Boyue's Note: Oh dear. Sorry I took so long to update! T.T
MATERNAL HEART
"The First Trimester…
What a Drag!"
Damien wakes to the sound of Pip running out of bed. He turns over and falls on his side, barely catching a glimpse of Pip's back. He is used to Pip's frequent needs to go to the bathroom by now. Pip is either emptying his bladder or hurling into the toilet bowl. With the thin apartment walls, Damien listens and figures that Pip is doing the latter. He shudders at the sound of Pip gagging; he can't stand it when people throw up. It is too disgusting. He scoots a little closer to Pip's side to keep the bed warm. The clock says it's almost 7 in the morning; they have two hours to go before they have to get up and go to school. Pip is in college for the real deal. Damien just tags along for the ride. But if he can get into law school, he has a higher chance of becoming the president of the United States. Without using demonic influences.
He shifts and puts on a smile for Pip. The pregnant blonde walks into the room slowly, dragging his tired feet. He beams a smile – a lackluster one – and crawls back into bed. He sighs and scoots forward until Damien puts a hand on his slender shoulder. Damien leans forward and plants a kiss on Pip's forehead, noticing that Pip is sweating. He moves down and kisses the tip of Pip's nose. Kissing on the lips is out of question since he can smell the bile on Pip's breath. He gives Pip a good rub on the shoulder and pulls the small Brit closer in his arms.
"Feel better?" he asks.
"A bit," Pip answers weakly. He drew his eyes upward and added, "There was blood again."
"Still?" Damien huffs and rolls halfway over, keeping a comforting hand on Pip's shoulder. He picks up the yellow book on the nightstand and turns back. He flips the book open to a dog-eared page. The title reads 'Demonic Pregnancy for Dummies'. He scans the chapter going over the first trimester and says, "It says… that you should stop in four to eight weeks after conception. But throwing up blood is perfectly normal as your body moves and adjusts for the womb…"
"It hurts when I have to vomit, Damien," Pip whines, putting a hand over his abdomen. "Make it stop, please?"
"You know I would if I could," Damien says. He tosses the book back on the stand and pulls Pip on top of him. He places a deep kiss between the blonde brows and says, "Does this make you feel better?"
"Somewhat," Pip giggles, finally sounding happy for the first time this morning. "Do it again."
Damien kisses the same spot again and Pip giggles gleefully. The Brit situates his head between Damien's neck and shoulder. Damien lets out a content sigh. Nothing in the relationship has changed since Pip got pregnant; they are as close as they have always been. Damien likes it the way it is. But if he has learned anything from watching television, he knows the worst is yet to come.
"Go back to sleep," he tells Pip. "I'll wake up when it's time for class."
Pip nods and nuzzles against Damien. He drapes his arm over Damien's chest and sighs happily. Damien keeps his hand on Pip's small waist and places one more kiss between the brows. Pip frowns and chuckles softly. Damien looks down at Pip's tranquil sleeping face. Why can't it always be this perfect?
Damien walks hand-in-hand with Pip across the vast college campus. Pip breathes out of his mouth and a thin puff of air lingers before his nose before it disappears. He looks up at Damien and grins sheepishly. Seeing that grin, Damien can't help but smile as well. What is it with Pip and his adorable personality? It has turned the anti-Christ all soft and mushy. Pip squeezes their interlaced hands and brings it up. He pecks the back of Damien's hand before he lets them down again. Damien snickers and nudges Pip, teasing him for the affection. Pip sticks his tongue out and blows raspberry. They share a laugh before they stop in front of Pip's class.
"My feet hurt," Pip mumbles instead of saying good-bye. He looks down at his shoes that are probably too tight for him. He looks up after he wiggles his feet and says, "Anyhoo, I will see you later." Pip turns away and heads for the automatic door that leads inside the building.
"Hey, Pip!" Damien exclaims. Listening to the mischievous side of him, he chases Pip. Before Pip can turn around completely, Damien literally sweeps the Brit off his feet. Pip lets out a cry of surprise, holding onto his hat for dear life and staring at Damien with wide eyes.
