Chapter 5
When morning broke, Ralph woke up and yawned, stretching a bit. Kayzer was snuggled up to him the whole night long, and he noticed that before he started to stretch, they were both cuddling. That made Ralph smile, but also question where exactly they were going with their relationship. It was something they needed to discuss, but not just yet. He would give Kayzer time to wake up, so for now he just played with Kayzer’s hair.
It took Kayzer another hour to wake up, and when he did, he wasn’t in the best of moods. He felt ill, groggy and strange. When his eyelids eventually fluttered open, he just whinned a little and snuggled into Ralph more, burying his head into the man’s chest and closing his eyes again.
“Something wrong, Kay?” Ralph asked softly as he played with Kayzer’s hair. He figured that Kayzer just didn't sleep well, in which case he was going to try and comfort him and make things better.
“I don’t feel very well,” Kayzer replied, groaning a little as he gave Ralph a squeeze.
Ralph squeezed Kayzer back and felt his forehead. There was a bit of perspiration, but nothing significant. He didn’t feel too warm, though. “Are you hungry, maybe?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird,” Kayzer said, sitting up a little and fidgeting a bit. He’d never felt so restless and nauseous, among other things. Something wasn’t right, but he knew fine rightly he wouldn’t be able to hunt for their breakfast this morning. “I think you will have to do the hunting today, I don’t feel up to it at all. Is that okay with you?”
“That’s fine, Kayzer. I’ll figure out something. Just don’t expect a whole dear,” Ralph replied. He had brought a slingshot, and he was a pretty good shot with it honestly. So, he would be able to do the hunting this time, but he wouldn’t be nearly as fast as Kayzer.
“By the way, when I get back, I want to talk about us, okay?” Ralph said, gently petting Kayzer’s arm.
“If you’re getting rabbits, make sure you get a couple, there’s not much meat on them,” Kayzer managed a chuckle and a smile there, but he could really hold it for long due to the pain from his insides. “Yeah, sure. We’ll talk when you get back. I don’t foresee us moving anywhere when I’m like this so we’ll have plenty of time to talk.”
Ralph was really concerned about how much in pain Kayzer seemed to be, but he just nodded at Kayzer’s request. “I’ll get as much as I can. Will you be okay here on your own?”
“I’ll still be alive when you get back,” Kayzer replied, as that was how much he knew for certain. He’d be fine so long as things didn’t get any worse, or so he believed anyway.
“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Ralph replied, leaving with his slingshot to get some food for himself and Kayzer. Although Kayzer didn’t want to be parted from Ralph, he knew it was best that he was alone. Something was wrong, and he was going to find out very soon what it was. The pain inside him was growing more and more, and he was forced the morph into his dragon state. A bellowing roar was released from his muzzle as he shook his head and stood up, but kept his head close to the floor. Kayzer had no idea what was wrong with his body, but it soon became clear.
After and hour of agony, the pain was literally pushed out of him. He had dug his claws hard into the ground as two small objects were forced out of his system, and they dropped softly to the ground by his back paws. Kayzer was exhausted and out of breath, but he soon looked around and saw two small turquoise eggs lying by his tail. He didn’t know what to think, and he was too tired to question what he had just went through. So, he laid down, curling his tail around the eggs and relighting the fire with a quick burst of flame before closing his eyes and getting back to sleep. His body needed the rest after that. (no worries!)
Ralph returned after a few hours with three rabbits and plenty of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. He had no idea what was going on back at the cave, but he brought all the food back so that they could sit and eat. What he wasn’t expecting was to see Kayzer in his dragon form, holding his eggs closely. Ralph didn’t know what to think when he saw that. He almost dropped the bounty that he had brought from the woods. Kayzer had two eggs! How had that even happened?
“K-kayzer, are those eggs?” Ralph asked, the words nearly catching in his throat. The sound of Ralph’s voice startled the sleeping dragon for a moment, but when he raised his weary head he was able to look up and see Ralph and that made him feel a little more at ease.
“Yeah, they're eggs. They aren't for eating though, okay?”
“Well, I figured that. They’re blue, and huge!” Ralph said, taking a few steps closer to look at the eggs. He couldn’t help but wonder how they had gotten there. . . And if they were what he thought they were. “Those . . . Those eggs aren’t ours, are they?” he asked.
