Chapter 11 #4
“Ok,” he replied, sadness still tinging his voice.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
He nodded and walked back to his apartment.
I was sure there were a couple of mementos I could give him, plus I had non-perishables I could give to his mom.
I was saying goodbye, but I hoped that I was leaving him with a solid love of learning.
∞∞∞
If I’d thought that the first two months of my life on base were busy, they were nothing when compared to those that followed Eashai’s and my mating.
Between the research changing as they anticipated the arrival of volunteers, preparing for my adjusted classes, moving into our townhouse, and fucking—lots of fucking—it felt like we’d been working constantly for weeks.
It was going to be a rare day off, and I’d just flopped onto the couch when Eashai came downstairs looking green around the gills.
I frowned, set my coffee on an end table, stood, and walked over to him.
“Again?” I asked, reaching up and sliding my hand along his jaw.
He nodded. “I had thought it had ended.”
“Did you eat any of the same things as the other day? Do you maybe have a food allergy we need to consider?”
He shook his head. “I do not believe I ate any of the same foods. Perhaps I should consult with a doctor to test for allergies.”
I frowned and tugged him to the couch. “I don’t know if cuddles will make it better, but no harm in trying.”
“They could be an effective treatment if it is stress-related,” he replied.
That made me frown more. “Are you stressed? Is there anything I can do?”
He stopped before we could sit and gave me a soft smile. “I am not consciously aware of additional stress. But we have been busy. My body may be stressed in ways my mind is not.”
“That’s true,” I said as I sat and tugged him down beside me.
We settled into a comfortable cuddling position, with my back against the arm of the couch and one leg against the back cushions. My mate reclined in the V between my legs.
I trailed my fingers up and down his arm, loving the quiet moment but worried about his bouts of nausea over the previous few days.
“Should you put off your trip to Lyll?” I asked. “I won’t be able to come this time to cuddle you through the worst of your spacesickness. And you’re already nauseous. I think that could be a bad combination.”
He sighed. “I could send another person. My presence is not as crucial this time. But I had promised Tolai and Veeshen that I would watch Naduq for an evening so that they could have some alone time before…”
“Before?” I prodded after several seconds.
Eashai sat bolt upright. “I… I…”
His eyes were wide and mouth agape.
“E?”
He turned to me. “I… we…” He swallowed. “We have done nothing to prevent pregnancy.”
I blinked. “Are you still fertile?”
He considered the question, then nodded slowly. “I am at the upper age range of Lalyllte fertility. So I did not think…”
I swallowed, then took his hands. “I’m here, no matter what. Is this something you want?”
He blinked several times, liquid pooling at the corners of his eyes. “Very much so. I have long wished to be a bapi.”
I smiled. “Then I think we should get a test.”
“They will have them at the building for the Lalyllte delegation,” he replied. “And that is closer than the base hospital.”
“Do you want to go now, or later when you might feel a bit better?”
“Now, please.”
“Ok.”
He stood, and I followed. We went upstairs to change, then grabbed a tandem bike that we’d splurged on from our garage space. Soon, we were pedaling toward the restricted building.
We’d have to get a small car soon enough as winter set in, but until then, biking was a way we enjoyed getting around the base. And all the soldiers got a kick out of seeing us riding it.
We stopped at the gate about twenty minutes later, and I could tell that Eashai was impatient to get inside as we got the bike settled in the rack, which had a couple more single-person bikes in it since others had noticed and taken a liking to them.
He grabbed my hand as soon as we made it inside, leading me farther down the hall than I’d been before. Then he opened the door to what appeared to be a storeroom.
“Eashai?” asked a man with light brown skin. He was one of the Lalyllte who could most easily pass for human, though there was an undertone to his skin that was slightly off.
“I would like to request a pregnancy test,” my mate replied.
The other man blinked, then a slow smile spread across his face. “I shall get one for you.”
He disappeared between some shelving racks, then reappeared a moment later holding a small box. He handed it over.
“May you have the results you desire,” the man said with a grin.
“Thank you.”
They shared a nod, then Eashai led me from the room.
“How does your test work?” I asked as we walked down the hall back to the entrance. “On Earth, the birth parent pees on a test strip.”
He stopped walking, turned to me, and laughed. “Ours works in the same fashion.”
