Andrew stuck strong to his hunger strike. He strongly refused to eat any of the food that was offered to him. None of the Obirylds seemed to care that he wasn't eating. They must have known it would kill him, so obviously he was of no real value to them. Preventing his loss was clearly not a priority. So why should he bother to fight to survive? The hunger pains grew worse everyday, but he forced himself to bear it. There were times it hurt so bad that he would break out into a fever, sweating, and feel like he was going to throw up. Soon Andrew was too weak to suffer anymore. He was sure whatever was in him was angry and trying to cause him pain, but his body just didn't respond anymore. If Has'wh-ai came by at all, Andrew never noticed. The boy had decided to ignore anything outside his cell. He figured it would make the process easier. So now, here he lay, curled up in a little ball, quite physically numb, and exhausted beyond reason.

Even still, Has'wh-ai continued to visit the cell, always bringing food but always being rejected. But he finally hit a point where he couldn't sit idly by and watch anymore. Today, he pushed his way into the cell when all of the other Obirylds had cleared the hall, and lowered himself in front of the boy, carefully using one clawed finger to pry him apart, unrolling him from his little ball.

Andrew just moaned weakly when he was forced to uncurl. He looked pitifully up at the alien, but couldn't even register what the beast was. So he just closed his green eyes with the intent of passing out. Maybe this time he'd be lucky enough to die. He had come close the last couple of times, but apparently there was still some fight in him somewhere. To his dismay of course.

Has'wh-ai just frowned, making a concerned noise. "And're-ew?" he asked, prodding the boy's side gently. He knew this wasn't good. He couldn't let the boy die, could he? No. He had to find a better way to get him out of his predicament. No one deserved to have this be their final moments. His tentacles began their search as his claw kept poking Andrew's side, trying to keep him awake.

The boy whimpered softly and tried to move away from the claw. He was almost there. He could feel it. "Just let me go," he mumbled.

"No," the alien said firmly, having picked up the word from all of the times the boy had used it.

"But it doesn't hurt anymore," he insisted. "It's better this way. Neither of us loses, see?" Andrew smiled a bit, eyes still closed. "I don't have to suffer and you don't have to watch me suffer."

The alien's fins lowered a bit and guilt was obvious on his face. He didn't want to be the one responsible for this human's death. Even as Andrew spoke of wanting to pass on, Has'wh-ai had still retrieved food for one last try, no matter how futile.

"Has'wh-ai..." Andrew touched the Obiryld's large hand. "I... I am sorry I'm letting your eggs die. I just can't... can't do it."

Has'wh-ai just shook his head, his tentacles starting to come back into the cell holding all kinds of stuff he'd grabbed. He started sorting through it, throwing what was obviously not Earth food into the corner. He came upon a large wooden spoon that was stuck to one tentacle, and a huge bowl of something warm and sweet smelling in the other. He stared, bewildered for a moment, but he was just unaccustomed to Earth utensils, not stupid. He quickly figured out how to use the spoon and hovered it in front of the human's mouth.

Andrew's hand had slipped back down onto the floor. His eyes were closed and the faint smile was gone. He just laid there unresponsive to the food being offered to him. Andrew could smell its sweet aroma, but only as if it were some distant scent passing on the wind. He had no idea it was right under his nose.

Has'wh-ai whined loudly, and in desperation, simply shoved the spoon into the boy's mouth. He didn't know if this would work, but he had to try.

This caused him to choke. Andrew bent his head down trying to dislodge the utensil lodged in his mouth. He coughed a few times, but some of the soft warm food had managed to stay in his mouth and get swallowed. Andrew groaned softly and ran his tongue over his lips in response to the flavor he hated to admit was delicious.

Has'wh-ai just whined again, taking another heaving spoonful and shoving it in Andrew's mouth.

Andrew managed to swallow more this time, but that only made him realize what was going on. When the next spoonful came near him, he tried swinging his hand out to knock it away. He missed. Andrew knew one of these aliens was trying to get him to eat. Then he remembered it was Has'wh-ai. "No. No, stop, Has'wh-ai. I don't want to eat. Can't you understand that? Why is this so important to you?"

"Ageru sn-ge-wak'te," the alien said, taking another spoonful off the stuff almost desperately as he watched the boy seem to wake up a bit more. "Can... can... not... die," he managed, the fins on his head slicked straight backwards, his tail still, hovering in the air as if as expectant and cautious as its master.

