[SierraHigh]

((lol yep! and hmm.. we can probably develop them during this stage and then after skip ahead another 2 months and do the capture then? I feel it might be more dire since Greyson would be nearing birth))

Greyson wasn't sure how long his friends would be out, but they always texted him before they came home asking what his opinion on dinner would be. That was when he knew Proteus would have to leave. He didn't like it but it was necessary. Greyson had begun making trips down to the bay to visit Proteus there too, because at least that way there was no time limit. Greyson smiled a bit towards Proteus when he came inside and sat on the couch next to him. He places down the can he has in his hand on the table before him and turns to lean against Proteus' chest lightly. "Just sick all the time," he uttered miserably. "When's the sickness supposed to stop?"

[bhdire8]

"Honestly I am not sure. I hadnt had the chance to witness a pregnancy this far along. However from what I gathered from the elders, this should stop soon considering the whole period of gestation was 5... 6 months tops. Have you thought of a way to explain this when your belly started showing further?" Proteus rubbed on Greyson's front, both trying to sooth the upset stomach and also feeling the growing inside the belly.

[SierraHigh]

"Hopefully you're right." In addition to putting off his belly as just added weight gain, he'd been putting off his sickness and nausea as nothing serious to his roommates as well. He knew they were worried about him but he insisted it was nothing and that he'd get over it sooner than later. He had to pretend he felt better than the day before most days even though that was hardly true. "I've just been telling them I'm gaining weight, a result of eating a bunch of junk food." Greyson looked up to Proteus with a concerned expression. He placed his hand over that of the merman's, his stomach still trying to settle. "I mean... how big am I gonna get? I can keep up the act as long as I don't suddenly balloon up."

[bhdire8]

"I cannot tell for sure, with how our anatomies differed and for how long we hadnt seen a successful gestation... though usually we come in more than one and the elders had mentioned the young to be quite developed when they are ready to be born. So I will imagine it to be... pretty big. Bigger than the size of normal prrgnant woman i think." He said as he rubbed on the little belly, brow furrowed with his own concern.

[SierraHigh]

"So there's more than one? And I'm..." Greyson gave an airy laugh and shook his head. "That wasn't the news I wanted to hear... I'm going to have to tell my friends sometime then, if I'm seriously supposed to get that huge. They'll know something is up." Greyson tipped his head back against the couch, taking deep even breaths to calm himself, a routine he'd been doing since he'd begun getting sick now. "This is still strange. It still hits me every morning when I wake up that I'm pregnant."

[bhdire8]

"I am sorry for having forced you through this... you shouldnt be worrying stuff like this while you are so young yourself, and I have nothing else to say other than thank you for bearing through this. It meant a lot to my species and.... to me." Proteus looked deep into Greyson's eyes. He patted on his back trying to comfort him. He would have offered to live here with him, to take care of him and get through this together, but he didnt want to make Greyson felt he had lost his life entirely because of this accident. "You sure your friends are going to believe that? Do you want me to be present at that time?"

[SierraHigh]

"It's alright, really." Greyson smiled and shrugged. "I ate the berries even though you told me not to, and now I have to deal with this." Technically it was all his fault. If he'd never eaten the berries he probably wouldn't be in this position. He'd step up to the plate and face his responsibilities and consequence head on. There was no running from it now. At least the fact that Proteus seemed so excited to be adding members to his clan made Greyson feel a little better about the situation. Proteus easily could've left him to fend for himself, so he was quite grateful for his situation now. "No, it's okay. I'll tell them when I start to show more and they can either believe me or not." He snorted. "They're smart kids, they know I would lie to them."

[bhdire8]

"Ok I will let you deal with it. Just remember I will be around no matter what." He stroked his hair and settled together. "Do you want to try some toast? I have brought with me some seaweed that was said to be a delicacy, something resembling sauteed pickles?" He offered. He had been trying to find sokething that would be acceptable to Greyson, he would need the nutrients for himself and for the growing lives.

[SierraHigh]

"Thanks," Greyson said fondly, smiling a little and then turning to look up at Proteus curiously. He'd never had seaweed before, and while he usually didn't like pickles, the weird cravings he's had lately have pushed all his food distastes to the side. He'd just about eat anything now if it was edible. He hasn't fallen into the ice cream and pickles phenomena though. The thought of two random foods together was gross, he just wanted to eat was all. "Yeah. Is it good?" He snorted. "I've never had seaweed before."

[bhdire8]

"It's delicious ai think though I am not sure if that's agreeeable to human." Proteus handed the sandwich to Greyson. He had washed the seawood to remove the slimy layer. It eouldnt be a problem fro himself but he knew human dont really enjoy that. He looked at Greyson with anticipation amd was very thrilled himself when he swallowed that and smiled, seemingly enjoying the taste. "Is that alright? Agree with your stomach?"

