Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel!-Chapter 279: Love Rival

The morning after his dramatic confrontation in the dungeon, Riven woke up feeling—well, not exactly refreshed, but at least like he hadn’t been personally run over by a herd of bulls. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He stretched, rubbed his face, and caught a glimpse of the marked calendar on the wall.

He squinted.

Then squinted harder.

Then actually sat up so fast he got dizzy.

Wait.

Wait just one bloody second.

His eyes darted to the little circle he’d made around the date. He’d learned early on that if he didn’t keep track of his cycles, he’d get caught unprepared. Because he was an omega—and the only omega anyone knew of who could actually get pregnant—he’d developed the habit of marking his calendar.

And according to the calendar... He was late.

Riven’s hands shot to his stomach.

"Oh no," he whispered dramatically to himself. "Oh. No."

He was not prepared for childbirth, not even a little!

His mind began racing through every possible scenario—Who’s the father? How would he even explain this to Soren and Ronan? How would he explain it to literally anyone without dying of mortification?

He had a list of things he wanted to do, but he hadn’t done them yet!

Suddenly, the walls felt too close, the blankets too warm. He practically threw himself out of bed, scrambled into a robe, and stomped down the hall.

He banged on Eli’s door like he was summoning him to a trial.

"Eli!"

"ELI!"

The door finally cracked open, revealing Eli, hair sticking up in all directions, glasses askew, shirt half-buttoned, looking like a man who hadn’t slept in forty-eight hours.

"Riven—? Spirits above, what’s wrong?"

"I need you to check if I’m pregnant," Riven blurted out, voice rising with each word.

Eli just... Stared. For a good ten seconds. Then, like a switch had flipped, his entire expression brightened with the curiosity of a man presented with the world’s most fascinating puzzle.

"You think you’re pregnant?" he asked, sounding far too intrigued.

"I’m late," Riven hissed, waving his hands around like that explained everything. "And- and I don’t know but- AM I PREGNANT!"

Eli immediately sobered, remembering that no matter how scientifically interesting this was, Riven looked like he might faint.

"Alright," he said, raising both hands in placation. "Come in. Sit down. Breathe."

Riven stomped past him and plopped onto a cushioned chair, clutching a pillow to his stomach like it might shield him from judgment.

Eli washed his hands and was ready to examine. Riven finally noticed that Eli was wearing a very cute headband. Eli was about to wash his face, so he used it to keep the hair out of his way. ’Why is he so cute! I just wanna bite him!’

But his expression worried Riven. Eli’s eyes were sparkling. He was very interested in Riven. He was the only male who could get pregnant. As a doctor, he was very curious about the anatomy!

And if Riven was pregnant...

"Don’t look so excited," Riven grumbled.

"I’m not," Eli lied, eyes gleaming. "I’m just... Professionally intrigued. We don’t get many opportunities to learn how your biology works. But I promise—" He gave Riven a serious look. "I’m here and I am very professional."

"Good," Riven muttered. "Because if you publish my uterus in some medical journal, I’m going to throttle you."

Eli coughed to cover a laugh.

After doing some of his checks, Eli quickly came to a conclusion, he had already guessed it, but this just confirmed his suspicions. Riven was not pregnant.

"Well?" Riven demanded, cheeks pink.

"You’re not pregnant." Eli sounded one part relieved, one part vaguely disappointed. "Your body’s probably just reacting to the stress. The illness, the exertion, the emotional turmoil...All of it can delay a heat cycle."

Riven slumped back in the chair, letting out a dramatic groan. "Oh, thank the gods."

Eli tilted his head. "So... You wouldn’t want children? Ever?"

Riven frowned, his hands sliding to rest protectively over his still-flat belly.

"No, that’s not it," he admitted quietly. "I... I’d love to have them someday. Just... Not right now. Not when everything is such a mess."

Eli studied him with his warm, tired eyes. "That’s fair."

Riven huffed and crossed his arms. "Besides, can you imagine the chaos? I can barely manage the chaos of me without adding a baby to the equation. I’d probably end up leaving it in a cabinet by accident."

