"So, how's everything? Still hanging in there?"
Mei nodded. "So far, everything's good. Actually, in some ways it's better." She grinned. "Now I have two people to send for snacks. And boy, I am getting soooo much blackmail material on Bull Daddy~"
"Oh gods, spill!"
Before Mei could say anything, Red entered the room, glaring sharply at the phone screen. "Is that Noodle Boy? Tell your mentor to stop sending us things!"
"What'd he send this time?"
"We have no less than a dozen monkey dolls now! Father's trying to bring in bull dolls to outnumber them, and we only have so much room!" He scowled when MK started laughing. "It isn't funny - nearly every surface of the nursery is occupied by dolls."
"Awww, but isn't that how a nursery's supposed to look?" MK teased. Then, he quickly added "I'll tell him to cut it out, but I can't promise anything."
"Tell him at this rate the baby won't have anywhere to sleep!"
"Sorry, sorry! I will!" MK paused. "But you know, I can't blame him - monkeys love babies, and if he can't come visit then he's gonna–"
"Oh, believe me, I'm well aware of that," Red Son groaned as he opened the fridge. He disappeared behind the door, then reemerged with a carton of coconut milk. "We already have to worry about one of them trying to kidnap the baby-"
"He wouldn't kidnap the baby."
"Wild monkeys famously kidnap babies," Mei chuckled, accepting the glass Red Son offered. "I'm not the one who's worried, though, it's mostly Red Boy and his parents."
"Really? How come?"
Red huffed. "Apparently, I'd disappear from my cradle at least once every two weeks. Father would find me on the mountain, surrounded by baby monkeys, getting groomed."
"...that. Is. Adorable."
"Maybe to you it is!"
"And I think that's where we leave off," Mei cut in. "Tell the others we're still doing fine, I'm sore and tired but that's about it."
"Will do, Mei!"
"And tell that monkey king no more dolls!"
"I'll try, Red. See ya!"
The call disconnected, and the moment the screen went black, Mei winced and leaned back in her chair, one hand moving to her lower back. She'd put on a cheerful face for the call as long as she could, but…
She felt a heated hand go to her back, fingers gently digging into her muscles and massaging. Mei made a tiny grunt of both approval and satisfaction as she set the phone back on the table.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Red asked quietly.
"I'm fine," she promised. "It's just…" She lifted a hand, waving it idly over herself. "I know it's normal for people in my condition, at this point, but…" She sighed, tilting her head back and shutting her eyes. For a moment she felt lips against her forehead, and smiled. "I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore."
"So am I - I mean, I'm ready to meet our baby," Red hastily corrected. "And for you to not be in pain all the time."
"It's not all the time," Mei said. "Well, I mean, I'm used to it. Most of the time."
Iron Fan and the Demon Bull King's arrival honestly could not have been better-timed. The aches and pains seemed so much more prevalent at this point; even if the baby's movements felt less sharp, Mei's lower back, sides, and legs seemed to be in a constant state of aching.
More than once she hadn't wanted to get off the couch, or out of bed, too fatigued to do much of anything. And when she did get up, it took so much energy - moving from one end of their home to the next often left her winded. Her more unusual cravings had settled, but in their place was a lack of real appetite.
Oh, she still ate, of course, enough for herself and the baby, but very few things sounded good to her anymore. And she no longer woke up in the middle of the night for snacks.
No, instead she found herself waking up because of her aches, or because her sleep schedule was being royally fucked from the various naps she was taking throughout the day. More than once she'd even woken up to find drying tears on her face, without any clear indication of what had caused them.
That last one had been accompanied by the feeling of Red thumbing the tears away, murmuring softly to her.
"I'm sorry," she'd whispered, pressing her face to his shoulder. "I don't know why I'm–"
"It's normal," he reassured her. "It's normal for someone in your condition, especially right now. It's alright."
In the present, she sighed, taking a few moments to enjoy his touch, while they still had some semblance of privacy. "Are you nervous?" she asked with a tiny smile.
The massage paused. "Anxious." The next part was whispered into her hair. "Excited."
As appreciated as their presence was, there were a few things to get used to, when it came to Red Son's parents. One was how they showed affection at times; it wasn't unusual for a friendly discussion to turn into a series of one-upping one another. That had been kinda weird, but Red Son had taken it in stride, later telling Mei it was just how they showed their love.