"Oh dear! Oh dear! What are you doing, Damien?" The blonde gasps. A heavy blush paints his cheeks.
"You said your feet hurt, right? So, I'm carrying you to class." Damien grins and tosses the light Pip a bit to secure a better hold.
"Oh, you are such a silly man," Pip says, wiggling his finger in disapproval though his smile widens. "Oh my… this is terribly romantic… Alright then, you may carry me to class, my dear."
Damien chuckles as Pip wraps his arms around his neck. Pip is heavier than he remembers but still weights like a feather. He gets a good grip on Pip's thigh and calf before he takes a step. A few students look their way and make hushed comments about how sweet the scene is. They all probably thought Pip is a girl. Damien walks through the automatic door and heads down the hallway. Pip can't help himself but giggles. That's one thing Damien has learned about his Brit over the years; Pip giggles a lot, and he means, a hell lot.
"That way," Pip instructs, pointing at his classroom. He jokes in a sing-song voice, "If you don't hurry, I will be late for class."
"Ha!" Damien scoffs and picks up his pace. Pip squeals when Damien starts running as fast as he can toward the room. People have to dodge out of the way so Damien doesn't run into them. He stops outside the classroom and catches his breath, though he doesn't act like he needs to. He clicks his tongue at Pip and says, "Made it and got time to spare."
Pip gets off with a thump on the floor. He dusts himself and adjusts his hat. He gets on his tip-toe and places a modest kiss on Damien's cheek. Damien, on the other hand, doesn't care how uncomfortable PDA makes other people. He grabs Pip and pulls him against his body. He seals their mouths together despite Pip's protest. His pierced tongue homes inside Pip's warm mouth and explores the area. His hands skillfully slip down to Pip's bum and give it a playful squeeze.
"D-Da-Damien! Stop," Pip breathes, prying himself away. He pouts and says, "I have to go or I will certainly be late."
"Aww," Damien whines. He nuzzles forward like a puppy and says, "You are leaving me? Whyyyyy? Don't go, Pip. Pleeease?"
"Stop it," Pip giggles. He gives Damien a nudge away before he leaves another kiss. "Cheerio!"
Damien tugs his hands into his pockets as he watches Pip slip inside the classroom. His own class doesn't start for another forty minutes and now he has to go through the trouble of finding something to do to pass the time. He can go to the library like he usually does but he hates going there during this hour. The place is packed with people; it's like everyone decides to meet up in the library at 1 o'clock for god-knows-what reason. He decides to switch gear and tries his luck at the student commons. If he is lucky, he can find a quiet table to pass the time. He heads out the exit on the other side and hisses at the cold air.
He walks toward the east side of the campus. Two distant figures catch his attention. Stan Marsh and Kyle Brofloski walk side-by-side toward his direction. They are in deep conversation with Stan doing most of the talking. As the distance closes in, Damien's hearing picks up the tone in Stan's voice. Whatever they are talking about, Stan sounds very upset. Great… they must be fighting about something and from Kyle's body gesture, it looks like Kyle did something bad.
"Nothing happened…" Kyle mumbles.
"It doesn't look like it," Stan answers. "I… I can see the way you look at him, Kyle. If he is the one you like then…"
"I don't like him," the Jewish man says firmly but his eyes gaze away. "I want to be with you, Stan."
"I… I wish I can believe that. I really do."
Stan and Kyle and Damien aren't really friends even though the former twos are Kenny's best friends. He has just never found anything in common with the all-American boy and the intelligent Hebrew. And since they have been dating forever, they don't make much time to meet new people. Damien sees no reason to interfere with the conversation. Besides, neither Stan nor Kyle notices him passing inches next to them. He turns his head a little to watch the two lovers continue their surprisingly peaceful bickering.
"What is it about him that you like?" Stan asks, igniting the conversation again.
"Can you please drop it? Christophe is just a friend."
