A Whole New World
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“'Cape Cod Tilapia Fish Barth,'” Daph breathed, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she picked up the box from the shelf. She flipped it over to scan the information on the back, still not finding anything else to like. Quietly, she lifted the flap to her nose to lightly sniff, but got nothing but the smell of cardboard and glue. “What the fuck are thethe?”
Daph looked down the aisle to Georgia and shook the box over her head. Looking up from a printed web page, Georgia glanced at the box, read the name, and made a similar expression.
“Eugh,” she said, sticking her tongue out. “I guess that's for otters.”
“They're like...dried fish barth...” Daph glanced down at the box and winced, putting it back on the shelf carefully, like it was about to come alive and bite her. “...Do they have tilapia in Cape Cod? Ithn't that like...Florida or thomething?”
“It's in Massachusetts, Daph,” Georgia said, turning back to her list and pushing the cart down the aisle.
“Well whatever. They probably don't have tilapia there, either.”
“Then you don't have to buy it.”
“I'm not gonna buy it!” Daph said, throwing her hands over her head. She jogged a little to catch up with Georgia, her tail bouncing with each step. “Whole Foodth ith a fucked up place, man.”

“It is not,” Georgia protested, slapping her friend on the shoulder.
“It'th like a fuckin portal to the pantry of thome weird aunt or couthin you've never heard of,” Daph continued. “And like...she doethn't own a TV 'cauthe she thinkth it'll rot her brain and she'th got a million CDs on her wall but half of 'em aren't even opened and like...she'll have towelth in the bathroom that thay 'Beauty ith Suffering' or thomething fucked up like that.”
“Daph, shut up!” Georgia laughed, slapping her with the sheaf of papers in her hand. “Whole Foods is healthy!”
“Uh-huh,” Daph responded, flatly. “Well, I never shopped here before and I ain't dead yet, tho maybe I'm doin alright.”
“But this isn't about just you, is it?” Georgia said, glancing at Daph. Her eyes traveled down to her stomach, which was finally beginning to take shape from some extra padding into a proper, rounded baby bump. She reached down and patted her belly, feeling some fur brush against her fingers. Georgia sighed and tugged down the front of Daph's tanktop, which was beginning to ride up as she walked. Georgia was already starting to feel like a mom.

“I mean...no, but I know how to eat right!” Daph argued. “You think I'm jutht gonna cram my face fulla McDonald'th for nine months?”
“It's not about what we think you'll do, it's part of the contract, remember?” Georgia said, glancing at the list and eyeing the shelves as she walked. “You stick to a diet that's healthiest for you and our baby. It's not really up for debate.”
“But come on, there'th a line for thith shit, right?” Daph sighed. “Whole Foodth ith...it'th just weird! I don't wanna eat thith shit for however many more months I've got left, yknow?” She stopped and spun her head around, before her eyes caught on a bag on the shelf. Grabbing it, she held it up and shook it in front of Georgia's face. “Look! 'Thpicy Dried Calamari Chips?' What the hell ith thith?” Glancing at the bag, Daph blinked, then flipped it over to read the back more closely. “…Okay, thethe actually look pretty good...”

Georgia, who's mood was beginning to sour, suddenly burst into giggles. As annoying as she could be sometimes, it was more often than not Daph could make her laugh at the slightest phrase or comment, making sure the two of them never stayed mad at each other for very long.
“Ith anybody lookin'?” Daph said, glancing suspiciously around the aisle.
“Daph, don't,” Georgia whispered.
“Jutht hang on,” Daph muttered. Lowering the bag near her waist, she quietly tore open the top and tipped it over to dump a couple of the calamari chips into her hand. Rolling the bag closed again, she popped them in her mouth and began to chew. A rainbow of expressions flashed over Daph's face, but ended in a wide-eyed and satisfied series of nods before she swallowed. “Oh fuck. I'm all over thethe,” she said, dropping them into the cart.
“I can't believe you're even eating these,” Georgia said, shaking her head. She picked up the bag and looked at the nutritional facts and ingredients to make sure it was safe for Daph to eat.
“Blame your weird-ass baby,” Daph said, rubbing her belly with the back of her hand. “I've been craving the most bizarre shit lately.”

