Tributes

Chapter Thirty Six

Tyreol woke up with at least one warm body near to him. He could hear their steady breathing. It was Chris, the smell of wood and wax rolling off him. The man's hobby was chasing the former scent of iron shavings and fire and replacing it with the scents of woodworking. He slowly pulled Chris close to him, curling into him. He smiled as Chris' hair ticked his chin. The man's hair was short, unlike the majority of people who slept next to them. He nuzzled in, enjoying holding Chris like this.

It had been a few weeks since Edmund and Anna's arrival, and things had improved slightly. The boys were progressing in their studies well. Julia had Edmund to help her with the tasks around the rooms. Anna was determined not to do them, but Edmund was far more practical. Instead, the girl stretched and drew at every moment available. The little bubble was happy and content.

Chris still hadn't slept with him yet. He was able to kiss without panicking. Though his face was intensely red whenever Luke offered to practice with him. If his hands moved to suggest anything more than kissing, fear and nerves overtook everything. He could barely get a grope of the man's lovely shaped bottom before it sounded like Chris' heart was going to burst out of his chest.

Tyreol had been gentle and restrained himself a lot when it came to dealing with the former blacksmith. What made things easier to deal with was that Chris was equally as embarrassed at his fearful response. More than once, Tyreol had to have a conversation about it not being Chris' fault that he was not ready. It was his job to relax Chris and get Chris to trust him, not Chris' job. Luke had mentioned a similar conversation. It was a good sign that Chris was talking to Luke about it, however.

The human was comfortable enough to sleep beside Tyreol at night occasionally. Something Tyreol thoroughly enjoyed taking advantage when Luke, Edmund or Helian weren't entertaining him.

"Master?" Chris murmured, his voice groggy with sleep. His back muscles flexed as he shifted slightly.

"Warm," Tyreol grumbled happily, nipping Chris' ear. Chris was not soft and fluffy like the younger tributes. He was hard and rough around the edges from hanging out with his friends at taverns, but those sharp edges were beginning to wear away. He felt Chris relax, and give a snort of amusement. For a moment, Chris leaned back into the hold, hands covering Tyreol's.

"We have to get up now, Master," Chris pointed out his voice soft.

Tyreol let out a half groan as the wolf turned into an octopus and wrapped himself around Chris tighter. He didn't want to move. If he had his tail out, it would be whipping back and forth lazily. Everything felt too good to move.

Things were good, not perfect, but good. The twins kept fighting with each other. The frequency was growing less and less, but the severity was increasing worse. Silas had started to ignore his brother more, which in turn made Abel clingier, causing more fights. Paul, bless the boy, was often in the centre of the arguments, helpless to do much.

Paul was improving. He was no longer terrified of Chris. He was willing to be around him more and more, which was handy as the man played father role to the young boys. Chris took the boys under his wing and showed them how to do various things and discipline them when they got out of control. Amusing, Chris even managed Luke and Edmund. Tyreol was sure Luke was humouring the man, but Edmund seemed to respect the older tribute.

Luke and Edmund should have been a bad match. Edmund was calm, almost calculating with how he acted. Careful, respectful, but with the eyes of someone who was watching everything which was going on. Luke, on the other hand, was the troublemaker he had always been. It was surprising the two got on as well as they did.