20. Fang The Big Boss

20

FANG THE BIG BOSS

Wren gathered his magic and raised his hand to write a spell. Before he could, Fang was already leaping forward, putting himself between Steffie and the cart.

The cart veered around Fang and didn't go anywhere near Steffie. But Wren's insides filled with awe anyway.

Fang had rushed to protect Steffie with no hesitation at all.

He was... protective. He'd be such a good dad. Wren saw it in the line of his shoulders, the determination on his face.

And suddenly, Wren really, really wanted to have Fang's babies.

Both Fang and Hector turned to look at him, at the same time. Wren froze. "Did I... say that out loud?"

Fang's gaze darkened. "You want me to put multiple babies inside you?"

"Um, yes?"

"Good." Fang's smile grew; his eyes flashed gold. "I will try harder tonight. Or in my office, over my desk."

"Not in the office," Wren yelped.

"In my car?"

"Oh, gods." Wren felt dizzy; he wasn't sure if it was caused by arousal or disbelief. Possibly both.

"We should take pictures with your belly," Fang said thoughtfully. "Progress pictures like the ones people post on the internet. From the side so we can see your belly swelling as the weeks go by." The more Fang thought about it, the more intense his expression grew. "We should start immediately."

Wren wrung his hands. "Won't you be late for work?"

"It won't take long." Fang herded him to the hallway mirror, where he tugged Wren's T-shirt off completely, leaving his top half naked. Fang looked over Wren's shoulder and rumbled, cupping his belly, before sliding his hands up in a rush of tingles, to cover Wren's chest. "Someday soon, you'll be nursing them here."

Wren's breath snagged in his throat. "T-them?"

"Our baby and Steffie. Or babies." Fang's voice dipped low. "If I succeed in putting more inside you."

Wren blushed, then gasped when Fang caught his nipples, squeezing them lightly.

"Can't wait to see your milk leaking," Fang whispered. "One baby suckling from each nipple? I'd hold them up for you. Lick you clean after."

Fang ran his hands over Wren's front several times, before pulling out his phone and aiming its camera at the mirror. "Week zero."

Wren thought it'd be a quick picture, except Fang pressed himself against Wren's back and cradled his hip with his other hand, his warmth soaking into all of Wren.

"Should I take the picture from a lower angle, to focus on your belly, or higher, to focus on you?"

Wren didn't know. Fang took several pictures from all angles, and it made Wren's face burn. "Are you going to share those pictures with anyone?"

"Not yet," Fang rumbled. "Want to keep them between you and me for now. Wait ‘til you're showing."

He rubbed Wren's belly indulgently; Wren's heart thumped.

I'm pregnant with Fang's baby.

It still felt so unbelievable.

Fang tucked his phone away and helped Wren put his shirt back on. Then they went to get Steffie, and Wren smiled when the shopping cart bumped gently against his hip.

"No hitting Steffie," he told the cart. "She's fragile, unlike you."

The cart flipped its wheels eagerly from side to side.

"You should give it a name," Fang said.

Wren wracked his mind, but like how he'd gotten stuck on a nickname for Fang, Wren couldn't come up with anything. "I'm bad with names."

Fang thought about it. "What about Timmy Tim?"

Wren laughed. It was such a silly name. "I like it. Timmy Tim," he repeated, rubbing his hand over the cart's handlebar. "That's your new name, Timmy Tim. I hope you like it."

The cart nudged him and squeaked its wheels, and Wren smiled.

"The baby's name won't be anything like that," Fang said.

Wren blew out a sigh of relief. "I would hope not. Do you... have any suggestions?"

Fang smiled and didn't answer. But from the look on his face, he already did.

Wren wasn't sure what to expect at the Center. All he knew was that Fang worked there with his friend, Valor. One of Wren's new friends, Samsen, worked there too.

When they stepped in, Samsen hurried up to them, waving. Samsen was thin and short like Wren, with pale skin and dark hair. Vampire. "Wren! And Fang, hi!"

Wren leaned in and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Don't you feel weird saying hi to a big boss?"

Samsen grinned. "I'm mated to Valor. We see Fang around a lot."

Then he blushed and glanced at Fang, and Wren hesitated. Was there... some kind of history between them?

Samsen must've seen something in Wren's expression; his eyes grew wide. "Oh! No, it's not like that." He waved his hands like he was trying to dispel Wren's thoughts, before giving up and tugging Wren into one of the shadowy back offices.

Wren looked at him uncertainly.

"Fang, uh, he caught me and Valor doing things in Valor's office," Samsen whispered, his cheeks pink. "And he watched. He was watching us pretty regularly, with permission, up until a couple weeks ago."

"He stopped?" Wren tried to make sense of the twisting emotions in his chest.

Samsen nodded. "I think that was roughly the time you showed up in Cartfalls."

Wren's heart skipped. "Really?"

"Yeah." Samsen nudged Wren back toward the hallway. "We wondered why he wasn't interested anymore, but it's obvious now." He gave Wren a meaningful look.

"Oh."

