Pack #2
Quin exchanged a look with Toni, before hesitantly placing her hand on Cya’s tail again.
“For what it’s worth, we understand some of what you’re feeling right now, because we’ve been there.
Toni and I, we… get it. It’s not easy, but it does get better.
And I promise, you’re more than they believed of you, more than you believe of yourself. You’ve got this, Cya.”
Chest hitching, Cya shook their head. “I don’t know how to—”
“You’ve got this,” she repeated with more feeling. “And in the moments you don’t, you’ll have us. You’re not alone.”
“Pack,” Dex reminded them, and they offered him a watery smile. It was small and trembling, but it was there.
The tender moment stretched, then snapped when Hemersyn said, “I hate to interrupt, but where exactly am I going?”
“Head to Gluttony,” Toni said as Quin settled straight in her seat again. “Glyma’s waiting for Quin there.”
When Toni rattled off his address, the Avia typed it into the GPS and directed the car toward Gluttony.
Forty minutes later, they pulled up to the curb outside Toni’s building where both Glyma and Jude were waiting.
Glyma helped Quin out of the car, and, still too pale, she wobbled slightly, leaning heavily on the Succubus.
Cya hid their face in Dex’s neck, letting him do the talking as Glyma checked in through the open window. After Dex reassured her that they were safe, the Succubus gave Cya’s hair a motherly stroke, then pecked Dex’s cheek, making him flush from the tips of his ears to his toes.
Jude replaced Glyma at Dex’s window, arms crossed over his chest. “All good?”
“We will be.” Dex kissed Cya’s head as they burrowed deeper into his neck. “Be extra nice to Toni today; he got triggered by Cya’s mom.”
Smirking, Jude angled his head back and up at the Elas as Toni hooked his arms around the human’s neck. “Oh? Was she horrible?” he asked, butchering the last word with an exaggerated Maryno accent.
Toni snorted and nuzzled Jude’s temple. “She was very dramatic. I’m gonna need lots of healing kisses from you to get over it.”
“Meh, just bake a manicotti.”
“I know you’re joking, but I probably will,” Toni said, and they both laughed.
Dex didn’t get the joke, but he was happy to see the affection shared between them. There was still a tinge of melancholy hovering over them, but when Toni kissed Jude’s cheek, the human closed his eyes and smiled.
“Take it easy. Both of you,” Jude said to Dex as he threaded his fingers with Toni’s and led him back toward their building.
“Call if you need anything,” Toni added.
“Let us know if either of you need some time off to… get things sorted,” Glyma said from the sidewalk, and Dex nodded.
As Hemersyn pulled away from the curb, Dex texted his mom with a very short rundown so she’d be prepared for their arrival, immensely grateful Jasmyn was at a friend’s house for a slumber party tonight.
He wanted to be a kid right now and let the adults handle things, and he couldn’t relax completely if he had to worry about his sister.
Instead of dropping Cya off like he had so many times before, Hemersyn parked and followed them to Dex’s flat.
His mom was waiting at the door, having tracked his location, and she immediately enveloped Cya in a tight hug.
They didn’t immediately reciprocate, but eventually, they lifted their arms and returned the embrace.
Inside the flat, Cya sat on the couch between Dex and Hemersyn, dry-eyed and detached, picking the nail polish off their thumb in little flecks that peppered their lap.
Scooting closer, Dex snuffled against their temple and ear, nosing at their jaw until they turned toward him.
Their golden eyes were dull and lifeless, and he pressed his forehead to theirs, whining deep in his chest. They cupped his cheek with one hand, touching the raised bump between their nostril slits to the tip of his nose.
Dex’s mom offered food, then drinks, both of which Cya and Dex refused.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a bottle of sherry, would you?” Hemersyn asked.
“No, but I have cheap whiskey,” she said.
Hemersyn rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “Sounds like a fine alternative.”
Four tumblers with a finger of whiskey each found their way to the coffee table, and even though Dex wasn’t much of a drinker, he nursed one slowly. His mom clutched her glass between her hands but didn’t drink it. Hemersyn took a healthy sip, eyes closing as it went down.
Cya stared at the fourth glass on the table, eyes glazed over. Then they grabbed it and threw the whole contents back in one go.
“Whoa,” Dex said as Cya slammed the glass down, face screwing up as they coughed.
“Good gods, what is that?” they wheezed.
“Whiskey,” his mom said.
“It’s ghastly,” they said, pointing at the empty glass. “Can I have another?”
