[Zephyr]

Zephyr had waited days for Kiel to return. He had even dug out his com and called the boy, but to no avail. After his call was unsuccessful, Zephyr had decided to go to Kiel's house and look for him more actively. It wasn't like Kiel to not come to work like that, and deep down Zephyr missed the boy's presence. Zephyr still wasn't sure how to respond to what Kiel had said many nights ago, but he didn't want that to separate the pair.Kiel meant to much to the blacksmith for him to just allow the boy to disappear from his life like that.

When Zephyr arrived at Kiel's house, however, it was dark inside. Zephyr banged at the door for a good twenty minutes. After a while of Kiel not responding to neither knocks or calls, Zephyr had ended up sitting on the kid's stoop in silence. Thankfully Kiel's landlady saw Zephyr and came out to tell the blacksmith that Kiel had headed home, as in to Dardanos. She said that Kiel had told her he'd be back in time to pay the rent, but Zephyr didn't feel like waiting that long.

It was now two days after Zephyr had figured out that Kiel wasn't even in Elysia anymore. to build up the courage to actually go after his boyfriend. Zephyr wasn't really sure what he was going to do when he got there, but never the less Zephyr went. He summoned Slythe who, quite reluctantly, teleported Zephyr to the land just outside of the Taskel's farm. The dragon then, even more reluctantly, stayed with Zephyr as he walked the remaining distance towards the farm itself.

He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, let alone what he was going to do. After all the times Daoine had left, he'd never chased after her. When Kaide had disappeared, Zephyr learned to move on with his life. It was the same with every relationship. It was part of why Zephyr kept people at a sword's-length distance emotionally. Zephyr couldn't deal with losing people, so he just tried to shirk them away. But there was something about Kiel. Somewhere between the boy's constant talking and rivers of energy, somewhere between training Kiel and chasing him about, Zephyr had begun to distinctly care about the boy. And that was probably what was scaring him the most.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

Kiel hadn't expected to be home so soon, but he'd only made it to Marport before Laces came looking for him with Ani in tow, and next thing he knew he was being teleported into his mom's waiting arms. Nobody'd said anything, but it was like they all knew somehow. Maybe it was the fact that he'd barely eaten anything since he left Zeph's, no matter how much his mom tried to tempt him, so he was totally listless. Or that he'd picked up his old chores without a word, or that his eyes looked bruised 'cause he'd barely slept. Maybe they'd read his mind. He didn't really care, he was just glad to be back home where he knew he could have a melt down and nobody would laugh at him for it.

“Shane, don't eat the chickens, okay?” His voice was hollow, though. Like, normally he'd be all energetic and chase her off or distract her or something, but he was too depressed. Like, it physically hurt, man. He was kind of wishing he'd never said that whole thing to Phenny about wanting to fall in love no matter how much it hurt. The whole thing was a lie.

And Shane was feeling it, too. She kept trying to draw him into a game or cuddle up to him, but, except for the nights where he couldn't sleep 'cause he'd totally gotten used to being wrapped up next to Zeph's hairy chest, he didn't have much enthusiasm. Like, he felt bad, 'cause he loved her so much, but he was hurting too bad and terrified that if he hugged her or something during the day, he'd burst into tears or something. Nights, you know, they didn't matter 'cause there was nobody around to see, but he didn't want his dad thinking he'd turned into an even bigger wuss, you know?

“C'mon, we gotta feed the rest too.” He was kinda grateful for the 'kin's presence, though. Like, if she weren't here, he'd totally zone out or something, but as it was, he had to keep an eye out for her. She'd taken quite a liking to the hen house, man, and his mom'd be censored if he let her eat any of them, and he told the 'kin as much as they rounded a corner of the stables to -

Thunk.

