Page 29 of Interstellar Love Song (Villains in Space #3)

MICAH

All-knowing auntie that they were, Leeloo left Ziggy’s Celestial Cube with him so he could join our meeting remotely. Once the rest of us were gathered in their office, we also looped in Theo and the twins through a video call, because this was an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation.

A “we need to save the universe, no big deal” group project.

But first, family tea time.

“Okay, we’re here,” Theo announced as he sat next to Gabe and Dre in what I recognized as one of Zion’s guest bedrooms. “Any excuse to leave the hubbub of Baltasar’s surprise baby shower.”

Awww…

Dre rolled his eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t join us in space. “You’re just salty because no one liked your…” he paused to bring out the sassy air quotes, “decorative aesthetic.”

Aka, maximalist migraine chic .

“Ziggy is also pregnant,” Honnor announced, glowing with so much pride, I couldn’t bring myself to care that they were spilling the tea yet again.

Big mouth, bigger heart.

My man groaned and dropped his head into his hands but Gabe whistled appreciatively. “Dang, Micah, didn’t you two just get married? The devil works fast…”

Theo leaned forward, his interest clearly piqued. “What do you mean by ‘pregnant,’ Honnor? That’s not how Stellarians reproduce.”

The Stellarian in the room who had reproduced with this fool chuckled. “I am well aware, Theo. Perhaps it would be best if Leeloo explained how it occurred.”

Oh, gawd!

The twins snickered as I frantically waved my hands. “Uhhh… we really don’t need to discuss this right now with everyone here. There are way more pressing issues?—”

“I disagree,” Theo curtly interrupted. “I need to understand exactly how you knocked up my son while he was in a cisgendered-male Earthling form.”

The twins weren’t laughing now. They were both eyeing Theo suspiciously.

“You got plans we should know about, old man?” Gabe asked, sidling away from his stellar collision. “I thought we collectively agreed this is a marriage-free, kid-free household.”

The drama tables have turned !

Theo huffed. “I’m asking because I don’t want to accidentally accomplish it. Coddling a child is not my idea of a good time.”

Yeah, we know.

“We would also like to learn more,” that same overeager Star Unit soldier piped in from the cheap seats in the back of the room.

Note to self: Make these randos sign NDAs…

The last thing I needed was for our sex life to get blasted on the next Celestial Cube all-points bulletin. For now, I needed to at least attempt to regain control over this train wreck of a conversation, so I focused on the biological facts.

“Zig wasn’t in his Earthling form,” I bluntly replied, sending my still-cringing man all the soothing vibes. “We were on Rildrea, so he was inhabiting?—”

“Say no more,” Theo snorted as the other Stellarians snickered knowingly. “Earthling and Rildrean anatomy are satisfyingly similar.”

Whomp.

“It wasn’t Zig-ee’s Rildrean anatomy that ensured impregnation,” Leeloo smoothly took over. “My-kuh simply connected his tendrils to Zig-ee’s while inside the vessel his mate was inhabiting—just like an Eki would have.”

Okay, moving on…

“Excellent!” Theo clapped his hands together. “We make a point to never cross our tendrils for exactly this reason, but it’s good to hear I won’t need to stop stuffing Gabriel full of mine while he begs for more.”

It was Gabe’s turn to cringe as our gossipy soldier in the back muttered to their friends, “It has never occurred to me to utilize my tendrils in that way.”

It’s Tendril Touchy Time sex ed, up in here.

“There’s my runaway space bride!” Zion suddenly popped into the video call frame, holding what looked like a trash bag full of wrapping paper. “Knocking up that alienussy just like I knew you would!”

I may need to join Zig in the infirmary.

“Thanks, bro…” I rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously. “How’s Balty doing with his, um, pregnancy?”

“He’s good, Meeks.” Zion grinned proudly. “I would say let’s connect our pregnant husbands to trade tips, but I doubt Ziggy’s carrying Lacertus eggs the way B is.”

Ew.

“Absolutely not!” Leeloo laughed as Zion disappeared from the frame, probably to go rejoin the baby shower.

“An Eki child—called a stellula— is incredibly similar genetically to a Stellarian nova. The main difference is that our offspring start to form vessels around their starry cores at around three weeks old. Zig-ee will need to protect your stellula inside his body until then.”

Which means I need to protect them both…

My gaze met Ziggy’s and my heart sank to feel his frustration in our bond. Then, he spoke through our telepathic connection, shattering me completely .

“You said you wanted to see me being a bad bitch while pregnant, Micah. With a gun in each hand…”

Fuck.

