CASSIAN

At this point, Cassian was sure all of Luke's tears had tried out. Luke just stared at Vincent's locket in wide eyed surprise, the little flame behind the red gem a bright orange. It was barely any bigger than a marble, flickering and wafting. So quiet, but so alive, especially as the sun was setting around them and night was crawling across the sky. The light caressed the edges of Luke's face. They were backlit by the kitchen light. Everyone else was deep inside, told to keep away until Cassian could tell Luke everything.

His nerves prickling and curling, Cassian didn't know what else to do but repeat himself, "The curse was already broken." The fire remained unchanging. He already explained the magic of the locket. "I swear it. I left with only the intention to come back..."

Luke sat at the bottom of the porch stairs in the backyard. Cassian was in the yard. It was so hard to get Luke alone after everything, after Astrid admitting to knowing all along and letting them search in hopes Cassian would give up. Then, she also said, "And once I noticed you two falling in love with each other, I hoped it'd be a reason you'd stay. I'm sorry, Cassian."

"I can never be mad at you, Astrid," Cassian said.

Meanwhile, Luke had been quiet, letting all this information sink into his truth. He had believed so many wrong things for so long. It seemed impossible to have a new belief. The curse was Luke's religion, and he was losing it.

Cassian dropped to his knees in the grass and leaned against Luke's knees, holding onto them. He looked at Luke's indecipherable face, frantic for any hint to his thoughts and feelings. Cassian explained, "It was Iris, and I don't even think she knew what she had done. It's all thanks to the ring. Giving you the ring saved your life. The curse meant to kill you, but couldn't, so it was broken..." No matter what Cassian said, Luke still didn't respond. He sounded desperate, but he was. "See? The fire hasn't changed. Watch, um I'm not a dragon—"

As soon as the lie reached the fire's ears, it brightened into a sickly green.

"See? I'm not lying."

"Cass, I believe you..." Luke said, so softly. He tipped the locket over and the fire lost its bite and sizzled into nothing on the steps. It left a nasty black bruise on the wood. "I don't need this locket to make me believe you. It's just..." He looked down. "I'm just going to have to live with this for a while. I don't... I don't know what I feel, but I don't know this fire. I only know yours. It's the only fire I need, and I believe you."

Cassian's sigh deflated his shoulders. He rubbed his fingers together, taking the locket with his other hand. A small orb of Cassian's fire grew as he rolled it around in his fingers. This fire was easy now that Cassian was back with who kindled these flames. He replaced the fire in the locket and closed it, pressing it back into Luke's palm.

"Here. Let this make you feel at least a little at ease that I'll always be with you."

Luke finally smiled, even if just a little. Grabbing the back of Cassian's neck, Luke pulled him into a hug. Cassian melted against Luke, holding him close. He rocked, back and forth, breathing Luke in. Funny to think he lived a moment on this earth without Luke Whitlock. Even with the world just surviving the collapse, it all still felt so peaceful in Luke's arms.

They finally went back inside, everyone deciding that they would order takeout. Cassian handed Astrid his gold credit card and told her enough wasn't enough. Cassian also offered to just rip the fridge out of the wall and toss it, but Luke shot him down.

Luke said, "Maybe we should wait a week before we make any bad decisions."

"We?" Cassian picked out what he liked the most. He hadn't stopped staring at Luke, looking him up and down, drooling to get him alone. He really was crazy about Luke.

With a smile, Luke ran his hand through Cassian's hair. The fire in his new necklace brightened. Ever since Cassian returned, Luke had become so touchy feely. Even with Kostas and Astrid in the same room, Luke didn't care how strong the PDA was. Luke told him, "We. I might have some crazy ideas too."

A fistful of Cassian's hair, Luke got the kiss he wanted. Given the clear, Cassian was trying to kiss Luke every chance he got. He wanted to remind Luke that he loved him, that he liked him, that he was so happy to be near him.

"I love you," Cassian whispered, so excited he finally got to say it. He didn't mind being a broken record if he got to keep hearing his favorite sound.

