Complement, page 30
part #3 of Connectivity Series
“Probably,” Nick replied, continuing the conversation. “Maybe we should just do something small. How many people were at your wedding?” Nick asked, nicking his chin out to Cory and Josh.
“Our parents and Josh’s grandparents, plus Jersey and Travis. That was it for the ceremony, then we had a little bigger reception dinner right after in the front yard. I think we only had like thirty-five people or something. Neither of us were working so we didn’t have co-workers or anything like that. Just school friends and a few of our parents’ friends,” Cory replied.
“That sounds nice,” Ash commented. “I’m not really sure I could get too many friends to come since they’d all think we were crazy for getting married while I was still in high school. I don’t really even have that many friends to being with, being the weird trans kid and all.”
Nick bumped his shoulder. “Baby, high school sucks for everyone, not just you. We’re just young and don’t really have lives yet, is all. What if we just had our families and a few close friends at our wedding, then when we’re older, like maybe for our ten year anniversary, or something, we have a big celebration and renew our vows and throw a huge reception for all the people in our lives then? I think everyone will understand that we were so young when we got married that we want to go all out and do a big thing.”
Ash had started nodding about halfway through Nick’s proposal. “That sounds awesome. Yeah, I really like that. We’ll have jobs and maybe even some kids by then and our family will have grown a lot too. Maybe we won’t even be living here anymore,” Ash hypothesized, taking on a far off look of what the future could possibly hold for them.
“Do you guys want kids?” Josh asked, chiming in for the first time in a while.
Nick wrapped his arm around Ash’s shoulders, a hint of pride coloring his voice. “Probably. One day. Did you know Ash could still get pregnant and carry our kids if we decided to go that route?” He kissed the side of Ash’s cheek. “You are the most incredible human I’ve ever met.”
“You guys have talked about this?” Stevie asked, her excitement barely contained under a guise of curiosity.
“A little. Geez, Mom. I’m only seventeen. Give a guy some time to live without his boobs for a few years and actually feel like a man before you put a bun in my oven,” Ash said, but Nick could tell it pleased him to know his mom would be excited for them when that time came.
“Technically speaking, though,” Josh spoke up, holding his fork out. “It would be Nick putting the bun in your oven.” Everyone laughed at that and Ash turned slightly to hide his flaming cheeks in Nick’s chest. “I think it’s awesome that you guys have talked about all that. We’d probably like to have kids one day too. But we need to figure out what we’re going to do for school and jobs and all that. You guys are a few steps ahead of the game on that one for sure.”
“We wanted to take a year off and just do whatever, you know? Travel or something,” Cory continued. “But working for my parents is not something we want to do long term and we’re eventually going to need to look into schools and classes, after we figure out what we want to study that we’ll both enjoy.”
“What are you guys thinking?” Josh asked.
“Maybe something with nature or hiking. Rick owns this outdoor tour guide company that focuses on LGBT inclusivity and something like that could be cool. Nick loved the hiking he did before he fell,” Ash nudged him, “and if we could figure out something with geology or studying ecosystems or something, I think we could both be really happy.”
“You guys have a great plan for your classes too. We couldn’t figure out how to make that work,” Josh said, scrunching his brow.
“Well that’s mostly because Ash is doing all his stuff online. We’ve talked about next year, though, and he plans to apply to my school as well, so we’ll see what happens. Maybe we scale things back and only take a few classes each or try to double up on classes so we’re both enrolled in the same ones. We may not always agree on which classes we want to take, but when the bonding period is over, we won’t need to be right on top of each other like we do now. One of us can wait nearby for the other to take a class they like and so on. It may take a while to get through, but we’ve got lots of time,” Nick finished.
