The neon signs of Neo-Tilted pulsed with a relentless energy, casting a kaleidoscope of artificial colours onto the rain-slicked streets. Naomi, barely twenty and radiating a youthful exuberance that even the city’s grit couldn’t dim, navigated the crowded alleyways towards The Serpent’s Kiss. The bar was a known haunt for the eclectic mix of humans and non-humans that populated Neo-Tilted, a place where synthetic cocktails flowed as freely as gossip and shady deals.
Inside, the bar was a dimly lit cavern, throbbing with bass-heavy synth music and the low murmur of conversations. Naomi, with her bright eyes and a playful strand of purple woven into her dark hair, stood out a little, but in Neo-Tilted, ‘standing out’ was practically the norm. She ordered a Lumina Fizz at the counter, watching the bartender, a hulking Krogan with iridescent scales peeking from under his apron, expertly mix the drink with a flourish.
As she sipped her luminous cocktail, a wave of unexpected nausea washed over her. It wasn’t the sickly lurch of too many Lumina Fizzes, it was something… different. A cold sweat prickled her skin, and a strange discomfort, sharp yet vague, bloomed in her chest. It felt like… breast tenderness? She frowned, touching her chest lightly through her fitted top. That was odd.
Then, a stronger cramp seized her abdomen, a twisting, insistent pain that made her gasp. She felt clammy now, and her heart hammered against her ribs. Something was definitely wrong. “Excuse me,” she mumbled to the bartender, her voice barely audible above the music, and hurried towards the flickering neon sign that indicated ‘Restrooms’.
The bathroom was a small, utilitarian space, the air thick with the scent of synthetic cleanser. Naomi splashed cold water on her face, staring at her reflection in the cracked mirror. She looked pale, her eyes wide and slightly panicked. Another wave of abdominal pain rolled over her, sharper this time, and she instinctively doubled over, clutching her stomach.
And then, it happened.
A gasp escaped her lips, sharp and involuntary. Her hand flew to her abdomen, her fingers pressing against skin that was… swelling. Rapidly. It wasn’t just bloating; it was a tangible, undeniable expansion. And not just expansion, but movement. A distinct, unsettling ripple beneath her fingertips, like something… alive… was shifting inside.
Panic seized her throat, choking off her breath. Pregnant? Impossible. She hadn’t… she wasn't… But the horrifying, undeniable truth was unfolding with alarming speed. Her stomach, which had been flat moments ago, was now visibly rounding, pushing against the fabric of her top. She could feel it, a distinct pressure, a burgeoning mass within her. And the movement… it was stronger now, a definite nudge, a kick.
A searing pain, deeper than any cramp, ripped through her insides, feeling less like typical pregnancy discomfort and more like… something was tearing, stretching, being consumed from within. Her hips, she realized with a dawning horror, were widening. It felt like her bones were shifting, rearranging themselves. She glanced down and saw her body was somehow… taller? It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but she felt stretched, elongated.
Her breasts throbbed, swelling beneath her top until the fabric strained, then gave way. A warmth spread across her chest, and she looked down to see dark, wet patches blooming on her blouse. A milky liquid was seeping out, glistening in the dim light. She was lactating. Instantly.
The shock was almost paralyzing. Her legs buckled, and she slumped against the cold tile wall, sliding down until she sat heavily on the floor. She stared at her feet, horrified. They were puffy, swollen, almost unrecognizable. And then, another violent movement from within, a hard, sharp kick that made her cry out. Her belly button, which had always been neatly tucked in, suddenly popped outwards, protruding like a comical button on her rapidly expanding stomach.
Her clothes were now stretched taut, threatening to rip. Her belly, round and firm, jutted out, a stark and undeniable testament to the impossible reality. As if nature itself was emphasizing the dramatic change, fine lines, silvery and new, began to etch themselves across the curve of her stomach - stretch marks, blooming as fast as the life within her was growing.
Despite the sheer terror, the bewildering speed of it all, something else began to stir within her. A flicker of… wonder?
Despite the horrifying discomfort, despite the alien nature of it all, she couldn't deny the power of what was happening. Looking down at her burgeoning belly, she saw not just grotesque distortion, but curves, a voluptuousness that hadn’t been there before. The rapid changes, while alarming, had somehow sculpted her into a new form, a fuller, more womanly version of herself. And yes, despite the puffy feet and outie belly button, she had to admit, in a bizarre, surreal way, she looked… sexy. In a primal, fertile, almost alien way.
Then, a memory, hazy and fragmented, surfaced. Just as she was entering The Serpent’s Kiss, she’d brushed past a figure lurking in the doorway, a tall, lizard-like being with glittering scales and unsettlingly reptilian eyes. She remembered a prick on her arm, a fleeting sting, quickly dismissed in the bustle of the crowd. The lizard guy… the drug… the accidental injection. It clicked into place with sickening clarity.
This wasn't just any pregnancy; this was a Saurian pregnancy. And from the way her body was reacting, it was accelerating at an unnatural, terrifying rate. Fear warred with a strange, nascent curiosity. What would a Saurian baby even look like? Would it be scales and claws and reptilian eyes?
Taking a shaky breath, she placed a hand on her swollen belly. Another kick, stronger this time, reverberated through her, and a wave of… something… washed over her. It wasn’t just pain anymore. It was… connection? This bizarre, alien life inside her was undeniably real, undeniably present.
A strange calmness settled over her, a quiet acceptance amidst the chaos. The prompt, the bar, the lizard guy, the impossible pregnancy—it was all surreal, terrifying, and yet, undeniably happening. The alien growth, she realized with a sudden certainty, wasn't destroying her, it was changing her, enhancing her in ways she couldn't yet comprehend. Saurians were known for their unique gestational processes; it was in the city holos, the whispers and rumours of bizarre alien biology. This wasn't just about carrying a baby; it was a transformation.
Slowly, deliberately, she began to rub her belly, her fingers tracing the taut skin stretched over the alien life within. A smile, hesitant at first, then genuine and warm, curved her lips. Alien or no alien, this was her baby. A wave of fierce, protective love surged through her, surprising and utterly overwhelming. Troublesome, yes. Bizarre and terrifying, absolutely. But hers. She would face this, this impossible, accelerated, alien pregnancy. She would embrace it. She would love this child, no matter what form it took, no matter how strange or unexpected the journey ahead. In the chaotic heart of Neo-Tilted, in the grimy bathroom of The Serpent’s Kiss, Naomi, the girl who walked in barely an hour ago, was gone, replaced by a woman, a mother, ready to face the unknown, one terrifyingly rapid heartbeat at a time.