By FoxFaceStories

An Anonymous Commission

When James, Leo, and Kamal are forced to enroll in their college home economics class to make up for grade deficiencies, they think the whole thing will be easy and mock the class relentlessly. Annoyed, their professor chooses the three of them for a special maternity experiment with a ‘simulated pregnancy’ belly; if they do so, they will automatically pass. Little do they know that she is actually a witch, and their growing bellies and feminising features are all too real . . .

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Part 3: Morning Sickness

For the next couple of weeks, and apart from the lack of body hair on their torsos, it was as if the bellies simply didn’t exist. Professor Shanks confirmed with them privately after their next lecture that all had gone according to the experiment, but also suggested rather ominously that, “the first signs will start to show eventually.” Yet, despite this, the men were able to quickly get over their mutual embarrassments. In fact, Kamal took this as an opportunity to be even more slimy than usual, working on seducing multiple girls in the home economics class. Some were turned away, but women were a numbers game for him, and he ended up getting lucky several times, bragging the next day about “bagging one in twenty five women already!”

James, on the other hand, was working his charm upon Faye Li. She was a very pretty thing, and he rather liked Asian women, imagining some rather naughty stereotypes about them. He quickly learned her passion - social work - and her favourite TV shows - guilty reality TV pleasures - and started to connect to her on these issues, all while pretending to care about “social justice warrior bullshit” as he privately put it to his friends. In the end, he got his desire: after the third week of classes, she nervously passed him her number.

“You can call me,” she said. “If you’re serious about this, I mean. I like you . . . and how you’re different from most men. You like this course.”

“Of course I do. It’s important stuff.”

Leo privately fumed at this. Faye was a beautiful woman, and he had noticed her as well, even privately hoping she would notice his own earnest interest. But as usual, he was too quiet, too anxious, and didn’t make an impression despite his good looks. Most took his growing interest in home economics for disinterest and boredom, but he was taking notes obsessively. The course was already helping him at his apartment: Professor Shanks was discussing the ways in which presentation of one’s homestead is a predictor of success in relationships and life, and he was taking this to heart. Even little things like baby-proofing a house and maintaining a clean ecosystem were very useful for when his sister would visit in a couple of months from interstate with her kids. He just hoped that, maybe, this could help him with women. No such luck just yet, however.

Things changed, however, for each of the men as they were getting ready to head to college. They didn’t even have home eco that day; just their own regular, non-elective classes. James was eating his regular protein-rich breakfast to get ready for a quick gym visit before college, when suddenly he was hit by a powerful wave of nausea.

“Ughh,” he groaned, before clutching his mouth. He slammed back his chair and ran to the bathroom, falling to his knees and lifting the seat just in time to throw up in the bowl. 

“Eurghh,” he murmured afterwards, panting a little. The nausea passed quickly, and he cleaned his face and washed his mouth in the aftermath. Wisely, the man decided to stay home and take a break before he resumed his breakfast. The worst part was how damn hungry he still was, but he needed to go lie down first. It was like all his energy had been drained.

At a similar time, Kamal was going through the same experience. He has his own small apartment that he liked to take girls back to, and he’d just had quite some success with a hot Irish girl who was currently touring the States. They were making out in bed, him running his hands over her slender form, when suddenly he too needed to rush off.

“I - oh shit, sorry!”

He pelted out of the room and straight to the bathroom, but didn’t make it in time: instead, he retched up last night’s dinner and a lot of still-percolating alcohol in his system all over the tiled floor.

“Oh my God!” the woman cried as she ran to him. “Oh, gross! Uh, I’m sorry, but I really can’t get gastro right now! I’m gonna get dressed and go! Uh, it was nice to meet you!”

Kamal had never been so humiliated in his life, but his lover was already gone. He couldn’t even remember her name, but had been hoping to get lucky again before sending her packing. Now, he was cleaning up vomit and trying to fight against his tiredness. And his damn nipples were so fucking sore!

That was the part Leo felt. He was kneeling over the toilet bowl, dry heaving. His good didn’t come up, but he continued to massage his chest, annoyed at how strangely achy his nipples were. He’d had the most magnificent sleep, but all he could think about was sleeping in again. When he got the message from James, it all made sense.

‘Guys. Fucking sick today. Just vomited. Stay clear. Won’t be in today.’

