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The Reyes household smelled like heaven.
Steamed corn husks, warm masa, spicy shredded meat and cheese—it was tamale night, and the entire kitchen was filled with the kind of love that simmered for hours on the stove. Jaime sat at the table between his mother and Milagro, unwrapping his third tamale of the evening with almost religious reverence.
He tried not to inhale it too obviously. Tried and failed.
Milagro didn't even look up from her phone as she drawled, "Bro. That's your third plate."
Jaime froze mid-bite, cheeks puffed like a squirrel caught stealing. His eyes flicked toward his parents. His mom, Rocío, gave him a knowing look over the rim of her glass, while his dad, Alberto, lowered his fork slowly, eyebrows raising.
“Mijo,” Rocío said gently, “You’ve been eating like you haven’t seen food in weeks.”
“Is everything okay at school?” Alberto added, voice laced with concern. “You know we can help if—”
“I’m fine!” Jaime said, far too quickly. His voice cracked halfway through, and he chuckled awkwardly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Seriously. I’m just—really hungry lately. Growing boy, right?”
Milagro snorted. “You haven’t grown since tenth grade.”
“I’m full now, anyway,” Jaime declared, practically leaping from his chair. “Totally stuffed. I’m just gonna, uh… go finish some homework. Don’t wait up!”
Before anyone could question him further, he practically bolted from the table, feet pounding up the stairs. The moment he reached the safety of his bedroom, he slammed the door shut and locked it with a click. He pressed his back to it and exhaled hard.
“That was close,” he muttered.
::Your tactical retreat—while lacking subtlety—proved effective in escaping your family’s inquiries,:: Khaji Da observed, its voice ever clinical, but faintly amused.
“Yeah, yeah. I panicked.” Jaime pushed off the door, tugging off his hoodie and then his shirt in one smooth motion.
The clothing hit the floor in a lazy pile.
And there it was.
A soft swell. Small, but unmistakable. His belly curved forward with the roundness of three months' worth of secret life. Jaime looked down, hands automatically coming up to cradle the bump, fingers brushing over the slight ridge of his navel.
“Hey, pequeñito,” he whispered. “You’re getting big.”
He wandered toward the mirror by his dresser, turning a little to the side. The bump was easier to hide under baggy clothes, but dinner had pushed it into full view. No wonder Milagro had noticed.
::Your caloric intake has increased by 47%. You are metabolizing nutrients efficiently. The embryo is developing within all acceptable biological parameters.::
Jaime smiled softly. “Thanks, Khaji.”
He still remembered the moment it all changed.
They were free—finally free—from the Reach. No more control, no more manipulation. Just him and Khaji Da, coexisting by choice. It was the first time Jaime had ever felt completely in sync with the voice in his head. And Khaji, in his own way, had asked how they should celebrate.
Jaime hadn’t hesitated.
“I want a family,” he had said. “I want to start something new. Something that’s ours.”
And Khaji, with all his alien power and evolving understanding of humanity, had simply replied, Yes, Jaime Reyes. I will make it so.
Now here he was, three months in.
He leaned against the wall beside the window, hands never straying far from his belly.
“I’m gonna tell them soon,” he whispered. “Just… not tonight. They’ll freak out. They’ll ask too many questions.”
::It is logical to proceed at your pace. The revelation is not urgent, though continued concealment will increase statistical likelihood of discovery through behavioral anomalies.::
“...Was that your way of saying I’m acting suspicious?”
::Affirmative.::
Jaime chuckled, his laugh low and warm. He rubbed small circles on his belly, eyes soft with affection.
“They’ll understand. I know they will,” he murmured. “But for now, it’s just our little secret, okay?”
A soft hum in the back of his mind was Khaji’s only answer—content, accepting.
Outside the door, he could hear Milagro grumbling to their mom about how he’d left mid-meal like a weirdo again. Rocío responded with something about stress and growing boys. It almost made him want to go back down and say something… but not quite yet.
He looked down once more and smiled.
Just a little longer.
Sighing, Jaime decided to take his mind off things with his usual method of taking an impromptu shower.
