sim🐇

the house was precisely the way i left it this morning. clean, undisturbed.

they say it is a woman’s job to clean but i would much rather complete the job than my wife, catherine. she is the opposite of tidy, always leaving clothes and jewelry about and never partaking in household upkeep.

catherine also has a habit of exploring my things. rummaging around drawers and flipping through the pages of my books, possibly looking for something to spark her interest in gossip. she is a trifling woman.

i would have never married if id met the real her before the matter, but to my misfortune i had not much of a choice. being an eligible baron i was inclined to pick a bride as soon as i must, but there was so say in whom i was given.

it was the viscount’s cousin, who had come straight from london. i met catherine for the first time on our wedding day.

over letters she sounded just alright, slightly attractive even. she’d surely make for a compliant and lovely wife— keeping me company during the dark nights when i need it, which is most every moon.

but instead, she sleeps beside me with an invisible barrier separating us. furthermore i have no desire to reach out and touch her, the romance was never there to begin with.

although, a hand to hold would be nice.

shutting the front door behind me i am greeted by the cook. an old woman who i’ve known since childhood. she is just fine at cooking, nothing special about her meals.

the house is dark, making me feel as though my day is worse than it is.

catherine is not home, nor will she be until many hours. i know this because i passed her on the streets on my way home after work.

she did not notice me. she was snickering with her girl friends and fanning her peachy face. i could only assume she was laughing at the expense of another.

on fridays she and her group enjoy going out and i, as well as the rest of the husbands, just allow it at this point. what we have in common is our distaste for the unladylike nature of our wives. it seemed to be a theme for the barons of our “exquisite” countryside city.

“how are you today, my lord?” the cook asks as she wipes her hands. it’s respectful that she greet me when i arrive home from work but she probably wouldn’t if not for formalities. we do not converse outside of small talk.

“quite fine, thank you, miss josephine” i say, pulling at my necktie and loosening it. she disappears back into the kitchen after i do not ask her about herself, which i regret.

it’s silent and dank in the room. hearing nothing but a ticking clock on the mantle.

i decide to light a fire, bringing life and warmth to the living room. and it is hours that i sit in front of it, trying to read. trying to write. trying to get lost in my work.

and after a good long time, catherine is still not back. the sky is black and the stars stretch across the horizon. enough was enough.

but before i could stand up in a huff, there was a knock on the door.

it was a special knock, one that josephine knew not to answer because it was none of her business.

it was my neighbor and closest adversary, the viscount whom is cousins with my wife.

he lives just down the street in a house bigger than ours.

i am hesitant to answer, for something might be wrong. why would he be at my doorstep at this hour..?

i grab the door handle and pull it open, revealing the viscount, all dressed up in day clothes despite the time.

he was a strong, attractive fellow. a top hat often on his shiny hair, long eyelashes and a perfect pencil mustache.

he had above adequate features, a non crooked nose, unlike mine, and a lip with no big scar, also unlike myself.

he used a cane for no particular reason other than to match it with his top hat, simply for the purpose of aesthetics.

the viscount hugh huntington is somebody i am very jealous of but will never admit.

he smiles and mischievously tips his hat to me.

“what are you doing here?” i ask, crossing my arms.

“do you know where your wife is?”

im silent, shifting on the opposite foot and looking away. “no, i do not.”

“were you about to go looking?” hugh raises a eloquently curved brow.

“as a matter of fact, yes i was. but how is this any of your concern?”

“because she is with my clara, i imagine. they are always together. i was going to see if you cared to join me in retrieving them.”

i grab my coat but say nothing. my silence is my obvious stubborn agreement.

“we shouldn’t have to be doing this.” i say, leaving the house with him.

he walks with his cane, acting like he isn’t 29, and nods. “but we are. because the women in my life are—“

“maddening?” i finish.

“..i was going to say incorrigible but,” he laughs. “maddening, yes i suppose so.”

he doesn’t seem to mind their antics as much as i. perhaps because he’s known catherine and clara most all his life, and i, only some five years or so.

i sigh when we get to town on foot eventually. it’s bustling and busy, lit up and bright. i am exhausted but lord huntington is just as spry as ever, looking for clara.

“come,” he leads me through groups celebrating whatever they are celebrating, somehow knowing exactly where clara and thus, catherine, might be.

i am suddenly stopping in my tracks, not moving my feet after the viscount. he notices this and comes back.

“um.. william..?”

“i cannot see her.”

“what?”

“i cannot.”

“what are you talking about, we’ve come all this way.” he tried to pull me, but i am firm in my stance.

he struggles, attempting to get me to move but i feel frozen. “come now william! we do not have all night!”

“i think i shall go home now.”

“withou-”

“without catherine, yes. i refuse to see her. i am— i don’t know.” i really don’t know. i am unsure how to articulate my feelings in this moment.

why i don’t want to see catherine is complicated. how come i am second guessing after deciding to leave the house to go looking for her?

why should i have to do that?

what could she be possibly doing?

and why don’t i care? deep inside; i really only care about how i should want her to act. i should want her home because she is my wife.

but in actuality, i do not care what she does or to be around her.

and i wish i could say all of this to the viscount standing before me but i am solid as a brick, unmoving and not explaining.

he gives up on trying to get me to follow when i tell him one thing.

“i have not— i cannot will myself to give catherine what she desires. no matter how greatly i try.”

“and what is it that she desires?”

i want to say an attentive husband or possibly love. romance.

but..

“i have no clue, i just know that it isn’t me.”

the viscount eyes me for a little. examining me and i look to the ground. this is shameful— i know he must be judging me.

“have you ever heard of the gilded parlour?”

i squint.

“sorry, the what?”

hugh looks around to make sure nobody is listening before he leans in closer, being discreet. “the gilded parlour is downstairs of laurel’s. it is adjacent to a night club of sorts.”

laurel’s is a hugely respected and professional tailor shop that makes only the finest of dresses and suits. i frequent the place often and have ever in my days heard of a downstairs.

i wonder what is was. parlour entails that it’s an underground bar, but just how scandalous it was remains to be seen. how did the viscount know of this?

“have you been?”

“of course.” he smirks, looking around again before leaning in even closer to speak, looking with a hazy glow in his bright green eyes. “do you really think clara is not only satisfactory in the bedroom, but active at all? trust me, william, this could very well be the solution to your marriage troubles.”

im hesitant, dumbfounded by this new information.

it does make a lot of sense, however. lord huntington is incredibly high spirited; perhaps this is why.

“i haven’t the slightest clue how to act, my lord. what would i even say to access entry?”

the viscount purses his lips. “i shall go with you then. the doorman will know me and then soon enough, you as well. i shall just introduce you.”

i nodded, unknowing of what i was getting myself into. catherine and clara were suddenly the last of my thoughts as lord huntington and i strolled upon laurie’s tailor shop.

i asked him what was down there.

he replied with you’ll see so i had no realistic expectations.

upon arrival, the doorman greeted lord huntington like they’ve known one another for years— but i have never seen this man in my life.

his gaze darted to me, eyeing me up and down.

“and who might this be, my lord?”

“this is baron berkshire, he will be accompanying me tonight as a new member.”

“uh,” i speak up, adding my opinion. “g-guest. guest member— i won’t be staying.”

“sure you won’t.” the doorman laughed, as did hugh. confused, i followed the them behind a door to a staircase i had never seen before.

of all the times i’ve been here, this was a total mystery to me.

the further we got down the stairs, the louder it got and the more the parlour was revealed. a huge venue, it was.

a bar and a stage and many, many corners to retreat to. awe was an understatement to how i felt.

without wasting any time, hugh descended down, meeting presumably many friendly faces.

he knew so many more people than i thought. i knew he was quite popular but this is a marvel.

most of them were women of the mistress type. the word harlot might be too extreme, especially in a place like this where that was the normal.

i took a few steps in, deciding not to hang around lord huntington— he appeared to have more pressing matters with these ladies than with me.

i took the initiative to explore the place myself, afterall i was a guest. i might as well feel welcome.

the bar had many, many more drinks than typical bars. they probably specialized in how well they run things in this private club. i decided to have a drink.

the shot of cognac was severed to me in a crystal glass— it sparked my curiosity as to how this parlour is funded. what sort of secrets the patrons of this city held, who the patrons were.

suddenly the lights began to dim and voices grew quieter. a spotlight was aimed toward the empty stage.

people started to form a bit of a crowd, scooching toward the stage to get a better view for who might come out.

i did the same out of follower-habit. and granted, i was curious.

the woman that came out gave me chills.

dark red heels, dark red dress. irresistibly hatched stockings that didn’t go further past the upper thigh, leaving skin to be revealed.

her corset was showing much of her chest, although modest.

chills ran all throughout my body and i slow blinked, almost in full shock at how instantly my eye was caught.

how strange.. i must really have a distaste for my wife for even the first spotlight woman i see has my trousers tightening.

she was disgracefully dressed and it pulled me in closer like a magnetic force.

her red lips began to sing after speaking to the audience with words i had not even caught, blinded by my haze.

her voice was like poison and the cure to it at the same time. i felt like falling to my knees, staying put as if she were a siren in the ocean.

my pants became even more strained when i parted my lips and imagined her looking at me. it would be so wonderful if we made eye co-

good lord.

as if i said it aloud and she heard, she looked directly into my eyes. her beautiful lashes batting when it lasted only a second before gazing to someone else.

i had to leave.

this was too perverse.

what in gods name was i doing? betraying my wife like this?

i quickly made my way up to the stairs and ignored lord huntington asking me where i was going above the music. i didn’t even know where he was but i heard him.

the doorman laughed as i ran out, hearing his guffaw in the distance when the cold night air hit me.

~

catherine was home when i arrived, already getting undone for bed.

she sat in front of the vanity and brushed her hair with a silver hairbrush, acting like she was perfection to behold.

she caught me in the vanity mirror, lips downturned like an offended sorceress. “and where were you, william?”

i scoffed, removing my waistcoat and dress shirt. “where were you?”

catherine acted as if i already accused her of something with that one sentence, setting down her hairbrush with a loud noise. “i asked you first.”

i huffed, feeling my hair in its natural state. it must have came all undone from my constant messing with it on my way home thinking of the gilded parlour.

“if you must know; i was out looking for you.”

catherine tsked and got up, rolling her eyes at me like i was an idiot. “you know i always go out on fridays.”

“forgive me then,” i say, feigning respect. “is it so cruel i regard for my wife’s safety?”

“im perfectly safe, william.”

we’re laying beside one another in bed. not touching, not looking.

she continues after some quiet time. “why can’t you be more like lord huntington— he and clara have the perfect relationship.”

i am silent for the rest of the night.

the party was going great. everything was in order, drinks were on a tab, catering was perfect, and a lot a people came. it was loud, the lighting was low, and the music was good.

only, kosuke didn’t care nor even think about any of these things. it was his own birthday party and he wasn’t even interested in the activities going on.

in fact, he was in the restroom for quite some time.

patrick orchestrated the party and invited all the guests. mainly because he has an odd passion for organizing events and activities— as well as using it as content for his vlogs.

he had his camera with him the entire night, holding it up for himself and poppy mostly. he’d soon post it the next day and probably title it “grwm to throw a birthday party for my best friends ex (shit goes down NO CLICKBAIT)” with shock emojis on the thumbnail.

the whole thing was paid for in advance using the money from kosukes big boxing win last night.

sure it should have gone towards kosuke and takashi’s rent or maybe to their day-by-day inclining debt, but he decided that it was fine to do whatever they wanted with it as long as it meant kosuke had a good birthday.

besides, he deserved it. he landed the last hit before the eighth round buzzer rang with a stunning knockout. kosuke was on top of the world, bloodied and battered but feeling good.

the opponent he faught was someone he’d been wanting to get in the ring with for years now. each are one of the best cruiserweight fighter in their bracket and they finally got to meet.

he was a jaguar from brazil by the name of santos and he had tattoos all over. he hit kosuke at the weigh in and it started crazy hype for the fight leading up in a few weeks. the yoshida versus santos posters were plastered all over downtown and tons of bets were placed on that night.

it may have been good for publicity but not for kosuke. the premature jab by santos only set him off and if it weren’t for his coach he would have torn the guy up to shreds.

in the gym, people who know kosuke tend to watch out for his “tiny” anger problem. they always clear the way to his training area as soon as he walks in. loud voices become low murmurs and the gym equipment noises only grow.

in the locker room, it’s dead silent. the other fighters can hardly even glance up. out of fear or respect— it didn’t matter. nobody looked at kosuke for very long lest they have a desire to get targeted.

with takashi, it was the same way but a bit less so. he was still threatening but the turmoil levels were much lower. you could probably even talk to him on a good day.

but despite the aggression, kosuke and takashi’s presence at the boxing gym is good for morale. they bring a certain energy that others feed off of.

as for the fight last night, suke had sustained a couple of injuries but it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. only a cut eyebrow, some swelling, and some scratches and bruises.

even after 24 hours they look much better than when he stood up there on the canvas after the win. and while he was up there, he took a glance around at the audience, hoping to see a certain red doll waiting somewhere for him— win or lose.

but she wasn’t.

and he felt like an idiot for expecting her to show up.

but he wouldn’t put it past her; she’s done it before. back when their relationship was newer; poppy used to refuse to go to these because she hates the sport of boxing but one day during a real big fight, she showed up.

kosuke was overjoyed, not because he won but because she was there. he slid between the ropes and hopped off the canvas, meeting her with a strong hug. only pulling away so he could kiss her until they couldn’t breathe.

they made love that night and it may have been one of the best moments of their relationship in kosuke’s opinion. it was slow and passionate. he took his time with her made sure every inch of her body was cared for and pleased. the look in his eyes was lethal.

but now.. they’re going through it.

poppy never shows up and it’s pointless to consider the possibility she might.

kosuke quit looking for her and instead met the acknowledging eyes of his brother— the person who’s there for him the most after every single match. he’s his right hand man and vice versa.

he gives him his water, mouthgard, his wet towel and ice, vaseline for cuts, he even wraps the athletic tape around his paws and tightens sukes gloves over them. and kosuke does the same thing for takashi when their places are swapped.

but even then, they have a bad relationship outside of matches and the boxing gym. at home, they barely talk and often times, takashi is quickly walking past kosukes door, careful not to look in and see something he’ll regret.

kosuke rarely ever closes his door— you’d think at that point he didn’t even have one. something about the apartment being under his name or whatever. still, that didn’t magically mean he can give himself the title of being the king of their apartment, letting anyone who walks by see the woman he had bent over and half sliding off his sheets while he took her from behind.

takashi normally wears noise canceling headphones. especially because he’s part owl, which means his hearing is so good it’s more of a curse than a blessing, so headphones definitely help block out the constant noises he’s hearing.

he has them on almost virtually all the time. especially at home where he can truly be comfortable. his shaking stops and his heartbeat becomes regular again.

the only downside to wearing them though is whenever taka walks around thinking nobody’s home, he’ll accidently peer into his brothers room and see something he forever wishes he could unsee.

it’s even worse when suke catches him— thinking his brother is a peeping tom makes him disgusted and violent. he’s thrown countless items at taka that have shattered against the wall past his head, which were always followed by a shriek from the girl.

but takashi being a pervert could not be further from the truth. his brain and his body just didn’t work together that way— it was uncommon for takashi to feel arousal.

he sat up from his stool at the bar and headed towards the restrooms, weaving through the crowd of people partying. he caught the eyes of a few of his friends, poppy and evelyn who watched him curiously.

he mouthed “bathroom” and they nodded in acknowledgment. they may not know exactly what taka suffers from and what he goes through (because of kosuke leading them off the trail) but they know enough to be worried for him.

he may have passed out a couple times during previous hang outs for medical reasons— but embarrassment aside— he felt lucky to have such caring friends.

on his way to the restrooms down the back hall of the bar, takashi strolled slowly. the alcohol was affecting his better judgement, making him burst into the bathroom.

upon entering, he was shockingly met with a naked woman becoming beet red in the face, and kosuke over her with his belt and zipper undone. they were doing it right over the sink—

the audacity to not even use a stall.

what’s more is that kosuke didn’t even notice takashi. he noticed the face of the girl and tried to follow her gaze, only seeing the door swinging closed left behind by somebody.

“so what? someone saw us. no big deal.” he grunted, preoccupied with kissing her chest and returning to his pace of sliding in and out of her.

takashi stumbled out of the grimy hallway, his heart rate beginning to increase as he thought of all the ways kosuke would hurt him later for walking in on them.

it seemed like it should matter so little, like getting on a downward spiral was being dramatic. but one thought led to another and suddenly takashi’s anxiety was beginning to grow rapidly. his heart condition often blew symtoms out of proportion.

he thought of things related to kosuke, then slowly, unrelated to kosuke, wild and invasive thoughts that gradually stressed him out more and more.

come to think of it, takashi needed to pick up his meds around this time. he had just gotten a refill thanks to the recent win and his primary physician said it should be ready later.

it was a bit of a struggle to have kosuke pay for them. afterall, with hardly any insurance coverage they had to pay for his refills almost entirely out of pocket.

takashi fiddled with his paws as he asked him yesterday night. it wasn’t good timing for kosuke but it didn’t matter. he needed them and they both knew that.

kosuke had just had an argument with poppy over the phone when taka asked. at first he called her to let her know she left a bra at his house but it turns out it wasn’t hers. needless to say kosuke would say no to pretty much anything taka asked for in the moment— so it was miracle he got convinced.

on his way toward the exit, taka bumped into his friends again. this time patrick had joined them, vlogging as he did, and they were all immediately focused on stumbling takashi.

are you okay’s and what’s wrong takashi spewed out from their worried mouths.

taka looked up, meeting the bicolored eyes of poppy. she looked at him with concern and had her paw on his shoulder. without trying to, his eyes met her low cleavage red dress.

although he felt nothing, he admired the way she was so beautiful. of course she would be wearing something nice at kosukes party— despite the state of their relationship.

patrick also dressed nicely but it wasn’t unusual, his wardrobe was only prim and proper. and evelyn wore what she normally did and that made takashi feel better about wearing his baggy everyday clothes at this party as well.

not like he had any nicer ones besides one crisp suit. and that was reserved for important boxing conferences and very special occasions.

suddenly the doors opened and two new guests arrived, leaving takashi’s circle to dissipate. he was undecided if that was something to be grateful for or something to miss.

the guests were recognized as the ski instructor and his bulky friend who works at the rental place with him.

kenai and the other one. takashi didn’t know his name.

before leaving, taka watched as poppy practically jumped into the other husky’s embrace. it was oddly intense. kenai blushed and so did she, fixing her dress as they parted. the big one shook patrick’s hand and also smiled at him. they seemed so friendly all together..

takashi took this as a sign to leave. he didn’t want to get acquainted with kenai and the new guy.

meeting up with kenai multiple times this week was already bad enough for the brothers. not only did the guy admit he didn’t know how to ski just so he could “make their acquaintance” but he showed them up with his snowboarding. kosuke and takashi were good but they had no clue kenai was going to be so annoyingly incredible at it. he could be a professional as far as they could’ve guessed.

kosuke watched from afar, being unusually silent down the hill as his girlfriend became friendlier and friendlier with the instructor. they met up “secretly” for lunch once and coffee twice this week. both thinking they were being covert and sneaky when in reality, kosuke knew about it all.

it was a ticking time bomb.

poppy and kenai were compatible. much, much more compatible than kosuke and her ever were— by a long shot. kosuke was a puzzle piece from a different box, trying to fit himself into poppy’s picture when he so clearly wasn’t apart of it.

but he forced it so.

like an invasive species or disease, slowly hurting her more the longer he stayed. or better yet, he was a parasite.

he latched onto her all those years ago and has been taking advantage of her since.

though, kosuke wasn’t interested in just letting her go so easily now that kenai entered their atmosphere. he wasn’t about to let this new guy who looked to be her perfect match just waltz in and steal her away.

no, kosuke would keep her for as long as he wanted. ever since they’ve been meeting up with this instructor, he’s backed off just enough to let poppy think she can do as she pleases.

he’s ignored her, essentially. and she’s been fine with it up until the other night. wondering and confronting him for why her boyfriend isn’t there for her when she needs him to be.

he wanted to say something like “why don’t you ask your new boyfriend,” but instead, kosuke then simply gave her everything she desired overnight. kissing her, making love to her, being kind and caring, building her up. and the next morning, he broke things off.

it only made her more conflicted— just how he intended. it was all tricks, mind games, manipulation. he knew she would get bored of this new boy soon enough and come running back to him. the love that kosuke can show her was promising enough to go back.

and in the meanwhile, kosuke enjoyed some nice time fucking floozies one after another. perhaps it was because he truly wanted to or perhaps he did it to distract himself from the anxiety that began to eat away at him.

breaking up with poppy was complicated. contradictory.

*what if you’re making a big mistake?* replayed in his mind, causing much self doubt.

if he so desperately desired her it made no sense to leave her. because by the slim chance his tactic doesn’t work, they’re truly done. the new guy will sweep her off her feet before kosuke can even turn around and plead.

but he ignored the nagging fear. it will work, he’s convinced himself. she will come crying back.

and so, kosuke focused on the other women. poppy was out of sight and (mostly) out of mind.

kosuke got with any pretty canine girl. that was his type. it wasn’t always that way but ever since poppy, the other girls he’s had sex with always resemble her in one slight way or another. but he cared not to admit that.

poppy wasn’t an idiot. she knew of this little ritual he always did. she wasn’t going to overreact or be dramatic after this “break up”. the process was as normal as breathing at this point.

in fact it was good, it gave them the opportunity to have some time away. which they so desperately needed after getting to this boiling point weeks upon weeks now.

poppy enjoyed it by getting to know kenai, who was like a refreshing tall drink of water after years of drinking anything but.

she did want to see him more. possibly even kiss him. touch him.

but she decided it’s best to take things slow, after all, kenai was doing just that with her. rushing into things has never worked out for her so far.

she wouldn’t mess up something good so soon. not after feeling like it was her fault her and kosuke were such a mess.

to avoid thinking about it, poppy turned her attention to kenai, both of them silently gawking at how perfect they thought the other looked.

“i didn’t think you’d come,” she said, scratching her elbow. it was a nervous habit she did when she didn’t want to feel awkward.

“why wouldn’t i? you’re here.”

“oh you know,” poppy waved off. “it is for kosuke and whatnot. so i thought that might deter you.” she chuckled to make it seem more casual.

it wasn’t.

she worried for kenai. for kosuke. for their inevitable interaction.

the two of them being here was possibly worse than any boxing ring face off she would ever see.

“i mean.. you guys broke up right? water under the bridge.” kenai mentioned, walking poppy to the bar to get her a drink. the gentle touch he had on her lower back didn’t go unnoticed.

“yeah, i guess so.” she smiled, playing off the growing nervousness bubbling in her chest.

has no idea that she and kosuke had sex the night before the break up.

no idea how kosuke went down on her, making them impossibly close when poppy wrapped her legs around his head and groaned past the shoved panties in her mouth.