Kiel stood there staring. Like, he was pretty sure he was hallucinating, you know? Except for, like, the fact that Shane was totally snarling and hunched over into "I'm going to eat you" mode. But, like, “Wh-what're you...?” He totally hadn't expected to see Zeph here ever again, you know? “I w-was just fee...” Oh. He'd dropped the buckets of feed he'd been carrying, so now the chickens were clambering over his feet to get at the goods. Kiel kinda wanted to step out of the way before they started messing on his shoes, but his feet were glued to the floor or something. “B-but wha...?” He must have looked like a little kid just then, man, with the utter confusion and hurt on his face, and it kinda censored him off. Zeph looked kinda like he always did, you know, totally stoic and just, like, really really good. And Slythe! Dude, this was so not fair, man.

“D-did I do something wrong?” It was the only thing he could figure for why Zeph would even be here, you know?

[Zephyr]

Zephyr froze almost immediately as he saw Kiel come around the bend. It was all he could do to not run over and grab the kid. Zephyr wanted to hold Kiel close, yell at him for disappearing, and turn tail and run all at the same time. Instead of any of the three, the man just froze in place as he was torn inwardly towards three very different options. Maybe coming had been a bad idea.

As Kiel mumbled, Zephyr stood silently. He was so distracted that he hadn't noticed Derina's subtle 'poof' as she teleported in an attempt to land on Shane's growling head. Derina had no regard for the shadowkin's anger towards Zephyr as she flocked towards her playmate. Puffs of snow flew about haphazardly as Derina moved.“Zane! Zane!” she squealed as her wings flapped and she attempted to grab a hold of Shane's head.

“D-did I do something wrong?”

Oh hi there existential crisis, decided to visit again? Zephyr's mind immediately ran in five thousand different directions, which was actually incredible considering it usually only crawled along in one direction, and that direction was essentially just a matter of "if it moves glare at it," but it was also overwhelming. Zephyr's eyes actually watered a bit and he was so distracted he didn't have the chance to really cover it up at all. “N-no...” Zephyr finally choked out after letting his mouth sit open like a fly trap for what felt to him like hours.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[NPC]

Slythe was completely uninterested in the existence of his partner right now. He was also uninterested in the existence of his partner's boyfriend, and was incredibly uninterested in whatever drama had come between the two. Actually, right now he was uninterested in the entire realm of Elysia. Or maybe he was just uninterested in being at all awake... Yea, that was probably it.

Nevertheless, the dragon was being forced to be awake and as he stood there behind Zephyr he found himself counting the seconds until he could leave. He would have considered sleeping somewhere on the Taskel farm, but it stank of landstriders and was also home to all manner of extremely annoying 'Varian. No, being caught unconscious here would not do him well. That just meant he needed to see to it that whatever was happening here either stopped or headed elsewhere, at the very least further away from the farm.

As Kiel stuttered, Slythe yawned. This was even more boring than the beast had imagined it to be. If it kept at this rate, they might actually bore him awake, and Slythe wasn't even sure how that was possible.After all Zephyr saidd was a pitiful on word, no, not even one word, one syllable, Slythe snapped. “By the realms!” the dragon snarled in his native tounge, not caring that no one present but Derina would know what he was saying.

“You two are blundering fools!” Slythe condemned them telepathically, reinforcing his statement with by firmly slamming his tail to the ground. “Can't you both just realize that you're both pitifully enthralled with each other and move on with your disgusting lives so that I can sleep? I don't enjoy being woken up in order to teleport out to this Xanth forsaken place so that the two of you can stand there and bumble about brainlessly!” the dragon ranted, clawing at the earth as he scowled. Why couldn't other creatures be more like him and just be intelligent for once. In Slythe's opinion, relationships weren't that difficult unless you wanted them to be. Not that he had any real relationships, but still, the point still stood... didn't it?

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · RedCarpet&Rebellion · Dragon •

[Kiel]

Kiel hadn't actually seen Derry - or Slythe! - 'cause he'd totally been focused solely on Zeph, you know? And even when Derry abandoned her perch in favour of Shane's head, he was only vaguely aware of the pair's antics as Shane shook herself silly in an effort to get the lizard off the top of her head even as she batted at her nose with a paw to pet the little dragon affectionately.

