“Yes, we were. And maybe we ended up on this path because of the choices you made, but I feel like what we have can become so much more than that one night. More than just co-parenting the results of it, if we let it. Ifyoulet it. If you let both of us just try together. But for that to work, you have to forget your rule-strict distant family, because let’s be real, your parents never cared about the Fates’ rules.
“Let it go. Ender is not going to change that part of himself. Even if something happens between all of us, Ender will not become the lawful citizen you want him to be. I’m not saying to change who you are, Cyrus. Just let go of those damn rules you’ve wound yourself up in. Because I am starting to like that crazy ass snake, and I know, despite your grumblings, you already do.”
“Just starting to, huh?” Cyrus teased, before sniffing and wiping away the last remnants of his tears.
Killian giggled. “You know I’m slow with my emotions.”
Rather than being slow, he was more resistant to them. Or rather, he often fought against feeling shit at all.
“I know you are. And you’re right, I probably do like him. But…Killian, I’m pretty sure he hates me. And I know he doesn’t trust me. How could he with a family like mine?”
“He likes fucking with you for sure, but he doesn’t hate you. Beyond the fact that trust is earned, I’m pretty sure that paranoid Gorgon doesn’t fully trust anyone, aside from possibly Soren. It’s hard for him.”
“It’s not easy for you either,” Cyrus pointed out.
“It’s not, but you made it easy. You waited for me. You never pressured me for more, never threw a fit because I didn’t do what you wanted. Never even hinted that you were mad or disappointed, or even attempted to manipulate me. You just waited, calmly, without asking a damn thing from me.”
“I did, and I would have waited forever.”
“You would have, because you knew I was lying to myself. Hiding from my feelings. Let’s not do that this time. I made you wait one hundred years. I don’t want to wait that long this time. It may not be fair to you, but I really am just ready to let myself be happy. To let myself enjoy what is happening.” Killian pulledthe man into a quick but hard kiss. “Now, I’m going to go cuddle that crazy snake, before he wakes up and starts grumbling.”
Ender’seyes widened when Killian pushed to his feet. Without hesitation, he spun and power walked away as fast as his pregnant ass could, because he was in no way ready to face the Siren, and he was not sure what to feel about everything he had just fucking heard, besides panic.
Cyrus stayed where he was,watching Killian leave the room. The fact was…the Siren was wrong about one thing.
It wasn’t that he knew Killian actually loved him back then. Well, he had known, just not in what capacity. But he hadn’t waited by the man’s side believing that one day Killian would change his mind. He stayed there because he had wanted the Cryptid in his life, regardless of how he was in it.
Keeping Killian as a friend had been more important to him, and it was better than the alternative of the Siren not being there at all, just because he’d selfishly and childishly lashed out at someone for not doing what he wanted.
He didn’t own Killian, and no one had a right to demand someone be in a relationship with them. So he’d stayed where healways had, by the man’s side, because it was where he wanted to be.
Waddle faster, Ender, waddle faster!he screamed in his head, as he hurried back to his bedroom as fast as his poor swollen feet could carry him. Ugh…maybe they had a point about his movements being slowed.
On reaching his bedroom door, Ender hesitated.
Oh no, how could he go back in there and pretend to sleep?! After hearing what he’d heard, not to mention while the very pretty man cuddled him?!
“Toddles!” Ender gasped. He’d hide in Soren’s room!
Scurrying past his door, without even knocking, he slammed open the blue door that was a short distance away, and across the hall, walking straight in. Ender, of course, froze on spotting Soren naked, his brother staring back wide-eyed in shock.Despite not really wanting to see, his traitorous gaze flicked down.
“Oh…wow, that’s a lot different from the last time I saw it.”
To be fair, the last time was when they’d both been children, so he’d be concerned if it hadn’t. No, actually, he would very much like to erase this bit of visual information from his brain.
“What in the fuck, Ender?!” Soren squawked as he covered his crotch with both hands.
Ender cleared his throat. “Good…job, I guess?”
“ENDER!?”
“Well, what else do you want me to say?!”
“Ahem.”
Ender looked back at the murmur. His eyes widened on spotting Killian standing there with his brow raised, before he turned back to Soren and cried out, “Toddles, how dare you?! Cover up! We arenota nudist colony!”
“YOU BARGED IN ON ME!?! THIS IS MY ROOM!” Soren bellowed, before pointing, as he angrily chirped, “Get out!”
