Work Text:
1.
“It’s not just because our families keep pushing for it,” Chu Yunxiu tells Ye Xiu. He still looks skeptical, which is fair; his parents in particular have been extremely vocal about wanting grandchildren. “I want a child.”
He shrugs a little, smiling. The expression comes easily to his face now, a far cry from the perpetual exhaustion he’d worn when they’d first met. There’s no longer a stink of tobacco around him or cigarette ash ground into all his clothes, either; just a nicotine patch on his arm sometimes. It’s the other reason she wants to do this now: they’re still young, but there’s nothing dragging them back or owning all their time.
“So long as it’s your choice.” Ye Xiu pulls her closer and kisses her temple. “I’ll provide genetic material, but I’m not inserting it into you myself.”
Chu Yunxiu had never expected him to. She’s had sex with previous partners—mostly enjoyable sex, even!—but never craved it, but Ye Xiu goes beyond disinterest to active distaste. She snuggles into his side. “We’ve got enough money for IVF.”
“Then it’ll be easy,” Ye Xiu says, with the simplicity of a man who has never thought about the practicalities of this in his life.
Chu Yunxiu rolls her eyes and doesn’t say anything. It’s a Friday night, they’re both home, and he’ll read the literature as soon as she presents it to him. There’s no need to shock him any more than she already has by telling him how much she wants a child. “Turn the TV on,” she says instead. “That new idol show is starting today.”
“Have you already picked out your favorite from the rumours about who’s competing?” he asks, amused. The TV clicks on as he presses the remote’s buttons, flipping through channels until he lands on MangoTV.
“That would be telling,” Chu Yunxiu says loftily, and then devolves into giggling as Ye Xiu reaches around her shoulder to tickle her armpit. She ends up flopped in his lap as the opening show comes on, wholly content with the world.
2.
“I didn’t think it’d be this hard,” Chu Yunxiu admits to Su Mucheng. They’ve gone out for tea before Happy’s match, since they’re playing Samsara this week, and Chu Yunxiu stares at the autumn leaves dancing down on the wind. “There’s so much to be careful about.”
Su Mucheng pats her hand sympathetically. “This is why I’m not going to bother,” she says cheerfully. “All the worry and hope and stress can’t be good for you.”
“Ye Xiu keeps laughing and telling me that it’ll work out the moment I stop being anxious about it.” Chu Yunxiu makes a face. He’s probably right. He’s also been there with chocolate and hugs every single time she’s taken a pregnancy test and seen that it hasn’t worked yet. He’s gone with her to all the appointments he can, serenely smiling at anyone who dares question why he’s taking so much time off for his wife, because the moment they ask the question with their voice instead of their eyes he’ll be able to explain how important being a supportive husband is. The subtext of learn from me is barely beneath the surface.
“Then we shouldn’t talk about it more,” Su Mucheng says decisively. She leans across the table, eyes sparkling. “So tell me about Samsara’s new kid. I know you’ve interviewed them already.”
“Mucheng!” Chu Yunxiu protests, laughing. “Journalistic integrity!”
“Friendship.” Su Mucheng pulls hard candies out of her pocket and sets them on the table. “Bribery.”
Chu Yunxiu eyes the candies. They’re her favorites, of course. “Play the game,” she says after a moment. “Trust that xiao-Sun and xiao-Jiang picked someone good.”
Su Mucheng sighs dramatically and reclaims the candies. “I knew that already.”
“Then you’ll be fine.” Chu Yunxiu turns back to the orange-and-gold leaves skittering across the street. “It’ll be a good game. That’s what matters, isn’t it?”
“Did you give up looking for victory when you retired?”
“No.” Chu Yunxiu puts a hand on her stomach, unthinking. “I just redefined what victory meant.”
3.
“Can’t believe you’re awake,” Ye Xiu mumbles when Chu Yunxiu drags herself out of bed. The sun has yet to rise over London, but Chu Yunxiu hasn’t gotten over her jetlag; her body’s screaming that she’s going to be late for work.