-

luckily, takashi’s pharmacy was just a block away from the bar. they were open until 11 tonight so taka had to walk quickly on the snowy sidewalk, making sure not to slip on the icy parts.

as he went, he looked down, analyzing each step he made. it was odd of him and onlookers might wonder what’s wrong with the guy.

though, it simply made sense to him.

if he stepped on a crack in the sidewalk, their mother misaki’s back would break— according to 13 year old kosuke.

taka recalled how they walked to school together every morning in japan. they just moved back recently and their house was not too far from the campus. each day kosuke took his little brother to elementary school and walked himself to his junior high, which was the building right next to it.

takashi had a hard time letting go of kosukes hand when they had to part, clinging to him like 3rd grade was prison.

it certainly didn’t help that takashi was challenged when it came to literacy skills. reading and writing wasn’t exactly his forte— even in both languages. but speaking was a different story.

when it came to relearning japanese, taka flourished. and he was great at math— two things kosuke didn’t get lucky with.

kosuke always just yanked his hand away and told taka to go in because the sooner he did, the sooner they would walk home at the end of the day.

after takashi would let go, suke would jog next door through long hallways and up the stairs to his 7th grade class, always late.

and from their classroom window during lunch, he’d see takashi at recess.

there were many times when he peered outside to see taka wandering around alone, getting a ball kicked to the face, or just sitting by himself on the ground, tracing shapes in the dirt with a twig.

kosuke moved his seat away from the window so he didn’t have to see that anymore. it made him crumble inside and the only way he knew how to deal with any type of sad emotion was to pretend it didn’t exist.

after school, they always had to stay for an hour extra because mom was obligated to come and pick them up. she did sometimes, maybe a few times a month.

but most days, she forgot or chose not to and the brothers would get tired of waiting. they would just walk home when staff wasn’t watching.

“step on a crack,” kosuke sang, hopping over each crack in the sidewalk. “break your momma’s back.”

he sang that for years out of habit, and it eventually became part of their routine. but little did kosuke know, his brother was always behind him stepping on every crack he passed.

it’s not that he truly wanted their moms back to break or anything but he did hold a certain level of hatred for her. it only festered more and more as they grew older.

little mutated takashi lived in his brothers shadow, who was clearly their mothers favorite solely based on genetics.

this mother-son resentment was mutual. it existed in every little aspect of their life. she’d roll her eyes at things he’s said, punish him for not doing anything, laugh at his stutter, and neglect any need he ever came to her with.

a lot of the time, kosuke would get more of something that was split between them. things ranged from food and drinks all the way to affection. but they both got very little.

takashi was forced to sit on the floor if they ever spent any “family” time together. those moments were few and far between, always weirdly accompanied by random men who each thought they were gonna be their new dad. they never lasted more than a few days with misaki.

food and clothes and basic hygiene products were a limited resource at home. it got so bad that kosuke and takashi would walk to the store themselves as they got a bit older and slyly take things off the shelves when nobody was looking.

takashi had… stickier fingers than kosuke but kosukes greed started getting a bit out of hand. he kept handing things to his brother nonchalantly, knowing takashi would expertly tuck it away.

one time they got caught and takashi remembers kosuke mumbling something along the lines of since when did ukai install cameras, that old fuck. aparently they were right above them the week before and the next time they came in, the old man who owned the store had printed out their pictures and put them on the “banned” corkboard.

oftentimes takashi would also need medical attention and misaki would just not bother. it clearly didn’t matter more to her than being out of the house doing god knows what.

still, to this day, takashi is kept out of the loop about what exactly their mother is up to— although it’s not hard to guess. she’s in one way or another affiliated with sex work and substances, things among that nature.

she gets herself into trouble more often than not. which mainly explains why the brothers are the way they are: delinquents.

as takashi made his way back to the bar with his meds in hand, he’s stepping on cracks he sees in the sidewalk through the melting snow.

spring is coming.

by this time next month, most of it will be gone and the tiny bright green spurts of grass will start to peek up through the ground.

the boys will start to get hotter. getting trims to their fur to keep their temperatures under control.

it reminded taka of the time spring came one year— the first year— taunting him with the heat as he went through the most wretched time of his life.

“how did this even break?” taka mumbled to himself as he stood on the top of a ladder in him and suke’s first apartment. the ceilings were high because they (kosuke mainly) thought it was a good idea to spend a ton on a place they couldn’t afford for very long.

he paid the deposit easily but by three months in, they were already up to their scruffs in overdue bills.

and to make matters worse, the apartment wasn’t all that nice. it was a shabby little place with thin walls and cheap appliances. everything constantly broke, including this AC unit that takashi was attempting to fix.

the yukon to them was comfortable in the winter months, especially for kosuke. it’s one of the reasons he forced taka back here.

but spring had arrived and it was unpromising. the warmth stayed in their thick fur, making it nearly impossible to stay cool.

it was their first year here as functioning adults, yet they knew nothing. in fact, it was a wonder that takashi was surviving.

his brows were furrowed and he chewed on the screwdriver he held in his mouth, checking the inside of the unit. there was a switch. heat and air conditioning.

“it’s just that simple?” he said through clenched teeth over the screwdriver, flicking the switch to AC, and rescrewing the cover back on.

once at the bottom of the ladder, takashi was about to pat himself on the back for how easy of a fix that was as he turned it on again. it made a grinding sound for a little and then stopped.

“fuck,” he sighed, tossing the tool onto the floor and not even bothering to take down the ladder. it wasn’t theirs anyhow, it belonged to their neighbor. taka didn’t ask, he just took it from the alley and was gonna put it back as soon as he could, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

the heat in the apartment became unbearable, causing takashi to take his shirt and pants off, making the place messier with even more dirty clothes thrown around.

he was overstimulated, pacing and trying to calm himself. it wasn’t helping that he was coming down from a major high he experienced last week

the mystery pill he took given by some lion he recently met had him glued to his messy bed for a whole night and a whole day. mouth hung open and pupils bigger than they’ve been in a long time. possibly the only good thing that came from the experience was takashi’s ability to jerk off and actually cum. that wasn’t a regular occurrence.

in fact, it was so rare that taka took the opportunity to crank his cock as much as he could, just to make it worth the time. he started off slow, savoring how good it felt to touch himself after not caring for masturbation weeks or even months at a time.

he gripped it and tugged up and down, not even thinking about anything specific— he was just in the moment.

a handful of tissues later, his cock was soft, twitching, and sensitive, the slightest touch would make him shiver. slipping on a pair of underwear and pajama pants make him double over back onto his mattress and shudder.

but was that such a bad thing? not at all.

come midday, taka felt almost completely normal again, apart from the twinge of artery pain that always lingered. he stared up at the cracked white ceiling and took in the silence of their place. not a thing whistled in the wind.

with normalcy came realizing he hasn’t seen kosuke.. in days.

at first it was quiet and peaceful. he may have thought about how grateful he was to not be bothered while he trip-sat himself. but now that he’s back to feeling real, he feels alone.

he feels panic.

takashi attempted to call his brother; it went straight to voicemail. he called again, then again, then about 3 more times before giving up.

sent at 3:40 pm: where u at

sent at 6:19pm: will you come home soon

sent at 6:20pm: bro where the fuck even are you

sent at 10:47pm: suke where did you go

sent at 12:24am: u ok?

sent at 3:03am: i need help

sent a 3:04am: call me back

suddenly takashi sat up in bed. the glow of his phone on his face was “kosu-kun” calling. his profile picture taken just months ago was a candid image of him with a pink party city wig on. it’s so visibly obvious he was caught off guard, but they shared laughs with the wigs.

it represents the seldom moments where the boys aren’t always at each others throats.

takashi answered, sliding the green button to the right.

“hello?”

“taka. what’s wrong.” kosuke said, his emotion unreadable and dull. but he wouldn’t have called if he truly didn’t care.

“n-nothing— where the fuck are you?”

“why’d you text me if there was nothing wrong, you’re wasting my ti-“

“wait!” takashi said before suke could hang up. “just please, tell me what’s going on. you haven’t been home in like.. shit,” taka rubbed his aching eyes. a migraine was coming. “three, four days.”

“uh,” kosuke grumbled, taka could practically see him scrubbing his face like he always does. even thousands of miles apart they were mirroring each other. “mom got into some trouble. she needed help.”

takashi was silent. milions of questions ran through his head but he asked only one after the long pause.

“…are you back in tokyo?”

“..yeah.”

that was enough for takashi to hang up.

it’s been a rough year of living in the yukon again. but back home in japan, where takashi could never go back, everything was the way he wanted. he so desperately missed it there and it was out of the question.

he had a real friend but not only that, a crush. he had his health mostly under control by the time they left. he had a growing career in boxing (give or take his lack of passion for it). he even had an opportunity to go to college.

but suke blew it for him, for both of them.

and now he’s back and taka was beyond envious.

beyond confused.

the whole reason they left was because their mom overdosed. she was no longer their problem after adulthood, suke decided, so he packed up everything (including taka) and dipped back to their hometown in the yukon.

so for him to just go back at the drop of a hat was beyond takashi.

later, he learned it was because she needed money and offered kosuke a place to stay while he made extra cash winning illegal fights.

four months later he got booted and came back home.

the guy walked through the doors of his apartment like nothing mattered. like he didn’t leave his only brother alone for months on end.

he sent money sometimes for rent and called once or twice to check up things. but it wasn’t with care or consideration.

takashi survived on pure willpower and spite. his health issues were at an all time high, he needed a hospital right away, the house was a mess. he was a mess.

but he still walked up to his brother and hugged him. he was tired. not sad at all nor happy. an emotionless tear rolled down his face and onto suke’s backpack.

“what are you doing?” kosuke pushed back, furrowing his brows and looking at taka with disdain. but he softened instantly.

takashi was much skinnier and his fur was unruly. it was clear how badly kosukes absence affected him. in that moment, he decided he wasn’t going to leave again like that ever again— no matter how much he acts like he doesn’t give a shit about him.

“i’m sorry.” he mumbled, tucking in the cross he wore into his shirt.

there were countless eviction notices they had to deal with, along with the process of finding a new place and getting takashi looking at least a little bit more on track.

not a lot of talking happened around the time kosuke came back. it was a really weird and silent era they never talk about.

-

“you should really hydrate!” patrick yelled in otis’ ear, his accent was thick and he held up a water bottle.

otis waved a huge paw around drunkenly, “i got this! im a master at beer pong.”

he tossed the ping pong ball across the table in the sloppiest way, his inebriation clearly affecting everything he did. they found it funny.

they as in patrick, poppy, and kenai.

none of them were nearly as drunk as him, laughing as they watched otis miss terribly. the ping pong ball bounced off the table but kenai skillfully caught it before it hit the ground.

he and poppy were on the same team, opposing their best friends who were paired together.

it was strangely intimate on both sides.

on the one hand poppy and kenai kept making each other smile. it was non stop jokes and pokes and perhaps some flirty touching here and there.

kenai was surprisingly good at beer pong even though he didn’t drink. he and poppy scored balls back constantly throughout their entire game and instead of both patrick and otis having to drink, otis took almost each one— sparing his teammate.

it was romantic in a way, but nobody wanted to say anything about it; otis was someone people always assumed was straight.

“i’ve never seen him like this,” kenai says lowly to poppy, both of them giggling.

“really? not ever? he’s your best friend!”

“i mean ive seen him drunk but not this drunk. and patrick here is the cherry on the top.”

poppy glanced at him— her and kenais proximity was way closer than she realized. she swore she could practically smell the shampoo he used on his fur. “what do you mean?”

“well, look at them. patrick is clearly making him feel great.”

poppy nods in agreement. “i guess you’re right. they compliment each other in a unique way.”

-

kosuke took his time with all the buttons on his black shirt. he left the top few undone and he zipped up his pants, redoing his belt and watching himself in the mirror as he did.

he was annoyed. previously startled but it masked into just agitation. the girl he had in here with her panties around her ankles turned out to be a total mess.

at least to kosuke.

he won’t take accountability for the way she stormed out and will instead most likely call her crazy.

mere minutes ago, kosuke had her on her knees.

the tile floors of the men’s public bar bathroom had to have been downright hazardous but he pushed her down anyway, holding her face gently as he slid his hard cock in her mouth.

it was going good, he was relishing in the feeling and her teeth, sharp as they were, were luckily not getting in the way at all.

she was skilled at this and kosuke found himself loving that, combing his paw over her soft head. he was enjoying himself.

so much so that he groaned.. something he shouldn’t have.

yeah good girl poppy under his breath whilst his eyes were shut. he was in his own world it seemed.

though, this was not private and the girl heard it, immediately pulling off. “excuse me? who the fuck is poppy?”

kosuke blinked open.

his first initial emotion was shame, of course. that was normal. anyone would feel embarrassed after something like that. but kosuke had a tendency to let a secondary emotion cloud over.

anger.

it was his response to any uncomfortable situation and he was uncomfortable a lot. all the time, almost. (aside from when he was with poppy.)

“why are you stopping,” he gritted through his teeth, grabbing a fistful of her fur and yanking her head back towards his groin.

“i don’t k-,” she pushed against his thighs as he slid his cock back in forcefully.

“yeah that’s fucking right— you don’t know, huh?” kosukes aggressive nature was threatening to her, volatile. her attitude worsened when he spat down on her face. “finish the job.”

that was it.

she had it with him.

the woman pushed herself away and collected her things, fixing her dress so her tits weren’t still hanging out.

“fuck you,” she said, quickly leaving so he didn’t lash out again. she may not have known him for very long but it wasn’t hard to understand he was dangerous.

she stormed out, heels angrily clacking against the floor of the hallway on her way to the exit. she muttered something about wolf stereotypes as if she wasn’t a canine herself, wiping her lips.

right as she was about to open the south exit door, someone came in and bumped into her rather harshly.

before he could apologize, the woman shoved him over. “ugh! out of my way, freak.”

she marched out, choosing to ignore to fact that the guy she just crashed into looked highly similar to the guy she fucked in the bathroom.

“s-sorry.” takashi still said, even after the door swung closed.

he pocketed his little orange pill bottle before walking in again, wiping his snowy feet on the doormat, not ready to rejoin the party but he convinced himself to anyway.

he found a good spot on a barstool that overlooked most of his friends. he watched evelyn for a moment.

she was on a drab rust colored couch explaining something to a man. takashi chuckled, she looked belligerent, clapping her paws in front of his face to make him understand something.

evenlyn likes starting debate arguments after trolling straight republican men. it was her thing.

he then looked over at patrick.

what was even happening over there..?

he was hanging by his arms from the huge polar bears bicep, swinging like a kid.

it was actually sort of refreshing to see patrick so playful and happy.

not that he isn’t happy, but a better word to describe patrick would be content. smirks weren’t smiles and the jokes he made and laughed at were usually always at someone else’s expense.

but here he was, having a ton of fun without making someone the butt of the joke. he even had his camera off and tucked away.

then taka looked at poppy. beautiful poppy.

she was laughing as well, getting noogied by the ski instructor. he heard them both say at the same time i love this song! when steal my sunshine came on in the background.

the more takashi watched them, the more he found comfort in their simple joys.

what was so wrong with this picture, he thought.

takashi could make his own assumptions about these two guys, detached from kosukes preconceived notions.

in the car or at home, they would sometimes chat about kenai. it came from a place of jealousy. kosuke brought him up when it wasn’t even close to their previous topic.

something about the guy being a cuck. and he was “so annoying” to kosuke.

and while takashi agreed in the moment..

he didn’t find himself having annoyance or hostility toward the guy.

in fact, he saw the way kenai lifted up poppy’s spirits— contrary to his brother who makes her feel smaller than a bug.

but it wasn’t so easy to just enjoy this.

poppy has something coming for her.

kenai has something coming for him.

they’re not going to get off scott-free, and takashi can only prepare for the worst.

he ordered a beer from the bartender and sat back. right as it came out and he took his first sip, he saw him.

kosuke was far. just coming out of the hallway a good distance from them. he hadn’t spotted them just yet.

taka seemed to watch in slow motion. how his brother noticed and approached the group getting closer and closer by the second.

there was energy beneath the outer surface of his body. it coursed through kosuke and was reflected in his eyes. his physique seemed to reflect how angry and strong he was becoming.

insanity, takashi thought.

kenai, unsuspecting, had his back turned, just having a good time with poppy.

oh fuck.

takashi clambered out of his seat, almost tripping, and bolted to poppy, grabbing her arm and pulling her away before anybody could process what was happening.

if he hadn’t, poppy would have gotten hurt from just being kenai and kosuke’s vacinity— because in a split second, kenai got a wooden chair to the back with enough force to knock him out.

it broke around him, wood pieces flying everywhere and people screaming brought takashi back to reality.

he let go of poppy who ripped herself out of taka’s grip. she was by kenai’s side in an instant, crouching on the ground to see if he was okay.

to avoid being involved in an all-out bar fight, taka went back to the bar counter, chugged his beer, and took his leave.

in the time he did so, chaos unfolded behind him. he heard poppy’s angry voice, voices of their friends getting on kosuke. he felt kosukes anger.

his rage.

more so because he knew his brother wasn’t getting what he wanted. this was a bad situation that he didn’t think through. he never thinks things through.

he was cornered and he couldn’t fight anybody in this circumstance. not with odds like this— not with poppy here, the one person he seems to care about, protecting the guy he wants to tear to shreds.

otis

i couldn’t believe that kenai was roping me into the lie that he coughed up at work the other day. it was even more ridiculous when he asked me to teach him how to ski so he could actually go through with his plan.

i denied countless times. yes, i know how to ski and i’m okay at it, but being involved with kenai’s stupid ploy just to hang out with some girl was jeopardizing way too much.

i thought for a moment, skimming through potential scenarios that could happen and get me fired somehow as i drove home that evening.

mr beaumont offered something worth while but there were a few things on my mind that came first. for one, if i took this opportunity, i would have to leave my family behind for longer periods of time than i’m used to. that was off the table.

and two, if i said yes, i would be getting in the way of kenai’s dream. sure we’d train together and snowboard alongside one another competitively but when it really comes down to it, there will be two people left fighting for the top.

i wouldn’t want anybody to get in the way of kenai’s deepest desire, and that included myself. i’d never forgive myself if i won and he didn’t.

not that i think i even would.

i respectfully backed out of the opportunity and apologized to mr beaumont, who took it very well. i think i knew deep down that kenai has to be the one to compete.. almost as if it’s his destiny.

it sounds ridiculously corny but that’s just how i feel. and im gonna be in the crowd with my grammy and bristol cheering him on no matter what.

though, being trained by mr beaumont himself is something i have to witness. i don’t think ive ever seen the guy on a mountain, much less with a pair of skis or a snowboard.

but i know he’s good.

not just good— incredible. he’s an all star. a flawless athlete.

at least, that’s what his awards insinuate. i know he’s might think he’s a shell of his former self but i believe that isn’t true. it never leaves you.

he’ll get out there on a board again and show kenai everything he knows and they’ll be unstoppable in the tournament.

i truly believe that.

-

“you can’t feed your tarantula ice cream, bristol, im sorry,” i tell my sister who’s getting ready for dinner.

she looks at me in the mirror as we wash our paws and pouts, jutting her bottom lip out as far as it can go. the funny thing is, her head barely peaks above the mirror as we have our stare-off.

she’s only 5 and stands up to my hip. the doctors say she’s small for a bear right now but once puberty hits she’ll shoot up like a sapling.

but she won’t be taller than me one day, that’s for sure. i think i won the size lottery, or at least, that’s what people tell me.

it’s not something i particularly love— being tall. i feel that im too large. most door frames are too short, nothing fits in my paws, and my car is hardly the right size for me. not to mention i have to use a massive snowboard.

although, at work, it’s different. i feel normal-sized there. ski-world is the most inclusive place ive ever worked, ever been, everything is sized for everybody. we have rentals for the biggest of elephants to the shortest of rabbits. every door and frame is massive and there are special rooms and suites designed for animals of all shapes and sizes.

“but he wants ice cream. he told me.” bristol says, wiping her paws messily on the towel in the bathroom. i just walk out and laugh.

“he told you?”

“yes he told me and you have to listen. or else he’ll crawl inside your ears and lay babies.”

this time our grandma overhears. she’s chuckling too. “your tarantula can’t lay eggs, honey, he’s a boy.”

“and ice cream will probably hurt his tummy real bad.” i add, patting her head and pushing her chair in once she sits down.

grammy serves us both mashed potatoes with gravy and garlic bread. a staple in our household.

after dinner i tucked bristol into bed and said goodnight to her and grammy before heading out.

kenai called me over and he said it was an urgent emergency that couldn’t wait until morning. the little yellow glow of the time on my dashboard in the van read 11:54 pm. he better have a good explanation.

-

“no. oh my god. is she in this one too?” i point my black claw and tap it against the macbook screen.

no fucking way did kenai find patrick on youtube. and what’s more is that his new little crush “poppy” is in almost every one of his youtube videos.

we’re laying on the rug of his small condo and we had to open the window because after finding something like this, the temperature was rising rapidly. almost as if we found something illegal.

i try to act like i don’t care all that much and that im only here in support for kenai. he seems to be really into this poppy chick.

but the truth is, im sweating because whoever this badger guy is— i think he’s so cute.

i don’t normally have crushes. i mean, other than the occasional actor but it’s not something i ever, ever tell anybody.

i’ve never been in a relationship and since im already 27 now, it feels a little too late for me to have “firsts”. not to mention i haven’t told anybody about my sexuality other than my grammy.

i don’t know if im embarrassed about it or if i just don’t care enough to tell anybody because its seldom brought up.

i think it’s both.

but now… having attraction for someone after years of not even dipping a toe into the dating pool.. i’m nervous.

it’s not a crush. i don’t know the guy, i tell myself.

but there’s really something so addictive about the way he talks. his accent. his cadence. his smile.

i’ve never met a european badger before— nor even seen one in person. but the other day in the shop when i walked past them as kenai gave them their receipt— i liked that i saw.

“surely he doesn’t have that many videos,” kenai mumbles as he exits the one we just watched. it was the third one already and it was 15 minutes long— we watched all in their entirety. we scroll down through the channel and find that he has hundreds of videos.

“what the fuck..” he raises a brow. it makes the little white pattern on his face give him such an exaggerated confused expression. “is this his job? why does he post so much..”

“wait see how many subscribers he has.” i say, motioning for him to scroll up.

“SIX MILLION?!” we yell in unison after peeping the number. it seems crazy that we’ve never heard of “PatrickButtonsYT” before but at the same time, we aren’t on youtube all that much anymore.

“wait a minute…” i stop him. looking off to the side with crazy eyes as i come to an insane realization. kenai is frozen like im about to say something nuts— which i am.

“buttons..? irish?!”

kenai drops his excitement. “bruh what?”

