“there won’t be.” dalton assured, knowing that no one could ever capture his heart like jory had - no matter how they danced at his club. no one would ever be jory, apart from jory. he was utterly and completely in love with his husband, and nothing would ever change that. he’d fallen for him the moment he’d met him, looking after him after an incident in his club, and dancing afterwards. even when he ran off at the strike of two am like cinderella.
“three months, to the day.” he repeated, swallowing hard as he glanced at his husband. he felt so guilty for making jory sad about this, but he hoped the other knew that of course dalton was happy for him and wanted to be nothing but supportive. when his husband embraced him, he tightly hugged him back, pressing kisses to any part of him that he could get to. “i love you so much baby, i know you’ll kill it out there. you go and show them that you are the best dancer on this planet, and no one could ever match up to you. i’ll try and get some time off at one point, come out and see you okay? it’ll be okay. i love you so much too cinderella, and i know you’re coming back. i do know that.” he reluctantly pulled away when jory had to leave, and he waved at his husband until he was out of sight. he stood there for a small while, staring at the point that jory had been before slowly he walked back to his car, sitting in the drivers side and driving back to his apartment, like a robot. waiting until he got home until he’d allow himself to break down, already missing his husband so much that his heart ached.
jory didn’t talk to dalton as often as he would like. at the beginning he had been sure to call once a day. then it became every other day as it became busier. they were in different time zones and jory was exhausted after long practices and press tours. back home his face was on magazines, him and his dance partner melody appearing in love with one another as they were accomplished at doing, as they did so every night on stage. and sometimes it was him, melody, and her boyfriend, james who was also apart of the company. the three of them going out together, dancing together. one particular magazine spread had a photo of jory and james dancing in a club together, it had been a sensual dance to tease melody who found it hilarious. all things he was doing when he should of been on the phone with dalton he supposed. eventually the phone calls dialed down to once every couple weeks. they were short, argumentative over why jory didn’t call more often.
and now it had been three weeks without a call, it hadn’t been jory’s plan for it to be so long, but he was practicing during the day and performing at night. and he had recently come down with some sort of stomach ailment he surmised. something he had to dance through though it sent him running to the bathroom in the early mornings, luckily he hadn’t yet gotten the urge to throw up on stage. though he found himself even more exhausted, in need of more food, and dizzy at times. madame zolta finally had enough of her star performer complaining and sent him to the doctor. the blood test came back and there it was, his ailment plain as day. he was pregnant. two months along of course, reminding himself of the last time him and dalton had made love two months ago. before their argument about him leaving, before he was over here.
jory felt the nerves bubble under his skin. instantly he longed to be back home and not here. he only had two people he loved here. madame zolta and melodie. he longed for his mother and step father now to comfort him, he knew his mother would pull him to her chest like she often did and stroke his hair. tell him how much she loved him and that it’d all be okay. chris was a doctor, he’d walk him through the medicine but he’d also wrap him in those strong arms and tell him it was alright, and he’d be fair, he wouldn’t judge him for any decision jory might consider making, for jory hadn’t judged him. he’d call them momma and daddy like he did as a boy as he cried out what was going on. he’d be safe like he was as a child. hell he even missed bart who he could see scowl when jory came back, but he could also see bart soften as he did sometimes. he’d soften once he knew and he’d hug jory too. he wouldn’t judge either though it was in bart’s nature to do so. he’d protect him. but most of all he missed dalton. he needed dalton to hold him the most. to tell him it’d be all right, that they’d be alright. that he’d love him no matter what, that he’d support him. he needed dalton to love him in spite of his more recent faults, and even his doubts now. he needed dalton to want him and love him, and not forgive him just because there was a baby. ‘i don’t want the only good thing to come from this marriage to be a child’, he recalls himself saying to dalton when he fought with his mother after telling her they were married. ‘it won’t be,’ dalton had promised before they made love, giggling and kissing so sweetly. he hadn’t known that his mother had seen them doting and loving one another, and that’s why she had decided it was good for jory.
but he didn’t have any of them to run to so he ran to madame zolta and melody flinging himself across their laps. ‘jory dear it’ll be alright, you’ll dance, you can still dance now even. and when this finishes you’ll be home again. you’ll have baby and i’ll have trained three generations of great dancers,” madame zolta said in her thick accent. melodie combed her fingers through his hair and kissed his cheek, ‘she’s right jory it’ll be alright. you know i can’t dance without you, or rather i can’t dance as well with anyone as i do with you. you’ll dance again even with a baby. and it’ll be a beautiful little baby, like you or that handsome husband of yours. either way that baby has good genetics on it’s side.’ jory cried into their arms and shook his head, he had to go back now. he finished one last performance before jumping a plane home.
he first went to his family, they consoled him just as he knew they would. even bart acted the same. ‘if he doesn’t accept whatever you decide i’ll kick his ass’ bart had said sternly, ‘you can come back and share my room if you need to even,’ bart shrugged. jory couldn’t help but smile at that, feeling his brother had some longing to have him back at home. chris had held him tightly, the warm arms of the only father he truly knew holding him. telling him it’d be alright, kissing his forehead. his mother kissed his face all over and told him he needed to go to dalton, tell him. jory knew that but his mother had to push, jory needed that push to go home. to his real home.
he went to the apartment, turning his key in the lock, it still worked, that was a good sign. but then again he wasn’t supposed to be back for another month, so perhaps dalton hadn’t had time to change the locks yet. he walked in, it seemed darker than how he had left it. dalton was still at the club, after all it was four am he’d be home soon though. jory walked over to the bed, their bed, his side was less rumpled. jory fell onto the bed with a bit of relief. it was more comfortable than any other bed, cause it was theirs. jory found himself moving beneath the covers pulling them around him. they smelled more like dalton now, rather than the mix of their scents. he breathed it in that longing filling his chest. he settled telling himself not to fall asleep when dalton would be home soon. but he was exhausted from it all, and being pregnant only made things harder. it made him more tired. he nestled under the sheets though, falling asleep in their bed as if he had never left.
