Survivor

Chapter 8

Pov Xaver:

I had been feeling dizzy the whole time, and whenever someone wanted something from me or spoke to me, I found it hard to focus on the matter at hand. Everything had been getting on my nerves for weeks, and sometimes, due to the pressure, I just wanted to curl up in a blanket and cry. I was stressed and could barely sleep properly. At night, I felt like I had to vomit every five minutes, and I constantly had the feeling that something was pressing on my stomach.
Around midday, I couldn't take it anymore and had to leave the rest to Jack, whether he liked it or not. Because of his position, I had already told him about the pregnancy. I was really glad that he was so understanding and that I could rely on him.
When I got home, Dan was still out hunting, and I was alone. My stomach was growling, even though I had eaten just a few hours earlier. So, I decided to whip up something quick to get rid of the hunger. However, I quickly realized that this was a mistake. After just two bites, I felt extremely nauseous and ran to the bathroom. I barely made it in time and threw up in the toilet. Everything I had eaten that day ended up in the bowl. I sank to the floor and rested my arms on the toilet rim. "Damn!", I cursed, looking angrily at the ground. I should never have agreed to have this child. But I had to do it, for the pack and for Dan.
I laughed briefly. Whoever invented this tradition was truly cruel, I thought.
My ears perked up at the sound of the door locking when Dan called from the living room, "Xav? Are you there? Jack said you weren’t feeling well today." I didn’t respond, or rather, I couldn’t. I had to throw up again and choked a little in the process. There was a knock on the bathroom door, and Dan asked uncertainly, "Xav, is everything okay?" When I didn’t answer, he pressed, "Xav?"
"It's all good!", I shouted, unintentionally angry. "O-Okay.", I heard Dan say. His voice sounded a bit hurt, and I hated myself for not being able to control my emotions properly.
When I felt better, I finally left the bathroom and looked for my partner. He wasn't in the living room, so I assumed he was in the bedroom. I carefully opened the door and found the dark-haired guy lying on the bed. He was reading a book but looked a bit down. I cautiously lay down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so angry.", I admitted softly. My partner closed his book and set it aside. He looked at me and smiled slightly. "It's okay, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately." I nodded slightly. Dan gently stroked my head, and I cuddled closer to him. Feeling his presence was incredibly comforting. Just having him there meant so much to me.
Suddenly, I felt a slight pulling in my stomach and tensed up a bit. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had to take care not just of myself but also of the little being inside me. A life with a child was unimaginable to me. I knew that my and Dan's daily life would fundamentally change, but I just couldn't picture how exactly.
"What was the book about that you were just reading?", I broke the prevailing silence between Dan and me. "Nothing special.", Dan replied. I looked at him skeptically and demanded, "Come on, what was it about?" Dan playfully sighed. "Since when are you interested in my books?"
"For about a minute. So, tell me."
"Just something about the body structure of Loup-gas. Like the functions of the brain, the ears, how information from the environment is processed, nervous systems-"
"Booooring.", I interrupted Dan's explanation; I didn't understand a word anyway. "I thought you wanted to know what it was about.", Dan said, amused. "I didn't know you read such nerdy stuff."
"Nerdy stuff? Are you saying I'm a nerd?", Dan asked, horrified. I grinned challengingly at him and said, "Nerdy Dan."
"Hey! That's not true; I'm not a nerd!" Dan had to laugh at his own claim. I turned so that I was lying on top of him and looked deep into his eyes. "Should I show you real biology?" Dan blushed, and I grinned cheekily. "Xav…"
"Mhh?" I started to press my hips against Dan's groin and move them. His face turned increasingly red with embarrassment. "Xav, I… s-so…", Dan stuttered. I found it amusing to tease him. "What is it, Dan?", I whispered softly to my partner, causing him to lose even more focus. I leaned in and licked his nose with my tongue. When I did this, Dan squinted his eyes shut. Just as I was about to lick his cheek, he put his hand over my mouth and looked at me. "Xav, I think that’s not such a good idea.", my partner explained gently. I looked at him confused and without understanding. "You just threw up and aren’t really fit. I don't think it would be good for you to exhaust yourself like this right now. I don’t mean anything bad by it; I’m just worried about you and the baby." Dan's last words made me pause. Was I not even allowed to sleep with my partner anymore?
Annoyed, I rolled away from Dan and lay down with my back to him. "Are you angry now?", Dan wanted to know. I turned stubborn in my head and didn’t answer. I was surely acting like a little child, but I didn’t care. I only heard a sigh from Dan's side before I noticed that he turned off the light and lay down.