"Mom!" You turn towards the direction the voice comes from and see a little boy running towards you. He's followed by a younger boy and girl. They all have the same unruly dark hair. They hug at your legs and waist, talking all at once. At this close proximity, you notice the same dimple Din has on each of their little faces. Speak of the devil, your husband walks through the thick forest holding Kou in his arms.
"Din?" You call him, still confused by the children still babbling to you about one thing or another.
"Yes, cyar' ika?" He approaches you, careful not to squish the kids around you as he presses a kiss to your lips.
The three below make fake gagging noises, squealing "Ewww" in unison. Kou attempts to imitate the sound, giggling with the other children.
"Calm down, you four," he chuckles at their disgusted faces, "And be careful of Mama's tummy." You glance down, having completely missed the swell of your stomach before that.
Mama? We're these kids— no, that's not possible! These children couldn't possibly be yours and Dins? What was happening!
"Go get ready for dinner, tiny womp rats," he affectionately taps at the little girl's nose, "and take Kou with you. I want to speak to your mother quickly." He hands the eldest Kou before they run off towards your home. You watch them run, whooping and hollering.
"Is something wrong?" Din tilts your chin up to get your attention.
What do I say?
"I'm fine. Just tired."
He smiles down at you, placing a hand on your stomach, "let's get you home. I'll make dinner tonight. We can put the kids to bed, and I'll rub your feet."
The instep of your feet suddenly aches at the thought of a foot rub. That sounds like an excellent plan.
You nod, letting Din lead you towards home. The house looks slightly... broader than you remembered when it comes into view.
What in the world is happening?
The kids all sit around a table, much larger than the one Din had built when you walk through the door. Din tells you to sit down and relax as he prepares dinner.
"Sit by me, mommy," the little girl begs. You smile down at her. She has your eyes.
"No fair, Mari! Mommy sat by you yesterday! It's my turn." The younger boy says.
Mari... you wonder where you had thought of that. Maybe Din had chosen her name?
They're all very loud. Kou babbles with the older boy, Jak, who talks back to him, while the two younger children continue to argue.
"Knock it off, Noa, Mari." Din gives them a stern look.
"I'll sit between you two." You offer, smiling down at them. They agree, looking towards their father. He nods, going back to cooking. You finally rest your very sore ankles, and your children continue to chatter on about their day.
Mari tells you about how she, Jak, Kou, Noa, and Din went fishing in the little pond nearby.
"Kou almost fell in, but daddy saved him," Mari explains.
You nod along with her story, glancing up at Din, who occasionally smiles at you as he prepares your meal.
"And then we went through the field!" Jak interrupts excitedly.
The field? What field? They can't mean the tiny garden. You want to ask, but what if they realize you don't know this life as they think you do!
"Okay, enough, eat. Your mom and the baby need to." He sets down plates in front of the children & yourself before he sits down by the eldest boy. You look down at your food.
Did Din cook this? It looks... edible.
You pick up your fork, digging into the meal.
Oh, wow, it's delicious. When did Din learn to cook?
After the meal, Din tells the children to get ready for bed. They huff and puff, complaining that they aren't tired, and they want to stay up. He's stern again with them.
"It's bedtime. This is non-negotiable. C'mon, if all four of you get into your pajamas and brush your teeth without another complaint, I'll let you stay up for one story. Deal?"
They all nod eagerly, running off to their bedrooms.
"C' mere mesh'la. You need to sit down and rest. I hope you're okay with my bargain with them."
"Of course. I'd love to hear your story as well." You lean against the couch, trying to get comfortable as the kids come and sit by Din's feet, teeth freshly brushed and pajamas on. Din lifts Kou up onto his lap.
"Dad, tell us the one about the Mudhorn!" Jak says excitedly. He looks so much like Din with his bright brown eyes and lopsided smile.
"No! Tell us about when you were a foundling!" says Noa.
"Tell the story about mommy!" Mari claps her hands in excitement.
"Which one should I tell?" Din looks towards you.
"Whichever one you want, my love." You smile, running a hand down the swell of your stomach.
He starts telling the story about when he met you. You had asked him about Kou. Wondering if this metal man was the father of the tiny green child. Eventually, he asked you if you'd like to join him because Kou had taken a liking to you, and he could use someone to take care of the kid.
By the time Din has finished his story, the three kids on the floor are struggling to keep their eyes open.
"C'mon womp rats, let's get to bed."
You take Kou from his arms. Din picks up the two youngest in his arms while the eldest leans sleepily against you. He sneaks his hand in yours, glancing up at you with his father's brown eyes.
Kou and Jak share a room, and next door is Noa and Mari's room. You tuck Kou and Jak in while Din tucks the other two in. You make sure to make your rounds, kissing each child lightly on the forehead before closing their doors quietly.
"I'm exhausted," you say as you waddle back into your room.
"Still up for the foot massage?" Din asks when you've sat down on the bed.
"Please?" You try to get comfortable as he sits by your feet. He expertly presses in all the right places, and you feel the stress in your feet melt away.
"You're really good at this," you say absentmindedly.
Din chuckles, "I would hope so. I know how sore your feet get when you're pregnant. It's the least I can do as you're carrying our children."
You smile at him, "you know I love you."
Suddenly you open your eyes.
Din's no longer at your feet when you sit up. You glance over where he's snoring softly. Shaking his shoulder lightly, you try to wake him.
"What's wrong?" He asks sleepily.
"How many kids do we have?" You ask.
He blinks at you in confusion, "Just Kou and the one you're carrying? Why what's wrong?"
You feel hot tears prick at the corners of your eyes. You fail at stopping them from falling.
"(Y/n)?" He sits up, fully awake now, "did you have a bad dream, cyar' ika?" He's begun to rub soothing circles at the center of your back.
"No," you sob, "I had a beautiful dream, and it's not real."
He stops his hand's movement, "huh?"
"We had three kids. Two boys and a girl, and Kou of course, and I was pregnant again. But none of it was real." Another sob racks your body. You throw your arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder, "and you could cook!" You let out a tiny giggle. That should've been the dead give away it was a dream.
Din doesn't move, letting you resume crying, "it's okay. Don't cry."
You pull away from his shoulder, wiping away tears from your eyes, letting the after shakes of your despair take over, "I'm sorry, it just felt so real..."
He smiles at you, pulling you closer to his chest as he lays you down next to him, "let's go back to bed. Maybe your dream will return if you fall back to sleep."
You nod, snuggling closer to his warmth. Slowly you drift back into slumber with the thoughts of the three dream children.