Twisted Reality

Little Ash awoke from passing out due to his illness once again on Jake’s couch. He was laying there with his head on one throw pillow, his arms wrapped around another like he was hugging a teddy bear, in nothing but a pair of kids’ boxer-briefs and a tank top. He felt hotter than he should be for the small amount of clothing he had on, but he also felt like he was freezing at the same time. From what he remembered of the few fevers he’d had before this, he knew it was just part and parcel of being feverish.

With a soft groan in his “new” childish voice, he pushed himself up and sat still for a minute, the fever and just being weak from lack of food making him dizzy. Between the pain in his throat and just feeling too sick to eat, he hadn’t really eaten much the past few days, no matter how CC tried coaxing him into something light. He had to admit that the drummer could make some killer chicken soup, but he was too sick to eat it.

Holding a hand to his throat, the other over his mouth to stop any whimpers and cries that could wake his infant lover if he were asleep, he started down the hall. None of the adults who were supposed to be taking care of him and Andy were in the guitarist’s living room, so he figured they were napping in the bedrooms, or just in there trying to be quiet. As sick as he and the baby were, they needed as much sleep as they could possibly get, and all of them knew it. It was no wonder they were making themselves scarce so that they could sleep; none of them were exactly known for church-mouse behavior.

“Jinxx?” he said hoarsely, realizing within seconds that he’d coughed so much that he’d lost his voice.

“What is it, Ash?” the multi-instrumentalist asked, looking up from whatever meditative trance he’d put himself into.

Unable to speak and unwilling to make his throat hurt worse, he shook his head and gestured to the notebook laying on the nightstand.

“Can’t speak?” he chuckled, handing him the notebook.

No. My throat hurts too bad, and I’ve got laryngitis, he wrote.

“I hope you realize that I can read people’s thoughts, so long as I’ve got a strong connection with them,” Jinxx said, a serious expression on his face.

Shocked, Ash allowed his jaw to drop and his brows to rise.

“It’s true. I’ve been reading Andy’s mind to find out what he’s thinking, wants, and needs when I’m the one taking care of him. I even tried it on Jake just to be sure,” he explained. “I’ve got about as strong a connection to you and CC as I do the two of them, so I bet it’d work on you, too.”

My throat really hurts and I feel like I’m burning up and freezing at the same time, the pint-sized bassist thought, willing to see if it worked or not.

“Must be time for more medicine, then,” his friend told him, crawling off the bed.

You heard what I was thinking?

“As clear as if you said it aloud,” he chuckled, steering him to the kitchen. “You can still write notes to the others, but you don’t have to with me.”

I guess that works, he agreed. Can you grab a cup of juice, too? I don’t like the taste of the medicine.

“Lemme grab a cup,” Jinxx answered, nodding.

Returning the nod, he managed to get his little body up on the barstool at the little breakfast nook, gently swinging his legs as he waited. The multi-instrumentalist put the cup of juice down in front of him, and he knew better than to drink it just yet so he’d have something to get the taste out of his mouth after he took the medicine. He then pulled a spoon out of the silverware drawer, measured out the dosage, and held it in front of him, hoping he wouldn’t have to so much as coax him to take it.

Ash obediently opened his mouth and let him put the spoon in it, grimacing as he sucked the Children’s Tylenol off the spoon and down his throat. He really made a face and stuck his tongue out once it’d gone down, quickly grabbing his cup of juice and sipping on it to wash the taste down, too. He frowned at his friend, who was chuckling at his reaction, and narrowed his eyes in an obvious glare.

Now that he’d been a good boy and taken his medicine, the multi-instrumentalist began to coax him into eating something when he heard his little belly growl. He told him it didn’t have to be anything heavy or coarse, knowing that something too heavy could make him nauseous, something too coarse could scrape his raw throat the wrong way. His stomach was so empty from lack of food that it was actually starting to hurt, so he agreed to attempt eating some homemade chicken soup, which Amy, who’d just entered the kitchen, agreed to help with. Chris was caring for their son at the moment, and Jake agreed to take him to the living room and snuggle him on the couch so he was comfortable.