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Hemersyn said.
“Yeah, you should probably—oh, okay, or just take mine,” Dex said as Cya snatched his tumbler out of his hand and downed that one too.
They shuddered at the taste, coughing again, and Hemersyn took the glass from them, quickly drinking his own empty to ensure Cya didn’t steal it too. “That’s enough of that,” he said, setting both glasses on the coffee table.
Blinking at Hemersyn, Cya’s brow furrowed, then their eyes widened. “Oh my gods, Hemersyn, your job! You lost your job!”
“Tut, tut,” he waved away from their concern. “I didn’t lose anything. I quit. There’s a difference.”
“But… but… your livelihood. You shouldn’t have sacrificed it for me.”
“Did you really think I would stay? After what they said to you? Come now, I know you’re smarter than that,” he said with an almost patronizing curl to his mouth.
“Besides, how much longer did you expect me to remain under their employ? You’re grown now, and I’m not getting any younger. It was only a matter of time.”
Like the thought of Hemersyn not being around forever had never crossed their mind, Cya slumped into the back of the couch and frowned. “But you don’t have a job now.”
“Don’t worry about me. I know your parents’ financial situation, which I used to my advantage at every salary negotiation.” He winked. “I have a very modest nest egg. I’ll be fine. Perhaps I’ll even retire early.”
“But—” they tried again, and he quieted them with a talon to their lips.
“Hush now. I’m fifty-four years old, and I’ve been handsomely compensated for over two decades. I will be more than comfortable as I search for new employment.” The talon at their mouth flipped to tap under their chin instead. “Right now, let’s focus on your next steps, yes?”
“Cya’s welcome to stay here as long as they need to,” Dex’s mom said, and Dex sent her a grateful smile.
“Thank you,” he signed.
She blew him a subtle kiss, then refocused on Cya. “Jasmyn can sleep with me, so you can take her room. Or you can stay in Dex’s room, of course. Whatever you prefer.”
Cya chin wobbled. “That’s very generous.”
Clearing his throat, Hemersyn placed a hesitant hand on their shoulder. “I had hoped you would consider taking my spare bedroom, but if you’d prefer staying here, I understand.”
“You want me to live with you?” they asked, and even Dex could hear the hope in their voice.
The Avia chirped nervously, his crest fluttering. “It’s not much. Just a modest two-bedroom over the Envy border, but you’re most welcome. As long as you don’t mind rooming with an old bird like me.”
A sob hiccupped in their chest, and they threw their arms around Hemersyn’s neck. “I don’t mind. I promise I won’t be a bother, and I’ll even learn how to clean the bathroom. You know, if I have to.”
Feathers puffing up, Hemersyn cooed and bundled Cya close. “You’re never a bother, my dear.”
“It won’t be but a few days until I find a place for myself.” They pulled away and wiped their nose on the back of their hand. “How do I do that, by the way? Is it difficult?”
He chuckled, gazing down at them adoringly. “You can stay with me as long as you like.”
“Oh thank gods,” they choked out between teary sobs. “I don’t want to live alone. Please don’t make me leave.”
Talons framed their wet face, and he kissed their forehead, drawing them back into his embrace. “Never. You have a home with me as long as you want it.”
“I love you,” they confessed into his plumage, and Hemersyn’s eyes glossed over.
“You are the joy of my heart,” he whispered, and Cya burst into fresh tears.
As she dabbed at her eyes, Dex’s mom sent him a watery smile, and, eyes burning with his own tears, he scrambled around the coffee table, dropped to his knees beside her chair, and buried his face in her stomach, arms squeezing her tight.
“I love you, Mom,” he croaked, and she folded herself over him, covering his head with kisses.
“I love you too, baby, and I’m so proud of you.”
His tail thumped against the carpet, and he peeked out between his mother’s arms to meet Cya’s teary gaze. Head tucked under Hemersyn’s chin, they smiled at him. It trembled but held, and he smiled back.
Lifting a hand, Cya spelled out, “P. A. C. K.”
“Pack,” he signed the word, and Cya copied it. Dex nodded, settling more comfortably on the floor with his head in his mother’s lap as she pet him soothingly. “Yeah, this is pack.”
“Home,” they signed next.
“Yes,” he agreed again. “Home.”
Curled against Hemersyn’s chest, they sighed, and Dex inhaled their sweet relief.
“It’s good to be home,” Cya signed, and Dex couldn’t have agreed more.