"I love you," Luke whispered directly in his ear.

They spent the evening cleaning up the house, anything knocked over by the sapphire. Luke was on Mirror duty, showing him every reflective surface in this house to find him a new home mirror. Luke made a cooing sound and said, "This must be what apartment hunting for your kid is like."

"Don't start with me," The Mirror said, and his voice faded as Luke rounded the corner towards a guest bedroom with. "I just spent the last three months with a depressed Cassian Alwyn. I don't have a sense of humor anymore."

Luke's laugh bounced off these old walls, making them come alive again. Cassian was heading to Luke's room, wondering if he could move the twin bed out with minimum damage, so he could bring in the king from the guest room.

A crash in Cassian's room made the dragon sigh. He was getting a little tired of this. Turning on his heels, Cassian thought he might as well get it over with and see what the new problem was. The second the Magic Mirror attuned to a new mirror, he was dragging Luke to bed and maybe sleep a thousand years anyways.

Throwing the door open to his room, Cassian huffed at the pixies on the floor. The leader of the pixies (the one Cassian remembered pulling his hair), Pearl hissed at him. "Go away, dragon! You didn't see anything!"

From inside a shattered porcelain jar that was a family heirloom for all Cassian knew, a random assortment of items had scattered out. Amongst the damage and dust, there was balled up socks that didn't match, one earring, a bookmark with a tassel, a nice pen, some rings, and a baby blue envelope with Cassian's name in cursive across the front.

"You evil little creatures," Cassian grumbled, swiping the letter from the ground. They all squealed and flew back out the door. He muttered, "I didn't even know it was missing."

Sighing, Cassian sat on his bed and shook his head. He slid the letter back into his pocket, but he didn't move his hand. His head picked up, looking at the empty doorway. This might be a rare chance to be alone. Cassian took the letter back out, holding it in both hands. Messing with one of the corners, Cassian thought about Iris writing his name holding all their history in a pen as she addressed him.

Shifting his seat, Cassian couldn't find a good position to rest comfortably. He flipped the letter, picking at the back and the old glue. It opened so easily as if Iris planned it. She knew he was going to need the help. Cassian cursed and took the letter out. Too late to go back now. Cassian read:

"Dear Lord Cassian Alwyn,

The last time we spoke, things got out of hand. We got a little nasty for both you and I and that isn't something we can take back. I know you probably feel awful, and I know I did too. Still do. But you must understand what I did, I did it for love and I would do it all over again. We'll leave it at that, my dear friend. One fight, I promise, couldn't erase years of the love I have for you.

Now, since you never called me for that favor, I'll just have to take it back and use it for you. You must do whatever I say because this is the wishes of a dead woman. Do me a favor Cassian and fall in love.

Find someone that loves you and I hope you love them more than every single silly little treasure in that horde. I hope you find someone with good taste in music. I hope they eat twice as much as you do and doesn't mind sharing their snacks. I hope you find someone more stubborn that you and you'll love them so much, you'll have no choice but to bend to them.

I wish you nothing but happiness.

I always have.

I can't leave the fortress ring to you, but I can leave you to my grandson, Luke. I'm sure you've met him by now. Please be nice to him or I will haunt you and not in the fun way like Mingus does. I leave you a place to rest your head on the days you miss me the most. I leave you to Astrid who is the best cook this side of Virginia. I leave my garden to you because no one in this family knows how to get their hands dirty. Vases are in the cabinet above the sink, but really anything that doesn't leak at the bottom makes an excellent vase.

Treasure people Cassian. Not stuff. Because that castle is never going to love you back. That horde will never care for you, not matter how much of it you gather. I'm proof that you are a lovable creature, Cassian. Be well. Live happily.

Your's forever,

Iris Pricilla Whitlock"

Cassian had to set the letter to the side, or his tears were going to make the ink run. How can someone's heart hurt so much and not split into pieces? But he wiped his tears and just had to laugh. It was so funny to him. Even in death, this woman put him through the ringer. She always got what she wanted and even here, in this room without her, Cassian was still following her orders. Using his sleeve, he wiped his face and had to read the letter again.

