by Tia Fielding
Dev had gone silent and serious. “A cult?”
“Yeah, they’re still operational. The Solace, have you heard of them?”
“No fucking way?” Dev stared at him with his mouth open. “Eternal Solace?”
“Yep, that’s them.”
“You’re second-gen, technically. Holy fuck. Good for you guys for getting out of there sane.” Dev reached a hand across the stone surface and took hold of Leaf’s, seemingly unconsciously.
“More or less. But yeah, we left when Rain turned eighteen. There had always been dogs around the compounds wherever we were, and I sort of had a knack for dealing with them, so I started to walk dogs for a living. Rain used to wait tables wherever she could. That’s how we survived the first years until we got better jobs eventually.”
“Your parents stayed?” Dev frowned, already guessing the answer.
“Yeah. We don’t know if they’re still alive, but I would think maybe not. They’d be old now, and Solace isn’t big on conventional medications or doctors.”
“Yeah, I’ve read about cults. Headful of useless knowledge, you know,” Dev said, tapping his temple. “Shit. Here I was thinking I had the shitty childhood contest already won, but man….”
Clearly Dev knew a lot about Eternal Solace based on what he’d read, because he was taking this all so seriously. He seemed thoughtful still, even trying to make light of the situation.
“Oh?” Leaf asked, happy to steer the attention away from his childhood.
“Oh yeah.” Dev grinned. “See, I reckoned I had it in the bag.”
“That’s arrogant. Now I want to know more,” Leaf said, grinning, letting him know everything was fine, that he wasn’t upset, really. Dev seemed to be reading him very intently, so careful with the subject.
“Yeah, so, you know how we’re both adopted, right, Angel and I?”
“Yeah, I assumed at least one of you was because I’ve seen your brother and you look nothing like each other.”
“Uh-huh. He speculates he’s ‘triracial’—his word, not mine.” Dev snorted. “Honestly, he doesn’t know much about his origins either, but that’s his story, not mine.” He brushed his hair off his forehead and looked at the dogs, smiling. “You know how you’re literally twice my age?” He turned to look at Leaf suddenly, something in his eyes making the protective instinct in Leaf jump to attention.
“I think we’ve established that,” he replied, attempting at flippant yet gentle, not sure if he actually managed to come across as such.
“Well, I’m twenty-five now. That means that I’m about twice as old as my birth mother was when she had me.” Dev looked away.
“Jesus,” Leaf breathed out the word. “That’s….”
“Horrible. Shocking. Sad as fuck.” Dev snorted bitterly. “I know.”
“Wh—actually, you don’t have to tell me anything more if you don’t want to,” Leaf said quickly, completely unable to hide his dumbfounded body language.
“I don’t really know much. I guess I could find out if I wanted. My parents told me they had some paperwork that had some answers if I wanted them. That was when I turned eighteen. They told me again when I turned twenty-one. There’s not much, apparently. My birth mom was too young, so to protect her as much as me, everything is sealed. She was….” Dev swallowed hard, his gaze jumping from the dogs to the landscape to Leaf and back to the dogs. His body, oddly enough, remained still. “I know she was sold by her mother. Grew up in a drug den, basically. Then got sold to whomever for drugs. There’s no way of knowing who the sperm donor was, you know?”
The question sounded rhetorical, so Leaf just nodded. He got up and rounded the rock to sit next to Dev, then pulled him into his arms.
Dev burrowed in a little, sighing as he seemingly forced himself to relax.
“She was a victim, my birth mom. I don’t know if she was… sane. At the end. By the time I came along. That’s why I don’t want to know more. What if she’s better now and I find a way to contact her and just fuck her up, you know?”
“I like the idea that the papers are still there. Safekept by your parents, right?” Leaf spoke quietly. Dev nodded against his shoulder. “You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to, but if you change your mind about wanting to know later, you can.”
