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It had been a long day for the couple in the mansion overlooking the sea. In fact, it had been a long few months too, fraught with difficulty, emotions and hardship, but also excitement for both the near and far future because of one single reason.
Marina flopped onto the sofa as gently as she could, being sure not to upset the growing children in her womb. Pregnancy had both been a dream experience and a painful one. While she had enjoyed the maternal feeling of her kids growing and being active in her womb as well as daydreaming about the future, the pains of cramps and the waddling when she got bigger and the sleepless nights had been less than fun and it was clear it had taken a toll on her. At this point, 8 months in, she just wanted it to be over.
She was in a light teal top and black shorts, appropriate wear for summer which was indeed the current season. Her tentacles were tied up into a ponytail, but they were still long enough to be used as extra limbs while her hands were busy. Gold hoop earrings dangled from her ears, having been a gift from Three and Four for her birthday. A small locket necklace hung from her neck, containing a small but sweet photo of her family at that current point: her wife, Pearl Houzuki, and her adopted kid, Eight Houzuki. The locket meant everything to her. When times were tough, just looking at the locket was enough to calm her down.
Marina exhaustedly pats her stomach, waking the kids inside. They shuffled about and kicked to say hello to their mother. Well, that's what Marina thought they did at least. She knew it was meaningless but it was still fun to think they were saying hello.
“...Evening you two! Had a nice nap?”
No response. As to be expected from babies who couldn’t even think yet. Still, Marina pressed on and conversed with her kids.
“You two have been active all day! I’m not surprised you got tuckered out… Guess you two must’ve inherited Pearl’s restless energy, eh?”
She was interrupted by a small kick. Adorable.
“...I can’t wait to meet you two. To be able to hold you both, watch you two emerge from your eggs, enrol you into school, mess about and get into trouble on the playground, celebrate countless birthdays… …I’ve dreamed of this future a million times, so to have it become real… sniffle ”
She wiped a tear from her eye. Damnit, she made herself emotional! Not surprising even to Marina - it wasn't hard to make her emotional nowadays… She felt more shuffling from them. The two had been a little bothersome all day, but their constant movement and antics never got on Marina’s nerves. If anything it made her love them with all of her hearts even more. As she rubbed her belly with hands and tentacles, she sighed and let her mind drift off into thought…
The pregnancy had been loosely planned and totally unexpected, but still very welcome. It had been both her's and Pearl's dream to become mothers to children. Now, that dream was a reality and everyone involved was excited. Pearl had been caring for her wife ever since she started feeling symptoms, making sure her pregnancy was as comfortable as she could make it. Callie and Marie had agreed to be godmothers to the two to come, acting like aunts despite not being biologically related. The agents were very warm to the announcement and congratulated the two on the pregnancy, with Eight excited to have siblings at last. All had also pitched in to buy supplies for both when the two arrived and for before then, even though Pearl and Marina had enough to fund multiple successful companies with enough left over for luxuries. It was a kind gesture by the group and Marina could not be more thankful for their support. She doubted if she’d ever get this kind of support if she was still an Octarian soldier…
She was snapped out of her thinking by the sound of the front door clicking open. She was home finally; the person Marina had admired and looked up to since coming to the surface. The one who helped her come out of her shell and fully embrace her love for music which led to the formation of a stupidly successful pop band. The reason her life had become so great. Her senpai... Her lover... Her wife. She excitedly got up and shuffled to the door to meet her face to face. Pearl, in a black bomber jacket and jeans, had decided to switch to part time employment ever since Marina had became pregnant, especially when she formally went on maternity leave. She hosted Inkopolis News alongside Callie and Marie, as well as doing photoshoots in the studio for multiple companies and making plans for events, albums and tours. It was rather hectic, especially as she had to double duty all that alongside caring for her wife as she inched closer to full term. But the smile she saw from Marina as she came home made it all worth it - especially today.
She dropped all her things at the door and ran up to Marina, hugging her tightly while also making sure she wasn’t so tight that it caused uncomfort for both Marina and their children. Marina simply hugged her back with arms and tentacles, keeping her wife very close. It was instinct for Octarians to keep family close during pregnancy. It was almost like training to keep the newborns close, only with family instead of small, baby cephalopods. Marina didn’t mind it, neither did Pearl or Eight. It was like bonding to them. They were family, and a very close one at that.
Marina noticed how Pearl wasn’t letting go or pulling away. Usually by now, she would’ve tugged away and proceeded to ramble on about her day while getting snacks out from the kitchen. Today was different… She wasn’t pulling away. She had buried herself in Marina’s chest and wasn’t saying anything or making noise. Just the sounds of birds chirping in the distance from the open door.
“...You’re clingy tonight. What's up?"
"...bad day at work. Don't want to talk about it."
That explained it. Marina just sighed and continued cuddling her upset wife, patting her back to try and make her feel better. After a few moments of silence in each other's embrace, Marina spoke up and let her motherly attitude flare up.
“...Everything’s gonna be alright Pearl. You’re back home to a family that loves you and cares for you… No-one’s gonna dogpile work onto you or anything of the sort…”
Pearl looked up at Marina through wet eyes. Marina just looked back down at her wife with a smile that could pierce the heavens with how kindhearted it looked. A tentacle wiped the tears from Pearl’s eyes before coiling around her tightly but not too tight that Pearl would be hurt. She was raised off her feet gently, just to eye level with Marina. Usually Marina would crouch down to get to Pearl’s eye level, but considering her current state, picking Pearl up was just easier for the both of them.
“...You don’t gotta worry about crappy clients or stressful work environments or the sort right now… It’s just you, me, Eight and the kiddies… And we all love you and will keep loving you for the rest of eternity.”
