"MEI!" Red Son appeared in the middle of the room in a surge of flames and smoke, looking wild-eyed. He was already in his pajamas, his hair out of its ponytail but still sparking and threatening to ignite.

Iron Fan stared flatly at him from where she sat on the couch. "There was no need to teleport," she said. She sat with Mei, one arm sitting gingerly across the younger woman's shoulders.

Mei sat leaning forward as best as she could. She was breathing deeply, in through the nose and out the mouth, her arms wrapped around her belly. Red Son saw a folded towel underneath her, and her pajama leggings were balled up and thrown in the nearby laundry hamper.

Mei took a breath, then released it. "M-my water broke," she explained, trying to keep her voice steady. "Right before Iron Fan called you over." Another deep breath. "I think… I think I'm having contractions. I thought it was cramps at first but–" She suddenly stiffened, hissing between her teeth as her eyes squeezed shut, green sparking inside her mouth. Red Son was kneeling in front of her in an instant. Mei opened her eyes, smiling weakly at Red, body still tense as she rode out the wave of pain. "Yeah, no. It - it's contractions. It's the real deal."

Red Son's mind was already launching into overdrive, but he managed to keep his wits. They had planned for this. They'd prepared for this. He nodded, expression tense. "Okay. Okay, we need to get you to the bed, quickly."

Iron Fan's hand tightened on Mei's shoulder. "Are you able to walk?" she asked.

"I- I don't know– I want to, but I–" Mei managed to say between breaths.

"I'll carry you," Red Son decided. He stood up and reached for her, seamlessly shifting to Bull Form to make it easier to pick her up. In one swift motion, he'd scooped her up and was cradling her to his chest, moving down the hall to the nursery.

"W-Wait, hang on a sec!" Mei managed to say. "Gimme my phone!"

Her phone was still on the kitchen counter where she'd left it. It took only a few seconds for Iron Fan to retrieve it and hand it over. Mei turned the camera on, managing a (pained) smile as Red Son and his mother entered the nursery. A moment later, she texted the group chat:

MeiDragon: It's go-time.

Attached was a selfie, the delivery bed visible behind her.

Seconds later, the chat erupted.

MonkieMan: WHAT?!

PigChef: Are you serious?!

TheScholar: Mei you can';t just TEXT th is !

BlueRiver: Oh my gosh, congratulations! Deep breaths!

MK was in the middle of typing something when another contraction overtook Mei. She vaguely felt Red Son lowering her onto the bed, adjusting the pillows. Through the haze of pain, she felt Iron Fan take the phone and put it on the nightstand, face-down. The text alerts didn't go off; she must have set it to Do Not Disturb. "Ohhh this hurts," Mei managed to breathe out as Red Son shifted to his more familiar form. "This really hurts…"

"What's happening? Has it started?" DBK's voice came from the doorway, an undercurrent of anxiety barely reaching the surface.

"Summon Jingyi, My Love," Iron Fan said over the sound of Mei's breathing. "The Dragon Girl is having the baby."

The Bull King nodded, expression hardening slightly. "I'll bring her," he promised, stepping into the room for the moment. He looked down at Red Son. "My Son–"

"I'm staying here with Mei," Red burst out. One of his hands was still holding onto Mei's own, and he squeezed slightly as she tried to get some semblance of comfort in the bed. He looked between his parents, expression tense. "I don't care if it's not traditional, I'm going to stay right here."

The pause only lasted half a second, but to Red Son it may as well have been eternity. Mei's hand felt sweaty and cool in his grip, and it only strengthened his resolve. Damn what tradition said, His Princess needed him, the baby may need him, he wasn't going to sit out in the living room not knowing what was happening. He needed to–

DBK nodded. "Of course."

Red Son blinked. He'd been preparing for a fight, but… "Really?"

"My Son, when you decided you were ready to come into the world, nothing was able to keep me away from your mother," DBK rumbled, almost softly. Something in his eyes changed when he looked from Red Son to Iron Fan sitting at Mei's other side. "I was there, at her side, until the very end. How else do you think I knew the time of your birth down to the second?" He looked back to Red Son, taking in the sight of him holding onto Mei. "I'd expect nothing less from you as well."