It was weird and strange, and his emotions was changing over and over. He missed her. Just like she said he would. He missed her and a part of him would probably always miss her. And she was so frustrating. She made nothing easy... but maybe that was something Cassian was learning. That nothing good was ever easy. Picking himself up, Cassian folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He went down to the kitchen and found the vases above the sink just as prescribed. Cleaning off the dust, Cassian sat down a ceramic green vase that looked like a pitcher and grabbed a pair of scissors. Walking outside and into the garden, Cassian gathered a bouquet of wildflowers.

He brought it back to the kitchen just as Astrid appeared with plastic bags of Chinese food. Surprised, Astrid smiled, looking up at him. "Oh, that's so nice. Thank you, dear." Kostas followed her, saying something about tipping to the pixies.

"Yeah..." Cassian smiled back at her. "I'm thinking about taking up gardening and making myself useful."

Astrid's eyes glittered with the threat of tears. She nodded, swallowing back a spoonful of grief. "That would just be wonderful."

Cassian nodded.

He couldn't agree more.

#

LUKE

Not that Luke ever knew this was going to happen, but Luke had always assumed having a dragon for a boyfriend would mean he would never have to do manual labor. Yet, here he was, holding the other end of a couch and struggling to get it through the door of the living room.

Meanwhile, he also had his phone shoved between his ear and shoulder. For a week, Luke has been waiting to hear back from Adeline, the necromancer he hired (an old friend of Iris, who reacquired a lost amulet with her help) to bring Mingus here. She had one volume: earsplitting.

"Listen!" She hollered, despite Luke never interrupting her. "I'm at the castle, but the ghost isn't making the job easy. You told me you talked to him!"

"I did," Luke grunted.

"Where do you want this thing?" Cassian asked, waddling backwards with his end of the coach. The rest of the couch, specifically a second-hand brown sectional that Cassian and Astrid deemed as the least heinous of Luke's choice. Someone started a rumor that Luke had bad taste. He didn't have a clue where that came from. Luke also brought in a TV, one of those expensive ones with the frame. Luke offered to just glue a frame on the one he already owned, but Cassian made a face like he thought about breaking up then and there, so Luke let Cassian spoil him just a little.

Adeline said/shouted, "Well! Talk to him again! I already gotta hand deliver the fella, so I got my flight booked. If he makes me miss my flight, that's on y'all's bank account."

"We'll talk to him," Luke assured her and then, he told Cassian, "Just put it in the old couch's place. Adeline, do what you can. Thank you for letting us know. You won't miss the flight."

"We'll see," she said and hung up.

Luke sighed so deeply he was pretty sure a piece of his soul slipped out. It didn't surprise Luke that Mingus was making the switch to Virginia almost impossible, but it still had the potential to give Luke an aneurysm. Cursed or not cursed, he will be dying young from the stress.

"What's the point of redecorating if you're just going to put everything in the same place?" Cassian huffed and dropped the last piece in its place. He pushed the two pieces of the sectional together to form the mega couch of Luke's dreams.

Luke put his hands on his hips, watching Cassian tour the couch. "The placement wasn't wrong. It's all about the comfort level."

A month after Cassian came home, after learning the curse was broken, for the first time in his adult life, Luke Whitlock was making plans for the future. A future with him in it and if he was going to live here, Luke needed to make it his house too. Still Iris's house, but Astrid's and Cassian's house too. This endeavor started with adding more comfort choices, less aesthetic choices.

Cassian collapsed into the couch, sinking inside. Today, it was just them. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles played from Iris's record player in the background and the fireplace was ablaze. Snow trickled down from the sky outside.

Shifting, Cassian sighed. "You're right."

"Lord Alwyn!" Luke feigned surprise, touching his chest. The locket under his fingertips was so deliciously warm, it gave his arms goosebumps. "Don't hurt yourself. The praise will go right to my head."

