Chapter 325: _Can Y’all Sleep With Me?

"There you go." Devon lowered Ambrose onto one of the king-sized beds in the suite they rented. The fire type wore a reminiscent smile. "You’ve gotta stop getting so drunk that I’d have to carry you home. You do weigh a lot."

Ambrose’s previously drowsy eyes immediately snapped with full attention. "Hey!" He groaned as the last traces of alcohol left his system. "That was one time, and I wasn’t exactly drunk. I’d just... created a permanent link with Viktor and was suffering from its effects."

[Getting drunk, creating a permanent link with an Esper capable of leveling cities... I fail to see the difference.]

’I didn’t ask for your opinion.’ His eyes narrowed as he took in the room.

The lights were dim, shimmering purple curtains draped over the windows. The only open space for air to come in was the balcony doors.

Ambrose sat up on the bed just when Devon was about to step back. "Wait." A pause. "Speaking of which, where are Viktor and the others?"

Devon’s mouth parted—only to seal up abruptly when the door burst open.

"Honey, I’m home!" The ice Prince spread out his arms the second he spotted Ambrose. "Oh, little bird. You—"

SMACK!

A slap landed on the back of his head before he could finish, making him stumble forward with confusion.

"Can you pipe down that blizzard hole?" Loki stepped in with a hand on their waist, withdrawing the same hand they’d used to smack Viktor. "We only just got that little menace to sleep. If he wakes up again I’m locking you in that room with him."

At the mention of Orion, Ambrose got curious enough to let his spatial awareness explode beyond the room. Just outside the door Viktor burst through was a small hallway... which led to another slightly smaller room.

Beyond that room was a door that led to a room where little Orion slept peacefully. The rhythmic and unconscious beat of his heart made Ambrose relax.

"Argh." Viktor rubbed the back of his head. "You didn’t need to strike me so hard."

"And you didn’t need to holler like an untamed husky."

"I take from you two’s arguing," Valentine’s voice drifted into the room, "that Rory has woken up."

Within the next few seconds, the Necromancer and Gabriel entered the room, the door clicking shut behind them. Although both men had relieved looks on their faces, Ambrose couldn’t help but feel... cornered.

Thanks to Heart Sanctuary, his proximity to the five males made him feel safer than ever.

But it also gave him too much feedback from their emotions.

Every intense feeling came crashing through their links like it were his.

Fear. Relief. Curiosity.

And something way more heated and unbidden that he’d want to ignore—even though every ounce of his body tensed in reaction.

"Hey, handsome." Gabriel had his arms folded in front of his chest as he made his way toward the bed. "Feeling better now? I know we agreed to go all out with having fun but... yikes."

"I would’ve stopped you, but I didn’t want to be a killjoy," Valentine admitted, lips curling slightly. "Plus, with all the boosts you’ve been getting to your powers, I wanted to see if you could get close to my personal drinking record."

Ambrose blinked a couple times before squinting. "Well... did I?"

"Of course, you didn’t."

"If I remember correctly," Gabriel angled his head to the Necromancer, "wasn’t that around twenty twelve? Didn’t you like... pass out until the next evening—"

"Okay!" Valentine clapped once, moving until he sat beside him. "Rory, it was clear something was eating you up all day."

"No." Loki shook their head, stopping at the foot of the bed. "I’ll go further and say his mood’s been off since the day after we ended the zombie apocalypse. I didn’t want to say anything because I had a feeling he’d pull an Ambrose and deny going through anything."

Ambrose’s forehead wrinkled. "Pull an Ambrose?"

"Oh, you haven’t heard the others say that?" Loki gestured vaguely from Devon to Gabriel. "Well, yes. But before we derail away from the point... come on."

Valentine grabbed the back of Ambrose’s neck, making him flinch. "Talk to us. What’s the matter?"

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room.

Ambrose looked over at Devon.

The S-Rank gave him a reassuring nod.

’Welp.’ Ambrose gulped. ’This is it. Just tell them the same thing you told Devon.’

With a shuddering breath, Ambrose let it all out—from meeting his future self, to the Archons and all he was warned about. Even mentioning who and who died in future Ambrose’s timeline.

By the time he was finished, the silence in the room became heavier.

Loki’s mouth opened and closed several times without a word coming out. Gabriel stared blankly.

Viktor’s eyes settled on a pattern on a couch that suddenly seemed more appealing than whatever the fuck he just heard.

As for Valentine... he surprisingly seemed more relaxed than anyone else.

"So," he broke the silence before it got any more suffocating. "I’m going to die, and the universe is coming to an end."

Ambrose shook his head. "Val," he reached for his hand. "I’m gonna fight with everything in me to make sure none of that happens. I-I’ll get more powerful. We’ll teach Orion how to control his powers—"

"That’s just the thing, Rory." Valentine chuckled softly, those crimson eyes flickering with something rare. "As someone who’s frolicked so intimately with death for decades... I do not fear it. I embrace it every day."

Devon made eye contact with him. "That’s," a beat. "... That’s honestly a beautiful way to put it."

"It’s merely the truth." Valentine shrugged, gently grabbing Ambrose’s face with his other hand. "You don’t have to face this burden alone. It’s our future too. Our fight."

"Yeah." Gabriel stepped up. "When have you ever had to face this crazy world alone since meeting us? Wait," his lips twisted thoughtfully. "Don’t answer that yet."

Ambrose snorted. "Oh, shut up." He flung a pillow at him, rousing chuckles from every one of them. Suddenly his chest felt lighter, the tension disappearing like it was never there to begin with. "Gosh, I should’ve done this a week ago. You all are the best."

"What are partners for?" Loki leaned in until they were resting casually on Ambrose’s lap. The latter’s cheeks nearly melted off his skull. "Yeesh, your emotions are all over the place right now."

"... You’re dangerously close to my nether regions." He said before he could stop himself.

Loki blinked.

Then, with all the solemn dignity of someone conducting a scientific experiment, they glanced down.

"Hm." At this point Ambrose was just about ready to combust. "Valid concern." They scooted themselves upward exactly a few inches before nodding in satisfaction. "There. Your royal jewels remain unthreatened."

Viktor immediately sniggered. Gabriel doubled over. Devon buried his face in one hand while Valentine let out an actual laugh, shattering the tension completely.

"Oh, my God." Gabriel wiped at the corner of his eye. "We just had an existential discussion about cosmic annihilation, and somehow Loki still managed to make it about balls."

"I merely respect boundaries." Loki shrugged. "Unlike certain frost-based lifeforms."

Viktor gasped dramatically. "Why the heck am I catching strays?"

"Because it’s funny."

The room dissolved into another wave of laughter.

Ambrose laughed with them until his stomach hurt. Then his eyes watered.

He quickly realised he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this freely.

When the noise finally settled, silence returned—not awkward this time, but warm.

"Guys." He sniffled. "Can y’all sleep with me?"

Five pairs of eyes met each other, most bulging like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

[You did not just say that...]