Zeph's silence was painful, but there was something about it... Like, he wasn't glaring, not like he usually did when Kiel was in trouble, you know? And when he said no like that, Kiel frowned, ready to ask "Like, for sers?", only to flinch backwards at Slythe's reaction.

“Wah!” He rarely saw this side of the mustard-coloured dragon, man, but it was freaky enough that he would have dived right behind Zeph for protection if they weren't at such a stand-off. What he said, though, man...

“L... Like, i-is that true?” He couldn't imagine Slythe would have any reason to lie, you know, but it was impossible, wasn't it? For Zeph to even... but then why was he... “Why are you cry... Dude, are you...” Lurching forward hesitantly, tentative step by tentative step, Kiel's hand lifted slightly of its own volition like it was trying to grab the dude. And then he was talking again, his voice all girly and high-pitched 'cause it was sooooo important how the big guy answered. “Is that true?!”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr was so frozen that he didn't even respond to Slythe's tirade. Not that him not responding wasn't really unique in any way, though, considering he was usually uninterested in Slythe's attitude. What Slythe was saying made Zephyr shake a bit, though it was probably not noticeable. Secretly Zephyr kind of wanted to thank the dragon, though he would never openly admit it.

Derina and Shane were distracting each other off to the side, and there were chickens flocking about Kiel's feet practically killing each other for food, but none of it seemed to make noise. It was as if everything had stopped to focus of Zephyr and Kiel in this moment, or at least, that's how it felt to the blacksmith. Even the wind had seemed to completely die out in the moment.

Kiel noticed his eyes, but Zephyr didn't turn away or try to brush them away. He just stood there, still kind of unsure of Kiel's questions. “Yes...” he said softly, admitting it to himself as much as he was admitting it to Kiel. He kind of wished that everything would just be okay. He deeply cared about Kiel, and now Kiel new that too.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

Maybe Kiel was reading too much into that monosyllabic answer or something, but his brain totally didn't stop to think. It seized on that word with the enthusiasm he usually reserved for when he'd spotted a gigantic feast and threw him headlong at the dude.

The chickens scattered with a cacophany of bakawks that startled Shane into some weird half-dance/half-hop-skip backwards out of the way of their sharp little beaks, but Kiel was too busy leaping up and throwing his arms and legs around his boyfriend. Face pressed against Zeph's neck, Kiel clung to the hairball, not caring or even noticing that he totally looked like a girl right now.

“I missed you, man.” He'd only been gone, like, a week, but somehow, thinking Zeph didn't care about him made it seem like forever.

But now he was standing right here, man, and Kiel had to act! “Hey, hey,” he said, his tone aggravated as he loosed a hand to grab a fistful of Zeph's hair, trying to make the dude look him straight in the eye. They were way close just then, with Kiel wrapped around the bigger man like a limpet. “You can't do that again, okay? You gotta tell me, you know? Like, I need to know this stuff, okay?”

He still wasn't convinced, though. Like, Zeph hadn't actually said he loved Kiel, and Slythe had only said something about, like, infatuation or something, right? But he'd take what he could get, you know?

“Now gimme a kiss, okay?”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr was... relieved once Kiel finally broke through the invisible wall that had been dividing the pair. His body responded instinctively and his large arms wrapped around the boy, forcing their bodies flush against each other. Zephyr's fingers gripped at fist fulls of the boy's clothes as his head was adjusted to as to look straight at Kiel. Even though the kid was young, there was something powerful and piercing about his stare. Not in a threatening way, though, it was more of a... searching gaze, which was perhaps more intimidating than any glare Zephyr had ever receive in his life.

Zephyr didn't break eye contact with the boy, despite how vulnerable those staring pink eyes made him feel. He nodded ridgedly in acceptance of Kiel's request. He wasn't the best at communication, but this wasn't the first time the pair had talked about this problem. He gladly responded to Kiel's last request with a hard a passionate kiss. Zephyr kissed Kiel with great care, but also with dire need. He didn't break for air until he absolutely had to, and even then he left his mouth there, hovering next to Kiel's as he breathed heavily. “I missed you too,” he said, his mouth mere centimeters away from his boyfriend's.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

Dude. Like. Hottest kiss ever.