“give me that.” i swipe the laptop from in front of him and start typing in a new tab. i find exactly what im looking for.

except, i’m the only one who thinks it’s crazy. i guess kenai doesn’t care for politics at all.

“senator buttons of ireland..?” he deadpans.

“look,” i point out, “under children it says his name; patrick.”

“okay you don’t know for certain if this patrick buttons is the son of a irish senator.”

“well who the fuck else is irish and has BUTTONS as a last na-“

suddenly my phone starts buzzing in my clothes. i pat myself to find it in my pant pocket and take a look at the caller ID.

Mr. Beaumont

i almost drop my phone as i swipe on it and answer, kenai jumping on my back and fighting for it so he can put it on speaker.

through the phone, i hear mr beaumont ask for kenai’s contact information.

i hear kenai upsettingly mumbling something about how is it that i have mr beaumonts phone number and he doesn’t.

-

this was the last place i thought id ever be driving to in the dead of night. the directions were hard to follow— like someone doesn’t want to be found.

my GPS says the address can’t be located so i had to rely on mr beaumonts careful instructions he had me write down. kenai is my navigator and he has a little flashlight so he can read the scribbled instructions on the paper.

granted, it took us some time because earlier in the evening kenai had a fireball and he’s slightly inebriated. directions come out of his mouth as a guess. it’s a great thing im driving, otherwise we’d be stuck in a ditch or worse if he came here on his own. especially with his little sedan.

when we finally pull up the house, we sit in the driveway with awe. it’s not too big but it’s so beautiful. it’s obvious an architect designed this specifically for this plot of land and it’s entirely unique.

in fact, none of the other houses we drove by look alike. they’re spread out far and few between so there’s no neighborly distance but at the same time, it’s a rich and secluded area.

the ravishing wooden house was a bit large for someone who lives alone and his two car garage might suggest that this is a family home. that perhaps four or five people could comfortably live here.

i shut the car off and the headlights dim away, revealing the glowing warmth coming from the windows. as we exit my van and head up the big porch stairs, mr beaumont opens the door before we can even knock.

there’s a kitchen towel on his shoulder and his glasses are pushed atop his head, sitting right in front of his antlers.

he doesn’t greet us.

he doesn’t ask us how our drive was.

what we were doing up so late.

he simply says “did you bring your gear?”

-

after the floodlights got turned on in mr beaumonts backyard, i didn’t know what to think when i saw the hill. it was so perfect. like a mini version of the mountain at work.

except there was no lift.

no way for kenai to get back up the hill other than walking. which meant each time he flew down the huge hill, he had to undo the straps and buckles and clicks of his boots and pick up his board, and walk right back up the hill.

it took him many tries to walk up without slipping and falling because of the steep incline. i always laughed when he tripped but mr beaumont snapped at me and said he’s learning.

it’s true. he is learning, but this is tough. half of it is just walking back up the hill. i voice my concerns to mr beaumont, asking why kenai cant practice with a lift.

his answer in turn made sense as he explained it to me.

“he’s building stamina. muscle. over at the resort he isn’t used to building strength in his legs while wearing snowpants and heavy boots. carrying a board uphill too. he simply gets on the lift and floats his way up and down. and while yes, it doesn’t seem like that many pounds, it’s getting heavier each minute he walks.”

i nod, watching beaumonts breath huff against the cold air. we’re both anticipating kenai’s temper tantrum as soon as he makes it back up here. i noticed his extreme frustration the last time he came back, and its most likely doubled since then. tension building up near the surface and i feel he’s reached his boiling point.

“you know what mr beaumont,” kenai smiles out of breath.

there it is.

“this is bullshit.” he tossses his board on the ground in front of him.

beaumont tsks. “you’re learning.”

“i’m not learning shit— you’re not teaching me shit.” he points in his direction. “we’ve been at this for like two hours and all i’ve done is go down and walk up. bro thinks he’s fuckin mr miyagi. i’d like to see you actually get on a fucking board and teach me something. anything.”

mr beaumont ignores kenai’s little outburst. he simply looks up and watches the clouds move out of the way of the moon instead.

after a long moment of silence, kenai catches his heaving breath and just stares at mr beaumont. waiting for him to say something. and then he does.

“fine.”

mr beaumont turns swiftly and heads down the hill. much later, when kenai has fully calmed down, he comes back with a pair of goggles, boots, and the most stunning board i’ve ever seen.

it was one that was clearly older but so well taken care of. the straps were different and it looked to be designed for two different types of feet. one for a normal hoof, and one for a particular custom prosthetic.

we know about mr beaumonts bionic leg— well, i knew long before kenai did because i actually knew who the guy was before he took over the resort. but it’s something we dare never talk about, especially in front of him . it’s a highly sensitive topic.

he straps in and clips the goggles around his head. they also seem to be custom as well given the sheer size of his antlers.

kenai and i could not believe what was about to happen. our boss, a renowned professional was about to get on a board again for god knows how long it’s been. we have no clue how he’s going to preform but he must be doing this for a reason.

“if you win against me, we’ll train your way.” he says, not making eye contact. he’s adjusting the gloves over his jacket.

“and if i lose?”

he looks up. “you’ll train my way. do everything i say.”

after a second kenai laughs.

he laughs.

i couldn’t believe the disrespect. although, i did sort of understand it— it seems like kenai is set up for success.

he shreds everyday and mr beaumont… well, he’s in his 40s, got one leg, and hasn’t touched a snowboard in probably decades.

“you’re on.” kenai chuckles, hopping toward the slope of the hill. mr beaumont stops him.

“ah ah, wait. not there.” he then looks at me. “otis, you may wanna strap in.”

my eyes widen and i do as he says, quickly doing up my boots and waddling where beaumont hints at.

as if it magically materialized behind us out of the darkness, there was a trail. how i didn’t notice it earlier was jarring. it’s snowy, pitch black, and tree ridden. it looked like a death sentence and suddenly, kenai’s odds of winning take a nose dive.

he’s used to clear, plowed slopes and daylight. not skinny, winding trails with tons of fresh powder.

navigating this trail with no prior experience is going to be difficult. for me, it’d be a struggle but certainly not impossible— though when i turn around, kenai looks positively petrified.

beaumont catches this and reassures him he’ll be perfectly safe. especially with him.

that’s just enough for us to get on the trail and begin, the only thing illuminating our path is the full moonlight above us. no lights or lamps whatsoever.

i fall behind in the back to watch the two of them race. immediately i notice mr beaumont.

i was completely wonderstruck. it was astonishing how well he handled the fresh snow and how effortlessly he moved. like he hadn’t ever stopped 15 years ago. like he didn’t have any injury or setbacks.

he made kenai and i look like absolute amateurs, dusting us in the wind. he didn’t pull ahead too far though, we’re still his responsibility on this trail only known by him. but he knew the winner of the little wager he set up was not going to be kenai. it was in his favor.

regardless, kenai does what he’s always done in the past: gets overconfident. i would know, i’ve raced him what feels like thousands of times.

he readjusts himself and gets lower, becoming aerodynamic like a bullet. i quickly pull out my phone and hit record, knowing he’s going to eat shit.

in my video, i’m already laughing before anything happens. and when it does, it feels like slow motion.

a snow covered rock emerges in the light of my camera and i watch as kenai trips over it and goes flying into the air and collides head first into the ground in front of him while screaming.

i lose my head at it as i pass him, swiftly going around his crash site with his ass sticking up. as i do, i hear something ive never heard before.

mr beaumont is laughing. a real laugh! not one of those sarcastic ones he always does to us when we try being funny— he’s actually laughing at what transpired behind him.

i had a feeling he knew it was going to happen. but to hear mr beaumont like this— see him like this, i just feel grateful.

soon enough, the trail levels out. it gets slower by the second and i watch mr beaumont glide into a small little clearing. it’s much brighter now that there’s not a ton of trees obscuring the moonlight.

i breathe in and follow his gaze out. it doesn’t take me long to realize we’re standing on a huge lookout point. a cliff overlooking the resort far into the distance.

for such a big place, it seems tiny and humble from here. the orange glowing lights beam out in a massive radius and the slopes are all lit up. it makes me realize the resort truly is beautiful.

i can’t believe mr beaumont has all this just a few miles down.

“woaahh..” kenai let’s out, coming up beside me and stopping to a halt. his eyes are like saucers, taking in all the beautiful sights.

he suddenly looks up and they become even wider. he points “hey look! the northern lights are out!”

-

bonus

“dude you have to show me that video again,” kenai laughs as he yanks my arm at work. we just finished putting away all new sample wax and now we have a little break before he goes and risks his job again by playing ski instructor.

he’s asked me to show him the video over and over and over again. but i’ll admit, it’ll never not be funny.

we even slow it down, watching as he goes hurdling into the air and down into the snow face first. it’s even funnier with the sound on.

suddenly as we’re watching a notification pops up. a new youtube video from patrick..

titled: ski trip.

kenai

if a random person off the street offered me ten thousand dollars to leave my job… i would consider it.

first, i’d look at my paychecks, then i’d complain to my boss, mr beaumont, who will absolutely deny me my request for a raise. then, i’d say yes random person! i will take the 10 grand!

those were my thoughts this morning as i trudged back to the rental shop from mr beaumont’s office in the biggest building on the resort. it’s something of a chatlet hotel among many branches of buildings. there’s a scattering of cabins, a gym, a pool, sauna, restaurant, a parking lot, and an ice skating rink. but at the very end of the “chain” we call it, there’s the ski rental hut.

it’s right by the ski lift at the base of the mountain which is convenient for everybody. on break otis and i like to grab our boards from behind the employees only door and thrown our gear to shred it once or twice. the hour break sounds like a lot of time but in a snap it’s gone and i’m already ripping off my icy goggles.

“where have you been?” a familiar vibrato voice asks hidden behind a book. i don’t even know how he sensed me coming through the back door. “it’s been like,” he glances at his watch. “20 minutes!”

“i was talkin to beaumont..” i say, adjusting the knob on my radio as if i’m going to somehow miss his summons by being on the wrong frequency. “that promotion is mine.”

he puts his book down. “he denied you again, didn’t he?”

i just look at otis with a lame attitude and drop my shoulders, tucking the radio behind me in a back pocket. otis keeps telling me that mr beaumont will probably never hire us as instructors before we’re 30. it’s just a weird rule of his. lack of professional experience, maybe, but how are we meant to have experience teaching if we’re never given the opportunity?

“you’re that one kid with a hall pass who never comes back to class. i had to be behind the counter all this time.” he stretches up out of the chair and otis’ tall polar bear frame comes into full display. the light from the sunset in window shines and glows behind him.

“poor you,” i roll my eyes and smirk. “did you sell any memberships?” i ask. surprisingly he tells me he sold one, which breaks his weekly record!

not many people enjoy getting helped out by otis at the front. i’m not exactly sure why but it could have something to do with how intimidating and quiet he is, as if he’s somehow planning your funeral.

but the thruth is, otis is the best of us. he’s a terrific worker and actually does what he’s told and with timely manner and efficiency.

i, on the other hand, have never once gotten employee of the month. i’m only good at two things: snowboarding and selling day passes and memberships. the occasional gold star sticker gets put on my envelope that’s filled with about two to three hundred bucks in cash from my weekly bonus. that’s the closest i come to being a good employee.

“can you put these away,” otis says as fills my paws with brochures, typing away on his phone. “i have to pick bristol up from school, she missed the bus.”

i fight a sigh. i shouldn’t complain but everything in my overly boisterous being wants to beg him to stay and not get in that ridiculous minivan. why he drives that thing is beyond me.

“i’ll be back in 30 minutes,” he adds, noticing my demeanor. otis is probably well aware i hate working without him. snore city is what it’s like he’s not here.

in a matter of seconds otis clocks out, places his radio on the mount, and tosses on his heavy jacket with a broken zipper (as if he would ever zip it up if it wasn’t broken).

time immediately bends the moment he leaves out of the front door. i swear it swung closed in slow motion. every whirling fan is decelerating, my blinks become sloth paced, and the quiet radio on the intercom speaker sounds like a record that’s being stopped.

trying to busy myself with these brochures doesn’t help. even after i put them all away, resized the racks, changed the outfits on the mannequins, and ate all the jelly beans behind the counter, i check my watch and notice it’s only been 17 minutes.

as i mumble something about being halfway there with my full mouth of tuity fruity and green apple, the door jingled open.

only, it wasn’t a familiar large white bear, it was a girl and i did the worlds most obvious double take.

a red husky. decked out in gear but i didn’t recognize her. it was good i didn’t.. i can introduce myself. possibly as someone who she’d like because this girl is shining like a beacon.

i lick over my teeth to make sure i have nothing stuck in my smile and smooth out my hideous uniform polo. but before i take a step from behind the counter, i second guess.

am i about to be too forward? should i let her come to me? i backtrack, i don’t want to be all up in her face right away. what if she thinks im weird and obvious?

with a shake of my head i let go of my thoughts and walk up to her, oddly nervous for no reason. she’s just a girl, i tell myself. i’ve talked to so many!

but none like this

shut up.

“hi!” my voice cracked as i spoke against the silence and she jumped. so did her badger friend whom i’ve barely noticed. i cleared my throat instantly in embarrassment.

“hi,” i repeat in a much more cool way, leaning on a snow gear rack.

she smiles and looks down. i can’t tell if it was a good or bad reaction— maybe she’s trying to hide a laugh.

her friend has no problem not hiding his, he chuckles right out loud. he replies with a hey on his friends behalf.

“um,” i clasp my paws together. “if you guys need help with anything, fittings, rentals, i’m your guy. just holler.”

that was good.. decent, actually, not good. but it was exactly what i say to every other customer anyhow.

the girl looks at my face, then she trails down to my nametag on my shirt. i notice her bi-colored eyes. one green and one honey brown.

“thank you, kenai.” she speaks. and god, she has the perfect voice. it matches her face. and the fact she called me by name made me want to just keep standing there and bugging her to let me help.

but my feet carried me back to the counter, subconsciously knowing if i stayed there any longer i’d just embarrass myself further.

at the counter though, i can’t look away. nor can i busy myself with anything else other than stapling a packet of important papers. they now have about 40 staples in it and i’ll have to rip it open later.

it must have been a couple minutes before they said anything but it felt like hours. i may have been a tad bit too eager to help them out when they did ask.

the girl had a pair of ski’s that admittedly were perfect for her. normally customers who are new here go for something wildly useless for their species but she seems to know exactly what she’s doing.

her friend only somewhat knew what he was doing, making my job just a little more annoying. i had to help him get fitted with the right pair instead of chatting with her like i wanted. still, i found some way to sneak it in there.

as im on the floor strapping this badgers small foot into a holster to check it’s fit, i toss out a comment her way. specifically her way. so that she’d be the one to answer me instead of this guy.

“so what brings you guys in town?”

“the ski trip made it out of the group chat.” she says and i can hear the smile in her voice without looking up. her friend laughs.

“group chat? there’s only two of you guys.”

“we have a couple that’ll be joining us.”

i nod, securing the badgers ski boot and asking how it feels. he gives me a thumbs up and i begin the process of taking them off so i can rent them out for him.

“how long do yall plan on being out there and for how many days?” i pop open a sharpie and grab a few passes.

“a few hours a day, and we’re here for a week.” the badger pipes up. i didn’t notice his intense irish accent from the few words he spoke earlier but now that he said a sentence i hear it clear as day.

i scribble the date today to a week from now and write 4 pm on the two passes, and after i ask for their names.

poppy and patrick.

of course her name is poppy, she’s red. i raise my eyebrows and write those down.

as i do, she talks again. that sweet voice of hers is something i decide i can listen to forever.

“you wouldn’t happen to know where we could find a ski instructor, would you?” she raises a brow sheepishly.

before i can tell her to ask the concierge in the hotel lobby because they know absolutely everything, i come up with a terrible idea.

even before i can consider how damaging it’ll be to my career, i dive headfirst into it and lie straight out of my ass.

“lucky for you guys, you’re looking at one.” i say, mustering up the most fake confidence i have. it comes out rocky but i have to stick with it.

all of a sudden my radio starts speaking. i recognize it as mr beaumonts voice. a voice i typically beg to hear good news from but he sounds awfully serious. more stoic than his normal stoic-ness. he’s saying something about me having to come to his office right away.

its surely not about my promotion because be denied me earlier. so it must be about something different and i know im in trouble. for what? could be anything. he’s always looking for ways to make me do extra chores.

i don’t respond to mr beaumont, in fact, i turn my radio quieter and place it off to the side.

he only gets angrier with me, telling me to stop ignoring him. how does he know?!

“how much do you wanna bet that’s his manager?” patrick jokes under his breath to poppy, who smiles. they have no clue it’s the owner of this entire resort.

the door jingles and i see otis behind them stomp in, swinging his keys around his claw. i need to hurry this up.

i shift my attention back to poppy and quickly tell her im available from 3-4 everyday for lessons.

but not only that. i don’t charge her for them. not even after she asks how much they’ll be— i lie and tell her it comes with the rentals.

it doesn’t. and i’m not an instructor.

fuck, i barely know how to ski. if they were snowboarding i’d have at least a margin of victory with this plan.

but oh my god.. i need to hang out with this woman.

im setting myself up for failure but its too late to back out now— i think im too proud and cocky for that.

right as otis walks past me i run them up and hand them their receipt. it’s already 5pm so they won’t be on the slopes today and relief courses through me.

as they leave, i let out a giant sigh of relaxation and lean against the wall behind me, shutting my eyes.

otis comes out from the back, radio in hand. he holds it towards me and presses the button.

shit.

“i heard you. i’ll be there in a second, don’t lose your lid old man.” that last part was unnecessary as i spoke into otis’ walkie to mr beaumont on the other end. otis disapproves but doesn’t say anything.

instead, he tucks it away and asks me about those customers.. specifically poppy.

“just because she’s also a husky doesn’t mean i like her.” i front, ignoring his goofy grin.

a moment of silence goes by and i scrub my face. i can’t keep what i just did from otis— he needs to be in on it.

it’s imperative to my success.

-

“what?! no, i’m not gonna be your accomplice.” he shouts against the frigid evening air. it’s already dark and the stars are coming out and glimmering above us on our walk to the hotel.

i told otis everything as we locked up the rental hut and began making our way to mr beaumont, who had something he apparently wanted to ask both of us.

speaking of asking favors, i nag otis about his skiing ability again.

“you won’t be an accomplice. it’ll be just like how we take our breaks. an hour on the slopes…”

“yeah, mixed in with teaching customers how to fucking ski- im not doing that! you aren’t an instructor and you barely know how to ski. it’s against company policy and you have to be licensed.” otis holds open the big door for us and we walk into the lobby.

“company policy,” i mock him in an annoying voice. one that he really hates. “youre telling me things like i don’t already know them. i *know* i’ll probably fumble at the start but if im good at snowboarding then how different can it be?”

“how different can what be?” a voice unincluded in the conversation chimes in as we arrive beneath the grand chandeliers in the main building.

mr beaumont has his hands in his suit pockets and he’s looking at us through his glasses, trying to figure out what we were just discussing.

otis runs his big mouth.

“skiing and snowboarding.”

“ah.” mr beaumont turns, leading us back to his office. “the two are wildly different. otis here can tell you that.”

“i was telling him that, sir.”

i roll my eyes. what a goody-goody.

“because you see, kid. once you get used to snowboarding, you get used to having your legs locked in place. the second you get on a pair of skis it’ll take days, possibly weeks to get used to individual leg movement.” he says, stopping for a moment to fix a picture frame in the hallway to his office. the picture is of him and some random guy, on ski’s no less despite mr beaumont being a snowboarder back in his day.

“and not only that, your speed control, balance, stopping and turning will be a far cry from what you’re used to.”

*another day, another lecture from the old man*, i think as i secretly roll my eyes. otis and i take a seat in the big leather chairs in front of his desk.

otis fills his out completely and i feel like a teen, sitting in front of my principal who’s about to scold me for skipping class.

“mr beaumont.” i say, giving myself the opportunity to ask him something before he begins his next monologue.

“hmm?”

“what advice would you have for someone who’s used to doing one sport but is trying out another.”

“i assume you’re talking about yourself.. and skiing. if i may, why are you interested in it?”

there’s a short silence and otis coughs.

“sir, just answer the question.” i say.

mr beaumonts face goes entirely flat. it’s an expression im used to getting when i say absolutely anything to him.

“fine, if you insist.” he collects papers on his desk and taps them against the table, lining them up together. “practicing everyday wouldn’t hurt. as long as you’re not overconfident and you have a good instructor, you’ll do great.”

i’m taking this as an indirect compliment. i even go so far as to ask him one more thing. “so would you, in a hypothetical scenario,” i wave my paw around. “be down to teaching me how to ski?”

another long silence as beaumont thinks for a long moment. i expected him to shut it down immediately but it appears that he’s actually thinking about it.

otis is melting out of his chair with this much time going by— he needs to get home to his family. a top priority for the guy. always.

“i’ll consider it..” he replies. but quickly he changes the topic so i don’t get too excited about it. “anyhow, allow me to fill you in on why you’re both here on an impromptu meeting.” he speaks his next words slowly.

“i have an open opportunity for you both to participate in the upcoming yukon tournament conference.” he straightens out his waistcoat like it’s the thing that’s making him tense. i know for a fact it’s not.

the yukon tournament holds a lot for mr beaumont. i may not know much about his past but i do know that he has history with tournaments and the dangers of them. the ruthlessness of the sport when it becomes competitive. the aggressive nature of your opponents.

“now, it’s just a conference.” he reiterates. “held in alberta in two days. all expenses paid for and if all goes well, you’ll have a spot in the competition.”

my jaw is loosing its screws for the hinges that holds it shut. every atom of my being is jumping for joy as my lifelong goal has the potential to possibly come true.

it’s not just a pipe dream anymore.

“who’ll be the trainer?” otis asks. he seems way more solemn about this than i do for reasons unknown to me. why isn’t he ecstatic? this is his dream too. or at least i always assumed it was.

mr beaumont looks past us at a large glorious gold trophy in the case on the opposing wall.

lula’s pov:

i don’t know what it is about hades orcinus.

typically, my type should be someone of my likehood. maybe someone in town or who i went to school with. rugged, old-fashioned, country.

hades is none of those things. his home away from home residing in the capital city viscerally opposes my life. and his real, true home beneath the surface of the water— submerged in the depths— that’s even further.

i remember my father telling me we were going to have guests.

he sat all of us down in the living room. filipe on his claimed spot on the couch nearest the wall, rudy and i on the carpet, and cole sprawled out on the L piece.

first, he told all of us to be ourselves. to act how we would if there were nobody staying with us. when they spoke to us, don’t change how we react to fit their lifestyle, be authentic.

cole raised his hand and asked why they were coming to stay, and who exactly they were. he said what we were all thinking.

“well, you kids know about gill.”

“not like you’ve told us the duck story a hundred times..” i mumble absentmindedly, picking at a spot in the rug. i know better than to talk back but dad let it slide just this once to keep explaining.

