by Lisa Oliver
~~~~/
“Oh, Simon, what the hell is happening to you?” Darwin’s knees gave out and he slumped to the floor, his eyes filling with tears. “You were so close. You’d done so well. Simon, why?” His heart broke. Simon had a scan just yesterday and Darwin was thrilled at how big their twins were growing. And now…. “Why couldn’t you hold off just one more damn week?” The nursery, dreaming about first milestones. All gone, wiped out by a simple shift. Darwin couldn’t hold back his sobs.
The huge black snake hissed, its long body arching as his back end rolled and twitched. Darwin looked and then wiped his eyes and looked again. Simon looked as though he’d swallowed a baseball. Unable to believe his eyes, Darwin fished his phone out of his pocket and quickly hit the speed dial for the doctor.
“Doc, Doc, it’s Simon. He’s shifted.”
“Oh, fuck, son, I’m so sorry. I know how….”
“No, you don’t understand.” Darwin didn’t have a problem interrupting the caring doctor. “I think he’s still pregnant.”
“I don’t see how he can be.” Farriday sounded puzzled. “Every pregnant shifter knows they can’t shift.”
“He has a bulge like he’s eaten a dozen rabbits and his back end’s twitching. It’s like he’s got a pouch or something.” Darwin crept closer, ignoring the hissing end.
“Some snakes do give birth to live young,” Farriday sounded curious now. “Didn’t you tell me Simon was born in snake form?”
“Yes, and he stayed a snake until his teenage years. Doc, I saw human babies in his belly only yesterday. You did too.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Farriday said. “I couldn’t work out why Simon didn’t develop a birth canal in his human form. Most reptiles and snakes do. Are you sure he has a swelling?”
“You can’t miss it, it’s huge.” Darwin watched as Simon thrashed about again. “He’s in pain. I’d swear he’s giving birth.”
“Get towels, blankets, heat some water. I’m on my way.” Farriday cut off as Darwin watched his mate.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” The snake hissed again, a long drawn out sound and then he flicked his head to his back end. Darwin crept forward, running his hand gently down Simon’s scales. He’d always wanted to touch but had never had the chance before now. The last time he’d seen Simon shifted, he’d greeted him with a baseball bat. Gods, it seemed like a lifetime ago. The scales were warm and softer than he’d imagined. “I’m going to check the babies, okay?”
Simon hissed, his long forked tongue flapping in the air, but he didn’t push Darwin away. Cupping his hand around what Darwin could only assume was Simon’s genitalia, he gasped as his hand came away wet with mucus and blood. “Eww…okay, well that can’t be a normal state for you.” He cautiously reached out again, running his hand over the writhing bumps flexing against Simon’s skin. “Head, shoulders, little legs. My God! They’re still in there. I don’t know how the hell, but Simon, push baby, push!”
His back end clearly under strain, Simon thrashed around, his tail whipping in all directions. “That’s it, that’s it, careful now.” Darwin swallowed the bile in his throat. “Don’t move,” he yelled as he saw a flash of pale skin and dark hair. “Hang on.” Desperately wanting to avert his eyes, Darwin wasn’t squeamish but giving birth like this wasn’t expected; desperately wanting to avert his eyes, he reached out instead. When he thought about the birth of his children he imagined a bed and a human Simon holding his hand, while Farriday did the dirty work on the other end of a sheet. This…he hadn’t even considered this.
Simon was panting, his body rigid as his pouch swelled. Suddenly his whole body rippled forward leaving a baby, a human baby in his wake on the floor. “He’s alive. We have a son and he’s alive. Oh, Simon.” Carefully picking up the baby, his son, Darwin was helpless to stop the tears running down his cheeks. “Towel. Blankets. Shit. Should’ve listened.” Spying Simon’s shirt on the floor, Darwin swiped it up, gently wiping the muck from his son’s face. “Simon look, we have a beautiful son. He has your hair.”