That was kind of the only thing going through Kiel's head just then. Like, literally, around and around, just those three little words. And also kind of the other three little words that had gotten him into this mess in the first place, but, like, since it turned out like this he was glad he'd spilled the beans after all.

“I missed you too.”

Dude. Oh, like, dude. Now it was his turn with the watering eyes, but, like, maybe Zeph wouldn't notice this close. Like, Zeph had put more feeling into that kiss just now than he could ever convey in words, but somehow hearing it made him feel heaps better. And no way was he backing off any time soon, man. He'd stay here and smooch the big hairball into next week if given the chance.

“I see you made it, then.”

“Wah.” There went his smooching session, and Kiel immediately hopped down, his feet jarring as they hit the deck so he could twist around - like, still totally not letting go of his boyfriend - to look at his mom. She was totally being all pinch-eyed and narrow-lipped, man, kinda like that look she got when she was about to ground him into the next century, but it was aimed at Zeph now. Which was kinda creepy. “Mom -” What was she even talking about, like she'd known Zeph was coming? Kiel hadn't even thought about that, for sers!

“You'd better come in. Matthias wants a word with you.” That you had soooooo many inflections, man, it was like a whole 'nother language sealed in a neat little one-word package. The care-free childish part of him wanted to tease Zeph with a nee-nawing "you're in trouble" but the last time they came home he'd told the guy he'd protect him.

His hands still totally fretting over the dude's shirt 'cause he didn't want to put even an inch of space between them, Kiel stared up at him from under his hat, trying to reassure him. “You don't have to, okay?” No way he wanted to push the dude further than he was wanting to go, you know, and he knew Zeph was all, like, "I have no emotions, yo", but he really did, you know, and he didn't want his mom and dad scaring the guy off. You know?

[Zephyr]

Zephyr was about to start moving towards Slythe in an effort to spirit Kiel away back to the mainland. Then there was that voice. Zephyr shuddered a bit as he realized it was Kiel's mother. Something about the woman made every single defense mechanism he had go off simultaneously. Maybe it was that she was one of those blue eyed blunders. Okay, no, it was definitely because she was one of them. Blasted peteulanus sept invading people's minds.

As Kiel's mom approached, Zephyr moved himself and Kiel as that the boy was behind him. It was a protective move, for sure, but in Zephyr's mind he had just gotten the kid back and he wasn't about to lose him again. As the woman said that Kiel's father wanted to talk, Zephyr sighed a bit. Kiel's father was a rutilus, and as such Zephyr respected him accordingly. Matthias seemed to be a well developed warrior, and Zephyr partially hoped that one day he would get to show the man that Kiel was being trained well by someone who knew what he was doing. Especially after the conversation the two had engaged in last time Zephyr had visited. It was essentially a lecture about taking care of Kiel, and not mixing business with pleasure, all bundled up in a plethora of subtle threats.

Still, Zephyr would rather talk to the rutilus than stand here being potentially probed by the peteulanus. “I'll go,” he said, kissing Kiel again before turning towards the boy's mother. “Please lead the way, Mrs. Taskel,” Zephyr said after a respectful bow.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

Like, it was kinda funny the way Zeph moved in front of him like that, like he needed to protect Kiel from his own mom. Funnier still 'cause Kiel had totally been about to do the same thing, only in reverse. Like, you know, he figured Zeph needed more protection than him just then. His dad?

Uh oh.

Not sure what else to do 'cause his mom was totally scary in this mode, Kiel grabbed onto Zeph's hand with both of his and pressed tight to the dude's side, peering at his mom around thick biceps. He'd been kinda stunned when Zeph agreed, enough that he'd barely returned the extra kiss before it was over, but he'd be damned if he let his boyfriend handle his dad alone, you know?

