For the Ask Blog Secret Santa Exchange, asktheflarpingduo (Check them out! Their blog is adorable) requested some good ol' Dave/Terezi. I've actually had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while, and I was like "Well I have an excuse to write it now so why not?"

Also, my humanstuck headcanon for Terezi is Indian. And by Indian, I mean from India, not Native American from America (That's my Nepeta headcanon, which is another story entirely). Also I picture Dave as black (influenced by aradia-paradia, check them out as well). Don't question these headcanons okay.

And I should put the shipping chart here: The main pairing is Dave/Terezi, and the other ships are Karkat/Nepeta, John/Vriska, Gamzee/Tavros, Feferi/Jade, Rose/Kanaya, Aradia/Equius, and Eridan/Sollux. Thought I should clear that up. They're only mentioned in this, though.

Disclaimer: If I owned Homestuck it would be even gayer than it is now. Also I know little-to-nothing about pregnancy, so I apologize in advance for misinformation and mistakes. I had to look up the symptoms on WebMD, actually.

"Fuck."

Terezi retched one last time into the toilet bowl, silently praising any deity that was out there when no more vomit left her mouth. She leaned back with a sigh. She hated vomit so much, and vomiting even more. The scent stung her sensitive nose, and the taste left her mouth bitter for what felt like days afterwards. She sighed. Ah, well. She knew this was going to happen anyways.

"Tez? You in here?"

Terezi lifted her head up to the door to the bathroom, squinting at the blurry figure in the doorway. "Dave," she rasped, suppressing the urge to gag again.

"Shit, Terezi. It's like two in the morning."

A flare of guilt lit up in Terezi. She didn't want to keep Dave up, his job was so important to him. "You think I can control this?" she snapped.

Her husband sighed. "No, I know you can't. Sorry."

She glanced away, staring back at the fuzzy image of the toilet. "S'kay."

"You want your glasses? Brought them for you."

Terezi nodded, not trusting herself to speak again, lest the bile rise back up her throat. A gentle hand stroked her head, and cool metal slipped onto her face. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the sudden crystal-clearness of the room.

Dave knelt down next to the toilet in front of her. His ruby red eyes were bright with concern. "You alright?"

Terezi snorted. "Seriously? You asked me that?"

"Come off it, Tez. But seriously, is there anything you want me to get? Hair tie? Water? Crackers?"

Just the mention of the salty food made Terezi want to throw up again. "No," she answered. "Not those…"

Dave nodded. "Right, right. Forget I even mentioned that dreaded food. Just water then?"

"Sure." An urge began to build up in Terezi, the strangest craving. "Say, do pickles taste good with honey?"

Dave stared at her. He lifted up a hand to rub at his eyes, then lowered them to stare at her again. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I said-"

But Terezi was caught off by something disgusting clawing its way up her throat. "Shit," was all she got out before she lurched back over to the toilet.

"Shit indeed." Dave leaned over to hold back Terezi's black hair and the legs of her glasses as she vomited again into the toilet. She heaved, then threw up again.

"Fuck, Tez," Dave commented after she threw up for the third time. "Let me know when you think you're done vomiting for now, so I can at least grab you a hair tie. And that water."

"I-I think I'm done." Terezi spat into the toilet bowl once again, her stomach recoiling at the sight and smell of its former contents.

"Good. Hang on, don't move, and if you're gonna vomit again yell 'Apple juice is hella fine' so I can get there in time."

Despite her current state, Terezi couldn't help but smile. "Sure thing, cool kid. You better get your ass over as soon as possible."

"Your wish is my command, princess." Her hair cascaded back down her shoulders as Dave let go of it, and heavy footsteps signaled his leaving the room.

Terezi leaned back from the toilet and wiped her arm across her lips, questioning, not for the first time, what she and Dave had been thinking.

