Chapter 22
A/N: Greetings reader(s)! Happy to have you here! I'm back to attempting my once-a-week chapter updates I have a few more chapters written already, but I have had some writers block for the past weeks, do to planning my wedding on the 4th of August :D
Still, I hope you guys enjoy the story, as always! :D
Blueparakeetpark: Thank you for thinking it was sweet :) I'm afraid it will last a bit longer, but not too much longer, I promise
Nozomi Higurashi: Thank you for taking the time to review on my story! That you thought it worth you time to review, despite how you usually feel about it, means the world to me! (^_^)
Mara: Glad you're still here! :) There will (hopefully) be a happy ending, but it might take a bit I hope you'll stick with me until then! :)
Warning about content: This next chapter contains descriptions (not too descriptive I hope) of natural body functions and things related to that, because Astral knows nothing xD But I promise you, most of the chapter will be adorable none the less ;)
Now then, enjoy! And please, don't forget to R&R, if you liked it! :)
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It was the middle of the night, when Yuma woke up with a sudden sense of urgency.
Startled, he sat up in the bed with some difficulty and then took a few moments to try and evaluate where this urgency was coming from.
That's when he noticed that Astral, who had his back turned to him, was panting quietly, moving constantly, almost as though he was in pain.
Frowning, Yuma moved onto his side and placed a hand on his partners shoulder.
"Astral… Hey, Astral" he said, shaking him gently. "Are you okay?".
Astral froze for a second, but then he groaned quietly, and Yuma noticed that he was squeezing the duvet in one hand and his pillow with the other.
"Astral!" Yuma tried again, and this time, Astral turned his head enough to look at him with fearful eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong?!" Yuma asked, worried now.
"I… I feel strange Yuma" the alien replied "my stomach… it… hurts".
"Where?" Yuma asked "where does it hurt. Show me".
Astral turned onto his back and then placed a hand over his lower abdomen. "Yuma…" he groaned quietly.
The room was dark, except for the lights coming in from the streetlamps outside. Do to the hour, the hospital seemed quiet and calm.
"I… I don't know what could be wrong… Should I summon a nurse?" Yuma asked, looking worried.
But Astral immediately shook his head. "No, please! They cannot treat me, if something is wrong, anyways" he replied.
"Well, then what can I do?" Yuma asked. Astral just shook his head. He didn't know.
Suddenly, a thought struck Yuma. The urgency he'd felt when he woke up. Maybe Astrals issues could be connected to that.
"Wait" he said "Astral. This pain you're feeling. What exactly does it feel like?".
Astral moaned under his breath, but then replied "like something is putting pressure on me, from the inside. I feel… heavy. Full, to the point where it hurts".
Yuma breathed a sigh of relief at that, then said "I think I know what's wrong with you".
"You do?" Astral asked "What… what is it?".
"It's been almost two days since you started eating… So, I think you should come with me for a bit" the young man said, smiling softly at the naive innocence in his lovers' eyes at that moment.
Then he rose, though he was unsteady on his feet, and offered a hand to Astral.
Though his blue-skinned boyfriend seemed very pained, the alien took the offered hand and moved out of the bed.
Once he stood though, he nearly doubled over as one of his hands instinctively shot in between his legs, which he half-crossed as well. "Oh… oh!" he groaned, closing his eyes tightly.
"Well, looks like we better hurry" Yuma said, smiling, and started pulling Astral with him towards the bathroom.
The alien stumbled after him, but with every step he groaned a little louder, until he was whimpering even when he wasn't moving.
"Come on Astral… It's just a few more steps" Yuma said encouragingly.
Astral lifted his head and looked at him, tears at the corners of his eyes.
"I… can't" he said, and then he slid to the floor with a moan, his hands on either side of his legs.
About a minute later, Yuma saw the pool of clear liquid slowly spreading beneath his partner, glimmering faintly silvery in the moonlight that could reach into the room.
"Aw man, Astral… Sorry" he said, crouching beside his lover, placing a hand on his back. Astral sighed, then leaned heavily against Yuma, head on the others shoulder.
The sound of splashing liquid was the only sound that could be heard in the room for roughly another 30 seconds, before it slowed and then finally, died out.
A few moments later, Yuma spoke in a soft voice.
