Chapter 716: Fond memories in the gazebo

Cass spent a solid two hours wandering around the garden, enjoying himself until he was near starving. That was when Lucy, able to pick up on the subtle way his stomach growled, ordered that they head towards the gazebo. Giddy gave some kind of signal as Lucy settled Cass in his lap, his arms loose around his waist and gentle on his thighs.

Giddy was continuing to give a signal for a few seconds too long, before he turned and joined Cass and Lucy sitting in the gazebo.

Cass thought back to the first time he’d come here, with Sam, and what had happened. He couldn’t help but chuckle, glancing over to the fence line, and patting Lucy’s hand on his thigh. Giddy and Lucy watched him, amused as Cass swung his legs, relaxed in a way that they hadn’t seen before.

"What are you chuckling about, Cassy Baby?" Lucy asked and Cass snorted.

"I’m just thinking about how I caught Ava and Fiona sneaking around out here before." Cass said. Giddy’s eyes widened, while Lucy let out a bark of laughter. "There’s a gate at the back of the fence line where they could have opened and closed it, yet Fiona either didn’t know about it or wanted to show off for Ava. They climbed over, completely not checking the area to see if anyone was around. That was how I found out about them running around, and how Fiona found out that wasn’t...well, that we didn’t go for the same team." Cass said with an amused smile.

"Ah. Was it after that that I...?" Lucy asked and Cass grunted, nodding.

"Yeah." Cass agreed. Lucy’s hand on Cass’ thigh clenched before he relaxed.

"So she knew, and was she...trying to pair us together?" He asked and Cass shrugged.

"We never really spoke about it. Not really, but I knew she was regretful. It’s in the past now, but I do think it was funny that they climbed over the fence." Cass snorted again. "Ava looked like a damn deer in headlights. So shocked and flustered. Out of everyone, I wanted nothing to do with her the most so I knew not to get involved with her. She then proceeded to want to get closer to me. It did not help my health." Cass was smiling as he said it, while Giddy grew silent.

"Do I harm your health?" He asked, rather serious, and Cass stared at his green-eyed lover. He wanted to assure him right away that he didn’t, but he didn’t want to lie about it. Cass took a moment to think about it, truly, and after a few minutes he had an answer.

"I think, ever since I was blessed by the gods at the main temple, no. Before that, you probably would have, but since then...no. I think it would have been obvious the first time you fed me." Cass said, his cheeks warming, but also serious. Giddy coughed, his own cheeks flushing before he nodded.

"That...makes sense. Sorry, I was just worrying over the small details." Giddy said but Cass didn’t think it was a foolish worry.

"No. It’s reasonable. Honestly, I was only partially a demon before, but now that I’ve...I’ve completed my transformation, we should look into it more. We’ll need to make either a pit stop at the temple here, or the main temple anyways. I need to see how my request is coming along, and maybe they’ll have an answer. It’s likely that they don’t, given that I’m the first of my kind to exist." Cass said. He shrugged, maybe a little too casually, and Lucy bit his ear.

Cass let out a small gasp, turning slowly as Lucy let go of his ear and met his orange gaze head on. He did not look amused.

"Don’t say that about yourself. I don’t like hearing it. You make it sound like there is something wrong with you. There is nothing wrong with you." Lucy said forcefully. Cass opened his mouth to argue, because there was something wrong with his existence. He was a science experiment meant to upset the gods and spit in the face of the creation of the rest of the world. Worlds, even.

However, from the dark look on Lucy’s face and the way that he was glowering at him, now was not the time to argue about it. He also didn’t want to get into an argument with him. Today was turning out to be such a good one and he didn’t want to ruin it with his own hands.

"Fine. I won’t argue semantics with you right now." Cass told him and Lucy let out a low growl. Cass, feeling playful, raised his hand and poked Lucy’s nose. "Yes yes, growl all you want. It doesn’t change how I was created." Cass was a little too amused in Lucy’s opinion. He snapped his teeth at Cass’ finger, a threat, but Cass, the freak that he was, felt a small shiver of desire run down his spine.

"You were created in the most natural way. Between two bodies coming together and the male filling the woman with his seed. What happened after doesn’t matter." Lucy told him. It would have been sweet, if Cass didn’t have to think about the people who helped create him. His original parents were a blur, but Cass had seen what his Mother looked like because she had been draped all over the demon king when he spoke to him.

He shuddered.

"Never, ever refer to it like that again. Ugh. I don’t want to think about them having sex. No thank you." Cass shuddered.

"Agreed." Giddy said from his spot in the gazebo. "I truly, never ever want to consider my father doing anything like that, even though I know that it did happen." Giddy shivered and Cass was glad that they were in agreement. It was only Lucy who didn’t seem to hate his parents, even if they had abandoned him to die.

