Together Again

Three months later, at eighteen weeks pregnant, Ash was biding his time on board Andy’s private jet as he made his way to LA again. Like the last time he’d reached this stage in his pregnancy, he was barely showing, despite carrying twins. Wearing a baggy hoodie concealed his growing middle well enough, so he didn’t have to deal with the questions of others as to why he had even the slightest pot-belly.

He didn’t know if Andy had told him not to or not, but his pilot, Max, hadn’t said a word about his pregnancy to him. Maybe the man just had enough manners to keep his mouth shut, maybe his lover’d asked him not to say anything to avoid upsetting him. Either way, he didn’t really care, so long as he got to LA safely and his babies were still alive.

Of course, he missed his older babies terribly, even though they hadn’t really been separated for more than a few hours. Then again, aside from when they were at school, they’d never really been apart after their births. He’d made sure to keep them close, if only to make sure the younger man didn’t discover his secret and try to run off with them. Aside from that, he’d loved them far too much to let them out of his sight for too long. The next month and a-half or so was going to kill him, but it’d be worth it when school let out for the summer since his family would finally be complete.

When they finally landed at LAX, Jinxx immediately boarded the plane once it was safe to help him out. He smiled and told him that Jake and CC, whom he’d become decently good friends with since Christmas, were waiting to help with anything in the luggage compartments. Ash grinned his thanks and hugged his old friend, making sure not to press his belly against him, before cracking his back. He was just glad it was time to get off the plane, as the flight hadn’t exactly been comfortable due to his condition.

“You okay, Ash?” Jake asked, taking note of how he was grimacing as he rubbed his back.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My back’s just sore,” he answered, nodding. He wasn’t quite ready to reveal his pregnancy to them, but knew he’d have to soon.

“All right…if you’re sure,” the guitarist said, shrugging. It might’ve been nearly two decades since they’d been close, but he remembered enough to know better than to be pushy if he said he was fine.

“That’s the last of it,” CC sighed a short time later, wiping his brow.

“I’m kinda glad; some of those boxes were pretty heavy,” Jake chuckled.

“Well, that’s to be expected,” the multi-instrumentalist laughed. “Andy warned us that he was moving back out here, after all.”

“I’m kinda curious as to why he’s moving out here now instead of just waiting till the girls get outta school for the summer,” the drummer wondered aloud.

“I’ll tell y’all at Andy’s house,” Ash piped up, blushing slightly.

“Sounds good to us,” the trio chorused.

The four of them piled into Jake’s Tahoe, the pregnant man taking the front seat while Jinxx and CC piled into the back. The guitarist had said that, although they were designed for cold winter days, the heated seat would probably help his backache. Ash’d purred like a cat when he heard that, but groaned softly in relief once it’d heated up.

By the time they got to the youngest band member’s house, they’d agreed that unloading the few boxes he’d brought with him could wait a while. He was unable to help them with much, and he didn’t want to overwork them if it wasn’t necessary. Besides, even though the heated seat in Jake’s truck had helped with his backache, he wanted to go lay down somewhere for a while. That and a massage were really the only things that helped, but without visiting a masseuse, he doubted he’d get a massage for a while.

Like a true, good friend, Jinxx helped him out of the passenger’s seat and to find his balance before helping him in the house. Ash could feel his spine bending a bit out of shape, the ligaments and tendons already loosening their grip to make room as his babies grew. Hopefully that wouldn’t give away his condition, considering how baggy his hoodie was, but he honestly didn’t know for sure.

“Ohhh, man,” he groaned as he stretched out on Andy’s couch. He’d already taken a trip to the bathroom, so being kicked in the bladder didn’t bother him right now.

“You sure you’re okay, Ash?” the multi-instrumentalist asked. “You seem like you did something to mess your back up before Andy found you.”

“I wasn’t in a wreck or anything like that,” the oldest of the group chuckled. “Sure, picking the girls up so much couldn’t have been too good for it, but I’m fine.”

“I’m kinda wondering if he’s telling the truth,” Jake spoke up, sounding concerned. “His spine looks like it’s bending outta shape a bit.”

“Now that I take a better look, it does appear to have a more pronounced curve, especially right above his lumbar, than I remember,” Jinxx agreed.