It’s only habit that has her drawing a pregnancy test out of her bag at the same time. It’s been nearly a year since they started trying, and she’s sort of given up expecting any success, especially in this time-frame. Covering the World Glory Championship is a prime position, and Ye Xiu’s here with her, and it’s a working vacation, and—
Chu Yunxiu blinks blearily at the pregnancy test as she flushes the toilet and washes her hands. Then she stops, forgetting to turn off the water, and says, “Ye Xiu?”
He’s unkempt, hair a mess, but he’s at the door in an instant just from the tone of her voice. Wordlessly, Chu Yunxiu hands him the test.
“What—” He squints at it. Then his eyes open wide, and he snatches her up in a tight hug. “Congrats,” he whispers into her ear.
Chu Yunxiu clings to him, laughing, giddy. “Worth waking up for?”
Ye Xiu kisses her forehead. “Always,” he says fervently. For all that he hadn’t been invested in the idea of having a child at the start, he cares about this now. “We cannot tell anyone until after Worlds.”
“We really can’t.” Even if it’s been a few years since either of them played Glory, they still know the entirety of the Chinese Glory Team, and many of the other Worlds teams know them by sight as well. Chu Yunxiu buries her face in Ye Xiu’s shoulder. “Think about that later,” she tells him. “Let’s be happy now.”
4.
“How tall is this tower?” Chu Yunxiu asks, three hours into exploring the newest area in Glory. She’s six months pregnant now, and her posture has changed to adjust to her child’s presence. It feels like leaning back all the time makes everything take longer, even though rationally she knows that can’t be true.
Ye Xiu shrugs. “The NPCs said it reaches the clouds.” He’s playing his Knight today. Chu Yunxiu has long stopped noticing Unrivalled Super Hottie’s name, but it still gets reactions from anyone they encounter as they continue climbing the tower. “The dungeon should be at the top.”
It’s functionally a mountain in its own right. From the outside it looks like a spaceship, which has everyone who cares about Glory’s lore chattering excitedly about sci-fi weapon options. It would be cool to see Gunners carrying laser rifles, Chu Yunxiu admits, but mostly she’s curious what the boss is going to be once they make their way through the maze-like corridors. Up and down and down and up and around and Chu Yunxiu’s glad there’s an in-game map tracking this for her.
“There’d better be a shortcut we can unlock,” Chu Yunxiu grumbles.
Ye Xiu reaches over to rub her back, heedless of the mobs coming at them. Chu Yunxiu curses and starts hitting her crowd-control combos, fingers light and sharp on the keyboard. The robotic foes freeze behind her Ice Wall, which gives Ye Xiu enough time to calmly return to his own computer and begin drawing aggro for her.
Even when she’s frustrated, he’s always there, and Chu Yunxiu is so glad that she has Ye Xiu as her best friend.
5.
Chu Yunxiu loves Zixia with all her heart.
Chu Yunxiu also loves Glory with all her heart.
Her boss made the decision for her that she was not allowed to work the playoffs, no matter how good she is at getting useful soundbytes out of both Huang Shaotian and Zhou Zekai. “Stay home,” he told her over videochat, frowning dramatically. “Bond with your daughter. We’ll talk about you coming back at the beginning of next season, alright? Enjoy the break.”
She likely would’ve chosen this anyway, exhausted as she is, but having the option removed irks her anyway.
“You’re just contrary,” Ye Xiu says as he walks around their living room, rocking Zixia to sleep against his chest. He has darker circles under his eyes than she’s seen since he quit Glory for good, and he’s back to wearing the most generic and shapeless clothes possible, and he’s happy. “You would’ve complained even more loudly if he’d wanted you to work.”
Chu Yunxiu groans and flips him off. He’s right. He often is.
“Rest,” he says, and Chu Yunxiu doesn’t know if that’s to her or their daughter. “There are so many days to come.”
So many indeed, Chu Yunxiu thinks as her eyes slip closed. Ye Xiu hums an out-of-tune lullaby to their daughter, and Chu Yunxiu can hopefully sleep for at least an hour, and the world will keep on turning.
There’s just a new person in it now, and Chu Yunxiu can’t wait to see her grow.