The bed was a little small and cramped, but it wasn’t really meant for two people. Really, it wasn’t meant for one gigantic Rethan either, but since Gath was spending family time with their parents and their partner, Gath didn’t care one bit.
Huddled up by Gath’s side was Relkir, who seemed to be sleeping no problem. That was good news, because Relkir had gone Defensive Stance recently, and that often affected how one slept. But no, Relkir was dozing peacefully. Gath had been a little worried over the last few days but-
All of a sudden, Relkir woke up and snuggled closer to Gath.
“Do you want to talk, dear?” Relkir sleepily asked. “You seem worried.”
“How… how did you know I was worried?” Gath asked back as they put an arm around Relkir. Relkir was very small, but also rather dense. If anything, since they had gotten together nearly two years ago, Relkir had bulked up massively. They were still an imp of a Rethan, but there was genuine muscle on those little arms now.
“I… I do not know. I guess… maybe you moved?” Relkir shrugged. “But you are not asleep. Which suggests something is keeping you up.”
“I guess… There is a lot on my mind. I have been worried about you. And Litvir. And our unhatched kid.”
“Well, we are both awake now. I am here to listen, talk and offer advice. As always.”
Gath thought for a moment, not sure where to start.
“We can start with the simplest things, if you wish!” Relkir smiled. “I think we have both been worrying a little about Litvir.”
“I mean, yes, but… again, how did you know I was going to mention Litvir?”
Relkir paused. “I… I do not know? But they are our first kid and I did go mad with adrenaline-fuelled rage because they got hurt… It is probably a good thing you were safe at home here and did not see the state Litvir was in, because it makes me feel angry just thinking back to it. Doubly so as that is the last thing I remember of the whole event.”
Gath shrugged. “That is fair. But yes, I am a little worried about Litvir. I do not want them to feel left out.”
“We will not leave Litvir out. If anything, I want to have Litvir as involved with the baby as possible. They do not know what it is like to be an actual child, and this is a chance to have some experience…” Relkir thought for a moment. “But on top of that, Litvir’s telepathy might help us find out what the baby needs. Our second kid may be the happiest kid ever, because Litvir will help us make sure of it.”
More shrugs. Relkir was a smart person and Gath regularly agreed with them, since they often knew best. “That… that is also fair. While we are on the subject of the baby, are we still in agreement that we will do half-and-half care after the first month? I am taking full parental leave and I am basically retired now, it means I can keep the baby at home and look after it myself, and then, so the baby can socialise properly, it can spend a few days a week at the nursery.”
“I am perfectly fine with that. But you said you did not want to use the Kentron nursery?”
“I want my kid to be normal, and to grow into their own person. If we use the Kentron nursery, I KNOW people will be curious and expect great things. Doubly so with the name we have chosen.”
“That is a good point. Plus, the nursery at the end of the road is identical. All nurseries are!” Relkir smiled. “I do not think we have much to worry about.”
“I… I am worried about them…” Gath muttered.
Relkir snuggled up closer to Gath. “It is natural to be worried. Having a kid is very stressful and what you are feeling is perfectly normal. But we will be fine.”
“You seem very certain about things.”
“Well, considering the insanity we have survived, and the fact that I nearly saw the universe end and somehow helped stop it, I believe that there is little that can stop us now. Also, we literally adopted a deity.”
“I guess… Hang on! What do you mean, you helped stop the universe ending?”
“I… I happened to be there and did my normal protecting people defensive stance thing. I assume I helped in some way. But I do genuinely believe our future is bright and shiny. We have overcome every problem.”
“Every problem apart from my health.”
Relkir tutted. “Do not say that! You have improved massively, health-wise! You lost weight, you have more energy and are more active! And since you got egg-ridden, you have had far less prostaxia!”
“I guess, but my real concern is that I will pass on my problems to our kid.”
“That is… a reasonable worry, but, aside from your size, most of your problems are not genetic. Also, the other half of our kid is literally from a Bloodline Tradition.”
“But you are small.”
“I am only small because, technically, Rethais and Retvik squished me when we were eggs inside my egg-layer’s body. Rethavok are not designed to have twins, let alone triplets.”
Gath thought for a moment. “Alright, I have a question… why are you not identical to Rethais outside of height? I thought all twins and triplets were identical?”
Relkir also thought for a moment. “Well… there are different types of twins. You know how the egg starts off as one cell and splits into lots of cells? Sometimes that first split, the two cells get separated and then start splitting on their own. But sometimes the female side just… happens to produce two eggs and they both get fertilised, but because the sperm and eggs are different, you get non-identical twins.”
“So… Rethais and Retvik are identical twins and you are a non-identical sibling? Does that mean that you were in fact the real Rethianos bearer all along?”
Relkir blinked, then rubbed their eyes, hiding a brief blue and red glow. “I… I do not want to think about that. I want to snuggle and go back to sleep.”
Gath wrapped their arms around Relkir. “That is what we shall do then. I love you, Relkir.”
“Heh, I love you too, Gath.”