Star Side

Chapter 39

I rubbed my stomach, frowning, even as Gilrack's fingers fluttered over me. That had been a change over the past few months. Gilrack touched me now, though he still didn't let so much as the tip of his tail touch others, even now, cramped into a close space, with Levi looking ready to stomp on whatever bit of alien he could reach.

A bitter tone of brimstone pierced through the rotten air.

"Just pulled a tendon. Went a little too hard." Still, it was weird. Why would something in my lower stomach be pulled? I didn't get hurt often. I could probably count on one hand how often I'd twisted an ankle or had similar injuries. Maybe my long awaited period was finally coming. Being on the space edition of birth control often made periods unpredictable for those who had them. Most just didn't have periods at all, but of course my man body would plow through that as well.

Gilrack didn't look convinced either. He sniffed me carefully, cupping his wings about me in a temporary pod. I let his fingers trail over my midriff for just a bit before whapping his hands away. Despite being comfortable touching, he backed off instantly should I give any sign said touch wasn't welcome, so when I whapped his hands he finally backed off.

"Jo should rest," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Jo should keep moving. I've gained enough weight as it is."

And I had. Ten pounds, to be exact, and mostly around my middle so I looked even more rectangular than usual. And while I had no one to impress out here in space, I knew my body best. If I gave it one inch, those ten pounds would quickly turn to twenty.

But I just hadn't felt like exercising over the past month. The moment I'd get started on my usual routine I'd get tired and start craving chocolate and meat like a mad woman. It'd gotten to the point I was dreaming every night of it. Naomi had already taken my blood and verified it was just PMS cravings, that I didn't have any deficiency outside of a bit of anemia (which eating said meat would fix), but said PMS had been going on forever. I was all too eager for it to end. I'd even stopped taking the birth control pills just to see if I could hurry it along. It wasn't like I was going to jump into bed with Levi anytime soon.

"Damn it, lizard, get out! We can't work with you there!" yelled Levi.

"Gilrack, seriously, I'm fine," I'd said this sentence way too often. "You seriously need to tone down the over protectiveness, I'm the strongest person on this station."

"Hey!" Levi's man card protested.

I ignored him. "It was just a twing, I don't even hurt anymore. Kay?"

Gilrack rumbled in his chest, pupils slitted and spines chittering. But reluctantly climbed up the ladder and through the hole, which was a tight fit even for me so it was impressive to see him suck in his shoulders and wings to make it through.

"I swear to god he thinks you're his little mate or something," said Levi bitterly as he turned back to the compost molars.

I threw a hairball at the back of his head and smiled at his yelp.

"At least he has more going on than you."

Levi glared. "You haven't seen nothing."

"I've seen muscles. True or false, I could cut you in half with my thighs."

"For your information, I am the average height and weight for men and have plenty of game. You're just too traumatized to accept any kind of flirting whatsoever."

"I'm not having sex with you, Levi."

"Case and point."

"Don't you have, like, a comfort doll or something?"