12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

L A was really starting to enjoy waking up in the morning.

Having a giant furry imp using him as their personal teddy bear was pretty fantastic, though LA's inevitable morning piss crashed right in to interrupt as usual. He grumbled and fussed, lightly pushing at Cass's paws to free himself.

"Morning, Elly," Cass mumbled happily.

"Morning, Cass." LA turned awkwardly, leaning down to drop a kiss on Cass's head. His back hated him for it, but Cass's sleepy smile made it worth it. "Breakfast?"

"Mmm. Waffles."

"Sounds great."

"Comin' right up, Elly."

LA headed to the bathroom, but when he was done, he came back out to find Cass still in bed and snoring softly. He chuckled and crawled in beside him, snuggling in close.

He knew he had to get up, take his meds, and get ready for the art show later, but fuck it.

It was Saturday.

He didn't have anywhere to be right this second, and cuddling with a giant furry monster sounded pretty great. He smiled as Cass's arm and tail drifted back around him, and he let himself doze for a little while longer. It was easy being held like this, and he reached for Cass's paw, giving it a little squeeze.

Sometime later, Cass woke up and grumbled, "Oh no. I fell back asleep."

"Mmm?" LA fidgeted.

"I fell back asleep. I'm supposed to make waffles."

"No," LA grunted, refusing to let go of Cass's paw. "You're supposed to cuddle me. Shut up."

Cass wiggled and then went still.

LA sighed, thinking they were going to continue napping.

But Cass wiggled again.

And again .

"Cass," LA grumbled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm awake now," Cass whispered loudly. "I don't think I can go back to sleep."

"Well, I sure as fuck can." LA swatted at him.

"Don't you need your medicine?"

"Sleep."

Cass poked him gently. "Elly."

LA ignored him and tried to zone back out but suddenly found he couldn't. "Goddammit, now I'm fucking awake."

"Yay!" Cass cheered. He hugged LA and kissed his shoulder. "Now we can get up and start the day! At… eleven o'clock."

"A perfectly respectable fucking time." LA yawned as he sat up, wincing. He really did need his medicine, and his limp was much more pronounced as he headed downstairs after Cass.

Cass was already in the kitchen by the time LA made it to the bottom, though the bubbles he left in his wake were still floating around in the air. LA popped a few as he hobbled by, heading right for his chair at the kitchen table.

With a brand new and very comfortable cushion.

It was hot pink with little rainbows, but LA didn't care.

It really did fit his ass perfectly.

He smiled when he saw there was already a cup of coffee waiting for him. He sat down and immediately nursed it, slurping noisily.

Cass was mixing up batter in a bowl, humming away.

"Thank you." LA raised the mug.

"Of course, Elly! I know it's the very first thing you need every morning." Cass laughed and went back to stirring.

"You know I have frozen waffles, right?"

Cass gasped. "Blasphemy."

"Faster."

"Faster is not better." Cass turned up his nose haughtily. "Hmmph."

LA chuckled as he shook out his little collection of pills from their respective bottles. "Okay, fair. I will never mention the frozen waffles again."

He swore Cass shuddered just hearing the words frozen waffles and resisted the urge to say it again to test that theory.

Even if it was very tempting.

"Thank you." Cass swished his tail as a waffle iron magically appeared on the counter.

"You made a waffle iron?"

"No, I summoned a waffle iron from my house!"

"Over in monster land, right?" LA swallowed back his meds with a swig of coffee. "What's it like over there anyway?"

"Oh!" Cass blinked in surprise. "I suppose it isn't much different than the human world. We have cities and roads and all that. It's rather normal, I'm afraid."

"Monster schools? Monster dentist?"

"Yes, but it's just a school and just the dentist over there." Cass giggled. "We don't actually put monster in front of everything."

"Oh. Right." LA drank more coffee. "Can we go there sometime?"

Cass squeaked. "No!"

"Why?" LA raised his brow. "Is it, like, forbidden? No humans allowed because of some magical barrier or something? Would I get cursed? Have to stay forever?"

"What? No." Cass grinned sheepishly. "I just haven't cleaned in a while since I've been here with you."

"Oh, come on." LA laughed. "It can't be that bad."

"You are very sweet." Cass opened the waffle maker to pour in the batter and then closed it tight. "I'm, hmm, organization challenged."

"Really?"

"You sound surprised."

"Well, you just seem so… organized?" LA snorted. "You do a pretty good job of keeping me on track."

