Secrets of the Enslaved

Upon waking again before dawn, Ash crawled from his bed—and Andy’s warm embrace—to go downstairs and watch the sun rise as he did every morning. Unlike when the youngest Neko had been brought here, he wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one of the others already downstairs, nor would he be if they joined him after he’d gotten settled.

After making a quick trip to the bathroom, where he had to clean himself up again since it was “that week” for him, he made his way downstairs. Like always, he wore nothing but his boxers and pajama pants, although he’d put on an extra pair of boxers this morning to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself. At the moment, no one else, not even Nikki, was up and about quite yet, but he was pretty sure that wouldn’t last for long. Their Master had to rise and shine to get his kids up for school, and with Jinxx expecting a kitten, he was pretty sure that even if it wasn’t his norm, he’d be up early, too.

Not long after getting settled in his patio chair, which he’d turned to face East for the sunrise, he heard the back door open. When he looked up, Ash saw that Andy and Jinxx both had decided to join him, and he smiled warmly at the pair. The Dom returned his smile, although he still looked sleepy, while the other fertile tried, but looked too miserable to make much of an effort. His morning sickness must be acting up again, and if it was, he couldn’t really blame him.

“You okay, Jinxx?” he asked as Andy sat down, pulling the other fertile into his lap.

“Mmm,” Jinxx moaned, snuggling into his ribs.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Ash chuckled, gently rubbing his back. “You want me to have Dad get you some ginger ale while he’s out this morning?”

“Think it’ll help my stomach?” the younger fertile asked.

“It should. I can ask him to get some ginger snaps, too,” he answered, brushing his hair out of his face. “He might even remember a few other remedies from back when Brandi and Donna were pregnant.”

Both the Nekos he was talking to gave him curious looks, but didn’t ask.

“Brandi is Gunner, Storm, and Decker’s mom. Donna is Mary’s,” the older fertile explained. “Dad and Brandi have been divorced for years, but he and Donna are only separated at the moment.”

“Sometimes I find it funny how humans go from one partner to the next like that, while we Nekos wind up finding ‘the one’ and practically dying of a broken heart if we lose them,” Andy said thoughtfully.

“It’s just Neko nature for us to be that way,” he agreed, nodding.

“Morning, guys.”

Looking up, the trio saw that Jake and CC had finally come upstairs and joined them. The former didn’t look too happy that his mate was curled up in another Dom’s lap, cuddling with them, but knew that his friend wouldn’t try to take Jinxx away from him. The younger fertile started to shoot up, having to stop for a moment as he grabbed his stomach, apparently having set off his morning sickness.

Andy helped him over to the rail, which he leaned over while the youngest Dom gently rubbed his back, his mate on his other side. CC and Ash stayed back, wanting to give the poor thing as much space as they could since they knew he probably needed it. Thankfully, he managed to calm his stomach down before he had to blow chunks, which was when Jake slowly lifted him into his arms. He wrapped his arms around his mate’s neck, smiling a bit weakly as he whispered sweet nothings in his ear and apologized for doing this to him. Jinxx wasn’t having any of it, though, and told him that it was okay; if it hadn’t happened while they were young, it was bound to when they were older.

Seeing his mate’s point, the Dom took a seat in one of the patio chairs and kept him in his lap, wanting to keep him as close as possible now that they knew they were having a kitten. CC took the chair next to them, leaving the last one open for the other so-called couple. They weren’t fully sure if they were mates, despite everything so far that screamed they were, but that didn’t stop them from wanting to cuddle with each other. In fact, the youngest Dom grinned as he pulled Ash down into his lap to cuddle him right now.

The oldest Neko of their group purred softly as he wrapped his arms around his waist, his head resting on his shoulder as they all sat there watching the sunrise. Andy had his arms wrapped around his shoulders, his hands resting on his arm, which he was absently stroking and caressing. The older fertile couldn’t help but purr louder as he nearly put him back to sleep, although he couldn’t help but wish it were his back that he was rubbing. That thought in mind, he squirmed for a moment, unable to sit still any longer.

“What’s wrong, Ash?” he asked, trying not to squirm himself. The fertile in his lap could feel his growing arousal pressing against his leg, but he couldn’t help it.

“My back’s killing me,” Ash answered, trying not to cry. Pain had never been something he dealt with well.

The other fertile perked up a bit, glancing at him from his mate’s lap. With a grin on his face, he got his mate to turn him loose so he could lean forward, the began to gently knead his back.

“Ohhh,” he moaned, arching his back since it made it feel even better. “Use a little more pressure, please.”

