Chapter 28: And You Had Everything to Lose

This Is Your Life, Switchfoot

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Strangely, Morgyn was already awake, when the sunlight spilled in Ezio’s bedroom windows. The blond had spent the entire time watching the sun rise, the sky slowly change colours, the city lights dim away, and Morgyn had to admit, Ezio was onto something with liking San Myshuno so much. It was pretty, just in a very different way than Morgyn was accustomed to. It wouldn’t be so bad, living here. Already, Morgyn was getting used to the noise level, and it’d be nice to be so close to Ezio again.

It was already decided, in the sage’s mind, that Morgyn was staying at the Casa. Talking to Ezio about it was really more for show than anything, so no one could say, that Morgyn, rushing headlong into things again. Not that they weren’t very right when they said it. Morgyn had simply gotten sick of hearing it last century, really.

Ezio woke up shortly before the sun came up. He’d been moving around out there for a while, but Morgyn figured if the blond came out too early, Ezio would think Morgyn was sick or something. Morgyn rarely ever woke up this early. Actually, now that Morgyn was thinking about it, what the heck all had the blond gotten up so early for? Who knew? It felt like an important day, that was all. Like today, Morgyn’s whole life was going to change, and maybe it would.

Soon enough, Morgyn would be studying the life sciences, making some sense out of things that didn’t seem to have any sense, and maybe, for once, Morgyn could make something right instead of only making it all worse. The sage would never admit feeling that way, at least, not to Ezio. It didn’t matter anymore. Morgyn was one step closer to making everything alright. Then, it was probably best if the blond didn’t hinge all of Morgyn’s hopes on this. Maybe the science couldn’t fix it, either. It was worth trying.

Eventually, Morgyn took a breath in, and rolled off the bed. The light had been streaming through the windows for a while now, and Morgyn wasn’t getting any younger. Morgyn quickly ran fingers through blond waves, and then scuttled out into the hallway that led into the kitchen. This apartment wasn’t the worst one Morgyn had ever seen, really, the blond just also had another, additional motivation for this. Doctors made a lot of money, no? Between a doctor and an attorney, they should be able to get Ezio out of here.

Ezio deserved the world, if one asked Morgyn. He didn’t seem to want the world, though. Maybe by the end of this, Morgyn could get the idiot to retire and stop stressing himself out all the time. Fat chance of that, really, but it was worth trying for.

“Morning,” Morgyn greeted, shuffling about the kitchen to make a cup of that coffee Ezio had put on.

Ezio made a face, drinking a cup of tea and reading a newspaper. “You’re up awfully early,” he said. “And weirdly coherent.”

Morgyn loosed a smothered laugh. “Yeah, I guess,” Morgyn answered, mixing a bit of sugar into the coffee cup and sitting down across the table. “How are you feeling this morning?”

Ezio pulled another face. “Fine,” he answered. “What’s with that, I haven’t done anything to warrant that kind of question in a while.”

No, Morgyn supposed he hadn’t. The blond shrugged slightly, head tilting to one side, green eyes casting to the sage’s cup. “I guess not,” Morgyn said. “But you’re my brother. I think I’ll always worry about you, at least a little.” Him having a heart condition wasn’t necessarily erased simply because it hadn’t caused him notable trouble recently. It just meant that for the moment, the demon was sleeping. Morgyn’s nerves were most certainly not.

Ezio was quiet for a moment, then his hand dropped off the side of his teacup, and he reached across the table to take one of Morgyn’s hands. Morgyn looked up at him, and his eyes seemed to smile.

It was strange to Morgyn, how much older he always seemed. There were things behind the grey of his eyes that Morgyn would never understand, the blond knew that much, that seemed to make him know more than he should. Was it so wrong, to want some peace for him finally? Maybe it was. Maybe that wasn’t Morgyn’s place anymore.

The issue, of course, with time passing and them both moving on from each other and starting to have lives without one another, was that Morgyn had no idea what that meant. Morgyn knew what was right and how to move forward as long as the blond also knew that Ezio was right behind. Ezio was right, of course, some decade or so past, when he said that they couldn’t live like that forever, so dependent on each other’s presence that they barely knew who they were without each other. It was a long and drawn out way of saying that Morgyn had to let him go, because someday he wouldn’t be there anymore, but the message was clear enough all the same.

