A soft sigh slipped past Diva’s lips as she once again shifted in her seat.  At this stage, it was impossible to get comfortable, especially at her desk.  As unpleasant as this was, she was reluctant to vocalize these complaints of hers.  If Vergil had things his way, she’d never leave the house, and she’d prefer to keep her routine until it was physically impossible.  She kept her grumbles to a minimum to avoid adding fuel to his overprotective flames.

This constant squirming of hers did not go unnoticed by Dante.  He glanced up from the pool table over his shoulder, smirk tugging at his mouth as he shook his head.  Despite how desperately the ol’ girl tried to keep up appearances, anyone could see from a mile away that she was over this being pregnancy business.  The work ethic on this woman was something else.  His nephew was just weeks away from popping out, if that, and she was still behind that damn desk.

“Just so you know, this place won’t crumble to the ground if you take maternity leave,” Dante teased, making Diva sigh again.

“I know,” she said.  “But I’m in no rush to be bedridden.”

“Who can blame you?” he replied, tapping the cue ball with his pool stick.  After sinking a ball, he turned around to face her.  “Who wants to be cooped up with Vergil?”

Diva rolled her eyes, a light blush dusting her cheeks.  “Be nice, Dante.”

His hands shot up defensively, and he chuckled before returning to his game.  Diva waited for a moment, anticipating some more snark from him that never came.  She brought her focus back on her own work, or at least that’s what she attempted.  Anything that she did, any way that she positioned herself, she felt like her chest and baby bump were constantly in the way.  Her already impressive breasts had only swollen larger in recent months, and ached constantly.  She wouldn’t say she hated being pregnant.  All in all, she thought it was a blessing, but having to maneuver around her new cup size to use the phone or keyboard was among the most frustrating aspects.

In spite of the added challenges, she continued her daily routine to the best of her abilities.  A soft orange glow began to peek through the blinds as the day came to an end.  Hormonal changes had turned the normally level-headed Diva into somewhat of a ditz.  She didn’t even realize that the sun was setting until Dante walked up behind her and pressed the power button on her monitor.

“You plan on going home tonight?” he playfully asked when she looked up at him, irritated and confused.  “Last thing I need is for Vergil to pick a fight cos I ‘kept you too late.’”

She wanted to protest, but then looked up to notice the time on the wall.  Time was dragging, but had somehow completely slipped away from her.  If Vergil was home (and that was a big if; she never knew when to expect the man), he would likely give her an earful.  “May I at least save my work?”

Dante grinned, pressing the button on the monitor again.  “I’ll handle it for you.  It’s getting dark.”

He could blame it on Vergil all he wanted, but Diva knew the truth.  Dante was worried about her.  He wanted her to get home safely before it got too late.  Exhausted and unwilling to put up a fight, she nodded and rolled the chair backwards.  She reached forward, gripping the edge of the desk for support as she hefted herself up to her feet.  She was keenly aware of every single aching joint in her body.  With a grunt, she straightened her spine.

Dante couldn’t help but take pity on her, grabbing her coat and purse to offer to her so she didn’t have to move around more than necessary.  She thanked him with a nod before beginning to waddle towards the door.  Each step was slow and deliberate, especially with the baby kicking around like he was agitated that they had to get up and move.

“Remind me, kid,” Dante said as he hovered behind her on the trek to the entrance.  “When’s that due date?”

“Two weeks tomorrow,” she said, making him hum in acknowledgement.

“Not gonna tell you how to live your life,” he started.  “But you might want to consider taking it easy.  I do know how to answer a phone.”

Diva took a deep breath.  All desire to insist that she was fine to continue working for at least another week had died with the struggle it took her to even make it to the door to get home.  “Yeah… Me too.  Give me a call if you need anything.”

A look of relief washed over Dante immediately and he smiled as he opened the door for her.

💧💙💧

Darkness and silence greeted Diva when she entered her home that evening.  She closed and locked the door behind her before shedding her coat and kicking off her shoes.  A long exhale left her as she took a moment to take a breath before wandering towards the stairs.  She lifted a foot to ascend to the second floor before thinking better of it.  When she went upstairs, she would not coming back down until the morning, especially not if she was alone.

A brief visit to the kitchen followed, or as brief as it could be with her lumbering around as slowly as a sloth.  Food was the last thing on her mind in this state.  Still, she settled on some leftovers and a glass of water before making her way upstairs.  The water went straight through her, and she found herself in the master bath after carefully ascending the stairs.  As she sat on the toilet, mentally preparing the momentum to stand back up, she decided to rid herself of her dress so she could step right into the shower when she was done.  The dress was unbuttoned, pulled over her head, bunched up and tossed in the direction of the clothes hamper.  She reached beneath her breasts to unfasten the bra.  She was still getting used to the clasps in the front, but they were a godsend in her current state.

The moment the bra was undone, a lengthy sigh escaped her.  Hands came up to cup the sore, heavy flesh, and fingers began to gently massage the tender skin.  She closed her eyes as she continued applying soothing pressure to her engorged chest.  She had lost herself to relief, until warmth began to seep through her fingertips.

Diva gasped.  She tensed and her eyes shot open only to glance down and see that she had begun to express milk.  She just stared in awe at the sticky, yellowish liquid on her fingers.  If she was going to begin leaking now, perhaps it was for the best if she decided to throw in the towel.  Her breasts had already been such a huge hassle before; the thought of her trying to go about her day while also paranoid of leaking right through her dresses was added stress she did not need.

She was marveling at this current development when the door to the bathroom creaked open.  She looked up to find Vergil standing in the cracked doorway.  Without speaking, she held up her fingertips.  He raised a brow at this peculiar greeting and stepped closer to her.  One hand reached for her wrist, grabbing it gently and raising her hand so he could take a better look.  A knowing smirk erased the formerly stony expression as he dropped her wrist.  The same hand took her nipple between his forefinger and thumb and pinched it, making her suck in a breath.  When the liquid coated his own fingertips, he brought them to the tip of his tongue to taste before balling his hand into a fist.

“You’re already producing for him,” Vergil commented.  “Perhaps this is your sign to quit being so stubborn and finally behave like a mother.”

Diva rolled her eyes, still trying to ignore the rush that his rough pinch gave her.  “Bold words from father of the year.”

Vergil’s eyes darkened, and he reached forward, pinching her again.  This time, he gave her tender nipple a slight tug, making her tense and hiss.

“Bold words indeed.  You’d be wise to heed them,” he said, reveling in her reaction.  More liquid seeped from the sensitive bud as Vergil tweaked it harder.  As much as she wanted to hate this, all the blood was rushing to her legs.  “You are done playing secretary for my brother.  I’ll not have my son drop early because you strained yourself for Dante’s sake.  You will stay here for me to keep an eye on you until the boy is born.  Understood?”

She bit her lip and nodded, focusing all her strength on containing her laughter.  He was so cute when he didn’t want to admit he was worried, and perhaps a bit jealous of the mere possibility of her going into labor around his brother at Devil May Cry instead of him.