Ehhh?
Jax (M Wasp Man) & Cerise (F Human)
They were finally blessed with a small dry spell of luck as they wandered the mists of the Violet Oaks in search of a shelter for the night. The cold air prickled against her skin and raised goosebumps all over her as she trudged behind Jax in the mud. In the recent days Cerise has struggled to keep up with Jax despite his slower pace he set for them and she didn’t want to slow him down now that they had a chance to move without rain. Between certain strange smells in the forest hitting her wrong and her feet occasionally swelling up when they walked for too long, they stopped to take breaks for her to rest or to empty out her stomach. Jax was ever so patient with her and worried with her ill state as she pushed herself, and Cerise felt terribly guilty for slowing them down since they left the Drider Castle. While they had been gone long enough to have outrun the hunters and the knights, they had no clue how close or far away they were from the castle.
They’d been gone for a little over two months and were still wandering in the depths of the misty forest. It was strange to traverse a land they could never properly see and never know the end of it; it always gave her such unease. Jax reassured her time and time again that he knew they were getting farther from the castle, something to do with his antennae senses but Cerise couldn’t help but worry after one of the poor girls were dragged back to the harem. The Drider King had shown no mercy and took her down to the coliseum to be used to breed more fighters. While she knew Jax wouldn’t allow her to suffer the same fate, he’d rather die than let her go back, she couldn’t help but worry. Every time she worried her stomach churned uncomfortably and she felt another wave of sickness rolling within her. She truly tried not to worry because she was sure she didn’t have anything else in her stomach to throw up and she was feeling weaker than normal and extremely heavy. She did her best not to let Jax know as he walked in front of her and silently clutched her stomach and rubbed it in soothing motions. She just needed to make it to the next spot they could use as a shelter and she would be fine.
The idea of snuggling up with Jax was horribly tempting and left her with an insane craving for a dry place to sleep and his affection. She’d never felt safer or more at peace than when she was cocooned in his four arms with his lips brushing sweet kisses to her forehead and the strange rumbling buzz in his chest. He was strong and lithe and just felt like home and all she wanted now was to be wrapped in his arms Just thinking about it was enough to make her sigh in content and give her the mental boost she needed to get through this. She was determined to push through this last trek when her ankle caught in a tree root and gravity pulled her forward. A small yip of panic escaped her before she was quickly caught in Jax’s embrace.
“Are we in need of another break, cherry?” He tilted his head with a knowing smirk, and she felt her face burn in shame and embarrassment as she tried to look away.
“I’d really rather we didn’t.” She pouted slightly and cursed the mud between her toes and the soft throbbing in her ankle. “We need to find a place for the night.”
“I’ll still find us a place, Cerise.” His golden irises entranced her as his hands stealthily plucked her up from the mud and carried her over to a rock to examine her foot and ankle. “Does it hurt?”
“Not much.” She gritted her teeth and shook her head at him, and he gave her a disapproving look. He sat back on his haunches and cupped her cheeks with one set of hands and the others resting on her knee.
“You don’t have to push yourself so far, my little mate.” Her face warmed at the name under his leathery smooth fingers and found herself unable to look away from him as he pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine. . .” She didn’t even convince herself of that. “I haven’t thrown up today.”
“You’ve hardly eaten anything either.” He frowned at her and combed his fingers through her hair. “You’re not as strong when you’re sick and I don’t want you making yourself worse.”
His concern for her both warmed her heart and tore it at the seams simultaneously as guilty crept in again. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He shook his head and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. “I just don’t want you making yourself ill.”
“I’ll be good again once we find a place to sleep for the night.” She smiled up at him and hoped it was warmer than it felt and didn’t look as guilty as she felt.
“And once I get something warm into you.” He chuckled and patted her stomach gingerly and paused with a curious look. “Did you eat something when I wasn’t looking?”
“No.” Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “I ate berries with you this morning for breakfast. That’s all I had today.”
When Jax didn’t say anything and his dotted yellow brows dipped further into contemplation, a thought she’d been trying to ignore crept in her mind. His golden eyes were focused on her stomach as if searching for the answer for her illness and his antennae bobbed and touched her skin. She’d come to really like the gentle feeling of his antennae on her skin, but sometimes it unnerved her when he got like this. Just what was it that he could sense or see that she couldn’t? His mandibles clicked nervously before he shook his head and finally stood.
