stay with me [BxB] mpreg

14. return to willow cave

Chang Sheng's eyes widened with disbelief. 

"W - what?" His voice broke. Turning swiftly, he cradled Yu Hua in his arms. "Did you hear that?" Chang Sheng whispered excitedly. "Yu Hua, we'll be parents!" Chang Sheng pressed a hand to Yu Hua's stomach, eyes bright with delight. 

"Mm, Chang Sheng." Yu Hua smiled with exhaustion. "Congratulations. You'll be a father."

Chang Sheng's eyes filled with unshed tears. "Yu Hua," he whispered again, pressing his face into Yu Hua's hair. "I love you."

"I love you too," Yu Hua murmured, pressing a kiss to Chang Sheng's hand. 

***

From that point on, Chang Sheng rarely let Yu Hua out of his sight. It was to the point of being suffocating, until Yu Hua finally cornered Chang Sheng and forced him to be give him permission to leave the palace. Chang Sheng agreed, only so that Yu Hua's anger didn't harm the baby. And he only agreed if an extra four guards accompanied Yu Hua to town, soldiers whom were specially trained under the center army general's daughter. 

So Yu Hua still went to town, but far less frequently than before. Most of the time, it was to meet up with Lei Zhen. Even so, during their time together Yu Hua was constantly distracted. 

"Yu Hua?" Lei Zhen nudged her friend gently in the arm. Yu Hua had been staring down at a swath of cream-colored silk with a golden dragon pattern emblazoned across it. 

"Isn't it beautiful, sir?" The shop owner smiled kindly. "Perfect for a little prince."

"What are you doing here?" Lei Zhen questioned. "This section sells cloth for children's clothes, there wouldn't be enough material for a full-sized robe."

"I'll take these ones," Yu Hua said, putting down the fabric with dragons and instead handing over a rich cream-colored silk and a dark forest green silk. 

"Thank you, young sir." The shop owner bowed her head and hurried away to package the two  swaths of cloth. 

"Yu Hua?" Lei Zhen asked again, worried. Yu Hua's eyes were glazed, and he stroked the little embroidered dragon again. 

"Yu Hua?"

Yu Hua blinked, and seemed to snap out of it. "Lei Zhen." He turned, eyes wide. "Sorry. I - I was distracted."

"I could tell. Why?" Lei Zhen glanced at the cloth. "It's beautiful, but it's for children. And why did you pick such plain colors? Why not something patterned?"

"I want to embroider it myself," Yu Hua murmured. "The clothes, I mean."

"Oh." Lei Zhen nodded, although she didn't really understand. "That's why we spent two hours in the thread shop earlier."

"Here you go," the shop owner handed over the parcel of goods, and Yu Hua gave her the money. She smiled widely again, and nodded with gratitude. "I hope your wife fashions beautiful clothes out of that fabric for your children." 

"Oh no," Yu Hua laughed. "I don't have a wife."

Lei Zhen's eyes widened just slightly. Was it possible - ? No. No way. Men were able to give birth to children too but - but... she glanced over at Yu Hua and followed him reluctantly out of the store.