Dasan smiled. “Good, you two look good together.”
“Anyone would look good with Gramlithyn, he’s hot.”
“According to the Council book, I’m not supposed to say shit about your mate, but you’re right. He is totally hot. But I think he’s the lucky one because you’re honestly the most beautiful person I’ve seen in real life.”
Pyxlevir’s cheeks were burning, and his grin was sheepish. “Okay, no complimenting me. For the record, it’s never going to hurt my feelings for someone to notice how sexymy other half is, and your mate is going to be a lucky person too. I don’t want to assume you’re gay just because you’re mentioning men.”
“Gay, but with little experience.”
“Unless kissing counts, I have no experience,” Pyxlevir replied. “But whatever choices you make about having sex or not are valid. Go with what makes you happy; nothing else matters.”
“I’m glad we met; it would’ve been awesome if we were all the same age and I’d been able to go to school with you guys. Is it okay if I call you Pyx?”
“Of course you can. I wish we’d had you around then too, but I’m so happy you’re here now.”
“Wonderful, should we go find our roommates so we can have dinner?”
“Gramlithyn has cornered them to find out why you guys were being weird last night, so we have to wait until they spill the beans.”
“You guys are the weird ones. Be grateful we’re nice enough to take our snacks and run.”
Pyxlevir chuckled. “Okay, point taken. But I want it understood that we need group time too.”
∞∞∞
Gramlithyn closed the door to the twins’ bedroom and faced the two hybrids as they got comfortable on Colburn’s bed.
“So, how can we help you?” Colburn asked.
“By telling me what was up with you guys locking yourselves in here with Dasan last night,” Gramlithyn said, leaning against the wood behind him as he crossed his arms. Noone was leaving until he could return to Pyxlevir with a thorough report.
“I guess telling us you had some questions about Pyx was a ruse,” Crispin muttered.
“Not that I’d ever throw away advice about Pyx, but yeah, it was,” Gramlithyn conceded. “We asked you guys to join us for a movie, and suddenly the three of you announced you had prior plans to play a video game. Which one was it?”
“We played more than one,” Colburn retorted. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I’ve never seen Dasan play a video game or mention one. So, what’s up?”
“Why does it matter what we were doing? Enjoy being with Pyx and don’t worry about us,” Colburn responded.
“I’m grateful to be with Pyx and always appreciate his company.”
“So, what’s the problem?” Colburn asked.
“Pyx and I thought it was odd. We want to find out if there was a reason you guys bailed on us.”
“To play video games,” Crispin muttered. “Like we said.”
“Okay, what was up at lunch? Every time I mentioned doing something as a group, the three of you threw out plans. I’ve never known any of you to have such busy schedules.”
“Gramlithyn, we want you and Pyx to work on your matebond,” Colburn stated firmly. “That’s our top priority. Cris and I moved out of our home to be here for you both. But we hate the thought of a separation agreement. We talked to Dasan. He feels the same. The three of us are perfectly content to excuse ourselves to ensure we’ve done everything on our end to give you two chances to reconnect.”
Gramlithyn sighed, and his zebra snorted with approval. “There’s no fucking way I’m agreeing to be separated from Pyx. Not unless he’s absolutely miserable. And even then, I’d haveto somehow rid myself of my feelings for him to dissolve our relationship completely. I don’t know if that’s possible. I’ve loved him since I was six. The day we met remains one of the best in my life, and the other impossibly wonderful ones include him too. Don’t worry, I promise not to fuck this up with him. I won’t do that to him or myself again.”
“He doesn’t realize it, but he changed when you left,” Crispin remarked. “I can’t explain it perfectly, but part of his light died. The spark is returning. Each time I look at him, he’s brighter again. You’re doing great, don’t overthink it.”
“I’m struggling with fully letting the past go. Guilt isn’t easy to overcome. But I can’t let it ruin our future, so I’m working on taking your advice and not allowing my brain to become an obstacle.”