“Thank you…” he replied softly, squeezing her hand back gratefully. He knew it wouldn’t get any easier to eat once the nausea really began to set it. The thought only made him more depressed. He was still trying to ignore the reality that he was pregnant.
Mia wasn't bringing it up, Simon's pregnancy, because she realized how horrible it must be to have to go through this. Not just to be forcefully made to be so, but as a man, and by someone who was supposed to never be able to have one.
The woman moved a bit closer, gently patting Simon's back. She didn't want him to feel alone, after all.
((bruh the child’s gonna be fucked up considering the amount of mental issues both Astral and Simon have oof))
Simon leaned his head onto her shoulder without a word, of course not bringing it up, just glad that Mia was there for him. He didn’t know if he’d be able to survive all nine of these months. And if he did survive long enough to have the child, he figured Astral would just kill him afterwards.
Mia wrapped her arms around Simon, her hand going up to Simon's head. She had no idea what was in store for them, but was absolutely certain if was nothing good at all. She would just focus on helping Simon during this, though, no matter what.
Simon buried his face into Mia’s shoulder, taking a deep breath before speaking up. “I-I’m not ready for this….a-and I’m so scared. I never wanted to have to deal with this.”
Mia ran her fingers through Simon's hair, letting him speak.
"I… I know… B-But, I-I'll be here to help you with this. I…" She couldn't even try to say Simon would be okay.
While he wasn’t expecting her to say he’d be okay, it still hurt to know that there really was no hope for their future. “I don’t want to do this…I-I can’t do this.” He said, genuinely starting to panic now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it. And he didn’t even want to make it. He was hoping he’d die off before any significant signs of the pregnancy began to show up. Because once they did show up…life truly would be unbearable for him. All his work to stay safe in this one area from over the years….it would be gone. And then he’d really feel like a failure. “Mia…I can’t do this!” He exclaimed, practically starting to hyperventilate.
((Bumpity bump))
((Hey dude, how are things going? It seemed like you had a rough week last week :/))
Mia couldn't help but watch as Simon begin to fall apart. She didn't know what to do, she really didn't. She'd… Never, never seen it this bad, with the other…
"I- I know," she said, pulling Simon close to herself. "I know, I know, I know…" She had to keep herself calm before helping Simon. Rivals, though, she was able to control herself.
"You… You have to breath, Simon. Please, please…"
Simon clung on to her tightly, as if she was his lifeline. He’d started to break down more and more, tears streaming down his face. But he tried to do as she suggested, taking in deep breaths. However they were still very shaky and unsteady, the man close to sobbing. This whole situation felt so…hopeless.
There wasn't much, really, that Mia know how to do to help. So, she relied back to what she did, and hoped it would work out.
"I've got you…" The woman gently ran her fingers through Simon's hair.
Simon stayed curled up in Mia’s arms, crying quietly, somehow managing not to break down into sobs. Mia’s actions were helping he just couldn’t express that properly at the moment. He’d reverted back to his simple, almost childlike mindset in this moment. He wanted to get out of this place. He didn’t want to be hurt any more. He wanted to go home. But he didn’t even have a real home. He wasn’t sure he’d ever had one.
"We're going to keep you safe," Mia continued, voice soft and low. The woman held Simon in both of her arms, her hand continuing to run through his hair and lightly rub his back.
“P-promise?” He asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked up at her a bit, sniffling a bit as he tried to calm himself down. A few tears still dripped down his face. He knew he was being selfish but he needed reassurance.
"I promise." Mia cupped Simon's head, wiping his tears away as best she could. She didn't mind at all that Simon was asking this, wanting to give him something to hold on to. Even if it might turn out to be a lie.
“O-okay…” he hugged her. “Thank you..” he whispered. He really did need something to hold on to at the moment. He fell silent again, still clinging to her side.
Mia hugged back, pulling Simon to herself. Not breaking the silence, the woman gently rubbed Simon's back, a small distraction from their reality.
Simon didn’t break it either, and stayed pressed into Mia’s side. He allowed his eyes to slide halfway shut, letting himself relax for just a few minutes.
A soft, bittersweet smile came to Mia's face when she felt Simon relaxing a bit.
"How are you feeling?" She asked eventually, her fingers going through Simon's hair.
He shrugged. “A little better I guess..” he replied after a moment of thought. Of course to some degree he was still terrified over the whole situation. But as of this moment he was somewhat calm. He did like Mia running her fingers through his hair though.
Mia continued the soft motion, nodding.
"A little is better than nothing." The woman closed her eyes a moment as she thought, then opened them again.
He nodded. “You’re right…” he agreed. He felt so tired right now, probably due to the fact that his body was actually able to relax. He let his eyes slide shut a little more, staying quiet.
Mia looked down at Simon, resting her hand against his head. His eyes were drooping, and Mia knew he must be tired. She didn't break the silence, but Mia did move to carefully rest back on the bed with Simon still in her arms.
Simon shifted in her arms, settling down a bit. He was trying to do his best to not drift off but was mostly failing. Finally he stopped fighting it and let his eyes slide completely shut, drifting off quickly after that.