Sighing, he managing to get into a comfortable position, which included a pillow against the back of the couch behind him. “Just go ahead and sit down, and I’ll make good on my promise I made at the airport.”

The trio nodded as they did as he’d asked, making themselves comfortable while he shored up his courage.

“This is the very reason why I’m moving out here now, while the girls and Andy are staying in Tennessee till school lets out,” Ash started. “We weren’t expecting this since we didn’t know the condom broke…”

“You’re pregnant again, aren’t you?” Jinxx cut him off.

“Mmm hmm. Twins again,” he answered, smiling as he nodded. “I only wore the baggy hoodie so nobody would know till I was ready to tell anyone.”

“That explains the more pronounced curve to your back, then,” his friend said thoughtfully. “I’m guessing that means you’re more than a few weeks along?”

“Dude, I’m eighteen weeks, as of today,” he chuckled, grinning as he finally wormed his way out of his hoodie.

“You sure?” CC asked. “I remember what my sister looked like when she was pregnant with my nephew back in 2014…she was a heck of a lot bigger than you are.”

“Just like when I was pregnant with Legacy and Magick, I kept myself in really good shape before conceiving,” he explained. “My abdominal wall’s so strong from that that I look like I’m barely showing.”

The guys looked a bit skeptical, but he didn’t blame them.

“My doctor said it’s perfectly normal. Actually, go grab me that box—” he pointed to the box with all his photo albums in it “—and I’ll show you pictures from my first pregnancy.”

Jake grabbed the box he’d pointed to and dragged it over next to where he was laying on the couch. He managed to root through it and find the album he sought, but needed his friend to actually get it out for him so he didn’t hurt his wrist or back. The guitarist quickly laid his pregnancy album on the coffee table where all of them could see it, and he smiled at what they could possibly say.

Once they were all gathered around where they could see, he opened the album to the first page, revealing his first ultrasound picture from back then. The pictures then moved into the first few weeks of his pregnancy, when he was mostly napping on the couch from his exhaustion.

It wasn’t long before they came across the picture he’d written Suck it with the arrow pointing down at his crotch across his belly. All three of them nearly fell over laughing when they saw it, especially when combined with his expression at the time his grandmother’d taken the picture. Although the drummer was amused by the picture, Jake and Jinxx were even more so, considering how much better they knew him. They said that it was a typical Ashley move, considering how perverted he was—and how horny he’d undoubtedly been if he’d stayed single through his pregnancy.

They all agreed that, even in the pictures taken while he was in labor with Legacy and Magick, he certainly didn’t show very much throughout the ordeal. Granted, they were all sorry he’d had to experience the misery of labor, but he waved off their apologies. Ash told them that, although it’d hurt like a bitch and he’d been terrified when told his younger daughter was going into distress, it’d been worth it. Besides, he’d rather go through the misery of labor and an anal delivery than have a C-section unless he had to.

“So you really pushed ’em outta your butt?” CC asked, grimacing a bit.

“Well, they had no other way to come out,” he laughed. “Yeah, I have a vagina, to go along with the rest of that reproductive system, but its opening isn’t external.”

“I’m kinda surprised by that,” Jinxx said. “You’d think that if you’re gonna have it, its opening would at least be external.”

“You’d think,” he agreed with a chuckle. “But it’s not. It’s completely internal, which is why I have to be extremely careful, if I don’t wanna get pregnant. It’s not like I can just say, Well, I want anal this time so I know I won’t get pregnant.”

“That’s true enough,” Jake agreed. “So the condom really broke this time?”

“It had to’ve, since we actually used one this time,” Ash laughed. “The first time around, we weren’t lucky enough to have that excuse.”

“Well, both of you were drunk off your asses,” the multi-instrumentalist laughed.

“So drunk that I don’t think either of you were aware of what you were doing,” the guitarist agreed.

“Naw, I knew I was flirting with someone and about to get laid in the sense that I actually wanted to,” he laughed. “I just wasn’t aware of who I was flirting or sleeping with.”

“Damned if we weren’t,” the pair laughed. “You guys made so much noise you kept us and Sandra up most of the night.”

“Hey, I can’t help that I’m loud!” he said, mocking a defensive tone. “You would be, too, if you had someone sledging away at your prostate!”

“Way more info than we needed to know, dude!” CC chortled, leaning against the couch to hold himself up.

