Twisted Reality

Upon opening the door, Jake saw a frantic looking CC standing there with an equally miserable looking Ash clinging to him like a monkey. His little arms were wrapped around the drummer’s neck, his legs around his waist, while his little head rested on his shoulder as if it were a pillow. The look in his eyes was dull and almost lifeless, and he had no doubt in his mind that he, too, was sick.

“Thank Godsmack you answered, Jake!” CC sighed, appearing to slump a bit.

“What’s wrong, Ceece?” he asked, waving him into the apartment.

“Is there anywhere I can put Ash? I don’t wanna upset him,” he said.

“C’mon,” the guitarist answered, nodding as he led him down the hall to the master bedroom.

His friend followed close behind him, making sure to keep one hand under the pint-sized bassist’s rear for support while the other gently rubbed his back. Jake gestured to put him down on the side of his and Jinxx’s queen-sized bed that he normally occupied. As gently as he could, he woke his sweetheart to let him know that Ash was going to be laying beside him, and to be careful when he rolled over so he didn’t hurt him. The multi-instrumentalist nodded weakly, puckering his lips to return the kiss he gave him as best he could in his exhausted state, before promptly falling back to sleep.

Once the little guy was settled and his sweetheart was sleeping peacefully again, Jake stopped at the foot of the bed to check on their infant frontman. He was snuffling and squirming like he was about to wake up again, likely with a wet diaper, so he gently lifted him from the crib. CC followed him closely to the guest room, where he leaned against the doorjamb to talk while he changed the little guy’s diaper. He doubted whatever he needed to talk to him about could be very good, so he just listened.

“Since Chris and Amy are here now, you think I could leave Ash here for a few hours?” he asked.

“Why? What’s going on?” Jake countered, looking up from running a baby wipe over Andy’s crotch.

“Grama Anita’s over at UCLA. She collapsed a couple hours ago, and I think it might be her heart,” CC answered, trying to keep himself calm. “I don’t wanna scare Ash, and even though I know he’s still grown mentally, I don’t wanna keep him there in the hospital while in a child’s body. That, and I don’t even know if he’d be allowed to see her because of that.”

“Oh, my Jinxx,” he breathed, securing the diaper around the infant frontman’s waist and rebuttoning his onesie.

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly,” the drummer agreed. “You want me to take this little one for a minute?”

“I was gonna give him to Chris while you were explaining, but if that keeps you a bit calmer…” Jake trailed off as he picked him up.

“Sadly, it probably would,” he said.

Nodding, he gently transferred Andy into his arms, watching carefully as he cradled him as if he thought he was a china doll that he’d break if he moved the wrong way. The little guy opened his eyes and looked up at the man holding him, softly murmuring “Uppy” as he realized who it was, then scrunching his eyes shut again as a new wave of pain flared up in his throat.

They headed back to the living room, where Chris and Amy were sitting on the loveseat for a moment while she waited for the meat to drain a bit. The middle-aged woman started to rise to take her son, causing CC to tighten his grip on him and turn away, effectively denying her. Jake quickly explained that he had something to tell them, and that holding Andy for the moment might help him do so calmly since he didn’t want to hurt the little fella. Now that she knew why he’d denied her her son, she sat back and nodded her agreement, knowing that her own husband had used that tactic once or twice when he really was a baby.

As quickly but calmly as he could, the drummer began to explain what’d happened to Ash’s grandmother and how he needed to leave him here for the moment. His hips moved in a figure-eight pattern unconsciously, causing his shoulders to twist the same way, as he used the movements to keep the infant in his arms calm, and all of them noticed the way he moved while he talked. However, none of them mentioned it since he really wasn’t even aware that he was doing such a thing.

Chris and Amy were both quick to agree to help out with Ash, especially when the drummer told them that he thought he might have strep throat. The only difference between a sick seven-year-old and a sick baby was that at least the pint-sized bassist could tell them what was wrong, making it easier for them to help him. Jake was a bit exasperated at having more of a workload, but knew it was for the best and that their friend couldn’t help that he was trapped in the body of a child. Amy made the suggestion that she and Chris take care of their own son, leaving him and Jinxx to take care of Ash, which could work out great unless the multi-instrumentalist was needed for his mind reading abilities to aid in the baby’s care.

“I know he really wants to be there with Grama Anita, but even if he weren’t sick, I’m not sure they’d let him see her,” CC said, still unconsciously drawing figure-eights with his hips and shoulders as he kept Andy calm. “I mean, being stuck in a child’s body has to suck, but with his grama in the hospital and that being a possible reason to deny his entrance to see her?”

“Yeah, that’s really gotta suck,” Amy agreed, nodding.

“Besides, I’ve already gotta pretend she’s my elderly mother just so that I can see her,” he sighed, obviously wanting to run a hand through his hair.

