Chapter Twenty-Three

"I'm going to miss you so much! Are you sure you're leaving? You don't want to stay maybe another week and think it over?"

"Ambrosius, let him go before you strangle him again."

I smiled through a grimace as dad squeezed the living hell out of me. He stepped back to swallow thickly, tears welled up in his glowing blue eyes as he studied me, reaching up to swipe some hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"But he's my baby, he can't go already," dad complained, leaning in for another hug. I smiled and hugged him back, looking over his shoulder at my father, who simply shook his head and smiled anyway. Beside him, Lumen stood with her hands folded in front of her, looking anxious to give me her own hug as well. She had to wait her turn, though, because dad was all over me, even though I had two bags of luggage in my hands.

"Dad, I should really get going," I murmured, "I told Six and Three I'd be there around two and its already one thirty."

"I know, I know, just. Give me one more minute," dad said, wrapping his arms around me tighter, so I had no choice, but to drop my bags and hug him back or else I'd probably topple over. Dad rubbed his cheek against my shoulder and drew his hand up and down my back like he was cradling me, as if I were still his baby, and frankly, in his eyes, I always would be that baby.

He finally let go so I could walk over and give father a tight embrace that he returned fiercely. He gave me a firm clap on the back, then turned his head in and kissed me firmly on the cheek.

"I'm gonna miss you, Hadrian. Be safe. Don't forget to call or text. Hit me up on whatever social media you use, anytime, anywhere. I love you, alright?" He kissed me again. I smiled and kissed him back, then turned to Lumen, who looked like she was pouting a bit. I stepped in and gave her a hug, lifting her off her feet for a moment and she happily leapt up into my arms so I could hold her.

"I'm just a phone call away," I told her.

"You were just a bedroom away," she said in my ear, squeezing me fiercely. I smiled.

"We can still meet up, still hang out. Just because I'm moving out doesn't mean I'm gonna disappear forever."

"No, but something tells me you'll be gone for the first three weeks," she mumbled as I set her back down. I smiled, then let it fade as I leaned in close.

"And... ah, Five?" I asked. Lumen swallowed, forcing a wobbly smile, her eyes searching my face, and she kept her voice low as she answered.

"I don't know," she whispered. I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that, but I nodded because that was clearly all she knew. I gave her one last hug and went to get my luggage, only for dad to scoop me up in another hug. I laughed and squeezed him hard. Father and Lumen came over to join.

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Castiel exclaimed from the sidelines, jogging in for a hug. We opened up our circle to him, then to Remi, who rolled his eyes and waved his hands, but eventually gave up and joined our group hug. A collective groan as we all squeezed each other tight before we let go.

"You be safe," dad told me as I picked up my luggage, "And call me tonight!"

"Ambrosius," father scolded.

"Or text me! I don't care, just let me know you're at your place safe and sound, okay, baby? Please?"

"Yes, dad, I will."

I gave them a little wave before I teleported from my childhood home in Purgatory to my new home in Styx.

Moving was such a huge step for me. I'd lived only in my parents home, aside from that year in Hacian, my entire life. It seemed abrupt to move away, but it was something that had been stewing in my mind since Six mentioned it to Jo and Zeus about three weeks ago.

Three weeks ago, Six and Three had met their real parents. Three weeks ago, we escaped the Mother. And three weeks ago, I decided it was time for me to take the next big step in life. Everything around me was changing, and it was time I started to change myself.

I'd made a lot of mistakes recently and I could own up to that. It was time I took those mistakes and molded them into lessons to live by on my own.

So here I was, taking that big step into adulthood that I'd been so desperate to take the past few weeks.

The apartment complex was lovely. A testament to modern architecture with clean lines and sedate colors, but it popped with the garden in front and the welcoming signs.

I probably could've bought a house, certainly, but why buy something so large when it was just going to be the three of us?

A second after I appeared, the air beside me warbled before Three appeared at my side. He looked so weird without his BDUs. Now he was choosing his own clothing. He wore jeans and a sweater under a leather jacket, matching gloves and boots. He also carried a massive bag of take out food, making me raise an eyebrow and look at him. He met my eyes.

"I'm hungry, sue me," he snorted, then paused to stare up at the building, "Shit. Looks nice."

"You've seen it before."

"Not in the sunlight," Three retorted, then paused to study the building, "Six already inside?"

"Yeah," I answered, "He's been here for a couple days. He's still nervous about being around his parents, unfortunately." It wasn't that Six didn't like them. He seemed to respond really well when he was with them, but I could tell there was a fear about being around them. I wasn't sure where it stemmed from. Fear of the unknown, perhaps? Fear of failure to impress them? I had no idea. He didn't talk about it much, with either Three or myself.

"Eh," Three responded, "I would be too if Zeus and an all powerful demon were my parents."