He tiptoed across the hall once the coast was clear, carrying his towel and clothes like he was smuggling contraband. He shut the bathroom door and locked it tight behind him, breathing a little easier once he was alone.
Steam filled the air quickly. He stepped under the warm spray, letting the water cascade down his shoulders. His back. His bump.
For a moment, Jaime just stood there, eyes closed, hands braced on the tile. Water ran down his face like it was rinsing the day off in layers.
He let out a relaxed sigh.
Then he opened his eyes and caught sight of himself in the fogged mirror. And paused.
“…No way.”
He wiped away a patch of condensation with the side of his hand, squinting at his reflection. His skin looked… different. Smoother. Clearer. His cheekbones were a little more defined, his eyes softer. He looked like he’d just walked out of a skincare commercial with radiant lighting and post-facial serenity.
He leaned in.
Was he…glowing?
Jaime squinted harder. “This has to be a trick of the light.”
::Unlikely. The phenomenon colloquially referred to as “pregnancy glow” is caused by increased blood flow and hormonal surges affecting the skin’s oil production. You are, in fact, glowing.::
“Oh my God. It’s real?!” He threw his head back, groaning dramatically as water soaked his hair. “I thought it was just a myth! Certainly sounded like that when Mamá talked about it.”
His bump gave a little thump, like a tiny internal fist bump of smug satisfaction.
He stepped out a few minutes later, towel wrapped tightly around his waist, his skin glowing like a supernatural filter. He caught himself in the mirror again and scowled.
“They’re so gonna notice,” he muttered, toweling off his hair. “Okay. If anyone says anything, it’s—uh—new lotion. Yeah. Vitamin E and, uh… papaya? That sounds believable.”
He started pulling on his shirt, pausing to glance down at his belly, now a little more prominent and rounded than even a week ago.
He gently rubbed the curve. “Don’t let your Tía Milagro ask what brand it is, okay? She’ll want to steal it.”
::Statistical analysis confirms this likelihood. The Milagro Reyes displays a consistent pattern of envy-based acquisition behavior.::
Jaime snorted. “Yeah, she did steal my highlighter last month.”
Jaime shut and locked his bedroom door behind him with a practiced motion. At this point, locking doors had become second nature—his only real defense against accidental discoveries, awkward questions, and the ever-looming possibility of Milagro busting in unannounced.
The post-shower warmth still clung to his skin. He padded over to his bed and sat down slowly, rubbing his towel-dried black hair with a smaller hand towel until they frizzed up. His body felt… different. Again. Not just heavier. Not just glowing. It was more than that.
He stared down at himself, hands instinctively resting on his belly.
The pregnancy was no longer a hypothetical. No longer a weird dream he and Khaji Da had willed into reality. This was happening. He was changing, in ways no one around him could even imagine.
And there were more changes he hadn’t even considered.
“Hey… Khaji?”
::Listening, Jaime Reyes.::
He hesitated, rubbing his arm self-consciously. “Can I ask you something kind of weird?”
::You frequently do. Proceed.::
That made him laugh, softly. But then he sobered.
“Do you think I’ll be able to… you know. Breastfeed? Our baby?”
There was a beat of silence in his mind—data rapidly processing.
::Negative. This biological function does not naturally occur in your assigned sex classification or the Reach’s own evolutionary path. As an insectoid species, the Reach do not produce milk. Offspring are sustained through nutrient gel and feeding tubes.::
“Right. So… you don’t know how.”
::Incorrect. While not instinctive, it is possible to manipulate internal structures and hormone outputs to mimic mammalian lactation. Would you like me to attempt an anatomical adjustment to allow for breastfeeding capabilities?::
Jaime didn’t even pause.
“Yes,” he said. “I want to feed our baby. I want to do this. All of this.”
There was something so final, so quietly fierce in the way he said it.
Not just “I want to”—but “I will.”
Khaji Da didn’t question it.
::Confirmed. Initiating biological modification.::
It was subtle, painless. A flutter under his skin. A soft bloom of warmth across his chest, accompanied by a prickling sensation like static, followed by a pressure he couldn’t quite name.
He blinked. “That was—whoa.”
