Page 45 of Sanctuary
Ori nodded, not really paying attention. "Do you have a moment? I want to talk to you about something."
Patton went still like he was on a hunt and his eyes grew darker. "Sure," he said and glanced over at his assistant, then back at Ori. "I'll just clean up here. I'm pretty much done anyway."
Ori nodded and went to curl up in the ragged armchair in the living room. One of the other boys, whose name Ori had never quite caught, was stretched out on the couch watching daytime TV and Ori settled in, baffled as usual as to why someone would want to marry their husband's grandfather.
They'd just gotten to the screaming and accusations part of the show when Patton stuck his head in through the door. "I'm done."
Ori practically leapt off the chair, nodded politely to the room's other occupant and followed Patton up to their room which, thankfully, was empty of its other occupants.
They sat on the lower of their two beds. Patton's bed. Patton flopped back on the mattress with a happy sigh and pulled Ori down beside him. "I'm glad it's storming today," he said, kind of randomly. "Nice to be able to stay home."
Ori nodded agreement, though Patton wasn't away that often. Just on the occasions that he found work that didn't need a social security number, which tended to come in spurts. "I need to tell you something."
Patton lifted his head and his whole body went tense. "Are you okay? Is...?" He nodded toward Ori's belly.
"I'm fine, but this is a problem." Ori took Patton's hand and slipped it under the hoodie that Patton had bought him when he first started to show and which Ori had worn religiously since. He guided Patton's fingers to the undone button, then beneath that to the firm solidity of his expanding womb beneath. "I can't do up the button," Ori whispered.
Patton lay silent for a long moment, his fingers roaming softly over Ori's belly. "Is he sleeping?"
"Must be. Pretty quiet down there." Ori smiled and pulled his hand away from his belly to tangle his fingers in Patton's hair. "We can't stay much longer. I'm going to need new pants again, but the sweatshirt is only going to hide him for so long."
Patton sighed and hid his face against Ori's shoulder. "I wanted another month."
Ori closed his eyes. "I don't think I do." He sighed. "Is it strange that I miss running as a wolf? I mean, beyond our duty to the gods." He raised his arms above his head and stretched, as if that could ease the tightness that only came from not surrendering to the other half of his soul.
"You can run as much as you want when you get to Mercy Hills," Patton promised him.
A rustling noise and a gasp came from the direction of the door. "What the fuck are you?" It was the young man from the living room.
Ori sat up, Patton only a second behind him. "What are you doing in our room?" Ori snarled. It was a rule of the shelter that you stayed out of other peoples’ rooms. People had been kicked out for breaking it.
"I was just walking by." The young man's eyes were wide, staring, not at Ori's face, but lower.
Ori looked down and felt the blood drain out of his face. The hoodie had gotten caught somehow on the waist of his jeans, which gaped open, exposing the very obvious bulge of Ori's nearly four month belly.
Asked later, Ori couldn't have said exactly what happened. He felt the bed shift and the sudden coolness as Patton moved and the next thing he knew he was alone in the room and the bedroom next door roared with an awful commotion.
Common sense kicked in and Ori went for their bags, shoving their belongings haphazardly into them.
Patton found him in the bathroom, filling the water bottles they hadn't yet thrown out. "We have to leave."
"I figured that." Ori kissed him and capped the bottle in his hand. "Check the room for anything I missed that you want, okay?" Patton nodded and left and Ori kept filling bottles. At least they had warm winter coats now, and Patton had good boots. Maybe they could hit the used clothing store on their way out of town and find some for Ori too.
Patton came back. "We're good." He scooped up the filled bottles and shoved them into his backpack. "Here, I'll fill the rest while you put your jacket on."
Obediently, Ori moved to the side and let Patton at the sink. His jacket was a size too large--they'd bought it like that, knowing that his waist was going to continue to grow over time. It fit, barely, but it was warm and that was all Ori was concerned about at the moment.
Patton shoved the last of their water bottles into Ori's bag. "Ready?"
Ori nodded, his heart pounding. "Any idea which way we go?"
"Follow the sun," Patton said. It'll get us close, anyway, I think. And look for road signs." He rubbed Ori's arm. "Don't worry, I'm gonna take care of you."
"I know. You always have." Ori let Patton usher him out into the hallway. He glanced at the other room, the one where all the noise had come from. "Patton, you didn't hurt him, did you?"
"No. Scared him good, though. Enough to give us a head start. He knows what we are." Patton went padfoot down the stairs, his head swiveling from one side to the other with every step. Checking for the houseparent, Ori thought. Yeah, they didn't want to be stopped.
There was one thing Ori wanted to do, though. While Patton tied his boots--Ori could just slip his sneakers on--he found a scrap of paper and pencil and wrote a short note.
