"Sure is. They did the entire soundtrack."
"You're kidding! How did I not know this?" Apollo said and settled in to watch.
Lachlan wanted to pinch himself. Never in a million years did he imagine that he would get to be eating grilled cheese in his pajamas with Apollo Greatdrakes while watching his favorite movie. The situation with the alchemists was beyond fucked, but it had also brought them here to this moment, and Lachlan's heart had a weird gratitude over it.
Watching Apollo watchHighlanderwas almost as good as watching it himself. He made small comments constantly like 'Well, that outfit is a statement, Mr. Connery,' and 'Damn, look at that '80s perm,' but it only made Lachlan smile so wide, it hurt. When it got to Connor's first love dying of old age, Apollo actually sniffled.
"What the fuck is this movie?" he grumbled and put a pillow on Lachlan's lap before laying his head on it.
"It's epic, is what it is," Lachlan replied.
"Pet me. This is hurting my feelings," Apollo insisted.
Lachlan tucked a throw blanket over him and stroked his golden curls.
Petting you is hurting mine, Lachlan thought but didn't stop. He didn't know when Apollo's mood would shift. Was this just a Paris fling? He didn't want to think about it. For the present, it was all he had ever wanted, and he had to focus on that.
He had texted Ciara and Layla about the facility but hadn't looked at his phone again. This fragile situation with Apollo was more important than another crisis for the family to handle. There would always be another crisis, but Apollo wouldn't always be curled up in his lap watching his favorite movie with him.
After the movie was done, Apollo rolled and rubbed his face over his pillow. "That was way more romantic than I thought it would be. I had no idea you were so sappy, Lachlan. It makesnosense that this is your favorite movie when you clearly don't do relationships."
"I've never thought I could have one with my line of work. Hunting isn't a normal profession. Not many people understand it," Lachlan admitted, feeling like he was treading on uneasy ground. "There's actually only ever been one person I wanted to have a real relationship with."
Apollo tensed. "Oh? And who was this mysterious unicorn."
"You mean, whoismy unicorn? I still want the relationship."
"Fuck, Lachlan, are you seeing someone? And I've... We've..."Apollo demanded, sitting up.
Lachlan put a hand over his face. "You can't be this clueless.Youare the unicorn, Apollo."
The outrage on his face changed to confusion. "What do you mean I'm the unicorn? I'm a dragon, for a start."
"I feel like you make this all way more confusing than it needs to be, but if I need to spell it out for you..."
Apollo was up off the couch and moving toward the bedroom. "Nope. Feelings gross. Nope."
Lachlan snapped. They had an entire cult of blood mages after them. Apollo had already been kidnapped once, and Lachlan almost lost him forever. He was going to have this conversation. Apollo could eviscerate his heart afterward. He didn't care. He couldn't hold it in anymore.
Lachlan caught the bedroom door before Apollo could shut it on him. He backed up, and Lachlan shut the door behind him and turned the lock.
"I've tried to be patient and let you figure this out on your own, but I'm done. So fucking done," Lachlan said, trying to get the words out without raising his voice.
"Don't do this to me, Lachie…"Apollo tried to move around him, but Lachlan ducked under his arm, lifted him over one shoulder, and dropped him down on the bed. He pinned Apollo's hands above his head and held him down.
"Stop. Moving. You're going to listen to me. Hate me afterward if you need to. I don't care. I almost fucking lost you, Apollo, so you are going to hear me out even if I have to sit on you to make it happen," he snarled.
Apollo's eyes flashed with the brilliant gold of his dragon, and Lachlan knew that he had the strength to throw him off if he wanted to.
Lachlan had never been great with words, but he didn't need to be for this. He just needed to get it off his chest so that he could fuckingbreatheagain.
"You're a pain in the ass, Apollo Greatdrakes," he said, and Apollo's eyes narrowed. Shit. Bad start. "You are. You crashed into my world and blasted it to hell. You've done nothing but confuse the shit out of me for years. I thought it was a crush, so I hooked up with blonds to try and get it out of my system, and it was all fucking pointless."
Lachlan's grip on his wrists tightened as he took a breath and continued, "Nothinghas worked to get rid of this fucking ache for you. All you do is ignore me, and I still want you. I haven't been with anyone for over a year because none of it is worth it if it's not with you. You are my fucking unicorn dragon, Apollo. Do you get that? I just want a chance to fucking love you. You deserve more than being a party boy hook-up. You deserve everything, so let me give it to you."
Apollo's eyes were filled with tears, and Lachlan suddenly felt like a brute, pouring his messy heart over him and not letting him go. If he did let him go, he was sure he would never get to touch Apollo again.
"Are you done?" Apollo asked, blinking back the tears.
