"What about him?" Zamir asked, his voice muffled with his lips pressed to my chest.
"Would you want to see him again?"
Zamir was quiet, and I ran my palm over his back as he thought about it. I knew his relationship with his dad hadn't been the best, but if he wanted to...
"I don't know. He was a decent man, once upon a time," he said with a sigh, and I kissed the top of his head. "He always took good care of me. It was only after I realized what we are that things became... strained. I haven't seen him since I ran away. I have no idea what I'd say to him."
"I understand," I murmured, giving him a tight squeeze. I'd never met my parents. I'd hatched alone and figured everything out on my own. Something bad must've happened for them to have abandoned me, but I never found out what.
"Maybe someday, but I'm happy with the way things are right now," he said after a pause, and I hummed. "I wouldn't know how to find him anyway."
"I can help with that. When you're ready, I can find him for you."
Zamir pulled back to gaze at me, his brown eyes soft and warm. "Really?"
I hummed. "I know a lot of supes."
Zamir mulled over that, then brightened. "Oh! You could also use your contacts to find supes who would appreciate a place like the Sanctuary, couldn't you?"
"I could, but I don't want to stick my nose into Zephyr's work unless he asks." Him allowing me to move into the Sanctuary was already more than I could've asked for.
"I'll suggest it to him," Zamir decided. "After this whole thing is over, of course. Do you think you moving in will fix things? Steady the balance?"
"It would depend on Zephyr. He'll need to take more magic from me to strike a balance, so if he does that, everything should go back to normal."
"But you don't think he will?"
I shrugged. I'd failed him once. It was possible Zephyr wouldn't want to take any help from me again.
"We'll see," I said, not wanting to think about the past any longer. "So, camping. Are you excited?"
Zamir didn't comment on the obvious change of topic. He kissed my chest again and said, "Yeah! I mean, living in the Sanctuary is like camping, but not really. I'm curious aboutthe human way of doing things. Do you think we have enough supplies?"
"We do," I assured him, trying not to laugh. He'd already packed far too many things for a two-day trip.
"Good."
We were quiet for a while, and Zamir's breathing deepened, telling me he'd fallen asleep.
I gazed down at him, running my fingers through his soft curls, and smiled. He was such a sweet, wonderful man. And helovedme.
Fear flickered in my chest at the thought of losing him, but I pushed it away. Fear had no place in our relationship, it couldn't.
Zamir was healthy, he was a supe, and I could give him my own life force to make sure he never weakened, never lost that spark in his eyes. To make sure I never lost him.
For the first time since we started sharing a bed, I struggled to sleep. My mind refused to quiet down, and I spent hours gazing at Zamir, watching over him.
Dots meowed softly, and I turned to him, giving him a few pets as he stood up, circled around, and curled back in between our pillows. Zamir hadn't taken him back to the Sanctuary yet, so we'd be moving all my pets together after we came back from camping.
I wonderedhowwe'd move them all. Zamir had mentioned Zephyr usually created temporary portals to help with moves, but I wasn't confident he'd want to help us, even though he'd agreed.
He would do it, I realized when I thought about it. Not for me, but for Zamir. He was to Zamir what I'd failed to be for him, and Zamir saw him as a father. Despite our issues, I had no doubt Zephyr would help Zamir in any way he could.
While I'd always helped people one on one through my years, Zephyr had done something so much better. He'd created a safehaven for supes, one where they could be themselves without fear.
Even though I had no hand in the man Zephyr had grown up to be, I nonetheless felt proud of him. I doubted he'd like hearing that from me, but it was true. He'd done something wonderful, and I wanted to help. I hoped he'd let me.
Zamir mumbled something, and I smiled. I kissed his wild curls, then closed my eyes as I breathed him in. He smelled warm and soft. He smelled like me.
I kept my nose buried in his hair, and at some point, I drifted off, my arms tight around my mate.
