A beautiful black cat stretched lazily atop the cat tree, pure blue eyes narrowing the moment the apartment door opened, and the second he spotted Acheron, all dignity vanished. Nimbus launched himself down the cat tree and trotted across the apartment, his fluffy tail raised high as he announced his displeasure at being abandoned for several hours.
A loud, accusing meow echoed through the room.
Acheron's face immediately softened. "Hello, Nimbus."
Another meow.
"I know, I know. It was very cruel of me."
Nimbus meowed again.
"You're right. I should probably never leave the apartment again."
The cat seemed satisfied with this answer. Acheron crouched down and scooped him into his arms.
"How was your day, baby?"
Nimbus instantly buried his face against Acheron's shoulder and began purring so loudly that the vibrations could be heard from several feet away. Acheron smiled, his fingers gently scratching beneath Nimbus's chin. The cat practically melted under his touch.
"You missed me?"
Nimbus responded by shoving his head against Acheron's jaw.
Ivo watched the interaction with growing jealousy.
"Nimbus, you're so cute." He reached out to stroke the cat.
Nimbus immediately twisted away.
Ivo tried again.
Nimbus slapped his hand with a white paw.
"Ow!"
Acheron laughed.
"Eish. Biased."
Nimbus settled deeper into Acheron's arms as if agreeing.
"You know, one day you're going to love me." Ivo narrowed his eyes.
Nimbus blinked slowly, then turned his back on him.
"Did he just dismiss me?" Ivo looked genuinely offended.
"He did." Acheron softly giggled. "He can tell how desperate you are for his attention."
"Even if I'm indifferent, he still doesn't care."
Nimbus meowed in agreement.
Eventually, he carried Nimbus over to the cat bed near the window. The spoiled feline immediately curled into the expensive cushion that Acheron had purchased after spending nearly forty minutes reading online reviews. Nimbus had refused to sleep in it for two weeks, then one day he suddenly decided he loved it.
Acheron still didn't understand cats, but that didn't stop him from spoiling Nimbus at every opportunity.
Before moving away, he adjusted the small blanket inside the bed a few times. Ivo watched in fascination.
"You know he's just going to mess it up."
"I know."
"Then why fix it?"
"Because it should be comfortable." Acheron frowned, turned and wandered toward the small balcony attached to the living room.
Rows of potted plants occupied nearly every available space; some had been gifts from Ivy, and others had been purchased during random outings. One particularly stubborn succulent had survived entirely through spite. Acheron still wasn't sure how.
He picked up a small wooden watering can, which has become one of his favourite possessions; he had found it at a flea market near their apartment. The paint was chipped, and the handle was slightly crooked. Yet he loved it anyway.
At first, caring for the plants had been difficult. He had forgotten to water them more than once, and one poor fern had nearly died because of his forgetfulness. The guilt had haunted him for weeks afterwards. Since then, watering the plants has become part of his daily routine. Every afternoon after class, without fail, he would head straight to the balcony with his watering can in hand.
Acheron carefully watered each plant, occasionally brushing a fingertip across a leaf while checking for signs of new growth. He inspected every tiny bud with great care and couldn't help smiling whenever he discovered a new one.
"Look, Nimbus." Acheron tapped the window lightly, trying to get Nimbus' attention, but the cat did not look.
Acheron pointed anyway.
"The basil is growing."
Nimbus continued washing his paw.
Acheron sighed, "Thank you for your enthusiasm."
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ivo began preparing dinner.
'Preparing' might have been a generous term.
He dumped packets of instant noodles into a pot and did his best to transform them into something resembling a proper meal. Added a few extra spices, some leftover vegetables, half a sausage rescued from the back of the fridge and an amount of garlic that would alarm most reasonable people.
Ivo wasn't much of a cook. But compared to Acheron, he was practically a professional chef.
The memory of Acheron's first attempt at cooking remained permanently seared in his mind; he had almost set the apartment on fire. Ivo still remembered walking into the kitchen and finding smoke everywhere. Acheron had somehow managed to burn soup. To this day, Ivo wasn't entirely sure how. After that incident, he became reluctant to trust Acheron with anything involving heat. Even boiling water felt unnecessarily dangerous. Naturally, this resulted in a large amount of takeaway food.
Much to Ivy's horror, she immediately began delivering homemade meals. But Oaklen had to eventually intervene, forbidding her from providing meals. His argument is simple: through starvation, they will learn to fend for themselves. Ivy had reluctantly agreed, although she still arrived once a month carrying enough food to feed a small village.
Neither Acheron nor Ivo minded much; being young and surviving on junk food felt almost like a privilege.
"Please don't burn the noodles again," Acheron called as he stepped back inside, shutting the balcony door firmly behind him. Nimbus wouldn't run away, but Acheron had a huge fear that the cat would accidentally fall and injure itself.
