It took Babe a full week to recover. Unlike before, when he was an alpha and his body could endure almost anything, being an omega now meant he was physically weaker and needed more time to heal. For that entire week, he stayed in bed, and whenever he wanted to go downstairs, Charlie would carry him. Babe hated how fragile he had become.
Today, Babe and Charlie planned to visit Alan and Jeff. With Jeff's due date fast approaching, Babe felt an unexplainable urge to spend more time with him. Perhaps it was the shared bond of being fellow omegas, a protective instinct kicking in. When Babe saw Jeff, his heart warmed. Jeff looked so content, moving around with his protruding belly, radiating happiness and a carefree spirit. It made Babe smile, seeing how peaceful and joyful Jeff seemed despite everything.
“Hey, it's been a while," Alan greeted Charlie as he opened the door. "What have you been up to?" he asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
Charlie just shrugged and smiled, but before he could answer, Babe appeared behind him.
“Hey, Alan,” Babe said casually, tapping Alan’s shoulder as he walked past him into the house. Alan turned to Charlie, raising an eyebrow with a knowing look.
“What?” Charlie asked, chuckling slightly before following Babe inside, leaving Alan smirking at the door.
Inside, North and Sonic were already there, chatting animatedly. They exchanged warm greetings and soon found themselves sitting down together, enjoying a meal while chatting about everything and nothing.
North immediately started with his usual antics.
“So, Charlie," North said, leaning in with a mischievous grin, "you’ve been so quiet lately. What’s the secret? Got some mysterious side project going on?” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
Charlie chuckled, shaking his head. “Nothing that exciting, North. Just, you know, life."
Sonic laughed, adding, “If Charlie’s life were any more exciting, we’d all be in trouble.”
Babe smiled as he picked up his fork. “Well, speaking of life, how’s Jeff holding up, Alan?” He glanced toward the kitchen, where Jeff was moving around with his prominent belly.
Alan leaned back in his chair with a proud smile. “He’s doing great. Strong as ever. Though he’s been getting a bit more...bossy.”
From the kitchen, Jeff’s voice rang out. “I heard that!”
Everyone laughed, and Babe chimed in, “I bet he’s giving you a run for your money.”
Alan shrugged playfully. “He deserves to boss me around a little. The guy’s carrying my kid, after all.”
North, ever the jokester, chimed in with mock seriousness, “So, who’s next? Babe? Charlie?”
Charlie nearly choked on his drink, while Babe shot North a playful glare. “Don’t start,” Babe warned with a grin.
North held up his hands in surrender, laughing. “Hey, I’m just saying. Wouldn’t hurt to add a little more chaos to the family!”
Sonic snorted. “As if we don’t have enough with you around.”
The room filled with laughter again, the warmth of friendship making everything feel just right.
After a while, Sonic excused himself, mentioning he had something to attend to, and, as always, North followed him like his shadow.
Once they were alone, Babe turned to Jeff. "So, how are you holding up?" he asked, his tone soft.
Jeff smiled. "I'm okay."
"Are you not scared? I mean, you're almost there..." Babe's voice trailed off, his concern evident.
Jeff chuckled softly. "A little, yeah. It’s my first time, so I don’t really know what to expect, but I think I can handle it."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck." Babe said, handing Jeff an apple he had just peeled.
As Jeff took a bite, he asked suddenly, "What about you?"
Babe blinked, caught off guard. "What about me?"
"Any plans to have a baby?" Jeff's question hung in the air.
Babe glanced toward the kitchen, where Charlie and Alan were still busy with the dishes, then back at Jeff. "To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it," he admitted. It wasn’t entirely true—Charlie had brought up the idea when they first got together, but back then, both of them had been alphas, so it wasn’t possible. Now that Babe was an omega, the idea hadn’t crossed his mind in the same way.
Jeff nodded knowingly. "Just take your time. Make sure you're ready."
Babe smiled at his friend's advice, appreciating the sentiment.
Before they could delve any deeper, Alan emerged from the kitchen with Charlie. "What’s with the serious faces? What are you two talking about?" Alan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing!" Babe quickly responded, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic.
Charlie, standing behind Alan, gave Babe a curious look but didn't press further. “You ready to head out?” he asked Babe, noticing that their visit was wrapping up.
Babe nodded, standing up from his chair. “Yeah, I think we’re good.”
Before they left, Jeff stood and gave Babe a quick hug. “Thanks for today,” he said warmly. “I’ll keep you posted on everything.”
“Of course,” Babe smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
As they said their goodbyes and made their way to the door, Alan teased, “Don’t let Jeff scare you too much, Babe. Kids aren’t that bad!”
Charlie laughed as they stepped outside, but Babe just gave Alan a playful eye roll. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see about that.”
With that, they waved and headed back home, leaving the soft glow of the house behind them.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?”
Babe snapped back to reality, forcing a smile as he shook his head. “Oh, it’s nothing, really.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “You sure? You look like you’re solving world peace over there.”
Babe chuckled lightly, trying to brush off the concern. “I promise, it’s nothing serious. Just… daydreaming, I guess.”
“Alright, but you know you can tell me anything, right?” Charlie said, concern lacing his voice.
“Yeah, I know. I just… don’t want to overthink things,” Babe replied, his gaze dropping to his plate as he took a bite. “Let’s just enjoy dinner.”
Charlie studied him for a moment before nodding, deciding to let it go for now. “Okay, but if you change your mind, I’m here.”
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WHAT IF
Fanfictionwhat if Charlie was a little late and way succeeded with his plan.