"Death is your father."

"Not as scary as it sounds. The guy's kind of a dork."

"I... can't disagree with that," I admitted. For being an all mighty original ancient being, Stanton was kind of a dweeb sometimes. It had only gotten worse over the past few years. I wouldn't be surprised if he used pinterest for his around-the-house projects.

Shaking my head, I gestured for Three to enter the building first. He led the way inside and we headed upstairs to the top floor where our penthouse was.

We entered the apartment and a nice fresh new smell hit us as we entered. The penthouse was sleek and modern with floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the shopping district of Styx, and not too far away sat Theo's obsidian manor. The penthouse itself was designed in shades of black, white, and rustic wood accents with a set of stairs that zigzagged up to the loft where our bedroom sat.

That's right, I reminded myself. Our bedroom, because we shared a bedroom now. Granted, we'd shared one before while we waited for the papers to be processed for our penthouse, but this was an actual bedroom that belonged to all of us with a nice massive bed in the middle of the room.

"I'm coming down, hang on!" Six called from upstairs. Three went immediately to the kitchen to the right and set his bag down on the breakfast bar so he could grab a beer from the fridge that Six had already stocked for us. I looked up as Six came down the stairs, and my eyes drank in the sight of him as if I'd been dying of dehydration in the desert.

He looked positively radiant in a pair of black workout leggings that hugged his perfectly muscular thick figure. His ass practically bounced in those leggings. He wore a loose fitting tank top with a slit right up the back so it fell open to reveal his perfectly muscular back.

"You were working out?" I asked as he approached me. He shook his head.

"I was cleaning," he replied, "I wanted the place to look nice. It was already cleanish before, but I just did a little touching up. I also, ah, packed up and put away my things." I smiled at that. Six hadn't brought anything back from the compound, obviously, and neither did Three, but Jo had been nice enough to take them both on a shopping spree to learn what they liked about themselves and for themselves.

Six liked workout clothes. He was always wearing sweatpants and leggings, loose fitting tops, generally short sleeves, even in the cold. He also loved sneakers and owned six pairs, a couple of which were on display in the living room, I could see.

Three, on the other hand, was going for something a little more classy. Designer jeans, sweaters, expensive loafers and boots. Hell, he even owned a Rolex or two. I couldn't remember if he bought the second one that had caught his eye or not.

It was so fascinating to watch their personalities shine, open and free, without fear of oppression.

"I bought Chinese food," Three announced, cracking open a bag and releasing the delicious scent of fried dumplings and rice. Six groaned and wandered over to the breakfast bar to lean on the quartz counters so he could watch Three remove our food.

"That smells so good. Did you get me the noodles I like?"

"Abso-fuckin-lutely," Three declared, then paused to glance at me, "And I grabbed those skewers you like. What are you, anti meat or something?" I gave him a droll stare.

"It's called vegetarian, or vegan. Of which I am neither. My favorite food is actually lamb," I added, folding my arms over my chest. Three glanced at me for a moment, like he was absorbing that information for later before he took out my food and handed it over. I took it with a nod and headed over to the coffee table where Six was already settling in with his meal while turning on the television to his favorite cooking channel.

A smile split my face at that.

Ever since Zeus had cooked for us, Six had been completely fascinated by food. He loved eating it, smelling it, watching it being made, the works. He wasn't so good at cooking anything yet, which was completely understandable, but he was learning and I was proud of him for that.

At least he had a hobby.

I looked over at Three, who was stabbing one of his piece of chicken with a single chopstick because he couldn't figure out how to use them and after some instruction, he decided he had his own way of using them. One that would give Asian deities a goddamn heart attack.

I shook my head and sat down.

"I don't get it," Six said as we watched the show, "Dragon's toe sounds absolutely disgusting. How could it possibly make a good sausage? Isn't sausage supposed to be peppery? I thought Dragon's toe was sweet."

"You'd be surprised what flavors go well together," I commented, making Six's eyes widen as he gazed at the television in utter fascination. I smiled at that.

"I think I'll stick to takeout," Three had said not too long ago, "Microwaves are my friend."

"Microwaves ruin food," Six chided him, "Are you not watching what that chef on TV said?"

"What's he know?"

"He's a chef!"

"Yeah, he's also human, so you know."

"Oh for fuck's sake. Ignorant."

"You want to take this outside?"

"Happily."

Not that it had actually turned into a fight, thank the gods above. In fact, since we arrived in Styx, Six and Three hadn't gotten into a single fist fight. I think they were too distracted by the fact that they were free to do their own thing. Fighting turned into them just going their separate ways to do things they enjoyed. Six would go off and start watching cooking shows or eating something, while Three went out to the gym, his new favorite place.

"This is very healthy," I had commented later, "When you two argue, just separate for a while and then come back and communicate gently."

