Chapter 439: Meeting The Parents.

Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Meeting The Parents.

As they walk he can’t quite resist the odd sidelong glance Khobi’s way.

Because damn , he seriously needs to shake the hand of the guy who put Khobi in this outfit. Who knew he’d look so hot in Crade colours? Not to mention, his ass looks fucking phenomenal in those pants.

​He’s very much looking forward to getting him out of them later.

​Oblivious to –or perhaps entirely aware of and selfishly keeping them on track –Khobi suddenly stops, right in the middle of the corridor.

If Loac didn’t have the reflexes he has he would’ve barreled straight into him. As it is, his reflexes are just shy of supernatural, but Khobi’s too busy scanning the intersecting hallways they’ve come to to notice how smoothly Loac’s just sidestepped him.

​"Oh, hey, I know this place," he exclaims, sounding surprised and a little pleased that he knows where he is. Loac can only roll his eyes.

He should ; he’s been here long enough. And so maybe he hadn’t meant to bring them this way but he’d found himself gravitating towards these particular halls regardless.

"Hey, d’you wanna say hi to your ma?" he adds, giving him a light nudge with his elbow then nodding down the corridor towards where Loac knows her painting is hanging where is always hangs.

​That hadn’t been his intention but he probably should. Ma would probably bitch him out if he blanked her. He’s not sure why Khobi even bothered asking though; he’s already headed her way.

​"...Hey ma," Loac greets, keeping it deliberately casual with his hands slung in his pockets as they draw level with Ma’s painting, "...How’s it goin’?"

​She’s there like she always is, and typical ma; she sees through him immediately .

​You’re looking all dressed up, Loac , he can hear her say; voice sly and light like she knows something he doesn’t. Special occasion ?

​"Xena wants to have dinner," he tells her, instinctively on the defensive, "So we’re having dinner."

​A special occasion, then, she decides, and it could be a trick of the light but Loac’s convinced her painted gaze darts briefly to Khobi, You and Xena playing nice with your uncle, are you?

​Loac pulls a face. "Uncle’s being uncle .

Y’know how it is."

​I’m not surprised . I take it Frost is joining you?

​"Montrel’s coming, too," he deflects, because he’s not going to give her the satisfaction, "Xena’s probably already told you."

​He’s handsome . Loac glares at her because he knows she’s not talking about Montrel, and then shoots a furtive look across at Khobi to make sure he hasn’t heard.

​What? She’s acting all coy but she’s laughing at him, he knows she is. You don’t think so?

​"We’re going now." Of course she’d figure him out. Ma always knows things.

So before she can start spouting off, Loac grabs Khobi by the elbow and starts hauling him off in a huff, refusing to acknowledge how warm his face feels.

He doesn’t look back; Ma will be able to tell, and he doesn’t want to hear what she has to say about it.

​"Wha –but we just got here," Khobi protests, scowling as he resists. Loac can already hear Ma laughing, and since he hasn’t given her much to laugh about in a long time he guesses that it’s kind of nice to hear it again, even if it’s at his expense.

"Hey, c’mon! Don’t be rude to your mom!"

​Oh, I like him .

​"We came to say hi, and I said hi," Loac grumbles petulantly, "Now we’re going.

Xena will be mad if we’re late." It’s an excuse and Khobi not only sees through him just as quickly as Ma, but calls him out just as quickly.

​" –Since when did you care about being late?"

​Okay fine, he doesn’t care about being late; he cares about embarrassing himself in front of Ma, and since tugging on his elbow hasn’t worked, Loac goes for his wrist instead.

This time, Khobi comes unstuck so easily it’s like he’d never been rooted there to begin with, and they both stagger a little bit as his feet come loose.

​"Hey, hey, what are you --"

​Khobi doesn’t get to finish his sentence because that’s when Loac’s fingers, in a momentary fit of madness, take on a life of their own, and slip.

​He probably could have stopped them.

Probably could have let go the moment he managed to start lugging Khobi off down the hallway.

But he doesn’t, and because he doesn’t he only has his dumb, senseless self to blame when his palm winds up pressed right up into Khobi’s and his fingers are curling almost instinctively across his knuckles.

And he could still let go, it’s only been a second or two, so there’s definitely still time for him to drop Khobi’s hand from his and play it off as nothing.

​But he doesn’t.

​He doesn’t, because he’s stupid and in love and for a second there he’d wondered not a little wistfully what it might be like to have Khobi’s palm held snug within his own.

Who can really blame his hands for just giving him what he wanted?

​Seconds tick by, and Loac doesn’t let go; waits with his pulse in his throat without being sure why or what exactly he’s waiting for.

But when Khobi’s fingers twitch and he doesn’t pull away, the thudding in his ears begins to recede and it feels like if he breathes his stomach won’t go flying out of his body.

​And then his hand curls around Loac’s too, and squeezes. Khobi may as well have reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.

Which makes no sense; Loac’s pinned Khobi’s hands into the bed more times than he can count and interlaced their fingers while he’s fucking him senseless, why would something as simple as taking him by the hand get his heart racing the way it does?

​Oh, right .

Loac swallows, trying to look anywhere but their joined hands without making it seem like that’s what he’s doing. Because he’s holding Khobi’s hand; just casually here in the hall. And Khobi’s letting him.

​In front of his ma.

​Ah, shit. Concerned that she’s seen, Loac flings a parting look back over his shoulder at the painting, and regrets it. Ma’s looking, coz obviously she is.

And she’s smiling. It kind of makes him want to smile back.

​That’s it, Loac , he can hear her saying, You hold onto him and you don’t let him go .

​Resisting the urge to sink down into his shoulders lest it draw attention to his flaming cheeks, Loac stomps off down the hall before she can say anything else; fingers tightening around Khobi’s as he drags him along behind him.

​" Bye ma !"