What are the Odds? 5 (Patreon)

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James woke up before the alarm, though he wasn’t sure he had actually been asleep. At some point during the night, his body had given up trying to rest. He remembered drifting in and out, stuck in an uncomfortable half-conscious state where he wasn’t awake enough to move but wasn’t asleep enough to escape the constant pressure. Every time he started to relax, a baby moved inside him—pressing up under his ribs while another stretched low in his abdomen. The discomfort was strong enough to snap him out of sleep again.

He was on his back, the only position that worked for him at this point, even though it was far from comfortable. By the time his eyes opened for real, his whole body felt heavy and sore. His back ached even though he had been in bed for a few hours, his hips felt like they were about to snap, and his massive belly stretched to its absolute limit. He exhaled slowly and stared at the wall for a while, trying to gather enough energy to move.

James couldn’t even move slightly without getting breathless. His belly was too big, too heavy, and too far out in front of him. When he tried to shift his weight, it barely moved, as his body had split into two separate parts that no longer worked together.

“Oliver,” he whispered.

Oliver stirred beside him immediately. “Yeah?”

“I’m stuck,” he said casually. It wasn’t even a joke anymore.

Oliver pushed himself up on one elbow, slowly reaching for James. “Okay, hold on,” he said, moving closer. He slid one arm behind James’s back and the other carefully along the side of the pregnant belly to support the weight as James tried to move.

It took a few seconds of preparation and slow movements as James breathed through the strain. Oliver adjusted his grip, and eventually, they moved the belly forward so James could get in position to stand up. Even that small change made the pregnant man exhale in relief.

“Damn it,” James mumbled, closing his eyes for a second. “If these babies don’t come out soon, I’ll need a crane to get out of bed. I feel like a construction project.”

Oliver snorted, softly brushing his hand over James’s belly. “A very impressive one.”

“Yeah, well,” James replied, “you’re the one who approved the blueprint.”

Oliver smiled, getting closer and carefully wrapping his arms around James’s torso. “And I’m beyond happy with the results.” He kissed James’s cheek and watched him for a second longer. “You don’t have to go in today,” he whispered.

James didn’t answer right away. He knew Oliver’s condescending tone well enough at this point. “I have a meeting, remember?” he said after a moment. “The Henderson account. I set the whole thing up. I gotta be there.”

Oliver didn’t move. “You didn’t sleep enough.”

“I’m fine,” James replied quickly.

“You just said you were stuck in bed,” Oliver added, leaving the room in silence for a moment. “I’m telling you this as your boss and the father of the babies. You need a break.”

James sighed deeply, but instead of listening, he slowly pushed himself upright with Oliver’s help. Even something as simple as that felt like a challenge as the belly came forward first, dragging him with it and pulling at his lower back and hips. Oliver held him by the shoulders to keep him from tipping too far. Once he was upright, James paused to catch his breath and rub his belly as the babies adjusted to the new position.

“If I don’t go in today,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s over.”

Oliver frowned. “What does that mean?”

James looked at him. “It means I won’t go back before they’re born. And if I don’t go back before that happens, I don’t know what happens after.”

Oliver processed the sentence for a moment and finally understood. Even if James wasn’t saying it outright, the need to keep going was beyond the job. It was about James himself. “I’m not trying to take that away from you,” Oliver said.

“I know,” James admitted. “But it still feels like everything’s changing too much.”

“I can relate to that.” Oliver didn’t argue, only nodded. “I mean, we’re about to have eight kids any day now. That’s a lot,” he said softly. “But it doesn’t mean you need to prove that you can conquer the world every day while carrying eight big babies.”

James smiled and leaned into James’s hold for a moment. “I know,” he said, closing his eyes. “But give me a chance to do it on my terms. Let me attend the meeting, and we’ll have this conversation again, please?”

Oliver hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek. “Okay. One more day.”

