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“I think…” He paused and looked down, a sudden cold shock running through his veins that kept him from speaking up. Red Son finished coming down the stairs, only letting out a hum in some mild acknowledgement. This was important, though, so MK tried again.
“I think my water just broke.” That seemed to get the other’s attention. He heard the sudden stop of movement as Red’s boots squeaked against the tiled floor.
“What?”
It was a whisper and one that MK only responded to with his own hum.
As quick as lightning, his husband was next to him, an arm around his back and hands clinging to his shoulders. “What?! Right now?!”
“It’s around the time, isn’t it?” That wasn’t entirely true but it wasn’t wholly false, either. This was early by about a week and a half and maybe it was for that reason that MK felt so numb.
“Noodl - ack - here, MK, wrap your arms around me!”
He whined but did as he was told, allowing Red to lift him up gently. MK nuzzled his face against his husband’s neck and let out a happy sound. “You used my name.”
“Shut it. Save your strength. That scholar of yours was telling you that you’re a lot bigger than most pregnant humans, right?” MK nodded and shut his eyes, letting himself enjoy this extra attention for now. “Then you need to be ready for our kid to be bigger than you expect.”
That got his attention. His eyes snapped open and he - accidentally - grabbed a fistful of Red’s hair. “WHAT?! You really think that might happen?! Like they’re a bull or something and they’ll literally tear me in half?!”
“Calm down! I don’t think they’ll tear you in half I just -“ Red cut himself off as he set MK down on their bed and he started rubbing his stomach, eyes lost in thought. “I just want you to be prepared for anything. And for you to be okay with it.”
MK started to whine but he stopped himself when he saw that look. He’d seen that look several times during the pregnancy and by now he knew what it meant. He set a gentle hand on Red’s cheek and gave an equally gentle smile. “Hey. I’ve told you. I agreed to this from the beginning. Stop beating yourself up over every little inconvenience I complain about.”
Red nodded slowly before setting his head on top of his stomach in a way that almost seemed like he was trying to listen for their kid. The gentle whispers that came out confirmed that. “I told you to be easy on your Bàba. This is new to us and you’re freaking us both out.”
MK blushed and ran a hand through Red’s hair. “Don’t admit to freaking out cause then I really will freak out.”
Despite wanting otherwise, MK allowed Red to stand up and move on without properly responding to him. They shared a quick, gentle kiss before he muttered “I’ll call Mei.” and then left the room. MK decided he’d call him out on using her actual name later. For now he just rubbed his stomach and cooed at the impatient being that was living there.
“Take your time. You really are coming out early. This isn’t a race.”
An hour or so passed and MK practically screeched when the door to his bedroom was slammed open by Mei. He was pacing, getting some exercise to try to distract from the mild discomfort and what it signaled. Mei grabbed both of his hands and grinned stupidly wide at him.
“Is it true? Is it really happening?” He nodded slowly and she jumped in excitement. “Awesome! This is super awesome! I brought the midwife, by the way. She’s talking to Red right now, you know he’s really freaking out and can’t decide if he wants to be in here or not.”
“What?” MK never considered that Red wouldn’t want to be with him during this. That possibility only served to stress him out more.
Mei didn’t seem to pick up on the change in atmosphere. “Yeah. He says he wants to support you and hold your hand and all that corny stuff but he also wants to stick to tradition and not be allowed in here. It’s weird.”
The whine he let out must have been even more pitiful sounding than he originally intended if Mei’s sudden switch in attitude were anything to go by. “Oh dude, have you guys not talked about this? You need to go out there and tell him what you want!”
Before he could either agree or protest, Mei had shoved him out the door and in an instant Red Son had stood from his seat at the table. The midwife sat across from him with some tea that was most likely brewed by Red himself. Mei wrapped an arm around both of MK’s shoulders and called Red out.
“Hey Red Dummy, you guys need to work on communicating better. MK wants you in the room with him.”
Red’s face flushed but he didn’t move outside of scratching his nails into the table. “What?” he hissed out “What are you talking about? Is something wrong?”
“Uh…” MK hesitated in what he wanted to say and in doing so, ended up completely missing his chance as a sharp pain struck him in his lower back. He covered his mouth in a yelp and felt himself jolt where he stood. At least that got Red to come over to him and replace Mei’s clinging with his own fussing.
“What’s wrong?! What was that?! Do you need to lay down?! Is that normal?!”
“Red, I -“ this time he was interrupted by the midwife clearing her throat and standing.
“Relax, sir. He will be fine. We’ve all discussed this before, remember? He is just entering the second stage of contractions. Didn’t you say it was an hour ago that his water broke?”
Both he and Red nodded and she mimicked the motion in turn. “Then his labor is going much faster than average, especially for a first time pregnancy. Let’s not waste anymore time.”
‘Not wasting time’ was the perfect way to describe the midwife’s methods. She ordered MK to exercise and continue pacing around the room saying it would help the baby get into position (and he could definitely feel a lot of that going on) while she also ordered Red to get supplies to her.
