Chapter 13

Nevermore extended out all his major tentacles up to the sky and out in the voids of space. The towering pillars of flesh stretched out before countless mouths opened up along their length. There in the darkness of space, he screamed, yet no sound came out because sound couldn't travel without a medium. Some would see it as rather pointless but he needed it because his wife(?) just told him that he was going to be a father; he wasn’t ready to be a father just yet.

“There, there big guy, let it all out.” Jinx chuckled out as she patted one of his tendrils while Raven was curled up against another tendril. She laid there wide eyed and catatonic while she held her onto her stomach. All he could was hold on to her, comforting as best as he could.

The two were once again on his surface, sitting there on the white sand beach so they could relax and have some peace of mind to process everything. If it wasn’t for the revelation, he’d just bask on the sun’s rays but now this happened.

“Fuck, this is really happening isnt it?” Raven breathed out with panic and fear tinging her voice. He could feel her shaking and he reached out for her hands. She grasped his tentacles, holding onto him as if he was going to go away.

“Everything’s going to be alright, I’m here for you.” He reassured her as she wiped away a stray tear from her eyes.

Jinx sighed as she sat there, looking at them with pursed lips. She ran her hands across her hair before she asked, “It’s happening alright but the question that you should be making here is what do you want to do with it?”

Wasn’t that a hard question to answer; he honestly was at a loss of what to do and so was his lover. She was on the verge of crying, clearly overwhelmed with everything, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I should have known this was going to happen. Please don’t leave me-” She babbled out in panic but he cut him off before she could spiral out of control. She had been the rock that had kept him sane, now it’s time for him to return the favor.

He reached up for her cheeks, cupping them in the crook of his tentacle before he pressed his tentacles against her lips. Fear and shame bubbled up from within his core but he pushed it down as he started “R-Raven, when I first met y-you, I was a mess.” There was a bit of stutter in his voice as he tried to remain strong for her. “I was just a random nobody and you were this heroine I admired. We were never supposed to meet but chance brought us together. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was immediately star struck. You were just so cool and beautiful, unlike me who was this massive dork who was crushing on you. I followed you like a love sick idiot… I made a fool out of myself didn’t I?” He asked in self-deprecating humor and that got a small smile from her.

“Just a bit.” She admitted as he wiped away the tears staining her cheeks.

“Well, this fool fell for you hard. At first, it was just simple boyish infatuation but then I got to know you. You were more than just that captivating heroine I knew from the screen. You’re not only smart, but you’re incredibly wise. You’re also witty and actually quite funny once I got used to your dry humor. Honestly, I’d be at a loss most of the time without you.” He then said.

“At least you're self aware.” She asked with a soft smirk as she regained a bit of her confidence. He could feel his many lips twitching upwards with hers, even Jinx was swept up as she hid a giggle behind a covered mouth which earned her a roll of the eye from Raven.

“The more I got to know you, the more I fell in love with you. It might be a bit cliche but after our first night together, I found another purpose aside from living for myself. I wanted nothing more from that day on forward to see you smile. You made me whole, Raven, and I’d be an even bigger fool to tear myself in half for a simple accident. All of this, all I’ve done so far, far more than I’ve ever done before I met you, was because of you. I got to know Raven, no, I got to know Rachel Roth and she completed me so please don’t cry on me.” He begged her as he poured his heart out for her. He had never done this before and he was sure he fumbled a bit with his word but all he wanted there was to let her know that they were more than just a fling.

It was all worth it as he watched her smile widely even as tears fell from her eyes once again. Her darkened cheeks and those very same tears only made her smile all the more radiant. She reached up for one of his mouth stalks and pulled them close. If he had a heart, it’d be racing now as Raven whispered those precious words, “You always know the words to cheer me up and that’s why I love you.”

His world exploded into stars as he felt her lips against his. They’d done this a hundred times by now but something was special about this kiss. There was something more to it, something that he could only be sure was love and it was a feeling unlike any other. Their kiss was short, brief and chaste but it was something he’d cherish till the day he died.

He pressed his tentacles against her forehead, kissing her there before he contented himself with the contact they had. They held onto each for what truly felt like the first time that they were one, “Whatever you choose, I’ll be with you,” He whispered to her, promising to respect her decision; he would do it just for her.

Raven looked up back at him with conviction burning in his eyes as she made her decision. “I… We’re keeping them.” She replied without hesitation or doubt and he felt elation from those words. While he wasn’t ready to be one, he always wanted to be a father.

“I hate to interrupt this heartfelt moment but I just want to know something.” Jinx then butted in, asking them with palms pressed against each other making Raven and him sigh out as they gestured here to go on. “Just a simple little question that’s been burning inside my head, What’s the gender? Come on,~ I know your Biokinesis is powerful!” She asked, making him blink in surprise. Why hadn’t he checked? But then again, they were in the middle of processing things.

