Expectations When Expecting

Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

The monster and the pregnant young lady had won, but at the cost of their dignity. Grim lay on the floor, panting heavily from exhaustion. Yuu was currently on the ground with her head between her knees in an attempt to stave off the nausea that came from Crowley's last minute attack.

He'd caught them off guard by bringing back the other ghosts, circling them and moving at vision blurring speeds, turning the pair around before Grim had finally had enough, managing to land a hit on all four of the ghosts, who had backed off. Yuu had promptly fallen to her knees, much paler than before, forcing Crowley to yield.

"I apologize, my dear." He spoke awkwardly, handing her a cup of water and a fan.

Yuu looked up shakily, swallowing slightly. "Never do that again..." She huffed, taking a slow sip of the water.

Grim stood up, still panting. "... Well?"

"Incredible... I've never seen anyone bend a monster to their will quite the way you have." Crowley gave her a smile in an effort to have her accept his apology. "I must confess, my educator's intuition did sense something about you after the brouhaha at orientation, Yuu."

"You mean aside from the pregnancy?" She said, slowly emerging from her fetal position, her earlier comment being completely missed by the little monster.

Crowley nodded, waving her off. "Yes, yes. I could tell you had a certain animal trainer-y, beast master-ish quality to you. Oh, yes." The tone his voice held told her what he was truly thinking. Crowley began to mutter to himself, as she fought the desire to roll her eyes.

She sighed. "Hey, Headmage Crowley? Would it be possible for Grim to stay with me?" She asked, earning a surprised squawk from both Grim and Crowley.

"WHAT? A monster, stay HERE?" The man gaped as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. I mean, I owe him something for getting rid of the ghosts. And besides, you literally beat him out of his senses a while ago. I think he deserves to stay." She remarked, looking at the surprised cat monster.

"Whoa, did you just...?" He sputtered, blinking his eyes to see if he were dreaming.

"Besides, What if there are more ghosts? You can't expect someone with my condition to be able to defend herself alone, could you?" She stated, using as much information to her advantage.

The headmage looked as if she had finally managed to corner him, sighing in defeat. "I suppose I cannot deny your plea. Very well." He responded.

"REALLY?!" Grim yelped, his voice on the edge of excitement.

"Let me be clear!" Crowley spoke. "Under no circumstances would I admit anyone to Night Raven College who has not been selected by the Dark Mirror - especially not a monster!" He began, earning a groan from Yuu. He turned to her. "Nor do I intend to allow you to freeload until you're able to return home."

"Hmm. Called it." She huffed.

"Hrmph. Never shoulda got my hopes up..." Grumbled Grim, puffing out his cheeks to display his anger.

"Now, allow me to explain!" Crowley backtracked, trying to avoid the wrath of a pregnant woman and a semi-feral, fire-breathing cat. "It was the Dark Mirror that transported you here. Therefore this school does bear some responsibility for your well-being. So I will allow you to remain in this dorm, free of charge."

Yuu looked unimpressed. "Okay. What's the catch?"

"I see you catch on quickly! Well, you will need to pay for your own food, clothing, and incidentals. As to how you will do so, penniless as you are..." Crowley thought for a moment before chuckling to himself. "... Yes, a fine plan indeed!"

"Let me guess, free labor?" She deadpanned.

"Oh, come now. No need to put it like that, my dear." The bird-man gave a hearty laugh, a definite confirmation. "However, yes. I'm simply going to ask you to do a few odd jobs around campus. From what you've done here, Miss Yuu, I can tell you know your way around a broom. So what do you say to you two working together as a janitorial team? If you agree to that, I will make a special exception and allow you to remain on campus."

Yuu narrowed her eyes at him. "... Fine. But I better be getting maternity leave once I hit my third trimester."

"Of course! I'm not heartless! As a matter of fact, I'll also allow you use of the library, so that you may study, and research ways to return home." Great. So I'm basically looking for my own way home.

"How soundlessly charitable I am. Ah, but only when your work is over, of course!" The headmage crowed.

Grim did not seem as on board with the idea of becoming a janitor, making this abundantly clear with the feline growl that escaped him. "What kinda deal is that?! I wanna put on one of those sweet uniforms and be a student, not sweep up people's junk!"

Yuu looked the cat monster in the eye, exhausted. "Grim. It's either that or we get thrown out. As of now, there clearly isn't much room for debate." She explained to the cat as he got closer to her. "Besides, we might even get the chance to earn you a seat as a student here." She whispered, earning a surprised expression.

"Really?" Grim questioned, hopeful.

"Yeah. So, do you wanna do this or not?" She asked, earning a nod from the cat monster. She gave him a tired smile before looking up at Crowley. "Okay, we'll do it."

Crowley looked over the moon at the thought of free labor. "Wonderful. Then I beseech you both... To work hard as the newest members of the Night Raven College's janitorial staff!"

Yuu nodded, pushing herself to a standing position, testing her legs. "Alright, cool. I'm gonna eat and then we'll go clean up the bed so we can sleep." She dusted herself off, yawning before turning to the headmage. "Oh, and Crowley? Please be aware that my priorities do not lie with you, but with my baby. If anything happens, there will be hell to pay." She said coldly, making the headmage flinch.

"Y-yes, of course! Have a good night, all of you." He stuttered, excusing himself by rushing out of the dorm. Yuu watched him go before finally closing the door.

"... Hey, human? Why were you talkin' about a baby?" Came a meek voice behind her.

She turned to him, awkwardly. "Well... you remember when you told me that I had a nice smell and how my stomach was warm? Well..." 

~~~~~

AN: Gosh darn it, I think this one may be more poorly written than the others.