3. Travis Phoebe (ManxMan)

•Raphael 21.

I ran over to Dante and Gabriel's home. Running out of breath after realising that they lived farther than I had anticipated and I hadn't fed in a while. I let myself in because I could.

"Papa said if you no knock, you no be in here." I turned while drinking some of Dante's blood supplied. I raised a brow at Harkin who tilted his head and crossed his arms over his little chest. "even if we know you."

"It was an emergency. Where's your daddy?"

"In the garden." Harkin walked around the counter to the kitchen door which opened without being touched. That little four year old was a lot. Once I felt better I licked my lips and went after him. Gabriel was tending to his little vegetable garden, Harkin sat beside him, handing him the things he needed.

"You got time?" I sat cross legged on the other side, my arms folded over my chest and a slight pout while I glared at his garden. Gabriel sat back and sighed.

"I doubt that matters much. What's up."

"I need your help."

"Listening."

"Yeah, get to point." I scowled at Harkin and rolled my eyes.

"How does one...play hard to get?"

"Excuse me?" I whined throwing my hands up.

"Keep up, man. I need to learn how to play hard to get and fast."

"This is about Travis." I groaned running my hand over my face.

"Who else?" I grumbled turning to him. "He came to my house, he sat there and he watched me work. I barely got anything done! Then he took my phone -an idiot can't possibly believe I didn't see that- and took cute selfies!" I whined bouncing. "And gifted me this!" I lifted my pants and showed him my anklets. "And wrote...yeah, and he did it again and I don't think I can pretend not to have already forgiven him. How am I to keep this up!?"

"That's alot."

"Daddy, uncle Raph an idiot."

"Hey!" The two giggled and I pouted. "Forget it, where's Dante, he'll know what to do."

"I don't know what to tell you man. I never understood the need for games. Just tell him you wanna take things slow if it stresses you out that much."

"Slow? What is slow? I took his-" I slapped my lips peaking at Harkin who dug into the ground harmlessly and more interested in the soil moving apart than me. "Anyway, we were never slow."

"Then try slow this time."

"Forget it, you know nothing." I stood up frustrated with this little man. I huffed and shook my head. "Nobody understand love anymore."

"You're so dramatic. Are you dying?"

"I have a beloved! Have you been listening?!"

"Nope!" Harkin answered instead and giggled with his daddy. The two were adorable but so very annoying. I hissed when my phone gave a ping.

Have dinner with me?

I shoved the screen into Gabriel's face and demanded he tell me what I'm supposed to say. Gabriel grumbled lowly about my being a hopeless freak and texted him. I looked at the screen and I paled, I screamed.

Only if I get a bite of you. Is what Gabriel wrote and what came after was a tongue emoji and a wink and I flushed.

"You. Ruined. My. Life."

I decided to spend the rest of my day there since I was already there. Harkin would call me an idiot at each turn, the child was a menace and I loved it. Travis said he'd come over and that just made me feel nervous as my stomach played tricks on me, just like the other day when he texted that he'd be coming, as though I wasn't already a wreck wondering if he'd stop by.

"You're over thinking this."

"You don't understand!" I whined to Dante next, he sat Gabriel on the kitchen counter as I sobbed my love life problems and Harkin levitated himself up to his daddy. "I chased him, okay? Then I accepted that he's just way into his wolf mate thing and left. I come back and now he is actively chasing me. Do you not see how this disturbs me?"

"Raph, dude," I scowled at the word which didn't look okay coming from someone as old as Dante. "The way I see it, you got so used to chasing that you really don't know what it's like to be chased and now you're forced to and you're being extra about it."

"You undermine my feelings."

"No, I'm helping you realise the problem."

"I'm not seeing this."

He sighed and pinched his nose. "You feel vulnerable." I opened my mouth and paused. "Someone chasing you, showing interest in you makes you feel vulnerable and you don't actually see why they would want to."

"Oh"

"Yeah. So please leave and just talk to him, geez."

I pouted at my friend and grumbled about him losing all sense of friendship since he got a miniature him. Harkin agreed with me at least.

On my way back to my place I allowed his words to sink in. Me? Vulnerable? Wow. Never.

I paused in my drive way, his car was packed outside my garage and his scent lingered. I bit my lip feeling my stomach flip around before I went in. The sound of soft singing in time with the stereo which was playing softly gave me pause. The scent of food cooking had me walking slowly.

Travis looked up as I entered and flashed me a bright beautiful easy smile. His bright blue eyes flashed with what I knew was joy simply because it reminded me of the time I chased him around my bedroom during our last weekend together. His laughter and joy were sounds that kept me going. My cold heart melted then as he rounded the counter and shyly touched the nape of his neck.

I must have been possessed because as he opened his mouth, telling me about how he hoped I didn't mind that he started preparing his meal since I don't technically eat. I nodded and my body reacted on its own, my hands fell to his hips and I pulled him to me then, leaning down my lips touched his, silencing him.

The feel of his soft lips pressing against mine was enough to throw any restraint I may have had out the window. I wanted to play hard to get, I wanted to be difficult but how when I had always wanted him? When I had always at every turn shown him how much I craved him? He could continue whatever plan he had in mind to get me to accept him but I had long since done so, even with the years we had been apart I never once stopped thinking about him, I never stopped wanting him.

His tongue pushed forward, hesitantly and his hands gripped my arms desperately and a whimper fell from his lips which only urged me to push forward.

Pulling away, I watched his flushed face, hooded eyes and furrowed brows and the twitch in his lip as he reached to touch them so innocently. I hocked my finger beneath his chin then and stared into his eyes.

"You are my boyfriend now."

Hie eyes brightened and he tried not to smile but he failed as his lips twitched uncontrollably before a beaming smile erupted, his face somehow glowing with pleasure. I smiled softly and peeked him again.

"You won't regret this."

A/N
Written: 15 August 2020