"I think we need to go to the bathroom anyways, this time to get you washed off a bit" he said.
Astral swallowed. "It still... hurts" he mumbled, and Yuma rose, pulling him up with him, carefully making sure none of them stepped in the large pool that had been left by the alien.
"Then I also think, that you aren't quite done yet… Come" he said and lead Astral the last few meters into the bathroom, placing him on the toilet, and crouching down in front of him, a hand on the others thigh.
"It's a good thing you don't wear clothes in here. Makes it a lot harder to clean up after an accident like this. I should know, after all" the young man continued, cheeks faintly rosy as he'd spoken, though he was just trying his best to cheer Astral up.
"Now, if you feel like the pressure you mentioned earlier, sinks down lower, just go with it. You may feel an urge to push a bit, but don't be alarmed. That's perfectly normal. Just let your instincts lead your actions, alright?" he continued, blush deepening, although he tried to remain somewhat detached from the whole awkwardness of the situation.
Astral nodded faintly as he spoke, but when Yuma rose to give him some privacy, Astral grabbed his wrist and lifted his head, looking directly at him with large, obviously frightened, eyes.
And Yuma understood.
"It's okay Astral… I… I'll stay, if you'd like me to" he said tenderly, placing himself on his knees in front of him, keeping his head level with that of the other, as the alien bend forward slightly, to let nature take its course.
As things got going, Astral moaned under his breath, and Yuma could feel across their bond, that his lover was genuinely scared at what was happening in, and with, his body. His heart was beating rapidly, and he was panting lightly, because of his fear for the whole situation.
"Relax Astral… You're fine. This isn't dangerous. It's normal. You should know this, after having been with me for 4 years. When I have eaten something, I always have to get rid of something as well, sometime later.
It's the same for you… I'm here, so please. Calm down" Yuma said, moving so that his and Astrals foreheads were touching, and holding his partners hands in his own, for extra comfort.
"It's not normal… for me, Yuma" Astral replied in a low whisper. "None of it is… Not the eating, not… this".
"Shh, my love" Yuma replied "I know… But please, just try and accept what is happening, at least for now. It's something that none of us can change… Maybe it's just a passing thing, like your time".
"What if it isn't?" Astral responded, shivering, as if he was cold.
"Then… we'll find out what's causing it, together, like we always have" Yuma replied, kissing Astrals forehead, before resting his own against it once more, both his and Astrals eyes closed…
Once Astral didn't feel any pressure anymore, he let out a quiet, shaking breath and Yuma opened his eyes, separating slightly from him.
"Do you think you are done?" he asked gently and Astral nodded.
"I don't feel full anymore" he replied, mumbling.
"That's good… Then we need to clean you. I… I haven't really helped anyone with… wiping, before, but" Yuma said, blushing, and Astral, sensing his other halves discomfort, placed a hand on Yumas cheek and said "you don't have to tell me. Just use our bond and… show me, how it's done".
Grateful, Yuma nodded and then did as requested.
"I understand" Astral said after a bit, and Yuma rose.
"I'll find a washrag to clean your legs with once you are done. After all, you did still have that big accident earlier" he said, sending Astral a soft smile, before he moved over to the sink to do what he'd said he would.
In the meantime, Astral found himself disgusted at having to perform this 'wiping' on his own, pure body.
He hated it, but from the images Yuma had shown him, he understood its necessity.
Thus, he worked swiftly to get it over with and once he had, he moved over beside Yuma, who greeted him with yet another smile, steaming hot washrag ready in his hand.
"Would you like to do it yourself?" he asked and Astral nodded, eyes determined.
Yuma drew back a few inches at the intensity in that stare, but then handed him the rag.
"Alright… then" he said, somewhat hesitantly, and once Astral had diligently cleaned his legs and then rinsed out the washrag, Yuma wiped him off with a towel, before ditching it on the table beside the sink, and then moving back towards the door that would lead to the other part of the hospital room.
There was still a large pool near it, but Yuma felt tired and could barely stay on his feet anymore, do to fatigue, so he just stepped over it and headed straight for the bed, a hand always supporting him against one thing or another as he moved.
Behind him, Astral had recovered slightly after his new experience, and was following Yuma with his eyes, trying to determine whether he should go and help him, or attempt to clean up at least some of the mess he had, himself, made.
