"We can do that?"he asked, relaxing even more.His head was even resting on my arm.
I nodded."It's our ceremony, we can do whatever we want."
"A cake made out of tuna?"Balthazar suggested, his voice holding a note of hope.
That made me laugh."I don't think that would be tasty for me."
"But I would like it."
I risked giving him a slow stroke all along his back."How about cakeandtuna?"
"I like the sound of that."He settled even more in my arms and a suspicious rumbling came from his throat that sounded a lot like purring.
We were cuddling.Our very first cuddle!
I wanted to dance but that would risk unsettling my familiar and put an end to this lovely moment.
Balthazar looked up at me."What else can we do for the ceremony?Can we have a motorbike?"
"I don't know how to ride a motorbike," I replied, wondering if I should change that.
"That's a shame.Viktor was very good at riding a motorbike.I liked riding with him."
"We can ride to the ceremony on my bike?"
"Bikes are...acceptable," he deemed.
I had not expected that answer but I was pleasantly surprised by it.It confirmed that he had secretly been enjoying our time together, even if he would obviously deny it.If someone asked, he probably would say he had agreed to be my familiar out of pity.
A bit of courage sparked in my stomach as I kept stroking his back."Do you want to wear anything special for the ceremony?I noticed you've not worn your new bow tie yet.Is it wrong?"
His purring stopped."It's...fine."
"But?"
He sat up and seemed to realise that we were cuddling because he shot me a dirty look as if I somehow tricked him into this.I didn't say anything, just let him jump out of my arms and back onto the counter.That was going to need a good wipe to get rid of whatever Balthazar had tracked in from his nightly adventures.
Balthazar pawed at his current bow tie."Viktor gave this one to me.I promised I would never take it off."
So it was as I suspected.This was his only link with Viktor and I'd tried to get rid of it.That was a foolish mistake on my part.
I crouched down so my face was level with his."You don't have to take this one off if you don't want to.Viktor was precious to you and I'm not trying to erase him or the bond you two had.I'm sorry if I made you feel pressured."
He hummed."Okay."
"How about I modify the new bow tie so you can wear it together with your old bow tie?Would that be acceptable?"I asked, knowing exactly who I could ask to help me with a project like that.Faye's love for costume making was going to come
"Twobow ties?"Balthazar rolled his yellow eyes up in thought."That's a lot of bow ties."
"More is always better."
He sat for a bit, contemplating while I finished putting the cakes away before he lost his composure again and tried to take a bite out of one.
After a while, he slowly nodded."More tuna is better.More cake is better.More bow ties must be better too."
That was such adorable logic and I couldn't argue with it, especially because it had given me the answer I needed.If I was going to win Balthazar's heart, I'd have to remember that I would be sharing it with Viktor.It was a little daunting to think about navigating such a delicate situation but I wasn't scared.
Balthazar was worth it.