It had first started when Karkat and Nepeta had announced that they were expecting. Their close-knit group of friends had celebrated this news, and eagerly helped the couples with preparations. John, who had recently become the father of a bouncing baby girl, had helped Karkat choose supplies, with the help of Dave, Tavros (surprisingly), and Equius. Aradia, Feferi, and Jade had gone with Nepeta on many shopping trips, sometimes dragging Terezi along. Kanaya set to work on some baby clothes, and Rose began to knit many blankets. Vriska, Eridan, and Sollux helped out in their own ways. Nepeta's older sister, Meulin, had tried to help out so much that nearly everyone's older siblings had gotten involved, if they weren't already (Kankri had lectured Karkat at every opportunity). Terezi had also promised to help them out with any legal work that came along. Everyone couldn't wait for the baby to finally arrive.

Finally, a healthy baby girl came into the world, and she had everyone wrapped around her fingers. Just one look at her huge olive green eyes and her tuft of red hair would cause anyone's heart to melt. And it was then, that day when Terezi met Dakota Vantas-Leijon for the first time, that she truly felt the urges to have a child of her own.

It grew as time went on, and Dakota and Casey Vivian Egbert-Serket grew older and even cuter. Soon, baby things seemed to be everywhere. Aradia announced that she would be having a boy come September, and Rose and Kanaya had said they were thinking of adopting. Jade and Feferi were already filling out forms for their first adopted child. Terezi didn't know what Tavros, Gamzee, Eridan, and Sollux had planned in the future regarding children, but she knew that at least one couple was thinking about them.

And it was then that Terezi knew. She wanted kids. Not a lot, but at least one child to spoil, to bake several sugar cookies with on rainy days, to spin around the living room as they danced to old nineties music, to tuck into bed and read stories to, to kiss good night on the head. She wanted kids, and the want was just about ready to consume her.

But she was scared to even bring up the notion of children. What if Dave didn't want them? Sure, he got along fine with Dakota and Casey, but that didn't mean he wanted children of his own. He never said anything about them, and Terezi never brought them up. She let the thought of children of her own turn over and over in her mind for months, never saying a word.

Surprisingly, it was after the group of adults had gotten together for the celebration of Casey's first birthday that Dave had brought having kids up. Terezi could remember it like it was yesterday. They had been lying in bed, having just both turned off their respective lamps, when Dave had rolled over and asked, "Hey, Terezi, what if we had kids?"

At first, Terezi had just stared at him, until he sighed and said, "Right, right. You don't have to say 'no' out loud." But then she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him towards her, until she could put her lips on his for a deeply passionate kiss.

When they broke apart, there had only been heavy breathing. Then Terezi broke it by saying, "I was just about to ask you that." Dave laughed and pulled her in for another kiss.

They didn't try right away, of course. They had to prepare some things in advance, such as proper funds, if they would have to move, where to adopt from if it didn't work.

Finally, once they were positive that they were prepared, and could easily adopt if it didn't work, they tried to have a child for the first time. It didn't work, but that didn't discourage them from trying again and again. It wasn't until a week later that the pregnancy test read positive.

Terezi had ran out of the bathroom whooping, and Dave had picked her up and spun her around, before panicking and putting her down and asking, "Are you okay? Shit, maybe I shouldn't have done that. Are you sure you're okay?"

Terezi just laughed and pulled him in for a kiss. When they broke apart, she looked him in the eyes through his shades and said, "I'm okay. I'm fantastic, actually. We're going to be parents!"

"Yes, that we are." Then Dave's widened. "Oh, my god. The two of us as parents. This is not something people would expect us to be.

"Then let's prove them wrong, Dave."

Terezi arranged an appointment with Dr. Chase later, and she scheduled appointments for Terezi over the course of the next two months. She also gave her a list of things to watch out for, and parenting book recommendations. To be honest, Terezi wished that things could go along faster, so that she could be meeting her little one sooner.

But it was far from a fun experience, even if Terezi was barely two months along. The morning sickness was terrible, especially since it was inaccurately named. Terezi found herself vomiting in the mornings, the afternoons, and even the evenings. Her breasts were starting to feel sore almost daily, not to mention that she felt ready to drop to the floor and start snoring at the drop of a hat. She didn't have many cravings, but she felt sickened by the mere thought of salty foods.

