel the bulge under his codpiece growing. “Void, Nidus, you’ll drive me insane like this…”

“Drive you insane and steal you away~” Nidus chuckled, summoning what little strength he had and heaving his swollen body around to face Umbra, straddling him as best he could with his full uterus in the way.

Laughing, Umbra adjusted the pillows so he was laying flat, and so Nidus’s belly was no longer pressing into him at an angle. Now it laid against his own stomach, jutting out to press just underneath his breastbone, and he could feel the soft layer of pillowy fat and the shifting movements underneath Nidus’s stretched skin. It was driving Umbra mad, and he grabbed at Nidus’s swollen hips. “My love.” He growled uncharacteristically. “Remove your armor for me, or I fear I shall rip it off of you.”

Nidus obliged, removing both his codpiece and Umbra’s scarf, to keep it from getting dirty. He was sitting on top of Umbra’s penis, letting it drag along his folds but not penetrate him just yet. Truthfully only part of that was because the motion of Umbra’s cock along his clit felt so good. The other part was because Nidus couldn’t see over his belly to know where to lower himself.

Umbra helped, finally reaching his breaking point. He lifted Nidus enough to make room for himself to straighten out, and then thrust upward, pushing deep into Nidus’s wet folds. His lover groaned, leaning forward but found his gut blocking that attempt, so he rested his hands on either side of his belly in an attempt to stabilize himself.

Nidus bounced as Umbra thrust, throwing almost all caution to the wind and spearing up until he hit Nidus’s cervix. He was watching, listening for signs of pain or discomfort, but Nidus was loving every moment, moaning and begging for more, his knees up as far as he could get them and his thighs trembling as he drew closer and closer to orgasm.

Then without warning, Umbra pulled out and scurried out from under Nidus. “It’s alright.” He said breathlessly. “I want you to lean forward. Ass up.” He was a bit more forceful in his commands, his voice stern and trembling.

Nidus obeyed, leaning forward as much as his swollen belly would allow. He put his hands on the headboard to assist with positioning and wiggled his hips so he could spread his legs. Despite being freshly milked, Nidus could see two faint dribbles of white liquid dribbling out of his nipple and down his belly. Said nipples were hard and red, eager to be touched again, and like he knew, Umbra took his position behind Nidus and reached around, cupping his breasts.

“Remember the safe word still…?”

“I always will.” Nidus groaned. “Now fuck me.”

Umbra did, taking Nidus by the hips and thrusting into him with fury and reckless abandon. His hands slid forward, cupping the massive swell of Nidus’s pregnant belly, kneading its soft layer of fat with his fingers, pressing down into it to feel the stretched, bloated, overwhelmed womb inside. He fingered Nidus’s navel, now a permanent sharp outie and as sensitive as the rest of his taut, swollen belly, and traced down his stretch marks, blooming lines of pink in nearly black synthetic flesh.

Nidus was in another plane of existence, the juxtaposition of Umbra’s soft touch on his belly and breasts and his nearly violent thrusts too much for the man to take. He had stopped caring about how loud he was, screaming Umbra’s name like a vow and begging him for impossibilities only his lover could give him.

Umbra’s hands roamed, playing with Nidus’s clitoris, moving back up to squeeze his bloated womb, pull at his stretch marks, manhandle his leaking breasts, and finally Umbra leaned forward and pressed his face into Nidus’s shoulder, his hands holding tight to Nidus’s belly as he gave a few final, hard thrusts. “Should I pull-?”

“Don’t you dare!”

Nidus’s blessing came just in time, as Umbra released, groaning as he filled Nidus’s already swollen, sensitive body with his seed. Nidus came just after that, his fingernails digging into the wood of the headboard hard enough to leave a single crack.

Umbra pulled out slowly, careful to catch any mess or leakage. He knew there was no way of it hurting the child, who was secure and unaware in Nidus’s womb, protected by a cervix sealed tight to the world. Still, he was ever so careful, and for a moment worried about how extreme he had been when making love to his partner. Nidus was still in a delicate state, after all. “Are you feeling alright?”

