Chapter Text
“I don’t see what the big deal is. I have a general idea where he is when he’s out” Yamcha argued lazily, sitting back comfortably in her chair. Chi Chi and Bulma were sitting on their own on either side, ice tea in their hands. They shared a tired look of understanding before turning back to their friend. Yamcha was too much like one of the boys, no wonder she was so naive.
“Of course it’s a big deal!” Chi Chi huffed and set her glass down. Her eyes wandered down from the balcony to where Goten and Trunks were playing before their next training session. Vegeta better not go too hard on her boy, especially with how much he looked like his father…
Bulma watched her friend get distracted and rolled her eyes playfully. She leaned over and placed a hand on Yamcha’s stomach, causing the woman to jump a bit. Right, people did that when you were pregnant. She still wasn’t used to it.
“What Chi’s trying to get at here is that she doesn’t want what happened to us to happen to you.” Bulma tried to explain. Yamcha was staring at her hand, causing her to make an annoyed noise and snap her fingers, “Hey! Earth to wolf girl I’m talking to you!”
Yamcha flushed and gently smacked her hand away, “R-right sorry! Okay you were saying?”
Bulma wondered how after all these years she still had this much patience with her oldest friend. Honestly, Yamcha could be such an airhead sometimes.
“What I was saying,” She continued, trying not to sound annoyed, “Is that we’re just concerned if you’re being taken care of okay? I had to have Trunks all on my own, and Chi Chi-”
Yamcha quickly nodded and held her hands up, “Okay I get it!” She shook her head, admiring the way her hair swung behind her in a ponytail. Might as well enjoy it now, eventually it was getting chopped off. “You two worry about me too much! Tien’s taking good care of me okay? Honest! He just needed some time to himself!”
“It always starts out like that!” Chi Chi made a face, tensing up as her hands molded into fists, “But then hours turn to days which turn to weeks! Eventually you’re almost ready to give birth and he’s out training with the boys! Honestly the nerve of Goku-!”
Bulma laughed nervously and cut Chi Chi off, “Anyways we just wanted to make sure! Gal pals are supposed to be concerned and get the hot gossip, remember?”
Yamcha felt uneasy from Chi Chi’s outburst and just gave a sheepish laugh, “Y-yeah! Thanks for reminding me Bulms!”
Yamcha sat back in her chair, clutching her drink as her mind wandered. She barely registered Chi Chi and Bulma making plans about her pregnancy as she thought about Tien. What did she have to be worried about? It was great he was training in between farm work and trying to get his dream school started. Okay, so a baby may have put a bump in those plans, (she couldn’t play softball this year, he had to wait a little longer to open up his dojo,) but they could still make it work! If anything training was a sign he was taking the whole thing seriously and wanted to make sure he could protect their little makeshift family. The thought of that made her heart beat faster.
Chi Chi and Bulma didn’t understand how good they had it. Husbands that could defeat the impossible and take on gods? Tien was good but he wasn’t going to defeat some cosmic horror any time soon.
Yamcha brushed her stomach without even thinking, wondering about the baby inside her. She was only a few months along now. Hell, she wasn’t sure what gender their kid was gonna be. Sure she was starting to show, but that didn’t stop her from trying to help around on the farm since she couldn’t work. It was almost impossible doing that though, Tien acted like she was going to break.
“I’m fine! Gods you worry too much! I grew up in the desert. I can get my hands-” She had snapped at him once while trying to pull weeds from a carrot patch. Her eyes widened as he scooped her up with ease and started carrying her off bridal style.
Yamcha made a face and started punching Tien in the chest, “Earth to Tenshinhan! I was yelling at you-!”
“Yamcha,” he cut her off, not looking down at her. Well almost, she could see his third eye peeking down at her, “Don’t push yourself so hard, it’s not healthy.”
Yamcha remembered arguing with him that weeding a small carrot patch wasn’t going to kill her or their baby but he hadn’t bought it. She remembered Tien forcing her inside their modest home and telling Puar to make sure she barely got up. It was so annoying! She made a noise in the back of her throat and glared, crossing her arms with a pout. Bulma smirked in amusement and watched her.
“You’re still not over the weeding incident? Damn you hold a grudge!”
“What I wouldn’t give for a husband who made me stay off my feet.” Chi Chi grumbled under her breath, eyeing Yamcha enviously. The former desert bandit just shook her head and whined, “Guys seriously it isn’t fun! It’s super boring sitting inside with nothing to do!” She closed her eyes and mumbled, “I’m not all crafty like you Chi, I tried knitting and got my fingers tangled up....”