“Have you told your parents yet?” Jake asked curiously.

“No. I didn’t wanna have to because the less people that know about what happened to them, the better,” he answered, shaking his head.

“That’s true enough, I suppose,” the guitarist agreed. “We don’t want it being public knowledge.”

“Exactly. Therefore, I don’t really wanna tell my parents what’s going on, just in case they slip up and tell someone.” He growled deep in his chest, apparently startling their infant frontman. “Shhh, shhh, shhh. I’m sorry, Ands. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The baby in his arms whimpered for a minute, reaching up to grab his throat again.

“Does your throat hurt, little fella?” he asked.

Andy managed to nod, causing a couple tears to stream down his face.

“Jinxx said he gave him Infant’s Advil right before we got here,” his mother spoke up. “I’m sorry, son, but you can’t have anything else just yet.”

This caused him to start crying, albeit softly, because he felt so bad.

“Amy, is he old enough for one of those freeze pops?” CC asked, looking over at the middle-aged woman.

“Yeah, we used to give him one every now and again when he was that age,” Amy answered, nodding.

“You want one of those?” the drummer asked, looking down at him.

The infant frontman’s eyes lit up at the prospect of something cold to help soothe his throat, and he nodded as vigorously as he could.

“Well, you’re in luck. I brought some over because of Ash,” he told him, stepping into the kitchen.

Thankfully, the drummer was dextrous enough to keep Andy in his arms without dropping him while he cut open one of the freeze pops in question. He quickly squeezed it up enough for him to wrap his little lips around it to suck on it, then moved him so that he was holding him on his hip and kept a decent grip on it himself. He knew the infant frontman could hold it on his own, but his hands were subject to get cold quicker, and he might drop it easier if that happened.

He walked back into the living room, looking every bit like a father as he held his friend on his hip and let him suck on the freeze pop he held. Jake couldn’t help but tease him about how naturally acting like a father came to him, despite his eccentric and hyperactive personality, which caused him to blush. CC soon handed the baby off to his natural father, freeze pop and all, so he could head over to the hospital.

Chris sat on the couch with his son in his lap, something he hadn’t been able to do in years because of how big he’d grown, and allowed him to rest his head on his chest as he sucked on the freeze pop. Andy seemed pretty content now, although he still felt horrible from his illness, and that was a good thing. Amy was back in the kitchen working on the chili, and the guitarist decided to lay back in the recliner to rest for a bit. His energy reserves were running low since he hadn’t had much sleep the past few days, and he figured he might join his sweetheart and Ash for a nap soon. He was undecided since one was sick and the other’d gotten little to no sleep the past few days, and he didn’t want to disturb them.

Just as he was beginning to doze off, he felt someone crawl into the recliner with him and snuggle into his side, their head resting on his chest above his heart. Cracking his eyes open, Jake saw a miserable-looking Ash laying against him, obviously trying not to cry because his throat hurt so bad. He kissed the top of his head and asked him if he was okay, and he shook his head in response. CC’d told them it’d been about four hours since he gave him anything for pain and to reduce his fever, so he gently pressed his hand to his forehead. The pint-sized bassist felt a bit warm, so he figured it’d probably be best to give him some Children’s Tylenol.

“If you’ll let me up, I’ll get you something for the pain,” he said softly.

“Mmm. Can I have one of my freeze pops, too?” Ash asked, his voice sounding squeaky but hoarse.

“Yeah. I’ll get it when I get your medicine,” the guitarist promised. “Why don’t you go sit with Chris and Andy for a minute?”

Nodding, the pint-sized bassist crawled back off him and went over to the couch. Chris readjusted the freeze pop he held so that it was in the hand of the arm he had wrapped around his son, then raised the other arm in a silent invitation to cuddle up against him. With tears of pain in his eyes, the little boy climbed up on the couch and snuggled up against his side, resting his head on the side of his chest that Andy wasn’t.

Jake quickly dug through the diaper bag the drummer’d obviously bought for outings so he’d have something to carry anything they might need in. He found both the Children’s Advil and Children’s Tylenol in a side pocket, setting the Advil on the counter so he could open the Tylenol. After measuring out the dosage and getting Amy’s approval, he took it into the living room and gently coaxed Ash into taking it. He made a face after taking it, so he handed him the cup of juice the middle-aged woman had sent with him. The little boy gratefully took it and took a small sip, grimacing at the pain in his throat.

The guitarist gently kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair, the took the spoon back to the kitchen so it could be washed. Like CC’d done for Andy, he cut open one of the freeze pops he’d stuck in their freezer and squeezed it up so that part of it was sticking out of the plastic wrapper. Thankfully it was Ash’s favorite flavor, which happened to be grape, so he doubted he’d refuse it. Then again, as sore as his throat likely was, he probably wouldn’t have refused it, regardless of its flavor, since it would help.