“I uh,” Morgyn started, squeezing Ezio’s fingers like the contact was all that was keeping Morgyn from breaking apart, “I think I found somewhere else to go, so I can be nearby but not imposing.”

“Morgyn, I didn’t mean it like that,” Ezio said.

“No I know,” Morgyn answered. “It’s just… I mean you’re still getting your life together, and I don’t want to make anything harder on you. And I’ll still be nearby, right across the street, over there where the rainbow columns are.”

“Ah, the Casa di Colori,” Ezio said, glancing at the floor.

“Yeah,” Morgyn said. “Hey, they’re nice people, and I won’t be far. And I won’t have to figure out how to pay for university tuition and also find a job and somehow balance the two. I’m not good at responsibility, that’s your thing.”

Ezio looked somewhere between amused and exasperated. “You’d be good enough at responsibility if you bothered to try,” Ezio said.

“Nah,” Morgyn said, head shaking. “I can’t bother to try. I wouldn’t want you thinking I don’t need you anymore.” Morgyn reached out, fingers brushing against Ezio’s cheek. “There’ll never be a time when I don’t.”

Ezio didn’t say anything to that, just released a breath. “You got into university?” he asked.

“Yep,” Morgyn answered, hand dropping back to the coffee cup. “I’ve got my schedule and student ID and everything now. I start on Monday.”

Ezio smiled softly. “Good.”

* * *

Another talk with Brandon at the Casa di Colori later, and Morgyn had a place to go. The blond would be staying with Ezio for another week, and then would be moving across the street to the house on the water with the rainbow columns. Morgyn had met a few others at the Casa, other staff and regular tenants, and everyone was nice enough. Morgyn could complain, but it’d be silly to.

The blond was a little excited, and a little scared. There weren’t many things Morgyn had ever done without Ezio, and in some sense, the blond used him as something of a crutch. Probably, Ezio knew as much, and let Morgyn do it, even while knowing that he shouldn’t. Then, Ezio always did have trouble telling Morgyn no. It seemed to be a common affliction. Even Drake found it slightly complex. L had no issues with it, but L had no issues with anything. Morgyn envied her that.

As Morgyn skipped out of the elevator and headed back to Ezio’s apartment, one of the other doors opened. Morgyn came to a stop, smiling slightly as Caleb stepped out into the hallway, turned around, and looked a bit surprised.

“What?” Morgyn asked, amused. “Didn’t sense me coming?”

“Not this time, no,” Caleb answered. “How’s everything going then?”

He looked a little flustered, but Morgyn paid it no mind. Caleb usually did around the sage. “Fine enough,” Morgyn answered. “I’m a resident of the Casa di Colori now, at least. Going to stay with Ezio for a bit longer and then move.”

Caleb smiled. “Glad I suggested it then,” he said. “Brandon’s the adoptive son of one of the vampires out here, I figured it’d be decent enough a place for a spellcaster to go, too.”

Morgyn laughed. “Turns out they have an occult wing.”

“Yeah, can’t say that surprises me,” Caleb answered. “You’re doing okay? You know, you personally?”

Morgyn’s smile faded slightly, and the blond glanced down at the floor, for a moment. “Yeah,” Morgyn said. “It’s just hard not to think stupid things around Ezio I guess.”

Caleb looked a bit concerned, crossing the small distance between them to take one of Morgyn’s hands in his. “You never talk about it,” he said.

Morgyn shrugged one shoulder, looking down at their joined hands. “There’s nothing to say,” the blond answered softly. “Same things as always. Nothing ever changes because I think some part of Ezio doesn’t want it to, I can never do anything about it, if anything I just make it all worse, and now here I am going to Foxbury and taking science classes in hopes that maybe for once I won’t be a giant fuck up and can do something that’s actually useful for once instead of just moping.”

Caleb loosed a breath, and then took another step forward and gently wrapped his arms around the smaller blond.

Morgyn squeaked slightly, and then relaxed and leaned into the contact. Morgyn still usually wasn’t very tactile, but things changed around Caleb. The blond still hadn’t thought about that too hard. There were too many other things going on to think about it much. “Sorry,” the blond murmured.

“No,” Caleb answered, without hesitation. “You’re always welcome to have feelings around me, Morgyn.”

Morgyn sighed. “Just seems stupid,” the blond said. “Ezio’s the one that’s sick. Ezio’s the one that decides what to do with it. I just don’t like what he’s decided to do with it.” It wasn’t like Ezio would lose his magic becoming a vampire, or he couldn’t ever get over the sensitivity to sunlight. There were even some vampires that were strong in sunlight, Ezio could easily be one. He just didn’t seem to want that. He didn’t want to stay.