“All right. I’m in the right spot, right?” Jinxx asked.

“Mmm hmm. First time anyone’s ever guessed the right spot exactly like that,” the older fertile answered.

“Well, I’m another fertile,” he chuckled. “I’ve been through this before and know where it’s most likely to hurt better than anyone else, especially a Dom.”

“What do you mean?” Andy asked, sounding worried and curious.

“You want me to tell him, Ash?” the younger fertile asked, ignoring the Dom’s question for a moment.

“You can,” Ash answered, purring again as he continued the massage.

“As you know, he and I are both fertiles. That being said, that means that we can carry kittens, despite being male,” Jinxx began. “Well, we’ve gotta have the physical parts to be able to carry said kittens.”

“So…you guys have the reproductive systems of both genders?” the youngest Dom asked, sounding pretty interested.

“Mmm hmm. We wouldn’t be able to have kittens without the female reproductive system,” he answered.

“I’ve always wondered how fertiles could carry kittens like that, regardless of whether they were male or female,” Andy said thoughtfully. “Guess now I know.”

“Yeah, you do. But that’s only part of why his back’s hurting right now,” Jinxx continued.

All three Doms, who were just beginning to comprehend just how special fertiles were, gave him curious glances.

“You know how human females have what they call a ‘monthly cycle’?” the younger fertile continued, pausing for them to nod or something. “Well, since we have the parts to carry kittens, it only makes sense that we have our own ‘monthly cycles’, doesn’t it?”

All the Doms’ eyes widened as they took in and processed the information given to them, one fertile still enjoying the massage while the other tried to be gentle, yet forceful about it. Ash continued purring into the side of his would-be mate’s neck, his muscles slowly loosening until he was basically putty in Jinxx’s hands. When he reached that point, the other fertile removed his hands and leaned back into his own mate’s chest, grinning as the older fertile looked over his shoulder and mouthed “Thank you” to him.

Now that the sun had fully risen over the horizon, the quintet slowly started getting up to head back into the house for breakfast. As the oldest and youngest Nekos were accustomed to, their favorite breakfasts were sitting on the dining room table at their places, awaiting their arrival. Jake, Jinxx, and CC were a bit surprised to see that theirs were, too, causing Andy to laugh as he remembered his first morning here.

Still, they all sat down and dug into their food, the latter trio moaning in delight and singing their praises to Nikki for being so talented in the kitchen. CC was the first to finish, having scarfed down his chicken salad so quick they were surprised he didn’t choke. Andy, Ash, and Jake were a bit more leisurely in eating their tuna salad, and hickory-smoked turkey and grilled chicken sandwiches. Jinxx, however, ate the slowest so he wouldn’t upset his already-iffy stomach, even though he was pretty sure he wouldn’t keep his grilled salmon down for very long. None of them teased him about how slow he was eating, but still felt a bit self-conscious knowing they were done long before he was.

By the time they’d all finished their food, Nikki was coming in with plates of food for himself and his kids. They were just sitting there chatting, letting their food settle before they started moving around, and having a good time in each others’ company. Unfortunately, one of the things that everybody else liked with their breakfast was bacon, and that was the one thing that had the pregnant Neko flipping a lid within two seconds. Startled, their Master directed him to the half-bath near the kitchen, his mate hot on his heels, and watched as he ran away with his hand covering his mouth.

“I guess he’s the same way Brandi and Donna were,” the older man sighed.

“What do you mean, Dad?” Ash asked, concerned about the younger fertile.

“The scent of bacon made both of them sick when they were in the first few weeks of their pregnancies like that,” Nikki explained. “I’d totally forgotten about that until he jumped up like he did.”

“He’ll understand,” Andy told him. “No one’s memory is perfect, especially about trivial things.”

Moments later, Jake returned with his mate clinging to him like a monkey.

“You all right, Jinxx?” their Master asked, rubbing his back as he got him to look at him.

“As all right as I can be,” the younger fertile answered miserably.

“I’m so sorry about that. I forgot that even Brandi and Donna didn’t like the scent of bacon in the earliest weeks of their pregnancies,” he told him.

“It’s okay, Nikki.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I know you didn’t mean to make my morning sickness act up.”

“Told ya he’d understand, Nikki,” Andy chuckled.

Their Master gave him a questioning glance, his brow cocked.

“Jinxx is one of the most understanding people I’ve ever met, Neko or otherwise,” the youngest Dom chuckled. “There’s very little than can disrupt his serene behavior, but when it is disrupted…get outta Dodge.”