“Pickles and ice cream?”
“Try pickles and siracha.” Daph sighed, sliding her hand up her shirt to run her hand around the edge of her belly. “And now I want bananas with thalt on them...what the fuck ith your kid doing to me?”
“They already know my favorite hobby,” Georgia smirked. “Annoying you.” She held up the bag of calamari chips and handed it over to Daph. “Sorry, Daph. Too much processed salt in these.”
“Aw, fuck, really?” Daph groaned, looking at the bag. “C'mon, I'm the one pregnant here. Can't I have at leatht one weird craving food?” She paused then smirked back at Georgia, pointing at the torn seal. “But the bag ith already open. We've gotta buy 'em.”
“No we don't...” Georgia began, but stopped mid-sentence, realizing they couldn't put them back on the shelf with the bag opened. Even if they didn't rot, they'd still have to be thrown out, and the thought of wasting that much food made her sick. She frowned, took the bag from Daph's hand, and dropped it in the cart while frowning at her.
“Fine,” she said. “Maybe Darwin can eat them... But you can't have any. They're bad for you and the baby.”
“Workth for me,” Daph shrugged, a cheeky smile on her face. “As long ath I win the argument.”
“You are a disaster,” Georgia sighed.

The two of them worked their way around the edge of the aisle. Coming out along the back wall, Georgia glanced down at her list and tapped her paw against the tile floor while chewing on her tongue.
“We can get to snack food later. Let's start with getting you some good protein.” Georgia glanced at Daph and asked, “You don't eat meat, right?”
“Not much,” Daph nodded. “I eat burgerth and hot dogth sometimes, but only if there ain't a veggie option.”
“I don't think I know a single squirrel who likes to eat meat,” Georgia pondered. “Darwin and I don't.”
“It'th jutht not in our nature, yknow?” Daph said, before quietly adding. “I mean...I didn't really have much of a choice growing up, but now that I can, yknow, afford shit...”
“Yeah...” Georgia nodded, quietly. The two paused, quietly reflecting on the shared difficulties of their childhoods. Georgia snapped out of it first, clearing her throat before changing the subject. “So...okay. Then how do you get your protien? I know you need a lot to exercise.”

“I mean, yeah, but that'th mostly for muscle growth, yknow? I do a lot of agility training, so it'th a different kind of thing.”
“Then what do you eat?”
“Protein shakes, mostly,” Daph shrugged.
“...What with it?” Georgia added. Daph blinked.
“Uh...” Daph cleared her throat. “...Nothin'.”
“So you just have protein shakes before you work out.”
“I mean, yknow...Not all the time.”
“Daph, what isyour diet?”

“I mean...yknow, it's a lotta different thtuff.” She shrugged. “Like, it'th different in the thummer and I...I mean, eating too much before you run ith really bad for ya, yknow?”
“Then take me through the day,” Georgia said, leaning against the cart. “What did you eat yesterday?”
“Yethterday?” Daph blinked. “Uh...like...I dunno.”
“You don't know what you ate yesterday?”
“No no, I do. It wath...like...a bowl of some oatmeal with like...peacans in it and a whey protein shake.”
“Alright, that'th not bad,” Georgia nodded. “What about lunch?”
“...That wath lunch.”
“...Then what was breakfast.”
“I didn't have it.”
“Daph...”
“I don't get hungry until, like, noon!” Daph defended. “I never have!”
“Then what about dinner?”
“Uh...like...thome rice...I think…” Daph cleared her throat again. “And a...like, a fruit and nut bar.”
“...That's it?”
“...I mean...” Daph shrugged. “I jutht don't get hungry!”