Nidus was leaning on his elbows, unable to turn himself over. His belly was pressing against his thighs and down against the mattress, and he reached a hand down to rub it and soothe the now aching skin. “I will never get tired of this.” He chuckled. “...Help me lie down, will you?”

Umbra complied, helping Nidus under the blankets and onto his side, bringing back the pillows so Nidus could put some support under his belly. He soon joined him, laying on his side and facing Nidus, who still looked like he was drowning in euphoria. The scientist reached out and pressed a hand to Umbra’s cheek, a sentimental gesture that was not always so natural for him.

“By the Void.” Nidus whispered. “I love your magic hands almost as much as I love you.”

Umbra chuckled, running his hand over Nidus’s fat stomach and hips, down to the soft flesh of his thighs. “As I said, Nidus. You give these hands something wonderful to hold.”

Chapter Text

The next three months Nidus spent sleeping and growing. And every day he was flabbergasted by what his body could accomplish.

He was officially 51 weeks and 4 days pregnant, and his belly was too massive for him to get his hands fully around. Standing was out of the question, and more often than not Umbra had to carry him if he wanted to leave the bed even to take a bath or brush his teeth. 

Umbra had basically made taking care of Nidus his full time job, and Nidus felt ever so guilty whenever his lover would return with some tea or a clean blanket or a different book or some weird snack Nidus suddenly had a craving for. And he was a dutiful partner, waiting on Nidus’s every want moments after Nidus could vocalize it. Nidus just wished he could repay him.

He didn’t like being confined to his bed: on top of running out of research journals to read and feeling guilty that Umbra was having to care for him, Nidus wanted to nest. He knew Umbra was setting up a nursery with the help of his old shipmates, and while they consulted him on everything, he wanted to be there. Be in the nursery, in the space his baby would be sleeping. And it frustrated him that he could only sit there and gestate and sweat and leak while everyone else put everything together for the baby. 

Nidus set down the datapad again, thoroughly bored of reading about potential helium concentrations in the core of an asteroid, and was blessed by Umbra finally joining him. He smelled like freshly cut wood. “How goes it?” Nidus asked.

“The crib is nearly done.” Umbra sat beside him. “I’ve contemplated painting it but I may simply varnish it, the Eurasian wood is truly beautiful and I don’t want to paint over the texture. Volt has all of the wiring baby-proofed and Mag made the most adorable mobile to hang above the crib.” He reached out and cupped Nidus’s belly with both hands. “How do you feel?”

“I feel fat.” Nidus said as Umbra ran his hands over the massive bloat. “I feel useless.”

“I can assure you, Nidus, you are far from useless.” Umbra lifted his head and crawled into bed beside his partner. “You are the center of all of this, the baby is growing inside you.”

“I feel like I should be doing more.” Nidus whimpered. “I should be helping you. Maybe getting some of the infestation planted in her room so she has a familiar environment or…or getting vaccinations ready for the different strains-”

“Nidus.” Umbra flipped on top of him and held him down gently. “You are doing the most work out of all of us. You’re growing a person. You are creating life.” He once again laid his hand on Nidus’s groaning belly. “Life from nothing.”

“Well it’s technically not nothing, of course matter has to come from somewhere and the sperm connecting with the ovum-” He broke off at Umbra’s glare.