Another was seeing the older couple in casual clothing more often, or in pajamas. Mei had wandered into the kitchen one night to get some of Sandy's tea and had been taken aback to see the Demon Bull King in sweats and slippers, of all things. Iron Fan sometimes wore her hair down around them all, and that had been odd too.
Another thing was Iron Fan's wind-teleporting.
Mei jolted, nearly dropping the TV remote as there was a rush of wind and suddenly the older woman was occupying the spot next to her. "You're watching Three-Day Cinderella?" she said casually, opening a bag of chips. "Who do you think is the better choice, Feng or Shuchang?"
"Iron Fan, gods," Mei exhaled. "Give me a warning before you suddenly appear like that."
She raised a brow. "The breeze in the room wasn't suitable enough?"
Mei decided not to answer that. "Besides, aren't I not supposed to be around wind right now?" That had been on the list of rules her parents had emailed her. It honestly didn't make any sense to her, but it was a traditional rule, and she would have thought a centuries-old Celestial would have adhered to it.
But instead, Iron Fan fixed her with a pointed stare. "Do you think I had been capable of staying away from the wind?" she pointed out. "If it didn't harm me, it won't harm you. Besides, you were already breaking one rule by eating ice-cream."
Mei winced. Yes, that had been another rule - no cold foods, such as ice water or ice-cream. But she quickly regained her composure. "Hey, it was either eat ice-cream, or someone was getting stabbed with a spoon."
Iron Fan chuckled to herself. "I was the same when it came to food. Nobody told me what I could and could not eat." She paused. "Within reason, of course."
"Oh, yeah. Everyone told me to not eat shellfish–"
"-because the child will be naughty."
"Oh. I mean, I was always told to be extra careful because undercooked crab was bad for the baby. My parents and Jingyi said that, too." Which was admittedly interesting. An older rule, meant to help determine the baby's personality, turned out to be a genuine health issue. Mei had actually seen several rules like that.
Mei hummed for a moment, trying to think of the other things she was told to avoid. As she did, her hand settled over her stomach.
Iron Fan noticed that. "That was a rule as well," she pointed out. "I was told to not caress my abdomen excessively. It would make the child spoiled and willful."
The younger woman snorted. "Let them turn out willful, we can handle that." She didn't feel a kick to her palm, not anymore, but she did feel a light pressure in her lower abdomen. "Besides, if someone tells me I can't feel my baby, they're crazy."
If Iron Fan had something to say about that, she chose not to comment. Instead, she grabbed a chip from the bag and popped it into her mouth. Miraculously, her lipstick didn't smudge in the slightest. "Well?" she asked.
"Well, what?"
"Feng or Shuchang? Who is the better choice?"
"Oh, gods, definitely Shuchang. Feng's a dumbass who saw one social media picture out of context and thought she was dating already. Shuchang at least keeps a cool head and asks Biyu what's going on first."
"Hm, I agree. Shuchang is also far more respectable in public."
"Feng's hot, don't get me wrong, but like. C'mon."
"...c'mon indeed."
The Demon Bull King had a situation.
It was wearing green and yellow hanfu pajama and sitting upright in an armchair, asleep.
DBK stared, almost awkwardly, at the sleeping Mei, her head nearly resting on her shoulder. It was mid-afternoon, and she'd clearly fallen asleep in the middle of watching TV. He had permission to come in and watch his own programs, and it was nearly time for Cooking with Chang'e, and this should not have been a problem - and it wasn't. There were other chairs and a huge sofa he could use.
But… it wasn't a good position for the Dragon Girl, was it? He remembered his beloved complaining about swollen feet if she sat with her feet on the floor for too long, and remembered physicians saying she needed to rest with her legs elevated. While the Dragon Girl was strong and often tried to assuage their worries with a smile, he could still see that her body aches were taking a toll on her.
He could see her hide a grimace when she walked for too long. He had seen her groan and try to massage her lower back. Had seen her take a seat, remain in place for an hour, but then have trouble staying comfortable.
She was carrying his son's child. His grandchild.
She deserved to be - she should be comfortable.
Wordlessly, he set down the glass of chocolate milk he'd brought in, and approached the armchair. Very carefully, DBK scooped up the Dragon Girl in both hands - he could have done it in one, but with her delicate condition, he didn't want to take any chances.
