They went to the Rebirth Clinic together a month later, not because they were in a hurry, but because they were ready. The clinic in Helior was nothing like the cold places people used to fear in old stories. It was quiet, almost serene, with soft walls, luminous plants, and private rooms for couples to speak with genetic architects who specialized in shared parenthood. The doctor who t them was a middle aged woman nad Dr. Shen, calm and direct, with a kind face and a way of speaking that made hard decisions feel manageable.
She explained the procedure in full. The compatibility weave would blend their genetic material with no loss of maternal identity. One embryo would be created, grown in a stabilized cradle sequence, and monitored constantly until birth. They could choose which one of them would carry more of the external gestation support, or they could do a shared support cycle if they wanted the pregnancy experience to be balanced. The child would not be "half" of one and "half" of the other in the crude old sense. She would be fully theirs, with the long developed traits of both bloodlines interlaced from the start.
Yan Cijin held Bai Li’s hand the whole ti. Bai Li, who could stay calm in a storm, was oddly quiet until the doctor asked if they had chosen a na seed.
"We thought of one," Yan Cijin said.
Bai Li looked at her. "We did?"
Yan Cijin smiled. "You said it first, actually. Last winter."
Bai Li thought for a mont, then her eyes widened. "Lili."
Yan Cijin squeezed her hand. "Yes. Lili. It sounded soft and bright and stubborn. Like a little flower that would refuse to be small."
Bai Li stared at her for a second, then laughed because she suddenly rembered saying it half asleep one night when Yan Cijin had fallen asleep against her chest and asked, in a dreamy voice, what their future child would be called. Bai Li had answered without thinking, and Yan Cijin had loved it imdiately.
So they chose Lili.
The pregnancy itself was both ordinary and miraculous.
Helior’s support systems made it easier than the old world had ever managed, but no technology could fully prepare them for the strange tenderness of waiting for a child who was both present and not yet here. The clinic gave them a shared wellness schedule. Their ho systems adjusted light, temperature, and nutrient timing for emotional comfort. Yan Cijin joked that the city had finally decided to beco their maid. Bai Li pretended to be annoyed by the constant reminders to rest, but secretly she liked every one of them because they all said the sa thing in different ways. Take care. Slow down. Your family is growing.
Yan Cijin carried the early support phase with a grace that made Bai Li want to spoil her constantly. She looked beautiful even on the difficult days, but especially on the days when she was tired and leaning on Bai Li more than usual. Bai Li brought her sweet fruit, warm soup, and every cushion in the apartnt if she thought it might help. Yan Cijin, being Yan Cijin, turned all that attention into a kind of ga. She would sit in the middle of the bed and announce that she was very weak and needed to be carried to the window, which made Bai Li roll her eyes and lift her anyway. She would pretend to be offended when Bai Li tucked her blanket around her too tightly, then imdiately move closer so Bai Li could do it again. She loved to be doted on, but only by Bai Li, and only in that secret private way that made their whole ho feel like a small kingdom with just the two of them ruling it.
Bai Li discovered she was not immune to the pregnancy glow, or whatever ridiculous term the old comnt sections used. Yan Cijin grew softer in her movents, but sharper in the way she looked at Bai Li. Her beauty beca unfair in a whole new direction. Sotis Bai Li would co ho from work, see her in the kitchen in an oversized shirt with one hand resting over her belly, and simply stop walking for a second because the sight hit her too hard. Yan Cijin knew exactly what she was doing. She would glance up, see Bai Li frozen in the doorway, and smile that slow, knowing smile.
"What?" she would ask.
Bai Li would close the distance, wrap an arm around her waist, and mutter, "You are dangerous."
Yan Cijin would tilt her face up. "To who?"
"To ."
That always made Yan Cijin laugh, which made Bai Li kiss her forehead first, then her cheek, then her mouth, like she had to keep proving the point.
Their private monts beca more intimate in the gentle, teasing way that suited them best. Bai Li liked to make Yan Cijin blush on purpose. She would co up behind her while she was working and brush a kiss over her temple, or rest her chin on Yan Cijin’s shoulder just to see her sigh and try not to smile. Yan Cijin liked to pretend she was composed, but Bai Li knew better. One careful touch at the side of her neck and Yan Cijin’s voice would go soft. One low complint and she would look away, pretending not to be flustered. Bai Li used this knowledge without rcy, though always with affection. She would kiss her lips until Yan Cijin forgot the sentence she had been trying to say, then pull back just enough to make her chase the next kiss. She would press a kiss to her palm after helping her with a jar, to the top of her foot when Yan Cijin sat on the sofa without slippers, to her stomach when they were curled together under a blanket and Lili kicked from inside like she was impatient to et them.
Yan Cijin always went quiet after that. Then she would reach for Bai Li’s face and kiss her back with more feeling than either of them could put into words.
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TO BE CONTINUED.
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