Ah. That was it.

“I think it feels like I’m not good enough to stay for,” Morgyn said.

Caleb shook his head. “No, no,” he said. “Morgyn, no. Ezio loves you, very much, you know that. You know that.”

Morgyn’s head shook, too, the blond letting Caleb go, fidgeting slightly. The blond looked down. “Do I?” Morgyn whispered. “I’ve always wondered a little. If maybe Ezio doesn’t just see me as an obligation. Someone that he has to take care of because I can’t take care of myself. Even at magic realm, L and Simeon are always taking care of me, because if they didn’t I’d probably seriously live on needs potions. Less of a pain in the ass, anyway. I’ve always wondered, a little, if maybe I’m just a burden to him. I’m too terrified to ask but I think I need the answer all the same.”

Caleb loosed a soft snort. “No wonder we became friends,” he said. “You and Ezio are so much like me and Lilith. I feel the same way about her. Unlike you, I’m not even good at pretending I’m not weak.”

“You’re not weak, Caleb,” Morgyn argued.

“Thanks,” Caleb said, smiling. “But I kind of am. I’m not good at this vampire stuff. Never really have been, never wanted to be. Lilith was just, oh, we’re vampires now, that sucks – wait what am I talking about? and charged right into it. And I’ve been in a consistent state of mope since I was maybe thirty.” Caleb snorted again. “She’s the strong one,” he went on. “I’ve just gotten good at mimicking her strength.”

So what now? It wasn’t like Morgyn didn’t know the blond had a complex with Ezio. He was the stronger of them. He took to magic better, even, had taught himself. Keisha had helped, somewhat, but mostly Ezio learnt untamed magic on his own, because Ezio didn’t want to learn from Aine and Aine had no interest in teaching him anyway. Why it was that Aine had almost immediately hated Ezio, that was something Morgyn had thought about a few times, and never found an answer for. Maybe that was something Morgyn would have to ask Aine.

There were probably a lot of things that Morgyn would have to ask Aine. But those answers, too, Morgyn was afraid of getting.

“Hey,” Caleb said, taking both of Morgyn’s hands in his. Morgyn looked up at him. “Let me take you out.”

Morgyn blinked, one eyebrow raising. “What like… on a date?”

Caleb laughed. “Yes, actually, like on a date. Ezio could use the downtime anyway, and you look like you need a pick-me-up.”

Of all the things that Morgyn expected to come out of his mouth, that wasn’t anywhere on the list. Of course, in hindsight, Morgyn had to wonder what’d taken him so long. Then again, Ezio always said Morgyn wasn’t the easiest person to approach. But of course the blond wasn’t. It was safer that way, after all. But it wasn’t like Morgyn had ever been afraid of Caleb.

Actually, Caleb was the only other person Morgyn was really relaxed around, aside from Ezio and Drake, at least.

“Okay,” Morgyn said, nodding slightly. “When?”

“Oh.” Caleb looked surprised, apparently not having expected that response. “Uh. Tonight at seven?”

“Sure,” Morgyn answered.

“Okay. Uh. Well, I’ll… I should uh I should go find something to wear and make plans and reservations and stuff, maybe.”

Morgyn loosed a huff of air, smiling. “Okay.”

Caleb raised Morgyn’s hands, kissing the backs of them both, and practically skipped across the hall back to his apartment. Morgyn loosed a sigh, one hand tracing the slight lingering tingle where Caleb had kissed the blond’s skin, and then turned and headed for Ezio’s apartment.

* * *

The second the door closed behind Morgyn, it was like a switch had suddenly flipped. Suddenly, the blond was horribly nervous, and there was no reason to be so nervous. It was just Caleb! Okay, it wasn’t like Caleb had been just Caleb in a while now, but – Morgyn thunked against the back of the apartment door, biting at the blond’s lower lip and smiling. Okay. Morgyn had a date. With Caleb.

Morgyn really couldn’t help the squeal that escaped suddenly.

Ezio looked up from the coffee table, working on his presentation again, presumably. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Drake, sitting at the other end of the coffee table with his laptop, also looked a hair concerned.

