Ethan was already in their bedroom when Matthew got back to the hotel. The younger vampire grinned at him happily and Matthew felt another pang of regret at his earlier behaviors. He could have been with his boyfriend hours ago, but instead he had acted like a jealous fool and wasted time on stupid insecurities that he should have gotten over weeks before."I missed you today," Ethan sighed, leaning over to peck him on the lips. "Alec said that you stopped by the wok and went looking for me after the council meeting, but I didn't see you. Did something come up?""Yeah," Matthew lied, wincing at how wrong the word sounded. Ethan was right, he couldn't just ignore his issues and keep Ethan in the dark. It wasn't fair to either of them. "Actually no, not really. I went to the training room to find you, but you were with Ady and I... I don't know, Ethan, I guess I overreacted a little bit. I went to Cammy for a while instead.""What do you mean, you overreacted?" Ethan frowned."I just...
"Matthew, what is it?""Cammy!" Matthew exclaimed a tad too enthusiastically. "I've got a bit of a problem, and I think that you're the perfect person to help!""Flattery will get you nowhere, Matthew," his friend in all but blood snorted. "But go ahead, tell me about this problem. I'll see what I can do.""Right, so you know Ethan?" he started. "My delightful boyfriend whom I love very much and for whom I would do just about anything. Well, he needed someone to look after his little brother today, and I jumped in to help. But now I'm faced with an eight-year-old who doesn't want anything to do with me and seems to think that I'm worse than the devil. He doesn't believe I'm good enough for Ethan, refuses to be 'used as a way to get to him' and also slammed the door to his bedroom in a clear 'i-don't-want-to-talk-to-you' way. Any ideas?""Well, first of all, you shouldn't have accepted a job that you're too inexperienced to handle," Cammy pointed out uselessly. "But have you tried sugg
The change was instantaneous; Sam pursed his lips thoughtfully and looked away from Matthew. His pencil stopped moving, and his grip tightened so much that his knuckles turned white."It would make Ethan happy," he finally said. The answer was a lot more diplomatic than what Matthew had expected, especially since this was clearly something that troubled Sam. "He's a lot happier with you than he's ever been before, even with us, and I think he'd be even happier if he got to live with you.""I hope so," Matthew smiled. "But that's not what I asked, Sam. Look, I can tell that you don't really hate me, regardless of the little show you put on earlier, so why don't you talk to me about what's really bothering you? Is this about me spending too much time with Ethan?""No," Sam mumbled. "Not really. It's just... His last boyfriend used to spend a lot of time here as well, and he even told me that he was going to move in once, even though it didn't happen, and he didn't like it when I was aro
After all, the man had already lived hard life. Alpha, beta, and omega tended to gain marks over the years, for each person they loved or trusted enough to share their soul with. Someone like Matthew, with his warmth and smiles and beauty, should have had dozens of lines littering his skin. A bond would have explained it all.But then, of course, Ethan's gaze flicked towards Matthew other wrist, and his eyes widened at the two lines that adorned it. Two only; one black, the sign of a broken bond, and one golden, shining as brightly as Ethan's. A single active bond."I'm surprised you accepted my offer," Matthew said a few minutes later, swirling his glass and staring at Ethan coyly. "You've been particularly hard to catch, Ethan.""Ah, yes," Ethan grimaced. "I've been... busy. You know how it is, being a Alpha. Or maybe not, but well, you know...""Yes darling, I understand," Matthew chuckled. "I'm just happy to have you here.""Happy- happy to be here," Ethan stuttered, his right fin
All told, Ethan had tried to propose to Matthew in six different occasions since his lunch with Cammy. It was not that Ethan was bad at it, per say. It was just that Matthew was just too good at distracting him. That, and the rest of the world didn't stop trying to kill him.The first time he gathered enough courage to propose, Matthew had mistaken Ethan going down to his knee for something else entirely and made a dirty, dirty remark and Ethan's proposal metaphorically went out the window. Cammy didn't see any of that, thank God, but the flush Cammy had sported when he reported to her his failure was enough. Sammy cackled (when did Ethan lost his ability to glare at her and mean it damn it) and justified himself for going with Matthew assumption by saying:"What, you want me to ask him after a blow job? I actually want him to give me an answer when he's capable of thoughts, Cammy."She had stared at him then, probably because she never had heard Ethan talk so easily about sex before,
"Ethan? Are you okay?" Matthew asked, tearing Ethan from his thoughts.Damn you burgundy Gucci shirt."Yup, just admiring you," he spoke, trying to smother the deep want that was growing in his belly. Ethan wasn't the best orator, but confronted to that shirt, he was usually back to his old incoherent self, stammering half sentences around (that was why he elected to let his body do the talking for him).Matthew batted his eyelashes, accepting the compliment easily."You're wearing a new suit, darling," he commented when Ethan had sat down, eyes riveted to Ethan's chest, "without me having to cajole you in it. Recall me to send something nice to whoever dressed you. Even if truth be told, I'm a bit jealous.""I never got your obsession with dressing rooms Matt," Ethan joked. Opening his menu, he saw that Luigi had put a small note in it Everything is going right on schedule it said. He smiled."Well you're usually half naked in those, I don't see what's not to like. At that point the
Ady was the one that actually tried to cheer him up with something else than kind words and chocolate."So. Heard you tried to dispatch Ci with fish knife?" he asked conversationally. "Want another go at it? Somewhere more... private shall we say?"Ethan would have been lying if he said he didn't consider it. But it wouldn't do shit for the real problem. Him."I'll let you the pleasure. Didn't you and Simon were keeping her around for a special occasion anyway?""Ah yes... Well Jen said, "only crazy, homicidal maniac keep people around to kill them later". He's such a buzzkill sometimes." Ad corrected, a fond expression on his pale face. Ethan had speculated about Ad and Jen for a while, until Alec had announced that he and the young Omega were dating more seriously now, around a year ago."Well, he's not wrong," Ethan mused, "though if you did kill her, your position would be finally secured.""Appealing to me through politics Wil? So, you do want her dead!""Everyone wants her dead.
