Chapter 129: Huh? I Gave Birth?
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The last time on the Victoria, Lin Xu had also slipped into a long unconsciousness before giving birth. When he finally woke, he had broken down Zhou Pingbo’s lab door and rushed back to his nest to lay a fake egg. But this time, unlike before, the area beneath his scales hadn’t immediately started oozing moisture after he lost consciousness.
Heinrich thought about going to find Shen Yuan for help, but Lin Xu’s breathing was already heavy and hot. His eyes were tightly shut, cheeks flushed red. Heinrich didn’t feel safe leaving him alone—and he didn’t dare pick him up and leave the nest.
A rising tide of anxiety surged through Heinrich’s chest, and he finally resolved to stay by Lin Xu’s side. Lin Xu’s whole body steamed with heat. His fish tail swayed gently; the pale gray fin floated and stretched through the water like silk. Heinrich helped him remove his robe.
In the water, clothes didn’t keep one warm, nor would taking them off cool him down—it was simply to avoid interfering with Lin Xu’s movements.
Lin Xu’s belly bulged less than last time. Maybe it was because during that false pregnancy, his body had been too weak and gaunt, making the same-sized egg look even more prominent beneath thin skin.
Still, bluish veins stretched taut under his skin, pulsing with each breath. Suddenly, the egg inside seemed to move. Or maybe not. Heinrich carefully placed a hand on Lin Xu’s abdomen.
A sudden twitch and spasm shot through Heinrich’s palm, startling him so much he nearly pulled back. But Lin Xu grabbed his withdrawing hand, retracting his claws. His grip alone was strong enough to cause blue-purple marks from restricted blood flow on Heinrich’s wrist.
Lin Xu’s mind was hazy. He only sensed a comforting vetiver scent nearby—a scent that belonged solely to him…
He clung to Heinrich’s hand, nuzzling against him, twitching his nose as if trying to catch the smell with his sense of smell.
Heinrich remembered how Lin Xu had used all his military uniforms when building their nest. Sensing Lin Xu liked a certain scent, Heinrich settled deeper into the nest, wrapping an arm around Lin Xu’s shoulder and pulling him into a hug.
But Lin Xu was still unsatisfied.
Suddenly, he leapt up and pounced on Heinrich.
Heinrich fell back with a startled “Ah!” Half of his legs stayed inside the nest while his body dangled outside on the crystal floor. His head slammed against the hard surface, leaving his brain buzzing.
Before he could recover, Lin Xu grabbed Heinrich’s leg and dragged him back into the nest, using him like a soft pillow to cling to.
This whole series of hunting-like moves made it hard for Heinrich to believe Lin Xu was truly asleep—he was probably just in a confused, instinct-driven haze.
But when Heinrich called to him, the mermaid seemed genuinely out cold, closing his ears and ignoring him completely.
Lin Xu’s belly pressed against Heinrich’s side, separated only by a thin layer of gauzy fabric. The veins pulsed beneath the skin, making it impossible for Heinrich to fall asleep as easily as Lin Xu. He could only keep his eyes open, staring up at the cave ceiling.
He didn’t know how much time passed, but gradually Lin Xu’s heavy breathing turned into soft whimpers—like a cat in pain. His tail twitched from time to time. To ease the soreness and discomfort, his tail rubbed against Heinrich’s dragon tail.
Heinrich forced himself to suppress the distracting physiological urges stirred by the honeyed scent and soft touch. He wrapped his dragon tail carefully around Lin Xu’s fish tail, controlling him to prevent injury during the spasms.
After several more hours, the fish tail pressed close to Heinrich’s began to soften. The scales parted slightly, making way for the life about to be born. Lin Xu’s soft moans lengthened. His gills behind his ears fluttered rapidly, greedily siphoning oxygen from the seawater.
Another long while passed. Heinrich felt the hard egg inside Lin Xu shift positions. Lin Xu still hadn’t awakened from his haze, but the movement caused waves of pain. In a blurry moment, Heinrich saw tears leak from Lin Xu’s closed eyelids.The next instant, Lin Xu bit down hard on Heinrich’s shoulder.
“Hiss—” He bit fiercely. Blood mixed with seawater, turning a pale pink. Lin Xu’s waist, belly, and tail tensed with effort. Meanwhile, his sharp teeth sank deeper into Heinrich’s shoulder. Whether from exertion or pain, Lin Xu trembled from tail to tooth. Heinrich held him tightly, letting him bite down nearly hard enough to tear flesh. Below the scales, a smooth, steaming oval began to peek out.
Lin Xu drew a deep breath with closed eyes. His tail flicked, claws digging into Heinrich’s back. He pushed hard with his tail, so that the oval-shaped egg could slip free. Heinrich felt a deep connection and vibration through the wounds Lin Xu left on him.
The eggshell was softer than Heinrich had imagined. To avoid accidentally pushing the egg back inside, Heinrich pulled back a bit and wrapped his dragon tail around Lin Xu’s waist.
This cycle repeated countless times in the crystal cave. Finally, one complete egg was fully expelled, wedged between Heinrich and Lin Xu. Even after finishing, Lin Xu’s tail muscles twitched from the intense effort. He buried his face in Heinrich’s chest, biting him again before sinking into a deep sleep.
