Swatch looked ahead, then back at Spamton who looked frozen in place, eyes glued on the blue egg. For a moment, Swatch wondered if they had hallucinated the sound, but once Spamton looked back at them with a terrified yet hopeful expression in his eyes, they knew he was thinking the same thing.

The egg twitched a bit, then was back to being perfectly still, with only a small hint of a crack on its side. Swatch took notice of Spamton's heavy breathing as he stiffly sat in place, placing their hand on his shoulder and gently rubbing it to help him relax. This seemed to work and the puppet let out a deep breath, leaving their lap to inspect the egg closer.

Swatch saw as he gingerly placed his hand on the hard shell as if petting it. They thought they heard him mumble something along the lines of "[[Take your time]]" but they weren't sure. Spamton let out a quiet gasp when he felt Swatch hugging him from behind and looked up, melting into his partner's embrace.

"SWATCH...?" He asked, with a rare gentleness to his voice "I'M [Worried]..."

"Oh? Why so?"

"I... WH-Wh4T 1F,.." He swallowed in dry and turned to his bedside table to reach for a small whiteboard and black marker. Swatch looked uncertain, he only ever used the board when he wanted to talk without his ticks getting in the way. It must be serious... They patiently waited as the Addison wrote for a bit, before stopping and looking solemn as he showed it to Swatch.

"What if it's just a late bloomer pipis and nothing comes out?"

Swatch hummed in response, they didn't know enough about the eggs to reassure him, and up until a week ago, the thought of becoming a parent hadn't even crossed their mind. Neither of them seemed opposed to the idea either and the expression on Spamton's face made it quite clear that he didn't want this to be a dud.

"Well..." Swatch began "They usually hatch with a pop , do they not? Not with a... crack..." They spoke, their gaze on the egg, which still stood motionless.

"Oh..." Spamton uttered almost as if in surprise "D-DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT OUR [[Offspring]] IS IN THERE?"

"Uhm... Unless you have been sleeping with anyone else, then I believe it likely is the case..." they chuckled and Spamton flushed red.

"YOU KNOW I ONLY HAVE [Eyes for you], [[Lovebird]]..." He looked lovingly at them and Swatch smiled, visibly flustered.

"I'd hope so..." They teased, looking back at the egg which was back to twitching every so often.

"I WILL [[Full Name]] THEM... SWATCH JR." Spamton spoke with a determined look and Swatch furrowed their brow in disapproval.

"You will not name them that." They spoke firmly and Spamton pouted, crossing his arms.

"WELL, I'M ALL [Out of Stock] FOR [Lists of Baby Names For Darkners]." He pondered for a bit "HOW ABOUT... SWATCH... TON... [Swatchton G. Spamton], NOW THAT'S A NAME!" He clapped his hands together but Swatch just laughed softly.

"How about something that is not a variation of either of our names? I believe it would cause less confusion."

Spamton nodded with a distracted smile, approaching the egg to make sure it was properly covered, and carefully bringing it closer to them.

"B-Be careful..." Swatch helped him carry it closer, the heat from both of their bodies surrounding it "It's getting heavier..."

"[Kromer Jr.] SHOULD BE A WITNESS TO WHAT NAME I PICK!"

"Spamton, how about I brainstorm the name ideas from now on?" They chuckled, caressing the egg and Spamton laughed in response.

"PLEASE. [[I'm all ears]] !"

Swatch smiled and felt the egg shake again in their lap, another clear crack sound was heard. "Oh dear, is it time already...?" They spoke, giving it some space and noticing how Spamton was back to looking tense with anxiety.

"D-DON'T [[Rush Hour]] THEM!" He spoke, hands tightly gripping the bedsheets. The egg kept twitching and Spamton felt unsure of what to do with his hands. Should he help? Should he let it do its thing?! "DON'T [[Touch]] IT! THEY CAN DO IT!"

A small chunk of the eggshell suddenly broke out, being pushed by what they could only assume to be a white beak. Spamton quickly looked back at Swatch who looked as tense, if not more than he was.

"Th-That was a beak..." They managed to utter, covering their mouth as they tried to keep themselves from tearing up, a smile plastered on their face "That was a beak...!" They looked at Spamton who looked on the verge of passing out and quickly reached to hold him, their own knee kicking with nerves.

"Oh [HEAVEN] hold me..."

"Shh... I-It's okay... They're okay... You're okay."

Another chunk of the shell was pushed out, barely breaking, and an unfamiliar sound could be heard. It was a cry, or more of a chirp to be exact, a quiet chirp resonating in the room.

Swatch was too tense to even realize the way Spamton's hands were gripping their feathers, it was like he was holding himself out from opening the egg himself, releasing whatever crying voice was within it.

"Y-YOU CAN DO IT... C-COME ON [Little Darling]..."

Swatch simply remained quiet, observing as the small creature pecked at the shell with its... beak? Or perhaps a pointy nose? There was no shadow of a doubt in their mind that this egg was their offspring. Unlike Swatch, Spamton had never chirped before, so was the sound coming from a swatchling child?

The egg cracked again, with Swatch letting out a yelp as Spamton's nerves caused him to accidentally pluck the feathers on their hands.

"S-Spam...!" They complained, but the puppet looked at them with a distressed look.

"SWATCH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY [Baby Items] ! WE NEED TO [BUY!] [BUY!] [BUY!]" He seemed worried and Swatch looked back at the egg which had stopped moving again.

They rubbed their hands, trying to process what Spamton had said, but he was right. What did they even have to take care of a newborn?

"Th-The store should still be open, do you think there's time? I want to be here and I'm not going to make you leave..." Swatch spoke in concern and the puppet looked at them with pleading eyes.

