Summary: A random little drabble in which pregnant Mika and pregnant Olivia bond. Featuring plenty of snark.
“Do you think a jury would be more lenient on a pregnant woman?” Mika asks.
She shifts uncomfortably in her chair, her eyes locked on Drake just outside the window. He’s shirtless. He’s chopping logs for the wood-burning stove he’d talked her into getting. (She ignores the fact that she wanted it at the time too. That’s not the point. The point is she doesn’t want it anymore.)
Normally she would find the sight of shirtless Drake doing manual labor incredibly appealing, but right now, with her aching back and her swollen feet and the fact that she couldn’t reach her own damn legs to shave this morning, she wants to kill him.
Olivia sits next to her, frowning. “Possibly. Who are you committing a crime against?”
Olivia shoves her chair back from the table. “And why are your chairs so small?”
“They’re normal size,” Mika retorts. “We’re just-“
“Don’t say it,” Olivia snaps. “Don’t say ‘pregnant’. The next person who hovers and treats me like an invalid is going to meet the blade of a Nevrakis sword.”
“Can I borrow one?” Mika asks.
“As soon as I’m allowed to leave the palace without fifty people panicking, I’ll bring you two,” Olivia grouses.
Drake turns around, wiping sweat off his forehead. He waves at her. Mika scowls, but she waves back. Even though this is entirely his fault. Liam comes in the door. He greets Mika, then kisses Olivia sweetly and gazes at her belly.
“How’s our little one?” he asks.
“Kicking my ribs,” Olivia replies, and narrows her eyes at Liam when he chuckles.
Despite her irritation, Mika sees Olivia smile when Liam gently presses on her ribs and quietly chastises the baby to stop.
“And how are you feeling, Mika?” Liam asks.
“This baby is using my bladder as a trampoline. I might murder Drake for doing this to me. The usual,” she replies.
Liam raises his eyebrows. “Of course. The usual.”
“Why are you murdering me?” Drake asks, coming in through the door.
He leans down to kiss her, then touches her belly. The baby kicks his hand. Mika blames her hormones when it makes her smile to see his face light up.
No, she reminds herself. It’s Drake’s fault your shoes are too tight and you can’t drink a pot of coffee a day and you have to pee all the time.
Mika points at her belly. “This. This is your fault.”
Drake glances at Liam. “I should probably chop more wood,” he says.
Mika looks outside at the wood Drake has stacked. “Ah. Yes. You should. The entire forest you’ve chopped down will only last us until this baby is 47.”
Olivia snorts into her glass of non-alcoholic wine. She takes a sip and grimaces. “This is terrible,” she mutters.
“Not even worth it,” she grumbles, but takes another sip anyway.
Liam follows Drake towards the door. “I should probably help you,” he says.
Olivia rolls her eyes. “I know I give Drake a lot of grief, but he just chopped that entire stack without your help, Liam. I think he’s fine.”
The door slams behind them.
“You really need to get those swords,” Mika mutters. “Before I get too big to move.”