His disappointment was completely valid.

When Zig and I first started our adventures together, all I wanted was for him to see me as a capable equal—as opposed to the inferior Earthling I’d thought I was at the time.

Little did I know, Ziggy already thought I was the most impressive creature in all the galaxies.

He’d treated me as his partner from day one—trusting me to hold my own on missions, in battle, and in bed—even when his protective instincts were going haywire.

Except when he put me to sleep to fight Astrum Force Command.

And when he left me on the ship on Marox.

Aaand when he didn’t tell me the karnilian stone inside Pedro was calling to him…

Or—

I shushed my petty thoughts and refocused on what Ziggy was indirectly asking me to do, even if it was in exact opposition to every instinct I was feeling at the moment.

Too bad, Micah.

You need to step up for your baby—space—daddy.

“Leeloo…” I cleared my throat. “This doesn’t mean Zig needs to stay here for the next three weeks, does it? The Planet Eater situation kind of ramped up to level eleven today, and I doubt he wants to miss out on the action, soooo…”

But feel free to insist .

Fuck, I’m such a hypocrite.

It wasn’t that I had a problem advocating for my man’s independence. The issue was that a secret part of me liked the idea of him being safely hidden underground, surrounded by powerful space wizards while I was gone fulfilling my superhero duties.

But Ziggy is a hero too—even more so than me .

The Morning Light of Stellaria.

If I was going to be completely honest, the Planet Eater targeting my stellar collision had me shook. Not only had this creature suggested swapping him out for a random Star Unit soldier, but they made a point of acknowledging Zig was less powerful than me.

And the weak shall inherit nothing…

Intergalactic classists.

More than anything, I wished I could lend Ziggy some of my powers, like with an inventus bond back on Earth. At least then I would know he’d have the tools needed to escape the Planet Eater’s gravitational pull.

Maybe I could tether him to something…

Like Ekistron.

“I would like our physicians to monitor Zig-ee for a day or so,” Leeloo calmly answered my half-assed question. “But after that, it would be up to you.”

Ugh.

“Would it not be dangerous for the stellula to be on the front lines of whatever silly missions these two get up to?” Theo sniffed, immediately forgiven for the mission shade because he had just made an excellent point about child endangerment.

Leeloo considered the question. “If Zig-ee remains out of the line of fire, I see no harm in him continuing to provide backup on his missions?—”

“I’M NOT USELESS JUST BECAUSE I’M PREGNANT!” Ziggy bellowed through the hologram, silencing everyone.

“Perhaps I do not wish to be pregnant after all,” our chatty soldier loudly whispered.

Well, almost everyone.

Unfortunately, Zig had used the magic word— useless— so now I was powerless to resist making things right. I understood all too well how it felt to believe your only value to society—to your family — was how useful you could be.

This man needs a real vacation.

But not today.

“I want Ziggy by my side,” I stated, allowing his gratitude to erase my anxiety. “Our stellula will be more protected inside him, beneath his armor, than most novas are from birth.”

“Touché,” Theo muttered.

“An excellent point,” Leeloo muttered. “I never understood why Stellarians abandon their offspring so young.”

An awkward silence fell over the room, thanks to the presence of both parents who’d abandoned Ziggy, albeit in different ways.

Whomp whomp .

My space sensei continued, oblivious to the drama. “It reminds me of how our original progenitors—the Markarians—created batches of offspring only to immediately send them to the far reaches of the universe.”

Of course the Eki knew about Markarians all along…

I glanced at Ziggy’s hologram before returning my gaze to Leeloo. “Do you think one of these offspring could have been angry enough about their abandonment to seek revenge on their creator?”

Theo scoffed. “That sounds familiar.”

Leeloo dipped their head. “Anything is possible. However, it would take an incredibly powerful creature to accomplish the task—first generation offspring, I would say.”

I fumbled my phone out of my pocket and flipped through my photos until I found the shots I’d taken in Apotelesma’s archives. Unfortunately, the only clear shot I had of the entire top row of bottles was when Pedro was perched on top of one.

Honnor peered over my shoulder before I could hide the screen. “Where is that? It looks familiar.”

Shit.

“It’s the True Stellarian archives on Apotelesma,” Ziggy replied, surprising me with his honesty. “We did not say we were there on official business,” he hurriedly added.

Even more surprising, Honnor laughed. “Bron predicted you’d sneak there once they told you! I only visited the archives once or twice myself. It was far more interesting to be out in the field, fighting against Astrum Force. ”