“They’re actually pretty small for dragon eggs,” Kayzer replied as he turned his head round to them. They certainly came out a lot quicker than normal dragon eggs, and much smaller. Must have been the mixture of human dna that sped things up a bit. Granted, what Ralph said next confused Kayzer a little. Who’s eggs would they be if they weren’t theirs?
“Well, I am the only dragon around here. Who do you think laid them?” Kayzer said, curling his tail around them a little more and inspecting them for a moment. He didn’t get the chance to properly look at them earlier, but now he could. “It’s why I was so ill earlier. My body knew they were coming before I did.”
Ralph really didn’t know what to do or say at this point. He had babies with Kayzer? Granted, they weren’t hatched yet, but he did have babies with him! What were they going to do now? They weren’t prepared for parenthood, or at least Ralph knew that he certainly wasn’t prepared.
“Okay, well,” he began, then bit his lip in hesitation. “Where do we even go from here?” he asked. He had no idea what they should do. Kayzer was going to stay with his tribe still, Ralph supposed, but he didn’t want to separated from his children. Then again, it wouldn’t be very safe to bring some hatchlings back to the farm. What would his mother and father think, after all?
“I don’t know. I’ll need some rest for a day or so. The eggs will need to be kept warm. It’s safer for them to be in one place but we can’t exactly do that out here on our own. Not unless we made ourselves a safe nest with adequate food and water supplies,” Kayzer said, though honestly he wasn’t sure what it meant for them, as a couple or for their future. He was taking it one step at a time right now, mainly because he didn’t know what the tribe would think, or the humans. He didn’t know if they would be welcome anywhere.
“How would we even make a nest? And where could we secure food?” Ralph asked. He was okay with hunting for his dinner for a short while, but he was no expert. The fact that he had brought back enough food to get them through the day was a miracle in and of itself, so he didn’t want to give Kayzer any illusions that he would consistently be able to feed them. Let alone now with the two babies on the way.
“We find a cave like this, somewhere out of the way that we can disguise, but we’d need it near a good water source, and maybe somewhere with a large clearing, like with deers or buffalloos. Since there are little ones, we’ll have to find something close by to food and water since it’s dangerous for them to leave the cave… but the best bet would be to try and make it back to the tribe where we can be looked after,” Kayzer said, he didn’t really want to do that, but it would make things a lot easier for both of them, as they wouldn’t have to hunt on their own, and there would always be support, so long as they accepted what had happened.
Weighing what Kayzer was saying in with his own personal feelings, and the knowledge that making a nest and creating a safe haven for them was rather unrealistic, Ralph decided that the best thing for them to do would be to press on once Kayzer felt fit to do so.
“All right. We will just go to your tribe and ask them for help. It’s the only thing that I think that we can do,” Ralph said. “But, you take whatever time you need to before we head out. I don’t want you pushi
ng yourself after just giving birth,” he added. There would be nothing to gain from that, but everything to lose.
“Thank you,” Kayzer replied softly, using the last of his energy to heat up the fire a bit more before turning back into human form. He wanted to cuddle up in the sleeping bags with the eggs, and Ralph, keep warm and just relax a little. That would be their goal for the day. “When you skin the rabbits, be sure to leave their coats. We can use that to keep the eggs warm when we’re travelling… keep them safe.”
“Good idea,” Ralph said, and pulled out his knife to get to work on the rabbits. Everything was still so surreal for him, though. He didn’t know what to think about everything that was happening to him. He had children! Or at least he would have, if those eggs hatched. He usually didn’t have unprotected sex, but the one time that he did, he was going to have babies? He just wasn’t sure he was ready to be a father, but when he looked over at Kayzer, he felt a warm feeling in his core. Kayzer was beautiful, that was for sure, and he was a kind soul at that. Still, this was rather sudden.
“Hey, Kayzer,” Ralph began as he worked away at the rabbit skins. “Are you okay with all of this? The babies . . . Me . .. Everything?” Kayzer wasn’t sure how to respond to Ralph’s question. He didn’t know if he was okay with having children just yet. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to protect them or offer them a good life. They weren’t going to be normal dragons, they’d be half human as well, so Kayzer honestly didn’t know what to expect, but as long as he didn’t have to face this alone, he felt he could take on this new challenge in his life.