Dragons were dragons in the end.

"You humans are weird." Lucy muttered. At least it was a general disparaging remark and not geared towards either Giddy or Cass. Cass felt a bit of relief hearing him say it too.

Giddy raised his head, smiling suddenly and waving his hand as he stared past Cass and Lucy. Cass turned in Lucy’s lap and spotted Eddie with Ember. Ember was pushing a trolley up the path with a wide smile on her face. Eddie was wearing his wide brim hat, a smile on his shadowed face.

"Hope you weren’t having too much fun without me." Eddie called from a distance and Cass grinned.

"It was only Cass." Lucy shouted back. Cass scowled. "He was running all over the place. It’s like he’s regressed in age." Lucy joked. Giddy chuckled and Cass smacked his hand, grumpy.

"Rude. You can just say I was energetic." Cass grumbled.

"Cass corrected me. He told me to say he was energetic, not child-like. It’s a fair criticism. I wouldn’t want to fuck a child." Cass choked while Eddie stopped, huffed, and then laughed heartily.

"You’re right. Who would want to fuck a child?" Eddie repeated, his shoulders shaking as Cass felt his face burn.

"Stop making fun of me." Cass demanded as they got closer and Eddie tried to hold in his laughter. All while Cass slid his hand down and pinched the thigh he was sitting on. Lucy let out a deep groan before leaning in and pressing a wet kiss against Cass’ throat.

"Careful, sweetness, did you forget that that’s how dragons flirt? Are you going to put me in my place? How sexy." Lucy’s voice was a vibration against Cass’ throat and damnit, Cass swatted at him to get him away from him. Lucy’s hands slid to Cass’ sides, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Don’t try to run away. I’ll just catch you." Lucy warned as if he could see Cass’ thoughts.

He knew that wasn’t the case, but damnit, Cass was pouting.

Ember, who had quickly adjusted to the dynamic between the group, didn’t flinch as she pushed the trolley up and into the gazebo. She then unfolded it, opening up the trolley until it was a table and began to set it properly.

"I wasn’t able to brew tea, my Lord, but I did bring some juice if that’s okay. It’s rich in vitamins." She said and Cass nodded. He wasn’t about to argue about juice, if ever. She quietly set up the spread, making sure that there was a bit of everything, and Cass was once more impressed by how quickly she was growing into her role.

He was going to have to make sure that she had a position that fit her perfectly once Sam was back. Otherwise Sam might get very jealous. Or, maybe not. After spending a shed with Byron maybe his attachment to Cass wouldn’t be as strong.

Cass almost laughed at himself. That...that didn’t feel right even thinking it.

"Thank you, Ember." Cass told her as she finished up and she gave him a warm smile.

"You can just leave it here when you’re done, my Lord. I’ll make sure to gather it when you come back." she said before she bowed and disappeared.

Cass stared at the food, and at Eddie who had removed his hat now that he was covered by the gazebo. He looked handsome no matter what, but he particularly looked nice framed against the garden. Cass stared a little too long at him and Eddie’s cheeks began to turn pink.

"What is it, Cass? Is there something on my face?" He asked and Cass shook his head.

"No. I was just thinking that I’d like to get a portrait of you done outside. Probably in the gazebo during spring when the flowers are pretty and new and the trees are alive. Or, maybe we could do one for each season? I think you’d look spectacular against the trees changing colours too." Cass was quite serious with his words.

Eddie turned the colour of a tomato.

The cushion he was sitting on began to shake as it laughed.

"Cass, sweetness, you can’t just attack Eddie like that." Lucy told him softly, and Cass frowned.

"Did you think you were getting away from the portraits?" Cass asked, and watched as Lucy’s amused look froze, before his orange eyes widened as Cass scanned him. "I am liking the new shirt you have on, but, we’d need to get you a proper wardrobe. Hmm. Maybe we get matching outfits in colours that suit us? I think that would be rather sweet. I’ll have to contact the merchants." Cass muttered, plotting already while Lucy and Eddie sat there, flushed.

Cass glanced at Giddy, who had either intentionally separated himself or had done it on accident, and Cass narrowed his gaze.

"Don’t think for a second you’re getting out of this either, Giddy." Cass warned, and watched as the red head flushed, shaking his head. His hands were on his knees like he was drawing support from them.

"I would never think that." He said, but the shy way he glanced away from Cass made him doubtful. Cass grunted.

He’d have to move the date plans up his list. Maybe they did a rotation before they left for the capital. These men needed tending to, and Cass had been unable to tend to them properly until now.

He’d decided he was going to stay, he decided he was going to fight for them, so now he actually had to put in the work to prove it to them. Sucking their dicks only went so far to convey how he felt.