Welcome to Gaia! ::

Evening colored Taliuma’s sky orange-pink, the air still warm but rapidly cooling as Lithian and Casseth made their way down the desert town’s streets, in from their own home, down, and off towards the outskirts where Kilian and Vallarah still resided. The openly communicated purpose of the trip was a dinner together, which Kilian and Valla offered to host, so that they might spend an evening together seeing as they had not in some time. Lithian and Casseth, however, had unspoken plans.

Tonight, they intended to inform Kilian that he would soon be a grandfather.

Lithian hummed, smiling at the thought and leaning to touch his shoulder lightly to Casseth’s for a moment as they walked. Though they were already far bolder than they likely ought to be at times, he didn’t dare reach as he wanted and twine their fingers. That would be begging for more trouble than they needed on this evening. But he enjoyed the brush of contact just the same and stole a glance in Casseth’s direction before their destination came into sight. Though he had asked Casseth’s opinion, neither had decided for certain exactly how they intended to go about the reveal other than that it ought to be done as some form of ‘surprise’ and likely after the meal was underway.

As they made it to the front door, Lithian knocked.

Lithian smiled, part of him relaxing as soon as they were safely in the house and away from prying eyes. All but immediately, he reached over as he had wanted to, giving Casseth’s hand a reassuring squeeze and leaning to kiss his mate’s cheek before moving fully in, towards the kitchen, to help with setting the table despite Valla’s insistences that he needn’t. Things were mostly all prepared, however, making the last bits of set-up simple.

Conversation flowed fairly smoothly after settling and as the meal progressed, though Lithian recognized Casseth’s uncharacteristic quiet as a sign of his nerves. At several points, he attempted to steer the conversation subtly in the direction they were wanting to head, but things never quite seemed to arrive there. Or Casseth found a way to ‘conveniently’ change the topic again, earning him several furtive and meaningful Looks from Lithian. After perhaps the fifth or sixth cough, nudge, glance or squint and mumbling shared between them, they were getting the solid, confused attention of both Valla and Kilian.

At length, Lithian cleared his throat. “Well,” he said. “Casseth and I…that is, Casseth, has something he would like to te—” A kick nudged against his boot from beneath the table, words cut off by a sharp cough from his mate, and Lithian narrowed his eyes a fraction before humming, straightening his expression, and giving their company a ‘polite’ smile as he stood. He caught at the cloth of Casseth’s tunic at his shoulder and tugged. “Excuse us.”

When he had Casseth safely guided well away from the kitchen table and down the hall, out of direct earshot, he pushed Casseth lightly to the wall, eyebrows raising. “Casseth…”

Lithian’s brow pinched as he listened, but at length, he huffed, reaching and catching his fingers lightly under his mate’s chin. “Casseth…” He shook his head. “I know that you are nervous…and it’s alright to be nervous, I am also…” He brushed his thumb up along Cas’ cheek and then leaned in, touching a kiss to his forehead. “But this is your father we are talking about…” he reminded him. “He loves you dearly, would do anything for you…and he will want to hear this. Can you imagine when they do arrive? Him holding our children? How tiny they will be compared to him?”

He leaned back a fraction, eyeing Casseth carefully before offering up a small smile.

“Come…you should tell him. But if you would rather, I will. He’s going to be a grandfather, Casseth…and he will be thrilled to learn it.” With that, Lithian took a step back, catching at Cas’ fingers and tugging encouragingly.

Lithian flushed, his pulse picking up in spite of himself as Casseth started to speak, and he reached over beneath the table, catching and twining their fingers with a reassuring squeeze as the words finally came out. It felt as though the moment of silence after them stretched indefinite. But then, Kilian was speaking, his attention turning towards Lith, and Lithian’s heart threw itself against his chest, but he found himself speaking regardless.

“Yes,” Lithian said. “Twin girls, we…have been visiting orphanages for many months now. We even travelled to Tukyere for that purpose, but…on returning, we encountered an old friend of ours—a good friend. She is heavy with child and was looking to adopt them out, but…” His gaze flit to Casseth. “After some discussion, we agreed to take them ourselves. She is seven months pregnant now, and…we wanted you to know that you will be their grandfather.”