#definitely not my coworkers. my friends hardly talk to me as is so trauma dumping is a no there.

[howcanisaveafallenangel]

i am. severely depressed lol.

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 80 // ft. Mason, Ean’o, Anby, and Kitan

#40 / Kitten

“I want to take a shower so you should probably join me. It’ll save water,” Mason suggested. Ean’o looked up from the journal he was reading and nodded. The alien followed him into their shared quarters’ bathroom. Mason was already mostly undressed and pulled off his boxers. Ean’o undressed, folding his clothes and setting them on the edge of the sink. Mason watched him, always fascinated by what Ean’o looked like underneath all the layers he wore.

His heavy belly was much bluer than the last time Mason had seen it, the spots on it even different shapes, more oblong and curvy than the small circles they’d been last week. They ran up his sides and down his legs, growing faint as they neared his shoulders and knees. The rest of him was vibrant shades of green and purple, with some yellows and speckles of red.

Ean’o had a healthy look to him, and it was clear he’d been eating well, as he was supposed to. Mason knew that though he was broad, he was skinny for his size. He didn’t look as appealing as Ean’o. Late nights researching and forgetting to eat without reminders had lead to his appearance. He was thankful that he had no desire to be appealing to anyone, as he probably wouldn’t be.

At least, that was what he’d been told.

He and Ean’o took their shower in silence, and Mason briefly wondered what it would be like if they were a real couple. The alien was carrying his biological children, but neither of them felt any romantic or sexual attraction to the other. If they were dating, would he want to touch Ean’o all the time? Feel possessive of him? He felt some concern for him, but it was the concern he would feel for any friend that was heavily pregnant.

“Mason, are you alright?” Ean’o asked, a worried look in his eyes. Mason blinked, coming back to the present. He finished drying himself, nodding. “You look preoccupied with something.”

“Just thinking.”

“I see. I also get lost in my thoughts while I bathe. Do you wish to discuss it?”

“I don’t think so. Just thinking about my asexuality, that’s all.”

Ean’o pulled on a sweater. “Interesting. Sometimes I think about mine as well. Did you know I once pursued a romantic relationship?”

“Really? What was it like?”

“My ex-husband was very kind to me, and I enjoyed his friendship. He did not resent me for my lack of attraction to him, though I do wish we had not co-inhabited. At the end of our marriage, he struggled with criminal issues, and because I was in close proximity, I was affected.”

“Oh.”

“He was released from prison and entered into a rehabilitative program a few years ago. I have not seen or spoken with him since a week before he was incarcerated.”

“Were you there when he was on trial?”

“No. I was in the hospital. I gave my testimony through an audio call.”

And he didn’t want to be too nosy, so he didn’t ask any more questions about it.

-

“You’re the father of Dr. Ean’o’s babies?”

Mason didn’t understand the visiting scientist’s reaction to when he said he was the father. Most people congratulated him or asked if they were in a relationship. This person looked horrified. “Yeah. It’s all scientific on my part, though. Ean’o wanted a few kids, and we discovered we were genetically compatible, so I donated my DNA. Since I have a medical license and experience treating hybrids, I was a good choice.”

“So you’re not even dating?”

“No. Neither of us feels romantic attraction.”

“His son is going to kill you.”

“Ean’o has a son?” In the few years he’d known Ean’o, he’d never once said anything about having any children.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“He told me he has an ex-husband. Didn’t mention the son.”

“Kid’s in his early teens. Very protective of his dad after the whole ‘tortured and almost killed by his serial killer husband, had been secretly manipulated and drugged on and off for years’ thing.”

“His ex was a serial killer?” He received an incredulous look in return. “He just said he was a criminal! And that he was a nice guy-”

“Yetan’oa is anything but nice, he just tricked Ean’o into thinking he was.”

“That’s horrible...So, uh… What’s his son’s name?”

“Kitan.”

“Kitten?”

“Kitan. Yeah, he’s definitely going to kill you.”

-

Early teens was an overstatement, Mason realized, after Ean’o asked him to go pick up the boy from the shuttle bay for him. Kitan had only just turned thirteen, and hardly looked it. He was small and scrawny, wearing an oversized jacket and too long pants.