The guitarist picked him up baby-style and carried him back to the small living room, where he sat down in the recliner with the pint-sized bassist in his lap. Ash rested his head on his shoulder, his little arms wrapped around his neck as his legs rested on either side of his hips as best they could. He wasn’t used to sitting in anyone’s lap like this except Andy’s, but he’d crush him if he tried that right now. However, he could tell by the way Jake squirmed for a moment that he wasn’t very comfortable with it, either since he was used to only Jinxx sitting on him thus, so at least he wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

“Food’ll be ready in a little bit, guys,” Jinxx said, leaning into the living room for a moment.

“All right, sweetheart,” the guitarist answered. “I think Ash is on the verge of falling asleep again.”

No, I’m not, the pint-sized bassist protested in his thoughts, sitting up to look at the multi-instrumentalist. Are there tons of carrots in the soup?

“Yes, there’s tons of carrots, Ash,” he chuckled. “I know you like ’em.”

Yay! Carrots are the best part of chicken soup! He grinned and rubbed his hands together in excitement.

“I’m assuming you can read his thoughts, too?” Jake chuckled.

“Yeah. I think I surprised him when I proved I could,” he answered, returning their grins. “Is Andy awake, Chris?”

“Sitting here in my lap, looking like a miserable little mess,” the middle-aged man chuckled, kissing his son’s head.

“Amy wanted to know. Said she was gonna try feeding him a bit after she cooled it off,” Jinxx told him.

“He’s old enough for it, physically speaking,” Chris agreed, nodding. “Besides, it’ll help him fight this off faster than if he didn’t have it.”

The multi-instrumentalist chuckled as he returned to the kitchen, where he helped Amy finish cooking the soup they were all going to enjoy. Ash pouted as he turned around in the guitarist’s lap, looking across the room to where his infant lover sat cuddled up to his father’s side. The baby noticed his pout and reached out, making “Gimme!” motions with his little fists as he whined softly.

Since they were both sick and the adults doubted they could do anything worse to one another, Jake gently pushed him from behind while Chris beckoned him over. He crawled down off the other man’s lap, having to stand there with his hand on his knee for a moment since he was still a bit dizzy, before walking over to the couch slowly. The middle-aged man helped him up onto the couch, gently placing him between his spread thighs so his little head rested back against his chest. He then moved his son so that Andy was sitting in the pint-sized bassist’s lap, which allowed him to hug him close.

Ash wrapped his arms around his infant lover, chuckling almost silently due to the loss of his voice as he turned and nuzzled his chest. It was a move he was used to doing to the younger male himself, but with their current issue, he hadn’t been able to do that in almost a week. Quite frankly, though, whether they were sick or not, he was just glad that he was getting to hold the one he loved in his arms, if only for a short while, and he was pretty sure their happiness was obvious.

“All right, guys. Soup’s on…literally,” Jinxx announced. “Ash, I know you don’t wanna let him go, but we’re eating in the kitchen.”

Damn it, Jinxx, the pint-sized bassist thought, glaring at him. We just got comfortable, too.

“Well, that’s too bad, Ash,” he chuckled. “I don’t want you accidentally spilling the soup on the carpet. Besides, Andy’s gotta go in his high chair, as much as he hates it.”

Why can’t I sit in Dad’s lap? the baby grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Because your dad can’t hold and feed you while trying to feed himself,” the multi-instrumentalist told him. “If it makes you feel any better, though, we can always move the high chair so that you can sit beside him.”

Guess I better not argue if that’s the best I’m gonna get, Andy conceded, sighing heavily.

“How ’bout we put Ash on his other side, and Amy beside him?” Chris suggested, taking the little boy’s hand while hugging his son to his chest. “Maybe that’ll encourage them both to eat.”

“Sounds like a plan, Chris,” Jinxx agreed, nodding. “You and Amy take the heads of the table since there’ll be more room for the high chair and that lineup, and Jake and I’ll take the other side of the table across from them.”

“Works for me,” the middle-aged man agreed, nodding.

“Same here,” Jake said, hugging him real quick as he kissed his temple. “Means I get to sit next to my sweetheart rather than across the table from him.”

