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Monster Hill’s biggest plot of land is home to the Altin-Plisetsky family. Their six-bedroom, four-bathroom, ice-rink sized kitchen-dining-living room, and wraparound porch are dwarfed by the expanse of woods that is their backyard. It’s a much needed and much beloved space for a werewolf family of six who has two more little beasts on the way.
Yurio grimaces as one of his unborn hell angels delivers what feels like a roundhouse kick to his ribs. Gods. How could twin girls be more active and vicious than his four boys? The quadruplets had never caused such problems when in the tight confines of his womb. They’d even wanted out before time, coming into the world premature but plenty healthy. In contrast, his twin girls are now eight and a half months old and lively enough to skate a full program if their constant moving is anything to go by. Yet they show no signs of wanting to pop out.
Gently rubbing his hand over his balloon-like belly, Yurio smiles to himself as happy howls and yips echo out of the backyard. He never dreamed of having such a big family, but now he couldn’t imagine anything better. It sucks that he can’t participate in this night’s Howl-and-Seek with his boys. But the doctor strictly forbade shifting after the six-month mark.
Echoing his melancholy thoughts, comes his husband’s lonely howl. A minute or two pass before the dark form of Otabek’s wolf appears at the edge of the woods. He howls once more, a call to their brood whom quickly spill over the surrounding trees and race toward Yurio.
Yurio laughs as his boys stumble and trip over each other in their effort to arrive first. He grabs one of the pillows from the porch swing he’s on and places it at his back, then raises his knees as much as he can, covers his belly with his hands, and braces for impact.
* * *
Four over-excited wolf pups race up the short porch stairs and jump onto the bed-sized swing, yipping happily and licking their Papa all over. Otabek made the wooden swing for Yurio after their boys were born, so his husband could still be outside while caring for the babies. Now their young pups loved the swing as much as their Papa.
Otabek snorts as his husband graciously accepts all the love while managing not to roll off the swing thanks to the raised and reinforced backrest.
Yurio laughs. “Careful. Careful of your sisters.”
Otabek barks at them to settle down, before shifting himself. “Hey, you.”
Flushed and covered in baby wolf slobber, Yurio grins at Otabek. “Hi.”
That look, that lovely smile leaves Otabek breathless every single time. Yurio always been so beautiful, but pregnancy makes him positively ethereal.
Yurio winces when Niko and Andrev try to climb over his lap even though with the very round belly there’s no space. Otabek quickly picks them up and settles them down along with Ivan and Viktor. With two wolf babies on each side of the swing, Otabek sits behind Yurio.
Otabek sighs happily. With all four kids surrounding him and his very pregnant husband in his arms, pure bliss courses through his entire being.
“Are you having a happy birthday?” Yurio asks.
“I am now,” Otabek says and kisses Yurio’s golden head. “And you? Are you happy, my love?”
Yurio laces their fingers together and presses them against his belly. “The happiest.” One of their girls bumps against where their hands are. “Don’t ask me if I’m comfortable though.”
Otabek chuckles and massages the area. “Aisana…Anara…please behave.” But his voice only makes them excited and they react by moving even more. Yurio moans out a laugh. “What can I do to make it better?”
Yurio tilts his head up, blue eyes sparkling. “Kiss me.”
Otabek grins and lowers his mouth to press against his husband’s. “Isn’t kissing what got you in this uncomfortable situation?”
Yurio snorts and presses his mouth firmly against Otabek’s once again.
A not-so-subtle cough makes them break. “If you guys are busy, we can come another time.”
The flurry of yips and barks the comment elicits, turn to excited cheers as their four sons shift and greet their uncles Yuri and Victor, their son Hikaru, and Makkachin.
“Uncle Yuri! Uncle Vic!” Niko yells at the top of his lungs as if their guests weren’t two feet away.
“Did you get candy yet, Hikaru?” Ivan asks, playfully bumping the younger kid with his shoulder.
Young Victor nods his head sagely. “Dad gave us some earlier, but Papa says we can’t eat anymore until tomorrow or our teeth will fall off.”
Hikaru shows them the contents of his pumpkin bag, and the boys let out ohs and ahs.
Andrev is happy greeting their pet. “Can Makkachin play Howl-and-Seek?”
“Pleeeeease?” Niko begs. “Please, please, please.”
Otabek chuckles as their short moment of peace is well and truly over. Yurio snickers, no doubt thinking the same. Extricating himself form the swing is not easy, mostly because he wants more cuddle time with his husband. So, stealing one final kiss, Otabek moves away and herds their brood of wolf puppies out to the lawn along with Victor and Hikaru to go play Howl-and-Seek.
* * *
After watching them go with no doubt a wistful look on his face, Yurio pats the space beside him and waits for Yuri to join him. His not-so-nemesis-now settles a hand over Yurio’s belly, his brown eyes widening comically behind his blue-rimmed glasses when the twins kick back.
“Do you have them practicing double axels in there?”
Yurio laughs. “Never too early to train! They’re going to come out of me skating and doing flips.” He rubs his belly fondly. “I’m closing shop after them.”
Yuri nods. “Are you going back to skating?”
Looking out across the lawn, Yurio watches their families being silly and having fun together.
“I thought you would return to the ice after the boys,” Yuri says softly.
Yurio hugs his belly and leans back, making the swing move. Yuri follows him and Yurio makes himself comfortable on his friend’s shoulder. It’s a moment before he speaks. “You’d just lost your second kid and I couldn’t…You needed another kind of motivator. And I still wanted a girl, so…”
Yuri tenses. “Are you saying you challenged me to give pregnancy another try by getting pregnant yourself again?”
Yurio flushes. “When you say it that way it sounds stupid and insane—”
“It’s not,” Yuri says. “Even if…even if I didn’t know that was what you were doing, I think subconsciously I knew. I saw the challenge.”
Yurio’s eyes prickle and tears start to form. “I’m sorry it hasn’t worked.”
Yuri fidgets. “Actually…”
Yurio sits up as fast as his extra pregnancy pounds allow and stares at Yuri. “You’re…”
Taking his glasses off, Yuri gives him a tearful smile. “I found out yesterday,” he says. “Victor doesn’t know yet because I wanted to tell you first and—”
Yurio throws himself at Yuri and hugs him. “I knew it! I knew you could do it!”
Then they’re crying and laughing and hugging. Yurio lets out a cheerful howl, calling back their boys—not to tell them because that honor is reserved for Yuri—to celebrate Halloween, his soon-to-be-born twin girls, Yuri’s improved health, but most of all to celebrate the oddball family that started on the ice.