“I’m fine! I’m great!” Morgyn answered, grinning practically from ear to ear. Wait, oh no. Morgyn’s expression suddenly dropped into sheer panic. “You have to help me!” Morgyn exclaimed, and then hopped up onto the couch, walking across it behind Drake, and then grabbed Ezio’s hand, and dragged him across the dining room to the bedroom.

“Whoa!” Ezio managed to get out along the way. “Morgyn slow down.”

“I can’t!” Morgyn answered, closing the door behind them. “I have a date, tonight, and I need your help, what the hell am I going to wear? Oh god, I don’t think I have anything on-hand that’s like date material, it’s all like, I’m walking around town in the snow sort of stuff because that’s all I expected to be doing what am I gonna do!?”

“Whoa, hey, wow,” Ezio said, holding his hands up. “Breathe, first off.”

“I don’t have time for breathing!” Morgyn answered in a rush.

“When is this date?” Ezio asked.

“Seven.”

“It’s three,” Ezio answered, shuffling over to Morgyn’s suitcase. “You’ve got four hours, it’s plenty of time. Just calm down a little. I take it Caleb asked?”

“Yes?” Morgyn answered. “Wait, how did you know that?”

“The boy’s only been pining after you for centuries, Morgyn, anyone with eyes knows,” Ezio answered, rolling his eyes, and settled down to pop the lid on Morgyn’s suitcase. “You can’t tell me this thing’s not magically connected to your closet in magic realm.”

“Well I could say that,” Morgyn said. “You wouldn’t believe me and it’d also be basically a lie anyway…” Morgyn supposed that was the point.

Judging by the highly unamused expression on Ezio’s face, Morgyn was going to go with, yes, that was the point.

“I’m really nervous,” Morgyn said.

Ezio smiled and released a breath, digging through Morgyn’s clothes. “I noticed.” Ezio glanced up at Morgyn and then patted the floor next to him. “Come on, come over here,” he said. “We’ll figure this out.”

Morgyn pouted slightly, but did eventually trudge over there, settling down on the floor next to him. Ezio pulled things out here and there and held it up in front of Morgyn, tilted his head, wrinkled his nose, and then folded it up and set it on the floor. From time to time, he’d not wrinkle his nose, but instead raise his eyebrows, and that went in a different pile.

“There,” Ezio eventually said, setting everything in the ‘nose wrinkle’ pile back into the suitcase. “These look nice enough, not too wintery, not too skimpy. Where are you guys going?”

“I actually don’t know,” Morgyn answered, somewhat sheepishly.

“Well, knowing Caleb, you’re not going to Bob’s Burgers,” Ezio answered, picking up a nice, dark red blouse. It didn’t quite fit Morgyn right, it was a little bit loose in the shoulders (it probably wouldn’t be on Ezio), and Morgyn made a face.

“Come on,” Ezio said, “you look great in this, and it’s suitable enough for more formal situations without going the whole nine yards with a dress that looks like you’re headed to a wedding, and probably yours.”

Morgyn blinked, and then scowled. He was probably right.

“Then we just pair this with it,” Ezio went on, handing Morgyn a black skirt. It wasn’t a special black skirt, it was just the only black skirt Morgyn owned. The other one was red plaid, and probably a bit much for this situation.

“How do you know exactly what to put me in without really thinking about it?” Morgyn asked.

“I did a lot of thinking,” Ezio said. “I just thought about it relatively quickly. Now, you’ve got time to go have a shower, comb your hair out, and get dressed, and then we’ll do your makeup.”

Morgyn pouted again, arms crossing. “How are you so calm? You just have all the answers on a silver platter here and I’m feeling really outdone.”

Ezio smiled. “I’ve been waiting for this day,” he answered.

Morgyn raised an eyebrow. “Waiting for it, huh?”

“Of course,” Ezio answered. “Same way you’ve probably been waiting for the day Drake and I go out on a date, right?”

Well, no, actually. Morgyn hadn’t been thinking about that, not really. Of course, some part of the blond figured eventually one would ask the other out, but another part thought maybe one already had and the other had said no. And then, Morgyn had dropped that thought, because Morgyn had done enough meddling in Ezio’s love life. That meddling hadn’t turned out very well, though of course, Morgyn was right, every time, and one could consider that a win on Morgyn’s part.

Morgyn didn’t. Morgyn would’ve rather been wrong, about Jackson, about… all of them, everything, and wasn’t.

