"You're going to Seccotine's going away party?" Fantasio asked outside the bathroom, eyebrow cocked and arms crossed.

Spirou searched for a comb hiding in their crammed toiletry cup. "Well, yeah. She invited me, remember?"

"But we don't even work over there. Isn't it at her workplace?"

He found the comb digging its teeth into toothbrush fibers. "She considers me a friend."

Good for you, he thought with disgust. "How long is she going to be on maternity leave?"

"Beats me. Knowing her she'd probably go back as soon as possible."

"What's it gonna be again?"

The comb snagged in his hair, and Spirou grunted. "I think we're finding out today. I'll tell you when I come back."

Fantasio shrugged. "Alright."

The redhead left the restroom sniffing the air. "'Think I have enough cologne on?"

"Uh..." The blond sniffed too. "I wouldn't put more on, for sure."

"Alright then." A plop of a groom cap on his head and he was all ready to go. Halfway he opened the door before remembering:

"I thought you were driving, Fantasio."

Fantasio facepalmed, sighed. He'd completely forgot until now. After Spirou ran over a fire hydrant the last time he drove the two decided to let the redhead take a break from behind the wheel. He tapped his socked toes against the floor. "Uh, give me a second."

Half an hour later the two arrived at The Mosquito's headquarters. In a long twin window on the ground floor was a hand painted banner reading "Goodbye Seccotine." Why it was facing the outside and not the inside, Fantasio didn't know, but no one else appeared to care to question it. Outside the front door was the expecting mother holding that stereotypical pose of hands rubbing her ever expanding belly. Upon spotting the two she waved, stepped towards the twosome's clunker Volkswagen.

"Eee... Spirou, get out before she gets closer!"

He sighed. "Okay, fine. Come get me in a couple hours, hmm?"

Spirou's seatbelt clicked free. He reached for his door handle, but it was too late for Fantasio. Seccotine knocked on his window, smirking. The blond groaned as his lowering window did the same.

"There you are, Spirou!" She called out. "You're the only one that hasn't come yet! What took you so long?"

At first he went towards her after he exited the vehicle until he realized he forgot something. He laughed nervously after closing his door. The two hugged each other tightly in front of Fantasio. The embrace wasn't a chaste simple hug, where the friends squeezed arms around each other's upper backs. Or, at least, it wasn't one to Fantasio. He was a hugger. He'd never tried to squeeze a friend or relative's butt before. A girlfriend or two's, yeah. He raised a brow.

A car honk separated the shocked two. "Uh, shouldn't you two be inside?"

Seccotine repeated his words. "Oh, of course! Thank you, Fantasio! C'mon, Spirou!"

The two acted strange together for months but this was the first concrete evidence of what he suspected what was going on. "Wait! Seccotine!"

She turned her head. "Yeah?"

"How far along are you?"

"Oh... Five months. You happy now?"

"Um... I don't think Spirou ever said who the father is."

Her eyes inflated. Spirou had the same look when he turned as well.

"Oh come on! I'm just curious!"

"I think my sex life isn't any of your business," she said. "But trust me, I know who he is. He's attending, if you were wondering."

That appeared to be it for that conversation. The twosome conversed with each other as they entered the building, doors fluttering before shutting behind. Fantasio 'hmmph'd."

"I know they're hiding something from me," he muttered. The still running car shifted from neutral to forward, and he began scouting for a parking space or lot. "My interest is too piqued. I need to know what the hell is going on..."

It was fortunate that whoever organized the party was sign happy. Fantasio never entered the building beforehand and had no idea where anything was. All he had to do was follow the signs stating "to the party here" from the lobby to the room housing the event. The twin doors, festooned with paper cutouts of baby toys such as rattlers and rocking horses, were mostly closed with only a generic black door stopper leaving a crack open on the right side. Fantasio found himself smirking.

It's like they're begging someone to snoop, he thought.  Well, he was already there. Time to do said snooping. It was not entirely full so at least there wasn't someone's backside obscuring his view. Over all the laughter he could barely hear anything in the baby blue and pink streamed room. He could see the white two tiered cake in the right corner, the presents piled to the left, and Seccotine and Spirou in the back center of the room with a couple other women he presumed to be Seccotine's co-workers and friends. The three women chatted with paper cups in their hands, and hands-in-pocket Spirou blushed and laughed. A portly, older man in a green pinstripe suit with a carefully styled handlebar mustache came over behind and slapped a hand onto Spirou's shoulder, all the while offering a cigar in his other gloved hand.

"Go on," he yelled after Spirou apparently asked him to repeat, "it's only custom! You are the father-to-b--"

Both doors slammed open. All noise, including the person working the malfunctioning CD player, ceased. Seccotine hugged her stomach, Spirou gasped and bit his nails. Fantasio, hands clutching both doors, breathed heavily.

"Father? Did I just hear correctly?! Father?!"

"Fantasio, I can explain!"