“he’s on his way. and he’s got two twins.”

it’s rudy who pipes up now. “two sets of twins or two kids who are twins?” he laughs. dad just throws a couch pillow at him.

“one set of twins. boys. actually-“ he scratches his beard. “i believe they’re about your age, cole.”

“oh sweet!” he grins.

this isn’t of any interest to me. if they’re anything like cole, they’ll tease me for their entire stay.

“then lastly a woman. she’s a siren, but don’t be afraid. gill has informed me she’s quite nice,” dad says, avoiding the big question.

we’re all silent. i don’t expect any of us to ask but to all of our surprise, filipe does.

“why are they coming?”

it’s not in beaus nature to lie but he does occasionally for the sake of his kids’ blissful ignorance. the only one he can’t bring himself to stretch the truth for is filipe.. and filipe knows that.

beau clears his throat and palms his knees stressfully. “you guys remember dean, don’t you?”

in an instant, everybody’s piercing eyes are on me. my face goes red and i bury it in my hands. talk about a total embarrassment.

i feel rudy about to make a joke but i stop him. “it was one kiss! hardly anything to fall in love over!” i bark at him. he always brings that up every time he comes home and it’s been literal months! i know he didn’t actually say anything but i had a feeling he was about to.

still, rudy teases me. “you fell in loveeee!”

there it is.

“i did not!” i grab the pillow that dad threw at him right out of his hands and begin beating him with it. i know i wont win this fight but at least he never retaliates, rudy is gentle— unlike cole who puts me in headlocks despite being twice my size. it’s ridiculously unfair.

“hey- cut that out!” dad snaps at both of us, giving us the look that says if you don’t stop you’re both getting put in the timeout chair. you’d think that time outs are for kids and not adults. try telling that to beau.

“dad i am not in love with dean i just want to make that very clear. nor am i heartbroken.”

he blinks a few times. “alright, sweetie.” is all his says, calmly and gently. he saw how i cried when he left that day.

“um,” he straightens himself in his armchair. “where were we… right so, dean is um.. he’s a-“

“fugitive?” rudy jokes.

“no! he’s- well… i’m not actually sure. maybe.” his brows furrow and he looks away in thought. “listen. all i know is that the woman gill is with has clearance to search for him. we will graciously welcome them into our home so they may question us and the townspeople. is that clear?” he finishes.

“yes sir.”

“yeah dad.”

“got it.”

i wish i knew how attractive the twins were going to be before they got here. i also wish i knew when they arrived so i wouldn’t have made a fool out of myself by hanging my underwear to dry on the clothesline while they were watching from the duck pond.

dad likes to say he has the best duck pond story but i think i one-upped him.

at first, i liked zeus. i thought his hair was quite nice and his scar was interesting. i mean, both of those things are true about him— but his brother. that night at dinner.

i felt his foot inch closer to mine. he pressed it against my hoof. the next thing i knew, i was laughing with him, pushing his feet away only for them to come back closer. zeus looked physically disrupted by it but i only noticed it when he left and came back. it was then that i realized my preference for wasn’t zeus.

the rest of their trip was spent with hades and i goofing off. i didn’t mean to take him away from work but he seemed okay with it. he often said that gill and zeus didn’t need his assistance.

i’m sure that wasn’t true. they must have needed his help the entire time but the selfishness of attraction kept me from keeping him on task.

swimming with him only make me fall harder. that and watching him adapt to our life with such ease. he rode a horse like he did it for a living— i couldn’t believe it was his first time.

when he talks about the big city i gush, even more so when he explains underwater culture to me. it’s vastly unknown territory and only merpeople know the true nature of it.

you dont meet many merpeople, much less orcas and sharks and sirens. whatever dean must have done to garner their attention must have been big. he said something about being very popular and rich but it’s not like i knew what that meant.

perhaps he’s a celebrity or something or a prodigy of some kind. i was too busy staring into his eyes with cartoon hearts radiating off me to care.

with hades it’s different. i feel so alive and at home and warm. perhaps because he’s in my territory— maybe the energy would be different if i was in his. would that even be possible?

i doubt if i ever were to be apart of his world id feel different about him than now. my love stays true.

i’ve told him i love him recently. it was in the rain after a particularly bad day for him. i was outside, drenched and soaking, and he was on the porch under the awning, dry and waiting for me to come home.

he didn’t said it back and i don’t rush him to— no do i guilt him into it. maybe he meant to. or maybe he doesn’t feel the same way. either one doesn’t change how i feel.

when hades left with his team for their mission i didn’t feel heartbroken. i felt hopeful, actually, because he was coming back— he told me so. i knew it in my heart that he was being honest when he kissed my cheek on the doorstep and told me he’d be on his way as soon as they were done in the capital.

he gave me his phone number. no boy has ever given me his phone number before so i had no reason to buy a phone in the past. for a short time, i used dads phone to call him.

sometimes, hades would call that number back and beau would come and get me, hand it to me and id keep it for hours just talking to him.

when he had to go, i knew— zeus’ voice in the background always made me aware. zeus sounded a little different because he lost the ability to hear himself but i still knew it was him. he has the same pitch as hades but hades sounds a little raspier, almost as if he spent his whole childhood yelling.

i was beyond elated when hades’ told me the mission was over and he was coming home to me. it was only after the call when i laid on my bed and analyzed how he sounded. my pink metal phone laid cold on my chest as i replayed the interaction in my head. his voice was low, close to the microphone. really close. and the sound of it was dangerously low. and on top of that, i didn’t hear a single person in the background for once. he was entirely alone then and alone when he showed up on my doorstep.

we welcomed him back as happy as could be, for that time he and his team stayed with us was one of the joyfullest moments we had as a big family since adelaide went off. hades is welcome here anytime, dad says.

it’s now been a few months since he came back— so about 7 since he was first here. i’m still reeling over his every action, falling harder and harder by the day.

it’s getting bad because even though he’s started to act out, i still can’t seem to take of my rose colored glasses. they’re more like contacts at this point and they’ve fused to my eyeballs. all his being is perfectly perfect to me.

i can’t see his issues that others keep pointing out to me. but if i had to admit it, i acknowledge that he has not been on his best behavior lately.

…especially when he disrespected my dad when assisting in a goat birth. cole normally helps but they say if hades is going to live here he better bear the hardships.

dad has been getting on his case after that day when hades ran and gagged from seeing the baby goat slide out of the mother covered in amniotic fluid.

i guess that sort of thing is weird for city people to see but for us it was very normal. he’s lucky it was only a goat and not one of our horses. the scale of that would have him running for the blue mountains.

that instance was only one of the many incidents hades had here. one time he lost one of our cattle dogs when we were a long ways out of town. we thought it would be romantic for us to go on a hike.

it wasn’t romantic when he convinced me to let the dogs run around on their own. i wish in that moment i told him they run plenty as cattle dogs but we just let them go; assuming since they stay loyal off leash on the property, they would anywhere.

one of our dogs came back and the other was lost for four days. we were all super worried and i got roped into the consequences of hades’ actions. but it’s okay— i’d take those punishments every day if it meant getting to spend more time with my boyfriend.

then another time hades got into a drunk barfight and threw a chair out of the window. we still don’t know why he did it. now we aren’t allowed in 2 of the towns bars.

then earlier today, the worst of all happened.

we were on the trampoline in the afternoon. it was actually really fun at first!

we never had a trampoline before hades moved in. he was actually incredibly acrobatic and he could do all sorts of frontflips and backflips. i was thoroughly hot and bothered when i saw him laugh with cole when he taught him how to flip.

cole continues to surprise me with the amount of activities he can do despite his amputation. but.. he and hades were getting a little overzealous.

after today i think filipe will begin avoiding zeus like there’s no tomorrow. he got encouraged to get on there with them, meanwhile i was safely on the ground because there can’t be more than three of us on it at a time.

filipe enjoyed about 3 seconds of it when he jumped with them but hades had the “genius” idea of introducing a game called popcorn.

i found myself wondering if popcorn was a game that he and zeus made up… but i don’t ask that. i know not to.

hades doesn’t talk about him anymore.

filipe went flying and he scraped his knees and hands and bruised his elbows when he fell onto the ground. i felt so bad for him.

and equally bad for hades in the time out chair. he didn’t mean to hurt him.

hades’ pov

if i knew beau was going to have me in a time-out chair everytime i screw up, i would have been less inclined to stay here.

i feel like a perp being interrogated with the bright light above me. the time-out chair is his big dinner table chair but pushed to be facing the wall. i feel like a fucking child.

it doesn’t help that his chair is for his size, which only makes me feel smaller.

though, the only thing that doesn’t make me feel small is being with lula. she makes me feel strong. large. manly.

the total opposite of these testosterone beasts who roam the house on their hooves.

at night, laying in bed in my new room, i can hear cole wake up repeatedly. his room right above mine, and every little creak is made known to me.

none of us (us being myself, my twin, gill, and odessa) knew he had ptsd when we first visited here. i think maybe i was too busy being blissfully happy, zeus was too busy being the opposite, and gill and odessa were focused on the mission. nobody saw how cole was when he was alone.

i know now why rudy comes home on the weekends even though he lives in another nearby town. why he shares a room with cole despite the guest room being available. well, it isn’t anymore.

rudy, while not here most days, i’ve noticed is the safely blanket for many people in this family. he somehow cuts cole’s nightly ptsd episodes in half just by being around, he makes filipe laugh and loosen up, and he never pushes around lula like everybody else.

i’ve checked on cole a few times when i hear his heavy metal foot begin pacing around the hardwood above me, but he always tells me he’s doing just fine. in fact, when i come in, he seems to think he really is fine again. i think maybe all he needs is somebody around him. company.

i can’t be there all the time and checking up on him constantly must be a total invasion, so i have a small ball that i toss up at the ceiling and catch in my hand when i lay in bed.

the repetitive, rhythmic noise of the bouncing rubber ball decreases cole’s pacing drastically and he eventually returns to bed.

tossing it up and watching it hit the ceiling before plummeting back down into my palm has been therapeutic for me too. it stops my worrying. some of it.

i like to say i don’t think about my family anymore. i have a new one.

but zeus stays burrowed in the back of my mind. nobody can forget a twin no matter how hard they try.

i’m not trying to forget him, but i am trying to ignore how the ghost of his presence makes me feel. i have no idea what happened to him after our fight. where he went with gill.

and the finished mission is none of my business anymore. this dean guy, the president, none of it.

this is my life now:

trying to ignore my old family by throwing a bouncy ball up at the ceiling almost every night in my room at my girlfriends childhood home while being chronically separated from said girlfriend. beau caught us kissing in the shed a few months ago and he hasn’t let us share much one on one proximity since. granted, it was a bit more than kissing. i was handsy, gripping her thighs and her breasts. i couldn’t help myself.

he still lets us talk and hang out, work together, be something official. but a lot of the time, there has to be someone else with us.

he treats me like his son in law now and as such, i need to stay in line.

it’s hard though. harder than it ever has been. there’s something in my being that wants to lash out and do something terrible, even worse than the accidents i already made. i’m in a box. i tell myself i don’t yearn to do something stupid and reckless but i know it’s a lie. i’m out of line with no way influence on how to get back. nobody is here to reel me in and my whole being feels that and wants to use it as an opportunity. an excuse. an advantage.

i know doing something that’ll piss beau off is wrong. but god do i feel liberated just thinking about it. he’s already so furious and frustrated with me. what’s one more screw up going to cost me?

getting kicked out, my subconscious says.

but i ignore it.

gill has kicked me out loads of times and still lets me back in. i doubt this household will be much different. i’ll do anything i can to get what i want, and now more than ever, i feel capable of doing so. i’m no longer in somebody’s shadow.

every day that passes that i can’t have my hands or lips on lulaine makes me fucking seethe. i grow needier and needier by the second. especially when the two us give each other eyes while doing simple tasks. she holds my hand and i have to walk funny to hide my erection. or she’ll remove her coat and all she has under is a small tank top. or she’ll pet a baby goat and call it sweet names. or she’ll dance or run or laugh. fucking everything makes me instantly hard.

beau has no idea the friction he’s caused me to have with these dumb rules. i know he wants his daughter to be responsible and safe, but separating us like this while we live under the same roof is torment.

i stop throwing the ball when my door creaks open a few inches. it’s lula, peeking in.

she’s got her cute pajamas on. the rosey satin ones that i bite my fist over because her ass shakes like jello when she walks. beau has disciplined me many times for looking at her body unabashedly and inappropriately. he thinks i don’t do it anymore but i just got better at hiding it around him.

i sit up in my bed and hold the rubber ball tightly in my hand. “hi baby,” i whisper with a smile. everytime i see her feels like a blessing.

“hi!” she chirps out quietly, coming in and closing the door behind her. she leaves it ajar just barely.

“what’s up? it’s late— you should be sleeping.”

“i’m not tired.” lula says, her hands fiddling in front of her. “can i lay with you?”

i smirk, feeling giddy but dreading more reprimanding when beau finds out about this. that’s right, not if, when. he always finds out.

i pat a spot beside me and watch her happily climb in, curling up beside me. she fits so perfectly by my side; like she’s made for me. we’re like two puzzle pieces that belong next to each other.

i pull lula by her body to be even closer to me, but i know it’s a mistake because of how soon my dick will get hard in this position.

my room is dark but not completely. and even still, i can see much better in it than she can. something about our species i suppose.

i can see her lips. her curly short hair, her ears, her neck. i have to close my eyes take a deep breath, otherwise if i look for too long i know im gonna start going at her.

fuck it.

my lips attach onto her neck. slow at first; sensually. but she turns in towards me and i make my way up her jaw fervently, all the way up to her juicy lips. i want to bite them, lick them, spit on them.

she lets out a small moan into my mouth and my cock strains in my boxers. i can’t help my hands from finding their way her legs. between them, around them, behind them, squeezing probably too hard. they’re just so plush.. and furry.. and so soft.

i’m practically eating her alive with the way i’m kissing her and grabbing her. i just never get to have her and i can never quit thinking about her. she’s intoxicating.

in a split second i realize this is newer territory. she’s probably overwhelmed and i take my tongue out of her mouth when i feel that she isn’t even kissing back. i remove my hands and blink back into the room.

we’re heaving, looking at each other with wide eyes. i’m concerned but she doesn’t seem to be. maybe i misjudged this— perhaps she was into it.

but why wasn’t she kissing back.

“lu-“

“hades.”

she holds my hands tightly. looking up at me through wispy lashes.

my heart melts when i look at her.

and.. my erection is not going anyway anytime soon.

“yes baby?”

she looks down and her cheeks rise with her soft smile.

“…i want you to fuck me.” she whispers.

i blink once.

then again.

did i just hear her correctly?

oh my god.

i want to respond but all of a sudden its like i forgot how to use my vocal cords.

a million answers all along the lines of fuck, yes, and please, come to mind.

a mixture of those words comes out of my mouth like a blurt whilst nodding.

way to play it cool, hades.

she smiles and gives my hands a tighter squeeze. before i can get any further with her request, i hear footsteps.

shit.

i want to hide lula but there’s no time, whoever it is will have to walk in and see us here on my bed. my shirt is off, my dick is hard, and she’s closer than she should be. the whole scene is incriminating.

though, the closer i listen the more i realize the heavy footsteps don’t belong to beau, but belong to his son.

i can hear the metal in every other step, clanking along while he tries to be as silent with it as possible.

cole used to be much more silent with his spare prosthetic. it was cheaper and more uncomfortable but definitely lighter. his newer one, state of the art and higher tech, came in a few months ago. it’s better than his original that he had before the horse incident.

he appears in my doorway in his blue robe, it’s loose and fixes it.

“i was going to ask why the ball stopped but i have a theory.” he says cheekily while eyeing me and lula on my bed. we definitely look all close up and personal.

i didn’t really know how to respond. “sorry— i was about to fuck your sister”? hell no.

“please don’t tell dad.” lula asks him, fixing her pajamas.

cole just tsks and raises an eyebrow. i know he’s only messing with us.

though, there’s something more.

im not the best at reading people but i think cole feels lonely. he’s here for a reason and it doesn’t look like he wants to back to bed. not for awhile at least.

in one swift movement i get up, open the closet, take a big blanket, and tell lula and cole to come with me. i make sure none of them see the small plastic bag i shove into my pocket.

the dogs bark whenever i would try leaving at night, but they don’t this time with cole here— they listen to him better than anybody.

the air is warm outside even though it’s late winter. but winter isn’t exactly a thing here in the west. i was surprised to learn that.

i miss the cold weather of the early months of the year in the capital. we wore cooler clothes, my old team and i.

here, i can barely have a shirt on without sweating my ass off.

i wear jeans now most days. blue jeans. and boots with heels. cowboy hats. i think i look the part— but so much as feel it? i’m not so sure.

we pass the sleeping chicken coop and duck pond, they all hate me.

the geese too.

and the goats. they hate me as well.

lastly we pass the horse stable. guess what? they hate me too. i almost got bucked in the face a few weeks ago by my “own” stallion. he’s not mine it seems.

as much as i thrive on land— better than any merman i know— im not sure if beaus settlement accepts me as part of it.

there’s an ecosystem here in perfect harmony. and i’m a parasite— or better yet, an invasive species.

i don’t think i’ll ever assimilate. i try to fit in here as best i can but i feel like a.. fish out of water.

i walk into the valley past the wooden fence with cole and lula and set the blanket out on the ground as far from the house as possible. only the small, faint glow of it in the distance reminds us it’s there.

“cole.” i say, noticing that he’s scanning the perimeter for coyotes. they’ve been in the area lately and he’s paranoid. “relax.”

“they could be anywhere. we shouldn’t be out here.”

“they’re not gonna bother us tonight.”

“how do you know that?” he whispers.

i give him a blank look. “i don’t. but what else do you want me to say?”

cole looks weary and grinds his teeth, a nervous habit he does at night. i never see this behavior from him during the day.

actually, during the day he throws caution to the wind and spends his time smiling and laughing. he has not a single issue when the sun is shining down on him.

i pull the bag out from my pocket and take one of the joints out. cole looks at me like i’m some kind of crazy delinquent when i light it and take the first hit to get it started and show him.

“..what the hell are you doing? is that marijuana?”

“mhmm,” i say after blowing the smoke away from their faces. the hit i took won’t phase me at all— i feel like im practically immune by now. besides, it’s the only one im taking.

i hand it to cole and he takes it. not because he wants to but because he’s one of those people that will mindlessly take anything you hand to them.

he looks down at it between his fingers, unsure of what to do.

“no, man. i can’t do this.” he says, trying to hand the joint back to me. i don’t take it.

“cmon dude it’s just weed, chill out. all you gotta do it is—“ i make the motion of putting it up to my lips and sucking in air.

cole squints and does it, just like i showed.

he puff its out and coughs so much that i have to pat his back as we all sit down on the blanket. he’s in an absolute fit.

it had to have been hours at this point— the crescent moon in the sky was sitting far into the east when we came out here, and now it’s above us.

cole keeps making me laugh. his coughing issue went away quite quickly after a few hits and before he knew it he was done with the joint. i probably should have taken it away from him at some point, especially since he’s never done it before. his tolerance was lower than low.

lula wanted to try it at some point but i disagreed, telling her it’s best of she and i stayed sober. i said something about us keeping watch for cole and creatures of the night, but guilty as i may be, the real reason was so that she wasn’t high when we advance later. i’ll be damned if i can’t finish what i started earlier in my bed with her.

the last thing i want is for her to be high while i fuck her— i’d never take advantage of lulaine like that. and besides, we don’t need substances when we’re together. the tension alone gets me ballistic, better than any high i’ve ever felt.

i look over at cole and his eyes are droopier and redder than ive ever seen. he’s got a dopey smile on his face as he tells me all about how his theories on merpeople procreation.

his ideas are far fetched and he gives me this look that screams “i’m right, aren’t i?”

i tell him he isn’t right, laughing right back, about how he seems to think the females lay eggs and the males come over and quote; jizz all over them for fertilization.

“we aren’t salmon,” i playfully shove him. “and we don’t lay eggs, much less cum on them. we have sex like any other mammal.”

cole seems to be flabbergasted by this information. just wait until i tell him about males having the capacity to be impregnated. but that’s for another time— he’s high enough right now as it is, i don’t think he could handle it, and i don’t think i could handle all his questions.

“do merman penises look weird?” they ask. “and where are they?”

“um,” i straighten out my back and lay on the blanket, staring up at the wonderful array of stars splattered on a dark abyss. “it comes out of a hole.”

“a hole?!”

“sort of like a cloaca. like the thing that chickens have.”

cole and his sister and thoroughly entranced, both propping themselves up on their elbows.

i continue. “uh. it’s concealed. sort of on the upper half of the body where a regular genitalia area would be, it’s not very different. the main thing is,” i reiterate. “it’s not visible unless you’re horny. which, then and only then does it reveal itself.”

lula was blushing, her mouth agape. cole was simply squinting and looking away trying to piece together what that looked like. i don’t think his brain can form a single coherent thought at the moment, so i’m really only speaking to my girlfriend.

“and then what?” she asks.

“then once it’s no longer concealed, if you’re a male, your dick comes out.” i say frankly. “i think some species can have multiple but i only have one.”

“what does it look like..?” lula shyly asks. i don’t often get embarrassed but right now, i feel exposed. i laugh and grab her hand gently.

“i’ll show you one day.” i whisper, trying to only say that to her but cole catches it.

“that’s enough,” he gets up, wobbling on his legs and dusting off his hands. “i’m not trying to see merman cock.”

we all laugh and he realizes we aren’t getting up with him. “aren’t you guys coming inside too?”

“oh..,” i look at my girlfriend and smile, responding to cole. “we’re gonna stay out here for a little longer. i want to watch the stars.”

he’s about to shrug and walk away but he turns and asks me one last thing. “this is going to wear off by morning right?”

“…”

“hades?”

“…you’ll be fine.”

cole leaves with a worried look. he’s going to be high for probably the entire next day, but he’ll be okay. besides, i know the sleep he’s going to get tonight will rock his world.

once he’s back on the property i take lula and pull her on top of me. this position is risky for me. my dick is going to get hard any minute now, especially with the way her plush legs fell around my waist.

i want to kiss her. touch her everywhere. make her feel good. i want to make love to lulaine, right here right now.

but before i can even trace my fingers over her legs, she speaks.

“you’ll get in trouble tomorrow..”

“not if he doesn’t find out.” i reply, still staring at her body.

“no, not with this. with cole.”

oh, i roll my eyes. “cole will be fine, like i said.”

“no he won’t be, dad will notice tomorrow. and he’s going to blame you before he can even confirm it was your doing, hades.” lula is saddened, she can’t keeping bearing the thought of me getting in trouble it seems. “you already got yelled at today for the trampoline thing.”

“why are you reminding me of this?” i mumble and line my hands around her waist, feeling the way it dips in above her hips.

“because i want you to start being more careful.”

“that’s not in my nature.”