Getting dressed took longer than anything else. James couldn’t see his lower body, not even a little, as his belly blocked everything below it. Even leaning forward didn’t change anything, except increasing the discomfort. His rounded abdomen pressed into his thighs and made his balance feel off. Oliver had to help him with his shoes, kneeling in front of him while James sat in bed, just catching his breath.

The shirt was worse. Even the stretchy ones Oliver had gotten for him barely worked at this point. The fabric strained over his belly, pulled tight until every button was evidently under immense pressure.

Oliver fastened them carefully, one by one, brushing his fingers over the tense fabric. “That’s not gonna last all day,” he said.

“It doesn’t have to,” James replied. “Just long enough.”

Oliver didn’t look convinced, but he remained silent.

Later, as they walked into the office, people turned around to stare and smile kindly at James as he waddled slowly. He had been huge before, already impossible to ignore, but at this point, 9 months pregnant with large octuplets, things were different. His belly stuck out so far in front of him that it looked unreal, stretching his shirt into a tight dome that swayed with every step. It led him through the room, forcing his shoulders back and his stance wider.

“Morning, James,” a receptionist said. “You good?”

“Yeah,” he answered, giving her a quick smile. “Never better.”

She didn’t believe him but only watched him strain all along.

Oliver’s office looked a bit different than it had been 9 months ago. The couch was still there, but covered in blankets, pillows, and snacks everywhere.

“Take a break,” Oliver said, trying to guide James onto the couch.

“Later,” James said instead, moving toward the desk. “The meeting’s in ten minutes.”

The meeting started normally. James stood further back from the table than usual to prevent his belly from hitting the edge before he could get close. He adjusted awkwardly, holding the tablet out in front of him, carefully moving around the massive belly in front of him. Still, he talked about numbers, projections, and schedules.

Then, he lost a word, just for a second, right in the middle of speaking. “And the revised timeline will—” he started, then stopped, blinking at the screen as if the missing piece might suddenly appear. “—will… give us…” Nothing came out as a new pressure built within his belly. He took a deep breath and pressed a hand at the side of his midsection.

A moment later, something changed inside him. His entire belly tightened, going firm under his shirt instead of shifting in separate spots as it happened with kicks. James paused, gripping the edge of the table as the sensation intensified.

“James?” Someone asked.

“I’m fine,” he answered quickly, even though he clearly wasn’t. After a few seconds, the pressure eased, and he forced himself to keep going.

The next tightening came sooner and harder, spreading from his back to the front like wrapping his whole belly. He gasped, still trying to keep going. “…and if we adjust—” he started, but he couldn’t finish as his belly jerked forward.

A button snapped with a sharp crack, shooting off and hitting the wall. No one laughed, because James wasn’t laughing. He panted heavily, pressing one hand against his belly as it stayed hard and tight under his touch.

He tried to recover, tried to joke his way out of it, as always. “Guess that—” he started, but the words died halfway, and the silence said more than anything he could have said.

Oliver stood up. “That’s enough. We’ll pick this up later,” he said calmly. There was a brief hesitation in the room before everyone started gathering their things. No one questioned it, and somehow that worsened it for James.

He straightened slowly and tried to step away from the table. “I’ve got it,” he said when Oliver moved toward him, anticipating the help.

James took one step, then another, but the third didn’t land right. His balance tipped forward, his belly pulled him off-center, and for a split second he thought he was going down. But Oliver caught him, grabbing him around the shoulders and upper chest. The whole room froze as James insisted he was fine, but Oliver didn’t let go.

“Let’s sit,” Oliver said firmly.

“I can walk,” James insisted.

“No, you can’t—” Oliver replied, still holding him.

James pulled away and tried again, but it was worse this time, and Oliver didn’t argue anymore. The boss stayed close, guiding him back toward the office with one hand pressing at his back and the other ready to catch him again if he lost balance.

Getting onto the couch was another struggle as James tried to lower himself, but his belly got in the way, hitting the edge before he could sit properly.