"Talk to him," Samsen encouraged. "I think we were like porn to him, so you don't really have to worry."

"But you blushed when you looked at him."

"I didn't think I'd end up becoming a porn star," Samsen said dryly.

Did Fang... think of Wren as porn? He had asked Wren to strip for him multiple times during the road trip, and... Wasn't it just like what he'd done with Samsen and Valor?

Wren stepped out of the office woodenly, his heart pounding.

He crashed into a warm, solid wall.

When he looked up, he found Fang frowning at him. Wren froze. Fang sighed and leaned all the way down to press a kiss to his forehead. "C'mon. I'll explain in my office. Thanks, Samsen."

Wren's heart thumped all the way there. Fang squeezed his shoulder, but it didn't help.

The public-facing side of the Center had nice hardwood floors and comfortable chairs where people could come in to donate blood. Toward the back, the offices were plainer and less decorated, for staff only.

Fang had his own office. He unlocked the door and ushered Wren inside, before locking it back up. "Tell me which part of that bothered you."

He'd heard all of it. "So it's true?"

Fang sat with Wren on the couch in the corner, cradling Wren's hands in his own. His forehead was crinkled. "Yes, it's true. I have no desire to be intimately involved with either of them, romantically or sexually. I was merely a witness to their interactions."

"You like watching," Wren blurted.

"Real life is more believable than porn that's filmed and directed in studios." Fang shrugged. "You can feel the desire in the parties involved, if they're enthusiastic about the sex. I prefer real things. But I lost interest in them when I met you."

"Are you going to lose interest in me, too?" Wren blurted. "Because I'm kind of like porn, but realer?"

"Birdie." Fang licked his lips, leaning closer. "I wasn't sure if I could have you, at first. It's why my payment for the trip was the right to watch you. Do you know what's better than being on the outside, looking in? It's having my very own omega to protect and provide for. An omega to hold and cherish. As an alpha, that's all I want."

Wren gulped.

Fang kept talking. "I know it's too soon to talk about anything permanent, regarding our feelings. We've been around each other for less than a week. You could change your mind, or find someone else."

"But? It feels like there's a ‘but' in there."

Fang trailed his knuckles over Wren's belly. "But you're carrying my pup now. I'm not going to leave you unprotected. I'm always going to be available to you, whatever you need me for."

That sounded a lot like commitment, even though neither of them had mentioned it yet.

"Okay," Wren whispered.

Fang smiled tentatively. "You truly don't mind my history of watching others?"

"I like it when you watch me," Wren admitted. "So... I can understand why you'd do that."

Fang's smile grew. He cupped Wren's face and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. "Thank you."

Wren leaned in, savoring Fang's care and affection. Just that Fang broke the kiss and peeked over Wren's shoulder. "How is Steffie? She sounds like she's napping."

"I think she is." Wren fidgeted. "So... Do I just hang around in here all day?"

Fang glanced at the door. "Sometimes I have employees coming in, and sometimes I have meetings in here. Do you think... Do you have the energy for a cloaking spell? For sound and visibility."

Wren looked around. A large desk sat toward the back of the room, flanked on two sides by filing cabinets. There was a window behind the desk with its blinds closed, and on the other side of the desk were three chairs.

"Will they try to sit on the couch?" Wren asked uneasily. "I can add repulsion to the barrier, but it'll take more magic."

Fang shook his head. "I'll keep them away. Not many people sit there, anyway."

"Okay. I'll need some masking tape."

Curiously, Fang handed a roll over, along with a permanent marker.

Wren carefully unrolled a length of tape along the front of the couch. He sank a bit of magic into each rune he wrote—writing with a marker helped, because he didn't need to expend magic to make the runes tangible.

When he was done with the tape, he unrolled another length of it for the short side of the couch, and wrote on that, too. He turned to Fang. "Will you help me move the couch? I need to get these pieces of tape on the floor behind it."

Fang moved it easily, his muscles flexing against his shirt sleeves.

Wren stuck the tape along the walls. Fang moved the couch back to its original position. When the final two pieces of tape were filled with runes, enclosing the couch in a magical rectangle, Wren pushed another pulse of magic through it all.

The barrier hummed as it activated, turning the masking tape and couch invisible.

Wren stepped into the rectangle. His body disappeared, too.

"Wren," Fang growled, stepping closer. "You did amazing."

That made all of Wren's instincts flutter with pleasure.

"If I had more magic to spare, I'd add exclusions so you could see us," Wren admitted.

"This is still good. I like that you're safe." Fang approached the couch, spreading his arms out for a hug. Wren stepped out of the rectangle and into his embrace. "There you are," Fang rumbled. "Hey, Steffie."

Steffie stirred and kicked sleepily, making soft sounds of contentment.

A knock came at the door.

Fang sighed. "I'll have Samsen get you some water and snacks. Wait a couple minutes?"

"I will," Wren said.

He settled back on the couch, cuddling Steffie, who was still in her backpack. As the hour passed, Wren watched as various employees knocked and came in to speak to Fang, having him sign things and take calls.

