“Jasper hasto learn to trust people,” Anton says as he hands me a fresh set of lounging garb from the dresser. “His reticence will only make Kit pull further away because he continues to get only pieces of the picture.”
I tug on the comfy skort I designed from the original athletic gear I was given, then I add the tee shirt. I usually cover a bit more, just in case the scales appear. However, since KK met my snake, he’s been a lot less willing to stay under a basket. Annie is waiting for my response, so I turn away from the mirror to face him. “I agree, but we both know that getting Jasper Eversore to doanythinghe’s not ready for is like pulling teeth from a fucking hellhound.”
My mate chuckles as he finishes stripping, then bends to find his own sweats. I modified his as well, though not to be as frilly as my own. Anton likes things to fit to his form, falling in precise lines to show his body in detail. That’s not about being vain as much as his need for definition and sharplines in everything from his art to the way our bed is made. I’ve never minded his ‘quirks’, but in my research into what humans diagnose in one another, I’ve found a great deal of information about the way his mind works.
I’m far from qualified to be putting a label on him—and even if I were, I wouldn’t—but I believe I’ve figured out new strategies for helping my love function optimally.
“Did you mess with my clothes?” he asks as he looks at his reflection thoughtfully.
I nod, padding closer to wrap my arms around his waist from behind. Setting my chin on his shoulder, I murmur, “Yes. Do you like my alterations?”
“Very much,” he says as his eyes skate over the image in the glass. “This is… more satisfying than any casual wear I’ve owned thus far. I don’t feel… like I’m wearing the wrong skin.”
Beaming brightly, I kiss his cheek, then let go. “That’s exactly what I was aiming at. I’m pleased that it worked.”
Anton tilts his head as he turns away from the dresser. “What made you decide to do this? I didn’t even mention that these things were bothering me, X.”
Now it’s my turn to flush that tantalizing crimson. “I was reading the books about human psychology that we got to try to understand Kit. There were things in them I was able to recognize in myself, then in all the members of our caliphate. Once I recognized certain traits and behaviors, I sort of just… extrapolated? If it didn’t work, I would have had them replaced, obviously.”
Annie licks his lips, his mouth quiet, but the expression on his face tells me that his mind is racing. He finally speaks, his eyes earnest. “Will you do the same to the rest of my uniform items? I believe it will increase my ability to focus in classes and effectively optimize my emotional state.”
One thing I’ve learned over the centuries? When he talks like a robot, it’s because he has too much emotion to process it quickly enough to respond to people.
“Absolutely.” I tilt my head and hold my hand out. “Are we ready to face the circus?”
He nods, smoothing his hands over the tailored clothes, then takes my outstretched palm. “Yes, Ibelieve I am.”
I don’t make a big deal of his obvious overwhelm; he will be okay in a bit when he’s had time to let his brain run whatever mental hoops it needs to. With our hands linked, I pull him out the door and down the hall to Salem’s room, knocking lightly. There’s a muffled curse from behind the door, then I hear another door shut before heavy footsteps come to yank the impediment open.
“What?!”
Anton blinks at Salem as if he’s lost his mind, and I don’t blame him. Salem is rarely so brusque, and he’s glaring at us like we weren’t supposed to be here. I clear my throat, looking at the panda demon curiously as I say, “We’re here for dinner, not late, and with unpolished knobs, man.”
My joke hits as intended and the big chef is silent for a second before he bursts out laughing. The sudden flip in attitude is a bit jarring, but his eyes are dancing with amusement when he says, “Fuck, man. You hit the nail on the goddamn head. My bad…. come in and make yourselves at home.”
I share a confused look with Annie, but we file in to find our usual seats. There are drinks placed beside them as if someone was already preparing for company, but KK is nowhere to be found. “Uh, where’s Kit? Is he okay?”
Salem whips around from his position at the counter, his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘is he okay’? Of course he’s okay. I’m not a jackass.”
Huh?
“I mean, after the big reveals and theories and stuff? That had to be really hard to take in all at once,” I reply carefully. The laid back demon is weirdly ping-ponging between various emotions, and I’m simply not sure what to do to prevent him from getting all pissy.
“Oh.” The panda runs his hand through his messy, two-toned hair as his posture relaxes. “Well, he changed and came out for a few to help, then he went back in to, uh, get some shit for our discussion. You know how he likes to take notes and shit.”
Anton nods. “He does. Kit is very much like Zavida and I with having his things organized in a specific fashion. I would venture that, also like me, it is a calming influence.”
That’s putting it mildly.
“I’m here; don’t worry,” Kat says as she comes out of the bedroom in her baggy sweats with Dottie and her tablet in tow. She looks a little rumpledand her eyes are a bit glassy… she might have been crying—which I can’t blame her for if it’s the case. This shit just keeps piling up on her and she’s really doing the best she can not to break.
Frowning, I ask, “Are you okay, though? You look…. frazzled.”
Her face heats again as her eyes dart to the kitchen. Salem is facing the oven as he fiddles with dials and I arch a brow. KK ignores my questioning look, walking over to place her tech in the chair before she gives me a crooked smile. “It was a difficult evening, but I think I’m doing better now. Salem and I have been getting things ready for you guys and that helped a lot.”
The puffy-chested smirk our chef has on his face as he turns is a dead giveaway. “I’m very soothing. Someone write that down for when Jas says shit about me.”
Somehow, I don’t think that’s the important information here, bro.