His mom didn't like that, though. She glanced at his hands where they were wrapped around Zeph's and the skin between her eyebrows wrinkled ever so slightly. “Kiel, I need you to - ”

“No!” Kiel stomped his foot, still clinging to Zeph's hand. Like, no way he was letting the dude out of his sight, you know? What if he decided this was more trouble than he was worth and took off - without him? No no no! “You don't get to bully him and stuff, not like you did with Addy, okay? Like, I'm not Laces, you know? I'm a guy.” For a start. He didn't need them threatening Zeph with bodily harm if he hurt him, Kiel could take care of himself. And, like, okay, so they'd just seen him spend a week moping 'cause he thought he'd broken up with Zeph, but that didn't mean they had to get all, like, "we're gonna maul you to death" on him, you know?

“Fine, then. He's in the den,” his mom said, a hint of an exasperated sigh in her voice as she tilted her head toward the house and took off at a march. Kiel hesitated a bit. He was kinda scared to go in there himself, so how much Zeph feel, you know? But then he put one foot in front of the other and took a fortifying breath and hoped Zeph wouldn't pass out like a little girl.

[NPC]

((Emma was here.))

Matthias was very proud of his eldest four. They were everything he could ever hope them to be, even if they hadn't turned out the way he'd expected. For instance, while he might have wished Raymun would join the Rutilus Sept in his footsteps, just as he had done in his own father's, and had been a little disappointed when he went green instead, the boy had chosen to emulate him in another way - by becoming a farmer. And they all worked so hard to be the best they could be, a man couldn't ask for more.

Until his youngest pair. He had to wonder sometimes if they were even his, but he loved and trusted Reggie far too much to suspect her of anything untoward. No, it was far more likely that, between the six of them, Kiel and Chloe had been spoiled rotten. They still worked hard, so he was proud of them in that sense, but they were both free-wheeling through life. By the time he was Chloe's age, Thaddeus had already known exactly which Sept he would join and the path his career would take him. Of course, Matthias was still waiting for the young man to get his head out of his books long enough to actually follow that path, but at least he had a goal in mind.

Kiel's was simply to "get a dragon", as if the bonding was the destination rather than the means to get there.

But despite Matthias' inability to understand or even truly like his youngest son, Kiel was his - and Matthias may not show it very often, if at all, but he loved his children more than life itself (yes, even when they annoyed the snot out of him). So he had tried to make that clear when it became obvious just what Kiel and his "boss" had been up to on the mainland, along with the promise that should Kiel ever be hurt by the warrior that there would be all kinds of hell to pay.

Now, it seemed like another "conversation" was in order, so Matthias was sitting with his hands cupping his kneecaps, stiff with impatience and the effort not to show it, on one of two worn two-seaters set at right angles in the middle of the small room his wife and children called the den - supposedly because it was where they liked to cuddle up together nice and warm during the slightly chillier nights of winter. To him, it was just another room he usually only entered during family visits, since he spent so much of his time out on the land that when he got in from a day's work that the only thing he wanted to do was eat his wife's cooking, take a shower, and go to bed. He disliked the chaos of this room, and having to step over scattered floor cushions and what Kiel called "butt bags" just to reach a half-decent seat. But, Regina had suggested they have this conversation here "because it will be less intimidating", and Matthias had learned never to ignore his wife's suggestions.

“Come on in,” he said politely when he spotted the trio. “Have a seat.” He would have preferred to have this conversation without Kiel there to interfere, but one glance at the surreptitious head-shake from his wife made it clear that wasn't going to happen. “So. What are your intentions towards my son, Cairbre, now that you've come to take him back?” Of course, that was a massive assumption, but Regina was convinced the only reason Cairbre would be here now was if he wanted Kiel back with him on the mainland, and Matthias trusted her judgement even without her telepathy. The only question now was how much Cairbre could be trusted not to send Kiel running back to them in another week.