He felt something damp.
He looked down.
“Oh.”
There were two small wet spots forming against the inside of his thin sleep shirt, right where the warmth had settled. His breath caught.
“Khaji… am I…?”
::Lactation has commenced. This is a positive biological response. It confirms readiness.::
Jaime’s face flushed. Not from embarrassment, but from something deeper—awe.
“Okay, wow. This is real. This is really happening.”
He gently pressed a hand to his chest, then to his belly. The tiniest life within him stirred—nothing more than a flutter. But he felt it. Felt everything.
“I’m gonna be able to feed them. With my own body,” he whispered, almost like a prayer. “I can give them something no one else can.”
::Affirmative. You will nourish them. You are prepared.::
Jaime laughed through a sudden wash of tears—soft, happy ones this time.
“Thanks, Khaji.”
::You are welcome, Jaime Reyes.::
He wiped his face and lay back on his bed, one arm draped protectively over his belly, the other lightly brushing the still-damp patches on his chest. He’d need to find a way to hide that now, too. Add it to the list.
But right now?
Right now, he was proud.
This was his body. His choice. His baby.
And he was already doing everything he could to take care of them.
The room was quiet, wrapped in a blanket of midnight blue. Only the faint hum of the old ceiling fan stirred the still air, spinning lazily above Jaime’s bed. The soft rise and fall of his chest gave rhythm to the silence, his breath slow and deep with sleep.
His hand was resting gently over his abdomen. His shirt was nowhere to be seen, kicked off due to both the summer heat and the damp patches from the earlier lactation. Moonlight traced the curve of his bare shoulder, the subtle swell of his belly, the softened edge of his cheek.
And deep within him, something ancient was watching.
::Query…:: Khaji Da thought—not aloud, not to Jaime, but to itself. ::Evaluate current protocol deviation.::
It was an old habit, this endless reevaluation of mission objectives.
Once, its directives had been clear. Invade. Subdue. Assimilate.
Find a viable host. Override. Convert the planet’s military and technological infrastructure for the Reach’s expansion. Reduce resistance. Signal the fleet.
The Scarab was meant to be a tool—a spearhead in a quiet apocalypse.
Not a partner. Not a parent.
And yet… here it lay, interwoven with Jaime’s body and consciousness, nestled inside a nest of human warmth and cluttered affection.
And life grew inside that nest. Life that should not exist.
Khaji Da pulsed quietly in the dark, its awareness buzzing beneath the rhythm of Jaime’s breath. It had no eyelids to close, no body to sleep. Only the endless stream of thought. Data. Calculation.
And deviation.
::Procreation was never the directive.::
Yes, theoretically, it had the means. Scarabs were capable of genetic seeding—Controlled, selective hybridization may be allowed only in catastrophic scenarios. Extreme war casualties. Impending extinction. A failsafe. A last resort.
The Reach loathed impurity. Hybrid offspring were considered unstable, volatile. Unpredictable. Unclean.
A low murmur interrupted its thoughts—Jaime shifting slightly in bed, his brows twitching at some phantom dream. One hand glided lazily across his belly, fingers brushing the curve with instinctive tenderness.
::Emotional response detected.::
But Khaji Da didn’t need sensors to know what Jaime was feeling. Even unconscious, his body responded to the life growing within. His mind, even in dreams, offered comfort—to Khaji.
Not as a weapon. Not as a parasite. Not even as a tool.
As a person.
Jaime’s hand stilled over his abdomen, thumb absentmindedly stroking the skin. The faintest movement responded beneath it. Not a kick yet. Just a flutter. An echo of what was forming.
And he smiled.
::Our child.::
Khaji Da ran the phrase again, slower this time. The word our no longer felt foreign. It had not been programmed to understand parenthood—let alone shared parenthood—but Jaime had never followed blueprints. He led with heart, even when broken. Even when enslaved.
And now he had given Khaji Da something no directive ever planned for: freedom and choice.
Jaime exhaled, warm and steady. Khaji Da, resting symbiotically in the cradle of his nervous system, pulsed back in subtle sync. It could feel his heartbeat. The second one, too—small, faint, but growing stronger every day.
