Work Text:
It began with a strange craving. Qifrey couldn't shake the want for some ice cream. Strawberry, mango, chocolate, no matter — just any kind would do.
Olruggio also thought it strange. Qifrey often did get creative with their meals, but usually not in this way. It wasn't that Qifrey never ate sweets, he just never went out of his way to get something before his regular meals.
Then it was cupcakes. Then, some cookies. And some tiramisu.
“You got a sweet tooth lately, did anything happen?”
“Not that I know? I just feel like it… But you're right, Olly. My consumption habits lately haven't been healthy at all…”
Qifrey smiled apologetically. It was a little embarrassing to be called out in such a way as an adult, with practically 4 kids of his own no less.
“You're not one to talk, though. If I didn't remind you and convince you to eat with me all the time, you'd be skipping meals left and right…”
Now it was Olruggio’s turn to feel like a scolded child, at his own old age.
And then, there was nausea. It hit Qifrey like a punch in the gut, his hand clasping over his mouth in fear of vomiting on the spot. Olruggio saw the way colour drained from his face. He recognised the expression and didn't hesitate, pulling Qifrey along by his wrist.
This was one of these situations where they were glad to have the void toilet. It meant there was no additional smell when Qifrey was leaning over the toilet seat, gagging once, twice. Olruggio put an arm around his back. His other hand stretched out to pull Qifrey’s bangs to the side. He knew Qifrey didn't like being touched around his face without warning, but he'd rather not have the man choke on some hair in this state. His warm fingers fixed the white bangs in place, decidedly stroking the back of his head in unspoken comfort.
“Eat too many sweets?”
“I don't know… This has never happened before, Olly…”
He looked absolutely pitiful, sulking over the toilet bowl. Olruggio couldn't resist swiping his hands through the man's bangs one more time. Truthfully, he would have preferred to hold him instead, but he'd rather not overwhelm Qifrey with even more sensations in this situation. Lest he make it worse.
Then, Qifrey brought a hand to his abdomen.
“Something's weird…”
The pitiful look disappeared off his face and was promptly replaced by a sense of unease.
“And you're sure you didn't just eat expired food?”
“My stomach isn't that sensitive. It has to be something else.”
Olruggio thought for a moment, brainstorming ideas in his mind. It wasn't expired food, wasn't overeating, and it didn't seem like an intolerance either. That meant the cause wasn't the food itself. What else was there to consider?
Could be an illness, venom… Magic, perhaps? Had Qifrey been the target of a curse...?
On second thought, it was absolutely ridiculous. Who, except for the Brimhats, would possibly think of doing that, and would they even have the means to? As much as Olruggio felt that he should discard that thought, Qifrey’s unease worried him to no end. When that man had a hunch about something, it was to be trusted.
One thing was certain, they had to run some tests to figure out what was wrong. Thankfully, Olruggio kept a drawer with all kinds of magical herbs at hand. Totally not in preparation for literally every possible type of emergency regarding their girls.
Healing practices were strictly illegal for witches. Luckily the same could not be said for just keeping an arrangement of medicinal herbs for quick consumption. There was no medical knowledge needed to use them, after all, and the dosages sold and permitted were quite small.
Some could numb the pain of minor injuries, some could make you fall asleep faster… Olruggio went through each item, carefully considering what could be of use. He landed on a specific seed that would sprout and grow different coloured petals depending on the subject's affliction, just a few minutes after usage.
That was perfect. It was known to be able to diagnose up to four different states; no abnormalities, poisoning, fever and pregnancy.
Olruggio retrieved the seed and returned to Qifrey who was still leaning over the toilet seat with a gloomy expression.
“Okay, Qifrey. Put this seed in your mouth, chew on it for 60 seconds, then spit it into this pot. I honestly can't believe we still had one of these left over…”
Qifrey took the seed from Olruggio’s hand, put it in his mouth and started chewing. It was bitter and it made his face contort slightly, but that couldn't be helped. Olruggio watched him closely, not just out of concern for the result. Qifrey, the witch with permanent smiles — of questionable authenticity — on his face, was visibly miserable over a bitter tasting plant. Olruggio was intrigued. He felt a speck of joy to discover a new side of the man he loved so dearly.
