E r o s

"I don't get it...what's so horrible that you had to invite the whole neighborhood watch?" I asked as I jabbed my thumb over to Jamie and Mikhail.

"My family wants me to come to their stupid fancy as dinner and you know how excruciatingly painful that is for me" Harvey said as he looked at me with a desperate look on his face.

"I need you guys to come" he finally said and everyone just looked at him. Noticing the lack of positive feedback, Harvey's face grew a pleading look.

"I can't go it alone you guys! All of my family in one place is never a good thing so please at least one of you come with me" Harvey exclaimed as he looked between all of us.

"What exactly do your parents do...?" Cole asked and Harvey gave a flat look.

"They work for KFC" he said and I frowned at the stupid answer.

"His parents are owners of a pretty wealthy conglomerate. Harvey is the only one who strayed from the business career as you can see" I explained and Harvey huffed.

"They also don't know about his...job" Mikhail said as he put air quotes along with the word 'job'.

"Only Riel actually knows about this, but I'm sure my other siblings have probably also caught on that I don't actually have an office job" Harvey said as he sat down and put his hands on his cheeks, elbows on knees.

"How would they not? You rarely ever wear suits" Jamie said and Harvey sat up and put his hands to his ears.

"Ahhh forget about that crap! If I don't go, they'll surely send someone to drag me there!" He whined and at this point, Harvey looked ready to blow his lid.

I've hardly met anyone from his family aside from Riel so I clearly had no input on the situation, but just seeing how stressed out Harvey was, is enough to guess that they're not exactly the most fun people to hang around.

"I guess I'll go if I have the time" I said with a sigh and Harvey gave me those stupid googly eyes.

"I'll attend as well since you look so pitiful" Mikhail said with a shrug.

"I'm not sure if I can make it..." Cole said slowly and Harvey's face immediately went from googly eyes to heartbreak.

"I promised my friend I'd help him with something and I still have to finish this project with my partner" Cole explained.

"B-But I need you! I won't survive without you buddy!" Harvey exclaimed and Jamie gave him a look.

"You have Jamie too y'know?" Mikhail pointed out and the couple frowned.

"My/His family doesn't like him/me" they said together.

Seeing as this conversation has reached it's limits, I decided to give a swift change of topic. It wasn't really a good time to drop the unfortunate bomb on an already stressed out Harvey but it needed to be done nonetheless.

"We'll figure this out later. For right now, since I have you here Harvey, I might as well tell you" I said as I turned to the male.

Harvey's ears twitched and he looked to me with a curious look.

"I'm being promoted?" He asked and I smiled.

"Even better, you're going back to school" I said and Harvey's face remained the same as he just stared at me.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you. You said I'm getting a raise?" Harvey cupped his ear and leaned in closer.

In my rightful turn, I pulled his ear and the man yelped. Harvey's stare turned quickly into a glare as he made an 'X' with his arms.

"You can't make me go back, I left that hellhole for a reason!" He exclaimed and I raised a brow.

"You graduated just like everyone else" I said.

"I struggled all throughout my years there, why would you want to put me through that again?"

"You were top of your class, Harvey" Jamie chimed in and the male just shook his head.

"God I wanna throw up" Harvey said as he leaned on the wall and slid down it dramatically.

I wonder if he had any idea how much of a drama queen he is...

"Quit complaining, it'd be good for you to finally put that brain to something other than food" I lectured and with his head in his hands, I could hear Harvey's faint muttering.

"Food never gave me depression..."

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to Harvey and dragged him off the ground.

"You don't actually have to do anything you know" I said as I gripped the scruff of his shirt but Harvey remained limp in my arms.

"So what? Just being there is enough to give anyone PTSD" Harvey said.

"You can use school as an excuse as to why you haven't introduced a girlfriend to your family" Once I said those words, Harvey straightened himself up and gave a nod.

"Okay" he said robotically.

"Just like that, huh?" Mikhail said, a sigh leaving him.

Not sure what he was expecting, Harvey wasn't exactly a hard guy to convince. But with that out of the way, I felt that I could relax just the tiniest bit.

Not too much though, something was bound to go wrong sooner or later.

~ next day ~

Picking up the fine china, I moved to take a sip of the tea Luci prepared. It wasn't bad, it was actually very good, but I wasn't a tea person. Even if it was sub zero temperatures outside, I'd still prefer coffee.

