“My sire is sixty-one, and while he’s doing amazing now, he’s had health issues in the past,” Tarius had explained. “I’d moved back home to live with them and help Liam around the house when Dad couldn’t. When Branson and I got married, I moved in with him, and I sometimes feel like I let Dad down by leaving.”
“You got married.” Trei had shrugged. “They must have been thrilled to see you move out. I mean…you know what I mean. But what’s the proposal?”
“Dad and Liam are offering you my old bedroom, free of charge, in exchange for your help around the house. Dad’s been retired for years, but Liam still does a lot of volunteer work, so he’s gone during the day. And with Linus practically living at the Tovey house with Miko, I think they miss having someone underfoot.”
“Your sire is a little intimidating, but I like Liam very much.” Trei’s eyes had widened. “Did you tell them I’m pregnant?”
“No, that’s not my secret to tell. But I hope that if you consider their offer of a room, you’ll tell them before you make an agreement.”
Trei had considered the offer for two days, requested Isa and Liam come over for dinner to discuss the proposal and his pregnancy, and they’d still offered him the room. Liam had been a fantastic omegin to Layne and Linus, he shined as a grand-omegin to Caleb, and he seemed excited to have another baby in the house in seven months.
Jeuel had been briefly upset when Trei moved out, but he’d also tried to be happy for Trei. That happiness was cracking more and more as Jeuel moved further from the trauma of his past, and closer to a wide-open future. Having his own bedroom in a brand-new apartment was yet another step toward that future.
Branson backed out of Jeuel’s room and nearly ran into Dad, who had a box marked “office,” which was what they’d designated the extra bedroom. This way, they didn’t have to keep Branson’s work desk in their bedroom, and it would give Tarius space to do research from home.
Dad tilted his head at Jeuel’s door, silently asking how he was. Branson shrugged with his eyebrows. Dad nudged Branson’s shoulder with his own, then continued to the new office with his box.
By mid-afternoon, the moving van was empty, and their crew was lounging in the living room with pizza, bags of chips, and bottles of soda, with the radio playing since cable wouldn’t get hooked up until tomorrow. Gaven and Uncle Braun kept up most of the conversation, while Jeuel picked silently at his pizza slice, showing little enthusiasm for the food or the company.
Branson tried to watch him without being overbearing, and no one made a big deal out of it. Moving days were always exhausting and stressful, and Jeuel had more stress in his life than anyone else right now. The case against the men who’d attacked and killed his family was ongoing. Mr. Paxton had no new information for them, and nothing new had been shared with Chief Constable Lars-Higgs (that he’d shared with Branson, anyway).
Plus, Jeuel’s sire was lingering in a coma and unlikely to ever wake up.
An unexpected pang of guilt struck Branson at the thought. Not about Uty’s coma. At having spent the day with his own parents, enjoying their company and their freely-offered help moving, while still keeping something important from them.Life could change in a split-second, by anything from a car accident to a stray bullet, and he didn’t want to have any regrets if he ever (goddess forbid) found himself in a situation like Jeuel.
He quietly asked Dad and Papa to join him in his and Tarius’s bedroom, and he explained—for only the second time in his adult life—who he was and what asexual meant. His parents listened and asked a few questions, and that was it. Immediate, complete acceptance. Not that Branson had expected anything less.
Later, when everyone eventually went home, Branson hugged his parents extra tight at the door.
Tarius stored the leftover pizza in the mostly empty fridge. They’d eaten down what food there was at the old apartment as much as possible, and planned on grocery shopping tomorrow. Jeuel had already returned to his bedroom, and the occasional bump or creak from behind the closed door suggested he was finally unpacking.
He knew he was truly staying put this time, and being moved again anytime soon.
“Do you think this was a good idea?” Branson asked. “Moving him so soon?”
“I think it was necessary, yes.” Tarius wrapped his arms around Branson’s shoulders and pulled him into a familiar embrace. “He needs time and space. And he can get a lot more of that with a room of his own and a bathroom he doesn’t have to share with three other people.”
“True.”
“How are you feeling about all this? You uprooted your life, too, you know.”
Branson smiled then rubbed his nose against Tarius’s neck. “I’m pretty good, actually. A month ago, I’d have never imagined being here like this, married and with custody of a new omega brother, but I don’t regret a thing.” He straightened so he couldmeet Tarius’s curious eyes. “Before, I was existing in my life, going to work, and supporting my family. Now I really feel like I’m living. Like I have a bigger purpose than being a backup system for my parents and siblings.”
Tarius’s megawatt smile lit up the room. “You’ve always had a bigger purpose than backing up your family. We both have. We just didn’t know we were waiting for each other to be exactly where we needed to be for this to work. Not only custody of Jeuel, but us. Married. Building a life.” His smile twisted into an expression Branson was beginning to recognize as his uncertain face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Tarius took his hand and led Branson over to the sofa. Sat them side-by-side and kept a loose hold on his hand. “You know, there’s something we haven’t actually talked about in the couple of weeks since we got hitched.”
“Really?” They’d had lengthy financial discussions, shared their thoughts on medical proxies and end-of-life directives, the kinds of decisions spouses might need to make for each other. They’d even talked about how to decorate and organize the new apartment so it fit both of their styles. “What did we miss?”
“Our last names.”
Branson sat up straighter. One of them changing their name hadn’t even occurred to Branson, even though he knew other beta couples who had taken their spouse’s name, or who had hyphenated both names. The judge who’d signed their marriage license hadn’t even brought it up. “Oh. Right.”
“I’m not saying either one of us has to change their name.” Tarius rushed the words, as if nervous that he’d brought it up at all. “We just haven’t talked about it.”
“I never really gave it any thought. Maybe if our engagement had been longer, it would have been a thing we talked about.”
