Few Days Later
The doorbell rings at exactly two PM, which is suspicious because none of us were expecting visitors.
I'm on the floor playing with Lily—dangling a feather toy while she attacks it with the kind of dedication that would be impressive if she wasn't the size of my hand—when Keith goes to answer the door.
"SURPRISE!"
Naomi's voice carries through the entire apartment.
Lily's ears perk up at the sound and she abandons the toy to investigate this new, exciting noise.
"Naomi?" Keith sounds confused but pleased. "What are you doing here?"
"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by! Also, I brought snacks." A pause. "Can I come in or are we doing this in the hallway?"
"Right, sorry. Come in."
Footsteps approach and then Naomi appears in the living room, arms full of shopping bags, grinning widely.
"Hi, Cecil! Hi, Dylan!" She sets down the bags and then freezes. "Oh my god. Is that a kitten?"
Lily, hearing another new voice, immediately makes her way over to investigate.
Naomi drops to her knees. "Oh my god, she's so tiny. She's perfect. What's her name?"
"Lily," I say, smiling at Naomi's enthusiasm.
"Lily," Naomi repeats reverently, holding out her hand for Lily to sniff. "Hi, Lily. Hi, sweet baby. Aren't you the cutest thing in the entire world?"
Lily, clearly recognizing a kindred spirit, immediately rubs her face against Naomi's hand and starts purring.
"She likes you," Dylan observes from where he's sitting on the couch.
"Of course she does. I'm very likeable." Naomi gently scoops Lily up and Lily immediately curls into her arms like she's always belonged there. "Oh no. Oh no, I'm in love with her."
Keith laughs. "That was fast."
"Look at her!" Naomi holds Lily up like she's presenting evidence. "She's perfect! How could I not fall in love immediately?"
"She is pretty great," I admit.
"Pretty great? She's incredible. She's magnificent. She's—" Naomi pauses. "Can I stay over tonight?"
All three of us blink at her.
"You want to stay over?" Dylan asks carefully.
"Yes. I need more time with Lily. Laura's boyfriend is still at our place and I cannot deal with their lovey-dovey nonsense anymore. Plus, Lily." She cuddles the kitten closer. "Mostly Lily."
"You're welcome to stay," Keith says, glancing at Dylan and me for confirmation.
I nod. Dylan does too.
"Perfect!" Naomi beams. "Where am I sleeping?"
"Keith's old room is set up as a guest room now," Dylan says. "You can take that."
"Can Lily sleep with me?"
I hesitate. Lily usually sleeps in my room, in her bed or sometimes on my chest when she's being particularly clingy.
But Naomi is looking at me with such hopeful eyes, and Lily seems perfectly content in her arms, and...
"Sure," I say. "She can sleep with you."
"YES!" Naomi practically bounces with excitement. "Did you hear that, Lily? We're having a sleepover!"
Lily mews in response, which Naomi apparently interprets as agreement.
---
Naomi spends the rest of the afternoon completely absorbed in Lily.
She feeds her (with my supervision). Plays with her (with increasing enthusiasm). Takes approximately three hundred photos (I'm not exaggerating, I watched her).
At one point she video calls her mother to show off Lily, and I hear Nalani's delighted laughter through the phone.
"She's precious, sweetie! Are you going to get one now?"
"Maybe. I need to see if I'm responsible enough first. This is like a test run."
By evening, Lily is completely exhausted from all the attention and passes out in Naomi's arms during dinner.
"She's so peaceful," Naomi whispers, like she's afraid of waking her.
"She had a big day," Dylan says, amused.
"The biggest day. So much playing and exploring and being adorable." Naomi carefully stands. "I'm going to put her to bed. In my room. For our sleepover."
She disappears down the hallway, still cradling Lily like she's made of glass.
Keith watches her go, then turns to me with a grin. "She literally stole your cat."
"She didn't steal her. I gave her permission."
"You gave in to the puppy dog eyes."
"They were very effective puppy dog eyes."
Dylan's lips twitch. "So. Lily's sleeping in Naomi's room tonight."
"Looks like it."
"Which means your room will be very quiet."
I hadn't actually thought about that.
I've gotten so used to Lily's presence—her soft breathing, her occasional middle-of-the-night mewing, the way she sometimes climbs onto my chest and purrs directly in my face until I wake up.
The thought of sleeping without her is... strange.
"I'm sure I'll survive one night," I say.
Keith and Dylan exchange a look.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing," Keith says innocently.
"You're both being weird again."
"We're not being weird," Dylan says, but he's smiling.
Suspicious.
---
I'm getting ready for bed around ten PM when there's a knock on my door.
"Come in."
Keith and Dylan enter, both already in pajamas.
"Hi," Keith says.
"Hi?"
"We thought we'd sleep in here tonight," Dylan continues.
"Okay?" That's not unusual. We've been rotating rooms pretty regularly.
They both settle onto my bed—Keith on the left, Dylan on the right, leaving space for me in the middle.