Chris took the freeze pop and got a napkin wrapped around it to keep his little hands from freezing, then handed it to him. The pint-sized bassist thanked them both, then leaned his head against the older man’s chest again as he began to suck on it. Jake took a moment to go check on his sweetheart, who was curled up on their bed and still sleeping deeply. He went back down the hall and asked the Biersacks if they’d be all right watching both sick kids, telling them that he needed a nap of his own. Amy assured him that they’d be fine, telling him to go get some rest while he could since they’d taken care of multiple sick kids before. Thanking her, he went back to the master bedroom and stripped down do his boxers, then crawled into bed.

“Jakey?” the multi-instrumentalist asked softly.

“Yeah, it’s me, Jinxxy,” he answered, gently kissing his temple as he wrapped his arms around his waist. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. You need it, and Chris and Amy are watching Ash and Andy.”

“Are you sure they can handle them?” he asked sleepily.

“I asked them that before I came in here, and they said they could,” the guitarist answered.

“Mmm, all right,” Jinxx murmured, snuggling into his embrace.

“I love you so much, Jinxxy,” Jake said, gently kissing his shoulder.

“I love you, too, Jakey,” he answered. Moments later, they were both asleep.
* * *
“Those two really do care about Andy and Ash, don’t they?”

Chris stood in the kitchen doorway, his son in his arms as he slept once again, watching his wife as she finished up the chili she’d been working on. The pint-sized bassist’d passed out on the couch, so he decided to just leave him where he was to avoid waking him up. With both boys sick, they needed all the rest they could get so they could get better sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, they really do,” Amy answered, turning to look over her shoulder at him. “They’re all practically brothers. Well, with the exception of Jake’s and Jinxx’s relationship, as well as Andy’s and Ash’s.”

“That’s really gotta suck for both our baby boy and Ashley,” he said softly, gently kissing his forehead.

“Well, from what Jinxx told me, Ash is still trying to be as much of a lover to him as he can under the circumstances,” she said. “Apparently he’s given him a couple kisses on the lips, but nothing more since they can’t go that far in their current state.”

“You think that’s how Andy got sick?” Chris asked curiously.

“Maybe. Either that, or Andy was already sick and gave it to his sweetheart,” she answered. “It wouldn’t be surprising. Strep’s pretty contagious, after all.”

“That’s true enough. Course, I suppose it doesn’t matter who got who sick; they’d never do that intentionally, and we both know it.”

“Exactly. If one had already been sick and knew it, it’s doubtful he would’ve done anything to endanger the other’s health.”

“Hey there, guys.”

Turning, they both saw Jinxx coming into the kitchen. The jeans he wore rode low on his hips, showing off the uppermost part of his boxers’ waistband, but about that, they said nothing. It was his home and they were guests; so long as he had the decency to actually put clothes on in their presence, they couldn’t care less what he wore around the apartment.

“Hey, Jinxx,” Amy answered, smiling at him. “You sleep good?”

“Oh, yeah. I slept so deeply I didn’t have to sleep as long as I normally do,” he told her, nodding. “Where’s Ash?”

“He crashed on the couch after he and Andy had a freeze pop that CC brought over,” Chris answered, nodding toward the living room.

“Speaking of, why’d he bring him over?” Jinxx leaned against his counter with a bottle of water in his hand. “Jake woke me up long enough to tell me he’d been put in bed with me and to be careful rolling over so I wouldn’t hurt him, but other than that, he didn’t explain since I was mostly asleep.”

“Apparently Ash’s grama had to be admitted to the hospital,” the middle-aged man said, keeping his voice low. “He doesn’t know exactly what’s wrong with her, although he thinks it might be her heart, and wasn’t sure if he could see her. Whether he’s sick or not, being trapped in a child’s body might be enough to have him barred from wherever she got admitted to.”

“So CC’s at the hospital with Grama Anita now?” the multi-instrumentalist asked.

“Yeah. He said he’s gonna pretend she’s his elderly mother so he can see her and find out what’s going on for Ash.” He nodded, then looked down at his son as he squirmed momentarily. “Since he wasn’t sure if he could go with him to see her, he asked if he could leave him over here.”

“I’m assuming that if Jake didn’t, you guys said that was fine?”

“Of course.” Amy pressed a hot bowl of chili into his hands, motioning for him to eat. “We couldn’t let him be left with someone he didn’t know as a babysitter because of his physical condition.”

“Besides, we’ve taken care of multiple sick kids before,” Chris agreed. “One time we had Andy, his cousin Joe, and a couple of the neighbors’ kids all at once. Every last one of them had a stomach virus that was going around, so to say the house was flooded with vomit and diarrhea would be an understatement.” The middle-aged man chuckled at the memory.

