People Like Us: Part II [MxFxM]

Chapter Nine

Reed wasn't complaining about being hungry and was actually just sleeping for once, so River took him for the first half of the day. It was nice for Charlie to have a break from nursing him all the time, and maybe this sudden sleeping spell meant whatever the baby needed all the nutrients for was finally starting to ebb. Or he was just really tired, River wasn't sure.

Either way, he didn't complain about the baby quietly accepting his carrier. He seemed to like sleeping in it just fine, it was when he was awake that he always wanted out of it. Plus, the weekend was there, and they'd all be able to relax and unwind from what felt like an absurdly long first week of school.

It'd be nice to see Adrian, ask him how his ability training went. Being at school without him felt weird still, like there was something off. In the end, that feeling went away when they got home, so River settled for just waiting out the school day.

"What are you so pensive about?"

Looking over to his right, River smiled when he saw the familiar bright redheaded Bowman sight of Faing. They still needed to work out when Faing could come over, he'd forgotten to ask his dads with everything else going on with the babies and Varian losing his job. Being stuck home probably wasn't very nice for his dad, what were they going to do about it?

"I was just thinking that it's weird with Adrian not being here. And that I'm glad Reed's sleeping more now."

"So what's going on with you and Adrian anyway?" Faing asked, settling into stride next to River as they headed down the hall for Ms. Gallagher's classroom.

"Nothing?" River asked, tilting his head at his friend. "Is there supposed to be?"

Faing looked back at River for a moment before he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, first off, I meant how's the whole mate thing with him going? Considering you are separated for most of the day. And second, I don't understand you sometimes."

"It's fine I think. I don't really remember." River murmured, glancing down at the still sleeping Reed in his carrier.

"River, is it really a good idea?" Faing asked quietly. "You and him?"

Blinking, River paused in his tracks and turned to Faing. He was asking if him being mated to Adrian was a good idea. Why was Faing asking him that? River didn't see anything wrong with being mated to two people, they'd been over this already. Faing watched his expression and sighed again, reaching up to run his hand through his hair roughly, messing it up in the process. Not that River could say much, his hair was never tidy, unless it was for something important.

"I mean, do you really still want to be mated to him? Okay? Got it? I know you don't always get these things right away, so I'm going to ask you if you understand me."

Staring at Faing, River sucked in his bottom lip. He still didn't understand why Faing was asking him this.

"I get it. But why are you asking me this?"

"Because I want you to think about how happy Adrian is, with this whole arrangement. I mean, you didn't even know you were mated to the guy until Tor and Bartley went after you. Is that really something to keep going?"

"He hasn't said anything."

"That you can remember. Those babies tend to mess with your recollection on anything not involved with them." Faing pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned to stand in front of River.

The hall was emptying fast, and normally River would hurry to get to class on time, Faing in tow, but this conversation wasn't exactly one he could drop either. Faing had probably thought about this for a while, if he was bringing it up this seriously.