A conveniently timed kick from the twins happened, which caught Marina a little off guard; she just laughed it off. Pearl smiled from Marina’s optimism, already feeling better. She missed having her around all day in the studio, being kind & caring to anyone and everyone, helping anyone out where possible, offering to pay for the whole staff’s lunches, etc. The studio wasn’t the same without her. But at the same time, Pearl didn’t need her in the studio, because she had that optimism and kindness at her fingertips right here at home. It was the best part of her day.
Marina took Pearl to the sofa, easing herself back down onto it while holding her belly. Once she was on and settled, she pulled Pearl back into her for a big, loving kiss on her lips - moving her hands to the back of Pearl’s head to make it more passionate. All of her love concentrated into one singular action, making sure Pearl didn’t just feel like she was loved but knew she was loved in every way, shape and form. It was the type of kiss that could knock someone out. A kiss only Marina could do.
After a few seconds of intimate kissing, the two pulled back to softly press their foreheads against one another. It was a form of affection only Octarians really did, but Pearl was also allowed to do it as the act made Marina incredibly happy and it was an intimate action that both of them loved. These cephalopods were incredibly gay for eachother, and had been for years. They supported each other through thick and thin; no matter what trials and tribulations came their way, they always tackled it together with their colour pulse. No shark bite, muck warfare or acid hue could stop them from flying into the light in each other's embrace. Especially not now.
The two cuddled further for a while, even when Eight came downstairs to say hello to their mothers and make some food for themself. Eventually, Pearl rolled off of Marina to sit next to her instead, having been cheered up by the cuddles.
"...Thank you, Rina… You're always the sunshine after a storm for me. I don't know how you manage to cheer anyone up like that, but it's one of the reasons I love you."
Marina blushed a bright mint hue, her tentacles twitching slightly while her heart rate increased. Pearl was the master of compliments, always knowing what to say to make her wife blush. In a way, they complimented each other with how they showed love and affection: Pearl compliments, Marina snuggles.
"...You wanna hear something about my day today?"
"Absolutely! I wanna hear all about your day!"
Marina giggled and began reciting her day, telling Pearl about what the twins got up to, the funny speculations made by hungry press and the highlight: Deep Cut coming over to deliver a gift for her and the babies.
"...Frye gave me this crib decor to hang up. It has little pieces that reference Shiver's culture and Frye's at the same time. Shiver gave me a fan to help cool myself off. It's almost an exact replica of her own, just with my symbol instead of hers. And finally, Big Man gave me a box of various baby toys that he bought from a charity!"
She pulled out each gift from a box as she spoke, making sure to handle each with care. It was obvious that these gifts meant a lot to her, even if it wasn't her 1st love language. To know that you had friends that were so kind and supportive like this was a wonderful feeling to Marina.
"...They're so good… I hope our kids like 'em."
Marina smiled at her wife, coiling a tentacle around her hand while she put the gifts back into the box they had come in. Physical contact was the 1st love language. It felt so lonely and wrong to not be able to hold Pearl's hand or wrap her tentacles around her to keep her close. Pearl often couldn't even escape bed in the mornings to go to work, as Marina would coil herself tightly around Pearl in her sleep. Her love for this pygmy squid ran deep, even managing to hit her subconscious. She loved her wife so incredibly much.
Pearl rolled her eyes with a smile when she felt the cooler sensation of the tentacle wrapping around her wrist. She knew where this was going. Instead of trying to fight it, she instead acted upon Marina's desire for more cuddles. She shuffled as close to Marina's side as she could, wrapping one arm around her while the other rested on her stomach. Marina adjusted her arm too, with it now hanging off of Pearl's shoulder. Marina started purring, with her low rumble becoming loud and clear. Pearl looked up at Marina with love in her eyes, gently scritching the belly while rubbing Marina's arm with her thumb. That only seemed to make Marina purr louder. She was really happy right now. The two closed their eyes, happy in each other's embrace.
Pearl's gentle scritches and Marina's rubs had once again awoken the twins. They were being loved, so they would reciprocate this feeling. The couple felt the movement of the twins inside, even some gentle kicks to the palm. If this was any other moment, Marina would've provided some giggles and a sharp inhale at the kicks. However, she was too at peace to let the pain hurt her right now. If anything, it just comforted her more to know she was loved even by her unborn children.
Pearl started to tremble. The powerful emotions she was feeling right now were overwhelming the poor squid. This moment here was one she only had in dreams. Her kids were here…
The kids she made with Marina…
Her offspring that she never once even though would come to be…
They were here, right now, saying hello the only way they knew how.
Pearl let tears form and roll from her eyes. This time, it wasn't out of frustration or upset. This was happiness, raw and pure. The happiness that could get even the most unemotional to feel joy. She made this. She made a life of her own with the love of her life. And it was beautiful .
Marina heard the sniffles and sobs from her beautiful wife, opening her eyes and looking down to see Pearl's teary face. Seeing her wife so emotional like this was surreal, she'll admit. But it just made her love her even more… She returned to looking at her belly and rubbing it also, this time also coiling her tentacles around Pearl tight and giving her thumb strokes like Pearl had done moments prior. She was contemptuous. She was at peace. She could fall asleep at any moment…
“...Can you feel them, Pearl?”
Pearl looked back up to Marina, her eyes a little red from the tears. She nods with a smile. Marina smiles back, before returning to her belly.
“...I love them so much… As much as I love you, Pearl.”
Those were Marina's last words before she lay down on the sofa and dozed off, her wife still cuddling her tightly even after that. It wasn’t long before Pearl also dozed off too, making them a happy, sleepy couple of mothers to be.