"Please," the boy begged, though he could not fight off this next helping.

Has'wh-ai shook his head, continuing to spoon feed the human.

If any good was coming of this, it was the warm feeling that had started to build in his stomach. At first it just felt like lounging out under the sun, but it began to build into feeling like he was wrapped in a warm blanket, and finally like he was cozied up beside a fireplace. It felt so wonderful. Was this his reward? Was this what he got when he fed those inside him? Almost seemed worth it. Unconsciously, Andrew began rubbing his belly as he ate, humming softly.

Has'whi-ai smiled, his fins lifting and his tail starting to wag. It seemed like Andrew was finally feeling the amazing benefits of keeping himself well fed. Hopefully it was enough to make him keep it up. For now, Has'wh-ai was just happy he could get the boy to keep swallowing spoonful after spoonful of whatever Earth dish he was holding.

Andrew continued to eat for five minutes before he was able to sit up, though the room did spin around him as he did so. The food had worked well, but Andrew knew he needed something else if he was going to get better. Even if it didn't do the eggs any good, he needed it. "Water," he said to Has'wh-ai and made a gesture like he was drinking. "Water. Waaaateeerr."

Has'wh-ai nodded frantically and Andrew was instantly surrounded by tentacles holding water bottles up to him.

Andrew looked surprised. He hadn't expected that. Taking one water bottle, he polished it off in seconds, then reached for a second, and then a third. "Has'wh-ai," the boy began. "Water..." He pointed to the bottle and made a thumbs up sign. "Is more important than food." He pointed to the bowl and wagged his hand to make a 'so-so' gesture. "I can live 14 days." Counted on his fingers. "Without food." Pointed to the bowl again. "But only three days." Counted. "Without water." Bottle. "Understand?"

Has'wh-ai seemed to understand, giving a sort of half-nod as he tried to take in the visual information.

There was something about water that he was supposed to remember... suddenly, it came to him. Food made the vessel bigger, and water made the eggs bigger. That's what his brother had told him. Excess food was given when the vessel had to expand, and water was given when the eggs needed to grow bigger to hold the developing offspring. But humans needed to drink water all of the time... didn't they?

Has'wh-ai watched, wondering if Andrew would notice as the eggs swelled and stole his water, making him parched once again.

He didn't notice the growing at first, only that he was thirsty again. Of course Andrew just chalked this up to being dehydrated. He finished the water bottle currently in his hand and then took another, and another, and another, and another. Why was he so thirsty? That's when Andrew noticed how tight his pants were getting again. He looked down only for green eyes to instantly widen. He was getting bigger. "Has'wh-ai..." How was this possible? What had he done? It hadn't occurred to him that water was the catalyst. And thanks to all the liquid he drank, he was filling out rather quickly. "Has'wh-ai!" The stretching skin began to dimple where his jeans pinched, so the boy was trying desperately to get them undone. He was too late, though, as the copper fastener flew off. Andrew laid back on the cushion, moaning as he grew to nearly the next size.

Has'wh-ai just watched in fascination as Andrew's stomach spilled out of his jeans, stretching far larger than it had been, round and firm with the now bloated eggs inside of him. However, they seemed to know to stop when the skin began to stretch just a little too far. Before it could bring pain to their vessel, the eggs stopped absorbing water, and Andrew was finally allowed to no longer feel thirsty.

"Uh, And'dr-ew..." the alien said, looking cautiously at the human with his inverted eyes.

When he was finally able to take a minute and rest, Andrew assessed his new situation. He was bigger. That much was certain. With shaking hands, the boy felt over the newly expanded surface. By his calculations, he'd doubled in size. "What the hell was that?!" Andrew suddenly shouted at the alien with an expression that was a good mix of confusion, shock, fear, and anger.

"Smshi'no..." Has'wh-ai said making the same egg shape he had with his hands on the first day he'd talked to Andrew. He then shook a water bottle still grasped in his tentacles and expanded the shape within in his hands.

"Water makes the eggs bigger?!"

Has'wh-ai nodded meekly. "Wichimaya..."

"Wichimaya my foot!" Andrew clunked his head against the wall and groaned in frustration. "You could have warned me, y'know."