Bulma started to laugh, remembering the call with Yamcha afterwards and hearing Chiaotzu mothering Yamcha in the background. Telling her to be careful, that they could ask Chi Chi to knit for them instead. Chi Chi had agreed by the way, and even brought her latest knitting project with her of course. It was slowly forming into a baby blanket for when the baby was born.
“You know you could read a book for once Yams.” Bulma teased lightly, getting up to stretch and glance at the kids over the balcony. Yamcha glared at the back of her head and snapped, “I do read! We have a lot of books I live with two book worms for fuck sakes-”
“Language!” Chi Chi huffed, lightly whacking Yamcha on the back of her head. She hissed and rubbed it with a glare as the other woman nagged, “You better start kicking that swearing habit! Unless you want your baby’s first word-”
“Yeah yeah I get it!” Yamcha groaned and sat back in her chair. Bulma had started laughing at her misfortune, per usual. That was normal--something she had to remind herself in her heightened, hormonal state. See, no one warned you when you got pregnant that your mood would switch on a dime. At first it had made Tien uncomfortable and anxious but with Chiaotzu’s help he slowly got over the shock of it. Chiaotzu was good at being an empath, almost too good if you asked Yamcha.
“I’m back!” Puar’s soft voice called out. The shape shifter floated over towards them, holding a little backpack full of oranges, “And I brought you your snack!” She landed on Yamcha’s lap and held up the bag, “Bulma said we can take extras home tonight since they’re all you ever want to eat!”
Yamcha flushed with embarrassment and lightly pushed down on Puar’s head, “Just because I crave them doesn’t mean that’s true!”
“Cravings.” Bulma sighed nostalgically, “I had the strangest ones with Trunks! Of course I blame Vegeta and his never ending appetite!” She turned around to lean on the balcony and watch as Yamcha had Puar use her claws to peel the oranges, “At first it was skittles, then it was slushies! Gods I am so sick of slushies now I never want to see another one and that was years ago!”
“Don’t get me started,” Chi Chi sighed and shook her head, leaning in and taking a sip of her tea before continuing, “I ate my weight in dumplings with Gohan and Goten! Daddy was getting so worried after awhile--I just had to keep telling him it was normal!”
“Wait. it’s normal?” Yamcha asked after a long pause, starting to eat her orange slices, “I thought I was going crazy!”
Both women sighed, wondering for a moment how their friend could be so naive. It made some sense--if you had grown up alone in the desert there would be tons of things you just didn’t know about.
“Yes, it’s normal.” Bulma finally answered, Puar watched her close companion curiously and started to peel another orange, “Just like it’s normal for something you used to like to make you throw up just from the smell of it. Your body is super sensitive carrying, y’know, another human being!”
“Alright alright! Jeez Bulms lighten up already!” Yamcha snapped, feeling sensitive. Why was carrying this little spawn so hard when it was only four months in?!
Chi Chi clicked her tongue sympathetically and leaned over to gently brush Yamcha’s bangs out of her eyes, “She’s just worried about you, no need to get upset.”
“I knew that!” Yamcha snapped again and pouted at her stomach. Her expression lightened the moment Puar gave her another orange.
The little group fell back into usual conversation once again, becoming alert when Vegeta had come out to gather the kids for some training. Yamcha remembered her first feelings towards the Saiyan prince--hating him for taking her best friend away, his dickish attitude. He was still about as cuddly as a cactus but at least now the insults and taunting barbs went down to a minimum. Something about her being pregnant seemed to bother him--he barely went within 2 feet of her presence. Yamcha kept forgetting to ask Bulma if this was her doing. It was amusing to say the least.
Slowly the conversation turned back to the issue at hand: Tien had gone off training for a week. Before she was pregnant they would either go train together for a month or he would go alone. With handling the farm and her softball career Yamcha was fine with it. She understood training was Tien’s life, that it brought him peace. He needed some space to himself and that was fine. Besides, the reward she got in bed when he came back was always worth it~
But now with him being gone and having only Puar and Chiaotzu to take care of her, Yamcha did feel a little left out. Of course Tien would come back, she wasn’t worried about that. She just missed seeing him around. Missed cuddling together after a long day of working, the way he still teased her as if they were teens at the martial arts tournaments of their youth. How fast time flew huh?
It felt like yesterday they were in Other World and Tien had proposed to her out of fear of losing her again. There wasn’t a ring so he used his wrist band instead which she found ten times more charming anyways. How could she say no to him being all awkward and cute?! She had a ring now but that didn’t mean she threw his wrist band out. Sometimes she took it out and wore it when he wasn’t home, just to remind herself of him.
The young woman stared up at the sky with a fond smile on her lips, finishing her orange and resting her hands on her stomach. Soon he would be back, and then she could nag him about all the training she had missed out on while he was away. She liked the sound of that.