“Daphodille...You've got to eat more than that,” Georgia sighed. “The diet of an athlete just isn't the same as the diet for a pregnant woman.”
“I'm jutht little! I got a fast metabolithm! I don't have to eat all that much.”
“This time, you do,” Georgia frowned. She held up her fingers, counting them off one by one. “Three meals a day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No skipping, no exceptions. You need the full pyramid each time. We can keep it vegetarian, but you need protein, vegetables, fruits, grains, and starches every time. No running and no exercising on an empty stomach. If you feel like eating, eat. Have a snack, have a fiber bar, don't keep your stomach empty for too long, because it's not just your stomach you have to worry about.”

“Ugh...Georgia…” Daph moaned. “I barely eat that much anyway. Do you know how much weight I'm gonna...” She paused, then glanced down at her belly, rubbing a hand along its curve. “...Oh...yeah...”
“You know the phrase, 'Eating for Two?' Well, you're literally doing that now.” Georgia sighed, stepping closer and putting her hands over Daph's bump. “I know, it sucks, but it's for the baby.”
“I know...” Daph nodded, letting Georgia roam her fingers around her slight belly. She had more of a right to than anyone else. “I mean...I figured I'd have to eat more but not, like, that much more. I'm not uthted to it.”
“But you're not used to being pregnant, either,” Georgia countered. “This is new for all of us, remember? We're right there with you, Daph.” She grinned, looking up at her friend. Daph sighed into the blue eyes of the blonde squirrel, closer to her than even a sister could be.
Do it for her, she thought.

“Alright,” Daph sighed. “Alright. We'll make a meal plan and I'll thtick to it. I promithe.
“Thanks,” Georgia grinned. Glancing down at Daph's belly, she frowned at the sight of her tank top riding up and revealing more of her tan fur underneath. She grumpily tugged it back down and added, “Next we'll need to get you wearing some new clothes.”
“Hey,” Daph pointed, giving Georgia a sharp look. “You and Darwin can tell me what goeth in my body, but I'm in charge of what goeth over it.”
“You're such a diva,” Georgia said, shaking her head and turning back to the cart.
“I am fuckin not a diva!” Daph shouted, jogging behind without noticing her shirt inching up her belly with each step.
The two of them argued down the aisles until they ended up in the middle of the produce section. A look of ease came over Daph as she walked around the piles of fruits and vegetables.
“Okay, that'th better,” she said, picking up a potato. “Thith ithn't the weird Whole Foodth bullshit. I actually wanna eat this thtuff.”

“Good, because you're going to get plenty of it,” Georgia said, flipping through the papers in her hand. “Pretty much anything is alright, but you have to wash it before you eat it.” She set down the papers and pointed at Daph. “You hear that? You gotta wash all these. Too much bacteria, otherwise.”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” Daph waved dismissively. She picked up a banana and leaned back, setting it atop her belly. While she managed to balance it there for a couple of seconds, it toppled to the ground once she tried to motion over Georgia's attention.
“I think most of this will just be on you,” Georgia shrugged. “Get a good balance of stuff, but I guess just grab what you like.”
“Rad,” Daph nodded. She stooped down next to the rack to pick up a green handbasket, only to make an oof sound as she stood back up. “Fuck...it'th already getting hard to bend over.” She said, rubbing her stomach.
“Really?” Georgia asked, a smile forming on her face. Daph raised her eyebrow and lowered her hand from her middle.
“I mean...a little bit...” she frowned. “What, ith that funny to you?”
“A little,” Georgia nodded. “It's cute seeing you huff around like that.”
“Well it'th a lot less cute on thith side of the belly, yknow,” Daph scowled, her tail flicking behind her indignantly. Georgia only continued to smile back. Turning to the rack next to her, she rooted around the piles of avocados until she found a healthy one that fit comfortably in the palm of her hand. Walking over to Daph, she held it out to her, shaking her hand until she took it from her.

