Page 89 of Wreaking Havoc
Matteo, for all his twitchiness, was a decent housemate. He didn’t seem to mind the PDA (although Sascha didn’t miss the wistful looks he sent their way every now and again). And the little traumatized chick had endeared himself forever to Kai by knowing how to correctly use the coffee maker Sascha had been pointedly neglecting even since his first disastrous effort. Now Kai liked to have a brew going at all hours of the day and night.
He still sneered at human food though.
Like this morning.
Sascha and Matteo were having toaster waffles, as that was currently the extent of anyone in the home’s cooking abilities(although Kai claimed he would be learning any day now, once the TV taught him). Matteo had poured an ungodly amount of syrup on his plate, and Sascha was teasing him gently. “A secret sweet tooth, Matty?”
Matteo flushed, ducking his head into the oversize hoodie he wore pretty much every day.
Kai looked curiously at Matteo’s plate over his mug of coffee. “Is your waffle sauce sweet, then?”
“You’ve never had syrup?” Matteo asked, peering at him shyly from underneath his hood.
“He’s never had anything good,” Sascha told him, rolling his eyes. “Except coffee. But he drinks it black, so even that doesn’t count.”
“I’ve tasted sugar,” Kai insisted, almost haughty. But Sascha supposed that would have been impressive a billion years ago or however long it had been when Kai last roamed the earth.
“Syrup’s different,” Sascha said around a bite of waffle. “Maple-y.”
“Like the tree,” Kai mused.
“Exactly like the tree,” Sascha told him solemnly, gratified by Matteo’s quiet giggle.
“I’ll try it,” Kai declared, before tucking a pinky finger into the bottle’s small handle and upending it into his mouth, chugging half the bottle in one go.
He set it down a moment later, smacking his lips. “Passable,” he deemed. “It would be better hot.”
He went back to his coffee, ignoring Sascha’s horrified stare. Matteo’s giggles grew in volume until he was laughing for real, the loudest sound he’d made by far since coming to stay.
Out of nowhere, it hit Sascha like a freight train. This was working, the new life he and Kai were making together. A life where Sascha could be not only safe but happy.
Hewashappy, in a fierce, bright way he’d never experienced before. So much of his life before now had been spent just…passing time, engaging in whatever activity would cause the least boredom from one moment to the next, trying to walk the fine balance between entertaining himself and not pissing his family off.
But now he had a home, one that was truly his, one where he was free to explore all its corners without fear of retribution. He had a partner who accepted him just as he was, who considered Sascha’s faults nothing more than extra delicious seasoning on his soul. And he had maybe the beginning of friendship, with someone from whom Sascha didn’t need to hide any of his family’s baggage—Matteo got it, better than most ever could.
Sascha’s gaze caught on Kai, who was leaning against the counter, looking incredibly pleased with himself after his syrup stunt. Kai, who’d made a home for Sascha but had nothing of his own.
“We need to get you things,” he found himself saying.
Kai sipped his coffee. “What things?”
“Um…” Sascha didn’t know. He just suddenly felt like he needed Kai to have something in the house. Something all his own. Something that proved he belonged there—that the home belonged to them both. “What about clothes?”
Kai wore pretty much the same summoned outfit every single day.
“But you have plenty of clothes.” Kai’s eyes gleamed, and his voice lowered. “So many pretty clothes, zaychik.”
Sascha flushed, hoping Matteo wouldn’t notice. But he was not going to be distracted by Kai’s pervy thoughts. “Those aremyclothes,” he pointed out. “What about you?”
Kai waved a hand. “We’re bonded. There’s no distinction. What’s yours is mine.”
That was all well and good, but Sascha couldn’t exactly see Kai fitting into Sascha’s newest pair of hot pants.
Although, it was an intriguing thought…
Eventually Kai agreed the house could use a few more decorations. On a mission now, Sascha took him into town after breakfast, leaving Matteo curled up on the couch. The main touristy shops were closed for the season, and there were only a few small knickknacks for sale in the grocery store and diner. But Kai seemed delighted anyway. Sascha had to forcibly steer him away from a lobster sticker with “What’s crackin’?” on it. Instead, Kai chose a remarkably ugly sailboat ornament and a small frame holding an embroidered lighthouse.
“You have terrible taste,” Sascha told him later, when they were walking along the trail on the cliffs.