"It's always easier when it's not my mess. Not that you're a mess. But if you were a mess, you'd be a very lovely one!"

"Thanks." LA smirked.

He continued to drink his coffee while Cass made waffles, and he figured they'd eat out on the couch like usual. LA made a mental note to clear off the kitchen table at some point so they could eat together. He didn't use most of the crap that had stacked up there anyway, and he realized there wasn't really any reason to keep half of it.

Why wait?

LA tossed the back braces in the trash.

"What are you doing?" Cass blinked.

"I was just thinking, we can't really eat here 'cause of all this shit." LA threw away the boxes of lidocaine patches next, keeping only one. "I was saving everything thinkin' maybe I'd need it someday. You know, if I went back to work or something. But since that's not happening, there's no reason."

"Aren't you throwing away expensive things?" Cass tilted his head. "I've heard horror stories about how much medical care costs here."

"Look, it's fine." LA shook his head as he sorted the paperwork into a big pile. "Please. I just need to do this, okay?"

Cass frowned but nodded. "Let me know if I can do anything to help."

"Can you possibly magic up some sort of file box or something—"

A banker's box promptly appeared on the table.

"Perfect. Thank you!" LA would sort the papers later, but right now he just wanted to get them off the damn table. He stacked everything into the box and then went through the medications next. He kept only what he was currently taking and chucked the rest.

Cass had finished cooking and was tidying up. "Oh! It looks very nice now."

"Right? Who knew I had a table under all that shit." LA sat back with a groan. "Thanks for your help."

Cass came over with two plates of waffles. "Me? All I did was provide a box."

"Yeah, but you've done a lot more than that." LA smiled warmly. "You helped me get through what has quite possibly been the absolute shittiest time of my time. You gave me hope. Direction. Whatever."

"Strength?" Cass winked.

"That too."

Cass sat down carefully, the chair creaking under his weight. "Do you want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"I didn't actually give you anything." Cass smiled. "You had the strength inside of you all along. You just needed to tap back into it and find it yourself. That's why it's so important to talk about your feelings, what you're going through, and recognize that it's okay to struggle. Everybody does at some point in their life. But it's how you move forward and work through those struggles that matters."

"I don't think I would have been able to move forward without you," LA said quietly. "I think I would have kept begging for my fucking job back, begging for Gavin back, and probably going to that fucking stupid ass wedding. I was so fucking stuck."

"Sometimes people just need a little nudge."

"Or a big, furry one." LA smirked.

Cass reached out to take LA's hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "I don't think I've said it, but I am so very proud of you. For all the progress you've made and for all that I know you're going to do."

"Yeah?" LA felt his face heat up. "Thanks. Thank you."

"I'm honored to be a part of your journey, Elly. Thank you for letting me help you. Now!" Cass clapped his hands, syrup and butter appearing on the table between their plates. "I believe we have some waffles to devour."

"That we do."

They ate, chatted a bit more, and then Cass tidied up their dishes with a wave of rainbow confetti. LA didn't even mind when some landed in his hair because it made him think of the rainbow waves in his painting.

The one he still needed to finish.

Shit.

Maybe if he did, they could find a spot for it in the gallery tonight.

Which reminded LA…

"Any plans before we head to your fabulous awesome art showing?" Cass was asking as they headed into the living room.

"Me, you, that couch, Resident Alien ." LA grinned. "Figured we'd start getting ready about four, so…" He paused. "I guess we need to talk about the disguise."

"What disguise? You mean Dr. Vanderspiegle's?"

"No! Yours." LA rolled his eyes as he sat down, waiting for Cass to join him so he could stretch out and stick his head in Cass's lap. "When are you, uh, gonna put that on? And will small children with mutations be able to see through it?"

Cass chuckled at the reference to the show's plot and replied, "Oh, whenever! I just sort of, well, you know. Poof! And then I look human!"

"So…" LA cleared his throat expectantly.

Cass draped his arm over LA's chest, blinking down at him. "What?"

"Can I see it?"

"Maybe I'm waiting because it's going to be a surprise ." Cass smirked.

LA quirked his brows. "Really? If it's so easy to put on, why don't you just show me?"

"Well." Cass frowned. "Maybe I am worried you might prefer me as a… human."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes." Cass pouted a bit.

"Look, I thought Belle looked disappointed as fuck when she saw the Beast turn into Prince Adam, and I have to agree with her. I like you just like this, big and Beast-y."