“Can you remain here and rest while I scout ahead?”
The question had completely caught her off guard that she blinked up at him. “Yes, but why?”
He didn’t smile as he looked down at her and she didn’t like the dread creeping in her bones as she sat looking up at him. “I sense something up ahead and I’d rather you not get hurt.”
“What?” She went to stand, but his four hands gently rested on her shoulders to keep her seated.
“I’ll be right back.” He promised and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “Just stay right here, okay?”
“O-Okay?” He pressed another kiss to her forehead before he stepped back and thrummed his wings to life. Though she’d watch them work hard and fast before, the unearthly roar of his wings never ceased to startle her as well as amaze her before he took to the sky. It didn’t take long for him to disappear in the mists and treetops above and Cerise felt lonely without his presence near and prayed he wouldn’t leave her after everything they’ve been through. She wouldn’t blame him of course, there was nothing more troubling than having to take care of an ill person when you were on the run. She could only hope she meant as dearly to him as he did to her after the nights they’d shared together since fleeing the castle; though for some that wasn’t enough to say around.
Cerise was never one to get sick for more than a day and the fact she was so sporadically sick these last few weeks didn’t settle well with her. That thought she kept trying to ignore kept rearing its head and she wasn’t sure if she was prepared to deal with the consequences of the reality if it was true. Everything on her side lined up, the sickness, the strange weight in her stomach, and they’d definitely spent more than one night together and while they were sure they managed to get all of Jax’s eggs out of her, there was still a chance that one or two could have gotten stuck.
“No, it couldn’t be possible, could it?” Her hand slid down to her stomach where Jax had touched and while she didn’t feel anything human within her, there were two strange knots there that wasn’t there before.
The thought froze in her mind as she heard the strange roaring of Jax’s wings before he landed before her with a wild grin on his face. “You’re in luck, cherry, we got a place to stay!”
She didn’t have a chance to question him about it before his arms were wrapped securely around her and he whisked her off to the treetops. She clung to him as tightly as she dared, and a chuckle escaped him as he took her to a giant carved hole in the treetops. It was higher up than she’d ever been before and the sudden movement caused her stomach to lurch, but thankfully she didn’t empty her stomach upon the landing. Jax didn’t release her until they were on solid ground inside the tree and she could see that it was someone’s home.
“Jax, I don’t think we should be here.” She gasped as she looked around at the dusty, but well-furnished abode with strange furniture, books, and an empty fireplace with a large cast iron cauldron. “This is someone’s home!”
“No, it used to be my home.” He chuckled as he closed the door behind them and walked around her and knelt before the fire.
“What?” She turned around so fast that her braid smacked her in the face.
“Well, my winter home.”
“Ehhh?” She came up behind him and could hardly believe her ears. “Winter home?”
“Before I was captured.” He grunted out as he got a fire going for them and glanced around the room. “I don’t know if anything will be any good around here, but I’ll see if I can’t find something for your human stomach.”
Though they’d known each other for two years due to unfortunate and ill-advised circumstances in the castle and slept together while on the run, it dawned on her that there was still so much she didn’t know about the wasp man. His eyes landed on her and he gave her an awkward smile that was torn between confident and awkward. “Just. . . make yourself at home I guess.”
He skirted around her and before she could ask him for anymore information he flew back outside and left her alone to explore the small abode. Despite the home’s vacancy for two years and a fine layer of dust and pollen on every surface, it was doable and would provide them with the necessary means to survive the elements.
While Jax was out gathering food, Cerise took it upon herself to clean the area up despite the displeasure that was clearly written on Jax’s face when he saw her working. She managed to calm his frustrations and encourage him to cook something while she rested and felt all sorts of questions bubbling within her. Her hand traced a nervous circle on her stomach as she worked the courage to start this conversation. “Can I ask you something?”
“If you must.” He chuckled without looking at her as he added strange things to the pot over the fire. She bit her lip but wouldn’t allow herself to be hesitant, not in this moment when they finally had a moment together.
“Can wasp men get human women pregnant?”
Thank you so much for reading! If you liked this and would like to see more about this pair, please let me know with a comment! Please like and reblog so we can share the love. ^_^
