(Do I need to put a warning for male pregnancy? :/)

"Oh my knight.." Shieldy gasped, staring wide-eyed at the large gift bundle presented before him. "Princess Diamond, you really didn't have to buy all of this!"

"It's not a problem, really," Princess Diamond replied. "I would've gotten a lot more if Coffee hadn't stopped me."

Coffee smirked and rolled his eyes in good humor. "That baby is going to be so spoiled."

"Come back to me once you've had your own baby, then we'll see who's talking," Party Hat laughed, playfully knocking into Coffee.

"I think I'll save these for later," Shieldy chuckled, pushing the gifts aside. "Thanks for the gifts, everyone!" he cheered, "but I think it's time to move on to something more fun!"

Chocolatey stood beside Shieldy. "Agreed! Let's play some baby shower games!" she exclaimed, leading the party over to an area littered with various toys and crafts. Shieldy grinned, and ran over to join them, before clutching his stomach in pain.

"You guys go on, I'll join you soon!" he strained, and waddled to a corner to sit down. He exhaled sharply, resting a hand on the small bump in his belly. Objects didn't really show when they were pregnant, but the baby was still there; alive, and..in him.

It was almost surreal. Like it was a dream, and Shieldy could wake up at any moment. He sighed, long and soft, and watched his friends happily play games. Shieldy stifled a laugh seeing Shelly in a baby pink baby bonnet with a pacifier in her mouth. She spat it out, laughing with the rest of the group. Shieldy laughed harder still as Pizza was chased by Coffee wielding a baby bib.

A familiar sound of footsteps made their way towards Shieldy. Party Hat slid down, with a big, warm smile on his face.

"Hey! How's my favorite guest of honor doing?" he nudged Shieldy.

Shieldy laughed. "Great! The baby's just kicking," he replied, looking back down to his stomach.

Party Hat sighed, leaning on Shieldy. "I almost can't believe she'll be here soon! We're gonna be parents!" he squealed. "She's going to have the best dad!"

"And that would be..?"

"Me, of course!" Party Hat said cheekily. They both burst out in laughter. "Kidding! I know you'll be amazing, too."

Shieldy chuckled, rubbing his belly. "She'll be lucky to have you as well, Party Hat."

"Heyy, don't get all sappy on me." Party Hat laughed. "How do you like the party so far?"

"It's been great! Chocolatey's an amazing host," Shieldy grinned, and laughed seeing Party Hat's pouty face. "Not as good as you, though."

"I can't believe I, the party man, wasn't allowed to plan at all!" Party Hat jokingly complained. "All because it 'isn't proper etiquette'," he said, mocking Slurpy's voice.

Shieldy just smiled at his partner, letting his jokes and shenanigans lift his mood. He had always hoped his daughter would inherit Party Hat's sense of humor.

"Hey," Party Hat's voice adopted a more serious tone, sharpening Shieldy's attention. "You seem out of the zone all of a sudden. Is everything okay?"

"I guess," Shieldy mumbled, "I'm just..worried? Anxious?" He shook his head, and looked up to meet Party Hat's intense, deep stare.

"Tell me more."

He knew there was no hiding anything from Party Hat, so Shieldy took a deep breath, and plunged into the deep end of his recent worries.

"Everything's been so fast, y'know? We get together, finally, then suddenly I'm pregnant and we're having a baby shower and I'm expecting in a few months?" Shieldy breathed. "And suddenly, I'm supposed to be a dad, and be mature and all, and recently..I haven't been sure if I can do that."

Party Hat gazed at Shieldy emphatically, his heart heavy with a sort of grief that the two shared. "Yeah, I get it..this is new for me, too."

"So how are you handling it?" Shieldy shifted anxiously. He wiped a loose tear from his eye. "It's too much for me sometimes..I know it sounds stupid, but it is."

"Shieldy," Party Hat scooted over to sit in front of him, "we've talked about this. It's okay to cry and tell me about it. And, I won't judge you if you cry in front of me. I'll probably just cry with you," he smiled like a faint sun ray poking through a cloud.

The tears fell a little more freely. Shieldy nodded, smiling as well.

"Well, I kinda..let my positivity drive it away. Cliche, but true," Party Hat stated, after seeing Shieldy's subtle smirk and eye roll. "Despite it all, I have you, and soon, a beautiful baby daughter." He stared down at Shieldy's bump, and a warm smile lit Party Hat's face. "And that makes up for everything else, right?"

A new smile spread across Shieldy's face as his eyes sparkled again. "Yeah. Yeah, it does." He leaned in and planted a sweet kiss on Party Hat's lips. "Thanks."

Party Hat slid back beside Shieldy so they could lean against one another. "We'll get through this the way we always have."

"You mean, having no idea what we're doing and possibly screaming?" Shieldy joked.

Party Hat laughed in response. "Yeah, definitely."