I met his gaze. “If that’s the case, did you want to go home to test, or do you want to find a restroom and do it here?”
The long pause as he considered the question told me exactly how nervous and impatient he was.
“Let us test at home. “
“Ok.” I leaned in and kissed him.
We both pedaled a bit harder on the return trip, making it home in record time. I urged Eashai to go take the test while I put the bike away.
He was pacing the living room as I got inside.
“How much longer do we need to wait?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his middle.
“The test should be complete,” he answered. “It works quickly.”
“Ok,” I said softly, then I kissed him. “Let’s find out if we’re going to be fathers.”
He nodded, and I released him so that he could retrieve the test. Then we sat next to each other on the couch.
Eashai took a deep breath, hands shaking, then he turned it over.
“I… I am pregnant,” he whispered.
Then he started crying.
The test clattered to the floor as I pulled him into my arms.
I’d had no idea how much he’d wanted it, but it was clear in the way his shoulders shook and he clung to my shirt. Years—decades—of pent-up longing burst from him.
And I held him as the emotions coursed through him.
Our lives were about to change again, and in a way we both wanted.
∞∞∞
Eashai and I sat on opposite sides of the long table, reviewing test results.
I’d resorted to printouts after having stared at screens all morning, and my readers were perched on my nose.
He’d somehow transferred the data to his tablet that rolled into a pen thing, and kept using his finger to make notes.
At first glance, we’d have probably appeared professional. But if anybody looked under the table, they’d see us playing footsie while we worked. It was our way of dealing with the continued intense urges for physical contact.
He finished his review of the data first, set down the tablet, and leaned back to stretch. I took a few more minutes, making my own notes about things I wanted to look at further, then I set the papers down.
I removed my glasses, massaged the bridge of my nose, and smiled as I met my mate’s gaze.
“Shall we swap?” he asked. “Or do you wish for the others to have a chance to review before we discuss?”
“They should be back from PT soon,” I replied. “Let’s get lunch since we don’t need to babysit the machines. That’ll give them a chance to review.”
He nodded. “That is a good idea.” He looked down and ran his hand over his still-flat belly. “I have noticed an increase in my appetite.”
I stood and rounded the table. He turned his chair to face me as I looped my arms around his neck. He spread his knees and wrapped his arms around my middle, pulling me closer.
“You’re growing our baby,” I murmured. “It makes sense that you’re hungrier.”
He smiled. “It is still difficult to believe.”
I tipped my forehead against his. “It’s the same for me. It’s been a few weeks since the doctor confirmed, and it all still feels so surreal.”
“Because I am a man?” he asked cautiously.
I chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Because I never expected this for myself.”
He smiled softly, then his stomach grumbled.
I laughed. “Let’s get you fed… Bapi.”
He let out a happy sigh as I stepped back and allowed him to stand. Then, as soon as we were in the hall, I looped my arm with his.
“It scares me sometimes,” I mused aloud. “How much I still want to constantly touch and be intimate with you, I mean.”
“Why is that?”
“I had expected those desires to diminish as we settled in and got back to work. But they’re still almost as strong as they were right after the rush.”
He stopped, then stepped in front of me and met my gaze. “Is it not normal for human mates to want to touch and show physical affection often?”
“I think so?” I admitted. “But even then, I don’t know if it’s this constant.”
He frowned. “Do you wish for it to be less?”
“Oh, E,” I pulled him into my arms. “Of course not. I like touching you, and having you touch me. This isn’t a complaint, just an observation.”
He nodded into my shoulder. “On Lyll, this is quite normal.”
“As long as this is what’s expected, then I’ll stop worrying.”
He stepped back to look at me. “Gene, why does it worry you?”
I reached up and slid my hand to rest on the back of his neck. “I’ve never been the touching type before. I like it, I really do, it’s just a change that I hadn’t expected.”
Then, before he could ask or say anything, I brought him in for a kiss.
“I love you, E. I like touching you, and you touching me. It was just a change I wasn’t expecting. Ok?”
He nodded. “Ok.”
I kissed him again, gently, trying to make the words I didn’t know how to say clear through action.
We stayed that way for a moment, just existing near each other. I was about to start walking toward the mess hall again when a voice boomed through the hall.
“Gene, Eashai,” the general called. “I need to see the two of you in my office.”
We turned, and I swallowed. “Y-yes, general.”