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 Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 11:32 pm
 Despite the fact it was mid-day, the lights were off, the curtains were closed, the messy-haired fallen was still lounging around in bed. Smolder was incredibly exhausted, having imbued with his wife for the first time ever. It had been so long since his first time imbuing for Rhys, that the fallen had completely forgotten what it was like. He hadn't remembered how exhausted he had been afterwards, or the facts it ate away weeks of his time. It wasn't like the fallen to do much with his spare time anyways, and as lazy as Smolder was, he wished that there was something, anything that he could do besides sleep. Letting out a soft groan, the fallen rolled over on to this side, wings uncomfortable pinned beneath his back. No matter what he did, or how Smolder adjusted himself, he was just sick and tired of lying down. There was just no way to get comfortable. But Pyre and Castiel were worth it. Aten, once again, had proven himself superior. It was so bizarre to Smolder watching the kid he felt he practically raised suddenly being so adult. At least, in his mind, Ahkenaten had just woken up one morning and was a man. How had they gotten here? One day, Smolder was off enjoying his days as a freshman at university, making the stupid decision to imbue during October ... and then, the fallen came to surprise his younger girlfriend at the academy with the child ... only to find out that Aten and Cassie had been courting. But now, they were a family. They were married, and while Aten had always been in love with Smolder, Smolder hadn't returned the feelings. It just made sense -- legally speaking -- especially with so many kids involved -- to be wed to one another. The number of children just seemed to keep growing and growing. Rhys had been the first. Then it was Malikah, Raa, and Anuubis ... now Pyre and Castiel. Aten was talking about imbuing with their family friend Burvia and bringing yet another child home ... By the Nine, the three of them were all in university and college. Their time was all so spread thin, Smolder felt himself choke at the very idea of more children. Yet, he felt compelled. This was the first time in years, and the fallen had felt so put out after Cassie and Aten imbued on their own. Smolder had just wanted to be a part of it, but Cassie had told him he wasn't ready. That he wasn't responsible enough yet ... ... what had changed since then? What had suddenly made him so worthy? This introspection ******** sucked. He needed to get his energy back, fast. Else he'd be depressed as all ******** for a millennium.
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 11:48 pm
 Cassie and Smolder both had been knocked out of commission. Aten had been left trying to juggle his school workload and meal-prep for the kids that afternoon. The children were chirping hungrily for food, fur and feathers ruffled and tensions were starting to heighten. Lunch was a little late -- well, for once, lunch was a lot late. It was already nearly 3:30pm and Rhys had been moaning for more food since breakfast. The stones with the new family members had just awakened, and thank the Nine Pyre and Castiel still had lots of ore deposits left that super dad didn't have to worry about feeding them too just yet. Aten was trying his best, but today just seemed one of those rare days where even the mighty Aten needed to take a deep breath. Raa was sticking to his ankles like glue, and Rhys was making a racket in the other room. Soon it would be time to move out of their apartment and find something more spacious. The imp had made the executive decision to call Osiris over to help out, bringing over his triplets to help keep his own distracted in hopes of getting a moment to breath. Osiris managed to redirect attention away from Aten long enough for the imp to steal the first few servings for Cassie and Smolder. Aten had painstakingly baked bread bowls from scratch for that afternoon's meal, placing them on to silver trays arranged with a little vase and flower and a cool, sparkling juice inside a tall champagne glass for each of his loves. Aten ladelled heaping spoonfulls of the thick, filling mountain stew in to each of the bread bowls before whisking the trays away, just narrowly escaping the attention of the hungry mouths of their children. First, Aten stopped off in Cassie's room ... and, as expected, his wife was fast asleep, gently snoring with a soft hum. Even while she slept Aten couldn't help but to smile softly to himself. He could only see the back of her head, but it was enough to fill Aten with immense warmth. The imp set the tray down at her bedside stand, casting a small spell to keep it warm for whenever she decided to wake up, then leaned down to kiss the top of her head before Aten moved along to the next room. Smolder was camped out in Rhys' room, much to Rhys' dismay. Aten quietly slipped in, expecting the fallen to be asleep like Cassie had been, but a mere five seconds inside the room and Smolder was tossing and turning like turbulent waters. Nothing ever changed in their house, did it? "I brought you some food." Aten offered gently. He didn't place the tray down at his nightstand like he had for Cassie, and instead, Aten sat himself down gently on the edge of the bed, resting the tray gently in his lap. Smolder was a little too long for Rhys' bed, but the fallen had already been camping out in the bed for a few weeks now. Aten imagined if Smolder had been more alert and well that he would have been complaining a long time ago. "It's mountain stew. I hoped it would lend you some energy for your stores."