Red Son's throat felt tight. He bowed his head to hide the slight stinging in his eyes. "Thank you, Father."

DBK looked as if he wanted to say something else, but perhaps wasn't sure how. "I will bring the midwife," he said instead. He paused just long enough to let his wife press a kiss to his cheek, then very lightly touch a fingertip to Mei's head in an attempt at reassurance, then left the room.

Mei chuckled, smiling at Red Son. "Awww, Red Boy," she teased. "You're… you're so sweet…"

"If anyone thinks I'm leaving you like this, they're insane," Red muttered.

"No, I mean it. You're really–" Whatever Mei was about to say was cut off with a sharp cry, her body tensing up and her hand squeezing again. Sparks danced at her fingertips for just a moment as she endured the pain, fading when Red Son squeezed back.

"Jingyi will be here soon," Iron Fan said, reassuring. Mei felt a cool cloth on her already-sweating forehead. "The two of us will remain here with you. Be calm…"


Jingyi arrived within five minutes, breezily entering the room and removing her jacket. Despite the later hour, she was wide awake as she checked over Mei. She didn't seem perturbed by Red Son's presence at all, but she did request DBK bring a basin of hot water and a few towels as she set down her med bag.

DBK did as requested, which Mei and Red Son might have found amusing if their minds weren't currently occupied. And if Mei hadn't been overtaken by another contraction, which were starting to steadily grow stronger. Each time, either sparks or small flames appeared momentarily, flickering back out as she regained control.

"All is well," Jingyi assured the king as he glanced at Mei, looking just a touch uncomfortable. "Please go to the sitting room, we will tell you when the baby arrives."

"Of course."

Minutes blurred together, Jingyi's calm voice reassuring both Mei and Red Son even when a cry was torn from the younger woman. The couple began to lose track of how much time was passing, only knowing that it must have been getting late, as the sky outside was much darker now, and the hot water had needed to be replaced multiple times.

By the fifth time new water had been boiled and Jingyi was carefully pressing a towel to her, Mei had to ask: "Is it going to be much longer? I don't know how much more I can do this…"

"You're doing very well, dear," Jingyi said calmly. "Just keep taking those deep breaths, and tell me when another–"

"H-aaagh!" Mei tensed again, green embers flickering at the corners of her mouth. "Contraction, contraction!"

"Six minutes apart," Jingyi muttered. "You're not quite ready yet." When Mei made a dismayed groan, the midwife leaned in closer. "Please, try to relax as best you can. Do you want something small to eat or drink?"

"No… no, thanks…"

"Are you sure? This could take another few hours, or even a few days, you'll need to keep your strength up–"

"Days?!" Mei screeched. "No, no, I need this baby out now!" Even when she wasn't actively having a contraction, it hurt. Her lower back was absolutely killing her, she felt like something was slowly and continuously applying intense pressure to her front, her legs felt about ready to fall off, and she didn't even want to imagine what was happening down below but that hurt, too. She actually felt nauseous from the pain, and already exhausted.

"Can she have the medicine yet?" Red Son asked, holding onto one of her hands in both of his own now. "It's–" He glanced up at the clock, a mild pang of agitation hitting him when he noted the time. "It's been five hours since we called you. Surely that's enough to–"

"Not yet. If we give it to her too early, it will wear off before the baby arrives and makes things worse-"

"I just want this to be over," Mei moaned, eyes squeezed shut. "I've been on universe-ending fire, but not for this long…"

Jingyi looked sympathetic, patting one of her hands. "I understand, dear, but first children are known for long labors. If it makes you feel any better, your next child will likely take much less time."

"Oho ho, there won't be a next child," Mei managed to laugh breathily. "Because Red Son is never touching me again!"

"She doesn't mean that," Iron Fan said, looking up at a slightly-affronted Red Son.

"Yes I fucking do! I can't do this–"

Before Mei could say anything further, she felt a cool touch to her face. Opening bleary eyes, she saw Princess Iron Fan leaning over her, expression steely as her namesake.

"You listen to me," the older woman hissed, but not cruelly. "You can do this. You will do this. I've done it, countless others throughout millenia have done it, and so will you. Your body knows what to do. You've endured far worse than this - it doesn't feel like it yet, but it will."