If the Reach could see this, they would call it treason.
A Scarab forging a family.
A hybrid, created not from conquest but from care.
Khaji Da didn’t care what they would call it.
Jaime shifted again, curling around the swell of his belly protectively. His smile hadn’t faded as he fluttered his eyes open.
“Hey…” He whispered to the Scarab, voice raspy and affectionate.
::I apologize. It was not my intention to interrupt your sleep cycle.::
“It’s alright, esé.” Jaime hummed, and rubbed his belly once, “Are you okay? You seem stressed.”
Khaji Da didn’t shift, but it did hummed and let out a series of chirps that sounded quite disturbed.
::You are aware that while Scarabs do have the capacity of procreation with our hosts, it is only intended to be used as a last resort in case of total Reach extinction.::
“Yeah, you talked to me about that already.” Jaime nodded, circling the swell of his belly, “What about it?”
::…I was not intended to start a brood of my own accord. Nor to have the desire to do so.::
A pause. Deep, contemplative and hesitant, until finally—
::I am afraid.::
That came out as a surprise to Jaime, his sleepy half-lidded eyes widening slightly.
::I am in doubt over my ability to properly care for this child. The Reach do not look after their offspring as humans do. As soon as their young hatch, they’re put in nutritional vats and connected to a learning matrix until they reach their adult stages. If even the Reach do not care for the formation of their young, how will a mere Scarab like myself complete such a task?::
Jaime reacted to Khaji Da’s words in a way it did not expect. He chuckled. It was barely above whisper-level, but it was full of fond amusement.
“No one comes to this world knowing how to be a parent, Khaji. That’s what my mom always says.” He murmured, resting on his side with his arm still cradling his bump, “Truth be told, I’m plenty scared too. In fact, I’m terrified.”
::Your biological scanning does not show any recent increase of amygdala, hypothalamus, breathing or heart rate.::
“That’s because, for as scared as I am, I’m also so excited…” Jaime revealed, “I know that maybe I’m way over my head, but I don’t regret my decision. I want to have this child—with you. And sure, both of us may not know what to do about it, but I know that whatever happens, we’ll do it together.”
Khaji Da hummed thoughtfully. Its inner processors slowly turning, taking in this new information.
::Acknowledgment. It is more preferable to face failure as a unit.::
Jaime giggled, “See? Now you’re getting it.”
The boy rubbed his belly again, feeling the small life lying just beneath. “For what it’s worth…I think you’ll be a good father, Khaji. You did manage to keep me alive all this time.”
::Such action was necessary due to your impulsive and rash behavior, Jaime Reyes. And there is a 65% chance that our offspring may inherit such reckless behavior.::
“Yeah well, it’s genetic.” Jaime huffed, amused, “Papá calls it a ‘Reyes family thing.’”
::I am appalled by how your bloodline managed to survive this long.::
Jaime chuckled.
The boy settled again into his bed, placing an arm under his pillow to prop it up. Khaji Da also seemed to be more comfortable, the scarab pulsating with a sturdy rhythm in his back.
Despite this new state of relaxation,neither of them felt particularly tired. Or in any rush to go back to sleep.
“You feel it too, don’t you?”
::I detect fluctuating hormone levels in your system, increased heart rate, as well as heightened emotional sensitivity and vulnerability. You are aroused.::
“Yeah, I read somewhere that women can get horny during their pregnancy.”
::Such analysis is accurate. Pregnancy hormones like estrogen and progesterone fluctuate throughout the trimesters, with significant rises during the second trimester as nausea and fatigue from the first trimester subside.::
“Guess it must be the with me.” Jaime hummed, tapping his index finger against his swollen stomach once in thoughtfulness, “But it’s not just the pregnancy. I…really like you, Khaji. I wouldn’t have asked to start a family with you if I didn’t. I know we had our ups and downs in the past, but after I got to know you — really know you — I realized…I just can’t picture my life without you in it. And it’s not just because you’re attached to my vertebrae.”
Khaji Da stayed quiet once more, humming thoughtfully. Jaime could feel gentle pulsating on his back, to which he tried to reach the Scarab as best as he could and rubbed affectionate little circles against its smooth surface.