I climb in between them, and immediately notice the difference.
It's quiet.
Really quiet.
No soft purring. No tiny paws kneading my chest. No whiskers tickling my face.
Just... silence.
And Keith and Dylan, both watching me with expressions I can't quite read.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Very okay," Keith says.
Dylan's arm comes around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. "We can finally have you for ourselves."
My breath catches.
Keith shifts closer, his hand coming up to cup my face. His thumb traces along my cheekbone, and his eyes are dark in the dim light.
"We've been very patient," he murmurs.
"Sharing you with a kitten," Dylan adds, his breath warm against my neck.
"Being good."
"Waiting."
My heart is hammering. "Waiting for what?"
Keith leans in, his lips brushing against mine—soft, teasing. "For this."
He kisses me properly then, and it's different from the previous times. More intent. More focused.
Like he's been holding back and has finally decided to stop.
Dylan's lips find my neck, pressing gentle kisses along the sensitive skin there.
I make a sound—something between a gasp and a whimper—and Keith smiles against my mouth.
"Is this okay?" he asks quietly, pulling back just enough to look at me.
My brain is struggling to form coherent thoughts.
"We can stop," Dylan adds, his hands stilling on my waist. "Just say the word."
"No," I manage. "Don't stop."
Keith's smile widens. "Good."
He kisses me again, deeper this time, while Dylan continues his exploration of my neck.
I'm caught between them—Keith's lips on mine, Dylan's warmth at my back, both of them surrounding me completely.
"We've been wanting to do this," Keith murmurs between kisses. "For so long."
"But Lily always needed you," Dylan continues. "Always had timing."
"Terrible timing," Keith agrees.
"The worst."
Their coordinated teasing would be annoying if I could focus enough to be annoyed.
But I can't.
Because Keith's hand is sliding into my hair, tilting my head for better access.
Because Dylan's lips have found that spot behind my ear that makes me shiver.
Because I'm overwhelmed and breathless and completely theirs.
"Beautiful," Keith whispers, and the word sends warmth through my entire body.
"Perfect," Dylan adds against my skin. "You're perfect, baby."
The nicknames—combined with the attention, the touches, the complete focus they're giving me—it's almost too much.
"Keith. Dylan. I—"
"Shh." Keith's thumb traces my lower lip. "Just let us take care of you."
"We've got you," Dylan promises.
And they do.
They absolutely do.
Keith kisses me like he's trying to memorize every sound I make.
Dylan holds me like I'm something precious that might slip away if he loosens his grip.
And I let them.
Let myself be held and kissed and completely surrounded by them both.
No interruptions. No tiny mewing. No kitten demanding attention at the worst possible moment.
Just us.
The three of us.
Finally.
"I love you," I gasp out when Keith pulls back to let me breathe.
"We know," Keith says, smiling. "We love you too."
"So much," Dylan adds, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.
Keith's hand trails down my side, gentle but intent. "Can we keep going?"
I nod, not trusting my voice.
"Use your words, beautiful," Keith requests softly.
"Yes," I manage. "Yes, please keep going."
"Good," Dylan murmurs. "Because we're not letting you go anytime soon."
Keith kisses me again, and I lose track of time.
Lost in the feeling of being wanted, being loved, being completely and utterly theirs.
Tomorrow, Naomi will probably give Lily back.
Tomorrow, our schedule will return to normal.
But tonight—
Tonight they have me all to themselves.
And I'm not complaining at all.
Soon, I realise that Keith stopped kissing me and I look at him.
"Beautiful..." He starts but stops, as if trying to find the perfect words. "We promised that we won't do anything more unless you want us to, remember?"
I stare at him, thinking about the meaning behind his words. "Yeah, I do remember."
"Well, we have this one question. Do you mind us asking, baby?" Dylan asks, stroking my nape.
"What is it?"
Keith sighs. "Remember how we told you that Aethera created us and we are not biologically siblings?"
I nod.
"Before we ask you, we need you to understand one thing. No matter what your answer is, it won't change anything between us. We love you, Cecil and we will respect your choice no matter what."
"Okay." I say, even as my head wants to ask so many different questions.
"The other Celestians want to meet you." Dylan says, his voice low and warm.
I sit up in a instance.
"Why would they want to meet me? I am an ordinary human that is nowhere near them."
Something dark flashes in Dylan's eyes but it soon disappears.
Keith, on the other hand, sits up immediately and takes my hands in his.
"Stop talking that way about the person I love, Cecil. If you were no where near Celestians, why the hell would you have powers and have two fated partners who are BOTH Celestians?"
His words hit me like a physical blow.
"I—" I start, but Keith isn't finished.
"You're not ordinary. You've never been ordinary. And I need you to stop thinking of yourself that way because every time you do, it feels like you're saying you don't belong with us. That you're not good enough." His grip on my hands tightens slightly. "And that's not true."
"Keith's right," Dylan adds quietly, his hand still on my neck—grounding, steady. "You keep putting yourself below us. Like there's some hierarchy where Celestians are better and you're—what? Less than?"
