“I’m terrified,” Koios said.
Ben froze with a bag of cheese cubes in his hand. “Wait, what?”
Koios rounded the counter and came to Ben’s side. “Were you expecting this? I don’t mean bringing me to your room from my hospital bed. I mean this. You and me. I didn’t have a clue until you told me you were attracted to me.”
“No,” Ben confessed. “I never planned on telling you.”
Koios’s scowl had Ben turning back to the fridge and continuing to prepare his snack. “You do realize you can’t hide behind that door, right? It doesn’t even hit your chest.”
“I’m not hiding behind it,” Ben said. “Well, maybe a little.”
Ben finished putting together the tray of food, grabbed a couple bottles of water, then led the way upstairs. He couldn’t be more aware of Koios’s gaze on him as they walked. His eyes had to be burning a hole in Ben’s back.
He walked to his room, then put the tray on his desk. Koios sat down on the corner of the bed. He looked around the room, scanning each item as if committing it to memory.
“It feels like you in here,” Koios said.
“Yeah?”
Koios nodded. “That’s a lot of books.”
One entire wall of his room had built-in bookcases. They were crammed full of books. He’d been reading anything and everything he could get his hands on from the moment Dad and Papa brought him home so many years ago.
Ben grinned. “It is. You want a snack?”
“Sure. You think I could talk you into giving me my phone back?”
Ben chuckled and carried over a few crackers and slices of cheese. “Maybe. Ask me again after you’ve slept for another few hours.”
“Okay. Negotiation one complete. Now it’s your turn.”
Ben walked back over to the tray and fiddled around with the snacks for a minute. He didn’t know what to say. He’d not had time to think this through and?—
Koios moved to his side and ran his hand down Ben’s arm. “Why don’t we stick with plan A and just rest? I’m not in a hurry, Ben. I mean, part of me is, but the other part has waited this long. I never thought…hell, I spent my entire life in a basement. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I don’t want to mess it up.”
Ben sighed. “Same. From the first time I saw my dad in action, I wanted to be a doctor like him. It’s been my only focus for the past fifteen years. Everything else seemed like an unnecessary distraction. I want what my dads have, you know? Not something meaningless. And now I’m putting more pressure on you.”
“No, you’re being honest, which is helpful.”
Koios picked up the anatomy book Ben kept on his desk. Too late, Ben realized what he’d tucked inside. The edge of one of Koios’s feathers peeked out of the top of the book.
Koios glanced at Ben then brushed his finger over the feather’s tip. “You kept one of my feathers?”
“I did. I know it’s completely unprofessional. I’m so sorry.”
Koios grinned and reached for one of the feathers near the edge of his wing. Some of them were loose so he plucked one free and handed it over. “This one is freely given.”
Ben’s hand shook as he took the feather from Koios’s hand. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Bring the tray over to the bed. I’m going to pick a book and let you read me to sleep.”
Ben did as he was told. After putting the tray on his nightstand, he kicked off his shoes and tugged back the pile of blankets on his bed. He propped a few pillows against the headboard, then settled against them.
Koios took his time exploring the bookcases. “We should have brought some of Henry’s books with us. I want to learn more about fae culture. The whole formal scene you did with Cosmo fascinated me. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“I have a book on fae customs. Second shelf from the left. It has a red leather cover.”
Koios grabbed the book, then walked to the bed. He climbed over Ben, his wings brushing over Ben’s legs as he did. Ben shuddered and Koios chuckled. “Such a wing kink. Who knew?”
