May 6, 2023

Queen

I let him.

꧁꧂

I straddled him on the bed and he wrapped his arms around my waist as his tongue dipped into my mouth for the hundredth kiss today. From the shower, to brief kisses as I dried my hair and got dressed into his oversized clothes, there was no break. It wasn't like I needed one, but I never imagined that Syn would be satisfied with just this. I didn't exactly think I was the most entertaining kisser, but the way he pulled me in and attacked my lips nonstop made me feel like I was made out of fucking cotton candy.

He on the other hand was always whiskey with a tinge of vanilla even though he was adamant he didn't care for sweets. His hands roamed up his pair of boxer briefs that I was wearing and I grinned on top of him, moaning as I felt him harden under me.

I knew why he didn't want to have sex and a part of me even appreciated the thought, but the part of me that missed him didn't give a fuck about all of that.

I pulled away from our kiss and took a deep breath as I laid my hands on his strangely heated chest. "I need a second," I breathed out. "I'm sure you need one too."

"Not at all." He smiled softly. "If anything, this is the only thing keeping me sane right now." A sudden dark look passed over his features as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across the bottom of my lip.

"Your eyes are still red, though." I pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." He smiled. I took note of the fact that it didn't fully reach his eyes and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"Would you tell me if something was wrong?"

He laughed softly and shook his head. "Don't ask me things like that." Before I could say anything else, his lips were on mine again and I lost my train of thought. He slowly moved backward until he was fully on his back and I was leaning over him, my short hair cascading over his face.

He didn't seem to mind it, but after the fourth time I attempted to push it away, he stopped kissing me. I sat up on top of him, giving him an apologetic smile that he didn't give a second glance to as he raised his arm. "Sorry," I grimaced. "You know I don't—"

"I know." He removed a hair tie from his wrist that I hadn't noticed due to the silver bracelet he was wearing, and reached for my hair. I lowered my head as he gathered my hair to tie it, but after one wrap-around, it snapped and I burst into laughter. "Shit," he cursed as my hair fell back down.

He held up the tie that was no longer a circle anymore but instead a straight and short black broken material. "You wouldn't happen to have another one, huh?" I teased.

"No, I'm afraid I've been out of practice for a while," he said, focusing on the item. I watched as he delicately tied the two ends together in an attempt to fix it and after a few seconds, he held it up. "Have a little faith in me." He smiled. "Come here."

I bent down once again and after a few moments of gathering what he could, it was tied into his interpretation of a bun. I'd never go outside looking like this, but he tried. "Thank you," I said sweetly, taking my eyes off the mirror on his dresser.

"Mhmm."

His hand gently moved to the nape of my neck and he pulled me down for another kiss as a slow smile spread across my lips. Before our lips made contact, my phone rang from his nightstand and I groaned, dropping my head to his chest.

"Pick it up." He laughed softly. "Cain may be tired of Saint."

I laughed before hopping off of him and reaching for my phone. Syn adjusted a pillow behind his head as I picked up the phone and looked at the contact.

Aiden.

My face dropped as I looked at the name and Syn raised a brow at me. "Who is it?"

"Umm..."

He looked at my phone when I didn't answer and when he read Aiden's name he nodded a single time before getting off of the bed. "Answer it. I'll give you your privacy," he said flatly, not bringing his eyes to me as he headed towards the closet. My heart dropped at the sudden distance now put between us after all of these hours and I sighed as I answered the phone.

"Hello," I answered, glancing at the now-closed double doors of the closet Syn had disappeared into.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

"Umm." I looked around. "Nothing much."

"Great. I called to see if you wanted to come to dinner with me and my parents tonight."

"Wha—"

"Before you make a decision, this is not me asking you for any commitment. It's just a favor I'm asking of you as a friend. They'll talk my ear off about settling down if I show up alone tonight."

I ran a hand down my face and rubbed my temple. "Do they think we're dating?"

"No, I'm more so wanting to let them come up with whatever conclusion they want that way I could easily say we were never together. I don't want to make you uncomfortable and have you pretend to do that shit. All I want is for you to show up to dinner."

"Okay." I agreed. I didn't want to go, but he would've done it for me if the situation were reversed. Having been there for me these past few months, he deserved to have that energy reciprocated.

"Bet, I'll come scoop you up at eight?" He asked.

I pulled the phone away to look at the time and saw that it was only six and I nodded. "That's fine. Is there a dress code or something?"

"I'm sure you'll look good in anything, Queen."