"I don't know..." he murmured, both looking at the thin crack in the egg, hints of a shifting form within, before it got quiet again. "IT COULD TAKE [Hours]... That's how it usually is for Addisons..."

"You hatch from eggs?"

"YOU [Don't] ?" Despite being nervous, Spamton still laughed awkwardly, and Swatch offered an uncertain smile, anxiously adjusting their glasses.

"Regardless," they began "if you believe there's time, then I... I'm willing to run to the store... I'd call a Swatchling, but they would probably get... a little too excited let's say..." They smiled and Spamton nodded, gaze still fixed on the warm egg.

"I don't want others to know just yet... TRY NOT TO TAKE TOO [[Long waiting times]] ! I DON'T WANT YOU [Missing out] !"

Swatch saw his hopeful look and got up, they were still wearing more casual clothes, but it wasn't important that they looked their best when they went out to buy diapers and baby formula, if anything, a less flashy outfit would be preferable.

"SWATCH...?" They heard Spamton call and looked back at him, noticing how he looked at them with the same face he did when he was about to say something extremely sappy.

"W-What is it...?" They asked, noticing the puppet glance at the side with an uncharacteristic shy smile.

"I love you..." he spoke quietly, his voice clear as the words left his mouth.

". . . !" Their feathers puffed up in response as they flushed red, why were they even flustered? It wasn't the first time he had said it! But with everything going on, their feelings were a bit more exposed than what was usual. They looked back at Spamton who laughed quietly "I love you too... B-But you already know that..."

Spamton nodded with a quiet smile, saying nothing else as to not let his glitch ruin the moment. The two shared a quick kiss before Swatch left to run to the store, leaving the puppet to tend to the egg.

---

They thought they'd have more time than this, not a week until they found out that their mysterious egg was going to hatch with a new life within hours. A life that would demand their care, love and attention, all things the two of them were certainly ready to offer it. Swatch was a butler, they had been for years, certainly, they'd be good at taking care of a child. If they managed to help Spamton deal with his trauma and fears with years of patience, then they could care for a child, they hoped, and Spamton himself seemed more than excited for this.

Swatch couldn't recall the last time they had seen him with such hope in his eyes, it was contagious too and Swatch couldn't help but smile to themselves. They quickly made their way through Castle Town, the small marketplace was still open, and they made their way in, grateful that there wasn't anyone else in the store due to how late it was getting.

"Excuse me, I'm just about to close soon!" A familiar voice spoke, as Swatch noticed a Yellow Addison who busied himself with organizing some items.

"Forgive me, I promise I won't be long." Swatch spoke, causing the Addison to look back at them with a surprised look.

"Swatch?! Oh hey, come on in!" He had an excited smile, which dropped in concern when he saw the bird's anxious state, looking behind them for a second "Spamton's not with you?"

"H-He needed to stay home, I just need to grab some items, I promise not to take longer than absolutely necessary."

Despite the butler's formal talk, Yellow could tell that they were a bit on edge, and shook his head, offering them a genuine smile, not one of greeting a customer, but rather of meeting a family friend "Please! Go on ahead!"

Swatch bowed politely and quickly made their way through the store, grabbing all the items they needed. Would it be enough? Were they getting the right things? Were they taking too long? All those thoughts rushed through their head as the Addison ringed their items. Swatch was so lost in their thoughts that they didn't notice the Yellow Addison giving them an odd look as he handed them their bag.

"...Swatch?" The Addison called, unsure of how to ask the question that came to his mind when he looked at the items that Swatch was getting.

"Y-Yes?" They snapped out of their trance, gasping a bit "Oh right, p-payment! Forgive me, I seem to be a bit tired."

The Addison looked at them with an apprehensive look as he took their money "...Are you having a baby?" He bluntly asked with a hint of innocence, getting Swatch's feathers to nervously puff up again before they quickly smoothed them with their feathered hand.

"U-Uhm, I should really get going. I'm kind of in a hurry, you see."

The Yellow Addison's smile widened, fidgeting excitedly as he wanted to ask more questions but contained himself "Well... Okay...! Say hi to Spammy for me, will you? And the baby!" He seemed excited as the words left his mouth and Swatch gave him a worried look, thanking him as they quickly left the store.

It was probably too early to let anyone know, Spamton would probably want to be the one breaking the news to the Addisons, and Swatch cursed themselves for not being subtle enough. Yellow was nice enough, almost like a taller and chattier Spamton but with 10 cups of coffee on top of him.

...

He was going to tell everyone, wasn't he?

But Swatch couldn't keep worrying about this, Spamton was waiting for them and every moment they weren't there was a moment closer to them missing out on one of the most important events of their lives.

They rushed back home, nerves overwhelming them once more. They opened the door, being met with absolute silence. On any other occasion, Spamton would have called to greet them, but the uncharacteristic silence only unnerved them. They felt a shiver come over them. "Spam...? I'm back."

But there was no response, only a heavy gut feeling that something had happened. Something bad. They walked towards the room, realizing they could hear the quiet sounds of what seemed to be... praying...? As they opened the door, their heart immediately dropped with what they saw.

Spamton was sitting on the bed, trembling while holding something small and white against his chest, covered in small miniature angels of himself.

Tears were falling down his nose as he kept praying, failing to notice Swatch's arrival.

Swatch immediately recognized the angels as being Spamton's healing magic, which he seemed to be continuously spawning with every word he spoke and they tried to heal the thing in his arms. They faded into green specks of magic, as Swatch approached.

"Spamton...?" Swatch managed to speak, their breathing tense as the puppet gasped and looked up at them, eyes filled with tears. "Wh-What's going o—"

"...Sh-She's not going to make it...!"

She? Swatch looked down, and their heart dropped with what they saw.

The blue eggshells were empty.

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