Day twenty seven of Mayternity. I had been planning to do something with the lovely Anne again from Sending Them To Sleep and Happy Meowther's Day. Considering I almost hit 3k words, I think it went very well.

With the twins away, the ticked tabby mother spends the first of many days by herself.

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It was almost the middle of the year, and the sun rose softly that Friday morning. Despite its inviting warmth, due to the erratic nature of the weather, the outside was naturally quite cold. Of course, the sunlight pouring through the light drizzle of rain produced a beautiful sight that could capture the hearts of passers-by.

By the time it hit half past six, Anne had already woken up from her slumber. Stretching out her arms, she let out a loud mixture of a yawn and a meow. After a few seconds, she shook her head softly to fully get out of her sleepy state and got up from the bed. Already, she placed a paw against her stomach which had swelled softly with her latest surrogacy. They were triplet lions, and judging by her size, she knew that they were going to be quite big when it was time for them to come out.

Usually the ticked tabby would have to check on her little stars Markus and Thomas who had turned thirteen only a few weeks ago. Today was different, however. Her friend Diana had opted to take care of them for the next half month, telling the feline mother-to-be that she needed to relax. Under the persuasion that it would be good for the babies as well, she could only agree.

Of course, it wasn’t as if taking care of her twin boys had stopped her from doing her job safely, but the tigress didn’t want to hear any of her excuses this time. As such, Anne was forced to accept a sort of mini-vacation after discussing with her friend. She knew that she didn’t need to worry about the twins as well while they were away since Diana and her husband would be watching over them.

After a few minutes, she waddled over to the bathroom and took a nice, long bath that seemed to make her melt in the warm waters of the bathtub. If she didn’t feel like heading out of the house today, she knew that she would have most likely fallen asleep inside of the tub instead, though that wouldn’t bode too well for her neck afterwards in such a position.

As the hour passed, she washed herself down, dried and then placed her silver hair into a braid that hung over her shoulder. It had been a while since she had even styled herself, and the ticked tabby was a bit surprised that she was still able to since she took care of her sons. Naturally, she still wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. At the same time, it did seem like the tigress was a bit right about her needing some days to herself.

Another hour passed simply getting a big breakfast since she was eating for four. Already she knew that all of her chocolate tea powder was going to be used up by Sunday at this rate. It couldn’t be helped when the trio of lion cubs only strengthened her love of anything with chocolate. The bacon, eggs and bread could only suffer the same fate for her happiness.

Afterwards, it was time for her to actually look for something to wear while she was out. Spending so long within simple, flowing clothing because of her job practically obliterated anything that would be constricting on her body, especially since it had been transformed through her continuous surrogacies. Of course, that didn’t mean that she didn’t have any tight clothing, but she had barely worn them even before helping couples out again. She didn’t even know if some of them fit anymore.

In the end, she was able to find a pair of jeans that were able to go around her thick hips and also felt quite comfortable. As for her top, there was a white flowing short frilled dress that worked well with the dark blue of her jeans. Shoes were less of a hassle, but she took a pair of cute white slippers to wear instead of her feet. With everything on, she took a deep breath and turned to the standing mirror. Staring at herself, the ticked tabby both looked and felt great.

Getting her phone and placing in it a small bag to sling over her shoulders, Anne was ready to head out and it was only a little bit past nine. The rest of the day could be spent doing whatever she wanted now. With the keys also in her bag, she locked the house and waddled towards the bus stop. In a few minutes, one came in front of her, the anti-gravity vehicle opening its doors for her to step inside.

Since she was spending a day by herself, she decided to have a bit more indulgence for the day. With nothing urgent to do, the feline felt like sightseeing. She had remembered that the city of Myrin had a large park near its outskirts as well, so that was definitely in her mind to go and check out.

Rubbing her belly softly as she took a seat, the ticked tabby relaxed her shoulders within the comfortable position she had herself in. Every few seconds, she could feel a paw pushing back softly as she caressed her swollen stomach, further reminding her why she had become a surrogate in the first place, her lips slowly curled into a sweet little smile.

After what was a few minutes, the bus had stopped again to let someone in. Boarding this time was a bunny mother and her two children, one held in her arms and the other walking in front of her. The three bunnies then sat down next to her, the little girl in between her mother and the feline. As the bus started again, Anne could see the curious look on the girl’s face as she stared at the soft shifting of the ticked tabby’s tummy.