The Dragon Girl barely stirred as he carefully deposited her to the couch, turning her onto her side, facing the TV in case she awoke and wanted to watch with him.
He still remembered how he had to position Iron Fan; knees bent, cushion under the feet.
There. She would be much more comfortable now. If she needed to get up, he'd be in here for at least two hours. And if he wasn't… Well, she could call on him.
Nodding in satisfaction, DBK took a seat on the couch next to her, by her feet.
(Hidden behind him, peering around the doorway, Red Son and Iron Fan stood with popcorn and tried not to melt.)
"And you're certain you have everything?"
"Yes, Mother." Red Son paused. "But just to be sure–"
"We'll look together."
Red Son and Iron Fan stood in the center of the nursery. Which was also going to function as the delivery room when it came time. Mei and DBK were off watching TV together, and Red Son wanted to do one final lookover of the room. His mother had been more than willing to look with him.
"Alright. Over here, we've set up the changing table. There's a drawer underneath, where we have… entirely too many supplies, why did the blue one send five brands?"
Iron Fan touched his shoulder. "Focus."
"Right, right. The changing table is ready. We have a space right over here…" He walked to an empty spot in the center of one of the walls. "Where the crib will go. Currently, everyone is fighting over who will have the privilege of helping assemble it." The baby would sleep in a cradle in their room for the first few months of life, and then would move to a crib, they'd agreed. Neither crib or cradle had been put up yet; it was bad luck.
"There's a chest of drawers next to the closet, both of which are full of enough clothes to last them a year, taking growth spurts into consideration." He opened one such drawer, carefully running his fingers across the folded garments. There probably weren't enough, but the baby would be warm in winter, cool in summer, and very fashionable. MK had even sent over a series of stretchy little headbands, color-coded and with varying decorations that fit the month of the year and corresponding holidays.
"There's a shelf and a hammock in the corner of the room where… we have entirely too many dolls," he lamented.
"Be grateful I talked your father out of the giant bull doll he wanted to buy. He kept insisting the baby could use it as a chair."
"There wouldn't be any room for the baby if he did…"
"That is what ultimately made him relent," Iron Fan confessed with a slight nod. "He might try again on their birthday."
"We'll have disassembled the delivery bed long before then. Then will work fine." He paused next to said bed, his hand resting on the side railing. "Mei… Mei will deliver here," he continued, quieter. "The chair is for you first, and then Mei can use it for whatever she wishes - feeding, rocking the baby, reading…"
He felt his throat tighten.
"Is it enough?" he asked, voice growing even softer.
Iron Fan paused, watching him. He was staring around the room, brows drawn in a familiar tenseness, with a very miniscule twitch at the corner of his mouth. Her heart ached.
She instinctively lifted a hand to touch his cheek, but stopped before he could see. After another pause, she moved again, settling her manicured hand on his shoulder.
"It's more than enough, my son," she murmured.
Mei sat at the table, idly poking at her sandwich. Red Son and DBK had returned from grabbing lunch for everyone, and Mei didn't think she had the stomach for anything other than two slices of soft, fresh bread, and some delicately-flavored vegetables.
Unfortunately, the place had given her a cucumber sandwich - fine - with a very savory and flavorful spread - not fine, with how delicate her appetite was lately.
She took a deep breath and raised it to her mouth. She had to eat something, and the sandwich wouldn't be any good in a few–
"Here." A deep voice rumbled overhead, and Mei saw DBK hold out his own food. It was untouched, still in the paper, and she blinked at it, then up at him. He stared impassively back. "We'll trade," he continued.
"What's on yours?"
"Alfalfa sprouts, plain butter. Good for the stomach."
Mei couldn't help the grateful, wide smile as she handed over her lunch in exchange for his. "Thanks, Bull Dad~" she sang.
"The moon is bright, the wind is calm, the tree leaves hang over the window…" Red Son sang one night. "Mother's baby, close your eyes, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams…" His song trailing off, he nuzzled Mei's belly, a quiet bull noise escaping him.
Mei smiled as she felt the gentlest of movements against her stomach, and by proxy, Red's snout. "You keep mooing at them, they're going to think that's how you talk," she teased.