"Alright," Cassian grumbled and grabbed Luke, yanking him over the side, wrapping his arms around Luke and grabbing his sides.

"No! I'm sorry! Okay!" Luke shouted, managing to escape, and falling on the floor. He rose back up with a huge smile on his face. "Maybe we leave Mingus in Wales."

With a little puff of laughter, Cassian shook his head and brushed Luke's hair back. He had it cut recently, and Cassian was having too much fun touching it. Luke was having much fun letting Cassian touch him. "Ghost or not, won't you get bored in a big place like that alone for too long?"

Luke made a face because he understood it too well. The plan really was to board the place up. There wasn't a ton of reasons to go back. Cassian's first job was bringing the entirety of his horde here. Luke suggested halving it for both places, but that wasn't going to happen, so they emptied the secret basement and filled it with Cassian's riches.

Surprisingly, Cassian was so giddy when the last gold coin was dropped. Cassian had walked back upstairs and held Luke from behind while being generous with all his kisses. He had practically giggled when he told Luke, "It's like I live in my horde now. I'm surrounded by treasures."

Luke felt the same exact way.

Getting up from the floor, Luke crawled on top of Cassian, making himself a place there. Cassian was just so cuddly in his big sweater and flannel pants. Resting his hands on Cassian's chest, Luke popped his chin there and settled in. Cassian found a good spot too, making himself comfortable as he rubbed Luke's back.

"Can we stop working?" Cassian begged.

Luke had to smile, or he might burst. They needed to be careful. If Cassian got any cuter, Luke wasn't sure he'd do anything ever anymore. He nodded, smiling wide enough to hurt his cheeks. "Yes. That's the last thing I'll make you do today." He glanced around the room. "What should we do now?"

Now Cassian was grinning. "Nothing."

Biting his lip, Luke scooted forward, tilting his face so close to Cassian's with nothing but bad ideas spinning in his head. One of Cassian's hands slowly caressed the middle of Luke's spine and he arched at that touch. Luke chuckled. "You can't think of anything else to do?"

"Maybe one thing," Cassian whispered.

Leaning the rest of the way, Luke pressed a kiss to Cassian's lips. He kissed Cassian over and over, so focused on kissing him, Luke forgot to breathe. Between a gasp, Luke's skin flushed, and Cassian embraced him tighter.

This was exactly how Luke Whitlock wanted to spend his days. The very moment Cassian told Luke the curse was broken, he decided to make a similar promise to himself, something close to the promise he broke with his mother.

Just with a few wonderful additions.

For now, and forever, Luke would remember that pixies are the ones stealing his socks and that was why he never had any pairs. Animals understood him when they talked, and any sound was a reply back. The moon follows Luke when he's driving his car. He'd never forget Sasquatches love to be scratched behind the ear. Dragons loved junk food more than humans. And Luke would always believe in magic, friendship, and most of all, love. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

IT'S DONE 😭❤️ OH MY GOSH! This is the LAST update. Thank you so so much for coming with me on this journey. I started writing this book on December ‎26, ‎2021 just for fun and now we're here. I was having a hard time completing MMHMAM and wanted to write a cozy fantasy about two people falling in love. Thank you for all your love and support and kind comments. They've been so wonderful to read. 

This book capped out at 76,045 words (longer than I wanted, haha. But I say that all the time). Let me know what you think! Who was your favorite character?! Do you have a favorite scene? I hope you had so much fun reading and if you have any questions, please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them 🥰'

Thank you again! 

And now ~ I'm going to take a month break :)) I'm super busy, but a good busy and I have fun announcements I can share soon ;) But for now, I need to refill my creative well. My plans for future writings is: 

1. Secret project with Wattpad

2. Another Mate (Julien's Story) (I am DESPERATE to write this book. I'll probably end up writing some of this on my break for fun. Lol).

3. And some bonus stories! I wanna write a short about Luke and James meeting again after all this time. And I still wanna write that Delphine and Adrian short I've mentioned before. 

I'll see you guys again in April <3