Looking over, Darwin saw Simon was still twitching, his back end sweeping back and forth across the floor. Shit, that’s right. Twins. “You can do it, babe. You’ve done it once. Try and relax. Let the other one come. Just watch your tail.” Darwin didn’t have a clue what he was babbling but within a minute, as he watched wide eyed, another baby slipped out onto the floor. This one was smaller than the first, with a mop of blond hair plastered against his head.
“Another boy. Oh, babe, you’re truly amazing, you know that?” Juggling the first son in one arm, Darwin cautiously crawled over, picking up the second. The squidgy face with mucus clinging to his nose was a mess; fighting his nausea Darwin quickly cleaned it off. He pressed his ear to the little chest, relieved when he felt the thumping of his son’s heart. “I thought you guys were supposed to cry when you were born,” he muttered and right on cue, son number one opened his mouth and announced his arrival. Seconds later his twin mimicked him; Darwin sat there laughing, tears streaming down his face as his stoic snake looked on. “I love you, babe,” Darwin smiled through his tears at his phenomenal mate. “I love you so much.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Simon’s snake was reluctant to give up his scaly form and his human half couldn’t blame him. Consequently, he was still in scales when Farriday arrived, fortunately with some formula, watching closely as the doctor checked out the babies, claiming they were in perfect health. Once cleaned and dressed, the older one, by two minutes, held the scent of a snake, while the smaller one definitely took after Darwin and would eventually shift into a mouse.
Pride wasn’t something Simon was used to in his snake form. Usually detached, something burned where Simon assumed his heart would be as he watched as his friends came home; laughing and clapping Darwin on the shoulder, scenting the babies and helping Darwin with diapers and feeding. Simon made sure he was never far away, curling around the rocker in the nursery as Darwin fed first one, and then the other, finally putting them down to sleep as the house grew quiet and everyone went to bed.
“I’m not doing this all on my own,” Darwin warned, although his grin took the sting out of his words. “You have to get those hands back eventually. I’m going to have a shower. See you soon?”
Simon warred with himself. He wanted to follow, to shift and join his sexy mate in the shower. But first…slithering up the crib leg, he eased himself into his firstborn’s crib. The boy was on his side, his black curls soft and clean, his eyes flickering behind his eyelids, his mouth twitching. He smelled of soap, milk and lemon laundry detergent, but as Simon flicked out his tongue, he smelled something…family…his human brain suggested. This boy is family and the snake thought about that.
Curling around the crib, making sure his heavy coils didn’t land on his son, Simon stretched between the cribs, pulling his back end into the second one once his front end was secure on the mattress. Mouse. The second son was definitely a mouse shifter. It showed in his scent, his mop of blond curls and his tiny button nose. Our mouse. Just like our mate. Family? Simon coiled once around the crib, taking in the delicate features of his son, his heart warming in a most unfamiliar fashion.
Snakes don’t have family, he argued with himself. But even the snake could acknowledge some kind of bond was there. The birth was a complete shock to man and animal and Simon wasn’t sure he’d ever want to go through it again. But at least it was quick. Farriday had been a true professional. He didn’t hesitate handling Simon’s snake form; palpitating around the pouch, which Simon was sure hadn’t been there before, claiming he was healthy. He added that the pouch would probably disappear within days now it’d done his job, something Simon was glad off. But giving birth, being a parent. Was this really something he could do?
We can, his human half reminded firmly. Darwin is our mate and we love him and you know you love these babies too. They are ours to protect, ours to care for and I know you feel it too. The sn
ake grudgingly agreed his human half had a point. He wasn’t sure caring was in his genetics but he did admit to feeling “something” when he scented the children.
If you want to do something really nice for your mate, then let me take over. Darwin’s in the shower, naked and wet. I can do a lot more with him if I had hands than you can.
The snake wasn’t sure he agreed, but he didn’t feel for Darwin sexually as man or mouse. Definitely not as mouse and from the hum in their connection, it was clear Simon wanted to hold his mate; doing all those little things like cuddling and snuggling, kissing and…yeah, the other stuff. He would need hands and while the snake didn’t understand this overwhelming insistence on affection all the time, he knew his human half had been a lot happier since that tasty little mouse came along.