“Strep’s nothing in comparison to that, especially when it’s only two kids instead of four or five,” his wife agreed, grinning.

“That’s just disgusting to think about while I’m trying to eat,” Jinxx said, scrunching his nose up.

“Sorry, Jinxx. We forget sometimes that you guys haven’t seen and had to deal with some of the things we have,” she chuckled. “Being a parent makes you have to deal with things like that and worse, sometimes while eating. We don’t like it, but we’ve grown immune to it, I guess you could say, from the number of times it’s happened to us over the years.”

“It’s okay, Amy. I know you didn’t mean to gross me out,” he answered. “Thanks for the chili.”

“It’s not a problem, Jinxx.” She gave him a one-armed hug as he ate. “I figured you and Jake could use a good, hot meal after the past few days. Consider it my way of thanking you guys for taking care of Andy till we got here.”

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it,” the multi-instrumentalist chuckled, taking his food to the living room so he could sit down.

He took a seat in the recliner with his bowl of chili while Amy lifted the pint-sized bassist’s head so she could sit down on the couch. Chris headed down the hall to the guest room, where they’d been forced to put the changing table, so he could change the infant frontman’s diaper. Thankfully, all was fairly quiet and neither of the kids really needed anything, and Jake was able to continue his nap, despite having woken up when he got up a short while ago.

Jinxx finished his food in quick order, forcing the middle-aged woman to stay on the couch and let her feet have a bit of time to rest so they didn’t swell up while he washed his bowl out. Besides, Ash was still laying across her lap and sleeping peacefully; he didn’t want him to be woken up any sooner than he had to be. It was moments later that the middle-aged man returned from the guest room, his son awake and somewhat fussy again since he had no other way to communicate. The multi-instrumentalist gently took him, soon heading to the master bathroom to get the Infant’s Tylenol to alternate this time.

Just as he had with the Advil a few hours ago, Andy obediently swallowed what he was given from the dropper he had to use. Once the medicine was down his throat, his friend took him to the kitchen to make him a small bottle again, knowing he’d want it to both wash the medicine completely down and to satisfy his hunger. He seemed to be hungrier now that he was trapped in the body of an infant than when he was a grown man, but then again, he was having to grow all over again. The fact that he was forced into growing all over again meant that he was going to need more food than normal, whether he liked it or not. He just hoped he didn’t have the same weight issues when they managed to reverse this that he had the first time he was a teen.

Andy gladly took the bottle once he’d warmed and shaken it, popping the nipple into his mouth so quick he almost didn’t see him do it. The bottle was drained so quickly that it was almost unbelievable, but he merely chuckled and rinsed it out before taking him back to the living room, where he found the older couple asleep on the couch, Ash laying halfway between and on top of them.

“Do you guys want me to put Ash in bed with Jake?” he asked softly.

“Nah, we’re fine,” Chris answered.

“We used to sleep with Andy like this when he was this age and sick,” Amy agreed, yawning. “We just have to be careful about how we move so nobody falls out in the floor.”

“If you’re sure…” Jinxx trailed off uncertainly.

“We are,” they answered in unison.

“Inxx?”

The multi-instrumentalist looked down at the baby in his arms. “What is it, bud?”

I’m still hungry, he whined in his thoughts, grimacing.

“You sure you want another bottle, though?” he asked. “I don’t want you getting sick to your stomach because you ate too much while you’ve got strep throat.”

Feed me, damn it. It’s not like I can feed myself, Andy snapped, glaring at him.

“Okay, okay. You just better not throw up on me later,” Jinxx said, shaking his head.

If I do, I apologize in advance. It’s not like I mean or want to, the infant frontman told him.

“I know, Ands. I just really don’t like being thrown up on,” he answered.

And you think I do any more than you?

“Just hush while you’re still ahead, brat.” He smirked at him to show that he was just messing with him.

Andy rolled his eyes at him, trying to cross his arms as he lay back in the one the multi-instrumentalist’d wrapped around him to cradle him with. He chuckled as he headed back into the kitchen to make him another bottle, having to use one of his hands to cover his mouth when the little guy’s stomach growled, causing him to blush with embarrassment.

Things were wild and crazy at the moment, but they couldn’t care less. Just so long as the infant frontman and pint-sized bassist were taken care of while they were trapped in the bodies of children, that was all that really mattered. However, once his lover woke up from his nap, he was going to sit down and sift through the mystical knowledge he’d discovered about himself and see if he could figure out why this’d happened in the first place. Once he figured that out, Jinxx thought he might be able to come up with a way to reverse what’d happened, partially if not fully, and he hoped and prayed to every deity out there that he could.

Notes