Chapter 79
Killian sat there, near the edge of the bed, tablet in hand.
With it having been a week since the Gorgon gave birth, Ender was standing next to him, instead of sitting, because the Cryptid had felt the need to get up and walk around.
Though, Ender wasn’t really doing much walking at the moment, and hadn’t been since Cyrus had left for a meeting.
Currently, both of them were just staring at the eggs in the incubator that was hovering about five inches above the nest, while throwing out more name options for the babies.
About thirty inches in length, and fifteen inches tall, the machine was shaped similarly to a hockey puck, but with an odd pucker-like thing at the center on the bottom, which sucked up the eggs when activated.
It was clear, aside from the plush red velvet colored lining on the bottom, and the circuitry that ran along the top of the incubator.
“Endry?” Ender suggested.
“I like that,” Killian hummed as he added it to the list, before asking, “How many non-Gorgon traits do you think they will have?”
“Won’t know until they are older, I’m afraid,” the Cryptid mused. “Definitely depends on how early your kind and Cyrus’ develop as well.”
Killian frowned as he had an unpleasant thought. “Can…all Gorgons get pregnant?”
“No, we have sex subsects like your kind does, though we don’t have a mark, and we can’t change our sex at will. You can ask Ruby at the next scan if you want. With them out of my stomach, and that pesky stone barrier gone, she should have a pretty clear view to tell if either has the capability.”
Killian…wasn’t sure if he was ready to know. He also didn’t know how he’d react if the child he sired ended up having a mark…
He smiled weakly when Ender gently ran a hand up and down his back. “It’ll be fine, promise!”
He found the words slightly comforting. And while he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain that he wasn’t imagining it, he was pretty sure the Gorgon was acting a hell of a lot more…
friendly? He wasn’t sure if that was the right word.
The man just seemed less distant, and part of him was trying to not get his hopes up that Ender had changed his mind about what he wanted with them.
Though, it was easy to distract himself by focusing on taking care of Ender’s needs, and just the eggs themselves.
What Killian found not so easy was trying to not think about the fact he’d cried for the first time in years.
He’d so far managed to avoid dissecting the moment.
Mainly as thinking about it sent him into a bit of a panic.
Either way, his issues aside, the Gorgon was a hell of a lot calmer, and possibly a little less paranoid, now that the eggs were out.
Killian was slightly surprised that the sudden drop in hormones didn’t cause further negative effects, but Ruby had assured him that Gorgons tended to level out just fine in the aftermath, and that their main issue was always during pregnancy.
Well, aside from the urgent need Ender now had to stay near his eggs.
“How about Nevy?”
“Oh, yes!” Ender gasped.
“We are going to have a list five hundred names long, and be no closer to picking by the time the eggs hatch, aren’t we?” Cyrus said with a chuckle as he walked into the bedroom.
“It’s good to have options,” the Gorgon huffed, the man glaring with him at the Fate.
“It is,” Killian agreed. “This is a name they could have for the rest of their lives. We have to pick a good one.”
“Yeah!” Ender snapped.
Cyrus held up his hand, as if to ward them off. “Okay, okay, I cave. Let’s keep going.”
“We were regardless of what you said,” he drawled dryly.
“Yeah, I feel you two are just trying to bully me.”
Killian let out a fake gasp that mimicked Ender’s, as the Gorgon said, “We would never. Now…go feed my chickens.”
Cyrus let out a groan. “Is that my punishment for arguing?”
“No, it’s just that Quill informed me that they are lonely and need company,” Ender stated cutely, as if it made sense.
The Fate scoffed. “Sounds like a punishment to me.”
“How could you be so heartless to our babies?!” the Gorgon whined.
Killian would have laughed at the dramatics, but instead, his eyes widened at the word ‘our’. He sent a look Cyrus’ way, to see if he had been the only one who heard it and noticed.
The Fate met his wide eyes with ones of his own, mouthing ‘our’ silently, before asking, “Our babies?”
“Yes!” Ender huffed, as if annoyed, but the blush forming on his pale cheeks told another story. “You must understand that you can’t just parent the two new eggies, but also our older eggies too.”
Killian smiled at that, and allowed just a little bit of hope for more with Ender slip free.
“Ah, of course,” Cyrus said with a soft smile. “How silly of me not to realize. I’ll go do that.”
Ender tried to fight the heat he felt in his face, his heart beating double time as Cyrus turned back around and left.
He hadn’t exactly admitted out loud that he was now interested in what the two had to offer. But like, him offering them his chickens was pretty clear evidence that he WAS now. So, did he really need to say it?!
Ender almost looked away when he met Killian’s gaze and found the man smirking. “Parents to your chickens now, are we?”
The heat came rushing back, spreading throughout his whole face as he stuttered nervously, “Y-yes!? Complaints?!”