“well make it be in your nature.”

my eyes snap up to hers and she’s completely serious. i don’t think we’ve ever had a moment so stern. she’s putting her foot down.

“i don’t know if that’s possible, baby.”

she huffs and drops her head. when lula is sad it’s very animated. i take her chin in my hand and lift it up, making her look me in the eyes.

“i’ll try. how does that sound?”

will i?

probably not very well. but it doesn’t matter, i’ll say anything to her to keep this night going. i have an opportunity here and i won’t blow it.

she’s satisfied with my answer and she perks up again. she even shimmies herself lower onto me and my erection wants to come up and say hi.

“maybe cole deserves it.”

“what?”

“getting in trouble. it’d do him good.”

i smile, liking this side of her. it reminds me of me in some ways.

“yeah? why’s that?”

“because he’s the golden child. it would be good if he wasn’t perfect all the time.”

there’s no way…

i look into lula’s eyes and connect with her, bringing my hands to hold both of her little ones.

“i know a thing or two about being in a golden child’s shadow.” i mutter.

she leans down and brings our lips together and i can’t help but hold her ass. i need it. i run my hands all along it and to her back, then around her waist and return them again.

she makes a noise in my mouth when i squeeze her and rub up into her with my hard, clothed cock. it’s practically begging to rip out of my underwear and be insider her.

my main concern is if lula wants this. i’m beyond eager but if she’s not one hundred percent certain and willing, i won’t. so i ask.

“baby,” i whisper between breaths when we come up from kissing.

“hm?”

“are we doing this? i mean— do you want to have sex tonight? right now?”

she giggles out of breath and nods, caressing my face. her fingers trace my eyebrows, then focus on the one with a slash through it. i practically melt. then, they glide along over my nose. then my lips. she presses her own to them once more and i fold.

“i want you to say it, sweetheart.” im practically jelly at this point, surprised i could still speak.

she looks me straight in the eyes and tells me “yes, hades, i do want this tonight.”

happily, my hands roam up to her tits, feeling how heavy and perky they sit in my large palms. perfect fit. i unbutton her silky sleep shirt and open it as she sits back on my knees, all her glory on full display.

i swear i could fucking drool, her tits are so fucking beautiful. i’ve seen them before by accident when i went into the bathroom during lula’s shower. i thought about that moment for weeks and i jerked off to the memory countless times, imagining different scenarios— imagining i fucked her on the bathroom floor or something like that.

seeing them now, they’re just as gorgeous. and this time i can really look, not just imagine from the one fleeting glimpse i saw.

“you’re beautiful.” i say under my breath before i caress her chest.

my hands brush against her budding pink nipples and i can feel precum leaking out of my boxers. i want this to go faster.

i want to flip us, pin her underneath me, put her ass in the air and just ram into her.

but i can’t.

i will not.

this is our first time.

it’s going to be as special as i can make it— i dare not rush it or ruin it.

unless.. she wants me to.

“hades,” she mummurs, moving her hips gently back and forth. “what are you waiting for?”

that’s all it takes.

those words coming from her mouth with the most perfect timing was all it fucking took for me to do just want i wanted. i changed our position, pinning her underneath me and aligning us how i imagined.

i almost gasped when i yanked her pants down and threw them to the side along with her shirt.

oh my god.

“you’re not wearing any underwear.” it was meant to be a question but out of my mouth, it was a statement. a dominant, strong statement. as if she did it just for me.

“i told you i want us to have sex, didn’t it?”

i softly chuckle, that made me want to bury myself in all of her: cock in her pussy, face in her tits.

she’s unbelievably beautiful. all of her. there isn’t a single thing about this woman that i do not love.

it’s sinking in right now. i love lulaine. she’s under me, naked and exposed beneath the stars in the warm air of the valley on a blanket. and i’m above her, tossing my boots and pants off and finally, slowly, my boxers.

it’s almost embarrassing the way my cock bursts out, dripping in precum with a mind of its own. it’s like invisible strings are tied to it and they’re pulling— yanking it towards her warm, soft body.

i look to her face and her eyes are locked onto it, as wide as saucers and pale blue even in the lack of moonlight.

“hades.. why is it that big?” she’s got worry written all over her.

i want to laugh but i hold it back. “it’s really not, baby. it’s very average, actually.”

that isn’t a lie. i mean, considering my height and hers, she might think it is. but the truth is, i got the shorter end of the stick, so to speak out, of my twin and i. in the most literal sense.

she bites her lip but not in a way that’s supposed to be enticing, even though to me it is, but she does it as a nervous expression. “i guess you are quite large in general.. um.” she lays back on the blanket like a limp doll, getting tired of propping herself up by her elbows.

she’s overwhelmed.

overtaken.

it might be too much for her and i internally panic— we’ve gotten this far. i do what i can and come up with something, coming closer to her face.

“shh, hey. it’s okay, we’re going to take it really slow. alright?”

she just looks at me with her worried face and fuck. it’s irresistible. it makes my cock twitch.

finally she gives me a nod before i tell her im going to put my fingers in and we’ll see how that goes.

i start with just playing with the outside, rubbing it gently. everything is gliding with ease and i kiss her neck. “fuck, you’re so wet. so good.”

the noise she made from that sent more blood rushing to my cock and at this point, i can’t help it. it’s just begging for release and i need to indulge. i slide one finger in and she gasps and grips onto my arm with strength i didn’t know she had. iron clamps more like.

i mutter sweet things to her and pause movement, letting her feel the adjustment. it makes me wonder, has she ever even fingered herself? the tightness of her pussy envelops my middle finger and tells me otherwise.

after a minute, she’s okay with me moving it. it was sensational for the both of us, gliding in and out, kissing her neck, hearing her little noises.

i should have told her before i added another but it just felt so natural to slide it in that i forgot. she was back with the iron clamps on me but this time instead of holding my bicep she was holding my wrist, stopping me.

i do the same thing as before, whisper a messy string of things like “it’s okay baby”, and “you’re doing so good”, “taking my fingers so well”, “you’re okay”.

talking her through it seems to help. encourage it even. she lets me pump my middle and ring finger and less than a minute in she’s a moaning mess everytime my palm rubs up against her clit.

she tells me she’s ready and i smile and screw my eyebrows together. she’s not ready— my cock is going to be nothing like my fingers. but i proceed despite that, too blinded by my own hunger and insatiable need to satisfy the both of us.

i realign myself to how i was before, teasing her a little bit. i push the head to her hot pussy and rub her juices around. it’s all i could ever ask for and more, this moment.

i spit on my cock and jerk it a few times to get it wet. there was already precum but i still didn’t want to risk slipping my somewhat dry, hard cock into her. i can’t imagine how bad it would feel on her end.

once it’s ready, i give her only the tip. i shut my eyes and hold her legs— what i feel right now has to be nothing short of heavenly.

where has this been all my life?

touching my own cock has never felt as good this; being in somebody, and i’m only an inch in.

i know if i rock my hips and shove my whole cock into her she might tear and bleed, so i restrain. i never thought i would actually be grateful for gills uncomfortable sex ed talks.

little by little lula and i come together as one, slowly merging. it was so gradual and slow that after making out and talking her through it, i hardly even noticed that i bottomed out.

feeling her. feeling myself inside of her. fuck.

the cum in my dick is trying it’s absolute hardest to burst out but there’s so many reasons why i’m forcing it away. i need to prolong this for as long as i can.

im fucking an angel.

of course it feels better than i ever thought it would.

i pull away from our sloppy kisses with a string of saliva and look down. her pussy is wrapped around the base of my cock and i want to memorize image and plaster it all over the front of my brain.

“i love you,” i whisper. in this moment, im astounded i haven’t told her earlier. on top of that, im ashamed it took us having sex for me to finally admit it.

a few pumps and im going to be out for the count.

lula’s pov:

if this doesn’t kill me, the consequences of my actions will.

in the time out chair i shall rot until the house collapses, the legs are sunken in the grow, vines are growing on me, and i become gunmetal grey like a statue.

i will be grounded for the rest of my life.

and what’s worse; hades will surely be kicked out.

i won’t be able to sneak off to his room anymore.

i try every night, in fact, but im only successful 1 out of 100 times. my room is right next to my fathers, and such, every time i leave my door, he knows.

my dad is the lightest sleeper ever. especially now more than ever due to a semi-dangerous merman living under his roof. i don’t think he’s dangerous but my dad expresses his concerns to me each time he catches me attempting to sneak out of my room.

he’ll stand in my doorway watching me head back to bed, telling me how safe i need to be around hades. how inter-species couples are a risky combination.

if they’re so risky, i wonder, why hasn’t he told us to break up? why hasn’t he kicked out hades? for my sake? i doubt it.

tonight, when i snuck off to hades’ room, i knew i was beyond lucky. my dad spend all day down at the lumberyard in the town rudy lives in. rudy got to show him the hard work he does everyday over there. my dad is spent— and therefor, i get to sneak out.

i decided tonight is the night.

i’m going to do it with hades.

on the blanket under the stars in the valley, i was being stretched out by his huge cock with no cause for complaint because he was enjoying himself.

but if i’m being honest.

it’s too much.

i cannot enjoy something like this from the way my downstairs is burning and aching.

my back is beginning to hurt and my pussy has gone numb. his cock feels too big and my eyes begin to well up with tears.

i cannot tell him i want to go back to fingering; that was wonderful. but over.

he stopped.

and instead, he shut his eyes when he slid in like he was experiencing the best feeling— best moment of his life.

for me, it is not that.

it is pain. discomfort. agony.

i can only wait for it to be over, each second that passes. each time his balls slap against my ass in a dirty, vulgar manner.

he said it’d feel good eventually but he’s only fucking me harder. making it worse and more difficult for me to even consider enjoying it.

but he told me he loved me.

he loves me.

hades said so for the first time ever. if it took me in this situation to have him say it, i’ll consider it a success.

he’s having the time of his life, and it looks like he’s going to cum soon, which i’m hopeful for.

that alone arouses me, but at the expense of what’s happening to my pussy right now, i can hardly even feel horny at all.

he leans down to kiss me, and i try returning the favor.

our lips connect and disconnect and connect again with the jagged movements of his thrusts. i take the back of his neck and hold it place so we can make out and he smiles against my lips when i do.

“fuck,” he whispers into the kiss. his pace was getting slower, his thrusts painfully deeper like he was trying to get all of himself inside me.

i focused on our lips but he wasn’t kissing back, he was breathing so heavily and his expression told me all i needed to know.

“baby, im about to cum,” he whispers. it’s strained and almost whiny. i liked that. i’ll probably think about over and over again when i can actually feel my lower half.

to help him, i lean up to kiss the underside of his jaw. my hands travel down his unbelievably muscular back and shoulders. more things that make me horny but i can’t fully appreciate in this moment. everything hurts.

in a final thrust,

i feel it.

hot cum spurting out of his dick and deep inside my body. hades’ chest was practically convulsing and his mouth was hanging open in pure ecstasy.

he didn’t even warn me.

he didn’t make me cum, either.

and the way he collapses on top of me tells me he isn’t going to try.

i hold the man i love. the man who loves me.

he takes a long time to pull out, lazy when he does it.

i don’t even notice anything is wrong until i look at his face.

it’s hurt. not like he’s hurt but he’s disgruntled. i look to see what the issue is, getting up to see. he’s looking at his cock coming out of me— cum is on it, of course. but more importantly, blood is as well.

“lula, enough picking at your plate. eat your dinner.” my dad gently tells me from his end of the dining table.

cole rolls me a blueberry; he knows i like blueberries. it travels along the rustic wooden table from his end across to mine, stopping its roll perfectly next to my plate.

i take it and hold it between my fingers, toying with it before crushing the whole thing.

it bursts and red juice drips down my thumb.

i don’t remember fainting last week after hades and i had intercourse. i recall there may have been some blood that came from me.

i don’t know if i forgive him or not. if i did, i wouldn’t be able to tell him. i woke up in my bed after that night, alone.

i was placed there and i had clean new pajamas on, and in the afternoon when i woke up, i slid on my slippers and ran outside. there was no blanket in the valley.

i ran back indoors and dashed up the stairs. hades’ bed was made and he was not in it.

i searched the whole house, then the whole property. then later the bars and the town shops.

hades was nowhere to be found. he vanished.

dad was confused when he realized i was not up until noon, as was cole. we never sleep in like that. he could not find hades as well.

i got questioned first, powering through my lower body pains— acting like i had none— while my dad interrogated me as we mucked horse stalls. he asked me all sorts of questions. where was hades. why i slept in. why cole is sleeping in. what we were doing last night. why i snuck out.

how he even knew about that was beyond me. still, he doesn’t know that hades and i had sex. and he doesn’t yet know that cole is about to wake up high out of his mind.

i lick the pieces of the blueberry off my hand and avoid my fathers eye contact. he switches his gaze to cole, squinting.

i don’t think he’s gonna get over his anger for cole smoking weed for at least another few days.

in the meantime, my father is gentle with me as i mourn the unexpected absence of hades orcinus.

he thinks i’m about to break any second now, but i’ve been doing quite well. i know he’ll come back. i’m not angry nor sad.

i think..

☄. *. ⋆

notes:

there a lot of subtle factors i incorporated into this fic so let’s talk about them:

in lula’s point of view, we can see that she loves hades for who he is. but in hades’ point of view he doesn’t know if he loves lula and he sees her as an object. he’s overtly sexual and has no regard for the deeper connections lula is thinking she’s establishing.

in his point of view, the sex is great. but in hers, it showed the truth of what was really happening outside of hades’ dizzy dreamlike state of mind.

also, i’ve been really thinking about complexity of characters, specifically females. i think lula was a scapegoat for me to explore how relationships and sex are extremely complicated and the emotions related to those are complex as well. she doesn’t deserve to be a scapegoat but for the plot, it’ll make her much more well rounded.

she’s back and forth on how she feels. she’s in love but she’s also uncomfortable and horny but also not! and that’s all realistic i think and it’s all valid. it’s also valid to change your mind about wanting to have sex and she doesn’t know that yet.

i love her your honor. i am so sorry.

another subtle detail is hades liking to be under the stars. cough cough he couldn’t see them in the capital or from underwater.

speaking of hades: i don’t think he’s a bad person. i think he’s also very complex in his character development and he doesn’t realize the importance of his actions. in his mind and his point of view: everything is fine. not good but not bad. just fine.

“we shouldn’t be doing this, doctor.” kaethal says out of breath beneath me. i have him on an exam table and my lab coat is discarded on the floor.

i don’t respond to what he says, partly because i don’t know how. i know we shouldn’t be doing this but i don’t care enough to do anything about it. especially stop. that’s the last thing i want.

kaethal’s body temperature was rising, as was his chest with the heaves of his heavy breathing. we haven’t even done anything yet but the tension was thick enough to be sliced with a knife.

“how do you feel?” i ask, raising an eyebrow as i scan his body, pressing down on different areas.

“um.. i feel hot.”

“yeah?”

“n-no. well yes, like— warm. i feel warm.”

“not because i’m touching you?” i tease. i can’t help but to smile; he’s unwinding.

“no.”

“certainly not, darling.” i play along. “especially when i press here..”

my fingers find their way to his neck and press down. he squirms but shakes his head.

“okay, here..?” i trail my hands down to his chest.

nothing but more labored breathing, he’s fighting this.

“not even… here?” i lightly brush over his clothed crotch. no pressing this time. it’s enough to make him shiver.

kaethal says nothing and i look at the wall, putting my hands up and backing away to separate us. ignoring the throbbing erection i have, i give him and i space, the heat of his body being gone instantly chilling me.

i’m bluffing; acting like i don’t care. acting like i don’t want this. need this. but if im anything it’s a tease.

kaethal’s hands grab my own cold ones and he pulls me back down on top of him. i laugh as i come down, flopping over on the handsome man on my exam table.

“i knew it,” i chime before he connects our lips and pulls me even closer. i don’t hold back the moan that escapes my mouth when his fangs graze my lips, hitting the metal of my piercings. it only makes my cock harder.

“alistair!” isadores voice cuts through. why is he here? and why am i in my bedroom, staring at the ceiling and half sliding off my sheets?

i blink all the way awake and isadore yells my name again from the hallway. i ignore him and let my head fall back onto the pillows, rubbing my eyes.

a sex dream— really? and with a patient no less. of all things, my argentum study subject being the matter of attraction in my wet dream..

i try not to think about it but that’s not my style. i’d rather obsess over this and let it consume me because that’s what i’m actually good at.

i’ll let the fleeting memory of this dream replay in my mind. beginning with my shower, fueling my cock to stand up until i do something about it.

then as i have breakfast with isadore, avoiding eye contact with him as i normally do. he just hammered me about bringing more blood bags from the hospital when i come home tonight.

i used to fight him about it, saying there’s more than enough in the dead bodies in the morgue but he makes the point that the ones from the hospital are fresh.

i take the last one to go on my way to work, pouring it into a cup and popping in a red metal straw. red is my favorite color.

i let the dream consume me on my break, reminiscing on all the details of how eager i felt in the moment while lighting my cigarette.

then later it plays again when i carefully and precisely remove a copper bullet from a woodland elf’s scapula with a long forcep.

one more time as i assess a young bull orca for hearing aids, then a dozen check ups, then my last hour of the workday with iris. i told her every detail about my dream.

“aside from his head being a watermelon for the first half, id say it was a terrific dream.” i say to her as she reviews kaethals chart.

i know by the half-assed laugh she does that shes barely paying attention.

i just stand there and look at the top of her head. she’s about half my size and somehow completely human. sometimes i grill her about her DNA probably being part dwarf but she doesn’t find that funny. instead she calls my DNA being 100% weiner-wad, whatever that means. iris just likes the word weiner.

“look,” she says, turning the clipboard to me. “the 31st.”

“the 31st…”

iris looks at me like i’m supposed to understand something. “tomorrow?!” she says in a ‘ring a bell’ tone.

“tomorrow! he’s coming here? for his check up? you’re taking the piss-“ i grab the clipboard out of her grip and bring it closer to my face. sometimes, my glasses are too dark.

“good luck ‘dahhling’!” she laughs on her way out of the exit, mocking me.

ᯓᡣ𐭩

longhorn valley is know for its charm. the town 20 minutes from beaus house is quant but not too quant. it isn’t a sleepy, western village where there are horses clopping the streets and women whispering and coins dropping on wooden planks.

no, the roads are paved, yet cracking. grass and little flowers spurt up through the crevices. the buildings have workers who’ve been there since forever. they love their jobs the townspeople. there’s a boutique on 2nd avenue that lula really likes. they sell the finest of dresses but she can’t afford any of them.

there’s many country bars and pubs. they have neon blue and purple lights at night and twangy music can be heard from unlikely distances. there’s a mechanical bull in one of them. beau and his family do not show their faces their on account of being sheepishly embarrassed.

“get on the mechanical bull, bull man.” they said. “it’ll be fun” they said.

beau broke it.

actually he didn’t just break it, he crushed into hundreds of pieces. he put the mechanical bull in its rightful place.

the competing pub across the street doesn’t have a mechanical bull and they welcome beau and his family in every time. their drinks are far better anyhow and their music is tasteful. more so than bar number one.

they play all the best hits and when the two step begins, beau shoves his family members and friends onto the floor while he finishes his whiskey. lula jumps up happily from her barstool, abandoning her shirley temple, and extending her little hands out for hades. he chuckles and takes them, letting her lead him onto the floor with all the other dancers.

hades wasn’t dressed for the two step. he had on a black t shirt that hugged him, black pants that did as well, and combat boots of all things. he watched all the other men in their cowboy boots and how the heels clacked against the floor and the spurs whirled around.

hades certainly didn’t look the part. people knew he was from the capital just by looking at him. just another out of town human, they probably thought.

he bit his lip as he watched lula do the two step next to him, showing him how it’s done. he followed along extremely well, happy that he was picking it up like second nature.

they slid their feet to the side with the group and clapped in unison with everybody, then reversing it before doing it again. the two step was just that. two steps, simple as can be.

cole got dragged in by the sound of a southern belle darling and he tipped his hat at her, and all the girls for that matter and always said “ma’am”.

he’d dance with them for a moment, spin them around, give compliments, then come back to the bar. beau gives him the happiest and most loving, firm pats on the back while cole finds his drink. he doesn’t consume alcohol at all, he mostly just drinks water or ginger ale. he took big gulps and chuckled with his dad about some inside joke before rejoining the dancers.

beau sat back and watched his son mingle and tease lula. hades was messing with cole right back in defense, cheeky grins on both of their faces. more so hades, he was probably getting tipsy.

“is your boy like that with every girl?” beau asks gill who’s seated in the barstool beside him. gill has a tall beer in front of him and he rears his head from it behind him to see hades pick lula up but the waist and spin her like all the men did at once.

“nope.”

“really?!” beau leans back, taken by surprise. he crosses his arms. “he seems like a natural flirt.”

“hades has never been one to really get to know girls.”

beau lifts an eyebrow. “oh. i see.. he’s one of those types of boys-“

“no it’s not like that!” gill winces, looking away from his son to make eye contact with the minotaur. “he doesn’t um..”

“he’s never been with a woman.” zeus piped in dryly.

he’s been silent all night. sitting at the edge of the bar and ordering nothing. just idly peoplewatching with his chin on his palm.

beau cleared his throat and gill elbowed him.

“it’s true!” he held up his hands in defense.

“well.” beau looked back at his daughter, brushing off zeus’ off putting energy. “good to know he’s not just doing it for fun.”

gill nodded and smiled with a shrug, he couldn’t really care less who hades picked out there in the world. as long as she wasn’t human, it didn’t matter to him. she could be from the very depths of the sea or in the highest of clouds.

it looks like hades chose the clouds. he was among an angel.

zeus on the other hand seemed to be having difficulties. he’s 25 now and hasn’t made any real bonds with anyone except for his immediate family.

gill was unsure of zeus’ sexuality and if he even had one. it seemed like he had no desire for that sort of thing whatsoever. gill doubted if there would even be a day where zeus just goes out on his own to find a mate.

cole tried to get zeus to stand up and dance or do karaoke but it was no use. zeus was glued to his chair the entire night until it was time to go home.

hades did karaoke with lula and beau just ate it right up. he laughed and took pictures and cheered. hades wasn’t too good at singing, unlike zeus (especially underwater) but he had a great time regardless.

similarly, cole tried getting zeus and everybody to come out to the shooting range with them. the shooting range being unofficial and just their own valley where there were targets in the far distance.

zeus agreed out of politeness, and it was beau, cole, him, hades, and gill. beau and cole didn’t believe it as any sort of father-son competition, but gill was hardwired to think everything was a competition.

cole joyfully limped up to the plate, loaded his shotgun and cocked it, aimed down the barrel at the target and missed completely.

he laughed about it and looked to his dad, who was happily encouraging. “try again!” he said, nudging cole to stand in the right spot gently.