There were also her mood swings. Terezi didn't often realize that she had them, but someone would comment on her swinging from beyond pissed off to bouncy and happy. Dave had joked about them occasionally, but one glare got him to shut up. She had also gained a few more pounds. She wasn't expecting this quite so soon, but her doctor had assured her that this was completely normal and expected, since the weight gain usually begun in the first trimester. She trusted Dr. Chase, since the woman would know a great deal more about pregnancies than Terezi would, even after many hours reading.

But, so far, the worst part had been the vomiting. She knew that Vriska hadn't had much morning sickness during her pregnancy, and Nepeta's had been moderate. She also knew that it varied from woman to woman. Some only threw up occasionally, while others could barely move without puking. But, good lord, if Terezi had known hers was going to be so bad, she would've rethought having kids.

Having kids…being a parent…

Terezi was having second thoughts about this already, and not all were because of the vomiting. What if she and Dave weren't ready? What if they weren't good parents? While her mother had been a reasonably good parent, there were still some things she could've done better, and her father had been far from an excellent parent, from what Terezi could remember. And Dave's older brother wasn't exactly an outshining model, either. Latula didn't know much about parenting, and didn't want to have kids. Plus, Terezi knew she couldn't tell anyone until she was further along, since the baby needed to grow properly.

And what if the baby didn't survive? Anything could go wrong. A miscarriage, a premature birth, the baby growing outside the womb…She was scared. Even though Dr. Chase assured her that everything was going fine, it was all normal, Terezi still had her fears. She had to watch herself constantly to make sure she did nothing wrong. Dave had to stop her from drinking wine at least twice after a hard day at work. She could kill the baby, just with one tiny mistake.

"Well, I didn't hear any shouting about the fine-ness of AJ, which is both a win and a loss, so I return."

Terezi was jolted out of her thoughts by a familiar voice, and she looked back up at the doorway to see Dave walk in with the promised cherry red hair tie and glass of water. He strode over to her and put the glass in her outstretched hands, and then moved over to her back, kneeling down behind her. Terezi shivered as his hands brushed over her as he collected her black hair to put in a messy ponytail.

Dave stopped. "Are you cold?"

"No, no, I'm not."

"I can grab you a blanket real fast-"

"Dave."

"Or we could just go back to bed-"

"Dave."

"Maybe crank up the heat?"

"Dave."

"Shit, turn down the AC?"

"DAVE!"

Dave jumped, and Terezi felt her hair tumble back down as Dave let go of it. "Wh-What?"

"I said that I'm fine. Just a little…" She hesitated, biting her tongue as she did so.

"A little what? You're not gonna puke again, are you?"

She let out a shaky breath. "No. I think I'm done now."

"Good."

"Dave…" Terezi trailed off, uncertain on how to continue.

"What, Tez?" Dave asked.

"I'm scared," she mumbled.

"I didn't quite catch that."

Terezi turned to face him, fighting back tears. "I'm scared!" she burst out. "If I make even the smallest mistake, I could kill the baby! I have to constantly watch myself all the time, and sometimes that's not enough. And other things can go wrong-things I can't even control! What if one of them happens? And what if we're not good parents? We didn't have the greatest role models growing up." Terezi gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth. "How will they react? What will my mother say? What if my dad comes and finds out? How will Latula react? And your family, Dave! How-"

Dave grabbed her shoulders. "Terezi. Calm down. You're hyperventilating." She realized that she was, and that tears were threatening to pool out of her eyes. She took a few deep, shaky breaths, trying to calm down. Dave rubbed small circles into her shoulders, murmuring words of encouragement.

Finally, Terezi wasn't quite so close to crying, and her breathing had slowed down. Dave's hands had moved from her shoulders to her hands, where he had gently removed the cup of water from. His fingers stroked the palms of her hands, brushing them so lightly that it almost tickled. Finally, he looked up at her and said, "What's this I hear about making mistakes?"

