He Makes Me Quiet

Chapter 2

After.

After he had kissed Gansey on the Ley Line.

After Gansey had died.

After the deal had been struck and Gansey had been given back to him.

After they had all gone back to his home on 300 Fox Way and Maura had fussed over their aches and pains.

After they had all slept like the dead— even Gansey, even Ronan.

After they'd woken up again and Gansey had taken it upon himself to fry eggs and slice fruit to put in vanilla yogurt for breakfast for everyone.

After Gansey and Henry had squeezed themselves together in front of the small kitchen sink, up to their elbows in soapy water and dirty dishes.

Dorian, Maura, and Cala closed themselves into the reading room. They sat down at the table and Maura handed Dorian her gold-leaf deck of tarot cards.

He shuffled, watching his mother's carefully blank face, and handed it back to her.

"Three cards, I think," Maura mused as she took the deck.

Cala nodded in agreement and Maura pulled the top card from the deck and laid it  down face up and to Dorian's left— the card for Dorian's past.

The World stared up at Dorian from the table. Dorian nodded, feeling hopeful. The World represented completion, accomplishment, or fulfillment.

Maura turned the next card over and set it down with slow deliberation— his present.

The Ace of Swords joined the line. It represented clarity and self-realisation. Dorian nodded again.

Finally, Maura placed the future card in the line. The Nine of Cups sat happily on the table. It represented love and fulfilling relationships.

Dorian felt a wave of relief wash over him, but refused to let himself get excited until the reading was done. It looked good, but there was still room for disappointment. There was always room for disappointment.

Maura looked at each card again and then began to interpret what their combination meant for Dorian.

"The completion of your journey," she tapped the World card with a red-painted fingernail. "The end of a long road. It could be talking about the search for Glendower— but, given that Glendower was Gansey's journey, and looking at the rest of the spread, I believe it is referring to your curse. You completed the prophesied kiss, you killed your true love. It has been fulfilled."

She moved her finger to the middle card. "In the present, we have the Ace of Swords. Clarity, cutting through the confusion. In this spread, we are asking whether your kiss will still harm your true love. I think, paired with the World, this suggests the curse is over and future kisses are safe."

"And finally, the Nine of Cups," Maura smiled. "Love and peace. A happy relationship. A final confirmation that you can move past the curse and be with your true love."

Dorian intensely studied each card again before meeting his mother's eyes.

"You're absolutely sure?"

"I'm sure, Dorian."

"You're here to amplify our reading, Pipsqueak," Cala added. "It's right."

Dorian finally let himself smile and he stood, hugging Maura and Cala before bolting from the room. He entered the kitchen in a flurry of trailing colours. His shirt of the day was made of a hundred scraps of fabric he had stitched and knotted together.

The boys were all seated in various positions around the kitchen table. Ronan and Tristan were sitting closer than necessary but acting as though they weren't while Leo and Opal were nestled together in the single chair next to them. Henry was across from them, whispering to Penelope while holding Alex's hand. Gansey was leaning against the countertop. When Dorian entered, he straightened up and looked at him with those pretty hazel-green eyes that made Dorian think of sunflowers. His expression was open and hopeful.

"Well?"

In answer, Dorian crossed the room, reached a hand up to cup the back of Gansey's neck, and pulled him down into a kiss.

He felt Gansey stiffen under his hand for a split second until Gansey realised that they were safe to be doing it. And then, wonderfully, he melted into the kiss. Dorian felt arms wrap around his waist and he raised his other hand to Gansey's chest, hand smoothing over the embroidered prep school logo on his breast. His Raven Boy.

He kissed Gansey until they both had to come up for air. Gansey leaned his forehead against Dorian's and grinned down at him.

"All good," Dorian whispered into the space between them.

Behind them, Henry and Tristan broke into a slow clap and Ronan rolled his eyes. Alex chuckled, and Cala hugged Penelope from behind; both of them watching with bright smiles. Opal and Leo just observed with quiet smiles.

Dorian giggled and briefly kissed Gansey again, just once.