To Build A Home

Chapter 5- Discomfort and Embarrassment

The amount of times she had gone back and forth between living room and the bathroom were absolutely mind boggling. It wasn't just her overreactive bladder, but her highly sensitive stomach as well. In just the past week, she had used the bathroom, for sickness alone, at least fifteen times. Sixteen if you count the unfortunate incident where she didn't quite make it to the bathroom in time.
Just today, she had thrown up four times. Once due to morning sickness and the other three due to her stomach not being able to handle the smells of food. Despite almost being done with the first trimester—in human terms— her morning sickness had not yet gone away, nor did it decrease in frequency.
Steven had more or less so 'banished' her to the couch, suggesting that she rest there for the reminder of the day. He had left her with a glass of water equipped with a straw for 'easy access' and an empty bowl for emergency use.
"Do all human women experience this ? On the same level of severity?" She asked as she lay on the couch, taking a sip of water.
"I would assume no... It could be the... Er..." Steven paused, not wanting to phrase his answer in a disrespectful way. "Mixing of species..."
   "Yeah...? Well our hybrid child is going to pay for what they're putting me through."
   "I highly doubt you're going to stick to that. Seems to me like you already care too much about them to say that truthfully."
   "How do you know?"
   "It's not hard to tell." Steven said, chuckling to himself. "You already love the child despite it only being the size of an apple."
  Krolia suddenly turned onto her side, tilting her head to look at Steven. "Is it just me or does my stomach look really small in comparison to the amount of months that have passed?"
   "No...? It seems normal to me. How far along are you? In weeks? Ten, right?"
   "Yeah, ten. But are you sure?! It looks really tiny..."
   Steven simply shrugged, "I don't think it is."
   "Well, normally, with my species this is close to the halfway mark. But I'm barely showing."
   "Yeah... You've still got two months or so until you reach the halfway point in human pregnancy."
   "So... My physical changes are akin to your species, but everything is a mix of both... But on steroids."
   "Never thought of it like that, but I guess you could say that..."
   Krolia nodded, sitting up slowly. "I'm sure that if I didn't have such a keen sense of smell, none of this would be happening."
   "You sure do like to complain a lot."
   "I've thrown up four times today. I deserve to be able to complain."
   "Alright...."
   "I would love one of those sandwiches you make right now." She mumbled suddenly. Looking to Steven hopefully.
   "Cravings...?"
   "Something like that."
   "I'm not allowed to say no, am I...?"
   "Nope," she hummed, getting off the couch, making her way to the kitchen counter. "Besides, it's noon, which means it's lunchtime."
   With a nod, Steven cooperated with her wishes, and began preparing a meal for her.
   Krolia took a seat at the counter, resting her back against the seat rest.
   "So... about names..." Steven began, giving her a look that suggested he wanted her to start the conversation.
   "Absolutely not." She said, shaking her head. "I already told you, no discussion of names. I'm not getting attached to one because that means getting attached to a gender, and I do not want to do that."
   "There are plenty of gender neutral names." Steven explained. "Alex for example, is short for Alexander or Alexis. Sam, short for Samantha or Samuel. Then there's Aaron or Erin. And then you have gender specific, like Amanda or Claire, both girl names. Or for boys, Richard or Kei—"
   "No! I'm not talking about names. Galra don't name their children until they're born." She said sternly. "And no matter how much I despise my lineage, I'm sticking to that rule."
   "Well, humans tend to like it..."
   Krolia shot him an angered glare, shutting him up instantly. "We aren't taking about it. End if discussion."
   Steven sighed, grabbing a plate from one of the cupboards, "fine. We won't discuss names until after they're born."
   "You're welcome to talk about anything else. Supplies would be a good idea. Especially getting them. Unless of course, you'd like to deal with my nesting needs without having the necessary items. That would be fun."
   "I'm getting hints of sarcasm in your tone."
   Krolia grinned, nodding her head. "Oh definitely. I am not looking forward to that. It's normally accompanied with awful mood swings too. Which probably means—"
   "You'll be prone to aggression?" Steven asked, finishing her sentence for her.
   "Yeah. I'll be easily aggravated. Just make note of it if it happens."
   "You know I will." He placed the sandwich he had made on a plate and handed to Krolia. "You really like these, huh?"
   "Either I like the sandwiches, or they're making me like them."
"Well, regardless, I'm glad someone likes what I'm making."
   "You're welcome..." she said, her eyes drifting to the window. "It looks like it'll be clear tonight."
   "You wanna stargaze again...?"
   Krolia nodded. "If I feel up for it. Don't want to push myself to stay awake if I feel like I did this morning."
   "Thinking like a mother..." Steven thought aloud. "I'll gladly take you if you're feelin' alright."
   She smiled, one of her kinder smiles she let only Steven see. "Could we go to check on the Blue Lion as well...?"
   "If there's time, Love. If there's time."
   A comforting silence settled upon the two. A peaceful kind of quiet. Somewhat calming.
   Krolia's head quickly turned back to Steven as something tingled her nose. An unfamiliar smell. One strong and sickening. "What is that awful smell....?!"
