Thank the stars he brought that up first.“I feel it, too,” Nico said urgently, gently urging Teilo’s chin around so he could see the face he adored. “My first thought, when I realized they would rescue us both, was that we need to flee from here and hide so we could never be found, but now…”
“We can’t leave him.” Teilo glanced down the hallway that was still empty, but likely wouldn’t be for long. “Could we snatch him, take him with us?”
“Kidnap him?” Nico considered it. “Would that be wise when we have no provisions? You heard. They’re bringing a vehicle for us to get us out of the forest. Ben plans to take us on a plane.”
“But to where?” Teilo grabbed Nico’s shoulders. “Where will we go? What will we do? We know nothing of the world the way he lives. You’ve heard them.”
Nico had. Every word Ben and his brothers had said they’d heard, filed away, and dissected from every angle as his body healed. “He speaks of friends. Friends who would help us.”
“Who would help us? We’re nothing more than caged beasts. You can’t have forgotten the words those scientists threw at us time after time. Beasts. Animals, not fit to mix with others because of the way they made us… the shit that we’ve done.”
His heart hurting at how wounded Teilo sounded, Nico tried to think of a way to make him feel better—not one of the skills either one of them had been taught.
“We walk as men, we talk as men. We can kill others and protect this man who’s been kind to us…”
“Ben.” Teilo nodded. “He smells nice…”
Nico looked at the man who’d been his everything his whole life. “He’s showering because he says he stinks.”
“His tongue felt nice when he helped clean us.” Teilo looked at Nico, his eyes filled with concern. “Is it right we should think that way about him?”
“What way?” Although Nico was fairly sure he knew.
“Like we should kidnap him and spirit him away so that no one will find any of us?”
It was tempting. “We’ve never been free…” Nico wasn’t even sure what he was saying, but Teilo did.
“We can find the things we need to survive. We’ve been taught those things.”
“But remember what Ben said. He said we could live in a house, not a cage, and eat food from a plate, not a tin bowl on the floor. Have clothes…”
“It’s been so long since we’ve even worn clothes. Do you think we could have boots? Those ones that Kylo has look like they could protect a man’s feet.”
“Sturdy.” Nico agreed. “But we must decide quickly.” He listened to the noises upstairs. He could hear footsteps. “Ben has turned the water off. For the first time in our lives we have a chance to be happy together. Do we take Ben, too?”
~/~/~/~
Teilo
We have to take Ben, too.Of course, Teilo wasn’t going to say it quite so bluntly to his cage brother. Nico had always been the stronger one of the two of them, but he also cared fiercely and was so protective. Teilo wasn’t sure what it would do to their relationship, or the way they were with each other, if they had a third person with them. He also knew, his cat knew, they couldn’t go anywhere without the quiet man who looked so good, and yet felt on a soul level to be so much older than they were.
So instead of just screaming “Yes,” Teilo asked, “Can we do that and still maintain the bonds we already share? I’m not giving you up. I won’t be without you. Is that possible? Is it allowed? Will we get into trouble with anyone?”
“Not if they can’t find us.”
“What about Ben’s family? The brothers seem close.”
“We could kill them.” Teilo knew that was a reflex from Nico rather than a threat. “Ben has to come with us. He has no choice.”
“Or,” Teilo said slowly, testing the waters, “can we go with him? We don’t have to stay, exactly,” he added quickly when he saw the shift in Nico’s features. “We could test it out… see what this life in a house, with boots, and clothes, and real food could be like.”
“He can’t tell us what to do. Weird tugging in my belly or not, Ben can’t tell us what to do. We won’t have anyone tell us what to do again.”
“You’re right. You’re right.” Teilo lowered his voice so Nico would listen and know at a gut level he was being heard. “I don’t think Ben wants to do that with us. He was very gentle. He didn’t even get angry with the claw marks on his brother’s arm. Did you notice? He didn’t even get angry then.”
Nico rested his chin on Teilo’s shoulder. “It felt so good to curl up with you and no bars between us. It’s been so long.”
“It was the best thing. You were purring like a train.” Teilo felt the sides of his mouth tug upwards. “But…” And he knew there was a but. He’d always known how Nico thought.