They always talked to him with respect, and it was so crazy that this man they all looked up to—this same man had knelt next to Wren's bed, and pulled Wren's shoes off so he could sleep.

During the times his employees left him alone, Fang worked on his computer, typing on the small keyboard with his large hands.

"Is it hard to type?" Wren blurted when he stepped out of the rectangle.

Fang shot him a lopsided smile. "It feels like I'm a giant mashing my fingers into some tiny keys, yes."

"Are there bigger keyboards you can buy?"

"You know, that hasn't occurred to me before." Fang seemed thoughtful as he tapped on his keyboard. "I've found some recommendations. Guess I'll give them a try." He shot Wren a pleased smile.

Wren's pulse skipped. He'd helped Fang, and it felt good.

Steffie babbled and caught Wren's fingers, trying to gnaw on them with her little teeth. It was easy enough to play with her and make her laugh.

Fang left sometimes for meetings in the other offices. During those times, he left the lights on, and Wren took the chance to sneak into the staff bathroom to relieve himself.

Then there were the times Fang held meetings with the other big bosses in his office. He was focused, sharp, talking about transportation routes, supplies, and management issues with so much confidence that Wren couldn't help staring.

"Wren?" Fang frowned. "You there?"

Wren had to wipe the drool off his chin. He leaned halfway off the couch, across the line of runes. "Um. Yes. I, um. I lost track of things."

The other bosses had left Fang's office. Fang crossed the room and pulled him off the couch, glancing to the side. "Steffie?"

Wren scooped Steffie off the couch and stepped into Fang's arms, something settling inside him after hours of no contact.

Fang rumbled low in his throat. "Were you bored?"

Wren shook his head. "I've been watching Steffie; she's been flinging her toys everywhere. I'm barely catching them so they don't fly out of the boundary. My arms are so sore."

Fang chuckled, his gaze growing warmer. "Why don't you take a break? I'll watch her. Eat a cookie, chat with your friends."

Wren perked up, biting into the chocolate chip cookie that Samsen had given him earlier.

His phone buzzed. Several messages came in quick succession; Wren opened them out of curiosity.

QuinCukesXXX

Omg Griff is singing terrible songs again

WolfCubDad

Are they about dicks? Again?

QuinCukesXXX

They're about cucumbers and tomatoes

Here, he wants me to write it down so all of you can sing it to your mates.

PinksThinks

Should I be worried?

YesToFangs77

Maybe you'll be amused? The rest of us are

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Quinlan has been typing for a long time

ScaredyWren

I'm worried

QuinCukesXXX

In my pants are a cucumber and two tomatoes

They're bigger than my fingers and my mouth and my toes

The cucumber is my amazing cock

The tomatoes are my beefy balls

I'll open you up and put them in your butt

Vegetables are so good for you

ScaredyWren

… Is he actually going to do that?

HotMess69

Cough. Those are the easy stuff. Vegetable Insertion 101

ScaredyWren

Even tomatoes?!

WolfCubDad

Wren, Wren. You sweet summer child. You haven't seen anything, have you?

ScaredyWren

What am I supposed to be seeing?

HotMess69

I'm going to hide in a closet right now, before Yaeger gets ideas about tomatoes.

ScaredyWren

You've... had cucumbers?!

HotMess69

Wren, a shifted dragon cock is... big. Cucumbers are small fry in comparison. I was going to put a butternut squash up my ass, but Yaeger convinced me that they're about the same size.

ScaredyWren

OMG

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Of course, ‘butternut squash' is the perfect name for a vegetable you want to insert somewhere.

PinksThinks

If you're a virgin though, a butternut squash is way too fucking huge

QuinCukesXXX

Elson, why are you hiding in a closet? I bet you can fit a few tomatoes, no problem

HotMess69

I don't want tomatoes exploding in my butt, thanks

They have SEEDS

PinksThinks

Explain to me how you can take dragon cum, which is literally millions of seeds

HotMess69

But you don't see the individual ones! You can SEE tomato seeds!

And they have goop

ScaredyWren

Um, thanks for the mental image of... tomato goop falling out of someone's butt?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

I bet there's a pickup line about that somewhere

Or someone will invent one.

HotMess69

Oh gods no

WolfCubDad

Wren, has Fang given you any terrible pickup lines?

ScaredyWren

From that book? No, not yet. I'm not sure if I want them, to be honest

QuinCukesXXX

It's a rite of passage. I think you should receive a terrible pickup line before you can properly join the club

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Not that we received pickup lines from our mates. Our BUTLERS gave them to us... to help "improve our relationships" (rolling eyes emoji)

QuinCukesXXX

Yeah, our butlers have only goodwill in their hearts

HotMess69

Cringey goodwill

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Ridiculous goodwill

PinksThinks

Uh guys? Sorry to derail the chat but

This giant statue just

Came alive

In front of me!!!!!!

(screaming emoji)

WolfCubDad

Pinks?? Where are you??

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Isn't he at the safehouse?!

PinksThinks

I

ifeliafjelra

aoeflvi

QuinCukesXXX

Pinks!!!