“I don't like avocados,” Daph said. “I like guacamole, but not-”
“No,” Georgia said, lowering Daph's arm until her hand clutching the avocado was next to her stomach. “That's how big the baby is now. I read about it online.”
Daph blinked, staring at the leathery fruit in her hand. She rolled it around in her palm, wrapping her fingers around it and testing its weight. She then put it next to her belly, as if comparing them in size.
“...Fuck,” she breathed.
“It's scary, feeling like my baby is so far away,” Georgia sighed. “I'm scared for them and I'm scared for you, too. But just looking at you getting bigger...I don't know...” She brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled. “It makes me feel like everything's going okay in there.”
Daph nodded, silently. She held up the avocado, bouncing it in her palm.

“It...it fuckin blowth my mind, yknow?” Daph breathed, shaking her head. “That like...right here...” she tapped her bump with a pair of fingers. “Right in there ith like...a person. A thomebody, jutht like you or me or anybody elthe. Like, a person I'm gonna meet one day and talk to.” She held up the fruit in her hand and shook it for emphasis. “And that same person ith the thize of a fucking avocado right now.”
As if outside herself, a tear fell from Daph's face, staining her fur dark. She blinked, then rubbed it away and stared alarmed at the wet mark on the back of her hand.
“Oh fucking...god damn it,” Daph sniffed, rubbing her face dry. “I didn't wanna fucking...It'th the hormones from your god damn baby, Georgia.” Daph rubbed her eyes in her hands while Georgia laughed beside her. Looking up, she pointed at her blonde friend and said, “You tell anybody I thtarted cryin in a goddamn Whole Foodth, I'm gonna throw you out a window.” Georgia only continued to laugh, then scrambled to catch the avocado out of the air after Daph tossed it to her. “Now help me finish up shopping before I get pissed off and go get a burrito inthtead.”

The two of them each grabbed a basket and a handful of plastic bags, splitting up around the produce section and piling them up with different foods. Daph at first made an effort to get the kinds of foods she thought would be the most healthy, but then just defaulted to getting bags full of everything she actually liked. On the other side of the store, Georgia anticipated this and instead piled her basket full of everything on her list she figured Daph wouldn't want to pick up, but were the best sources of nutrition for the baby. Afterward, they both met up near the rack of potatoes to compare baskets.
“You did better than I thought,” Georgia nodded, picking up the zucchini and cauliflower on top. Looking underneath, she sighed, picking up three boxes of strawberries. “You don't need five of these, Daph.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Daph snorted. “You don't know my life.” She stood on the tips of her paws, leaning over to look into Georgia's basket. “...I don't even know what half that shit is.”
“It's all good stuff!” Georgia defended, sorting through the basket of vegetables. “Leafy greens are the most important!”
“I'm pretty thure half of these are jutht leaves, Georgia,” Daph complained, picking up the basket to stare into it more closely. “Am I jutht thuppothed to throw thethe all into a bowl and chow down?”

“You can cook them, Daph! For God's sakes,” Georgia snatched the basket back and slung it over her arm, shaking her head. “C'mon, work with me here.”
“I am workin with you!” Daph shouted. “I didn't thay I wathn't gonna eat any of thith shit!”
Around the corner of the aisle, behind Georgia, poked the head of a young badger woman wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a green apron. She clasped her hands together and looked sternly at Daph.
“Ma'am, could you please lower your voice?” she said. Daph spluttered, pointing to Georgia and glancing between the two of them. Realizing this wasn't the place for a fight, Daph sighed and simply nodded to the employee, who smiled and disappeared around the corner.
“You were gonna get thrown out of a Whole Foods...” Georgia snickered, like they were in elementary school again. Daph said nothing, silently chewing on her lip with her overbite before spinning on her paw and marching away.

