“Josh, do you need me?”
The voice was in his head, but he was unable to get to grips with not replying aloud.
“Justin, I’m sick. Jovie won’t stop crying, baby I feel so bad.”
The door to their apartments slid open and the cat woman as JC insisted on calling her came in. “Jusssssstinnnn sssssaid you neeeeed toooo sleeeeep Jossssssh, I take Jovieeeeee with meeeee.” She lifted the infant from his crib and left as suddenly as she appeared. JC dove for the toilet again. “Oh god just let me die.”
A cool wet cloth was placed on the back of his neck. “You’re not going to die my love, It’s worse because we are in space, I will get Lance to prescribe something to ease the nausea.”
“I hate you. You did this to me.”
Justin grinned “No you don’t.” He placed a soft kiss on JC’s shoulder as the brunette heaved again, wrapping his arms round the bowl for support. He groaned and clung on as Justin tried to lift him up. “No, Just leave me Justin, let me die in peace.” The almost hairless alien firmly unwrapped his lover’s slender arms from the sanitary unit. Draping them round his neck he hooked his left arm under JC’s legs lifting him effortlessly and carrying him to the bed. “Oh god, I’m going to be sick!” The human man crawled desperately towards the bathroom; Justin grabbed his lover by his ankle trying to pull him back up the bed. He kicked his way free only to find his way blocked by Lance
“Get out my way.”
The blond alien jabbed a needle into JC’s arm before he could react. Instantly the nausea stopped. “Ow!” JC was manhandled back under the comforter while Lance checked his vital signs. “If the sickness comes back tell me, there’s no need to suffer Josh.”
“I thought I could handle it, it wasn’t like this last time.”
Justin cuddled his partner close. “I can’t believe you are with child again so soon.”
“I think it must be another human idiosyncrasies, like the milk thing. After this child is born I suggest you either restrain from mating or we will have to find some way of protecting Josh. He can’t keep producing at this rate it will kill him.” Lance said.
The alien glided gracefully from the room. His brow furrowed in concentration. Justin kissed his lover sweetly. “I’ll get you something to eat.”
“Oh no, no I couldn’t, not yet, maybe later ok?” JC laid back, snuggling down hugging his pillow. “I think I’ll just sleep for a while.”
Jovian bloomed, developing much quicker than a human baby would have, JC was exhausted, Insisting on looking after the now toddling child himself, giving in only when Justin over-rode him and insisted that anemone took over. His belly was swelling more with each passing day; he’d lost sight of his feet weeks ago. The tiny clone of himself climbed onto his lap, “papa” He kissed the sweet little head. “Papa’s tired honey, Shall I call anemone to play with you?” The tiny boy shook his head, “papa” he said wrapping his chubby arms round JC’s neck. The heavily pregnant man sighed and sent out a silent plea to the man who he blamed for his discomfort. Justin answered him immediately; JC didn’t need to see him to know there was a smile plastered across his face. “Come take care of your son.”
“Oh he’s my son now is he that’s not what you were saying seven months ago.”
“7 months ago I didn’t resemble a beached whale.” He ignored the chuckle that sounded in his head. “Now are you going to come and occupy him for me or not?”
“Not. I’ll send anemone.”
JC’s temper snapped. “He don’t want the cat woman Justin. He wants his daddy. If you can’t be bothered forget it.” He stood up hitching the blue-eyed toddler onto his hip. Swiping his hand over the panel, opening the doorway. “Come on precious lets go see if we can’t get into some mischief. We’ll teach daddy to ignore us.” He had gotten to know the ship pretty well over the past year, and he had found out where Lance had stored the males they had ’acquired’ the ones he wasn’t supposed to know about. He padded silently down the corridor, carefully shielding his thoughts from his lover and anyone else who might be eavesdropping on him. JC entered the chamber, careful to close the portal behind him. Between twenty to thirty tubes were filled with human males, all with the tell tale scars across their lower abdomens. “You poor fucks.” He said aloud. “Fucks” Echoed Jovian.
“Jovie! Honey that’s a bad word, not for little boys ok?”
“Papa said”
“Well papa is very bad.” He sat the toddler on the floor and poured some coloured plastic tubes out for him to play with. “Be good honey papa is going to look around a bit.” He walked over to the nearest tube examining the occupant. A short blond man in his late teens, he was frozen. “I know what that feels like Pal.” he moved on to the next tube. “Eww, uncle lance has bad taste Jovie.” the baby giggled happily throwing the tubes in the air and chasing them across the floor. “Holy shit.” Jovian looked up from his game. “Bad word.” He said grinning. “Yes baby that’s right.” JC couldn’t take his eyes from the tubes inmate. He began to search the control panel, looking for a way to free the occupant. Jovian crawled to him and climbed up his legs, holding on to his trousers. “Man.” he said banging on the side of the plastic tube. “Actually Jovie, its uncle Chris.”
He pressed a couple of buttons hoping that he wouldn’t do anything too bad to his friend in his attempt to extract him. Without warning the tube slid upwards and Jovian toppled forward bumping his mouth on the platform. The tiny JC clone started to cry. “Shhh Baby, papa’s here honey. He took the turquoise beads off from round his neck and sat the fascinated boy back on the floor to play. Un-belting the restraint that was holding Chris upright he managed to lay him on the floor. He rubbed his hands and face trying to get the circulation flowing again. Slowly Chris began to stir.
“Where are you Josh?” Justin’s voice sounded in his head, a slight anxious edge to it.
“Just walking Jovian. “
“Where?”
“Errm down by engineering, we are on our way back now.” He hated lying to Justin but he had been warned away from this area. Chris’ eyes opened slowly. “Jaycee, where … where are we?”
“Its ok, can you walk?”
Chris nodded and lifted himself into a sitting position. “Where the fuck are we?”
“ Ahhmm bad word!”
Chris stared at the little boy sucking happily on what looked like a turquoise bead necklace then back at JC. The child was his spitting image. “You got a sprog?”
JC picked up his child. “Don’t call him that, its nasty, and yes he’s mine.”
“No kidding you couldn’t deny it. Holy mother of … what the fuck is that?” Chris was staring and pointing at his huge belly.
“Come on.” JC encouraged his older friend to his feet. “We need to stash you away somewhere safe.”
“JC what the fuck is that?”
“Will you stop with the profanities in front of Jovie!”
Chris couldn’t take his eyes off JC’s stomach. “That’s not fucking wind.”
“I’m pregnant ok.”
Chris stopped following his friend. And leaned against the wall. “Man that must have been some fucking good shit I took cus I could have sworn you just said you were pregnant and you still haven’t told me where we are.”
JC almost screamed in exasperation. “I’ll tell you everything just move your god damn ass before we get caught.” The younger man found an unoccupied suite and pushed Chris inside. “Just stay in here, I’ll be back as soon as I have Jovie settled with cat woman.”
“What?”
JC stepped out of the room. “Never mind. Just stay here. Oh and try not to think too loud.” Chris sat down on the bed and looked round himself. Ok he was going to kill Joey for this. It was the last time he was going to buy any acid from the Italian. This had to be the weirdest trip he had ever experienced.