“Wow,” Stevie commented. “We need to have these sit-down dinners more often. I didn’t know half of this stuff. You guys have talked so much and seem to really know where you’re headed. I’m really proud of you for thinking long-term, and not letting the fact that you’ve found your Connection so young, stop you from doing what you want to do. I know most couples don't find their Connections this early and have already established themselves in the world and their careers, and I’ll admit, I worried a lot about what it would mean for the two of you. Especially with Ash still being in high school. But you guys haven’t let it slow you down. You’ve talked and made some compromises and I’m proud of how far you’ve come in such a short amount of time.”
Cory and Josh chimed in with similar sentiments and when dinner was over, they all helped clean up, while Ash went to rest in his recliner. He was doing so much better, but still needed plenty of rest and looking after.
As a thank you and goodbye to Cory and Josh, Stevie had made a chocolate cake they would all have later. But Nick went in to sit with his guy and they popped in a movie while he looked over some of his schoolwork. In the next day or two, they’d have to figure out a system for Ash as well. He was doing a lot of sitting around and that time could be spent on his laptop, working on his classes. But the guy had just had life-changing surgery and was definitely allowed a few days off to recover.
~
By Tuesday morning, the dreaded “itch” had set in and Ash was miserable. They’d both watched YouTube videos of post-op and recovery from top surgery and had seen people talking about being itchy from the healing and the bandages, but up to that point, Ash had been fine and just thought everyone else were a bunch a whiners. But that definitely changed as he began to itch in his armpits.
“Oh my God, how gross is it to have my hands shoved in my armpits because everything itches so badly?” Ash asked as he scratched himself again while trying to read on his laptop.
Josh and Cory had gone home the previous day, and thanks to Stevie doing the laundry for them, they had fresh sheets to move back into their room with.
Ash was propped up with pillows against the white wooden headboard, but he couldn’t seem to get any work done as he kept pausing to scratch himself.
Nick picked up his phone and shot off a quick text, then closed his laptop and took Ash’s as well, setting them both aside. He climbed off the bed then offered his assistance to Ash. “Come on, up you go.”
“What? Where are we going? I thought we were going to study for a while,” Ash replied, but let Nick help him up anyway.
“We were, but you’re not getting anything done with all that itching and I don’t like seeing you so uncomfortable. I’m taking you out so let’s change your shirt and check your drains,” Nick said already popping the buttons through Ash’s buttonholes.
Ash allowed his shirt to slip off his shoulders and Nick sensually caressed the skin of his arms, stomach, and upper back. When he moved around to place a few kisses to the back of Ash’s neck, Ash shivered and his skin pebbled with goosebumps.
“I thought you said we were going out,” Ash whispered while Nick ran his hands up and down Ash’s arms. He made sure to touch every available surface of Ash’s skin above the belt and pressed kisses up along his neck to his ear.
“I did say that, didn’t I?” Nick asked, sucking Ash’s earlobe into his mouth and nipping it with his teeth. Ash made a small sound of appreciation and tilted his head to give Nick better access. He wasn’t intending for things to go anywhere, he just wanted his guy to know he was still just as desirable as he’d ever been.
He ran his hands across Ash’s slightly swollen stomach and slipped one down behind the waistband of his sweats.
Ash had managed to begin using the bathroom alone Monday afternoon and as Nick slid his hand down gently stroking his thumb along the front of Ash’s briefs, he murmured softly, “I want you to know that no matter what is going on or whatever situation we find ourselves in, I’m always going to want you, I’m always going to be attracted you, and I’m always going to need you. Whether you’re wrapped up in gauze from head to toe with drains poking out all over or wearing a paper bag and elf shoes, I’ll never be drawn to anyone the way that I’m drawn to you.” He slowly pulled his hand out and ever-so-gently wrapped his arms around Ash’s waist. “I love you, Ash Weaver, and I can’t wait to marry you on Valentine’s Day.”
Ash rested his head against Nick’s throat and did his best to return his hug. They stood there for a moment longer and when Nick finally released him to check his drains, Ash pushed up on his toes and kissed him, resting his hands on Nick’s hips.
