Chapter 601: You want me to have love handles?
Cass was still hunched over 10 minutes later, wanting the world to end. Edgar and Gideon stayed with him, letting him take as much time as he needed. They didn’t pressure him or make him feel silly for reacting like this.
They just...stayed with him. Cass appreciated that.
Slowly, Cass rose back up, his face still burning, embarrassment choking him still as he let out a few shaky breaths. Both Edgar and Gideon had sympathetic looks on their faces but that only made the moment worse.
"I can’t fucking believe it." He mumbled and Edgar reached out and patted his thigh.
"We can see if we can catch it again if you want." He offered and Cass blushed.
"I don’t think I want to know what I look like." Cass blurted and Edgar and Gideon stared at him in surprise. Cass covered his face with his hand. "Sorry. I’m still...I don’t like seeing myself like that. I’m glad that you two like to see me like that, but I just...it’s still hard for me." Cass wasn’t even sure if what he said made sense.
"It’s alright." Gideon told him. "We don’t have to rush it. My guess is...it’s probably here to stay. Like how Byron and Lucian have the same change. We did speak to Sam about it as well, trying to come to you with as much information as we could but he wasn’t certain." Gideon told him, practically confirming to Cass that this might be something only he has.
Cass groaned, looking pained as he closed his eyes for a moment. Fuck. Of course. Was this his romance loving habits coming to bite him in the ass? Or was this because of his weird heritage? The fairy blood? The demon blood? The fact that he was born male but wasn’t really that either?
He didn’t think other eldritch beings had fucking heart eyes!
"Fuck everything."
"No, Cass." Edgar said far too seriously and Cass let out a strangled laugh.
"It’s not something that I want to do, it’s more like an expression of frustration." Cass was a little in disbelief that he thought, for a second, that it was something that Cass wanted to do. Edgar sighed.
"Sorry. I’m just on edge. It’s very alarming, and then there was the news article and our date in the city that just..." Edgar mumbled and Cass looked at him and noticed he was blushing. When Cass darted his head towards Gideon, he was blushing too. Cass stared at them blankly.
What the fuck did that mean?
"What do you mean by that?" Cass asked, confused and now, even more worried.
"Everyone was looking at you." Edgar admitted and Cass stared at him.
"Uh, yeah, because that was what I planned?" Cass replied and Gideon let out a slow sigh.
"No darling, it was more than that." Hearing Gideon call Cass darling was a little jarring in a good way but Cass had to push past that to listen to his words.
"It was more than that?" Cass asked, looking for clarification. Gideon nodded before he cleared his throat. He looked nervous. Worried. Maybe even a little scared. Cass was confused as to why they were scared to tell him anything. They hadn’t been like this before.
"Yes, very much so. You may have dressed the way that you had to draw attention and to make it obvious that you weren’t...uh, playing for the other team, but I think that was the least of everyone’s interest. Something has shifted, Cass. Even your Aunt asked us privately if something had changed. We could only tell her that it was because you were well fed." Gideon admitted, his face warm. Cass felt his face warm as well.
"The sparkles that the artist drew? That’s not too far off to how we perceived you, Cass. You were...very, very pretty. Still are. You’ve always been handsome, but now that you aren’t scowling all the time and are actually...expressing emotions, it’s very very dangerous. I’m worried that someone is going to try to gain possession of you forgetting who the hell you are. By the gods, I’m even worried I’ll forget that you’re a powerful mage and try to push you down and have my way with you." Edgar’s cheeks were a lovely shade of pink as he kept rambling. "I keep having all these naughty thoughts about you, and I’ve done things with you. I can’t imagine how others feel. It makes both Giddy and I very possessive of you. Fuck. I was ready to make people’s heads explode for the way that they were looking at you on our date." Edgar’s true feelings were coming out and Cass felt his breath hitch.
"I can’t say I was better than Edgar, because I am not." Gideon admitted. Cass turned his gaze towards the more serious man. He looked as flushed as Edgar, with his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he spoke. "I saw how a few of the men and women moved as if to approach you. That was why I covered you a few times. I’m sorry we didn’t talk to you about this sooner but I think...we were a bit ashamed of how we behaved. We know the impact you can have on others. Well, Edgar more than I do, but still. We should have been better than them. We weren’t." Gideon shook his head in shame and Cass sat there, letting everything wash over him.
Shame. That was the reason that they hadn’t told him. They were ashamed of how they had behaved like possessive, angry boyfriends. Cass wanted to laugh.