   "They're just eggs..." Steven explained. "Hard boiled eggs."
"It's disgusting."
"But... They're eggs..."
   "Oh no..." With another waft of the smell, she was gone, bolting for the bathroom. She had her hand clasped tightly around her lips, the feeling of nausea was strong. She felt her gag reflexes begin to force the contents of her stomach back up her throat.
   She barely made it to the bathroom in time, immediately coughing up what she could. It was a small amount of partly digested food, but that didn't matter. The burning sensation of stomach acid stung her throat, it made her cough and gag multiple times before her stomach finally calmed down.
   "You better get rid of that!" She ordered, catching her breath as she leaned against the shower behind her. "I'm not leaving the bathroom until you do!"
   Steven did as he was told, disposing of the food that had set her stomach on edge.
   Krolia splashed her face with water from the sink, doing her best to slow her breathing.
   "What was that all about...?" Steven asked her, poking his head into the doorway to check on her. "You've never had that reaction to eggs before."
   "I don't know, but it better not happen again." Her tone of voice suggested she was more than a little fed up with everything that was going on, and her facial features were pulled into a scowl. She was not in a good mood. Not anymore.
"I'll keep a mental note..."
   Krolia slowly left the bathroom, heading to the couch instead of the kitchen.
   "Don't you wanna finish—"
   "Put it in the fridge!" She ordered. "Please. I can't eat anything right now." She lay down, resting her head on one of the pillows, curling up as much as she could.
   "I know I shouldn't ask..." Steven began, sitting by her feet, "but are you feeling alright?"
   "Emotionally or physically?" She asked, staring blankly at the wall.
   "Um, both I guess."
   "I feel really warm and uncomfortable, probably because I just vomited... But emotionally... I feel broken..."
   "Broken...?"
"I guess. It's hard to explain, but over the past few days with everything that's been going on..." She shrugged, looking to Steven, "my moral is getting pretty low..."
"Oh... I see..."
"I'm complaining too much as always, aren't I?"
Steven shook his head, chuckling a little. "No, no. You're not complaining. Not this time at least."
Krolia gave him a glance, one suggestion that she didn't believe what he had said.
"I mean it, Krolia." He told her, stroking her arm gently. "Today has been pretty rough for you, hasn't it?"
"Well, considering the fact that I've vomited five times today, and it's only noon, yeah... It's pretty awful."
   "I'm really sorry about this..." Steven said with a sigh, slowly taking ahold of her hand. "All of it. I wish there was something I could do to help ya'."
"Just keep doing what you're doing. It means a lot to know I have someone here for me. The support is all I need..."
Silence fell over them as he said nothing in return.
"Say something, please. This is getting to be a really uncomfortable situation."
   Still, nothing.
   "Steven, please!"
"Sorry... It's just... I've never heard ya' say anythin' like that. Are you alright mentally??" He asked her half jokingly.
Immediately, Krolia turned bright red. "Apparently not!" She covered her face with her hands, sighing and shaking her head, disappointed with herself. "I cannot believe I just said that. Please tell me I didn't actually say something that... nice!"
Steven couldn't help it, he just started laughing. "Yeah, ya' did. I think this hormonal imbalance is having a nice effect on you."
"Stop it! You're being so mean!" She grabbed the pillow behind her, throwing it at Steven. "This 'nice hormonal imbalance' is really messing me up! You know it is."
Steven easily caught the pillow before it hit him, and placed it in his lap. "Yeah... But mood swing Krolia is much nicer than normal Krolia."
"I really want to hit you right now. You're such a bully."
"I'm the bully...? Even though you're the one who just threatened to hurt me."
   "Yep. You're the bully. Picking on me in this condition."
   Steven raised an eyebrow at her last statement. "I thought you said you didn't like your pregnancy being referred to as a condition..."
   "I don't know what like anymore..."
   He stayed quiet, only slightly nodding his head. Her mood had shifted suddenly. Not necessarily a mood swing, but it was clear she had a different outlook on the world now than she did a few seconds ago. He wanted her to speak, to explain herself, to try an work around her feelings.
   With a long sigh, she continued what she had to say. "It's probably because of all of the nausea and vomiting... But I can't help but feel that I've made a bad choice. It's not that I regret keeping the child, I just—" Krolia cut herself off, letting out another sigh. "I've had enough of the sickness, and the mood swings, and... For the first time ever, I feel self conscious, and it's because of this bump. Which is only going to get bigger! And no matter what I do, I won't be able to hide it with loose shirts forever. Everything that's happened to me since I became pregnant has been so demoralizing. I regret my decision, but at the same time, I don't! It's so frustrating!"
   "Would you like my opinion...?" Steven hesitantly asked.
   She nodded, her eyes fixed on the floor.
   "I think that this is all very new for ya'. You're not used to any of it, and neither am I... But I also think that the same changes that are makin' you upset and frustrated, are the same changes that are making you love the choice you made. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice. You want to be a mother. You want to succeed in raising a child. You want those things. But the price you pay, so to speak, are the drawbacks of pregnancy. Neither of us knew how awful this would be for you, and quiet frankly, I feel responsible for it all. However, I also know how much you and I both want this. And that's what keeps me from truly regrettin'what's happened."