The blond turned down to look at the clothes in Morgyn’s lap. Ezio had good taste, and knew what Morgyn looked good in, but that wasn’t surprising. Nobody knew Morgyn better than Ezio did. Just like no one knew Ezio better than Morgyn did.

“What are you so afraid of, Ezio?” Morgyn asked softly.

Ezio glanced at the blond, and then shrugged. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“Is it?” Morgyn asked. “Or do you just really wish it was, so you don’t have to deal with it?”

Ezio released a breath, looking at the wall. “It’s not -“

“Ezio, I just… you love him,” Morgyn said. “And he loves you.”

“I know that,” Ezio said, softly. “I’m dying, Morgyn. That’s all there is to it.” Ezio moved towards the door. Morgyn reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Ezio, you’re not dead yet,” Morgyn said, green eyes looking up at him, begging him to think about it beyond just he was dying. “No matter what happens, you know it’ll hurt him, a lot, to lose you. I’m just saying maybe you should talk things out, before it’s too late. So you don’t…” Morgyn hesitated a moment, glancing down at the floor. “… don’t go and leave behind regrets and might’ve beens. Ezio, I love you, okay? And I want you to be happy, not just not unhappy, you know? I don’t think you ever have been.”

Ezio released a sigh, turning his wrist around and taking Morgyn’s hand in his. “Of course I am,” he said. “I have you, I have so many friends, I’m chasing my dreams. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

Morgyn’s eyebrows raised, the blond’s head tilting to one side. “Are you chasing your dreams?” Morgyn asked. “Or do they just sound good enough to pretend they’re your dreams?”

Ezio’s eyes widened just a fraction, and then narrowed again. Then, he reached down with his other hand, patted the back of Morgyn’s, and walked away. “You still need a shower,” he said.

Morgyn released a sigh. Of course. He was right, though. Morgyn’s head shook slightly, and the blond stood up, and shuffled for the bathroom.

* * *

Ezio hadn’t wasted much time after Morgyn got out of the shower. He came over with a whole box of makeup, a jar of coconut oil and several combs, and an array of headbands. Maybe he really had been waiting for this day, with makeup options and shiny, glittering things. Morgyn didn’t think they were going anywhere notably fancy, but then this was Caleb they were talking about. He didn’t tend to half-ass much, and that was part of what made Morgyn like him in the first place. The fact he treated the blond like a person helped a lot, too.

Wordlessly, Ezio sat Morgyn down on the floor in front of a chair, and he went to combing coconut oil through blond waves. Their hair didn’t tangle as easily as for some, such as those that had curls, but their hair was somewhat thin, and textured enough to break easily when brushing it. Ezio had eventually discovered that coconut oil helped the tangles slide out without pulling too hard on the hair strands and breaking them. It also did a decent job in taming the frizz.

Morgyn silently read a book while Ezio worked, and then switched to watching the wall and working through a soda after Ezio told the blond to go get dressed. Ezio meticulously did Morgyn’s makeup, going for strong reds and elegant eyeliner, something not too flashy, but more flashy than usual. Morgyn was a bit of a show-off sometimes, and Ezio knew it all too well. Eventually, Ezio slid one of the sparkly gold headbands beneath Morgyn’s hair, smiled to himself, and backed away.

“Absolutely perfect,” he said, quietly admiring his work.

Morgyn’s eyebrows raised slightly, and the blond turned around to look in the floor mirror behind them. Morgyn instantly drew a breath of surprise in. “Oh, wow…” Morgyn said, barely a whisper.

“You look fantastic,” Ezio said, trying to sound reassuring.

“It’s not too much?” Morgyn asked.

“Oh come on,” Ezio answered. “If Caleb can’t handle you like this then he doesn’t deserve you otherwise. Besides, you look fantastic, it’s not too much at all. You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t really red.”

Morgyn let out a huffing laugh. “I guess so, yeah,” Morgyn replied. “Thank you. For helping with this, I know you’ve got other things to do.”

“Never too much that I can’t find time for you,” Ezio answered, smiling.

As Morgyn stared into the mirror, though, the less the blond thought this was a good idea. What was the blond doing, saying yes, anyway? Caleb could do way better than a date with Morgyn of all people, though admittedly he didn’t seem to have any interest in anyone else. And there was that thing where Caleb was still interested in Morgyn, in general, for starters, even after the blond had transitioned. That meant something, didn’t it? It was hard for Morgyn to know what it meant, unless the blond asked, but just like how Morgyn couldn’t ask Ezio if there were times that Ezio resented the blond, it was likely to be impossible to ask Caleb what that meant.

