Mal shook her head in amusement as Ben, Chip, and Chip's husband Lucas carried boxes into the room they'd designated to be the twins' nursery. Ben of course had insisted he could do it on his own but then Chip'd heard about it.
How that had happened, Mal honestly had no idea. Though she had let it slip to Mrs. Potts a few days ago that they were going to set up the nursery that weekend. But she hadn't thought Mrs. Potts would tell Chip or Lucas!
"Alright, that's the last of it," Chip said with a small chuckle. "Good thing we showed up to help huh Benji? You'd still be working on this if we hadn't."
"I could have helped, you know," Mal said.
Ben shook his head. "No way Mal. I'm not risking it!"
"Ben, nothing's going to happen if I carry a box. I could have carried the diapers up here!"
Lucas leaned over to Chip and whispered in his ear. "Should we give them some privacy?"
"Nah, Benji's always like this," Chip whispered back. Though I'm sure the threat of Mal miscarrying is weighing just as heavily on Ben's mind as it is mine. Why do you think I insisted we use one of our free weekends to help out? Of course I would have done it anyway but I know you just finished a project and wanted to relax this weekend.
His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Hey...relax Teacup okay? I know what you're thinking and don't. I'm more than happy to help out."
"Honestly I was just surprised that Emir and Akiho weren't with you two," Mal said, drawing the two men's attention to her.
"Don't they have their own kids on the way?" Chip asked. "Bet you anything they're setting up their own nurseries, or Akiho is at the very least. Didn't you say Elle's due date was like a month away from yours Mal?"
"Less than that actually," Mal said. "The twins are supposed to come May 30th and Elle said her guppy's supposed to come June 15th."
"Guppy?"
"Sorry," Mal chuckled and shook her head. "Uma's been calling her kid a 'guppy' as a pet name and it rubbed off."
Ben chuckled before wiping some sweat off his brow before it could drip into his eyes. "Good thing we waited to get this set up after we found out the gender of our kids. Imagine if we'd set it up and then the kids were born?"
Mal shook her head. "Blame me I guess. I'm the one who jinxed it after all, wondering what we'd be like with twins."
"I think you and I have a different definition of 'jinxed', your highness," Ben said as he went over and wrapped Mal up in hiss arms. "I think you meant to say you blessed us."
"And I think you might be a bit biased there your majesty," Mal chuckled softly.
Ben nuzzled his nose into Mal's hair, breathing in the faint scent of her shampoo which remained the familiar scent of strawberries. "And what did I say about you using my title? You don't ever have to do that."
"Hey, you called me your highness. Turnabout's fair play Benny."
"You heard the pregnant woman Benji, and you know the rules. No arguing with her," Chip said before tossing Ben a paint brush. "Now are we painting before or after we get the cribs set up?"
"Before I'd think," Ben said. "What...what did mom and dad do when mom was pregnant with Abby?"
Chip sighed. "Nothing unfortunately. Belle...your mom was only six months pregnant when she lost the pregnancy. However, I remember what they did for you.'
"What was that?" Mal asked, happy to steer the subject to lighter matters. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about her lost sister-in-law but whenever Ben thought about Abby, he got overly protective of Mal and of the pups.
"Well Adam got everything set up for the nursery only to find out that he forgot to paint the walls," Chip chuckled as he shook his head at the memory. "Guess who got roped in to paint the lower areas while he got the higher portions?"
"Oh yeah, I've seen the pictures of your handiwork," Lucas said, deftly taking the paintbrush out of Chip's hands. "Leave the painting to the artists, okay Teacup?"
"I'm only agreeing because I know Ben's going to ask me to make sure Mal doesn't do any painting to avoid breathing in the paint fumes."
Mal shook her head. "I could wear a mask you know!"
"Why risk it?" Ben asked as he grabbed one of the paintbrushes.
"Ben Florian, you are probably the most protective person I've ever met!"
"Really? So you've never met your parents? Or brother? Or cousin? Or grandmother for that matter?"
"I said person. Not God or Godling."
Ben chuckled. "Tell you what, I'll save a section for you to spray paint after the fireflies are born okay?"
"You know the genders, you know the names you'll be using and you're still referring to the twins by your pet name for them?" Chip asked as he gently steered Mal toward a rocker which was stationed at the far end of the room. Or at least tried to steer but Mal was nothing if not stubborn.
Yes he knew he'd likely have to get her to leave once the paint lids were opened but until then he saw no reason for her to leave.
