Because of Khush's claustrophobia, their bedroom was on the second floor-slash-roof of the house, with one way magic walls making up the room and ceiling. It kept Khush from feeling trapped while also blocking people from getting an eyeful.
As we watched, the front wall flickered, then disappeared. Khush grinned at us, and my eyes widened as I saw the bundle in his arms. I couldn't see much of the baby from here, but they were crying up a storm, which was supposed to mean they were healthy.
Zephyr sucked in a breath, and at first I thought it was because of the baby. But then I spotted movement around Khush's neck, and my eyes widened when I spotted a slim, green snake wrapped around his neck. It took me a moment to connect the dots.
"Twins?" I shouted, walking closer to get a better look. Fuck, I wanted to go up there. I had a feeling Khush wouldn't be going more than ten steps away from his mate for the foreseeable future, so there was no chance he'd come downstairs.
Khush nodded, and I'd never quite seen that mix of adoration and excitement on his face. Fuck, my best friend was adadnow.
"They didn't show up in the ultrasound, thankfully," he said, and I shook my head.
"I really, really want to hug you right now," I mumbled, then shook my head. "But Dustin probably doesn't need me trampling around right now. Later?"
"Later," Khush agreed, and I stepped back as others took my place, cooing over the babies as I turned to Zephyr, my eyes wide.
He pulled me into a hug, and I sank into his strong arms, overwhelmed. My best friend was a father. Wow.
"Why am I so shocked that Khush is a dad? I mean, I had a nine-month warning this was gonna happen," I said with a chuckle, and Zephyr hummed.
"Come on, let's go get some sleep. Touya, I'm sure everyone's heard by now, and I'm sure you're sleepy as well. Sorry to bother you, but could you spread the good news and let everyone know they can get some sleep? We can start our day at lunch tomorrow. Just let Jacinta know so food isn't wasted."
"You got it, Headmaster," Touya said with a smile, and Zephyr led me back to his room. We hadn't really talked about me staying last night, but I was glad Zephyr wanted me with him.
We slid into bed after undressing, and I wrapped my arms around Zephyr, then paused when my hand brushed the metal of his prosthetic.
"Zephyr, you need to take your arm off."
Zephyr sighed, but didn't move, and I leaned up on an elbow to look at him.
"You know I wouldn't look at you any different without it, right?"
He hesitated, then nodded, and I pressed a kiss on his temple. "If you still don't feel comfortable, how about I put on a blindfold? I won't look. I just want you to be comfortable."
Zephyr grumbled under his breath, then sat up with his back to me. He reached up with his right hand, and fiddled withthe prosthetic, though I couldn't see it from this angle. The prosthetic clicked, whirred, and came away in his hand.
He placed it on the nightstand, then lay back down and quickly pulled the blanket up to his shoulder. Since he didn't want me to see, I didn't try to catch a peek either. I hoped he would trust me with all of himself one day, but I could be patient.
I wrapped my arm around his waist, tugging him back against my chest, and he sighed in contentment. Letting my own eyes fall shut, I drifted off quickly, exhausted after the night's events. I'd given the first blowjob of my life to my first crush, and then my first and best friend became a dad. Wait, that sounded weird in a single sentence.
Zephyr
The next day, or later that day, to be accurate, the Sanctuary was in full celebration mode. Jacinta cooked up a veritable feast, and we spent the time from lunch to dinner in the Dining Room, though people kept dipping in and out to check on Dustin and Khush.
Michelle had insisted Dustin stay in bed for at least a few days to regain his strength, and Khush was taking her words as gospel, if Dustin's irritated shouted "I can piss on my own, dammit!" was anything to go by.
The other humans had decided to take up the job of keeping Dustin from killing his mate from sheer annoyance, and Touya and Liam were especially good at it.
"Let me go, you shadowy asshole!" I blinked as Khush pulled away from Shade, who'd just appeared in the middle of the Dining Room with Khush and Diego in tow. He quickly sank intoDiego's shadow, probably more to get away from Khush than the lights.
"Dustin said Khush needs a break," Diego said with a strained smile, and I assumed the words Dustin had used were a lot less genial.
"I don't need a break. I need to be with Dustin," Khush growled, but before he could aim for the exit, Keoni threw his arms around him.
"Finally! I've been wanting to hug you since yesterday. Hey!" Keoni cried out as Khush pushed him back, and I stepped forward. No matter how annoyed Khush was, I wouldn't let him harm Keoni.
But then a small green snake slithered out of his tank top and around his neck, and I realized Khush had been trying to keep his kid from getting squished.
"Oh my God! They're so cute!" Keoni exclaimed, completely sidetracked. "Have you named them yet?"