Heinrich cradled Lin Xu in one arm and carefully retrieved the precious egg from between them with the other, making sure not to crush it with the mermaid tail’s pressure. The egg’s shell was still soft and flexible when freshly born, but as seawater washed over it and cooled, the white shell hardened and the oval shape took form.
Lin Xu clung tightly to Heinrich, refusing to let go. Heinrich arched his back slightly, placing the egg between their chests and abdomens, treating them like a cherished rabbit-cat.
Gently, he patted Lin Xu’s back, waiting for his breathing to slow and calm.
– –
Lin Xu remembered how, feeling too tired, he had set aside his carving work and flopped back into the nest to sleep. But when he woke up, the soreness in his waist and tail had worsened, and the ache was both sharp and swollen. It couldn’t be that Heinrich had forgotten to take the egg out.
Yet, he only recalled sleeping through the night. Nothing seemed to have happened, though Heinrich had indeed returned to the crystal cave before Lin Xu went to sleep. Lin Xu shifted his uncomfortable tail.
“Lin Xu, you’re awake?”
Lin Xu still had his eyes closed, but his movement stirred Heinrich from his slumber. “Mm…”
“How do you feel?”
“I don’t know why, but I’m so tired.”
“Don’t know why?” Heinrich was momentarily stunned by Lin Xu’s response. “Open your eyes and look.”
“Huh?” Lin Xu rubbed his equally sore eyes and looked toward Heinrich. He saw a vivid, deep bite mark on Heinrich’s shoulder, nearly exposing bone. Along with that were scratches and bruises made by fingernails—he knew at once these were his handiwork.
But… he couldn’t remember what had happened last night. Surely he hadn’t suddenly gone mad in his sleep and forced himself on Heinrich. Nor could it be the other way around—Heinrich forcing him.
“Last night…”
“This,” Heinrich interrupted, unaware of the absurd thoughts flashing through Lin Xu’s mind, pointing to the white oval between them.
The moment Lin Xu’s gaze landed on the egg, even before thinking consciously, his subconscious recognized what it was and reacted. He curled up tightly, hugging his tail, retreating to the corner so fast he left only a blur.
The mental blank swept away all the irrational ideas he had moments before, leaving only one thought: staring at the egg. And realizing, he was looking at his own egg.
“Did I give birth to this?”
“You did.”
“Last night?”
“Yes, after you passed out last night, you started giving birth.”
Leaning against the wall, Lin Xu drew a sharp breath. He now understood what had caused Heinrich’s injuries. But he simply couldn’t recall any of it.
After a long moment, Lin Xu pressed his hand to his chest to calm himself. Slowly, he approached the nest and stared intently at the quiet egg nestled inside. He reached out a finger and poked it. The egg, standing upright, wobbled then toppled onto the seaweed and gauzy fabric with a soft plop, startling Lin Xu again.
Heinrich watched him play with it, unconcerned. The night before, he’d already noticed the egg’s hardness rivaled that of dragon scales. When the egg finally stopped moving, Lin Xu tried feeling its delicate, cool surface with his whole palm. He could detect the faint heartbeat pulsing through the liquid inside the shell.
Though the egg was right before him, Lin Xu couldn’t help but feel amazed—he had never before doubted human biology so thoroughly.
Dragons and mermaids, or genetically modified humans, could actually nurture new life. Lin Xu stared at the egg for a long time, until tightness and shortness of breath reminded him he could finally breathe freely instead of holding his breath, watching his future child.
The arrival of new life always brought memories flooding back. Without warning, Lin Xu asked Heinrich, “When we first met, why did you ask me about the story of the wicked dragon and the princess?”
Heinrich leaned in, wrapping his dragon tail around both his lover and the egg, the tip brushing teasingly against Lin Xu’s waist.
“Do you want the truth?”
Lin Xu replied, “Can you even come up with a lie that would convince me?”
Heinrich didn’t answer. He wasn’t good at lying. But his first thought when he met Lin Xu… was frankly embarrassing. And yet, it had actually come true. “Because you smelled so sweet, I wanted to mark you for the first time… and I wanted to have your egg.”
The dragon tail’s tip rubbed affectionately against Lin Xu’s waist again. Heinrich rarely said what he wanted. He preferred to show rather than speak.
Lin Xu muttered, “…Stop being so needy.”
Heinrich wanted to deny it but then had a sudden flash of realization. He didn’t answer. Instead, he buried his face in the hollow of Lin Xu’s neck and nuzzled him.
As expected, Lin Xu didn’t push him away. Instead, he ran his hand through Heinrich’s silver hair, not minding his “neediness.” Heinrich reluctantly accepted that word.
“What do I smell like?” Lin Xu asked, unable to resist. He never used scented products or perfume. And he was a pure human from ancient Earth, with no alpha or omega pheromones. No one had ever said he had a scent. But it was sweet…
“Honey,” Heinrich said. “The first time I met you, I smelled the sweet honey scent you left in your home outside your door. Later, on the S105 during my susceptible period, I smelled that stronger sweet scent again—when I shifted, when I was moved…”
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