“We could get you a cookbook sometime,” Georgia continued, walking closely behind her and continuing down her list. “I've seen prenatal cookbooks everywhere. They've got vitamins supplements in there and even tell you what kind of sweets are okay to have.”
“I'm not so good with recipieth,” Daph said over her shoulder. “I get distracted thtaring at a book for too long, yknow?”
“Darwin's a great cook,” Georgia said. “He can teach you everything you need to know. You won't need to follow a recipe after he shows you the ropes.”

“Yeah, well Darwin doethn't even-” Daph stopped herself, both physically and verbally, halting mid-stride with a bumpy pause in her sentence. “...Nevermind.”
“What?” Georgia said, shuffling forward to catch up with Daph. “Darwin doesn't what?”
“It wath nothin,” Daph quickly said, ducking down a random aisle and glancing around at the canned foods. “Can I eat any of this thtuff?”
“Daph, come on, don't do that,” Georgia said, taking her friend's arm and pulling her to a stop. “What were you going to say?”
Daph rolled her eyes, made a tch sound, and tried to pull away, but Georgia's grip on her arm restrained her. Blinking, her expression softened and she sighed, flicking her tail.
“...Darwin doethn't even like me,” Daph said, looking away and shrugging, She buried her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants.

“What are you talking about?” Georgia sighed. “Of course he likes you. He liked you enough to literally impregnate you, didn't he?”
“That'th different. That wath for you,” Daph said. “I can tell he doethn't. It'th not like it'th hard to.”
“Darwin...he...” Georgia stopped, trying to come up with a way to keep the peace between her husband and best friend, but the only thing worth saying was the truth. She brushed her hair back and flicked her tail, tapping her paw on the ground a couple times to stall while she thought of the right words.
“It's not that he doesn't like you,” Georgia finally said. “It's that he doesn't trust you. Not yet, at least.”
“But he trusts me enough to carry his baby?” Daph said, raising an eyebrow.
“It took convincing,” she nodded. “But that's only because Darwin doesn't know you like I do. He's a hard case to win over, sometimes.”
“But apparently not ath hard as his cooooock,” Daph breathed under her breath.

“Daph, shut up, that was your idea,” Georgia snapped, stamping her paw on the tile. “He's just worried, like I am, and didn't have eighteen years to get to know you, okay?” She breathed, calming herself before continuing. “Darwin's trust needs to be earned. This is your chance to do that.”
Daph was about to argue back that she didn't need Darwin's trust, or even his friendship, but decided that this was only pride nagging at her. Of course she and Darwin were friends when they were just fuck-buddies, but now? As her best friend's husband? As an impending father to the baby Daph carried inside her? There was so much more at stake, and she'd rather have Darwin at her side than against her.
Do it for her, she thought.

“Yeah...” Daph sighed, rubbing her bump and nodding. “Yeah, okay. You're right. You know him better than I do, I guess.”
“I do,” Georgia nodded, her expression relaxing. “And if you two just don't click...well I don't think there's anything I can do about that. But take care of yourself and take care of our baby and I know you'll win him over.”
“Underthtood,” Daph said. She groaned as she shook her head and continued down the aisle. “Ugh...thith ith tho much more complicated than I thought it wath gonna be. I thought I wath jutht suppothed to get fat, make a bunch of money, then jutht pop thith little fucker outta my cooch in a few months.”
“Don't worry Daph,” Georgia smiled warmly, walking up beside her and laying her hand Daph's stomach. “Those are all still going to happen!”