Damien hmm's at the mention of Chirstophe. If he wasn't head-over-hill for Pip, he would totally be after the god-hating French. What can he say? He has a thing for Europeans. But the way Christophe speaks and carries himself; it makes Damien's blood boils with excitement. He imagines being with Christophe will be the complete opposite of being with Pip. It will be wild and full of excitement and adventures. Instead of staying home and eating crumpets, they will be out living their lives to the fullest. He laughs and shakes his head. There is a reason why he chooses Pip out of all the available males in the world. The British gentleman has a special charm to him; he is the only thing that can make Damien feel at peace. And Damien will take that over wrestling wild boars any day.
He walks through the automatic door and looks at the crowded commons. He groans, knowing damn well that he won't find an empty table. Still, he figures he can give it a try and it will also help him pass the time. He slithers through the groups of people standing in line for food and keeps an eye out for a table. He stops walking when he sees a blur of orange in the back corner. A blur of orange that looks oddly familiar. He walks around a stool and heads toward the back corner to discover the orange source.
"Kenny, what the fuck are you doing here?"
Kenny looks up from his bowl of Chinese food; a strand of chow mein dangles in his mouth. He grins and slurps up the noodle into his mouth. Damien takes the empty seat across his friend and scoots his chair in. He looks at what Kenny is eating and remembers that he still hasn't taken Kenny out to dinner. Poor Kenny - eating fake, processed Chinese food at a university campus! It makes Damien feels like such a bad friend.
"Why are you eating Panda Express?" Damien asks.
"I was hungry and the line for Del Taco was too long," Kenny answers like it is the most obvious reason. He picks up an orange chicken and tosses it in his mouth.
"You don't even go to this school, dude. If you wanted Chinese food, you could've gone to Shitty Wok."
"Oh, don't you know, man? The Health Department closed down Shitty Wok last month. Turns out the Shitty Pork wasn't pork at all."
Damien decides he doesn't want to know what kind of meat it was actually… if it was actually meat at all. He reaches over and takes the fortune cookie lying on the table. He eyes Kenny for approval to crack the cookie open.
"All yours," Kenny says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I am supposed to meet Eric for lunch but the fatass probably forgot."
"Ha, you think he would remember if it's lunch," Damien laughs and Kenny joins in. He cracks open the fortune cookie. He throws one half in his mouth while he pulls out the fortune and reads it.
"Is today your lucky day?"
"Seek compromise instead of argument," Damien reads. He doesn't usually care for his fortune. He crumbles the small piece of paper and throws it on Kenny's tray. "Speaking of arguments, what's the deal with Stan and Kyle? I saw them fighting over Christophe. What's going on?"
"I can't tell you that, Damien." Kenny puts a crooked smile and says, "That's their private business and if they choose to tell you, then you will find out."
"What the fuck?" Damien laughs. "Since when did you get all righteous and shit?"
"Sorry, man."
"It's cool," Damien says. He reaches over and grabs Kenny's soda. He takes a long sip and smacks his lips in disgust. "Fucking pink lemonade."
"Then don't drink it," Kenny teases. He leans over to the table to take the soda back but Damien doesn't realize it. At two different forces, the soda topples and spills on the table, splashing some on Damien and Kenny's clothes.
"Way to go, asshole," Damien grunts, shaking his arms to get rid of the lemonade. "I am going to the restroom."
Damien stands up and Kenny does the same. Damien leads the way into the restroom. Despite the large amount of students in the commons, the bathroom is strangely barren. Damien turns on the faucet and wets a brown paper towel to dry his sleeve. Kenny stands by the sink over and does the same. Damien looks up at his reflection and watches Kenny's reflection. Kenny needs a haircut desperately but the way how his yellow hair cascades over his oval face is… Well, it makes him look hot. Damien won't deny that he thinks Kenny is good-looking. There is something about his white-trashy look that makes him attractive. When Gods closes a door, he opens a window alright.