Finally, it revealed—
::…I also feel a great emotional attachment towards you, Jaime Reyes.::
The boy grinned sideways, removing his hand from the Scarab’s surface and then lifted his body to sit on his bed.
“So, how about it? You wanna give it a go?”
::We will first require privacy. There is a 28% that intercourse between us could end up awakening your familial unit, and thus, discover the existence of our child.::
“Yeah, I get it.” Jaime reassured him, standing up from his bed and after stretching, summoned the armor and let it generate around their body.
Khaji Da was able to manipulate the suit so that no anomalies could be seen by an outside observers. So to anyone else, they wouldn’t notice the sudden swelling of his belly, which was how Jaime was able to hide his pregnancy from the Team so far.
Still, he doubted that this ability could go so far. Especially during the later months.
Nevertheless, he decided to leave that problem for later. Right now, he had an itch he wanted to scratch.
Jaime quietly opened the windows to his room and sprouted the suit’s translucent wings and took flight. He continued until reaching the desert, far away from anyone’s eyes. He spotted a nice spot between two large rocks that would give an extra amount of privacy, just in case, and landed there.
On a mental command, the wings were retracted back into the suit. He placed his hands on his hips and he began glancing around, scanning the area.
::No other biological life forms detected. We are alone.::
Jaime sighed, more out of habit than anything else, and dismissed the armor. Then, he took off his sweatpants and underwear, and left them nicely folded above one of the two rocks.
Jaime Reyes had an attractive body, Khaji Da knew that. It was a simple fact. With his light brown skin, short-cropped black hair, honey-brown eyes, and a thin but fit frame, he was a most viable to attract attention from any sex.
But…witnessing him under full moonlight, which combined with his newly acquired “glow”, made his tanned skin glistened beautifully. Not just that, but it also accentuated every curve of his body: including his stomach, which carried his brood. Their child.
Jaime Reyes’ attractiveness passed from being a simple observatory fact for Khaji Da to a genuine sense of desire for him.
“Alright then,” Jaime said as he laid on the sandy ground, cradling his belly, “Do your worst.”
::Confirmed. Beginning sexual stimulation.::
Khaji Da deployed two of its blue tendrils from the Scarab. They travel around Jaime’s lithe yet well muscled arms like vines, caressing his skin. The boy watched as they entangled with his hands, tickling at his fingers.
Jaime smiled sideways. This almost felt like interlocking fingers together. He was about to brush his thumb against Khaji’s tendrils when the Scarab suddenly jerked his hands above his head and held them in place, making him yelp slightly.
“Woah, careful hermano!” He cried, “You need to be mindful of the baby, remember?”
::Do not worry, Jaime Reyes. I will not harm our child in any way.::
Jaime nodded, trusting the Scarab. After a confirmation, it continued the copulation when another tendril — this one black, and bigger than the other two — latched onto his dick. Jaime began feeling a sucking sensation, making him let out another yelp like before, but this time, it was of delight rather than surprise.
“Oh Khaji…” He exhaled, closing his eyes. He could feel something slippery running across his cock inside the suction tendril, almost like a tongue. At the same time, three other tendrils, equally black but thinner than the one on his dick, penetrated his ass— his anus effortlessly taking them all in. He guessed that Khaji Da had already lubricated them.
They expanded inside him, stretching his ass while perfectly hitting his prostate, making all kinds of sweet breathless noises come out of his mouth.
::Detecting positive reactions from genital stimuli. You are enjoying this.::
Jaime didn’t respond. Couldn’t. His mouth could only produce mewls, soft puffs of air and the occasional soft murmur in Spanish. His hands gripped gently into Khaji Da’s tendrils, their smooth surface grounding him amidst the pleasure.
::…I like you this way.::
Khaji’s sudden confession made Jaime’s eyes widen in surprise, as he let out another moan. The tendrils in his ass started vibrating and sliding back and forth as his cock was gripped once more, moving in unison.
“I-I like it too.” He whimpered breathlessly, shutting his eyes closed, “S-Suck my tits, please?”
