𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙩 & 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚| 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙭 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

The anticipation was almost unbearable.
Y/N hadn't realized just how much she'd been holding her breath until she found herself pacing around her apartment again, unable to sit still. Boothill had messaged her a few days ago, telling her that he was on his way back. But with each passing hour, her nerves only grew more tightly wound. What if something went wrong? What if he didn't come back safely? The doubts gnawed at her insides, but she pushed them away. He promised he'd return, and she had to trust that.
She glanced at the clock again. It was late—nearly midnight—and she hadn't heard from him since that last message. The city outside her window was still alive, but inside, her mind was a whirlwind of what-ifs.
A wave of dizziness suddenly hit her, and she gripped the edge of the counter to steady herself. She blinked rapidly, trying to shake the sudden wave of nausea that swept over her. Her stomach churned, and for a moment, she thought she might be sick. She hadn't eaten much today, and maybe that was the issue. Maybe she was just tired. She had barely slept in the past few days, her anxiety keeping her awake.
But as the dizziness faded, she noticed something else. Her body felt strange—off in a way she couldn't quite explain. Her chest felt tight, her skin warmer than usual. Maybe I'm coming down with something, she thought, rubbing her temple in an attempt to quell the discomfort.
Y/N moved over to the couch and sank down, trying to shake off the growing unease. She had a million things on her mind, and now, this odd feeling. It was like her body was telling her something, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.
She glanced at the clock once more. Still no sign of Boothill. Her phone sat next to her, silent, and the lack of messages only made her more restless. Sighing, she finally stood up again, her head swimming slightly, and made her way to the bathroom. Maybe a glass of water would help, or some medicine for a headache. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she needed something to calm the storm inside.
But when she opened the bathroom cabinet, her eyes landed on the box she hadn't thought about in weeks. The pregnancy test she had bought, unsure if she'd ever need it. She picked it up absentmindedly, her mind still racing as she tried to make sense of the fog that had settled over her body.
Wait.
Her hand shook slightly as she stared at the box. The last time she'd even considered the possibility of using this test was... months ago. She had been worried, then—unsure if it was the right time, if she and Boothill were ready for something so monumental. But now? With everything that had happened, with the way her body felt strange and foreign, the idea of taking the test was suddenly less like a "what-if" and more like an undeniable gut feeling.
A feeling that wouldn't let go.
Without another thought, Y/N unwrapped the test and used it. The process seemed almost surreal, and for a few moments, she simply stared at the small bathroom tiles, waiting. The discomfort in her chest hadn't gone away, but now her anxiety felt focused on something new—something she couldn't ignore.
It felt like an eternity before she finally looked down.
The result.
Her eyes widened as the lines on the test became clearer.
Pregnant.
It was like the ground had shifted beneath her feet. She blinked, struggling to process what she was seeing, her heart pounding so loudly in her ears that it almost drowned out every other thought. Pregnant? No. This couldn't be right.
Her hand trembled as she set the test down on the counter. She leaned heavily against the sink, trying to breathe, trying to make sense of it. The nausea from earlier flared up again, and this time, it didn't pass as easily. She gripped the edge of the sink, feeling the heat in her face, her thoughts spinning in every direction.
How? When?
The pieces fell into place as flashes of memories from the past few months came rushing back: quiet moments with Boothill, the times they had spent together in the simplest of ways. The fleeting glances, the closeness, the moments that had felt so natural. It's possible, she thought, her chest tightening with a mix of disbelief and something else—something that felt strangely... right.
But then a fresh wave of panic washed over her.
Boothill...
What was she supposed to do with this? How could she tell him? How could she explain all of this when he wasn't here—when the uncertainty of his return still loomed over everything? The distance between them had never felt more daunting than in that moment. She could already feel the weight of everything crashing down on her shoulders.
She leaned back against the bathroom door, her body sinking slowly to the floor as she held her head in her hands. The silence of her apartment seemed deafening now. She was pregnant. The word itself felt foreign, like something she had read in a book but never imagined she would experience.
A million questions filled her mind, but the most pressing one echoed louder than all the rest: What now?
Time seemed to slow, the weight of the discovery settling heavily on Y/N's chest. Her emotions were all over the place—fear, confusion, uncertainty—but there was one thought she couldn't shake: I can't do this alone.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, pulling her out of her spiraling thoughts. With trembling fingers, she grabbed it, hoping with all her heart that it was Boothill. She had almost convinced herself that it wasn't going to happen—that the silence would stretch on forever—but there, on the screen, was his name.
"Almost there. See you soon."
Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart leaped in her chest. He was coming. He was coming home.
Y/N stared at the screen for a long moment, her emotions a tangled mess of relief, fear, and uncertainty. She had just found out she was pregnant—just found out her life was about to change in a way she hadn't expected—and now, Boothill was on his way back to her.
She couldn't tell him like this. Not until she figured everything out, not until she knew how to process this revelation. But in that moment, she knew that things were about to get more complicated—and more beautiful—than she could have ever imagined.
She stood slowly, her legs shaky, and moved toward the door. It wasn't just the return of Boothill that she was waiting for anymore. It was the start of something new—something that would change everything.
She just had to figure out how to tell him.