“it’s been a while since i did this in the fire academy.” he told the rest of them unabashedly.

beaus eyes crinkled up and the corners. “no worries son, just go ahead and give it your best shot.”

cole brought it up closer to him again and aimed, closing one eye and making sure he got it right this time.

this time, when he let the bullet fly it hit the target. not the target itself but the white canvas. he hung his head low and laughed with a groan, handing the double barrel to his father.

beau stepped up to the right spot and brought it up, aiming and shooting right at the heart of the target. it hit directly on the tiny x by chance. cole whistled and jumped around as much as he could with his annoyingly uncomfortable spare prosthetic. he missed his old one so bad.

he patted his dad hard and beau turned around put him in a playful headlock. “that’s how it’s done!”

the sun was gleaming on them like halos.

gill smiled at them and turned to his boys. they denied the shotgun and instead, each revealed their personal handguns they have to keep on them at all times. twin g17’s.

gill had a slightly similar one along with many other weapons he conceal carried. he felt bad for having to wear them everyday in the presence of beaus sheer hospitality but it was technically his job. this wasn’t vacation.

there were two more targets side by side and the twins eyed each other rudely before taking their shots.

they were still giving each other the silent treatment, to which gill rolled his eyes at.

they each shot about five bullets, concentrated and focused on aiming it at the head just like gill trained them. zeus preformed almost perfectly. he got none on the whites of the canvas and four of his bullets made it to the body and one headshot.

hades had zero headshots.

all body shots and he wasn’t going for them. it was a disgrace to his profession. he tsked and turned the safety back on before shoving it into his holster. zeus was the winner of their nonexistent competition— just like he always was.

beau said it was gills turn, and when gill stepped up he tried to be encouraging and proud of his sons equally. it’s what beau would do.

but gill is not beau. what came out of his mouth was “a little higher next time hades.”

he mentally cursed himself, correcting his words. “but good job. both of you.”

beau and cole noogied one other in excitement to see how gill was going to do. surely it’d be just like the twins, who did so good in their opinion. how could he top it?

gill pulled out his g31 and held it up, shooting five or so times.

headshots.

every single one of them.

beau and cole’s jaws were practically on the ground. as opposed to hades and zeus who weren’t even paying attention because they knew their dad was the best shot out of the five of them.

in fact, if given a sniper, gill could clock a falling leaf from over a thousand yards away. zeus and hades were used to being inferior to his many years of military experience.

the twins walked past gill, passing him on each side. gill stood and watched his boys head down the valley with cole and beau. there was a crispness to the air that was coming in. it signified that summer was coming to a end, even though the past week had been hot as ever. and if that wasn’t enough, the prairie plants turned shades oranges and red and would only get more vibrant as fall came. it was the end of a era for gill. he knew that deep down, things are going to be so different when they got back to the capital.

if they ever made it back to the capital.

to the twins, this was like vacation. or as close to one as gill could give them without taking them away from their jobs.

gill was the personification of guilt, but there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

and if he was being honest, he knew his boys were slacking in what they were supposed to be doing.

they were here to protect odessa and find clues for how and where to track down mr. harrington. so far, neither of them found anything because they haven’t been looking.

hades has been too busy playing with his food, frolicking around in the sunflowers with her, biting her lips, and riding into the sunset. he even began wearing a cowboy hat sometimes, which zeus thought was beyond ridiculous.

zeus himself was growing in boredom by the day. he hasn’t connected with anybody here, hasn’t been focused on the mission, and instead spends his time by watching hades have fun without him.

gill doesn’t even know if they still sleep in the hayloft. the two of them could be anywhere at night, especially based on the wild story he was informed about.

following them? watching them get naked to swim? really?

gill shook his head, trying not to think about it. he instead focused on getting back indoors to check up on odessa.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

filipe blinked hard when the gunshot in the distance was sounded. it startled him but he knew it was only cole practicing in the valley.

filipe was sat on the floor in the living room by the couch doing something at the coffee table. it looked to be sheet music that he was writing with a calligraphy pen and some ink. he had ear buds in and his handwriting was pristinely perfect.

odessa walked by to the kitchen, saying hello to him on her way. filipe didn’t know which type of hello he should say back. hi? good evening? hello? ..”howdy”? howdy is what his dad always says. no, that’s too awkward. now too much time has passed for him to appropriately respond!

odessa cleared her throat. she had a bottled smoothie in her hand and was standing closer than filipe thought. she was just in the kitchen, how did she make her way all the way to next to the couch already?

“h-hello.” filipe greets, taking out one earbud to be polite.

“how are you?”

small talk.

no.

ugh..

“okay.”

odessa was quiet and she looked at filipes papers. “what’s that?”

filipe threw himself over the table and covered his work with his lanky arms and hands. his circle glasses slid down his nose and he clumsily pushing them upwards with a finger. this was embarrassing.

“oh! it is nothing!”

“really? because it looks like sheet music.”

filipe went red and looked away. then odessa spoke again, this time not as intimidating and more down to earth with him.

“i only ask because im also a musician. well, mostly nowdays i just sing,” she smirked, thinking about her own voice and how there’s an element of it that will blow away even the most obsessive and critical musicians. not that filipe was one, but he could be.

“what do you play?”

“piano.”

filipe unraveled his arms from his papers, feeling more comfortable. he smiled as he stood up and held a finger out to say one moment. he dashed upstairs and left odessa standing in the living room alone. it was then when she noticed the plethora of family photos on the mantelpiece and walls.

in a minute, he trotted down the staircase with a fancy, glossy dark violin and gorgeous bow with white hairs. odessa marveled at it and before filipe even played, she knew he was going to be miraculous.

there was a piano nearby, and she sat, cracked her knuckles, and began. filipe watched her and picked up on her song, playing along on his violin.

odessa faltered for a second, wowed at his ability to play. he was spectacular at it!

odessa began to sing, and the way she felt about filipes ability to play the violin was how he felt about her ability to sing. of course, his knowledge that she was a siren was unknown to odessa. she had no idea if he knew, considered that, or if he just didn’t care.

was he entranced because of her powers or was he entranced because somebody was finally allowing him to be free to make his wonderful music?

lula was coaxed out of her room by the song. her bedroom was downstairs, right down a hallway. she came out and stood by the doorway, appreciating them. appreciating odessa. filipe was putting himself out there. enjoying himself. it’s all a sister could want.

soon after, the front door gently opened and the five men who were outside practicing shooting were all filing in quietly. they heard the music from outside of the house and took the liberty of not making a scene while the came in.

gill came and stood nearest odessa by force of habit. beau smiled and quietly yet quickly began looking for his camera. he loves taking pictures of his kids to frame and put on the walls, and this was a perfect moment to photograph. filipe was overjoyed.

the twins went their separate ways, as they’ve seemed to be doing this whole trip. hades found lula by her doorway and he towered her, his hands finding her shoulders. her back. her lower back. he doesn’t think anybody is watching them as he kisses the top of her head.

but of course.

zeus is.

or at least, he was. he wanted to gag, desperately looking elsewhere.

there was a spot on the sectional couch nearest odessa and gill that was practically calling him name.

odessa eyed him on his walk over, her fatale stare could be misinterpreted as a sinister look but she was merely concerned.

odessa may not be a mother figure toward him but she’s known these boys almost their whole lives. she knows when something is up.

she changed her lyrics just barely. she began to sing about specific things that calm zeus down. the ocean. vastness. endless water that reaches the horizon. words like that made zeus sink into the sofa like melting butter on warm toast.

when the song was over, she leaned over to him. silky black hair fell in front of her as she examined his expression.

“what’s wrong.” she whispered, lifting a brow. he looked to gill, wondering if he hasn’t already told odessa everything that he knows. apparently not.. she’s being kept out of the loop.

zeus was going to keep it that way. not because he wanted to but because he doesn’t know what to say. “hades hates me right now. i hate him right now?” no. she’d just try to fix it.

“nothing.” zeus says, watching cole make his way upstairs.

she follows his eyeline, watching him too. there’s a sparkle— the tiniest glimmer— coming from the neckline of cole’s t shirt. it’s a chain exactly identical to hades’.

odessa is the first to say it but zeus was right about to as well.

“that chain belongs to-“

“hades.”

she rubbed her lips together in thought, spreading around her lipstick. “why does he have it…?”

“i dunno but,” zeus looked his boss, saddened. “i gave it to him. and he’s given it away.”

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

bonus:

filipe room tour.

his walls are olive green. he has a big cello in one corner, framed entomology posters, lamps turned on rather than overhead lighting. a full size bed that is made to perfection. two crisp, white, pressed pillows on it. a green comforter, and praying mantis plushie in the center. the headboard is wooden and it matches his floor. and as well as his violin and cello, he has a guitar, a clarinet, and a piccolo. there’s a record player and he has hundreds of records in a marvelousc custom made, wood console.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

double bonus:

“keep closing your eyes.”

“i am closing them! they’ve been closed!”

hades chuckled, his hands over lula’s eyes. her face was small in his hold as he brought her to her bedroom. they stumbled around and she kept giggling every time he accidentally made her hit a corner.

“okay,” he led her to stand in the room, positioning her towards her bed. “open.”

on it was bags and bags filled with clothing.

all dresses. pretty, dainty, frilly. colorful ones, white ones, neutral ones, black ones. short ones, long ones, skimpy, modest, everything. so many dresses from her favorite shop that sold all the ones she wanted but could never buy.

lula let out a small gasp. her hand coming up to her mouth in shock. she walked over and touched the paper of the bags with disbelief.

hades couldn’t wipe the grin off his face even if he tried. standing there like a happy idiot with his arms crossed behind her would have to suffice.

lula swallowed hard, pulling out an orange sundress. “you did all this? bought all these?

he nodded, but her back was turned so she didn’t even see.

he turned her and crouched to her level, getting a look at her face that he so desperately needs to see everyday now.

her big eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at him. his adoration turned into confusion quickly and he brought a hand up to wipe them.

“hey.. what’s wrong?”

“i don’t have money to pay you back. this is too much.”

hades chuckled and tried to fake a frown. it was too cute.

“and why would you need to do that? hm?”

“because i don’t deserve these.”

he was thoroughly confused now. the smile faded.

“of course you do— don’t say that. you deserve every single one of these dresses. i want you to wear every single one of these.”

there was a moment of silence and he held her chin.

“understand, lulaine?”

hades felt like a dog on a leash.

the plan was simple: travel to the wild west, meet up with one of gills mysterious old acquaintances, and ask them if they’ve seen a odd group go by.

they were tracking the heir of the harrington family, who odessa has been commissioned to recruit. it was strictly direct presidential orders, which of course, the twins thought was full of shit.

they couldn’t care less about the reason they trekked across the vast desert between the republic city of anomalies and the cities and towns of the west.

gill told his boss and his boys that they were headed towards a small town called longhorn valley. just outside of it resided his acquaintance’s home. they were farmers, he said.

the air was hot and dusty and according to gill they should be there any moment. in fact, beau would meet them outside before bringing them in for things their kind needs. like water.

oh water was the only thing the twins could even think or dream of in a moment like this. their skin felt dry and taught beneath the blazing sun, their mouths and throats felt like sandpaper, their eyes had dust in them, and their bodies felt like collapsing any second now.

gill and odessa were older, so they could last even a few more days in conditions like this. the brothers however, were young and needed to be underwater. it was like denying someone air.

like a hallucination standing in the distance was the biggest man the twins had ever seen, even at a faraway perspective. getting closer, he only became more colossal.

it was a minotaur— a real, live minotaur! they had never seen one before, the species being so few and far between. this must be beau. he was strong, which was saying something because nor gills or the twins mass could even hold a candle to his.

hades’ large hand shaking his was almost an embarrassment because it wasn’t so large anymore. it felt small and weak. he felt small and weak, even at 6’5 which was conventionally large, and surely his brother felt the same.

beau brought them graciously into his home and immediately gave them glasses of water, which soothed the twins until they’d surely need to be underwater and swimming soon. gill required a tub for odessa as well, but what was given out back behind the house made hades explode in laughter.

it was practically a steel traugh. the look on odessa face was enough to get zeus to giggle too. her eyebrows were screwed inwards and her frown at gill was telling. they all knew she’d rather dry out before getting in that thing.

there were two tubs in the bathrooms of beaus house but one of them had a broken faucet and the other had a big crack in the porcelain. apparently his son slipped and knocked it real bad with his horn. standing showers though were practically a big joke among the merpeople.

still, gill was able to convince her to try. it was only big enough for her, otherwise he’d let his boys go first had they been willing. perhaps gill would find some other accommodations for them.. such as the duck pond.

“go ahead and show it to them filipe,” beau said to his lanky goat son. he was older than the twins, now much compared to when gill met him 23 years ago. still, he looked fairly young in the face. he had very short hair, circle glasses, and wore an argyle vest. a nerd no doubt, hades thought.

“be mindful of the ducks,” filipe spoke to the twins he led out onto the grass. they were surprised at his accent, but it began to make sense knowing that he was adopted. “they may bite you.” filipe shows his elbows and the little nip marks made from ducks.

“we’ll be fine,” hades chuckled- scoffed more like. it earned him a light punch from zeus who could feel the disrespect oozing off his brother.

“thank you filipe,” zeus politely said, nodding to the goat man when he walked away. the duck pond was larger now all these years later since gill had jumped in it that fateful day. not that the twins even knew about that.

they began undressing, zeus more gingerly than hades who simply messily stripped down everything and threw it all off to the side. his shirt even landed on a duck who got so startled it took off with it on its head.

as they dipped in, the water felt divine. their massive, heavy tails transformed and sunk to the bottom, which wasn’t too far. it was a pond after all. their gills came out and so did their impressive dorsal fins. zeus’ fin was taller by a few inches and it drove hades nuts. hades’ was stouter and bulkier— he hated it.

there were lilly pads and cattails and frogs around them as they waded. the experience was something that they weren’t used to it but they acknowledged was actually quite nice.

“dessa’s probably freaking out,” zeus mumbled with a smile. he found a rock to lean on and hades wanted to push him off so that he could lean on it instead.

right before hades could respond, there was a shriek and splash in the distance from where the steel trough was, behind the house. they laughed and rolled their eyes. gill was probably his hardest to keep it all under control.

zeus noticed her first.

his laughter siezed and hades turned his head.

a young woman was walking across the grass to a few peach trees. she had a wicker basket full of clothes in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

the twins watched her in perfect sync. she didn’t even notice them. in fact, she was completely unaware that the guests her father told her were coming any day now were already here.

she was a lamb, they noticed. short, fluffy white hair was styled with a red polka dot headband. her overalls left nothing to the imagination and she wore no shoes. she didn’t have to, dainty little hooves were at the bottom of her bouncy legs.

she didn’t have a care in the world it seemed. taking the last bite of her sandwich before wiping off her hands on her thighs and pulling out a lacy white garment out of her basket. the twins watched her clothespin it to a line.

zeus squinted and licked his lips. pursing them together before looking to his left to hades. hades was enamored. his eyes were wide and his expression was soft. it was so strange to see him looking like that.

zeus cleared his throat and hades blinked back into reality, returning his attention to his brother. “what?”

“should we say something?”

hades’ cheeks went pink but he attempted to hide that. “fuck no. what if it scares her?”

“so? she probably lives here. it wouldn’t make a difference.”

“yeah but.. let her have some peace of mind for now at least. i mean look-“ hades pointed at what she was doing and spoke through his teeth. “she is literally hanging up panties.” he said the word “panties” with extra emphasis.

they both twitched and looked away, rather they be dead than get caught staring at that.

but with nobody else around, they both peeked at her from the corners of their eyes, watching her. observing. soon enough she was almost done with her whole basket.

suddenly there was a whistle, beau was standing on the porch and calling everyone inside. a few dogs came running, filipe was trailing in, and the mysterious lamb girl was gone. the moment the twins turned their head to see, it was like she had vanished. but she certainly was real otherwise there wouldn’t be bras and jeans and panties along the clothes line.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

his kids were his pride and joy. beau wanted to show them off to anybody and everybody. especially now that they’re all grown up and he can brag about them.

gill asked beau about someone named adelaide. apparently she was beau’s first daughter. she was much older now, off and beginning of family of her own.

second oldest was filipe, which they had already met. what the twins didn’t know however was he became a scholar and now he’s an anthropologist. he also knew quite a bit about bones. he didnt seem physically built for farm life anyhow.

the third oldest was another man named rudy who didn’t seem to be here. apparently he was five when gill met him. he’s a bison hybrid and he works down at the lumber yard in stockford, wherever that was. he comes home on the weekend’s. the twins had a ton to learn and this life was incredibly different— and to zeus, it’d stay that way.

..to hades, however, he was intrigued. eager to learn more.

next was cole, beau’s actual, real son. his only blood related offspring. he’s a minotaur and the same age as the twins. their birthdays were even pretty close. cole was large but not as much as his dad, maybe just around 6’10. part of that was due to him being an amputee, he lost most of his left leg in an accident. it didn’t ruin his spirit at all though, he’s extremely cheery and full of life. cole also had a piece of the tip of his left horn missing.. perhaps from the aforementioned tub incident. cole hopes to become friends with zeus and hades.

last but not least, was lulaine. she preferred to be called lula, and everybody abided by it except for cole who would always noogie her and call her lainey. she smart and always on top of her duties like chores and tending to the farm. she was the baby of the family, according to beau. it embarrassed her, her pale cheeks turned scarlet and she side eyed her dad for humbling the hell out of her.

once beau wrapped up his introduction it was time for the dinner he prepared. it was a variety of soups and salads and bread, not exactly aligning with the dietary preferences of gills family.

nothing at all on the table included meat, which was what they all ate. even odessa.

of course they were respectful about it, pretending to enjoy their meals. hades too, which gill felt suspicious about.

gill didn’t realize this new “best behavior” version of hades was due to the cute lamb across the table from him.

but zeus knew.

zeus was onto his brother the second he noticed hades’ outstretched legs underneath the table just centimeters away from lula’s little hooves.

were they seriously playing footsie? zeus wondered. the answer was most likely yes based on the way they shuffled and lula’s hand was covering half her face and the smile hades tried desperately to hide.

lost in confusion and practically offense, zeus didn’t even notice his own face was screwed in such a way that made him look very uncomfortable.

“what is wrong?” a funny voice directly across from the table said. filipe was looking at him, his eyes concerned and kind beneath his round glasses.

“n-nothing.” zeus replied lowly, looking away. even though the two aren’t related, filipe and lula look fairly similar. perhaps it’s because they’re both caprinae.

zeus excused himself from the table, feeling the heat of awkwardness become unbearable. his sudden pushback of the chair alarmed everyone, especially gill, who abruptly got up to follow him, politely saying sorry to beau.

he stopped zeus around the corner, pulling his arm and leaning into a whisper.

“what’s the matter?”

he hesitated on saying it was nothing. it wasn’t nothing and he wasn’t like hades where you had to practically beg him to tell you what was wrong. so he simply said what he was thinking.

“dad,” he muttered. “they’re weird.”

“i’m sorry?” gill was thoroughly offended. he brought his sons here to be on their best behavior and he may have expected this from hades but not zeus. “why would you say that?”

“they don’t eat meat.”

“they’re vegetarian.”

“they don’t know how to socialize— they’re shut ins.”

“they live out of town.”

“for fucks sake- look at hades. that’s not natural.”

gill was taken aback from zeus’ language. he doesn’t normally swear in front of his dad. either way it didn’t matter- gill peers over the corner and sees hades laughing with lula, they’re flinging tiny tomatoes into each others mouths.

“so what? he thinks she’s cute!”

“so what- what do you mean so what? she looks like prey. he’s probably going to maul her. i mean get a load of her, she’s a slab of meat just sitting at the table for him. i wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to jump the distance and attack her right there. in front of everybody.”

“how do you know he wants to do that?” gill was uninterested in zeus’ antics at the moment.

“i don’t, but-“

“do you want to do that?”

“no!”

gill looked his son deep into his eyes. he saw something, just for a flickering moment, a millisecond, before it vanished and he blinked away. it was something carnivorous.

“okay.” gill put his hands on his hips. “you’re going to go back and sit and that table. and i better not see any disrespect coming from you. we are guests— beau has hospitably and graciously agreed to let us stay and question him about mr. harrington. if you blow this operation, zeus, you’ll be dealing with me.” he stretched out his last words, long and threatening. his great white of a father knew how to put the fear of god into him.

an zeus knew he was right. often times, gill is. especially with missions— he’s been around the block a few times.

he comes back to the table and apologizes for his interruption, gill hot on his trail.

lula’s eyes fluttered between her main attention—hades— then to his identical twin. she looked like she wanted to say something. her mouth opening to do so but it shut again. she only smiled with her perfect lips and her dumb good looks.

zeus wanted her.

but only in a way that a starved predator craves prey.

only in a way that was so terrible and dark and had nothing to do with romance or sex, which was the scariest part to him.

he couldn’t— he’d never. maybe if it was the dark ages and if he didn’t have a family or reputation or job to uphold. and if she didn’t either— but what did that matter anyhow? even if she did live with her brute of a father, zeus imagined about what it’d be like to get her all alone and sink his teeth into those legs when nobody was watching. he’d stain her curly white hair red with blood.

he was disgusted with himself. those thoughts, those imaginary daydreams. they were so terrible and he would surely repent later.

sick and twisted, zeus meant to mutter in his head, but it fell onto his lips.

he was going to force himself away from this life. from these thoughts. zeus would be pure and there was nothing that could stop him.

under the rays of moonshine, the twins laid on hay bales in the loft of the barn. the wood planks on the roof were broken, allowing light to peer through.

hades complained about having to sleep in the barn, and unlike his opposite, zeus didn’t. he understood that beaus house, massive as it was, had just 5 bedrooms. beaus master bedroom, filipe’s “study”, cole and rudy’s shared room which was really the attic, lula’s room, and the guest bedroom that used to belong to adelaide who left the nest. currently, odessa slept on the queen sized bed in there and gill was off to the side on an armchair keeping a watchful eye.

both of the twins thought the other was asleep. no noise but the shuffling of livestock below and an owl above echoed through the barn.

“psst!”

zeus’ head rose. on the ladder was a white head of hair and pink nose peeking above onto the loft. he could see her but she couldn’t see him. all that was in her line of vision was hades.

