Eight
Caelan
I didn't think either of us got any sleep last night, and it was even more apparent as I watched Walker zombie-walk over to the coffee machine, his head slumped. I resisted the urge to smile at his appearance, instead turning my attention to my phone.
The demons who lived in the human realm were free to do whatever they pleased, for the most part, as long as they didn't hurt any humans or reveal themselves for what they were. All we'd be doing was checking in on each of them to make sure they were upholding their side of the deal, and I didn't think it would take more than a couple of weeks.
"Morning," I greeted him as I slumped on the other end of the couch. He grunted at me, eyes still narrowed into slits, and leaned his head against the backrest, the coffee mug clutched between his palms like a lifesaver. I would never understand people's addiction with that sludge.
"Good morning, boys," Ro greeted as he appeared on the coffee table out of thin air, and Walker scowled at him.
"Shuddup, Ro. I have a headache," he groaned, and Ro'Shassz tsked.
"Did you get into the liquor, Walker?" he asked like a concerned parent, and Walker sighed deeply.
"No, Ro. I don't have a hangover," Walker retorted, and I bit back a smile, keeping my eyes firmly on my phone and acting like I wasn't watching the two of them.
"Aaah, I see," Ro murmured, as if he'd just realized something, and Walker huffed.
"No, you don't. You don't see anything," he said, a note of warning in his tone that had me curious. What did he mean by that?
"I'm going to go get cleaned up while you have your breakfast. There are only three demons here in Seattle, so we can check in with them today, and then decide where we want to go next," I said, and Walker glanced up at me, nodding slowly. The three demons had moved here after the original three demon residents decided to tour the human world with their human mate, mostly because Seattle was close to the town of Mistvale, where Fate spent much of their time, and where Maximus had taken some kids he'd rescued almost two decades ago. The town was special to Otherworlders, so we wanted to make sure it was well-guarded.
"Yeah, okay."
In the bedroom, I dug out a pair of dark wash jeans and a blue Henley, placing them on the bed. The weather was a little chilly here, and while I didn't feel cold from it, we needed to keep up appearances, so I'd also packed a couple of jackets, and I picked out my favorite one. It was dark blue, so dark it almost looked black at first glance, and leather. Damien had given it to me a while ago, and I'd worn it practically every day at one point, despite the heat of Otherworld.
I grabbed my towel and headed into the bathroom. After taking a quick shower while ignoring my half-hard cock because I was worried Ro would pop up at any time, I wiped myself down and wrapped the towel around my waist, stepping out of the bathroom.
Walking over to the bed, I ditched the towel and grabbed my underwear, tugging it up. I heard the door open a moment before I heard a very loud "Oh!" and then the door slammed shut again. I turned around, catching the faintest hint of his retreating footsteps as he hightailed it. Did Walker just catch a glimpse of my naked ass?
I dressed quickly, using my fingers to comb my hair, knowing it would be in a disarray the moment it dried. When I felt dressed enough, I stepped out of the bedroom and walked over to the couch, where I could see Walker sitting.
"I'm done if you wanna grab a shower," I said, and he jumped as if I'd screamed at him.
"Uh, yeah. Okay," he said and then rushed off before I could say another word, not that I'd been planning to. I watched him slam the door shut almost too hard, before turning to Ro.
"What happened there? He came back looking like a tomato," Ro said, voice filled with glee, and I shrugged. Somehow, he had become a friend in the last few years, and since he was pretty close to Walker too, I didn't feel wrong sharing things with him.
"He walked in while I was getting dressed," I said, and his eyes practically lit up.
"Did he get a look at what you're packing?" he asked, eyes flitting to my groin, and I felt an urgent need to cover myself up. I grabbed a pillow and covered my lap with it, and he let out a pitiful sound.
"No," I said, and then added, "My ass."
Ro whooped, and I rolled my eyes at him, and he slithered closer to me on the couch.
"There's the confirmation you need. That boy is into you," Ro said.
I shook my head.
"That isn't a confirmation. I'm pretty sure he would've reacted the same if he'd walked in on one of his dads."
"Why is it so hard to get through your thick skulls? You two are so damn similar," he groused, and I smiled at him sheepishly. I wished I could believe Walker actually wanted me, but everything he'd ever done told me otherwise, and I didn't think I could allow myself to hope for something else.
Walker
Caelan has a great ass.
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the thought that refused to leave. Why, why had I walked in on him? Why had I found my eyes glued to those perfect, pale globes?
