It had been…easy.
Which was the dangerous part.
Back in the present, Red dragged a hand over his mouth, trying to smooth away the memory before it softened him too much.
“You’re weaponizing animated musicals now?” he asked.
Kit’s eyes sparkled. “You loved it.”
“I tolerated it.”
“You sang along.”
“I did not.”
“You knew the words to the snack song.”
Red exhaled through his nose, losing the fight with his smile. The room still felt like a temporary thing, not their’s, and definitely not safe, but Kit standing there, hopeful and infuriating and calling himDaddylike it meant something, made it feel almost…normal.
“Fine,” Red said, dropping onto the couch with all the resignation of a man accepting his fate. “But if you start quoting life lessons at me, I’m turning it off.”
Kit flopped down beside him, shoulder bumping Red’s arm like he belonged there. “You’re the one who cried when they all hugged.”
“I had dust in my eye.”
“You had feelings.”
“Don’t spread lies about me.”
Kit laughed, bright and warm, and for a moment, the past forty-eight hours didn’t matter. The danger they didn’t really understand was unimportant. It was just the two of them, and a ridiculous movie and a memory that had snuck up on Red and taken root somewhere he didn’t want to examine too closely.
Wicked boy, he thought again, but there was no heat in it now—only something softer, something he was still trying very hard not to name.
Somewhere during the movie, Red realized Kit was now snuggled against his chest, his thumb in his mouth, and Redheld him close, fingers tangled in his hair. He wasn’t sure when that happened.
He looked down at Kit. “Are you awake.”
From the mumbling and sucking noises, he assumed that was a yes.
“Are you watching the movie?”
“Comfy.” Kit sighed and pressed his face into Red’s chest.
That was a no, then, but as Red was pretty comfortable too, he stayed where he was, caressing Kit’s hair.
At some point, something buzzed against Red’s butt. He cranked open one eyelid and realized he’d fallen asleep. From the chirruping noises, Kit was also napping. The movie had finished, unwatched by either of them. Red was sure Kit would make him watch Trolls again. They’d have to move soon and go to bed, but he was in no hurry.
Then his ass cheek vibrated and he realized it was his phone. He dug around, trying to extract his phone and not disturb Kit.
“Yeah?” he grunted.
“Everything okay? You didn’t check in,” Jace said.
Red sighed. He was going to catch heat for that somewhere down the line. “Sorry, we fell asleep watching TV.”
“No worries.”
Red blinked and tried to clear the fog in his brain. He felt like hammered shit. “Are you here?”
