AppleHeart

Chapter Fourteen

Con·fess/kənˈfes/verb: Admit or acknowledge something reluctantly, typically because one feels slightly ashamed or embarrassed.

"This cannot be happening!" Malfie exclaimed. Joe cups Malfie's mouth with his hand and shushes him for the second time.

"Wha..." Dalmatia said, worried and stressed about this information. "How did Jack get pregnant?" Both Joe and Malfie look at Dalmatia

"Well Dalmatia, have you ever heard of the birds and the bees?" Joe replied, sarcastically.

"What do animals have to do with any of this?" Dalmatia tilted his head. Malfie peels Joe's hand off his mouth.

"You really don't know what sex is?" Dalmatia's eyes widen.

"Y-yes I do." 

"Sex leads to pregnancy if you're not careful."

"Ohhhh!" Joe and Malfie deadpanned. How did he not know that? All three heard a groan from the couch. They turned their attention to Jack, who was slowly sitting upright and rubbing his eyes. Dalmatia walks around the couch and kneels so that he levels with Jack. "Hey,"

"Hey," Jack replied.

"How are you feeling?" Joe asked him.

"I still feel sick."

"Take this," Dalmatia carefully grabs the still steaming hot tea and gives it to Jack.

"Thanks," Jack takes a sip and sighs. "I'm sorry about the way treated you guys at the diner."

"It's alright, considering mood swings is one of the symptoms of pregnancy," Malfie said.

"And cravings," Joe inserted, "Plus feeling sick." Jack looks up at the three, his red eyes held shock and fear.

"H... how did you guys...?"

"Ask Malfie," Joe stated. Jack turned to Malfie.

"I went upstairs to your bathroom."

"What the...?! Why?!" Jack nearly shouts. Malfie puts his hands up as he sits next to Jack.

"I just wanted to know the secret to your luxurious hair."

"Papaya extract," Jack answered, with no emotion. For a minute, Malfie stares as Jack, then he hung his head.

"It was so obvious," Malfie whispered. Joe walked over to him and patted his back.

"Jack, is this what you were hiding from us?" Dal asked. Jack nodded his head then sips he tea again. "Why?"

"I didn't know what to do," he clutched his teacup, "I took at least three different tests, and all of them were positive. I was so afraid that you wouldn't look at me the same, and that you would think I was some sort of freak." By this point, tears swelled up in Jack's eyes.

"How could you think that?" Dal said, "We're best friends, I will never think of you as a freak." Dalmatia pulled his best friend into a hug, "We promised to tell each other everything. I'll help you, no matter what." Jack buries his face in Dalmatia's shoulder, tears still dripping. Malfie and Joe stayed quiet while watching them. After a good minute, Dalmatia breaks the hug and sits on the arm of the couch. 

"So, are you going to tell the others?" Joe asked. Jack nearly jumped out of his seat and nearly spilled his tea.

"No! I don't want them to know!" 

"Why not?" Malfie, curiously. Jack set his tea on the table and holds the couch blanket.

"It's bad enough that the four of you know, and I was hoping to keep it under wraps until the baby got here."

"Even from your own boss?" Joe questioned. 

"Well, no, but mainly from someone else." Jack held the blanket tighter. His boss might yell at him at first. Sure, the queen has a blinding temper and it is hard to please her, but deep down, she may care about her recruiter... perhaps in the tiniest bit. What about Alice? She would probably be supportive of him. And yet, the thought of telling the other recruiters about the pregnancy was taboo in Jack's eyes. 

"Who? Mr. V?" Malfie asked. Jack shook his head.

"Veil?" Joe spoke this time. Jack shook his head again.

"Please stop guessing!" Hearts covered his ears with his hands. 

"Okay, okay," Joe surrendered, "But you are going to have to tell them, eventually."

"Joe is right, pretty soon, your stomach will slowly expand and you won't be able to hide it," Malfie spoke truthfully. Sometimes, Jack hates it when they're right.

"Fine, but I'll do it on my own terms, and you guys have to promise not to tell anyone," Jack demanded.

"Fine, we won't," Joe said.

"No, you have to pledge," Jack rose to two of his fingers and placed them on his heart. Joe groaned as he stood up and made the same gesture along with Malfie and Dalmatia. 

"I pledge to keep the secret of Jack Heart's condition under wraps from everyone we know. If this promise is broken, may we suffer an excruciating painful punishment provided by Jack Hearts himself." All three spoke at the same time before they made a criss-cross motion with their fingers. This was an old thing the recruiters came up with when they were kids. 

Jack grabbed his teacup, "Oh Disney, I'm still tired." 

"Why don't you go lie down," Malfie suggested.

"Okay, I'll go to bed." Malfie, Joe, and Dalmatia said goodbye to Jack then left his house. The sky became darker as they walked down the street. Joe and Maflie talked about Jack, mainly. But Mr. Dalmatia was silent.

"Hey puppy," Malfie called out, "You've been quiet, what's bugging you?" Dalmatia narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"I was thinking, where I could get a bassinet?" 

"You're thinking about that now?" Malfie turned to him.

"Yeah! Ooh! How about a high chair?!" Dalmatia's excitement exploded.

"Can we think about this another time," Joe groaned, "I feel emotionally drained." Dalmatia pouted but complied. The three of them said their goodbyes and parted ways for the night. 

Dalmatia approached the front of his home, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled his key out. On the outside, he seems calm and focused, but on the inside, there was something that was bothering him. 

"It's bad enough that the four of you know, and I was hoping to keep it under wraps until the baby got here."/"Even from your own boss?" /"Well, no, but mainly from someone else." 

What did Jack mean by that? He's willing to tell his boss, but not his friends? There has to be a reason. Dal entered his dark apartment. He flipped the light switch next to him then closed the door behind him. 

Then it hits him... Jack is too scared to tell the father. But who could the father be? Dalmatia only has one guess, and he believes this person is the most possible answer. If Dalmatia confronts Jack about it, he could only hope his best friend will confess.

A/N: Again, sorry for the short chapter! But, I've been more productive lately, so that's a good thing! Also, would anyone like oneshots of the villain recruiters? They'll be smutty, they'll be fluffy, or maybe they'll be platonic. Who knows? Let me know if you guys want me to do some oneshots!!! (Also, expect drama going down in the next few chapters)