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Spending a night in silence was a rare occurrence, these days. In the past, it had unnerved Stella, but then she had grown accustomed to quiet nights with Eheeya when they were shut away from prying eyes.
Now it was unnerving her again.
Eheeya had started doing better after six months, adjusting to the strange sensations of his adapting body and the unwanted attention from the Arcadion.
Now, at eight months, Eheeya was flagging again - and hard. Both xbr’aal and shetona pregnancies lasted about ten months, which at least meant that they didn’t have to worry about gestation deviances like a lot of couples of different races did.
Then again, they had to worry about it being triplets - Lumo had warned them both that the chances of Eheeya making it to forty-four weeks were slim to none. Stella was just glad that Lumo had returned to Solution Nine before the babies came - she had done all her research and had prepared herself to be ready for any problem, but even if Lumo wasn’t a doctor, it was good to have any trained medical personnel.
It also meant that Stella finally felt fully comfortable being back in her apartment with Eheeya instead of Tritails. If there was an emergency, surely someone would call.
It did mean she could no longer rely on Sugar gently teasing Eheeya into socializing, but that was fine. Stella was the one engaged to him, and she liked to think she knew him better than just about anyone else, at this point.
So when time trickled on and the clock read midnight, she turned over in bed to look toward Eheeya’s back. She reached out, wrapping an arm around him and pausing at the way he froze, waiting for him to stop her. But he didn’t, he relaxed, so Stella let herself as well, splaying her hand and rubbing slow, comforting circles against the tight expanse of skin.
If there was one thing Arcadion life had been good for, it was affording a large enough bed that there was room for not only the both of them, but Eheeya’s giant triplet bump. Stella was thankful to not be on the couch, as happily as she would take it if asked.
“Can’t sleep, baby?”
“Can’t sleep, baby.”
Stella snorted softly, hearing him parrot her words back at her with exhaustion throughout his tone. It sounded almost as though he was on the verge of tears from frustration, however, and she couldn’t bear to let him suffer for an act they both had part in.
Stella rose from the bed, deftly rolling off it and trying not to take the lack of Eheeya’s usual call for her to come back personally. Instead she dipped into the bathroom, turning on the faucet and then making her way to the kitchen, picking out a tea blend Lumo had returned with, suggested by Hawa. It only took a few minutes to set everything up, but once she was pleased with herself, she returned to their bed.
Eheeya had bags under his eyes that were swept away every time Sugar did his make-up for the camera, his hair rumpled and overall visage tired. Stella kneeled at the bedside, brushing her fingers back through his hair and feeling slightly better when his face lost a bit of tension.
“C’mon, baby, let’s try a change of scenery.”
“Ugh, Stell,” Eheeya groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, “I don’t wanna have to get up again. I can’t even get up without the belly band Honey sourced.”
“I’ll carry you.”
Stella’s soft, yet firm, tone was endlessly soothing to Eheeya, and after a moment or two more of pouting he sighed, relenting to her. “If it makes you happy.”
Stella was immensely gentle as she stood, hooking one arm under Eheeya’s legs while her other wrapped beneath his shoulders. Eheeya gave a slight grunt as he was hefted up into her arms, no position comfortable at all these days, in his excellent expert opinion.
“I dunno how I’m not too heavy for you,” Eheeya mumbled into a soft patch of Stella’s fur as she took him into the bathroom, easing him into the tub after removing his sleep clothes. His fiancee gave a blank stare with her void-black eyes, almost considering for a moment before she shrugged.
“You’re not as heavy as Sugar Riot’s transformation. Can’t lift her like that for long, but this is nothing compared to that.”
“Flatterer.” Eheeya’s voice lilted up slightly, cheeky intonation bringing a small smile to Stella as she leaned down, kissing his temple. She gestured to the stool she had put to the side of the bath, upon which was a thermos and book.
“Mint and ginger tea and a textbook about advanced mathematics from some place called Sharlayan. The tea was a gift from Hawa, the book a suggestion from Omoux. He told Lumo that it was a surefire way to put anyone outside of academia asleep. I have the heater on the tub running, so it should stay nice and warm for as long as you want.”
Stella didn’t blink as Eheeya’s ears twitched, ignoring the moisture that threatened to gather in his eyes.
“What’s a guy like me doing to keep a gal like you?”
She shrugged, sitting on the edge of the tub. “Nice ass. Cute grin. Able to keep up all night long on the dance floor. What more could anyone ask for?”
“Get in with me?”
His smile was damningly soft, almost shy, two fingers hooked around her wrist as he looked up at her through his eyelashes. Stella could not help but snort, moving to take off her nightwear.
After a minute or two more, Stella found herself sitting behind Eheeya in their bath with him nestled in between her legs. She nuzzled against the back of his hair and down into his neck, both hands running along the expanse of his bump in what she hoped was a soothing manner.
“You’ve dropped.”
“Isn’t it early for that?”
A shrug. “Not so much for multiples. Probably still have at least a month to go. You’ve been doing so well, Eheeya. You’ve gotten a lot better at letting us help take care of you.”
“Yeah, well…”
Stella hummed good-naturedly as Eheeya’s words failed, going so far as to laugh a bit when he turned onto his side, muttering incomprehensibly into her chest.
Stella didn’t know much about the math the textbook provided, but she didn’t much care, either. It gave her something to do while Eheeya slowly began to doze off against her, though it was easy to put the book down to better stroke through his hair. With a kiss to the base of his ears, Stella settled in.
She’d give up every night of sleep if it meant he could in her stead.