“Watch it, Jakey,” the younger man warned, swatting him with a dish towel. “Don’t want your lust to show, do we?”

The guitarist blushed furiously, knowing that even if they’d managed to fit the crib in the guest room, they’d both have been uncomfortable unleashing their desire with baby Andy in the apartment.

Everybody laughed at the one man’s embarrassment, the other’s smug look, as they took their seats around their dining table. Chris got his now-infant son settled into the high chair, although he didn’t bother buckling him in since he knew he wouldn’t try to escape. He smiled as Jinxx and Amy began serving everybody while he got Ash settled in his little booster seat, which he’d needed since he wasn’t quite tall enough to see over the tabletop and eat without making a mess.

Andy reached out to his side and grabbed his sweetheart’s hair, pulling it gently enough to get his attention without hurting him. The pint-sized bassist looked over at him, a questioning look in his eyes as they shared one of their notorious silent conversations. After a moment, a warm smile curved his lips and, despite their shared illness, he leaned over and gently kissed his temple after giving him his hand to hold after untangling his little hand from his hair. Thankfully, the baby was going to be fed by his dad, who was ambidextrous, and he was right-handed, so they could hold hands all throughout dinner if they wanted to. Everyone at the table cooed how cute they were while doing that at them, laughing and grinning throughout the meal.

Surprisingly, they were both able to eat about three-quarters of what they’d been served, Ash scarfing down so many carrots Jake teased him about turning orange. The pint-sized bassist stuck his tongue out at him while thinking that he didn’t care if he turned orange; carrots were one of his favorite vegetables, especially when in chicken soup, and he wasn’t giving them up.

Jinxx translated his and Andy’s thoughts into words for them, which added to the already-lively conversation. In fact, things were so lively, they didn’t even hear CC let himself in until he walked into the kitchen and announced his presence. The pint-sized bassist immediately turned his attention to him, unconsciously squeezing his lover’s hand tightly as he awaited whatever news he got from the hospital. He was thankful to announce that, while Grama Anita obviously had heart issues, her fainting spell was caused by low potassium levels, which could be easily rectified with a short hospital stay, and nothing more.

“Ash says that he’s just glad she’s okay,” Jinxx said, having read his mind as he sighed in relief.

“You can read his mind?” the drummer asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah. I’ve just gotta have a strong connection with the person whose mind I’m trying to read,” he answered.

“I knew you could read Jake’s; you did it right in front of me,” CC said. “And you said that you could read Andy’s. I just didn’t know you could read Ash’s, too.”

“Well, I can,” the multi-instrumentalist chuckled. “I could probably read yours, too, if I put my mind to it.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” he chuckled. “This mind-reading thing is freaky enough, as is. Besides, when do I not tell you guys what’s on my mind?”

“True enough, Ceece,” Jake agreed with a chuckle.

After serving a bowl of soup to the newly-arrived drummer, everybody else got to work either cleaning up the kitchen and storing leftovers, or keeping an eye on the little ones. With his little belly full, Andy got a diaper change again before being rocked to sleep in the living room by his dad. The guitarist sat in the recliner, which he hadn’t used to prop his feet up yet, with Ash in his lap, the little guy resting his head on his shoulder again as he kept his arms wrapped around his neck.

It wasn’t long before both little ones were sleeping deeply, giving Chris a chance to put his son in the crib that sat at the foot of Jake’s and Jinxx’s bed again. Now that he was done eating, CC took the chance to pack up all of the pint-sized bassist’s stuff that he’d brought over and take him back to his house, where he could get him settled into his kiddie bed to finish his nap while he worked on some drum rhythms in his mini studio.

Jake and Jinxx, who were still more or less exhausted after days of running on fumes, retired to their room to go to bed, as well. They didn’t mind having Andy sleeping at their feet, although it did cut down on the amount of romance they could have for a while. The pair wished Amy and Chris a good night’s sleep and sweet dreams before disappearing behind a door they left unlocked, just in case they didn’t hear the infant frontman’s cries if he woke up in the middle of the night. All in all, the day had gone about as well as they could expect with two of their band members trapped in the bodies of children and sick with strep throat, too.

Notes