Terezi sighed. "You know what I mean, Dave. Just the other day, you had to grab the beer bottle out of my hand and remind me that I couldn't drink."

"Tez, that's only been once or twice. You do it only because you're stressed, and because you're not used to this whole pregnancy thing. Believe me, if I was a girl who got knocked-up, I would've downed like ten shots before remembering."

Terezi snorted. "That's true."

"Geez, babe, you're not supposed to agree with me."

She laughed, shaking her head. "I thought we were assuring me, not you."

"Right, right." Terezi's breath hitched slightly as Dave grasped her hands tighter. "Moral of the story is, you're not used to this. You just gotta keep reminding yourself that, deep inside you, a tiny-ass human is growing, and that he isn't gonna take kindly to alcohol."

She laughed again. "I'll try." But then she stopped laughing, and became serious once again. "But what about the things I can't control? You can't deny that I can't prevent those things from happening."

"Then they're not your fault. If they happen, then we'll try again when you feel that you're ready-and only when you're sure. I'm not forcing you to do anything you don't want to do."

"But-"

"No but's, Terezi. The only butt that matters is yours. And mine, obviously."

Terezi rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Oh yes, we all care so much about the Strider ass."

Dave gasped, pretending to be shocked. "Tez, how could you ever say that? My ass is definitely meant to be cared about. I mean, have you seen it?"

She stared him dead in the eye and grinned, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "You know that I have, Dave."

His cheeks gained a pinkish hue. "Wow, Terezi, way to be dirty in front of our child."

Terezi laughed, until her throat, still raw from the vomiting, turned against her, and she hacked violently. Dave instantly wrapped one of his hands tighter around her wrist, and offered her the glass of water with the other. When she was sure she was done coughing, she hesitantly took a sip. The cool relief of the clear liquid slid down her throat, and she sighed. Her husband lessened his grip around her wrist, but his hand stayed there.

"Now, to address your other points," Dave said, after Terezi had taken a few more sips.

"Yeah?" she murmured, not trusting herself to speak at a normal volume just yet.

"We all know that our guardians probably weren't the best role models growing up. I mean, I've seen those pictures of kindergarten you watching those adult law shows with your mom, and Latula groaning in the background. And I grew up surrounded by so many fucking smuppets that I wake up disoriented in the mornings when there's not a plush rump next to my face sometimes."

Terezi snorted.

"But," he continued, "we didn't come out too messed up in the head, so I guess that we're alright for now. Plus, we basically know what shit to do and what shit not to do. We also got a few friends that are already parents, so we can just ring them up for help sometimes. I mean, have you seen Nepeta? I pegged her down to be a great mom practically since the first time I saw her. And so far her daughter isn't dead, which must be saying something."

Terezi smiled at Dave, but then her face fell. "How will they react, though?"

Dave started to softly massage her wrist again. "Terezi, I'm sure your mom is gonna be fucking hyped to get some little shit to show intense TV trial scenes to. As for Latula? Maybe she doesn't want kids, but she'll also be hella stoked. Probably buy you some baby-sized skateboard for the baby shower."

"But my father-"

Dave squeezed Terezi's wrist tighter. "-Hasn't contacted your family for the past five years. I highly doubt that he'll be interested, especially if he sees some other hot chick. And if he comes and says shit about it, I will personally dropkick his ass into the next millennium."

Terezi smiled ruefully. She could always count on Dave to reassure her. "Yes, but what about your family? With your brothers and sisters and-"

"I'll just make sure Bro keeps those smuppets away from our kid. And I'm sure Dirk wouldn't mind a small niece or nephew to pester him in the workplace. As for Rose and Roxy? Roxy's gonna start planning that kid's wedding when she hears that we're gonna be parents. And Rose…" Dave paused. "Shit. We're gonna be flooded with so many blankets."

Terezi laughed again. Dave laughed with her. "Start cleaning out the closets!" she teased him. "We're gonna need the space!"

"Aw, hell no, Tez, I ain't going in them alone."

"I can't do any hard work! I'm pregnant!"