“I love you,” Ash whispered. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you but you make me feel like the luckiest person who ever lived. The way that you treat me and the things that you say to me...” Ash shook his head slightly. “I don’t have the words like you do to tell you what you mean to me. I’ve never been very good at vocalizing my frustrations, you can ask my therapist; I’m more of a crier. But you make me feel like I could tell you anything, do anything, be anything, and that means so much to me. You give me strength and hope that everything will be okay and that no matter what happens, you’re still going to love me for exactly who I am.
“And who I am is someone who’s so insanely in love with you. You are by far the best thing that’s ever happened to me and after this is all over, and I can finally be myself, I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know exactly what you mean to me. It may not be through the most romantic words, but I promise to try to tell you, and show you through my actions, that you mean everything to me. I love you, so much, and I’m so lucky that you love me back.” He pushed up on his toes again and kissed Nick with so much care and feeling that Nick felt it in his soul.
It reminded him of something he’d heard once; it was a quote that he could scarcely remember from English class: “Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” That was how Ash made him feel. He may not have had the best way with words but when he did use them, they were pretty damn powerful.
Nick hugged him close and finally released him to slip on a new shirt. His drains were alright for a while and didn’t need to be emptied for another two hours. So after slipping on some shoes and a decent coat, they said goodbye to Stevie and Nick packaged Ash up into the car.
They weren’t going far, only to meet up with Ian at Wired, but it would be good for Ash to get out for a little while, and, Nick noticed, he hadn’t scratched himself once in the last fifteen minutes. He considered that a win.
~
As Friday approached, Ash’s itching lessened but he was growing more and more impatient to see the results of his procedure. He complained a bit about his bandages being so tight and simply wanting to take a deep breath, but Nick helped him with his breathing exercises and they walked a bit each day as Ash grew stronger.
Nick wanted to take him over to the cemetery. He wanted Ash to be able to talk to his dad and tell him everything that had changed in his life since the last time they’d been by, and with Stevie’s help, Nick prepared a small picnic of some of Ash’s favorite foods. Stevie had offered to run the various errands while Ash was napping and once she got home, they quietly put everything into Nick’s backpack. It wasn’t the best picnic bag but Ash wouldn’t ask too many questions if he saw Nick carrying it around.
When Ash stirred just before dinner time, they mentioned wanting to take him out and he agreed, seemingly used to Nick toting him around.
Ash was no longer on any pain medication and had just about finished his antibiotic meds. Tomorrow's appointment with Dr. Nyugen would confirm that everything was healing well and allow Ash to see his chest for the first time post-op. Nick wanted him to have a quiet, sort of reflective moment, before he got the all clear to up his activity and get back to his routine.
Stevie drove them over to the cemetery and Ash recognized where they were headed before they even got there.
“Are we visiting Dad?” he asked quietly, holding Nick’s hand in the back seat.
Nick nodded. “Yeah. I wanted us to chat and catch him up on the last few weeks. A lot’s changed and I figured we could fill him in.”
Ash squeezed his hand but remained quiet as they parked and got out of the car. Stevie grabbed a bag from the back and Nick brought his backpack, and together, they all walked over to Matt’s grave marker. Stevie pulled out a blanket and spread it open on the grass, indicating to them to sit. Nick swung his backpack off his shoulder and plopped it into his lap.
“Do you want to talk first, then eat? Or we could eat first, then talk? Or we could do both at the same time,” Nick said, looking to Ash. Stevie settled across from them and kicked her legs out, turning her face up to the fresh autumn sky. Ash shifted his gaze between them.
“The last one,” he replied and Nick nodded, opening his bag and pulling out their dinner.
It was nothing if not eclectic and definitely not a traditional meal, but that was fine. They had the rest of their lives to eat regular meals. This dinner was special and Nick wanted Ash to remember it.
Pulling out the donuts first since they were on top, Nick handed them to Ash. He smiled and looked at his mom. “Donuts for dinner? Doesn’t seem very nutritious.”