[Zephyr]

Zephyr was very glad that he was following Kiel's mother into the house and not walking on his own. Zephyr had no idea where anything was even after having visited for a week so long ago. The house had far too many rooms in the blacksmith's opinion, but then again in the last year or so he'd readily adapted to living in just one room. After weaving around a little bit they entered the den, Regina first, then Zephyr, then Kiel not even a step behind. Zephyr recognized the room, except last time he was here there had seemed to be a dozen small children overrunning the place, though it could have simply been that there were one or two children and Kiel was just chasing them around constantly. Oh well, at least the kids were able to drain Kiel of at least a fraction of his excess energy.

Zephyr bowed his head in respect to Mathias as he entered and sat on the empty sofa. It took a little navigating around the various cushions and such on the floor, but he made it eventually and sat down quietly. Mere moments after the blacksmith's rear had touched the sofa, however, Mathias spoke again. “Kiel is free to do as he pleases, sir,” Zephyr said, primarily responding to the man's last comment. His tone was highly reminiscent of when he had served in Elysia's armed forces so long ago, and even a bit like how he composed himself when he had talked to superiors while employed by the city guard in Alexshire. “I would like for him to return with me, but if he should choose not to then I would not force him against his will. I've never forced him to do anything, outside of his duties at the forge, sir,” he continued, not fully making eye contact with the other rutilus, but not looking away either. It was a difficult task to look at someone without looking at them directly, but it was a symbol of respect that he had been taught to perform ever since he was a hatchling.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

There was something about the way soldiers like Zeph and his dad talked to each other that made Kiel incredibly uncomfortable. Like, he kinda wondered sometimes if that was the main reason he hadn't wanted to be a Red, you know? He couldn't make like a stone like they could.

It had been hard keeping up with them on the way in. Like, mostly 'cause he'd clung to Zeph's hand every step of the way like he was afraid the dude would be torn from his grasp if he blinked for even a second. Which, like, would be a distinct possibility if any of the kids had been here, or, like, more like they'd snatch him away, hahaha.

Kiel totally would have flomped onto Zeph's lap if this were any other situation, too, but he figured it'd be safer for all concerned if he didn't do anything too in-your-face. So instead, he whomped onto a bean bag between Zeph's feet - totally so he could protect the dude, kinda - and snickered slightly as he felt his butt sinking into it.

“Yeah, Dad, dude! Like, I'm a grown-up, man, I can decide stuff for myself. Like, the other day, I totally decided if I wanted cheese on toast for lunch.” Probably not the best idea to get sarcastic with his dad right now, but he didn't know how else to make the guy see how stupid he was being right now. "What intentions", dude. “Like, shouldn't you guys be asking what intentions I have towards Zeph, too? 'cause, like, I totally intend to - ”

“Ezekiel, be quiet.”

Kiel immediately fell silent and went into full sulk mode, patting at the leg of Zeph's pants so he didn't have to look at his dad any more and just for that tactile comfort, you know? He muttered something under his breath that earned him a sharp glance, but his hand spasmed against Zeph's calf as his sulk turned into a tantrum that shot him to his feet. “Quit treating him like, like... Like some guy, okay? Like, I mean, he is a guy, okay? But, like, I'm a guy too and, like, I'm not a baby and - and - and -”

Coming to her feet to shush him and hug him, his mom sighed even as his dad kept looking at Zeph. “We just want to know you're safe and happy, sweetie. That's all. You can understand that, can't you, Zephyr?”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr arched an eyebrow as Kiel spoke. The boy was being incredibly disrespectful given that these were his parents. Not that Zephyr really knew anything about parent-child relationships from first hand knowledge. His father had banished him from their tribe over a thousand years ago and Zephyr had never seen the man since, nor did he really want to.

He was slightly interested in what Kiel's intentions were, but the boy was cut off by his father. Kiel was silent in less than a second, and remained silent longer than Zephyr had ever seen. But even then the inevitable happened and Kiel exploded into a convoluted mass of words and motions. The boy bolted up from in front of Zephyr like he'd been stung by a hornet and was aparently quickly devolving into a fifty year old. Matthias was glaring at Zephyr rather fiercely as well, as if Kiel's tantrum was the blacksmith's fault. It was a rather unique experience for the man, however, and Zephyr absently wondered if this is how Kiel, or anyone else in existence for that matter, felt when he glared at them. It was slightly intimidating.