"Thank you for finally coming over" Auntie Leila said, breaking the silence as she set her tea cup on it's plate.

"Where's Cole?" She asked, giving a gesture to the empty space on the couch next to me that would have been for Cole had he been in attendance.

I wasn't ready for that to happen though, I only came here to be sure Auntie Leila is truly sorry for her actions as she says she is.

"Classes" I said curtly and my aunt gave a defeated sigh.

"Ah, I see. Well, how have you two been?" She asked.

"Fine, business is usual and we haven't had too many nuisances" I answered but instead of a nod, I was met with a frown.

"You dunce, I said how are you, not your group. Are you eating correctly? Staying out of trouble? There are many things I've surely missed out on since our last time seeing one another" Auntie Leila said and that's when I paused.

"I'm good. I'm happier than ever to still have Cole in my life and I don't plan to change that anytime soon if you were wondering. Cole's also doing fine, he's currently attending the college nearby and is pursuing a degree in engineering" I explained and finally, a smile bloomed on Auntie Leila's face.

"That's wonderful. I hope his studies are going well. You must have pulled tightly on those strings to get him into that school" She said and I shrugged.

"Not too much...Cole got in with all his natural talent, I only made sure that those in charge were aware of it" I said as I crossed my leg over the other.

"And his...identification issue?" Auntie Leila asked, a knowing glint flickering in her eyes.

"I'd be able to identify anyone when incriminating evidence is sitting on my desk" I said, giving a smirk of my own.

I honestly was going to opt for the 'speak with my gun' route but Mikhail was vehemently against it and decided to go for the blackmail tactic.

Loser.

"Just be careful, that kind of stuff will come to bite you back in the toosh sooner or later" Auntie Leila said and I nodded.

"Have you been thinking about a successor?" At the extremely random question, my brows furrowed and I looked at Auntie Leila with a perplexed face.

"No" was all I could say because that's all there was to the answer after all.

No one had any idea who was going to take over once I step down and I want to keep it that way. Well, my plan wasn't necessarily just to step down, once I was ready to give up this life the group will be finished as well.

I'd always known that I would never keep this group for generations, this life shouldn't have to be an alternative for anyone but unfortunately it was all I knew at the time. Hopefully by the time I'm ready to leave, my people will be as well.

"How about Carter?"

Entertaining the idea, I raised a brow.

"You want Carter, to be my successor? What about his older brothers?" I asked and Auntie Leila shook her head.

"Carter, just like the others, is already well aware of the way our lifestyle is which means he's perfectly suited for the position. His loyalty to you also, as you know, has no boundaries" Auntie Leila finished.

In other words, she's beginning to worry.

Carter doesn't listen to a word she says, he's a free spirit that isn't afraid to fight those who dare to try and chain him down. Auntie Leila has no idea what kind of life Carter will lead because she has no input in the decisions he makes.

Which is how it should be.

"Even so, I don't want Carter to be my successor" I stated and the woman across from me frowned.

"Why not? He's your cousin, he's family" she emphasized.

"Carter spent his whole life living with you" I started but before I could finish, Auntie Leila cut me off with an offended look.

"You make it sound as if that's the most horrible thing in the world" She said and I could do nothing but look back at her.

"You don't exactly have the most conventional ways of raising kids" I said and Auntie Leila huffed.

"And what? You doting on him all the time is better? It's so much so that he clings to you. It's time to let him be an adult, Eros" Auntie Leila pursed her lips after speaking and I just gave an irritable sigh.

I thought we were getting somewhere but it still seems that only so much can get through to her. As she grew older, her stubbornness only seems to grow with her.

"Let him be something he's not? In case you checked out during the past few years, Carter didn't have the normal childhood like other kids in the world. It's not me he's clinging to, its the freedom he has when he's around me. He's desperate for it and someday, more likely sooner than later, Carter will decide he wants to leave to be his own person. When that time comes, I don't want anything standing in his way" Pausing, I narrowed my eyes at Auntie Leila who met my gaze with a blank stare.

"And that includes you" I finished.

It was silent between the two of us for a moment as we stared one another down before Auntie Leila just gave a small chuckle and a smile.

"It's so painfully obvious that you favor him. I don't know why though, that brat is something else" She said.

My hands came together and I looked at them, taking a hesitant breath before speaking.

"He reminds me of Kaya...I guess I can't help it" I said.