“psst!!” she said again, loud enough for it to actually reach hades’ thick head. he was up on his feet in seconds, surprised to see the lamb girl. he had his shirt off but quickly threw it on and made him way down the ladder as she beckoned him. he left his holster and gun on the bales.

a fucking dog, zeus thought. he doesn’t listen to anyone normally, so why her?

below was cole and another boy who was quite wide. someone zeus didn’t recognize, meaning, hades probably doesn’t know him either.

from the ledge, zeus watched hades dap the guys up, despite not knowing one. then, they were off.

he’d be a fool if zeus believed he was going to make himself lie back down on the “comfortable” hay bales and try to get some sleep.

he darted down the ladder and made his way up to the large sliding barn door. forgetting his holster but not his gun. just in case. just for emergencies.

he slid it into the band of his boxers behind him and covered it with his black t shirt.

in the distance, he saw the four of them running down the road, magnificent blue mountains on the horizon, slapping each other and laughing.

zeus followed, letting the moonlight illuminate his path. they headed all the way to a large nearby reservoir.

zeus felt awfully weird behind a tree watching them all undress into only their undergarments, especially since he doesn’t know these people hades has surrounded himself with. they all seemed to get along really well.. especially lula and hades. he saw the way hades looked at her when she got into just her bra and underwear.

the other boy, he found out, was rudy. he had come home for the weekend from the lumber yard it seems.

zeus’ eyes went wide as he watched the young minotaur, cole, reveal his prosthetic leg. he sat on a rock and detached a few latches and pulled a few pins. the whole thing came right off at the socket and he left it on the ground before they all dipped into the water. he was surprised that cole could even swim at all, much less be somewhat okay at it. after all, he lost everything up until half his femur.

well, that was being nice. cole sucked at swimming but he could tread water at the very least. he just seemed really happy and that was all that mattered.

hades’ transformed and they all marveled at him. he swam for them and breached for them and did tricks. when he went fully under, his dorsal sliced the water and dipped below before he fluke waved for a second and came down on the water with a slap. the noise from his lobtailing was so loud and earsplitting it echoed for miles and crows flew out of the trees, cawing.

they loved it.

they weren’t scared at all like how they should be. they accepted him. they awed at him. his sharp teeth, his blacked out eyes, his gills, they all loved it.

when hades resurfaced and wiped his face, they swam right up to him and begged him to do it again. he was smiling, it was real and wide and genuine.

zeus had had enough. this was torment and he thought jealousy didn’t exist, especially not about hades hanging out with those vegan weirdos. boy was he wrong, and it was agonizing. just as he was about to leave his spot behind a tree, he heard hades.

they complimented his fin and his response was this,

“you should see my brother’s! it’s way taller! and he can lobtail much better than i can!”

the corners of zeus’ mouth twitched. it was true. he was better at it but it didn’t matter. hades was talking positively about him!

lula’s voice cut through. “he should join us then!” she started to swim to the shore after her brothers nodded. but hades grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“uh! he’s probably sleeping. and besides, he wouldn’t even like this. zeus keeps to himself.”

“are you sure? it’d be nice to invite him!” cole said, shaking his wet hair. his floppy cow-like ears slapped around as he did.

“yeah, he doesn’t like big groups..”

that was also true, zeus wasn’t particularly fond of lots of people. but this hurt him. he officially heard enough that night. as he walked away, he heard more laughs and screams and squeals, mostly from lula. she’s so fucking annoying, zeus thought to himself on the way back.

he cannot believe hades did this to him.

zeus didn’t sleep a wink that night. he lied there, minute after minute, hour after hour. he tossed and turned and kept looking at the top of the ladder. just waiting for the moment hades comes back so he can finally fall asleep.

hades didn’t come back until an hour or two before of the early morning sunrise. and when he did, he was hardly quiet— it’s like him thinking zeus was asleep didn’t even matter to him. at least the others tried their best to stifle their giggles and be quiet as they departed from their new buddy.

“do you want some?” gills hand popped into zeus’ eyeline, a big handmade ceramic mug in his hand. inside was coffee, he could smell it.

gill set it down after zeus’ nod and placed a hand on the dining chair he was sat at. he didn’t leave nor did he say anything. he simply just looked at his son.

“what’s up?” zeus looked up at his scared face. gill just squinted.

“you’re asking me what’s up? what’s up with you, kid? did you sleep at all last night?” he leans closer to get a better look at zeus’ eyes bags.

“i slept fine.. but you should ask him the same question.” he muttered, looking through the window. it was a painfully beautiful day outside and hades was out there. he hates beautiful weather! it was so strange.

zeus watched him from the window. the lamb girl was sitting with him under the shade of a huge oak tree with flowers in her hand. they were making dandelion crowns, her teaching him as they went along. the smile never faded off his face.

not when they chased chickens with cole.

not when they chopped and stacked wood with rudy.

not when they went into town with beau.

not when they watered the gardens.. alone, together in the evening.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

he was almost grateful that they got separated from when beau gathered everybody around by the stables. almost.

he didn’t like the sound of needing to participate in a round-up. what even was a round-up? odessa was beyond lucky right now to be able to just sit inside and do whatever she pleases. he was jealous of gill as well— knowing that all he had to do was sit in that comfortable, wonderful armchair and make sure nothing bad happened to her. what an easy night.

and here zeus was being put on a goddamn horse, about to get in the middle of a pasture to lasso cows and shit.

the twins were put on two nearly identical black percherons. the only difference was that zeus’ horse has a white star on its forehead.

ironic.

cole had a clydesdale and beau was horseless— he was too big for them. instead, beau would leave the rest out there to cole this evening.

lastly, lula joined with her gorgeous halflinger with a bunch of braids in its hair. it was by far the most beautiful horse in the stable- she took great care of her it seemed.

cole led them all out past a few gates headed to the field and zeus fell behind. his horse kept stopping and pulling its head down to the ground, pulling zeus forward. no wonder they named it mischief.

zeus grinded his teeth. hades wasn’t dealing with anything like this at all, in fact, he picked up riding like second nature. it made zeus seethe to watch hades maneuver his horse like it wasn’t his first time ever.

infuriated, zeus only made his horse more erratic. slowing down the group by trying to get it to listen to him. it was belittling and embarrassing.

lula noticed and slowed down to the back, giving zeus a gentle smile and wave, to which he did not return.

“if you hold the reins like this, you’ll have less trouble.” she held up her own reins to show him. “like two popsicle sticks! one for you,” she lifted one, then the other. “and one for a friend!”

zeus begrudgingly took her advice, holding the reins just like she showed. he hated to admit it actually made a difference and soon enough, he was caught up to the group and riding was so much easier than he originally made it out to be.

or so he thought. his crotch began to hurt as the horse went faster, allowing his balls to come up and down hitting the saddle, he winced as it did. and riding while trying to figure out a rope was much harder than cole made it seem. actually, cole was like a professional.

he watched him stand in the stirrups, his horse was like a part of him, doing everything he wanted it to. he turned and ran and circled with it so effortlessly, like they were one. his cowboy hat blocked the intense rays of the sunset and he lassoed and herded the cows like he’d been doing it his whole life— because he has been doing it his whole life. he wasn’t disabled in any sense of the word. he could run, ride, swim, everything. on top of it, he was joyous. it’s all anyone could hope for.

lula was great at it too and she also wore a cowboy hat this evening. unlike cole and beaus dark brown ones, it was a light caramel color. she rode her horse extraordinarily well and it was by far the smallest and easiest to turn.

her and her brother did most of the work while hades followed closely and asked a ton of questions. he was super into it— wanting to know what kind of horse he was on, what its name was and why it was named that, what lula was on, what cole was on. how to tie the knot to make the lasso, why the cows need to be off the pasture, why they have cows.

the questions got answered by them and it only opened the doors to so many more. he liked this life? why? more important, hades was becoming attached to this life, and they’d only been here for mere days.

breaking him out of his concentration was a gunshot in the far distance. it seemed to have came from town originally but with all this open space, it bounced off everywhere and echoed all the way into the mountains.

the cows began running from the sudden loud shot, sprinting into all directions erratically. there was mooing and panic and whistling.

it all happened so fast. lula and hades were too busy with each other to be looking at cole when it happened. but zeus was watching. the second that gunshot sounded, cole’s horse was so spooked it reared straight upwards, higher than zeus knew was physically capable, and it stumbled on his hind legs. falling backwards. cole still attached to the saddle.

watching the horse fall back onto cole, zeus’ breath caught in his throat, he choked on it. the cows were still running and he didnt even know if anybody saw this happen. in mere seconds zeus was using everything he learned in the last hour to ride over to cole, terrible at it as he was.

he cut through the panicked cows but about halfway through his own horse started getting overwhelmed by the crowd. zeus ditched the reins and jumped off, getting through the cows and over to cole as quickly as he could.

cole’s horse was no longer on him, it was back on its feet and pacing around a good distance away. it wouldn’t run off on account of it knowing where home was— and who it had just fell on top of. the guilt and panic in its eyes was real. zeus didn’t know if horses were capable of such emotional, but it seemed cole’s was.

the minotaur was alive and breathing but he wasn’t moving at all.

“my leg,” cole groaned, drawing zeus’ attention away from his bleeding face and to his crushed prosthetic. there was pieces of metal on the ground and screws and pins all over the place, and zeus had no idea if that was the only thing that got crushed. only a few bones would be broken if cole was lucky. which he was— this should have been fatal.

“oh my god—“ lula gasped behind them, swinging her legs off her horse and coming up with hades by her side.

“lainey,” cole spoke positioning his chin up but keeping his head fully on the ground. zeus had never seen someone handle so much pain as gracefully as this. “get my spare.”

spare? zeus looked at his twin and then to the girl. she nodded and asked where it was.

“in my dresser. bottom drawer.” he muttered, bringing a hand up to his face to wipe the blood of his now cut eyebrow.

lula got back on her horse and was gone in no time, most likely on her way to tell beau as well.

the cows had quieted down since the initial gunshot, but now they were all over the place. wandering about like they weren’t supposed to come home. the sun disappeared behind the mountains in the meantime. this was bad.

the most hades and zeus did was keep cole from sitting up— the minotaur desperately trying to.

the twins didn’t speak to each other. in fact, it was the first time they noticed neither of them hadn’t spoken a single word to one another for the entire day.

hades was the first to break the silence.

“why are we not supposed to let him get up? he clearly wants to.” hades asked, just wanting to make sure cole was comfortable. afterall, he was his new friend.

“you’re not supposed to let somebody get up immediately after something like this. he could have head injuries.” zeus responded, sitting down on the dirt.

beau and lula should be on their way any moment now.

“how do you know this?”

zeus turned towards his brother. “weren’t you paying attention when dad taught us that?”

hades shrugged, knowing his brother was always there to remember things that he couldn’t. hades could take apart and put back together a semiautomatic blindfolded but listen to a single world gill says? he’s done for.

cole blinked and coughed a little. “hades,” he said. “do you like my sister?”

oh for fucks sake. he’s asking this now?

hades went red in the face, shrugging and looking away. the cold wind of the night was slowly creeping in as less and less sunlight was left. “yeah i guess so. she’s cool.”

“but do you like her?”

zeus rolled his eyes. why would cole be asking such a thing in a situation like this? he could be badly hurt and have serious head trauma. perhaps it was the adrenaline, but cole seemed calm and just mildly hurt. perhaps all it was is that he got the wind knocked out of him and the prosthetic got crushed.

finally, in the distance was beau. he had a long, undone robe on and it caught the wind as he ran to his injured son. lula was running behind him, as was gill.

“they’re coming,” zeus muttered, letting cole know help was on the way— although, he knew deep down cole was fine.

“answer, quickly.”

hades smiled. “yes, i do like her,” he patted cole as gently as he could.

did he say that just to make him happy?

what did it matter anyway?

why should zeus care if he likes lula? why should he care if his best and only friend is spending time with someone else? falling in love?

it’s not like hades is going to stop being his brother. a member of his pod.

that would never happen.

they only ever had each other. surely they knew that it was them against the world, and only them.

even gill wasn’t as close to them as they were to each other.

why did this hurt him so badly?

hades has only known lula for mere days. they can’t like each other. not enough time has passed for them to actually be interested in one another— it must all just be lust.

zeus lacked that emotion to an extreme degree. he thinks about men anyhow, not women. but his sexual drive for that sort of thing is fleeting often times, so it didn’t matter.

hades had so much of it on the other hand because he’s never been with anyone— and of course the first girl he meets he goes nuts for. that’s all it is.

“zeus.”

that’s all it is.

“zeus!”

he blinked, taken aback at how gill was right up in his face, calling his name.

“huh?”

“what happened here?!”

“he- he fell. well no,” he shook his head and shut his eyes, recalling what happened. “his horse fell. onto him.”

“onto him?!” gill shouted, trying to be calm and manage his tone. they had stepped away from where beau was holding his sons head and examining him. lula was cleaning off the crushed old metal leg and attaching the new one on as best she could. she still didn’t know exactly how it worked.

“did you see it happen? are you responsible for this?” gill poked his other son directly in the chest, the one everyone thinks he loves less.

“what the fuck? why would i be?”

“he was distracted.” zeus murmured, staring at the ground.

“w-“

gill cut off hades. “what the hell were you doing?”

“i was-“

“he was flirting.”

zeus got a forceful punch to his shoulder. “can you fucking let me speak?” hades let out.

“hey! hands to yourself.” gill tried to correct them, but it was no use these days. ever since they became of age, the two bull orcas have been butting heads and this time, it’s meant to inflict pain. especially more so underwater.

“i wasn’t flirting, i was asking questions.”

“oh sure pony boy. were you asking questions all day? that why you haven’t said a single word to me since morning?”

“i haven’t fucking talked to you all day because i knew you followed me out last night. you’re a total creep you know that?”

hades didn’t mean it. he felt the pang of regret hit him like a freight train.

“woah woah woah.” gill cut in, his expression concerned and angry. “where’d you go last night?”

“he went out to the reservoir and got naked with the weird vegans.“

“first of all they’re vegetarian, second of all— we weren’t naked you fucking numb nut. we were swimming, dad.” he turned to gill to add that but then back to his brother for the rest. “and third, you’re weird for following us and not saying anything. and! when i came back tell me why you were pretending to be asleep but had your glock in the back of your fucking underwear.”

gill cut in again. “you followed them.. and watched them strip?” the words were like sour candy to gill- his manly face all turned up and cringed.

“no!”

“yes.”

“no! i just.. needed to see where you were trying to sneak off to. especially without your gun.”

“you think i should carry a gun when im around her?” hades accused him.

“i didn’t say that!”

“boys!” gill yelled— the three of them were still standing in the valley, beau was carrying cole in his arms and lula trotted behind them with the reminding pieces of cole’s broken prosthetic. how they didn’t notice them begin to make their way back to the lit up home was beyond them.

“i’ll deal with both of you later.”

under the stars, the twins followed their dad and their hosts back home, pulling their horses behind them by the reins. the cows will get dealt with by beau soon.

hades passed zeus to catch up with lula, bumping into his shoulder with full force. he made sure zeus heard what he said too.

“i hate you.”

⊹ ࣪ ˖

her room was delicate. cute. soft.

all attributes that was her as an individual.

her bedsheets were white and patterned with tiny pink ribbons, her walls were painted an off-white cream shade. and there were more teddy bear plushies scattered about on the shelves and on her bed than she probably knew what to do with.

“hades,” she whispered. it was 3 am. he should not be in her room, much less even be awake. hades was meant to be in the barn.

“lula.” he responded playfully, wiggling an eyebrow. he was so unserious and he knew that.

“come.” she was laying on one side and patted the spot next to her on her cute, made bed. it was barely even twin size, no chance hades could even fit.

he put down the pink plushie on the shelf he was looking at. it had collected dust since she probably couldn’t reach up there to clean. his 6’5 ass loved that.

hades came up to her on the bed. only, he didn’t lay down in the spot she patted. he crawled on top of her, his hand and knees on either side. if he hadn’t done that— if he had just flopped on her and laid down, his limbs would hang off the bed.

but finally, they had a moment alone.

lula’s chest rose and fell with her anticipated breaths, she didn’t expect him to get in this position. and so suddenly too.

hades smiled. it was softer, more serious. his gaze floated to her round, pink lips. they looked perfectly kissable, suckable, biteable. but he wasn’t going to kiss her— at least, not tonight.

despite them both desperately wanting it, hades wanted things to go slowly. he didn’t want to ruin anything by rushing in. this was her life, her home. everything she loves is here and hades is a newcomer.

he doesn’t belong.

so why didn’t that stop him from kissing her cheek? or staring into her blue eyes with a hand running through her white curls. say nothing about the stiff tent in his pants, trying to push its way into her body below. he wouldn’t let it.

“you know, your eyes remind me of sapphires.” he whispered, bringing his hand lower. it traced her cheek all the way down to her jaw, then her chin. “that’s pretty corny though, huh?”

“oh no, not at all.” she blushed, bringing her own hand up to hold his. “any woman would like it.”

hades was amused, he seemed to be for every single one of her reactions. they were just so cute and he ate each one up. there was a moment of silence before she spoke again.

“you were heroic today.”

“oh pft-,” he waved. “you were the hero. you went and got help.”

“no, hades, if it weren’t for you, i don’t know if cole would be okay.”

“he would be, look at him. he’s a tower.” hades said, thinking of the way cole was on the couch right now by the fireplace with only a fractured rib, forsaken prosthetic, and a cut eyebrow. he was beyond lucky, sure. but hades didn’t believe it was luck— he believed cole was just absolute tank.

lula rolled her eyes and smiled. “sure but he isn’t unbreakable.” her voice trailed off and she looked away. “if he was, he’d never have lost his leg in the first place.”

“how’d that happened..?”

she sighed. “it was from his old job. he used to be a firefighter before he got injured. the building was coming down— it was structurally unstable, i guess..? then after the accident he left to live at home again. farming life suits him better anyway, he says.”

hades didn’t know how to respond so he nodded in acknowledgment, caressing her hair. god, there was really something about her hair that was so soft that he couldn’t help himself from touching it. he wanted it in his fists at all times.

“how’s he so happy all the time?”

lula giggled and shrugged. “he’s always been like that, not even his leg brings him down.”

“it’s really inspiring.”

“is it?”

“yeah. i think i could afford to have more of that in my life.”

“you? out of both of you and your brother?”

hades dropped his expression and raised an unamused brow with an eye roll. “he’s perfect. he doesn’t need anything. well, the one thing he could maybe benefit from is not having me around. i drag him down.”

“no you don’t! if anything, he seems like uh…” she hesitated, wanting to be nice.

“seems like a what?”

“i can’t say it— it’s not very nice.”

hades smirked and leaned in closer to her face. it intimidated her in a good way. she sunk deeper into her pillows and went red. “say it,” hades whispered.

“a stick in the mud.”

he chuckled. “if the boot fits.”

“hey!” she slapped his arm lightly. “you’re using our sayings.”

what made it funnier was that none of their family wore boots because each of them had hooves.

“they’re catchy.” he said, before coming down to kiss her jawline. it was short and sweet, he didn’t want to overwhelm her by being all over her. in fact, he let up, getting off of her and pulling the blankets out from under her so she could crawl in. it was time for hades to get back to that oh so comfortable hay loft.

she got under the covers and he draped them over her, tucking her in and handing her one of the many plushies he found. he gave her a little old rabbit toy.

“night, lula.”

he smiled at the way she was blushing and hiding her face into her pillows.

these reactions, man.

“goodnight dolphin boy.”

“hey do not call me that!” he pointed. “dolphins are freaks!”

she only giggled in return, drifting off.

⊹ ࣪ ˖

odessa places a firm hand on gills chest, stopping him from walking any further. if she hadn’t, gill would have blown right past and put his son in headlock.

they were at some grand ceremonial event for a product release, and hades being the hotheaded one out of odessa’s three personal bodyguards, had just gotten in someone’s face. it wasn’t not well deserved, but hades has a certain tendency to use inappropriate language in professional settings, which isn’t good for odessa’s image. his twin brother on the other hand was more reserved and respectful. gill wishes hades was a lot more like zeus so he didn’t have to chew him out for every mistake.

he could always just decide to let it go, but gill wasn’t the type of adoptive father to be passive. he was strict. the twins learned early on what tough love was. gill wasn’t cuddly or really family driven, nor was he ever willing to talk about feelings. this may have something to do with the shark that he is.

“i oughta pull you boys both out of this job.” gill seethed at his boys when odessa finally let him go talk to them behind the stage. it took him a second to calm himself enough to convince her to let him go.

it was dark back there, casted shadows fell over the men, especially over gill and his mean brow with a scar running through and all the way up into his hairline. he had many scars, but the most prominent ones were that one and the one ripping through the left corner of his upper lip.

gills short and jagged silver hair suited his vibe and matched his usual slate grey blue clothes.

“what? me?“ zeus brought his hands up in defense. “i haven’t done anything!”

“yeah. haven’t done anything about this knucklehead of a brother you got. you’re supposed to be keeping an eye on him.”

hades huffed an annoyed sigh like a child as if gill was overreacting. but gill continued.

“you want to talk about being responsible? it’s up to you to keep yourself and your brother in check.”

gill is harder on zeus than he is on anybody. and it’s because he expects the most out of the strong young bull orca who’s come of age. hades has too, the both of them at 25, but their levels of maturity are on vastly different scales, making gill lean more towards zeus to pull their weight.

“as for you,” gill huffed at hades, placing his large rough hand on the boy’s trapezius. “i don’t want any funny business from here on out. otherwise you’ll be staying with your great aunt franny for another week.”

hades shuddered at the mention of their great aunt. she was half mako shark, old as bones, and had the most crooked, fucked up teeth one could imagine. her thin frame and serpentine swimming patterns weirds everyone out, even gill. she’s tough as nails though and runs a tight ship. literally— she lives in a sunken, abandoned pirate ship at the edge of a ravine. not very much sunlight reaches that area.

hades gets sent to her every so often when gill has trouble dealing with his behavior and he comes back on the straight and narrow.. at least, for a few months.

there was a time when hades spent nearly three weeks with aunt franny. he was maybe 16. during his time there he was in optimal shape. never talked back, always cleaned up after himself, made the beds, did the dishes, took out the garbage. he even took out her eel on swims every morning, going all the way to the reef to say hi to neighbors. her eel was old and didn’t ever have energy to swim back so hades carried it, returning to the ship with it in his arms. franny would grill him on where he was and what he doing out for so long, not recognizing that he was trying to be on his best behavior. she never liked the twins, more so hades, and probably never will.

hades being gone for those three weeks had its ups and downs. at home, gill and zeus bonded better. they shared more time with one another and got along in silent respect. but it was too quiet, without hades there was no fun. no commotion or laughter or anything like that, just mutual silence existed in their household. zeus found himself falling into a lull, constantly being unimpressed and uninterested in everything. his daily routine was as solid as concrete and he did nothing out of the ordinary. but as soon as hades got back— the second his twin brother entered their home again with gill on his tail making sure he swam straight, zeus got his mojo back. from then on it was hard to separate them, as if it wasn’t already hard before.

the two are each halves of one whole, and to honor that, zeus shaved off all of his brothers hair, per hades’ request. hades sat on a chair wearing a trash bag with a hole cut out for his head, having all his silky long white hair sink down to the floor. all except one lock.

the long white strand that zeus ceremonially cut off got braided into his own hair, which was chest length and black. they were truly yin and yang.

“got that?” gill stated, letting go of his son. hades straightened out his shirt and blazer, fiddling with his gold chain after nodding in agreement. but once gill leaves, he’s quick to mutter profanities under his breath, loud enough for only zeus to hear.