“Not a one, I’m quite fond of them.” The Siren tugged him onto the bed and into his arms, before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “As I am of the one who raised them.”
Ender blustered a bit, before clearing his throat and hugging him back, sighing happily as he leaned against the man.
Cyrus sidestepped a chicken that tried to lunge at him. “Okay, like, I am happy about being sent here, or rather, the way I was sent here, but could you at least be a bit nicer to me?!” he snapped.
His words were followed by angry clucking, as how dare he come to feed them and not Ender. Cyrus stepped back again, glaring at the familiar golden yellowish chicken who had just tried to attack him. “Motherfucker. Don’t make me put you in air jail, Billina!”
At the sound of the door opening, he turned with a brow raised when all of the chickens fled to their coops. Cyrus eyed Severo for a moment before asking, “How did you do that?”
The Shadow Dweller chuckled. “I’m not going to tell you, because it could then get back to Ender, and I like breathing.”
“I see…”
The fucker had probably scared the shit out of them with shadows.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “So…how are…things?”
Not that they could be that great, considering the man had to flee with his family.
“Shitty. Seri’s now on leave from school, as we can’t really risk them tracing things back to here.
Ender told me he would get things set up so Seri could continue his doctoral research here, along with providing a way to submit his work online, without fearing it will be used to find us, but until then, we have to hold off. ”
Cyrus winced. “I’m so sorry. I know how hard he worked to go back.”
“It is what it is. Seri…” Severo sighed and took a seat in the grass. “Seri has been rather understanding, to be honest. After what he’s been through, this is definitely not what I wanted for him or us.”
Cyrus chose to sit next to the Dweller over awkwardly staring down at him. “I’ll do whatever I can to fix this, Severo.”
Severo stared at him silently for a moment before drawling, “What if the only way is for you to go back? I may not have mentioned it to you, but it became clear pretty fast, based on the questions people told me he was asking, that more than Killian, you are the one Brom wants.”
“I…” He swallowed hard. “I can’t leave them… I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”
The Shadow Dweller smiled. “I know. I haven’t been here long, but I’m not blind. You three seem, as Ender would say, mighty close.”
“I don’t know how it happened,” he said with a chuckle, before groaning, “Fuck, he’s a nut.”
Severo barked a laugh. “That is an understatement if I ever heard one.”
Cyrus rubbed the back of his neck. “To be honest, I don’t know what is here, between the three of us, but Killian and I would… Well, we want to see where it goes. And it seems, since the eggs were laid, that Ender isn’t as cold to the idea as he used to be.”
“Yeah, your looks haven’t been the only warm ones. Ender seems…happy. You two do too, even if you also look very stressed.”
“Yeah… But, Severo, seriously, I promise I will do all that I can to fix this. Just not…"
“That,” the man finished for him. “I get it. I imagine my answer would be the same if I were you. But honestly, Cyrus, this really isn’t on you to fix. You didn’t do anything wrong, aside from double-teaming a universally wanted criminal.”
Cyrus blanched. “Don’t fucking word it like that.”
Severo smirked. “Sorry, would double-dipping work better?”
He shoved him. “Shut the fuck up.”
The Dweller tilted a bit before righting himself, laughing as he did. “Either way, quitting your job shouldn’t lead to this bullshit.”
“Did you pick up anything from Brom while you were working under him?”
“I honestly just tried to stay the fuck away from the bastard. Easy to do when I can evade by slipping into the Shadow Realm. And you Fates, it’s not like you can just break in. I'm pretty sure it’s the one place you all can’t go, unless allowed or helped.”
Cyrus’ eyes widened at that. “We can’t?”
“You can’t, as far as I know. And Brom sure as shit couldn’t get in when I did it right in front of him.”
“I didn’t know that. But I suppose I should have realized it, based on how personalized Shadow Realms are, and considering it’s hard for you Dwellers to even break into someone else's if it's unwanted.”
“Yeah. Brom though, the man’s intense. He was pissed off, for sure, but it was like his need to know where the fuck you are, and bring you back, was almost an obsession. What about you? Know anything about him?”
“Not much. I know he is old, much older than anyone here, but he wasn’t someone my parents let me be around much. I really only knew of him due to some of the decisions he spearheaded while on the council.
“But I think I’ve met him before, by accident.
It was one of the times when I really remember my father being adamant that I stay the hell away from someone.
Yet, I can’t picture him.” Cyrus frowned.
“You know, it’s odd, but I don’t even think Ender’s paranoid ass has looked him up, despite all of the problems he’s been causing. ”
Severo pursed his lips. “That is odd. With how Ender is, I’d think the first thing he’d do when the name came up would be to unearth whatever he could about him.” The man sighed. “I suppose, we’ll figure something out. In the meantime, vacation, I guess…”