“Mmm, I see,” Nikki said, nodding his understanding. “I’ll remember to either serve you breakfast in bed, or get you up earlier than everybody else so you can get outta the dining room before I bring in the bacon until your morning sickness slacks off. Sound good to you?”

“Sounds perfect,” Jinxx answered softly, nodding against his lover’s shoulder.

With that settled, Jake took him into the living room so they could relax, trying to feed him a bit of the leftover salmon that their Master’d made, just in case that happened. He turned his head away and told him he didn’t want it, that his stomach was still just a bit too upset for that. Nodding his understanding, the Dom told him he’d put it in the microwave for the moment, maybe the fridge later to make sure it didn’t go bad.

Back in the dining room, the other Nekos were enjoying warm conversation with everybody else. Gunner, Storm, Decker, and Mary were all excited to find out that the couple were expecting a kitten, although the youngest of the brood didn’t understand much about sex and reproduction. It took her a bit to grasp that the kitten was growing in Jinxx’s belly and that it would be a few months before any of them got to meet it. Gunner, Storm, and Decker, on the other hand, did understand such things, if only at a basic level, and were confused as to how the kitten was going to be born.

Not wanting to scar his children, Nikki put an end to the conversation right there and said he’d explain when they were older, though he gave his oldest a sly look. Gunner grinned in response as he picked up on his silent “I’ll tell you if you really wanna know, but not in front of your siblings”. It made sense that he was willing to tell his oldest since he was fifteen, but he wasn’t sure he’d understand. Hell, he wasn’t really sure that he wouldn’t be scarred by what he told him, but at least he wasn’t five like Mary.

After breakfast, the Nekos all helped him clean up while his kids started gathering their things for school before they were late. He gave them each a hug and/or kiss on the cheek, then sent them off to catch their respective buses. Being the oldest, Gunner made sure his little siblings all got on their buses before he did, seeing as they came earlier than his, and for that, their dad was thankful. It kept him from having to worry about quite as much, some of which the new Doms helped take off his shoulders with their protective nature and wanting to keep an eye on the fertiles. It didn’t matter if they were mated to them or not; he’d noticed how they all banded together to keep each other safe.

“All right. Andy, Ash, you guys know the drill now,” Nikki said, and the oldest and youngest Nekos nodded.

“What drill is that?” Jake asked curiously.

“I’ve homeschooled Ash since he was old enough to go to school for a couple different reasons,” he began. “One was that, until a few months ago when I found Andy, he was extremely quiet and shy. Like, almost as bad as Jinxx, if not worse. Two, I didn’t want some other Master or Mistress nabbing him off the school playground before I got there to pick him up if he were left by himself, or got out of the teachers’ sight.”

Jake, Jinxx, and CC all sat quietly, listening to their Master intently.

“I started homeschooling Andy the day after I got him, and he’s now at the same level Ash is,” Nikki continued. “I’m gonna run out and get the materials for you guys to take your aptitude tests, that way you can be homeschooled, too.”

“Wow…” CC breathed, his eyes widening.

“Well, I’m pretty sure Jake and Jinxx don’t wanna be split up while at school, especially not now that they’re having a kitten. Besides, it’ll probably be easier on Jinxx, pregnant or not, to be homeschooled since he’s a fertile and so shy, to boot.”

“Yeah, it probably would,” Jake agreed, hugging his mate close.

“And if I’m not gonna make Andy, Ash, or Jinxx go to a public school, I don’t see where it would be fair if I made you and Jake go,” their Master concluded.

“Yeah, that would be pretty unfair,” Andy agreed, nodding.

“All right, then. You two go ahead and get started on your schoolwork while I’m gone. You three—” Nikki looked at the other fertile and Doms “—are pretty much free to do whatever you want till I get back. After that, it’ll be time to buckle down for your aptitude tests.”

The trio nodded while the oldest and youngest Nekos headed upstairs to Ash’s room to get started on their own work, knowing it wouldn’t take them long. With a smile on his face, their Master grabbed his keys and headed off to get the necessary supplies, leaving them to their own devices for a bit. Jake and Jinxx continued cuddling on the couch, the latter not really wanting to do much since he still didn’t feel very well. CC decided to head to Nikki’s music room and perfect the drum rhythm for the older fertile’s song, I Am Bulletproof, since he had nothing better to do and was in a musical mood, anyway.

So far they were all settled in and finding their own little spaces to keep to themselves, but were still a pretty close-knit group. Considering that it was only the second day that Jake, Jinxx, and CC had been here, that seemed to say that things were going to stay pretty good between them. However, one never knew just what the future held, so they couldn’t be sure what would happen as time passed.

Notes