A Reunion of Lips

XXIX

I have a sad announcement: we are nearing the end of the book. I know, I know, I hate those words and I'm sorry, but I figured a warning ahead of time would be nicer than one day being like, SURPRISE, SORRY! 

I'm not planning another book in this AU, (which makes me sad), but I have a handful of leftover scenes and little drabble~style ideas that I couldn't make myself delete even after I cut them out. I'll probably end up posting them and maybe (???) adding to them after this book is finished, because I'm not quite evil enough not to share the stuff that's literally already written (and also this AU was really fun and I like it, deal with it and have content lol). 

This somehow ended up being 32 chapters long, (fun fact: the same as the first book even though it's technically only like half the length or something idk math im too queer for that)--so what I'm saying is there are three more chapters. 

This note ended up being longer than I meant it to lol, sorry! I'm done talking now! Go! Enjoy! BLM! Stay safe! Toodles!

"Your cat is dripping all over the throne room."

Scott looked up at the waterlogged man standing in the doorway. "My cat?"

Mitch toed off his shoes and hung his jacket on the coat rack. "Well he sure as shit ain't my cat. I am not cleaning that up."

Scott smiled and turned back to the order he was typing up. "Dang it. And I was just going to ask you to do that, how inconvenient."

"I thought sarcasm was my trademark." He could hear Mitch trudging past him, probably looking for a towel or a dry pair of clothes. Likely both.

Okay, so it was approved by Vanderblite on the 28th...

Scott directed his full focus back to the paper he was busy glaring at when Mitch had walked in. He'd gotten through refreshing his understanding of it and started typing up the draft of the order when he felt a weight rest on his leg. Mitch was curled up on the couch next to him, head resting on his thigh, with the TV turned on softly across from them. It was the comfortable position that they liked to assume when Scott was working late and Mitch didn't want to disturb him.

Scott rested his hand in Mitch's hair and let his fingers absent-mindedly toy with the short strands while he tried out different phrases under his breath. They sat like that quietly for probably about an hour, Scott figured, as he sorted through the last stack of papers he had set out.

There. Another month done. Only nine left to go and we're all caught up.

He stuck the papers back in the folder and closed the laptop, turning his attention to the man still curled up on his leg.

"So, how was your day?" Scott let his fingers restart in Mitch's hair and got a deep sigh in response.

"Pretty good. Cleo and Hannah's train left before it started raining, so we timed that just about perfectly."

Now that the rebellion was mostly quelled, Cleo had been anxious to get home to Alluvia to see her family and restart her studies at the university. Hannah had decided to go with her so she wouldn't have to travel across the country alone, and she was planning on bringing two women named Kaedi and Kaylah—who had apparently reached out to loyalists in other cities and collected their information during the trip to the Capital—back with her soon. Darien had decided to stay for a while and continue to help in their absence.

"I cried a little bit when Cleo left, but I made her promise to come visit when she gets the chance, or to tell me to visit when she has a break. Can you help me loosen this? It's kinda digging into my shoulder." Mitch waved his chicken wing of an arm.