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For the people of the Kingdom of Illyria, everything in life seemed to be in freefall. Trying to rebuild the world that once was made for a monumental task for everyone. No longer was the wool pulled behind people's eyes about Ariels or the Maiden of the Grove. The world was different now — for better or for worse.
For Venom, this felt more truthful than ever. Everything felt like it was in a whirlwind — with only Robo-ky and the occasional presence of Slayer, Zato, and Millia as his anchors to his past. It was strange being his own person now — an unfamiliar freedom he had in a familiar world that surrounded him. It only seemed like a matter of time before he got stuck in the eye of a metaphorical storm, really.
In retrospect, Venom should have known something was off from the beginning. He hadn’t realized anything was wrong when he was suddenly struck by what he assumed was a food borne illness — which afflicted him despite his strong immune system. He hadn’t realized anything was amiss at all until Robo-ky noticed something strange, and had said something to Venom about it during the dregs of closing time.
“Y’know, you haven’t talked to me about your period much lately.” Robo-ky said out of the blue.
Venom suddenly stopped counting the cash that sat in the till.
“I'm sorry, what?” Venom asked.
“You usually get your period around this time of month, eh?” Robo-ky replied. “You make such a big fuss about it — which is typical of humans — but it's been a while since you’ve said something. I assumed it had something to do with how stressed we’ve been with the Easter season as of late, but—.”
“I'm late.” Venom whispered in an frenzied tone.
“Yeah, sure, whatever that means.” Robo-ky chimed. “I just thought it came and went quietly this time honestly.”
Venom shook his head, before he tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear.
“Robo-ky, the reason I haven't said anything about my cycle is because… I haven’t had one.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay. Better luck next time, right?”
Biting back a mean-spirited and rather uncouth response, Venom shook his head. A grave expression crossed his face — an expression that made Robo-ky seem to realize how panicked his business partner seemed to be. The baker’s blue eyes were as wide as saucers. At the expression on the typically stoic man’s face, Robo-ky only had one thing to say.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked.
At that question, Venom didn’t give a conclusive response. Instead, he reached behind the register, grabbed a coat, and then shrugged it over his chef uniform.
“I need to go.” Venom stated. His voice rang hollow through the empty room. “I'll be locking the store behind me. Just — watch the till for me, Robo-ky?”
“Huh?” Robo-ky replied. “Where do you think you’re going, eh? We still have work to do.”
“I won’t be far, Robo-ky. I’m simply headed down the road to the pharmacy. Just please — do this one thing for me?” Venom pleaded.
Robo-ky let out a mechanical sigh. It seemed this time, he would let his robotic heart win over his processor.
“Alright, fine.” He grumbled.
Robo-ky didn’t know what he expected after Venom came back that evening — silent and solemn as the day they first met. His other human half didn’t even bother to greet him at the door when he came. All Venom did when he arrived was lumber up the stairs. While annoyed at closing up shop alone and unaccompanied, Robo-ky’s emotional and logical cores knew that it would be best to leave Venom alone in their shared quarters. After all, who knew what the other man was going through?
Robo-ky only found out what happened when he flew into their room to request to be seated at his charging station — only to find Venom — visibly disheveled, buried in his covers, sitting alone in nothing but his nightclothes.
“You've had a rough night, huh?” Robo-ky quipped.
Venom was dead silent.
“It’s okay if you don’t wanna talk about it, Venom.” Robo-ky stated. He settled on the bed beside Venom’s frame, and reached out a grasping hand from a panel hidden on his neck mount. He shifted and straightened out the covers on Venom’s shoulders. “I just wanted to say good night, and—’
“Robo-ky, I need you to stay here for a minute.”
Robo-ky’s hand stopped short of Venom’s back.
“Okay?” Robo-ky replied. “What happened? Is something wrong?”
Venom turned his head in Robo-ky’s direction, before he swept a section of his white, pin straight hair over his shoulder. He looked Robo-ky directly in his optics, and explained.
“I…I'm pregnant, Robo-ky.” Venom stated. “I took a test a few hours ago. That's why I left in such a hurry.”
