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“What, are you, cooking?”
The first thing that Zhongli takes note of is the way Lumine’s words sound almost aggressive, and the next thing is the way she has her hand over her nose, trying to shield it from the smell that she finds disgusting if her actions are too go by.
“Bamboo shot soup? Is everything okay?”
He can’t help but let concern grow, the past few days Lumine hasn’t been in her best health, and he had thought that maybe some soup would be of help. But considering that right now she looks seconds away from puking and the motive for that is the smell of the soup being prepared Zhongli is starting to think that he made a mistake.
“Are you sure? I mean it can’t be, the past times you have prepared it smelled well, right now the smell is nauseating.”
Uh, it smells just as always for him, and they both know that with his superior sense of smell bad odors would affect him first. And there’s also no way that some of the ingredients have gone bad and that is what Lumine is smelling, once again thanks to his better senses he would be able to tell if something has gone bad.
“I can assure you my dear that that is exactly what I am making. Maybe it’s because of your sickness? Yesterday the smell of dinner also made you sick, and you were unable to hold breakfast some days ago.”
Lumine walks toward him and checks over the cooking soup, her hand still over her nose.
“I think your right, maybe I caught a stomach bug or something like that. Well now seeing it closer it does look like always, and I’m sure that it would taste delicious but sadly I don’t think I will be able to taste it without immediately throwing up.
The smell alone is already disgusting.”
Truly a shame, and a part of him feels bad that he can’t actually help her right now. But in the end, there is nothing he can do about it.
“You have been sick for quite some days and you are just getting worse, maybe it would be better for you to seek medical help?”
“Don’t worry about it, I had already decided to go to Bubu Pharmacy today after I finish my commissions.”
“Would you like me to go with you?”
“No thanks and today’s commissions are just simple errands, so I will finish them fast, when I arrive at Bubu pharmacy you will probably be still busy at the parlor.”
She then walks away from the kitchen a sunsettia in her hand in an attempt for breakfast. Her other hand was still over her nose.
They still say their goodbyes and promise that if her appointment doesn’t run that long then she will go to see him at the parlor when his break arrives.
***
Mid-day arrives and with it his break, in silence and alone he waits in his office for her, and when she arrives there’s a knot on his stomach that refuses to leave when in her eyes he sees nothing more than fear, nerves, and uncertainty.
“Good news, it is not a stomach bug, news I don’t know how to feel about… I’m… uuh…pregnant.”
For what remains of his life that is going to be one of the moments of his life that he treasures the more.
But sadly the memory will be forever stained because thanks to his elation and happiness he ended up passing out.
Nor Lumine, or Hu Tao (who was the one who heard Lumine’s worried exclamations when he collapsed and went to see what had happened), ever let him live it down.
***
Sitting side by side their bodies touching and no space left between left, it is a little uncomfortable under the hot weather of Liyue’s summer, but ever since he received the announcement his instincts have urged him to do no other thing but to stay all the time he can at his beloved gem’s side.
Ever since she was made aware of her current state Lumine immediately stopped with her adventuring and started to just take commissions that don’t take her out of the port every few days. And so now half her time she spends it either in the Teapot or in his (also now her) home, either just reading cooking or doing another thing that could entertain her.
Right now her current activity is reading. And ever since he returned from the parlor he joined her on the couch in the living room.
None of them say a thing, both busy with their reading, and they stay like that for hours until Lumine lets an annoyed sigh and stands and walks towards the bathroom.
She returns in minutes but after returning and sitting not that much time passes before she’s standing and going once again to the bathroom.
And then to her increasing annoyance, the same thing keeps happening again, and again for the rest of the day. And at some point, he does have to avoid a book from hitting him right square in the face after she throws it at him when he commits the mistake of chuckling because of her misfortune.
***
“In good news for you, I am currently unable to stand the smell and flavor of seafood, so good for you. Because there is not going to be any of that getting near me in the current future.”
Of course, he didn’t admit it out loud, but it did make him a little bit happy.
***
The tranquility of night can be felt all around the place, outside silence reigns, and inside the room, both of its occupants enjoy the tranquility.
None of them really have the need to sleep as mortals do, but after a long day being able to simply lay in bed while enjoying the company of each other is one of the better parts of their day.
Lights off and simply resting in each other arms.
None of them move, and usually, they also don’t talk, and they just remain like that until the sun appears, and on the rare nights that they do fall asleep, the dragon still visits the dreams of his star.
Tonight none of them feel like sleeping, so the plan was to just lay intertwined with each other, and wait until a new day began.
But the tranquility is shattered when Lumine (as fast as she can with the new weight added,) sits and then stands out of the bed.
The room is submerged in darkness but Zhongli doesn’t need light to be able to see the way his star outs hand over her the place below her neck and applies pressure, and the darkness doesn’t hide the grimace of pain that grows on her face.
In seconds he is already at her side, unaware of what to do but still offering his presence and help in case it is needed.
Minutes pass like that, he takes her in his arms and can do nothing but wait for her pain to go away. And it takes an agonizing while, but in the end, it goes away, and relief writes itself on her face.
And once again they return to their rest.
***
When from across the other side of the house he hears the sound of something falling and then a “fuck,” being uttered by the mouth of his gem, he immediately drops what he’s doing and runs to where she is.
To his immense relief nothing bad has befallen upon his dear, but the thing that happened was that she dropped the clothes she was holding. And in her current state, she can’t bend and if she sits on the floor then she won’t be able to stand alone.
He’s quick to pick up the things and go to help her.
“I can’t wait for the time I will be able to bend down once again.”
“And for our little one to finally join us.”
She just smiles at him, “and for out little one to join us.”