After filling up baskets with enough fruits and vegetables to grow a small farm, the two opted for a cart to gather most of the other ingredients on the list, with an assurance from Georgia that she and Darwin would teach Daph what exactly to do with them all. In lieu of any meats, they gathered an assortment of eggs for protein, with Daph swearing not to eat them raw in any capacity whatsoever. They spent at least another 45 minutes piling the cart up with organic, healthy foods to keep Daph and the baby fed for at least a month or two, as long as she kept to her diet.
Eventually, they dragged the heaving cart and baskets toward the closest open checkout counter, both of them straining with the weight, their tails drooping.
“Aren't you supposed to be the strong one?” Georgia asked, setting down her basket with a huff.
“I don't have...the energy that I...used to...” Daph strained, still carrying two baskets. “I'm busy...ngh...literally building a person over here.” Despite her protests, Daph's strong legs carried her faster to the counter and she set down her baskets first, while Georgia struggled behind her, trying to navigate a shopping cart with one hand.
“Hoo...fuck...fuck me...” Daph breathed, hefting up the baskets of food onto the blacktop of the checkout counter. A young lynx stood behind it, wearing hard-edged glasses and a pleasant expression on her face as she turned on the conveyor.

“Getting ready for a party?” she asked, typing in the product code for the individual fruits and vegetables. She'd evidently been there long enough to comfortably multitask while making chit chat.
“Nah, nothin like that,” Daph said, waving a hand. “We're jutht, like, thtocking up for the next couple monthth.”
“Good plan,” the lynx nodded, glancing up with a smile.
Nearly colliding against Daph's hip, Georgia finally dragged the cart next to the checkout counter, panting as she hefted the basket onto the conveyer.

“C'mon, Hercules,” Daph teased, moving the food onto the belt while Georgia caught her breath.
“I'd rather be Athena,” Georgia breathed.
“Yeah, well, I don't know who that ith,” Daph said, finishing with the cart and moving on to the basket.
“She's another Greek god.”
“I thought they were Romans?”
“Nope,” Georgia shook her head.
“You thure know a lotta random shit, Georgia.”
“Yeah, well, that's what college does,” she shrugged. “You learn so many little tidbits that you run out of room for everything important.”
“Isn't that the truth,” nodded the lynx, laughing to herself as she glanced up at Georgia.
“Yeah, well, I wouldn't know,” Daph said. “College ain't my scene, yknow?” She finished piling the rest of the groceries onto the cart and looked up at the cashier. “Do you want me to like, organize thith at all?”
“No worries, I got it,” she smiled back.
Daph nodded wordlessly, stepping back from the counter and sighing. She raised her hands above her head, clasped them together, and pivoted her torso from side-to-side. Her hips were starting to get sore with the unfamiliar weight that was slowly growing on them, especially in the morning. Stretching longer before her jogs would alleviate some of the tenderness.

“Oh, shit!” Daph said, slapping a hand to her forehead. “We forgot thnackth!”
“I think we've already got enough,” Georgia said, gesturing to the counter strewn with produce and health food.
“Yeah, but thith ith like healthy junk. I gotta have thomethin to thnack on, too!”
“Fine,” Georgia rolled her eyes. “You can go pick out one thing.”

“Groovy,” Daph said, before sprinting off to the snack aisle they'd passed by earlier. Georgia paused, blinking at the ground, then turned to the cashier.
“Did she just say 'groovy?'”
The lynx looked up, smiled politely, and shrugged.

After a moment of silence, the clacking of her nails against the floor indicated Daph's speedy return. She skidded up to the counter and held up a bag in front of her face reading 'SQRL BLEND' with a cartoon, bright-eyed, buck-tooth squirrel on the front.
“Okay, I'm not sure if thith is offenthive or not, maybe it is, but thith hath like everything I like in it tho can I pleathe get it?”
“Where did you even find that?” Georgia said, raising an eyebrow.
“Kid's thnack aisle,” Daph shrugged. “But it'th all organic and has all my favorite shit in it!”
Georgia took the bag in disbelief, flipping it over to read the ingredients and nutritional information. As far as she could tell, nothing seemed to conflict with Daph's pregnancy diet, so Georgia shrugged and set it on the conveyer belt.
“But don't just snack instead of eating meals, Daph,” Georgia said, pointing at her.
“I won't, I wont,” Daph said, chittering in the back of her throat. “Man...you're already thtarting to thound like a mom.”
Daph walked to the other side of the counter, hands above her head and tail bobbing lightly. Georgia blinked at what she'd said, not sure whether it was supposed to be an insult or not, but smiled quietly nonetheless.

