[Sam260]

Six Month Mark:

Silas frowned as he watched snow flurry across the ground - it was Winter already, just a few days after Christmas, and Silas still had not gotten Sidney a present... It was difficult to find something for a man who needed and wanted so little - he could not bring the children sooner, although he wished he could.

Sidney had been in almost constant pain now, being six months pregnant with his abnormally large children. Silas hated himself for being as big as he was - he knew it was a bad thing and he wished he could shrink his body or do something to make Sidney feel better. Silas looked in the interior of his jacket, at the small black and white pup that was nestled inside and sleeping - he hoped this would somehow make Sidney feel better.

Silas quickly rode the elevator up to his apartment and entered - Sidney would not be home for a few more hours, and he had plenty of time to get the puppy settled before Sidney came in and either fell deeply in love with the black and white spotted Great Dane, or kick the both of them out of the apartment.

Silas sat down on the couch and positioned the puppy into his lap, stroking the two-month-old silky coat -- The pup was already as big as Jasper, and would no doubt get much bigger by the time he was fully grown.

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney was exhausted by the time he got home, his body aching and having to pee again. He got his coat and shoes off, hurrying to the bathroom as quickly as he could - which was not very quick these days - to relieve himself. All he wanted to do was get out of his clothes and take a nap. He had just gotten his dress pants off when he realized that Jasper was in their room. He didn't spend time in there because it was clearly Silas's domain and while they had reached a detante, Jasper didn't seek out Silas's space.

"What are you in here for?" asked Sidney, petting Jasper behind the ears. He finished getting undressed, scratching at the red marks his clothing left on his tight skin. All he put on was a t-shirt of Silas's and his boxer briefs before heading into the living room.

"Do you know why Jasper is in our room?" Sidney trailed off when he saw Silas lying on the ground with a puppy fast asleep on his chest. "Is that a dog?"

[Sam260]

Silas nodded, flipping one of the soft floppy ears of the puppy's back and forth in his finger tips "Uh huh. His name is Duke!" Silas said happily, grinning widely up at Sidney.

Silas wrapped an arm around Duke's back as he stood up from the ground, the puppy whimpered and squirmed slightly, but quickly settled again when Silas cradled the pup in his arms - much like he would an infant - "He is a Great Dane... And... I didn't know what else to get you for Christmas... I saw him at the shelter, when I was going to look for another cat... and Duke well... he was there and all alone..." Silas sighed and looked down at the two-month-old "He was abandoned when he was much younger, and he looked like he needed us..."

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney stared at him like he was crazy. The puppy was adorable of course but bringing at two month old Great Dane into their lives three months before they had twins was just insane. Certifiably insane. And he was Sidney's present on top of it. Silas looked like a little kid getting his first dog though and Sidney didn't have it in him to crush that joy.

"Duke? It fits him," Sidney said, reaching out to run a finger down the puppy's soft back. "That explains Jasper hiding in our room." He watched the puppy yawn before settling comfortably back in Silas's arms. "He's going to be a lot of work and I don't know how much help I'm going to be. Have you ever house broken a dog before?"

[Sam260]

Silas nodded enthusiastically "I have owned many dogs, back when we lived in Greece. I was only six months old when I had my first dog... His name was Zeus... He was a Molosser - A Greek Mastiff... All of my dogs were Molosser's, actually... but they have none here in the states, which is okay..." Silas enthused as he nuzzled against the puppy's face as it slept in his arms.

Silas looked at Sidney and sighed "I did not mean to frighten Jasper... I did not know he would be so afraid of having a puppy in the house... He is not that big, yet, so I thought it would be okay..." Silas looked toward the bedroom door - Jasper was right inside the door, glaring green eyes at Silas and the puppy "He looks like he is ready to attack again..."

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney looked over at Jasper for a moment before going over to pick him up. Jasper let him though he eyed him suspiciously the whole time and dug his claws in when Sidney awkwardly rose to his feet again. He walked back over to Silas and the puppy, holding Jasper firmly.

"Jasper, this is Duke." Sidney held Jasper near the puppy who just went right on sleeping. Jasper sniffed a few times making a low growling noise before he started to struggle to be put down. Sidney let him go and he took off for his cat tree, climbing to the top and eyeing all of them, his tail twitching in irritation. "We'll have to watch them. I have no idea how much exposure he's had to dogs before I got him."

[Sam260]

Silas sighed and rubbed at the puppy's chest lightly "I can keep him at my office during the days... It would not be a problem... Or perhaps even you could take him to yours?" Silas asked, raising an eyebrow as he continued loving on the sleeping pup.

"He also will be good training for us... We will have a lot to deal with when the twins come, and catering to the demands of a puppy is similar, is it not?"

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney padded over to the couch, sitting down in exhaustion. The couch wasn't the most comfortable thing these days but he could put his swollen feet up and get cushions under his back at the same time. It was pretty hard for them to cuddle on the couch now, Sidney's belly and aches getting in the way. "I'll see if I can take him. I can't imagine having a dog around food is smart. I'm sure Anna will take him out for me."

He rubbed his belly, his skin itching from his tight clothes. He was already growing out of the clothes he had bought. He was going to have to buy more soon if he wanted to look decent at work. "They've been asleep all day which means they're going to be awake all night again."

[Sam260]

"I will get them to sleep... It is of no concern." Silas said as he came over to the couch, laying the pup down on one of the cushions. He then moved closer to Sidney and lifted the man's shirt over his expanded stomach "You need to start using that lotion Marc recommended..." Silas said as he leaned over, grabbing the barely touched bottle of stretch mark cream.