"Really?" Cass perked up.

"Really really." LA grabbed Cass's paw and gave it a squeeze. "You can wait until later or show me now, but I'm still gonna want you like this."

Cass smiled and his skin shimmered.

His fur melted away to reveal smooth light brown skin and dark wavy hair, and his body morphed into a muscular human frame as his wings and tail vanished. His face was an echo of the one he had as an imp—strong jaw, full lips, and his eyes were still a brilliant shade of gold. He was a beautiful man, that couldn't be denied, but…

It wasn't Cass .

Cass, who loved to laugh and bake and was frustratingly cheerful, who made bubbles and purred like a cat when he was happy.

"So." Cass fidgeted. "What do you think?"

LA sneered as dramatically as he could.

Cass stared. "What kind of face is that ?"

"This is the face Belle made. You're cute and all, but I miss my Beast."

"Really?" Cass grinned.

Shit.

His teeth were still sharp.

"Really. Also." LA tapped his own teeth. "Might wanna fix that."

"What? Oh!" Cass swiped his tongue over his teeth and they changed into flat human ones. "There we go! Better?"

"Yes. But it'll be fuckin' perfect when you change back."

Cass chuckled, his human disguise fading as he became a furry imp once more, and he purred sweetly. "Thank you, Elly. I really appreciate that."

LA rubbed Cass's paw. "No problem."

"Shall we continue with the show?"

"Fuck yeah."

They watched Resident Alien , and it wasn't long before LA felt the itch to finish his painting. The golden hand impressions in the middle were taunting him, and he knew it still needed something more.

He drifted from Cass's embrace to get up and put the canvas back on the table. He took black paint and a tiny brush, and he started with a tiny black blob of paint right in the middle of the handprints. He kept it small, using little strokes to steadily build the blob into a vaguely humanoid shape.

But no, that wasn't it.

Horns.

It definitely needed horns.

And wings.

And a tail.

Before he knew it, he'd painted a silhouette of a very familiar imp with the golden handprints framing him. LA smiled, grabbing a bit of white paint to draw another figure right on top of that. This one was a man, but his back was a strange zigzag shape and his hands were on the imp's shoulders.

The black paint hadn't been dry when he added the white, so that the edges of the man's figure blurred into a gray, as if the two figures were somehow melding together.

LA stared at it for a long time.

Then he smiled.

It was done.

Cass leaned in close, peering over LA. "Aw, Elly! Is… Is that us?"

"Yeah." LA's heart skipped a few beats and his chest felt light. "This is, uh… This is the first time I've painted myself without a fucked-up face." He laughed. "Damn. I really like it."

"I do too." Cass purred. "It's beautiful, sweetheart."

"I think I might bring it tonight, but uh…" LA pressed close to Cass's side. "This one isn't gonna be for sale."

"No?"

"Nope." LA pointed to one of the empty spaces on the wall. "Got a spot picked out for it already."

Cass sniffled.

"Cass?" LA turned to look at him.

Cass sniffled more and his eyes glistened with tears. "Oh, Elly. I, I am so touched! It really is so very beautiful and I, I can't believe I helped inspire something so incredible!"

"Well, you did." LA kissed him firmly. "Mm, and your ass helped too."

Cass giggled. "Maybe we keep that part just between us, hmm?"

"Our little secret." LA grinned, kissing Cass again.

Cass kept purring and wrapped his arms around LA, drawing him in against his chest as they kissed. It was soft, sweet, but the first tease of tongue immediately made LA groan. Maybe they could screw around just for a little while and then…

Wait.

What time was it?

LA grabbed his phone. "Shit, it's already after five!"

"That's impossible!" Cass gasped. "I set an alarm and—" His phone went off. "Oh. Hmm. I think I may have set it for the wrong time. Oh dear."

"It's fine!" LA stood up, cringing as he tried to walk too fast and nearly fell. "Fuck! Okay. I'm okay. I just gotta get a shower and change—"

"I need to run home to prepare! Meet back here in thirty?"

"Yup! Perfect!" LA gave Cass a quick kiss and then turned to hurry upstairs.

LA took the fastest shower of his life and threw on a black suit—he had several, having worked in the funeral business for so long. He decided to ditch the jacket, as this wasn't exactly the most formal event since it was taking place at a coffee shop. He still wanted to look nice though.

Professional?

Something.