Mei nodded weakly, but Iron Fan wasn't done.

"Now, you are going to stay calm, and you are going to listen . You will be fine." Something in her expression shifted a bit, but Mei couldn't quite grasp what it was. When she spoke again, her voice was slightly softer. "Daughter, both of you are going to be fine."

If she weren't so exhausted, Mei would have felt more startled by the title. As it was, she managed a weak, wobbly smile, and nodded once. She opened her mouth to speak-

–only for a cry to be torn from her as another, more painful contraction hit. Her hand squeezed Red Son's tightly, green flames flickering at her fingers and her mouth.

"We're close. Breathe like I showed you," she heard Jingyi say calmly, "and don't push yet. We're getting there, just breathe…"

"We're getting there," Red Son repeated in a hushed voice next to her head. He let go with one hand just long enough to smooth her bangs back. "You're doing great, you're amazing, Mei…"

Mei managed a tiny nod.


hey mei, just checking on you.

oh i guess you wouldn't have ur phone huh

you doing good over there? you're probably not reading these but i'm rooting for you

i told monkey king you were having the baby, hope you dont mind. Had to tell him so he knew i'd be too excited to sleep tonight and might be loopy and weird tomorrow. he says good luck and congrats

are they here yet?

It was three am. And MK couldn't sleep.

He'd tried, at first. Tried to take some deep breaths, keep calm, remember what he'd read online when he'd done research of his own.

Mei was tough. Red Son was tough. They totally had this.

People had babies every day.

All he had to do was close his eyes, go to sleep, and he'd be that much closer to meeting his tiny little nibling.

…so he'd been telling himself for the past few hours.

With a heavy exhale, he sat up, turning on his lamp. Well, if he wasn't going to sleep, he should do something constructive–

–the sound of keys, followed by the door opening downstairs stopped that train of thought.

MK reached the shop in time to see Pigsy tiredly shuffle to the coffee pot and switch it on. In the sitting area, Tang was gently setting a dozing Bai He in one of the booths and adjusting a blanket over her shoulders. The two looked up as MK walked further in.

"Oh, sorry, did we wake you?" Pigsy mumbled.

"No, I couldn't sleep… You guys couldn't either?"

The men shook their heads. "Tried to," Tang grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Couldn't."

There was a light knock on the door at that moment, and Sandy slowly peered in, Mo on one of his shoulders. His tense expression relaxed when he saw the group. "Oh, good," he sighed. "Light was on and I heard voices, so I was afraid that - never mind." He looked around at everyone, taking in how they all looked like they'd just rolled out of bed. To be fair, so did he. "None of you could sleep either?"

"No," came the tired chorus from around the room.

"We really should," Pigsy grumbled. The coffee pot began running, and he all but collapsed against the counter. "People have babies ev'ry day, it's fine, Mei's fine…"

"It's natural to worry," Sandy said, quiet and reassuring. "I mean - hey, look at all of us. We're all sitting in here."

More grumbles and tired grunts were the only answers.

"...well. That sounded a little better in my head."

Mo hopped off and walked up to MK, rubbing against one of his legs and purring. The young man sighed and crouched down to give the cat some well-deserved scritches. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep until the baby's here," he admitted.

"Yeah? You an' me both, kid…" There was a beeping noise, and Pigsy straightened up. "Alright. Line up, mugs out."

"Oh, none for me, thanks, I brought tea," Sandy chimed in. But as he approached the kitchen to boil water, everyone noted he'd grabbed caffeinated tea.

Tactfully, nobody said a word.

(Hidden on a mountain, one monkey also had trouble sleeping, though he outwardly pretended everything was fine.

Another waited and listened.)

(In the sitting room, the bull king pretended to watch TV, keeping an ear out to listen as well, the fingers of one hand rapidly tapping on the arm of the couch.)


The sky was a dim, dusty color, shadows lengthening outside as Mei took another long, deep breath. "Oh," she sighed, feeling herself relax for the first time all night. "Oh, that's so much better…"

"The medicine's taking effect," Jingyi helpfully explained. "You'll still feel the urge to push, but don't do it until I give you the go-ahead."