“Sorry, but as Grama always said, I’m not gonna lie or try to sugar coat shit for ya ’cause it’s not gonna taste any better than if ya eat it plain.”

All of them exploded into roaring laughter at that, although Ash didn’t laugh quite as hard or loud as they did. He’d heard that saying so much growing up that it generally only drew a smile from him these days, and besides, his bladder was starting to get a little too full again. He didn’t want to piss himself, either because he laughed too hard or caused one or both of his babies to kick him in the bladder.

When they finally calmed down, he had to get Jinxx to help him sit up so he could make a run for the bathroom. Well, more like waddle, since he was showing just enough to start waddling a bit as his hips widened again, but that was beside the point. He had to go, and he had to go now before he got kicked and embarrassed himself.

Thankfully, he wasn’t showing so much that he couldn’t see to aim, so he didn’t have to sit down just to relieve himself yet. His friend stood with his back turned to give him some privacy, although he’d long since lost the desire for such a thing. Between being a nudist for years before meeting them, and having been a mother for so long, he knew there was no such thing as privacy anymore. He chuckled as he pulled his maternity jeans back up, telling the multi-instrumentalist as much as he made his way to the sink to wash his hands. His friend laughed as he said he’d just been trying to be respectful, but wouldn’t bother anymore.

Now that his bladder was drained again, Ash slowly waddled back out to the couch to at least sit down. He didn’t want his feet to start hurting since his back still hadn’t stopped hurting completely, especially since Andy wasn’t there to rub them. That drew a soft sigh from him as he rubbed his belly, wishing that his lover were there to see him continue to grow. He’d miss out on getting to feel some of their first kicks, but he knew that the girls needed someone with them. This was the best solution either of them could come up with to make sure everyone was safe and healthy, and he knew it.

“Missing Andy, huh?” CC asked.

“And my girls,” he answered, sighing. “I mean, I learned to live without Andy once, so while I miss him, that’s not too bad. Legacy and Magick, on the other hand…we’ve never really been separated since they were born…”

“Aside from when they were at school, they were probably never very far from you growing up, were they?” Jake asked.

“No. Obviously, they were the closest they’ve ever been while I was pregnant,” Ash answered, shaking his head. “They slept in the bed with me till they were six months old, then I got ’em used to sleeping in their crib. After they outgrew that, they were right down the hall in their own room.”

“At least it’s just over a month till school lets out,” Jake said, trying to be optimistic for him. “That’s better than if you’d flown out here back in September.”

“That’s true enough,” he agreed. “I just wish that Andy wasn’t having to miss out on this much of my pregnancy.”

“Yeah, he did miss out on the entire thing last time,” they agreed.

“If I’d known he’d be as accepting last time as he is this time, I never would’ve run off in the first place.” He sighed and rubbed his belly again. “But I was scared that he’d think I was a freak and that he’d deny fathering the girls. I mean, I didn’t think he remembered our drunken tryst, so when that test came up positive…”

“It’s understandable, Ash,” Jinxx said, gently covering the hand that rested on his belly. “We don’t blame you for going home to your grandparents, whom you loved and trusted, to get your head on straight.”

“Do we wish you’d told us we were gonna be uncles sooner? Of course, probably as much as Andy wishes you’d told him he was gonna be a father sooner,” the guitarist said. “But we don’t blame you when we put all the pieces of the puzzle together.”

“You guys really consider them nieces?” he asked, a bit surprised.

“Of course,” the multi-instrumentalist answered.

“I might not’ve known you as long as the others, but even I consider Legacy and Magick my nieces,” CC agreed, nodding.

Smiling, Ash grabbed each of them for a hug, glad to know that they still loved him like a brother. Well, the drummer was starting to love him as such, considering that, despite replacing Sandra long ago, they’d only recently met and started forming a friendship. Knowing they loved him put his mind at ease a bit, especially knowing they’d be there for him.

A few hours later, after enjoying dinner together and unloading what little he’d brought with him from Tennessee, the guys left so he could get some rest. Andy’d shown him how to arm his security system, which he did since he was a bit paranoid, ages ago. It’d been so long since he’d lived in the city, and since he was pregnant on top of it, he didn’t want anyone breaking in. With all that and the rest of his bedtime routine completed, he settled down in Andy’s bed, hugging the younger man’s pillow as he drifted off to sleep.

Notes