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 11:58 pm
Smolder heard the sound of the bedroom door creak open, his feathered ears twitching slightly at the sound. His gut reaction was to ignore it. The little ones had come in and out several times over the past few weeks to investigate Smolder's condition, to ask what was wrong with him and to ask why he was 'so sick'. Rhys understood and knew why Smolder had been so exhausted, but instead had come in to ask when he could have his room back. A few times, Rhys had woken Smolder by playing video games rather loudly in his room, which had lead to a few arguments between the two. It was the smell, however, that made Smolder reconsider acknowledging whomever had entered the room. The fallen shifted, trying to sit up just as he felt the weight of his family member rest against the bed next to his feet. When Smolder turned to face them his eyes met with Aten's own. This boy ... he wasn't the kid Smolder had helped raised. All the late nights, all the stressful days and exhaustion of raising so many kids had started to finally show on Aten's face. The man Smolder always thought could do it all was finally starting to slow down. There were bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, the starting of crows feet around the corners of his eyes, despite being so young. It became suddenly apparent to Smolder now that Aten had just been masking how difficult doing it all alone had been. His love for their family, his love for their children had been all the reason he needed to shoulder nearly all the responsibility. Smolder felt a guilty pain stab him in his heart and in his gut, making the fallen feel fleetingly ill to his stomach. Propping himself up, Smolder gently grabbed the tray from the imp's lap, offering a tired, weak smile. "Thanks ... " Smolder croaked. His voice was raspy from not talking for so long, and partially from being a mouth breather. "You didn't have to, you know. But I appreciate it."
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:05 am
Aten had never seen Smolder like this before. There was no carefully guarding through humor, no silly faces, or facades at all. This was a different Smolder Aten hadn't seen before. For the briefest of moments, as the fallen reached out and took the tray from the imp's lap, Aten could have sworn that someone had bodysnatched his husband and replaced him with a new one. For the longest time, Aten didn't say anything. The imp watched as Smolder tried feebly to eat his foot, spooning shaky mouthfuls of the stew in to his mouth. With a soft, gently sigh, Aten shifted, inching himself closer to his husband and taking the spoon from him and offering to feed him for him. At first, Smolder gave him an almost skeptical look. A man feeding another man his food at their age probably seemed comment on one's ability to feed themselves. But, considering the circumstanced, Aten felt it was appropriate and helpful. Smolder likely felt the same way, as the fallen quickly caved and brought his mouth to meet the spoon in Aten's clawed hand. The silence lasted a while longer, Aten quietly enjoying Smolder's more subdued company before the imp gently spoke. "I'm thinking about imbuing a stone with Burvia to bring home ... " he waited then, Aten's gaze suddenly steady and fixed on Smolder's expression. Aten hadn't mentioned it to Cassie yet, but he knew he could easily win her over if he really wanted to. His mind had been made up, but Aten was curious how Smolder would take the news, knowing that Smolder soon might have to be the one feeding Aten in kind.
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:11 am
Smolder froze, his mouth opened partially as he was ready to take another spoonful of the delicious stew in to this mouth. The fallen leaned back against his pillows, mouth softening a little as the idea bounced around in his head for a bit. Words didn't come immediately, Aten gently settling the spoon back down on the tray, no doubt waiting for Smolder to give some kind of response. Another child? Were they ready to handle three new younglings at the same time? Was that really such a good idea? What did Cassie think? Judging by the look on his face, Aten hadn't asked her yet. A soft gush of air escape Smolder's lips as the fallen gently closed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest. Yah, Smolder wanted more kids. Definitely, but so soon? It seemed a little ridiculous to him. Besides, this wasn't supposed to be how it went. The next set of kids ... the next set of kids was supposed to be theirs. At least ... that was what Smolder had lead himself to believe. Was he wrong? A feeling of displaced jealousy started to creep in to Smolder's heart, twisting his features in to a scowl. It wasn't like him to feel jealousy, normally too aloof to notice negative emotions when they wiggled their way in. "That's stupid." Smolder said before he could really catch himself. "No. You can't."
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:15 am
Aten was taken aback by Smolder's abrupt response, his mouth gapping open slightly, for once caught without response. The imp had not expected this short, judgmental reaction from his husband. It seemed rather out of character for the fallen to be so ... overtly rude. Closing his mouth, Aten maintained his composure and gently took the tray back from Smolder and set it down on the night stand. The imp took a moment to collect his thoughts before twisting to face his companion more fully, aqua eyes searching Smolder's for some sort of answers, trying to gauge his expression so he didn't have to probe unnecessarily. Although, it seemed being direct as the best course of action. "Why?" Aten asked, squaring his shoulders as he sat up tall. He genuinely wanted to know what objections the fallen had to him having another child.
