Epilogue
“Shhhh,” Wren whispered to Blu as he entered the cabin, stepping out of his rubber boots and shedding his outer clothes as he walked through the barely lit hallway.
“Shhh,” Blue whisper-screeched at him, flapping his wings and making more noise than a bird that tiny had any business making.
Wren waved a hand at him, walking toward one of the two doors in his new home. Their new home. He kept having to remind himself that his dream had come true. He was living in his sanctuary, among his animals, with the person he loved more than anything in the world.
The cabin he had built while broken down and trying to find meaning was now filled to the brim with it.
Teddy’s laughter, his warm, comforting voice, the scent of him.
The touches he had put all over the place when he moved in.
Weird artwork he said spoke to him, shelves tucked into corners filled with books, and more pens and paper and notebooks than Wren had ever seen in his life.
There wasn’t a leather-bound journal in existence that Teddy didn’t covet, and Wren swore to himself he would be spending all of the money he had squirreled away over the years to buy him every last one of them.
He slipped down the tiny hallway and placed a hand on the cool surface of the door, thankful to his past self for not closing it properly when he walked out earlier that morning, because the knob was creaking something fierce and neither of them were capable of fixing it on their own.
Wren made a mental note to ask Fix to take care of it that afternoon when they all came over for lunch.
Living away from his brothers hadn’t been an easy decision to make, no matter how long he had dreamed of it and no matter how many nights he’d spent away from their house before he officially moved out.
He had always wanted to live out on sanctuary grounds, but turning it into a reality had been bittersweet in the end.
He missed them. The quiet understanding they offered, and the loud distraction they provided.
The fierce type of love they gave him, and the gentle acceptance of who he was that they showed.
They’d helped him move, Black wailing as he pretended to carry boxes and Midas sneaking protective objects he had accumulated over the years into his stuff as if Wren wasn’t aware of what he owned.
Fix had made sure their freezer was full of meals and Ash had moved their couch so many times in his quest to find the perfect spot that Wren had been sure they’d have to buy a new one before anyone even sat on it.
Hart had appeared stoic. Quietly proud of Wren and calm in the face of all the change.
But Wren saw his hands shake as he put up a framed poster of an eagle soaring through the sky with the words “All birds find shelter during the rain, but an eagle avoids the rain by flying above the clouds” above it.
Wren had no idea what that meant, but he knew the poster would never be taken down.
Even his brothers’ partners had left their marks on their new home.
Morgan had brought them a strange dream catcher made from feathers collected from his pet crow.
Cane hadn’t brought them anything physical, but he had said that if anyone ever gave Teddy and Wren any shit to just call him.
He’d followed it with a wink, and Teddy had thanked him so genially you’d have thought the guy had bought them a new car.
Cane had given him a smile in return and they’d all collectively gasped.
If even Cane liked Teddy then he truly did have some sort of likability magic inside him.
Liam had given them matching sweaters he’d made for them. They were made of thick, dark green cotton and embroidered. Teddy’s had a little wren on it, and Wren’s had a tiny teddy bear. Right above his heart.
Wren loved them so much he’d sworn it was the only clothing he wouldn’t allow to get ripped, besides Teddy’s bear hoodie. Liam had just rolled his eyes and said he’d make them new ones once they got torn.
Teddy’s team had been there too. Trace doing rounds to make sure there were no weak points into their new home, Echo bringing Sable (who they now had split custody of with Wren) and several bottles of bleach to spray every available surface, Heir putting a set of shelves together, and Saint disappearing to play with the animals without doing anything useful.
Eerie had come in flats. That was the extent of his contribution.
After they’d all left, Wren had sunk into Teddy’s arms, looking around the space he’d built so many years ago.
“Is it what you’ve always dreamed of?” Teddy had asked, and Wren had tilted his head toward him.
“Kiss me.”
Teddy had been drawn to him like a magnet, claiming his lips in a slow, painfully sweet kiss. He’d nudged their noses together once they broke it and Wren had smiled. “Now it is.”
Hand still on the door, Wren smiled again at the memory before he pushed, finding Teddy still sound asleep, wrapped in their many blue and green blankets, his hair wild where it was peeking over the edge.
The orange and pink morning light was creeping in through the round window under the arched roof, letting a shaft of sunlight through to warm Teddy’s feet. Blu flew up to his nest there and settled in.
Wren shrugged out of his jeans and sweater before crawling into bed in just his baggy shirt and boxer-briefs.
It still felt surreal to know he got to do it every single day. Wake up and fall asleep next to Teddy.
He rolled onto his side and reached out, touching one strand of dark hair and pushing it away from where it was tickling Teddy’s forehead.
Teddy hummed in his sleep, wiggling forward until his sleep-warm body brushed against Wren’s cold one. “Y’cold.”
“I just got back,” Wren whispered. “Sleep.”
“No.” Teddy shook his head, not cracking an eye open yet but clearly more present than he’d been a moment ago. “You’re here. Don’t want to waste time.”
“We have all the time in the world,” Wren reminded him softly, his heart aching at how long it was taking them to stop fearing the other one would disappear again.
“Not enough,” Teddy said, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around Wren’s waist. “An eternity wouldn’t be enough.”
And then he kissed him in that special way only he knew how to. Like he was claiming and promising and demanding all at once. Like his soul rested behind Wren’s lips and he was trying to get it back.
“I love you,” Wren whispered before he bit Teddy’s lower lip softly. “You have no idea how much I love you.”
“I think I can imagine, if it’s anywhere close to how much I love you back,” Teddy said, using the hand on Wren’s waist to pull him almost on top of himself. Wren cuddled into his chest, ear over his heartbeat.
Nothing felt more like a home than being right there.
“Is it time for my letter?” he asked softly and heard Teddy’s answering rumble deep in his chest.
He reached onto their small oak nightstand, brushing past his journal and a slumbering pile of gerbils to grab the letter he had set there the night before.
Their morning ritual. Erasing one day of sadness at a time, one letter at a time, until there were no more sad days left between them.
“Oh,” Teddy said as he ripped the envelope open. “I remember this one.”
“Is it a good one?” Wren asked, chin resting on Teddy’s sternum.
“It’s a funny one.”
“I am in the mood for funny.” Wren wiggled in anticipation, tangling their legs together beyond any hope of sorting.
“Ready?” Teddy asked when he finally settled, the word filled with affection and amusement.
“Ready.”
Teddy kissed the top of his head and unfolded the worn paper.
“Little Bird…”