Chapter 31
Vytln
Vytln’s hands were busy as he worked quickly. Haven was due back soon, and he wanted to get this at least mostly completed before she returned.
Alred was there with him. His light form in miniature was sitting on his desk, tail flicking lazy, as he helped Vytln by fetching him schematics and design plans.
He didn’t actually have to be here in light form for that, so Vytln imagined he had a secondary reason for lingering, but he wasn’t going to bring it up first. So, he just let Alred sit there as he worked.
“Goldie and Haven are finished in the medbay,” he said suddenly. “They’re talking now, but then Haven will be heading this way.”
Vytln grunted, acknowledging his words, but didn’t stop working. Of course, she was talking. That’s all other people wanted to do. Especially their female crew. They just constantly chattered and nattered and giggled.
He didn’t really mind it; he just liked to complain. And it gave him more time to finish this. Or, at least, finish the base of this. He’d need more supplies to get it truly finished.
“Aren’t you going to ask me how things went in medbay?” Alred asked, his yellow face gleaming with knowledge and mischief.
“I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction,” Vytln grunted, making Alred laugh uproariously. Though, since he pitched his voice up to match the smaller size of his light form – he was constantly doing dramatic and useless things like that – it was not a very loud sound.
“Tanin and Sway were much more fun to tease,” he said, getting to his feet and patting non-existent dust off his body. He didn’t wear clothes, since the light form was just a projection. He instead neutered the male body so that it wouldn’t make the females uncomfortable.
“I’m sure Haven will tell me in due time.” Vytln swatted at Alred. “Be gone with you.”
But Alred didn’t move, and Vytln’s hand just passed through him. He continued to grin as he put his hands on his hips.
“I like your mate. She’s a clever little thing.”
“I know this. Why are you telling me?”
“Just trying to figure out why she settled with you.”
“My cocks make her feel good. Why else?”
Alred laughed again. “The captain and I have picked our next station. After the next delivery, we’re going to Trek-Nine. It’s a nice place. Good for mates, actually. It’s a destination, rather than just a refueling station, so we’ve decided to linger there for a few days.”
“Good,” Vytln said, satisfied. So, then Haven could have her day shopping and bonding with the other females – which she clearly needed and enjoyed. Then, he could keep her to himself the rest of the time.
“Haven is on her way now,” Alred said, his grin spreading wickedly. “And I cannot wait for this conversation.”
“Keep your cameras out of it.”
Alred laughed again. “Oh, it’s too late. I already know what’s about to happen. And you’re in trouble, by the way.”
Vytln’s head whipped around and he frowned. “Me? What did I do?”
“You’ll find out,” Alred laughed darkly before vanishing in a flash of sparkles while Vytln cursed. Alred got a reaction out of him, which was the only thing he wanted.
But Vytln could only be annoyed at that for a moment before he thought about what he said. Alred wouldn’t lie to stir up his mischief, that wasn’t nearly as fun as the truth. Which meant Haven was mad at him about something.
Though, he couldn’t understand what. He was wracking his brain for an answer, trying to figure out what it was he supposedly did, when the door to the workroom whooshed open and she was there, holding onto the frame, glaring at him with fire in her eyes.
“You!” She leveled a finger at him that he actually leaned back from. Though she was nowhere near him, and certainly no physical threat to him.
Though, he strangely felt in danger as she stalked towards him, sparks practically jumping out of her gaze, fists tight, jaw clenched.
“Do you knowing what you are doing to me?!”
“No?” Vytln said honestly, confused.
Haven stopped in front of him, poking his chest. “You are getting me pregnant, you- you-!” She trailed off into a series of curses in her own language.
Vytln wasn’t really paying much attention to the unknown words, however. His gaze was lowering down to her still flat belly. Which was hiding his youngling.
“Getting that smiling off your face!” Haven snapped. “Did you knowing?!”
“That I could breed you?” He couldn’t help the smugness from crossing his face. “Yes, I knew that. That’s what sex is for.”
“No!” She stomped her foot, snarling. “I am going to being pregnant for two years! Two Standard years! Which are being longer than Earth years! You are making me pregnant for two years, you- you- UGH!” She trailed off into more curses as she began pacing.
It was actually two years and seven tendays, but Vytln didn’t think she wanted to hear the correction right now, so he kept it to himself as he watched her pace, pulling at her hair as she switched back and forth between Standard and her native tongue to simultaneously curse him in two different ways while trying to do math to convert Standard time to Earth time to get a better understanding of exactly how long she would be pregnant.
As she did that, he was focused back on her belly.
Unable to keep the smile off his face as he imagined his wylp growing there.
She was going to look absolutely precious trying to waddle around the workroom.
He didn’t doubt for a moment that she’d still be trying to climb around and tinker with things.
He imagined having to chase after her and force her to take it easy.
It was a great vision of their future. One that had him smiling until she whipped around, a look of horror and anger on her face that made him fix his own expression so she wouldn’t see how satisfied he was with something that, clearly, she didn’t appreciate.
“Five…” she gasped, grabbing at her chest. “I am going to being pregnant for almost five years!”
Was that the conversation in their time? He could admit, it sounded bad when put that way. Though, Earth years were obviously shorter than Coalition years – or years from his home planet since a female on Nct’nl would only be gravid for one year.
But that was clearly much longer than a human female, because Haven was actually staggered, a hand going to her forehead, her eyes wide, panting. He became worried that she was going to pass out.
But when he moved forward to make sure she didn’t fall, she hissed, batting away his hands.
“Five years?” She repeated, looking at him like she was waiting for him to call it a joke and assure her that it wasn’t true.