After enjoying the day at Capsule Corp Bulma dropped her back off at the farm. She and Tien had been strict about Yamcha not flying unless it was absolutely necessary. She knew they had a point, yet part of her missed feeling the wind through her hair as she flew. Oh well, she’d just have to get used to being carted around for a while. It almost made her miss her off roader from her desert days.
Puar had gotten tired, causing Yamcha to carry her inside. She was pleasantly surprised to see Chiaotzu inside, cooking one of her favorites for her. She had made sure he knew she’d be back in time for dinner and hated the idea of him eating by himself.
Yamcha almost wondered if having a child was necessary. She knew Chiaotzu was an adult, (that’s what he and Tien claimed anyways,) but he still felt like one to her. Chiaotzu was Tien’s world after all, she hoped the little guy would be okay with them having a child. So far he didn’t seem to mind--Hell he seemed curious about the whole thing. Soon his books on Chinese literature were changing out for ones on child care out of curiosity. It made Yamcha feel a little better--maybe Chiaotzu could make for a good babysitter.
“I’m home!” She announced loudly, pulling the door shut. Puar yawned and sleepily floated over towards the couch, curling into a tight ball.
“Evening Yamcha!” Chiaotzu chirped, turning to face her. He didn’t have to look back to use his psychic powers to stir shrimp on the stove. “D’you have fun at Bulma’s?”
“Course!” She grinned and sat herself down at their tiny kitchen table, “Bought some oranges home so don’t worry about it alright? I know, I’m starting to eat as much as a Saiyan!”
Chiaotzu hummed and closed his eyes, looking eager to explain why, “That’s perfectly normal, the book says you’re going to put on a bunch of weight during the beginning of your pregnancy!”
Yamcha pouted and teased lightly, “Are you calling me fat?!”
Chiaotzu flushed hard and stammered over his words. Yamcha just grinned to herself, finding his stuttering to be cute.
Chiaotzu quickly turned back to the pot on the stove and babbled about his day. Taking some work from a farm next door, using his powers to get it done quickly. She was eternally grateful for all the little guy could do just with his mind. The extra income he was putting towards the baby helped her feel a little less guilty about not being able to work.
She still felt guilty though. Feeling helpless. She was too familiar with that feeling.
“Hey Chiaotzu,” She spoke up after a comfortable stretch of silence. Yamcha rested her scarred cheek in her palm and stared down at the grain of the table, “You sure it’s okay? I just… I wish I could help more.”
The psychic wore a look of concern and sat down across from her. He leaned in to tilt her chin up, “Of course it’s okay, you’re pregnant.” He smiled fondly, “Besides, Ten-san would be upset if I let you work outside with me. He told me to make sure I took care of you and did anything you needed!”
Yamcha relaxed a bit and tried to joke, taking Chiaotz’s hat away and rubbing his head, “Thanks kid, even though that makes you a kiss ass.”
Chiaotzu huffed and stole his hat back but seemed amused either way. He hopped out of his chair and turned the stove off, stirring their dinner. Yamcha could tell he missed Tien just as much as she did. The place wasn’t the same without him and his “sense of humor.”
Him calling you an asshole and teasing you is the worst sense of humor ever! Why do I love him again?!
Yamcha snorted and knew Chiaotzu could hear her thoughts. He complained all the time about how loud everyone else’s thoughts in the house were. She made sure to tell him to mind his own business whenever he complained.
The two ate dinner together in a comfortable silence until Puar woke up and joined them. Yamcha rested a hand on her stomach, closing her eyes and wondering what the baby would look like. She was already counting on them having their Dad’s eyes. She wondered if three eyes enhanced your vision or made it worse? Tien claimed he could see farther but she wasn’t so sure about that.
Tired after a long day with her friends, Yamcha called it a night and headed upstairs. Chiaotzu and Puar chorused good night as she walked off and shut the door to her and Tien’s room. Curling up in bed she grabbed one of his shirts and held it tight in her arms. Tears threatened the edges of her eyes, causing her to scoff. How pathetic! Stupid hormones, making her miss Tien even more than usual. It was so embarrassing!
And yet holding one of his work out shirts to her face, taking in his scent, it made her feel better. If Tien caught her doing this she’d be mortified and most likely wouldn’t hear the end of it either.
Yamcha fell asleep, her thoughts only on her husband. She barely had the covers tossed over as she nuzzled his shirt, a smile growing on her face.
Hours passed through the night until Yamcha woke up, feeling weight change on the bed. She made a noise in the back of her throat, eyes squeezed shut. She was about to protest until she felt a hand in her hair a familiar stare down at her scarred face. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she sat up, clutching their blankets around her. “Tien!” She whispered, staring down at him in surprise, “You scared the shit out of me!”