“It is a miracle…” Umbra’s voice waved when he spoke, and he pressed close to Nidus, his hand still between them on the latter’s belly. “This, what you are doing with your body, is nothing short of magic. So let your body work its magic, Nidus. I don’t mind taking care of the nursery. You need to rest.” He pulled back, rubbing along the side of Nidus’s growling stomach. “It will be any day now, won’t it? I dearly hope you won’t be pregnant forever.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” He’d cut himself open with a sword if he had to. No way was he going past 52 weeks; the thought of being stuck in bed under the weight of his swollen womb eternally made him want to scream. He might not have had to worry, though; all day he’d been feeling a strange tightness in his uterus, like it was flexing its muscles. False contractions? Maybe. But his body was preparing for the real thing. Preparing him to give birth. He assumed that was a good sign. “…That isn’t all I want to be good for, and yet I’m incapable of doing anything but lying here while you soothe my aching belly and milk me like a heifer.”

“All things I do by choice.” Umbra said as Nidus’s womb made an angry groan, creaking with the effort of keeping everything in one piece. “Nidus, I enjoy this. I do, it’s…it’s not work to me.”

“But it is. And I should…” Nidus broke off. “…I should be doing something to thank you. For taking this on. You didn’t have to, but you stepped into the role of her father.”

“Oh Nidus…” Umbra settled in bed beside him, moving the datapad aside and wrapping his arm around Nidus, gently rubbing his lower belly with one finger. “...There is…something I must tell you. About my son, that will make all this make sense.”

“Your son? Isaah?” Nidus said curiously. He hadn’t thought there was much left to tell.

“I was a young father, like I said, and…sometimes I put my career first. As a soldier. I wanted to be someone Isaah would be proud of.” He ran his hand in a circle. “And I was so proud in turn when he joined the Dax with me.”

“But there was a long time between then and now…”

“Indeed. I was…honorable to a fault. Upheld code I shouldn’t have, stuck my nose in where I should have left things alone. And I fell into the clutches of the Executor.”

Nidus thought back to Ballas’ presentations, the first line of Warframes, how proud he was, and Umbra at the forefront of them all, standing limp as a corpse. Nidus had been in the very front, smitten by the grey and gold of this new war machine, taken by the slow breaths he took, his body as still as a corpse. “...You used to be one of our own.”

“Ballas had plans that were immoral. Inconceivable. And I was naive enough to believe I could stop him. I…I don’t remember it well. I only remember waking up to the Infestation, burning my flesh and turning my bones to soup.”

“Ballas would not have known, but unwilling subjects were always…” He wanted to say more difficult, but that felt insensitive. “They suffered. Unnecessarily.” Nidus’s transformation had been far from a Sunday stroll, but he’d known what he was in for. It made it easier.

“And still I would not obey them.” Umbra’s voice trembled. “I still had my will, a bit of it. Just a bit. They wanted to break me…” His fingers pressed gently into Nidus’s belly. “So they took my Isaah. He died by my own blade, in my own hands, by Ballas’ words…”

Nidus wrapped his arms around Umbra, drawing him in close and holding him. “I…” There was so much he could say and none of it felt right. “I’m sorry…” He finally settled on that. It was partially his fault, after all. He had created the Helminth virus. He had gotten the ball rolling.

“No, don’t be. If I hadn’t forgiven you by now, I wouldn’t be here.” Umbra sniffled. “It took years to come to terms with…and it never stopped hurting, even now.” He cupped Nidus’s belly softly, his palm the recipient of a curious nudge from the baby inside. “But with this…this is what I mean, this magic. You have taken this broken, ugly thing I am…and made me a father again. And in a thousand years I could never thank you enough.”

“I am blessed to have you.” Nidus pulled him closer. “We are blessed to have you.” He settled onto Umbra’s chest, dozing lightly as Umbra massaged his belly. The overpacked womb was still making funny noises, creaking and groaning and every so often a well placed kick would trigger a painful gurgle. But even through the tight skin and aching organs, Nidus felt such peace. “You know. I had a dream last night.” He said softly, leaning his head in Umbra’s neck.

“Oh?”

“I was on top of a great mountain, so tall the world dropped away, except for me and the mountain and the tree blooming above me, like the one in the dojo where we used to meet.” He sighed as Umbra ran his finger over a particularly tight spot. “I was lying under the tree, and when I looked you had joined me on the mountain, playing Smiles from Juran on your shawzin.”

