Page 171 of Devoted

But, as our usernames suggest, we’re not going to guarantee anything. Being a twat is just in our natures. We are sorry though, and we promise never to hurt Ez in front of you again.

I noted that Theo wasn’t promising to never hurt Zeke, just not to do it where I might see it. But I was rapidly learning that their culture was different. And, while I’d have preferred them to communicate using their words instead of their fists, I was going up against millennia of programming.

If I couldn’t change the way my brain operated, why was I expecting them to?

LegoSam

let’s game

“Is this really what you want to do?”

It was later that night, and Zeke and I were stood outside the door to the twins’ suite in our comfiest clothes. “Yes, I told you I’m fine with it.”

That wasn’t strictly true. After gaming with the twins for several hours, I’d found myself relaxing. We’d moved to voice headsets early in the game, calling out orders and generally taking the piss out of each other whenever we fucked up.

It was safe to say I was no longer terrified of them. It was hard to be when you realised that Nate was scared of spiders and Theo often didn’t know his left from his right.

They weren’t normal blokes—far from it—but they’d gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable in an environment I felt safe in.

When they’d suggested a sleepover party, I’d been thrown. Firstly, we weren’t twelve. And secondly, was I ready for that?

Throughout the day, I’d come to realise that while we weren’t twelve, the twins lived by embracing their inner child. Given that my own hobbies fell in line with that mindset, I thought, fuck it, why not?

“It’s better I do this now,” I explained to Zeke. “It’s like ripping off a plaster. Do it fast and all at once, before your brain has time to panic.”

“That makes sense,” Zeke said. “But if I feel in the bond that you’re evenslightlyuncomfortable then I’ll be carrying you out of there. Okay?”

“Fine. To be fair, if I get overstimulated, you might have to. But I want to give it a go.”

“Not a problem. And I’m proud of you for doing this, Sam. I can’t help but worry and want to protect you, but I’m also so damn happy at the effort you’re putting in.”

I patted his chest. “Anything for you.”

“Dangerous words to say to a being like me.” Zeke winked. “Come on, let’s go see what the twats—I mean, the twins—have set up for you.”

Lips twitching, I followed Zeke into the suite. It was laid out in the same way as Zeke’s but it looked far more modern. There were two giant squashy sofas on either side of the fireplace. A huge flatscreen TV took up most of the wall and had every gaming console imaginable linked up to it. There was even a mini-fridge next to the fireplace, full of beers and snacks.

None of that surprised me though. What did surprise me was how quiet the room was. Both the twins were sat silently on the sofa furthest from us, patiently waiting. The overhead lights were off, small lamps all around the room bathing it in gentle light.

I wasn’t the only one taken aback. “What’s all this?”

“We want Sam to be comfortable,” the twin on the left answered Zeke before looking at me. “Is this okay? Too quiet? Too dark?”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “It’s perfect, thank you.”

“Nate’s on the left, Theo is on the right,” Zeke said quietly, and I was grateful. Hopefully I’d be able to tell them apart without his help soon. “Hang on, why have you warded your half of the room?”

Confused, I looked at the empty space Zeke was pointing at. Obviously, he could see or sense something I couldn’t.

“We didn’t want either of you to feel uncomfortable,” Theo explained. “Micah set the ward, and we can’t pass it until he removes it.”

Understanding and gratitude tumbled through the bond before Zeke spoke. “You didn’t need to do that, but thank you.”

That, more than anything else, had the tension leaving my body. The twins hadn’t only taken my needs and concerns into consideration, but Zeke’s too.

They really wanted to make this work. And now, so did I.

“Come and sit down,” Nate said, scooting forwards towards the table between the sofas. “We’ve got a film lined up, but we thought you might like to do this at the same time.”

---