“And Cyrus made a decision?” Seri mused.
“He did… He made a decision that affected you and Skya.”
“I see.”
“He involved someone…exposed our location to a person who he knew couldn’t be trusted.”
“From what I've read about Fates, or rather the Gimm family, they see threads that lead off into the world. These threads are split into many minuscule strands. Not all show up clearly or easily, while some are always there waiting to be plucked. Mainly as some choices are easy to make, while others take a lifetime to get to. Those choices, they branch off even then. There is never just one, and there is not always a good option, sometimes there is just a better outcome. The members of the Grimm family try to make their choices by looking towards the better outcomes.”
Severo sighed. “I know that…but…”
“It feels like you were betrayed?”
“Yes,” Severo rasped, voice wavering.
“Well, I won’t say you are wrong. As he did betray your trust, no matter the outcomes he saw. He told someone, knowing it would hurt people you cared about.” Seri cleared his throat, face heating. “If I’m not being too bold in saying you care about me and Skya.”
“I love you and Skya. So, no, not too bold at all.” Severo reached over and laced his hand with his. “Aren’t you even a bit upset about it?”
“It depends on what those other options would have led to if he hadn’t done it. But he is also not my friend, Severo. He is yours. I don’t have any attachment to him. My trust wasn’t betrayed because the only one I trusted in and out of that apartment we shared was you. Even with all the help Ender and his group gave us…the only one I was sure would never betray me…was you.”
Severo's eyes went glossy, and the man sniffled.
Seri giggled. “Aw, my big old softy.” He brought the Dweller’s hand to his lips, kissing the top of it. “You are going to hurt yourself if you cry more. Both our eyes are already red enough, aren’t they?” He smiled. “I’m not mad that he did what he did. Iammad that he hurt you, though. So, as far as I’m concerned, he is on my…” Seri cleared his throat and glanced down at Skya, then back at Severo. “Poop list.”
“Oop!” Skya giggled, flinging her no doubt empty sippy cup away. He sighed and winced as it rolled off the bed and landed with a thump on the carpeted floor of the bedroom.
Cyrus’eyes snapped open when his phone went off. Glaring into the dark room, he snagged it off the bedside table and answered without looking who it was. “Cyrus Grimm.”
“Come down to the living room, we need to talk. Now…” Killian said, his tone too smooth, too even…too much…possibly plotting his demise…
He grimaced. He knew that tone. Cyrus usually heard it when the man was about to go off on him, or someone else. Instead of asking why the Siren hadn’t just woken his ass up in person, since the man had spent the night…he tossed the covers aside and said, “Coming.”
Jumping out of bed, he slipped on his robe and started into the hallway. His eyes shifted for a moment, showing him the various threads twisting and leading off all around him, before his vision flicked back to normal. It would be nice if they warned him about whenever his boyfriend was about to ream him over.
Cyrus reached the bottom of the stairs and found Killian sitting there in his living room with a glass of red wine in his hand, bundled up in the thick emerald green robe he’d gotten him last yule. He eyed the wine…that wasn’t a good sign.
“Sit,” the Siren said, nodding at the couch across from him.
Cyrus cleared his throat before he walked over and sat down. “So…”
“Don’t ‘so’ me.” Killian sniffed before sighing. “Sit and listen.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t talk.”
Cyrus nodded. Oh, he was in trouble…
“You fucked up, Cyrus. I did try to warn you that going along with your threads was not a good idea. Well, I was right. You've damaged your relationship with Severo. You do realize this, right?”
“I—” He closed his mouth on remembering that Killian had told him not to talk.
Killian rolled his eyes. “You may answer.”
“I don’t?”
“You don’t realize it, or you don’t know?”