“Exactly what my mom said. My dad… well, he tries to be as neutral as possible. Offers support but stays mostly quiet about this.” They just sat for a moment, and then Dev said, in a thoughtful voice, “I had a lot of therapy as a kid. I stopped going only a couple of years ago. I have anxiety issues, but that’s about it these days.”
Leaf felt like he was supposed to open up now as well, and it made him oddly uneasy. “I have some nightmares. That’s about it. I mean, I should probably get therapy too, at least my sister seems to think so….” He swallowed hard, feeling awkward.
“I think everyone has their own process. It’s not like you have to do anything. But just… it helped me. A lot.” Dev seemed to be done with the discussion.
Leaf cleared his throat. “Did your brother have paperwork like you too?”
“Yeah. He looked up his birth mom a few years back. She’d passed away from an overdose couple of years after he was saved. There’s some more details, but as I said, his story, not mine.”
Leaf made a noise in agreement. “I think it’s amazing what your parents did. Taking in both of you.”
“Apparently there was a spike in the system that year. Lots of little kids coming in, lack of resources. I assume they donated a shitload of the money my mom inherited. I mean, Dad had already started Nemo Gaming by then, but they weren’t huge yet. Anyway, we’re lucky, Angel and I.” Dev relaxed against Leaf finally, almost going boneless as the conversation came to an end.
“Thank you for telling me,” Leaf said softly into Dev’s hair.
Dev pulled away to look at him and smiled. “Same, Leaf. You know that, right?”
“It wasn’t much—”
“No, but it’s not something you can just go telling around, right? So, thank you for trusting me with it.”
Leaf smiled back at him, gaze going from Dev’s eyes to his lips and back. They were so close, the connection suddenly sizzling between them.
It was Dev who closed the distance between their lips and pressed his to Leaf’s carefully. For a moment Leaf lost himself in the kiss. It felt like coming home, like it had felt kissing Seth a decade ago when they’d met for the second time.
The kiss turned into something deeper and then hungrier, and Leaf groaned into Dev’s mouth.
After being attached by the lips for a while, Dev pulled back, his eyes bright and smile wide, looking just so, so fucking good. “So, that was nice,” he said, grinning at Leaf.
“Very much so,” Leaf agreed, then moved on his seat to make himself more comfortable in his cargo shorts.
Dev picked up on why he was fidgeting and smirked. “Uh-oh….”
“Don’t be so smug. It’s not attractive,” Leaf grumbled playfully. He was lying, of course.
“Ah, so if I was to slide off this bench and kneel between your feet, you wouldn’t be turned on?” Dev asked with a hefty dose of wickedness in his expression.
Someone had truly taken notes. It seemed like most of the blood in Leaf’s body rushed to his cock. It had been so. Fucking. Long. A strangled little sound escaped him, and Dev threw back his head and laughed.
“Okay, I really want to blow you, but I need actual words for this, man. Consent and all,” he said once he was done laughing.
“Y-yeah,” Leaf managed to say. “I just… wow.”
Still smirking, Dev slid to his knees on the hard-packed dirt next to the bench. He opened Leaf’s fly and raised a brow at him in question. Leaf nodded, and Dev immediately rewarded him by reaching into his underwear and pulling his cock out.
While it felt amazing not to have his dick squished against the fly anymore, the reverent way Dev looked at it made Leaf groan. Jesus, he was going to
blow impossibly fast.
“It’s okay,” Dev said as he jerked Leaf off with a loose fist, the movement ever so slow and teasing. “I know it’s been a long time. Seth might’ve filled me in a bit more on that situation.”
If he’d been younger, he might’ve been embarrassed by the lack of brain function right then, but it didn’t really matter now. Being out there with Dev whom he’d already come to care for so much, it just felt natural.
Leaf said nothing and planted his elbows on the rock behind him, grasping at the uneven edges for something to hold on to. Dev opened his mouth and let his beautiful lips slide over and around the head of Leaf’s cock.
The feeling was indescribable.
He would never, ever think he didn’t get what he needed with Seth, and he’d certainly never hold the fact that he couldn’t give blowjobs against the man, but fuck, if he hadn’t missed this!
