Chapter Text
They were supposed to be studying physics. Exams were in two weeks and, to quote Miss Quill, You lot may have saved the world, but I can, and will, still fail you. So April had organized a study session, which was really just insisting that they bring their physics books to Charlie’s house for what had become their normal Saturday afternoon gathering. That had been easy enough, but the actual studying was harder. They started strong, but twenty minutes in all productivity went out the window.
“What’s the point of trying to study?” Ram asked from his spot on the sofa next to her. “She’s just going to throw a bunch of equations on the board—half of which won’t even be from the book—and tell us to SOLVE IT.”
They all laughed at his impression, and April forced herself to be serious. “We can at least study the ones in the book.”
“We’ll need Tanya’s help for that.” Ram looked from April to Charlie. “Wait, shouldn’t you be some kind of physics whiz with all your advanced knowledge?”
“He is no help,” Mattuesz said from where he was sprawled on the floor next to Charlie who sat with a rigid back and perfect posture. “I tried to have him explain it once and he was worse than Miss Quill.”
“Hey!” Charlie protested.
His face remained in a pout until Matteusz nudged his leg affectionately with his foot, which turned his pout into a sappy smile. Ram opened his mouth to say something, but April nudged him with her foot and he closed it. These boys would be the death of her. She needed Tanya.
“When will they be back from the gym?”
Charlie shrugged. “Quill just says they’ll be gone as long as they need.”
“Where do they go?” Ram asked. “Because I can’t picture any gym letting a woman that pregnant fight.”
“School auditorium,” Matteusz said.
“Makes sense," Ram said with a nod. "Everyone there is too afraid to bother her.
April didn't much care where Miss Quill and Tanya had gone to 'train,' especially when there were more pressing questions. “How pregnant is she?” she asked. Her mum had guessed somewhere in the ninth month, but April had no idea human pregnancy months even applied here. “Does she know when she’s due?”
“Current estimate is 8 to 12 days,” Charlie told her.
April looked around the room, which looked the same as it always did—i.e., it contained nothing remotely baby related. “Seriously?”
“Why wouldn’t I be serious?”
April ignored is literalism. “Are you even ready for a baby? Has she bought anything for it?”
“No,” Charlie said with a shake of his head. “She keeps saying why buy a layette when it might not even be human shaped?”
“My impression was better,” Ram muttered.
Matteusz, after checking to see if Charlie was looking at him, nodded in agreement. April ignored both of them.
“The baby will still need nappies and a place to sleep,” she argued.
“That is what I say,” Mattuesz agreed. “But she responds that Amazon Prime has one day delivery.”
“And it’s not really any of our business,” Ram added.
Matteusz nodded at that. “She says that too.”
“But you both live here. The baby’s going to be your business whether she wants it or not,” April reasoned. “Besides, it’s weird that she hasn’t done anything. You’d think she’d at least be nesting.”
“We’re supposed to act like humans.” Charlie looked at her with utter confusion. “Why would she build a nest?”
April did her best to hide her surprise. “It’s an expression for when mums start decorating and buying things for the baby.”
Ram had far less tact. “You meant actual nest? Is that what your people do?”
“Not Rhodians, but the Quill.”
Ram pulled a face as he tried to picture it. April elbowed him gently. He didn’t get the hint.
“So you’re saying that Miss Quill was born in a nest?” he asked.
April cringed at his question (despite her own curiosity). She looked at Mattuesz who gave her a half-shrug that said ‘you tried.’ Charlie, for his part, was not bothered—sometimes his obliviousness worked in his favor.
“I assume so,” Charlie said. “All Quill are.”
“Like a bird’s nest?” Ram asked and April elbowed him harder.
“They only built them on the lower continent. It was never safe for me to travel there, so I’ve never seen one up close,” Charlie explained. “But they’re supposed to be large—size of this room at least.”
“You should probably stop talking.”
The all jumped at the sound of another voice entering the room. Thankfully, it was Tanya, but they all expected to see an irate Miss Quill walk in behind her. April briefly considered ducking behind a pillow while Charlie looked particularly panicked, which was fair since he'd bear the brunt of Miss Quill's wrath.
“She went to the shop,” Tanya explained with a smirk as she dropped her backpack on the table. Digging through her bag for her physics books, she continued, “Said you were out of mushy peas and that I needed to study.”
“She ate a whole tin smothered over fish yesterday,” Matteusz explained.
“Cravings,” April concluded. “AKA a normal non-alien pregnancy thing. This pregnancy is not as unusual as she claims.” She turned to Tanya. “Has she said anything to you about buying baby stuff?”
“Just that Amazon Prime has one day delivery.”
“See,” Mattuesz chimed in. “I told you.”
“This is ridiculous. She’ll need things whether she wants to admit it or not,” April said decisively. “We’ll throw her a baby shower.”
Tanya, Matteusz, and Ram burst out laughing. Charlie looked confused.
“It’s your funeral,” Ram said.