If Morgyn stopped thinking about it, and felt, instead, maybe the blond already knew, anyway.

“I can’t do this,” Morgyn decided, turning back around and heading for the bathroom.

“What?” Ezio asked, blinking. He stood up and went to follow, and then scurried around in front of Morgyn, blocking the way to the door. “You can’t just decide you’re not doing this now!”

“Yes I can,” Morgyn answered. “I can, and I did, and I’ll just have to call Caleb and apologise and make up some excuses that include a fabricated aunt May.”

Ezio’s expression flattened. “We don’t have an aunt May, and Caleb knows that, idiot.”

Morgyn huffed. “Then I’ll come up with something else, I just, I can’t! I can’t.”

“And why is that?” Ezio asked, arms crossing over his chest.

“What if I forget how to speak Simlish, and and all my grace goes away, and I accidentally do magic in public and what if something happens and you need me or L and Simeon do, or or something else really terrible happens, you know there are about 17 meteorites a day that manage to reach the planet’s surface, that’s a significant number -“

“Morgyn, stop it,” Ezio said, reaching out and taking Morgyn’s shoulders. “You’re being overly dramatic for nothing. Everything will be just fine.”

“You don’t know that,” Morgyn said.

“Yes I do,” Ezio answered. “If I need anything, Drake is here, okay, so’s Lilith, it’ll be fine. L and Simeon can handle things on their own too, and you won’t forget Simlish. If you do magic in public, oh well, and if you lose your grace and get clumsy, I think Caleb would just find that cute and maybe a little reassurance in the fact you’re not infallible either. Come on, you know he’s going to be nervous too, it’ll be okay. Just you and Caleb, like always, only this time with candlelight and romantic music maybe.”

Morgyn loosed a loud whinge. That didn’t help! Except, it sort of did, now that Morgyn thought about it. “You really think he’ll be nervous too?” Morgyn asked.

“Of course,” Ezio answered. “Jeez, have you seen yourself recently, I mean, you walk in and just about anybody’d get nervous. You’ll probably make the entire place nervous.”

Morgyn snorted in amusement. “Yeah?” the blond asked.

“Yeah,” Ezio answered. “Because their date can’t stop looking and for that matter, neither can they, now, come on, deep breaths.” Ezio straightened up, taking a deep breath in. Morgyn looked unsure but followed his lead, as he counted the seconds. The breathing exercises helped, and Morgyn knew it, they’d done these together before when Morgyn couldn’t figure out how to overcome the anxiety over whatever thing it was this time.

It was always Ezio saving Morgyn.

“Sorry,” Morgyn said, eventually, quiet.

“Hey,” Ezio said, leaning to the side to look at the blond. “This is what I’m here for.”

Morgyn started to answer, but knocking on the door interrupted. Morgyn’s arms raised, pulling against the blond’s body as the nerves came back and Morgyn’s heart leapt into the sage’s throat. Oh gosh it was time already?!

“No,” Ezio said, “Morgyn, breathe. Come on, you were doing good. And maybe it’s just Geeta anyway.”

Well, she sure did seem to complain about just about everything, Morgyn had to admit. Ezio turned around, opened the door, and went to the entryway. Morgyn nudged the door mostly closed, listening from the other side.

“Hey, don’t you look sharp,” Ezio said as he opened the door.

“Thanks,” Caleb’s voice answered. “Morgyn’s about ready, right?”

“Sure is,” Ezio replied. “In fact, should be out here in just a minute.” His tone made it sound like it was a hint. Morgyn still couldn’t quite go out there. “You kids be back before two in the morning, now.”

Caleb snorted. “Yeah, probably a good idea, or we’ll get the Rasoyas on our butts again.”

“Just a second, I’ll go let Morgyn know you’re here,” Ezio said. He left the front door open, but he shuffled back to the bedroom and gently nudged the door out of the way, like he knew Morgyn was behind it. Maybe he did. “Come on.”

“I can’t,” Morgyn whispered. “Just tell him I got sick or something.”

“Morgyn, I’m not lying for you,” Ezio answered, his tone quiet. “Remember what I said. Deep breaths. Everything will be fine.”

“What if it’s not?”

“Believe in the me that believes in you,” Ezio replied.