Then Dev raised his brows at him with a spark of mischief in his amber eyes and bobbed his head in earnest. Leaf registered the noises he was making, all the while enjoying to the delicious slurping from between his thighs. Dev moved on his cock, angling his head so he could almost deep throat, then stayed there for long seconds, just moving his tongue as much as he could along the shaft.
Feeling nearly overwhelmed, Leaf reached to tangle his fingers into Dev’s hair. The way Dev seemed to enjoy giving this to him made Leaf’s balls tighten, his orgasm right there.
When Dev looked up at Leaf through his lashes, Leaf made a pitiful, whimpering noise, his hips jerked forward, and he came harder than he had in years. Dev’s delighted, breathy laughter penetrated the haze in his mind, and he opened his eyes—when had he closed them?—as Dev wiped his chin and cheeks, where somehow some come had landed.
“That wasn’t half-bad,” Dev teased him, clearly enjoying his postorgasmic daze.
Leaf reached a hand out to grab Dev’s arm and pulled him up into a kiss. He hummed contently into it, and finally his brain caught up with everything. “How about you?” he asked.
Dev grinned and pointed at a spot on the ground. “Might’ve made a bit of a mess down there. Missed your shoes, though!”
“So fucking hot,” Leaf groaned and kissed him again.
Eventually they got themselves and the Tupperware back together. They called the dogs to them for the treats, and it seemed like Dev had done good, because the bone-shaped cookies were practically inhaled by the dogs. Once they were ready, Leaf told the dogs to go ahead, and they started along the path, back toward the river.
Leaf and Dev chatted about random things, walked hand in hand like the new lovers they were. Because the dogs seemed so full of energy, they ended up leaving the cooler by the bridge they’d cross later and made another, longer loop farther away from the water.
Finally, after meandering along for an hour more, the dogs drooped a little.
“I don’t get how they can have so much energy, even with how warm it is now,” Dev said with feeling.
“They’re active because they get a lot of exercise and, well, the breed is a factor too. Husky needs the most things to do, but luckily the heat makes him a bit mellower.” Leaf petted the dog that had come to them after hearing his name. All of them were close to them, almost in a formation now.
“You’d be too if you were this hairy,” Dev said, coming to Husky’s defense, ruffling his thick fur.
Eventually they went back to the bridge, let the dogs splash around and drink for a while, then collected them and the cooler and walked back to the car in a pleasant silence.
Even in the car, they held hands quietly, soaking in the closeness and happiness. Once they got to Dev’s house, Dev leaned to kiss Leaf quickly.
“This was so much fun,” he said, smiling shyly.
“So, Seth having a partner already wasn’t a bad thing after all?” Leaf teased, making Dev roll his eyes.
“Jerk.” Dev got out of the car and collected his things, giving the dogs scratches through the crate. Once he closed the back door, he peered at Leaf again. “Still like you a whole lot, though.”
With that, he closed the door, waved his hand, and turned to go into the house.
Leaf couldn’t stop smiling all the way home. Yeah, he liked Dev right back. More than a bit, for sure.
Chapter Seven
DEV SAT at his computer in his room, trying to get some work done. Every time he got into a good flow, his brain reminded him of this or that detail of his date with Leaf, and his concentration was shot again.
Sighing, he got up, stretched his back until it popped, and went downstairs. It was Monday afternoon, and Angel would be home soon. He might as well start dinner since he couldn’t work efficiently enough anyway.
Dev smiled as he chopped up veggies and mushrooms for a stir-fry. He was just so fucking happy. Every time he thought of Seth or Leaf, butterflies swirled in the pit of his stomach and his chest squeezed.
He’d texted some with both men on Saturday evening and all of Sunday. Each time his phone pinged, excitement jolted through him. He was so fucking ridiculous and totally loved it.
His phone made a sound, causing him to grin. This time it wasn’t either of his guys, though. Instead, his dad wanted to know if he had time for a chat. Dev looked at the meal prep and deemed it being in a spot he could easily pick back up, and facetimed his dad.