‘Dude, me too,’ wrote Kamal.

Leo groaned. ‘We must have all caught something. See you tomorrow or the next day, I guess.’

But in the days to come, they all still felt quite sick. In fact, the trio ended up taking the whole week off. Mostly the vomiting and bouts of nausea came in the morning, but sometimes it was late at night, or just before lunch. Morning was definitely the worst, though. And yet, despite said nausea, each of them was developing a supercharged hunger. Leo, who worked at a Fry Chicken, ended up buying a heap of burgers and fries after his shift, a shift that had been a damn nightmare because of how lacking in energy he was. The man ended up curling up on the couch in his cramped little apartment and watching reruns of Star Trek while feeding himself over and over, until he fell asleep there for twelve hours.

Kamal complained constantly of the stomach cramps he was feeling, and James joined that sentiment. They even ended up setting up a shared Zoom call to discuss this, and all three looked tired, with dark rings under their eyes, messy hair, splotchy skin, and nipples that were oddly hard against the thin material of their shirts.

“This sucks,” Kamal said. “No one else on campus is getting fucking sick like this. I’m falling so very far behind in my programming class. I haven’t even started my own software coding exercise because when I look at the screen I just want to fall asleep!”

“I feel ya buddy,” James said. “How can I do the physical part of sports-science if I can’t even fucking job without getting a headache? Not to mention all the - eughh - v-vomiting. Shit, I feel nauseous right now. At least I’m keeping it in . . . I think.”

“Is anyone else really hungry?” Leo asked. “I can’t stop eating.”

“Same.”

“Very much the same.”

“This doesn’t feel like gastro,” Leo continued. “Maybe we’re having a reaction to the maternity bellies we were given?”

At this, the other two paused on the screen to consider this. 

“I’m gonna email Professor Shanks,” Leo said. “Just in case.”

“Fuck, it better not be that,” James said. “This is our way to get A’s. It’s our only way, now, thanks to Kamal.”

“Hey, fuck you, man. I was just telling her honestly what I thought of her course.”

They descended into an argument while Leo wrote his email and shot it off to her. Surprisingly, she replied just two minutes later, while his two friends were still arguing.

“Guys, listen! Professor Shanks responded. Here’s what she says: ‘Leo, thank you for keeping me up-to-date on your progress. I will be conducting an examination of the three of you soon. I wouldn’t worry about any sickness - it should pass in coming weeks, but may be related to the maternity device. Don’t try to take them off; remember, this is simulating pregnancy. Morning sickness and hunger are part of that, as are cramps, tiredness, and aching breast tissue. All the best, and remember that this is a teachable moment: every pregnant woman goes through this process, so we should never take their efforts or their involvement in the home for granted!’”

James groaned. “Fuuuuuuck. Why didn’t we figure this out? Of course this shit is making us feel morning sickness. It’s a maternity device. What a sick joke.”

“Joke?” Kamal said on the call. “You think this is a joke? No way! This is just sick. I didn’t agree to this.”

“We signed a contract,” Leo said. “We should have read more of it.” “Well, I don’t give a shit! I’m ending this call, and I’m ripping this thing off! No way am I going through with it!”

Kamal exited the call, and soon after so did James, whose stomach was growling so loudly that his mic could pick it up. Leo sighed and switched off the Zoom call. He felt a little nauseous, but most of all sleepy.

“At least I guess I can understand how much this sucks,” he grunted, clutching a slightly bloated stomach from all the pain, nausea, and food.

Somehow, it wasn’t much of a consolation.

***

In the end, the three of them had nearly a week and a half off of college before they finally reunited back on campus. None of them could afford any more time off, but not all had learned a lesson about this in the right way.

“This is why women stay in the fucking home and kitchen when they get knocked up,” Kamal said. “That’s the only thing my parents got right! A woman can’t work, so she stays at home. The end.”

Leo frowned at this. “I mean, doesn’t this just connect to what the prof was talking about today. You know, how maternity leave should be more flexible for situations like this?”

“Dude,” James said, chuckling. “Don’t tell me you’re actually listening to that shit. Do we even have to attend the lectures anymore?”

“Shanks said we should,” Kamal said bitterly. “The experiment requires ‘observation.’ There’s only one thing I’d like to observe about her, and I doubt she’s willing to put out enough to show it.”

