"He’s right." Zaque stated firmly, his expression serious as he stepped closer to his wife. "If this is upsetting you, then we’ll talk to your mother ourselves. We’ll find common ground. I’m sure your mother would change her mind if she knew that it’s upsetting you."

He reached out and gently placed a hand on Coco’s shoulder, his touch grounding. "Unless, of course, you want us to just let it be?"

Coco let out a small, wet sniffle, her eyes flickering between the men as she processed their offer, her hands instinctively moving to touch Zaque’s stomach, making the mediator’s expression soften,

During the last few weeks, Coco got a new habit.

Whenever she’s feeling unwell, stressed, upset, or simply bored.. She would search for either the first or third husband so she could place her hand on their stomach.

It’s how the husbands and the hybrid were able to tell what she was feeling at the moment.

So with her rubbing circles on Zaque’s stomach, they could tell that this situation is indeed stressing her out, as well as upsetting her.

"W-We’ll talk to her." She mumbled, sniffling. "Is that okay? I don’t want all of you going alone.. I don’t think that’s good for our babies.. I don’t want you guys to feel stressed. Who knows what might happen if I’m not there with you?"

Zaque blinked and stared at his wife for half a second before nodding in agreement.

"Whatever gives you comfort and makes you happy." He murmured, his voice warm and unwavering, his hand raising to place on top of her hand, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand in reassurance.

The others exchanged glances, but didn’t protest.

Kairo pressed a kiss to the top of her head before adding quietly. "Then we’ll all go together as a family."

If this was what Coco needed, then they would follow her lead without question. After all, she may have gotten Zaque and Alhai pregnant, she’s actually the one who’s feeling all of the symptoms of their pregnancies.

Coco sniffled again, wiping at the tears tracking down her cheeks.

She pulled her hand away from Zaque’s stomach, her shoulders slumping slightly as she leaned her head back into Kairo’s shoulder, his touch grounding and gentle.

"I’m so sorry for crying, everyone." She murmured, her voice was apologetic, sheepish even as she offered an apology. "I.. I bet I’m starting to become annoying. I haven’t done anything lately, but stress over nothing and cry for no reason."

Kairo tightened his arms around her waist gently, shaking his head. "Not even a little bit."

Quizen moved forward and pushed gently past Zaque, his lips pursing as he pressed a kiss on the curve of her temple, causing Coco to open her eyes.

"Never annoying." He assured her, the corner of his lips quirking up a little. "You could cry every day and I would still call you beautiful. I might as well write songs about how heavenly you look whenever those tear drops fall from your eyelashes."

The fourth husband’s words hung in the air, making Coco’s cheeks flush from embarrassment.

Alhai snorted from beside them. "..That was sappy even for you."

Quizen simply rolled his eyes at his friend and turned back to Coco, his blue eyes mesmerized at the sight of her flushed cheeks.

"So beautiful." Quizen hummed, his fingertips brushing the dark strands that fell over her face. "I wish I could paint you and capture that beauty you hold.. Even Heiren’s camera doesn’t do your beauty justice."

"Can you please stop?" Coco squeaked out, feeling her face become unbearably hot.

Her question simply earned her an amused chuckle from the mediators and hybrid, and just like that.. All of her worries vanished.

Night had quietly settled over the house, and Coco found herself tucked snugly beside Alhai on his bed, with moonlight spilling in through the green curtains and painting the room in silvery blue which gave the room an even more calming atmosphere.

The mediator sat up against the headboard, a book in hand and occasionally flipping through the pages, his ears straining to the sound of her breathing.

Coco was blissfully passed out beside him, her head tucked into the crook of his shoulder.

The door creaked open—slow, deliberate, the sound barely loud enough to break the silence, and Alhai didn’t bother looking up from his book; the rhythm of the footsteps told him everything he needed to know.

He recognized Quizen’s quiet steps instantly— the mediator is always light on his feet, but never soundless.

After the mediator closed the door, Alhai finally glanced over the edge of his book with an arched brow. You’re going to wake her, and then I’ll have to deal with your brooding. So leave, will you?"

Quizen shot Alhai a sharp glare before he turned away to continue his advance towards the bed. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He carefully knelt on the mattress, crawling forward until he was positioned behind Coco and once he was in place, he plopped down on the bed and slid his arm around her waist— settling against her back with a content sigh.

Alhai rolled his eyes at Quizen’s antics. " Of course you would. You can’t help yourself."

He watched from the corner of his eye as Quizen settled behind her more comfortably, careful not to jostle her too much.

"Happy?" Alhai muttered dryly under his breath.

Quizen exhaled an annoyed huff, a satisfied breath that fanned across Coco’s back.

His arms wound snugly around her, pulling her against him securely, as he hid his face against the soft fabric of her nightdress, breathing in the faint scent of her shampoo.

He quietly enjoyed the feeling of her body against his and when a second passed, he shifted slightly to press a gentle kiss to her neck— a wordless show of affection, before he nuzzled his nose back into the crook of her shoulder.

"You need to learn how to keep things to yourself, Alhai." Quizen murmured, causing an annoyed grunt to escape Alhai’s lips.