If Kiel's mother hadn't so quickly started to try and reign the boy in, then Zephyr probably would have lost control and scolded him into compliance. “Yes ma'am,” the ex-soldier answered sharply, his voice reigned in a bit so it hopefully didn't sound too much like he was responding to an order. He could still feel the heat from Matthias' glare of his skin, but he tried to ignore it as best he could.

“Kiel, there's no reason to be irate,” Zephyr said from his seated position. He was tempted to stand, but deep down he remained seated because he subconsciously felt as if it had been an order from Matthias. “Calm down,” he said, his tone inclining more towards an order itself, but still not as harsh as it frequently was.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

“Don't tell me to calm down!”

Kiel was well on his way to having an apoplectic fit, wrenching out of his mom's embrace to glare at Zeph. Like, his glare was totally weak in comparison, and more like that of a tantrumming child than a dangerous warrior, but that wasn't the point.

“Kiel, sweetie - ”

“No!” He'd been working himself into such a frenzy trying to defend Zeph to his parents. Like, this was the first time he'd ever rebelled, 'cause normally he was well-behaved or took his punishment good-naturedly, but he was standing up to his folks for Zeph, you know, and the dude was just acting like nothing was happening.

“Ezekiel, be quiet or I'll -”

“Or you'll what, dad? Ground me?!” He was pulling on his hair like he could yank it out at the roots by the fistful, and stomped his foot. Like, they were all treating him like a child - and okay, so, like, he was kinda acting like one right now, but he couldn't help himself, you know? They were acting like him and Zeph had to get married or something just 'cause that's what happened with Laces and RayRay, but, like, it had taken Lacey decades to finally accept Addy's proposals and that whole time his folks had been fine with it, so what the hell, man!

There were tears in his eyes now, and he really needed a hug, but if he ran to his mom he'd look like such a baby. He felt like a total fool, too, man, but, like, “How can you just sit there, Zeph?!”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr was stunned. Kiel actually yelled at him. And not in a jovial or convivial way, either! Zephyr wasn't exactly sure how to respond to the occurrence, seeing as it was an entirely new and unique one. On one hand, the man was angry at Kiel for going off like that and for being so disrespectful, but on the other hand he was proud of Kiel for finally standing up for himself. It was certainly true that he still had a long way to go, and needed to learn how to compose himself better, but he was finally starting to fight both physically and mentally. This was a huge step for the kid, and as his mentor he was proud. As his lover, however, Zephyr didn't appreciate that Kiel's first quarrel of such a nature was focus on him.

“Because there's a time and a place for standing, Kiel, come here,” Zephyr said, reaching a hand out towards the enraged by in an effort to lead Kiel toward the open spot next to him on the sofa. Kiel needed to calm himself down, and as he had so aptly stated, having Zephyr say something about it wasn't exactly going to help. Hopefully the boy would sit down, if he did then Zephyr would try and guide the kid into leaning against him a bit. As one track minded as Zephyr usually seemed, he did actually think about most things before he did them, and he recognized that right now scolding Kiel was not the right mode of action. He would do that later.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

“Because there's a time and a place for standing.”

Wuh. Well. Like, that totally took the wind out of his sails, man. It wasn't even profound, and he said it so emotionlessly. It shouldn't have stopped his tantrum so efficiently, but Kiel felt like he'd just taken a fist to the gut.

“You suck.” He didn't mean it. He was just sulking, and he sagged into the seat the hairball indicated with a pout. He was kinda surprised the dude tugged him closer, but Kiel wasn't going to protest, man. He desperately needed a hug right now, and he was still annoyed with his mom.

Sniffling, Kiel pulled up his feet - childishly ignoring the rule about no shoes on the sofa - and cuddled up close with Zeph's shirt fisted in his hand.

“Well, then.” His mom sounded totally miffed, like she kinda missed him running to her, but there was another inflection he couldn't decipher.

