By now, it was near the end of summer and Risa was feeling it. Her belly, though not as big as she feared it would be, was still colossal, settling around a “due with twins” size. Her belly button stood out proudly like a popped oven timer, poking out through whatever shirt or dress she was wearing to advertise her condition. Not that anyone needed it to tell; the roundness of her belly was distinctive and so was the waddling gait that was her walk.
Risa ran an affectionate hand over her belly, smiling a content, indulgent smile. She knew from all her research that she had been lucky in her Squig hosting; Cocoa was not only small but extremely intelligent and thoughtful. She had not even been born yet, but she knew that the strong movements of her tentacles caused a commotion when they were around strangers and that the attention was not usually good. Her Squig also knew the difference between people’s voices and had preferences for certain people, although Risa took care never to admit it.
She wasn’t sure when she had transitioned from thinking about Cocoa as “it” to “her”. The name lent itself to a female, but Cocoa was technically a hermaphrodite and not really completely one or the other. Still, words like “her” and “she” kept popping into Risa’s vocabulary and thoughts, and they both were content with that. Besides, boys tended to be trouble makers, at least all the boys in Risa’s experiences (with the exception of Alec), and her girl was too well behaved and too considerate to be anything but feminine.
“It’s okay if you’re hungry, sweetie,” Risa mused softly, sinking as gently as she could into the waiting cushions of her couch. By now, her belly was so swollen and cumbersome that she was at home full time, at least for a few weeks. Her doctor insisted that her birth would not be far away now, but Squig pregnancies had even more unexpected due dates than human births, so Cocoa might surprise them both and stay in longer than she should.
“You know I always have some in the house for you,” Risa continued, reaching for the bag on the table next to her couch. She popped a couple of chocolate covered raisins into her mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the taste. The whole chocolate thing was still a bit of a mystery to Risa; she still kind of hated it, but the euphoria she felt when eating it kept her from swearing it off again. She knew that it was actually Cocoa who liked it, and until she gave birth, Risa couldn’t deny her the most favorite of her treats. It was the one thing Cocoa regularly asked for and Risa couldn’t in good conscience say no.
Risa leaned back and laid her head on the back edge of the couch, placing the chocolate covered raisin bag on her belly and rubbing below it. Cocoa shifted lazily inside her womb, a sign that always meant she was grateful and content. Risa herself was tired (being so pregnant was hard work) and she closed her eyes, letting Cocoa’s calm and soothingly happy feelings wash over her.
Somewhere in her kitchen, Megan’s laughter broke the silence and her content euphoric moment. Risa opened one eye but somehow managed not to glare at her friend too much.
“I’m sorry, but the look on your face,” Megan told her. “You look so done.”
Risa sighed, looking down at the humungous mound in her lap. Underneath her sundress, it was all Squig, every firm, squirming, quivering inch of it. Her hand looked so small as it rubbed the surface, dwarfed by the fecundity below.
“That’s because I kinda am,” she answered. “I mean, I know Cocoa will spend a lot of time in there after she is born, but I am ready to give birth and take a break.” She braced both hands on the couch and shifted her position to something more comfortable. Her belly wobbled awkwardly, not really moving with her but because of her, too heavy to be in sync with her body. Once she was settled, Cocoa wriggled into a new position herself before calming back down and easing into a napping state.
“She’s so big,” Risa commented softly, now using both hands to rub her swollen abdomen. Sometimes, Cocoa gave a weird, quivering sensation which reminded Risa almost of a purring cat. It was not quite the same but she was pretty sure the sentiment was similar. Beneath her hands, Cocoa was falling into a deeper sleep, sedated by the chocolate and the rhythmic movement of her host’s hands.
Risa herself wanted a nap too, but Megan was here cleaning her apartment and she didn’t want to be rude. It had become a routine of sorts for both women; Megan would come over every other night, cook and clean and generally make a fuss. A year ago, Risa would have thrown her friend out for meddling with her daily routine, but right now she felt too pregnant and too tired to care. And she couldn’t help but remember that shopping trip a couple months back. If Megan had decided that cleaning Risa’s apartment for her was the best way to vent her maternal instincts, Risa was going to let her do it.
“I’m excited for the birth, but I think I’ll also be sad. I can’t explain it.”
“I think a lot of mothers feel that way. It’s that maternal instinct thing. It doesn’t matter if Cocoa is a Squig; she was still dependent on you the same way a human fetus would be,” Megan said, moving to a different spot. “By the way, I finally found out why Alec already knew about the Squigs when you first told us about Cocoa.”
When Risa didn’t respond, Megan looked up from the floor she had been sweeping and walked over to the couch. Her pregnant friend blinked sleepily, obviously trying to stay awake.
“Hey. Go to sleep if you need to,” Megan reassured her gently, slowly taking the bag of raisins off her belly and putting them back on the small side table. “I’m going to keep cleaning and then I’ll make you some dinner for when you wake up.”
