…..*…..*….*…
The hallway was silent, save for the rhythmic patter of the rain and the heavy, hitched breathing of two souls who had been separated by the weight of a universe. Kaelan pulled back just an inch from the hug, his face a disaster of red, puffed up eyes and tear streaked cheeks. The bitter chill of the alleyway was being fought back by the sudden, intense radiating heat of the seed in his belly, which was now singing in recognition of its father.
Kaelan looked at Ignis's battered, arrogant face,the face of the man who had ruined his life and then sacrificed everything to save it. A surge of livid affection and lingering trauma rose up in him.
Smack.
It wasn't a hard blow, but a playful, stinging smack to Ignis's cheek.
"That's for being a narcissistic martyr," Kaelan rasped, his voice cracking. "And for making me think I was going crazy for five years. I hate you. I hope your next meal is perpetually lukewarm. I hope you step on a very sharp Lego every day for the next century."
Ignis didn't flinch. He actually let out a dry, wheezing chuckle, his golden eyes flickering with a dim but unmistakable excitement. "Is that all? I've had... five years of lightning... that felt softer than your hand, my cat."
"Shut up," Kaelan snapped, though he was already Hooking Ignis's good arm over his shoulder. "We're going upstairs. If you bleed on my new rug, I'm throwing you back into the void."
The trek up to the apartment was an exercise in exhaustion. Ignis was dead weight, his power so restricted that he moved like a mortal man made of lead. Kaelan, despite his own sickness and the small bump that seemed to expand the slightest bit more the moment they crossed the threshold, hauled him inside.
Kaelan didn't call Tamsin. He didn't call the police. He dragged Ignis straight into the bathroom.
The light was harsh, reflecting off the white tiles and highlighting every unhealed wound on Ignis's body. Kaelan felt a fresh wave of nausea—not from the pregnancy, but from the sight of the King so broken. He reached out, his fingers trembling as he began to unbutton the rags of Ignis's shirt.
"I'm only doing this because I don't want a ghost haunting my bathroom," Kaelan muttered, his sharp tongue losing its edge as he saw the deep, jagged scars on Ignis's chest. "I still hate you. I still think you're a scaly disaster."
"I know," Ignis whispered, leaning his head back against the cool tile. "Your hate is...the most honest thing I've ever owned."
Kaelan turned on the shower, testing the water until it was warm. He helped Ignis into the stall, sitting him on a small stool. With a sponge and gentle soap, Kaelan began to wash away the grime of the Deep Wells. He was meticulous, his movements soft despite his furious words. As the blood and soot swirled down the drain, Kaelan felt a strange sensation,a clicking into place. The missing part of him that had been gone for five years was finally back. He didn't feel like a hollow vessel anymore. he felt tethered.
As he worked, a faint, golden glow began to emanate from the seed in Kaelan's belly. It acted like a battery, feeding a tiny trickle of energy back into Ignis. It was enough. With a sickening crack and a low groan of pain, Ignis's broken arm set itself, the bone knitting together under his skin as his power flickered back to life, however weakly.
An hour later, Ignis was wrapped in Kaelan's oversized bathrobe, sitting on the edge of the bed while Kaelan bandaged the remaining cuts. The apartment smelled of peppermint and antiseptic.
The silence between them was a slow burn, no longer filled with the screaming of the Oubliette, but with a heavy, contemplative weight.
"Kaelan," Ignis said softly, reaching out with his newly healed hand to touch the dragon earring on Kaelan's ear. It hummed to life, a low, vibrant purr of possessive affection.
Kaelan didn't pull away. He just looked at his lap, his black ears drooping slightly. "What?"
"The Heavens wanted to erase me from you," Ignis murmured. "And I... I was a monster when I met you. I took what I wanted because I was a King, and I didn't know how to be anything else. I didn't realize that a fierce spirit like yours isn't something to be conquered. It's something to be... cherished."
Kaelan looked up, his puffed up eyes meeting Ignis's gold. "You were a narcissistic prick, Ignis. You made me a target. You put...this... inside me without asking." He gestured to the small bump.
"I know," Ignis said, his voice full of a rare, quiet humility. "And I cannot take back the five years of silence. But I am here now. My power is mostly gone, my throne is a memory, and I am just...a man in your bathrobe."
He leaned forward, his face inches from Kaelan's. "Can we start over? No more 's*x' by force. No more kidnapping. I want to earn the right to hear you moan my name without a curse following it. Will you give me...one more chance? A real first chance?"
Kaelan bit his lip, his short temper struggling against the warmth blooming in his chest. He thought about the empty bed for five years. He thought about how the seed only felt happy when Ignis was near.
"I'm not going to make it easy," Kaelan whispered, his sharp tongue finally softening into a genuine, jaded promise. "You're going to have to learn how to do the dishes. You're going to have to learn that I don't care if you're a King,if you're late for dinner, you're sleeping on the sofa. And if you ever...ever... pull a stunt like the Oubliette again, I'll find a way to kill you myself."
Ignis's smirk returned, not the arrogant one from before, but a soft, grateful one. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Kaelan sighed, leaning his forehead against Ignis's shoulder. "Fine. One more chance. But I still hate you, you idiotic lizard."
"I love you too, my cat," Ignis whispered, pulling him into a gentle, slow embrace.
In the quiet of the apartment, the seed finally stopped pulsing with anxiety and settled into a peaceful, rhythmic glow. This fucking lizard is tempting me isn't he?!. Kaelan clenched his fist behind ignis's back .