Chapter 8
Shelby's P.O.V. (I know it's been a while huh :3)
I hate tents. Hate them. Hate them with a burning passion. And people kept putting me in them like it was an okay thing to do.
Karkat unzipped the damned thing, stepping inside. His eyes flickered over to me, probably looking malcontented, sitting on the blow-up mattress. He looked worried, sitting next to me on the bed.
"How do you feel today, darling?"
"I hate tents." I grumbled.
"I know. You tell me every day. I more meant like-"
"Baby-wise. Because that's all you care about." I sighed.
"Is not." He defended lamely.
"Is so. I'm fine though. And so is the baby. Anything else you wanted?" He huffed a slightly annoyed breath, picked me up, and curled me into his lap. Karkat took my hand, kneading my palm with his thumb.
"I don't only care about the baby. I care about Mama too."
"Nuh uh." I whined, prompting him to nuzzle under my jaw and press soft kisses on my neck. "You only want me for my uterus."
"Yes," Karkat said, rolling his eyes. "That's all I need you for."
"I knew it!"
"You called me out, blah blah blah, crappy apology," He let out a puff of breath on my neck, making me shiver. "But I have good news."
"Hmm?"
"It's been thirty days." He purred, keeping his face close enough to my neck his lips brushed against a nerve for every word he spoke.
"And?"
"Remember how you wanted you to measure every thirty days?"
"But I also told you that I needed the flexible measuring tape."
"Like this one?" He had a roll of red plastic, thin with marks for the distance. I nodded, feeling numb, and climbed out of his lap.
"Where did you find it?"
"The tape? At some strange store called GMC. I think."
"GNC, you mean?"
"Yeah. Do you want to do it?" Karkat was excited, more than I thought he'd be. His eyes were bright and hopeful.
"I'll let you do the honours." I grumbled. Let's see how fat I got.
"Do I need to pull up your shirt?"
"Yeah, wrap it over my navel."
"The hole in your stomach?"
"Uh... Yeah. It's called a navel."
"Oh. Okay." His hands were warm and rough on my waist. He carefully pulled my tank top up to my bra strap, keeping a hand pressed to keep it where it was. Karkat then wrapped the measuring tape over my navel, gently purring as he leaned on my back.
"Someone's cuddly." I murmured, looking at my stomach and praying the bump I saw was smaller than I felt like it was.
"I had to be on watch last night, I'm tired."
"So that's why it was drafty," The tape went limp and he let my shirt fall back into place.
"Thirty four inches."
"A definite bump then." I groaned.
"Mm, it's good. Means the baby is healthy, right?"
"I dunno. I don't like being heavy. I don't wanna be fat."