“You have been hearing it a lot. I’m not surprised it appeared in your dream.”

“I love the song. It always reminds me of you.” Nidus continued. “You stopped playing and lifted me into your arms and I embraced you, and I…I’d never felt so warm or so safe.” He pressed his forehead to Umbra’s. “You adjusted yourself between my legs and we made love under the tree…”

“It already sounds like a wondrous dream.” Umbra chortled. “Was there any more?”

“Oh yes.” Nidus adjusted so he was sitting up more. “I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again and looked down, I was pregnant. My womb was cramping, I was giving birth, and you were in front of me, hands on my belly and urging me to push. It should have hurt but when you touched me, I felt no pain.”

Umbra suddenly grew quiet and pressed his face closer to Nidus’s. “...I’m glad…”

“The flowers from the tree were falling around us.” Nidus continued. “I gave a final push and you held up a child, and her face was of blooming flowers.”

Umbra pulled away from Nidus just enough to press his face to his belly, his cheek against the hot and swollen skin. “It’s a sign.” He said. 

“A sign of what?”

“To trust me. To trust that I am here of my own accord. To trust I will always be here, my love. I will stand by you through this and anything else we might face together. I would be your midwife too if you asked me.” He paused, his hands still as he felt Nidus’s womb go stiff and hard, the beginnings of a contraction sweeping through his belly. “…We’re going to meet her soon.”

“I hope we do.” Nidus leaned his head back. “I’m ready, Umbra.”

“I’m ready, too.”

…

Breathe…

Breathe…!

“Nidus, breathe!”

Nidus released the breath he was holding in a loud groan, his whole body shivering as he did. Umbra held him upright, the only thing preventing Nidus from collapsing on his trembling legs, which were barely functioning after an entire night and day in labor.

“You’re doing so well.” Umbra whispered, his hand rubbing over the small of Nidus’s lower back. “Breathe for me, Nidus, I’m here.”

Nidus was trying, but every time a contraction tore through his womb, his body would tense up and he’d hold his breath on instinct. He had a brief moment of respite before another one rocked him, and he let out a loud groan and instinctively dropped into a squat.

Umbra got down on his knees and held him, rocking Nidus side to side through the peak of the contraction. “You’re so close.” He assured him. “We’re so close to meeting our baby. Just keep breathing, Nidus.”

“I’m trying…!” Nidus sobbed as the contraction finally let up. He had changed his mind by now: maybe being pregnant forever wasn’t so bad. Compared to this, he’d been coasting along on cloud nine. By the Void, he’d have gone through his mutation again before subjecting himself to this hell. His legs trembled as another contraction began to build. “Umbra, I can’t do this…”

“You can.” Umbra pressed his forehead to Nidus’s cheek. “You can, my love. I’m here, I have you.” He looked up briefly to make eye contact with Trinity. “Can he start pushing yet?”

“Still only nine centimeters.” Trinity mumbled, tapping on one of the datapad while Dror looked over her shoulder expectantly, agitated by the immense pain its Master was in. “Don’t push yet, Nidus, I don’t want you tearing your cervix.”

Nidus really didn’t give a shit about his cervix at this point, and frankly he thought it deserved a little tearing if it was going to be so difficult. He lowered himself onto his knees, his legs spread, and held tight to Umbra’s hand like it was his lifeline. “If you need to cut her out of me, do it.” He mumbled weakly. “I don’t…don’t think I can last much longer.”

“You are so close.” Umbra hushed him, moving his hands to rest on Nidus’s belly. “Just a little bit more.”

Nidus leaned back into him, his breathing hard and ragged as he finally got a moment of peace, his body between contractions at the moment. “Trinity…” He whined. “Please do something…”

“I’m trying.” She snapped, then sighed as Dror gave her a glowering look with its non-existent eyes. “Here, let me check your dilation again.”