"My father used to moo at me when I was tiny, and I learned to speak perfectly well." Red Son nuzzled one more time, then climbed back up the bed to rest against Mei. "Do you need anything?"
"Other than the baby to be out? No." Mei sighed, yawning and stretching before she snuggled against Red Son. "I think I'm good for now."
"You sure?"
"Red, you made me tea, your mom put snack cakes in the fridge for me, your dad carried me until you took over for him and brought me to bed. I'm being spoiled rotten. If I need anything, I don't even know what it is."
He huffed against her hair, blowing a few strands out of place. "...I'm glad they're here," he admitted.
"...me, too. I'm glad you're here."
Red Son's hand went to her belly. Before he could speak, there was a soft ahem from the door.
They jolted, eyes snapping open to see DBK standing in the doorway, a cup of tea looking almost comical in his large hand. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Father, you have to knock!"
"You shouldn't keep her awake, boy, she needs her rest."
"Yes, I'm aware, Father, just–"
"Yeah, Red Boy, let me rest."
"Mei!"
Days, weeks passed by, full of many small moments like this. If it wasn't Red Son helping her stay comfortable or stressing over whatever else he imagined they might need, then it was DBK making sure she ate something. Or it was Iron Fan making sure she was healthy.
Jingyi came once a week to check on their progress. She seemed satisfied each time, smiling kindly and asking if they were ready, because the baby would be coming any time now.
Mei would just laugh and say she was past 'ready.' Red Son would agree.
She video-called with MK and the others at least every two days, and texting when she wasn't doing that. MK had apparently managed to convince Sun Wukong to stop sending the monkey dolls over, because no more arrived. The older adults kept asking how everyone was, were they alright, was the baby alright, had the Bull Family driven her insane yet…
"No, not really," Mei had laughed in response to that one. "We've been watching a lot of TV together, actually… You know DBK is the kind of guy who yells when the cooking contestants run to use the ice-cream maker?"
"It's broken half the time and they never have enough time," Pigsy's voice grumbled from the other side. "I don't blame him for shouting." His voice then softened. "You tell us if you need anything more - anything at all, okay, kiddo?"
"I will, you know I will." Mei had smiled at them, ignoring how her heart was gripped with anxiety.
She'd been on edge a lot recently, she mused as she disconnected the call. She didn't know if it was weird hormones, if she was just stressed, or what it was. But for three days, she'd been fighting back the urge to just get up and start pacing, tapping her fingers across any surface she could, anxiety bubbling in her chest.
She rose to her feet, grimacing in pain. The baby's weight was starting to really, well, weigh on her, her lower back had been absolutely killing her. Red Son had been doing his best, pressing close to her to warm her up and soothe her muscles and ease her cramping, but it could only work so much.
"Tea…" she murmured to herself, shuffling off to the kitchen. "Ginger tea, then bed."
Iron Fan was still at the table when Mei entered the kitchen, already wearing her pajamas and having removed her make-up. The woman raised her brows as she saw her. "Dragon Girl," she said, "It's nearly nine, I thought you'd be asleep by now."
"I'm about to," Mei told her. "I just need some tea first." She didn't normally go to bed at nine, of course, not before she was pregnant. But with the baby making her tired and with her body needing all the extra rest, she'd been going to sleep earlier. Mei reached for the box of tea, thumbing through the carefully-labeled sathets until she found one that read "ginger."
"Are you still very sore?" Iron Fan asked, taking a sip of her own drink.
"Yeah. It's been bad lately." Mei tried to suppress the wave of restlessness as it threatened to overpower her, setting the tea sachet on a nearby saucer and picking up a floral porcelain teacup. "Cramps are going into… into overtime lately."
"Ah, that," Iron Fan sighed, sounding genuinely sympathetic. "I truly hated those last few days… And of course, my husband wouldn't let me down to properly pace, so I had no way of releasing my energy. The one thing I could appreciate was he knew how to ease muscle aches–"
"H-hey, Iron Fan?"
"Hm?" Iron Fan looked up at Mei. The younger woman had gone still, one hand trying to massage her lower back while her other hand rested on the counter. She had a far-away, anxious look in her eyes, her brows furrowed as she took deep breaths. Slowly, she lifted her head to meet Iron Fan's own gaze.
"I…I feel really strange–"
And then, before Iron Fan's eyes, Mei let out a pained gasp and dropped her teacup.