He put on a dark orange dress shirt, a black waistcoat, and a tie that was a brighter shade of orange with gray tombstones scattered all over it. He was pretty sure it had been a gift from Brandon or Kevin, though he was never allowed to wear anything so gaudy at the funeral home.

Well, ha, he could wear whatever the fuck he wanted to now.

Which also meant he didn't have to put on the dress shoes that he loathed because they hurt his feet. He could wear his favorite pair of Doc Marten boots that were super broken in and comfortable, and he smiled as he finished getting dressed.

This felt good.

It felt right.

When he looked in the mirror to fix his hair, he didn't see the broken angry embalmer who was simply dragging himself from day to day. The person there now was embracing their past but with a colorful splash that spoke of a bright future. He wasn't exactly sure who he saw, but they were fucking happy.

He headed downstairs, grinning when he saw Cass was already waiting for him.

Cass had resumed his human form on a slightly smaller scale, now just a few inches shorter than LA. His long hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, and he was also wearing a suit and tie. His was navy blue, the rich hue somehow making his eyes brighter.

"You clean up good," LA said, approaching to kiss Cass's lips. He wrinkled his nose.

"What's wrong?" Cass frowned.

"Miss the fur."

Cass chuckled. "Don't worry. The fur will return as soon as possible." He offered his arm to LA. "Ready, Elly?"

"Wait! One thing." LA hurried over to grab the new painting. "This is coming with us." He took Cass's arm with a happy smile. "Okay, now I'm ready."

Cass beamed and little bubbles appeared in the air around him as he held LA close. "Then let us be off!"

"Let's."

The coffee shop's parking lot was already packed when LA and Cass arrived. LA was worried they were late, but checking the time reassured him that they were about fifteen minutes early. They got out of the car and Cass grabbed the painting to carry inside. It was still a little weird to see Cass as a human, though his bubbles continued to persist as he grinned, following LA inside like an excited puppy.

LA had tried to remind him that humans didn't actually make bubbles, but Cass didn't seem to be able to turn it off.

Hopefully no one would question it.

The shop was full of people, and they burst into applause as LA and Cass walked in.

LA froze, blinking dumbly.

What the fuck was going on?

"There he is!" Brandon shouted, cutting through the throng of people to greet him. "Everybody! Hey!" He put his hand on LA's shoulder, declaring, "This is the artist you've all been waiting to meet. My friend, LA Holmes!"

Everyone cheered and another round of applause ensued.

LA smiled politely, asking out of the side of his mouth, "What the fuck is happening?"

"Georgina told a bunch of her art friends about you," Brandon replied in a hushed voice. "They all love your stuff, man! It's been nuts!" He grinned at Cass. "Oh. Is this him?"

"Yes." LA waved between them. "Cass Imp, meet Brandon Hanson. Brandon, this is Cass."

"An absolute pleasure!" Cass gushed, offering his hand out to Brandon.

"Hey, the pleasure is mine, dude. It's great to meet you!" Brandon glanced at the painting. "Oh! You got one more? Cool! Hey, come right this way. Let's get it hung up!"

LA reached for Cass's hand, following Brandon over to the gallery wall. Although he'd seen the pictures of it that Brandon had sent him, seeing it in person was surreal. He felt a bit lightheaded, watching strangers ogling his work and pointing at various bits.

Fuck, this was weird.

Brandon guided them over to the end of the gallery, where a few extra nails were haphazardly sticking out. "Here, just pick one!"

Cass eyed the nails and then carefully raised the canvas up to find one that would hold it without bumping any of the other pictures. "Ah! Perfection!"

LA smiled shyly. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Cass kissed his cheek.

"Does that one need a price tag?" Brandon asked. "I got everything else marked up."

LA stared. "Yeah, I see that. And these are double what we talked about."

Brandon shrugged. "If they don't sell tonight, we can lower them."

"You should lower them now. Nobody's gonna buy these—"

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Brandon smirked at LA, clearly ignoring him. "Dr Pepper and rum, right?"

LA grunted in frustration. He could see Brandon wasn't going to change his mind, so he just sighed and asked, "Rum, huh? Thought this was a coffee place?"

"Hey, I got my liquor license too, thank you. We only serve wine and beer, but uh, I did happen to get a bottle of somebody's favorite pirate just for tonight."

Cass nudged him. "Go on, Elly. I can drive if you'd like."

LA grinned. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

A drink sounded pretty damn good right now and LA nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Brandon looked to Cass. "What about you? What can I get you?"