“It’s all happened so suddenly, but I suppose I’m as okay as I can be. I want to be able to look after them, protect them. They need to have someone to support them. It’s not going to be an easy life for the little guys, so I have to be there. I honestly didn’t think I’d get pregnant. I didn’t think it would even be possible for a human to get me pregnant, but it’s happened, and I’m going to see it through. So, yeah. I’m okay with it.”
Kayzer spoke so matter of factly that Ralph almost felt bad for having second thoughts about this whole thing. Part of him couldn’t help it though. He wasn’t prepared to be a father, especially not the father of two dragons! Yet, the world didn’t care what he was prepared for. It demanded certain things of him, and he would have to take them as they came. He just wasn’t sure exactly how he was supposed to deal with them.
“What about us? What are we supposed to do now? I won’t be able to stay with your tribe, and you won’t be able to come and see me safely with the babies, will you?” Ralph asked.
“Why can’t you stay with the tribe?” Kayzer asked, a little bit of surprise in his voice. Kayzer didn’t want to do this without Ralph. Ralph was their daddy, he couldn’t leave his kids all alone. They were supposed to be a family now, or that’s what Kayzer thought. He was under the impression they would live together with the tribe, to make a home for themselves in the mountains. That way, they could all stay together and be happy.
“I thought your tribe wouldn’t want a human around? Not to mention, I can’t just leave my family without a second thought like that,” Ralph replied. He loved his family dearly, though if it came down to it he might have left them to take care of Kayzer and the babies, but he didn’t think that the tribe would even accept him.”I mean, I would leave my family as long as I had a chance to say goodbye and explain why I was leaving, but your tribe wouldn’t just accept me so easily, would they?”
“It’s not going to be easy to convince them, but they won’t just chuck out one of their own. When we get things settled there, I’ll take you to see your family. I can fly you down to visit any time you want to. I promise, you won’t have to abandon them. We’ll work something out, we just need somewhere safe for the eggs to grow and hatch, after that, when they’re big enough, we can find a suitable place closer to your family so you can spend time there. I don’t want you to lose your family in this,” Kayzer said, as he was willing to be flexible about this and not just keep Ralph to himself. As long as he knew that he and Ralph were together and were going to see this through, he was happy. That was enough for him.
Hearing that, Ralph was a bit more at ease. As long as things worked out so he didn’t have to completely leave his family, then he would be happy to be a good father and do what he should do by staying with Kayzer and helping him raise the babies.
“All right. As long as we can get all of that worked out, then I would like to stay with you. This is really sudden for me, and I didn’t expect this to come out of nowhere like it did, but . . . As long as I get to stay with you, and can still see my family every now and then, I won’t complain,” Ralph said. He was just finishing skinning the rabbits, so he paused to take them outside and let the sun bake them so they could be dry. Then he returned inside the cave and began cooking the meat.
Kayzer was certainly glad Ralph wanted to stay with him, that was the comfort he needed right now. So, he relaxed and got snuggled up in the sleeping bag, holding the eggs in his arms as he closed his eyes and let Ralph cook the rabbit stew on the fire. It was lovely, smelling the rabbit meat and vegetables being soaked in that little pot, Ralph did well bringing all the supplies they needed to have some decent grub. So, Kayzer just remained snoozing away until lunch was ready.
Ralph sent a good hour making the stew, then he went over to Kayzer and ran his fingers gently down Kayzer’s side and gave him a kiss on the lips to wake him up. He was absolutely adorable when he slept, so Ralph couldn’t resist those luscious lips. The kiss was a nice surprise, and Kayzer honestly loved it. That certainly brought a smile to his face and he opened his eyes to look up at the handsome man that was in front of him.
“Hello there, gorgeous.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth, beautiful,” Ralph said gently, smiling a bit. “You ready to get some breakfast? Or I guess it’s late enough to say lunch now . . . Sorry about that,” Ralph added, shrugging a bit in apology.