"You probably would," Eli agreed solemnly, earning himself a glare.

"I would not."

"You once forgot where you left your own boots."

"That was one time!"

Eli just patted him on the shoulder like he was a particularly entertaining patient. "I’m going to get you some calming tea. And maybe a pastry."

Riven groaned again, but the tension in his shoulders finally started to fade.

As Eli moved around the room preparing tea, Riven leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes, and let himself feel the relief.

Riven watched Eli fussing with the kettle and gathering tiny jars of honey and dried herbs, all in meticulous order. He looked so serious in his concentration, brow furrowed and hair falling loose again over his cheekbones.

"You know," Eli began conversationally while he stirred the tea, "it’s funny you asked about babies."

Riven lifted a brow. "Funny how?"

Eli turned back toward him, measuring out exactly two spoonfuls of honey. "I practically raised my cousins."

"You?" Riven blinked. "Really?"

Eli smiled sheepishly, eyes crinkling. "There were six of them. All under ten. My aunt and uncle had to travel often for their trade, and my parents were...gone by then. So it was me."

Riven tried to picture it—Eli, who looked so neat and calm, herding a gaggle of shrieking children around the house. "I can’t imagine you dealing with that many tiny monsters."

"It was chaos," Eli admitted, setting the tea on the table before Riven. "But I loved it. They were so...honest. Messy and loud, but honest."

Riven sipped carefully, letting the warm sweetness soothe his jittery nerves. "You must have been a good caretaker."

Eli shrugged one shoulder, suddenly bashful. "I did my best. Someone had to braid hair and tie shoes, and keep them from eating dirt. It felt... Good. It felt good to be surrounded by kids, they’re always so optimistic, and so full of energy."

For a moment, Riven just looked at him, inexplicably touched by that simple confession. It was easy to forget that Eli—so composed, so precise—had been the one to sit up through the night, wiping noses and coaxing nightmares away.

And maybe it was because he was exhausted, or still reeling from the near-panic of thinking he was pregnant, but he blurted out, "You’d be the perfect husband."

Eli’s face went red so fast that Riven almost laughed. "W—what?"

"And dad," Riven went on, ignoring how his own cheeks were heating. "I mean... You’re patient. You care about people. You... Just have that thing."

"That thing?" Eli squeaked.

Riven gestured vaguely. "The... Good heart thing. The ’I’ll make everything better’ thing. You’re very... You know..."

Eli pressed a hand to his forehead. "Stop talking."

Riven grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Admit it. You’d make someone very happy someday."

"Please stop talking."

"I’m just saying."

Eli looked like he might combust on the spot, but he still tried to give Riven a stern look. "Drink your tea."

"Yes, dear husband," Riven teased under his breath.

Riven took another sip of tea, studying Eli over the rim of the cup. He was still pink in the cheeks, fussing with a little cloth napkin like it had personally offended him.

A wicked thought crept into Riven’s mind, and he set his tea aside.

"So," he began, trying to sound casual, "do you... Like anyone?"

Eli went stock-still. "Wh—why are you asking that?"

Riven tilted his head, blinking innocently. "I’m just curious. You never say anything about courting or crushes. You’re always so focused on taking care of other people."

Eli’s fingers tightened around the napkin. "That’s- That’s because it’s none of your business." Eli struggled to hide his blushing face.

"Come on," Riven wheedled, leaning forward across the little table. "You have to like someone. Who is it? One of the healers? One of Ronan’s soldiers?"

Eli stared at him, wide-eyed, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

"Is it... Someone from the village?" Riven pressed. He was relentless once he got nosy. "Someone older? Younger? Someone who likes babies as much as you do?"

"I—" Eli croaked, then cleared his throat. He very deliberately set the napkin down. "Riven."

"Yes?"

"You shouldn’t be teasing your friend like this!"

Riven crossed his arms, determined. "Why not? I want to know who my love rivals are."

"You—" Eli spluttered so hard he had to put the cup of tea down before he dropped it. "Riven!"

"What?" Riven tried not to smile too wide. "You take care of me more than anyone else. I should know if someone’s going to steal you away."