Page 15 of Cassian

“Well, there’s ‘I’m probably bi,’ and there’s ‘you have a mate for all eternity, and also you have to be a vampire at some point.’”

“You know you don’thaveto be anything,” Danny pointed out. “Free will still exists.”

“I’m not going to abandon Cass.” Blake’s voice came out harsher than he intended.

“I didn’t think you would,” Danny said mildly. “I’m just saying… Mates may be endgame, but you don’t have to start at the end. Why not start with trying to be boyfriends? But like, for real, not just for lying to hospital personnel.”

Blake straightened from his crouch. Boyfriends. That didn’t sound half as scary. He pictured their now-familiar tradition of movies in bed, except this time he could kiss Cass whenever he wanted, anytime Cass said something too cute to handle, like listing the reasons the sci-fi movie they were watching had just broken the laws of physics. Blake could rub Cass’s back, kiss his neck, not worry about popping some inopportune hard-on he told himself was reflexive because hey, those would be expected. He’d be cuddling with hisboyfriend.

And they’d be like that couple at the fast-food place, arms around each other, sharing a plate of fries…

“Hey, can Cass still eat french fries?”

Danny’s eyes widened at the non sequitur. “As long as he gets enough blood, he can eat whatever he wants. His body pretty much functions like usual.”

Blake felt like a weight had just fallen off his shoulders. “Chill.” He gave the dog one last pat for good measure. “Okay, I’m off. Gonna ask Cass to be my boyfriend.”

“It was that easy, huh? I barely had to talk you off the ledge at all.”

Blake shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I’m pretty simple. Always have been. Kind of boring, actually. But Cass doesn’t seem to mind.”

Danny had a small smile on his face. “No, I’d say he doesn’t.”

six

Cass

Casswaschangingintofresh pajamas when he heard the sound of the hotel lock disengaging.

He’d tried to occupy himself until Blake’s hopeful return as best he could, showering and straightening up his duffel, keeping his phone across the room so he wouldn’t be tempted to send some sort of pathetic text.

That itchy, restless feeling had come back, the one that had led to him running to Blake in the first place that morning (and had it really only been that morning?).

But as Blake appeared in the doorway, looking tired but unfairly beautiful as always, his black hair disheveled and his green eyes shining, smelling like home, everything in Cass eased. He had to physically hold himself back from flinging his body into Blake’s arms like some sort of movie damsel. He was going to bemature, damn it. Selfless, even.

“Hey, buddy.” Blake was staring at him intensely, more intensely than he had when Cass had literally transformed into a vampire right in front of him. Was he worried Cass would bite again?

“Hello, Blake.” See? Super mature.Heys were for kids. Hellos were for grown adults, making grown adult sacrifices, like not getting on their knees and begging Blake to stay with them forever.

“How are you feeling?”

Cass shrugged a shoulder. “Fine. Good, even. I’m not tired at all. Or hungry. Danny gave me some extra blood though, just in case.” He winced as those last words came out of his mouth. Was it too much, to be talking about drinking blood? Was he skeeving Blake out?

But Blake was nodding along like they were discussing Chinese takeout. “Good. That’s good.”

There was an awkward silence then, as they stood facing each other. It was hard not to step closer, hard not to try to breathe Blake in. Fuck. It was going to be more difficult than he’d thought, wasn’t it? Keeping away from Blake? But hehadto.

Cass was just opening his mouth to say so, to tell Blake he didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want, when Blake spoke first. “I want to start as boyfriends.”

Cass stood there, his brain trying its best to catch up to the words he’d just heard. “Um…”

“I’m not saying that’s, you know, endgame. But it’s what I need to start with. Boyfriends first.”

Cass shook his head. “No, that’s not—”

“No?” Blake sounded almost devastated. “You can’t want to—what—turn me this instant?”

“What?” What kind of a bloodthirsty beast did Blake think he was? “No. I mean no to…you know.”

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