Chapter 303: _Can I Kiss You?

Hale-Ferguson Residence, Aurelia

Devon stood in the backyard, watching the last of the sun’s golden rays disappear as it set over the horizon. He had a cup of coffee in one hand, the other buried in his pocket.

He could feel it.

A couple of hours ago, he’d sensed this tug from his permanent link with Ambrose. Something he’s never felt for an entire week.

Throughout the week of Ambrose’s disappearance, the link had been dull. Quiet.

Now it pulsed with multiple emotions he couldn’t make sense of.

The most frustrating part was that he didn’t have a way to test out if his hunch was correct. Since the links evolved, only Ambrose has ever been able to use them for telepathic communication.

A soft wind blew through the backyard, rustling the trees and making him draw in a deep breath.

"Okayyy." The door slid behind him, followed by Viktor’s toned-down voice. "I got the little guy some of that parfait you made, and he’s no longer asking about his daddy."

He walked to Devon’s side, folding his arms across his chest. "Just sitting there now watching his favourite scientist on the TV."

A small smile lifted Devon’s lips. "Neil Degrasse?"

"The one and only. He still hasn’t gotten the hang of the pronunciation, though."

They both laughed at that.

Only for a few seconds.

After that, the melancholic silence Devon had been standing in came rushing back over them. Neither of them spoke for a minute or two.

"Did you see the update on the Purple Rift debacle?" Viktor finally shattered the quiet. "It’s been closed. The Hunters—well, the survivors anyway—came out too."

Surprise flashed past Devon’s face. "That’s... great news. At least we have one less Rift anomaly to worry about."

"Right." Viktor brushed a hand through his hair. "But uhm... Gabriel. Reports are saying he’s badly injured."

That made Devon freeze right when he was about to take a sip of his coffee. He turned to Viktor, golden eyes blown wide in alarm.

"What?"

"Yeah, I know. I tried calling him, but of course, he’s not picking up."

"A-And Valentine?"

"Still MIA. His number keeps redirecting me to voicemail."

Devon cursed under his breath. "Bloody hell," he shook his head, not knowing if he should find a seat or trash the coffee. The latter wasn’t an option since he got the milk balance correctly. "What the heck happened to us?"

Viktor sighed. "You know what, Dev." His expression twisted into something sulky. "His disappearance really showed how divided we are."

"You’re telling me." Devon scoffed, gaze drifting to nowhere and nothing in particular. "W-We have to get to Gabriel somehow, though."

"You think this would finally get Valentine to crawl out and start interacting with the living again?"

"I honestly have no idea."

Both men stood in silence once again, the atmosphere now ripe with solemnity. Viktor caught how distraught Devon was and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Ding!

Ding!

Their phones rang simultaneously with a notification, slicing through the moment. They frowned, exchanging a look before pulling out the devices.

"Mine’s from one of Loki’s burner numbers," Viktor murmured. "You?"

"Same." Devon squinted at the text.

The second he read through it, his heart skipped a beat. Goose bumps exploded across his arms as he took a second read just in case.

This... how...

"A-Ambrose... Ambrose is back?"

★★★★★

Calgary, Alberta

"Hey, you." Ambrose rushed to Gabriel’s side the moment he attempted to sit up. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down, big guy."

Gabriel rubbed his forehead, blinking at Ambrose like he was staring at a ghost. His eyes moved to Loki, who sat calmly behind the Guide, using their phone.

For several seconds, he couldn’t speak. He just didn’t know what to say or where to start from—so he sat there, getting accustomed to every lingering ache in his body.

Memories of what happened after he redirected the Purple Rift ran through his mind like a rapid river.

The rage in his chest. The grief he’d kept locked away for a week finally pouring out, ready to lay waste to every living thing he could find.

He remembered the fear his rational side felt as he lost control—

—And then HE called his name through the chaos.

Gabriel’s cheeks heated, his eyes welling up a bit as he took Ambrose in again.

Other than the concern in his eyes, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Guide. He didn’t know when he reached for his face, fondling it gently.

"You’re..." he croaked, a watery smile stretching his lips. "... Ambrose, you’re back."

"Mmhm." Ambrose sat on the bed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I wish you’d been awake. Loki is technically the first to see me and I—"

Whatever he had to say was caught in his throat.

Gabriel pulled him into his arms, making every muscle in his body turn to stone.

"Lord, this sappy shit," Loki grumbled, but without looking back, Ambrose could tell they had a smirk on that mischievous face of theirs.

"God, I don’t even know where to begin," Gabriel whispered into Ambrose’s shoulder, not pulling away for even a breath. "You had me worried out of my mind. I-I couldn’t think straight. I thought we’d lost you forever... and I couldn’t imagine... I couldn’t imagine—"

"Gabriel," Ambrose managed to slip away from the hug enough to look into those glistening iridescent eyes. "I’m here. That’s all that matters now."

The space god nodded, a shaky laugh escaping him. "Yeah, yeah... fuck." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, all I can think about now is kissing you."

Ambrose’s pulse stuttered.

[Ooop. We love an honest king.]

Slowly, Gabriel’s gaze drifted to Ambrose again. "Can I... kiss you? Would I be crossing a boundary?"

All Ambrose could do was blink.

Truth be told, his mind was wandering in that direction too. Something about the way Gabriel looked at him, like he was his salvation, made him want to do things.

Yet he kept thinking about Viktor and Devon.

They... won’t mind, would they?

Yes, they knew he was linked with Gabriel. But he never officially gave the man the ’boyfriend’ tag. Then again, with the way he acted around the space god, was that even necessary?

[Babes, it’s just a kiss, and the man is linked to you. You’re here acting like—]

"Yes," Ambrose spoke before he could stop himself. "I-I want to kiss you too—"

That was all Gabriel needed.

He stole the air out of his lungs with one of the most intense kisses he’s had in a while. The SS-Rank moved a hand to the back of Ambrose’s head, gradually pulling him closer.

Loki’s eyes bulged.

But then they grinned, pretending to be on their phone again.

The kiss lasted for... shit, Ambrose couldn’t tell how long. He just knew the longer it drew, the more he wanted.

Gabriel’s stubble pricked his face in the hottest way possible, sending jolts down his spine. He adjusted his sitting position, his grip on the Esper’s shoulder tightening.

Just when those jolts awakened something dangerous in him—a familiar chill swept through the suite. The shadows flickered, forcing them to separate in a flash.

Ambrose’s head snapped to the balcony.

The thunderous sound of wings flapping came and went in seconds as Valentine landed on the railing, his crimson eyes immediately pinning on the Guide through the French doors.

His gaze lingered on Ambrose for barely a heartbeat before shifting to Gabriel.

Then to the SS-Rank’s slightly swollen lips.

"What exactly did I walk into?"