"How's Pip?" Kenny asks after he turns off the faucet. "How's the baby?"
"He's only two months. It's not a baby yet. Have you seen pictures of fetal development? Right now, it looks like one of those Aliens," Damien says with a shudder. "It's fucking hideous. But Pip is doing good… He says his feet hurt."
"Give him a foot massage."
"Where can I find a place that gives foot massage?"
"You give him the massage. It's called bonding," Kenny says, drying his hands.
"How does me rubbing his smelly feet counts as bonding?"
"It shows that you care." Kenny tosses the used paper into the trashcan. "You don't know a lot about relationship, do you?"
"Yeah, and you are the great expert," Damien scoffs and heads for the door.
"Hey, wait. Does your dad know?"
Damien sighs. He locks the door just in case. He shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head.
"We haven't talked in years. You know that."
"I thought you would tell him the good news," Kenny says quietly.
"He hates Pip," Damien grumbles, "I doubt he will be happy to know that he's going to be a grandpa."
"You are going to tell him eventually, aren't you?"
Damien hates it when Kenny gets all critical and bossy. Sure, many times Kenny does know better but it gets annoying after a while. He shrugs again and rolls his eyes.
"Why does he have to know? This is about Pip and me. We are the only ones that matter."
"That's really selfish," Kenny says, narrowing his eyes. "You should talk to him. Avoiding him won't make anything better."
"All we do is fight when we see each other. What's the point?"
"Damien…"
"Stop it, Kenny." Damien takes a breath to calm his rising anger. "I know you mean well but I don't want to fucking hear it. I can handle my own problems, dammit. So just stop."
Kenny keeps his eyes on Damien and it's making him very uncomfortable. Damien turns around and unlocks the door. He opens it just in time to see a confused student blinking at him. He walks out of the student commons and heads for class. Who does Kenny think he is, anyways? Always acting like he knows what's best for everybody. He isn't a fucking counselor. Not everyone wants to hear his mighty advices. Damien kicks a pebble out of the way and huffs angrily as he walks inside the building. The good mood he feels this morning goes right out the window. He slumps in his seat and stares daggers at his professor, who quickly turns and looks at the blackboard.
Damien hates himself.
He looks down at the paper bag and wants to slap himself hard over the face. He can't believe he actually listened to Kenny's advice and went to buy a bottle of foot lotion. He can't believe he is actually thinking about giving Pip a foot massage. The anti-Christ massaging a mortal's feet? What madness is that! He pulls out his cell phone and checks for any message. He has sent Pip a text after class, saying that he had some errand to run and told Pip to go home alone first. Damien's last class doesn't end up til 5. After a good hour and a half at the mall, looking for the best kind of lotion, it is already drawing close to 7. He hopes Pip isn't hungry yet. But with the pregnancy, Pip has been eating a lot more lately. He doesn't want to keep Pip waiting. He hurries down the road and walks up the stairs that leads to their apartment. The living room light is on but the kitchen one isn't.
"Pip? I am home!" Damien announces as he opens the door. He kicks off his shoes, leaving them on the floor. "Pip?"
Damien closes the door behind him. He doesn't hear the shower running so Pip must be able to hear him. Maybe Pip is asleep; he is always exhausted lately. Damien walks toward the bedroom; the door is close. He doesn't want to disturb Pip if the blonde is sleeping but he wants to check up on him just in case. He reaches for the door.
"What the hell?" he mumbles. The door is locked. Pip wouldn't sleep with a locked door. Damien's heart jumps a bit. Did something happen to Pip? Now, he is worried. He knocks on the door and says loudly, "Pip? Are you alright? Pip?"
"Go away!" Pip shouts. "Go the bloody hell away!"
Damien narrows his eyes at the door. What is wrong with Pip?
TO BE CONTINUED…
Boyue's Note: Hello, sorry again for the late update! =3 The next update, I am sorry to say, won't be soon. Hopefully in a few weeks... ^^;;
Reviews, yes?
3.02.09
12:53 AM