When Yuma safely collapsed on to the bed and got into a more comfortable position in it, back turned to him, Astral sighed softly and then decided he would remove as much of the liquid he could with what means were on hand for him.
Once he had done so, he then put the things he'd used for it, in the shower stall, for the nurse to collect in the morning.
Then he washed his hands, twice, and moved back to Yumas bedside, hovering silently beside it, indecisive.
He wasn't sure Yuma wanted his company after what his partner had just seen him doing. He himself found it disgusting and humiliating after all, so maybe it was the same for Yuma.
But then, after a few minutes, Yuma turned around and looked up at him.
"Well… are you coming back to bed or not?" he asked, moving the duvet and inviting Astral to join him beneath it.
"Are you certain you… want me to?" Astral asked and Yuma frowned.
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, confused, but then he seemed to understand.
"Astral" he said, exasperatedly "nothing has changed for me. If it did, just because of something like that, then you should have left me years ago. Now, come down here, you blue idiot".
Astrals eyes widened with surprise, but then he smiled faintly and followed the order given, crawling under the duvet and moving so that his body was pushed against that of his other half, an arm around Yumas waist.
This, Astral had learned, was called spooning, and he loved it just as much as Yuma did.
The young man sighed contently as they settled in, and soon he was falling asleep once more, Astrals steady breathing behind him a constant and welcome reminder, that his lover was still very much alive and kicking, despite Yumas own weakness…
For the next couple of days, Astral attempted to adjust to his new life. Being so human suddenly, troubled him, and he wished he knew the reason for it.
But so far, he had learned nothing that might aid him in discovering what was going on with him.
Yumas condition was still improving albeit slowly, but he still had issues walking, and for this reason, a physical therapist was visiting their room twice a day.
She had done so for the past two days, but they had been told that it might take at least until the end of the week, before Yuma was back to relatively normal mobility.
Now that they were in a regular hospital room, even though it was a solo one, Yumas family and friends only visited him for a couple of hours every day, following the normal visiting hours of the hospital, but Astral and Yuma didn't much mind it.
They preferred just being the two of them, as they both remained tired and, in Yumas case, still couldn't keep much food down at a time.
Now they were alone once again and Astral had counted the days in which they had been stuck in the hospital.
22 days was what he had arrived at.
And whenever he saw Yuma struggling with one thing or another, whether it was eating, going to the bathroom or even just moving about, he still felt the guilt gnawing at his conscience, knowing that, despite everything Yuma said, HE was the reason for his partners trouble.
So, every day, he tried helping him in any way he possibly could, without seeming like he thought him weak. It appeared like Yuma didn't think much of it, which pleased Astral, as that meant he could keep doing it.
Yuma sighed. Astral glanced at him. The young man was sitting with his phone out, beside Astral in the bed. He seemed to be playing with it, but his eyes appeared somewhat distant, which made Astral frown.
"Yuma" he asked curiously "what are you doing?".
Yuma didn't look at him but stayed focused on his phone.
"Dueling" he replied, making Astrals frown deepen.
"Dueling?" he repeated "how so?".
"It's a new game called Duel Links. It's really old school in the way it's played and the cards that are used, but I can play with the others on it, even as I can't go and do it in real life. It's actually quite entertaining".
"Interesting" Astral replied, moving closer, both to be able to better see what Yuma was doing, and because he felt an odd desire to be closer to him.
"Who are you playing as?" he then asked.
"Oh, my avatar you mean? It's a character that focuses on Magician cards. I thought it was cool, seeing as Gagaga Magician is one of my favorite cards!" Yuma replied, smiling.
"That sounds fair enough" Astral commented, leaning his head against his other halves shoulder.
"So, are you winning?" he then added and Yuma grinned.
"Of course!" he replied, as Astral saw him initiate yet another duel in the game.
"Wanna try it?" Yuma then asked, offering him the phone.
But Astral declined. "No thanks. I think I will get a bit of rest. I am feeling a little tired" he replied, and Yuma nodded.
"I understand. I'll try to be quiet" he said.
"Shouldn't you be resting as well?" Astral then asked, but Yuma just shrugged, making the aliens head bump up and down a bit as he moved.
"Nah, I'm good" he responded and Astral sighed softly.
"Very well then" he just replied, closing his eyes and relaxing against the other once more…