“Food is food, as long as I’m sharing it with you I’m happy,” Kayzer replied, sitting up and stretching a little. With that satisfied, he got the eggs all wrapped up, then left the sleeping bag to join Ralph by the fair to enjoy a nice meal with his partner. “It smells absolutely delicious.”
Ralph served Kayzer a bowl of stew so he didn’t have to get it himself, and then served himself. He was glad Kayzer approved, because he felt like he really had to be good to Kayzer after getting him pregnant during his very first sexual encounter. That was uncalled for, and even though Ralph didn’t mean to, he did feel rather guilty about it.
With the warm stew in hands, Kayzer was quick just to munch it down and feel the wholesome food in his system. This was just what he needed after this bizarre morning, and it made him feel rather refreshed and whole again.
“You are perfect, you know that?”
“I think you’re still half asleep there, Kayz,” Ralph replied with a chuckle, then refilled Kayzer’s bowl. He needed plenty of food, Ralph was sure, so he was happy to give Kayzer the bigger portion of the food. Kayzer always ate more than Ralph considering he was a dragon after all, but he had just given birth, so Ralph knew he’d need even more food to sate him.
“Even if I am, that doesn’t really change the way I feel about you,” Kayzer giggled a little, and happily munched down his next bowl of food. He was thankful Ralph was treating him so well. He honestly didn’t know what he would do without this amazing man by his side. Ralph could have very easily ran off and cut Kayzer and the hatchlings out of his life, and Kayzer would have no way to find him or contact him, but Ralph didn’t do that. He stayed by his side, even though it wasn’t easy. Kayzer could ask for nothing more than that.
Ralph kept a close eye on Kayzer, making sure he didn’t doze off or anything of that nature as he ate. Honestly, Ralph had no idea what giving birth entailed. It was something he never would know. However, he did feel overly protective of Kayzer now, and he wanted to make sure that nothing ha
ppened.
It didn’t take long for Kayzer to finish off another bowl of his food, and once that was done he retreated to the sleeping bag for, presumably, the rest of the day. He hoped Ralph would snuggle up with him for awhile, as he did want a cuddle, and to talk as well.
Ralph made sure to clean up after their meal, because Kayzer certainly wasn’t fit for it. So, he took the bowls and spoons to a nearby stream, rinsed it, then brought them back and set them in a nice place to dry. Then he went over to the sleeping bag and sat down next to Kayzer, brushing his fingers through Kayzer’s hair. The comforting gesture certainly brought a smile to Kayzer’s face as he looked up at Ralph. This hadn’t been an easy day, but Kayzer was grateful that Ralph was by his side every step of the way.
“So, since we’re going to be staying together, does that make you my mate? Ah, what do you humans say… boyfriend, that’s it. We’re boyfriends now, right?”
“Yes, it does make us boyfriends,” Ralph replied, smiling a little bit at Kayzer’s use of the word “mate.” That word just didn’t sound right to Ralph’s ears, but they could call themselves whatever they liked, he supposed. “As long as you want me to be, I’ll stick with you.”
“I want you. So, yes, I want us to be boyfriends,” Kayzer replied, pulling Ralph down to have another nice kiss with him. He was cherishing all these little moments he could get with his wonderful new boyfriend, though, at least now he wasn’t scared of his lover being taken away from him anymore.
Ralph returned the kiss and ran his fingers down Kayzer’s sides, then pressed their bodies together. He was so enamored with Kayzer that he didn’t know what to do with himself, but he was really glad that Kayzer and he were going to be together. It was a bit scary to think of them being a family so soon, but he would just embrace it.
During Kayzer’s recovery, Ralph was patient and did his best to take care of Kayzer. Though they weren’t sure how long the eggs would take to hatch, considering they formed inside of Kayzer and were birthed so quickly, the eggs seemed dormant still. That meant that they would have time to get to the mountains, hopefully. So, Ralph continued taking care of everything as best he could untill Kayzer felt fit to travel again, and then they got on their journey, taking special care to protect the eggs as they headed north.
AFRICAN AMERICAN URBAN FICTION: BWWM ROMANCE: Billionaire Baby Daddy (Billionaire Secret Baby Pregnancy Romance) (Multicultural & Interracial Romance Short Stories) Page 129