Karina hummed in the back of her throat as Nero nuzzled her cheek and kissed the side of her jaw. She had been on her way to find Rebecca when she had passed him on the reef. She had not intended to stop, but he had pulled her down into his arms and she was reluctant to break away from his embrace. “Your mother is going to come looking for us if I do not show up. I am meant to be meeting her,” Karina protested softly.

“Let her come,” Nero murmured dismissively. “I want to hold you.”

Karina sighed softly and fell limp against his chest. It was hard to protest when she loved being close to him. Nero showered her with affection and always had since they bonded, but recently his attention had doubled as had her desire for proximity. As they cuddled, Nero’s hand drifted down to caress the swell of her belly and Karina began to purr. Two moons into her pregnancy and she was beginning to experience the intense fatigue that tended to come with pregnancy. As her middle grew heavier, it began to cost her more energy to do the things she could usually do with ease. She had finally worked up the stamina to keep up with Nero’s pod, even though they did not travel much anymore, and now her energy was gone. It was a small price to pay though.

Karina angled her head to kiss Nero’s cheek and she tangled her fingers in his hair, which she began to tug on playfully.

Nero growled softly and tightened his grip on her. “Are you looking to tussle?” he warned.

Karina clucked her tongue against her teeth and giggled. “Of course not, you cannot tussle me, I am carrying something precious and fragile.” She pressed her nose against his cheek and then let her teeth graze gently over his skin. “I am just looking to pick on you.”

Nero leaned forward and pushed Karina’s back into the soft tendrils of seagrass and hovered over her. “Is that so?”

Karina stuck her tongue out and nodded. “Uh-huh.”

Nero scoffed and then he shifted and began to run the tips of his fingers over her ribs. Karina squealed and began to squirm, but he was still holding her. “Nero! Nero, no, stop it,” she laughed while pushing on his chest as he tickled her.

Nero shook his head and leaned down. “Not a chance,” he refused. He muffled her laughter with a kiss and continued his onslaught despite her squirming, but Karina knew he was being especially careful. His body was angled so that he had her pinned, but none of his weight pressed on her torso.

“Nero…okay, okay, mercy! Stop it.”

“But you are so cute when you laugh,” Nero countered as he kissed her again.

And laughter was certainly involved. Breathless cackling on her part and amused chuckles resonated from Nero’s chest too. “I mean it!” Karina insisted. “I…Oh!”

That single exclamation brought the play to a halt. Nero pulled her up out of the grass and hugged her close with concern etched on his face. “Are you alright?”

Karina stared up into his purple-gray gaze and nodded. “Yes,” she murmured. There was wonder leaking through her veins and a purr started up again deep in her chest as she felt another bump against the taught skin of her belly. That was what had caught her off guard initially.

“What is it?” Nero pressed.

A smile stretched across Karina’s lips wide enough to show off her fangs, and she held her hand out. “Give me your hand.”

Nero still wore a small frown of concern, but he placed his hand in hers. Karina brought his palm down against her belly and Nero spread his fingers. “What?”

Karina shushed him gently. “Just wait,” she urged. Nero fell silent and a few moments later they were both rewarded with another kick from the baby. This was the first time Karina had felt activity from their unborn child. She watched with pride swelling in her gut as Nero’s expression morphed from silent concentration to awe. His lips parted as his jaw slackened, and then a dopey grin pulled across his face and he turned to gaze at her with pure elation in his sparkling gaze. He purred and Karina hummed in response.

When he leaned in to kiss her, Karina wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him. “I love you,” she whispered.

“And I love you,” he replied.

They broke apart after a moment and Nero returned his attention to her stomach, where his hand was rubbing gently. It felt nice, so Karina just leaned her head against his shoulder and tucked her tail under the base of his fin with a content smile on her lips. The baby was still active and the movements did not hurt, so she just relaxed into the moment so that Nero could experience his first interaction with his child.

***

“There you are!”

Karina had been half-asleep and was startled awake by the statement. As she had predicted, Rebecca had come looking for them when Karina had not shown up to meet her. The woman’s vivid emerald scales blurred into the seagrass as she settled down next to them and quirked a brow. “Lose track of time?” she inquired.

Karina flushed and ducked her head. “I umm…got distracted on my way over,” she admitted.

“I can see that.”

“Hush!” Nero protested. He was stroking his thumb over Karina’s belly. The baby’s activity had waned and then started up again, and Nero seemed determined not to miss a single kick. Karina did not mind, the subtle massage was soothing.

“Nero, there is no need to be rude,” Rebecca scolded. Her tone turned firm and her gaze narrowed at her son.

Karina reached out and placed a hand on Rebecca’s arm. “The baby has been kicking,” she elaborated. “I am not allowed to move yet.”

“You hush too.”

“Excuse me?” Karina twisted her wrist for a better angle and pinched her mate on the ribs.

Nero winced and shifted away from her grasp before he bowed his head and kissed her brow. “I uh…just do not want you to tire yourself out. You were napping.”