“Oh. Alright — is there another guy involved? There’s usually two people involved in this kind of thing, I think. I know you had something going on with—”
“Zato and I’s relationship isn’t like that.” Venom asserted. “I must have conceived shortly before we met — when we took out Bedman. I…there was a lot going on at the time. I don’t know who the other father could be.”
The whirr of Robo-ky's propeller rang through the room as the disembodied mech hovered by Venom's side.
"Oh, so what're we— er, you gonna do?" Robo-ky asked, his voice lowered into a gravelly rumble in the man's ear.
At that moment, only one single thought sprung up in Venom's mind — a thought that while conclusive, was very difficult for him to state out loud.
"I...I want to see the pregnancy through." Venom replied. A lump arose in his throat as words began to stumble from his lips. "Maybe it's selfish of me — but I'd be honored to help bring and nurture new life to the world — especially after all of the hurt I've caused this world."
Robo-ky let out a mechanical sigh at Venom’s attempt at self-deprecation.
"Hey, now, Venom — don't be like that." Robo-ky argued. "You remember that you and I literally saved the world, right? You've done a lot of good for this world."
Venom breathed out a chuckle at the thought of him — a man who’s put the world through so much pain and sorrow, being anywhere remotely close to being a hero. He grasped his hands together, and wrung them together — unwinding and then winding his fingers together over and over. Venom then turned his wide, vulnerable blue eyes towards the hollow expanse of Robo-ky’s own.
“Just because I’ve done good things does not make me a good person — though, do you think I would make a good father, Robo-ky?”
Somewhat flustered, Robo-ky seemed to draw a blank at the question. The mech furrowed his optic ridges together as he tried to compute an answer.
“I mean, that's up to you to decide, isn’t it?” Robo-ky replied. His voice then took on a wistful and somewhat sorrowful tone. “I'm just tagging along for the ride — unless you want me to leave, that is. It's your choice. You are the master of your own destiny, after all.”
Venom averted his eyes towards himself. A slender, dark hand trailed down his linen button down — tracing down over his torso, over his sculpted and scarred chest, and down to his stomach. Part of him swore he could feel the child's gentle presence within his own body, even though it was so small — merely just a slight weight that sat just below his belly button. Perhaps it was his former assassin sensibilities that allowed him to perceive the slightest stir within his womb, the ghost of a movement inside of him.
At the new sensation, he felt something unknown — something sentimental, hopeful, sorrowful, and anxious — bubble up in his chest. It was unlike the sinking feeling he got when he snuffed out the light in someone’s eyes, the spark of life in their soul. It was unlike the feeling of peace and calm he could achieve when lost in kneading bread — tying garlic knots while listening to Robo-ky’s voice rattle on and on. It was unlike the choked up feeling that climbed up to his throat when he was around Zato, the indescribable and unarticulated feeling he got when he was shoulder to shoulder with the other man.
Maybe, it was love, Venom thought. A different kind of love than he’d ever known before.
“I think I could be a good father.” Venom murmured. His voice grew stronger as he began to speak with conviction. “I want to be a good father. This baby needs a good father, but—”
“But what?” Robo-ky asked.
“I can’t do this alone. I need you to stay with me, Robo-ky.”
Robo-ky was quiet for a moment, before he began to speak.
“Do you really want me to stay with you?” Robo-ky asked. “I mean, I can’t really do much. I'm just a head, y'know. I'm not sure how that would help with the whole baby thing.”
“Robo-ky, I need you with me — no matter if you’re just a head. I wouldn’t trust anyone else I know to help me raise this child. No matter what form you may take, I want you.”
Robo-ky felt steam build under his face plate. He carefully lowered himself close to Venom, hovering before his chest — imploring him to hold him in his strong arms.
“Then take me as I am, Venom—” Robo-ky replied. Venom gently took him in his arms, giving Robo-ky a moment to fold his propeller. The baker held his partner close in the crook of his arm — before he positioned themselves to lie together in a familiar embrace in Venom’s bed. Robo-ky began to murmur softly against Venom’s chest. “I'll be here as long as you have me.”