Umbra repositioned himself so Nidus could lay down, his legs spread enough to give Trinity room. He winced as her fingers penetrated his vulva and slid up way too fucking far, and then stayed there way too fucking long.

“Good news.” She chirped. “You’re ten centimeters dilated, and I can feel the top of the baby’s head.” She withdrew her fingers and wiped them down with disinfectant. “And that means it’s time.”

“Do you want to stay like this?” Umbra asked, holding Nidus up in a sitting position.

Nidus shook his head. “Get me…get me in the chair…” He groaned, the pressure beginning to mount once again. Umbra and Trinity complied, easing Nidus into the Helminth chair, and Dror wrapped its tendrils around his thighs, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

Nidus let out a quick cry of pain at the height of the contraction, squeezing Umbra’s hand as all his muscles seized. He felt something gush between his legs, and the ground below the chair was suddenly soaking wet with pink fluid.

“That was your water breaking.” Trinity said, getting between Nidus’s legs. “Dror, hold his legs up a bit more for me. As much as is comfortable.”

Nidus helped, pulling his legs back as far as his bloated stomach would allow, so it looked like he was squatting midair. Dror held tight to his thighs, giving him something to push his legs against when the next contraction hit. Umbra stood slightly behind his shoulder and took both of his hands, squeezing them.

“Take deep breaths, and then at the peak of the contraction I want you to push.” Trinity said. “Not too hard yet, you need to save your strength.”

Nidus barely heard her, he was focused on the pressure mounting in his belly, and the slight sting as the baby began to move down through his vagina, stretching him out. He squeezed Umbra’s hand and gave in to his urge to push, bearing down with all his muscles. Void did it fucking hurt, and Nidus stopped pushing and just hung there, dizzy with the pain that was suddenly assaulting him.

“I’m here, love.” Umbra eased one of his hands onto Nidus’s belly. “I’m here. You can do this. You can do this…”

“You’re doing great, Nidus.” Trinity said. “Keep breathing and push when you’re ready.”

Nidus pressed his face into Umbra’s neck and bore down, groaning as the baby squeezed through his battered cervix. He could feel it getting closer to the exit, could feel it pressing on his pelvis, and he wanted to push hard enough to get it out in one fell swoop, but he stopped after only a few seconds, still clutching tight to Umbra’s hand. “It hurts…”

“I know…” Umbra pressed his face close to Nidus, and Dror squeezed his legs, trying to comfort him.

“It’s starting to crown!” Trinity cried excitedly. “You’re doing great, Nidus, you’re almost there!”

Nidus could only slightly grunt, focusing all his energy into not passing out. Another contraction swept over him, and he moaned as he put everything he had into pushing, his legs shaking with the effort. He felt something pop, and there was another gush of fluid from his nether regions.

“That’s the head!” Trinity cried. “Shoulders are next, this’ll be tough but you’re so close, Nidus!”

Nidus didn’t respond, he just leaned back against Umbra as the next labor pain wracked him. He could feel his womb still desperately contracting, squeezing the baby out of him with all its might, and he bore down and pushed when the pain got to be too much. He felt one shoulder slip out of him, the other still stuck, and he sobbed in sheer frustration.

“I love you.” Umbra whispered, squeezing his hand. “I love you, Nidus, I love you, and I can’t wait to meet our baby.”

Reinvigorated by his partner’s words, Nidus let out a groan that turned into a roar, and he pushed with everything he had. His uterus gave a great heave; he felt a rush of movement and a jolt of pain mixed with euphoria. The second shoulder popped free, and after a few long, agonizing moments, the baby’s body followed suit, sliding into Trinity’s waiting hands.

The baby was silent for a moment, until Trinity turned her over and patted her on the chest, at which point she let out an Infested screech and began to flail, searching for the sanctuary of the womb she’d just been violently expelled from.