“Uh-huh. Let go now,” Karina grumped. She waved his arms away and pulled out of his lap. “You have lost belly-rubbing privileges. Shush me, hmph.”

She enjoyed watching his expression fall as he stretched a hand out toward her. “Karina, wait, I did not mean-”

Karina cut him off as she leaned in to kiss him. “I know,” she agreed. “But you did, and now you will suffer for it because I am pregnant, so therefore, I get to win every skirmish and you get to grovel.”

“She who holds my heart is cruel,” Nero murmured as he cupped her cheek and kissed her back.

“Only when necessary,” Karina countered.

“I will remember that next time,” Nero laughed.

“You had better,” Karina retorted. She leaned in and rubbed her nose against his and he caught her by the wrist.

“Stay?” he pressed solemnly. Though his tone was stoic, he had his brows raised and a crooked smirk lifted one side of his lips.

Karina pursed her lips as she pretended to mull it over, then leaned in and kissed his nose. “No,” she whispered back as she tugged her hand free and twisted away from him. She purposefully flicked her fins hard enough to snap a few bubbles in his face as she made her way to Rebecca’s side. The other mer was smiling and her gaze was trained unwaveringly on Karina. Then she began to shake her head and Karina’s smile slipped. “What? Is something wrong?”

“No,” Rebecca responded. “I was just thinking that you two are truly a perfect pair.” Karina flushed and ducked her head as Rebecca made the statement. Despite the cycles that had passed since she had joined their pod, Karina was still equally incredibly thankful for their acceptance and timid about her place among them. Though she had become very close with Rebecca, it still felt reassuring to have her mate’s mother approve.

Rebecca’s smile turned from playful to knowing and she leaned in and plucked a few pieces of hair free from Karina’s mane. The membrane quivered as Rebecca’s fingers passed over it and Karina ducked her head again, this time to evade the small sensation sending shivers down her spine. Rebecca did not comment on her anxious ticks that she likely knew well by now, and instead simply took Karina by the hand. “Come on,” she urged. “Just because I had to come to you does not mean you get to evade it altogether. I still want to check up on you and the baby. Is this the first time you have felt movement?”

Karina curled her arms around her belly and nodded. “Yes.”

“It is a bit early for the baby to be kicking,” Rebecca admitted.

“Is it a bad thing?” Karina’s heart plummeted at the thought. She knew very little about pregnancies. While she had often helped her grandmother tend to minor injuries among her own pod when she was young, theirs was small and babies were not often born, so she had very little experience.

Thankfully, Rebecca shook her head. “Not at all. It means your baby is very strong. Strong and healthy and progressing well. Although you might feel a little beat up later in the pregnancy if they are already restless.”

Karina purred in response and shook her head. That would be a small price to pay. It meant the world to her to have a family with Nero. There was an aching cavity in her heart that she knew could never truly be filled and while she loved Nero’s pod, this particular miracle for just the two of them was helping her feel more whole again.

“Now come on,” Rebecca urged.

As they both turned away, Nero rose from the ground and began to follow them. “I will come with you.”

Before Karina could respond one way or another, Rebecca twisted back around and placed a hand on her son’s chest to stop his progression. “You will stay here,” she decided.

A frown overtook Nero’s mouth and his brows furrowed. “Why?”

Bubbles jettisoned from Rebecca’s gills as she huffed. “Because I am your mother, and I told you to,” she countered.

“I am hardly a child anymore,” Nero protested.

“Oh? You are an adult now, so you stop being my child? I stop being your mother? How about because I am the healer handling your mate’s pregnancy and you will do as I say.”

Nero held up his hands in defeat and backed up a few strokes. “Okay,” he relented. “Karina, find me after?”

Karina nodded and then turned to follow Rebecca. “So why can he not come?” she inquired in a hushed tone as they swam side by side. “Is everything alright?”

“Of course,” Rebecca agreed. She linked her arm through Karina’s and offered her a wink and a wide smile. “But I thought you were punishing him for that comment. Let him stir up silt for a little while and then go bask in the attention afterwards.”

Karina felt her jaw fall slack as she stared at Rebecca. It took her a moment of floundering before she found her voice. She had never known Rebecca to have a mischievous streak. The woman was friendly, stern when she needed to be, and incredibly loving, but she always had a more serious nature that left little room for jokes or jesting. “I…I did not expect you to go along with that,” she admitted after a moment. “I was only teasing Nero.”

“I know,” Rebecca agreed. “But you are right, you are pregnant and you get to make the rules.”

Karina grinned. She was never one to take advantage of a situation like this to get what she wanted but she would be lying if she claimed she did not enjoy the appeal just a little. “And what if I were to decide I do not really feel like a check-in?” she ventured.

Rebecca snorted. “You get to make the rules for Nero, Karina. I still make the rules for you.”

Karina clucked her tongue against her teeth and giggled. “Aww well, it was worth a try.”