"Oh, just a water would be lovely!" Cass said cheerfully. "Thank you so much."

"Okay! I'll be right back. Kevin is around here somewhere. If I see him, I'll send him your way." Brandon headed over to the counter, though he paused to look back at LA and catch his eye.

LA stared, mouthing, "What?"

Brandon gave Cass a once-over and then looked back at LA, mouthing back, "He's hot!"

LA snorted out a laugh and shook his head, though he did cuddle a little closer to Cass's side.

"Mm?" Cass blinked. "What is it?"

"Nothing." LA chuckled. "This is just… wow." He drifted back from the gallery so he could watch everyone admiring his work. "You know, I was always so proud of the stuff I did at the funeral home, making everyone look good, fixing them up, but it wasn't like I could take pictures and show anyone. This is…"

Cass smiled and gently wrapped his arm around LA's waist. "Wonderful? Amazing? An absolute thrill to have your artistic talents celebrated?"

"All of that and then some. Especially these. Because they are so personal, you know?"

"I understand. It can be difficult to share such an intimate part of yourself, but I am glad you did." Cass purred, bubbles floating around them. "You really are so talented, Elly."

"Thank you, Cass," LA said earnestly. "Seriously. For fucking everything."

"Mr. Holmes! The man of the hour!" Georgina approached them, dressed in a pink pantsuit that matched her bright hair. She leaned in to kiss LA's cheeks and then Cass's. "Hi! Georgina Plum, assistant curator of the Schumacher Art Museum. I'm also the collections manager at the Gogos Art Gallery."

LA choked on air.

"It's so lovely to meet you!" Cass said excitedly. "I'm Elly's date, Cass Imp."

"Aw, it's so lovely to meet you too!" Georgina gushed. "He is so talented, isn't he? His use of texture is so masterful. It just draws your eyes right into the canvas and screams at you."

"He is fantastic," Cass agreed, equally gushy and grinning.

LA's head spun and he clung to Cass.

This woman not only ran one of the state's largest art museums, but also one of its biggest and most prestigious galleries, and she had just called LA's use of texture masterful.

He was going to fucking pass out.

"Hey, Georgina!" Brandon greeted as he came back, a drink in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. "Did you tell him yet?"

"No, not yet!" Georgina gave Brandon a conspiratorial wink.

"Tell him what?" LA scrambled for the drink so he could take a few big slurps.

"LA!" a new voice shouted.

LA turned to find Kevin, Brandon's fiancé, barreling toward him. "Wait, wait, wait—"

Kevin was an absolute grizzly bear of a man, built as wide as he was tall, and he loved giving very, very big hugs. He practically tackled LA and squeezed him tight, cheering, "Oh! I can't believe it! You're really here! You look awesome! Oh my God, is this your date? Whoa, he is cute. What's—"

"Kevin," LA gurgled. "You have to let go… My back…"

"Oh! Right." Kevin grinned sheepishly as he let go, patting LA's shoulder. "Sorry! I just got excited."

"It's okay," LA wheezed. "Cass, this is Kevin, Brandon's fiancé. Kevin, this is—"

"Cassander Imp, your new mysterious beau." Kevin batted his eyes and cocked his hip. "I already know. Brandon told me everything."

Georgina smiled, touching LA's arm. "I'll let you catch up with your friends, darling. We'll chat later, all right?"

"Oh. Yes, ma'am. Thank you." LA wanted to know what she was supposed to tell him, but they did have all night. He took a big sip of his drink and leaned against Cass's side, trying to shift his weight.

"Do you need a chair?" Cass asked, ever attentive and probably noticing that LA was uncomfortable. "I can go grab one!"

"You don't have to do—" LA snorted as Cass was already halfway across the shop in search of a chair. "—that."

"I like him," Kevin said with a big grin. "Like, wow, what a babe! And so sweet!"

Brandon chuckled. "Yeah, he seems really nice."

"He is." LA smiled.

"Where did you two meet?" Kevin asked.

"Uh…" LA drew a blank. "Uh, well, you know that little magic shop downtown?"

Kevin quirked his brows. "Magic shop? What's the name?"

"It's just called The Magic Shop. Has a big red sign?" LA shook his head. "Never mind. Well, I ran into him there. We got to talking and, uh, we just hit it off—"

Someone tapped LA's shoulder.

Thinking it was Georgina or perhaps another fan of his work, LA turned around with a smile.

As soon as he saw who it was, his smile vanished.

It was Gavin .