The Seasons

Chapter 29

Two weeks. Two weeks passed, and Wing had not heard a word from Cairo. What further infuriated him was that he had sent some blurred images to Blue, only to disappear again. Wing was pacing back and forth in the lounge room of the apartment, making sure not to knock his knee into the black coffee table as he had done previously, as he couldn’t shake the anxiety of something just not being right. He stopped the black fluffy rug sinking between his toes; he relished in that feeling before he continued pacing.

And to make matters worse, Micah had been in the hospital because the baby was due at any second, and everyone else around him was stressed because they were. He didn’t know what was happening. He was sure they were in a dodgy little hospital because how would they explain a cis male pregnant?

But sure, they hadn’t agreed that Cairo would text him, but a courtesy text with him would have been fine. Hell, it would have been great. But there had been radio silence.

Aether groaned as he stood up, his long dark hair flowing behind him as he stopped before Wing touched his shoulder, his dark, almost black eyes crinkled in the corner. His cropped sweater rose a little, revealing pale skin as his hands rose. “Wing, I understand you are worried for Cairo, but why don’t you calm down, hm? Why don’t you relax like Thorne, after all it is his father and the vampire seems like he couldn't care less about the fact that his father has disappeared.”

Wing threw his hands up, turning to glare at his best friend. “That’s because Thorne has daddy issues! He doesn’t care about Cairo.”

Throne narrowed his hazel eyes as he stared up at him. “Why do you care so much about him? You’ve only known him for a little over a month.”

“He’s been looking after me, Thorne. I wouldn’t know s**t, and no offence to him, but I would still be trapped with Slaine and his lack of empathy.”

Before the argument could progress any further, Aether’s phone rang, and he frowned as he answered. “Blue, hello, how can I help? I see; yes, I am with him. No, I haven’t seen Slaine. Yes, I believe he is with Winter. Yes, of course. Okay. Yes, I will send them there and pick them up. Of course, see you soon.”

Aether hung up and smiled as he stared at the two men looking at him.

“What did Blue say?” Wing asked, running a hand through his hair.

“They want you to come to their home, I need to pick up Winter and Slaine, who are together, and I will meet you there.”

“Did they say why?”

“No, they did not. But I’d suggest you go.”

Wing bit the inside of his cheek but nodded as he went to his room, slipping his socks and shoes on. He met Thorne and Aether by the door, and the trio went down the stairs and parted ways as they went outside.

“I don’t understand why you're not worried,” Wing muttered.

“Because I’ve had him as my father for twenty-one years, he was only present for twelve years. Then he dropped me off with his half sister and went on his merry way. He only came back after I was taken and by then I wanted nothing to do do with him.”

“Where’s your aunt?” Wing asked, frowning. Thorne had never told him about his past, no matter how much he had asked,

“Dead.”

“Oh,” Wing whisepred. “I’m sorry.”

Throne sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Wing, I know you. I do. I know you’re attached to him; maybe you imprinted on him or some s**t, I don’t know. But he’s not a good person. He never has been, and I don’t think he ever will be. I just don’t want you getting hurt. Which, when you see his true colours, I know you will.”

“But he’s never been mean to me.”

Thorne sighed as he waved his hand, realising he wouldn’t get through to his best friend. “Let’s just change the topic. I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

“Fine,” Wing said, and he began talking about how he had made a new list; he didn’t speak of what because that was linked to Cairo, and he was sure Thorne didn’t want to hear about his father any more than he had to. The topic changed to the meteor shower that would be visible soon and how they promised to see it together.

When they arrived at the renovated home of Blue and Warren, they stood outside, and Wing couldn’t help but look up. It was July, and the sky was so blue and vast that he couldn’t help but stare. Throne elbowed him out of his trance, and he gave a sheepish smile; he knocked on the door while Thorne scoffed and pushed past him walking inside.

Wing stared at his best friend in horror before walking in. He saw the piles of shoes beside the door and grabbed Thorne before he could ruin the brand-new white carpet. The two took their shoes off and walked through the large archway into the living room. There were grey couches in the middle with a large tv hung on the wall, and below was a fireplace, and there were some metal bookshelves scattered around as well as a fancy rug that had to be for decoration purposes.

Slaine was already sitting on one of the couches and was staring intently at the wall across where a large circular mirror was hung, and he had a slight frown on his face. Wing sat beside him, and Slaine whacked him on the arm. He snorted but then turned to Wing with a frown. “Sorry.”

He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just nodded. “So,” Slaine said. “How is it going? Living without Cairo hovering over your shoulder of every waking minute?”

“It’s not good; I miss his car. Do you know how fancy his car was? I’ve had to walk everywhere. When will he be back? I miss his car.”

Slaine raised his eyebrows as a faint smile appeared across his face. “So, you’ve said. How is it with the lists and staying on track of the first year stuff?”

“I mean, I’m managing so far when I learn one thing, it jogs my memory a little. I’m just gonna write it off as trauma, but why do I not remember uni stuff,” he whined. “Do you know how tedious that is? I remember them having me strapped down, so I wouldn’t move and someone sticking a needle into my arm, the way my body began to burn as whatever it was flooded my veins and how I lost my voice from screaming, as they began to cut into my skin to see if I bled but I don’t remember s**t about Nucleosynthesis.” Slaine stared at him and blinked a few times as Wing looked around; Blue, Warren, Thorne and Alexander, Micah and their two children stared at him. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Don’t f*****g traumatise my kids then,” Micah snapped as he handed the baby to Alexander, who took him with a smile. He leaned down and kissed Micah’s head before leaving the room.

“Oh, did you give birth?”

“Yeah,” he deadpanned. “Last night.”

Blue frowned at them. “Then are you meant to be-”

“I’m fine. The baby is fine. We were discharged. Meet the newest edition, Keros. Alexander won, and he got to name him.”

Blue cleared their throat, nodding as they went over and took Keros from Alexander, cooing at him. “The rest are coming, Aether said Winter was being difficult, and since Slaine had just left them to their vices, Winter is adamant about getting drunk.”

Slaine waved his hand. “It’s okay. It’s Winter, he’ll get drunk and then rock up.”

Wing talked to Micah, who wouldn’t stop scowling, and Thorne had brought his Macbook, so he was curled up in the peacock chair in the corner with a blanket and was typing away. Slaine was still avoiding Blue and stuck to a corner of the room, and when Jasper, Atticus and Kevin appeared, they went to him, and the quartet whispered between one another, and Wing couldn’t shake the sense of alienation.

~*~