I was gay, and I'd known that for a long time now. Caelan was a good-looking guy. He was this perfect mix of handsome and pretty, skirting the line between them so that he never fell one way or the other. He was stunning, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him, but then again, any unmated person who is attracted to the male kind would be too. Caelan just demanded attention, and he'd had mine for a long damn time.
Who knew when my childhood adoration of him had turned into a crush, but it was one of the reasons I'd kept him at a distance all these years. To have a crush on a man who was determined to leave you behind every step of the way was foolish, and I hadn't wanted Caelan to realize how I felt for him, which was why I'd pushed him away more and more, acted like a jerk every time I saw him so he could never guess.
I was determined to act like nothing had changed, to act like the whole seeing-his-ass debacle had never happened. Once I was done, I quickly got dressed, brushed my hair, and then headed out, finding Caelan and Ro deep in a conversation that stopped the moment I walked through the door.
Rolling my eyes at them, I headed over to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar. I hated those things, but I hadn't eaten anything yet, so it would have to do.
"The first demon is a few miles north of here. Since some of them live with human roommates, I thought it would be safer to get a cab there," Caelan said, and I shrugged, biting off a huge piece of the bar to keep from speaking.
Caelan sighed and led the way out, while Ro slithered up my leg and into my pocket, decreasing his size so he could fit easily. Why he hadn't done the same yesterday for the grocery store trip was anyone's guess.
"It'll be here in a minute," Caelan said as we stepped inside the elevator, and I nodded. He sighed, rubbed a palm over his face, and then turned to me. "Is something wrong?" he asked, just as the elevator doors opened, and I headed out without answering him, leaving him to chase after me.
Once we were out on the street, it was clear he wasn't letting it go. "Come on, Walker. What is it? Did I do something wrong?"
You look too good , I grumbled in my head, but of course I couldn't say that. "No, Caelan. Everything's fine."
"Sure, and my mom's over in Afterworld waiting for me," he huffed, and I squinted at him, unsure what he meant. Shaking my head, I turned my focus back to the street, watching the people going about their business.
"Walker—" Caelan started again, but I cut him off.
"It's nothing, Caelan. Drop it, okay?" I snapped, and he turned away, nodding jerkily. I felt like an asshole immediately, and I opened my mouth to apologize, but Caelan spoke before I could.
"You know what? We'll go later. I'm going to go take a walk, and maybe you can use that time to decide how you truly feel about me, because you say you don't hate me, but it doesn't feel like that to me, and I don't know how much longer I can take being treated like your personal punching bag. I thought I was done with that life," he said, then walked away from me. Somehow, I always ended up watching him leave, but for the first time, I knew exactly why it was my fault.
A cab rolled to a stop in front of me, and the driver beeped the horn at me. Shaking my head at him, I turned around and headed back into the building, feeling like the worst kind of shit. I'd felt off kilter over the whole ass thing, and like always, I'd taken it out on Caelan. He didn't deserve that. He'd done nothing to earn my ire. My feelings for him weren't his problem, and I needed to do better.
I resolved to apologize the moment he got back, to promise him that I'd never ever mistreat him like that again. I knew he would forgive me. He always did. I knew without a doubt that Caelan cared about me.
While I waited for him, I turned on the TV, found a Disney movie on one of the channels and spread out on the couch to watch it. Dad had gotten me hooked on them a long time ago, and I still enjoyed watching them. Ro slid out of my pocket, slithering onto my chest and returning to his normal size.
"So…that was a shitstorm," he said pointedly, and I sighed.
"Yeah, I'm going to apologize when he comes back," I promised, both to Ro and myself, and he sighed like I was a pain in his ass.
"Make sure you do that. He's not as strong as he looks," he said, and I swallowed hard, glancing away.
I don't know how much longer I can take being treated like your personal punching bag. I thought I was done with that life , he'd said, and I felt a weird burning sensation in my chest at the thought that someone had hurt him like that. Even if it was in his past, someone had hurt Caelan, and I hated that. I hated it even more that I'd reminded him of that person today.
I was determined to apologize, to grovel if necessary.
The day turned into night, and still, there was no sign of Caelan. Had he left again?
Ro'Shassz
This hadn't been part of the plan, but I didn't think everything would be smooth-sailing either. Caelan running off wasn't good, but I knew he would come back. He wouldn't leave Walker alone in the human realm, no matter how angry he was with him, or how hurt. We just needed to wait him out, and if he still didn't show, I'd go and hunt him down myself. I wasn't going to let either of them ruin my hard work, especially not when I was doing it for them. They deserved to be happy, and I wouldn't let them stand in the way of their own happiness.
Step : Get them to be honest with each other for one goddamned conversation.