"Yeah… yeah, okay… We're almost there?"

It was Red Son who answered instead, pressing his lips to her forehead for a moment. "We're almost there," he confirmed.

"I feel so tired," Mei mumbled. "I don't hurt, but I…" Her brow furrowed. There was a familiar sensation pressing down on her lower back and stomach.

"We're moving faster than I expected. Alright, Miss Mei, take a deep breath… strong push…"

Mei grit her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and bore down. Her hand gripped Red Son's tightly, and she felt him grip back just as fiercely. The medicine was working, the pain was gone, but she still felt such a strong pressure. She squeezed harder, straining until Jingyi said "Alright, stop. Relax, breathe…"

"You can do this," Red Son whispered, bringing his face close to Mei's. She turned her head to let him rest their foreheads together. "You can do this. You're doing great..."

"I'm doing great," Mei echoed, nodding. "I'm sweaty and gross… but I'm doing great."

"That's right," Jingyi said with a gentle smile, "And it's nearly time now - tell me when you feel the need to push again. I'll tell you whether you should or shouldn't…"

Time continued to pass, but it was much more bearable than before, especially with Mei no longer screaming. The sky continued to lighten outside, shadows first stretching and then lightening in the room, everything slowly being covered by a hazy glow. Mei gripped Red Son's hand, even when she wasn't told to push. He ran his thumb over her skin, taking any moment he could to whisper assurances into her hair. If Iron Fan heard any of it, she tactfully didn't call attention to it. Instead, she alternated between looking after Mei, or bringing Jingyi anything she needed–

–which were slowly drifting away from medical supply, and more along the lines of "That blanket over there," or "my scissors."

Mei had accepted the glass of water Red Son was holding to her mouth when she felt another strong urge to bear down. She curled up, Red hastily taking the glass away and reclaiming her hand, gritting her teeth–

"I see the baby," Jingyi said, a little louder than she had been. "Miss Mei, when you get the urge again, push as hard as you can!"

She nodded, taking a few breaths to steady herself, eyes squeezing shut. A few moments later, Red Son felt her grip his hand even tighter than she had when she'd been in pain hours before. Red suppressed the urge to wince himself ( Mei had endured far worse! he told himself) but grit his teeth as Mei nearly bent double, lifting herself off the pillows–

–And then there was the sound of wailing.

Mei fell back against the bed with a loud gasp, breathing heavily as her hand relaxed around Red Son's own. Red Son watched as her eyes opened again, and her gaze found his as she tried to catch her breath. For a few moments, they were only focused on each other, almost as if they were in a bit of shock.

But then Jingyi was speaking, the sound of scissors barely audible under her words and the loud, shrill crying. "Ahhh, here she is…" Jingyi said, soft and patient and gentle. "Shush-shush-shush… Don't worry, you'll be with Mother and Father soon…"

Both Mei and Red Son looked up and down towards the end of the bed. Jingyi was slowly standing up, holding something in her arms.

Something small and pink and squirming slightly.

Jingyi approached with the squalling baby, a little thing with damp black hair sticking to its scalp, tiny cow ears trembling from the cold. "It's a girl," she announced gently.

"A girl? We… we have a daughter?" Red Son's voice sounded small and far away, as if he didn't trust himself to speak above a whisper.

Iron Fan nodded, the small but genuine smile on her lips. "A strong, beautiful daughter. You both did very well."

Mei's arms seemed to move automatically as the baby was set on her chest, Jingyi taking just a moment to move the unbuttoned pajama shirt out of the way. The baby's cries quieted into soft whimpers as her hands rested against the baby's head and back, holding her to her breast.

"That's right, hold her just like that," Jingyi was gently explaining, adjusting Mei's hold before she drew the blanket to cover the two of them. "Skin to skin - both of you just rest for a bit, okay?"

"Yeah…" Mei murmured, voice raspy as she stared at the baby's face. She swallowed, and when she spoke again her voice was clearer. "Yeah, okay…"

Both of them felt a bit too overwhelmed to say anything at that moment. Even more so when the baby seemed to react to the sound of Mei's voice. Her whimpers quieted into gurgles, and she opened her eyes.