“what’s his fuckin’ problem with me?”

zeus rolls his eyes and stands up from leaning against the alley wall, tossing one of his two braids over his shoulder. “he loves you.”

“thats his problem? love?” hades scoffs and trails after his brother, coming back into the crowd. the music is louder, lights are flashing, odessa’s getting reading to go on stage escorted by gill, and people are clamoring around to see her and ask questions.

“yes. love, care, family, all of the above. he does it because he wants you to be—“ zeus got cut off by his brother.

“better? more like you?”

“no, that isn’t what i’m saying.”

“but it’s what you’re thinking.”

“you don’t know what i’m thinking.”

“i bet i can guess what you’re thinking about right now.” hades jeers.

“and what is that?”

“wieners.”

zeus lets go of his stoicism and laughs, pushing his brother. “shut up,” it’s not hard enough to shove him to the ground but enough to jostle him. “i was not.”

“but you are now!” hades pushes him right back.

“yeah but it doesn’t count because you put the idea in my head!”

breaking them out of their goofy moment was a fan of odessa’s screaming loudly with a sign in hand, trying to get past the velvet ropes.

zeus steps in cordially, excusing the person away and asking folks to back up. he was good at this job. he was professional and chivalrous.

hades on the other hand was more of a brute when it come to asking people to move, putting his hands on shoulders and chests if they got too close.

which, unfortunately for everyone, happened all night long.

“did you see the way he looked me?” odessa says to gill while staring at the ceiling. she had a glass of red wine in one hand and the other rested on her chest, submerged in the water of the tub. her large tail hung out on the end of the tub, dripping onto the marble tiles of the hotel bathroom.

in gills opinion, the bathroom along with the rest of the hotel, was too stark white. too pristine and clean and perfect. he felt uncomfortable opening anything or touching anything, even when running the bath he made for odessa. he thinks everything is set up in a way that is so human. so capital.

it was all designed for them, not anomalies— but why would it be inclusive? they need not make bigger beds or bigger tubs or bigger doors. nor smaller rooms and smaller amenities. it’s not like an anomalies can ever stay here, or even come at all. its all human sized. luckily for them, they fit in (somewhat) perfectly but that wasn’t enough to make gill ever stop resenting humans secretly.

despite that, he had a job to do. they all had a job to do now. it was just the way the world worked, and if he denied the presidents offer to work under them as recruiters for an uprising, they’d be exposed to the public for what they truly were. gill: a glorified fish out of water with far too many scars. the twins: outcasts with parents in a tank, and odessa: a mind controlling monster with the body and face of a goddess. and not only them, all the other undetected shapeshifters who were god knows where, lingering around in the capital city. theres no telling what the angry freak-hating humans of the capital would do if they knew.

gill often wonders what life would be like if odessa never got captured that day. the president left the great walls in search of something that’d make a subtle, secret weapon. something with a voice so hypnotic and powerful that could entrance a whole city and mesmerize them, distract them from what really went on in the labs within the government buildings.

he had her in his net of the discrete fishery boat. it was a small operation, but a necessary one. she was handpicked from the other sirens also trying to attack the boat, their serpent eyes just above the water. the president had watched odessa, naked and struggling and tangled up in the net. the sky was gloomy and murky and the water was more so. she spoke and pleaded and sang all she could to force him to let her go, but the president took precautions and wore ear protection. he was immunized to her. he promised her fame and glory for her cooperation and if she were to say no, to not accept his offer, he’d “gut her like the fish she was”.

odessa’s fame came to her just as promised. she was a one hit wonder, an overnight sensation. only, the attention never subsided and her songs and public image only garnered more and more idolatry. thus, gill, an ex militant, came along as her arm. he was young, just out of his service. many shapeshifters who were naturally hybrids of strong breeds were forced into the human militia, sought after for their brute strength and mobility, and it happens all under unsuspecting civilians noses. for all they know, their city isn’t puppeteered by the president and there are no anomalies within the walls, working here under presidential rule.

“i did notice that.” gill responded from his stool by the door. no one is allowed in or out unless they’re apart of odessa’s team and gill would make sure of that. he would protect her no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing his own time to relax— which looked like him in a tub that couldn’t possibly hold even half of his shark tail. “relaxation” was that. again, not designed for anomalies.

she took another sip of her wine and smiled. “before we know it we’ll have the harrington’s heir apart of the president’s operation. hook, line, and sinker.” odessa smiled.

gill couldn’t help but to return it, feeling his cheeks turn up at her fishing-relevant joke. she always knows how to make light of a situation. in fact, it’s easier for her to do that than ever talk about what’s really bothering her.

he looked at odessa in the tub, watching her struggle with the weight of her glossy dark teal tail in a confinement too small for it. her hair was wet, just how he was always used to, and it’s length covered her exposed breasts. though, it wasn’t in gills nature to ever look.

“but what if he doesn’t join?” odessa cocked her head to him. “what if i can’t convince him? i mean we barely talked tonight.”

gill shook his head. “they’ll be more opportunities. more events. you’ll be able to.”

he was confident in what he was saying. there hasn’t ever been a man that odesaa wasn’t able to charm (aside from the president). part of it was her voice of course— sirens had the ability to hypnotize and manipulate. but also, part of it was her as an individual. she’s charming, bold. she’s a minx.

this dean character she’s meant to recruit will be no different than all the other men.

hopefully.

in one sudden move there was a loud bang on the other side of the wall. both of their heads turned toward it and then toward each other. gill slowly rose, his concern growing with each second. his hand reached for his gun holster, resting on it so he can easily pull it out right as he opened the bathroom door.

within a swift click, he latched open the door and pointed his gun.

“goddamn it-“ he tsked at his boys who were on the floor along with a hoard of pillows. by the looks of it they were playing their stupid “crash lander” game. it’s a game they made up when they were little and it can only be played in on-land hotels (it just doesn’t work in underwater hotels. gravity and whatnot). the point of crash lander was to make a landing pad out of pillows on the floor against the foot of the bed. each would take turns jumping on the bed, and the other was on the ground in a sniper position, closing one eye and pretending to shoot the other. the one on the bed would fall like a dead man onto the pillows. hades is better at doing the fall because he doesn’t have any sense of danger and won’t flinch or hesitate when he falls off. zeus always hesitates. the game has more to it than that and there’s a complex point system but no matter how many times they repeat the rules to gill, he just doesn’t get it. even after he spent 20 minutes teaching them how to actually get into a sniper position. it was his job in the military afterall, so he knew all about it.

they are strictly not allowed to play crash lander anymore on gills orders after last time. ever since zeus broke his collarbone hitting the wall, the game was “banned”. although, the twins disregard that and now zeus is only allowed to be the sniper, and hades, the deadman.

gill looked at his buzzed haired son, who was half upside down with his ass in the air looking straight back at gill sheepishly. he drew his lips in a thin line and lowered his gun back into its holster. “what did i tell you guys about crash lander?!”

“to not play it.” zeus said, not making eye contact. hades just rolled his eyes at his brothers immediate tail tuck and unfurled from his position on the pilows. he rubbed his head a little from where he bonked it on the wall, earning a concerned glare from gill. before he could get scolded, hades beat him to it.

“gill. we’re fine, my head’s fine, you can untwist your panties.”

there was a stunned silence. a sort of “you did not just say that” vibe hung in the air. zeus’s mouth hung agape, gills eyes were wide and angry, and there was even a chuckle from the other side of the wall coming from the tub. odessa had heard him from the far side of the bathroom. she giggled as if she knew what was just about to go down.

“that’s it. you’re done. go into that room and think about what you just said.” gill pointed to the second bedroom attached to the first. it had two twin size beds it it.

“what am i? five?” hades laughed, picking up the pillows and tossing them on the king bed he took half of them from. “gill. cmon.”

gill didn’t budge, his expression stern and unmoving. “it was a joke.” hades smiled, throwing his hands around. he’s not serious, is? hades wondered.

“fine.” hades huffed, still not convinced gill was actually upset with him. he straighted out his black tank top and grey sweatpants before heading into the room, zeus following quietly.

gill hesitated on stopping him, wanting to tell him that only his brother is supposed to go in and have a time out, but they can’t be away from one another, and he knows that.

the two shut the door behind them and gill fixes his holster before coming back into the bathroom to odessa.

“you really set him straight that time,” odessa joked sarcastically. she was looking like it was about time to get out of the bath, her wine class emptied.

gill huffed and helped her out of the water to sit on edge the tub. her tail flopped in front of him and he grabbed a fluffy white towel to wipe it down.

“i didn’t know what else to do, it’s always the same routine— discipline and pushback.” he muttered, looking down. he sounded gruff but quieter than before.

odessa hummed while watching him dry her and her tail transformed back into human legs. her gaze ran up to his eyebrow scar, digging into his hairline rather offensively. gill was self conscious about it and odessa was the only person that knew that. this information came from a drunken conversation where the both of them laid on their backs, aimlessly floating on a secluded lake and night. it was when the twins were toddlers, just couple short years after he earned said scar. gill told her about his entire life on the lake, calmly.

putting a shark on its back is a known way to get them to relax. it’s then, and only then, when gill is relaxed. but it’s a blessing and a curse— it puts him in a state that is so vulnerable, emotionally and physically. he can’t easily break it either, like being on a strong sedative. his words just poured out him from a place so sensitive and raw, all with his tone being so casual.

he told her all about how he got the scar from a run in with a minotaur in the wild west. how the reason he went all the way out there to the driest place he could think of was to die. the heat would surely kill him and he wouldn’t have to think about caspian or pearl. or their two godforsaken twin boys who were only just calf’s.

he was naive, didn’t know the lay of the land. in the heat of the sun, gill was burning up as he stumbled upon a settlement. breaking and entering wasn’t his style but this oasis was his only option to survive after he changed his mind on death. he jumped the short barbed wire fence and crossed the yard, passing by a large peach tree. he plucked one and brought it up to his mouth, feeling the fuzz and sweet aroma wafting to his nose. normally, gill doesn’t like anything but meat or seafood, and fruits and vegetables were never his thing. but this peach, fuck, it was blessing. gill finished his peach in a few bites, finding a duck pond on the property and stripping down his clothes, spitting the peach pit out onto the ground.

in his naked vulnerability, gill slid into the pond and dunked his head underwater, immediately forming his fins and ears and larger than life shark tail. his near-heatstroke thirst made the dirty pond water taste like liquid gold and he drank and bathed until he was satisfied.

just before he was about to decide get out, he watched a white, plump duck waddle by. it looked like it wanted to jump in too, unaffected by the shark man that was wading in it.

gills mind was all over the place, constantly switching from don’t do it and do it. blindsided by the ferocious grumble of his belly, gills blackened eyes narrowed in on the fat duck, and he breached out of the water to grab it.

it began squawking like crazy, crazier than he had ever heard any duck sound, and he hesitated on killing it.

it was odd. normally he never had any hesitation with a kill. it was what he was trained to do, but this innocent little duck was in his grip still breathing.

there was a sudden loud noise coming from the big house on the property. the front door swung open with a slam.

gill had no idea anybody was home; much less an absolute unit of a minotaur that was now dashing his way. he had a baby in the pocket of his overalls like a bjorn and he gently took it out, setting it on the grass as a safe distance. he gave one look to the baby boy and it crawled to hide in the taller bits of grass.

once the minotaur came close enough to gill, gill noticed he wasn’t any old minotaur. he had the face of a man, and great big bull horns, along with a bull ring and cattle legs and feet.

he asked, “how did a shark find its way into my duck pond?”

gill gulped, releasing the duck. it squawked again and flapped its wings in an angry manner while running away. the bull man in front of gill was above average size. perhaps it was the angle that gill was, but even then he could tell the minotaur was over 7, maybe 8 feet tall. “i was thirsty..” was all gill could mutter out.

“thirsty? for duck shit infested water?”

gill looked around, swimming a bit farther away. he couldn’t admit to himself that he was scared but his body could. it fled.

“listen.” the man huffed, his shiny, heavy septum ring moving when he did, “if you want some water, or.. i dunno,” he scratched his head under the brim of his cowboy hat. “a beer, you can come in. but put your clothes back on, i got kids.”

gill nodded, not sensing any danger from the bull. he quickly pulled himself out of the water and dragged his heavy tail onto the ground. it collected dirt and grass, sticking to his wet scales. it’s times like this he most wished for towels. in the hot sun he dried up quickly, forming back into 100% man, and threw his dirty clothes back on.

the minotaur led him back to the house, which was even larger than gill had initially thought. it looked hand built, every log placed was intentionally stacked and intact, crafting a beautiful and grand western house. gill asked the man for his name and if he built this home himself while the minotaur leaned down to pick up the baby he put in the grass.

“beau.” he said to gill, looking at his cooing, cute baby. “and yes, everything you see on these 15 acres has been built with my own two hands.” beau gestured to his settlement before leading him into the house. they passed two big old dogs who slept on the porch.

of course it was warm and inviting— the interior vast and wooden and beautiful. his countertops were butcherblock, his floors a gorgeous, shiny oak, and handmade furniture placed everywhere.

there was a child standing at the top of the stairs, one sat at the table coloring, and another in the kitchen sorting vegetables. beau rounded them up to introduce to gill in order from oldest and tallest to smallest. gill was sat down in a chair at the table and given a beer, listening to beau proudly introduce his beloved kids.

first was adelaide, the oldest and tallest. she was 15 and had a muscular stature. “addie” they call her. she was a friesian cow hybrid, black and white spots blotting all over. she took care of a lot of the settlement along with her father.

the next was a 14 year old son, a goat hybrid. he was the same height but skinnier, and he wasn’t from the wild west. he came from a foreign country and he spoke with an accent. filipe was his name.

thirdly was rudy, a chubby bison boy with curly hair covering his eyes and the smallest, stubbiest nubs peaking through the crown of his head. he was no older than 5.

they all wore worn out and well loved clothes and had dirt on their faces that beau would probably get on their cases about later.

lastly, there was the baby at just 18 months old. “baby cole” they call him.

“and what is he?”

beau smiled and placed him into a play pen. “minotaur, just like his pop.”

“oh! where’s.. um,” gill tapped the table and looked around, not aware that he was being invasive.

“my wife? she’s um.. she’s out right now.” beau said with a complete change of tone. it was deeper and somber. almost offended. he turned around to look at gill at the table.

“outside?”

“in town. errands. she’ll be home in the evening.”

gill let it go. throughout the day and into the late evening, he stayed with beau and learned the ways of their family as a guest.

he watched them collect eggs from the chickens, water the vast garden, and harvest the fruit from the peach tree when the sun kissed the horizon goodnight, painting the sky shades of oranges and pinks. gill made sure to point out to beau that the peaches were delicious later around the fire.

it was then when the topic of the minotaur’s wife returned. it was her peach tree. she planted 16 long summers ago when the house was finished being built.

“the tree is dying.” beau said, his face illuminated against the glow of the fire. they were outside and cactus owls cooed in the distance.

“dying?”

“i knew it’d happen soon after brooke passed on. peach trees don’t live that long anyway.”

gill realized this man’s wife wasn’t in town and she wasn’t coming home.

beau held back showing any emotion in his voice, wanting to not get choked up in front of a stranger. gill could tell it was particularly tough on him, so he shared his own story.

pearl was the most beautiful woman gill had known. on the outside and the inside. interspecies love wasn’t illegal but it was looked down upon for its risk of potential child mutations. the bad kind of mutations were it affects the child’s brain. gill couldn’t do that to her, or her offspring, so he went to his best friend.

he told his friend to marry her, the two of them both being the same species and ability to form a pod. orcas. they had two children, twins, before pearl and her husband got taken by humans to be transported to their sea themed amusement park.

he never saw pearl again, apart from when he’d look into the eyes of the twins he was forced to look after.

beau thought gills pain was real. raw. new? where were his twin boys? he wondered, so he simply asked. gill was ashamed to answer that he left them with his only family, his older cousin francine. “aunt franny.”

“and you can’t live out of water. can you?” it wasn’t a question because he knew the answer, beau side eyed his duck pond. earlier the ducks swam happily in it now that the shark man wasn’t occupying it.

“not for long, no.”

“then go back. be a man.”

“excuse me?”

“they need you, gillian.” beau smiled, looking at him for a moment before turning his attention back to the fire. it was weakening, signaling that it was time for beau to come back inside and check on his kids. addie would have everything covered at this time but he still did his rounds.

“i can’t just go back.”

“you can. and you will. repurpose your energy.” he furrowed his brows. “your love. you may think losing her means you lost everything but i can tell you that isn’t true. she’s here,” beau tapped his finger on gills chest, right on his heart. “and her boys need you.”

gill stirred in his seat on the fireplace chairs, watching beau’s earnest expression. the man was too fucking large for gills comfort.

“go.”

too much silence went by. when beau noticed gill couldn’t make up his mind, he gave up. as he began to stand, gill did too in that moment, realizing that maybe he should go home and repurpose his energy into care for what was left of what he loved. what gill didn’t account for though was coming into direct contact with beaus sharp horn, cutting through his eyebrow with a sudden pierce as they bumped into one another.

gill hadn’t noticed he was that badly hurt until beaus face was cold and bled seeped into his eye. it was an accident, a mistake.

but beau would never forgive himself— not after they cleaned and bandaged him, not after gill assured him it was okay and doused him in praise and thanks for all the hospitality and insight beau offered— nothing would make up for the way he felt so bad about leaving that scar on gills head.

it’d be there forever as a reminder for how gill ran away.

gill held odessa’s calf and explained that he just doesn’t know what to do anymore with hades. zeus, it’s another story— he’s an angel. the golden child.

“why don’t you have a heart to heart?”

“he won’t listen to me,” gill turns around and hands his boss her clothes.

“have you tried?”

“well…” gill found many interesting corners of the room to occupy himself so he wouldn’t accidentally look up and see her changing in the mirror. “no, but i just know him. he won’t want to listen.”

a few moments went by while she slid on her silky nightgown. odessa never wore pants. she didn’t own a single pair and probably never will purchase any. why would a siren?

“why’s that?” she says, all dressed and looking for her bag. she walks out of the bathroom in search of her hairbrush, and gill follows.

“because that’s just how he is! i swear, that kid is trying to piss me off. everyday.”

“im sure that’s not true.”

“it is.” gill hands her the hairbrush in her bag that he got to first. it’s on her bed across from his— the one that just got mutilated from crash lander. “it’s always some new thing that he does that gets me agitated. like this,” he gestures to the mess they made while playing their game.

“i think you’re just worried. because remember what happened with zeus and that game?” she also gestured to it.

“that is exactly why i don’t want them playing it!”

odessa dropped her hands and tossed her brush into her bag again, climbing into the tucked white sheets. gill stood above her and tucked her in, telling her goodnight.

“gill.”

he shut his eyes. no.

he could feel it coming. the trance he was about to be put in. odessa uses her magic on him when he’s particularly antsy, and tonight is one of those nights. he gave her his word that it was okay to do it to him as long as it served their higher good, but the contract was so tight and binding that even if he wants to go back on his word— to not let her entrance him— he couldn’t.

“talk to them. talk to him.”

gill was lulled. he moved softly, controlling his own mind and body but feeling more at ease, more compliant. odessa could make anybody feel like this, but it worked particularly good on younger human men. gill was only one of those categories. a man.

he knocked on the boys’ door and heard zeus say come in. the twins sound identical but gill knows the difference. he could identify them no matter the circumstance; entranced or not.

he gently pushed the door open and saw zeus on his bed, his black hair down and unbraided. he changed into his plaid pj’s instead of what he had on earlier, a done up suit and tie. zeus often doesn’t like to change out of clothes like how hades does. the man goes nuts for getting into comfortable clothing as soon as he gets home.

“hey,” zeus said, looking up from his book. his little book-light illuminated his nose scar in a way that saddened gill to look at.

“hi buddy,” he whispered in response, noticing the bed to the left was occupied by a sleeping hades. or so he thought.

zeus nodded in hades direction with a certain glance that told gill everything he needed to know. with easy steps, he walked over to hades and sat on the edge of the bed, dipping them down.

hades wasn’t sleeping, just staring at the wall tiredly. he didn’t flinch when gills hand touched his arm.

“kiddo.”

“hm?”

“what’s up?”

hades rolled over even further so his face got muffled into the pillows. “nothing” he mumbled.

gill pulled his shoulder back, turning him. “talk to me.”

it was hurtful reaction, what hades did. he yanked himself away and sat up against the headboard, feeling frustrated and confused.

his feelings were not easy to talk about and he doesn’t have outlets or sources to figure them out. well, he has zeus but hades wasn’t mature enough to explain how he only wants gill to be proud of him.

“i can’t.” hades choked out, still not making eye contact.

“why not?”

the sound of zeus shutting his book was so quiet and subtle but gill caught it, knowing his other son was behind them on his own bed listening to what was about to happen.

“because you never listen.”

“i do listen.”

“no,” hades huffed, his chest showing that his heart rate rose by a few extra beats. “you don’t.”

“i am right now. tell me what’s wrong and we’ll fix it, kiddo.”

“we can’t fix it. you never listen to me because you don’t take me seriously.”

“i do take you seriously hades. why do you think i bring you along on missions?”

“because you can’t leave me alone?”

..it was true. hades was right— cannot and will not separate the twins.

gill sighed. it was long and full of exhaustion. as if exhaling was the solution, it opened up the floodgates of emotion. the reason was unknown and he didn’t have the means to have tears well up in his eyes until hades said something that broke him.

“why don’t you love me, dad?”

it was spoken through tears of his own. hades was wiping his face with such embarrassment and frustration that he couldn’t face anything, he turned to the wall once more.

gill was shocked, his heart beat out of his chest and escaped through his hung agape mouth. his eyebrows were so close to his eyes that his lashes brushed against them.

“how could you say that?” he whispered. “i love you more than anything.”

“then why do you treat zeus better than me? you give all your attention to him.” hades didn’t care that his brother was right there and listening. laying flat on his back and lost in heavy thought.

“hades. look at me.”

hades didn’t want to but he instinctively turned his head to listen and look at him. what he saw broke his own heart too. the two of them were just on such a different page but in this moment they were alike.

alike in the way that both of them know they’re misunderstanding one another, and that life doesn’t have to be this way.

“you remind me so much of myself when i was your age.”

for once, hades had nothing to say.

“but you also, you both,” he turned to zeus too. “remind me so much of your parents. you look just like them. you’ve got..” gill took hades’ head in his hands and smushed his cheeks, earning a giggle from him. “your mothers eyes.”

gill didn’t want to admit that giggle was like a pink bandaid on his heart, hearing his boy laugh like he was little again.

“and you, zeus, your dads nice old nose.”

zeus touched his scarred up nose, happy to know that gill sees it as beautiful when all others see is something scary.

gill dropped his hands. sighing this time but it was the inhale that gave him peace. satisfaction.

he and hades might not be on the exact same page, but they were getting close, perhaps the same chapter.