"I am not you," Ivo replied. Still, he lowered the heat slightly.
"You burned them last month."
"That was one time."
Acheron watched him suspiciously from across the room. Fortunately, disaster was avoided, and Ivo eventually divided the noodles between two bowls. The scent immediately lured Acheron closer. Accepting his bowl with both hands, he followed Ivo to the couch. Within moments, Acheron had disappeared beneath three separate blankets despite the apartment being perfectly warm.
Nimbus wasted no time joining him. The black cat leapt onto his lap, circled twice, and settled comfortably against his stomach. Acheron automatically draped part of a blanket over Nimbus and scratched behind his ears.
The cat began purring at once.
Nestled beneath layers of blankets with a bowl of noodles in his hands and a purring cat in his lap, Acheron looked impossibly content.
Although they owned a television, it rarely received much attention. Most evenings were spent scrolling through their phones, sketching, gaming, or simply existing in comfortable silence.
Tonight seemed to be one of those quiet nights.
Acheron balanced his bowl carefully while opening one of the websites he frequently used for inspiration. Artwork, photography, concept pieces and design portfolios. Anything that could spark an idea.
The showcase was still months away, technically. Mrs Ruth had said the project was due at the end of the term, roughly four months from now. But Acheron had researched previous showcases. The final presentations often happened six to eight months later, which gave the students an opportunity to revise, improve, and refine their work.
Knowing that gave him some relief.
Talent was a strange thing. People always praised it or envied it, but very few understood how exhausting it could be. The attention never seemed to stop. Neither did the expectations. There was always the lingering pressure that the next piece had to be better than the last, and the one after that better still.
Normally, Acheron could ignore those thoughts and simply paint. Create. But lately, everything inside him felt tangled. His emotions, memories and even his fears. It was as if someone had shaken his entire world and left the pieces scattered across the floor.
What he wanted more than anything wasn't praise or success.
What he wanted was time, to think, to heal.
Time to figure out who he was becoming.
Yet time refused to slow down; it marched forward relentlessly.
Acheron stared at the screen, then let his gaze drift down. Nimbus had fallen asleep on his lap, one paw lazily draped across his blanket-covered stomach. A small smile tugged at Acheron's lips. Without thinking, he rested his hand lightly atop the sleeping cat. For a few quiet moments, he stopped worrying, stopped thinking, and simply existed in the warmth of it all.
That fragile stillness didn't last long. His phone vibrated softly against the blanket covering his lap.
Acheron glanced at it and immediately noticed the sender: Camlo. His expression brightened almost instantly, and without hesitation, he opened the message. A photo filled the screen— a tiny baby bundled securely in a soft light-blue blanket staring back at him. The infant's little nose peeked out from the fabric, and one impossibly small hand had escaped from the swaddle.
Underneath the image, Camlo had written:
'One month today.'
Acheron's entire face melted.
"Oh my goodness."
Acheron not only saved the photo but also took a Screenshot. Just in case.
Nimbus lifted his head at the sudden excitement.
Acheron immediately began typing.
He's so cute!!!
Look at his little hand!!!
He's gotten so big already!!!
A few seconds later, another message arrived. A second photo loaded onto the screen—this one showing baby Amari sleeping peacefully against Camlo's chest. Acheron made a sound somewhere between a squeak and a gasp.
"Camlo sent another one!"
Before Ivo could react, Acheron had already scooted across the couch, nearly trapping Nimbus beneath the blankets.
"Look!"
He practically shoved the phone into Ivo's face.
"Look at him."
"I am looking."
"See how chubby his cheeks are, and those little fingers." Acheron sighed dramatically. "He's adorable."
"He is."
"I'm so happy they finally have a baby." The warmth in his voice was impossible to miss.
For years, Camlo and his oldest brother Kai had wanted children. Watching their family finally grow filled Acheron with genuine happiness.
Ivo handed the phone back.
"Yeah. Me too."
Acheron immediately returned to staring at the photos. Nimbus, feeling neglected, climbed onto Acheron's lap and placed both front paws directly on the phone.
"Nimbus."
The cat ignored him.
"I can't see the baby."
Nimbus lowered his body on top of the screen. Acheron sighed dramatically before scratching behind his ears.
"You are also very cute." The cat immediately began purring.
While Acheron continued alternating between petting Nimbus and admiring baby photos, Ivo slurped up another mouthful of noodles.
"You ever think about having children?"
The question caught Acheron off guard; his smile faded into something quieter and more thoughtful. He sat back against the couch cushions and considered the question carefully.
"Before..." His fingers absently stroked Nimbus's fur. "I would've said no."
He paused.