Red Son felt the wind get knocked out of him.

Her eyes were just like his.

Unbidden, one of his hands rose to touch her, the tip of his finger just fitting in her small hand, her own tiny fingers trying to grip. He and the baby stared at each other for a moment, the newborn's vision unfocused, before she yawned and closed her eyes again. It took Red a moment to find his voice again.

"She's so tiny…" His voice cracked.

"She's perfect," Iron Fan said. Jingyi nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Mei saw Iron Fan's eyes subtly dart towards the baby's other features; namely her ears and the little cow tail that weakly flicked against Mei's skin. Iron Fan's eyes met Mei's, and a smug, almost sarcastic, smile played at her features.

Mei felt herself blushing fiercely. "Don't you say a word," she said, still managing to sound defensive in her exhaustion.

"I wasn't going to."

The baby made another gurgling noise at the sound of Mei's voice and nuzzled a bit against her chest, bringing both fists to her tiny face. What little fight Mei had at that moment flowed out and she smiled, relaxing against the pillows and gently brushing a hand over the baby's hair. The downy ends caught the morning sunlight that streamed through the window and gave all of them a delicate glow.

Mei closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating. Feeling within. She didn't feel any different but just to be sure…

Ah. There.

"I still feel it," she said.

"'It?'"

"The Samadhi Fire." Mei's eyes opened again, and she smiled at Red Son, then at the baby. Red's own relieved expression mirrored what she felt. "She doesn't have it… It's still with me."

"Oh, thank the gods…"

After a moment, Mei's gaze shifted from the newborn to the window. She hadn't really realized until then just how much time had passed. She had been in labor all night, and now the sun was coming up.

The sky was pale blue chased with gold, and the glowing sunrise…

…the sunrise…

"Chenguang…" she murmured. She looked back at the baby, gently running a thumb at the base of one of her soft ears. The baby made a tiny noise in response, barely opening her eyes again.

"I like that," Red Son said. His voice still sounded soft and a bit awed; Mei could hardly blame him. One of his own hands reached out again, gently taking hold of one of Chenguang's little fists. "'The morning light.' It suits her."

"It's lovely." Iron Fan's soft voice agreed. Then she straightened a bit, and regained some of her usual steel. "My son, Mei and Chenguang will need to rest now, and you've been awake all night. I'll need to tell your father the news, and in a few minutes, I want you to–"

"I understand," Red Son said. "I won't go anywhere," he promised.

Mei managed a tired smirk. "I know." She paused for a moment and then reached for her phone, which rested on the nightstand. Chenguang made a short cry of protest, to which Red responded with a gentle touch to her back and a few soothing noises. Mei handed Iron Fan her phone, an expectant smile on her face. "Can you do us a quick favor?"


Everyone sat around the noodle shop in varying stages of wakefulness. Bai He continued to sleep soundly, as if nothing were wrong and she was still in her bed at Tang and Pigsy's. Sandy seemed outwardly calm, but while one hand idly rested around a cup of now-cold tea, his other hand wouldn't stop petting Mo. MK and Tang both looked halfway to passed out at the table, and Pigsy was staring through the slats of the window, noting the way the city slowly lit back up.

"You think it'd be fine if I stayed closed for a day?" he muttered. "Just til we know?"

Before anyone could answer, all of their phones buzzed with a text.

Bai He actually woke up from the commotion as everyone scrambled to check the group chat. She slowly sat up, rubbing one eye and looking around as everyone frantically swiped at their phones. "What's goin' on…?" she mumbled. "Did Mei have th'baby?"

MK exhaled in a loud whoosh, then laughed giddily.

In the group chat was a photo. In it, Mei sat up in bed, her pajama top hastily buttoned as she held a dark-haired, dozing baby to her chest. She grinned at the camera, looking tired but proud as she held up two fingers in a V, Red Son smiling as he held his arms around her back and front.

MeiDragon: Everyone, meet our spark, Chenguang.

A few seconds later, it was followed by another text:

HotHead: June 13th, at precisely the fifth hour, twenty-seventh minute, twenty-ninth second.