Looking at the bunny mother and seeing the woman’s soft smile, she immediately understood.

“Would you like to feel?”

At first, the little girl was a bit startled over her sudden question, looking back to her mother. When she got a nod in return, the girl turned back to look at Anne’s smiling face.

“May I?”

“Of course! Your mother has already said yes, hasn’t she?”

With that confirmation, the bunny girl seemed to only hesitate for a few more seconds before placing a tiny paw on Anne’s belly. After a little while, a lion paw pushed back against that little paw, making the bunny pull it back. Seeing this, the feline tried not to chuckle.

“That’s one of three little ones. Or, I guess they’re not so little right now, hehe.”

“Three? That’s more than me and my little brother!”

Hearing that, the mother seemed to be unable to hold back her laughter while rubbing her daughter’s head. Anne smiled even more seeing this. After a few more seconds, the bunny girl seemed eager to try again, placing both of her paws on the ticked tabby’s tummy and pushing softly. Naturally the lion cubs responded by kicking around in her womb, causing her to huff softly.

Ten or so minutes were spent like that as Anne got to know a little bit about Emily, her little brother Jack and her mother Florence. She even got Florence’s number when it was time for her to waddle off the bus, promising to meet the little bunny when she had the chance. When she got off, the feline mother-to-be let out a deep sigh. Checking the time again and seeing that it was close to eleven, she felt like she had more than enough time to enjoy herself.

And enjoy herself she did. The ticked tabby did a bit of window shopping at some new clothing stores that had opened up, looked for some new glasses, went to an ice cream cafe and indulged herself in a bit of cake, and even surprisingly met Marshall there as well. From their little discussion, she knew that the rat had gone to do his usual routine of cleaning around her husband’s grave. In the beginning she had insisted that he didn’t need to go through the trouble, but over time she simply thanked him whenever it happened.

“You really needed to relax, Anne. Diana was right to take the kids away. Even if you thought you were fine, better safe than sorry.”

“I know, I know! You don’t need to remind me about how much I need to thank her for taking care of the twins. Having the next two weeks to myself is… a bit surprising still.”

“This is what happens when your pace gets reduced to a crawl. I had to do the same thing for a little while with Mary too. Being a single parent… it’s tough, but anything for the kids, right?”

“You’re right, Marshall. Speaking of, how’s Mary doing? I haven’t seen her in a while..”

A bit afterwards, they had also agreed on a time for him to visit when Markus and Thomas returned after their stay at Diana’s. He was planning to bring his daughter who was a few years older as well. After that, the two simply chatted about minor things while she had her chocolate cake and he took his ice cream shake. Despite his rough exterior, Anne already knew that Marshall had been a great friend to Mark when he was still alive. It was good to see that he was doing okay as well.

The whole ordeal carried her until a bit after three when the rat helped her to the bus stop and she waved goodbye before going to the park. Waddling slowly along the path, she felt the wind blowing against her dress and giving her a pleasant chill through her fur. She took deep breaths while she walked, enjoying the scenery and seeing others playing in the grass or simply sitting at the benches provided. After a little while, she waddled over to one to sit down as well, letting out a huff.

“You three are just as active as my bright stars are, and you’re not even born yet! I wonder if your parents will be able to hold you down properly, hehe…”

At this point, she felt herself being reminded of her husband once more. There was still pain in her heart from what happened with him, but after so long, she could say that she wasn’t that affected anymore from it. Plus, she was making sure to take care of their twins as best as she could too. She wanted nothing to happen to them. If he was here now…

“Oh, hello there! I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Hm?”

With a sudden voice aimed at her direction, Anne turned to see a black jaguar to her right. He was clad in a pair of white jogging pants and a red top. Judging from his steady breathing, he either hadn’t started his jogging, or he had plenty of stamina left. Though his question was unexpected, the ticked tabby didn’t feel wary of him. Instead, she decided to answer.

“Well, it’s been a few years since I came here. If you’re new to the city, you wouldn’t have seen me, naturally.”

“That makes sense, naturally. It’s nice to meet you though. Name’s Chris.”

With the black jaguar extending his paw out, the ticked tabby didn’t want to be rude. Softly, she did the same with her own.

“I’m Anne.”

