I woke with a dry mouth and a pounding headache.
With a groan, I opened my eyes, finding a familiar face with black eyes hovering above me. He wore his usual beanie, with all his hair tucked up inside.
What had happened last night? I remembered the party, and the phone, and Jade coming to my suite… everything after that was a blur.
Though, I did remember booping Finch’s nose?
No, that must have been a dream. Please let that have been a dream.
“Wakey, wakey,” Kaos said, holding out a plate of scrambled eggs.
Blinking, I gave him a smile, and he beamed as if I’d given him a trophy. The plate he was offering looked dangerously close to tipping onto the floor, so I sat up and took it from him.
He gave a happy chirp when I took it and sat down beside me, grabbing a fork and digging into his own plate.
“Hungry?” I asked, and he nodded.
He swallowed, his cheeks reddening a bit. “Gotta get my strength back,” he said, looking away.
We ate in companionable silence, and my headache had cleared a bit by the time I was done.
Kaos followed me as I entered the bathroom, and I blinked as I saw the claim necklace the Lucas pack had given me last night sitting in the toilet bowl. I decided to leave it in there for now.
Kaos cleared his throat as I started brushing my teeth. “Can you help me with something?” He was chewing on his lip, and I could feel his anxiety through the bond.
I rinsed my mouth out in the sink before replying. “Sure,” I said, hoping it wasn’t anything awful.
He tugged off his beanie, letting his long hair tumble around his face. “I want to cut it all off.”
I looked up at him, to where he was staring at me, shoulders tense. “Okay,” I said gently, gesturing to the toilet seat.
He sat down, and I rummaged through my drawers until I found scissors and an electric razor. When I turned back to him, he’d taken off his shirt and was still staring at me with his large eyes.
“You sure?”
He nodded, not breaking eye contact.
I leaned down, cupping his cheek and pressing a kiss to his lips. When I pulled away, I offered him a smile.
He closed his eyes as I snipped off a huge chunk at the side of his head. The sound of the scissors cutting hung between us, and his shoulders seemed to loosen with each snip. Long chunks fell to the ground at our feet, and soon, I’d cut off enough length that I could use the razor.
I felt like we were both holding our breath as I ran theclippers through the rest of his hair until he was left with a buzz cut.
“Done,” I said, breaking the silence.
He opened his eyes, first focusing on the pile of hair on the ground. Carefully, he rose and faced himself in the mirror. I stood beside him, taking his hand in mine. He was shaking a bit, his face pale.
“It looks good,” I offered.
His face split into a wide grin. “I’m back,” he said. “And ready to destroy your enemies.”
In response, I pulled him down into another kiss, my heart swelling with warmth. “Thanks,” I said breathlessly as we pulled apart.
There was the sound of a knock at my door, though it was so faint, I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it. Kaos had looked over, though, so I sighed and went to answer it.
Jade was at the door. She looked in a bad way as she groaned and came in to collapse on the couch, throwing her arms over her head dramatically. “Kill me now.”
“Why are you even here, bitch?” I muttered, going to pour her a coffee.