But all he could say was, “It’s two years. We use Standard time out here.”
“Not the pointing!” She yelled at him. And it was beautiful. Her anger, her fire, her passion. It was wonderful to witness. He loved this. But he had to keep his expression clear as she went back to pacing, going back and forth between pulling her hair and touching her belly.
He waited until she came around towards him again and he caught her from behind, pulling her back against him.
She was practically vibrating with restless anxiety.
He made a soft sound – one he didn’t even think himself capable of making, as he first smoothed back the hair she’d disturbed with her worry while cupping her belly with his other hand. Holding their wylp, keeping her close.
“Easy,” he rumbled in her ear. “It’s not as bad as all that.”
“Five years,” she stressed again, sounding near tears.
“Two.”
“Same amount of timing!”
He chuckled, holding her belly with both hands. “Yes. My species has one of the longer gestation times. The skin of our young takes a long time to fully form and harden to a point that they can survive in the harsh environment of my planet.”
“That’s not… No,” she whined, slumping back against him.
“Yes, it is true,” he nuzzled the top of her head. Taking a deep breath of her scent. Warm and comforting. “The wylp cannot be removed sooner, I’m afraid.”
“I don’t knowing that I can doing that.”
He stilled, his hands tightening on her. “Do you not want to have my wylp?”
“I don’t knowing!” She wailed. “I cannot imagining being pregnant for five years!”
“Two.”
“I wasn’t even readying for being pregnant now.”
Vytln hesitated. He loved the idea of having his female bred and happy. But the happy part of that was vital. If she wasn’t content carrying his whelp, he wouldn’t force her to do so.
But that didn’t mean it didn’t feel like his chest was being crushed by the very idea of losing the vision of the future he saw.
But in that vision, she might be waddling around and frustrated by her lack of mobility, but she was still happy.
If she wasn’t happy, then the entire thing would be ruined. There was no point to any of this.
“I’m scared,” Haven confessed, her voice a whisper. “Pregnancy is hard. Most can’t handling it for nine months. How am I supposed to being handling it for five years?”
“It’s not as bad as all that,” he assured her, unable to resist rubbing her flat belly. “For the first half, you won’t even notice. Females of my species say that only the second half is even noticeable. The first half, you just have to be more cautious with your diet.”
“That is still being two and a half years.”
“One year,” he corrected again. “And yes. It’s a slow process. From what I understand of our females, it’s actually a very smooth process because it’s so slow.”
Haven was grumbling. Her fingers clenched on his arms. But she wasn’t vibrating in her barely restrained panic any longer.
The shock of learning she was pregnant and what that would mean for her was finally starting to ebb.
Which meant she could finally think about things logically and calmly without being overwhelmed by them.
He continued to hold her until she was relaxed in his arms, her delicate little claws releasing their hold on his skin, her head resting back on his chest.
“Are you better now?” He asked, perfectly content to wait here until she was ready.
And, sure enough, she nodded. “I am being better.”
“Good. Now, let me ask you, do you want my wylp inside you?” He cupped her lower belly. Holding onto his mate and young both. Hating to release either, but knowing that, if he had to choose, he would pick Haven over the concept of a wylp.
“I don’t knowing,” she said again, though it was softer this time. Genuinely confused, not panicked and uncertain. “I wasn’t thinking that we might… I mean, I am knowing it was possible, but I didn’t being thinking it was practically a certainty.”
“It is between us,” he agreed. “Though, I understand, human females are more cautious about when and how often they breed.”
She hummed in agreement. “I thought it might be happening someday. I just did not thinking it would be happening so soon.” She paused, then laughed. “Maybe that’s not the right wording. It’s still five years away.”
“Two.”
She turned her head, looking up at him. The look on her face was trying to be admonishing. Like she didn’t want him to re-frame and calm her concerns, but she couldn’t quite deny that it was actually working.
“A long time,” she said.
“A very long time,” he agreed, giving her that much.
“But it’s vital for our young. My planet is too dangerous for them to emerge without full protection.
Though, in exchange, our young are very well developed by the time they’re born.
Mentally, I mean. It doesn’t take them long to learn to fight and move and talk”
She laughed, confusing him.
“Funny?”
“Fighting?” She gave him a happy smile. “That is being the most important? Even more than learning to talking?”
“Naturally,” he said, confused at what she found amusing. “My young shall be strong. Excellent fighters. And if it is yours, it will be tenacious and energetic as well.”
“Unstoppable,” she agreed.
“Yes,” he agreed with a low growl, a smug smile spreading over his face, hunching over her. “Our young shall be vicious and powerful and genius. Utterly untouchable.”
“Male or female?”
He scoffed. “Does it matter? The males would be lucky to be able to witness the glory of a daughter of ours. And the females would fall at the feet of any male we produce. Regardless, our wylp will be a conqueror for certain.”
Haven was laughing outright now.
“Better?” He asked again, enjoying the way she was back to life in his arms.
She nodded again, more definitively this time. “Five years… That’s a long timing. Plenty of timing for us to enjoying our being together.”
“Exactly,” he agreed. “Most females emerge gravid after falling into their trap for the first time. It’s expected.”
“So, you knew?”
“I wanted it,” he growled, lowering his hand. Cupping her cunt through her pants. “I rutted on you with the full intention of breeding you.”
She shivered, but her expression wasn’t one of disagreement. The way her eyes fogged over, how her butt poked back against him, like she was trying to arch into him.
Yes. That was better.
“In fact,” he said, taking her by the neck and pulling her up. “If you didn’t appreciate it the first time, I’m going to make sure you do this time. I’m fucking you to breed you, because you are my female and that womb is mine to claim.”