Besides, giving birth might be instinctual, but it wasn’t easy. He was tired. Sliding to the floor he flicked out his tongue one more time to ensure the tiny humans were safe, before the snake pulled back and let Simon regain his hands and legs. Such silly appendages, he thought as he coiled around himself and closed his eyes.
~~~~/
Simon caught his head as his legs wobbled and his head spun. Damn. I need to eat. Fuck. He looked over to the bathroom door. Darwin was still in there, happy whistling evident above the sound of running water. I’ll be quick. Grabbing the sweat pants he’d worn earlier, he pulled them on heading for the hallway. The pants tangling around his ankles stopped him.
“Well, damn,” Simon muttered as he looked down his body. His abs weren’t as defined as they were pre-pregnancy, but the lump he’d been living with was completely gone. He twisted around, holding his arms up and checking out his sides. A few pale streaks marred his skin, but nothing like he’d been expecting. “Might be able to fit into my jeans again after a few sit ups.” He pulled up the loose pants, tying them firmly around his waist, I have a waist again, and hurried to the kitchen.
“Wow, man, looking good.” Brutus nodded as he stir fried vegetables in a wok. “No one would ever guess you gave birth just a few hours ago.
“Shifter genetics. Gods, tell me there’s some food available. I could eat a cow. Raw.”
“I made a casserole and divided it up in containers in the freezer. Just pop one in the microwave, two minutes and it’s done.”
“You’re a superstar.” Simon grabbed the first container that came to hand and chucked it in the microwave. His stomach rumbled in time with the microwave plate’s slow circular motions.
“I remember what it was like for Seth and Ra. If it wasn’t for freezers and microwaves, they wouldn’t have eaten at all the first few days after Princess and her brothers were born. Your little ones asleep?”
“Yeah, Darwin fed them and put them down about ten minutes ago.” The microwave beeped and Simon almost tore the door off the hinges.
“Stir it first,” Brutus warned, chucking Simon a spoon. Simon wasn’t worried about a burned tongue; he was ravenous.
“So, are you going to the town hall tomorrow to see Ra win against the old buffalo?” Brutus asked, flipping his veggies out into a bowl, and adding some diced chicken.
Go out? Simon froze. “With the babies? Can they go outside? They won’t even be a day old.”
“You’ve got car seats and slings to carry them around. They’ll be fine so long as you keep them warm and out of drafts.”
Gulping, Simon nodded. “I’ll speak to Darwin. He might be overprotective with them being so small.”
“And you aren’t?” Brutus threw his head back and laughed. “I swear that snake of yours was two seconds away from biting Michael’s head off when he rolled too close to your older one. As it was, you hissed at him and made him laugh. You’re going to have to get used to kids being kids.”
“I’ll get used to it.” Scraping out the side of the container, making sure not a drop was wasted, Simon sighed as he put the spoon and contained in the sink. He could eat another container full, but he wanted to speak to Darwin too. If the afternoon antics were anything to go by, his kids only slept about two hours before they needed feeding again.
“What was it like?” Brutus asked as he headed for the door. “Giving birth, I mean.”
“My snake shielded me from most of it,” Simon thought for a moment. “If I had to describe it in one sentence, I’d say it was like shitting watermelons. Big ones.”
Brutus grimaced and Simon nodded. “Exactly, so be thankful you’re a furry shifter my friend because yep, I doubt I’ll be doing that again.”
“I might call my sister and make sure I’m not a half breed. I never met my father,” Brutus shuddered. “Look at what happened with Ra and Seth. We thought Seth was pure rabbit. He smelled like one.”
“Find yourself a mate first, then worry about the baby side of things,” Simon shook his head as he left the kitchen. Knowing Brutus, he was already making the call.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Darwin couldn’t resist poking his head in the nursery one last time. He was tired. The sensible thing would be to get some sleep. But his brain wouldn’t shut down. It’d been one hell of a day. Seeing Simon’s shift the way he did…his instant heartbreak and yet now. He smiled as the smaller one wiggled and moaned before his breathing settled again.