After 60 seconds of chewing had passed, Qifrey spit the seed into the pot that Olruggio had brought for him. They held their breaths as they watched the seed sprout and grow at an incredible speed.
If Qifrey had been poisoned, the petals would turn purple. And if there was no abnormality that the plant could detect, they would be white.
Olruggio was convinced the petals would come out purple. But to his surprise, they bloomed in a deep red. And red meant…
“...Pregnancy?”
Olruggio muttered under his breath, eyes wide in a confused sort of shock, and Qifrey locked eyes with him.
“...Pregnancy.”
He deadpanned. The result certainly didn't make any more sense to him, but there was no error in Olruggio's knowledge. Red petals from this plant were, indeed, evidence for a pregnancy.
“...Something's wrong with the diagnosis plant.”
“Do you want to chew another one…?”
Remembering the bitter flavour, Qifrey's face twisted in distaste. But then he nodded, and tried again. Red petals, once more. So it wasn't some strange, one-off error.
Silence settled between them for a moment. Olruggio really tried hard to make sense of this new revelation, and Qifrey's face went through several colours until it eventually landed on a shade of red, covering his face with his hands.
“Your strange cravings, the nausea… It’d make sense, with that context... But, how is that even possible…”
“I don't know either. I definitely lack the biology for a pregnancy… Unless…,” The hand on his face settled thoughtfully on his chin.
“Unless your body was changed,” Olruggio caught on and spoke their conclusion out loud. He looked Qifrey up and down subtly, checking for any unusual features on the already androgynous man.
“I don't feel any different from the outside, but…,” Qifrey's hand settled against his own stomach, “It's not impossible, I suppose?”
“But even then, how did you…?”, Olruggio trailed off, slightly embarrassed at the prospect of asking about his sexual history.
“I didn't do anything...I really haven't been with anyone.”
For some reason, that answer made Olruggio feel a bit more at ease. Though, it also meant they were dealing with something a little more complicated here.
The Brimhats? Didn't sound like something they'd bother to do. One of Beldaruit’s pranks? As eccentric as that man was, pregnancy magic seemed a bit too intrusive for him. Come to think of it, if it was a spell… Was there a seal on Qifrey's body?
“Qifrey. If you fell victim to a spell of this scope…”
They locked eyes again. Qifrey understood in a heartbeat. He lifted his shirt.
Nothing. The bare skin of his chest and abdomen was a pristine milky white.
Olruggio's face flushed. If Qifrey hadn't lifted his shirt, then he probably would've done it in his stead. They absolutely had to check his body for seals. But Olruggio hadn't expected to get so unreasonably distracted by the untouched expanse of skin.
Actually, Qifrey should've undressed entirely. They both knew that. The seal could have been placed anywhere, if there was one. But Qifrey made no move to undress further, and Olruggio didn't push him to, either. It was like an unspoken rule between them — There was a line and neither of them would make the leap to cross it.
Qifrey sighed.
“I guess we have no choice but to ignore it for now… We'll have some clarity, in 9 months at the latest…”, He ended the sentence with a small laugh, dimly amused by his own dilemma. Olruggio rubbed his nape out of habit, wondering — with no small amount of astonishment — how Qifrey managed to stay so calm.
“You’re not concerned?”
“I am very concerned. But we've run the tests, and checked for seals. Besides,” Qifrey smiled bitterly, “It wouldn't be the first time that my body's been tampered with.”
Olruggio felt his chest hurt. He didn't like the way Qifrey seemed to have accepted his fate, especially not paired with the association of his past.
“Let’s have a look in the Tower of Tomes soon," Olruggio urged him optimistically. He wouldn't let Qifrey go through this alone.
"Yeah," Qifrey agreed. And once more, Olruggio's simple optimism had managed to put a genuine smile on Qifrey's face.