"Well, we'll just have to wait until after you have the kid then."

Terezi swatted playfully at him, and he barely ducked. But Dave's grin was so wide and infectious, that she couldn't help but smile back.

When the laughter had finally died down, Dave looked at her again, now completely serious. "Terezi, I'm gonna tell you the truth here. I don't think we really have anything to worry about. So far you're healthy, and so is the baby. Nothing bad has happened as of now, and I doubt that anything ever will. We got a bunch of supporting friends and families, and we're gonna raise this kid to be great."

"You think so, Dave?"

Dave flashed her one of those half-smirks that she had grown so used to. "No, Tez. I know. I'm a Strider, after all."

"You wish."

"Hey, don't diss the name, it's technically yours as well." He stood up, stretching out his arms and yawning. "I'm tired, and it's late. We should probably get back to bed now." He gestured his hand out to her. "Do you trust me?"

Terezi snorted, but took his hand anyways. "You've seen too many Disney movies," she complained, grunting as he pulled her up.

"Hmm. Maybe. I don't know, we'll have to see."

"Yeah." Terezi yawned again, and leaned over to flush the toilet, wrinkling her nose again at its contents. Dave put a hand on her shoulder and smirked again. She swatted his hand off, but smirked back at him. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You missed," she pointed out.

"I meant to do that. You may be my beautiful wife and all, but you still puked."

"Would me brushing my teeth change your mind?"

"Only if it's in the morning, and you don't use mine. Now, come, the satin sheets of Dreamland summon us. Mainly me, but you too."

Terezi laughed again, as she followed Dave out of their bathroom.

She was still nervous about the baby. There was seven months left until he or she would be born, and a lot could happen in seventh months. There were still things that had to be prepared, such as clothes, cribs, rooms, money (She and Dave had started saving up money, but Dr. Chase had advised against buying a lot of supplies before the three-month mark). Terezi still needed to watch herself to make sure that she didn't slip up and make a careless-yet dangerous-mistake, and approval of the child still bothered her.

But she knew that what Dave had told her was true. Everything was going fine so far. There had been no problems, and both she and the baby were healthy. They were reasonably prepared, and in doubt they could consult the doctor. They got the basics of parenting, and knew reasonably well what to do and what not to do. They also had many loving and supporting family members, who would try to be with them every step of the way. Not to mention a crazy, yet well-meaning, group of friends.

Terezi laid her hand carefully on her stomach and smiled to herself. Yes, that small tiny person in there was gonna turn out all right. She and Dave were gonna make sure of that, and she knew that all of the wonderful people that she knew and love would make sure of that as well.

Boy, sappy things. I haven't really written much sappiness in a while, actually. It's mostly been me torturing people with my most popular fic, "How Not to Get Your OTP Together." If you read the Percy Jackson series, have read the latest book "The Blood of Olympus," and ship Solangelo, I really recommend that you check it out if you haven't already!

Anyways, like I said in the author's note above, this fic was a Christmas present for the mun of the ask blog asktheflarpingduo! They requested DaveTer as part of their present, and I obliged. This fic idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, actually, so I just needed an excuse to write it out. I've had the idea since, what, last year? That's a long time.

I also drew an AraSol pic, a TavRis pic, and a pale AraTav pic! You can find them on my tumblr, at gamzee-makaraoni. The ask blog that I mun is askthecurrentlyaliveteenagers, which is still sorta under construction.

I hope I didn't make many mistakes. This is probably the first thing that I've written directly involving pregnancy, and I've never been pregnant (I have been single all of my life actually). So I had to look some stuff up, and combined it with my limited knowledge of the subject. Is it accurate? I'll go back and change it later.

So check out my other fics if you want! I recommend the ones published in 2014. I wrote most of my other stuff in seventh grade, and we all know how turbulent a time that is. I can't tell you how many of my immature reviews that I have discovered made me cringe. And check out the blog URLs I posted!

And Merry (early) Christmas to all of you, and to all a good night (of fanfiction)!

Deranged Shadow Fangirl