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It started so innocently.
Davrin knew exactly what he was doing. Monello wasn't doing this for no reason, no. They both had noticed Esha reacting rather oddly to the remark her brother had made towards him. Such a harmless little jest, nothing more. But it had apparently sparked something in his wife, something he had to admit he enjoyed greatly.
Esha was never one for public displays of affection, finding it a little embarrassing since she was unused to it, though she was never short on little acts of service or loving looks. But now... every time they went to Minrathous, she clung to his arm, and gave him very pointed kisses whenever Monello was in eyesight. Davrin would have to be an idiot to not know what jealousy looked like. She was staking her claim.
And while he knew that Esha was aware that he would not leave her, nor that her baby brother would attempt anything, he knew what that nagging feeling of jealousy could do. It made you irrational, foolish.
But Davrin was selfish, and he treasured every inch of affection his wife gave him, public or otherwise. She had never made him feel unwanted, but to know she wanted him enough to be jealous was a different kind of pride for the Warden. A kind of smug self-satisfaction he'd sorely needed, especially after that mess with Kal.
But he hadn't meant for it to go this far, at all .
It was supposed to be a simple dinner party. He and Esha had been holed up in Treviso for three weeks now thanks to Esha's incoming labor. She'd been carrying Kal and Lucanis's child as a surrogate, and the time was ever-looming closer for her to deliver the child. So Lucanis and Kal had decided to hold a little soiree to thank her for her service on their behalf.
He and Monello might have taken it too far, though. Jokingly fawning over his brother-in-law, fixing the accessory chains on his overly-exposing shirt (that Davrin had requested he wear for this exact purpose), and generally being a nuisance.
Kal and Lucanis were making out nearby, and Illario, Allona, and Neve were watching amusedly from the bar.
That's when he noticed Esha was extraordinarily quiet, and when he looked over at her, she was staring silently at the floor, a lost expression on her face.
Uh oh.
Davrin dropped his hands to his sides. It was meant to be a game, a fun little play to get Esha to loosen up and have some fun as well. But now she was blankly looking at her shoes, playing with her fork.
“Esha, babe?” Davrin pulled away to kneel next to her, touching her arm gently. Had he actually hurt her feelings? This was supposed to be a joke.
Esha looked over at him and he noticed how tired she looked. “Yes?” Her voice even sounded exhausted, the circles under her eyes seeming deeper than they had this morning.
Davrin had been so busy planning the prank, he'd neglected taking care of his very pregnant, very vulnerable wife. He felt horrible, and by the look on Monello's face, he felt the same.
“Hey, maybe it's time we get you to bed, babe, hm?”
Esha nodded numbly, then reached for him. As he reached out to help her to her feet, suddenly her face contorted and she doubled over in pain. “AH!”
“What's wrong?” Allona and Monello were at their side in an instant, hovering over their older sister. Even Kal stopped face-sucking to glance at her with curiosity.
Groaning deeply, Esha wobbled about two feet before stumbling, and Davrin caught her. “I think…” she began, looking meekly up at him before wincing in pain again and clutching her stomach. “I think the babies coming!”
At that, everyone shot into gear, with Kal and Lucanis practically tripping over themselves to untangle from each other. “Tell Rosa to get the delivery room ready!” Lucanis shouted, nerves evident in his voice.
Davrin tried to lean her on his shoulder, but she glared at him pointedly and instead leaned on Kal. “We will, urgh. Talk about this later, Dav.”
Davrin had a feeling he was gonna be sleeping on the metaphorical, and possibly literal, couch for a while after this.
Right as Esha was exiting the room, supported by Kal and Neve, with Allona showing her breathing exercises the whole way, the door on the far side of the room opened, and Viago strolled in.
Noticing the relative chaos of the situation unfolding before him, Monello in his worst top, A very-much-in-labor Esha being guided down the hall, and a very worried Davrin standing there, and he just sighed.
“Fucking. Idiots.”