Chapter 26: In the treehouse

Orion had to admit that the quiet night had been a balm to his senses. They had slept piled on the floor, as Ethinir's bed was not big enough for three, much less for Ossilo's tail. But they had gotten blankets under them, and the night had been pleasant.

They got back to the construction site, only to see their normal clients already waiting by the stand. Ossilo went to his spot, taking up his sewing needle and scissors, and Ethinir went to the river. Orion joined him there, and sat by him at the edge of it.

"This place is pleasant," Orion broke the silence. Ethinir nodded.

"We can have a big garden, with a vegetable patch," the elf suggested, and the vampire nodded.

"A couple of fruit trees won't go amiss either," Orion murmured. He just hoped that he could get the seeds before the autumn.

"A cozy home, with the tree house as a retreat," Ethinir sighed wistfully. "And maybe a couple of children?"

Orion blinked at that.

"You want us to raise children?" The vampire asked. Ethinir nodded.

"At least a girl and a boy pair. They don't have to be siblings, but that would be even better," the elf hit him with his best puppy eyes, and Orion chuckled.

"Once the house is done, we can go to the orphanage in town, and you can have your pick," Orion was not going to deny something like this to Ethinir. If the man wanted children, then Orion was going to make sure he got them.

"Thank you," Ethinir leaned in, and kissed Orion softly. "You will make a wonderful father."

"You as well, Ossilo can be the mother," Orion teased, and Ethinir giggled.

"Don't let him hear you talk about him like that," Ethinir said with a wink. Orion did his best to put on an innocent expression.

"With his long hair, and those baby blues, he is the perfect mother material," Orion insisted.

"He will gush and baby them," Ethinir had to agree. Ossilo was a softie, no denying that. "But it is best if the children refer to him as father as well. It is only fair."

Orion grinned, and nodded. His eyes found the river, which flowed calmly ever forward. The day passed as if in a blur, and the three went back to the tree house. Orion carried Ossilo up, as the Naga had demanded it of him.

To Orion, Ossilo was light as a feather. Even his two-meter tail was not too big of a problem. When they got up, they found Ethinir busing himself with the pots and pans in the kitchen area.

"What will be for dinner?" Ossilo asked. Ethinir just showed him the marinated meat that had been left out this morning, kept cool by an ice rune.

"Kebab," Ethinir told him, and then began to fry the meat. It was boar meat, caught by a wizard who traded the entire thing for a new pair of pants. The rest of the animal was cut in portions, and stashed away in the cupboards.

When the smell of fried meat filled Ossilo's nostrils, he leaned on Orion, and closed his eyes.

"I was so tired of fish and preserves," Ossilo spoke, his tone light.

"You should have said something," Orion told him.

"I didn't want to be a bother," Ossilo told him, and then wrapped an arm around Orion's waist. "You look good enough to eat, my vampire."

Orion chuckled at that. He had taken a bath in the river, once the clients had left. The workers were used to him, and they took baths in the river as well, so he was not worried about them.

"If Ethinir is game, we might have some fun tonight," Orion suggested, and Ossilo sighed.

"He will say it is too soon," the Naga murmured. "It has been months. I am beginning to think he is asexual."

"Maybe he is waiting for marriage? I know I said the wedding will be in August, but August came and went, and the two of you are still not mine," Orion grumbled.  He had breached the subject with them a couple of times, but so far, nothing had come of it.

"Don't be annoyed now. You know how elves like to stall," the Naga told him, as Ethinir came with the food.

"What are you two conspiring about?" The elf asked them, and Ossilo got a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Ethinir, dear, are you asexual? Are we barking up the wrong tree?" Ossilo asked, as Ethinir colored crimson.

"I am not. It is just that, we hadn't had enough time to get to know each other," Ethinir insisted.

"If by enough time you mean at least a hundred years, I will have to tell you to lose that hope," Orion said, as he looked into the elf's eyes. "Ethinir, you have to know I love you by now?"

"I do know," Ethinir agreed, getting even more crimson. "I have never been in a relationship before."

"Never?" The admission shocked Orion. Ossilo looked from the elf to the vampire, and shrugged.

"Figures, you smell like a virgin," Ossilo said, and Ethinir bowed his head.

"It is not that I want to push you both away, but I do need more time," the elf told them, not daring to look at them.

"Well, we will have fun, and you can join in, if you'd like," Ossilo said, and then took his fork. "This smells delicious."

The Naga took a piece of meat, and brought it to his lips.

"What do you mean by fun?" Ethinir stuttered. Ossilo winked at him.

"Orion is going to ravage me. Right, Orion?" Ossilo turned to Orion, whose head was resting on the Naga's shoulder.

"If that is your wish," Orion murmured. He had a soft expression on his face, and he kissed the shoulder. Or, rather, the silk of the robe Ossilo was wearing. "I have missed seeing you naked."

"I will leave the house to the two of you. Ossilo, eat first," Ethinir said, as he began to shovel food in his mouth.

"Won't you watch," Orion asked, as his soft expression turned to Ethinir.

"I can't, I am sorry," Ethinir told the two of them, and then finished his food in record time. The elf then all but ran out of his house, and Ossilo chuckled.