Jason wakes up feeling warm. His tail is hopelessly tangled with Tim's, the two of them cuddled up on a bed of soft algae. He can feel every single one of Tim's slow breaths, the shudder of water through his side gills ruffling Jason's wispy fins.
It's peaceful in a way he didn't think breeding season could be.
A quiet note fills the water as Jason hums in contentment. The sound makes Tim stir. With a smile, Jason presses soft kisses to his throat and cheek — over the bites he left on him at the height of their Mating frenzy. Tim’s eyes blink open. He gives Jason a slow smile before drawing him into a kiss. Their lips move languidly together for a while, rows of razor-sharp teeth hidden away.
Eventually, Jason pulls back. He nuzzles Tim’s nose with his own, before untangling their limbs to stretch his tail. Eyes half-lidded, Tim watches the movement. Then his own song echoes with a surprised warble as his expression goes from languid to pure delight.
“You caught!” he exclaims.
Jason blinks before looking down. It takes him a bit of squinting in the low light before he spots the darker patch of skin on his belly. Hands flying to his middle, he lets out a soft sound. He’s pregnant! He wasn't sure that it was in the cards for him after the Green Waters. He thought that he'd been too damaged, too broken to be the livebearer in their pair.
(…Not that Tim and him didn't give every configuration a try, but that was more a matter of pleasure than reproduction.)
Grinning widely, he tugs Tim out of bed and twirls him in excitement. “We did it! We’re going to be parents!”
With a giddy laugh, Tim wraps his arms around Jason’s neck. Lost in each other’s eyes, they let themselves forget the world, their tails swirling together in a bright flash of gold and red as they dance in joy. Their fins fan in and out to the rhythm of their shared song… until the rumbling of Jason's stomach interrupts them.
Tim laughs as their dancing winds down. “Sounds like I better do my duty and feed you.”
“I want mackerel,” Jason demands playfully. “To celebrate.”
“Aye, aye, Sir.” Tim rolls his eyes as he slings his hunting harness over his chest.
Jason steals a couple of kisses while helping him with the clasps, before accompanying him to the entrance of their breeding nest. Tim gives him one last nuzzle before swimming into the brighter ocean, his staff in hand. Jason watches the light reflect off his pretty golden tail from the safety of their cave…
Right before rushing after him with a gasp.
“Tim!” Jason exclaims as he catches Tim’s wrist.
Tim whirls around in surprise. “Uh, I don't think you're supposed to leave our ca—”
Jason puts his hands around the discreet darker spot on Tim’s stomach. Tim frowns, but he looks down. He blinks. Then his mouth falls open in shock.
“Holy shit! How is that even possible?!”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what happened, but obviously it did, and… Fuck. Tim, we’re going to have so many fries!” Jason can't keep the excitement out of his voice, the deep, overjoyed notes of his song joining the clicks of his tongue.
Tim gives him a soft smile. “Yeah. Yeah, we are. I guess that warrants twice as much mackerel?”
“Yeah! Actually, wait. No." Jason frowns. "It’s too dangerous. You shouldn't be out hunting.”
Jason starts dragging them both back to their nest, but Tim resists. “Neither should you by that logic, but we still need to eat.”
Jason scrunches up his nose. He was so caught up in his discovery that he forgot about the practicalities for a minute. Shit. He has no idea how they're going to deal with logistics when both of them will need to be protected, fed, and taken care of while their fries gestate. Unless…
Ugh. Jason looks at Tim. His partner’s face is schooled into a careful mask of neutrality which tells Jason everything he needs to know. Tim has had the exact same idea he did, and he's waiting to see how Jason feels about it.
“I don't suppose you've got a secret uncle who could host us?” Jason tries.
Tim’s lips quirk in amusement as he shakes his head. “Sorry. No hidden family anywhere.”
“Dammit.” Jason sighs, and a torrent of bubbles swims up between them. “You know Bruce is going to be insufferable if we ask him for help, right?”
“Yeah." Tim sighs too. "We'll be safe, though, and our fries too.”
“Ugh. I guess. Fine. You give him the news, though. I need him to work it out of his system before letting him anywhere near me.”
Tim grimly extends a hand. “That's a deal... if you take care of telling Alfred.”
Jason pales, but he shakes Tim's hand. "Deal."
