"H-HOW IS SHE ?" Spamton was the first to ask, quickly getting up to follow the small nurse, with Swatch not far behind.

"She's f-fine and stable! This hospital is v-very good, you see?" She seemed to stutter in her words but smiled nonetheless.

"And the glitch...?” Swatch inquired, getting Spamton to look a bit solemn.

"Snipped away! Oh, you w-won't even know it was there!" She spoke with a nervous smile "It's only on those c-core parts like the doctor mentioned! But sh-she likely won't show any symptoms!"

"I didn't know glitches could be... inherited..." Spamton muttered slowly, trying his best not to let his vocal ticks get in the way.

"And I d-didn't know Swatchlings and Addisons could mix! Quirky little thing she is..."

They soon arrived in one of the rooms as the Virovirokun knocked on the door, and came in. Bright humming lights illuminated the white and blue hospital room, and a very small bed was in the middle as something white and small seemed to be resting on it. The Ambyu-Lance doctor looked back at them, a stern but also hard to read expression was on their face.

"Thank you, nurse." The doctor spoke, beckoning the couple to approach. "I'm assuming she has already informed you, but the procedure was a success."

"Th-That's good..." Swatch swallowed dryly, fidgeting with their wings "Can we see her...?" They took a deep breath, as Spamton took notice of how nervous they were getting.

"Surely. She shouldn't be having any more episodes after this, so you may take her home. However, I'm going to ask that you return periodically to see the state of her glitch and to be sure that no further developments take place."

"W-WE CAN DO THAT [No problem!]..." Spamton cringed at his own glitch, and looked back at his partner "...right, Swatch?"

As they spoke, Swatch seemed almost frozen in place, their eyes were fixed on the bed where the small darkner was lying, there was nothing between them, they could finally see her, and the thought terrified them.

"Swatch..." Spamton quietly spoke, grabbing their wing "Are you... [NERV- n-nervous! ...nervous to see her...?" He gave the doctor a nod with an embarrassed smile, who saw this as a sign to leave the room, granting them some privacy. Once they were gone, Spamton glanced back at Swatch.

"I-I'm fine..." Their expression was tense and their feathers were puffed up. It was hard to tell what they were even feeling. Was it excitement? Fear? Hesitation? Expectation?

"IT'S [A-Okay!] IF YOU'RE NERVOUS! I am too..." With the height of the bed, Spamton tugged on Swatch's side to get lifted up, which seemed to snap them out of their trance. The bird looked surprised at him and picked him up, with Spamton sitting on one of their arms as they tugged at them to get closer.

They both approached the small bed as Swatch seemed to be holding their breath while Spamton had handfuls of their feathers on his hands. Under the white sheets, the small child finally came into view. Smaller than anything Swatch could imagine, the tiny bird-like darkner's expression was serene and relaxed, appearing to be sleeping. Her beak and face were white, as well all of her features, including a soft fuzz on her head where white feathers would eventually grow.

Swatch saw as Spamton seemed to smile and tear up, his hand reaching to slowly caress the child, gentle enough not to wake her up. "YOU'RE SO [Brave] AND [Strong], LITTLE BIRD..." He sniffed and looked back at Swatch, his expression worrying, but the smile never leaving his face "SWATCH, YOU'RE [Crying] AGAIN..."

"I-I am?" They smiled, wiping the tears off their face, "Forgive me, I'm still taking it all in... She's so small... And white-haired... like you..."

Spamton blushed, passing a hand through his dyed black hair as they both smiled "WAS [That] WHY THE DOCTOR LOOKED SO [Lost? Confused?]"

"Yes, I'm sure that was what threw them off." Swatch spoke with a rare sarcastic tone "But... I don't understand..." Their voice softened and they laid their eyes on the child "She looks like a Swatchling... I thought there'd be more of a difference..."

"THERE IS! [[I'll show you!]]..." Spamton gave them a knowing smile and reached for the child, wrapping her comfortably and holding her in his own lap. This seemed to wake her, as she chirped quietly, opening her small beady eyes to look at the two strangers who looked surprised above her, before squinting and closing again.

"Oh, sweetheart..." Swatch smiled, a wing caressing the small baby as she seemed to move a bit.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, [Little Shot]..." Spamton spoke softly, trying really hard not to glitch and yell whenever he spoke, but as tiny Clippa's tinier hand grabbed one of his fingers, the Addison seemed to freeze. Swatch's smile widened, soon realizing what he meant, she had wings, but rather than being feathered, they were white and smooth, with segments for the fingers, much like Spamton's own puppet-like hands.

"She looks just like you..." Swatch spoke, "Does her entire body look like that?"

But Spamton was just frozen, it hadn't dawned on him until he felt the tiny hand around his finger just how real this was. He was so used to being small and weak, constantly having to ask for help in order to do anything. But as he held the small baby in his arms, he felt big, strong, and capable. He couldn't fathom a being smaller than him, but she was real, and he just wanted to love and protect her as much as he could.

Spamton paused, looking back at a blushing Swatch who had a loving smile plastered on their face and chuckled when they were caught. "WH-WH4T?!"

"Nothing, love, I was simply enjoying the moment..." They smiled, resting their head on Spamton's as their wing caressed the child's cheek "I think it's time to go home..." They spoke as the baby cooed in response, getting a smile from them.

"C-Can we really leave...?" Spamton whispered to them, to which Swatch nodded.

"You heard the doctor..." They began.

"[Periodically scheduled] VIRUS ANALYSIS!" He continued "Yes."

---

Child in hand, the two left the hospital room, thanking the doctors and scheduling future check-ins. They had lost track of time, but by the brightness of the sky, it had to be around 5-6 AM. It was dark regardless, but lights would dim down during the night. Swatch yawned, noticing Spamton in his arms, who was making sure tiny Clippa was warm and cosy in her blanket. The baby only whined a bit, with Spamton quietly shushing her. They wondered how they would break the news to others, and as they arrived home, Swatch felt exhausted, putting Spamton down as the two headed to their bedroom.

"Do you think she's [HUNGRY? Order now!]...? H-HOW CAN I TELL?!" He spoke, though Swatch could tell he was as exhausted as them, if not more. They patted his head, extending their hands to take hold of the baby in her blanket to which he obliged. Still in his clothes, Spamton laid down, closing his eyes with a sigh, not even noticing the empty eggshells left behind, the healing magic had exhausted him and he was finally coming down from it.

Meanwhile, Clippa simply had her eyes closed, resting her head against Swatch's chest. Did the doctors feed her before the operation happened? Swatch couldn't help but wonder this, but the little bird felt more interested in sleeping than anything else. Swatch's eyes drooped as they smiled. Perhaps tomorrow, then... The hospital did put her in a diaper and small onesie so at least that was something they didn't have to worry about for the time being...

They looked back at Spamton, realizing he had already passed out, and they really couldn't blame him. Still, they took off his shoes, glasses and jacket, gently placing him in bed before they too placed the sleeping baby between them. Would this be safe for her? She didn't have her own bed yet, after all. And Swatch didn't feel comfortable letting her out of their sight, not again...

As such, Swatch too laid down in their clothes, they hardly had the energy for anything else, and after tucking her in comfortably, they closed their eyes, almost instantly falling asleep.

ᐊ Previous ✦ [DISCONTINUED]

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