“Don’t worry so much about nutritious, honey. Just enjoy,” Stevie replied as she pulled out the paper plates she’d stowed in her own bag. She passed them out and Ash distributed the donuts.
Next came the individual pumpkin pies, each in their own cardboard box.
“What is this? First donuts and now pie,” Ash said, passing those out as well. “This is going to become my new favorite dinner,” he joked.
Stevie smiled but it looked shaky. She looked away before Ash noticed.
Nick reached back into the bag and pulled out the order of chili cheese fries that Stevie had picked up from some place called Little John’s.
Ash took them but his smile wilted as he looked back at Nick questioningly. “Why are we having Little John’s?” He looked to his mother and she couldn’t meet his eyes as she picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “How do you know about Little John’s?” he asked, turning his attention back to Nick.
“I don’t, baby. I wanted to put together a picnic of some of your favorite foods and your mom made a few suggestions. She went shopping while you were asleep,” Nick explained. He reached into the bag and pulled out the second to last dinner item. Nick had prepared this one by himself while Stevie had been out. She’d left him the recipe and he’d followed it to the letter. “I did make this one, though,” he said, handing Ash the container.
Ash took it after setting the chili cheese fries down. He popped the top on the bowl and Nick could hear the small helpless sound that Ash made as he looked inside. He set the bowl down and brought his hands up to his eyes. Nick wrapped his arm around him and pulled him gently into his side.
Stevie had her face buried in her arms as she rested them on her knees.
No one said anything for a quiet minute until Ash sniffled and rubbed his eyes. He looked up at Nick and Nick dried his tears with his thumb.
“You made my dad’s pasta salad,” Ash whispered and his chin wobbled again. Nick nodded and pressed a kiss to his salty lips. “My dad used to make that all the time. It was my favorite and I’d always ask for it on my birthday.” Ash looked down at the blanket, surveying everything they’d unpacked. “All of this was stuff I used to eat with Dad. He’d always get us donuts on our birthdays. His favorite time of year was fall and he loved pumpkin pie. It’s become my favorite too since he died,” he croaked and twisted slightly to bury his face in Nick’s shoulder.
Stevie cleared her throat, then cleared it again. “Sometimes, if Ash was having a rough day, we’d pull him out of school early and take him to Little John’s.” She sniffled and wiped her nose with a napkin. “We’d all share a huge order of chili cheese fries and go out for ice cream cones afterward. We’d take him to the park or even just to the mall and walk around, whatever we could do to take his mind off his troubles for a little while.”
Ash looked up and Nick grabbed him a napkin. He blew his nose and nodded at his mom. “I remember that. Sometimes we’d go to the movies or just rent one and make a huge bowl of popcorn and have a movie marathon at home. We’d drag all the kitchen chairs into the living room and make a fort with pillows and blankets.” Ash looked off into the distance, remembering some memory from his childhood with his dad.
Nick kissed him on the temple then pulled out the last item from his bag. It was simple, but something that would hopefully bring a smile to his face. He handed Ash the last container and watched as he opened it, revealing three perfectly made bologna and cheese sandwiches, all with their crusts cut off.
Ash smiled. Then grinned, and finally broke out into a laugh, wincing and holding his chest as he giggled and tried to keep from hurting himself. Nick chuckled as well and took the container, placing a sandwich on each plate.
Stevie sniffled again but withdrew a spoon and some forks from her bag and dished out the pasta salad. She portioned out the fries and Nick opened each box of pie and set one next to everyone’s plate. Last thing to make their debut were three old-fashioned soda bottles filled with cream soda. Stevie said they were a special treat and one of Matt’s weaknesses.
Ash grinned and Nick twisted the cap off the bottle then handed it to him. He closed his eyes as he smelled it then took a large mouthful, rolling the soda around in his mouth before he swallowed. When he looked back at Nick, the light shining in his eyes took his breath away.