Amelia laid the stick down on the bathroom counter, where it was surrounded by four others, the plastic clattering softly against the dark marble. Knees weak, she backed away from the counter and sat heavily on the closed lid of the toilet.When she closed her eyes, the pink plus signs swam in her mind. Five tests—four positive, one negative.Amelia was, most definitely, pregnant.She buried her face in her palms, her lips quivering as hot tears brimmed in her eyes. Her lips parted with a tiny sob and a sniffle.She was pregnant.She really was.And she had no idea who the father of her child was.Flashback (two months ago)"This place is awesome, isn't it?" Emily grinned. "I've been dying to take you here.""Yeah, it's great." Amelia scrutinized the club before turning back at Emily and smiling. "How did you know about this place?""Ben had suggested it." Emily lifted up her glass of martini to her lips.Amelia followed Emily's action and drank her own, even though she didn't like it
Ady was the one that actually tried to cheer him up with something else than kind words and chocolate."So. Heard you tried to dispatch Ci with fish knife?" he asked conversationally. "Want another go at it? Somewhere more... private shall we say?"Ethan would have been lying if he said he didn't consider it. But it wouldn't do shit for the real problem. Him."I'll let you the pleasure. Didn't you and Simon were keeping her around for a special occasion anyway?""Ah yes... Well Jen said, "only crazy, homicidal maniac keep people around to kill them later". He's such a buzzkill sometimes." Ad corrected, a fond expression on his pale face. Ethan had speculated about Ad and Jen for a while, until Alec had announced that he and the young Omega were dating more seriously now, around a year ago."Well, he's not wrong," Ethan mused, "though if you did kill her, your position would be finally secured.""Appealing to me through politics Wil? So, you do want her dead!""Everyone wants her dead.
"Ethan? Are you okay?" Matthew asked, tearing Ethan from his thoughts.Damn you burgundy Gucci shirt."Yup, just admiring you," he spoke, trying to smother the deep want that was growing in his belly. Ethan wasn't the best orator, but confronted to that shirt, he was usually back to his old incoherent self, stammering half sentences around (that was why he elected to let his body do the talking for him).Matthew batted his eyelashes, accepting the compliment easily."You're wearing a new suit, darling," he commented when Ethan had sat down, eyes riveted to Ethan's chest, "without me having to cajole you in it. Recall me to send something nice to whoever dressed you. Even if truth be told, I'm a bit jealous.""I never got your obsession with dressing rooms Matt," Ethan joked. Opening his menu, he saw that Luigi had put a small note in it Everything is going right on schedule it said. He smiled."Well you're usually half naked in those, I don't see what's not to like. At that point the
All told, Ethan had tried to propose to Matthew in six different occasions since his lunch with Cammy. It was not that Ethan was bad at it, per say. It was just that Matthew was just too good at distracting him. That, and the rest of the world didn't stop trying to kill him.The first time he gathered enough courage to propose, Matthew had mistaken Ethan going down to his knee for something else entirely and made a dirty, dirty remark and Ethan's proposal metaphorically went out the window. Cammy didn't see any of that, thank God, but the flush Cammy had sported when he reported to her his failure was enough. Sammy cackled (when did Ethan lost his ability to glare at her and mean it damn it) and justified himself for going with Matthew assumption by saying:"What, you want me to ask him after a blow job? I actually want him to give me an answer when he's capable of thoughts, Cammy."She had stared at him then, probably because she never had heard Ethan talk so easily about sex before,
After all, the man had already lived hard life. Alpha, beta, and omega tended to gain marks over the years, for each person they loved or trusted enough to share their soul with. Someone like Matthew, with his warmth and smiles and beauty, should have had dozens of lines littering his skin. A bond would have explained it all.But then, of course, Ethan's gaze flicked towards Matthew other wrist, and his eyes widened at the two lines that adorned it. Two only; one black, the sign of a broken bond, and one golden, shining as brightly as Ethan's. A single active bond."I'm surprised you accepted my offer," Matthew said a few minutes later, swirling his glass and staring at Ethan coyly. "You've been particularly hard to catch, Ethan.""Ah, yes," Ethan grimaced. "I've been... busy. You know how it is, being a Alpha. Or maybe not, but well, you know...""Yes darling, I understand," Matthew chuckled. "I'm just happy to have you here.""Happy- happy to be here," Ethan stuttered, his right fin