The compliment I would've smiled at only weeks ago brought an enormous flood of guilt into my body. He was so sweet and I...I was here with Syn. "Noted," I said. "I'll see you tonight then."

"Sounds good. Bye, Queen."

I hung up the phone and let out a long breath as I thought about the fact that I'd have to leave Syn right now. I enjoyed every second we shared, honestly.

But I had to go.

I headed towards the closet and opened it, catching Syn close something as his eyes snapped to me. I looked at him suspiciously as he twisted the dial on what looked like a safe in the back of his closet and I crossed my arms, taking a step inside. "Is everything...okay?"

He didn't reply, his mouth shut as he grabbed a water bottle from his dresser and opened it. I watched him down half of it and close it before a smile spread across his lips. "Everything is fine," he said.

"What's in the safe?"

"Medication," he said simply as he walked past me. My eyes lingered on the safe as he left the closet and I bit the inside of my cheek. After a few seconds, I followed after him to see him walking towards the small bar in his room where the alcohol sat. He poured himself a shot of whiskey and downed it before turning to me. "Would you like me to make you a portal home?"

"Not yet."

"Are you sure?" He glanced at the clock beside him. "I wouldn't want you to miss your date."

"Syn, it's not a date. We're just—"

"Friends," he interrupted me. "I heard." He nodded, his finger tapping on his glass as he looked at me. "Well...don't let me hold you any longer than I have already. I'll come by in the morning to get Saint so let Cain or someone know."

"I'll be home."

"Will you?"

"Yes." I shook my head in annoyance. "I'm not having sex with him, it's just dinner."

He smiled at me and shook his head softly with a shrug. "That's truly none of my business." He turned his back to me to pour himself another shot and my frown deepened. "If it conveniences you, give me a call when you get home. I have plans for Saint's birthday I'd like to run by you."

"Okay," I said. Saint's birthday was in only four days and before now I thought we were going to keep things simple, but if he had something planned, I wasn't going to stop him. "I'll just get my clothes and get—"

"Don't worry about them. I'll wash and dry them and bring them to you in the morning when I get Saint."

"Umm, alright." I twiddled my fingers. "Bye, I guess."

"Goodbye."

I walked to a nearby empty wall, a sinking feeling in my gut growing as I made the portal home. "Syn!" I heard Stella say, followed by a knocking at the door. "Can you come back to the party?"

I looked at Syn who was watching me make the portal as he sipped his drink slowly. "I'll be there in a bit," he replied.

I sighed, shaking my head as I finished the portal and when I was done, I stood up and swung my head towards Syn. "Stay safe tonight," I pleaded.

He nodded slowly, his eyes returning to his green hue before tilting his glass in my direction. The corner of his lip tilted up into a smile as he looked up at me and I furrowed my brows. "Same to you."

Okay...?

I ignored the sinister tone that clipped his tone and walked into the portal, stepping into my bedroom barefoot. I released my hair from the tie and ran a hand through it as I took a calming breath. I could still feel Syn's lips on mine and that made his detached attitude seconds ago hurt a lot more.

I turned to head towards the restroom, but when I saw Saint sitting up in my bed and looking straight at me, I jumped. "Shit!" I cursed. "You can't do that, Saint."

He had no reaction to my words and as I stepped closer to him, I noticed his fully dark eyes and rolled my eyes. "Not this shit again, you—" A familiar spinning in my head made me groan and I moved to the bed beside Saint, getting ready to pass out like I always did when he did this.

I faded into darkness as my head hit the bed and after a few moments, my eyes snapped open and I was engulfed in the same that he seemed to prefer. I couldn't see anything from any direction around me and could feel nothing except for the metal chair under me.

"Turn the light on, Saint." I rolled my eyes.

I heard a groan as a light switch was pulled, exposing Saint sitting in a chair across from me. "Why must you take away the fun from the moment?"

"Because I'm your mom," I answered, crossing my arms. "Why am I here?"

"Well," he started, crossing his leg over the other and clasping his hands together. "I was wondering where you were."

"I was with your dad."

"Oh?" He raised a dark brow. With a snap of his finger, a desk appeared in front of him and he leaned his elbows onto it. "Tell me more."

Shortly after moving away from Hell, I found out Saint could do this. Shocked was an understatement to what I felt when I saw him in front of me all grown up. I was petrified. I remained frozen as he ranted about why we shouldn't feed him peas, and he was completely unaware of it. After a few more times of these surprise meetings I had gotten used to it, but it was still creepy.