"Honestly this is ridiculous," Mal shook her head. "I'm sure in the years since Auradon was founded, you all have found a way to make a paint that pregnant women can use! You know what, I'm going to...and I just remembered I can't go on GraceBook to ask."
"Why not?" Lucas asked.
"We haven't informed the kingdom yet," Ben told him. "It's been on our to-do list but we wanted to wait until we knew the genders of the kids. And Mal, why not just go on Bibbity or Aurabing to see for your self?"
Mal paused and flushed slightly as she had forgotten that was an option. Somehow, her brain had remembered about Gracebook but had forgotten about the mother of all knowledge, the top two search engines that ruled Auradon.
Pulling out her phone, she typed a quick search into Bibbity's search bar; chuckling slightly at the colorful image that the letters made up for that day before shaking her head and willing herself to focus.
"Ah ha!"
"You found something?"
"You bet your book collection I did! Listen to this oh overly protective one! 'It's highly unlikely that painting or being around paint fumes while you're pregnant will harm your unborn baby as the risk from most modern household paints is very low. The risk of harm to your baby may be slightly greater from solvent-based paints and old paintwork, which may contain traces of lead.' And I'm sure this room has been painted in the twenty of so years that your parents were living in here!"
Ben shook his head. "You know most pregnant women would probably be lounging during their final months of pregnancy and wanting their husbands to wait on them hand and foot."
"Yes but most pregnant women probably don't have an overly protective husband who thinks if their pregnant wife does paperwork, she'll be over exerting herself," Mal teased with a small smile to show Ben she was only joking. "Come on Ben, the babies will be fine. But I will be willing to compromise and agree to not set up the mobile Hadie gave us."
"Deal!" Ben said instantly.
"Then give me a paint brush and we can knock this out in no time," Mal said as she grabbed one of the brushes. "I'll just say this though, I am not doing any of the trim or baseboards."
"Why not? You're just the right height for that," Chip teased his sister-in-law.
Mal exhaled sharply before shaking her head. "Because Chip, I can't bend down to reach the baseboards. And kneeling will just mean that I never get up off the ground again. Ergo, either Ben or Lucas will have to do baseboards."
"You know it might just be quicker to make this a two man operation," Lucas said. "Teacup, why don't you and Queen Mal start picking out the books that'll go in the book...castle?"
"First of all Lucas, you don't have to use my title," Mal shook her head. "And yeah, it's a book castle. Blame the bookworm I married."
"Having enough books is important!" Ben said as he began pouring the paint into the trays. Mal couldn't help but smile as she saw the light purple that almost looked like the same color as her dress she wore at Ben's coronation, a light blue acting as its companion color.
They had vetoed going too dark with the colors since they didn't want the nursery to feel like a cave. If the kids wanted that when they grew up, they'd be able to change it. The only thing that wouldn't be able to be changed was the bookcase that had been built into the wall.
Yeah Ben had been busy that day that Mal had been up on Olympus with her cousins and brother. He'd somehow gotten a contractor to come in and gotten a bookcase ensconced in the wall. Furthermore, it had been made in the silhouette of a castle as if to ensure as many books as possible could fit on the shelves.
Ben, you are your mother's son, Mal thought with a fond smile as Chip started to bring over the boxes of children's books that their friends had given them over the months since they had told the select few in the know.
"Why do you have five copies of The Cat in the Hat?" Chip asked.
"Because Gil gave us a copy and then Macaria gave us a copy because Gil had recommended it to her when she was pregnant with Gwen and Markos, and then Macaria sent us two more copies because Gwen and Markos wanted to send a present of their own."
"And the fifth copy?"
"Belle." Mal chuckled and shook her head. "Ben and I were on the phone with her talking about the multiple copies when a package came from her. We opened it up and I think we all burst out laughing when we realized what it was."
Chip shook his head. "Well you really only need one copy for now. How's about we put one on the bookshelf and then you can do whatever you want to to the others. Just as long as you don't damage them. Ben gets very upset when you do that."
"Oh I've been introduced to his 'guilt eyes'," Mal said. "I accidentally knocked one of his bajillion books off his night stand and may have bent one of the corners of one of the pages."
"Oh no you dog eared the page?" Chip asked and burst out laughing. "Yeah that would definitely get Benji's puppy dog eyes of disapproval. I wonder if they're still as bad as they were when he was a toddler."
"Ooh, toddler stories about Ben? Tell tell," Mal grinned and chuckled as she heard Ben groan though she could tell that it was in jest. She and Chip worked on getting the book castle stocked with as many books as the shelves could possibly hold.
