lxhote:

_{“I don’t think Fidget minds that much if I call myself his Daddy.”}

_{Paul’s eyes refocused as he watched the male that he’d crushed to his chest, his fingers tightening on the fabric that covered Seth’s shoulders. He could practically hear the way the male inhaled his scent – reminding him almost of a puppy.}

_{Even the firm pressure of Seth’s hand against his chest was a reassurance. That this, this was good.}

_{“I was away, obviously.”}

_{“Lemme tell you something. When I was six, I had this pet hamster, right? And it would always like, bite my hands. I knew it didn’t mean to – hamsters are weird like that – but I loved it anyways. Even if it would bite me like, every day.”}

_{“So even though he hurt me, I wanted to like, take care of him. And I loved him.”}

_{“Jake told me you ah, didn’t want to see me.”}

_{His voice is smaller than he thought it would be when he finally comes out and admits the answer.}

     _{❝………………..❞
  ❝ ————- Wait.❞}

              _{The new freedom of expression brought by the establishment of friendship and kinship among vampires and among werewolves goes far beyond politics; people and monsters and otherwise supernatural creatures have found a way to relate to each other in new ways, posing questions about how we should respond to other individuals when all that we know about them is what we have learned through a medium that permits all kinds of anonymity and deception.}

_{Through various turning points in a fight for the right to humanity, Seth had experienced significant changes not only in himself, but in the pack as well. Jacob was not inherently vindictive and covetous, but perhaps—more possessive and manipulative.}

_{Paul feared that his–affections, wherever they may lie–had been unrequited; and as daft and as blind as some thought Seth to be, he was not crippled and he was not cognitively inept–nor was he comprehensively inadequate. He might have been slow to adhere to the social cues that were presented to him, but he certainly knew enough about affection and about circumstance to determine how someone felt for him.}

                                                        <sub>❝ Did Jake —– … ❞
                                           ❝ Did Jacob actually say that ? ❞
                                                    ❝ ….What the heck ! ❞
                                    ❝ ————-…Why would he say that ? ❞

                                                                ❝….It – ❞
                                                         ❝ It’s not true ! ❞
                                                            ❝—– At all ! ❞</sub>  

                              <sub>❝ ….. Paul, if you’re saying I’m that hamster. ❞
                                         ❝ …You should know something. ❞

                                             ❝ …I.. I never tried to hurt you ! ❞
                                                             ❝ —Not ever ! ❞
                                      ❝ ————- I’d never even dream of it.❞
 ❝ I don’t know what the heck Jake’s even —… what the heck Jacob is even talking about. But I never said I didn’t want to see you, Paul.❞

                       ❝ …There’ve been times before, where you worry me ! ❞
                                     ❝When you … get worked up, you know.❞
                                                            ❝ …A little.❞
                                                 ❝ ————- Okay, a lot.❞
                           ❝ …But Paul. You gotta understand one thing. ❞

                                             ❝ ….I really care about you ! ❞

                                                             ❝ So much. ❞
                                                               ❝ Honest. ❞</sub>