Morgyn went quiet. That was unexpected a response, somehow, and the blond wasn’t sure what to do with it. “Do you really?” Morgyn asked.

“Of course I do,” Ezio said, peeking around the door. “Morgyn, remember what I said when the All chose you? You were scared then, too, but you got through it, and you’ll get through this.”

I believe in you, Morgyn. I always have, and I always will. That was what he’d said. Morgyn couldn’t forget it, even if the blond tried.

Morgyn took a breath in, held it, and then released it. And, moved the door out of the way. Ezio smiled, turning and shuffling into the living room, and Morgyn went to the door, stepping out and closing it behind.

“Oh, wow,” Caleb said, barely breathing, from across the hall where he’d wandered to. He moved over to Morgyn, though, one hand reaching out to take one of Morgyn’s.

“Is that good?” Morgyn asked softly.

“I… I, yeah, I just – wow. I feel a little underdressed. You… look amazing, but you always seem to.” Caleb got lost for a moment, and then suddenly remembered something. “Oh! Right, uh, this is… for you.” Caleb reached into his jacket shirt pocket, a nice looking blazer with roses on one shoulder, and pulled out a single red rose.

“Oh…” Morgyn smiled, reaching over to take the rose. “Thank you,” Morgyn said, turning the flower around in one hand.

“You’re welcome,” Caleb answered. “Well, we’d better get going, or we’ll be late.” Caleb turned his head back slightly, letting Morgyn’s hand go and holding his arm out.

Morgyn smiled even more, and wordlessly looped an arm through Caleb’s.

* * *

Caleb had interesting tastes. He’d made a reservation at a relatively fancy and slightly expensive restaurant up at the top of one of the towers in San Myshuno. The view was absolutely breathtaking, and more than once, Morgyn had gone over to the edge of the restaurant just to stare out across the water. Caleb had been amused by it, mostly, but it did make ensuring the blond’s butt was in the seat when the server came back with their orders a little bit difficult.

But otherwise, it’d gone off without a hitch. No notably sized meteorites had crashed into the planet, Drake hadn’t called in a panic because Ezio was having a heart attack, L and Simeon didn’t seem to need anything either. Neither of them turned green, no magic had been done on accident, and Morgyn hadn’t forgotten how to speak Simlish.

Ezio was right. It was just Morgyn and Caleb, only with candle- and starlight this time.

At the end of it, they made their way back to the Spice Market, hand in hand. Morgyn had taken the time to freeze the rose in magic, so that it wouldn’t wither away. Caleb had already thought to break off the thorns. Morgyn had taken the time to magically heal the wounds that left behind in the stem.

Unconsciously, as they walked, Morgyn’s head rested against Caleb’s shoulder.

“You sure don’t do things half-assed,” Morgyn said, turning the rose around in one hand.

Caleb smiled. “I try not to,” he said. “At least, not things that matter to me.”

Not things that mattered to him, huh? Morgyn found it hard to believe this was that important, but in hindsight, of course, Caleb always seemed to place Morgyn above a lot of things. The blond wondered why that was, and, like several other things by now, found it was something too scary to ask about.

“You had a good time, right?” Caleb asked, looking over at Morgyn.

The blond blinked once, and then smiled. “Of course I did. If nothing else, one of my favourite people was there.”

Caleb smiled, looking away and back at the direction they were walking. “Maybe you’ll be up to doing it again sometime?” Caleb asked.

“I would,” Morgyn answered. “But maybe next time we should do something a little less fancy. … or I need to wear something besides heels.”

Caleb laughed softly. “You look great in heels,” he said.

“Yeah, but they’re a little painful to walk on after a point,” Morgyn said, stopping momentarily to raise one foot and move the ankle around. On second thought, though, they weren’t at the restaurant anymore, the snow had finally melted away, though one couldn’t call it warm just yet, and it was just them. With that in mind, Morgyn tucked the rose behind one ear, reached down and pulled one shoe off, and then the other. They dangled from one hand by their straps, as Morgyn went back to walking alongside Caleb.

“Maybe we’ll do something else next time anyway,” Caleb said. “Like a movie or something like that.”

“Oooh, movies could be fun,” Morgyn said. “There’s a new horror flick out that I’ve been wanting to see, I hear it’s hilarious.”

“Horror flick?” Caleb asked.

“What?” … Oh, right. “It’s okay, you can cling to my arm if it makes you feel better.”