The change was instantaneous; Sam pursed his lips thoughtfully and looked away from Matthew. His pencil stopped moving, and his grip tightened so much that his knuckles turned white."It would make Ethan happy," he finally said. The answer was a lot more diplomatic than what Matthew had expected, especially since this was clearly something that troubled Sam. "He's a lot happier with you than he's ever been before, even with us, and I think he'd be even happier if he got to live with you.""I hope so," Matthew smiled. "But that's not what I asked, Sam. Look, I can tell that you don't really hate me, regardless of the little show you put on earlier, so why don't you talk to me about what's really bothering you? Is this about me spending too much time with Ethan?""No," Sam mumbled. "Not really. It's just... His last boyfriend used to spend a lot of time here as well, and he even told me that he was going to move in once, even though it didn't happen, and he didn't like it when I was aro
"Matthew, what is it?""Cammy!" Matthew exclaimed a tad too enthusiastically. "I've got a bit of a problem, and I think that you're the perfect person to help!""Flattery will get you nowhere, Matthew," his friend in all but blood snorted. "But go ahead, tell me about this problem. I'll see what I can do.""Right, so you know Ethan?" he started. "My delightful boyfriend whom I love very much and for whom I would do just about anything. Well, he needed someone to look after his little brother today, and I jumped in to help. But now I'm faced with an eight-year-old who doesn't want anything to do with me and seems to think that I'm worse than the devil. He doesn't believe I'm good enough for Ethan, refuses to be 'used as a way to get to him' and also slammed the door to his bedroom in a clear 'i-don't-want-to-talk-to-you' way. Any ideas?""Well, first of all, you shouldn't have accepted a job that you're too inexperienced to handle," Cammy pointed out uselessly. "But have you tried sugg
Ethan was already in their bedroom when Matthew got back to the hotel. The younger vampire grinned at him happily and Matthew felt another pang of regret at his earlier behaviors. He could have been with his boyfriend hours ago, but instead he had acted like a jealous fool and wasted time on stupid insecurities that he should have gotten over weeks before."I missed you today," Ethan sighed, leaning over to peck him on the lips. "Alec said that you stopped by the wok and went looking for me after the council meeting, but I didn't see you. Did something come up?""Yeah," Matthew lied, wincing at how wrong the word sounded. Ethan was right, he couldn't just ignore his issues and keep Ethan in the dark. It wasn't fair to either of them. "Actually no, not really. I went to the training room to find you, but you were with Ady and I... I don't know, Ethan, I guess I overreacted a little bit. I went to Cammy for a while instead.""What do you mean, you overreacted?" Ethan frowned."I just...
"Sorry I'm late!"Matthew looked up at his boyfriend dryly, refusing to show how affected he had been by Ethan's absence. The two of them had been planning this date for weeks, but the younger man hadn't even managed to show up on time. Of course, Matthew understood that Ethan had a lot on his mind, but he had hoped that for once he could be his boyfriend's priority."Advin kept me late again," Ethan continued with a sheepish grin. Matthew steadfastly ignored the wave of jealousy that hit him at those words. "You know how he gets when we train. I tried to remind him that we had something planned for the night, but he refused to let me go until I beat him, which only happens like... One out of twenty times. Are we still going to that star-gazing thing at the observatory?""Of course we are," Matthew rolled his eyes. The younger Alpha had been talking about the event for over a month, which was why they had chosen this night for their date in the first place. "We should get going if we
(How Ethan and Matthew got together)"You have a choice to make. I will not ask again."The words hurt to say, but Matthew couldn't let this Alpha take over his heart, no matter how pretty he was. If Ethan refused to put an end to this sham of a promise he was planning, Matthew wouldn't chase him any longer.He breathed in deeply and ignored the pain that flooded his chest as Ethan remained silent. He lifted a hand, ready to go away at a second's notice, but then the gorgeous Alpha in front of him turned around and all thoughts of disappearing faded away.He should have left, should have given Ethan space and time to think about his offer, but one look at those sorrowful eyes was enough to stop him in his tracks. He was falling too fast for this Alpha, was putting himself through things he had refused to deal with for year's, and he didn't know how to put an end to it.(Didn't know if he wanted to put an end to it.)Matthew stayed silent, waiting for Ethan to speak up, to deny his fee