Meanwhile, the lynx glanced up at Daph while she scanned in their groceries, watching as the squirrel continued to stretch, her tank top riding slightly above her bump.
“So when are you due?” the cashier asked, pleasantly.
“Huh?” Daph blinked, jolted out of her thoughts. She dug a hand into her pocket and fished out her wallet. “Wait, thorry, what's due? How much?”
“No, no, when are you due?” the lynx clarified.
Daph blinked, frozen in space, the gears in her head having ground to a stop. She turned to Georgia, then to the cashier, then down to her own stomach protruding ever slightly beyond her waist. She stammered, putting a hand over her bump.

“Buh...I...wha...I'm...I'm due...uhm…you can...”
“Oh...Oh my god, I'm...I'm so sorry...” the lynx girl said, mortified. “I'm so so sorry, I thought you were...”
“No, no, she is,” Georgia interjected, nodding. She glanced at Daph, confused at her friend's shock. “...Right?”
“Oh...yeah!” Daph forced a chittering laugh, a little louder than necessary, as she patted her belly with both hands. “No, no, yeah, you're right, I'm uh...I'm like...pregnant...and everything...” She grinned behind her oversized teeth, the lynx smiling awkwardly back.
“Oh! Oh, that's good,” she nodded. “Congratulations.”

“Oh, wait, like, it'th not my baby,” Daph tried to clarify. “I mean...like, I gueth technically it ith but it'th like...not gonna be my baby, yknow? It'th herth!” Daph said, gesturing to Georgia. “It'th her baby! And I'm jutht...like...I'm helping make it yknow?” She paused, then laughed again for no reason. The cashier, much to her credit, didn't give any odd looks and instead just nodded wordlessly with an awkward smile on her face.
“Well, your total's gonna come up right here,” she said, tapping a finger on the screen of the credit card reader. Georgia pushed past a frozen Daphodille to swipe her card and pay for the food, then she and the cashier began loading the bags into the cart.
“Okay! You're all set,” the lynx said, unrolling their long receipt and handing it over to Georgia. “Come back and see us again!”

“I'm sure we will,” Georgia smiled. She glanced over her shoulder to see Daph, still standing in place, her hand pressed against the lower curve of her belly, just barely poking out beneath her tank-top. “Daph!” Georgia called, snapping her friend out of her thoughts.
“Uh...Right! Yeah, coming!” Daph said, tugging down her shirt and jogging to catch up with her.
When the two of them were in the parking lot, Georgia pushing the cart, she looked up at Daph.

“What the fuck was that about?”
“I don't know!” Daph hissed. “I just freaked out! I didn't know what to thay!”
“I mean...you could have told her the due date?” Georgia said. “January, remember?”
“Oh…I mean yeah but I wath like...” Daph breathed, trying to organize her thoughts. “I thought 'If a thtranger could tell I wath knocked up, then now everybody can.' I dunno, it jutht freaked me out.”
Georgia burst into a fit of giggles, stopping the cart to laugh.
“It'th not funny!” Daph screeched, flipping her tail angrily.

“It is, though!” Georgia said through her laughter. As it subsided, she wrapped an arm around Daph's shoulder and pulled her into a one-arm hug. “Get used to it, sweetie,” she said, then patted Daph's rounding tummy. “It's not like you're getting any smaller.”

Georgia bounded off with the cart, her humming to herself while bobbing her tail back and forth to the beat in her head. Daph stood in the parking lot, hand hovering above her stomach.
“Aw c'mon, don't fuckin thay shit like that!” Daph called out, jogging to catch up to her retreating friend.
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Index