“Here she is.” Trinity said softly, standing up and leaning in close enough to lay the baby on Nidus’s chest. “Here she is…”

Nidus held the baby like she was made of glass, clutching her tightly and gently to his chest. Her screeches had calmed into a rattling coo the moment she was reunited with the being that brought her into this world. Nidus himself could not speak, his body still trembling and all his senses numbed from the endorphins that had suddenly flooded his system. Everything was a blur of sounds and shapes, but the feeling of his newborn child against his racing heart pierced through the veil and brought him back to reality.

Umbra laid his hand on the baby’s back, pressing his face into Nidus’s cheek. “You did it.” He whispered. “Look at her. That’s out baby…”

“Our baby…” Nidus let out a quiet sob as his daughter kept nuzzling into his neck. “Oh Void she’s…Umbra, she’s perfect. She’s more perfect than I could ever have dreamed.” He adjusted her so she was laying cradled in his arms, staring up at her parents, and Nidus swore she looked so much like Umbra…

Briefly, another contraction gripped his womb, and for a horrifying moment Nidus wondered if he’d been carrying twins. But it was over as soon as it began, a black, writhing mass sliding into Trinity’s waiting hands. “...I’m going to assume that’s…” She grimaced, holding it away from her. “That’s the placenta.”

“Is it…alive?” Umbra looked at it like he was examining a Kubrow for signs of rabies. 

“Not really. Not like how your baby is alive.” Trinity dropped the black mass on the table, and while it heaved and shuddered, it didn’t try to crawl away. “The placenta is there to transfer nutrients between the parent and the child in the womb. I’ve…never seen one that moved, but if I had to guess…that’s just the Infestation at work. It’s not a living being.”

“What will be done with it?” Umbra asked. “There is no place to bury it. And no use, if like you said, it has no soul to speak of.”

Trinity looked around, then raised a metaphorical brow. “Dror, do you want this? It’s pretty much biowaste.”

Dror purred. “Only if Master says yes. If Master says yes, then I shall consume the placental mass.”

Nidus chuckled. “You can, Dror. It’s not like I’m using it.” He watched the tendrils coil around the black mass and disappear behind the chair, followed by the sounds of Dror’s scarfing.

Trinity stood, wiping her hands down again. “I don’t see any major tears or bleeding. When you’re ready we can get you back in bed and you can cuddle with your new baby.”

“I can take him there.” Umbra said, gently scooping Nidus into his arms. The movement, though gentle, jostled Nidus enough that it sent pains shooting down his back and legs, but only for a moment. 

He pressed his face into Umbra’s chest and let his lover carry him to their room, laying him down in the velvety sheets of their bed.

…

Nidus had been a little worried that his daughter would have trouble latching, as at first glance she didn’t even appear to have a mouth. But as he settled in bed and held her against his breast, latch she surely did, and soon she was suckling happily. Her little feelers wriggled while she nursed gently attaching and detaching from her father’s chest, examining her surroundings in the only way she could, her eyes having not fully developed yet.

Nidus held her tiny head up as she nursed. Watching her was the only thing keeping him from drifting off into sleep, for he was beyond exhausted. The euphoria of birth had long since faded and his uterus was cramping angrily as it began the arduous process of shrinking back down to size. She was a big baby, Trinity had weighed her in at 10 pounds even, so it was no wonder Nidus’s womb fucking hated him right now. It had been stretched and strained and twisted far beyond what should have even been possible and while it had held its own, now that the baby was out safe and sound, his uterus was making it very clear it was done with his shit. The baby factory was closed, at least until his bloated organ shrank back down to size.

Umbra sat beside him, one hand wrapped around Nidus’s shoulders, and the other stroking over the baby’s head. He was absolutely infatuated, his eyes glued to her since she had first emerged, only tearing himself away when Nidus needed water or another blanket or a fresh pad. Nidus hadn’t used pads in quite literally a century, but lo and behold he had some, laying around from days so far passed they might as well have been another life. He’d forgotten what it was like to menstruate, and now he was experiencing the worst period his body could possibly manifest. (It was beyond horrifying, but Trinity had assured him that unless the blood clots he was shedding were bigger than a tomato, he was fine.)