Has'wh-ai just frowned, tilting his head and giving an exasperated shrug, as if to ask, 'How?'

"Like this." Andrew held up the water bottle. "Take this from me like you're going to drink it."

Has'wh-ai turned his head a bit more, confused. Those words were still foreign to him, even though he had picked up a lot from his time spent listening to the human. He'd gotten this far into the conversation, but now inverted eyes blinked blankly at Andrew again.

The boy sighed. "When I took this from you, you could have said, 'And're-ew... water makes the smshi’no get bigger.' Would that have been so hard?"

Has'wh-ai still looked confused, so he just lowered his head and repeated, "Wichimaya."

Andrew sighed again and gestured to his stomach. "Now look at me. You should be sorry. I thought I was going to burst open!"

Has'wh-ai looked at the boy's stomach and cautiously pushed his nose forward, nuzzling against its side. There was a very subtle pulsing just below the surface, and the alien couldn't help a paternal purr.

Andrew became perfectly still when the alien touched its nose to his belly. He didn't really know what to expect. Has'wh-ai had been really nice so far, but you could never tell when extraterrestrials were going to snap. Andrew remained perfectly rigid until he heard that purring noise. One of his eyebrows went up. "What? What's in there?"

"Smshi'no," the alien said simply, closing his eyes. His whip-like tail flipped back and forth behind him as he settled down on the ground. "Smshi'no..." He tried to think of the word, before he managed, "My-ne. Mine."

"Yours? Yeah, I know. I saw you take that drippy sac out of your back only to have it fed to me. I know these are yours." Andrew sighed for a third time and relaxed a bit against the cushion. Has'wh-ai's nose was surprisingly warm; sort of like a dog's, but not as wet. "Is that why you're being so nice to me? 'Cause your smshi'no are in me?"

Has'wh-ai wished he knew what the human was saying. If only he had a communicator... He lifted his head up and a tentacle suddenly sprang to life, exiting the cell not through the hallway, but an air vent above them; one that was sadly far too small for Andrew to squeeze through. But, it was big enough for the tentacle, and Has'wh-ai stuck his tongue out with concentration as it moved.

Andrew watched this and scrunched his nose a little. "That's gross, dude. I mean, you seem to fit those things anywhere, and I hate to think about the other places they've been."

Has'wh-ai frowned at his disgusted face, but his own lit up a second later. His tentacle suddenly retracted back, and he dangled it over his own head, looking at the small device he held. He placed it under his tongue, and shook his head violently, before grinning and looking down at the human. "Sorry, could you repeat that?"

Green eyes widened. "Why didn't you use one of those before?!"

"Because they're usually locked up," the alien said, frowning slightly. "I just got lucky today. Stu'fo-cl usually does his job, but sometimes he forgets."

"Well you need to keep that one with you from now on. I feel kinda stupid making all these weird gestures to communicate with you." He paused... "Thanks for getting it, though. This makes talking to you a lot easier."

"I just hope no one notices it's gone..." Has'wh-ai murmured, his tail thumping against the ground. "I'd be in so much trouble."

"How would they even know it was you? I've seen like... thirty more of you guys walking around this place. Any of them could have taken it."

"No one cares to use the communicators," Has'wh-ai said with a frown. "None of the other ones really care to talk to anyone other than each other."

Andrew turned bitter. "Great, so they rape somebody and then don't even say a word to them afterward? Charming," he said with a huff.

"Basically..." Has'wh-ai said, his fins lowering. "The Obirylds on this ship are the worst of our species, whatever they tell you. All of the good hearted ones are left at home... This is like... the human's military," he said after having to ponder over the comparison. "I'm just here because my brother runs the operation..."

"Way to let him push you around. You seem really torn up about what's happened to me. Why didn't you just stand up and say, 'No, I don't want to force-feed my egg sac to this poor tiny human who is obviously scared and sad right now.’"

"Well, because..." Has'wh-ai bit his lip. "My brother's got anger issues. He's been known to... blow up planets... when he doesn't get his way."

Andrew frowned. "This isn't exactly how I pictured being a hero for Earth. You know, take one for the team. Sure I saved Earth from getting blown up, apparently, but now look at me." He tried pulling the hoodie over his swollen figure, but it was a futile effort. "I'm probably going to explode with tiny tentacle claw babies with backwards eyes."