“Did you decide on names yet?” Darwin turned in Simon’s arms, checking out his mate’s human form.
“You look amazing for someone who’s just given birth.” He ran his hands down Simon’s torso. It was softer than he was used to, but knowing Simon, he wouldn’t stay that way for long. He looked back over his shoulder into the nursery. “I thought we’d decided on Thomas for a boy and Lucy for a girl.”
“We have two boys.” Yep. There it was. A glow of pride in Simon’s voice and Darwin knew Simon wouldn’t care what sex the children were.
“So, we have Thomas and…what…Lucky?” There was already a Liam and a Lucien in the pack and Darwin wasn’t calling his kid Lenin.
“How about,” Simon gently moved him towards the bed, keeping the nursery door open, “we call our mouse shifter Thomas and our little snake Sebastian?”
“You’re getting like Seth,” Darwin teased, falling back on the bed with a grin. “You want him to have an S name just like yours.”
“Would you rather call him Syn?” Simon leaned over him and Darwin arched his neck giving Simon more room for kisses.
“No.” Darwin groaned. Simon’s kisses were good. “Kids grow up to fit their names. We need something solid and boring like Harold or John or Bartholomew or something like that.”
“If you’re going with name meanings then we should call him Jasper.” Simon’s words distracted Darwin from the delicious work he was doing with his tongue.
“What’s it mean?” Of course, Simon would know. The same as he knew that spot, right there behind his ear was Darwin’s hot spot.
“Bringer of treasure. He could be big in business.”
“Or a really good thief,” Darwin laughed, lightly tugging Simon’s hair so their faces were aligned. “I like Sebastian. Sebastian son of Simon. It has a nice ring to it. Sebastian and Thomas sounds even better.”
“Sebastian and Thomas, sons of Darwin and Simon,” Simon sighed and then a huge smile spread across his harsh features. “How are we going to stop them eating each other when they shift for their first time?”
“Sebastian won’t eat Thomas,” Darwin loved the warmth in Simon’s eyes. “Just the same as you wouldn’t eat me even if we weren’t mates. Our boys will grow up knowing that size and species have no bearing on how an individual behaves. They will understand small doesn’t mean weak and might isn’t right. They will learn by example to look out for others and understand a hero is someone who always puts other people before their own safety even when they’re afraid. You’ll see. We’ll have good boys who will grow into extraordinary men.”
“And if they don’t?”
Darwin knew Simon was only teasing but he chose to take the question seriously. “Then they
will learn about consequences and owning up to their actions and we’ll support them through that too. Unconditional love, babe, unconditional love. The same love I have for you, we’ll have for them. In a strictly parental sense of course.”
He looped his arms around Simon’s neck. “Do you know how proud I am of you? You’ve given me a gift most gay furry shifters only dream of.”
“Yeah, well, I hope you’re happy only having two children. I swear if I’m giving up my ass again, you’re wearing a condom.”
“I’ll get a carton next time we go to town.” Stroking down Simon’s face, Darwin asked softly, “Do you need to sleep? I imagine our little ones won’t be quiet for long.”
“They don’t seem to stay awake for long either,” Simon said and Darwin arched up as his mate’s hips rubbed his. “We can catch a nap later. I want to remind us both of what it’s like to fuck you without worrying about a baby bump.”
That reminded Darwin of what he’d seen in Simon’s snake form. “Are you sure you’re okay down there?” He asked, unsure whether Simon’s human form developed an opening he didn’t have before.
“Why don’t you check for yourself?” Rolling off him, Simon splayed himself on the bed. Legs apart, his cock lay proudly along his abdomen, his heavy balls falling between his legs.
Nothing wrong with his equipment. Darwin licked his lips and headed down the bed. Tongues and fingers were always better than eyes when it came to checking things of a personal nature. More fun too.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Simon scowled as someone jostled his back, putting his arm protectively around Thomas who was strapped to his chest in a sling. Darwin was next to him, nestling Sebastian in the same way. The town hall was packed and while Darwin and Sebastian were in an area close to the stage, known as the supporters’ area, it was still too crowded for him to feel comfortable.
