FT

Destiny had been sitting on the bathroom floor for almost twenty minutes. Her phone was in one hand. Her calendar was open. And the little dates staring back at her were becoming harder to ignore. She counted again. “…No.” Once more. “…That can’t be right.” She was late. Not one or two days. Late enough that the nervous thought she’d been avoiding for the past week was becoming impossible to dismiss. Her eyes drifted toward the engagement ring on her finger. Natsu. They had been together for almost four years. They were engaged. They’d talked about children before. Natsu had once casually announced that if they ever had a daughter, he was going to teach her fire magic. Destiny had immediately informed him that their hypothetical three-year-old would not be practicing Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. He’d responded: “She’d be awesome at it!” That conversation had been funny then. Sitting on the bathroom floor now? It felt very different. Destiny rested a trembling hand against her stomach. “…Could I actually be pregnant?” She didn’t know. And suddenly, she desperately needed her mom. ⸻ ❤️ Mom Destiny stared at the empty message box. Then typed: Destiny: Hi Mom ❤️ I need you to answer something seriously. What would you want for Mother’s Day? Flowers… or a grandbaby? She hesitated. Then pressed send. The typing bubble appeared almost immediately. Stopped. Appeared again. Stopped. Then— Ayame: Destiny. Destiny swallowed. Destiny: Yeah? Ayame: Is this a joke? Her fingers hovered over the screen. Eventually… Destiny: No. That one word completely changed the conversation. Ayame called immediately. Destiny answered. “Hi…” “Sweetheart.” Destiny closed her eyes. Her mother’s voice was gentle, but serious. “What’s going on?” “I’m late.” Silence. “How late?” Destiny told her. Ayame inhaled slowly. “Have you taken a test?” “No.” “Does Natsu know?”