[SierraHigh]

Greyson looked the sandwich over when it was handed to him. He couldn't smell anything weird about it, and when he took a bite he couldn't taste anything weird. In fact, it tasted just fine. He'd eat this even if he wasn't pregnant. Greyson nodded and continued to eat hungrily, staying huddled on the couch as he did. "It's better than I thought it would be," he said happily. "Beats the soda I've been drinking."

[bhdire8]

"That's good... that's really good!" Proteus was glad Greyson enjoyed it. At least this should be more nutritious than the soda Greyson had been living on. "I will bring you more next time. Those soda really sucked and I dont understand the craze of you human with them." He furrowed his brows with a disgusted face glancing over at the empty cans.

[SierraHigh]

"I don't drink soda often," Greyson admitted, pushing himself up and standing from the couch. He smoothed his shirt out, the material stretching oh so slightly to accommodate the slight swell of his belly. "It does help with nausea though." Greyson shook his head. "Once the nausea goes away, I believe I'll get better... and fatter." Greyson clicked his tongue. "I'm going to have to buy new clothes soon then, now that I think about it."

[bhdire8]

"Will you be wearing those dresses designed for pregnant bodies?" Proteus asked curiosuly recalling how he came across some of them on the street. "Can we go shop together?" He asked excitedly. He had limited experiecne in shopping and the clothes he wore were mainly stolen or given by Greyson.

[SierraHigh]

"U-uh, definitely not dresses." Greyson smiled awkwardly and shook his head. "Just bigger clothes, stretchier ones. Although I wonder if I should wait until... you know, that time comes." Greyson tugged at the shirt he wore now. It was soft and comfortable and still managed to hide his growing middle to a large extent. Heck, it might even last him until the end if he didn't get too big. "If you'd like," Greyson replied, smoothing out his shirt. "Now? Maybe we should wait a few more weeks. I'm not even sure what to buy. God knows I'd end up buying the shirts that end up being too small."

[bhdire8]

"Alright. Just remmeber to count me in when you go shopping. I would love to experiencr that." Proteus said with a thrill. He stood up and cupped that slight swell, caressing it slightly feeling it under his palm. He sighed when he realise it would almost be time when he needed to leave. "Sometimes I just wish your friends would come back a little later..... time here with you always past too fast."

[SierraHigh]

"Really?" Greyson chuckled and nodded. "If you'd like. It's not too fun, but I'll come around to you in the future and we can make a date together to go shopping." Greyson's face flushed as Proteus felt at his abdomen; he felt more bloated than pregnant. "I'll see if I can get them to stay out a bit longer... or maybe we'll just have to meet in another location." Greyson sighed. "They'll probably be home soon enough. I'll talk to them, maybe that'll help clear things up too." He paused in thought and then continued, "I could always start meeting you at the bay. It's not that far from here."

[bhdire8]

Proteus couldnt quite keep his hand away from the belly. He leant down and kissed rhe little belly a bit and said "well I am getting more nervous with you going to the bay now. It is slippery down there and I dont want to risk you and the little ones here. Let's see if we can come up with a third option later." He glanced at the clock one more time and sighed "i guess I really need to get going. I will remember to bring over more of the seaweed nextt ime with me. Take good care of yourswlf ok?" Proteus said with a worried look.

[SierraHigh]

Even though he was quiet and a bit awkward himself, Greyson never had any quarrels over Proteus' show of affection. It was really endearing, and it actually made him feel better about everything considering how easily Proteus could've just abandoned him completely. "Alright. Maybe in town somewhere..." The town wasn't exactly the safest place either, especially taking into account he and Proteus would likely have to meet where there weren't crowds of people. "We'll figure it out." Greyson glanced at the clock too and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll probably just be holed up here for awhile." Greyson smiled and stepped forward to pull Proteus into a hug. "And I'll tell my friends what's up too, so we don't have to keep tiptoeing around this meeting up."

((would you like to skip? :3 maybe another two months ahead and the capture thing? Greyson could try to meet Proteus at the bay on one occasion and that's when he gets caught?))

[bhdire8]

((Yea sure! Haha i was thinking the same.))

Proteus had been waiting at the spot they had dated. It was difficult to fidn a spot in town and Greyson's flatmates had been around very frequently these days and they were forced to meet here. Proteus was getting exceedingly worried when it was way past their meeting time and there was still no sign of Greyson. He eventually decided to get to his flat and asked his flatmates but all of them were sure he had gone out very early. He tried calling him but the line was cut.