“Thank you,” Risa whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Megan placed a hand on one of Risa’s, pressing it gently to the surface of her belly. “Naps are too good to pass up.” She stayed there until Risa’s eyes closed and her face relaxed completely before resuming her work.
*****
The Squig was finally done. Its adult form was finally complete and at the proper weight to survive outside of its host. Although its cognitive development would continue once it was born, it was at a stage where a variety of interactive stimuli was needed to further the process, much more than it could get inside of Risa.
The adult Squig now had nine fully formed appendages, including the umbilical tentacle that connected it to the host. Most of them were for motion, but two of them were for reproduction and would probably stay retracted with its umbilical tentacle until needed. All three of its eyes were fully functional and opened, and all of its internal organs were mature.
Instinctively, the Squig began systematically testing its host before starting the birth process. It needed to make sure that Risa was ready to be its permanent host before it left. If the process wasn’t complete, then rejoining the host would be more difficult, and sometimes that led to rejection.
Rejection at this stage wouldn’t kill the Squig like it would have at the larval stage, but Cocoa’s mind was intelligent enough to fear rejection on an emotional level. It loved its host. It couldn’t imagine its life without her. Rejection wouldn’t be a death warrant, but Cocoa would be sad and lonely for the rest of its life.
Testing the host’s new changes was a slow, but necessary process. Cocoa knew that Risa’s skin was now permanently stretchy and springy; she would never get stretch marks no matter how much her womb was filled. It was the uterine and cervical muscles that needed to be tested.
At least the tests were… pleasant. The process was designed to associate birthing contractions and pressure as pleasurable experiences. There would still be some pain associated, but on the whole, the host should be made to feel comfortable with (and in some cases enjoy) birthing or rehosting the Squig companion on a regular basis.
Finally, the instincts of the Squig signaled that both the Risa and Cocoa were ready. It was time to be born.
*****
Risa sat up in her bed, exhausted and slightly sore but also filled with an anxious anticipation. For two days she had been plagued with waves of intense moments of mixed pain and sexual pleasure. She had been feeling similar twinges for weeks, but the doctor had likened them to Braxton Hicks contractions rather than the real deal. She had thought that her recent feelings were just more intense versions of those until yesterday, when the waves began to be accompanied by building and building pressure.
She hadn’t told anyone that she was in labor. Somehow, she had been able to hide it from Megan when she had come over to cook and clean for her the day before. Her labor had gotten more intense last night after Megan had left, and Risa was grateful that her body had waited. She had known for some time that she had wanted to give birth alone, especially once she realized that it might not proceed like a human birth.
The labor itself hadn’t been as orgasmic as some of the other Squig hosts had led her to believe, but it wasn’t painful like normal birth either. There had been overwhelming pressure and an incredible desire to push, but the contractions themselves had almost driven Risa to a sexual frenzy. It was not that the arousal was as intense as the pressure, but it was just as constant, and the large boulder that was her belly prevented her from reaching her groin to properly alleviate the feeling.
She had both been prepared and unprepared for Cocoa to help with that. As soon as the Squig was able, she tentively slipped the tip of a tentacle out of Risa to reach where her fingers couldn’t reach. Risa had known it would happen, but the feeling of it surprised her so much that they were both momentarily overcome with panic. After a long minute or two, Risa relaxed, Cocoa slowly reached out again, and soon Risa was feeling too good to worry that she was being pleasured by something sticking out of her own womb.
After that, the birth was a long blur of mixed pain and pleasure. Risa, even so soon after it, couldn’t recall much of anything but pushing, and then a final feeling of being empty.
Now, at almost 7:30 am, Risa looked down at the creature she had held and nourished in her womb for so long, covered in amniotic slime and glistening in the early morning sun. It was writhing its many tentacles between her legs, all just as dark as the day she had found it on her way home from class. It was bigger than she’d thought it would be, and her tired mind wondered briefly how she had fit it all inside her for so long. She could see no eyes, but she got the distinct impression that the Squig was just as tired as she was.
Risa clumsily reached down and sluggishly pulled the Squig out from between her legs and up to her chest. Together, they laid back against the bed, exhausted, and slept.
Three hours later, Risa woke again when she felt something shifting against her chest and neck. She opened her eyes and found a large, inhuman, golden eye staring back at her. She studied it for a moment, noticing that the oval iris was ringed with an intense green.
Risa pulled back and sat up slowly, not wanting to startle the creature she was sharing her bed with. The Squig was no longer completely black; each tentacle was edged in a flexible fringe that was just as gold as the eye, with the very tips the same intense green. Almost all of them were wrapped around her chest and arms, except for one that still lingered between her legs. As she looked the Squig over, she noticed that it had two more eyes that were less than half the size of the main one, but with the same color scheme. The whole effect was so beautiful, especially in the sunlight, that Risa felt herself tearing up.
“Hi Cocoa,” she whispered softly, overcome with joy and unable to say anything else.
In her arms, the Squig quivered and let out a small trilling chirp before blinking at her affectionately.
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