“Do you need anything?” Umbra asked. “More water?”

“Just your warmth.” Nidus was in so much pain, but Umbra’s warm body beside him eased that significantly. Or at least made it easier to deal with. “...You were right.”

“I was? About what?”

“It was worth it.” Nidus laid his head back. “All of that. All the pain, my broken heart, being confined to the bed, the discomfort and aching and sweating and bloating, the sore stomach and sore breasts, the hormones and wildfire of rabid emotions…” He paused when the baby detached herself from him, her pink, toothless mouth opening in a yawn. “...all of it was worth this moment.”

“She’s perfect.”

“More than perfect. She’s everything, the universe given form.” Nidus held her closer, pressing the baby into the crook of his neck gently. “I had no idea love could go so deep.”

“You see now.” Umbra pressed his head to Nidus’s cheek. “I remember this feeling so well. I never thought I would feel this happiness again, this love. I only just met her, Nidus, and I would die a thousand times for her.”

Nidus allowed himself to cry, just this once, just this happy occasion. His newborn daughter was already a spunky little thing, grabbing curiously at his own mandibles and feelers that mimicked hers. She was darker than him, where he was white her skin was grey, but the strands of infested flesh that poked through around her wrists and collarbone was pink, like the petals of a flower. Two slivers lined her cheekbones, just under golden eyes that stared expectantly into his soul, and curled up and out to resemble tiny branches.

“...She still needs a name.” Umbra commented.

Nidus groaned and leaned back against the headboard. “Flower Face…?” He mumbled. “I am not thinking clearly enough to name her right now.”

“...I think you just did.”

“Umbra, please, we cannot call her ‘Flower Face’.”

Umbra laughed, loud enough to make the baby startle, and as he calmed her he corrected himself. “No, Nidus. We name her Blodeuwedd. ‘Face of Flowers’. You said in your dream-”

“When you pulled her from my womb, her face was of flowers.” Nidus echoed the sentiment. “Where did you ever hear that name?”

“Old stories. Legends from Earth. From before.” He paused in his speech as Nidus passed the baby–Blodeuwedd–into Umbra’s arms. With him holding her, Nidus could definitely see the resemblance between the two and in fact, Blodeuwedd seemed to have the beginnings of a horn growing on her forehead, a horn that Umbra ran his finger over gently. “She’s so soft…”

“Her skin hasn’t hardened.” Nidus said. “It likely won’t until she’s far older. Give her room to grow.” He hoped so, at least. After all this he didn’t want to think that he’d condemned his child to a life of pain and genetic deformity. As far as he knew he was the first Warframe to ever give birth, this was completely unknown territory for him.

“She’ll grow strong and brave and beautiful.” Umbra leaned over and pressed his cheek to Nidus’s. “Just like her father.”

“...me?”

“Yes you. Her beautiful father.”

“Well. One of her fathers.” Nidus chuckled through a joyful sob, happy to be acknowledged. “One of whom just happened to have been…blessed with a womb.”

“And from the womb of Infestation…” Umbra said, easing Blodeuwedd back into Nidus’s arms “...there blooms the flower.”

Chapter Text

“What does it mean, Trinity?” Nidus asked as the scanner quitely beeped. “Say it.”

“It means you need to go on birth control.” Trinity chided.

“I think it’s a little late for that.” He craned his neck to look at the datapad, upon which was displayed an image of the inside of his womb. A faint blob could be seen among the static, faint but familiar in its shape.

Trinity rolled her eyes, but there was no malice in it. “We caught it early this time. Looks like you’re about 17 weeks along, give or take a few.” She paused. “It’s not too late if you want to terminate.”