The three of them were conversing out in the yard by the campus quadrangle. The sun was out, and it was a beautiful day despite it being winter. They didn’t look quite as haggard as they had been, but the rigours of morning sickness and first trimester ills had left them obviously tired, and they’d all packed extra meals.

“I better not get fat off of this experiment,” James whined as he ate his over-laden sandwich. “I haven’t been able to work out lately.”

“I know what you mean,” said Kamal. “I don’t want to become a stereotypical programmer. I’m aiming for Silicon Valley’s top tier here. Lots of bitches on my arms and money in my account, you know?”

Leo nodded. “At least we get a bit of understanding of what women go through, am I right?”

They both gave him a look.

“Kidding!” Leo said. “Just kidding!” It was a lie, but they seemed to accept it. It left Leo running his hands through his kinky-curled black hair, but then he suddenly paused.

“Damn, my hair’s gotten longer. I need a haircut.”

“Actually, same,” James said, running his finger through his ginger hair. It had a more wavy quality to it, and he felt like it had grown almost an inch in just a week and a half.

“Eh, I’ll keep my length,” Kamal said. “But Indian men can pull off longer hair. Girls find it exotic.”

James laughed and threw some chunks of food his way, and the trio resumed talking about other things. The maternity devices were an irritation and source of anxiety, to be sure, but they weren’t that bad, surely? Besides, all they had to do was submit to the occasional examination by Professor Shanks, and they could put up with that.

Couldn’t they?

***

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Kamal said, standing in the empty laboratory room in just his underwear. “This has got to be illegal.” “I don’t know,” James said beside him, also just in his underwear. “I think she’s cracking onto us. She wants to select one of us. It’s gonna be me, by the way.”

“Have her, I don’t date crazy girls.”

“You don’t date at all. You just have one-night stands.”

“Which keeps me away from crazy girls.”

“Maybe I’ll have her,” Leo added, trying to feel confident as he stood in just his boxers. “You know, you guys might underestimate me.”

“Sure, Leo,” James laughed. “Maybe that makeup on your face will help you, sure.”

Leo cocked his head. “I’m not wearing makeup.”

“Sure you are. Your face is baby smooth, man.”

“So is yours! And Kamal’s goatee is super wispy and thin now.”

“Hey! That’s because I’ve been sick, jackass!”

The door opened, silencing them. In strode Professor Eliza Shanks, once again wearing that black dress with the thigh slits. She was a sight to see, and James felt himself getting a little hard as she bent down to fix her shoe, exposing a magnificent show of her cleavage. And yet . . . his dick went down again. As did Kamal and Leo’s. None of the men stayed very erect, or for very long. Eliza gave them a smile and came over, setting up a tripod camera on its stand.

“Thank you for your patience, boys,” she said. “How are we feeling?”

“Hungry,” Leo said.

“Sick,” James added.

“Tired as fuck,” Kamal finished.

“Yes, like all pregnant women! The device is working. How’s your empathy? Feeling any revelations about women?”

“Yeah, men are definitely the superior gender,” Kamal joked.

Eliza scoffed. She was already recording. 

“This better not get published!” Kamal said. “This stupid device is already giving me gross nipples.”

“That’s just your nipples getting ready for pregnancy, Mr Gupta. It happens before the further growth of breast tissue. It’s also why your nipples are darker.”

“You mean the nipples on the device,” James said.

“Exactly. Now, may I inspect you? Nothing too personal, I just need to make sure everything is going well.”

Sighing, they agreed, though Kamal was very resistant. James cracked jokes as Eliza checked him over, even daring to throw out a “you like what you see?”

“Very much so,” she said. “But still a few weeks before we progress further together.”

He liked that response. She was more personable with Leo.

“You’ve been taking good notes lately,” she said.

Leo was glad to have darker skin, because he would have blushed red as a raspberry if he were Caucasian. “Um, yeah. Just want that A. That’s all.”

“Make sense,” she said, and that was that. She tapped each of them on the stomach and was seemingly satisfied, particularly when she examined their faces.

“Very good!” she said, turning off the camera. “That’s it!”

“That’s it?” James asked.

“That’s it!” she repeated, before packing up her things and walking away. She stopped at the threshold of the door and looked back. “For now.”

To Be Continued . . .