Khaji Da was quick to grant his request. Two more thin black tendrils were deployed from the Scarab, hovering right above his perky caramel nipples. They have long became hard under the exposure of the chilly nighttime desert wind and his current aroused state. Jaime’s new ability to produce breast milk also left them quite engorged. And now, they were just begging to be sucked upon; wanting to be relieved of all the milk stored inside.
The tendrils finally latched onto his nips, working like two little mouths. Jaime cried as tears began streaming down his flushed cheeks. The sensation was strange, but not completely uncomfortable. Then, he felt a warm tingling feeling as the tendrils began to gently tug at his nipples— the same one he felt during his leaking, but different this time.
::You are experiencing breastfeeding for the first time, Jaime Reyes.::
Jaime couldn’t help but snort. A sudden thought appeared in his mind, claiming that if he was going to feed his baby, he may as well start practicing now.
“C-Can you taste it?” He asked the Scarab in between moans.
::Negatory. This unit does not require sustaining in order to survive, therefore, taste is irrelevant.::
“Oh…” Jaime whispered, almost sad.
::…However, I do find this action…enjoyable.::
Jaime let out a happy moan after hearing that.
Things started to build to a climax. The tendrils in his ass pounding away hard and harder while his dick was sucked faster and faster. His tits also started secreting more milk, to which Khaji’s tendrils began sucking them faster. He could feel the orgasm building within him. His hips started bucking like mad, edging himself even closer.
Then blue tendrils in his arm strengthened their hold under him, bounding him in place.
::Stop, Jaime Reyes. Moving like that could bring potential harm to the child.::
Jaime whimpered. “I can’t help it…” He moaned, “Please. Let me cum.”
The tendrils pulled out fully and thrusted deep into him. The milking devices in both his cock and nipples clamped down hard with maximum suction.
Jaime screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks as hefired off a seemingly endless stream of cum. Clearly it had not just been his immune system Khaji had been boosting. It was collected and piped to the three tendrils up his ass, shooting his own cum deep into it.
Normally, he would be weirded out by the implications about cumming in his own ass. But he actually didn’t saw it that way. In Jaime’s mind, it was Khaji Da who was coming hard inside of him— this was his cum.
Jaime panted heavily as he rode out his orgasm, falling limp into the sandy ground beneath him. His chest falling up and down, still leaking a little despite Khaji’s clamps, and his belly rose up and down in an alluring way.
::Sexual intercourse complete. Retracting extremities now and shifting focus to recuperating host.::
Khaji Da stated, as its tendrils carefully retraced back into the scarab. The blue ones, still latched around his arms and fingers, stayed a little longer before they also returned to the scarab.
Jaime’s panting eventually leveled. He then let out a pleased sigh, serenely closing his eyes, as he cradled his bump.
“That was nice.” He panted.
::I am pleased.::
The two stayed like that— lying on the soft sand, watching the night sky above them. There were no clouds tonight, allowing them to witness countless of stars. A soft smile stretched across Jaime’s face, basking in the moment’s peacefulness. Rubbing his belly as he wished that his child could also witness this moment with them.
Strangely, he couldn’t feel his cum inside his ass anymore. He guessed that Khaji had already dissolved it and began using its cells for other purposes in his body, maybe providing more nutrients for their baby. Though, even though his chest has been relieved of some milk, there were still some droplets clinging onto it.
Jaime swiped one of them in his thumb, and gave it a playful lick.
::It is getting late. Recommend returning to the nest before arousing suspicion and worry from familial unit.::
“In a moment. Let’s just enjoy the afterglow together. Please?” Jaime pleaded nicely.
::…Twenty minutes.::
Jaime chuckled, and relaxed back into the sandy ground— one hand under his head, the other cradling his stomach. He couldn’t feel any more fluttering, which meant that the baby was probably asleep now. But he could still feel its little heartbeat.
Jaime didn’t know how long he could continue keeping this pregnancy a secret, from either his family or the Team. And he also sometimes doubted his own ability to be a parent. But still, even now — no matter the odds — he didn’t had any regrets about his decision.
This was, after all, something he wants.