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:18 am
"Why? Why!?" Smolder couldn't keep himself from bristling at Aten's simple question. A sudden anger rose through him, making him shake. What ... what was this? Smolder had never been angry with Aten before in his entire life, yet right now he was suddenly so furious for no good reason. "Because! he blurted out. "You can't just do whatever you want just because you feel like it! What about us?" The raspiness in Smolder's voice was beginning to fade, his hands balling up in to fists as the sudden rush of emotions and adrenaline hit him all at once. "What about me?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:22 am
"You ... ?" Aten' brows pinched together in confusion. Smolder's sudden outburst seemed so out of left field that Aten was desperately trying to track the fallen's thought processes. What had Aten done to so suddenly trigger such a response from his husband? No matter how man times the imp replayed the last few minutes of their interactions over and over in his head, Aten just couldn't find the answers he was seeking. "You must still be tired. Here ... lay down. I'll keep your food warm for you so you can resume when you're ready to eat again." Aten got to his feet, gently resting his hands on to the fallen's shoulders, trying to encouraging him to rest, to sink back in to his sheets. Aten knew his emotions could be a little haywire due to the stress and exhaustion of imbuing, but he hadn't expected or the otherwise gentle and care-free Smolder to develop a temper. Maybe this is where Rhys got it from after all ...
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:26 am
"No!" Smolder shouted as he gripped Aten's wrists, hands disappearing in to his partner's fluff as he resisted Aten's gentle encouragement. "I'm supposed to be next with you! This isn't fair!" Smolder was being a child. He knew it. He could hear himself making these arguments, how silly they sounded, and yet Smolder couldn't stop himself. It was as if he had verbal diarrhea. Tears began to well up in his eyes, suddenly making the fallen grow limp, hands dropping in to his lap. "I was supposed to be next ... " Smolder's eyes closed gently, suddenly feeling heavy and spent again. Maybe he was just ... being crazy from how tired he was. Yes, that was all it was. It had to be. This ... jealousy. It meant nothing ... ... he didn't ... love Aten ... did he ... ?
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:31 am
Something clicked in Aten's head, and the imp suddenly sat back down, making a small 'whomp'ing noise as his rump and tail met the edge of the bed. it all clicked together all at once. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Smolder was getting at, but ... was this really happening? Aten had shut the door on trying to win over Smolder's love and affections years ago. Smolder had made it very clear when he broke his hear as a Junior that he was straight, with no exceptions. So what had changed now ... ? Was it being married? Was it living in close quarters with one another? Was it raising and sharing a family? They could all be factors, but it wasn't something Aten had ever dreamed of happening. He hadn't allowed himself to feel for Smolder since the fallen left the academy and graduated, leaving him and Cassie behind. Yet, Aten sat there, heart all aflutter. He could feel his teenage emotions resparking at the very idea of Smolder potentially wanting more from him ... ... but, then again. Imbuing together didn't necessarily mean love. Him and Burvia, after all, didn't love one another. Aten cleared his throat, then carefully asked: "What do you mean, Smolder?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:35 am
Yes ... yes, Smolder did love Aten. When had that happened? At what point along the way had Smolder started developing feelings for the boy he grew up with; for the boy he mentored; for the man who now was raising a family with him? The circumstances were perfect for them ... they were already married; they already kids; they had a supporting, loving wife who would encourage them as soon as she found out. The conditions were ripe. So what had changed? Smolder had never found men attractive, never ever looked at a man with desire before. Was it ... possible to feel love for someone without wanting to be physically with them Smolder gave a loud grown, suddenly pulling at his hair. "I ... I love you, alright!?" the fallen growled with frustration, fighting with himself. "I want kids with you! I don't want you to be all tuckered out when I'm better and ready to imbue again. I don't want to wait any longer than necessary ... I want ... I want that so badly with you!"The fallen's heart was throbbing so far he could feel its pulse in his throat. Smolder could have sworn it was about to leap out of his mouth and run away screaming if he didn't calm down sometime soon.
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:42 am
Aten's tense posture suddenly relaxed as he listened to his husband spill his inner most thoughts to him. Aten's eyes glossed over with emotion as he heard Smolder confess his feelings and desires. Aten never hoped -- never dared that this long set-aside dream would ever come true for him and Smolder. Aten had stopped chasing him, stopped pining, stopped believing this would ever become reality for the two. Yet, here they were ... and really, wasn't it perfect? "Oh, Smolder ... " Aten's tone was tender, suddenly swooping in and taking up the fallen in his arms, crushing him tightly to his chest and kissing him hard, throwing caution to the wind. The imp kissed Smolder for a long time, the fallen softer and more pliable under his touch than he had expected. Perhaps it was because the poor dear was so exhausted already. Aten just hoped that Smolder would remember this ... he didn't want to have to re-seal the gates now that they were open and flooding with love and adoration for the fallen man once more. "I love you too ... " the imp whispered as he seized kissing the man, gently tucking him against his chest. Smolder didn't have to return his kiss. Aten was satisfied with finally being able to express that part of himself. Smolder, on the other hand, was fading fast, beginning to doze off in the imp's fluffy, comfortable arms. A few seconds passed, and the fallen had completely fallen asleep, beginning to snore as he fell in to a deep sleep. "Tch ... figures ..." Aten couldn't even be mad. His heart was too full with happiness to let Smolder's perpetually awful timing affect him or ruin his day. Today had simply been perfect, and Aten was completely content to just let the fallen sleep for a while ...
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