"I am communicating gently," Three had protested, "He's the one who has to put up a fight about everything."

"Me," Six exclaimed, "What the fuck did I do?"

"You always gotta have the last word."

"I do not!"

"Do to."

"Do not!"

"You're doing it right now, idiot."

So the verbal arguments continued, but at least they weren't punching each other anymore.

Sighing, I sat back on the sofa and watched Six watch TV. I was more interested in watching him than what was on the screen. He looked so cute, leaning forward and eating over the coffee table, his hazel eyes wide with interest... His chest pushed out and the little slit in the back of his tank top split open to reveal the rolling muscles of his back. They danced as a symphony of movement whenever he shifted or leaned forward. The muscles flowed all the way into his thick arms, and his chest, gods, it was so thickly padded, and I could almost see his nipples through his shirt.

Ah, gods.

It had been a long time since I'd had sex. It was one of the things we just hadn't done yet as a threesome. I think they were apprehensive about it, plus they were getting comfortable in their new life, so of course sex wasn't the first thing they wanted to do.

But I was getting antsy.

I wanted to push Six down on the sofa, climb on top of him, taste those perfectly soft inverted nipples. I wanted to slide those leggings down those long muscular legs, send them flying into space, inch up those legs until I found my prize between them. Slide my lips down around him, take him entirely into my mouth until he touched the back of my throat. I'd suck him nice and slow, watch him squirm, desperate to come as I took my time pleasuring him.

"Hadrian... Hadrian..." Gods, to hear him moan my name.

"Hadrian? Hadrian!" I snapped out of my fantasy to see Six scowling at me. I stared at him, realizing my fork was halfway to my mouth when I apparently just drifted into daydream mode. I cleared my throat and set my fork down.

"What's up? You just froze," Six said. In the kitchen, Three was leaning on the counter with a raised eyebrow, taking a sip of his beer. I watched his lips close around the nose of the bottle, then lift off with a soft popping sound. I looked away quickly, debating whether to bring it up with them or not.

"I... think we should discuss something," I said after a moment, "Three, would you mind coming over here?"

"Sounds serious," Three said dryly as he pushed off the counter and came over to sit in the armchair perpendicular to the sofa. I sat back on the sofa and clasped my hands together for a moment, trying to figure out how I wanted to approach this subject with them.

Six was no problem. I felt comfortable asking him, but Three? We'd not really touched each other, aside from stealing occasional kisses and hand holding. It was like we were both unsure about how the other felt or where we stood in our relationship. With Six, I felt like I was his master. He played along wonderfully and seemed to enjoy it as well. With Three, what was I?

"So, this is an interesting subject to bring up," I started, making Three give me a droll stare and Six frown, "I think... Obviously we've all been busy recently so there hasn't been a chance to explore each other intimately, but I would like to think about perhaps making an attempt sometime. When you're both ready." Three and Six stared at me before Six blushed and Three cocked his head thoughtfully.

"You want to have sex?" Six asked. I looked at him, deadpan. He nodded slowly in response, then looked at Three, who frowned.

"I've only ever had sex with Six," he said.

"Same," I agreed. Three stiffened at that, then looked down at the floor, tilting his head like he was coping with that information before he nodded and looked up.

"But you want to have sex with both of us," he said. I nodded.

"That would be ideal."

"Okay, I mean... Right now?"

"Doesn't have to be right now."

"Oh."

Cue the awkward silence that followed. No one spoke now. Six pretended to be watching TV and Three just stared at the table, drinking his beer. I pressed my lips together for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next. I had assumed it would lead to something, but it appeared no one was in the mood. Disappointed, and tired, I packed up my food and put it away in the kitchen.

"Are you going to bed?" Six asked, surprised as he looked up.

"Tired," I responded. Six nodded, then went back to watching TV. I looked at Three, who just continued to drink his beer. I went to the stairs and headed up to the room.

It was so nice to see it all clean with some personal touches, thanks to Six. For some reason, his toothbrush and toothpaste were sitting on the dresser on the far wall, his clothes were tossed on the large practically family sized bed. I picked them up and tossed them in the laundry hamper in the corner, then went to the bathroom to do my facial cleaning routine and a quick rinse in the shower before I came out, only to find Six sitting on the end of the bed and Three over by the dresser, peeling his shirt off over his head.

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. I went to the closet and pulled my shirt off over my head, reaching for one from the closet.

"You're not gonna need that," Three said suddenly from beside me and I jumped, startled that he'd appeared there so quickly, so quietly. I stared at him, lowering my arm to my side before turning to face him. I said nothing to him, just watched him as he watched me. He seemed... nervous almost. Like he wasn't sure what he was doing, so he was just hoping it worked out. I cocked my head at that and stepped closer to him. He didn't move away or stiffen or anything. He just let me come up to him.

