Page 17 of Our Haunted Omegas
“We don’t set this up for every festival. Sometimes we set it up for no reason. I just figured they’d like to know we both met our true-mates. My dad has sent a few texts congratulating us and letting me know to tell him if we need anything. Missy told him what happened. I think he’s relieved that it’s you all. I mean there are a lot of cultural differences still but he seems to think you two can talk us into ‘finally enjoying life.’”
“No one’s going to tell you to quit your job. You know besides Teal getting his heartbroken that’s the whole reason we stayed in London. It’s probably not going to happen – that our grandparents and parents die but we stayed to learn more about how it all works. We’ve been learning our whole lives, but we’re focused on different things now. Though, those things aren’t really mine to talk about.”
“Teal,” Ambry grinned.
“If he wasn’t my brother, I’d be jealous of the way you say his name.”
“Everyone who knows anything about the world says his name like that. That’s why it’s a miracle—” he stopped. We might be alone in the living room, but we were both on the flight link and I’d have put money on my grandcarrier paying more attention to us now than he usually would.
Ambry spread a silky tablecloth over the table. It was embroidered with the skyline of Old London before the war. He set out candles and framed photographs before pushing himself upright and coming to sit on the loveseat with me. My armwrapped around his shoulders as if it had a mind of his own. Not touching him left me aching and being close to him was the only thing that soothed that feeling and massaged out that emotional knot.
“You can see why I warned you about the apartment,” Ambry said, searching for something to talk about.
“It’s cozy,” I shrugged. “Look, you’re here. That means it’s the best damn apartment in all of London.”
“He wasn’t lying about punching and kicking in his sleep. It doesn’t happen every night, but it happens a lot with his nightmares.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I don’t have as many. Though—That’s his to talk about to,” Ambry sighed. “Don’t get me wrong I have my own anxieties about the war. Anytime I talk to someone it feels like it’s going to be the last time. Like I had to text Missy when we got home because I was afraid she’d die mad at us, and we weren’t trying to be dicks. If Dad doesn’t answer when I call him, I’m certain he’s dead. Yes. I’ve done therapy. Nope. It still hasn’t gone away. And nope, the family link doesn’t help unless he says something.”
“I would probably think the same thing about my parents,” I said.
“I believe you.”
“You should. They always answer the phone. It doesn’t matter what’s going on. If they can’t answer they text or use one of the links or something. If they acted out of character, I’d worry.”
“I sort of want to climb on your lap right now but that seems to be at a great juxtaposition to the topic of conversation,” Ambry said, his cheeks glowing pink.
“I don’t think it is,” I said, picking him up and putting him on my lap. “I happen to think the lack of seating was planned onyour and Odie’s behalf. You planned to have only a love seat so if you had guests someone would end up on someone else’s lap.”
“Usually, we make new boyfriends sit on the floor,” he said, his expression turning serious again.
“Glad to know we’re sofa-league,” I smirked. “I think I really need to kiss you. All my atoms are squirmy and you keep talking and I can’t look away from your lips.”
“You know kissing leads to other things, right?” Ambry asked.
“Don’t you still have the test in your pocket?”
“Well, not right this second. I did take the apron off, mate,” Ambry laughed, and I could’ve drowned in the sound. “But that’s only one.”
“Well, I think Cobalt and Odie are going to sleep and I don’t think you plan on fucking around with Teal no matter how you say his name,” I said, settling my hands on the tantalizing curve of his hip.
“Uh… One,” he pointed to me. “Two. Odie isn’t the only one who avoids doctors.”
“There are more tests in the glovebox. Hell, there might be tests in the basket. Teal’s a forward thinker like that. Though, it’s hard to get a dragon sick.”
“Eh, no it’s not. You just carry most things and spread them around without showing symptoms,” he poked me in the chest. “I’m not playing that game of you passing unseen cooties of my own back to me. I don’t think I’ve caught anything but if this is forever, I want to make sure we start off in a good place. It’s bad enough we met at my job and---”
“That’s not just your job, though, mate. That’s your future. That’s your family’s business. That would be like us meeting at public court and me saying ‘aw, shucks, why did we meet at my job?’”
“If you say so. I was wearing an apron and screaming at Missy for throwing sponges at me. It was not ideal.”
“One day we will laugh about it when we share that story,” I pointed out. “It’s what old people do and one day we shall be old. I bet our kids will love it.”
We both fell silent. The opportunity to discuss offspring hadn’t arisen in the short time since we met. I wanted kids. Of course, I wanted kids. I grew up in a house full of cousins and siblings. I couldn’t imagine not having kids but since that wasn’t a feat I could accomplish alone what I wanted didn’t matter that much. If I didn’t have kids maybe Cobalt or Teal would, and I could be the uncle who spoiled them so rotten that their parents had to try to unspoil them before sending them out into the real world where Uncle Indigo would still be around to bail them out of trouble.
“I’m not quiet because it’s a no. I’m quiet because how the hell would we fit two kids in this house? I mean, even if we only have one and they have one…. But you’re triplets…”