“Hold on,” Oliver said, immediately moving closer.

James shook his head. “I’ve got it—” he insisted, even though he clearly didn’t.

It took both of them to get the heavily pregnant body down in the end. James was breathing harder than he wanted to admit as he finally settled.

Oliver watched the scene, changing his stance into a firmer one. “You’re done for today,” he said while James groaned in discomfort. “No, you’re done-done. You’re not coming back.” 

James snorted. “That’s not your call.”

“It is,” Oliver replied, frowning slightly.

“Oh, right,” James said, nodding but clearly hurt. “Because you’re my bossy boss.”

“That’s not what I—” Oliver tried to explain himself. “I’m trying to help you.”

“I didn’t ask for help,” James said, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, you did. Over and over again,” Oliver responded, stating the obvious.

“And why do you care so much?” James asked, a bit louder than intended.

“Because you’re having my babies,” Oliver shouted, trying to put an end to the constant back and forth that had taken over their routine. “Why is it so hard to understand that I need to protect you and the babies? But you’re so stubborn that you won’t let me love you.”

James paused and looked away, processing the words. “It’s not that,” he whispered. “I love how much you care for the babies and me.” He swallowed hard. “But it’s not easy to let pregnancy define my life. I don’t want to feel useless. I don’t want to feel vulnerable. I don’t want to feel like I need someone to take care of me. That’s just not me.”

Oliver watched in silence for a second. “Well, I guess it’s too late to stop pregnancy from defining your everyday life.” He sat beside James, rubbing the taut abdomen. “We’re having this conversation probably 9 months late,” he joked, leaning in to kiss James’s lips. “Do you regret what we did that night? Do you regret what we created?”

“Never,” James immediately replied, enjoying Oliver’s lips on him. “But you’re so damn good at this that it scares me. I don’t want to get used to being the weak one in the relationship.”

Oliver laughs. “Are you kidding me?” He asked, softly brushing his lips down James’s neck. “You’re working while 9 months pregnant with octuplets. How is that weak?”

“I mean, yeah. But—” James started saying, but another tightening took over his whole belly, harder this time, making him clutch his abdomen. “Ugh, fucking contractions!”

“Contractions? Are you having real contractions?” Oliver asked. “Since when?”

James hesitated but eventually gave in. “Last night,” he admitted.

“What?” Oliver’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I knew you’d cancel the meeting,” James replied, catching his breath after the contractions started easing. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“If you say ‘I’m fine’ one more time, I swear you’re getting fired,” Oliver replied.

James chuckled, but then another strong sensation came, cutting him off completely. He gasped and dug his fingers into his belly harder than before. “Ugh, wait,” he said, frozen on the spot as his belly shook differently this time.

He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. His belly pinned him in place, his abdomen tightened uselessly under the strain while the pressure kept building. His hand moved over the front, feeling the whole middle getting hotter by the second.

“Oliver—” he said, barely audible, gripping the boss’ wrist.

The next second everything changed. A sudden, overwhelming, and hot rush of fluids spread fast beneath James, soaking through his clothes before his brain could even catch up. He froze, then looked down, trying to catch his breath as he stared at what was happening. His hand stayed pressed against his belly even as everything else changed.

“Oh, fuck!” James said, barely getting the sound out. He swallowed hard, and his eyes widened at the realization. “My water just broke.”

Oliver froze for a second before snapping into motion. He grabbed his phone immediately. “Okay. Okay, we’re good. We’re fine,” he said quickly, even though neither of them believed it. “We call a doctor, and I take you to the hospital,” he added, freaking out a little. “Or should I call an ambulance? What if you—”

James took a deep breath and pulled Oliver closer. “Hey, if we made it this far,” he said breathlessly. “Everything will be alright,” he added, and Oliver nodded, with a smile on his face.

THE END

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PS: Plot submitted by a Support-tier member as part of the tier's benefits. AI Generated image only meant to illustrate the scene.