Mama Fox

<Zuri>

‘Ah?’

Pulling at his robe, Zuri froze.

It wasn’t fitting… why wasn’t it fitting?

After a few more unsuccessful attempts to don the robe, Zuri finally gave up. The robe was just too small, specifically around a certain area of his body. Staring down blankly at his midsection, it became clear why the attempts to wear it resulted in failure. His belly had grown a considerable amount. Making it appear as though he swallowed a whole melon intact. Recalling recent incidents, Zuri suddenly felt his mood plummet. Being unable to bend forward without tipping over, being unable to sleep on his stomach and being unable to sit close to the table when eating.

They all pointed to one thing.

A dreaded truth that won’t disappear.

The pregnancy was moving along.

He was going to have these babies.

At that thought, Zuri felt a shiver travel up his body.

He, a goddamn man, was going to be expected to push out three babies!

‘Why me!?’

Lamenting, Zuri couldn’t stop his feet from pacing back and forth. Walking naked around the room in a circle. The natural consequence of pregnancy was, of course, child birth. The act a mother does of pushing out children from her body. Without it, no new people could come into existence. This act, the most vital for existence, was famous for being... terribly painful! Now, not only does Zuri have to do it, he has to do it three times in a row!! After which, he would officially become a parent to three kids!!!

He was not ready to be a father… or mother, in this case! He still had too much to live for!!

Abruptly stopping in his tracks, Zuri took a moment to catch his breath.

It was painful to admit, but his already terrible stamina had gotten much worse.

‘Damn it all…’

Pushing down all the nonsense filling his head, he took one of Cleodora’s robes and exited the room.

There was no use panicking over what was to come now.

It wouldn’t change anything…. He would be better off just crossing that bridge when he got there.

Traversing through the halls, Zuri swiftly fixed his appearance and collected himself.

Yes, that was the much better option.

Entering the dining room, the first person he came into view with was naturally Cleodora.

She was the only other person here.

Gazing at her relaxed, alluring figure casually setting the table, a pang of anger flared up.

She did this to him!

And while Zuri suffered, she got to off and enjoy herself!!

“Oh, you're already awake? Perfect timing!” C)

A bright smile greeted Zuri as Cleodora turned around and looked up.

She gestured to the food on the table.

“I’ve just finished up. Look, I made your favourites!” (C)

…Suddenly, the pang of anger Zuri felt lessened randomly.

He looked away from Cleodora as she put on her characteristic goofy grin.

A lot has changed around the house. Ever since Nori left two months ago, Cleodora has been the one taking care of all the house chores. From cleaning to preparing meals, she did everything on top of also going to her day job. Initially, Zuri protested this move, citing it being a major reason for wanting to get rid of his sister. He wasn’t some damsel in distress that needed constant saving… not to mention, the embers of his first-ever plan to manipulate her burnt in his mind. But, after a month passed, he gave in entirely.

The toll on his body had just become too much.

…He just couldn’t move like before.

“Let’s eat!” (C)

Cleodora appeared before Zuri, offering a supporting hand.

He stubbornly walked past it.

For all that has changed, there was still one thing Zuri made sure stayed the same.

The agreement.

The friendship agreement still remained intact.

Zuri did his best to make sure what he believed was proper distance for friends.

…For the most part, at least.

Memories of the past few months flashed in mind. An intense shame burst, almost completely overwhelming Zuri…. Admittedly, he had continued ‘helping’ Cleodora with that specific problem of hers despite everything that had transpired between them. Aiding on a now nearly daily basis. From an outside perspective, this may look like a foolish endeavour, but it wasn’t like Zuri had many options in regard to this particular issue! If he didn’t help her and Cleodora went rogue on him, there was nothing he could do!! This was purely a logical decision. One meant for his survival.

Plus, it also helped make Cleodora believe the friendship agreement was actually working.

Ensuring that she wouldn’t go crazy on him.

‘Oh, no’

After charging ahead, Zuri felt his centre of mass be abruptly thrown off.

The thoughts in his head were throwing off his movement.

“Got you!” (C)

Fortunately, before he could fall, Cleodora caught him.

In her arms, Zuri took in her captivating scent, and instantly, he felt his mind slow as his body relaxed.

Cleodora helped him back on his feet and then guided him to the dining table.

“Because I love Cleodora! Happy!?” (Z)

As Zuri sat down, the last words he spoke to his long-departed sister rang in his mind.

…If she were to witness this scene, he would never hear the end of it.

‘Goddamn it!’

Despite not wanting it to, Zuri felt his heart race.

A serious problem he has been dealing with as of late whenever he gets too close to Cleodora.

‘I hate this pregnancy so much!’

Nori tended to spout a lot of nonsense for the sole purpose of annoying Zuri, but there were instances where that wasn’t the case.

An example of which was the effects pregnancy has on Kitsune.

‘I refuse it!’

Staring off to the side, Zuri gradually calmed his idiotic heart.

He wasn’t going to suddenly start liking Cleodora just because he was pregnant!

No matter how much time they spent together, that was never going to change!!

A cheerful voice addressed Zuri.

“Did you sleep well? You were tossing and turning around so much!”

…Look, there was a very good explanation as to why they were still sleeping in the same room despite Nori leaving. For one, it was very useful to have Cleodora in the room. With mobility increasingly becoming a problem, having her there to occasionally aid Zuri was great. Secondly, the warmth Cleodora provided allowed Zuri to enter bed without concerning himself that it might be too cold. An issue prevalent in his mountain abode. Lastly, the smell she emitted allowed him to fall asleep faster, meaning they spent less time consciously together.

And, added to all of this, since Zuri still ‘aids’ her, the risk of anything bad happening was extremely lessened. It also helped reduce the amount of work on his end regarding cleanup.

Yes, this choice was perfectly rational.

‘What am I saying!’

Feeling oddly agitated, Zuri responded to Cleodora in a manner that could be considered prickly.

“H-How I sleep doesn’t concern you!” (Z)

Cleodora gazed at him silently with kind eyes.

She then answered in the most earnest tone one could imagine.

“…Sorry, you had a bad night, huh?” C)

After which, she took the bowl in front of Zuri and flashed him the food.

“Hopefully a little of this could cheer you up!” (C)

“…I’m not hungry.” (Z)

An odd guilt swelled up in Zuri.

Compared to before, Cleodora had really stepped up her game.

“You’re going to be late. Leave now.” (Z)

Still, he didn’t want to accept that. It didn’t matter. He wanted none of this.

“I don’t mind being late. You’re my number one priority!” (C)

At those cheesy words, Zuri, once again, avoided eye contact.

She was a stubborn one as well.

His stomach rumbled soon after.

“Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” (C)

Cleodora smiled softly while her eyebrows did a little silly dance.

“I’ve made quite the killer meal here.” (C)

After a few moments of hesitation, Zuri eventually gave in.

Permitting Cleodora to start feeding him.

“…I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.” (Z)

“See you later!” (C)

Watching Cleodora leave, Zuri waved her goodbye.

And, the moment the door closed, he hollowly stared at his waving arm.

…Despite his best effort, he somehow ended up in an engaging conversation with Cleodora.

‘What is wrong with me?’

If things continued like this, he could seriously end up as some housewife.

A real one at that.

‘Damn it’

Laying his head on the table, Zuri sighed deeply.

He really needed to harden his heart.