“Anne? That’s a sweet name.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize that. I thought it wasn’t~”

Chuckling softly, she saw him sitting down on the bench next to her, though there was a bit of space between them, naturally. Of course, that didn’t stop Chris from continuing to speak with her. Surprisingly, Anne had found herself talking quite easily with him. It was a strange feeling, like the two of them were already friends with each other, or at least acquainted well enough. Practically, of course, they were complete strangers.

“So, can I assume that you’re going to be a mother soon?”

The conversation gradually shifted to the trio of lion cubs inside of her womb. At this point, she could have chosen to reject his question outright and leave things there. Thinking about it, however, there was no harm in saying anything.

“I’m already a mother, actually. These three little ones, they’ll be going to my client when I’m finished carrying them.”

“You’re a surrogate?”

“Despite the new advances in science, sometimes people can’t seem to get children normally. Of course, don’t tell anyone I said this, but that might change very soon..”

“You don’t say? Well, with the boom and everything, I suppose that makes sense.”

“Mmhmm! But again, you didn’t hear it from me~”

With how much they were talking, Anne hadn’t noticed how Chris had slowly inched himself closer and closer to her. By the time they were talking face to face, the ticked tabby was still chuckling softly with their conversations. It felt immensely good at that point.

“Say, Anne? Can I ask you something?”

“I haven’t stopped you once, have I? Go ahead.”

Already she felt a bit closer to the black jaguar than she had expected. Perhaps that was because he simply had a way with his words. It certainly reminded her a bit of Mark when she thought lightly on it. Either way, he was fun to talk with.

“Well, this might come off as a bit lame but.. after you’re finished with your client… would you like to go out with me, ?”

Almost instantly, the conversation seemed to freeze like water turning to ice in mere seconds. She looked at him first with a bit of confusion, then shock, before finally she felt a bit flustered, her cheeks burning softly. To say she was surprised was an understatement.

“What? Go… go out with me? But we barely met! Besides, I’m not all that.. right?”

“Oh, you are. In my eyes, at least.”

Now he definitely reminded her of Mark. It felt like her memories were repeating. While she was even more embarrassed, she didn’t know what to do about it. Everything felt so fast.

“I-I… I don’t know, Chris. You seem like a great guy, honestly! But after what happened… I don’t know if I should.”

For a little bit, it seemed like Anne was in a daze. What quickly snapped her out of it was Chris’ paw holding hers again. This time it was a bit tighter than before. His gaze was also serious, though she could see the little red against his face. After a little bit, the ticked tabby took a deep breath, looking back at the black jaguar.

“If you’re really sure, Chris… I guess we could try something. But as you said, after these three little ones are born. I hope you can wait that long when I’m only in my fifth month~”

“Your fifth… wow. And you’re calling them little? Those three are going to be huge when they’re ready!”

“Well you’re the one who wants to wait. You shouldn’t worry about how big they’re going to get, hehe~”

“But still… wow.”

A few minutes passed after that in a bit of silence, apart from the rustling of the trees. Anne was still blushing when she realized that Chris hadn’t let go of her paw yet. Eventually when she slipped it away and made him flush a bit more, she checked the time on her phone.

“Ten after five? I’ve been here for that long already?”

“Oh, do you need to go already?”

“More or less. It’s time for me to head back. But first…”

Before the black jaguar could ask what she was referring to, his mouth was left open slightly after feeling something soft press against his cheek.

“Just a little something to remember me by, apart from my number, that is~”

When the ticked tabby had waddled away from the stunned feline, however, she immediately felt her face burning up even more. She almost couldn’t believe that she had actually teased someone, but with how he seemed frozen in place despite her waddle, he was probably even more stunned.

Slowly, Anne waddled over to a bus stop and took a ride straight home. During it, she was still blushing a little bit over what had happened. After all, she didn’t expect for someone to try and ask her out on a date. As if the trio of lions were also surprised, their kicks were a bit harder than before, diverting her attention slightly.

By the time she had taken the full ride home, it was already six in the evening. After a while, the sun would be ready to set. When she reached her house, the ticked tabby took another deep breath before opening the door.Even now she was still shocked over what she did.

Of course, as she slowly took her slippers off and sat on the couch, she could feel a little smile creeping on her face again. Truly, Diana was right in that she needed some time to herself.

Plus, even though she had told Chris that he needed to wait, there was nothing stopping Anne from going to the park tomorrow as well. Perhaps, if she wanted to, the date didn’t need to wait until she gave birth as well, if they didn’t do too much…