He peered inside Raven’s body, feeling her out far and getting to know her intimately once again, and observed by their child. Their child’s genes were a chaotic jumble, an amalgamation of everything he had and that of Raven’s own. He could even feel them change along with him as he gathered more creatures into his growing catalog. Despite it all, he knew just what she’d be once she came out, “Our child’s a girl and she will have your eyes Raven… and as many eyes as she wants because I feel like she took a lot from me.” He replied with mild amusement as Raven gave him a look.

“With how many times we did it, why am I not surprised.” She replied

“Dibs on being her godmother!” Jinx excitedly called out, making her intent known to both of them. The shit eating grin she sported betrayed her plans to them and he knew he’d have to ward her off from his daughter else she grows up spoiled.

“No,“ Raven replied with a deadpan look but Jinx was undeterred.

“Nope, too late. She’ll have the best auntie in the whole wide world and there’s nothing that’s going to stop me.” She replied smugly as she stood up from her seat and sat beside Raven. She dared the bigger girl to kick her off with that smile of hers but Raven just rolled her eyes at her, looking determined not to give the smaller girl what she wanted.

“Not much of a bar is it?” She fired back.

“Still counts,~” Jinx countered as she laid back against the tentacles he made for their back rest.

“You are insufferable,” Raven then said with a soft smirk on her face.

“Just you wait when there’s two of me. She’ll be my mini me!” She proudly declared, dead set on being there for their daughter. On one hand, he was touched but on the other hand, he could already feel the headache he’d have in the future.

All these thoughts had him thinking about their child, had him thinking about her and fixing things up so that she wouldn’t have trouble with her unique makeup. He helped her along, getting her more stable by giving her an easier time with arranging her catalog and removing any genes he knew might cause physical deformities in the future before a thought suddenly hit him, “You know, I just realized I could freeze her development so she doesn’t have to come out till the galaxy’s a better place.” He said.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Raven paused at his words before she started laughing. He felt her tentacles burn in embarrassment when that option flew over his head. “Definitely sounds like something you’d forget,” She laughed out mirthfully, teasing him for all he was worth before adding, “But I’m glad you forgot because without your confession of love, I probably wouldn’t have had the strength to say I love you.”

If they knew that option earlier, then they’d have only kicked that issue down the road instead of dealing with it right then. For once, his forgetfulness actually served him rather than made his life a lot harder. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” He replied without heat in his words but deep inside, he was on cloud nine.

“Well, I won’t have a goddaughter to spoil till we save this galaxy so who’s ready to kick some cuttlefish ass?!” Jinx asked as she jumped off her seat and pointed up to the stars above. Her enthusiasm was certainly infectious as he started preparing his surface for the trip ahead. He had planned to stay for a bit but with the proverbial fire lighting his ass, he was a lot more motivated to get things done. The journey ahead would definitely get cold but it’d be worth it so he could finally settle down a bit and raise his kid.

“Time to hunker down before starship Nevermore’s leaves port!” He replied as he made sure that he wasn’t going to leave behind his moon. As for his destination, he had an idea that sounded like a nice planet to visit. “Jinx, I need you to chart our course to Noveria.” His senses might extend into the light years but that didn’t mean he could find his way to some unfamiliar star.

“Aye aye Captain,” Jinx replied as he pulled out her omnitool. Unlike Raven, the pinkette became quite adept with the use of the glowing device. The benefits of having a planet’s worth of resources was that he could have the best service around and the ‘galactic coverage’ packet was definitely worth it; Jinx just so happened to be the one that took advantage of it by watching and browsing most of the day.

“Nevermore, before we go, I need you to do something.” Raven then spoke up, calling for his attention just as he started directing the animals on his surface to seek shelter so he could start pulling in landmasses under his surface.

“Did we forget to buy anything from Eden?” He asked. They were stocked up on all the things he could think up, from simple appliances to perishable goods; he even had her library stocked up with as many books as he could.

“No, besides that.” Raven answered as she got up before she opened up a portal for her and Jinx to their home down below. “I might have an idea on why your surface freezes whenever you do your jump. Remember how sluggish you felt after that long jump?” She asked as she walked before heading straight for their bed.

“Yes? My tentacles felt like lead. It felt like I ran a marathon for a bit.” He complained. His atmosphere froze and his oceans became miles of glacier. It was a pain getting heated up even if most of his fleshy bits were below the surface.

“Exactly,” Raven pointed out making him frown. What made getting tired connect to his freezing problem? “Your gravity is powered by your body and despite your vast reserves, you’re still using up more energy than what you can make, I believe that you're unconsciously drawing in energy from your surroundings to compensate.” She explained making him frown as he started thinking about his freezing problem.

Come to think of it, why was he freezing up when he was simply traveling through the void of space? Sure he was radiating away heat but traveling shouldn’t accelerate his heat loss. In fact, it should have taken weeks for his body to freeze up but it only took hours and it was by far the most unpleasant experience he had so far in his new body. Come to think of it, his reserves were dried up and it took a while for him to charge up his laser. Sure it only took seconds for his sea to refill but that was a brief instant that he was without fuel.