"But now I think I would like to."
His voice softened considerably; the admission seemed to surprise even him.
Ivo glanced over. "Why didn't you want them before?"
Acheron tilted his head slightly. Nimbus rolled onto his back, exposing his stomach. Acheron automatically began rubbing it. The cat allowed exactly three seconds of belly rubs before grabbing his wrist. Acheron, unfazed, continued speaking as if this were completely normal.
"I'm not really sure." His gaze drifted downward. "Maybe... maybe I always knew subconsciously that H-Hadeon..."
The name snagged painfully in his throat. Even now, saying it felt wrong—like swallowing glass.
Acheron lowered his eyes.
"...that he would've been a terrible father."
Silence settled over the room. Acheron's fingers tightened slightly around Nimbus's paw.
"I didn't know how to leave." The confession came quietly. "So I stayed."
His throat tightened.
"But I knew one thing." Acheron stared at his hands. "I couldn't bring a child into that relationship."
The words hung heavily between them.
"If it was just me suffering..." He shook his head.
"That's one thing."
"But a child would've depended on me."
The thought alone made his stomach twist. "I couldn't risk that."
Almost as if Nimbus could tell, he nudged his Acheron's hand; this gentle touch grounded him. Acheron smiled faintly and resumed petting him.
"Now that I'm away from him..." His expression softened. "I think I do want children someday."
A small smile appeared, but it didn't last long. "If I can have them."
The final words barely rose above a whisper, but Ivo immediately understood.
"What did the doctor say?"
Acheron looked down at the blanket.
"Right now, it isn't possible."
That admission hurt. Even after all these months, it still hurts.
"My gland isn't producing enough pheromones." He swallowed.
"Without enough pheromones, bonding with an Alpha would be extremely difficult."
"And without bonding..."
"No baby." Ivo finished the sentence for him.
Acheron nodded.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"Fuck, I hate that prick." The words exploded out of Ivo before he could stop them.
"If I ever see him again—"
Acheron laughed softly. Ivo's protective anger is warming his chest more than he wanted to admit.
Ivo scowled.
"I'm serious."
"I know."
"I'll beat him up again."
Acheron's smile widened. The heaviness in his chest eased slightly. Sometimes Ivo's outrage felt oddly comforting, reminding him that what had happened wasn't normal and wasn't acceptable.
Ivo leaned back against the couch. "Have you spoken to any of your high school friends?"
Acheron's smile faded.
"Alaric still sends messages."
"But?"
"I haven't replied." He sighed heavily. "I know they want to apologise."
His fingers absently traced the edge of the blanket.
"And I know they're probably sincere."
His expression turned conflicted.
"But I don't know what to say, I can't help blaming them a little." His shoulders sagged.
"Maybe that's unfair."
"I don't think it's completely unfair." Ivo frowned.
Acheron remained silent.
"They were his friends, too. Did they seriously not know what kind of person he was?"
Acheron stared at the floor.
"Hadeon usually waited until everyone was gone. Or high." Those memories made him uncomfortable. "They probably don't remember anything."
"Fuck." The curse escaped Ivo before he could stop it. He felt it hard to face Acheron, but eventually, he forced himself to look at him.
"Achie." Ivo reached over and gently took both of his hands. For the briefest moment, panic flashed across Acheron's face. Even now, sudden physical contact could trigger reactions he couldn't fully control.
"Ivo, you don't—"
"Please."
His brother's voice cracked slightly. Acheron immediately fell silent.
"Please let me. I never got a chance to say this to you."
Ivo drew in a shaky breath and looked into Acheron's emerald eyes.
"I'm sorry." The words came out rough. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry that I never noticed what was happening." He swallowed hard. "And I'm sorry I wasn't someone you felt safe enough to tell."
His throat tightened painfully.
"I should've protected you, Achie."
The confession barely left his mouth before Acheron lunged forward and wrapped his arms around him. He buried his face against Ivo's shoulder, holding on tightly.
"It's not your fault," Acheron whispered. Ivo closed his eyes as his brother's arms tightened around him.
He rested his head against Ivo's shoulder. "Not then and not now."
Ivo's shoulders shook beneath his arms, prompting Acheron to hold him even tighter.
"You're here now." He smiled softly. "That's what matters."
For a few moments, they simply sat together. Eventually, Nimbus grew tired of being ignored and climbed directly between them. Neither brother acknowledged his arrival. Nimbus, however, had no intention of being overlooked. The cat promptly shoved his head into the middle of their embrace, demanding attention despite the emotional significance of the moment.
Ivo eventually pulled away and secretly wiped his face. His dignity had already suffered enough.
Then he looked at Acheron.
Really looked at him.
Despite everything Acheron had endured...
His stubborn gentleness still remained.