At one point, the pain became too much and MK leaned over with his hands on the bed. He tried to focus on his breathing and to keep in mind that the contractions were a good thing and that he definitely wanted this .
But that was near impossible with Red freaking out next to him. “MK? Light?! What’s wrong? Are you okay are - Is that supposed to happen?!”
The midwife answered. “Yes. Calm yourself, sir, you’ll make everything worse.”
“Okay. Okay. I’m calm. … Light, can you hear me? I love you. You’re amazing and incredible and this is an awesome thing you’re doing for us so don’t forget tha-“
“Red if you don’t shut the hell up I am going to kick your ass the minute the baby is safe!”
There was a feeling of pause in the room with the only one unaffected being the midwife who continued setting everything up. And then Red continued talking.
“O-oh. Oh. Right. Of course I - I shouldn’t be in here. So I’ll just -“ when that beautiful warmth left his presence, MK felt a panic run through him. One that caused him to reach out and grab the other's wrist.
“No! Don’t leave just - just stop freaking out. Please.” He whimpered and felt tears coming. “I need you.”
He saw something flash across Red’s face, something akin to when he would go off on some sort of instinct. There was a subtle push of a light flare from his hair and his eyes dilated for just a second before he pulled MK close with both arms wrapped tightly around him. “I’ve got you. I’m here. Don’t worry about anything. I will always be here for you.”
MK nodded, smiling and taking a moment to enjoy his husband’s scent. With Red here, MK felt he could do anything. He was the Monkie Kid after all, wasn’t he? Things might be hard temporarily but it was all completely natural and he had the perfect support team with him to, well, support him!
He returned the tight hug with an equally clingy one, nuzzling his face against that beautifully comfy and warm red coat. He only realized several minutes had passed when that sharp pain returned and he let everyone know with another cry of surprise. The hug tightened and he whimpered, appreciating that Red was keeping quiet this time.
How much longer was this supposed to go on?
Apparently hours.
MK had lost any sense of time when the midwife ordered him to lay down on the floor where she had set everything up. Whatever blankets, mats and pillows Mei had brought over were almost more comfy than the actual bed.
Not that MK could actually enjoy it.
He was always a loud person, he knew that. Oftentimes his shouts of pain were exaggerated from what was actually felt, to the point where he could barely brush against something and he would let out a small cry or yelp. Because of this, he doubted anyone was surprised by his screams of agony in this moment, no matter what the midwife said.
He was lucky to have Red in here with him and he was even more lucky to have a best friend who forced him to say what he wanted. He held tight to Red’s hand and cried out in pain during each contraction, whimpering complaints between each scream.
At one point, he tugged on the hand he held to get Red Son to lean in closer. “Red… I feel sick. Like I’m gonna throw up.”
Red sputtered in shock, not knowing what to say to that, but the midwife calmed them both down. “Both of you stop stressing each other out so much. That’s normal, sir. There’s a basin next to you if you decide you need it. Your husband can keep charge of it since he suddenly wants something to do so bad.”
MK whined when Red let his hand go to grab the basin in question, but he made up for the time lost by clinging even tighter with both of his hands the minute he could. And more screaming followed.
He never did throw up, but he often felt close to it. Though details like that had to be relayed to him after the fact because his brain tunnel visioned so hard on the pain and the orders from the midwife, that everything else was completely blank. At one point he could not comprehend Red’s presence, but he knew it would be much worse if he wasn’t there at all.
So he suffered through it and allowed himself to focus on what he was being told to do and offer all of his energy into doing it. Which meant missing out on whatever sweet, corny and stupidly timed speech Red was giving him.
Until he heard crying.
That sound was what brought him back to the world and was what led him to focusing his vision back on his husband, who now held their baby. He heard happy coo’s from his child’s Bàmā and watched as he bounced them in his arms. That pure look of happiness in his sunflowers eyes almost made him tear up - if not for the fact that he was already crying.
Red turned to him and grinned wider than any other MK had seen on his husband's face since their wedding. He was happy.
They both were.
He started to reach for their kid, deciding to fuss over details like their sex and name later, but before he could hold them, a familiar yet surprising pain wracked through him again. He shut his eyes and cried out at the harsh feeling of being split returning and once he got his breathing back in order, he looked to where Red was yelling at the midwife.
It took time to bring his brain back online, but when he understood what she was saying, he felt pale.
“A-another?” He barely managed a whisper.
Red heard him, thankfully, and was by his side again in seconds while still holding their child. “Yeah. Yeah. It’s, um… she’s mad at us.”
MK wasn’t worried about that. He was more than willing to throw Red under the bus for always insisting they go against the midwife’s advice to check in at an actual hospital from time to time, but this was not the time.
He was about to go through the worst pains of his life all over again.
He hissed and glared at his husband who rightfully cowarded back. “I'm going to kill you.”
Before Red could say a response, MK was being told to push and was screaming… again.
Just like the first time, he honed his senses on the midwife’s instructions and blocked out everything else. As much as MK would hate to admit it, Monkey King’s “patience and focus” lessons were paying off here.