"You won't explode," Has'wh-ai said, resting his head in his hand. "I am sorta worried, though... you're probably the smallest alien to go through this yet. All of the other planets have really big dominant species."

"The... The green one said something like that. How I was too small." Andrew reluctantly placed his hands on his gravid middle, feelings around stiffly. "What if I really do explode? What if I am too small and I just... pop or something?"

"The vessel shouldn't allow that," Has'wh-ai said scratching his chin. "It should detect when the eggs are getting too big for the vessel and demand more food."

"Vessel?" He looked up at the alien. "What do you mean 'vessel?' Like a womb or something?"

"Kind've," Has'wh-ai said nodding. "It detects when the babies are too big for their eggs or the eggs are too big for their carrier and makes the carrier really hungry or thirsty based on what is needed. It's also what protects the eggs from being destroyed from the outside."

"Oh..." Andrew was quiet then. All he did was sit and stare; sometimes at himself, sometimes at the Obiryld, sometimes at the wall. More than likely, ten or fifteen minutes went by before he had the courage to ask, "Has'wh-ai, when this is all over... Will I lay eggs or birth alien babies?"

"It depends on how long they incubate." Has'wh-ai said. “Some of the alien's bodies expel them too quickly and lay eggs, that we have to monitor closely and keep warm until they hatch. And some carry them for a really long time and the eggs open inside them. The body absorbs the egg sacs to grow bigger and accommodate the babies, and then they give live birth. It's all based on your species."

Andrew visibly shivered. "Great... And you really don't know how many I have?"

"No..." Has'wh-ai said. "Our numbers vary pretty greatly. Me and my brother had fifty brood mates, but For'gr-ne only had twenty or so. I think Gol'ye-rn had almost a hundred."

"What?!" Andrew shrieked bolting upright. "Fifty? One hundred? I can't do that!" He grabbed his stomach like he was suddenly trying to hold it together. "Has'wh-ai, I can't even eat a hundred grapes without feeling sick afterward. How can I be expected to carry a hundred eggs?" The poor human looked ready to break down again.

"Th-that doesn't mean you're going to have a hundred!" Has'wh-ai said quickly, waving his hands. "It's just... going to be more than normal human litters, that's all."

Tears formed in his eyes. "Humans don't normally have litters. Human women only have one baby. Sometimes two, three if they're lucky. Anything beyond that usually comes from using chemicals and junk to help make a baby. Has'wh-ai... Anything between three and fifty is still a big number... I'm scared."

"I know," Has'wh-ai said, lowering his fins. "That's why I've been trying to help..."

"Oh god..." Andrew pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes as tears began to leak from them. "I'm such a freak! I'm just some fat un-natural freak of nature. I'll be so damn huge that I won't even be able to move!"

“It's not your fault..." Has'wh-ai said, not sure what to do when Andrew got like this. And it was even worse now that he could understand what the human was crying about.

"You... You couldn't understand me before, but that first day when you were bringing me to this cell. I asked you to kill me. Then I asked if you would just like... step on me. I bet you could easily. Your feet are bigger than I am." Andrew was sounding desperate. "Or just do something that looks like an accident. Make it look like my body rejected the experiment. Now that you can understand me... I want to ask you again to please put me out of my misery, Has'wh-ai."

"But, And're-ew..." The alien whined, shrinking into himself slightly. "I've never killed anything before..."

"You've already killed me!" the boy shouted angrily. Andrew got up then and threw himself at the Obiryld. He balled his hands into fists and beat the alien’s chest, crying and yelling. "This isn't fair! I didn't ask for this! I had dreams you stupid alien! Now I'll never get to graduate or go to Hong Kong or get a job or go on dates or see my family or banything!/b You ruined my life! You ruined it!" he sobbed.

Has'wh-ai didn't seem affected by the fists pounding on his chest, but the heart contained within it sank. "I didn't want to..." he murmured, lowering his head slightly.

Eventually Andrew just tired himself out and slipped down into the alien's lap. He cried softly, curling up in his place, and asking over and over again why it had to be him. He was a long way from accepting anything.

Has'wh-ai just frowned sympathetically, his tentacles suddenly curling around the human and starting to rock him gently. He was so tiny, like an Obiryld child. It was hard not to feel terrible about making him cry.

-X-

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