"That's not what I—"
"It is what you meant," Dylan interrupts gently. "You said 'nowhere near them.' Like you're not worthy of being in the same room as other Celestians. Like being human makes you inferior."
The words sting because they're true.
I do think that. On some level, I've always thought that.
"I just meant—you're gods. Actual gods. And I'm just..." I gesture vaguely at myself. "Me."
"You're our fated partner," Keith says firmly. "You have the flower. You have abilities that Aethera herself gave you. You're connected to us in ways that go beyond biology or divine status or any of that."
"And you're not 'just' anything," Dylan continues. "You're Cecil. You survived things that would have destroyed most people. You chose to trust us despite every reason not to. You opened your heart even when it terrified you." His thumb traces circles on my neck. "That takes more strength than most Celestians will ever have."
My throat tightens.
"But why do they want to meet me?" I ask quietly. "Is it because of... the powers? The ability to conceive?"
Keith and Dylan exchange a look.
"Partly," Keith admits. "But mostly because you're important to us. And in Celestian culture, when you find your fated partner—especially when it's someone from outside the divine realm—it's traditional to present them to the community."
"Present me?" My stomach does something uncomfortable. "Like I'm being evaluated?"
"No," Dylan says quickly. "Not evaluated. Introduced. Acknowledged. It's—think of it like meeting someone's family. Except the family is immortal and has divine powers."
"That's not helping," I mutter.
Keith squeezes my hands. "I know it sounds intimidating. And honestly? Some of them probably will be judgmental. Some Celestians have... old-fashioned views about humans and fated partnerships."
"Great. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
"But," Keith continues, "most of them are just curious. They've heard about you—about the human who captured the hearts of both Kairos an Nebrys—and they want to meet the person who managed that."
"Kairos? Nebrys?"
"Our Celestian names," Keith explains. "We don't use them much here, but in the divine realm, that's what we are called."
I process this, trying to wrap my mind around the idea of Keith being called something other than Keith.
"When would this meeting happen?" I ask finally.
"Whenever you're ready," Dylan says. "There's no rush. We just wanted to ask. To give you time to think about it."
"And if I say no?"
"Then we don't go," Keith says simply. "We meant what we said—your answer won't change anything between us."
"But they'll be disappointed," I say. "If I don't come."
"Maybe," Dylan acknowledges. "But that's not your problem. You don't owe them anything."
I look between them—Keith's earnest expression, Dylan's steady gaze.
They mean it. They really mean it.
If I say no, they'll respect it. No guilt trips. No pressure.
But...
"What do you want?" I ask quietly. "Do you want me to meet them?"
Keith's expression softens. "I want you to feel comfortable. I want you to know that you're not alone in this. That Dylan and I will be right there with you the entire time."
"And I want you to understand that you're not going there to be judged or tested," Dylan adds. "You're going because you're ours. Because you belong with us. And we want the people important to us to know that."
The words settle over me, warm and certain.
I belong with them.
Not because I'm special or powerful or worthy.
But because they chose me. And I chose them.
"Okay," I say finally.
Keith blinks. "Okay?"
"Okay, I'll meet them." I take a breath. "I'm terrified. But I trust you both. So if this is important to you—to our relationship—then I'll do it."
Keith pulls me into a hug so tight I can barely breathe. "Thank you. Thank you, beautiful."
Dylan's arms come around both of us from behind. "We'll prepare you. Make sure you know what to expect. You won't go in blind."
"And if anyone says anything that makes you uncomfortable," Keith adds, pulling back just enough to look at me, "we leave. Immediately. No questions asked."
"Same goes if you change your mind," Dylan says. "Even if we're already there. You say the word and we're gone."
I nod, feeling some of the anxiety ease.
They've got me. They'll protect me.
Even from immortal beings with divine powers.
"When would we go?" I ask.
"A few weeks, probably," Keith says. "There's a gathering coming up. A celebration of some kind—I can't remember what for. But it would be a good opportunity. Casual. Less formal than a dedicated meeting."
"Less pressure," Dylan agrees.
"Okay." I take another breath. "Okay, we can do that."
Keith kisses my forehead. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"I'm terrified."
"You're allowed to be both."
Dylan shifts, pulling us all back down onto the bed. "We should sleep. It's late and this was a lot."
He's right. My brain is spinning with too many thoughts—Celestians, gatherings, being presented, proving I'm worthy—
"Stop spiraling," Dylan murmurs against my hair. "I can feel you thinking."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just breathe."
Keith's hand finds mine under the covers, lacing our fingers together. "We've got you, beautiful. Always."
I close my eyes and focus on breathing. On the warmth of them on either side of me. On the certainty that whatever comes next, I won't face it alone.
"I love you both," I whisper.
"Love you too," they say in unison.
And despite everything—despite the fear and the uncertainty and the knowledge that I'm about to meet beings who could probably vaporize me with a thought—
I feel safe.
Because I'm with them.