“Wait, so I’ve been sucking heat to fuel my jump?” He asked. If she was correct, then that would explain everything. He did discover his ability to suck up heat so was that the culprit? Was it that simple? His body simply needing energy to fuel his travel? Could he just simply have missed that little detail amidst all the things that happened?

“It’s a theory but we can test it out, simply orbit the star system as fast as you can. If my theory is right, your surface will freeze even in close proximity to a star.” Raven replied as she opened the door to their room and closed it behind her, letting out a breathy sigh as she walked up to their bed.

“Huh, thought you’d do some complex ritual to test it.” He said in surprise with how easy the test would be. There were no complex series of hoops he had to jump through, just fly around a star until either his body froze or his proverbial gas tank simply ran out.

“Oftentimes, the best solution to a problem is the simplest.” Raven replied as she promptly plopped down on the bed of tentacles. He wrapped around her, making her moan out as she spread her legs. Well, that’s certainly something he wouldn’t miss.

“Do you want to do it before or after the test?” He whispered as his tentacles crept around her form, groping her as she let him have his way. She might have been pregnant but her libido was certainly left untouched. They might have had a galaxy to save and some tests to do but there was more than enough for some private time in between all of it.

“After,~” She replied with a smirk as she crossed her legs and trapped a tentacle in between her creamy thighs. “I feel like having Christmas early this year,~” She whispered as she grinded her against him. He chuckled as he gave her a playful slap.

“Our celebration later would certainly be a White Christmas,~” He replied as he let her have her fun with herself for now and focused on Jinx above.

The girl was tracing a line across several stars on her holographic display. “Oh hey, just when I finished. I made sure we’ll pass by several stars so you don’t get too cold because it’s a long way from here.” She said as she brought up the star map up to his eye stalk.

“About that, there’s going to be some slight delays. Going to do some tests involving that problem.” He answered as he pushed her omnitool down.

“Oh? You found a work around? Finally got that complex portal down?” Jinx asked excitedly.

“It’s more of we might have found the reason why. It’ll be quick so best to head down,” He answered as he opened up a hole for her to jump down into.

“Damn it, here I thought you finally learned that spell. Hurry you big dummy!” She shouted before she jumped down the long winding tunnel. Good thing she didn’t mind getting slimed as that made her trip downward smoother.

With everything tied down and ready for travel, he oriented himself away from Eden Prime and aimed himself away from its star. He bent space time which gave way like that of putty under his grasp as he started plowing forward. He quickly picked up speed as he shot past light speed and rocketed towards the edge of this star system.

There, he’d find it sparse of any worthwhile large heavenly body. There was no danger of collision and he started his flight around the star. He could still feel a bit of heat from the sun but it was faint and distant. At first, he didn’t feel any change but then he felt his sea of magic start to drain. Slowly, his reserves emptied as he went as fast as he could. Not even his prodigious regeneration could fill his tank up and once he hit a certain point, he felt it. It was small, subtle, but he was certainly drawing in energy from the surroundings. His oceans started freezing once more while his atmosphere got colder.

As soon as that started, he slowed down to a stop so he could heat up once more. The brief test flight left him cold and drained. As if to punctuate the results even further, the space around him was far colder than when he had started. It seems that even his powers had limits and he was left cursing as he desperately tried heating up. As fun as having snow on his surface was, it wasn’t as fun when he had a global winter.

-x-x-x-

While he headed back to the star's warm embrace, a set of mismatched starry eyes peered at him from a distance, observing him and marveling at the wonders he brought with him. She laughed as she tethered at the edge off the whole Nevermore made upon her reality. The fall down was long, winding, and there she was dancing on the edge without a care in the world as she watched. Her wild mane of hair fluttered in the unseen wind as she laughed.

Just one little push, one little step and she’d fall down the rabbit hole and find herself along a merry ride. It was certainly tempting as the void called to her, taunting her, asking if she was merely going to watch. “The castle proposed to the princess just as they’re about to fight the sea. The king is trying to find his daughter but she’s neither here nor there. If only he knew where to look!” She laughed out as she twirled around and came face to face with the angry visage of the four eyed dragon.

“You! You took her!” He accused her, making her clutch her chest in mock horror.

“Not me, the castle did it!” She lied or did she? She might have not been looking when she pushed the starling away.

“Stop speaking nonsense. You might be powerful but I can make your life into a living hell. Return my key at once!” The mad beast king roared to which she yawned in boredom. He speaks too much and now she’s bored. She should go where the fun was.

“You can try,~ but you will fail. Bye bye!” She waved him off, batting him away before she took a leap. The land of the zeroth element might be far from her home but the way back was as clear as day. Besides, she had been looking for something to distract her mind and the merry chase that was about to begin would certain bright Delight!~