Jewel sat up and blinked in the early morning light, he didn’t feel well and he didn’t know why. He slipped out of the bed he shared with Jared and padded softly over to the window. He took a deep breath thinking it would make him feel better instead it made him gag. Clamping his hand over his mouth he ran for the bathroom, falling to his knees and hanging over the pan. Everything he had eaten the night before came charging back to haunt him as he retched over and over. Eventually the heaving stopped and Jewel slumped back against the cool tiled wall. Without intending to he started to cry inside his head, calling for the one person he needed the most.
“Poppa. Poppa please help me. I’m frightened. Poppa please come home.”
He gagged again as nausea overtook him once more and he threw himself back over the cold porcelain the tears flowing for real this time.
Jovian woke up as Jewel disappeared into the bathroom, he tutted knowingly, this was the fifth day running his little brother had woken early and spent hours throwing up. There was no denying the fact that his 16-year-old baby brother was pregnant by his best friend. Daddy was going to throw a fit for sure. The nineteen-year-old knew he really should tell someone, but who? If poppa was here he wouldn’t have hesitated to have talked to him, but he wasn’t. No one knew where the slim pregnant man had disappeared to. They had searched for weeks, in the end they had to give up ever finding him; he didn’t want to be found. Jovian probed outwards with his mind, searching for his beloved poppa, he could feel him, hovering there in the distance, a solid presence, steadying, watching but always just out of reach.
Jovian couldn’t bare to hear his brother retching any longer. He got out of bed, wrapping a blanket round his shoulders and slipping his feet into a pair of his poppa’s old thongs and slipped out in to the dawn light. He walked to the porch swing and curled up, swinging back and forward as he watched the sun rise.
Chris woke up and groaned squeezing his cock, not again please. He could almost set his watch by the strong physical urge to urinate. He turned his head and gazed enviously at Lance, who was still sleeping peacefully just like he did every night. Chris groaned again as his bladder contracted. Muttering a curse under his breath he forced himself out of the warm soft bed and tip-toed to the bathroom. As he passed the window he caught sight of a lone figure curled up on JC’s porch swing. Excitement made him forget his urge to piss and he grabbed the nearest thing wrapping it round his waist as he hurried outside.
“Jaycee!” He ran across the courtyard stopping short of the slim man.
“Jaycee, you’re back.”
Jovian looked out from under his blanket. “Sorry Chris, I didn’t mean to make you think I was pops.”
Chris sunk down on the old swing next to him. “It’s ok hun, I should have known it was either you or Jewel. You look so much like him you know.”
“Yeah I know, not as much as Jewel though.”
The blue-eyed teen sighed and stared out into the wilderness just outside the confines of their safe compound. “Do you think he’s ok?”
Chris pulled the boy close to him. “He’s a survivor, he’ll be back when he’s ready, not one minute before.”
“But he’s pregnant uncy. Jewel cries himself to sleep every night convinced he’ll never see him again, that he’s going to die somewhere out there, alone.” Jovian nuzzled his head against his uncles’ shoulder. “I wish pops would come home, I miss him, I need to talk to him.”
“There’s always your daddy.”
Jovian shook his head. “No, daddy wouldn’t understand, only poppa would understand.”
“You could try me?” Chris rubbed the teen’s brunette curls.
Jovian considered the older mans words, he was sure he could trust him. “You mustn’t tell dad, he’ll go absolutely crazy.”
Chris smiled reassuringly. “How bad can it be honey?”
“Jewel’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant! How can he be pregnant? He’s like fifteen years old.”
“Sixteen.”
“Ok sixteen, but that doesn’t change the fact he’s not in season and won’t be for another twenty years. “ Chris blanched and slapped his head. “Oh shit, only he’s half human isn‘t he? Humans don’t have seasons, they are fertile as soon as they hit puberty.”
Jovian shifted under his blanket sorrow marring his pretty face. He shrugged, “I’m not likely to find out.” He mumbled before adding louder “He’s preggers uncy, he’s in there throwing his guts up right now, has done everyday for the last week.
“But who is the father?” Chris shook his head, his eyes widening with shock. “Oh no, no. Not Joshua! Justin’s going to skin him. Does he know he’s going to be a daddy?”
Jovian shrugged again, “Don’t think Jewel has told him yet, Gem is in denial.”
“Holy shit Jovie, I’m going to be a grandpa.”
“What’s a grandpa?”
Chris pulled Jovian’s head back down onto his shoulder. “A grandpa is your daddy’s or poppas daddy.”
“Oh.”
Jewels silhouette passed the quads bedroom window. Jovian watched him with a heavy heart. His nose started to itch and he sniffed, his cyan blue eyes liquefied and seeped un-noticed by him down his cheeks. Chris thumbed away the salty trail and planted a fatherly kiss on the boys’ forehead, hugging him tightly again. Jovian began to cry harder. “Why uncy, why couldn’t it have been me, I’ve got no one, I’m nineteen years old and I’ve never been kissed. Who’s going to love me?”
The older man silently listened to his best friends child as he poured out his loneliness. He allowed the boy to snuggle closer. Before he knew what was happening Jovian had lifted his lips pressing them against his. The kiss lasted seconds before Chris shook himself from his stupor. Firmly but gently he pushed Jovian away. The teen looked mortified and if Chris hadn’t had a firm grip of his wrist would have ran away into the breaking dawn.
“Sorry … I’m so sorry … I …I didn’t … please don’t tell uncle Lance.”
“It’s alright baby, its forgotten.” Chris rocked the boy in his arms cooing reassuringly at him. “It will be our secret.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Jovie … its alright, really it is. But I think we need to have a community meeting and sort out some of these issues. If your poppa was here he would have dealt with this.” Chris disentangled himself from the teen. “Go back to bed honey,” He whispered. “Uncy Chris will sort it all out.”