Tien just grinned a little bit and leaned up, pulling her down and nuzzling the side of her head, “Wow, what a romantic greeting. I feel loved already.”
“Shut up!” She laughed and kissed his cheek before squeezing him tight, “How the Hell did you sneak inside?! You’re not exactly graceful!”
Tien rolled his eyes but didn’t let go of her, instead pulling her out of bed and into his arms on the floor, “Thanks Yamcha, you’re still as tactful as ever.”
She snorted and had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. Gods she had missed this, missed his dry, shitty sense of humor. They shared a glance, his look turning tender. Gently he caressed her cheek and seemed to check her over despite the darkness of the room. Yamcha knew it was silly but let him do it for his own peace-of-mind.
Eventually Yamcha realized how unusual his return was and whispered softly, “You’re back a day early.”
“I know.” He answered without hesitation, letting go of her cheek. Tien pulled her close and rested his chin on top of her hair, “I couldn’t stop worrying about you. Made meditation impossible, had to come back home.”
Yamcha felt her heart race at that, causing her to stare at Tien’s half naked chest in the dark. Did she ever mention she loved his outfits for how skimpy they could be? F-focus Yamcha! She tugged at her hair and mumbled, “That bad huh? I thought you were focused.”
Tien smiled to himself and closed his eyes, embrace becoming tighter, “I know, you’re turning me soft, turtle trash.”
“You were always soft, crane bastard.” She mumbled, smiling to herself. Yamcha leaned up and kissed Tien sweetly, this time on the mouth. He didn’t hesitate to return the gesture, their lips pressed gently together. As much as she loved being fucked hard into their mattress she didn’t mind this. Anything to keep her from blubbering about how much she’d missed him the past few days. She made a purring noise in the back of her throat as they continued to kiss. Breaking for a moment, her plush lips made their way down Tien’s neck and towards his collar bone. He stiffened, closing his eyes and trying not to make a sound as she nibbled at his skin.
If you asked Tien this whole pregnancy thing was far scarier than any alien they had ever faced. One moment Yamcha was all smiles, talking all about how big and strong their kid was gonna be, then the next moment she was in tears and practically dry humping his leg. Gods it was confusing. Chiaotzu claimed the excess hormones were normal but Tien had to wonder if the little guy was fucking with him. Was it really all that normal to change your mood so quickly.
He flushed as his mind wandered back to when they were younger. Yamcha and Bulma got like this when they were on their periods so… Okay, maybe Chiaotzu wasn’t lying then. Memories of him avoiding being smacked and screamed at by either of them played in the dark recesses of his mind and caused him to shudder.
Yamcha felt that shudder roll down Tien’s back, causing her to let go of the skin she was trying to bruise with her teeth. She smirked and ran a hand down her husband’s side and whispered hotly, “I didn’t think you’d get that excited~”
Tien began to sweat nervously and quickly pulled Yamcha up into a kiss, praying to quiet her down. He didn’t want to admit how much the idea of mood swings scared him. How pathetic was that, a husband afraid of his wife.
Luckily Yamcha liked his initiative and melted into the kiss, making a pleased sound in the back of her throat. They stayed like that for a moment until the kiss broke away and Tien helped Yamcha back into bed, “Alright, the floor’s getting a little cramped.”
“No need to tell me twice.” Yamcha admitted with a huff that turned into a yawn. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled, “Mmm, as much as I want you I think I wanna cuddle more.”
Tien adjusted them until Yamcha had her bed head on his chest and he was laying down comfortably. Well there went changing out of his clothes from the week. His wife didn’t seem to care as she snuggled close, making sure to lay on her back. Tien grabbed a pillow for her legs, earning him a kiss on the cheek in return. He gathered the blankets around them and appreciated the warmth of holding his love close. It was true, he had missed this. It was impossible to train or take time for myself when all he could do was worry about his love--worry about their baby.
The baby… Tien was worried sick about becoming a parent. Sure, he was basically one to Chiaotzu but they were the same age. This was different--he’d have an honest to Gods newborn on his hands. Tien realized he and Yamcha didn’t come from the most normal of backgrounds. Neither of them knew their parents or what being in a nuclear family was like. Even with the baby would their family ever really be traditional? They lived with a talking, shape shifting cat of course not.
Tien laid awake, praying that whatever happened they could raise this kid to have a happy home. To love each day of life they were given, to never take it for granted. Far too often and he and Yamcha got into danger without a thought for their own well being. Now in a time of relative peace he hoped they could train and help their child grow into a well rounded, spiritual individual. One that could fight and be tough of course.
Closing all three of his eyes Tien fell asleep, wondering what their kid would look like. He smiled to himself, imagining the baby having Yamcha’s wild tangle of black hair.