As the video call connected, his dad fumbled with his phone, and for a moment, Dev could only hear some muffled cursing and see the ceiling of the office. Yeah, he knew it was the office because this had happened before a few times….
“Hi, son,” his dad finally said, smiling at Dev through the screen.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up?” Dev couldn’t help but smile back at him. He walked to sit on the couch for the call and felt the familiar squeeze of missing his parents when his dad pushed his glasses higher on his nose.
“Nothing much. Mom’s happier now that she got to mom your brother a bit. She misses you a lot. I do too, of course, but at least we talk through work a lot.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’ll make sure Angel calls you, and I’ll call Mom when I have time and something to talk about. Otherwise she’ll steamroll me with some book club stuff or something like that.”
“There’s a new tennis coach at the club,” his dad said knowingly, making Dev groan.
“Oh hell no. I still remember her crush on that dude when Angel and I were sixteen. I can’t go through that again!”
“Oh, but see, this is more interesting.” Dad smirked with enough humor to perk Dev’s interest. “It’s a female coach who has an obvious crush on your mom instead.”
Dev blinked at the words, then laughed. “Oh man. Karma, I tell you.”
“Yeah, but don’t tell her I told you in case she wants to talk about it with you,” Dad reminded.
“No, of course not. So, what’s the actual reason for this call, then?” Dev asked, making himself more comfortable on the couch.
“Well, I know you’re already working on the Supersecret Project, but I have a bit of a problem that needs solving….” Dad frowned, obviously troubled.
“Oh, what is it?”
“There’s something wrong with the new area in Crawlers. People are having connectivity issues, and two of the members of the Crawlers team are off sick. It all started after yesterday’s patch, and I’ve looked at it, but I can’t figure it out….” Dad seemed frustrated and tired as hell.
“Say no more. I know how this stuff goes. I’ll take a peek as soon as I can. Have Rick call me at… sevenish? Email me details, and I’ll comb through the data and see what it could be.”
“I know you’re busy with SSP, son. I don’t want this to—”
“No, see, remember that talk we had when I started to work on SSP? About how I’d still help in emergencies like always? This is an emergency. You can’t have a new part of the map kicking people out the day after it opens. I’ll figure it out or at least try to.”
“Okay. Thank you, Dev.” Dad visibl
y deflated with relief, and Dev could now see how tired he really was. “So, how’re you, son?”
Dev’s mind went instantly to Seth and Leaf, and he couldn’t help the beaming smile that made his dad take notice.
“Oh, what’s this now?” he asked, smirking as he perked up.
“I might’ve met someone,” Dev admitted, smiling still. “But it’s early still, so don’t tell Mom anything, okay?”
“No, of course not. You’ll tell us if and when there’s something we need to know.”
“Tell Dad hi from me!” Angel called out from the doorway, making Dev jump. He hadn’t heard him enter the house.
“Hi, Angel!” Dad yelled, obviously having heard.
“Jesus, can you two stop screaming?” Dev mock-frowned at the screen and Angel.
“Give the phone to your brother, will you?” Dad asked.
Dev got up to take it to Angel. “I’ll go start dinner since I’ll be working this evening. Talk to you later, Dad,” he said toward the phone and went into the kitchen.
Soon Angel chatted away with Dad, and Dev smiled. They tried to stay in touch with their parents, but sometimes time just slid through their fingers and suddenly it had been a couple of weeks without contact. Then again, like Dev had told Dad, he didn’t feel the disconnect as much because he talked to Dad several times each week even if it was just about work. Their mom was pretty good at poking at them herself. She called whenever she felt her “mommy senses tingling,” or so she told them time and time again.
If their parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary hadn’t been in a couple of months and Dev and Angel hadn’t had plans to fly down then for the party, Dev would’ve made time to visit them in Anaheim now. He missed them, but at the moment he had work to do and a new relationship to handle.