"I know it does not smell very good, and makes you slightly nauseous, but it will help with the itching of your flesh..." Silas held the bottle out slightly "Up to you if I do it or you do it..."

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney wrinkled his nose. "There has to be some that smells better than that stuff. You do it. I can't see everything anymore."

Sidney was pretty sure he had stretch marks on the bottom of his belly but he didn't look in the mirror very often. It was odd seeing his body like this and while he was excited about the babies, it was hard to accept how different his body looked. His face was even getting rounder now.

[Sam260]

Silas got down on his knees between Sidney's legs and smiled - the stretch mark cream did stink, but it would help with the itching- Marc had said so. Silas globbed out a bit of cream and smeared it across Sidney's stretched stomach, beginning to rub the cream into his swollen and taut flesh "You still look beautiful... I am sorry that you have been in so much pain lately..." he said whilst getting the underside of Sidney's stomach and all over the sides, even some down the back of his hips.

Duke woke up when the stench of the cream got more prominent, he whined loudly, mouth opening on a howl of distress as he tried climbing off of the high couch - he hesitated several times before eventually just tumbling off of it. Jasper saw the actions and, if a cat could laugh, well... Jasper would be, his lips seemed to pull back into a smile - at least, that's what it looked like.

Silas shook his head "Our house will be like Tom and Jerry... I can just see it now."

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney tried to breathe through his mouth since the smell was so bad. Silas's hands felt good at least, soothing the aches he felt. As if on cue though, both babies woke up and began to poke at him, causing bumps to appear on the surface of his belly. He groaned and dropped his head back as they began to play happily together, spurred on by their father's hands

"Marc stopped by my office today," Sidney said as Silas continued to massage his belly. "He wants to start checking my blood pressure during the day because he says I'm looking swollen. He said it's just a precaution but he'd rather get ahead of anything if there is anything. When he took it today he said it was in the normal range."

[Sam260]

Silas looked up and then down at Sidney's body, his eyebrows furrowed together "You are carrying twins, heavy ones... Of course you look swollen..." Silas said, very clearly confused by why Marc would even suggest that Silas looked swollen - it was quite obvious to Silas, at least, why he would be swollen.

[hockeypreg2]

"Yes, but there's bad swelling because of fluid retention and high blood pressure that can lead to complications and an emergency delivery. So he's keeping an eye on it," Sidney wiggled his feet. "My feet are swelling and so are my fingers. He wants me to watch how much salt I eat and drink plenty of water. I want to keep working for as long as I can so I'm not bored but if I have to go on bed rest, I will."

[Sam260]

Silas still looked mildly confused, but he nodded - he'd have to take Sidney and Marc's word for it "Okay... so I will cook with less salts and we will stop purchasing soda until after they are born... Anything for a happy and healthy pregnancy..." Silas said as he grabbed one of Sidney's foot, settling it in his lap as he started massaging it - on better inspection, he could see the swelling that Sidney mentioned, but said nothing as he rubbed the aches and pains away from his boyfriend's feet.

Silas kissed Sidney's knee as he switched feet "What do you think about marriage, Sid?"

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney's eyes widened. "I ... haven't really thought about it. I want to get married. I want to marry you." He reached out and stroked a hand over Silas's cheek gently. "I don't want to get married when I'm pregnant though. I don't feel good about myself right now and I want to remember the day we get married fondly. Do you understand?"

[Sam260]

Silas nodded, turning his head to kiss Sidney's palm "I do understand... besides, I want to enjoy our wedding night and honeymoon... It is hard for you now, to have sex... I could not imagine having a wedding and not consummating the vows without a little bit of fun after everyone has gone." Silas said with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he climbed back up onto the couch beside Sidney.

Silas rubbed the swollen stomach of his boyfriend and smiles "Do you think Kris and Marc would be willing to babysit for us?"

[hockeypreg2]

Sidney closed his eyes, humming softly in contentment. He shifted a little so he was on his side instead of his back. "I think we should ask my parents. They would be so excited to watch their grandchildren." Sidney opened one eye when Silas stopped moving his hands. "Baby, you are going to have to meet them eventually. They are going to love you. I promise."

[Sam260]

Silas grimaced and sighed "I will meet with them - Once the twins are born... I will have no choice as I am sure your mother would want to meet her grandchildren the second that they arrive..." Silas said quietly, resuming his rubbing of Sidney's stomach -- The prospect of meeting Sidney's parents had been daunting, and a battle of wills between them for the entire time that they dated; it helped that Silas' work kept him busy through the past six months, but things were slowing down because of family holidays and such.

And when the twins arrived, he had planned on taking a few months off to be home with Sidney and the twins; no doubt Sidney's parents would come by often, and he would have no choice but to meet with them and try to get over his fear of being around other people's parents. It wasn't so much fear, though, really... it moreso had to do with the fact that his parents were no longer living, and it saddened him to know that his mother and father would never get to meet their grandchildren "I wish my parent's were around to see their first grandchildren being born..."

[hockeypreg2]

"I wish they were too," Sidney said gently, stroking his fingers through Silas's hair. He knew Silas's reluctance to meet his parents was partially because of that and he was really sad that they weren't around to be a part of their lives. "Will your brother want to come when they're born? I know my sister will. She's already planning."

One of the babies kicked him hard under the ribs and Sid groaned. "There's that foot in the ribs."