His dad chuckled and his posture relaxed, like Kiel's tantrum had been some kind of test. Which just made Kiel sulk closer to Zeph even more. “You'll stay for supper, I assume?” Matthias clapped his hands together and rubbed them like they were cold or he was happy. “Regina has a roast on. You've not tried her chicken yet, have you, Cairbre? Old Merry was the plumpest chicken you ever saw when we finally took her to the chop. Old, but tasty.”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr was relieved as Kiel sat down, regardless of the boy's half-meant comment. Zephyr tried to not pay attention to a lot of the things Kiel said in that sort of tone since he knew that, for the most part at least, the boy didn't mean them. Zephyr's proverbial skin was thick enough that it took more than small comments like that to actually get to him, anyways.

Regina's comment, however, set Zephyr on edge a bit. 'Vari from the Peteulanus sept always made the man uncomfortable, and there were so many in Kiel's family Zephyr wasn't even totally sure of when his mind was being read. The tell tale ringing he usually "heard" from someone poking around in his mind had dulled in the last few months so that the man wasn't always able to tell when someone who was talented at digging in people's private thoughts was rifling through his past. Not that he minded, really, one of the main reasons he didn't like the sept was because of that ringing noise. That and the whole complete-and-utter disregard for privacy policy that the blue-eyed psychics all seemed to hold.

“That's up to Kiel, sir,” he said in response to the invitation to dinner, his voice once again that of a subordinate soldier. The way Matthias was responding was like Zephyr had passed some sort of test, but the man didn't exactly feel like he could relax just yet. The talk of slaughtering the chicken didn't really unnerve the blacksmith at all. He had seen enough death, and administered enough of it as well, that the fact of something dying in order for it to be eaten was not even a slightly novel concept to him. Chicken wasn't exactly his favorite meat, but Zephyr wasn't exactly known for being a picky eater. He was nothing compared to Kiel, obviously, but with the amount of muscle that the warrior had packed on it took a fair number of calories to keep it running.

“Sounds good, what do you think, Kiel?” Zephyr asked Kiel, turning a bit towards the boy. As he turned, Zephyr placed his hand on the boy's leg - just above the knee - and squeezed a bit in an effort to let Kiel know that he did actually mean staying was up to the boy. Kiel had just made a huge stride in garnering his independence, and Zephyr wasn't entirely sure how he would feel about eating with his family just now. Of course, this was Kiel, and the topic was food, so the answer would probably be something along the lines of "Hahaha, like, foodfoodfood! Feed me now, dude, I'm like, starving, hahaha!"

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

“You'll stay for supper, I assume?”

Kiel tensed. He'd calmed down a bit, but, like, that was the thing. His dad just assumed, and, like, okay, so it was just his way, you know? Whenever they had visitors, even the merchants that travelled through sometimes, he'd be all, like, "I assume you'll want to stay for lunch since it's such a long way to your next stop" or whatever. But just then, it made Kiel want to say no way, and drag Zeph away like he wouldn't miss the whole lot of them the second he was back on the mainland.

Or even up on Slythe's back. Dammit.

“Sounds good, what do you think, Kiel?”

Kiel actually blinked, and stared at Zeph like the dude had grown a second head in the short time since he'd last looked. Or a beard, or something equally weird and fuzzy. That leg-squeeze was reassuring, but also kinda weird. Like, was he begging for Kiel to say no?

“I'm not hungry, man.”

Of course, his belly instantly belied that by growling like it had totally lost touch with his throat, like, a decade ago. And since Kiel wasn't the type to cut off his nose to spite his face, he giggled and said, “Okay, so like, I totally am hungry and mom's chicken is awesome, so we'll stay but you gotta lay off Zeph, okay?”

His folks exchanged one of those "thousand words squeezed into a itty bitty glance" looks before his mom was all, “Of course. You'd better go get cleaned up... Kiel.” That look she gave them totally meant "both of you" but she was too polite to say Zeph was included in that sentence too. “And call your sister down, it'll only be a few minutes.”

((Thread finished, and yay they're back together woohoo!))