Let it not be said that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were not readers. Or that the High King and High Queen did not encourage them to be readers.
"And with that, I think we finally have all the books this book castle can fit," Mal said, squeezing in one last book as best she could. "How you doing over there Benny?"
"All done," Ben said as he started to put away the paints.
"But you didn't do this wall."
"I told you Mal. I'll leave one wall blank for you to spray paint after the kids are born. And I intend to keep any and all promises I make to my wife thank you very much."
Mal smiled and shook her head as she walked over and gave Ben a gentle kiss on the cheek. "How'd I get so lucky to have a husband like you?"
"You gave me a cookie I think," Ben teased. "A cookie that was ridiculously delicious I might add."
"Oh that's right," Mal said. "How could I have forgotten about that?"
"No flirting while we're in the room please!" Chip called. "As great as it is to know that Benji still has a functioning love life, I as his brother would like to not be in the room to witness it in the event that pregnancy hormones make things take a sudden...turn shall we say?"
"You mean you don't want to witness us in the throes of passion?" Mal asked, looking over her shoulder to smirk at Chip.
"You would be correct Mal, I would very much like to not witness my little brother and his wife in the throes of passion," Chip said, nodding his head. "It's almost as if you can read my mind."
"Don't be silly Chip, you're not an Olympian," Mal chuckled and then grunted slightly as one of the babies kicked. "Yeah I think the pups are getting a bit tired of that joke. Oh that reminds me, I need to find out where mom got the book of 'dad jokes' she gave dad after Hadie was born."
"Um...Mal? As much as I love getting books why...?"
"Not for you," Mal snorted slightly at the quizzical look on Ben's face. "It's for Harry."
"You've heard his jokes before Uma got pregnant, do you really want to give him more ammo?" Ben asked.
"The man raises a good point," Chip nodded.
Lucas shook his head. "Honestly, I doubt his jokes are as bad as you're making them out to be."
"Thank you!" Mal said, giving Lucas a big smile. "I knew you were my favorite brother-in-law for a reason!"
"And here I thought it was because I snuck you art supplies when you didn't want to go out shopping for a new sketchbook," Lucas said with a chuckle.
"Oh that too," Mal nodded.
Chip, though, paused. "Wait...you mean I'm not your favorite?!"
"Chip, don't you have four brothers and a sister who's spouses you can be the favorite brother-in-law for?"
"Yeah, yeah, but you honestly mean I'm not your favorite?"
Ben shook his head in amusement. "It's times like this where I honestly have to wonder how you're thirty two years old."
"Because I'm nine years older than you Benji," Chip chuckled. "As I've said many a time, growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional."
"Between you and Emir, we'll have our fair share of sayings in this castle," Mal snorted. "I swear, his kid's first sentence is going to be 'being normal is vastly overrated'."
"At least it'll be better than Akiho making sure his kid's first word is guards," Ben said, shaking his head. "And yes Chip, I've already started the interview process for more guards and no, Mal, they don't know our family's expanding. I just like being prepared is all."
"Any guards you like so far?" Chip asked as they made their way out of the nursery for a lunch break. The mobile would be set up afterwards, once the paint had a chance to dry.
"Cameron Bubbles," Ben said. "He's got a good, strong resume and apparently he'd applied to be one of my guards but whoever he interviewed with in the past wasn't fond of his father's connection with social services."
"Hmm...was that person Queen She-Devil?" Mal asked.
"You know, now that you mention it, it might have been Leah," Ben nodded. "And is that a new nickname for her?"
"It is, do you like it?"
"I like anything you come up with Mal, you know that."
Chip snorted. "So have you offered Bubbles the job?"
"I mean he's got the strongest resume but I'm not exactly okay with his reluctance to accept days off—."
"He's hired!"
"Chip!"
"Don't care Benji! And you know Emir and Akiho will insist on it too, hire him!"
Ben chuckled and shook his head. "Okay, okay. I'll hire him."
"Good," Chip nodded. "Now, let's get us some lunch. I for one am famished."
Lucas shook his head. "No way you could be more famished than the pregnant woman, Teacup."
"Watch me," Chip said as he kissed Lucas on the cheek. Mal couldn't help but smile as Ben did the same to her before the four of them made their way to the kitchen.
It was honestly amazing how real everything was beginning to feel. Yes it was real the moment she'd discovered she was pregnant but now? With the nursery set up? It just felt more real.
If only there was a way they could delay telling the kingdom. Because telling the kingdom would mean dealing with the press—and that was one thing Mal was not fond of doing, pregnant or not.