“No.” He was calm, but adamant. “Two blessings in one lifetime? I’d be a fool to pass that up.”

“Just giving you the option.” Trinity wiped the gel away and helped Nidus get out of the chair. “So what now?”

“Second verse, same as the first.” Nidus held a hand over his belly, no longer consumed with the anxiety he had during his first pregnancy. “We know what to expect. And Umbra…”

“You have Umbra here.” Trinity giggled. “Try and get his reaction on camera, will you? He’s going to flip. In a good way.”

“I sincerely hope so.” There was no need to hope, he was fairly confident Umbra would be happy, but the excitement brought on nerves all the same. “We weren’t exactly trying.”

“Umbra loves being a father.” She handed him the datapad. “Here. Show him the ultrasound pictures. It’ll make it real for him.”

“You’re trusting me with your datapad? This is a momentous occasion indeed.”

“Do not break it.” Trinity playfully warned him. “Remember who’s doing your prenatal care.”

“And I am forever grateful.”

…

Five years. It didn’t feel like five years.

Just yesterday Blodeuwedd was a newborn, barely able to hold her own head up, barely able to see more than fuzzy colors and shapes, and completely dependent on her fathers for her survival. Even when Nidus thought back to the sleepless nights permeated by her inconsolable screaming–-nights he himself spent in tears, feeling like an utter failure of a father, only comforted by Umbra whispering assurance into his ear–-it all seemed like it went by too fast.

When Nidus walked into their bedroom, he saw a spunky little Warframe child kneeling on the bed beside her father. Her feelers were longer than his and trailed down her head, mimicking rose colored hair. Her eyes were bright and shone when she saw Nidus walk into the room. She jumped free from Umbra’s hold and ran to him, calling “Baba!”

Nidus knelt and embraced his daughter, sparing a moment to give her a tight squeeze. Every day she looked more like Umbra, despite her “true” parentage. Some bits of Harrow did occasionally seep through: the patterns on her shoulders and the occasional splash of red amid her grey and pink coloring. But the horn on her face stuck out, literally, as being Umbra’s influence. Harrow’s of Umbra’s, it didn’t matter, for Nidus found his daughter beautiful.

Umbra stood from his spot on the bed, setting down his shawzin and coming over to take Nidus into his arms. The two stood there for a moment, foreheads pressed together, before Blodeuwedd wormed her way in between them, demanding their attention.

“Umbra.” Nidus said. “I have some news.”

Umbra looked concerned for a moment, but kept silent until Nidus pulled up the picture of the fetus on Trinity’s datapad. Umbra took the datapad, allowing Nidus to stoop and lift his daughter into his arms.

Umbra took only a few seconds to process the image, and looked up at Nidus with wonder. “This is new!”

Nidus nodded. “New.” He confirmed, taking Umbra’s hand and pressing it to his stomach. Already there was a tiny hint of a bump there, the old stretch marks distended. Soon there would be more as his womb swelled again, bigger this time with his second child.

Umbra pulled Nidus into a hug, careful of both the child in Nidus’s arms and the child in his womb. “You’re pregnant…”

“I’m pregnant.” Nidus pressed his face into Umbra’s neck. “Blodeuwedd, my sweet flower. You’re going to be a big sister.”

Blodeuwedd didn’t seem to fully get it, even when they showed her the pictures. “Can I see the baby now?”

“You can see the pictures.” Umbra explained. “But the baby is still in Baba’s tummy. You’ll get to see them in nine months.”

“But I don’t want to wait that long!” She buried her face in the crook of Nidus’s neck. “I want to be a big sister now !”

“I know, my darling.” Umbra squeezed them both, pressing his forehead to Nidus’s and keeping a hand to his lover’s slowly swelling womb. “I can’t wait either. I cannot wait to be a father yet again.”

Nidus nuzzled happily into the warmth of his Flower and his Excalibur, counting down the minutes until he held his baby again.