Just then, Luci came into the room (with impeccable timing might I add) to pick up our cups and although mine was still partially full, it'd grown cold during our conversation.

"Oh Luci, wonderful timing. Bring it" Auntie Leila said and Luci nodded before walking over to the dresser with many drawers.

"Bring 'it'?" I asked and Auntie Leila gave a vague smile.

"Consider it a very late birthday gift for you" she said as Luci came back over to us and he handed me an envelope.

It was a bit thick and I wondered what could be in it as I opened it. Pulling out the tiny stack, my eyes widened as they landed on the first photo.

"This is..." I trailed off as my finger hovered above the photo, almost too afraid to touch it as I stared back at the young me that resided in it.

The first photo was Kaya holding me in her arms, I was just a baby then but she was grinning so widely in the photo that it made me want to smile with her.

In the next one, was a photo of us playing in the snow. I remember that day because both Kaya and I got sick the next day. Our snowman was a bit lopsided but we were so proud of it that we didn't care.

"I saved it from all those years ago you know? I thought now would be an alright time to pass it on to you. You were so ready to throw everything away but I just couldn't bear to see you trash such precious memories" Auntie Leila said.

My heart felt heavy as I looked at all of these photos with my family. It's been so long since I've seen any of their faces, blurs finally becoming clear again and I could only give a small smile before putting them back in the envelope.

"Thank you" was all I said.

Auntie Leila gave a nonchalant look as she glanced at me through her peripheral.

"Am I forgiven?" She asked.

Giving a chuckle, I walked over to the stubborn woman and placed a kiss on her forehead before giving her a hug.

"I can forgive you...just a little though, I'm still a petty man" I said as I pulled away and Auntie Leila shook her head.

"Of course, I'd know that better than anyone after all" she said.

After a while, I decided that it was time for me to take my leave. Cole was probably already home so I was more than ready to go home and recharge.

"Goodbye, Auntie Leila. Take care Luci" I said as I looked to the both of them.

"Come back soon, and preferably with Cole. I'd also like to talk with him to properly apologize" Auntie Leila said and I nodded before getting in my car.

At least she was beginning to become aware of certain things, it's small but it's a start. Hopefully, her ears will also begin to open up.

Once I finally got home, I made my way up to the door only to pause when I noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway.

I don't remember Cole telling me he was having someone over...

A sudden thump from inside grasped my attention and had me alarmed immediately as I pushed open the door only for me to see the last thing I'd ever wanted to see.

There was some man on top of Cole and as I had made my presence known, the two looked at me. The man's face was one of surprise while Cole's unchanging neutral expression remained the same.

My eyes zeroes in on the man's hands, more importantly, where they came to rest on Cole's shoulders.

Oh great heavens, where is my gun?

"I'm home darling. I missed you so much" despite the smile and loving words I was spewing, the tone that was laced underneath was strained and if words could cut, the man on top of Cole would be diced to pieces.

"Darling...? Cole?" The man looked to Cole in confusion to which my lover just shook his head.

"It's alright, he's harmless" was the first thing he said and I could almost laugh at that.

Yeah, for right now.

"You're kidding, right? You have the grim reaper at your front door right now ready to collect and you say he's harmless?" the man rambled as he scrambled to move off of Cole and Cole just got up with a cool look on his face.

Nothing seemed to phase him these days but right now I could care less about that and more about who exactly this man is.

"Jean, this is my boyfriend, Eros. Eros, this is one of my friends that I told you about. He's the friend I mentioned earlier with the others" Cole explained.

"Nice to, uh, meet you" the guy chuckled nervously as he held his hand out to which I just looked at it, the urge to break it for touching Cole becoming very dangerous.

"It's not exactly nice to meet you under these circumstances" I said as I gripped his hand tightly, not squeezing too hard or anything, but enough for it to pass as a firm grip when it's really a 'if I wanted to crush your hand I could'.

"Someone's moody" Jean muttered and I glared down at him.

"You haven't seen moody" I said and Jean flinched, clearly not expecting me to hear him and he slid behind Cole.

As if Jean didn't just use him for protection, Cole began to speak once again.

"We're still practicing" Cole said and it didn't take a genius to see that with the way the coffee table was moved and their scripts lied on it.

"No it's okay, I don't think I'd be able to focus anyways with the Grim Reaper wishing death upon me" Jean said, obviously avoiding my stare.

After picking up his things and moving the coffee table back to its place, Jean looked to the both of us. Well, towards me it was more of a glance but I couldn't really care.