Caleb made a face, and then shook his head and released a sigh. “If you’re okay with it, I guess that’s fine.”

“We’ll catch a rom-com another time to make up for it,” Morgyn said, looking over at him as they walked.

“Fair trade then,” Caleb decided, and the two walked in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. That is, until Morgyn heard something.

It sounded like running water. And for some reason, that sounded like the best idea in the world. Maybe because Morgyn was impulsive, and everything sounded like the best idea in the world when it first came to mind. The blond grinned, let Caleb go, and took off running towards the sound of the water. Closer proximity revealed a set of sprinklers watering a darkened lawn, and Morgyn ran straight into it, squealing with a child-like delight that was probably very unbecoming, but hell, it was just Caleb and Morgyn cared what Caleb thought, but also wasn’t afraid of what Caleb thought.

“Morgyn, holy crap, it’s freezing!” Caleb shouted.

“It is not!” Morgyn answered. “It’s just cold!”

“That’s not the point!”

“Come here, the water’s great!” Morgyn cried, twirling around in circles on the tips of the blond’s toes. The water from the grass and the sprinklers soaked into the blond’s skirt and managed to pull the blouse down heavier around Morgyn’s shoulders, sticking blond waves to pale skin, and for some reason, Morgyn was absolutely elated. Maybe because Caleb had finally asked Morgyn out on a date, and Morgyn had said yes, and it was probably the best date Morgyn had ever been on in the blond’s entire life.

“I’m not going in there, this suit is expensive!” Caleb answered.

“I can fix it with magic, just come here!”

“No!”

“Fine,” Morgyn decided, dropping the blond’s heels in the grass, and then Morgyn went over to Caleb, grabbed his hands and pulled him towards the sprinklers.

“No, no, seriously!” Caleb protested, but he didn’t have it in him to fight Morgyn too hard, and soon enough, he, too, was becoming quite soaked. He looked unamused, but then grinned at Morgyn.

“Oh no,” Morgyn whispered, backing up.

Caleb kicked his shoes off next to Morgyn’s, and then lunged at the blond.

“AAH!” Morgyn squealed, rocketing off across the grass.

Caleb almost fell over, but redirected just in time and took off after Morgyn, and there they were, centuries old idiots, chasing each other around a wet lawn in spring, and Morgyn couldn’t say the blond didn’t love every second of it. Morgyn had to redirect several times so Caleb didn’t actually catch the blond, he was faster than he looked like he should be (probably thanks to vampirism). Then, with a great roar and a lunge, Caleb caught Morgyn around the waist, and they both went thunk into the wet grass.

Morgyn couldn’t stop laughing. This was the most fun the blond had had in a long time now, and Morgyn shimmied around and tried to crawl out of Caleb’s grasp, but his grip was too tight. Caleb reached up and took hold of the blond’s wrists, and pinned Morgyn against the grass.

“Nooo! You got meeee!” Morgyn squeaked. “Someday, I’ll figure out how to outrun you, I will!”

“Someday,” Caleb answered, laughing. “But that day is not today.”

Morgyn huffed, breathing hard, trying to figure out where the blond’s ability to breathe had gone. Maybe it’d fallen off somewhere in the grass. Green eyes looked up and met grey. Caleb wasn’t exactly panting the same way, but he still seemed to be a bit short of breath. The moonlight made the water in his hair shimmer and sparkle, and just slightly, there was a glimmer of pale light in his eyes.

And even as Morgyn panted for air, the blond forgot how to breathe. Gods, sometimes Morgyn forgot how beautiful he was, and then he was hovering over the blond, soaked in sprinkler water in moonlight.

Morgyn stared for a moment, and then slipped one hand out from Caleb’s grasp – the vampire didn’t hold it – to reach up and brush against Caleb’s cheek. And Morgyn would’ve sat up just enough that their lips met, but at the last second, Caleb turned away. Morgyn stopped, confused, and Caleb stood up. The vampire reached down to pull Morgyn back onto the blond’s feet. The sprinklers stopped, and just like that, the moment was gone.

“It’s one thirty,” Caleb said softly. “I should get you home, or your brother might kill me.”

“He was teasing,” Morgyn said.

“I know,” Caleb answered. “But I’m not a kiss on the first date kind of guy, and you’re worth more than that.” Caleb turned and then shuffled across the lawn, going to retrieve their shoes. And Morgyn smiled.

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