"Uh, no." He gave me an exasperated look. "Rain, don't worry about what my brother thinks. You're going to be fencing for days on end. Brack said kneeling, jumping, and short bursts. I figure that sounds like a few sports, right? So, how about we just find the ones you think are comfortable and not worry about anything else?"
"What does Bracken wear?" I asked as I pulled off my shoe and tried on the closest option. Yeah, and I checked my shadow. It was still there.
"Military-grade combat boots," Liam admitted. "A very old and very well-worn set - and do not mention replacing them." He shook his head to make the point. "They're just right, and I wouldn't understand."
I giggled at that. "How long have you two been together now?"
"Twenty-two years," he said. "Met in the fall when I was in eleventh grade. We broke up for the summer, but that was because of my parents. About halfway through, he came by and asked if I wanted to join the archery team with him. Never mind that he'd already graduated, but that was all it took. He'd made an excuse, my father could accept it, and I had a reason to disappear with him into the woods as much as I wanted."
"And I'm sure you were perfectly behaved in those woods," I teased.
Liam just laughed. "There's a benefit to hanging out with guys like him. They know the softest grass and can always find it." He winked. "Which you will not be doing for a while. You have to wait until school is back in session before we can sign for you to have an exam with the school nurse and a birth control prescription filled."
"Liam," I groaned. "Pretty sure Aspen can't get me pregnant."
"Pretty sure it's not Aspen I'm worried about," he countered. "You've been spending a lot of time with Keir too, and wherever Aspen goes, so do Torian, Wilder, and Hawke. How about we plan ahead so you don't have to ask first, ok? Believe it or not, I'm not stupid about what teenagers do. I was one when I met your other dad."
I paused at that. "I'm gonna need better names, huh? I mean, Dad and Dad? That won't get confusing at all!"
"You could use our names, I guess," he offered, but it almost seemed like he deflated a bit.
Underneath me, my shadow was vehemently shaking its head. This time, I actually agreed with the thing. And hopefully, if I didn't piss it off, it would continue to behave? Worth a shot, at least.
"What's the Faeril word for dad?" I asked, having an idea.
He offered me another shoe. "Father isqeze," He pronounced itkeh-zeh. "Most kids say'zeh'or'zeze'informally, though." The second sounded like zehzeh. "You know, like dad and daddy instead of father. Although you'll have to call him Bracken in class, or Brack."
"Zehand Dad," I mumbled, trying it out.
That brought the wistful smile back to his face. "You don't have to call us that until you're ready. If you're ever ready," he assured me.
But his smile made it clear he was just trying to be nice. And yet, I actually liked this idea. I wasn't quite sure about the word I'd use for Bracken, but Liam was definitely a "Dad." The Faeril words, I'd have to figure out. Everything about that language was still new to me, so it felt strange when I tried to use it.
Granted, it would take me a bit to get used to saying "dad" to either of them! I'd been calling Liam by his name for months now, so I had the whole habit thing going on. Plus, he had a point about Bracken being my teacher. I couldn't just bust out the "dad" without someone screaming favoritism - yet I was enjoying this as much as they were.
That was when my shadow started waving again. Dramatically, with both arms extended as far as they would go. When Liam's head snapped over, I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. I wasn't losing my mind! He could see it too.
"What?" I asked it.
Before me, the silhouette drew out a zigzag with one finger.
"Huh?" What the hell was it doing now?
It shoved both hands over its head, then repeated the gesture before adding another. Oh, that looked like an E? Then it did the zigzag again.
"Zez?" Liam asked.
The shadow made a production of nodding, then pointed to me.
Which was when I understood. "NotZehorZeze, Liam. Zez. Like, I dunno, humanize it a bit?"
Hopping in place - flat against the floor - my shadow pointed at me and clapped over its head.
Liam just stared at it with his mouth open. "Holy shit, it has its own personality?"
"Seems so," I agreed. "I just hope it's, I dunno, good?"
"It's fae," he reminded me. "Fae things aren't good or evil, Rain. They're just fae."