"Goodnight" he said before taking his leave and as soon as the door was shut, I put a hand to my chest.

"My heart is shattered" I said and Cole gave me a look.

"Excuse me?" He said and I continued with my faux heartbroken speech.

"You let another man touch you" I said, giving Cole a sad look and he didn't seem to believe that I was actually hurt.

Gotta turn up the dramatics.

"I messed up the step and we ended up falling, it was just a mistake" Cole said but I pretended to not listen as I turned away from him. The faux silent treatment seemed to work because Cole's hand touched my shoulder in an attempt to grasp my attention and took everything in me not to give in to the warm hand.

"You're not actually mad.....are you?" He asked cautiously and I thanked god I couldn't see the look on his face.

I can't help wanting to tease my lover every now and then but I'm a sucker for him so its hard not to give in sometimes. It was just a little payback for having to see him in that compromising position and I know it wasn't his fault but as I said, I am a petty man.

A slight grin threatened to form on my face at the thought of my plan but I quickly made it go away as I turned around so that Cole wouldn't be able to see through my mischievous intentions.

"How could I not be mad? Do you know how hard it was for me to control myself when I saw him on top of you?" I asked. I put on a sad look to make my words more believable and even though Cole wasn't a gullible person, he seemed to genuinely conflicted on whether or not he should believe me.

When Cole gained a small frown on his face, I put a hand over my mouth and made a faux sound of me clearing my throat so he wouldn't see the smile the was begging to slip through.

He looked so cute with the frown that could even be seen as a pout and although I kind of felt bad for lying, I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to play this out to see the kind of reaction I could get from Cole. I was well aware that nothing had actually happened, I'd already put all of my trust and faith in Cole a long time ago.

I knew the man would never betray me but that didn't mean it wasn't nice to see Cole fretting over whether or not I was actually angry. I've never even seen him jealous...it's such a pity really.

"I promise you that nothing happened. It really was an accident" Cole said softly and this time, grabbed my hand.

"Is that so?" I said with amusement shining brightly in my eyes as I stared down at Cole.

The trusting look in his eyes made it hard for me to keep up my charade but I persevered as I led my confused lover to our room and trapping him on the bed.

I didn't miss the way Cole's cheeks reddened, he was obviously flustered by my sudden actions but he tried to play it cool as he looked at me with confusion.

"How am I supposed to know that? How can I believe you?" I asked grinning down at Cole and for more effect, I moved my his lips dangerously close to Cole's. If either of us were to move even an inch, our lips would surely collide.

To my surprise, Cole's hands reached up to grab my face and brought our lips together in a soft kiss that could only be described as sweet and short.

"Because you know I would never do anything to hurt you" Cole murmured against my lips as he pulled slightly away.

Any scheming plots I had priorly was gone in an instant and all that was left was raging emotions as I felt my heart begin to beat faster.

God damnit, I can't win when he says things like that.

I groaned loudly.

"You knew didn't you?" I said as I rested my head on his shoulder in defeat.

"I didn't think you were actually upset but you almost had me there for a second" Cole said with a chuckle and I lifted myself a bit to look at him.

"Sorry, darling, I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to tease you but even when I think I've got you right where I want you, you always seem to prove me wrong" I said while rubbing my thumb slowly and gently across Cole's cheek.

"I know" Cole said, a smile crossing his features.

"Although I'm not upset, I do want to make this clear" I said as I put one hand to Cole's cheek.

"You're mine, Cole Azure. I won't tolerate other pests thinking they have any kind of rights to touch what's mine. I trust your judgement of character but looks are deceiving and I'd hate for anyone to think they had any kind of opportunity with you" I said as I brought my hand down to Cole's shoulder.

Just remembering that the touch of his friend remained there irked my soul to it's very foundation.

Obviously, I was going to do something about.

"What are you...?" Cole asked as I moved his shirt to the side in order to reach the skin that lied underneath it.

"I have to disinfect the areas where he touched you" I said as I placed a kiss on his shoulder, hands moving to do the same to the other shoulder.

I wanted to go down further but Cole's shirt remained in the way so I couldn't gain access to the rest of his beautiful body which made me annoyed.

"Take it off" I muttered with my lips still pressed to his shoulder.

"It was just my shoulders" Cole said and I just looked at him with my eyes trained on those green ones of his.

"I need to be thorough"