Where Ean’o’s resting expression always seemed to be a small smile, Kitan’s neutral expression made him look angry. A small nanny robot buzzed by his shoulder, a bug-shaped machine with large green eyes that matched a necklace Kitan was wearing.

“Kitan?”

The boy eyed him warily. “Who are you?”

“I’m one of Dr. Ean’o’s coworkers, Dr. Mason S. You can call me Mason.”

“Mason. Where’s my dad?”

“He’s in the middle of an experiment, so he asked me to come get you.”

“I see.” Kitan didn’t look like he enjoyed talking to him, so Mason shut up and led him to the laboratory. When they got there, Mason could see that Ean’o was in the middle of fragile work, so he had Kitan sit at a computer console and wait for him to finish. Kitan sat in silence, holding his backpack on his lap.

His nanny boy’s eyes glowed slightly, and it said, “Kitan, it is important for you to socialize! You mustn’t isolate yourself.”

“Oh, if he doesn’t want to talk to me, he doesn’t have to.”

“Talking is good for him.”

“I remember when I was his age- I always felt horrible when my parents and therapists forced me to talk. It just made me quieter than ever.”

“Why were you so quiet? Did something happen to you?”

He really didn’t want to dump his own traumas on a traumatized child. “Yeah. Uh… Something did.”

“What was it? Something bad happened to me too.”

“Oh, um… I was kidnapped, when I was a kid. Some… not very fun things happened to me and a few of my peers.”

“My father would take me in his skipper when he killed people. What happened while you were missing?”

Mason didn’t really want to have to think about his past. “Uh… I’d really, um… I’d rather not talk about it. I don’t know you at all, really.”

Kitan frowned. “I’m sorry. Anby tells me to talk about things with people who might understand. I should have asked…” The robot did a little twirl in the air when it heard its name.

“It’s okay. Maybe after we get to know each other a bit, you can talk about what happened to you.”

“Maybe.”

He seemed like a nice boy. Mason didn’t see why the other scientist had said Kitan would kill him. It wasn’t nice to say Kitan would be prone to the same kind of behavior as his father. Ean’o was a very good person and would have been a bigger and more influencing part of Kitan’s life.

-

Mason soon realized that while Kitan might not have inherited any homicidal tendencies from his father, he was truly upset when he learned that Mason was the father of his unborn half-siblings. Ean’o had apparently never told his son he was going to be a big brother, and Kitan wasn’t taking the news very well.

First, he’d been distraught at the idea of his father and dad being near each other again, but Ean’o had laughed it off and assured his son that he hadn’t seen his father in years. “Besides,” he’d told a relieved Kitan, “-your siblings were conceived through in vitro fertilization. No physical contact of any kind necessary, and they’re hybrids. Your father is the same species as I am. He couldn’t possibly be the father.”

“Then you’re together with someone again?”

“No, not at all!”

“Then why are you having more kids?”

“I like being a parent. Mason thought it would be a good idea, so he offered to let me use his DNA when I mentioned that I wouldn’t mind having a baby to take care of. He convinced me to have your siblings.”

“But you aren’t good at making decisions!”

“I make plenty of decisions, Kitan.”

“Work decisions! Small decisions! You don’t make good life decisions by yourself anymore. You haven’t since you met Father.”

“I think it’s a good decision. I like children. I have enough money, a place to raise them, and a job that will allow me time to take care of them on my home.”

Something about that had rattled Kitan, and he’d started to snarl at Mason in a language Mason didn’t know. It sounded somewhat familiar, and he was sure he’d heard Ean’o singing quietly a song in the same language. His home planet’s native language, perhaps.

As Kitan got louder, Ean’o got more agitated. He turned away and started humming quietly, wrapping his arms around himself. Kitan’s robot beeped sadly, eyes turning blue. It bumped into Kitan’s head, and he stopped mid-sentence to look at it. It buzzed and turned to look at Ean’o. Kitan did the same, and his face fell.

After a moment, Kitan clenched his fists and ran, leaving his backpack behind. His robot zoomed after him, saying his name.

Mason wasn’t very sure exactly had happened, but he hoped he somehow hadn’t accidentally ruined the relationship between Ean’o and his son.