They thought they were possessive? Had they forgotten how Lucian had been before he left? How he had made it obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes that Cass and Lucian were up to no good? The man, the dragon wanted Cass bound to him for all eternity and they thought a few touches and glares were going to get them scolded by Cass?
It was so relieving that Cass let out a soft laugh.
He reached for both men, gripping them by their chins and pulling their faces down to Cass’. He was smiling, shaking his head as he leaned in and kissed Gideon first, since that would shock him the most, and then kissed Edgar. Both men were shocked by the light pecks, but Cass was just laughing.
"That’s why you didn’t tell me? Are you idiots?" He was laughing instead of angry and the two men were stunned.
"We’re sorry. We know it’s foolish, and childish, and not fair to you, but-"
"You’re right." Cass cut off Edgar. "It’s not fair to me that you decided to keep something so important to my body from me for something as foolish as shame and embarrassment." Edgar and Gideon stiffened but Cass just shook his head. He pulled them closer, pressing their foreheads against his. "However, I’m not as mad as I would think I would be. It helps that you both look like beaten puppies." Cass chuckled. Both men seemed fully enchanted by the laughing, chuckling Cass.
"If you get even more lovely and forgiving I am not sure what I am supposed to do with myself." Gideon muttered and Cass looked at him. He was a little startled that the man would say something like that. Edgar let out a deep breath.
"We’ll have to learn how to deal with it, Giddy. He’s only going to get more radiant from here. We can’t even get mad. We’re the one feeding him." Edgar sounded rather strained. "By the gods, I have no idea how Lucy is going to react. He’s going to be so plump and ripe for the taking when he gets here." Cass gasped, his face flaming at Edgar’s word choice.
Ripe for the taking? What was he, some juicy fruit?
"T-That’s-" Cass couldn’t even form words to counter Edgar’s. Edgar’s arm wrapped around Cass’ waist, squeezing him.
"You’re going to have love handles by the time that Lucian gets here, and I’m delighted that I’ll have played a role in that." Cass felt like he was a damn fish gasping for air.
"Agreed." Gideon didn’t elaborate and that made it all the worse.
"Were you two here to tell me the truth about myself or fucking ambush me?" Cass demanded, flustered and Edgar’s blue gaze warmed.
"Both? Neither? We aren’t ambushing you. I’m not telling you this to get you worked up." Edgar told him, then glanced down Cass’ body. "However, if you are, I’m sure we can figure something out to help. We do have to feed you still today." Edgar’s eyes shimmering and Cass felt his mouth close. He was going to burst blood vessels in his damn cheeks at this rate.
"I’m not hungry." Cass told them and received an eerily same smile from the best friends.
"Oh, we know." Edgar told him with a wink. "Your eyes shift into those lovely heart shapes when you grow hungry. If we want to hide the fact that you have demonic blood, we have to make sure you’re well fed." Edgar shifted out of Cass’ hold, his lips brushing against Cass’ ear. Cass felt a small whimper leave his lips as he felt Edgar’s breath wash over the tender skin. "Stuffed."
"Eddie." Gideon admonished. "We aren’t allowed to do that yet." That was his protest?! Cass turned a panicked gaze towards Gideon and found the man examining him like he would examine a map of a dungeon.
Serious. Methodical. With great interest.
Cass shifted in his seat, his body warming in ways that always spelt something dangerous, especially around these men.
"We’ll just have to make sure that our stamina never tires. I’ll have to work hard. I may not be Lucian, but I pride myself on how much stronger I am as a human. Have I ever given you a poor meal?" Gideon asked. Cass flapped his lips, unsure how to even respond.
"N-No?" Cass wasn’t sure if that was the right response, but that was all he could say. Gideon’s responding smile would have taken his breath away anyways.
"Good." Gideon breathed, leaning in and pressing his forehead harder against Cass’. "I’m glad. At least I can quench your thirst."
"Are you thirsty, Cass? I think Giddy and I can provide you with something if you are." Edgar’s words, his lips against Cass’ ear were unfair. Truly. Cass’ heart was racing in his chest, his body twitching, his throat tight.
Gods above, fuck everything. Fuck this easily seduce body, his weak will, and the strange desire that flowed through his body.
Cass exhaled slowly, his hands sliding to dangerous places on both men that had them grinning.
"We’ll take that as a yes." Gideon murmured, his own hand replacing Cass’ as Edgar grabbed Cass’ chin and turned him to kiss him. Cass, the whole time, was wondering when he got so damn easy? Was it before he merged souls or after? Fuck.
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