"You're not wrong... I do want this... I really do... But I don't even know if the emotions I'm feeling right now are real or not. And that alone is making me all the more frustrated."
"Don't think too much about that. I understand what you're sayin', but if you ask me, you're free to feel however you please."
"Not everyone can look at the world the way you do..."
Steven nodded, acknowledging her statement. "That's true, but if I'm the one supporting you, then don't ya' think my opinion is quite important?"
Krolia shrugged, "I suppose, but I still have to deal with my own opinions."
"I...? There's no 'I' anymore. We're a team. You're not dealing with these things alone. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm going to help you. No matter what you're goin' through."
"No matter what?"
Steven nodded. "No matter what." He gave a loving smile before standing up, "now come finish your lunch so you can rest."
"And if I don't?"
"I won't take you to see the stars."
Krolia leapt off the couch, hurrying to the kitchen. There was no way she'd pass up an opportunity to go outside. She had to go.

***

   "I'm goin' to ask one last time.. Are ya' sure you're up for a long walk across the desert at night?" Steven asked, helping her put on her light jacket.
   "Yeah... It'll clear my mind of the awful things that I suffered through today."
"True... But are you sure? Maybe we could—"
"You promised!" Krolia whined. "You promised we'd go. It's clear and relatively warm. I'll be fine!"
After a few minutes of pleading from Krolia, Steven gave in and stuck to his word.
The night air was cool and calming. As they walked through the sandy terrain, Krolia kept her eyes on the sky. There was only one place in the entire universe where she could look up at the stars an feel at peace. Only one planet where the sky is uninhabited by warring species. Earth was the only planet whose outdoor environment was free from the worry of being enslaved by the Galra Empire. The one planet that felt like home.
It wasn't long before the two were walking hand in hand through the desert. The moonlight and quiet surroundings made it more than a little romantic, although only Steven took notice to the fact.
"Tell me why you like the night sky so much, again." He asked when they reached their destination, an isolated plateau not too far from their home. Not too close either.
Krolia hummed quietly as she thought of her answer. "It's beautiful... The stars, the moon, the faint clouds. It's comforting." She took her seat, leaning back, propping herself up with her arms spread out behind her. "It's a reminder that not every planet is overrun by Zarkon and his bloodthirsty men and women."
"You think the night sky is all of that?"
She nodded, "Only here is it able to be this wonderful."
Steven smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist. "It is a beautiful sight. Although... It isn't as beautiful as you."
Krolia began the blush madly, the corners of her lips twisting upwards into an embarrassed smile. "Your flirtatious tactics don't work on me." She lied, visibly pleased by his comment.
"Of course they don't."
Krolia leaned her head against her lover's shoulder, finally able to relax after a day of absolute hellish feelings.
"Do you want me to name the constellations, or do you want to name 'em yourself?" Steven asked, glancing down to look at her.
"I like when you do it."
Steven nodded, pointing to the first, most obvious constellation.
Even though she could name each and every one of them herself, Krolia enjoyed hearing Steven talk her through the constellations, their meanings and their origins. One might say she liked when he talked about the stars because it was an excuse to hear his voice. She couldn't deny that she did like hearing him talk. All lovers enjoy the sounds of each other's voices.
Once all had been named, the two looked to the sky, both feeling at peace. The stars of the night sky do that to you.
Something caught Krolia's eyes, and she immediately lit up with excitement. "Look!" Pointing to the sky, she said, "It's a comet."
"Are you going to make a wish?" Steven teased, knowing how much she liked the people of Earth's conspiracies and myths.
Krolia, however, took this quite seriously, as she went ahead and made a wish.
Surprised by her commitment to actually make a real wish, or at least pretend to, Steven couldn't help but ask what she had asked for.
"You know I can't tell you."
"It's not real magic. Just tell me what you wished for. If it's reasonable, I could help it come true."
Krolia shook her head. "It's a secret until it comes true."
"You're far too optimistic about the rules of making a wish..."
"Trust me, it's important enough that I don't want to risk the chances of it coming true."
"Alright... Keep your secrets, but just know that a comet has no real magic. It's just a rock. And like nature, it has no abilities."
"Your species really is primitive, huh?"
Steven chuckled, "what? Do you know of magic trees?"
"No, but the Olkari can manipulate nature. They're one of the peoples we're trying to free..."
Steven only nodded. By now, the mention of alien species, enslaved or not, didn't phase him much. "Well, when the Blades finally do free them, send some here. We could do with a few engineers."
"I've never met one, but they helped build the lions. Or so I was told."
"Then they'll definitely have to come to Earth. We need some new technology."
The Marmora giggled quietly to herself, slowly beginning to lean all of her weight on her lover. "I'll send word to them immediately."
For almost an hour, their convention continued, accompanied with laughter, occasional silence and multiple smiles. The two were happy together. Very happy. The night sky set the moon perfectly. Relaxing and beautiful, Steven and Krolia both were able to rest and talk in the moonlight. The whole time, the two were calm and happy. Just how they should be.