"There's nothing to tell." I shrugged.

"Ugh, how boring," he slouched back into his seat. I smiled as I looked at him and after a few moments, he sat up and looked at me. "Well I wouldn't want to waste a visit so since you're here, I have a few issues I'd like to address."

I stood up from the seat and reached for the cowlick in his hair that always seemed to fall out of place and he pushed my hand away. "Stop," he growled.

"Come on." I lowered his hand, cupping his face as I arranged it back into place. He gave up trying to resist as he slouched his shoulders and I smiled. "Look at you." I pinched his cheeks.

"Please stop. I'm uncomfortable." He curled his lip in disgust. I laughed before sitting back down and he patted his head before adjusting the tie on his black suit and clearing his throat. "So—"

"Do you think your eyes will stay like that when you get older?" I tilted my head.

"You don't like my eyes?" He asked, stopping his movements as he waited for my reply. Saint right now as a baby had dark eyes, but I could still see the whites in them. As he sat here in front of me, they were completely gone, and staring back at me was a pair of eyes unlike anything I'd ever seen before. They were just...charcoal black. If you looked at them long enough you'd feel like you were falling into a black hole.

"I love your eyes," I admitted. "I was just asking considering you start school in a few years and human children wouldn't...you know."

His face dropped and he sighed. "I don't want to stay here that long. Whenever I start school, I'd like to stay in Hell with my father. I can't stand humans." He shivered.

My heart sank a little bit at his words and I frowned. "You want to stay with him permanently in the future?"

He tilted his head, seemingly studying me and I crossed my arms. "I've hurt your feelings, haven't I?"

"A little bit."

"Dang..." He sighed. "Oh, well."

"I—"

"Anyways," he interrupted. "We don't have much time and I have a few things to say."

"Please don't be an asshole when you're older."

"That has nothing to do with me," he pointed to himself, "and everything to do with you." He pointed at me. "If I have to go to the zoo with Uncle one more time so you can travel about, I will be killing myself...vigorously."

"Vigorously..." I nodded. "Okay, noted."

"I'm serious," he said. "I don't like it there. It's so...stinky."

"Babies usually like animals though."

"I am not a baby."

"Then you're going to hate our mommy and me classes coming up."

"Mommy and what?" He asked.

"You'll see."

"Oh, dear."

"Is there anything else or can I leave?"

"There are a few things, but I'm afraid I only have time for one more." He looked at his watch.

"What?"

"Keep an eye on my father, please."

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

"I don't know what it is," he said. "But something is wrong. You're well aware I sense things from people I get close to, correct?" He asked, still looking at the watch.

"Yes?"

"Well, I sense that something is wrong with him," he said. "When I touch him sometimes, I feel like I'm falling. The feeling is brief, but it is powerful. Take care of him for me."

"Okay." I nodded slowly. "I'll check on that."

"One more thing," he said, looking back up at me. I raised a brow and he ran a hand through his hair, a movement that was unusual for him considering how put together his image was. "Don't ask me about my sister anymore."

"Xavia?" I asked. "Why not?"

"Time's up."

"Saint—"

He snapped his finger and it felt like I was sucked into the darkness and pushed away from him. I gasped at the force and when I opened my eyes and I was back in my bed. My eyes snapped back to Saint who was sleeping beside me and I rubbed my chest as I sat up.

What did he mean by his last words?

It wasn't like I could ask him about it right now, but I made a mental note to find out the next time I saw him. If he wouldn't come back soon on his own, I'd have to resort to measures I never wished to on my son.

"You have one week," I said to his small sleeping figure. "Or else I'm bringing back the peas and we will have daily trips to the zoo."

He stirred in his sleep, making a small whining noise before stilling. I placed my hands on my hips in thought before sighing and shaking my head. I kissed him on the head, laying a blanket over him and headed to the restroom.

Time to get ready.

꧁꧂

Author's Note

One step forward...and like 100 back😮‍💨 well, kinda. This time at least we have Saint speaking up and saying that something is wrong so that's a plus😤.

Anyways, so Aiden is taking Queen to this date— sorry, dinner. Aren't we all glad that Syn is okay with it?...Sike! We all know what the MF was doing in that closet😔💔. I have a feeling that shit is about to go left in a minute, especially with his last words to her like...WYMMM STAY SAFE TOOO??😭

We saw a little bit of Saint's high maintenance self and I'm not mad😤 that mf is funny 😭

Lmk your thoughts✨❤️

Next Four Chapters coming tomorrow.