"May I touch you?" I asked. Three blinked, looking surprised, then nodded. Pleased with that, I reached out and put my hand on his bare chest. He was so hard and muscular. You could tell he spent hours at the gym. His nipples were a soft pinkish color, which surprised me. I wasn't sure why either. I brushed my thumb over one of his nipples and he tensed for a second, so I didn't do anything more until he relaxed. I slid my hand up to his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Our lips came together gently and I parted his with my tongue, and he gave me access. I kissed him long and deep, listening to him pant for breath. I finally pulled away to let him have his air, and I felt goosebumps prickle my skin as I pulled back to see his lips all wet and glossy, his cheeks flushed, his hooded dark eyes watching me.

"You kiss well," I murmured. He stared at me.

"You too."

"Want more?"

"Fuck yes."

I leaned in and kissed him again, this time bringing my body up against his. I felt his arms encircle my waist, drawing me nearer. His body was hard, but his skin was so soft and warm. I wanted to get impossibly closer. I let him pull me up against him, until I could feel his hard length grinding between my legs. I reached down between us and took him into my hand and he froze for a second.

"If you change your mind, just say Mother," I said. Three looked at me.

"Mother?"

"It's Six's safe word."

"Safe word?"

"It's a word you use when you want me to actually stop everything I'm doing. Like, you seriously want me to stop because you are uncomfortable or just don't feel like doing it," I added. Three looked curious about that.

"So... Even if I say no, you'll keep going?"

"If you want me to."

"Okay... Weird safe word," he tacked on dryly, "What made you choose that?"

"I figured it was something we could all take seriously," I admitted with a shrug, "Nothing stops you like a threat to the universe."

"Yeah, I fuckin' guess, now shut up, you're turning me off with all this Mother shit," he muttered, bringing his lips down to mine. I smiled and kissed him back, then started stroking him through his pants. He growled low in his throat, flashing his fangs at me and I tilted my head in to lick at one of those delicate fangs. He shuddered and pushed up against me until he pushed me into the clothes and gripped onto the rack for support as I started to undo his fly. An impressive hard length was freed from his silk boxers, dribbling at the tip, like he just couldn't take much more of this. I peered up at his face to see him panting and leaning over me, his eyes watching me with a desperation borne of hunger.

I knelt down slowly, watching his eyes widen slightly, like he was surprised I'd do something like this for him. I parted my lips at the tip of him before swallowing him whole and he threw his head back, hanging onto the clothing rack as he thrust his hips forward. I choked for a second at the abruptly rough treatment and pulled my mouth off him to look up at him.

"Don't thrust your hips at me," I commanded, making him blink and look at me in surprise, "Just hold still... or I'll make you hold still." He stared at me. There was no witty quip or sass or anything. He just nodded numbly. I inclined my head, then put my mouth back around him and started to suck him gently at first. He moaned and sank one of his hands into my hair. I kissed the tip of him for a moment and he shivered.

"No hair pulling," I added. He groaned.

"Why are there so many rules?"

"Because sometimes it can make things fun," I replied, then put my mouth back around him and he groaned, tilting his head to the side and arching his back, but not quite thrusting his hips. I slid my mouth around his cock and picked up a steady rhythm that drew him nearer and nearer to climax. His fingers scraped my scalp, but there was no hair pulling. I could tell he was trying so hard not to pull my hair, so I rewarded him with a particularly fun move of rolling my tongue up along his cock and tonguing his slit. He gasped, then moaned and gripped the clothing rack with both hands now as he hit his peak and spilled into my mouth.

I opened my mouth and tilted my head so he had the best angle to see himself spill into my mouth and he groaned, reaching down to cup my cheek.

"Hot damn," he groaned as I rose to my feet, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. I licked my lips and looked at him.

"You did very well," I murmured. Three stared at me.

"Did you...?"

"Hm?"

"Did you just... swallow that?"

"Yes, why?"

"Isn't that gross," Three muttered dryly, "Six never swallows it. He says it tastes like shit."

"I think you taste more like... oranges."

"I did have orange chicken."

"I don't think that-- Anyway, let's move this to the bedroom," I said, brushing past him and heading to the bedroom where Six was still seated on the bed, looking strangely nervous. He looked up as Three and I came out of the closet and he got to his feet quickly, turning to face us, like he wasn't sure what was about to happen next. I smiled slowly, pausing in front of him. Three paused with me, like he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

"You look beautiful tonight, Six, but you always look beautiful," I murmured. Six blushed, then glanced at Three with this sort of challenging glare through his coyness. Like he was daring Three to come up with something just as romantic.

"You always look sexy," Three snorted. Six relaxed to a degree at that. I smiled.

"Should we get started?"