He was sobbing and was still pushing long after the second set of cries began to register. He only managed to come out of that state when Red magicked his beautiful warmth through MK’s whole body to relax him. When he looked up at that wonderful feeling’s source, he saw a teary-eyed Red Son nodding to him as if answering a question MK couldn’t hear.
Then, their first child that Red had yet to let go of was handed to him. MK took them into his arms and smiled at their hiccups and whimpers. The bull form was a bit of a surprise, but Red and he had discussed that possibility many times. The chance that their child would take after Red’s true form was only natural so there was no reason to panic. MK was just grateful they were the size of a human newborn.
“Hurry up, Bàmā, you want to bathe the other one, don’t you? Or are you playing favorites already?”
MK smirked at Red’s extreme reaction to the midwife’s comment. He jumped up and rushed over to her and the other baby, vocally rebuking her claims that Red would be anything but fair to them both. Said arguments were interrupted by a surprised gasp that caught MK’s attention.
“What is it?” He questioned.
“Um…” was his only answer.
MK huffed at Red’s hesitance but the midwife saved him. “The younger twin, here, seems to take after their Bàba more than the older.” He shifted his hold on said older twin and studied their face before responding.
“I guess that makes sense. But why would that freak you out so much, Red?” He laughed under his breath. “You worried you can’t handle two of me running around?”
Red grumbled back at him “It’s not that.” MK raised an eyebrow but there was nothing else to do but wait for them to finish cleaning the baby and let MK see for himself.
And when he did, he let out a similar gasp to Red’s. “They’re - oh… wait, is that how that works?”
Red glared at him. “Why are you asking me?!”
“Well it’s just that I thought since I wasn’t exactly born with this mystic monkey business that anything to do with it wouldn’t be genetic so I dunno - them being a literal monkey is a bit surprising!”
Red Son rolled his eyes even as he settled himself comfortably next to him. They sat together in silence after that, happy to take a few quiet moments after all the stress and yelling and panicking they just went through.
MK took the needed reflection time to stare at the baby bull he held. He played with their ears a little bit and brushed his finger along the fur of their cheek, chuckling at the soft whines that earned him.
He frowned at a sudden thought. Well, several thoughts. Things he hadn’t considered before.
Starting with how nothing would ever be the same. His life was completely changed forever and by extension, so was Red Son’s. No more impromptu wild party nights, no more random spending sprees on unnecessary collectors items, no more letting his diet suffer from his own lack of foresight and laziness and…
His breath started to come a little heavier.
The responsibility that just entered his world suddenly hit like a truck. Before, he was Monkie Kid - protector of the city and at times the world just because it was the right thing to do. Now, he was a parent, and before he could protect anyone else he would have to protect his children.
What if he couldn’t protect his children?
“Red…” he whimpered. The pleased hum in response made him feel more alone in these thoughts. “What if we made a mistake?”
There was a beat of silence before the other let out a strained “What?”
“I don’t…” MK looked up at Red, tears in his eyes again but not from physical pain. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
There was a much longer time for the silence following his explanation. Red’s face was unreadable the entire time, even as they both stared at each other. Eventually his husband sent the midwife out of the room and she obliged without a fuss.
Once she was out, Red shifted to holding the younger twin with one arm and set his now free hand on MK’s cheek. He leaned into it on instinct, almost comforted by that alone until Red surprised him with his ‘helpful’ commentary.
“I don’t know if you can and I know for certain that I can’t.”
MK whined and opened his eyes. He almost said something back but his voice got caught in his throat when he saw Red’s expression. It was serious, but not angry or upset. It wasn’t negative at all, in fact, MK saw nothing but love and optimism in it.
“But I know that neither one of us are doing it alone and, so long as I have you, I can handle this. And I also know for a fact that so long as you have me to encourage you - which you always will - you can find the strength and resolve to do anything.”
Those words were so perfect that MK couldn’t help but be reminded of why he married this big idiot in the first place. Red was awful at a lot of things, including explaining his feelings. He always either came across too strong or over-explained himself to the point of the complete opposite of his intent being what came out. Not to mention the times when he was embarrassed by said original intent so he would jump around what he actually meant in favor of confusing nothingness.
This was one of those rare occasions where he not only had a clear idea of what he wanted to say, but he was able to say it in such a way to make MK’s heart melt. MK leaned his head over to rest on Red’s shoulder and made a point of imitating his husband’s purring.
Eventually, MK was content with where he stood and with his time building skinship with the kids. “I guess we should let the rest of the family in now, huh?” He looked up at Red with a gentle smile but it quickly dropped when he saw that confused look.
“I thought we agreed to do the traditional man yue ceremony. They’re not here and when you’re ready, I’m leaving the room and you’ll be in here with these two by yourself until then.”
MK blinked up at him. “… What…?”
“Of course I’ll be in the house still and I’ll come in and help when necessary but I’ll be sleeping in one of the other rooms.”
MK blinked up at him again. “… WHAT?!”